Shell, headquartered in the Netherlands, naturally plans to use a Dutch outfit, Smit Salvage, to try to retrieve that behemoth drilling platform stranded at Kodiak Island.
The only question now is whether the rig will come off the beach whole, or in pieces.
Here is Shell's statement on the grounding.
Get your bids in, boys!
Looks like Southeast Alaska salmon seiners are pursuing another buyback to further reduce their ranks.
Here's a letter that went out to permit holders recently.
You'll recall that last year, the fleet bought and retired 64 permits using a $13.1 million federal loan.
The fishery currently has 315 permits.
Here's a letter that went out to permit holders recently.
You'll recall that last year, the fleet bought and retired 64 permits using a $13.1 million federal loan.
The fishery currently has 315 permits.
Hey Christian...Give Me Your Brain.
Did you read the latest Joel Osteen book? How about the latest Rick Warren book? John Ortberg? John MacArthur? Francis Chan? How about Timothy Keller? Come on! You haven't read Timothy Keller's book....Counterfeit Gods???? I can't believe it.
Yes, there are so many books out there for you to read and get your spirit uplifted, your soul repaired and your heart healed. Then, there are others that can fix your marriage, fix your kids, help you lose weight the GOD way, find that perfect mate to walk God's path with, help you at work, help you at golf, help you get rich, show you how to keep from getting poor, how to talk to your spouse, how not to talk to your spouse and the list goes on and on and on and on. The one I like the best is 'How to Fish With God On Your Hook'. Woo-wee, that's a good'n.
I heard a preacher one time tell a story about giving a non-Christian a small copy of the Gospel of John. When he told another preacher about it, he was chastised by his friend. "What? No study guides to go with it? No pamphlets? No literature at all?" The first one replied, "The Bible is like a lion, you can let it out by itself...it'll be okay."
Boy, how that mindset has flown out the window. Read the Bible? How gauche!!! Now, some will immediately retort, (read the following with a whiny voice) "I read the Bible!! Don't you tell me I don't read the Bible!!" Yeah, and then you supplement it with one or more of the authors above so you can get your spiritual boogie on for a few minutes.
Funny how the Bible goes into great depth to tell us how to have a good marriage. It tells how to fix our kids. It has its own weight plan and shows us how to find the mate God has in store for us. In fact, in the Bible is everything you would ever want to know about how to live a victorious life, a life of contentment, a life of joy. The problem is most of us don't want what it offers because it requires total submission to the one true God. But, again, I digress.
I've heard the lame excuses. (Again, read in whiny voice...Christians are so whiny) "But I don't understand the Bible. It's too hard to understand." That's nothing more than a cop out. You want to understand the Bible? First, get one and actually open it. Second, make sure you have a Nave's Topical Bible with you. Third, have a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance in your lap. Fourth, have close by a Thayer's Hebrew/Greek Lexicon. That's all you need. ALL...YOU...NEED. The fifth thing you have to do is not go into the Bible with preconceived notions or personal agendas, but with an open and prayerful mind.
The reason the Osteens and the Warrens and the Stanleys of this world are so rich is because suckers throw their money at these people to learn what they themselves can get in their own living room. Not only that, but you can learn more that way than from them. Instead of watching these goofballs and looking for a 'word' from them, find a church that suits you and support that pastor and that ministry and get involved on a more personal level. OHHH, but that means EXPOSURE. Yes it does. But you don't have to worry too much since you won't be fully exposed like the pastor or his staff.
You want your heart touched? Read the Bible. You want a word from God? Read your Bible. You want to know how to fix your marriage? Read the Bible. But, there's one more thing you have to do. Once you've read it, start doing your dead level best to live it. Don't trust anybody you don't really know about spiritual things. Trust your pastor that you know personally. Trust the Bible. And Trust God.
And, if you need one of these TV guys or one of these mega-church multi-millionaires to feel as if you got a word that seemed like it was almost sent directly from heaven??? Then you're further away from what it means to have a personal relationship with the Father than you ever realized.
One of the reasons the church of today is in the miserable shape it finds itself is because precious few people that line the pews spend enough time in the word and on their knees. No, they would rather clog their brain pipes up with these heralded trumpeters of truth...when the only truth, the real truth, and nothing but the truth is found in the book you have on your coffee table that's called, The Bible. But, what do I know? I'm sure there's many out there who will disagree and that's fine. Get your own blog and talk about it there.
