Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Why Obama And Company Still Need To Depart Office: Taxing Cars By The Mile
OS is truly happy that President Obama gave the order to kill Bin Laden. But, let us remember always, it was the Navy that killed the monster, supported by a 'cloud of witnesses' from around the world, most of whom will go to their graves with crucial information and the methods employed to glean it. The President, for once in his extended childhood, made an adult decision, and acted in his constitutional role as Commander-in-Chief. Let's not not give Little Barry a new Audi A-4 just because he brought home one good grade on one report card, know-whud-I-mean?
Meanwhile, back in Washington, a new plan (as reported by The Hill) is being floated--a scheme to tax people per mile for driving their cars, with the mileage to be calculated by the mandatory installation of an electronic tracking device, and tax to be collected at the pump each time theserf driver fills up.
Damn! It's brilliant! What could possibly go wrong, ya'll?
Liddle electronic devices never malfunction, right? And dah gubbermint never ever ever ever screws stuff up when it comes to collecting taxes, right? And this won't fall disproportionately upon the poor, with their older and less efficient cars, will it? And there's no possibility whatsoever of any infringement of civil liberties, ever ever ever, right?
Now, for a quick civics lesson: This is just one example of the sort of nonsense floated about daily by gubbermints--unelected people with post-grad degrees, on the public payroll, sitting in offices bought by taxpayer dollars, who seriously pursue these schemes to oppress and defraud the citizenry, in the name of SomeGreaterGood.
The brutal beasts who ran the prison camps of the Gulag and Nazi Germany didn't actually set up the system, ya'll! That was done (to paraphrase C.S. Lewis) by polite gentlemen with pedigrees and university diplomas, dressed in suits, meeting in book-lined conference rooms, quietly planning The Future after their own desires, with motions taken and seconded, voted upon, and duly noted in the minutes--followed of course by a quiet dinner to congratulate themselves for their good work, also bought with tax dollars. Or, now better yet, the final decisions are taken at a private resort, with private beaches and golf, away from The Rabble Whose Lives Must Be Run For Them.
This is why Congress must take away the credit card from the Executive, defund to zero these agencies, lest they herd our children and grandchildren onto the trains to GodKnowsWhere. It's crucial this be done now, while time allows.
The noisy debate is about 'We can't afford to spend this money, borrowing forty cents of every dollar'. That's just the chatter about the terrible math we have created for ourselves.
What's really at stake is our culture, our freedom, our dignity, our lives.
This is why Obama must go, and all his fellow travelers with him.
Don't imagine for a moment that Himself ordered the death of Bin Laden, motivated by love of country.
Meanwhile, back in Washington, a new plan (as reported by The Hill) is being floated--a scheme to tax people per mile for driving their cars, with the mileage to be calculated by the mandatory installation of an electronic tracking device, and tax to be collected at the pump each time the
Damn! It's brilliant! What could possibly go wrong, ya'll?
Liddle electronic devices never malfunction, right? And dah gubbermint never ever ever ever screws stuff up when it comes to collecting taxes, right? And this won't fall disproportionately upon the poor, with their older and less efficient cars, will it? And there's no possibility whatsoever of any infringement of civil liberties, ever ever ever, right?
Now, for a quick civics lesson: This is just one example of the sort of nonsense floated about daily by gubbermints--unelected people with post-grad degrees, on the public payroll, sitting in offices bought by taxpayer dollars, who seriously pursue these schemes to oppress and defraud the citizenry, in the name of SomeGreaterGood.
The brutal beasts who ran the prison camps of the Gulag and Nazi Germany didn't actually set up the system, ya'll! That was done (to paraphrase C.S. Lewis) by polite gentlemen with pedigrees and university diplomas, dressed in suits, meeting in book-lined conference rooms, quietly planning The Future after their own desires, with motions taken and seconded, voted upon, and duly noted in the minutes--followed of course by a quiet dinner to congratulate themselves for their good work, also bought with tax dollars. Or, now better yet, the final decisions are taken at a private resort, with private beaches and golf, away from The Rabble Whose Lives Must Be Run For Them.
This is why Congress must take away the credit card from the Executive, defund to zero these agencies, lest they herd our children and grandchildren onto the trains to GodKnowsWhere. It's crucial this be done now, while time allows.
The noisy debate is about 'We can't afford to spend this money, borrowing forty cents of every dollar'. That's just the chatter about the terrible math we have created for ourselves.
What's really at stake is our culture, our freedom, our dignity, our lives.
This is why Obama must go, and all his fellow travelers with him.
Don't imagine for a moment that Himself ordered the death of Bin Laden, motivated by love of country.
David Letterman Shares Osama Bin Laden's Final Words
Letterman's Top Ten is an American institution. Every night, this respectable-looking Midwesterner in a natty suit reads an outrageous list, usually composed of the thoughts we dare not express.
