fabsterrant

Widget

2010-05-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

Geez got the idea from lilbit and hope this works. Don't hesitate to try it.

http://www.formspring.me/fabsterrant

Dr Rand Paul

2010-05-20T20:47:00.003-05:00

In an interview on the Rachel Maddow show a controversy emerged about Civil Rights. I feel the news media is not correctly making a connection to Dr Pauls direction. Civil Rights is about minorities and I think he might invent a new minority. Gun owners and the right to carry. Forty eight of our fifty states have concealed carry permits. If minorities cannot be banned from entering establishments, then neither can gun owners.

To Big To Fail

2010-05-05T06:42:00.002-05:00

Its not just greed for money and power of domain or market superiority, its about the business model that is honed to the point of self destruction. Everyone knows that in the private sector managers expect from their employees an improvement in profit and productivity beyond what was accomplished the previous fiscal year. Heads will roll if that model isn't ruthlessly persued and thusly we have micromanagement. No doubt attention to detail is important to be succesfull but a drive to outperform every quarters production can only lead to a destination termed" to big to fail " its an oxymoron in megacapitalism especially if only a government can reverse the trend. Normal capitalism would be satiated with a return on invested money at an acceptable rate. However the drive for increased market share above the competion endorses the idea of either more market share or lose the market to the competion. The triumph of doing a good job is countered by government having to reset the stage. Now the Supreme Court has said there is no limit on the amount a company can donate to any political camp. Unchartered waters await us.

Politics

2010-05-04T22:56:00.004-05:00

Geez the oil spill is like a dog chasing its tail. The size is as big as the state of Delaware and its so mindboggling to the damage to the estuaries and plant life. The entire clean up is formidible to just immagine and very depressing. Thats when the realization jumps out at you and screams that its not stopped growing yet. Its still pumping out and might for months. People that earn a living in the public eye give the posturing of their view as a never ending pitch of propaganda and its throwing misinformation around so a faithfull listener to their favorite news channel is blindsided by misrepresentaions handed out to cajole and hog misrepresented opinions that are thrown out to an audience that just has a few moments to try to get a grasp of current news. The contridiction is mindblowing, the misrepresentaions disgusting.

Fact

2010-01-27T08:45:00.002-06:00

Newly elected Senator Brown of Massachusetts with boastfull pride said he was going to burst the bubble of the Obama heath reform efforts. Brown's own state has its own complete health care program deemed to be very similar to Obama's but only on a state level. Now I can see that as a team player for the Republican party that piling on the bandwagon against national health care is part of party loalty. Let us take a step back and look at the fact that here is a man with similar health care in his own state but wants to be aganist it for everyone else. Being a Republican should not be the same as being a Red Sox fan. Obama has a bi partisan Cabinet of 13 members and Hilary is doing a matter of fact job that McCain would not likely do much different. So a neutral partisan Cabinet is evidence of wanting to get work done. Bush complained of a Do Nothing Congress while in office and closed with a huge amount of debt. Brown as a new member of the Senate is fresh enough to not fall into revenge politics and be bright and positive.

Obama's America.

2010-01-19T17:08:00.004-06:00

Thanks to Chris Matthews "Hardball" at MSNBC and Boeing Corp for their combined work via Texas Southern University. The presentation on Race during the Martin Luther King holiday was a significant sumation of progress acheived since the election of President Obama. Obama's America and the presentaion of stats from Mr Matthews gave evidence of a comming together of racial divide among Americans. I hope he can continue such great work every year on the same holiday. Significant members of the news and radio community offered challenging viewpoints and student participation brought forth pains that cannot be surmounted among us eassily. The professional level of discussion maintained order but yet allowed the refference to the vernacular and barbershop chatter that often creates the level of conversation where race is used in a challenging atmosphere. The difference between race and racist are opposing poles in the habits of mindless ignorant hurtfull speech. It was established that the refference to race need not be corrected for it is who we are. However racial ignorance in a hurtfull way is an all powerfull negative. An Arab woman speaker who's name I don't recall, I appologize for that, made an interesting observation that I think is a classic point of view of an immigrant comming into the US. She mentioned that her students often would admit to voting for Obama without being familiar with his policies. She possed the question that if you voted for him based on just race alone is that then a racist vote? My viewpoint is that voting for someone is not a negative or hurtfull intent of my vote. Could it be termed racial? Well no doubt it could. But turning racial to racist is not a given equal assignment of value. I would say to her the difference is similar to the difference between Islam and Islamist. I'm sure she would agree that her students votes did not make them terrorists.

