Chamblee54

PG was trolling through a comment thread when he saw this comment. “And, I forgot to mention, this blog used to be about political issues.” Got that right. I keep waiting for this, or several other liberal blogs I visit, to even acknowledge the existence of the huge Obama administration scandal that’s been breaking over the last month or two, and there’s been nada. It’s got it all, right down to the DOJ responding to Congressional subpoenas with hundreds of blank sheets, department heads singing like canaries, perjury, death… Can you name it? Posted by: Brett Bellmore | July 09, 2011 at 05:53 AM Mr. Bellmore, do you have a link for that story? Posted by: chamblee54 | July 09, 2011 at 08:15 AM.
As you may have guessed, the second comment was PG’s response. In online discussions, there is little excuse for making grand statements without showing where you got your information. The reader might want to know more about the story, and he also might want to judge the context.
Before we move onto the administration affair, the original topic of the comment thread should be mentioned. A lady was drinking, in a hotel bar, in Dublin, Ireland. She was attending an atheist conference. At four am, she said  that she was exhausted, and going to her room. A man got on the elevator with her, and invited the lady to his hotel room “for coffee”. This piece of business has generated a bit of controversy, with thousands of comments at various blogs. Go here to know more.
The second comment after the link request mentioned this story. It doesn’t relate to elevator baristas, or Obama scandals. “A Bible-waving preacher protesting at a gay pride event was kissed on the cheek by a female gay rights supporter – a 74-year-old woman who was charged with simple assault, with the preacher’s blessing…The preacher, James Edward Belcher of Taylorsville (NC) … contends the kiss “was just one of many attempts to silence the preaching to those in need of salvation who practice a death style that they call a lifestyle.”
Ten hours after the link request, this appeared : “I’m not Mr. Bellmore, but I’d play him for a venti decaf latte. I’m going to give you a whole lot of links and you can decide for yourself which to read, and how much of it you want to take as presented….That should get you started.” Posted by: Slartibartfast | July 09, 2011 at 06:47 PM
The first link is from TownHall dot com. There is a popup ad, asking you to subscribe to THDC, that you must click through to get to the article. The deal is an ATF (The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives , a.k.a Alabama weekend shopping list) operation called “Fast and Furious”. It seems as though “straw buyers” went to gun dealers in Arizona, bought automatic weapons, and sent these weapons to drug cartels in Mexico.
Pajamas Media has a story, with the headline “The Definitive Scandal: ‘Gunwalker’ Much Worse Than ‘Iran-Contra”. “Quoting: “AK-pattern semiautomatic rifles” I really liked the way you described the weapons involved as opposed to the gratuitously inaccurate, but much more common, “assault weapons”. Too bad they don’t teach your wording in our Journalism schools. “
Committees in the House and Senate have investigated the affair, and issued a staff report . The introduction to the report states: “In the fall of 2009, the Department of Justice (DOJ) developed a risky new strategy to combat gun trafficking along the Southwest Border. The new strategy directed federal law enforcement to shift its focus away from seizing firearms from criminals as soon as possible— and to focus instead on identifying members of trafficking networks. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) implemented that strategy using a reckless investigative technique that street agents call “gunwalking.” ATF’s Phoenix Field Division began allowing suspects to walk away with illegally purchased guns. The purpose was to wait and watch, in the hope that law enforcement could identify other members of a trafficking network and build a large, complex conspiracy case.”
The last link in the comment is from ABC news . The headline was “In Secret Testimony ATF Chief Tells Congress about Controversial Gun Program”. There is an auto start video about a US Border Patrol agent who was killed using a weapon purchased in the program. An ad to the side of the page tells how California drivers get lower insurance rates.
Operation Fast and Furious appears to be a poorly conceived and executed affair. It appears to be similar to other programs to entrap people, in an effort to get the “big man”. Efforts by one branch of the government to decieve another branch of the government should be discouraged. PG strongly suspects that BHO will not be impeached because of Operation Fast and Furious. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.

The Public Service Commission held a hearing recently about a nucler power plant the Georgia Power Company wants to build. The PSC wants The Southern Company (parent of Georgia Power) to be responsible for cost overruns at a proposed nuke plant. SoCo says that this would drive up the cost of borrowing money, and might cause the company to cut corners on safety…“It could impact maintenance decisions”.
