Sunday, October 31, 2004

Hockey You Hoser!!

If you're too young to remember where that comes from, you're probably not too young to realize - there's NO HOCKEY going on puck-face!



That's right, there's a hockey lockout. Didn't notice? Well, it's probably because all American eyes have been turned to Boston (winning the World Series - even though it's not literally a "WORLD" series... anyway...)and also to the New England Patriots football team - who are unbeaten err, scratch that. Pittsburgh handed the Patriots their lunch this afternoon. Boo hoo.

But who friggin cares about football! I mean, it only gets interesting near super bowl time anyway. And when was the last time a linebacker had a stick horked up his crotch or a puck blasted in his knee cap? Ever see a bench clearing brawl in football, golf, tennis or soccer? (Non-European Soccer). Never. Baseball yeah, but that's over my friends. Our rockem-sockem fast paced slap-shot o' rama will not be seen this YEAR because:

1 - Hockey is NOT the lowest paid sport, actually pay is higher than most sports and the owners don't know how to pay for their salary's other than capping them
2 - The players union is adamat about not being capped

The average hockey player was 1.79 Million in the 2002-2003 season. This would be a player like Nylander from the Rangers. Compared to average salary's of other sports:

Baseball: Median salary is around 2 Million. It depends on how rich your team is.
Football: Median salary is around 1 Million. The "stars" make the big bucks - but football has a salary cap.
Basketball: Median salary is around 3.5 - 4 Million. Way over paid and over rated squeeking. Remember our "dream team" in the Olympics? They're drinking too much Crystal and getting down with hoes in their hotel cribs. Nuff said.

I'm not seeing how the Hockey players are starving here. Try surviving on 45k a year and driving a 6 year old Volkswagen, dealing with a jerk boss and shuttling 2 kids around to school events. No hoes. No Porche for gettin in the playoffs. No hoes (did I mention that one already?). No bonuses. Hell, you'd be lucky to keep that 45k job in the first place.



When I see Nylander, Purinton, Matvichuk or Kapanen on 42nd living in a card board box and holding a sign saying "will shoot pucks for food", I'll give in. And waaa... I'm supposed to feel sorry for the poor guy who's only making 3.5 million as a staring defenseman or center? He's having mortgage problems on the multi-million dollar house he bought? Or he's not getting any from the model wife at home because the seasons too long? I reiterate: Waaa.



Never being one to just rant without offering a possible solution:

- Cut the teams down to 18 (there's some bucks right there baby!)
- Cut the rosters for each team down as well
- Cap those team salary's, but increase the current money for each team
- Owners cut a deal with Cable for exclusivity and get more money
- Cut the season down to 60 games (instead of 82)
- Take some of the cost savings and invest it into school programs for the next generation

Better yet, move the entire thing over to European Union. Get those countries to support professional sports. 3/4 of the NHL players are from across the Atlantic anyway.

I refuse to watch basketball, as I believe it's probably the stupidest, over-hyped, over-paid garbage ever. After following a little of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, I felt embarassed FOR the U.S. Mens basketball team. I mean, this team probably makes collectively more money than the some of the COUNTRY's that BEAT the siznizzle out of them. I'd rather watch professional bowling, tennis or golf than basketball. It has no soul. Where's Jordan when you need him. Isn't it time he comes out of retirement again? How about Dr. J... is he busy? The overpaid bling bling boneheads playing the game today are just pathetic, when they're not in court. I almost wish the Kobe Bryant case went to court - it would have been at least the most enjoyable entertainment from a basketball player I'd have seen in years!


It's a bad, expensive dream (team). And it keeps getting worse, and worse.

Monday, October 25, 2004

Socialism = Scary

I'm a moderate. I don't like (generally) ideology, politics, or philosophies that are extreme in nature. Live and let live – sure.

