Tomorrow night I head out on the "trip"; this weekend I headed to Bordentown and Trenton for some sightseeing. Pics can be found here.

Training went well; no one in our flight broke anything, although bodies and egos were bruised a bit at times. Granted, it wasn't to turn us into Army- or Marine-trained killers; heck, we're usually the ones to fly them there, but it does give us more info than what we had before we arrived. And, having hands-on training is a whole lot better than the computer-based training slideshows that we usually do.

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- DR

Just a quick note - I'm here for my training, and is should prove interesting starting tomorrow. At least we've got this Sunday as well as all of next weekend to recover. Unfortunately, we can't leave base/post, and no alcohol during the training course.

The school has a cybercafe which we can use to check e-mail and other sites, so I'll try to keep some posting while we're still here.

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- DR

We had family portraits done this past Saturday out at Landa Park here in New Braunfels, and we would like to thank Amber for taking them! Some of them can be found here. We’ll be getting a disc with all of the pictures that were taken and will be providing the families with their own copy of the disc.

As I’m still getting things ready for the training and deployment, I had firearms training today with the M-16 qualification (yes, I know... Jeff with a rifle... SCARY!!!) and got some issue items (blanket, some cold weather gear, etc.). I’ve got chem warfare training tomorrow morning, followed by medical outprocessing (gotta get the shots!), and picking up the rest of the uniform items and getting them over to get the name tapes and stripes sewn on. Taking a look at the inventory list, I’ll be getting approximately $1,600 worth of “goodies”, all of which I can keep after I return.

Then on Wednesday it’s a flurry of final outprocessing on the base and packing bags, followed by an early wake up on Thursday for a morning flight to Atlanta and then an afternoon flight to Philly. Training starts Friday for two weeks, then a couple of days to recover prior to the other flights.

I’ll update more as I can.

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- Jeffrey

To let all of you know: I was short-noticed tasked to deploy to Kabul, Afghanistan later on next month. The deployment is currently scheduled for 6 months.

Please keep myself and my family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

I don't know how much internet access I'll have in regards to updating Facebook, Blurty, MySpace, or my Mac website, but I will try to provide updates when possible.

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- DR

I'm here at our local Cigar B&M/bar, currently listening to a drummer/guitarist playing mostly their own works mixed with John Mayer's, watching the highlights of the college football games one of the two big screens.

Not much has gone on recently; about the biggest news is that I'm finally getting out of the Awards & Decs office at work - if it wasn't for the bs office politics going on in there, it'd probably be a decent place to work. I've been there for over two years now, and desperately need the change. It wasn't so bad earlier with the previous boss, but he retired last year, and things sort of went down"hill" from there (pun intended for those in the know). Granted, he's an o.k. boss, but he tends to do more with former co-workers as well as the one he brought down to our office than those who were in the office at first. Part of it is location in the office - I'm sort of on my own on the far side, and he tried to bring all of the military (there's four of us in the office with 15 civilian contractors) together, but it just wouldn't work how he wanted to move us. At least with the old boss, he'd come over and talk - whether it was work or just daily BS; the current one doesn't do that with me. But he has no problem talking to, going to lunch with, or doing other stuff with his old co-workers. Doesn't make sense.

And it's not just the boss; it's some of the other civilian contractors. A year ago, a couple of them were the cause of making another one find a different job. No going-away breakfast was done for her, no card was passed around for all to sign, nothing. Recently, one of them got a job in a different office, and a card was passed, breakfast was bought, even the office was sort of decorated up. They started decorating the day before, and I had made a comment to the effect of "sort of early to decorate, isn't it?" which was construed as "I don't approve of the decorations" by one of the contractors who was decorating. Anyway, word went from her to her boss, which went to my boss, who pulled me out of the office to talk about it. Talk about frustrating!

Anyway - I know that the question will be asked to me as to where I want a going-away luncheon... as of right now, I don't want any. Not from that office, at least. I don't want the other contractors to feel pressured into attending something that they may not want to attend. I might just ask certain individuals to come up here one night and "celebrate" that way - the two contractors who I immediately work with and maybe some others in the office, but that'd be about it.

