Video of the Year

This clip from Peace through Music is my favorite video of 2008. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas

A Toonlet Christmas

A Toilet Anniversary

370 days ago I published "A Kaotic Mystery". 370 days later I am forced to write a mia culpa because you see I tried to drown my own cell phone yesterday. Th

The story is no where near as interesting or funny and the ending was quite different since I was able to retrieve said phone before any damage could be done. But none the less I must admit it is quite simple to have a cell phone fall into a toilet.

This one did not fall out of my pocket as was the case in the story a year ago. I was just getting ready to spend a little time in the loo and was going to set my phone down next to the sink. For some reason my hand decided to throw the damned thing instead and guess where it headed? Straight for the toilet of course. Before it hit the water a very loud god-dammit passed my lips.

Not knowing what had just occurred, NanaKaos asked if I was OK. By that time I had rescued said implement from it's downward journey to become hopeless stuck just like last year and fortunately it did not appear to suffer any water related damage. That is most important since I have only had the phone a little over a month after losing my prior phone on November 1.

The moral of the story: 1. Don't walk into a restroom with your cell phone in your coat pocket and 2. if your hand has a mind of its own, don't carry your cell phone on approach to a toilet.

Right of Conscience

Dateline Washington Post:

"The Bush administration yesterday granted sweeping new protections to health workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal beliefs ....The far-reaching regulation cuts off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, health plan, clinic or other entity that does not accommodate doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other employees who refuse to participate in care they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable."

How does this impact you? Aside from the standard argument about limiting abortion opportunities or birth control if the cashier at Wal-Mart is one that follows strict Catholic doctrine, you can be denied basic health care if anyone at any level objects to any treatment based on a personal belief.

Let that sink in for a little bit.

Got it?

Does your child have an infection? Maybe something that requires an antibiotic. You go to the Doctor and get a prescription, then on to your pharmacy. When you hand the prescription to the clerk they tell you that the prescription cannot be filled because they object to providing a child with this type of medication. Maybe they don't even tell you that much, maybe they just say that they will not pass this on to the pharmacist. No further explanation.

What to do oh what to do. So you ask to see the pharmacist and they tell you no, my beliefs prohibit me from allowing a child to take an antibiotic.

Maybe you just want to buy pack of Trojans, a bottle of wine or a pack of cigarettes, sorry but no can do....my religious beliefs will not allow me to sell those items. Don't think it won't go that far because it could.

Under this rule so lovingly provided to us in the waning days of number 44's administration the store/company that this individual works for has no recourse against the employee and it is the employee's decision to withhold service.

If you agree with this new and absurd rule or don't believe it will impact you just go about your daily business but don't get upset when some holier than thou creature refuses to acknowledge your rights by proclaiming their rights supercede yours.

If you don't agree call this number (202) 456-1414. In case you don't recognize it, it is the number for the White House. Call and tell Bush that you will not abrogate your right to health care. Current Civil Rights law provides for employers to protect the right of anyone with an objection to providing a service that violates their beliefs and still serve and protect the right of the consumer.

This new rule put forth by the Bush administration is just another attempt to make it more difficult for women to obtain an abortion but it is so vague that virtually anyone can limit your right to any medication or procedure.

That number again - (202) 456-1414

You'll Like This

Before you hit play, stop the music.

Who Loves Ya Baby?

Everyone seems to think that the most difficult issue facing President elect Obama is the economy. While I agree that this will require an effort not seen since the early 1930's, it will not be as demanding as restoring the image of America and the office of the President.


Even before the first shoe flew in Iraq, our standing in the eyes of the world has diminished greatly in the past eight years and the person in command has denigrated the office he will soon vacate to the point that POTUS, formerly known as an acronym for President of the United States, now stands for Pile On The Unstable Shiite.

While the President and everyone in the media appear to be having great fun with this story, it is sad that we have taken the act of a disconcerted Iraqi citizen and turned it into a comedy routine. No wonder the world views us with such disdain. Good luck Mr. President-elect!

Time

There is a song by the Chambers Brothers, Time Has Come Today, that I used to have as a ring tone on my cell assigned to our realtor. If you understand the logic of that you may be as optimistic as I sometimes try to be but mostly I remain a cynic that cannot possibly believe that any good can come when the temperature dips below 40 degrees.

A friend that convinced me to join a civic group, even though I have never been one to do such a thing, has lately been harassing me because I have not attended the meetings of said group. You see, they take place every Thursday at 0700 (that's 7:00AM for you non-military types).

Now during the Spring, Summer and Fall season I don't seem to have a problem waking early enough to attend the sessions, but once Jack Frost appears and the 2nd blanket hits the bed, I don't seem to be able to pull my sorry ass out of the warmth surrounding me that early in the morning.

Yesterday afternoon he called me, after I missed yet another meeting, to see if I wanted a wake up call each Thursday. I told him if I wanted that I could set an alarm. But you see, since I retired, time has no meaning.

Oh, by the way, happy birthday mom!

Strong Desires

This morning I watched last nights episode of The Daily Show (we were watching a movie last night, Man on Fire). Sometimes I will tune into another channel when he brings his guest out but this morning I stayed with him just to hear what Arianna Huffington was going to go on about.

For anyone that did not see it, she has written a forward for a new book, The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging, and Jon was helping her pimp the book.

What I found interesting was when she talked about what people should blog about, that being things they are passionate about.

When I create a post it is generally about something that I might be serious about, something silly that I make fun of or just something that has pissed me off and I'm serious and may even make fun of it or them. I never really thought about "passionate composition", especially since I have never really had a single, all consuming passion (well maybe except for golf).

According to the online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the origin of passion appears to come from the Latin, pati - to suffer. This would imply that if you become passionate about something you will suffer and with the current state of my golf game I can understand that. Of course, passion is also associated with love which can also lead to suffering.

Anyway, before I get so involved in defining passion I forget what I wanted to say, I started thinking about a few things in my life that I was passionate about. The obvious, even though I did not (and still don't) always show it I have been and remain passionate about my family. Many times it appeared that I was more passionate about my work but that is far from true.

When I was but a wee lad, I was passionate about baseball, I would play the game at every opportunity, why I even took some $$ from my dad's wallet to buy some cleats (I got caught after the fact).

As a teenager, I was passionate about my baseball card collection that somehow was sold at a flea market while I was away from home but I was also passionate about surfing and skateboarding.

Now my passion (again aside from golf) is my desire to spend my remaining time with my family, a passion so far denied but hopefully soon to come.

P.S. If you Google passion the first hit is for passion.com, a site for private sexy personals. I wonder how they decide on what to put at the top of the list?

Peace is at hand.