FINNERAN LANE

Reflections From The Land Of The L.O.S.T.

I'm not really sick - yet ; but I am suffering from  L.O.S.T. ( Let's Order Some Tests) Syndrome : a condition brought about by physicians-who-are-not-sure-what-is-wrong with the patient.

The symptoms of this (pretty common) condition led me to a reasonably pleasant diagnostic center,where I had to sip one of those delightful Barium sulfate "milkshakes" , and wait -and wait for it to reach its desired location.

Yes, I know: TMI (Too Much Information).

I should have brought a book along - but didn't ; and therefore had little to concentrate on except the music - which poured out irresistibly from hidden Hi-Fi speakers.

All the songs were love songs : provided a song in which the singer tells us how much he/she  is in love with him/her self can be classified as a love song.

Honest ! That struck me as the very core  of every song I heard : "I'm in love with me !"

The rest of the song seemed to deal with how the other party - the listener - impacted on this self-loving relationship.

Just before I went in to undergo the Cat Scan , I had time to reflect on how popular this music - and presumably this self-adoration concept  had become; and to wonder if there might be a relationship between such attitudes and our extraordinarily high divorce rates.

You think of all kinds of stuff in the Land of the L.O.S.T.  !

A Clockwork Politic

 

I've tried to stay away from politics on this site, but - looking at what has been going on - can no longer remain silent.

I ask you to look for a moment at this very nice grandfather's clock.

See the big pendulum in the bottom part ? It swings back and forth: left and right,left and right. Unless it does this, the clock will not keep time.

No "tick" = No "tock".

Above the pendulum, you'll see three shiny round tubes : the weights.

One is on the left,one is in the middle,and the other is on the right. All three have to be pulled up to make the clock mechanism work.

The three weights don't have to be pulled up to exactly the same point,but - if you want the clock to run, you do have to pull up all three.

(I mention all this - in part - because there is now an entire generation that has never really looked at anything but digital clocks.)

I also mention this , because there are an awful lot of people who think only their side should be heard in political debates. They want to hear a "tick" or a "tock" - and they go a little beserk over the very neccessary tick-tock of everyday government. 

To get government to work properly, we have to activate the liberal weight on the left, the conservative one on the right, and the moderate , middle-of-the-road one in the center.

Unless we are willing to do that, we will never hear the chimes of Freedom.

"Snow Polling" by YAHOO ??

I noticed this little headline on YAHOO this morning: *

• Poll: Obama leads McCain among people who don't have pets

When you click on the link, you will find the actual title of the article is:

Pet owners prefer McCain over Obama

This left me wondering: Did someone at YAHOO want to create the impression "yet another poll" favored Obama ?

Before I go any further,let me make one thing perfectly clear: I do not support either Obama or Mc Cain - and haven't seen anybody else worth wasting a vote on in November.

What I want to comment on is something I call " Snow Polling " : a technique of promoting certain political views by suggesting to the public "this is what Americans believe".

The method used is quite simple: one starts by polling a carefully selected group (one you are pretty sure will agree with you) ,and then publishing the results as vigorously as possible. You then follow up with additional polls-widening the group gradually,and trumpeting the results every time they are to your liking.

The more you do this,the more people will agree with you. Folks may not be able to recall the details of your earlier polls, but they "know" more and more people are accepting the proposed viewpoint;and they conclude "all those people must know something !"

Little by little, as the poll is rolled around,it picks up additional layers of this "snow".

Eventually,people are no longer able to recognize it as a "snow job" ; for it has become a thundering avalanche .

*   I'm inclined to suspect the "pet owners poll" was instigated by someone who favors John McCain ; and that someone on YAHOO decided to "turn the tables" by writing a headline suggesting the poll favored Obama.

I'm also inclined to suspect I'm not the only one who noticed the discrepancy, because the headline on YAHOO now reads as follows:

 Which presidential candidate do dog and cat owners prefer?

 

 

 

 

Politics : It's Impossible to Avoid the Topic !

If you are like me, you have been overexposed to politics and politicians in the last few months, and are beginning to wish the whole thing would go away.

It was bad enough when Ms Rabbit started wearing a "Hillary '08" button back in the early summer. She took it off when the Norman Hsu contribution scandal emerged-but then started wearing it again. (Something to do with gender issues and potty parity I believe.)

Then there was Ms Goose, who had her own (very loud) opinions. Quite recently, she started flying over with some of her companions : honking loudly,showering as much of the known world with excrement as possible, and insisting the inhabitants of Finneran Lane take a stand...I suppose, with umbrellas open-to deflect her noxious "offerings".

Okay, since it appears I must, I have been giving  serious consideration to this gentleman: the Honorable Elmer Fudd. Elmer, as you can see,is a Man of the People , and would almost certainly receive high marks from my fellow NRA members.

He has also demonstrated a willingness to address Immigration problems-and to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Opposition. We may rest assured,I believe, he would be equally tough on Terrorism.

There are, of course, other candidates worthy of our consideration. Mr. Bugs Bunny - with his inimitable laid back style - comes to mind ;although some say he might make a better Secretary of Defense in a Fudd administration.

One might also consider Senator Foghorn Leghorn, and his running mate the Honorable Barnyard Dog (here shown discussing matters of State).

It is reported the duo tend to be somewhat confrontational.

There has been some friction among potential candidates - which is, of course to be expected. Unfortunately, the Media often seizes on these minor flareups, and tries to turn them into conflagrations...

...as may be seen in the accompanying illustrations.

(Politics is not always a gentle sport !)

I have no idea of what this image is supposed to convey, but imagine it might have some distant relationship to the topic on hand.

Any questions ?

No ? Good !  Meeting is adjourned !!

Politics - Politics- Politics !

Ol' Meangenes stopped by this morning. I was at home, trying to recover from a nasty case of bronchitis, so I grabbed him a bottle of Yuengling,and poured myself a second cup of coffee.