So a few things have been linked together lately that disturb me:

1. No Tolerance Policy
This is teaching our children at a young age a few things – not necessarily socialistic. It teaches that common, every day actions cause grown-ups to freak out and get mad at you. Things such as a 8 year old little boy sticking his tongue out (as children do when they tease each other) at an 8 year old little girl, then getting suspended from school for “sexual harassment”. Or even better, playing “cops and robbers” with again, the same overreaction all due to zero tolerance insanity.

2. Media Garbage
In either sense, young people today are being bombarded with immediate information – much of it both inaccurate and untrue. While the Democrats claim the media is Republican biased, and vise-versa, the truth is few and far between in any case. If you’re relying on CBS news to give you the “truth”, change the station. If CNN is supposed to provide “fair and balanced”, don’t bother. Oh and Fox is no better. Somewhere in the middle of all the little jibs and jabs from all broadcasting of news, the biased magazines (Time/Newsweek), the ACLU, the NRA, the NAACP and Moveon dot org lies the “truth”. Some of us, no matter if we see the murder happen, take a picture of the murderer, find the gun, and hear the action, we still don’t believe. A favorite quote of mine from a political cartoon says, “Don’t bother me with the truth, my minds made up!”

3. College Nonsense
Colleges are the hot bed for extremist views and have been probably since the early 50’s. Some of these controversies come from professors of Middle Eastern Studies (un-like Sami Al-Arian who was a computer engineering professor. For more Al-Arian info check out the PRO and CON). Also review: Academic Free Speech
Most colleges (yes I know a generalization) are hot beds for these issues. Chomsky and Marx are probably more discussed now than ever before in history – partly because there’s a higher educated (but not necessarily smarter) population in the world and increasingly young people want answers and are not happy with the ones they are hearing.

4. Hollywood Hypocricy
Hollywood is very “left” politically. Yet Hollywood embraces violence as big bucks at the box-office. They can’t have an action film without guns. Violence and killing and the spilling of blood in general must be there for an action film to be successful. Yet more actors speak out against gun ownership, war etc. than anything else! They believe in it so strongly that at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, many rally’s were held by the likes of Martin Sheen (star of "The West Wing" where every week it seems he’s conferring with the Joint Chiefs and thoughtfully considers bomb the bejesus out of some other country). Not to say that Republicans/Libertarians don’t also have Hollywood support. Drew Carey, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, Adam Sandler, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Leary, Kurt Russell and Heather Locklear will not be rallying with Jane Fonda anytime soon.

So, all this writing has WHAT to do with Socialism? I’ve been blathering on now and haven’t tied a thing together so what gives?

I’m suggesting that this country is already starting down a Socialist path. I would urge the reading of the following by Russell: "Proposed Roads to Freedom" which outlines Socialism.

Here’s how I think it’s going to happen still in my lifetime.

1. Our children are being taught inexplicable behavioral lessons as contained in Zero Tolerance – which uses no common sense.
2. Many of these same children are being raised by babysitters, pre-school and after school programs funded by the State, which are “social programs” paid for through taxes.
3. These children grow up and most likely go to a college where ideas and thoughts of a Socialist nature are exchanged. I am reminded of the rally’s and “teach ins” that occurred post-911, where many of the extremists gathered in colleges around the U.S. praising Al-Quaeda for their “fight for freedom” against evil America. Example
4. Once these kids graduate college (hopefully) they have now had 22 years of indoctrination into Socialist thought and practice.

This is why the use of “common sense” is vastly diminishing and why game shows have popped up where two contestants bet on whether or not a young American can get the following question right: “Who was the first President of the United States?” Surprise, they got it wrong with the answer, “Lincoln?” Why self-hating our own country is now “En-Vogue”. To quote Michael Moore regarding Americans: “They are possibly the dumbest people on the planet... in thrall to conniving, thieving, smug pricks.” While I would admit that some graduates of colleges are far from smart, it may be that they’re watching too many Moore movies and not going to class.