Hary Reid

2010-01-11T07:59:00.003-06:00

I actually heard Sen Harry Reid's statement on the news and thought a question of professionalism was being presented to evaluate. The current media blitz on Harry Reid's comments referring to Negro dialect is to pressure Sen Reid into a racist mode. Actually I thought when I heard it live is that Sen Reid was comparing President Obama to Republican National Chairperson Michael Steele. I felt that Reid was saying Obama is more professional than Steele. Nothing more. Out of context Harry Reid painted himself in a corner that the gamesmanship of political dialog pounced on. He had no choice but to appologize if challenged. Obama as usual is his gracious self. By accepting Reid's appology he created an avenue for any further comments inteded to harm or delay positive progress in any and all programs to exit free of any accusations of deep seated hatred.

Stimulus Package

2009-12-03T08:44:00.002-06:00

Senator Mitch McConnell recently indicated that he felt the first Stimulus package did not accomplish its goals of domestic assistance.. Instead of imposing a tax on the wealthy as is currently planned to fund the Afghan troops, he wants to use the second Stimulus package, soon to be applied for domestic survival, instead. Of course, if equal weight were given to his outlay of terms in a sense of Logic, with the intent of arriving at a resultant allowing his observation to have merit. It could be concluded that bringing home the Afgahn troops would prevent the tax on the wealthy and could also free up money for a third stimulus package. The one we all neede to get fat on that no one has proposed yet. "In its 2009 report, Citizens for Responsibiity and Ethics in Washington(CREW) named McConnell one of the 15 most corrupt members of congress." This is right out of "Wikipedia" go ahead and look him up.

Birthers vs Killian Documents

2009-11-03T01:18:00.002-06:00

Discontentment has a memory that often carries a grudge. Tounge in cheek means that someone is acting as a nurotic to those that are not in on the joke. Politics being what it is can combine the two in a close to the vest private ridicule that is at best unproductive. The birthers or better said those that claim Obama isn't a citizen and therefore not president. Yes it could be the birthers are acting in retaliation to the Killian Document. That collection of papers implied that W did not finish his Guard service properly. President George W Bush had applied to school in Boston and wanted to curtail his service a few months early and got it ok'd. But listen folks we have a government that needed a special legal paper signed when President Obama recited his oath given him by a justice that tried to memorize all of it and said something wrong. People should have the experience of attending youth projects with their kids and experience the way everyone carries one another through the mud. When I think of all the time wasted on the publicity given to the birthers it makes me wonder if government isn't wastefull because the general public contains a whole lot of idiots.

Love Our Lurkers Day!!

2009-10-14T07:36:00.002-05:00

Yup if ya have a blog greet the lurkers today. It really made me feel welcome to post anytime and really anywhere. Everyone loves visitors and comments. I try to get back with a reply right after a post as I've seen done on many other blogs and its nice to see a reply to your own comments. At least I think so. Its a fun and easy way to make friends.

Hugs, fab

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

2009-09-29T08:20:00.003-05:00

The citizens of Iran were in search of an honest election from their government. They did not get one. They got empathy from the rest of the free world as we cheerd them on in their use of the internet and cell phones and all things in this modern vision of "Radio Free Europe" that told the truth during the horrors of WWII. There were recent fatal hits against the ruling government of Iran, albeit lower eschelon, showing that an underground is in place . The people that want the elections to be honest would be hurt by the same sanctions that we use against the government of Iran just the same as those sanctions against Cuba. Tough people in power are able to endure hits againts those they ride rough shod over. Specific santions not yet mentioned but just a form of sabor ratteling might never be more than an embargo. I hope its obvious that tyrants are able to withstand that while they watch any glimer of hope in the ctizenry be dimmed. On the other hand there is attacking Iran but only the missle sights. We know we can do that. We also should realize that they are in our face to the point that we should not depend on Isreal to make the hit for us. Everyone laughed at Joe Beiden when he said the President would be tested toward the end of the first year and yet here we are. I hope this brings us closer together.