"What brings you around ?" , I asked. "Beside the Yuengling, that is."

"Politics. Boy am I gettin' tired of this crap !"

"Hillary this, and Obama that on the Democrat side -and Whoever- Heard- of- Huckabee and Mitt Romney on the Republican side...Oops ! I almost forgot Ron Paul. He got about 10% of the votes and his followers are declaring victory (!)

This picture reminds me of that-for some reason or other ! "

I clicked on it to enlarge the image and found I had to agree.

I found a second bottle (the last) of Yuengling and handed it to Meangenes.

"Was that all you came over here for ? "

Meangenes sipped his beer, and didn't answer - but he looked at me imploringly.

"Okay,okay !", I snapped. " I do have some new pictures to show you. Here you go !"

Meangenes applauded. " Thanks for the look ! It kinda eases the too-much-politics syndrome a bit ."

"Happy to be of service ! Anything else I can do for you ?"

The old gaffer belched politely. " Yeah,as a matter of fact: That was your last bottle of Yuengling. Better re-stock next time you go to the store."

The Iowa Caucus: (You Too, Huh ? )

In Iowa, one of the front-running candidates has promised a "MOO BEGINNING" - while others are busily getting their ducks in a row.

The Voters, meanwhile: having been polled and sampled, and telephoned, and visited; and who have had their television viewing converted into a non-stop political commercial,are beginning to ask:

Will any of these dogs hunt ???

They say they will, but, being politicians,they can't help but lie a lot.

How far-and how often-and how convincingly can these candidates sling the bull ?

Like the song says: "How deep is the ocean ? How high are the skies ?"

Lucky,lucky us ! We'll get to see,hear,and read about it for the next month !!

Happy December 26th !

The Christmas lights are disappearing: some slowly and reluctantly;others with stunning rapidity.

A few die-hards will keep their lights up until January 6th : Epiphany in the Western calendar; Christmas in the Eastern Orthodox Calendar.

I was brought up in the "put-the-lights-up-early" tradition-which calls for clearing away all Christmas trimmings by New Years eve. (This made sense, since we used to cut down and decorate our tree-which was precariously balanced in a bucket of coal-within hours of school being let out for the Christmas holidays,and , by New Year's eve,that tree was shedding needles faster than you could sweep them up.)

My late wife was of the die-hard persuasion,and considered putting the house back into civilian clothes before Epiphany to be something just not done  in civilized circles !

I imagine I'll split the difference.

I didn't do that much decorating to start with,and I'll probably leave the little potted tree up-and-lighted for a while longer, so that people passing by can see there is still a little bit of Christmas glowing - somewhere.

It will remind me of watching my great grandson on Christmas eve,as he carefully sprinkled oatmeal-mixed-with-sparklers onto his lawn "so the reindeer can find their way to our new house."

It will remind me of what I felt -just after midnight yesterday-when the congregation around me knelt in the darkened church, holding lighted candles,and singing the sweet and simple words of "Silent Night".

It will remind me of being with my family yesterday: exchanging greetings and gifts,and sharing a meal and pleasant conversation with those I love.

Finally, it will remind me of two women : one who can no longer be with me,and one who has become very special* to me - something I had thought would never again be possible.

God bless us all on this day after Christmas !

* I should add, it is very doubtful this special woman will ever be more than a very good friend. I know that is all she's ready for;still : it is nice to dream !

ILLEGAL INVASION NEWS : ALIEN ATTACKER CAPTURED !!

  Dramatic photographic proof we are under invasion by illegal aliens emerged this morning, when the strange lights depicted here were seen in the northern skies. Clearly we are not only being invaded, we are under attack !

An ad hoc posse of concerned Patriots was assembled,and began marching toward the site of the attack. (We were permitted to join the march as "embedded reporters".)

Within a few hours, we came upon one of the invaders. He waved to our patrol - rather nonchalantly - but, when asked to produce his papers,could not do so.Moreover, there was an ominous sack of "toys" in the back of his conveyance -which - our Patrol Leader pointed out, might be stuffed with drugs - or even materials for a "dirty bomb".

A methodical search was conducted by breaking open all possible toys;however, no drugs or other contraband was discovered: leading us to conclude the Invader had probably cached everything in a snow bank prior to our arrival.

After executing the red-garbed Invader, the patrol members shot and butchered the reindeer - which proved to be rather tasty , when roasted over the open flames of the Invader's burning sled.

Spirits were high as we returned to base. Even seasoned and cynical press veterans such as we were heartened to hear the stirring verses of the Horst Wessel Lied roar out again !

Air Raid - Pearl Harbor !! - Some Personal Recollections

Sixty-six years ago- on a cold December 7th morning-I learned that  Japanese planes had bombed a place called Pearl Harbor. I was only seven years old at the time, and , like most kids my age, barely knew where Japan was -or Pearl Harbor, for that matter. We would soon learn !

The next four years were lessons in history -taught while it was being lived; geography,and the always shifting landscape of alliances, mis-alliances ,patriotism , and politics. I mention the latter because our political leaders did face (sometimes rancorous) opposition at home - but it was almost always loyal opposition : a recognition we were all in this thing together; and that we were willing to set purely personal or partisan differences aside to get through the storm of war.

We also learned about simple patriotism: the act of putting one's homeland first (an idea , we are now assured is just...foolish !)

We learned war has a personal cost : There were few neighborhoods in America that did not have a star in the window to show a loved one was serving in the Armed Forces. Many had gold stars - to show someone had been killed in action.

Our family was not spared. A second cousin , who was a Roman Catholic Chaplain , was killed when the hospital ship he was on was sunk by a submarine in the Pacific. ( The Japanese sub skipper decided not to waste a torpedo on the big clumsy white ship with the huge Red Cross markings; so he surfaced, and let his crew get in a bit of deck gun practice.)