I'm hoping that the new office is much better, especially with more military in the office...

On other thoughts - I wish that the election was closer than a month and a half from now, just to not having to deal with all of the mudslinging that is going on between the two major parties. It's sad that the presidential nominee of one party is spending all his time blasting the vice presidential nominee of the other, and that other Hollywood types have to get involved ("what's her views on dinosaurs? It's a bad Disney movie in the making...").

I've been hearing ads on the radio for "An American Carol" which looks hilarious from the online ads that I've seen. I'm not much for the satire movies of late, but this is one that I'm going to have to see when it comes out on October 3rd. Maybe it'll wake Hollywood up that there are people who want to see something other than the anti-American crap that they're putting out lately.

It's going to be really interesting when "GI Joe" comes out next year, just to see how much they've changed the whole American storyline. It looks like, according to the Hasbro site, they've move back from being HQ'd in Brussels to "The Pit" in the US, and that it's back to being "American Hero" instead of the "international security force" that was originally mentioned.

Hope all is well wherever you may be, and my thoughts and prayers go out to those who are still affected by Hurricane Ike... A lot was lost in/on Galveston Island, and it hurts more especially since I've been there a couple of times already. I'm sure that I'd feel the same way if Jordan, Prior Lake, or Rapid City was destroyed by a tornado; probably even if something serious happened to Denver/Aurora, especially since I had been there the time that I was.

Anyway, Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- DR

Let us remember the office workers, the CEOs,
The janitors, the waitstaffs, and the CFOs.
Let us remember the Fathers, mothers and sons,
The daughters and others on their daily runs.

Their day started the same, just as the day before,
And all things changed, as they rushed for the door.

Let us remember the first responders,
Who bravely rushed in,
Not knowing what to expect,
Not saying goodbye to their kin.

Four planes changed a day, and thus a life,
Always remember to kiss the husband or wife;
Don't forget about your children too,
They also need an "I Love You."

Let us never forget, that Tuesday years ago,
When all things changed, that morning so.
*********
To those who lost family and friends in the attacks, we still mourn your loss...
To those who lost family and friends in defense of freedom, we still also mourn...
To those who are still defending freedom, wherever you may be, we thank you...

Well, we now know that not only is Senator Joe Biden is the selected running mate of BHO, but I guess we also know who BHO originally wanted...

Not really a good way to start a campaign, is it???

Anyway, this coming week begins the official start of campaign season with all of the festivities in Denver, not to mention *herding* the homeless into movie theaters, museums, and the zoo!!! And don't forget the haircuts, free of charge!

We'll find out McCain's veep selection next Friday, the festivities move to St Paul the following week with the RNC and Ron Paul's "Rally for the Republic" in Minneapolis, and then let the *fun* begin!

I have to wonder though... Paul's campaign was all about a "revolution"... Jesse Ventura's latest book is called "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me"... and Jesse is one of the speakers at Paul's rally... Hmmm... possibly a Paul/Ventura platform on the ballot in November? It would be interesting, wouldn't it?

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- DR

“America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.” - Barack Obama, 7 Aug 2008

It's interesting that this is what he says... not "I run because I want to make this country even better than before..." or "I run as a testament to this country which allows someone like Senator Clinton, or someone like myself, to be able to become a president; it's because of this country that we have been able to do this..."

Yes, I know that hindsight brings out statements that anyone could make; just like the "Monday morning quarterback" can state how he/she would have played better...

But still...

In these next 80-some days there will be two conventions, one "Campaign for Liberty" Rally, and then the elections themselves.

If you haven't done any research on the candidates' platforms, please do - be the informed voter, and vote with your heart - not how the media wants you to vote, but be true to yourself...

In further searching on-line for BHO's presidential agenda, I came across part of a speech that he gave in Colorado Springs on July 2nd, and I'll quote from the ChiTrib article...

"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set," he said Wednesday. "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

Now, other reports state that this was off-the-cuff (not on the tele-prompter script), and for him to say in Colorado Springs (home of Ft Carson, Peterson AFB and the USAF Academy) that we (the military) are not reliable...