A while back, the Legislature passed SB31, which allows the utility to charge customers for the cost of nuclear plants while they are being built. Apparently, this was not enough of a break for the utility.
You need to disable your BS detector when you discuss something with this much money involved. PG suspects that SoCo underestimated the costs of the reactors to get approval. Once they got started they were “too big to fail”. This project was planned before the recent fukushima nightmare, which will not lower costs.
As for “maintenance decisions”… this is one of the issues with nukes. PG suspects that nukes can be operated safely. To do so requires constant, non corrupt oversight by the government. This, and the big money involved, lead to the slogan Nuclear Power = Big Government . To be fair, the electric infrastructure of Georgia is a huge, expensive affair, and comes under the heading of Big Government.
PG has written about this issue one, two, three, four, five, six times. HT to Peach Pundit. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress .

JoemyG-d reports today on a proposal in San Francisco to ban the sale of pets. The proposal has little chance of passing. There is no chance of this measure being enacted in Georgia. But maybe it should.
According the California source “The real problem, staff said, is hamsters. People buy the high-strung, nocturnal rodents because they’re under the temporary impression that hamsters are cute and cuddly. But the new owners quickly learn that hamsters are, in fact, prone to biting, gnawing through expensive wiring and maniacally racing on their exercise wheels at 2 a.m. So the animals end up at the shelter. Just about every species has its own rescue group in San Francisco, but no one seems to want hamsters. Hamsters are the No. 1 animal euthanized at the city’s shelter, said San Francisco Animal Care and Control director Rebecca Katz.”(Katz?)
Here is an animal euthanasia provider who supports the ban. People get pets as an impulse, or as gifts. When they get tired of them, the pet is often murdered. There is also the issue to the excess reproductive capacity of many animals.
When PG took speech and drama in high school, one of the cheerleaders started a speech by saying “you are going to think I am a monster”. Her proposal was to outlaw pets. The amount of food used to feed companion animals could be used to feed humans. Ditto the medical resources used to treat sick animals. People sometimes are so in love with their pets, that they do not see the harm they do to others. A dog that will not stop barking is an infringement on the rights of others. A pit bull, that gets loose, can ruin the life of someone who gets in the way.
PG lived for 23 years in a duplex, and had a wide variety of neighbors. He was fussed at for closing the gate to the back yard by one household. Another neighbor threatened a lawsuit for leaving the gate open. A Florida import dumped his catbox eighteen inches from where PG opened his car door. There was the little black dog that PG became friends with, only to be poisoned by enemies of the owner.
The United States is entering a period of austerity. It is well known that the pampered pets of the wealthy live much better than many human children. Maybe this money needs to be spent on people.
UPDATE: The following comments were left at JoemyG-d about this matter: There was nothing said about gerbils.//It is already illegal to purchase, import, or keep a gerbil as a pet in the state of California. It’s been the law for many years.//Where did Richard Gere get his?//New Hampster.
This is a repost. Here is a post about mass production breeding mills.

The Obama administration announced Wednesday that the Government would send condolence letters to the families of troops who committ suicide while deployed to a combat zone. Democracy Now has a video report. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress
A google search for the phrase “Condolence Letters to Families of U.S. Soldiers Who Commit Suicide” has interesting results. Most of the first page results are from “liberal media” outlets like NPR and Huffington Post. A site called Sodahead had a forum. 207 people have expressed opinions on the topic “Should U.S. Send Condolence Letters to Families of Soldiers Who Commit Suicide?”. Some of the comments are worth reading. The majority support sending the letters.
“Obama is doing this, So I would assume that right wingers are really against this. And the fact that it conflicts with their nutty religion as well.” // It was one of Clinton’s bad decisions! Of course they families should reveive a letter of condolence; otherwise, we indicate that we feel no sorrow as a nation. // Perhaps they should get us out of all these unjust wars, that beats the hell out of any impersonal Federal ‘greeting cards.’ // “Fred for all” said “No, they are murderers” (A picture of a mourning Iraqi lady was posted with it.) // “Joanna the great” said “They knew what they were getting into. Choosing to die is a cowards way out.” // “SlightlySweet” said “No. I don’t condone cowardice. You knew what you were getting into when signing those papers, if not than why join? The battlefield is filled with many horrors. The Armed Services aren’t for the weak.”