Comfort Levels

2009-09-20T08:22:00.003-05:00

Hobbies are a fun pastine. They unite us with our children and give us moments of relaxation in private or contribute to our health both mentally and physically. To strive to improve at an endeavor at a measured steady pace takes dedication of purpose. The comfort level is not only doable but actually enjoyable. Now and then in our personal time the abilty to participate in what we enjoy is challenged. The flux of schedules is not really a challenge to the existance of what we enjoy but a redoubbled of efforts for that personal time we want to ourselves. It is necessary to realize the desperation of effort beyond the accustomed comfort levels just to have a life. The significant example of firing a large caliber weapon, as uncomfortable as it is, does meet the challenge. Our president did an incredible job with the short term financial crisis perhaps better than any other candidate could have. First we need water and then can we contemplate the rest of our journey. I trust his lead in healthcare as well.

Public Options

2009-08-19T10:21:00.003-05:00

In trying to keep health care simple and digestable enough to be able to follow developments in politics on a regular basis I decided it is easier to digest with an overview tabulation of established facts. First of all there is no unity for the common good there is only the vicious fight for party rule. Second is the realization that we have actually at least two easily identified public options which are the Veterans Administration and Medicare. Future growth could be the inclusion of all veterans and families in the VA not limited to career military and wounded but all that have served. This would also boost enlistment for the all volunteer military that we now have. Medicare is assigned to expand to include more age groups below the age of 65 to perhaps 55 and perhaps even younger folks. The idea being that more competition in the marketplace with insurance companies would send cost down. Especially if the two public option are taking clients at ages that have the most illnesses. Bill Clinton did not get a Health Care bill passed because the bill did not clear a required complicated process to pass a budget status within the political arena. President Clinton's Bill was blocked due to its political vulnerability. An oversite that was caused by thinking that this Bill is for the common good of the American people and ounce explained it would be rushed through. Needless to say its vulnerability was siezed upon and killed in its tracks. However at this time the Omama Bill has already been passed through the budget requirement and only needs to be voted upon. I think the fact that its already passed allows the Bill to only need a majority vote and not the usual two thirds vote. This could really be something for the people. Health care really should be a right along with police protection and education of our children. That should be for everyone from sea to shinning sea. Immigration problems and naturalization problems and homeless problems should be dealt within their own domain and not used to form policy of a nation that is always sending troops to protect the fragile interest of the oppressed in other countries. Many are oppressed here at home.

Rook Castle Broadcasted

2009-06-18T11:15:00.002-05:00

The power of the media has prevailed as much as fishermen dominate the sea. Our own Nancy Pelosi went "hook line and sinker" for a reporters outburst "you're saying the CIA lied to you" and rather than refer back to a "miss spoke" safe haven she agreed. If the "miss spoke" had been offered to start with, from the reporter, and she then made the accusation of "lied" I would say she really meant it. A knee jerk response to an unprofessional flipant remark cast the entire media into two weeks of wasted political jargon. We might have discovered more insight as to the comming of the protests in Iran had the mouth offered a path without taking a fork first. Breaking news is larger than any novel and toeing the professional line is vital to having leaders lead without the tanglefoot.

Results of the Sins Quizz

2009-05-11T13:48:00.001-05:00

Greed:	Medium
Gluttony:	Medium
Wrath:	Low
Sloth:	Medium
Envy:	Medium
Lust:	Very High
Pride:	Medium

Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

Meme

2009-02-23T16:04:00.002-06:00

This Meme is from Maryann http://timeoutforlove.blogspot.com/

1. I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments. What do you choose?
Produce: Mixed salad ready for dressing
Frozen: Skinless boneless chicken breasts
Dairy: Milk
Meat: Pork chops for the grill
Canned goods: Spinach; love creamed spinach

2. Let's say you're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?
George Foreman expanding waistline trousers
T shirt with a collar
Adidas open toe pool shoes

3. If I were to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 4 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
Gas grill
Patio stones
Lay'em faster
Hurry up

4. So, what 4 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do them, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
Check the latest news
Hug family members
Tell the youngest when I want the car
Complain to the youngest there is no gas in the car; resulting in my paying cause he is the grill cook

5. You're driving down the road, and suddenly you're hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?
The moron was a dumbass
The obvious idiot got his license at the local stop and shop
The fool didn't like the particular shade of green being displayed

6. You just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
Read
Walk
Watch the News
Work on projects in the shop
Run model railroad

7. We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
Rhino
Alligators
Birds

8. You just scored tickets to the taping of any television show of your choice. You can pick 4, so what are you going to see?
Jay Leno
Saturday Night Live
Meet The Press
Larry King

