http://www.commandofthegrill.com/story.html click on the links below for more details:)

And now for a "Well, DUH!" moment

Courtesy of Ace of Spades: Larry Johnson, Yesterday and Today.

The final quote says it best:

This one-man brain-trust was a CIA agent before 9/11? And yet Al Qaeda was able to hit us nevertheless? Huh. What a fucking shock.

The more I see of the CIA, the less faith I have in them. Period. End of story.

A Haiku

In which I express my desires as of late:

I dream of the day
When I leave Puerto Rico
And can breathe again.

Yes, my allergies, having successfully packed my sinuses with snot, have now given birth to what can only be described as a phlem-filled day of misery. Yay. NyQuil NyQuil NyQuil, we love you, you giant fucking "Q"!

Gah. Pardon me, I need to go hack up a lung. And this is with a hepa filter in the house.

Yee. Haw.

Mingle² - Online Dating

Yeah. Gosh, who woulda thunk it? I mean, I'm so polite and nice and choir-boyish and stuff.

There are days

When I look around, and think to myself "Dave, you dumbass, you should have joined the Coast Guard."

Today is one of those days.

Dammit

I've been so busy that half the time I forget to breathe. And I'm kicking myself in the ass right now, because I completely forgot about this sad anniversary. The day that Rob Smith passed away.

I still remember when I found out. I had just gotten home, and was walking to the front door, when Cap'n Jim called me. He knew that I'd met Rob and got along with him, and wanted me to find out from a friend rather than reading it online. I don't know if I could thank him enough for that.

So today, when I finally got some time to do more than just post, I went to Cap'n Jim's blog and found out that I was two days late and more than a dollar short. And reading it today was just as painful as reading it a year ago. It's like a punch in the gut. There are some people who meant so much to so many people that you feel their loss even after time fades. I still hit GutRumbles on a regular basis, because Sam is reposting a lot of Rob's stuff, normally about a post a day. And reading his stuff again, you can still see that old coot banging away on his keyboard with a cigarette smoldering next to him.

What a felt when I first heard the news still holds true today.

The other people know that you don't get rich, or famous, or achieve greatness by sitting on your front porch bragging about what you did in highschool. You find the highest peak you can, and start climbing it, because the reward at the top of that peak is worth all the risks involved. And if you only made it halfway there, you can at least look down at all the miserable pukes who didn't even try, and pity them. Or tell them where the hand-holds are. Or both. What if the Wright Brothers said "Nah, too risky!'? What if the Pilgrims said "You know, Greenland should be good enough don't you think?" What if Christopher Columbus had said "Turn it around boys, it's too risky."? But they didn't. They were the other people.

Rob Smith was one of those other people. You read his blog, and you didn't know whether to curse him out or laugh out loud. You looked at the things he did in life, and you had one of two thoughts. It was either A) "Oh hell, I wish I'd done that!" or B) "Did you mean to fuck it up that bad, or was it an accident?"

Never once did you read his writing and go "Meh. Whatever."

(............)

Rob had written steadily for years. He influenced more people than even he knew. And when the bullshit was flying, you could always count on Rob to cut through the crap and lay out the truth as he saw it. Even if you didn't like what he presented, you knew he wasn't giving you a line of BS. He had a hell of a life, both good and bad, and towards the end of it managed to beat down his personal demons. Again, life on his terms. There wasn't anything that was going to control him if he had anything to say about it.

Rob wrote the way people should write. He was popular because he not only put his heart out on his blog, he made sure you could understand how he felt and why he felt that way. He was a better communicator than most of the intellectuals today could even dream of being.

Dammit, Rob, you're going to be missed. This planet needs more of people like you, not less.

But Godspeed, brother.

Somewhere, that old cracker is laughing his ass off, surrounded by nekkid wimmen on a sunny beach.

Oh Frabjous Day!

The Shamnesty Bill is dead.

Now to business. Senator Craig? You're history. I don't care if I have to go bankrupt reminding Idaho that you voted for this piece of shit legislation. You're gone. You can kiss your next re-election good-bye.

We need to insure that this legislative abortion doesn't see the light of day ever again.

Sigh

Well, my "be nice and stay calm" plan was nice while it lasted.

WASHINGTON — Despite low approval ratings and hard feelings from
last year's elections, Democrats and Republicans in the House are reaching out
for an approximately $4,400 pay raise that would increase their salaries to
almost $170,000.

$4,400. That's more than I get paid in a month. Most Congresscritters are millionares. And according to a website I saw a while ago, most of them became millionares after they were elected to Congress.

I need to go find that reference. Until I do, don't quote me.

Quote of the Day

"And I would just observe, that the radio talk show hosts know more about the bill than most of the Senators, if you want to know the truth."

Just. Damn. Perfect. Thank you, Senator Sessions. ROLL TIDE!

Taking a breath

I've been rather pissed off lately, haven't I? I figured I needed to take a break, breathe a while, and find some news that wouldn't send my blood pressure through the roof.

