I think I might be a hypocrite

I am against torture.

But at a recent presidential debate, Tim Russert asked Hillary Clinton the following question.

Let's say we have the number two Al-Qaeda guy in our hands. And we know for certain that a nuclear bomb (or maybe he just said a big bomb) is going to go off in two hours in the US and he knows where it is. And it's going to kill lots of Americans. Do you use torture?

Hillary said no. Russert reminded her that her husband was given this same scenario a few years ago and he said torture the guy. Hillary said, well that's fine but he's not the one standing up here on this stage.

I say.....plug the cord into the 220 outlet and let's rock and roll.

Which is contrary to what I believe about torture.

Oh well.....a hypocrite I am.

What I learned from Macy's

Pillow's are a big deal to me. I like soft pillows. Preferably down. I had two down pillows that were from WW I and they looked like it. They were really nasty but I loved them. After much harassment from my spouse, I threw them away...much to my horror.

So off I go to Macy's to buy two new pillows.

They weren't cheap.

I bought them and brought them home. They're OK..of course not as good as the one's that I had that were 100 years old and smelled weird but I guess they'll do.

So what did I learn?

We'll about 2 weeks later, I went back to Macy's to get something else.

Guess what?

My pillows were 50% off. That's right...50% off.

So were the suitcases that we were thinking of buying.

So we bought 2 suitcases....and got an adjustment on the 2 pillows...but not before the lady said that if I opened a Macy's card I would get an additional 35% off. So 50% off and then 35% off of that. Plus I bought a $65 shirt for $9.

By the time we were done, the pillows were basically free and the suitcases were 2 for the price of one.

I will never buy anything again at Macy's at full price.

Evidently, everyone else on the planet already knew this except me...but now I know.

The Exact Location

In this photograph, Delta executives show the exact point on a map where they stole the Delta Pilots retirement plan and 50% of the Delta Pilots pay.

In the back of the photo, Richard Anderson, Delta CEO, conceals a grin. This grin is a result of his $15 million per year compensation package derived from the above stolen money.

The Supreme Court vs Lethal Injection

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on whether lethal injection is a cruel and unusual form of punishment.

This is laughable.

By definition killing someone is cruel. And to do it legally is also unusual. We are the only civilized country that still does it. It's very unusual in the US. It takes forever after the conviction to actually kill someone. And the number of people executed here is very small. It's unusual.

And it's cruel. I guess torturing someone for years would be more cruel. Like the way they do in some maximum security prisons. They will lock someone up for years in the "hole". A very small windowless cell with nothing in it. There aren't even bars to see what's going on outside of your box. Some places don't even give you books to read. Total sensory deprivation. And for 1 hour a day or week, I can't remember, they let you out to exercise. This consists of exercising in a concrete dog run that is only open at the top. You can see a very small portion of sky. That's it. No doubt these are bad guys. But doesn't that sound somewhat cruel to you?

Why can't we cane people like they do in Singapore? Because that would be cruel and unusual. And hooking someone up to an electrical cord while they are conscious and frying them isn't cruel? Or strapping them to a gurney and killing them? Now Mr. Jones, we're going to walk you down this hallway and kill you. We're going to strap you down and yes, that's right Mr. Jones...we're going to kill you. We're going to pump you full of drugs that should work...of course, some times it doesn't...but if it doesn't Mr Jones....don't you worry...we'll figure something out to kill you. Just relax. Everything will be fine. Here...would you like to talk to the priest while we kill you? Do you have anything else to say before we kill you?

And what's up with giving the condemned whatever he wants for his last meal? Are we trying to pretend this isn't barbaric by making him a nice steak or extra crispy chicken? Let's soften the whole thing up a little. Would you like a hot stone massage just before we fry you Mr. Jones? How about a facial? You're going to kill him. Dead. He's a bad guy. Let me say this again. You're going to kill him. What's that all about?

Why not just hit them over the head with a big hammer. That should do it. Or get a really big guy to choke them to death. Or what about putting them to sleep and having a surgeon tear their heart out? That should do the trick. There's a million fun ways to do it.

The issue is...should we be doing it at all? Who cares how we do it. It's silly to even debate it.

I am against capital punishment.

Although, if someone were to kill a loved one of mine.....I definitely would want to get revenge. That's only normal.