Another cousin served in North Africa and told us how the Arabs - who were in league with the Nazis,and who did not care much for kafirs anyway - would sneak up on sleeping GIs and cut their throats. Yet another cousin came home with sergeant's stripes and battle ribbons ...and memories that - one night - induced him to kill himself with carbon monoxide in the family garage.

  It's odd to me that, while we mark the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we seem to have absorbed very few of its lessons.

For quite a while after WWII,intelligence and national security were important enough to risk the lives of countless airmen,soldiers, sailors and marines , who kept watch day and night to prevent another Pearl Harbor. Now we have revisionists who tell us everything that went before was " a hoax - designed for the benefit of the Industrial-Military Complex" ; that events like Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were just "a tragic misunderstanding" - or, worse still - " a well-deserved comeuppance".

  Am I wrong to wonder what self-serving declarations these "evolved" folks will make when the next Pearl Harbor occurs ?

Sixty-six years ago- on a cold December 7th morning-I learned that  Japanese planes had bombed a place called Pearl Harbor. I was only seven years old at the time, and , like most kids my age, barely knew where Japan was -or Pearl Harbor, for that matter. We would soon learn !

The next four years were lessons in history -taught while it was being lived; geography,and the always shifting landscape of alliances, mis-alliances ,patriotism , and politics. I mention the latter because our political leaders did face (sometimes rancorous) opposition at home - but it was almost always loyal opposition : a recognition we were all in this thing together; and that we were willing to set purely personal or partisan differences aside to get through the storm of war.

We also learned about simple patriotism: the act of putting one's homeland first (an idea , we are now assured is just...foolish !)

We learned war has a personal cost : There were few neighborhoods in America that did not have a star in the window to show a loved one was serving in the Armed Forces. Many had gold stars - to show someone had been killed in action.

Our family was not spared. A second cousin , who was a Roman Catholic Chaplain , was killed when the hospital ship he was on was sunk by a submarine in the Pacific. ( The Japanese sub skipper decided not to waste a torpedo on the big clumsy white ship with the huge Red Cross markings; so he surfaced, and let his crew get in a bit of deck gun practice.)

Another cousin served in North Africa and told us how the Arabs - who were in league with the Nazis,and who did not care much for kafirs anyway - would sneak up on sleeping GIs and cut their throats. Yet another cousin came home with sergeant's stripes and battle ribbons ...and memories that - one night - induced him to kill himself with carbon monoxide in the family garage.

  It's odd to me that, while we mark the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we seem to have absorbed very few of its lessons.

For quite a while after WWII,intelligence and national security were important enough to risk the lives of countless airmen,soldiers, sailors and marines , who kept watch day and night to prevent another Pearl Harbor. Now we have revisionists who tell us everything that went before was " a hoax - designed for the benefit of the Industrial-Military Complex" ; that events like Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were just "a tragic misunderstanding" - or, worse still - " a well-deserved comeuppance".

  Am I wrong to wonder what self-serving declarations these "evolved" folks will make when the next Pearl Harbor occurs ?

Anthrax -Anthrax-Anthrax ! ( Part One )

I realize any discussion of Anthrax -(more properly, the Anthrax Murders of 2001)-is in response to "a steadily diminishing number of requests"; but the topic is going to hit the news -perhaps big time-in a day or so,after Tuesday's meeting of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington.

The scheduled topic is "bio-terror preparedness" ,and the discussions are supposed to involve dull, drab  statistics,( and calls for additional funding), but: the hearings are falling on or near the 6th anniversary of the Anthrax event, and there are political muscles to be flexed,journalists to be impressed,and political paybacks to be exacted; so,things could get a lot more lively than anticipated !

All the old theories and speculations will be trotted out : some wild; others persuasive.

At the risk of alienating readers,I'll pass along some of my own observations.

I don't believe al-Qaeda, or those we normally think of as Muslim extremists had anything to do with these letters - although there is a considerable body of evidence to show al-Qaeda wanted to go into the bio-warfare business-and even expended scarce funds in an effort to do so.(There is an exception,I'll get into later.)

Yes, I know it says : "Allah is great " on both sets of letters; but it says so on the last line: which is not where a fanatical (or even moderately devout) Muslim would put this statement. I've read a few thousand translated documents by now, and have noticed they always seem to open with a first line invocation (Ex: "To God, the merciful and sublime...") As others have pointed out, most Muslims would have said "God is great", rather than "Allah is great." ( Again,there is an exception.)

It also says: "Death to America " and " Death to Israel" - which should be ironclad proof of Muslim involvement...but isn't. Not neccessarily.

That combination of imprecations has been around for a very long time : so long that it is almost-standard "Left Coast" protest poster content : content displayed by the extreme left-wing crowd to show their " solidarity " with "the Palestinian Cause". It is doubtful this group is even religious - let alone Muslim !

These slogans date back to the days when the (former) Soviet Union, and its satellites promoted unrest in the Middle East, in hopes of cutting off oil supplies and vital links of  "The Main  Enemy" (us).The slogans worked to a degree, so the new " Support Non-Violence or We'll Kill You !" organizations folded them into their modernized recipes for discord.

The letters are also "overly cute" in their execution. It's my belief a computer typeface called "Segoe" (found in Word 97 and other word processing programs) was used; that the type size was carefully adjusted so it would fit . It was then printed out in bold face, then traced onto tracing paper with a fine point marker. The resultant product was then photocopied repeatedly.

The point of all this word processing and tracing was to eliminate as much evidence of the perpetrators as possible . ( Can you imagine Muslim fanatics-who are usually so eager for their deeds to be traced back to them, that they call the authorities to "claim credit" -going through such an elaborate dodge ? )

It is time, however, to discuss the exception I previously mentioned.

There is a sect of Muslims native to our country - some of who are very bad apples : not too surprising since the "orchard"  many of them were grown in was our nation's prisons. I refer, of course to the Black Muslims.