I guess I can try to get a job with Jennings and Rall or Ravenwood, if needed... (if I'm not banished to Siberia, or worse, for these posts of mine...)

*NOTE: I originally wrote this on Friday, and new info has since come about; I'll insert as appropriate...

Topics for tonight’s rants include BHO’s “Mid-East/European Tour (but not to include US voters)”, A-B’s buyout, and “Mainstream Media – Balanced and Fair?”

So – 200,000 people showed up for BHO’s Berlin speech, which he is giving as part of a *cough* Congressional Delegation *cough* trip, and during this trip, he decides NOT TO VISIT members of the US Armed Forces at some of the bases located in southwestern Germany as “it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign”.

A couple of questions – If this is a CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION trip, why is it being funded by Presidential Campaign funds? It’s not a PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN stop, is it? Is Germany now one of the 57 states that BHO mentioned previously? And if it is a campaign-funded trip, why not visit Landstuhl, Ramstein, and other bases in “Little America”/the Kaiserslautern Military Community? If anything, at least to PERSONALLY THANK those who are there for defending his freedoms and allowing him to achieve the levels and goals that he has reached, as well as doing a bit of campaigning? There may not be as big of departure of military members when Bill Clinton was elected, but there’s still going to be quite a few dropping retirement paperwork right after the election to retire on December 31st.

Now, I know that other Americans have given speeches in Berlin; Kennedy and Reagan being two of the most memorable, but they were already US Presidents, not a candidate. I thought it was mighty presumptuous of him to originally want to give the speech at the Brandenburg Gate, and I’m glad that the Bundestag, or at least the local government in Berlin requested/recommended a change of venue.

I guess my main thoughts on this is that this whole trip is to a) get his name out to the world, and b) to try and show the American public that he is for talking to other world leaders… And I’m all right with it, but at least do it without the circus atmosphere… And call it for what it’s worth – it’s not a Congressional Delegation trip (has the media even shown Sen Reed & Sen Hagel on this trip?), but a presidential campaign stop tour.

My only request for not only BHO, but also for McCain, Chuck Baldwin, Ralph Nader, Bob Barr, Ted Weill, and all the other party candidates is that when you do these “world tours”, make sure and stop at the military bases, hospitals, Embassies, and other locations where Americans are at, as we are also voters, and in retrospect, your boss…

***********
*NOTE: The 200,000+ Germans in the Tiergarten were actually there for a FREE CONCERT, FREE BEER, AND FREE FOOD... So, the real question is: would there have been the same number in the audience if the mentioned freebies were not free???
In addition, with the revamp/paint that the plane got, the American Flag on the tail was replaced with his "O"... Are we not proud of the country's flag? It's things like this, and the non-visit with the US troops at Landstuhl that, as a member of the US military, makes me nervous if he gets elected and if I'll have a job in the next couple of years... Not that I'm really enthused about McCain, either.
***********

Next up – Anheuser-Busch’s buyout by InBev… Is it unfortunate? Yes. Would it have happened regardless? Yes. My only real concern on this is the status of the parks and conservations efforts that A-B does, to include the Seaworlds and Busch Gardens. InBev does only one thing – brew and distribute beer. And they do that successfully. They don’t want any other sub-divisions in their company. A-B has done a lot in the area of conservation efforts, not only at their parks but also as major sponsors of Ducks Unlimited and other animal-specific and natural resources conservation organizations. I hope that A-B InBev continues those efforts, and that they can find someone to purchase and continue to run the parks.

Although I’m not a big A-B fan beer-wise (last time I drank any of their brands was over 15 years ago, probably either one of their “American Original” series or a Red Wolf), they do have a great merchandising arm as well as the advertising is some of the better ones out there (Spuds MacKenzie, Louie & Frank, the frogs, and of course, the Clydesdales).