But they've executed innocent people before and they will again...and that right there should be enough to stop it.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran's President is a very smart guy. I'm surprised at how articulate he is and how educated he is at pushing our buttons. He comes from a very different perspective and culture than we do but he seems to really grasp what makes Americans tick. Much different than listening to the Allatoyah Khomeini....who doesn't look like most of us and definitely doesn't say anything that resembles what 99% of us think.

But Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is much different. He always has that Member's Only jacket on that we can identify with and his people have studied us and gave him a good script. Every once in a while he says something that is a little wacky that gives away his true colors...but on this recent publicity tour on 60 minutes etc....he really did a good job...I'm impressed.

While I am impressed with him and his cunning ability....

I also don't believe one single word that comes out of his mouth

But, of course, I don't believe a word that Bush says either

So there you go....we're even.

The OJ Circus

This is going to be fun.

The OJ circus has started.

At the bail hearing, there was a guy wearing a chicken suit. The man in the picture above was harassing OJ's lawyer during the news conference. There were people with signs, banners, crazy outfits on. Helicopters flying every which way. The judge had a long black pony tail. The court reporter was taking pictures of OJ on his camera phone when OJ was leaving the courtroom.

This is priceless.

The only problem is.....will OJ go to trial?

He is arrogant enough to refuse any kind of a deal. So maybe.

Or maybe he will think that spending the rest of his life in prison is too long so he will take that deal.

Or maybe the prosecutor doesn't have a case.

Who knows.

We can only hope.

Because we don't have much of a criminal justice system in our country anymore...the least we can hope for is entertainment...if not justice.

Conspiracy

I believe there to be a concerted government conspiracy against me.

Let's look at the facts.

1. Two days ago, my computer got a worm, virus or some kind of a horse in it (trojan, I think). It ceased to function and I had to reload everything. Start over.

2. Sprint refuses to pay my rebate.

3. Lowe's delivers a new washer and dryer and the dryer is scratched and will have to be replaced. The delivery man assures me that everything is fine and there is no need to put anything in writing...."just sign here please", he says.

4. The doctor will not refill my medicine without me making an appointment and coming in to "see" him....and we all know what that means.

5. At Chilli's for lunch, the waiter "disappears" after bringing our food and our drinks are never refilled.

6. Today at lunch, the waitress brings me a five for change and no ones.

7. At the gas station today, the only pump that is open mysteriously has a bag over the nozzle and is "out of order".

Do I need to go on?

I will not be defeated by these people!

Sprint Sucks

What a ridiculous title for a blog...because...we all know Sprint Sucks!

What a slimy company.

I bought a Sprint card for my laptop. It came with a $75 rebate.

This was in July.

I still have not received my rebate.

You know why?

Well, according to Sprint and by definition because Sprint said it, it is total BS.....my purchase did not fall within the allotted window of dates for this promotion.

Horse manure!

I am not stupid and since I am pilot, attention to detail is something I am accustomed to.

Before I was a pilot my attention to detail sucked but it don't no more. Especially when it comes to money.

The thing I don't understand is this....

Why does Sprint want to lose customers?

Because right now my blood pressure is not good....I am agitated and my cortisol levels are pretty high....why is Sprint trying to kill me and lose a valuable customer?

What is OJ Smokin?

OJ Simpson has been arrested.

Now here is his side of the story.

Some people have some of his stuff and they are selling it. So he sets up a "sting"...a buy....and goes to the hotel room with some of his "people" to get his stuff back. His people walk in the room followed by OJ who admits he raised his voice and used obscenities. OJ says, I would like to have my stuff back and the guys selling it say, "sure OJ...here's your stuff back...can we help you carry it to your car?" No weapons or any other method of coercion is used by OJ et al.

Here is the other side of the story.

These guys are selling OJ's stuff and are in the hotel room. OJ and some of his people burst into the room with guns and demand all of OJ's stuff. They give it to him....duh.

Now...which version do you believe?

PS How stupid is OJ that he would give an interview over the phone to CNN about this and talk to the police about it without an attorney? Didn't he learn anything from the first killing and also from my favorite.....Senator Larry Craig?

OJ by the way is presumed innocent until proven guilty.


On a somewhat more crass note.....

At the unnamed airline that I work for...to save fuel we taxi into the gate using only one engine.

We typically shut down engine number two

So for years....when we want to shut down engine #2...the Captain will sometimes just say..."OJ"

This of course means...."kill two"

A Hummingbird Dogfight

These hummingbirds were going at it the other day. It was so cool to watch.