(Drum roll in background...)
10. "My horoscope says big surprises are in store."
9. "See, this is why I normally don't answer the door."
8. "The one time I give my bodyguards a day off to go to the zoo ..."
7. "What on Earth could be interrupting Celebrity Apprentice?"
6. "I hear Brian Williams is on Dave to discuss my imminent demise."
5. "At least I'll be reunited with my dear, departed friend Jack LaLanne."
4. "I'm not sure I want to live in a world where Fast Five is the #1 movie."
3. "Any man with multiple wives welcomes death. Am I right, fellas?"
2. "I need a house full of Navy SEALs like I need a hole in the head."
1. "Oh, crap!"
As usual, the writers wait until #2 to unload the true zinger of the evening...
(Drum roll in background...)
10. "My horoscope says big surprises are in store."
9. "See, this is why I normally don't answer the door."
8. "The one time I give my bodyguards a day off to go to the zoo ..."
7. "What on Earth could be interrupting Celebrity Apprentice?"
6. "I hear Brian Williams is on Dave to discuss my imminent demise."
5. "At least I'll be reunited with my dear, departed friend Jack LaLanne."
4. "I'm not sure I want to live in a world where Fast Five is the #1 movie."
3. "Any man with multiple wives welcomes death. Am I right, fellas?"
2. "I need a house full of Navy SEALs like I need a hole in the head."
1. "Oh, crap!"
As usual, the writers wait until #2 to unload the true zinger of the evening...
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Quick Takes For The Week
OS is up to his keister in work, so it may be a few days before he gets to gather any thoughts.
Last Friday through today have been eventful, and uplifting, both in the 'big picture' and the 'little picture' of life in OS's house.
So, quickly: OS notes that the Almighty often affords us glimpses of the contrast between His ways and the ways of the evil one. The royal wedding, a thing of dignity and beauty, contrasted with the mass murderer hiding behind women and children in his blast-proof compound (undoubtedly living under the protection of the Pakis). Which approach to life and culture offers hope, which offers despair?
OS was able to check an item off his personal 'bucket list'. He attended the Tom Jones concert at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, the home of the Grand Ole Opry. Jones is seventy, still in wonderful health and voice. OS attended to be entertained, and came away inspired and deeply moved. He's still mulling over the evening, will have more to say as the words organize themselves. In the meantime, for those readers in Europe and the UK, his upcoming schedule is here. If you can, attend. You'll thank OS later.
OS rejoices always at the defeat of evil, at the administration of justice, and the demise of those who prey upon the innocent. It occurs to him that this weekend may be remembered as the first adult decision made by Barack Obama, in a life dedicated to avoidance of such necessities. All credit to all those who, over the past decade, made the moment of bullet insertion above Bin Laden's left eye possible. Obama's second adult act should be to invite President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, Secretary Rumsfeld, and the commandants of Club Gitmo to the White House for a public acknowledgment of the wisdom of their approach in pursuit of the monster. Time will tell if the effect of the first adult moment will wear off too soon.
Back to work. Take care, say your prayers, and give thanks to the Almighty for the US Navy.
Last Friday through today have been eventful, and uplifting, both in the 'big picture' and the 'little picture' of life in OS's house.
So, quickly: OS notes that the Almighty often affords us glimpses of the contrast between His ways and the ways of the evil one. The royal wedding, a thing of dignity and beauty, contrasted with the mass murderer hiding behind women and children in his blast-proof compound (undoubtedly living under the protection of the Pakis). Which approach to life and culture offers hope, which offers despair?
OS was able to check an item off his personal 'bucket list'. He attended the Tom Jones concert at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, the home of the Grand Ole Opry. Jones is seventy, still in wonderful health and voice. OS attended to be entertained, and came away inspired and deeply moved. He's still mulling over the evening, will have more to say as the words organize themselves. In the meantime, for those readers in Europe and the UK, his upcoming schedule is here. If you can, attend. You'll thank OS later.
OS rejoices always at the defeat of evil, at the administration of justice, and the demise of those who prey upon the innocent. It occurs to him that this weekend may be remembered as the first adult decision made by Barack Obama, in a life dedicated to avoidance of such necessities. All credit to all those who, over the past decade, made the moment of bullet insertion above Bin Laden's left eye possible. Obama's second adult act should be to invite President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, Secretary Rumsfeld, and the commandants of Club Gitmo to the White House for a public acknowledgment of the wisdom of their approach in pursuit of the monster. Time will tell if the effect of the first adult moment will wear off too soon.
Back to work. Take care, say your prayers, and give thanks to the Almighty for the US Navy.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Bin-Laden, The Hero Of Islam, Found Hiding Behind Women And Children, The Sick And Students
From Atlantic Monthly:
Osama's compound on Google Maps.