The Black Muslims are considered "apostates" by much of the Muslim world - although there has been some rapprochement in recent years. Black Muslims would probably use the name "Allah" , rather than "God". The most extreme members would subscribe to the use of "Death to the United States"- "Death to Israel" as slogans,as they consider themselves at war with "White America" , with Jews in general,and -to make a long list short-with anyone who is not one of them.

Unlike foreign-born Muslims - who could set up a strike, then hop a plane across the nearest national border, the Black Muslims are "home-grown", and would need to go to considerable lengths to protect their secrecy.

Would they have been capable of this attack ? I don't doubt it - but there are other "persons and/or groups of interest."

I hope to cover some of that ground in my next installment.

Ms Owl Reviews the News

When the squirrels,which had been cavorting rather shamelessly around the yard,disappeared like puffs of gray smoke, I poured a bit of Merlot into Ms Owl's drinking cup,and settled back to wait.

Sure enough, she drifted in - quickly and quietly - to accept the offered libation .

In case you have clicked on her image and are wondering about the snow,that shot was a formal portrait , done last winter.

Ms Owl snapped her beak appreciatively. " Mmm... Quite dry; but a nice fruity taste."

I splashed a bit more in her cup. " There you go. I see you have your reading glasses with you..."

" Oh. These ? I just need them for close work."

"Don't we all ? So, what's new and exciting in the news ? "

"Oh, my ! Where to start ? Let's see: Sandy Berger- you know: the former Clinton administration National Security Advisor ? Don't look so blank ! The one who visited the National Archives, and walked out with documents stuffed in his clothing?  Yes: that Sandy Berger ! Mr. Berger has joined Hillary Clinton as a campaign advisor, and there are rumors he has been promised a place in the new Clinton Cabinet if she wins."

" Then somebody in Seattle got the FBI all excited about a week ago by claiming a nuclear weapon had been smuggled in on a ship. When the agents got there -all hot and sweaty - the citizen pointed out a pumpkin and a squash...which the Feebies examined dutifully: announcing later-with straight faces-the two vegetables presented no apparent hazard to the  Republic."

" Oh. A Rhino  named Lulu , who lives in the Budapest Zoo, is expecting her second calf. She  was inseminated with the "love offerings" of a bull Rhino in Britain, named Simba."

"Ewww !", I said, pouring Ms Owl a bit more wine. " I don't think I'd like the job of collecting that !"

" For openers, how would you go about it. I mean, you don't just walk up to a bad-tempered animal that outweighs you by tons and say : " Pardon me, old chap, but I need a few cups of fertile fluids. Could you oblige ?"

Ms Owl was silent for a minute, then : " I suppose you would need to get him in the mood, somehow. Play Rhinoceros love ballads ,perhaps..."

"Maybe you could show him X-rated Rhino-erotic materials . Considering the wild variety of crap we  get as spam, there must be something !  You know: like- "Ten Ton Tillie Does Timbuktu ".

I looked Ms Owl in the eye. " You know something ? I don't want to even think about this anymore !"

Ms Owl looked back blandly. " A little bit Rhino-phobic are we ? "

Sometimes, she a real smart owl-ec !!

Conversations with Mr. Meangenes:Talkin' Country ...an' Stuff

Mr. Meangenes joined me on the patio this morning, as I settled down with a big bowl of Cereal. He eyed me as I sprinkled some raisins on top.

"You gonna eat all them raisins by yourself, are you ?"

" I suppose," I asked  sarcastically. " I suppose you're going to want a bowl of cereal to go along with them ?"

" It wouldn't hurt none," he drawled. " Spoon'd go real nice too."

Oh boy ! Not only was he  scrounging  breakfast, but he was "talkin' Country"  today !!

Nonetheless, I went back to the kitchen and fixed a big bowl of Rice Chex. It was a good thing I had, because, when I got back, old Meangenes was scarfing down my bowl of cereal !

"Set, down, set down !", he invited. " Make yerself to home."

I gritted my teeth. More cornpone Clodhopper John talk ! 

It reminded me of when I used to sell musical strings and accessories at Bluegrass jams and festivals.

People who had Harvard MBAs, and who drove BMWs would saunter up to my stand and say things like "How much are these-here wires ?" ( They would pronounce the word as "wahrs".) Why did they talk that way ? I guess they thought they were "talkin' Country".

Conversely I noticed some of the Bluegrass performers, who were from the Deep South, or who lived in the hills of Kentucky, would lose their regional accents when negotiating the price of strings.Some of them would get downright "Harvard MBA" !

Politicians - who, when you think about it, depend heavily on "shuckin' and jivin'" to win and keep their jobs - have become notable for their ability to "talk the talk" with their consitiuents. Hillary Clinton , out on the campaign trail , made a "down home" speech to a friendly, largely Black audience. (I say "friendly" because no one in the audience got up and shouted : " Girl, You talk that way at home ??? ")

Speaking of "down home" expressions , there is one that has made its way through the Black and White communities like a dose of salts : the vague, ubiquitous, and iniquitous "an' stuff".

" I was drivin' down the road at fifty miles an hour an'stuff when this cop pulls me over. I mean I see his flashers an'stuff,so I go: "Whoa! " An' stuff,an' I pull over, an' he ax me for my license an' stuff, an' I go: "I musta left it home an'stuff..."

Just thinking about it, I started to break into a cold sweat . Must-get-off-this-topic-before-I-start-to-say-"an'stuff" !!!

Mr. Meangenes looked up from his cereal, and peered at me intently : "What ??"

I shook my head. " Nothin' . Leastaways, no big thang.Say: listen: You faxin' ta eat up all them-thar raisins  ?"

" Look at you !", I went on. " Land o' Goshen, boy ! You got a belly on ya like a June frog !"

Mr. Meangenes looked shocked. " Man, you talk that way at home ........an' stuff??"

Conversations With a Rabbit: Way Too Much Information !"

