musings

The Left

Here is what bothers me about the left as an "organization." People on the left, at least the majority of the ones I know, truly believe they are smarter than other people. To them, it's all about who is smarter. They were the kids in class who wondered with Bob was more popular or got a better gig than they did when Bob was obviously getting worse grades than they were.

The left likes to throw intelligence around as a weapon. Lincoln was "an idiot." Reagan "an idiot." Bush is "an idiot." Essentially, if you don't believe in the power of government, if you don't believe in what the left believes in, you are a dumbass.

Someone once told me that the reason the left and the right have a hard time being friends is that the right looks at the left as good, but misguided, and the left looks at the right as Evil. And you really can't get away from that.

To my friends on the left: intelligence is not the ability to speak well. I know plenty of people at my current job who are wicked smart, and horrid public speakers. I can draw a distinction between the two.

Coalitions

What drives me absolutely NUTS about John Kerry is this thought that somehow if you don't have Germany and France with you, your coalition is utter shit. Let's be clear about something: even if John Kerry is President, Germany and France will lift not a finger to help us in Iraq. They had business in Iraq and they made money from Saddam. They were happy with Saddam there. They were arguing to lower sanctions.

I also am angered by his continued insistance that giving Saddam more time would have resulted in something good. The sanctions, as I recall, were being debated as being "bad for the children of Iraq." The inspections were worthless. The UN was worthless.

So, how was this going to change in any meaningful way by giving Saddam "more time?" Kerry hasn't answered that for me except by saying he could have built a coalition, by which he means, he would have gotten Germany and France. And that's horseshit.

Up and Down

Bush has had a few good moments during this debate, but overall he just stammers too much to sound articulate. It's the one thing he needs to work on, but unfortunately he just can't. He is not a debate star. Never has been. He has always done this in debates.

Bush didn't win against Gore's debating -- Gore hosed himself by being an ass in the debates. He was arrogant, he was making noises, he stepped into the President's space -- Bush was just bush.

Sigh

The Debate

God, this stuff is painful -- George W. Bush has to be the worst public speaker I have ever seen. He is good with a prepared speech, but put him out there without one and he flounders. While I don't hold this as a true test of leadership skills, it does have an effect on Americans who think you need to be a smooth talker to get into the big chair.

I can't wait to see the polls after this debate. He is doing horridly at the moment.

Beginnings and Endings

The year is 1991 and at the end of June I got married to who is now the most important woman in my life, my wife Amy. And on this day in 1991, I said goodbye to who was up until then the most important woman in my life, my Grandmother.

Grandma Jeannie, as I knew her, was, by her own description, a "tough broad." She grew up in the heart of New York City in the slums. Irish. 17 brothers and sisters and she was smack in the middle. She was always there for me. When my parents went through a very messy divorce when I was 7, she was there. When I needed a place to stay after high school, she was there. When I needed help in any way, she was there.

And when I needed a big kick in the ass, she was there to provide that too. She hated whiners. She hated people who complained about the deal they got in life, because she knew people who came from worse. She hated slackers, and she worked in a full time job up until she died. She ran the motor pool at Nasa Ames Research Center in CA. She knew Astronauts, and Generals. And when she went into the hospital, they sent messages and well wishes.

She told dirty jokes. She had a candy jar at work with a nudie postcard on it that had a sticky over the woman's ample breasts. "5 cents a peek" is what it said and had a collection jar for the candy underneath. When my aunt and I watched "48 hours" with her, my grandmother became frustrated by Eddie's inability to score a chick finally saying "Is he ever going to get a piece of tail in this movie?" I once came home to her laughing her ass off at the movie "Bachelor Party."

My grandmother married a man 8 years younger than her...he was still a teenager.

My grandmother embodied everything I love in a person. She was tough, she had a great sense of humor, she had a great work ethic, she believed in living life full, she was brash and direct.

We knew when we were getting married that she probably wouldn't make it to the end of the year. She'd never see her great grandchildren. I chose my grandmother to dance with at my wedding, my way of saying goodbye to the woman I could never thank enough for impacting my life. I'm never good at goodbyes anyway. We danced to the song below. Goodbye, grandma. I think about you all the time.

I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see ’em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin’.. how do you do
They’re really sayin’......i love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more.....than I’ll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin’.. how do you do
They’re really sayin’...*spoken*(I ....love....you).

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
*spoken*(you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than I’ll never know)
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself .......what a wonderful world.

Paul

I find myself wondering how Paul is doing there in flooded Florida.

I hate colds

So at the beginning of this year, I went through a series of strep throat episodes as members of my family passed it from person to person. Not a lot of fun.

Now that school has started again, the sickness begins. Galen has brought home a nice little gift for me of a cold. I started to feel it coming on yesterday -- I can always tell as the air starts to smell "dusty" to me, then I start to feel my throat get sensitive, then it all goes to hell. By the night last night, I felt like death.

I don't get sick often, but when I do, it messes me up. I also hate people who bring sickness into work, so I refuse to go in when I get sick. Only, I have to break my own rules today as we have someone from out of country visiting and I'll just have to go into the meeting and be like Trump and not shake hands with anyone. Until then, I'm doing mail and stuff from the comfort of my home office over the internet.

I hate being sick. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

Golf, 2003 = 2004

Played two rounds of golf this weekend since next weekend we will be picking up the dog. Was a very blah set of rounds for me. Yesterday I scored a 92 with some penalties and just stupid putting. Today I scored 89, but had no penalties at all, and still horrid putting.

What was depressing was when I came home and looked at my stats from a year ago. Scores, GIRs, putts and fairways -- all the same. Even used the same clubs off of the tee. Essentially, I haven't gone anywhere skills wise for a year. I've had a few rounds this year of really good scores, but my average is around the same as it was last year. That was depressing to see as my goal for this summer was to really get some stuff together.

Oh well.

Vietnam: Enough Already

Okay, am I the only person who is sick of hearing about a war that happened over 30 years ago? I didn't care about it when Kerry brought it up to show how cool he is, I didn't care about it when other vets went after him in tv ads, and I don't care about it now when they are asking what Bush did in Vietnam. I DO NOT CARE. I care about NOW. What's going on NOW. Or, if we have to, what have you done in the past, oh, 10 years? 5 years?

"We know that John Kerry was in Vietnam," said Democratic Party chief Terry McAuliffe in a conference call with reporters. "My question, Mr. President, is where were you, Sir?"

Dumb. Here is why it's dumb: Our previous president, one that Terry McAuliffe loves, did absolutely nothing in Vietnam either. That's what makes this insane. Is McAuliffe saying Bill Clinton is unfit for office because HE didn't do what Kerry did?

I can't believe this is a topic today. Vietnam. Let it go, people. McCain asked that we let it go, and he, more than anyone talking, sacrificed the most during that time.

Let it go.

Noodle Salad

"It's not true. Some have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad. Just no one in this car. But, a lot of people, that's their story. Good times, noodle salad. What makes it so hard is not that you had it bad, but that you're that pissed that so many others had it good." -- Melvin in "As Good As It Gets"