9. You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
Chocolate
Strawberry
Vanilla

10. Somebody stole your purse/wallet. In order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it.
Membership to Balley health and Fitness
Voter ID
Drivers License
Library card
Reciept from Borders book store

11. You are at a job fair, and are asked in what areas you are interested in pursuing a career. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
Self employed renovator of houses
Life guard
Cop
Military

12. If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?
Study harder
Read more leisurely
Stay in Scouts
Play sport

Need for Stimulus

2009-02-09T06:54:00.002-06:00

A question arises as to the need for continuous spending. ie...If President Bush spent so much money to get us into this problem, why is it that more spending will get us out of this problem?
The resultant theory is that inflation was in a downward spiral under President Bush. However, with a war time economy in place government spending cannot be controlled to maximise economic efficiency. Government spending pushed the US into a recession. The federal funds rate is at less than 1 percent. Traditional methods of controlling inflation is the increase of interest rates. No matter what the various expenditures were, so much money was in circulation that inflation was totally halted and even reversed. Federal funds dropped to compensate a recession. With federal funds unable to go any lower we are at risk of entering deflation. During deflation, business that hold onto hard currency benefit the most and that is a part of the reason banks are not lending. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake said in 2002 that sufficient spending always reverses deflation. During deflation the purchasing power of each dollar rises because prices are falling. However, falling prices makes it difficult to make payroll. So the dollar does purchase more, but less dollars are earned due to an increase in unemployment. Inflation is easier to control than deflation due to the effects of increasing interest rates. Deflation is controlled with large amounts of government spending because the unemployment rate and benefits of keeping cash and not lending it force government to resort to "stimulus" spending. Its the textbook response to take when federal funds can go no lower. What may sound like "more of the same" is actually an appropreate textbook response to a totally different part of the economic cycle at hand.

Infrastructure

2009-01-30T11:54:00.002-06:00

Engineers have estimated major infrastructure repairs and replacement will cost a total of two and one half trillion dollars. The current "economic stimulus plan" allocates 15 percent to infrastructure out of a one trillion dollar request. By the way, the next grouping of zeros after a trillion is gonna be called a "quadtrillion" and the next after that is "cinqtillion" so there are plenty of place holders to meet the need. Without a doubt all the spending has to make sense. Well, all the leading wisdom says go with President Obama's plan. The "House" was severe in its party loyalty, but the bill passed. So now on to the "Senate". The rumblings from the news media interviewing politicos is that just spending money isn't the same as puting it in the economy as a stimulus. That is to say, paying off debt does not necessarily create more jobs. I don't disagree with that. But its still a stimulus. I never have and never will want anyone to fail that is proposing to save the entire country from oblivion. The idea that the argument between two people will result in the "sheepish"joy of a third person, is not an American concept. I know its Super Bowl weekend. I also know that all season a fan took a thrill at seeing losing teams put their own favorite team in a better position. I realize that its a third party benifit. The difference is that it is "in your face "cheering the hell out of it. It isn't at all "sheepish".

Abandoned Free Enterprise To Save It

2008-12-17T05:47:00.000-06:00

President Bush didn't speak in oxymoronic terms as I see it. To support free enterprise is to allow for the survival of the fit, and in the black companies. While the weak and in the red go under. To realize that peace on earth involves a global economy, that for the most part, is big government. That is, lots of government spending and involvement in businesses to keep it going. We are at a junction that tests our economic PHD's and Nobel Prize winners. Big government and government spending is what President Bush embraced to rescue free enterprise. Its actually an about face to the ideas of conservative republican ideas. Its also over spending in the extreme for liberal democrates. It is clearly a need to do battle with economic forces that are on our backs like a vicious enemy. It is the economic version of freedom is not free.