Yes, there are so many books out there for you to read and get your spirit uplifted, your soul repaired and your heart healed. Then, there are others that can fix your marriage, fix your kids, help you lose weight the GOD way, find that perfect mate to walk God's path with, help you at work, help you at golf, help you get rich, show you how to keep from getting poor, how to talk to your spouse, how not to talk to your spouse and the list goes on and on and on and on. The one I like the best is 'How to Fish With God On Your Hook'. Woo-wee, that's a good'n.
I heard a preacher one time tell a story about giving a non-Christian a small copy of the Gospel of John. When he told another preacher about it, he was chastised by his friend. "What? No study guides to go with it? No pamphlets? No literature at all?" The first one replied, "The Bible is like a lion, you can let it out by itself...it'll be okay."
Boy, how that mindset has flown out the window. Read the Bible? How gauche!!! Now, some will immediately retort, (read the following with a whiny voice) "I read the Bible!! Don't you tell me I don't read the Bible!!" Yeah, and then you supplement it with one or more of the authors above so you can get your spiritual boogie on for a few minutes.
Funny how the Bible goes into great depth to tell us how to have a good marriage. It tells how to fix our kids. It has its own weight plan and shows us how to find the mate God has in store for us. In fact, in the Bible is everything you would ever want to know about how to live a victorious life, a life of contentment, a life of joy. The problem is most of us don't want what it offers because it requires total submission to the one true God. But, again, I digress.
I've heard the lame excuses. (Again, read in whiny voice...Christians are so whiny) "But I don't understand the Bible. It's too hard to understand." That's nothing more than a cop out. You want to understand the Bible? First, get one and actually open it. Second, make sure you have a Nave's Topical Bible with you. Third, have a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance in your lap. Fourth, have close by a Thayer's Hebrew/Greek Lexicon. That's all you need. ALL...YOU...NEED. The fifth thing you have to do is not go into the Bible with preconceived notions or personal agendas, but with an open and prayerful mind.
The reason the Osteens and the Warrens and the Stanleys of this world are so rich is because suckers throw their money at these people to learn what they themselves can get in their own living room. Not only that, but you can learn more that way than from them. Instead of watching these goofballs and looking for a 'word' from them, find a church that suits you and support that pastor and that ministry and get involved on a more personal level. OHHH, but that means EXPOSURE. Yes it does. But you don't have to worry too much since you won't be fully exposed like the pastor or his staff.
You want your heart touched? Read the Bible. You want a word from God? Read your Bible. You want to know how to fix your marriage? Read the Bible. But, there's one more thing you have to do. Once you've read it, start doing your dead level best to live it. Don't trust anybody you don't really know about spiritual things. Trust your pastor that you know personally. Trust the Bible. And Trust God.
And, if you need one of these TV guys or one of these mega-church multi-millionaires to feel as if you got a word that seemed like it was almost sent directly from heaven??? Then you're further away from what it means to have a personal relationship with the Father than you ever realized.
One of the reasons the church of today is in the miserable shape it finds itself is because precious few people that line the pews spend enough time in the word and on their knees. No, they would rather clog their brain pipes up with these heralded trumpeters of truth...when the only truth, the real truth, and nothing but the truth is found in the book you have on your coffee table that's called, The Bible. But, what do I know? I'm sure there's many out there who will disagree and that's fine. Get your own blog and talk about it there.
Hard aground
Any hope for the Kulluk? USCG photoAnd here's a map of the platform's location.
The latest word from the unified command is the vessel remains stable, with no sign of a hull breach.
This is news? Well....sort of.
So, 86 year old Hugh Hefner married a 26 year old. Ewwwww. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not against older guys going after younger women. But...really? A 60 year age difference? That's not robbing the cradle, that's....that's...robbing the mother's egg when the mother was like...20? I say again, ewwwwww. Hef's oldest daughter is 60. How would you like to be 60 and your stepmom be 26? I can't help myself....ewwwwwww.
We all know what the deal is. For her, it's about money and 'prestige'...I guess. For him...well, we know what it's about for him.
I think a line from a movie...which I've used before, is appropriate here. Olympia Dukakis as Rose, in Moonstruck, tells her cheating husband, Cosmo, "I just want you to know that no matter what you do, you're still gonna die. Just like everybody else."