So here it is:

Pope Benedict XVI has approved a document that relaxes restrictions on elebrating the Latin Mass used by the Roman Catholic Church for centuries until the modernizing reforms of the 1960s, the Vatican said Thursday.

Benedict discussed the decision with top officials in a meeting on Wednesday and the document will be published in the next few days, the statement said. The meeting was called to "illustrate the content and the spirit" of the document, which will be sent to all bishops accompanied by a personal letter from the pope.

When I was a young'n my father brought me into church with a challenge. The challenge was to learn the Mass of the Shepherds for Christmas Midnight Mass.

It was in Latin. It had to be sung. Four part harmony, with a pipe organ for accompaniment. There's a reason society has traditions and customs, and a big part of that reason is to keep us connected with where we came from, what we are a part of, and who we are in total. If it weren't for the traditions that I became a part of, Catholic mass would just not be the same. Even now, I'm bringing some of those traditions to the chapel I go to.

Dropping Latin from the Catholic mass was a mistake, in my opinion. I'm glad to see that corrected, at least in part.

Oh, and by the way

Yes, I'm one step closer to declaring that all Senators should be hung from lamp-posts and used as target practice for the people in this country who actually want to protect it and not give it away to a bunch of criminals.

We'll see what happens in the House. As of right now, this is how I see it: The Senate doesn't give a shit about what's best for this country, or what their constituents actually want. They're going to ram this Shamnesty bill down our throats. The only other option I see for their gross negligence is the possibility that they are so removed from reality that they actually think they're doing something good.

In which case they should all be fired, and never allowed around sharp knives, scissors, or any other object that could hurt a mentally retarded weasel. Because they're so idiotic that if we could get rid of them all the collective IQ of the USA would go up by 20 points.

Either way, it doesn't look good. And I'm never voting for anyone who's going along with this craptastic criminal plan.

Oh, and all you damned asscannons claiming that we've lost in Iraq? Fuck you, and fuck the horse you rode in on. The surge has just barely begun and you're already crying failure? You disgust me, you traitorous scum. You don't deserve to be called an American. You should be brought up on charges of treason and hung immediately upon conviction.

Yes, that includes Richard Lugar as well. At this point, I don't give a damn about political parties. They're all the same, nasty, worm ridden shit; they've just been divided into two separate piles. Other than name and location, they're all the same. Worthless, venial, greedy, elitist bags of shit who need to stop stealing our oxygen.

The problem with this

is that the Goracle and his brainwashed, kool-aid guzzing dipshits will never accept the challenge.

Al Gore has claimed that there are scientific forecasts that the earth will become warmer and that this will occur rapidly. University of Pennsylvania Professor J. Scott Armstrong, author of Principle of Forecasting: A Handbook for Researchers and Practitioners, and Kesten C. Green, of Monash University (and Armstrong’s Co-Director of forecastingprinciples.com), have been unable to locate a scientific forecast to support that viewpoint. As a result, Scott Armstrong offers a challenge to Al Gore that he will be able to make more accurate forecasts of annual mean temperatures than those that can be produced by current climate models.

Algore and the eco-freaks who are hysterically shrieking like little girls about "Global Warming" don't give a damn about facts. If they actually cared about the facts they wouldn't be having conniption fits about the whole damn hoax to begin with. Global warming, if it is happening at all (and that hasn't been proven one bit) is not going to destroy the Earth. We're not melting ice caps. Our cars aren't going to turn the planet into a charred ball. And the people trying to use the government to force you to follow their drug-fueled fanatic goals are either so stupid they shouldn't be allowed to breed, or the KNOW the entire thing is bullshit and they're just trying to exercise power over you for power's sake, in which case they're flat out evil communists and shouldn't be allowed to breed.

But don't call it amnesty!

So, the Senate, in it's full blown zeal to grant amnesty to anyone who can walk, run, jump or swim across our borders, has just defeated an amendment that would have required that the criminals at least return home before we give them billions of taxpayer dollars.

I'm so pissed off at the Senate right now that I don't have any commentary. No pithy comments. No snide remarks. Just this:

Not only will I work against any Senator rectum dwelling parasite who votes for this Shamnesty Bill, I will actively work, when possible, to impeach said rectum dwelling parasite. Hell, should this travesty ever get out of the Senate, I'll support the impeachment of El Presidente Jorge Arbusto himself, for failure to protect and defend the country. And I voted for the man twice!

The only thing that makes me even more angry is that as bad as the Republican are, the Democrat American Communist Party is twice as worse. So we either get ass-raped, or we get ass-raped with a sandpaper condom and broken-glass lubricant.

Where's that reset button?

OK, so let's follow the logic, shall we?

We elect congresscritters to represent us in Washington D.C., right? They are supposed to represent our interests for us.

An overwhelming majority of the country hates the Shamnesty Bill that the Senate is trying to shove down our throats. Period, end of story. Not just Republicrats or Democans, but everyone except for the criminally insane does not want it even mentioned.

The Senate just voted to move on the Shamnesty Bill. Ergo, they are not representing the huge majority of their constituents, correct?

