Chamblee54

In a scandinavian shocker, BHO has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The former Chicago politician supports sending more troops into Afghanistan. These soldiers will not be greeted as liberators. The cowardly use of unmanned aircraft in this conflict continues, and has possibly  increased.
BHO supports the spread of war into Pakistan. In addition to the Nobel affair, this is a violation of the US Constitution. Killing civilians in Pakistan with unmanned aircraft has not been authorized by Congress. No war against Pakistan has been declared. For that matter, no formal declaration of war was issued against Iraq, Afghanistan, or Terrorism.
This is not the first bizarre decision by the Nobel committee. In 1994, the prize was shared by Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin. 1990 saw Mikhail Gorbachev make the trip to Oslo. Le Duc Tho declined the award in 1973, because there was no peace in Vietnam. His co-designate, Henry Kissofdeath Kissinger, accepted the award. The word “honor”(as in “Peace with Honor”) took a beating that year.
In other years, no one was awarded the prize. The money in those years was allocated to the main fund. This was the approach in 1966-67, 1939-1943, and 1914-1916. In times of war, it is not always appropriate to award a peace prize.

Falcons owner Rankin Blank is trying to get big government to build a new stadium. The Georgia Dome is seventeen years old. It has hosted two super bowls and Olympic events. The Falcons did not play in either super bowl.
The State of Georgia needs to find a new source of water for four million people. Police are being furloughed. A local school system is losing accreditation. And the billionaire buddy of Bernie wants big government to spend a billion dollars on a new stadium.
The Falcons have never had back to back winning seasons. A few years ago, they drafted the most talented and exciting athlete in recent memory. After two winning seasons, he was sent to prison for dog fighting. Rankin Blank wants big government to spend a billion dollars on a new stadium.
The ruinous war in Babylon may cost upwards of three trillion dollars. This could pay for a three thousand new stadiums. We have gotten revenge for nine eleven, by attacking the enemy of the people who attacked us. Big government does strange things.

A couple of weeks after Al Gore got more votes than George Bush, PG bought a computer. A little while later, he read “Sarah”. PG thought he would send J.T. Leroy a fan email. The very next day, a reply came. PG felt  good about this, until he found out that J.T. Leroy was a hoax.
Moving ahead a few years, PG reads “Michael Tolliver Lives” and “The Night Listener” by Armistead Maupin. “Listener” is semi autobiographical, and deals with a literary hoax. The reader never knows for sure what the score is. After a while, Mr. Reader wonders the same thing about the “real” details that illustrate the story.
It is said that one way an author can tell the truth is to write fiction. Mr. Maupin tells a moving story in both books. “Michael” is admitted fiction, but enough connections to reality that the reader wonders who is a stand in for what. In “Listener”, the story holds up, until the author makes a fateful trip to Wisconsin. Then the slippery slope story hurtles downhill into the bejeweled elephant. While the story may be fake, and about fakery, the emotions it stirs in the reader are genuine
PG read an interview with the “real” Mr. Maupin once, probably around the late eighties. At the time, “Outing”, or telling everyone in earshot that so and so is gay, was the fashion. Mr. Maupin got into it with gusto, especially regarding a TV actor with a big mustache.
PG was put off by the entire affair. Government leaders who make policy could, arguably, have their “dirty laundry” exposed. However, why should anyone worry about a TV performer? If someone wants to let the public connect the dots, so be it.
Reading “The Night Listener” reveals a bit of back story. At the time of the interview, Mr. Maupin’s lover, Terry Anderson, (from Marietta, GA.) had AIDS. He was not expected to make it. Mr. Maupin, a de facto spokesman for planet homo, was in a world of hurt.
The appearance of miracle drugs in the late nineties saved Terry Anderson and Michael Tolliver. They almost did in Armistead Maupin. The good news is that writing is a source of life for Mr. Maupin.
It is his gift to take this pain, and render it into stories that are fun to read. As for the belief issue…the role of fiction if to create questions, not answers. Maybe it is a function of Jesus Worship to cause people to take myths seriously, to confuse mythos for logos.
PG wonders if the difference is important. As with the TV actor, once the reader has been transported by the book, what difference does it make if it is technically true?

