Bad Stuff

Discovery just launched their series Moonshine. Looks to be an interesting piece showing both sides of the illegal liquor debate. The series will follow several moonshiners and an Alcohol Beverage Control agent. From my perspective it shines a favorable light on shiners.
This article highlights the extreme danger of moonshine. done wrong, the stuff can kill. Reading the article, and knowing what I know about shine, I cannot help but wonder if it was methanol add to the brew, or that they failed to drain off the methanol that occurs naturally in the mix. Shiners throw away the first few gallons of the run because it is nearly pure methanol.
Keep in mind, if you ever get a sample of hooch, it lacks quality control measures that store bought liquor has. We haven't had any bad accidents in recent years, but it only takes one bad batch to murder a lot of folks.

23 years

Twenty three years ago today my third child was born. We had taken the girls out to our new house to decorate the Christmas tree. As we were working on it, my wife began to have cramps. She excused herself to the bathroom, and when she returned announced that we needed to head back to town.


On the way, she experienced the first labor pains. We had previously made plans with friends to baby sit the girls when the need arose. As we drove, I asked, Hospital, or Toms? The choice was obvious, it was the hospital. Because of that, the girls were able to see their brother when he was only a few minutes old.

Unknown to us, Steven was a frank breach, a difficult delivery for any doctor, and ours was on vacation. Instead, the hospital summoned the closest Ob, but quickly amended it to an old fellow with a ton of experience when they realized that Steven would be entering the world backwards.

The doctor arrived minutes later in his house coat, pajama bottoms, one sock, and slippers. When the nurses said rush, he knew they meant it. As soon as Steven was present and accounted for, the nurse rushed him across to the nursery and they began administering oxygen. He had been stuck for a minute or what seemed like hours. The girls actually got to see him before his mother did.

Thus began the week of craziness, Steven was born, we moved, and celebrated Christmas in one swift week.

So, heres wishing you a great and wonderful birthday son. Enjoy and savor every second of it.

Lipstick in Catholic School

(You have to love this principal)

According to a news report, a certain private Catholic school was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine provided it was of a natural or neutral skin tone, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.
Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.
Finally the principal, Sister Mary, decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a
major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).
To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, Sister Mary asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.
Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers..... And then there are educators!!!
HT Richard

Mitt or Newt

The republican field has been winnowed fast. While a number of potential contenders are still in the race, it is shaping up to be a choice between Romney or Gingrich. Perry has dropped to a distant 95th or there bouts, Cain is out, Palin opted to not run. That leaves Mitt and newt as the only serious contenders in the race.
Of the two, Romney has the best chance of winning. he is a likable person, and a gifted speaker. I'm still not sold on the guy, he has an albatross called masscarelessness hanging around his neck. he can work with democrats, but the way things look now, there won't be enough of them left to matter in 2013.  George W Bush also had a reputation for being able to work with democrats. The problem for him was that the dems in Washington won't work with anybody. Mitt may not have to worry about that until his second term, assuming that the republicans act like typical politicians and let power go to their heads.
Newt has some leadership qualities I like. He balanced the budget when he was speaker. The prosperity of the Clinton era was forced upon Bill by none other then the Grinch. he has his albatross as well, divorces. Those will hurt him worse then anything else because false stories persist about them. he has a wandering dick ala Worthless Willie. Liberal feminists who gladly gave Bill a pass and a pat will be out in force against Newt. People need to remember though, Clinton was not impeached for getting a blow job, he was impeached for perjury in  the depositions about his actions. I also don't know of any women whom Newt forced himself on as Clinton did Kathleen Willie, but that will be ignored by the feministas as well.
A brief aside, I don't hold Bills actions in having affairs against him, nor do I fault Hillary for standing by him when most wives would pack and call a liar err lawyer. They had rules for their relationship, and it is between them. I would have a lot more respect for Hillary if she had simply stood up and told every one, yes he has cheated on me, no it is not any of your business, so shut up, pack up, and get a life of your own. Other presidents have had affairs, notably JFK. When it is consensual sex, it is only the publics problem if the wife tries to kill him for it.
Back to Newt. his dealings with fannie mae and freddie mac are an issue for me. They were largely democrat crime sprees, protected by Bwahney Fwank and a few of his cohorts, but his involvement is not a good thing. They were a large part of our problems here at home. The housing bubble has hurt every one in this country. Expect more problems to surface from it once the dems are out of power, especially if the republicans get a super majority. An investigation may stir a hornets nest.
Either man has a good chance of beating Obama. The question will be which has the bigger October surprise in store. The propaganda arm of the democrat party will have something. They have learned from past mistakes, it won't be another TANG memo.

