Thoughts

During my lifetime I've worked for 3 Japanese owned companies. One directly Japanese operated (I will NEVER do that again) and 2 that were owned by Japanese companies but run by Americans. I've met a lot of Japanese guys through these jobs (not so many women, but then, the Japanese have this thing about women....)

When I heard about the earthquake/tsunami, my thoughts went to all the people I'd worked with over the years. I never kept in touch - in many ways it would have been impossible to do so even if I'd thought of it. There's no way for me to go looking online or send an email to find out if everyone is ok.

But I find my thoughts going out to Mr. Matsumura, Kiyoshi, Sudo-san, Mr. Kinoshita, and so many others whom I worked for and with over those years. I hope they are all OK. I hope their families are ok. And I hope that the country (Japan) can get their shit together with regard to the nuclear reactors so that the population isn't all poisoned.

Because even if I had problems working with some of those guys, (that Japanese male thing about women...) I would never, ever, in my wildest nightmares want to see them or their families hurt by this triple-tragedy.

I cannot translate this to Japanese, because all the translators online use konji and my computer just makes that into boxes - but I wish for all of you - only good things forever. Be well, Japan.

Ich Bin Ein French Fry.

So I go into the store to buy a few things and I see these totally awesome dark beet-red/burgundy sheets with 600 thread count and all, and I'm like YES!!! So I bought them.

Just put them on the bed a few nights ago.

They are not lovely and deep burgundy and matching my curtains AT ALL. They are red. Ketchup Red. Seriously, the exact same color as tomato ketchup.

So all night long, I am laying there, thinking I must be a french fry.

I am going to guess that the lighting in the store is maybe just a TAD different than sunlight/house lamp light.

Pass the salt, please.

Well, tickle me with a cheddar...

I'll be damned if our Cheezehead neighbors to the north (Wisconsin) haven't done gone and did what I said in my previous post. They're all out there peacefully telling their Republican Governor (in office for less than a month...) to stuff it where it don't shine and not give tax bonuses to his rich cronies and then try to balance his budget on the backs of the working folks.

I don't often agree with the Cheddarheads. Especially about Football. But - guys, this here Flatlander is 250% behind ya on this one. Say it loud. Say it proud. Say it so loud I can here it down here in Illinois. And change your damn State Constitution so you can tell someone like "Walker" to take a hike, without waiting for him to screw things up for a whole year first.

GO CHEESEHEADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Btw - Piston - if you're going to just post silly teabagger talking points, don't bother. The state had a 140 million dollar surplus in the budget before Walker took office. He gave tax breaks and credits to his cronies, and added 3.8 billion in pork for his corporate masters, which is why there's a problem NOW. Oh - btw, he also wants to get rid of the minimum wage and child labor laws. Sounds like Dickensian London instead of Madison Wisconsin in the 2000's.

Protest Like An Egyptian

I've been watching the whole Egyptian Revolution thing in the news and one thing really and truly impressed me. If this succeeds, if the military doesn't fuck things up (as military are prone to do), this has been a relatively bloodless revolution. The people have set their demands, and then (for the most part) peacefully gone about insisting that they be met.

Yes, there have been scattered bits of violence, but unless I've missed it, that was the exception, not the norm.

If only others in that part of the world would get the message "You CAN win without killing". "You CAN get what you want without murdering innocents"

Nobody in the square in Cairo strapped on a bomb and exploded themselves to get their way. Nobody packed a car full of exploding things and set it off in a crowded marketplace. Nobody flew any airplanes into anything.

(I like the shoe bit. I really do. I find it ever so wonderful. Waving shoes in protest, instead of signs. I really really love the shoe bit.)

Dear Muslims. Dear Dear Xtian Anti-Choice people. Please learn from this. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KILL PEOPLE - OFTEN PEOPLE UNRELATED TO YOUR GOALS - TO EFFECT CHANGE!!!

Oh Good Greif.

Carol Mosley-Braun is all up in arms about when the decision was made to shut down Lake Shore Drive. She's critical of the city's response.

Carol? You're not the Mayor yet. In fact, you probably won't be if Rahm gets on the ballot.

More importantly - no matter what you yammer on about - this blizzard is a blessing for all of you candidates. The blessing is that it did NOT happen on your watch. Dick Daley is on his way out. This cannot hurt him, because... well... he's not going to run for Mayor again. Unlike Mike Bilandic, the blizzard is not going to cost him an election. Smart cookie, that Dick Daley.

On the other hand - you just sound whiney. Dorothy-Tillman-Whiney. Seriously - it's a blizzard. We got 2 ft. of sn*w at least. LSD was no doubt shut down as soon as the city folks knew it would be impossible to keep clear and passable. Give it a rest.

If you really want to be a help - go grab a shovel. I bet you have some neighbors who could use a bit of help.

A Sn*w day

Wow. I haven't had a sn*w day since.... jeeezz.... 1979, I think. This was a hella good blizzard, as far as blizzards go.

I half-shoveled, half-waded through the sn*w in the front (the back is impassible) - and took a look at the white lump that used to be my car.

I have a feeling I will be having another sn*w day tomorrow.

*sigh*

Atta President, President Obama!

Way to go, Mr. Commander in Chief - I was moved and impressed by your speech last night at the memorial in Arizona.