PG got the call from Uzi at about 1:30. The power had gone out, and Uzi was ready to go. PG agreed to be over in a few minutes.
Uzi wanted to go to the Sandy Springs Festival. This did not do much for PG, but, seeing as he didn’t have any better ideas, decided to go along. Last year, PG had seen a way to get in without paying the five dollar admission.
The cheapskate method involved walking away from the main entrance, and coming in through a church parking lot. PG saw a staircase that led from the road into the parking lot. About three steps from the asphalt, the front of PG’s brand new walmart sneakers caught on a plank, and PG tumbled to the last step. He was able to pull himself up, declare the injuries minor, and walked into the festival without paying.
The rows of white tents had the usual assortment of politicians, home made barbecue sauce, and wild animals made of old auto parts painted gaudy colors. Almost none of it appealed to PG. The people watching was up to par, and the sunshine..after a mini monsoon season…put the crowd in a cheerful mood.
At one point, a Democratic party tent was ignored, and PG wandered over out of kindness. Uzi saw some papers about debt collectors, and started a cheerful discussion with the democrats. At this point, PG wandered back into the aisle.
There was a tent,full of Jews for Jesus. The lady asked PG if he would like a book. PG said, do I have to read it? The discussion did not last long, with both sides opting not to use heavy artillery.
Before long, the scene was the car in the old target parking lot, and it was time to wonder about dinner. Uzi had a coupon for Folks, formerly known as PoFolks. The Windy Hill location did not have the misspelled menus that had plagued PoFolks. The restroom was clean, and had a paper towel dispenser operated by a motion detector.

Sometimes, the “legitimate” newspapers make the tabloids look tame. Three stories today make this point. Blogs can cover both “real” news and tabloid trash with equal lack of profits. HT for the first two stories goes to JoemyG-d.
The mayor of East Cleveland ( presumably in Ohio) is a man named Gary Brewer. He is in an election, and somehow pictures of him in drag have been inflicted on the population. The man is too ugly to be seen in public, no matter what gender his clothing was intended for.
The former Miss California, Carrie Prejean, is back in the market. It seems as though she posed for some halloween costumes. The costumes show a lot of skin. The rumors that Miss Prejean will be appearing soon in a Perez Hilton costume were neither confirmed nor denied.
These things seem to work in threes. Mackenzie Phillips was promoting her new book on the Oprah Winfrey show. Miss Phillips opened her mouth, and her lips moved. A sordid tale of incest and drug abuse came forth. One monday night, Papa John said to his little girl, lets think of Mama Cass and make a ham sandwich.
Her ever supportive step mother,Michelle Phillips, said that Mackenzie was probably lying. Michelle Phillips had previously sent a letter to People magazine, where she expressed the hope that Papa John’s attempt at rehab number nine would work better than the previous eight.
If youtube does not have sound, try another browser. Firefox seems to have problems with youtube. This is the one thing Internet Explorer seems to be better at.