Way to go Lowes!

It appears that home improvement retailer Lowes has decided to brave the firestorm for pulling advertising from "All American Terrorist muslim", a show about five families living in Michigan. the religion of peace will have to go a long way to convince me they deserve any kind of favorable recognition. They are the only religious group that advocates terrorist attacks on innocent bystanders. Ireland had a long war that pitted protestants against Catholics, but it was fueled over independence desires for North Ireland, not merely religion. And the boundaries were not clearly cut along religious lines. With Muslims, its another story. Muslims in Western Europe were largely quiet and appeared peaceful until they had enough strength in numbers they felt they could start stirring trouble. The violence there is ongoing. Belgium suffered a terror attack last week that killed or injured more then 125 people.
Numerous investigations have been conducted into financing schemes here in the United States where muslims have funneled money to Hamas and other terror organizations. Sadly, the feds have remained largely silent. CAIR, the council of American islamic relations should have been prosecuted to the fullest, and every member who was not a US citizen should have been deported. Instead, the government decided to cave to Saudi Arabia and did not throw the book at them.
Yup, its all about oil. Scream all you want lefties, you could do a real part in making us energy independent and encourage California to open its coast for drilling. If they had done that ten years ago, they would not be teetering on the verge of insolvency.
As for the sick perversion of a cult called islam, It should be banned in this country. Its not in my opinion a religion, its a cult. The US has cracked down on the FLDS group because they promote plural marriage. Islam is the same. Islam also promotes forced marriage, marriage of young and even prepubescent girls, and once married, in most cases, they are trapped. A muslim man can divorce his wife under their perverted law called sharia, but a woman cannot divorce her husband. Islam is far worse then the worst cult that skews the Christian faith. they make Jim Jones seem sane. How many religious groups treat women the way islam treats them?
So, if there is a Lowes store near you, support them. I guess I'll be driving to Topeka soon.

We'll be back

As the flags come down and the last troops depart Iraq, I get an unsettling feeling that this is not the end, but only an interlude. After WW1 allied troops remained a short time, and then departed for home. Much fanfare was made as our troops marched in victory through New York, then quietly went to their homes and lives. Meanwhile, in Germany, hate simmered.
We had established a government, Wiemar to lead Germany on a path of peace. That peace lasted less then fifteen years. Unrest was the norm, The Germans did not know how to govern themselves, and soon a dictator rose, a man who would bring a great cloud of darkness to Europe and much of the world.
We did a better job after WW2. We stuck in there for a decade, then another one, then another. In fact, we are still very much there. Germany will likely never again be a dark cloud over Europe. Today they are leaders and seek peace. It took a generation and then some to create a free nation that will remain a beacon for years to come.
Another example is the Balkans, This time though, its a bad example. After the death of Tito, and the decline of Soviet influence, the people of Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia returned to the conflicts which fueled the first world war. It became necessary for the nations of Europe and  America to intervene and impose a peace process. It is shaky at best.
Iraq is propped up. they have a government in place, elections were held, but their problems are far from over. Terrorism still reigns. In Germany, terror attacks did not cease until the late 80's. Iraq has much to deal with. They are surrounded by nations that wish them ill. Iran and Syria are state sponsors of terrorism. democracy is a fledgling idea in the sea of islamic hate and sharia law. The Iraqi government has its work cut out. Can they succeed? I doubt it.
The two dominant strains of islam in Iraq are the sunni and shiite. The sunni are a minority no longer in power. the shiites are dominant in Iran where any idea of democracy are quickly squelched by the ruling imams. I do not see them remaining a democratic people for long.
My guess is six to eight years. The Russians have been experiencing democracy in some form for nearly twenty years, yet they too are at risk of back sliding. Iraq may well return to a dictatorial power and relations with Iran will falter. Wedged as they are between two terrorist regimens, they will not be allowed to grow in peace.
Unless Iran is attacked by either the US or Israel, they will stir problems for Iraq. This aint gonna be purdy.

Now we know why

We've known it for decades, hippies stink. Now we know why they stink, and its more then just their politics and a lack of hygiene. They really are diseased.
So next time you are stuck in an elevator with a smelly hippie, don't offer them a bar of soap or a can of Raid Right Guard, point them in the direction of the local health clinic for their shot of penicillin.