Young, beautiful women are not the fountain of youth. If they were, Hef would still look like he was thirty. Their skin is still smooth, it's not wrinkled, and they look good. Other than that, I can't come up with anything else.
These two have absolutely nothing in common. Nothing. Except their desire to use people for their own purposes. Hugh Hefner has really been nothing more than a blight on the stage of America's worst. He's the poster child for rampant wantonness and unbridled lust. There are no barriers for him within those two categories. The only difference between him and John Holmes is that he didn't put his sexual exploits on film for all the public to see.
Some men see him as some kind of 'hero'. There's the Playboy Mansion, the riches, the constant and steady stream of beautiful, if not gorgeous (in a fleshly way) women. He's the poster boy for many males across the planet.
But, he's 86. What is he going to say to this woman? "Hey honey, can you come in here and change my colostomy bag?" Or, "Hey baby, my Depends need changing." How about, "No, darling...I don't need another Viagra. What are you trying to do...kill me?" Uh, probably.
The only worse thing that could come from this partnership would be if she got pregnant. Ewwwwww. That could only mean one thing. They actually DID it!!! Ewwwwww.
I'm sure, right now, she's thanking whatever deity she believes in for the 'Doggy Style' method. She'll probably be burying her face in a pillow and fantasizing about Brad Pitt while OLD Hef...no pun intended, is grunting and grinding behind her. AAAGGGGHHHH!!!!! Ewwwwww.
There's one other thing I'm sure of. If there is an afterlife...which I believe there is...Anna Nicole Smith is trying to send a message to this poor girl from beyond the grave. It would probably read, "It's not worth it, baby girl. It's just not worth it."
We all know what the deal is. For her, it's about money and 'prestige'...I guess. For him...well, we know what it's about for him.
I think a line from a movie...which I've used before, is appropriate here. Olympia Dukakis as Rose, in Moonstruck, tells her cheating husband, Cosmo, "I just want you to know that no matter what you do, you're still gonna die. Just like everybody else."
Young, beautiful women are not the fountain of youth. If they were, Hef would still look like he was thirty. Their skin is still smooth, it's not wrinkled, and they look good. Other than that, I can't come up with anything else.
These two have absolutely nothing in common. Nothing. Except their desire to use people for their own purposes. Hugh Hefner has really been nothing more than a blight on the stage of America's worst. He's the poster child for rampant wantonness and unbridled lust. There are no barriers for him within those two categories. The only difference between him and John Holmes is that he didn't put his sexual exploits on film for all the public to see.
Some men see him as some kind of 'hero'. There's the Playboy Mansion, the riches, the constant and steady stream of beautiful, if not gorgeous (in a fleshly way) women. He's the poster boy for many males across the planet.
But, he's 86. What is he going to say to this woman? "Hey honey, can you come in here and change my colostomy bag?" Or, "Hey baby, my Depends need changing." How about, "No, darling...I don't need another Viagra. What are you trying to do...kill me?" Uh, probably.
The only worse thing that could come from this partnership would be if she got pregnant. Ewwwwww. That could only mean one thing. They actually DID it!!! Ewwwwww.
I'm sure, right now, she's thanking whatever deity she believes in for the 'Doggy Style' method. She'll probably be burying her face in a pillow and fantasizing about Brad Pitt while OLD Hef...no pun intended, is grunting and grinding behind her. AAAGGGGHHHH!!!!! Ewwwwww.
There's one other thing I'm sure of. If there is an afterlife...which I believe there is...Anna Nicole Smith is trying to send a message to this poor girl from beyond the grave. It would probably read, "It's not worth it, baby girl. It's just not worth it."
Not looking good
The U.S. Coast Guard took this shot today of Shell's mobile offshore drilling platform, the Kulluk, aground on remote Sitkalidak Island on the southeast side of Kodiak Island. Shell used the platform in drilling operations this summer in the Arctic Ocean. A tug was towing the nonmotorized rig to Seattle for maintenance when it experienced engine and towline problems in tough weather. A huge emergency response and salvage effort is under way, but the Kulluk could be doomed. Shell had spent $292 million upgrading the platform, which was evacuated well before the grounding. USCG photoMusic Music Music!