There were three of them. I think two were males and the other was a female. The one just stood off and watched and occasionally zipped in. But the other two were going at it.

FUBAR

Wouldn't it have been great if the first sentence from General Petraeus at the Senate hearing was.....

"Mr. Chairman, Iraq is totally FUBAR".

He would have instant credibility and every serviceman would know what he meant.

You don't know what FUBAR is?

It is a very technical military term that stands for:

F'd Up Beyond All Recognition

President Bush's Speech

What is there to say?

This is very sad but when I see his lips moving and I don't believe anything he says. How sad for me to think that about my President.

Every other word was terrorist. Cheap scare tactics.

He gave examples of supposed successes here and there that no American can relate to. Most Americans couldn't come close to finding Iraq on a map much less visualize or conceptualize where Anbar province is or what he was talking about.

The problem with Iraq is that we can't just leave. We are going to be there for a long time. How many of us will be there...who knows.

The problem is that nothing ever changes. Bush wants more time, more time...to do what? It is the same as it was last year and the year before. Maybe worse. What's the plan? And what are the benchmarks? There are none. And if he does make a benchmark and it's not achieved there aren't any consequences...he just asks for more money, more money, more time and uses the word terrorist 25 more times.

This is really getting tiresome.

I want a Trunk Monkey

Commentary-Brittany's Performance on the Video Music Awards

Warning!

This video contains naughty words!

Senator Larry Craig

Who?

Have you heard anything about him recently? No.

Why? Because the media has the attention span of a flea.

If he had just looked at the calendar he would have realized that Sept 11 was coming soon and "the General" would be giving his Iraq speech.

Not to mention that Brittany would be making a fool of herself on the Video Music Awards.

That's where the media is now. No one cares about Larry.

He should have kept his mouth shut, gone into hiding (like he has been for the last 25 years) and he'd still be a senator. I mean how hard can it be to hide in Idaho?

Ding-a-ling.

American Forgetting

Instead of expanding, we contracted. Instead of a new juncture, we retreated to old ways. It's all there at the construction site.

By Anna Quindlen
Newsweek

Sept. 17, 2007 issue - At the construction project that has replaced the site of one of America's greatest national traumas, there is a sign with the telephone number of the Port Authority police "in case of an emergency." This would be ironic were it not so sad. Everything about the enormous urban square where the World Trade Center once stood, once burned, once fell, is terribly sad because it has been so sanitized. THIS IS A SPECIAL PLACE, says one small sign on the construction fence, but there's no sign that that's true. Everything has been done to make it seem ordinary. Girders, cranes, gravel, hard hats—it looks no different from the places nearby where luxury condos rise. THINK BACK. MOVE FORWARD. IT'S TIME reads a billboard that has the unmistakable odor of ad agency. Americans like history as long as it's over fast enough.

Six years ago there was a moment. How long did it last? Long enough to seem indelible and authentic. After the greatest terrorist attacks on U.S. soil and the deaths of nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and a field in Pennsylvania, there was a moment when it seemed that the sheer scale of the event would evoke a response of answering enormity, in thought, in action and in behavior.

That is not what happened.

Instead we launched a war, a cheap bait-and-switch by an administration that figured it could simply replace one Middle Eastern bad guy with another in the public mind, trade an Osama bin Laden card for a Saddam Hussein. Our so-called leaders knew that the most terrifying thing about a War on Terror was that it was a war without borders, nationality or country. They decided to pretend otherwise by invading Iraq. Today it may be that things are better in one part of that country, not so good in others, but the bottom line is that there remains no compelling reason why the United States should ever have invaded in the first place, and certainly none that can be linked to the events of September 11.

Six years along, and there is little evidence that the intelligence apparatus of the nation is much better than it was on Sept. 12, 2001, when pay-phone messages picked up two days earlier that said "The match begins tomorrow" and "Tomorrow is zero hour" were finally translated. Entrenched government bureaucracies, a resistance to and ignorance of new technology, and a lack of communication among agencies still remain. With so many fiefdoms, programs and initiatives—and so little overarching leadership—it is hard to tell what has improved. But intelligence wonks suspect that if there were another attack, the discussions about our shortcomings would be remarkably similar to those we heard in 2001.