“Peanut9244 ” started a dialog. Peanut9244 … Sorry I was in Nam and there is nothing wrong with me. These punks today want all the glory because the have been playing war games on their xboxes and feel the have it all down pat…WAR DON’T WORK THAT WAY. I cant even remember ANY soldier in Nam doing himself in…and if he did the engire regiment would have known it. This is just another ploy of Obama to be guaranteed more votes come 2012….GOD HELP US ALL IF HE WINS. // Josh to Peanut9244 … I don’t usually point out grammar or spelling mistakes because mine isn’t usually the best, but maybe you had a head injury in Nam, That was hard to read. // elijahin24 to Peanut9244 … No. Usually they wait until they get home. Lots of Nam vets have taken their own lives.
“Bob the reasonable one” started a dialog. Bob, th…No. seriously? How can this be a good idea? // elijahin24 to Bob, th… Aside from the part where suicide is the result of mental illness, not weakness; how about the fact that the honors for the dead are really for their families benefit. And their families didn’t do anything wrong. // Bob, th… to elijahin24 … I can only state the obvious that expressing condolenses will be intrepreted by some as the govt. admitting complicancy in their death instead of mental illness….I know how predatory lawyers think…… // elijahin24 to Bob, th…The government is complicit in their deaths. Every bit as much as it is in the death of every soldier, sailor, airman and marine who has EVER died in combat. More so in wars that are not justified, like Veitnam and Operation Iraqi Freedom. And I say that as a veteran of OIF. That said, regardless what predatory lawyers think, you can’t sue the government for war. People have been trying for years, and nobody has ever been successful. // Bob, th… to elijahin24 … OIF? I’m drawing a blank on that…and I’m a retired Army Navy guy…About being complicit, if it’s a mental disease, then it is a pre-existing condition and the govt. is not involved. I just don’t like the idea of the govt. condoning suicide and expressing in any form acknowledgement of this selfish act…and just because lawsuits have been unsuccessful doesn’t mean that eventually it will happen…remember the tobacco companies were successful for generations also…… With DADT being repealed, I have now read about the demand is now for chaplains to be forced to perform homosexual weddings….with each new acceptance, comes more and more pressure to accept more….
There is nothing wrong with Condolence Letters; just don’t award them a Purple Heart . .. Just like if you get hit by a short-round or some such . . . No Purple Heart. // Many of those soldiers would have had ‘PTSD’ symptoms before they enlisted (i.e., they were mad already). The military needs a proper screening process instead of just accepting any fruitcake who wants to sign up for a good time or for something to do. // nolibsperiod (spell check suggestion: periodontics)said “No it dishonors GOD and country. Got a problem deal with it. Wackin yourself is’nt the way out. Only thing I agree politically about. I had a friend once who wack himself gave his wife a hundred dollar bill and said get a better one next time. Suicide is not and never will be a option to this guy. ” // Its not in the service of ones country to kill themselves while in uniform.
“Jay” started a dialog. Jay…Obama should visit the families because he’s the one causing all these suicides // Jay…We give Obama and the Presidency all the respect that Democrats and Black people gave to President Bush, you hypocrite. DEAL WITH IT // “D’oh!” to jay … No he didn’t Obama didn’t cause this war // jay to “D’oh!”…Which war? Obama expanded the war in Afghanistan, and Obama started the war in Libya, and Obama started the war in Yemen. The war in Iraq is over. Bush already had it won before Obama came along. Besides, our troops are committing suicide whether they are in one of the wars or not. They are committing suicide due to Obama’s policies.
“kobidobidog” started a dialog … Satan relishes suicide, and a wanted Jesus to commit suicide on a high place. War causes humans to do what Satan wanted Jesus to do. let us not encourage suicide by stopping war for Satan, and only Satan likes war. // Mechelle to kobidob…You stand by YOUR version of Gods word. But MY God says to embrace the suffering. It is NOT the families fault their child commited suicide. (The family) have every right to know there are people out there who are praying for them and are feeling their pain and are thinking about them and sending their sympathys. By not passing on these letters to these families the gaverment is doing a great injustice. You can hate behind your Bible but that is not what God would want. And just so you know….the devil knows the Bible by heart too. // bmeusmc to kobidob … Jesus did commit suicide…just sayin’.

The post on facebook was in all caps…IT’s OFFICIAL. SIGNED AT 12:20 IT EVEN PASSED ON TV. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING THIS SUMMER.IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON. IF NOT, YOUR COUNT WILL BE DELETED. P,S, THIS IS SERIOUS THE ICON TURNS BLUE, SO PLEASE… PUT THIS AS YOUR STATUS. The fbf noted “I am not sure about this but giving it a try….” PG had heard this before, but wanted to see what Mr. Google had to say.
