Bush's third term? You're living it

Obama is a great speechifier, and I had been convinced that he was not a typical politican, but here it is, almost October and nothing has seemed to change. This article confirmed what I was already fearing, we will never have the same health care as all the other first world countries and consumers will always be victims of the corporations

K-Pig Radio

I probably posted this before, but I can't praise this internet radio station enough. Love it , love it, love it

Amazing Web Page

I bought a IPod nano in July and was looking for some free downloads but didn't want the downloading police knocking on my door at 3:25 A.M and dragging me into my driveway in my underwear with my hand handcuffed behind my back. (I'm not kidding, that stuff happens all the time, we are after all a capitalist society where "he who has the gold, rules". ). I somehow stumbled across this web page who calls themselves the "public library of the Internet". All the downloads they have are either in the public domain or they have permission from the copyright holder, gotta love it , no guilt downloads! It took less than a week before I filled up 8 gig of live shows, some of which I actually attended. Check this site out! It has old radio shows, live shows of the grateful dead, from all types of music festivals. etc. Go there and explore your will be amazed what you find

Tori's new job

Tori has a cool new job working for a company whose products are not only made in America, but have a life time guarentee. I can't wait to see her new designs and if you look at their web page it is about time they get someone who knows something about design!

Tori's second video

Tori's second video with some of our grandchildren.

Tori the Video maker

Tori has made two videos (a third is still in the works). Because I am still having problems posting hot links here, I'm going to do separate posts in the body, so instead, you can just click on the title and see the video

Insurance Industry's Greed- Public Option needed

Still here, not much to say, a bit numb from everything going on in life. I'm thinking of moving to Europe or Canada where I can get some health care when I finally retire. Obviously too many idiots in this country to let us get out of the grip of blood sucking insurance companies.

World's Hottest Pepper?!

India has the hottest peppers!?
Does mexico & Louisnana know about this?!

"Indian defense spices things up
By Sudha Ramachandran

BANGALORE - Red-hot chili peppers could soon come to India's defense. The country's defense scientists are working on using the world's hottest chilies in hand grenades for use in counter-insurgency operations and riot control.

An important ingredient in Indian cooking, hitherto chilies have been confined to kitchens. They seem poised now to storm another bastion. If ongoing field trials are successful, chilies will soon make a grand entry into India's defense armory.

The plan is "to harness the pungency value of chilies to make hand grenades that can be used in riot control and counter-insurgency situations",

US Army 7th Transportation Group; The Army Learns on Its Stomach

Both my cars have a licence plate frame that says "US Army Veteran-7th Trans; the Army's Navy".
This article is about the Army's 7th Transportation Group at Ft. Eustis Virginia where I served twice during my time in the US Army. The patch I wore has been replaced by something else so for the graphic I used the Army's Transportation Corps' flag. I also posted a picture of one of the Army's large tugs (LT) that I worked on a lot.
http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues/JanFeb04/AnArmyLearns.htm

Singapore Borrows from George Bush II play book

A new law in Singapore reminds me of Bush's Patriot Act. Just shows, those in power make laws to stay in power.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/KF13Ae02.html

"New legislation passed by parliament in the name of combating terrorism has raised concerns that discretionary powers could be used by authorities to further silence political opposition and suppress public dissent when the island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since achieving independence.

The Public Order Act (POA), which was rapidly drafted and passed without much fanfare in April, represents the latest legislation to boost the discretionary powers of the People's Action Party-led government, which has ruled the city state uninterrupted since 1959, in the name of upholding national security.

The new law will primarily extend the draconian Public Entertainment and Meeting Act, which bars gatherings of more than five people without a government-granted permit. "

Gloria's Blog

Gloria has a blog. Today she posted a blog about her mornings. I tried to post pictures to that blog, but It looks like this blog does not allow pictures to be posted as a comment, so I am posting the pictures here that show the experience she is talking about in our back yard.

Dahl Girls Do The Getty

Gloria went down to North Hollywood this weekend to visit her sisters. They went to the getty Museum today so here are 2 pictures.
Doesn't "the Getty" sound like it should be a dance?

