Sympathy

No blogging lately becasue it's tough typing with only your left hand. You see, I broke my arm last Saturday. Needed surgery to repair. It's in a cast now. And then on Memorial Day Monday, I decided that I wasn't hurt quite enough, so while playing soccer with my 1 year old in my parents' backyard, I thought I'd better kick a tree instead of the ball. So now my toes are broken too.

Shaq

I was watching game 4 of the Heat-Pistons series the other night and, for a moment, right after the 7' 1" 325 lb. Shaq blocked an errant entry pass, corraled the ball, and went coast to coast for a tremendous lay-up, and THEN did an abrupt U-turn and (even faster!!!) streaked up court to get back on defense, I was sure that nothing Shaq could do from then on would impress me quite as much as this latest flourish. Well, that was before I read this story about Shaq arresting perverts by subduing them using his mere presence as a weapon. Absolute genius quote:

"I do not have to run after the people or tackle them. They always surrender peacefully[.]"

I bet. Show me the kiddie porn sicko who would have the stones to stand up to Shaq. Little bastards probably wet their pants right then and there.


12 sided salute to Superficial for the link.

Jet Fuel

Credit where credit due. Donald Rumsfeld has authorized the USAF to explore alternate fuels for its fleet of jets.

"Energy is a national security issue," said Michael A. Aimone, the Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for logistics.

The United States is unlikely ever to become fully independent of foreign oil, Mr. Aimone said, but the intent of the Air Force project is "to develop enough independence to have assured domestic supplies for aviation purposes."

Not exactly as ambitious as I'd like, but I welcome any progress at all towards the development of alternate fuels.

8,000 MPG

A British inventor has developed an engine that gets 8,000 miles to the gallon. No that is not a misprint. 8 oh oh oh. How fast does it go? How durable is the motor? Can it go from 0 to 60 in less than a week? I have no idea. The point is, the technology for high efficiency cars is available.

Now why, during this time of struggle against terror financing oil sheiks, isn't our number one priority to put those assholes out of business for good? Why don't we put our heads together, build a better mouse trap, demand accordingly higher fuel standards from auto makers, and git 'er done?!?! Didn't we say right after 9/11 that we'd go after their financing? Freeze the money? Well, let's get to it!

But of course we all know the reason why we don't do this. Because the collateral damage in an assault of this nature would be the many billions of dollars of profits earned each year by the US oil industry. And since the GOP "is" the oil industry, this will never happen so long as they are in power. So the money keeps flowing. So terror continues.

Oil is a funny thing. It brings great wealth who those countries who control it, but it requires no ingenuity, no entrepreneurship, no perserverance. Just a drill. Therefore the country's rich are rich, the country's poor are poor, all without the benefit of a functioning economy. But what would happen if no one wanted their primary export? If the sheik's money tree dried up? Something tells me that the civilization that invented algebra, chess, clocks, soap, coffee, and a hundred other things, would begin the long climb out of their backwards fundamentalist state and into a new age of resourcefulness and general enterprise. At least that's what I hope would happen.


Link via Drudge.

GOP Out of Ideas

Finally. Someone has finally bothered to point out that it is not the Democrats but the Republicans who, when it comes to strengthening our nation, have no ideas whatsoever.

The Republicans' problem is not simply their inability to run their government and wage their war of choice, it is also their bankruptcy of ideas. On taxes, the Republican legislative leaders' top priorities are to make permanent the tax cut on investment income and to repeal the estate tax -- economics, as ever, for our wealthiest 1 percent. (This at a time when the entire theory of trickle-down has been negated by the propensity of U.S. corporations to use their shareholders' investments to expand abroad rather than at home.) On energy, the notions of tougher fuel economy standards and mandating a shift to renewable energy sources are so alien to the Republicans' DNA that they come forth with such proposals as Bill Frist's $100 rebate, the most short-lived legislative initiative in recent memory.

Good point about the obvious shortfall of the trickle-down "philosophy." Lest anyone forget, let me say once again that the entire GOP legislative agenda consists of just one single idea: to enrich themselves and their friends. Period.

A Better Tomorrow

Anyone else think the recent stock market gains are just the pricing in of an expected Democratic takeover and a likely return to sanity and wealth creation?? I have my suspicions. All I have say is this: buy now and you won't be sorry.

Operation Photo-Op

Since President Bush is such a famously hard worker, such that he can't even travel from point A to point B without "deciding" something, it makes perfect sense that the U.S. is spending $6.1 billion needed to build a fleet of 23 new presidential helicopters. I think whoever made the call to order 23 was a particularly astute fellow, because you never know when your other 22 helicopters will be in the shop for a tune up. Always good to plan for contingencies.

Of course, in addition to causing me to wonder how many miles of new Chicago subway could be built with these funds, what struck me about the new helicopter order was the following spec:

Cabin: Measuring eight feet wide and 25 feet long, the cabin will include a lavatory and a galley kitchen. The fold-down stair spares the president from ducking during photogenic entrances and exits.

Because we all know that nothing gets between the President and his photo-ops. See, every time the President has to duck through a doorway, the terrorists win.