Guard Dog

That was one upshot of the Navy, you did get around a bit more than the other services. After we left Kuwait we went back to Okinawa on the USS Dubuque. A flat bottom gator freighter. It was a long (long) trip but I got to know most of the crew. They hit all the major ports in Asia within a year.

One thing I love about the US is the National & State Parks. I don't think you could visit every one of them in one lifetime even if you wanted to. Glacier, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Great Smokey Mountain alone would take years to see all of.

No it's sad that these two knuckleheads are the best we could come up with for a potential president. y'know how many elections previous to this one has had Gromnir saying the exact same thing? unfortunately, this time around we feel as if the universe or God or whatever took offense at our past hubris and presented us with a true nightmare scenario. next election is gonna need be kang v. kodos to be offering a less desirable pair o' options. HA! Good Fun! That's it, this thread is over. Gromnir wins!

Following what Shady said. I say I've been to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait but really all I saw of the former was desert and all I saw of the latter was the airfield at Al Jarah. Kuwait City was east of us but you couldn't see s--t because the skies were all black from the burning oil wells. Most of the city didn't have power I understand anyway. The rest of the parts I saw were either from the back of a dragon wagon or looking over a sandbag wall while on watch. There was no liberty for us to travel around and it probably wouldn't have been a good idea anyway. But I was only in Saudi Arabia for a week and Kuwait for a month. The rest of the time was at Diego Garcia. I had it a lot better than most on that count. I was in the Philippines right after Mt. Pinatubo erupted. Clark Air Force Base in Olongapo had it's RADAR and navigational systems knocked out and we deployed to get flight ops going again. The problems there was once the equipment is set up there wasn't much that needed to be done and the Marine Corps does not like it's Lance Corporals having nothing to do. So we shoveled volcanic mud 12 hours a day. But we did get to go off base at night which was fun. I don't know if military deployment really counts as "visiting" a country. If you are stationed there then yes. But a deployment is a whole other animal. For me that will mean crossing off everything but Japan, Canada and Mexico.

If we're talking countries I've been to the big three in North America, Japan, South Korea, The Philippines, The Bahamas, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and whatever the hell you want to call Diego Garcia. It's not really a "country". Japan was my favorite. South Korea looked like a lot of fun but I didn't get to see much of it. The Philippines and Kuwait were not having their best times while I was there so hard to say if I'd have like them otherwise.

Alabama is really two states in one. If you draw a line across the state at Dothan, everything south is more like west Florida. There is a saying in these parts, "attitude follows latitude". The rest of the state is much more Alabamaish I guess. I love the city of Montgomery. Unlike a lot of older major cities in the south it never saw any fighting during the Civil War so there are a lot of pre-civil war buildings still around. I just think that is cool. Birmingham is pretty non descript but there are a lot of steel mills around so it doesn't smell so good. Mississippi is just, ok I guess. I have nothing good or bad to say about it. It's like we needed something to put in the space between Tennessee and Louisiana so we put Mississippi there. It isn't good it isn't bad. It's like vanilla ice cream. If that's all there is you'll eat it but you won't go out of your way for it.

Actually the smug elitists are rigging the whole thing by ensuring candidates like Johnson are never heard from in the media. To date only CNN has given Johnson any air time and they generally do not treat him like a serious candidate when he's on. The ask him over and over to talk about how terrible Trump is rather than any positions of his own. It's hardly surprising though. We don't call it the Clinton News Network for nothing.

