Guard Dog

Once again, I have no desire to get drawn into this discussion, but I do want to throw this article out there for you guys too look over. It came out this morning and is dead on topic for this thread: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/...ter_104685.html

Now reading Autobiography of Red Cloud: War Leader of the Oglalas . It's not actually an autobiography since it was told third hand but at least the author did know Red Cloud. Out of all the indian tribes I find the Lakota Sioux and Seminoles to be by far the most fascinating.

I think that will work out for you, chicks dig guitar players. Did you have any shot of a hockey scholarship? That might have changed your mind.

Now what would be the point of that? It's taken some time but I've finally realized how utterly futile discussing politics is in the forum. We all know where everyone stands and it never changes. I'd rather talk about baseball anyway.

I'd bet there is a ton of it right in your back yard!

Oh really? When have I appealed to the history of India under Nehru? Oh yes, that'd be never. Therefore, either you're a blatant liar, have serious hallucinations, or didn't even read the thread title. Which one is it? I'm a blatant liar who hallucinates and I haven't spent much time reading anything you've written lately since it all kinda sounds the same. In fact it all is the same. I don't think you have ever had an original thought.

Another intersting thread full of new and innovative ideas from LoF. Hasn't rehashing the same ole arguments gotten a little stale yet?

Man, it must be tough having these problems. If you ever wrote a book I'd buy it.

There is no one political issue that can break up the USA. Ever, no way no how. There is however, a gargantuan philisophical issue at the heart of most of our political issues that can and ulitmately will. One school of thought wants a small federal government that does little with the majority of the political power decentralized to the State capitals. Such a society would be diverse and the individual citizen would be afforded the maximum amount of liberty and control over their own lives. The other favors a strong central government with weak or non existant state governments. In this society the federal government would control every aspect of the lives of it's citizens and individual rights would be subordinated to "collective rights". These two visions are mutually exclusive and the proponents of each are natural enemies to each other. That is the root cause of whatever upheaval, political or actual is coming in our future. Edit: I realize most people fall somewhere between these two ideas but we have reached a point in our history where every vote cast serves to empower one of these ideals or the other. The individual candidate does not matter near so much as what political ideology he caucasuses with. The sooner everyone realizes that the better.

I spent the day trying to look busy at work. I set my cell phone alarm to use my ring tone and I had it going off all day today. When I got home I worked on the Camaro for a bit.

Well, its not impossible that we may be shooting at each other again at some point but I'd say it is very very very very very very unlikely. It is, however, very much within the realm of possibility that the US might break into two or three pieces in the next 50-100 years. It is already being discussed in Texas and Oklahoma, and many people there and elsewhere are VERY alarmed at the way the federal goverment is seizing more and more power and usurping powers Contitutionally delegated to the States with no consequence. I really doubt it will happen but it is a distinct possibility.

Here is the cast w/photos: http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/10/game-of-thr...th-photos-.html I do like the choice of Sean Bean for Eddard Stark.

If the above statement is true what you should do is as easy as can be... stop caring whether the relationship takes off or not. That is not to say treat her badly, and if the oppotunity for a roll in the hay arises, take it. But in your own mind just let it go. Sluggo, if you never listen to another word I write listen to this: Those are two very different things that should not be confused with each other. If all you really want is to get laid, this whole situation is going to be a hell of a lot more trouble than it's worth. Just go to a college bar, find a nice looking but plain wallflower type girl, talk to her, pay attention to her, dance with her, buy her drinks and I can just about guanteee a positive outcome. If you want the real relationship then stop caring about it and let the chips fall where they msy. You'd be surprised how well it works. But beware what you wish for.

Kor I know this won't make you feel any better, but it was better to have a break up now than after you got married. Divorce just plain sucks.