The second is that people don’t want to take responsibility for themselves anymore. Everyone wants to ditch the responsibility on everyone else – work, play, school, parenting or whatever. Especially around education and parenting – people want the government to take the responsibility of raising their kids. How many times have I heard, “Well it’s the schools responsibility. I mean, what do I pay taxes for?” Before school programs, after school programs, the television, the babysitter, a nanny or a tutor. Anything or anyone but not the parent because they can’t be bothered.

My parents sat down with me and helped with homework, talked about issues, and passed on their beliefs – not always appreciated by me but they did it anyway. Today’s parents don’t want kids to be kids – if they run around or are hyper – they must have A.D.D. so give them Riddlin. Do you know how many of America’s kids are basically drug addicts? Last time I checked kids were supposed to run around and be inattentive. Want to know the ADD criteria?

• Walking around during class
• Sharpening his pencil often
• Looking out the window, at the other kids, at the floor
• Losing his supplies
• Not handing in homework you know he has done

More info: What to do if your child has ADD

Are you kidding me? Every kid in my classes as a kid did all these things! Holy cow!

People today want to blame someone; anyone but themselves! Some Americans want the government to run our lives so we don’t have to be responsible for it. That way anything that goes wrong it’s not your fault or your kids fault or anyone’s fault. The Presidential candidates say it every day on TV – and Kerry is in the forefront. Did you know it was Bush’s fault that the Flu vaccine wasn’t delivered? See, it’s the government’s fault you’re going to get the flu and DIE this year. It’s the government’s fault that gas prices are so high. It’s the government’s fault that your kid has A.D.D. It’s the government’s fault that we’re going to have a cold winter this year and it’s the government’s fault Florida was pummeled this year with hurricanes. Feel better? You’re off the hook.

Government breeds more government. Giving them control of even a few things means they need more things to control; your land, your work, your money. The government will tell you where to live, what your job will be and how much you will make. This all equates to Socialism; common land, common money all controlled by a government. Worried about big brother tapping your phone and reading your mail? Socialism did that as did Fascism and Dictatorships. Democracies do it too. They just don’t take you out back and shoot you in the head when they hear something they don’t like. Socialist governments also have an unarmed populace. This way the only threat that government has is by the military which is controlled by, um, er, the socialist government. Crushed it's not really because our politicans have a heartfelt need to protect us? If they really were heartfelt they'd improve the things they already control: highways safety, food saftey, drug safety. Besides gun are some of the most regulated items in the country; ever wonder what would happen to thousands of government jobs if the guns suddenly disappeared? Hmm...

I also hear the political spin talk about our children’s future. Unless things change all of our futures will soon look like this:



HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Saturday, October 23, 2004

Deer Dept. of Transportation


Winner of the "It's not my job" award!


On my daily travels across my wonderful state, I have occasion to view dead animals on the side of the road. These occasions have been quite frequent lately, and in the past month I have viewed nine (yes nine) smushed deer on a 12 mile stretch of highway. They have all been in various states of decomposition and were well strewn about over the 12 miles. Upon passing, I thought "I feel sorry for the poor jerk that has to ride up to all these rotting carcasses and has to haul them away. What a lousy job".



Bambi escapes getting squashed during rush hour


Well, the sympathy was wasted, since no one has picked them up. As of this past Friday, all of the dead deer are still there, though a little less obvious since there are now flat crumpled deer skins with various bones and ribs being bleached by the sun now on that same 12 mile stretch.

Here's the part where I start soundling like an old fart:

Of all the money that goes into the Department of Transportation, you'd think that they'd want to give passers through our Garden State a better impression than seeing maggots falling out the ass of dead deer for 12 miles on Rt. 287. Sorry to be so indelicate but it's the truth. What the heck!?

So with the plastic bottles, paper, shoes and other garbage that lies along Interstate 287, we now have full rotted deer carcasses, skulls and ribs for the visitors to oggle at.