Instead of trying to understand and therefore counter the mind-set of those who hate us, and to rally our allies in their communities, American jingoism has produced an ugly strain of anti-Muslim thought and chatter. That has hampered intelligence gathering, since Arab-Americans are loath to cooperate with government agents who solicit them as sources but treat them as suspect. Such suspicion has broadened to encompass other newcomers; the most reliable wedge issue in this country is now immigration. Government focus has been on rote oversight of visitors from other countries, a scattershot course that is no more likely to deter terrorism than taking off your shoes at the airport does. It does, however, sometimes deter foreign-born doctors from being able to work in poor and rural areas that have been neglected, and foreign graduate students from attending American universities and doing the research here they have in the past.

There was a moment when it seemed that what had happened to this nation would result in an unparalleled display of those things that make America great: audacity, community, a sense of the future as a broad plain upon which this country could make its mark for good. Instead, at almost every turn, our government and, yes, many of our citizens took the narrowest road. Instead of expanding, we contracted. Instead of a new juncture, we retreated to old ways.

It's all there at the construction site. Tourists peer through the fence, but it's hard to understand what they think they're seeing. Everything that once spoke of the magnitude of the events of September 11 is gone. As much as its jagged smoking ruins were once a symbol for unparalleled disaster, now its bland expanse is a symbol of how narrow and parsimonious the long-term response has been. It's business as usual there, except for one small section of the fence with a listing of the names of those who died in letters so small that you almost have to squint to read them. Remember how we said we would never forget them? We forgot them. If the spirit of the day had prevailed, the sense that this was a moment like no other and demanded a gesture in kind, someone would have had the guts to leave this national graveyard solemn, empty and still. Instead there is a sign there that says that the job now is "to recover the 10 million-sq. feet of commercial space lost in the attacks." How American. It's all about the real estate.

© 2007 Newsweek, Inc. |

Our New Dick

I thought you might enjoy a picture of our new Dick....CEO Richard Anderson.

The photo is of him gladhanding the pilots in the Atlanta pilot lounge. Look how happy the pilots look now that they make 50% less with no retirement.

Now Dick is going to get paid $15 million whether or not he does anything worthwhile or not. Good for you Dick....go get em boy.

It's 9/11 Again

That's a day I will never forget.

I had just turned on the TV when the first plane hit. I then turned to CNN and have about the next 4 hours on tape. That was the day the world changed. The newscasters were dumbfounded. Nobody could figure out what was happening...that we were under attack.

It was very eerie that day. No traffic. Very quiet outside. Everybody glued to the TV. And then the nonstop TV coverage for how long? It seemed liked two weeks....nothing but that....no crass commercials....no Letterman....no Oprah....then those stupid crawly things on the bottom of the screen. That came from 9/11.

We will get hit again.

Absolutely.

It all changed after 9/11.

Fred Thompson Supporters

Bush has been Outsourced

September 7, 2007: Washington , DC (AP) -- Congress today announced that the office of President of the United States of America will be outsourced to India as of October 1, 2007. The move is being made in order to save the President's $500,000 yearly salary, and also a record $521 Billion in deficit expenditures and related overhead that his office has incurred during the last 5 years. "We believe this is a wise financial move. The cost savings are huge," stated Congressman Thomas Reynolds (R-WA). "We cannot remain competitive on the world stage with the current level of cash outlay," Reynolds noted.

Mr. Bush was informed by e-mail this morning of his termination. Preparations for the job move have been underway for some time.

Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai , India will assume the office of President as of October 1, 2007. Mr. Singh was born in the United States while his Indian parents were vacationing at Niagara Falls, NY , thus making him eligible for the position. He will receive a salary of $320 (USD) a month, but no health coverage or other benefits.

It is believed that Mr. Singh will be able to handle his job responsibilities without a support staff. Due to the time difference between the US and India, he will be working primarily at night. "Working nights will allow me to keep my day job at the Dell Computer call center," stated Mr. Singh in an exclusive interview. "I am excited about this position. I always hoped I would be President." A Congressional spokesperson noted that while Mr. Singh may not be fully aware of all the issues involved in the office of President, this should not be a problem as President Bush had never been familiar with the issues either.

Mr. Singh will rely upon a script tree that will enable him to respond effectively to most topics of concern. Using these canned responses, he can address common concerns without having to understand the underlying issue at all. "We know these scripting tools work," stated the spokesperson. " President Bush has used them successfully for years, with the result that some people actually thought he knew what he was talking about."

Bush will receive health coverage, expenses, and salary until his final day of employment. Following a two-week waiting period, he will be eligible for $140 a week unemployment for 13 weeks. Unfortunately he will not be eligible for Medicaid, as his unemployment benefits will exceed the allowed limit.