HBO has given the greenlight to making an adaption of George RR Martins A Song of Ice & Fire. The pilot is already in the can and episode production begins this summer. No word on premier date but smart money says August-September time frame. If they di this as well as they did Rome I think we are in for a treat. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/...ame-of-thrones/ GRRM just posted it on his site http://grrm.livejournal.com/

Parted ways with my girl friend. It was friendly and amicable. The truth is I just have no desire to get married again and she has never been and I know thats what she is looking for. New rule, from now on I'm dating divorced women only. My midlife crisis toy is coming along nicely. I got the engine mounted and drive train fully connected. I still have to put the carburator, radiator and water pump on, then reattach the front end. Lotsa work still to go.

Today I drank a lot of cheap beer and watched the Olympics. All day. I even watched Curling. With enough beer even that game becomes interesting. I also watched two of the Rugby matches from the Sevens tournament that I DVR'ed yesterday. What a great sport. Too bad it gets so little exposure in the US.

Now that IS funny. I'd bet the editor got a little "talking to" over that one.

Ditto, that was a great game today. Although it irritates me to no end to see Viktor Kozlov playing well now that he's long gone from the Panthers.

Just when I thought you could not be more obnoxious, you found a way to top yourself. i've underestimated you again...

Made two attempts to mount the engine. Failed both times because the mounts would not line up. It's only off by a few millimeters, but it may as well be a mile. I lifted the engine back out and put it back on the stand. I'll figure out whats going on today. It msy be this engine is just different in some dimension that it will not line up. It is a Chevy engine and Chiltons said the Rev I Camaro did come with this engine as an option (it was actually made for the 1970 Corvette). Anywya, if it won't line up I'll have to have the mounts milled out to accomedate it. That will set me back at least a week. What can you do though. I wish one of you could come over and help me with this.... I've got beer!

Now reading Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend by John Hircsh and With Wings Like Eagles: A History of the Battle of Britain by Michael Korda. I'm really enjoying this one. Speaking of which, if anyone has any reccomendations on books about the Battle of Britan or the air war over Europe in WW2 I'd love to hear them.

The Rage Of The Average Joe Actually, the biggest difference between me (and millions of others) and people like Joe Stack is I went home and got really, really drunk. And the next day started over, dead broke, from square one. Killling people does not fix what happened or makes it not happen to someone else. In fact the one I REALLY wanted to kill was my accountant/business partner for all the bad advice but he was even worse off then I was. The truth is, sometime you can do nothing wrong and still have s****y things happen to you. And the next guy can lie cheat and steal, never get caught and retire a millionare. Life isn't fair. Taking your rage out on somone else does not even the scales because the entity that hurt you, in this case the IRS, is a nameless faceless thing that is beyond your ability to damage. It's like being angry at God, or the weather, you have no recourse. You just deal with it an move on. That is what rational people do. Irrational people do what Joe Stack did. And this time it was agains tthe IRS but you can bet had it not been them it would have been someone or something else. You can't explain why irrational people do what they do. And you really can't stop them either. Trying to assign some political motive to him is just foolish. No one would have thought it political had he snapped and shot someone who cut him off in traffic. This isn't much different. Yeah, I know this isn't quite what I was saying earlier but this is my real $.02.

So in other words, not very close. Not really. But ask anyone that has dealt with them up close and personal and to a man and woman they will not have anything nice to say. They are, in a word, brutal.

Don't interpret this as me making excuses for this jackass, but I am surprised this hasn't happened more often. The IRS is as close as the US Government comes to true evil. Yes I know that they have a job to do and they do serve a purpose, but when you are destroying someones life don't act like you are enjoying it. If they deem you owe them money they will simply seize it, liquidating your assets to do so, even before you have recieved due process. If you do go to court or arbitration against them, they assumed to be in the right and the burden of proof is on you. If they take from you more than you owe you need to take them to court to get it back and if you do get it back, there is no interest paid for the time they had it, but by God you will pay (and pay and pay) interest on time you had money owed to them. I remember when I was audited, this arrogant, smirking, little **** just ruined my life and as I was getting up turned to the other SOB there and asked him if he wanted to go get lunch. I came as close as I ever have to comitting murder that day. As horrible as this it, I can almost understand his anger and I just can't seem to gin up much sympathy for the folks who were working in the office that day. Even though I know they were just regular people doing their jobs. I guess I'm just not a nice person.