Darn, Conservatives are getting desperate

Conservatives have so little to talk about they are actually using the picture above to prove that Obama is anti-Israel and is advancing a pro-muslim agenda. yes, just the picture.
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=211962095332&h=kHkAg&u=MQOTU&ref=nf
They have even hired "body language experts" to say what it means when a person who works 24/7 puts his feet on the desk during a phone call. If you go to that link and read carefully, you'll see they even make up what Obama was saying. If these people spent as much time working for the benefit of the country instead of just making stuff up, maybe we could get out of the ditch the conservatives put the country in.
I live in a very very conservative part of the country. The way conservatives are acting reminds of when Clinton was elected. The VERY SAME WEEK Clinton was elected, "Impeach Clinton" signs had already sprouted up on highway 99 near Pixley California. Of course in those days Pixley had a right wing militia radio station and many members, but that appears to me where this anti Obama movement is starting.

Nine Pound Hammer

There are lots of songs about a nine pound hammer. I think most are blue grass or old timey. A nine pound hammer is the one that the chain gangs used to use, kinda like in the movie "O brother where art Thou? A nine pound hammer is not a good thing unless i guess you are using it voluntarily to fix your driveway or something.
So why am I talking about a 9 pound hammer and who is listening anyway?
I work in a 5 attorney office and we were down to 3 attorneys this week so i have had a very hectic week and was unable to completes tasks that HAVE be completed by this coming Tuesday. the law profession is one where oftentimes (luckily not always though) a deadline is a deadline and there are true and serious consequences to be suffered if the deadline is not met. That is a long way of saying I had to work today, but I am now finished with the vast majority of the task that had been hanging over my head.
I feel like I have thrown down the 9 pound hammer, that is why I'm talking about implements of destruction.
Have a good weekend all, I will, I feel much much better!!

Was Ronald Reagan an Even Worse President Than George W. Bush?

It saddens and amazes me that republicans blame Obama (who has been in office less than 6 months) for problems that have been longstanding for years and started with the unemployed actor, Ronald Reagan, who was elected president in 1980.
It saddens me because the right wing's intellectual dishonesty and refusal to work within the system shows the republicans do NOT care about the country's benefit unless they are the ruling party. Rather than just disagree with policy many refuse to even acknowledge Obama's right to be president by pushing the ridiculous issue of Obama not even being a citizen.

The starting point for many of the catastrophes confronting the United States today can be traced to Reagan's presidency.

http://www.alternet.org/politics/140438/was
_ronald_reagan_an_even
_worse_president_than_george_w._bush/

Support the Right to Arm Bears (or-don't forget the guns)

Don't get me wrong, I support the 2nd amendment. I think every law abiding citizen has a right to self defense. I think anyone who is not a felon should be allowed to pack heat (I.E. concealed weapon). It just not make sense to me that people feel the need to "blow 900 rounds a minute" or use hollow points.
Which brings me to the song below- great song if you ever get a chance to hear it !


DON'T FORGET THE GUNS

(lyrics by Cheryl Wheeler from her album "Driving Home" ©1993, All Rights Reserved)


Now let's get the kids and pack up the car

Take that vacation we've been waiting for

Drive across this country leave our worries far behind

Sing in four-part harmony to "Sweet Adeline"

'Cause I got these books and maps from triple "A"

We'll visit friends and sites along the way

Bring the bikes and toys and diapers

Pay the neighbor's sons

Call to stop the mail and honey

Don't forget the guns


Now don't forget the guns you know exactly what I mean

Bring the pistols, bring the Uzi and the old AR-15

We don't look for trouble but by golly if we're in it

It's nice to know we're free to blow 900 rounds a minute


We'll head for Chicago, stop for the night

Hope for good weather and hope the kids don't fight

They've never seen Mt. Rushmore and they ought to understand

The kind of men who forged our freedom all across this land


We'll hike up a trail and ride down a stream

Stand by Old Faithful and watch her blow off steam

When we pack picnic lunches that's not all we'll bring along

'Cause we'll be packing .45's case anything goes wrong


Now don't forget the guns you know exactly what I mean

Bring the pistols, bring the Uzi and the old AR-15

We don't look for trouble but by golly if we're in it

It's nice to know we're free to blow 900 rounds a minute


Oh riding along we'll follow the signs

Over the mountains under the pines

Up to Boot Hill where they got what they gave

In the land of the free you've got to be brave

Does God Hates Shrimp?

Gary, here is place you can start commenting, I'll add more posts later. As background for anyone else reading this, a dear old freind of mine & I are moving our discussion of religion and politics to this blog, partly because we have apparently offended a freind of his that doesn't like my views. Whatever. Plus, facebook doesn't lend itself to an indepth discussion. here we go,but I doubt I can keep up.

