The Stephanie Miller

So Stephanie Miller has been filling in on MSNBC for Don Imus. I wish she would find a permanent seat on MSNBC because she's not only attractive, she's smart and funny as well. She makes me want to be a liberal progressive.

Veto that funding bill Mr. President

The President should veto the funding bill that Congress will present to him in a few days. Though I wish nothing more than to see the troops come home, this bill will not bring the troops home, and will futher endanger the lives of the troops on the ground. It is quite clear that the President is committed to Iraq, and that he will not be pulling troops out of there. This attempt of Congress to meddle in foreign diplomacy is reckless and dangerous, and it echoes the debacle in Somalia when President Clinton refused to allow commanders on the ground AC-130 Spectre gunships and Bradley armored fighting vehicles. A lot of people died needlessly in Somalia because of a lack of resolve from civilian planners and politicians. By withholding essential equipment, or the procurement of such equipment - like this spending bill will do - Congress is in effect making the US armed forces in Iraq less capable. Men and women on the ground will pay for this in blood. In comparison when Canadian Forces operate in Afghanistan, they have a massive amount of equipment and are well-funded, everything from tanks to armored personnel carriers and artillery.

You can't fight a war without the proper men and equipment, and though it is noble of Congress to want to bring the troops home, cutting off their funding will not bring them home, especially since the President is totally committed to continuing the war in Iraq. The troops lives will now be in limbo, either you completely withdraw the troops from Iraq or you must totally fund and grant them the equipment that they will need to win the war (though the war in unwinnable because there is no clearly defined end goal). The President is not going to pull the troops out, so a passing of this bill will make another Blackhawk Down scenario.

Why I'll vote for Bill Richardson for President!

(Bill call me)

I truly hope Bill Richardson becomes the next President of the United States. Here's why:

1) Bill Richardson knows about illegal immigration, that's because he's been the frakking governor of New Mexico.

2) Bill Richardson knows about alternative energy sources because he's been the frakking Secretary of Energy.

3) Bill Richardson knows about politics in Washington because he's been a frakking US Congressman.

4) Bill Richardson knows about foreign diplomacy and how to actually talk to other countries without bombing them because he's been the frakking US ambassador to the United Nations. He also speaks French.

5) Bill Richardson knows about race issues because he's half hispanic.

6) Bill Richardson, has been married to the same woman for 33 years, and is a stable family man, unlike Giuliani.

7) Bill Richardson just seems like a nice guy and does not seem to be the kind of politician that would compromise his beliefs to gain votes, or flip-flop on issues.

8) Bill Richardson banned cock fights in New Mexico, so he should have no problems with the US Senate.

9) Bill Richardson recently joined California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and Washington Governor Chris Gregoire to create the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative, a joint strategy to fight global warming. Anybody who is not afraid of the Terminator is A-okay.

10) Bill Richardson is not Hillary Clinton.

Move over Molly Sandén

A few months ago I wrote about the amazing Swedish talent Molly Sandén, the 2006 Junior Eurovision Song Contest entry for Sweden. It seems that talent runs in the family as is demonstrated by her 11 year old sister Mimmi Sandén.



I find it amazing that she's singing in English as well, not her native language. Shit, when I was 11 I was probably still wearing diapers. The Sandén family is truly blessed, and I think there's one more sister. That would be one helluva a trio!

Coast Guard strikes again

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/23/drugs.coastguard.reut/index.html

Unbelievable, 20 tons of cocaine worth $600 million dollars, that's $30 million dollars per short ton. 40,000 pounds, or $15,000 dollars per pound!

N-Word for the White Guy

WAR IS A RACKET!

But don't take my word for it, after all, what would I know about war? Well how about it coming from Major General Smedley D. Butler, USMC (Retired)?

http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/print.asp?ID=6021

Putin's Russia

WTF Putin? I thought you had a hold on this democracy thing and now I hear that people are protesting on the streets of Moscow? Whatever happened to the good old days when politicians could just throw people into the sea?

Turkey to block "insulting" websites and the EU

Turkey has for many years tried to join the EU, but their treatment of the Kurds and political repression has often prevented it from becoming a member. Indeed Turkey is quite different from the rest of Europe, if it is actually part of Europe at all, which is a matter of great debate between geographers and politicians. Needless to say Turkey's decision to block "insulting" websites is akin to China's censorship policies. If Turkey really wants to become a member of the EU, such actions must stop. Freedom of speech is one of the hallmarks of good democracy, and should not be curtailed. Still, Germany (a founding member of the EU) prohibits the display of Nazi symbols and Nazi paraphernalia, which is in its extreme form, a sort of "speech."

I don't agree with Nazism, nor do I agree with censorship. A free state should always allow its citizens to communicate openly and frequently, even if what they talk about is offensive to the state. Russia would do well to heed that lesson as well.

And back in the 90's there was Tina Cousins

Indeed, like the song says, "where are you now?"

American Soldier Tribute

Okay, so there are some British soldiers in there as well for good measure.