When PG was a kid, his grandmother lived in a side apartment, in a house on Virginia Avenue. The owner of the house was Mrs. Stuckey. ( PG never learned her “real” name, and assumed that checks were made out to Mrs.) There was a framed piece of paper in Mrs. Stuckey’s hall. The top said “The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do” , and featured the logo of the Rotary Club. The four rules were simple, on the surface.
Is it the TRUTH?//Is it FAIR to all Concerned?//Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?//Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The four way test was written by Herbert J. Taylor. In 1932, Mr.Taylor took over the bankrupt Club Aluminum Company of Chicago. Trying to revive the company during the depression, Mr. Taylor wrote a code of ethics, that would be the basis for the company’s actions.
Many said that the four way test was not practical for the business world. The balancing of integrity and ambition can be daunting. It was said that “This emphasis on truth, fairness and consideration provide a moral diet so rich that it gives some people “ethical indigestion.”
PG maintains that fair is a baseball hit between first and third base. Sometimes, the umpire makes the wrong call. In the “real world”, the different points of view in a dispute make rendering a fair judgment a difficult task, if not an impossible one.
There is a story about the revival of Club Aluminum. ” One day, the sales manager announced a possible order for 50,000 utensils. Sales were low and the company was still struggling at the bankruptcy level. The senior managers certainly needed and wanted that sale, but there was a hitch. The sales manager learned that the potential customer intended to sell the products at cut-rate prices. “That wouldn’t be fair to our regular dealers who have been advertising and promoting our product consistently,” he said. In one of the toughest decisions the company made that year, the order was turned down. There was no question this transaction would have made a mockery out of The Four-Way Test the company professed to live by.”
How did the sales manager learn of the intentions of this buyer? Was he tipped off by one of the “regular customers” who feared competition? Was this “regular customer” lying? Many inspirational stories leave out crucial details.
As it turns out, Club Aluminum did sell enough product to emerge from bankruptcy. “By 1937, Club Aluminum’s indebtedness was paid off and during the next 15 years, the firm distributed more than $1 million in dividends to its stockholders. Its net worth climbed to more than $2 million.”
Club Aluminum cookware was cast, not spun. It is heavy, and is a prized collectors item today. As for the Club Aluminum company ” Standard International Corporation bought it in 1968. Regalware made and marketed Club Aluminum for a while, but went out of business in the mid-1980s. The brand name was eventually obtained by the Mirro Company.”

Can you cry under water?//How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?// Why do you have to ‘put your two cents in’… but it’s only a ‘penny for your thoughts’? Where’s that extra penny going to? (A fool and his money are soon parted)// Once you’re in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?//Why does a round pizza come in a square box?// What disease did cured ham actually have?//How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?// Why is it that people say they ‘slept like a baby’ when babies wake up like every two hours?//If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?// Why are you IN a movie, but you’re ON TV?//Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?// Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They’re going to see you naked anyway.//Why is ‘bra’ singular and ‘panties’ plural?// Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?//If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?(For an answer to this, go here)// If the professor on Gilligan’s Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can’t he fix a hole in a boat?//Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They’re both dogs!// If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn’t he just buy dinner?//If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?or motor oil?// If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?//Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?// Why did you just try singing the two songs above?//Why do they call it an asteroid when it’s outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it’s in your butt?// Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window? (Halitosis)// Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?//Why do banks charge a fee on ‘insufficient funds’ when they know there is not enough money?//Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?// Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?//Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?// Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?//Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?// Whose idea was it to put an ‘S’ in the word ‘lisp’?//If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?// Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?//Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?// Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?//Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?// Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?//How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?// When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, ‘It’s all right?’ Well, it isn’t all right, so why don’t we say, ‘That really hurt, why don’t you watch where you’re going?’// Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that’s falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?// In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?//How come you never hear father-in-law jokes? Or old husband tales?// Why are accused criminals referred to by first, middle, and last names?//Why is oatmeal always sold in a round box?// Did Joseph think it was his kid?//And my FAVORITE…….The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends — if they’re okay, then it’s you. The nucleus of this feature was posted on Facebook by Alex Swan on September 22. The original author is unknown.

BHO was on Dave Letterman, showing his skills as an entertainer. While the role of governance is open to dispute…always…BHO is showing himself to be the best show biz POTUS since Ronald Reagan. Nancy’s husband had the advantage of being an actor, before entering politics.
The issue of racism was brought up, and deftly addressed by BHO. He knows that many people are tired of whining about race, and would rather deal with the issues. BHO also understands that being the nation’s whipping boy is a part of the job on Pennsylvania Avenue.
PG asks, is BHO really black? Yes, he has dark skin. Yes, he has a “black identity”, nurtured from his days as a community organizer in Chicago, and worshiping with Jeremiah Wright.
The fact also remains that he had a white mother. (If Ann Dunham had been Jewish, BHO would be a Jew) His father was a scholar from Kenya. BHO is not the descendant of slaves. His ancestors did not have to go to the back of the bus. His grandfather did not live with the wretched discrimination of pre civil rights America.
Health care reform and the wars abroad are critical issues that affect the ability of America to survive. When you label those with whom you disagree “racist”, you avoid dealing with their objections. BHO seems to know this, and appears ready to move on. The question is, will his supporters follow?