Ok – last item for now – the effect the media has on presidential (and other) races. It’s unfortunate that the media has not only kept all of the third party candidates out of the race, but also that they personally have selected both candidates for the Republican and Democratic Parties. Yes, primary/caucus voters made the actual “selections”, but it was the media who “pushed” McCain & BHO into the top spots. We, as the voters, did not do this. And why did this take place? Was it because of the fact that broadcast news, and media in general, are profit making arms of corporations, and they wanted to get ratings? Granted, HRC wasn’t even one of my top choices, but at least she has the background of being in the WH as First Lady, and knows a lot of the protocols that go along with president… It seems strange that when she first decided to run, the media was all “Hillary, Hillary, Hillary”… And then BHO arrived, and the media was swept up on the “Hope for Change for the Future”-bandwagon, and HRC was dumped by the media like a rotten sack of potatoes. And they did the same on the Republican side, pushing McCain on us instead of us voting for Romney, Huckabee or Paul. Was religion a big part as to why the media failed to bring Romney or Huckabee into the spotlight? Was Paul not brought in because of his truer conservative beliefs? Yes, McCain was a Vietnam POW, a Navy Captain, and a senator for much longer than HRC or BHO combined, but he also isn’t a “Reagan Republican/Conservative”, and I think that is what the media wanted… for profit’s sake.

And that, is a sad thing…

*NEW: We've got about three and a half months left before the elections and unfortunately I have a feeling that things will get worse before they get better, not including the conventions in Denver and St. Paul... Thankfully, there hasn't been a whole lot of mudslinging as of yet, but I'm sure it will come.

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard ('cause we really need it!)

- DR

I meant to post this yesterday, however we came down with some sort of bug...

Franklin Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer

June 6, 1944

My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas -- whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them--help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen.

Taken from MSNBC, FoxNews, and CNN websites...

So... Little Michigan and Little Florida were bad, disobeying Mother DNC by breaking the rules and they were scolded and punished by being "grounded". Was it because of too much complaining by Little MI and FL? Or because of too much complaining from Little MI & FL's friend Hillary, and Mother DNC just wanted some peace and quiet, so she gave in?

DNC... HAVE WE NO BALLS TO SAY "NO"??? Of course not... Liberal-Social-ism takes away anything resembling balls. The last time the Democrats actually had any real set of balls was when JFK made the commitment to have men on the moon by the end of the decade.

Lets see... what have they done since... Johnson got us into Vietnam, where the military was not able to do it's job; Carter didn't do anything when Iran held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days; and Clinton was getting blowjobs and using an intern as a humidor instead of taking out Bin Laden after two US Embassies and the USS Cole were bombed...

And now this fiasco in American Politics will be taken to Denver, or possibly earlier to St. Paul, depending on MT and SD Primaries, where one candidate will claim victory...

Thank you...

To those who have gone before...
to preserve the freedoms of today...
and establishing the democracies of tomorrow...

To Grandpa M, Great Uncle M, and Great Uncle B, and all others who served and are no longer along the living...

Thank you.

With the Democratic nomination selection process continuing for the 5th year now (or at least that what it seems like), and the confusion of one of the candidates with how many states that the US has (I guess he's already granted statehood to territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico, US V.I., and the others? - maybe that's the big "change" that he keeps talking about? - needing to "change" the number of stars on the flag?), I keep looking at the political pages on the news sites (CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc.) and since some of the sites have asked readers what questions they would ask the candidates, here's my list:

- Immigration - thoughts on illegal immigration, how do we stop the flow of illegals into the country, what should we do with the illegals currently in the country, what happens if they commit another crime (felony/manslaughter/etc), what's needed to improve the current process for those seeking legal immigration?

- Iraq/Afghanistan - what direction do we take, especially since congress as a whole hindered our process upon arrival/duration in country?

- Status of the Military - what direction does the military take; will we receive the funding that we need to maintain or increase our "edge" over non-allied/rogue countries; what benefits will be maintained or increased for active, guard/reserve, civilian, spouses, veterans and retirees? Or will the military be cut further in the likes of the previous two Dem presidents?

- Energy - Will you allow new oil drilling to take place as well as new refineries being built? What are your views on building new nuclear/wind turbine/solar-thermal plants? Will you support higher MPG levels for new vehicles being built? Will the government allow greater tax credits for those who "green" their houses/businesses with solar/wind/geothermal systems?