Bin Laden's compound is just north, as you can see below, of a hospital for women and children and a cinema. About 800 feet to the west is the Cantt Police Station. There's little information available about the station online, but a Flickr photo taken in February 2007 shows it in rough condition. The station, at that time, was "included in the demolition list of the provincial government works department," the caption claims.
It's unclear who added the hideout to Google Maps or when, but it's already there -- and labeled as an "amusement park."
His compound was surrounded by hospitals, clinics, schools. At the end, he hid behind women as human shields, one of whom was apparently killed, with others wounded.
Dear readers, if at any point you encounter someone who wishes to serve as an apologist for this man and his brand of politics and religions, OS grants you leave to scream curses at the top of your lungs, and direct the idiot to view this map.
Osama's compound on Google Maps.
Bin Laden's compound is just north, as you can see below, of a hospital for women and children and a cinema. About 800 feet to the west is the Cantt Police Station. There's little information available about the station online, but a Flickr photo taken in February 2007 shows it in rough condition. The station, at that time, was "included in the demolition list of the provincial government works department," the caption claims.
It's unclear who added the hideout to Google Maps or when, but it's already there -- and labeled as an "amusement park."
His compound was surrounded by hospitals, clinics, schools. At the end, he hid behind women as human shields, one of whom was apparently killed, with others wounded.
Dear readers, if at any point you encounter someone who wishes to serve as an apologist for this man and his brand of politics and religions, OS grants you leave to scream curses at the top of your lungs, and direct the idiot to view this map.
Bin Laden Is Killed, And Learns That 72 Virgins Story Is Bogus: Hell Is Hot And Eternity Lasts FOREVER
This is a good moment for the United States, and the world.
OS remembers the day clearly, that bright and otherwise normal Tuesday morning when everything about our world changed. The tragedy and the rage and the fear and the rage.
Almost ten years later, and heaven only knows how much blood and treasure spent, the United States found the murdering scumbag, and killed him.
Finally. Justice. Revenge.
In honor of the occasion, the best song ever on the subject--Toby Keith's 'Beer For My Horses':
OS remembers the day clearly, that bright and otherwise normal Tuesday morning when everything about our world changed. The tragedy and the rage and the fear and the rage.
Almost ten years later, and heaven only knows how much blood and treasure spent, the United States found the murdering scumbag, and killed him.
Finally. Justice. Revenge.
In honor of the occasion, the best song ever on the subject--Toby Keith's 'Beer For My Horses':
Saturday, April 30, 2011
How Many Ways Can You Say: 'ATT Sucks'?
Here's one.
OS's latest adventure with Mama T came Thursday, when he needed to have some inside wiring work (for which he loyally pays monthly), attended to.
'We'll be there next Thursday by 5, sir.'
'But, my phones are all out, and I'm paying for this service already. I have to wait a week?'
'We'll be there next Thursday by 5, sir. Will anyone be home between 1 and 5?'
'But, my phones are all out, and I'm paying for this service already. I have to wait a week?'
'While we have you on the phone, sir, we want to sell you a package whereby we capture all your phone service, cable TV, and internet--so we can continue to serve you at this high level of quality....'
And, on Monday, they start gouging for internet usage...
T is in trouble. They are scratching for any dollar of revenue they can find anywhere from any of itshostages customers...
Accounting sleights-of-hand abound to obscure the reality of unfunded pension obligations about to blow up in the shareholder's faces. A customer approach that seeks only to sell stuff to the the next sucker, and screw the present customer. OS still wonders if the day will come when ATT is declared a bank, so it can go hoover up sum-oh-dat-free-munney-hunney that Ben loves to hand out. 'Cuz, lissen ya'll, theze guyz iz gunna go broke, and the day is coming sooner rather than later. Wait about six months, when all those customers start seeing phone bills that look like mortgage payment.
Excrement, meet motorized air-moving device.
(Disclosure. No interest in T, except gonna look to short sometime this year. Looking for another phone carrier in the meantime....)
OS's latest adventure with Mama T came Thursday, when he needed to have some inside wiring work (for which he loyally pays monthly), attended to.
'We'll be there next Thursday by 5, sir.'
'But, my phones are all out, and I'm paying for this service already. I have to wait a week?'
'We'll be there next Thursday by 5, sir. Will anyone be home between 1 and 5?'
'But, my phones are all out, and I'm paying for this service already. I have to wait a week?'
'While we have you on the phone, sir, we want to sell you a package whereby we capture all your phone service, cable TV, and internet--so we can continue to serve you at this high level of quality....'
And, on Monday, they start gouging for internet usage...