Ms Rabbit came hopping up, just as I settled down on the patio with my coffee and newspaper. She seemed rather...agitated. Perhaps, "wildly indignant" would be a better description. Click on her image (It's safe to do so),and you can judge for yourself.

"I did not ", she declared. biting her lip. " I did not have sex with that rabbit ! " There was a brief ( hopefully,not pregnant ) pause.

" Roger Rotter" , she added , biting her lower lip again.

I glanced at her obvious distress, and decided to be non-committal. " Ummm."

" Yes !", she shouted. " We did gambol in the moonlight , and Yes : I did sing "The Wedding Song" to Roger; and yes : he did clasp me in his brawny-yet-supple paws, and Yes ! It was heavenly, but - we did not have sex : at least not in the strictest definition of the word. What we did was..."

"Whoa !", I exclaimed. " Too much information !"

"But don't you want to hear what we did ?"

" No ! Way too much information !!"

I picked up my newspaper , and discovered I wasn't the only one suffering from information overload.

Justices Mc Kee, Barry, and Fisher, at the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia heard arguments yesterday in a First Amendment case involving an East Brunswick,NJ high school coach, who had previously won the right to bow his head or kneel during student-led prayer at athletic banquets and games.

An appeal against the coach's previous court victory had been filed - on behalf of the school board - by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State : a group made up primarily of atheists and agnostics . Americans United had predicted a "slam - dunk" victory the day before : noting (through a sympathetic reporter) Justice Mc Kee was well known for his advocacy of separation. and Justice Barry-who favors abortion rights-was considered quite likely to agree with Mc Kee.

The slam-dunk didn't go quite as anticipated. Justice Barry was openly critical: describing the school board's policy as "vague and overbroad."

Justice Mc Kee, while expressing concerns about whether the Coach had stepped over the line in the matter of student prayer, downplayed the significance of the case: describing it as "...a matter of some local school board politics."

" We are trying to get a handle on the First Amendment," Judge Mc Kee complained," By a handful of smoke".

The Judge was also unhappy with the Americans United brief: noting it contained 70 pages - when 20 would have done - and that much of the extraneous material consisted of personal attacks on the coach. " This is not the World Wrestling Foundation," Mc Kee told the AU attorney. " You don't need to get down in the gutter and start throwing garbage at somebody."

There are hints the appeal may be rejected on the grounds it is moot. (A ruling is expected in a few weeks.)

I put down my paper and looked around for Ms Rabbit. She was hunkered down in the back of the yard, giving one of the squirrels the lowdown on her "big date".

Some say we live in the Information Age. I'm beginning to think we live in the Way-Too-Much-Information age.

The State Preserve Us ! School Prayer Case Appeal to be Heard !!

For a change, it looked as if I would have a quiet,stress-free morning on the patio : no critters, no odd characters.Then the morning newspaper caught my eye.

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT TO HEAR SCHOOL PRAYER CASE

(This is a Gannett paper so I can't excerpt.) You may read the article itself here:   http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071003/NEWS/710030366/1001/

In brief, a coach at East Brunswick, NJ High School continued a custom of long standing when - 25 years ago - he followed the (rather widespread) coaching practice of permitting his teams to offer their own non-denominational prayers at sports banquets and in the locker room. To honor them, he would bow his head , or kneel, but would remain silent himself.

In September of 2005, some students complained about the practice, and the school board ordered the coach to desist. The coach resigned in protest , but rescinded his resignation 10 days later on advice of counsel, and filed a lawsuit alleging the abridgement of his civil rights. In July,2006, the Federal District court upheld the coach in all respects ; and the school board declared itself satisfied.

Enter Americans United for the Separation of Church and State , a non-sectarian group,made up primarily of atheists and agnostics, which offered to pay for an appeal by the East Brunswick board of education. The Board agreed,and arguments are being heard today in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.

Wow ! Things have DEFINITELY changed !!

In 1938, I first became aware there were other religions  when I entered First Grade. (I was just 4 1/2 years old at the time, lived on a farm, and had only my older brothers for playmates.)

The source of this startling bit of information was the daily bible reading (always from the Old Testament) and the school prayer in which the teachers would lead us. I was part of a tiny Roman Catholic minority , and had never heard the words "For Thine is the kingdom, and the power,and the glory,forever and ever " tacked on to the Lord's Prayer before the final "Amen".

There were prayers at assemblies,and incredibly long-winded invocations at graduation excercises : usually delivered in the loud,nasal, hectoring tones Protestant clergy of that time considered appropriate.

I DO NOT look back at that era with with fond nostalgia !!

I have, in fact become fairly secular - like most people - I guess : secular in a rather casual live-and-let-live way. 

There are people who say: " Thank you, Lord for this meal " ; and there are others who say : " Thank God, that's the last of this stew !"

I tend to fall in the latter category - mainly because I'm eating my own cooking ;but sometimes I wonder if the " Secular Humanism " being exercised by Americans United and its counterparts isn't well on the way to becoming a religion in its own right.

I could almost imagine a Secular Humanist "Ten Commandments".

First: I am the State,thy State. Thou shalt not have others-especially deities- before me.

Second: Thou shalt not engrave false images upon paper and pass the same off as lawful monies of the State.

Third: Thou shalt not criticize thy State or the Officials thereof.

Fourth: Remember Election Day,and forget not to cast thy vote for the suitable candidates we shall commend unto you......

Oh, well: Let's see what happens in court today !

Mr. Scheissekopf Conducts a " Reasoned Dialogue" on Immigration

I was in the kitchen, fixing a sandwich, when I heard loud shouts coming from the patio. Glancing out the window, I saw Ms Rabbit crouched on the grass , trembling with fear,and trying to figure out which way to run.

The shouting started again: " Come out here, you damned Rabbit-lover !!"

I raced outside, and looked around- and looked around - before I finally spotted a dimunitive, rather pinheaded looking critter sitting on one of the patio chairs.