I've been to 37 States. I've lived (meaning more than a year) in Florida, Texas, California and Tennessee. My favorite State would have to be Wyoming. If you stay away from the tourist traps in the west it's a huge, wide open place of towering mountains, high plains desert and wide open vistas. The entire state has a smaller population that the Nashville metroplex. So there is plenty of room and a traffic jam means waiting for a herd of free range cows (or even bison) to cross the road. My current home state, Tennessee, is my 2nd favorite. But I like the east side much better than the west for all the reasons I mentioned above. Kentucky is my third favorite. It's a really laid back place. You got to love Hawaii but it doesn't make my top 5 because it's really really expensive and really really hard to get around. Otherwise it's great. The state I like the least is Maryland. Absolutely EVERYTHING is illegal there. It is a nanny state from hell. And California is my second least like state but that's only because they haven't figured out how to tax the air you breathe yet. Plus if you've never been stuck on I-5 during a hot afternoon rush hour you don't know the meaning of the word "hell." And it matters not where you are because the bitch is log jammed from Imperial Beach all the way to Mt. Shasta.

Great pics, great trip, thanks for bringing us along. Have a safe trip home.

Neither: https://johnsonweld.com/

Thats not a very flattering way to represent either candidates? Flattering? No. Accurate? Oh yeah.

You seem to be under the mistaken impression Sarah Palin is someone who is taken seriously around here. Oh once she was. Then she starting saying things and... that was that.

Fat Tire? Seriously? Not a fan.

GD how would you address this type of racism? Watch the video https://www.jacarandafm.com/shows/the-complimentary-breakfast-with-rian-van-heerden/sodwana-bay-guest-house-owner-refuses-apologise-racist-comments/ You know I thought about this more and more as I was enjoying an adult beverage while watching the rain fall on my front porch last night. I think the thing that bother's me the most about this isn't that they are racist. There are racists all over the the place. You just avoid them. It's that they actually try to couch their racism in religious terms by referencing a bible verse. Anyone who really thinks the bible promotes racism isn't reading it. I guess that must be how the non violent Muslims feel when the see the BS ISIS is spouting.

I got up early to cut the grass and start trimming the trees that are now hanging over the fence. After they are cut up and stacked for burning it should be time for the Rays/Red Sox game.

Jesus f-----g Christ it's over and done with now. When do you get to stop apologizing for it?

I'm reiterating how much I want this!

Yeah if it's just some guy ranting on Facebook or holding a sign in the street you just avoid them. But if you run a business that's open to the public then no you can't discriminate. And why would you want to? A Rand is a Rand and a Dollar is a Dollar. The color of the hand that paid it to you doesn't change the value.

Go fish? Its relaxing right...how much effort is in time to go fishing now as opposed to chilling at home, thats how I would decide The only effort in fishing is getting to the water. In my case that takes about 10 minutes. Yes but you need to pack your kit and then travel somewhere, then you still need to actually fish and maybe you dont catch anything..and you very fortunate because of your access to the Cold Creek Look I have been never fishing in my life, its one of those things I have this nostalgic view on...I'm sure its not as romantic as I imagine Fishing is great. Cleaning your catch for cooking is another story. I've released more than one fish because it seemed like such hassle to clean and fillet them.

That's alright Shady you're welcome to stay at my place. You like dogs and have good taste in drinks. That checks all the boxes of a good guest in my book.

They basically said " in the bible its clearly stated black people are inferior to white people "...and they refused to allow any black people to stay at there guest house Again, who cares what they think? As for the guest house, do people have some kind of right to the guest house? Yes but you cant deny people services based on there race and they werent allowing black people to stay there...this would be illegal in the USA I'm sure? like I said it that is a commercial property they would be facing criminal charges as well as a lawsuit or two in the US.

Is that Guest House some kind of hotel or rental property? If so and he's refusing to rent to a black person, well I don't know how it works there but in the US they would become VERY familiar with the inside of a courtroom. But if it's his own house not a commercial property who gives a s--t what they think.

"Are you mentally sane?" That reporter's comment sums it up perfectly. And I'd tell him he needs to read that bible a little closer. Especially part where Jesus said "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you."

I'd turn her down. I always though Khloe was the good looking one. But I liked her better before she lost the weight.

Go fish? Its relaxing right...how much effort is in time to go fishing now as opposed to chilling at home, thats how I would decide The only effort in fishing is getting to the water. In my case that takes about 10 minutes.