Gee I wonder why the rest of the country thinks NJ is an armpit. Maybe we should ask this little weasle (NJ DOT Commissioner who by the way makes $157,000 a year):



And if my Governer wasn't so busy spending this states taxes on person functions like:

- Taking his entire extended family to Ireland for a family reunion in 2003
- Taking a trip to Israel to see his GAY LOVER
- Appointing his GAY LOVER as the Homeland Security Commissioner and paying him over $110,000 a year

I can certainly see why the bloated maggot filled deer on our roads is such a low priority.


James E. McGreevy's lover Golan Cipel. If he would just leave the Governor alone, McGreevy may have noticed there are ROTTING CORPSES ON NJ's HIGHWAYS!!!


Where PETA when you need them? Hey, PETA, stop throwing blood on women with furs and get the dead deer off the streets.

Thursday, October 21, 2004

A short TEST

Hate tests? Dispair not! This one's kinda fun, a nice little 10 minute time waster and you might even learn something about yourself!

OUTOFSERVICE.COM




Feel free to post your URL at the end!

Here's my results:

Check out my Morality! 41% liberal, 59% conservative

Middle East Anger Management

Had a pretty strong epiphany this morning on the way to work and listening to a radio story describing this event in Iran. For a guy to get so upset at a parking ticket to douse his car with gas and set it on fire shows some serious issues here. I'm thinking he's not the exception but the rule. Everything with the Middle Eastern peoples have something to do with flailing, amputating, shooting, or some other sort of violence. They jump around in the streets in an emotional crisis almost all the time (at least that's what we see on the news) instead of being at work! I find myself wondering out loud (usually to myself which is also a bit creepy) how do these people have enough time to jump in the streets? Shouldn't they be at work?

Grandma was right - Idle hands are the devils business.

We don't need to send more weapons, soldiers, diplomats or have more meetings with terrorists. They need Anger Management courses.

We should be gathering some of our psychological counselors through rudimentary boot camp and send them over to ask why these people are so pissed off all the time? Is it because they're out of work? Are they sexually repressed? Are they conflicted about oil which everyone in the world wants but they can't keep?

All these are I think valid questions and I'd be willing to start a petition to have the government assign crisis counselors to fly over to Iraq, have these terrorists put down their RPG's for an hour a week and do some Rorschach tests and tell their new doctor how they feel.

My Public Service Announcement

Are you a terrorist? Do you feel like you want to commit mass murder by blowing yourself up using high explosives in a crowd of westerners OR have you attended a military type training camp(s) in the Syria, Jordan, Afghanistan or Pakistan? If you nodded or shouted "INFIDEL!!!" at your computer screen, you're probably a terrorst and are mentally conflicted about life and reality and are probably repressed and brain washed.

BUT DON'T DISPAIR!

You can sit down with one of our couselors to find the root of your dispair and repression! Donate one hour of your (short) life to working out your problems with the West, your religion and your inability to provide for your family. Let go of your hate for Capitalist Zionists and provide constructive criticism to the Palistinian conflict!

Perscription plans available. We take RPG's, IED's and AK's as payment!!!
Don't delay stop by today!



I think it may actually work!

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Zero tolerance = Zero Sense

Locating and identifying stupidity is probably my best "sense". Much like the idiots who are sending money to Martha Stewart in her "Camp Cupcake" minimum-security jail (there's no bars). Martha has about a BILLION DOLLARS and some of these door knobs are sending her money so she can buy a little something for herself. THESE PEOPLE NEED A PSYCHIATRIST RIGHT NOW!! Morons, take your money and put it into your own communities or donate some time to a homeless shelter or soup kitchen and STOP GIVING CONVICTED INSIDER TRADING MULTI-MILLIONAIRES MONEY IN JAIL!!

Sorry but I started off on a tangent, but it had to be.