"Who or what the hell are you ? " , I demanded. " I can just about see you over there !"

" Click on my image, stupid !", my visitor snarled. " It is I : Scheissekopf ...MISTER Scheissekopf to YOU, swine !" Damn, what a loudmouth he was !

I looked him over carefully. " Nice earrings !", I commented insincerely.

"The little red garnets in the eyesockets are a ...nice touch. Waffenfabrik SS  1942, if memory serves me correctly..."

" Never mind my earrings", growled Scheissekopf ( Ooops ! MR. Scheissekopf !!)

" I've got a few things to say to you,Rabbit lover !!"

" First of all, you claimed Hispanics represent about 14 % of the US population.

Where do you get 14%? Filthy beaners exceed 50% in many states and the list is growing almost as fast as the child raping incest prone idiots can run, jump, swim, fly, drive, boat, and crawl through tunnels to get here, to commit their crimes against us, because it's slim pickens over in sheetz-ico, too many criminals, too few victims, in other words."

" My !",  I said mildly. " You do have a certain ...way with words !  I know it wasn't you who suggested branding captured illegal immigrants - on their faces - so they would be recogognizable if they crossed the Border again ; but, this sounds like you :

"How about a long stint in a labor camp to pay for everything from settlements for border patrol families of slain officers & all enforcement costs on down to the actual branding iron?"

Scheissekopf beamed. " Yah ! That was me ! That was me !!"

"Ah ! And that was me who said all you would need is one of those nifty concentration camp signs : "Arbeit Macht Frei"  (Work will set you free.)"

" That must have annoyed you, Scheissekopf, because you then posted this inspiring reply: 

"So you are a stupid beaner/pro open border fool???? Who talk to rabbits? AZ rabbit here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8228704796043731366"

Okay, folks, enough dialogue.

My main reason in posting this was to demonstrate,by using actual cut-and-pasted remarks, taken from other websites,just how bad "civil discourse" has gotten.

Illegal immigration is a problem- no: make that a HUGE problem -and  Neo-Nasties of one sort or another -anti-immigrant, and pro-immigrant- are milking it for all it is worth ; and some, in doing so, pose an actual danger to the nation.

Ignore that danger at your peril.

I assure you, Ms Rabbit takes it very seriously !

Backyard Brawl: Anchor Babies,Stereotypes,and Much,Much More !

    It's always something around here !

This morning , a loudmouth, Squirrel  I call " Mr. Nutso" started squawking and squalling about " Anchor Babies". (Anchor Babies is a derogatory term used by some to describe the American-born children of illegal aliens: especially aliens of Mexican or Latino origin.)

To hear him talk , the world was about to come to an end if we didn't do something- right now - about the 14th Amendment to the Constitution : specifically the part that defines all persons born in the United States as Citizens.

Note 1 : "Mr. Nutso" is an unfair, exaggerated stereotype.

The next thing I knew , old Ms Goose flew in: hissing and honking about "race traitors" and "white identity" (not a surprising topic for a Snow Goose who winters in the Southwest, I guess.)

She insisted the 14th Amendment needed to be replaced with an "amended amendment" that would exclude the children of parents who were not US citizens at the time the children were born. " We've got to get rid of the Anchor Babies !", she honked.

Note 2: "Old Ms Goose" is also an unfair, exaggerated stereotype.

"Whoa !", I shouted. "You critters are giving me a headache !!"

I reached for my coffee cup and drained it. " What exactly do you want from my life ?"

" Perhaps I can explain ," a voice interjected .

(Lord help us ! ANOTHER party heard from !!)

" It has come to our attention you post on the Internet ," Br'er Fox said smoothly.

"We'd like you to post a petition , calling for a small change in the 14th Amendment that would keep the children of those criminal invaders from Mexico from becoming " birthright citizens" .

" Your doing so would make a lot of people happy - and some of them might be ...grateful. Who knows ? "

Note 3 : Br'er Fox is my third unfair, and exaggerated stereotype.

For those of you who are unable-or unwilling to read between the lines, I have just used three unfair stereotypes ( for which I will probably be "flamed") to call your attention to a debate that has spilled over from the Internet into the halls of Congress : a debate, I might add , in which stereotypes are the coin of the realm.

"Anchor Babies" ( so-called,because of a widespread misconception that having a baby on US soil somehow immunizes the parents against deportation ) are a problem. These "birthright citizens"  are typically low-income, and are thereby eligible for the same wide range of (expensive) social services : medicaid ,welfare,educational grants , etc. all other low-income citizens may apply for and receive.

The children of illegal aliens live in a world in which the next knock on the door might be from Immigration agents : a world in which authority of all sorts is feared and resisted;a world too often ruled by violent street gangs. This is especially noted in Latinos of all sorts, and Mexicans in particular. Rates of criminality among these first generation " meso-Americans" are shockingly high: a recent study showed there were far more first generation Latino Americans in prison than in college .

Before you join Ms Goose in shouting : " See ? I told you so !!" , keep in mind this pattern of gang activity among 1st generation Latino-Americans almost exactly matches patterns America has seen before: the Irish mobs of Hell's Kitchen, La Cosa Nostra, the Jewish Syndicate,the Australian mob in San Francisco, the Chinese Tongs, etc.: all drawing on low-income first generation Americans for their membership and muscle. I don't have statistics to prove that point, but the old newspaper accounts are pretty convincing on that score.

Clearly, "Anchor Babies" are an expensive high-risk group - during their first generation on American soil ; but, once the second generation comes along, the children seem to turn out pretty much the same as children from other backgrounds: generally good and worthwhile citizens - who are well worth the high investment we have made in their futures.

Like other citizens , second generation Latinos turn out to vote : something I think fuels a lot of the angry debate on immigration issues.

There are many in this country who see "non-white" participation in government as yet another threat to the "good old days" of white domination.