The top result is for the fan page of Hoax-Slayer. If you go through the posts, you will find a link to the Hoax-Slayer feature about the Blue Icons. Hoax-Slayer apparently is the Australian cousin of Snopes. Click on Snopes and two popup ads will appear. Then, you see the archive story: Lava Lamp Death: Freakish fatality: A man was killed by an exploding lava lamp.
The Hoax-Slayer fan page is a lively place. “HOAX VERIFIED!! ! — On December 25th, 2013 Facebook will start charging you for your account. To avoid this, you must get naked, stand on your dining room table , do the Macarena, all while singing ”I Will Survive”. Then and only then will Mark Zuckerberg come down your chimney to Tell you that your account will stay free. Copy and paste this to your wall if you’re tired of reading about this hoax….. have a good day :p ”
Facecrooks has a lot of likers who know how to copy and paste. There is also a link to a site promoting Walmart gift cards, with a picture of Caylee Marie Anthony.
Urban Legends agrees with the consensus about the news from Facebook. The page advertises Cymbalta, a prescription medication for osteoarthritis pain. One of the possible side effects is “suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults.”
World of Si is the source of the piano music embedded above. There is also a quote : “And why would Facebook run a selection based on a wall post, considering the post has poor grammar and spelling, and that they wouldn’t go through checking 700 million profiles for the post, nor would they be able to run a script due to the amount of people that would post an incorrect version of the status.” ( One of the other sources made a good comment… why would FB start to charge, when the google+ competition is about to go online? PG was too slack to copy a link for this. )
The last result on the first google page was from AOL lifestream . This is apparently a search engine, and this is a puzzling result. We found no results for “FaceBook”, but here is a baby bunny :) Please try again! Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. These are Union troops from the War Between the States.

There is doubt that the aid flotilla to Gaza will take place. The Greek government is blocking the ships from leaving. The US vessel Audacity of Hope set sail, but was turned back by the Greek Coast Guard.
WitnessGaza has an interactive map showing the location of seven ships: Stefano Chiarim, Louise Michel, Audacity of Hope, Juliano, Guernika, Tahrir, Saboteret. A Swedish news site has this report: Earlier this summer the Swedish Ship to Gaza group reported damage to their boat Juliano, while berthed in Piraeus harbour in Greece. The Israeli government later rejected the claims of the Swedish Ship to Gaza movement that “foreign agents” had sabotaged their boat, calling it a ‘James Bond-esque’ insinuation, with no bearing on reality.
The second part of this feature is a repost from two years ago. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
A boat carrying supplies to Gaza was stopped by Israel. Cynthia McKinney was taken into custody. In a telephone statement, Miss McKinney said : “…I had a suitcase full of crayons for children…My cellmates came to the Holy Land so they could be free from the exigencies of superpower politics… “
As the fishwrapper tells the tale, Miss McKinney was offered a quick release if she would sign a statement. According to her mother, Leola McKinney, the statement was written in Hebrew.  The story also has this tidbit: “Israeli officials blame Cynthia McKinney and her group for the controversy, saying they were looking for confrontation to attract publicity. The officials note that Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community had agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza.”
A google search of “officials note that Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community had agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza” did not yield the text of a statement by “Israeli officials”. Nor did it shed any light on an “international community agreement”. The ding ding ding you hear is a BS detector.
A google search for “palestinian authority agrees to blockade of Gaza” yields little except confusion. There is an article which says : “Hamas Saturday accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of supporting the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in a bid to weaken the Islamic movement which controls the territory.” The PA denies the charges, and says Hamas is playing politics. Ding, ding, ding.
What sort of government agrees to a blockade of its own people? What “international Community” has the authority to say it is OK? Even if the “international community” (or, for Cynthia McKinney, the intergalactic community) does agree to it, a blockade is an act of war. The suffering in Gaza continues, and that is the other certainty in this story.

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It must be time for another tribute to Bloggingheads.tv, Tributes one and two are already up. The inevitable about page can tell you much more about this site.