Mr. Bush has been provided with the outplacement services of Manpower, Inc. to help him write a resume and prepare for his upcoming job transition. According to Manpower, Mr. Bush may have difficulties in securing a new position due to a lack of any successful work experience during his lifetime. A greeter position at Wal-Mart was suggested due to Bush's extensive experience at shaking hands, as well as his special smile.

Forwarded Email

I don't like when I'm on someones mass email list and they forward jokes, etc.

I don't gather all of the junk mail that comes to my house and forward it to my friends.

I just got this forwarded email that included the following:

Hey All:

As a military retiree, I understand the need for prayer for our military forces. Please sent this forward. I believe that it is God's Will that these forces prevail. Understand what I mean. The political portion of the conflict is a man thing, so don't worry about that. The military personnel (human beings) that are in Harm's Way WILL PREVAIL. Why? because God loves them, as we should. So pray for them, please.



One who served 21 years.



T. A. Farrell, Air Force Retiree


My comments:

I have no idea who T. A. Farrell is by the way.

Do I think we should pray for the troops?

Yes.

Do I think that it is God's will that we will prevail?

How would I or anyone know that?

Do I believe that we will prevail because God loves our troops and by inference doesn't love the enemy?

No. God loves everyone equally. Even the enemy.

Mr. Farrell must think that we are on our own Christian Jihad to rid the world of Muslims the same way that some Muslims are on their own Jihad to rid the world of us.

Somehow I don't think that's what it's all about.

The Stutterer

OK I know I'm a bad person for having this reaction. I've been told this several times by friends I've told this story to.

The house alarm guy comes to the house the other day to fix something.

He is about 60 years old, is of normal height and mostly normal weight except for this big pot belly. Everything looks normal except it looks like he has a basketball under his shirt. Actually, he looks very pregnant. He is bald on the top and has white crazy looking hair on the side. Like Curly from The Three Stooges.
And he wears these funny looking suspenders. You know, he really looks like a circus clown. So all in all, he's a funny looking guy.

The problem is that he doesn't warn you ahead of time or wear a sign or something that says he stutters. Which is a problem since I find a lot of things funny.

So we are having this conversation in the house and all of a sudden he's stuck. Now I already said he looks funny...so now I'm really in a bad way because I feel a smile coming on and I absolutely can't do that....he's stuck on a really funny word too...I think it started with a P.....why would he do that to me? That's not fair...I have a funny bone disease....he purposely came to my house to torment me...but thankfully in my advanced age, I can control myself most of the time...

I do feel really sorry for him....I'm surprised that at his age he hasn't been able to or afford a way to overcome his problem...and the other bad thing is that he does a lot of his work on the phone. He has to call the alarm center and report this or that and they too have no idea that he stutters.....so out of the blue on the phone he just stops. I'm sure they wonder what is going on.

So, no need to comment. I know. I know. I am defective. I'll keep going to therapy.

Why is Oprah endorsing Obama?

Oprah Winfrey is personally endorsing Barrack Obama for President.

This is the first time that Oprah has ever endorsed anyone.

She has had many political candidates on her show but she has never personally endorsed someone. She has always stayed out the political arena.

So why is she endorsing Obama now?

Oprah is black.

Obama is black.

He is the first black person in history to have a real shot at becoming President.

Oprah is all for being color blind. Your race doesn't matter in anything.

Well, evidently it does.

Am I supposed to believe that Oprah, after all these years, decided that Obama was so far superior to any candidate in recent memory that she had no choice but to publicly support him?

Or, is it because he is the first black candidate to have a chance and as a very influential black woman she wants to help someone from her race get elected?

Of course it's the last answer.

Which seems to me to be very hypocritical.

Scary Video

What I don't like about the USAF

See the man in the picture above. His USAF career is over. Done.

He is Colonel Bruce Emig, United States Air Force. He is the Wing Commander of Minot AFB. The base that flew the nukes to Louisiana.

Col Emig is a 1985 graduate of the USAF Academy. If he is an academy graduate and the Wing Commander of a bomb wing then he is one of the Air Force's star players. Not anymore. And that is what I don't like about the military.

He was well on his way to becoming a General Officer. Pretty much a done deal as long as nothing bad happened. Like sending nukes off of your base to another one. Without permission.