I'm not talking about the "Dixiecrat" days, in which raw power was used to keep non-whites from voting. I'm talking about the subtle "understandings" that were used to keep whites "on top" : understandings that were political,occupational,and social.

For example, there were "white man's jobs" - and there were jobs assigned to "others". Being a highly-skilled machinist was a white man's job: sweeping up behind him was reserved for "others". A white man would get to drive the forklift  - "others" would manhandle  the bales or boxes he dumped at the edge of the loading platform. That was just the way things worked .

Now those "other-than-whites" are becoming a political force in America , and a lot of American politicians don't like the idea of competition muscling in on what used to be their turf ; and their idea of a solution is to change the rules in such a way as to disenfranchise potential Latino voters.

Let me pose a rhetorical question to those who want to tinker with the 14th Amendment : Would it be okay with you if we tinkered with other provisions of the Bill of Rights ?

How about Freedom of Speech ? The right to keep and bear arms ? Freedom of Worship ? The right to assemble peaceably and petition government ?

If it ain't broke,don't fix it !

Leave the 14th Amendment alone !!

Empty Patio Day : (My Animal Friends are Probably Protesting at the UN)

It was very, very quiet on the patio today. No sign of any of my usual backyard visitors...not that there's anything usual about any of them !

I imagine they all went to NY City so they could protest at the UN against the President of Iran : something that is currently fashionable.

I didn't quite get all that Columbia University business. Why would you invite somebody as despicable as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak, and then - before he could speak-begin reading him the riot act ?

Somebody speculated it was a quid pro quo: Iran was holding some Columbia University person captive and agreed to release him only on the condition  their President be given a special forum at Columbia.

Then I read that the person being released was actually connected to one of George Soros' groups, and that set me to wondering what in the devil Columbia University was doing playing patty-cake with George Soros !

I seem to recall, when Harvard teamed up with Soros' chums, Russia (and the American taxpayer) got ripped off for hundreds of millions of dollars ; and Harvard wound up being forced to make good for part of the theft. You'd think people would learn - but sometimes they are just like pigeons !

Speaking of pigeons, there was a brief flurry here when a flock of pigeons decided it was a good day to fly around -and around - and around the neighborhood in  tight circles. The ones we have around here are like city pigeons - only not as smart. I could hear them calling to one another:

"Britney ! Tupac ! Shakira !!"  They fly another loop around the neighborhood.

"Gwen Stefani ! Justin ! Rihanna !!" ...and around they go again, with one straggler flapping furiously in an effort to catch up with the flock. " Tyra Banks ! Oprah !!" ,he calls; but they don't wait up for him.

Phew ! I'm glad our young people are nothing like those bird-brains !!

Our young people would be texting those names.

Speaking of texting,somebody was involved in a fatal accident ...apparently while texting ! The car he was driving drifted across the center line and hit another car full of young people head-on : killing two and seriously injuring another.

When the cops and rescue workers pulled the first driver out of the wreckage, they discovered he was still trying to text somebody !!

Anything can happen on Empty Patio Day !!

Ooooh- No-o-o-o-o-o ! Faux Suicide Vest !

By now everyone has heard about the MIT engineering student who decided it would be a great idea to build and wear an imitation suicide bomb vest -(self-designed for Career Day, of all things !) to Logan Airport in Boston. Yes, THAT Logan Airport : the one used by some of the 9/11 hijackers :thus proving students ( although referred to as "men" and "women" ) quite often have a great deal of growing up left to do.

It was also prima facie evidence of something I've long believed : engineers, scientists, and techies of all sorts tend to be "wired differently" from the rest of us.

Here's a story from August,2007 that illustrates this :

David Hahn, 31, from Clinton Township, Michigan, has been accused of stealing smoke detectors containing americium. Hahn was previously described as "The Radioactive Boy Scout" after trying to make a thorium-based reactor in a shed at his mother's home when a 17-year old. Now 31, Hahn, was being held in the Macomb County Jail on charges of larceny from a building.

Full story here.

According to the story. Hahn had a number of (apparently stolen) smoke detectors, and it was speculated he was trying to extract the americium from them. Americium is a radioactive metal that is quite similar to polonium and could ( I believe) be used to make a "dirty bomb"-or-more threatening still- be alloyed with beryllium to create a neutron source that would be far more dangerous.

Hahn's motives (He says he was researching for a book) are - at best - murky.

Hahn's adventures are not unique: a Pataskala, Ohio (near Columbus) man was taken into custody on sexual assault charges,and a search of his home revealed a jar about half full of castor bean seeds-which can be used to make ricin : a deadly bio-poison  for which there is no antidote. Police say "rocket fuel" was also found. (I'm not sure I want to know what that was all about !)

Students are not the only people capable of immature and misguided conduct.

All across the nation, there have been false bomb threats. These usually get phoned in right after lunch on Friday afternoons - presumably by employees looking to start their weekend early.

New Jersey had a staggering number of such incidents until it worked out a remedial strategy: The police respond in full force, and they make a thorough search ...but no employees are allowed to leave the building unless a real threat is found. (By strange coincidence the number of bomb threats has gone from several per week to one every few months...)

All of these incidents remind me of the old fishing hole I visited as a boy. The water would sometimes be so dappled with "fish strikes" it would look as if the pond was being hit with a rain shower; but, on closer examination, the "big fish" creating all that fuss would turn out to be minnows.

That didn't mean there were no big fish present. You would see them swirl up once in a while from the cool depths to grab a minnow, or to steal the bluegill you had just hooked.

The people we need to worry about are out there - and, just like the bass and pickerel of my youth,catching them is the tricky part - especially when there are so many minnows tying up the attention and resources of those whose job it is to keep us reasonably safe.

Things I Learned on the Internet This Week

We are SO lucky to have the Internet : great fountain of wisdom that it is !!

Did you know ?