A founder, and frequent commenter, is Robert “Bob” Wright. There are rumors of a three way diavlog with Mr. Wong and his nephew Don Wong. This would give us two Wongs and a Wright. Bob is an intelligent man, and his diavlogs are full of his unique insights. The only problem is the lighting. In a visual endeavor like Chamblee54, the lighting is very important. And Mr. Wright’s studio has this horrible yellow light, which is almost impossible to make attractive.
The viewer window has a couple of buttons that make it easy to save a sample of the conversation. This sample is known as the dinglelink. It is named for Greg Dingle, one of the three founders. There is no indication if he is the namesake of the dingleberry.
This comment on grocery shopping is the winner of best dinglelink of tribute three. In another episode, a gentleman shows the he knows his job, a prospect that makes his partner laugh. Later, week in blog regular Matt Lewis was puzzled by an attitude in the media.
It was diavlog 36372 that got PG into a dinglelink frenzy. (This one link has all the action mentioned in this paragraph.) First, Eli Lake gets in touch with his compassionate side. Less than two minutes later, Mr. Lake enjoys a smoke, and gets annoyed with his partner, the ever patient Heather Hurlburt.
Bloggingheads.tv tries to put new material up every day, and sometimes has two. It is ideal for multi tasking, unless you like to look at people talk. Some of the diavlogs are highly entertaining, some could put a speed freak to sleep. It is *still* a free service, and is worth every penny.

The facebook friend announced that he took a test, My Spiritual Profile. The results for the fbf were ” took the quiz and came out as a “Seeker.” No surprise there, I guess! “. PG thought this would be a good subject to write about, some text to put between the pictures. These images are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”
For those who are new to Chamblee54, here is the back story. PG is from Atlanta GA, where he continues to live. His family was Southern Baptist. PG left that tradition when he was 17. There have been flirtations with various “spiritual” paths, a week in a moonie camp, and a lifetime in the Jesus happy USA. In both politics and religion, PG is wary of moving lips.
There is a website called twenty two words. Back when they required posts to be twenty two words or less, they asked readers to describe their religion/non religion. PG turned this into a dandy post about his wonderful opinions. The answer was : 1. My beliefs are my business. 2. Practice outweighs belief. 3. G-d does not write books. 4. Jesus has nothing to do with Life after death.
The survey is ten multiple choice statements, where you choose a second half of the sentence. This makes for easy scoring. The bad news is that you often have to choose the least bad answer, rather than one you agree with. This is often the case with man made religions.
The first question was interesting. I try to feel close to G-d through… When PG first read it, he somehow did not see the “try to”, and thought it was asking when you feel close to G-d. PG questions the separation of G-d and man. He maintains that G-d lives in his heart, as an involuntary part of being a living human being. It is not something you have to make an effort to do. The correct answer, at least for the question as PG first understood it, was Going about my normal activities. These activities are not always normal.
The second question is an exercise in pounding a square peg into a round hole. This is typical of many religions, where you get the answers first, and tailor the questions to fit. The statement was When I have an extraordinary experience of God’s presence, I… The answer that was the best fit for PG was Hold it quietly in my heart. A bit of humble reticence would serve  our culture well.
The third question typifies a semantic mess in our culture. When I am questioned about my faith, I… It seems to PG that religion is becoming a dirty word, so people say “faith” instead. The danger is that faith will become a dirty word now. In any event, to PG the correct answer to that question is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! The use of cusswords in front of business is optional. For purposes of this study, PG chose Feel no need to defend myself
Question four spoke to PG, although not in the way that the designer of this survey intended. The first part reads If someone threatened to harm me unless I renounced my faith, I would… One of the key experiences in the evolution of PG has been the experience of hateful, aggressive preaching. People will use Jesus to hurt you, often as a part of petty quarrels. PG has suffered because of verbal abuse for Jesus.
The answer PG chose was Wonder if there were a new way to look at faith PG used to buy the line about a friendly Jesus. Then, he realized that the best way to know Jesus was through his believers. After years of verbal abuse from Jesus worshipers, PG came to the conclusion that JESUS HATES ME.
Number five was If I felt that G-d was calling me to perform an extraordinary feat, I would … There was a good answer to this. Do it humbly and quietly.
Number six is back to making the best of a bad choice. When I feel disconnected to the Holy One and wonder about G-d’s presence, I … What some people do not realize is that unhappiness, boredom and pain are just as much a part of life as love, peace, and joy. If G-d made everything, and is in everything, then she made the parts we don’t like. This business of “feeling disconnected” is just as important a part of the cycle as floating on clouds. The least bad answer to this is  Remember the way God was present to me in the past As you get older, your memory doesn’t work as well as before.