Next is the NO TOLERANCE policy of schools - which by the way reflects nothing of society since nothing in adult society is NO TOLERANCE. We're brainwashing kids to think a 2nd grader drawing a picture of a gun requires suspension from school. More non-sensical and idiotic behavior from supposed "educators" can be found here: Zero Tolerance and more here: More idiocy and yet some more here: Stupidity abounds .

The sad part is I can keep going and going and going with reports and actions taken by administrators. I have no problem keeping schools drug free, weapon free and harassment free, but a zero tolerance policy isn't realistic or ANY reality in life that I know of. If zero-tolerance was used in adult life - we wouldn't need lawyers, judges or a judicial system at all.

As you can read in the above links - NJ is in the forefront of the zero-tolerance banter and tends to suspend and/or expel children for playing "cops and robbers" or even taking home a plastic butter knife. A butter knife.

Just this week a Somerset NJ 2nd grader was first expelled, then just suspended for 5 days because Mommy sent a metal butter knife to school with him to butter his roll for lunch. He had it in his lunch bag - not his back pocket or bookbag. He didn't threaten anyone - he just wanted to butter his bread. Pffft! 5 days you miscreant!

Here's the culprit:


Notice the smooth edges, rounded tip and flowery patter on the handle. All indicators of a dangerous weapon in the hands of an 8 year old.

What's more interesting is that it seems to be very difficult to find a definition to a "zero tolerance policy" for ANY state. In Googling for a solid 30 minutes I found many pro/con ZT sites, even anti-harassment and anti-bullying agreements, but no outline. A published list of "do's and don'ts" or an outline of what is considered under the auspices of ZT is difficult to find. This begs the question:

How can you have a Zero Tolerance Policy if it's not defined?

Here the word for today children....can you say facisim? GOOD!



Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Montage

An interesting stream of thought (conciousness) hit me today while listening to droning corporate types blather about a whole lotta not much.

1. President Bush was almost on par with John Kerry at the second debate. It took me almost 4 days to come to that conclusion while avoiding pundits and cable news commentary. This is believed to be because of the missing bulge.


2. What is really driving the gas prices to rise so high? If only 20% of the U.S. oil supply comes from OPEC, why is the political oil issue so front and center? Norwiegan oil workers and Hurrican Ivan (yes from a month ago) has raised the cost 65% in 2004. I think it's a vast left wing conspiracy to steal the White House by making the work commute unaffordable.



3. Here's my major issue with Kerry - why does he want to be the diplomat to these other nations? These are the nations that call the U.S. allies - who were going behind our backs and buying oil from Saddam after they voted 14+ U.N. resolutions AGAINST Iraq. These are the governments we want better relations with huh?




If you're feeling reflective: Mad World
If you need a thrill: Plane Landing

Thinking of flying a kite today?: Go fly a kite

Under the category of "interesting":

While sitting down, lift your right foot up and make clockwise circles with your foot. While doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction and there's nothing you can do about it.

Saturday, October 09, 2004

International Simpsons

Thought a short post would be appropriate today as I'm still digesting last nights debate.

Check out the International Simpsons which I thought was kinda funny.

Thursday, October 07, 2004

Cup cakes and De-bates



I'm sick of it! Martha Martha Martha!! (vague Brady Bunch reference for those of you interested!)

Here's a little clip of info on ALDERSON FEDERAL PRISON, a.k.a. Camp Cupcake


Location: Alderson, W.Va.

Security: Minimum

Population: 1,012

History: The first federal prison for women, Alderson opened in 1927. It was the vision of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mabel Walker Willebrandt, the first woman appointed to run federal prisons.

Amenities: Set on a hill in rural West Virginia, Alderson is known for its open environment. There are no metal fences surrounding the camp. Inmates have fixed schedules and must work, but free time can be spent playing volleyball, softball or tennis or doing aerobics.

Famous inmates: Billie Holiday; Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a member of the Manson family who tried to shoot President Ford; Sara Jane Moore, who also tried to kill Ford.