So for 22 years, Bruce Emig has sacrificed his family life, been deployed who knows where for long periods of time and worked ridiculously long hours to get where he is today. Now it's over. With one act beyond his control.

I guarantee you that he did the best he could running that wing. And he, to the best of his ability, made sure that people were trained properly and followed all instructions and regulations...especially involving nukes. And one or several persons make a mistake....that he has no control over...and .....boom..that's it his career is toast. 22 years up in smoke. A smokin hole. Better get a refund on those general stars because you won't be needing them.

When I was on active duty, we had a wing commander who was a real turd. Not a nice guy at all. He ruled by fear and intimidation. He went on to be a 3 star general. The next guy was very competent, a USAF academy graduate and a great commander. Everyone respected him and he ran a good wing. The problem for him was that during his command we had a couple of crashes. Planes were seemingly just falling out of the sky. Nothing had changed..that's just the way flying is...planes will crash..and unfortunately for him, it happened while he was in charge. So he didn't make general. That never seemed right to me and I didn't want to work for 20 years, bust my butt, just so that one incident could ruin my career. Especially something that I didn't have direct control over.

If Col Emig was the CEO of a big corporation when this happened, they would have fired him and gave him $50 million to go away.

Dear Col Emig.....Delta is hiring....see you soon.

Pentagon Says B-52 Mistakenly Carried Nukes

NPR.org, September 5, 2007 ·

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber was mistakenly loaded with six nuclear warheads and flown for more than three hours across the continental U.S., prompting an official investigation and the firing of one commander, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

The Cold War-era strategic bomber was carrying Advanced Cruise Missiles from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a Defense Department policy not to confirm information on nuclear weapons.

However, the mistake was not discovered until the B-52 landed at Barskdale, which left the warheads unaccounted for during the approximately 3-1/2 hour flight between the two bases, the officers said.

Oooops...don't you hate it when that happens....you forget to take the nukes off of the airplane.

I find this really hard to believe...I believe it...but something ain't right

Nukes are very very very carefully controlled. And something went very wrong here.

But other than them being on the wrong airplane, it isn't really that big of a deal.

They were on a B-52. That's where they belong. It wasn't like they sent a letter to someone and forgot that they also included two nukes in the letter.

And the B-52 was going from one B-52 base to another. So now Barksdale AFB has few more nukes than does Minot AFB.

What didn't, couldn't and wouldn't happen is what Pat Roberson said today.

He was going on and on about this B-52 flying over the US with nukes on its wings and what if it crashed or one fell off?

B-52s used to fly over the US with nukes on them all the time during the cold war. They were on alert 24/7 to nuke the crap out of the USSR. Probably flew over your head a bunch Pat and you didn't know it.

And secondly, I never flew B52s, but it takes a lot to make a nuke from a B52 go off. It has to be armed by the crew. And they aren't going to do that without the right codes and those come from the President. So just because they crash or drop a nuke doesn't mean it's going to go off.

One thing is for certain. The USAF squadron commander's career is over. He is probably now asking if you would like to supersize that as he works at the base snack bar.

And two.......there is a whole lot of you know what flowing down hill to Minot AFB.

I am very glad I'm not at the receiving end of that right now.

Their lives will not be pleasant for some time.

History and Perspective

I remember my Grandfather talking about Roosevelt. I can't remember if he liked him or didn't. I don't think he did.

Roosevelt doesn't mean beans to me. Just a man from history.

Now Ronald Reagan....I know him. I lived through the cold war and was in my 20s when he was President. He is real to me.

If I talked to my 15 year old niece about Reagan....he is just a history figure to her...she never would understand what the cold war was really like because she didn't live through it.

Same way with what it was like before computers...or cell phones.

I'm sure she's seen a picture of a typewriter but she's never used one...on a term paper with gallons of white out at the ready.

My parents had a car not too long ago that had manual windows...the kids had never seen anything so strange....and they loved to roll the windows up and down...they didn't understand that rolling them up and down is not something you want to do....you want electric windows.

There are so many people out there who are younger than me that have such a different life experience.....they can in no way relate to all of my old stories...because they aren't as aged as me.

Again.....a typewriter...how can you not have used a typewriter....I feel like I grew up in a cave and used a chisel and hammer on a big rock.

Disney Man

It seems that the Disney guy that I talked about earlier is famous.

Here is a link to his website.

http://www.disneytattooguy.com/

It's actually fascinating the level that he has taken this.

I would love to interview him and see what makes him tick.