Safari snorkel

I think if you are going to have an SUV you need to outfit it with a snorkel. Unfortunately they tend to be a bit expensive, but they look awesome, and you will definitely get a leg-up on those 4WD wannabees.

http://www.arbusa.com/snorkels.php

My mom's new ride

Okay, I admit it, I'm half-European so I like kombis. In Sweden we call a stationwagon a kombi. I like vehicles I can stuff things into, like SUVs, but since having an SUV in Europe is economic suicide, most people drive a kombi instead. In fact some kombis have more room than your standard SUV, and they are more fuel efficient, and are lightning fast. Jealousy is my middle name. My mom is much cooler than me now, and she can get all her golf bags in the car now. Still, I have 4WD and ground clearance, so I don't always have to drive on a road hahaha.

Used books

Today during my lunch hour (yes I belong to a wonderful organization that actually gives their employees a whole hour for lunch!) I visited the Old Book Barn. Now I love books, and I love used book stores. I guess treasure hunting is in my nature, and I'm quite frugal in mindset, so finding good deals makes me happy. There are books that I've found at used book stores that cost me .50 cents or $2 dollars that can be sold on the internet for $80 dollars or so because they are out of print. Not that I would ever sell them because they belong to the Library of Sharkdom. I love how books are timeless, how they can seemingly transcend the barriers of time. Knowledge, ideas, and dreams contained in books are wonderful. I don't think any book should be banned, no matter how insensitive or vulgar its content. Nobody is forcing you to read the filth after all.

I also enjoy looking at old books to see how layouts and fonts have changed over time, and the old drawings that used to be in books. Nowadays there are more pictures, but in the old days there were more diagrams and drawings which are fascinating. About the only thing that I do not like about old books is that old book smell, which sometimes smells like mold. Other than that, I could find myself in a used book store all day.

Murtha likes his submarines

Visiting Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., says that he wants the US to increase the building of Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines from one a year to two.



Costing almost $3 billion dollars a piece, these subs will ensure that the US maintains domination of the undersea world. Apparently in this world where National Guard and Reserve troops are short-changed with lack of equipment and training, the hawkish democrat feels that these submarines will keep the Chinese at bay. Never mind that $3 billion dollars could ensure that the frontline troops got body armor or reinforced Humvees for Afghanistan and Iraq, or that a war with China will be economic suicide for both the US and China; it's important that defense workers in Groton have jobs.

Now don't get me wrong. Nobody loves submarines more than I do, but why spend this outrageous amount of money for attack subs when our most likely enemy will be in the littoral environment? We'd do good to buy or build the equivalent of Swedish Gotland-class submarines instead.



These submarines are so sophisticated and ultra quiet that the US Navy itself leased one for targeting and stalking practice. Sure they don't have all the capabilities of the Virginia-class, but they are lethal in the environment the US Navy would most likely find itself in the War on Terror, close to coast lines and shore. We need to maintain our advantage in weapons technology, I can understand that, but at the same time if we are truly interested in winning the War on Terror, we need to invest in equipment and training that will realistically maximize our combat effectiveness. Good boots and body armor for ground-pounders and small attack crafts for the new Riverine Squadron will probably prevent more terrorist attacks than a Virginia-class sub ever will. I highly doubt a war with China is in the immediate future, after all, if we are griping about the price of gas, imagine how much we'd gripe if all the goods we got from China would skyrocket in price?

The real reason the British sailors were taken hostage

Chasing life

This is an offshoot from a post I did on Bowl's blog. I've been thinking long and hard about what the meaning of life is and what I am truly striving for. I've not really come up with a good idea of what I want from life. Why do I work? To make money. Why do I want money? To buy stuff. Why do I want stuff? To make me happy? Does stuff really make me happy though? When I think about it, spending time with friends and family is what makes me happy, and I really don't have to spend money on that other than paying for transportation to get there and maybe for meals at restaurants, etc. Other than that I really don't know what else I'm striving for. The irony is that I have to spend time working, thereby spending less time with friends and family, in order to make money so that I can afford to spend time with friends and family. I sometimes wish we lived in a small village where all of us could spend time together and if we were hungry we could go hunt or gather for food, and we were not bogged down chasing the industrialized, commercialized "American Dream." Let me ask you this question? What are you striving for, what is your ultimate dream or goal?

CIA's got nothing on Walmart

Do we have a new player in the intelligence biz? Forget the CIA, FBI, or NSA, let's just turn the spooks at Walmart Security loose instead! I'm sure they'd have the War on Terror wrapped up in no time, and with a cost-saving rollback too.

Guest authoring

One of the greatest things about the internet is meeting new and exciting people. It's really icing on the top when those people trust you enough to allow you to be a moderator or guest author on their site, one of the ultimate forms of respect in the cyberworld. I am particularly grateful to abowlofstupid and Kang for allowing me to guest author on their blogs. I am humbled and honored to be part of their excellent sites. A big thanks!

Day three under boiler order

Yes, we are still under boiler order here, but I do have a leg up on my neighbors. I have a 5-gallon Cambro to put my boiled water into. No self-respecting disaster responder would find him or herself without one.