Number seven is another bad question. When others around me are trying to find God, I … Try to be a companion to them in their search. The other five answers begin with tell, recount, share, share, and teach. These are all variations on talk, and most people talk too much.
This question assumes two rather unlikely things…that someone is interested in your opinion, and that they will listen to your answer without interrupting. One of the serious problems PG has with Jesus worshipers (and by extension Jesus) is rudeness. Jesus worshipers are very rude people. If they hear something they don’t like, they will not hesitate to interrupt. They do not like to listen. (There are exceptions to this. PG has met very few.)
Number eight is not that great either. If I were going through a period of doubt in my life, I would … For the long version of this, see the answer to question four above. The answer given today is Try to remember that doubt can lead to surprising insights.
Number nine was written by someone who does not have a blog. If a story were written about my spiritual life, I’d want it to say that I … With the internet, anyone with internet access, and too much free time, can write about that fuzzy subject. PG likes the DIY approach. . For the sake of the almighty algorithm, the choice today was Embraced new truth when it was revealed to me.
Number ten is the last question of this survey, and comes not a moment too soon. When I think of being a person of faith in my everyday life, I want to… The phrase “person of faith” sounds bad in the mouth. Certain pundits use the phrase “person of no faith” as an insult, which makes PG ask who appointed them as the judge. This gets back to the whole faith/religion quagmire, and is not productive for living a good life. But, if PG wants the computer to tell him what kind of spiritual critter he is, an answer  is required. Remain open to new possibilities of experiencing God.
The answer is that PG is a seeker. This seems to be based on asking questions, rather than accepting answers. What this does not discuss is the issue of “seeker fatigue”. Man has all sorts of questions and answers, and it can be confusing and tiresome. When you add anger and control issues to the mix, the results can be most unappealing. At this point in his life, PG just wants to enjoy what time he has left.

PG heard an uplifting story from his friend Uzi yesterday. They went for a walk at the river, and when they arrived the parking lot was almost empty. When it is 95 degrees in the shade, few people go hiking.
A certain onomatopoetic expression for animal waste is a key part of this story. It happens. In an effort to keep this blog family friendly, we will use gentle language. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
A sparrow was going to be different, and stay up north for the winter. He didn’t see the point of flying a thousand miles south, just to turn around and fly back. While Jesus may have his eye on the sparrow, the bird did not lend him it’s ear.
When winter arrived, the bird realized it had made a mistake. It started to head south, but it was too late. A cold wind froze his wings, and he fell to the ground. It did not look good for the sparrow.
Along comes a cow. He deposits a load of warm fertilizer on top of the sparrow. The warm matter thaws out his wings, and he has a new lease on life. The sparrow starts to sing, he is so happy.
A cat is walking through the pasture, and hears the sparrow singing. His claws pulls the cowpie off of the sparrow. Before the bird can get away, the cat grabs it, and eats the sparrow for lunch.
There are three morals to this story. Just because someone dumps on you, they are not always your enemy. Just because someone pulls you out from under the waste matter, they are not always your friend. And last, but not least, when you enjoy good fortune, keep your mouth shut.

There has never been a performer quite like Tiny Tim.
Herbert Khaury was born April 12 1932, to a Lebanese father and a Polish Jew mother. At an early age, he developed a love of vaudeville style music. He learned to play a ukelele, and began performing in his natural baritone voice.
One night, Mr. Khaury discovered falsetto singing. After trying numerous stage names, he settled on Tiny Tim. He got the attention of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In, and appeared on that show. Laugh In made Tiny Tim an overnight sensation. He performed “Tip Toe Through The Tulips”.
On December 17, 1969, Tiny Tim married Miss Vickie (Victoria Mae Budinger) on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. The show attracted an estimated 40 million viewers. The couple had a daughter, Tulip Victoria, and divorced after 8 years of marriage.
Tiny Tim continued to perform up until his death November 30, 1996. He had diabetes and heart problems. As wikipedia tells the tale: “He continued to play concerts despite the warnings that, due to the fragile state of his heart, he could die at any moment. While playing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” at a Gala Benefit at The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis on 30 November of that year, he suffered another heart attack on stage. He was led out by his third wife, Susan Marie Gardner (“Miss Sue”, whom he had married on 18 August 1995), who asked him if he was okay. Tim responded, “No, I’m not!”, his final words…He is interred in the mausoleum of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.