That could take quite some time.

Big Brother's Zach

I admit it.

I watch Big Brother.

It is the food equivalent of a Twinkie.

It has no redeeming value whatsoever.

That being said...boy do I hate that phrase.....why do people say it constantly? I hate it!

Why on Big Brother do the other contestants hate Zach so much? I like Zach. He seems very normal. Maybe that's what they don't like about him. And they're so mean to him.

I hope he wins...he won't...but I hope he does.

Senator Craig may not quit

First, Craig is a moron.

Here is the US Constitution Article One Section 6

Section 6 - Compensation

(The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.) (The preceding words in parentheses were modified by the 27th Amendment.) They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

He should not have been arrested for a misdemeanor because he was travelling from the US Senate to his home that day. The same day he had voted in the US Senate. He should have told the cop to shove it and quoted the US Constitution. The same constitution that one would that think he, after 25 years of service in Congress, would be somewhat familiar.

Secondly, why does he do everything so fast?

Now he's backtracking and saying he might not resign. Why did he have that ridiculous news conference in the first place and resign?

He needs to stop being a pussy....and be a man.

Stay put. What are they going to do to you?

I disagree with just about everything Sen Craig stands for and supports.

But I think that what has happened to him is also wrong.

It's ludicrous.

And entertaining.

So I hope he stays.

Also, Sen Craig called the wrong phone number and left this message regarding his resignation.


Big dummy can't even dial the right phone number...hellooo...McFly?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/05/craig/#cnnSTCOther2

(the link doesn't work so you'll have to cut and paste)

One Strange Man

Walking down the concourse to my next flight, I see this man in front of me.

He is 50-60 years old. Over 6' tall and at least 250 lbs. He is wearing a tank top, shorts, tennis shoes and white socks.

Seemingly normal, right?

No.

His entire body is covered in tattoos of Disney stuff. There is Snow White, Walt is on his neck. He is covered. That is why he has the tank top and shorts on...to show all of this off. His socks have a Disney logo on them too.

And to top it all off..this 60 year old man, shaved into the back of his head.....is the Disney mouse logo.

I wish I had a picture of that.

Fun at Work

Drama can come at anytime at work. And usually when you least expect it.

We were on our way to the layover hotel. The entire crew. Two pilots and three flight attendants.

Everywhere we layover, a van or car service takes us to the hotel. Delta pays for all of this. In the good old days, the Captain had a tip sheet and it told him what to tip the driver for that city. The Captain would then be reimbursed for the tip from Delta. The good old days are gone. Now each crew member tips $1 to the van driver and is not reimbursed. That is the standard custom that 25,000 crew members at Delta seem to have a firm grasp of...except one.

So, we arrive at the hotel and the van driver gets out, opens the side doors for us and even puts a little step down so we don't get hurt. I get out and he stands there and helps the ladies out of the van. Then he unloads all of out luggage. When all of that is completed, that's when we each hand him our dollar.

I was the last person to give him my dollar and the other crew members had already entered the hotel. As I give him my dollar he says, "I guess the other two didn't like my service". I asked why and he said that they didn't tip him. I said wait right here.

For one person to not tip, I can understand. For two not to...they must have forgotten. I have forgotten to tip and then you feel horrible. You get tired, half asleep and you just forget.

So I go into the hotel and say to the flight attendants, did you guys tip the van driver? The one flight attendant says oh I forgot and goes out to tip him. The other one says I did and the third whirls around and says...well I never! Tipping is a personal preference. I don't have to tip and I am highly offended that you asked me that question. I said...it only requires a yes or no. I'm only asking because the van driver is upset that 2 of us failed to tip him. Then she says, in my 22 years of flying I have never been asked that question. I said, well in 22 years you should have figured out by now that if we stiff the van drivers we're going to start getting crappy service. That was the end of our conversation.

Fun fun fun. Fun at work.

We had to fly one leg with them the next day and guess what. The same two stiffed the van driver again. I knew she would but I was surprised the other one did.

And luckily for the one flight attendant, her 22 years of service taught her that when we flew the next leg on the following day....while she was somewhat cold...she was professional and kept that mouth shut about anything that transpired the day before.

I had my secret ray gun locked and loaded.

Flomax and Senator Craig

I saw a TV ad for Flomax.

The first line is "Flomax....for men who want to spend more time having fun than in the restroom".

Bummer....if Senator Craig had only known about Flowmax.