- Border Control - How will both the southern (w/Mexico) and northern (w/Canada) be secured? Will the government "imminent domain" land or pay a proper price to landowners to build walls (physical or virtual)?

- Farm/Food - Since the push for corn-based ethanol was generated due to a scientifically-unproven "global warming" need, will the government step in and push for more farms to grow corn and other grains for food instead of ethanol, especially when other crops could be used to create ethanol, such as switchgrass which Brazil uses?

- National Security - What will be your priority for national security? More intelligence? Implementation of REAL ID? If you had prior knowledge or was able to "take out" a possible threat (either individual or group, or another country said that they could provide an individual's "head on a silver platter"), would you do what was necessary to eliminate the threat?

- Rogue Nations - How would you handle conventional or nuclear threats by Iraq, North Korea, or other nations or terrorist groups towards not only America, but also to allied countries or areas, such as Israel or Europe?

Just some questions that I feel are important, of which I'd like the news folks to formally ask in upcoming debates... (but I know that they won't...)

Taken from here and here...

California Assemblyman Taxocrat, er, Democrat, Jim Beall, Jr. is proposing an approximate 1,500% tax increase (2 cents to 30 cents per can/bottle) to provide funding for health care services, crime prevention, and underage drinking awareness programs, to name a few recipients of an approximately $2 billion projected revenue.

I can see, maybe, a small increase for alcoholic products, to include beer, wine, liquor, "alco-pops", etc., to fund programs directed toward preventing underage drinking, but to only direct this toward beer drinkers? Does he not care that the microbrewery effort started in California with Fritz Maytag and Anchor Brewing? Where's the anti-tax voices from SABMiller, Molson-Coors, and Anheuser-Busch? Or is he directing this towards beer because he doesn't want to upset the state wine industry?

And again, if he's worried about health care, why not tax fast food, video games, sugar and high fructose corn syrup-laden sodas and food? Those are some of the real causes of health care needs - not beer… Especially when studies have proven that beer, when taken in moderation (two 12-oz servings for adult males, one 12-oz serving for adult females), are good for the body's health...

And doesn't part of the property taxes paid supposed to go to "crime prevention" in the form of local and state police departments? Does he think that only "beer drinkers" commit crimes? How about all of the illegal immigrants who are in the state? They're breaking the law by being here ILLEGALLY, but he wants to go after (additionally tax) the legal adult citizens who want to relax at their home, local bar, or elsewhere, and have an adult malt beverage…

And then to make the comment of "The people who use alcohol should pay for part of the cost to society, just like we've accepted that concept with tobacco". Excuse me… "accepted that concept with tobacco"? Not everyone has accepted that concept, and you should probably talk with some of your other state counterparts who are having to re-look at state-wide smoking bans and increased taxes with tobacco products because their states are not bringing in as much tax revenue as they originally thought.

For those in California who may be reading this, here's his contact information:

Capitol Office:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0024
Tel: (916) 319-2024
Fax: (916) 319-2124

District Office:
100 Paseo De San Antonio, Suite 300
San Jose, CA 95113
Tel: (408) 282-8920
Fax: (408) 282-8927

I finish this blog in paraphrasing a bear: "Remember, only you can prevent bureaucratic idiocy"… Do the research and vote!

Take Care, Live Life (in moderation!) and Pray Hard,
- DR

I've been meaning to post on this topic for a while, and a recent conversation with my wife is the cause for this post… When we were up north for my sister's wedding, we headed over to MOA (as we usually do on any trip up north), and I reflected on the lack of… oh, the "entertainment district" there. Now, when the MOA opened, the fourth floor "entertainment district" contained numerous restaurants, nightclubs, and bars, to include Planet Hollywood, Al E. Gators, Fat Tuesday, Gatlin Brothers Music City USA (which was followed by a Jillian's), a comedy club, a sports bar, among other businesses. Now, the only thing in that area is Hooters.