Right wing christians hate gays because the Bible says there are an abomination. Based on that one word some churchs are working to deny equal rights. But the word abomination us used a lot. Based on the scripture in the picture, logically God hates shrimp and other bottom feeders, so we shouldn't eat them.
Remember the bible has been used to support slavery of blacks, go to war and more recently to stop inter-racial marriage

"Shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, mussels, all these are an abomination before the Lord, just as gays are an abomination. Why stop at protesting gay marriage? Bring all of God's law unto the heathens and the sodomites. We call upon all Christians to join the crusade against Long John Silver's and Red Lobster. Yea, even Popeye's shall be cleansed. The name of Bubba shall be anathema. We must stop the unbelievers from destroying the sanctity of our restaurants."

wwwgodhatesshrimp.com

Obama misses National Prayer Day

Obama is being criticized for not participating in National Prayer day yesterday, May 7, 2009, other than issuing a Presidential Proclamation.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/06/prayer-day-no-show/

One reason might be his administration was not allowed to go by the organizers.
“That's because the event organizers stipulated that the White House representative had to be opposed to abortion rights, according to this source.”
"The administration's representative had to be pro-life," says the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Nobody else was allowed to go."
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/god-and-country/2009/05/08/source-only-pro-life-white-house-officials-invited-to-prayer-day-event.html

Oh yeah, another reason, public prayer events such as this national prayer day, “meet at the pole to pray day” and other public prayer events are not Biblical, these people remind me of the Pharisees, they only do it to be thought of as righteous and to use it as a hammer on those who won’t do as they do. Just like when the Parisees accussed Jesus of violating the Sabbath.

”But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
Matthew 6:6
Kings James Version

myth of republican fiscal responsibility

My last post reminded me of a Doonesbury cartoon I read last year, which through the miracle of the internet I was able to find and post here. You should be able to click on the cartoon to make it big enough to read. If not here are the words:

"Since 1776, the United States has accumulated a national debt of $9 trillion, over half of which was incurred when a Bush was on watch! What a family legacy. If you throw in Reagan, fully 70% of the national debt was created under just three Republican presidents. Whats more, they didn't even try to restrain spending! Out of 19 submitted budgets, only 2 were balanced.

So, here is my question. Where did the myth of GOP fiscal responsibility come from?

Short Memories

I am getting e-mail by people wringing their hands about Obama spedning too much money. I am amazed about what short memories people have.

"The first thing (George Bush II) did when they got in office eight years ago was to eat through the nation's entire supply of seed corn, stored for them by those damn liberals, the Clinton administration. When (George Bush II) handed Bill Clinton the keys to the White House he also handed him a $290 billion deficit.

Eight years later, when Bill Clinton handed the keys to Sonny Bush he hande him a $231 billion budget surplus -- the greatest surplus in U.S. History.

Not only did those damn Clinton liberals manage a budget surplus but were at the same time able to pay down the national debt by a staggering 2.4 trillion.

Within two years the budget surpluses were gone, and the national debt was on it's way back up as the Bushies began borrowing again to make ends meet. By the time they left office they'd add another $5 trillion to the national debt. "

I am still having problems with the "hot link" so you'll have to copy and paste the link below. When I get back from vacation I will try to fix that problem. I just couldn't resist posting.

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/139869/how_is_it_that_the_wall_street_journal_editor%27s_have_absolutely_no_memory_of_the_last_8_years/

Frustration

For some reason this blog no longer will allow me to put in a "hot link" so you can click on a site and be magically transported there by a click of a mouse. I have tried everything, so I am giving up.
I was trying to post some serious stuff and and I wanted to give the sites. Instead, I'm going to post something not serious, like me wrestling an alligator a few days ago.
I'll do the serious stuff later.

Self Portrait

Here is my self portrait done in Disney World

Should US Military recruit kids?

Speaking as someone who voluntarily enlisted during Viet Nam when I had a very high lottery draft number (262), so never would have been drafted, I don’t see any reason why; military recruiters can’t keep their paws off of our kids until they turn 18. What is the problem, exactly!?
I resent my tax money being spent by the government suing Eureka and Arcata about a law that makes perfect sense to me.