Mumbai

2008-11-27T10:30:00.000-06:00

I was stunned to discover Mumbai is the former title for Bombay. Equally surprised to learn that Pakistan was part of India until 1947. Thereafter many Muslims moved to Pakistan and Hindus moved to the new boundary of India. As we know it today, India has a youth population of kids under 18 equal in size to that of our entire American population, 300 million.
Of course we have a global economy. Along with China, and all the rest of the world, the middle class is going to be crowded. It is what everyone strives for and wants to exceed. Our current financial crisis no doubt reflects the problems with all this growth. I feel confident that great minds are able to resolve this and all political and economic dilemma as they occur.
It is evident that the criminal global counterpart, a deviant mind set, wants to use the threat of death as a way to obtain power in an extreme and selfish way. Non repenting CEOism is a twitch that requires a firm "oh no you don't" before a revolution is more ingrained in our own country. Although originally within legal contractual agreements the similarity to hijacking oil freighters does not go unnoticed. Its because they can.
The Mumbai attack could be a retaliation against the India Navy's sinking a Pirate ship recently. Somalia, where the freighters are ransomed, is a source of income to those that hold an ill will to our pursuit of happiness. Used to be the US Navy would be asked to dispatch an aircraft carrier to monitor such a problem. Although we have one President at a time its more like we are between Presidents. The general consensus, even before this last attack, is that our global life will get worse before it gets better. Let us be good to each of our friends we are going to need them.

Election Day and the Youth Vote

2008-11-04T05:36:00.000-06:00

Well this is it. After almost two years of constat challenge in the political arena, and renewed interest in debate nationally, we get to make a choice. The youth vote is of interest, and the fact that they say they'll vote, but often do not is curious. I think perhaps they are overwhelmed by the ballot. All that is talked about are the major candidates and little emphasis on all the rest of the ballot. A loss of purity is realized, I belive, when they are aware that they don't know what to do about all the numerous other catagories that they have little information about.
Recommendations to follow a local newspaer suggested vote choices may not be getting through to them. The loss of idealism might be that they realize that in order to fill in the blanks they have to trust people they don't necessarily agree with. First of all , they should know that its ok to just vote for the categories that they are familiar with, even if its just the major candidates. At least they will then have voted. A question at the end of the ballot asks "You left some choices blank. Is that OK?" You just says yes and get done with your vote. Learning to vote is also learning to trust. Blind party loyalty is significant if you work and are paid as a political participant. Otherwise, its impossible to find one person that is going to be your political everything. It is fine to vote for your candidate of choice on major issues and oppose him or her on those facts that you are in disagreement on. Of course, as an individual, you won't be able to directly oppose the person you selected but you can support those issues that concern you by joining a group that is in agreement with you. For example if you like Obama but also like guns, you have to support the National Rifle Association. They of course would have prefered you didn't vote for him in the first place. But if he has everything you support except that one issue you have to act on your own to get the best of both worlds.

Lil Bit

2008-09-06T20:45:00.000-05:00

Just want to extend greetings to Lil Bit and wish her well. She never gave up on being a perpetual cheerful friend and I hope she recovers from the slump she feels to have sunken into.
The realm of her empire suffers until she returns with spirits anew.

Lawn Mower Reflections

2006-09-06T07:36:00.000-05:00

I recall, as a teenager, having a reel mower without an engine. Making the commitment to cut the grass was much more than just mowing the lawn. It was playing Army, and the green stuff was the enemy, and I was the general. It was sort of like an isometric push up in a vertical position. It was a teeth gritting onslaught that I as an only child had to conquor single handed, and don't spare the flowers when you're on a roll.
Fast foward to my current situation and the predicament I now face. When my wife and I moved into our house in 1982 we bought new lawn equipment, and I purchased a Craftsman mower from Sears. It was indeed a self propelled model. As I mowed the lawn I tried to think of how much I would appreciate having children to see playing in the yard around a plastic pool and my wife splashing around with them while keeping a watchfull eye on them. I envisioned the kids growing up and helping the old man with the lawn on occassion. All of this came true and that mower is now twenty-four years old. I visited the Brigs & Straton site, and they have engines mounted on display racks, some even made by General Motors, complete with carrying handles. I observed a similar display awhile ago at the Florida State Fair, a series of gasoline engines mounted on carrying racks that serve no other purpose than just to demontstrate that they, in fact, do work and did work some time ago. The folks involved with their maintenance looked pridefull and satisfied at just keeping those engines purring along and a comforting calamity of punctuating noise did they make. I briefly thought about mounting our old mower engine but decided to spend more time with the kids. A sports bar or a game now and then, precious moments anyway I can get them. I'm gonna take the youngest to Sears today and have him look at the next motorized push mower that perhaps both will remember as they grow up.

fabsterrant

2006-09-04T17:49:00.000-05:00

Fall is upon us as we contemplate the oncoming winter seasonal adjustments. Redirecting our thinking and reorganizing our priorities of course brings up the end of the preseason and the start of football season. That, along with the constant quest for better marksmanship, retaines a presence on my mind. Let the games begin! Go Bucs!