Some people say that it's due to the mall management wanting a higher rent/lease amount, and others say it's because of Bloomington's (where MOA is located) non-smoking ordinance (which was followed by a Hennepin County ban, and most recently a statewide ban).

Now, my problem is the fact that local/state/federal governments want to legislate how/where/when people can smoke/use tobacco products by creating bans, taxes, etc. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm against taxing items that only a certain percentage of the population use, and am against using those taxes for groups who shouldn't be receiving the proceeds (for example, allowing illegal immigrants to use SCHIP funds).

What this also does, is that it creates job security problems on all levels - for example, and bear with me on this, as it might take a while to go through:

- a state enacts a statewide ban on smoking in all public establishments, to include restaurants and bars, hoping to decrease health-related problems. That's all well and good, except that in "solving" one problem, they've created another one - unemployment…

- due to the statewide ban, restaurants and bars which used to allow smoking, are now having problems making ends meet due to a decrease in sales of food and alcohol, thus making the owners have to cut hours/workers (partial unemployment). Side note #1: due to the decrease in food and alcohol sales, less sales taxes are collected to send to the state…

- due to the decrease of food and alcohol sales, owners are unable to continue offering these services (unless they spend money that they are no longer bringing in to update their establishment, revamp the menu, etc. to try and bring in other clientele to make up for the lack of previous clients). If after a revamp, the restaurant or bar still is not making as much income as pre-ban, the owners close the place (full unemployment), declare bankruptcy, and possible foreclosure. Side note #2: due to the place closing, the city/state no longer receive property taxes, liquor license fees, restaurant fees, etc...

My thoughts on this is that personal choice and responsibility need to come into play - if a restaurant or bar owner wants to make their place "non-smoking", that is their choice. If they want to make it "smoking", that is also their choice, and then their responsibility is to make it well known that their place is a "smoking" establishment, as well as ensuring proper health codes are followed (air filtration systems, smoke eaters, etc.). If a non-smoker sees that a restaurant or bar is "smoking", they then have to make a choice of entering (of which they then accept the responsibility of possible second-hand smoke) or not, and going to another place.

At this point in our conversation, my wife asked me about "shouldn't the government be responsible for ensuring the health of people?" If the government was responsible for the health, wouldn’t it have made alcohol, tobacco, high fructose corn syrup, caffeine (in high doses), etc. illegal like it has for other drugs?

A solution for the smoking bans is for states to create a "smoking license" for bars and restaurants whose owners chose to make their establishments "smoking". Currently, liquor licenses are "sold" for places to legally sell beer, wine, and hard liquor, and the fees paid go into the city/state coffers. Basically, the "smoking license" would allow owners to have a "smoking" establishment, and they would receive the license after health officials came in and inspected the air filtration/smoke eater systems. This way, owners still have the choice of offering "smoke" or "non-smoke", smokers would still have a choice of places to go to, and the city/state can still receive the taxes (sales, property, license fees, etc.) as well as being responsible to the people of the state since the "smoking license" fee would go into a state health program "funding pot". Part of the responsibilty of receiving the "smoking license" would be allowing random inspections by the health department, similar to fire department inspections when they come around to inspect detectors, suppression systems, extinguishers, etc. If a bar or restaurant fails a health inspection after so many times, the place gets closed until resolved, and after three "strikes", the license gets pulled and the place then becomes mandatory "non-smoking".

Kind of an easy solution, if I don't say... Don't know why someone hasn't brought it up in a state yet...

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- DR

Presidential candidate mudslinging is in full swing here in the states, and until September, most of it seems to be between the two halves of the Partie Democrat… Barack vs Hillary… unless you want to include, as a CNN writer has mentioned in his blog, Al.

Now, I know that the election process is flawed (see Florida, 2000), and that changes are needed (eliminate the Electoral College?) but just to hand a nomination over to someone who isn't even currently in the running?

I don't think so…

It would be like letting Florida (again, *sigh*) and Michigan being allowed to have their delegates counted at the convention… Remember, you guys were told BEFORE you changed the primary dates that you would lose your delegates… and everyone in the party agreed… and you still changed the dates. And now, you want to be included because of the current delegate count.