“Now Arcata is at it again, with a law blocking the military from recruiting anybody in town under the age of 18. And this time, the law has the backing not of a few City Council activists, but of thousands of voters who went to the polls in November.
On the same day, voters in Eureka, a historically politically staid city a dozen miles away, surprised everybody by approving an identical measure.
"The idea that Humboldt County can fight the federal government is as ridiculous as hell, but goddamn it, we're gonna try," said Winfield "Win" Sample, a World War II veteran turned Orwell-quoting pacifist who brought Arcata's measure to Eureka.
In the past, Arcata's quirky pokes at Washington have been shrugged off as the antics of pot-drenched students and patchouli-scented hippies for whom the '60s never quite died. Passionate, but largely irrelevant.
Heading for court
This time the federal government isn't shrugging. A court hearing is scheduled in Oakland on June 9 on the government's demand that the cities' laws be overturned for seeking powers constitutionally granted to the federal government.
Characteristically anti-war cities, including San Francisco and Berkeley, have tried to battle military recruitment. But nobody can recall a case where a city used the ballot box as a counter-recruitment tool, an act that has broader significance.
"It touches on a couple of core issues that really relate to the foundation of government," said Allen Weiner, a senior lecturer at Stanford Law School. "The questions of what areas belong to the federal government, and what areas belong to the state." “

www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/26/MNE6176LK9.DTL&nopu=1

Where do elephants & gorillas get protein?

I just got an e-mail asking about “where do you get any protein if you don’t eat meat?”
Where do gorillas and elephants get their protein!? They are some of biggest land mammals and they are vegetarians.
Gorillas are herbivores , eating fruits, leaves, and shoots. Further they are classified as foliovores. Much like other animals that feed on plants and shoots, they sometimes ingest small insects also Gorillas spend most of the day eating. Their large sagittal crest and long canines allow them to crush hard plants like bamboo. Lowland gorillas feed mainly on fruit while Mountain gorillas feed mostly on herbs, stems and roots. I do admit that in a severe bind they will eat grubs, but they gotta be pretty hungry to eat frubs, wouldn’t you?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/mountaingorilla/mountaingorillas.html


Elephants are herbivores, spending 16 hours a day collecting plant food. Their diet is at least 50% grasses, supplemented with leaves, bamboo, twigs, bark, roots, and small amounts of fruits, seeds and flowers. Because elephants only digest 40% of what they eat, they have to make up for their digestive system's lack of efficiency in volume. An adult elephant can consume 140–270 kg (300–600 lb) of food a day. 60% of that food leaves the elephant's body undigested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant#Diet


http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/elephants/elephants.html

The many reasons I am a vegetarian

Why I am a vegetarian? When I say vegatarian I mean no fish, no chicken no chicken stock, no jello (has cow hooves in it, look it up), no worschester sauce (sardines), no nothing, etc. This web site has many of the reasons.

http://www.justeatveggies.com/reasons.htm

I am too a Christian

Based on my posting about republicans-Jesus & torture someone just asked me “why aren’t you a Christian.” Fact is, I am a Christian and have been as long as I can remember. The problem is Christianity in America has been hijacked by right wing fanatics and taken over by partisan politics. God is not a republicrat or a demican.
I am a member of the United Church of Christ
www.ucc.org

Who Would Jesus Torture?

The republican party has commandeered Jesus as their own. Would Jesus torture? What do you think? Then why would the republicans who claim to be christian authorize torture people?!

Even the darling Condi Rice was in on this.

Who Would Jesus Torture
http://www.alternet.org/rights/137402/mr._president%2C_war_crimes_must_be_investigated/

"Slamming prisoners into walls, locking them in boxes with insects; these memos are the smoking gun for the sadistic crimes of the Bush administration. "
http://www.alternet.org/rights/137093/new_bush_torture_bombshell_memos%3A_10_horrifying_discoveries/

"Since the release last week of Bush-era government memos authorizing torture against suspected terrorists, momentum has been building to hold the architects of these inhumane, illegal policies accountable. In a piece published on AlterNet, David Swanson notes that there are many things you can do to help spur legal action against officials and lawyers who greenlit torture and to make sure the Obama administration doesn't sweep the issue under the rug. Writes Swanson:
There are a great many ways you can advance the cause of accountability, and they can all be found at"

http://prosecutebushcheney.org/.

The Mars Ocean Odyssey

This is an interesting blog that is written by a guy who is trying to simulate a voyage to Mars by sailing on a sailboat for three years outside the sight of land. Sounds a little crazy, I know, and after two years by himself his blogs are beginning to sound a little disconnected from what you & I may think is reality, but this is real and happening everyday. He is sailing in the most dangerous part of the world, the southern ocean.
He is living off the sea and what he has carried for 2 years on his boat. No re-supply, no nothing. It is fascinating to read, I’ve been following him for nearly the entire voyage.
Check it out
http://1000days.net/home/

God is in the roses and the thorns

My roses suddenly became covered with aphids (the picture is of my aphids before I sprayed) this week end so I went out and sprayed then all with a soap solution (including 2 neighbors roses, but don't tell them , because I like to pick their roses if I need them, so it is in my best interest to keep their roses healthy too). I was glad I used soap instead of pesticides, because before I was done there were bees and lady bugs hanging out on the roses.