Jesus Christ was NOT a Jew !!  He was really a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Pure Aryan , who came to warn us of the dangers of Zionism ; and, as a consequence , was crucified by the Romans as the result of a false flag operation conducted by the High Priests - who were the precursors of today's evil Mossad agents .

Wow ! And did you know ?

Last week, an American submarine torpedoed a North Korean ship that was bringing enriched uranium, and other high-tech, super sensitive materials to Iran. You can read the whole story right here - and, if you find yourself wondering why North Korea and Iran have remained silent , you are probably some kind of anti-semite ,and/or part of the plot yourself !

Did you know ?

Our troops are in Iraq so the Bush Family Criminal Enterprise can steal Iraqi oil. The mere fact Iraq is way down the list of our suppliers , and ships us only a bit more than we buy from Russia is to be ignored !! (Who knew we buy most of our oil from Canada ???)

We still buy a lot of oil from Iraq... Yes, I know the story says we've been buying less and less, but the Wisdom of the Web says it's all Blood for Oil !!

Oh, yes ! This just in !!

Karl Rove is due to be frog-marched out of the White House any minute now ! I know this is going to happen, because it was reported on the "Truthout" blog, and repeated lord knows how many times all over the world. Don't believe me ? Just type "frog march Rove" in the Google search box and see what you get !!

I hope none of you "sheeple" are disagreeing with any of this : It is, after all, on the very same Internet Al Gore has modestly refused to take credit for inventing...

ps: Originally posted in July,2007

We are SO lucky to have the Internet : great fountain of wisdom that it is !!

Did you know ?

Jesus Christ was NOT a Jew !!  He was really a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Pure Aryan , who came to warn us of the dangers of Zionism ; and, as a consequence , was crucified by the Romans as the result of a false flag operation conducted by the High Priests - who were the precursors of today's evil Mossad agents .

Wow ! And did you know ?

Last week, an American submarine torpedoed a North Korean ship that was bringing enriched uranium, and other high-tech, super sensitive materials to Iran. You can read the whole story right here - and, if you find yourself wondering why North Korea and Iran have remained silent , you are probably some kind of anti-semite ,and/or part of the plot yourself !

Did you know ?

Our troops are in Iraq so the Bush Family Criminal Enterprise can steal Iraqi oil. The mere fact Iraq is way down the list of our suppliers , and ships us only a bit more than we buy from Russia is to be ignored !! (Who knew we buy most of our oil from Canada ???)

We still buy a lot of oil from Iraq... Yes, I know the story says we've been buying less and less, but the Wisdom of the Web says it's all Blood for Oil !!

Oh, yes ! This just in !!

Karl Rove is due to be frog-marched out of the White House any minute now ! I know this is going to happen, because it was reported on the "Truthout" blog, and repeated lord knows how many times all over the world. Don't believe me ? Just type "frog march Rove" in the Google search box and see what you get !!

I hope none of you "sheeple" are disagreeing with any of this : It is, after all, on the very same Internet Al Gore has modestly refused to take credit for inventing...

ps: Originally posted in July,2007

Mr. Meangenes has a Dream.....About Ron Paul !

Mr. Meangenes looked a bit worse-for-wear when he joined me on the patio for coffee break this morning. Well, I was drinking coffee,and his beverage was in a paper bag - but we're pretty casual about such things around here.

"Phew !", he sighed, settling into a chair. " I had a bad dream last night : so bad it woke me up ; and I had the Devil's own time getting back to sleep !"

"You want some coffee ? It's a fresh pot ."

"Nah. I'll stick with this. Easier on the old kidneys."

"So: You had a dream ? What was it about ? "

Meangenes shifted uncomfortably. " I dreamed that guy Paul got elected President."

" Paul ? You mean Ru Paul, the Black transgendered...person ? Wow ! No wonder you had trouble getting back to ..."

"No,no no ! Not that Paul !! I'm talking about Ron Paul - a Congressman from Texas."

"Hmm... Think I've heard of him. He's a retired doctor or something, isn't he ?"

" An obstretrician, I believe. Fine reputation as a doctor, but kind of ...strange as a politician. He's a Libertarian - more like a "Super-tarian" , who ran as a Republican so the Faithful in Texas would vote for him , and who associates himself with the "9/11 Truther" bunch."

"He announced his candidacy for President, and has actually won a lot of the little straw polls : pretty good for a fellow that voted against every single bill proposed in Congress last year ! He said they were all unconstitutional ."

I raised my eyebrows and took a sip of coffee. Nothing like a nice hot cup of coffee on a cool last-day-of-summer morning !

Mr. Meangenes lifted his beverage , and took a little taste. It didn't smell much like coffee to me ; but at his age ? Who cares ?

" Imagine," he said, smacking his lips appreciatively." Imagine what would happen if someone like that got elected President. I'm thinking he would try to turn the calendar back to 1812, or thereabouts. Let's see:

• He'd probably call all troops-anywhere in the world-home ...and then fire them,so there would be no "standing army".
• He'd make our Embassies fire all their staff,because there's nothing in the Constitution that says Ambassadors can have staff.
• He'd be tempted to fire almost everybody in the Federal government that couldn't produce constitutional justification for his particular job - but, to avoid internal dissent,would probably settle for eliminating the Income tax,and most other Federal levies.
• He'd order the Borders sealed,and all immigrants expelled;but,because there would be no tax money to accomplish this, and because everyone had gone home in disgust,the orders would be ignored.
• In the end, the Mexican Army would send up 3 enlisted men and a junior non-commissioned officer - probably a Corporal - to accept his surrender. The 9/11 "Truthers" he had surrounded himself with would have slipped out the back door,and the surrender would be accomplished without a shot being fired."

Mr. Meangenes took a very,very long sip of whatever he had in the bag.

For a moment, I felt like joining him ; but decided to stick with my coffee. The American People would never be so foolish as to elect somebody like Ron Paul...........................................would they ???