Very nice of you to remember that the day was for remembering the fallen - not a day to glorify yourself.

*applause*

Faces of Murderers

This weekend, the beautiful little girl shown above was brutally murdered while trying to learn about the American system of government and meet with her congressional representative. A lone gunman has been arrested and charged with murdering other people who were around her at the time, and attempting to murder the Congresswoman who was meeting with her constituents.

Although that gunman may have pulled the trigger, I submit the following for your consideration.

In 1971 Charles Manson was sentenced to death (later changed to life in prison) for a crime he did not personally commit - the crime of murder.

Charles Manson was convicted of murdering people he never touched - except by his words, which inspired his followers to murder the LaBiancas and the people at Sharon Tate's house. Charlie didn't kill them, his minions did, but Charlie, as seen above, is still in jail, convicted of murder.

Using this as a guideline, I present the following photographs of other murderers, these who are NOT behind bars, but who have used words that inspired their followers to murder:

Darling of the "Tea Party", Sarah Palin managed to get herself a reprimand from John McCain's campaign for her inflamatory rhetoric which caused her followers to scream out things like "KILL HIM" (with reference to then-Candidate Obama) at her pep rallys campaign stops. Just a few months ago, her website featured a gun-sight cross-hairs of Gabrielle Giffords district, as well as her famous "Don't retreat, reload!" comment.

Sarah - in the court of Sewmouse Justice - you stand convicted of the premeditated murder of 9 year old Christina Green, U.S. District Judge John Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, Dorothy Morris, Dorwin Stoddard, and Phyllis Schneck and the attempted murder of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Sharron Angle of Nevada. Not only guilty of misspelling the name Sharon, but of promoting "Second Amendment Remedies" for imagined first-amendment iniquities. One of Sarah Palin's heralded "Momma Grizzlys" - obviously a terrorist term if I've ever heard one - Sharron Angle, in the court of Sewmouse Justice you are found GUILTY of the premeditated murder of 9 year old Christina Green, U.S. District Judge John Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, Dorothy Morris, Dorwin Stoddard, and Phyllis Schneck and the attempted murder of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Now, not to beat a dead horse (although I don't know if it would do Trigger any harm if I were to beat on him) - I shall just post photos of some of the other people who murdered Christina Taylor Green and the others by their wanton use of violent rhetoric:

Rupert Murdoch - Murderer

Bill O'Reilly - Murderer
Sean Hannity - Murderer

Rush Limbaugh - Murderer

Glenn Beck - Murderer

Michelle Bachmann - Murderer

Ann Coulter - Murderer

Ok, Vincent Bugliosi - get in there, get active and get these murderers brought to justice.

The Truth - it BURNS

So in my continuing attempt to understand the "Tea Party" mentality, I read some comments on a few articles about how things are "going to change" now that the Party of NO is in the majority in the federal House of Representatives.

One commenter gloated on how "Boehner will repeal Obamacare". Um..... how? Is this poor, deluded fool thinking that the Great Orange Man, Speaker Boehner, will wave his magic gavel and say "I REPEAL THEE" and it is undone?

Sorry, Snookiedimples - in order to repeal "Obamacare", the House will have to pass ANOTHER law repealing the previous law, and then it will also have to pass the Senate (unlikely), and then.. get this... President Obama would have to SIGN it - because there are no way, no how, enough votes for a veto override. And just exactly what chances do you think there are that President Obama would sign a bill that overrides the very legislation he has hitched his entire Presidential Legacy® upon?

Slim?

None?

*smirk*

The Sad Truth

I just got off the phone with one of my company's vendors - she was looking for money, as are everyone of us during the bleak days of winter, it seems.

Since I couldn't give her what she wanted, and I told her it up front, we had a little discussion about economic realities and chia-pets. (don't ask.)

After a bit, it became apparent from her comments that she followed the "Teabagger" philosophies of governance - she was blaming her high real-estate taxes on President Obama.

Although I pointed out several times that the FEDERAL government does not control our real estate taxation here in Illinois, she kept repeating how President Obama was supposed to be lowering our taxes but her tax rate had gone up.

She was also upset about the high sales-tax rate - another thing that is controlled by the local and state governments, not the Federal.

Which gets me to thinking, just how many of the folks who are disappointed in President Obama are just as clueless and uninformed as this woman? How many of them are expecting the Republican and Teabagger candidates to solve all of their taxation woes, and won't understand that there are taxes that are NOT controlled by the federal government?

We are not subject to just ONE level of government here. We have the Federal government, then we have the State government, the County government, and then our municipality (city, town, village, etc.) government. Each has rules. Each issues laws. Each taxes us.

Is it possible that THAT MANY PEOPLE do not understand this? Could it be that their concept of what the "Government" is taking from them is a combined taxation that is not under the control of the House of Reps or the Senate of the US - but instead taxes from their State or County government?

Do they not realize that a lot of these "entitlement programs" that they hate are not Federal? Do they know that their workplaces fund unemployment through FUTA and SUTA taxes, which are NOT taken from wages, but are levied on their employers?

Seriously, Lady-on-the-phone, President Obama has NOTHING - NOTHING AT ALL - to do with the price of our vehicle registration (license plates) fees!