Quote: “It looks like a college. There’s no bars, no locked doors, no razor wire. If you have to do time, do it at Alderson because it is nice.” — Vicki Webb, who served time for embezzlement.



On a different note, the second presidential debate is coming up. I'm wondering if the expectation is Bush will only have one blank stare of 5-7 seconds this time instead of two? Will he again remind Kerry about Poland? Will Kerry finally say he's going to raise taxes or will he personally fund healthcare and social security from the Heinz fortune?

On a similar note but not quite - could John Edwards please please please stop watching CNN at night and commenting for the daily sound-bites in the morning? It really looks like he scribbles his quips on a napkin at breakfast and then comments and tells the President to apologize in the afternoon. A little proactivity please!

Monday, October 04, 2004

Politics today

Words cannot explain...







Could it be Alzheimers?

Let me first start off this segment by saying I think Alzheimers is an awful disease and I for one only hope that there is a cure found for this soon. It's the only disease that can literally rob you of the only thing you have growing older - your memories. I am in no way making fun of anyone with Alzheimers - on the contrary, I think someone should look into my findings below more closely - unless it's a cover-up in which case we'll never know the truth for another 60 years or so.





Could it be that G.W. has memory loss? Granted, this occured to the Clinton's during White Water and during/after Bill's numerous flirtations with everyone but his wife, but those were temporary. G.W.'s might actually be more serious. Watching him closely during the debates, I, like everyone else heard how he's stupid, a moron, dim-witted and everything else. I don't believe it, and still don't but maybe, it's something more sinister. Let's look at the symptoms of Alzheimers below:

Memory loss
- Forgot about an exit strategy for Iraq
- Forgot he should have good intelligence before taking pre-mptive action
- Forgot the liberal press would actually dig until they find something
- Forgot the American people really want a solid plan about Bin-Laden and Al-Queda
- Possibly forgot to show up for his Air National Guard posting (CBS info is discounted here! Go away Dan Rather!)

Problems doing familiar tasks
- Has trouble with pithy comments and frequently thinks of great come-backs on the way home on Air Force One.
- Can't ride a bike very well (crashed twice)
- Forgot he can't ride a bike very well and was riding again yesterday (October 3rd)

Problems with language
- It's no secret the man is NO public speaker and will probably not be on the ex-president speaking circuit after he's done
- Has interesting pronounciation of common words
- Example: "Secondly, the tactics of our—as you know, we don't have relationships with Iran. I mean, that's—ever since the late '70s, we have no contacts with them, and we've totally sanctioned them. In other words, there's no sanctions—you can't—we're out of sanctions."—Annandale, Va., Aug. 9, 2004

Trouble knowing the time, date, or place
No evidence of this being a problem.

Poor or decreased judgment
- Iraq

Problems with abstract thinking
- "See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction."—Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3, 2003
Uhh - hello.

Misplacing things often, such as keys
- He can't find those darned WMD's in Iraq

Loss of interest in starting projects or doing
things

No evidence of this


Is there something to this? Is he really just stoopid or aren't all the neurons firing all at one time? Maybe he's on medication (there's been accusations he's addicted to pain-killers or other drugs which causes his sometimes delayed reactions. There's one thing for sure - G.W. will not be a final contestant on Jeopardy, ever.

Friday, October 01, 2004

Debate Letdown

Was the first debate just really bad, repetitive and boring or was it just me? Someone also needs to re-wind our incumbant President, since his battery obviously needed recharging a few times last night. The blank stare was just... a little freaky no? It was like someone asked him whether he prefers Hellmans or Miracle Whip and he froze. Hellmans or Miracle Whip...

Kerry did seem better prepared, but really, did anyone think it was going to be different than it was? Unfortunately, Kerry didn't hit the ball out of the park, although I think a Yale educated door-knob could have had more gumption.

I was waiting for a small styrofoam Stonehenge to drop from the ceiling and little people in elf outfits to start jigging around it frantically. That they didn't was, well, disappointing.