I've pretty much stopped watching the news in regards to the elections, partly because it's all "Barack/Hillary said this… blah, blah, blah" and occasionally "McCain said this… blah". Excuse me, but isn't Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul still in the race? Why isn't anything being mentioned about Nader being back in? How about Alan Keys seeking the Constitution Party's nomination? Or Mike Gravel being the Libertarian's candidate? AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!

I'm reading "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me", which is Jesse Ventura's new book; basically a diary of his and his wife's trip from MN to Baja California, and his thoughts and recollections from when he was running for governor back in 1998 until present. I basically got it because a) I've read his other books, and enjoyed them, although I disagree with him on some things, b) I grew up watching him in the American Wrestling Association and World Wrestling Federation, and even then he was saying what was on his mind, which was "un-PC" before the term came around, and c) him having been elected as a Third Party candidate, I wanted to read his thoughts on the current political process… Anyway, the last chapter consists of "news articles" talking about his presidential run (announcing at WM24, picking RFK, Jr as VP, campaigning, etc) up to and just after election day.

As broke as what the American political process is now, we don't need a "change", we need a "revolution" - and whether it includes Ron Paul, Jesse Ventura, Michael Bloomberg, or someone else, we need it badly, and we need it now… Remember, we've already had one Third Party former wrestler elected to the Presidency...

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- DR

Date:	2008-01-07 15:29
Subject:	QuarterLife
Security:	Public
Mood:	indifferent
Music:	Eagles, "Long Road Out of Eden"

I don't recall where I first heard of Quarterlife; I'm thinking either from MySpace, YouTube, or Entertainment Weekly, but it's becoming one of the sites that I need to view when the new episodes are posted.

I've heard rumor that NBC has picked it up as a possible mid-season replacement, especially with nothing new coming out due to the writers' strike. As much as I'd like to see it turned into an actual series, I also want to see it kept as an on-line show, without all of the commercial interruptions (especially since there's quite a bit of product placement - Toyota, Pyramid brews, Apple, etc., in the episodes). And the time length of each one is easier to handle - 8-12 minutes vs 20-25 minutes between commercials.

Anyway, the real reason I wanted to post this is to find out if any one out there has created an account on Quarterlife, and how user-friendly it is compared with other social networking sites. Any still photographers (either SLR or digital) currently using Quarterlife out there? What are your likes/dislikes about QL?

I guess it's more of a question of "do I need to/should I sign up at another soc-net site" especially since I'm on Tribe, Facebook, HerfSpace, Cigar Live, Free-Association, and others forums...

Take Care, Live Life, and Pray Hard,
- DR

Date:	2008-01-05 22:51
Subject:	Happy New Year!
Security:	Public
Mood:	contemplative
Music:	Bruce Springsteen "Magic" album

A new year starts, and a new chapter begins...

Since the last post, we flew up north to visit my family & friends for Christmas, enjoying the snow (and the single/below zero temps), and now we're back here in TX, where I was out on the deck this afternoon, barefoot, enjoying a Shiner Amber and a Cuesta-Rey. As of 10:15pm, it's currently 66 degrees F. Wednesday morning (3 Jan) when we left, it was -2 degrees F. Projected high here for tomorrow - 80 degrees F.

Christmas was great; got some new CDs, DVDs and books that were on my "wish list" - Springsteen's "Magic" being one of them. Most of the presents for all of us are being sent, as we didn't have room in the luggage for them. The baby took her first sled rides, both solo (pulled on flat ground) and with both mommy and daddy in separate downhill runs.

The day after we arrived back in Dallas, I did a year-around volksmarch in Denton, and today I did a volksmarch in the Monte Vista residential area of SA. This walk started at Trinity University, and I was able to get credit for the American Authors & Literary Landmarks, the College Campus, and the Old Spanish Trail (.pdf file) special programs.

Not much else going on, and since it's getting past my bedtime, I hope all had a great holiday season, best of luck on keeping any resolutions you may have made, and take care, live life, and pray hard,
- DR

Here and Here