Why should we allow them to continue to represent us? Recall? Impeachment? Sound good to you? Because it sounds damn fine to me, especially for Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, who will no longer be getting a damn thing from me. No money. No support. And no votes.

Sorry Larry - but unless you can give me the most stupendous reason for your vote, you're history. And I'll make sure that everybody in Idaho remembers this.

Riddle me this

Why is it that the Leftists who claim to "support the troops" never listen to the troops? For example, when a returning officer has this to say:

· A deadline for withdrawal is an incentive for Iraqi political compromise.

Levin thinks we ought to pressure Iraq's government with a warning tantamount to saying: "You better fix the situation before we leave and your country descends into chaos." He should consider the more likely result: an American exit date crushing any incentive for Iraqi leaders to cooperate and instead prompting rival factions to position themselves to capitalize on the looming power void.

My experience in Iraq bore this out. Only after my unit established a meaningful relationship with the president of the Samarra city council -- built on tangible security improvements and a commitment to cooperation -- did political progress occur. Our relationship fostered unforeseen political opportunities and encouraged leaders, even ones from rival tribes, to side with American and Iraqi forces against
local insurgents and foreign fighters.

· We can bring the war to a "responsible end" but still conduct counterterrorism operations.

The problem with this argument is what a "responsible end" would mean. What is "responsible" about the large-scale bloodshed that would surely occur if we left the Iraqis behind with insufficient security forces? What is "responsible" about proving al-Qaeda's thesis that America can be defeated anywhere with enough suicide bombings?

The senator also seems to believe that America will have success fighting terrorists in Iraq with a minimal troop presence, despite the fact that 150,000 troops have their hands full right now doing precisely that.

· We are "supporting the troops" by demanding an immediate withdrawal
from Iraq.

Levin says that "our troops should hear an unequivocal message from Congress that we support them." He explains his vote to fund and "support" the troops while simultaneously trying to legislate the war's end. But what kind of "support" and "unequivocal message" do the troops hear from leaders in Congress who call their commanders "incompetent" or declare the war "lost"?

Such statements provide nearly instant enemy propaganda to every mud hut with a
satellite dish in Iraq and throughout the Arab world. These messages do not spell support, no matter how you spin them. And they could inspire insurgents, making the situation more dangerous for our soldiers and Marines.

The troops have been saying these things for months, if not years, and yet the Dem Cong refuse to listen. So much for their "support". The Democrat American Communist Party only "supports" the troops when it can benefit them politically, nothing more.

To the Left, the military is a tool, filled with tools.

To the military, the Left is a bunch of traitorous scum who don't deserve to live in America.

So you say you want a fatwa?

I think I just found the way for you to get one called on you. Heh.

BURN D.C.!

Burn it to the ground. Fire every last parasitic bastard in that city. Either fire them from their job, or fire them from a cannon into the Atlantic Ocean. Both would be fine with me.

Why would I say things like this? Why would I love to see the Capitol Building demolished? Hmmmmm....

Oh. Maw. GAWD!

Seriously. Is there any other way to take this other than the Left is so batshit crazy that they can't even be trusted with a dull pair of scissors? Check this lunatic out - from Huffington Post:

You could argue that even the world’s worst fascist dictators at least meant well. They honestly thought were doing good things for their countries by suppressing blacks/eliminating Jews/eradicating free enterprise/repressing individual thought/killing off rivals/invading neighbors, etc. Only the Saudi royal family is driven by the same motives as Bush, but they were already entrenched. Bush set a new precedent. He came into office with the attitude of “I’m so tired of the public good. What about my good? What about my rich friends’ good?”

How can anyone not see it? It’s not that their policies have been misguided or haven’t played out right. They. Don’t. Even. Mean. Well.

Go read the link. I'll be here, picking my jaw up off the floor.

This is a mainstream Leftist website. This isn't the fringe. This isn't just a few loons, this is representative of the Democrat American Communist Party as a whole and it is PLAIN BATSHIT INSANE! Somebody just said that Bush is worse than Hitler because Hitler at least meant well.

Holy. Shit. This is not sane. This is not normal. This isn't even in the same damn SOLAR SYSTEM as normal.

Dear God, these people vote! No wonder this country is slowly going to hell in a handbasket!

Another Essay by Kim du Toit

One you need to go read.

This past week, I’ve engaged in several discussions both here and at other sites about how national emergency or calamity causes the power of the State to grow, and whether (in America’s case) this growth of power is either Constitutional or not.

The fact is that we’ve always struggled with this phenomenon, and the great strength of our nation is that we find compromise—indeed, what sets us apart from the rest of the world is our ability to do so. Where in Europe, the growth of the modern State has been a story of pretty much unchecked movement thereto, and elsewhere likewise, whether through an entrenched ruling class, theocracy or soviet institution, the growth of the State has been kept in check to a marked degree, by the popular effort.

This is not going to be seen by minarchists, anarchists and populists as being correct, of course, given that they tend to view the growth of State power as both dire and inexorable; but I have faith that in the end, the power of We The People to restrain the State will endure.

Let me start by giving a small historical example.

It only gets better. If you only read one blog post today, make it that one.