T is in trouble. They are scratching for any dollar of revenue they can find anywhere from any of its
Accounting sleights-of-hand abound to obscure the reality of unfunded pension obligations about to blow up in the shareholder's faces. A customer approach that seeks only to sell stuff to the the next sucker, and screw the present customer. OS still wonders if the day will come when ATT is declared a bank, so it can go hoover up sum-oh-dat-free-munney-hunney that Ben loves to hand out. 'Cuz, lissen ya'll, theze guyz iz gunna go broke, and the day is coming sooner rather than later. Wait about six months, when all those customers start seeing phone bills that look like mortgage payment.
Excrement, meet motorized air-moving device.
(Disclosure. No interest in T, except gonna look to short sometime this year. Looking for another phone carrier in the meantime....)
Friday, April 29, 2011
The Wedding Sermon That Deserves To Be Repeated At Weddings For Years To Come
Cranmer shares the address in its entirety.
(Cranmer, bless him, once again leads the way in tying the sacred and secular together, and helping it all make sense.)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Royal Wedding: the Address of the Bishop of London
"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."
So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day this is. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.
Many people are fearful for the future of today’s world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.
In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.
William and Catherine, you have chosen to be married in the sight of a generous God who so loved the world that he gave himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
In the Spirit of this generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to each other.
The spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves. Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this: the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.
It is of course very hard to wean ourselves away from self-centredness. People can dream of such a thing but that hope should not be fulfilled without a solemn decision that, whatever the difficulties, we are committed to the way of generous love.
You have both made your decision today – “I will” – and by making this new relationship, you have aligned yourselves with what we believe is the way in which life is spiritually evolving, and which will lead to a creative future for the human race.
We stand looking forward to a century which is full of promise and full of peril. Human beings are confronting the question of how to use wisely the power that has been given to us through the discoveries of the last century. We shall not be converted to the promise of the future by more knowledge, but rather by an increase of loving wisdom and reverence, for life, for the earth and for one another.
Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art. It is possible to transform so long as we do not harbour ambitions to reform our partner. There must be no coercion if the Spirit is to flow; each must give the other space and freedom. Chaucer, the London poet, sums it up in a pithy phrase:
"Whan maistrie [mastery] comth, the God of Love anon,
Beteth his wynges, and farewell, he is gon."
As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We are all incomplete: we all need the love which is secure, rather than oppressive. We need mutual forgiveness in order to thrive.
As we move towards our partner in love, following the example of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is quickened within us and can increasingly fill our lives with light. This leads on to a family life which offers the best conditions in which the next generation can receive and exchange those gifts which can overcome fear and division and incubate the coming world of the Spirit, whose fruits are love and joy and peace.
I pray that all of us present and the many millions watching this ceremony and sharing in your joy today will do everything in their power to support and uphold you in your new life. I pray that God will bless you in the way of life you have chosen. That way which is expressed in the prayer that you have composed together in preparation for this day:
God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy. Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer.
We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Cranmer, bless him, once again leads the way in tying the sacred and secular together, and helping it all make sense.)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Royal Wedding: the Address of the Bishop of London
"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."
So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day this is. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.
Many people are fearful for the future of today’s world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.
In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.
William and Catherine, you have chosen to be married in the sight of a generous God who so loved the world that he gave himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
In the Spirit of this generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to each other.
The spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves. Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this: the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.
It is of course very hard to wean ourselves away from self-centredness. People can dream of such a thing but that hope should not be fulfilled without a solemn decision that, whatever the difficulties, we are committed to the way of generous love.
You have both made your decision today – “I will” – and by making this new relationship, you have aligned yourselves with what we believe is the way in which life is spiritually evolving, and which will lead to a creative future for the human race.
We stand looking forward to a century which is full of promise and full of peril. Human beings are confronting the question of how to use wisely the power that has been given to us through the discoveries of the last century. We shall not be converted to the promise of the future by more knowledge, but rather by an increase of loving wisdom and reverence, for life, for the earth and for one another.
Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art. It is possible to transform so long as we do not harbour ambitions to reform our partner. There must be no coercion if the Spirit is to flow; each must give the other space and freedom. Chaucer, the London poet, sums it up in a pithy phrase:
"Whan maistrie [mastery] comth, the God of Love anon,
Beteth his wynges, and farewell, he is gon."
As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We are all incomplete: we all need the love which is secure, rather than oppressive. We need mutual forgiveness in order to thrive.
As we move towards our partner in love, following the example of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is quickened within us and can increasingly fill our lives with light. This leads on to a family life which offers the best conditions in which the next generation can receive and exchange those gifts which can overcome fear and division and incubate the coming world of the Spirit, whose fruits are love and joy and peace.
I pray that all of us present and the many millions watching this ceremony and sharing in your joy today will do everything in their power to support and uphold you in your new life. I pray that God will bless you in the way of life you have chosen. That way which is expressed in the prayer that you have composed together in preparation for this day:
God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy. Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer.
We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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