While spraying, I got thinking about Rose Ann Cash's song "God is in the roses" ( and the thorns) so here are the lyrics.

Warning, she write this song after she lost her father, mother and step mother in one year.

That experience caused her to do a whole album, which I recommend, I listen to it about once a week. The album is called Black Cadilac and was released in 2006. http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/cash-rosanne/god-is-in-the-roses-19528.html

God is in the roses

The petals and the thorns

Storms out on the oceans

The souls who will be born

And every drop of rain that falls Falls for those who mourn

God is in the roses and the thorns

The sun is on the cemetery

Leaves are on the stones

There never was a place on earthThat felt so much like home

We're falling like the velvet petals

We're bleeding and we're torn

But God is in the roses and the thorns

I love you like a brother

A father and a son

It may not last forever and ever

But it never will be done

My whole world fits inside the momentI saw you be reborn

God is in the roses

And that day was filled with roses

God is in the roses and the thorns

Brushing Teeth

Cleaniness is next to Godliness, right?

Here are my Grandkids brushing their teeth.

The flash cast a shadow, but I only had a few seconds to take these because I knew once Nathaniel knew there was a camera aimed at him it'd all fall apart, the last picture is proof of that. So, I didn't have any time to make any decisions of natural light versus flash. My Canon XTI does great with natural light, but for me, it is hard to trust natural light settings indoors when I know I have only a few shots before the whole thing goes south.

Ron's tatoo Homework

Ron asked on Facebook what he should tatoo on a grapfruit today. here are my suggestions

Pirates; yo ho , yo ho

Pitates- No I'm not talking about Johnny Depp.

The Somali pirates have been in the news this week. Who ARE these people?! How come the main stream media haven't been telling us who they are, why are they in the world's and even the US Navy's face. What is there motivation (besides the obvious one of $$) ?

I'm not defending them, but in the spirit of my blog's theme "A discussion of life and politics that you won't hear from CNN Fox or ABC"; here are a few links trying to explain why these pirates do what they do.

We're Being Lied to About Pirates

http://www.alternet.org/audits/136288/we%27re_being_lied_to_about_pirates/

Why We Don't Condemn Our Pirates in Somalia

http://www.alternet.org/story/136481/why_we_don%27t_condemn_our_pirates_in_somalia/

Broken Links

I hope that when you visit my blog you spend some time looking at all the stuff I have posted since begining this in 2005. Looking back, some of the posts have links that don't work anymore, I apologize for that, but many, surpriziningly still work. So if you hit a few broken links, don't get discouraged, keep clicking, many are still there for you.
Happy clicking
Dave

Daily Word - Faith

Every day I read the Daily Word, some of it is very helpful in my daily struggles, some of it not so much. This one speaks to the many I know who have been layed off, face furloughs or other financial issues.
I think I'll start passing on the one that are meaningful. If you find meaning in any of the Daily Words I post, you may want to subscribe to the the monthly booklet they produce.
http://www.dailyword.com/


Today's Daily Word - Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Faith
Blessings are flowing to me and from me this day.
I live by faith--a faith in God that is like a bridge over troubled waters. Secure and confident, I rise in thought and act above whatever challenges may be swirling around me. I live the fullness of life.
Getting past a time of trouble is not about my knowing the details of how blessings will come to me. In faith I know with certainty that I will receive them. Living in the moment with God, I understand that change ushers in a time of newness and discovery.
Faith assures me so that I accept each change for what it is: a new beginning. This is a time for greater strengths to be realized and expressed by me, for greater blessings to flow to and from me, for greater fulfillment to be accepted and shared by me.
"When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, 'Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.'"--Matthew 8:10

why cow county?

I've been asked why do I call my blog 'Dave's view from Cow County'. It is because I work in a county which literally has MORE dairy cows than people. I live in the county next door which has nearly as many dairy cows than people.

Internet Radio

Check out this radio station! I first heard it in about 1977 when we were visiting Steve & Linda in San Jose. The station was called KFAT which was a listener supporter station, but in about 1989 it morphed into a commercial station called KPIG. The music stayed the same. Even the internet version has commercials, but they aren't your typical commercials for the most part, most are somewhat entertaining.
Anyway, I highly recommend you check this station out!!!!!!!!!
http://www.kpig.com/

Enjoy

Dave