There is a tribute site to Tiny Tim, and an official site. Under Tiny Trivia, the following items are listed.: 01. Tiny Tim was a devout Christian. 02. Tiny Tim had diabetes. 03. Tiny Tim was 6′ 1′ tall!! 04. One time, when Tiny Tim was staying at Ceasar’s Palace, he decided to have a little fun and order ONE OF EVERYTHING on the menu! 05. Tiny Tim used Eterna 27 by Revlon.06. He also used Jergen’s Body Shampoo.07 He used Vaseline Intensive Care: the yellow bottle for his upper torso and the green bottle for his lower half. 08. Tiny Tim also used Oil of Olay – eight times a day.09. Tiny Tim never ate cheese or meat. 10. Tiny Tim liked to use Viva papertowels after showering in hotels because he didn’t trust the cleanliness of hotel towels. .11. Tiny constantly washed his hands and “creamed” his hands with lotion afterwards. 12. Tiny Tim loved, in this order, #1 pizza, #2 chinese food, #3 popcorn.
This is a repost

PG is reading Hitch-22: A Memoir,  produced by Christopher Hitchens . While researching this post, PG entered Christopher into the google search engine. The suggested last names were Hitchens, Columbus, Walken, Nolan, and Reeve. A digital source tells us that the name Christopher comes from “Ancient Greek Χριστόφορος or ‘Christ-bearing’. The meaning of the name suggested the legend of St. Christopher carrying the Christ child across water.” If this was Mr. Hitchens, he would probably spike the brat into the drink.
Hitch 22: A Memoir should be a dynamite read. Whatever you think of his opinions, the fact remains that Christopher Hitchens is an entertaining writer. Alas, this book is dull. PG wound up skipping over parts,  and probably will not finish it.
PG first heard of Christopher Hitchens after the demise of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana. Mr. Hitchens wrote pieces critical of these two, when the post mortem media adoration was becoming obnoxious. The index to H22AM does not mention Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu or Diana Frances Spencer Windsor. Maybe this is being saved for Hitch 22.2.
This second volume is in doubt. Mr. Hitchens is in a battle with oesophageal cancer. He continues to produce, with a piece about Michele Bachmann appearing in Slate on Wednesday. The illness makes some wonder about his much touted atheism. Jesus worship religion has devolved into a scheme for life after death. Some say Mr. Hitchens will have a deathbed conversion. The man begs to differ.
The issue where Mr. Hitchens and PG have a profound disagreement is Operation Iraqi Freedom. . Mr. Hitchens was horrified by the regime of Saddam Hussein. He said “However—and here is the clinching and obvious point—Saddam Hussein is not going to survive. His regime is on the verge of implosion. It has long passed the point of diminishing returns. Like the Ceausescu edifice in Romania, it is a pyramid balanced on its apex (its powerbase a minority of the Sunni minority), and when it falls, all the consequences of a post-Saddam Iraq will be with us anyway. To suggest that these consequences—Sunni-Shi’a rivalry, conflict over the boundaries of Kurdistan, possible meddling from Turkey or Iran, vertiginous fluctuations in oil prices and production, social chaos—are attributable only to intervention is to be completely blind to the impending reality. The choices are two and only two—to experience these consequences with an American or international presence or to watch them unfold as if they were none of our business.”
PG does not dispute the evil nature of Saddam Hussein. (It is suspected that this evil became more intense as a result of the war with Iran in the eighties. This war was encouraged by the United States. When you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind.) The difference between PG and Mr. Hitchens is in the response to this evil. PG remembers the difficulty of bringing “Peace with honor” to the Vietnam conflict. War is incredibly expensive, and has unexpected consequences. PG felt we were opening a Pandora’s box in Babylon, and we would not be able to close it. Neither PG nor Christopher Hitchens is willing to admit error regarding this war.
The book is not a total loss, and perhaps readers with more patience than PG will enjoy it. Mr. Hitchens has led an interesting life, with quite a few good stories. There was a socialist mentor, who was on his deathbed when Mr. Hitchens went to visit. He asked the mentor to autograph a book, using the “old left salutation” “fraternally yours”. The mentor was hard of hearing at the time. He gave Mr. Hitchens a dirty look, and said “I do not believe in eternity”.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.