Okay, New Years Eve was fun..avoided the annoying places and saw a show then wandered around half drunk til late. This year is all about being productive for me. Right now I have zero income but for some dough that comes in from our albums selling. It is not enough to live on but John and I have 4 projects coming out this year. Our new album Take a Look at that Baby is two songs away from being done and the artwork is almost done as well. Spending the summer in France was basically a test run to see if we liked it there enough to spend more time in Sauve, where the Crumbs live in their beautiful old castle. We loved the village..met a ton of people and made friends and performed several times and we were welcomed very warmly by all. Our shows were packed..entire town came out and the next few towns over too..a little medieval village can get a little dull for a social, city girl like me but to live there part of the time with all of Europe open to me for travel? HELL YEAH. Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK..big cities are so close and i have yet to see many of them!
Finding work is hard for me..I leave town a lot and have a weird schedule..and i don't bartend or waitress. No one I know who does makes much money doing so anyway from what they tell me. My goals this year are to first of all find some work..save up some money for French classes, learn guitar..not the dozen chords I already know, but REALLY learn it..get these projects out into the world, promote and book the band better and a lot more, eventually spend half of the year in Europe. We are being given a small apt there that is attached to the Crumbs house. It sits empty much of the time and they want us to have it so we can come there when we feel like it and hang out, record and play gigs. I am also slowly writing down some adventures I have had and may try to turn it into a book or something at some point if it goes well.
In the meantime, I am all about the music. Here are some youtube clips of some of the songs we are covering on our upcoming album. Enjoy and happy we didn't die yet year!
Finding work is hard for me..I leave town a lot and have a weird schedule..and i don't bartend or waitress. No one I know who does makes much money doing so anyway from what they tell me. My goals this year are to first of all find some work..save up some money for French classes, learn guitar..not the dozen chords I already know, but REALLY learn it..get these projects out into the world, promote and book the band better and a lot more, eventually spend half of the year in Europe. We are being given a small apt there that is attached to the Crumbs house. It sits empty much of the time and they want us to have it so we can come there when we feel like it and hang out, record and play gigs. I am also slowly writing down some adventures I have had and may try to turn it into a book or something at some point if it goes well.
In the meantime, I am all about the music. Here are some youtube clips of some of the songs we are covering on our upcoming album. Enjoy and happy we didn't die yet year!
And So It Begins....
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the last-minute fiscal cliff deal reached by the Senate and President Barack Obama cuts only $15 billion in spending while increasing tax revenues by $620 billion—a 41:1 ratio of tax increases to spending cuts. This is an irrefutable fact. The House will vote on this later today.
Think about it for a moment...realistically. Please. A 41:1 ratio. That's incredible when everyone...and I mean everyone...knows our country is almost broke. What amazes me, and I don't use that word lightly, is how half the country obviously doesn't expect our government to live within its means when such a thing is expected of all of us to do so. I can't spend money I don't have. Oh, sure, I can pile up the credit card debt and take out loans until I owe more than I make...but there will soon be a day of retribution for me if I choose to do so. Our government acts as if there will never be a day like that to come knocking at their door...which is really OUR door. But, I fear for not too much longer.
What we are seeing played out before our very eyes is the Cloward-Piven Strategy. Richard Andrew Cloward (d. 2001) and his wife Frances Fox Piven (now 80 years old) concocted a theory in 1966 on how to eliminate poverty in the U.S. The foundation of this theory, or strategy, is to place so much weight on the entitlement system...by adding and adding and adding people to the entitlement rolls...that the country's economy will collapse. Once there is no longer any money to hand out, the theory goes, violence will erupt and social confusion will follow, forcing a Leftist political takeover in government. After that happens, they say, a guaranteed minimum income for all will be established, thus eliminating poverty.
For a long time, this theory has been poo-pooed and scoffed at. However, during the course of 2011 we have seen violence in the streets of Greece and Spain. Spending cuts have been met with a vicious backlash by the public who have become accustomed, over a period of many years if not decades, to receiving their piece of the pie. If ever there was a successful test tube case for Cloward-Piven, it is found in these two countries and, on a smaller scale, in others in the Eurozone that are financially strapped.
In 1970, the New York Times interviewed Cloward who was quoted as saying that poor people can only advance when the rest of society is afraid of them. The Occupy Movement was a small example of this push.
I have to point out that this theory was fomented by none other than the likes of Saul Alinsky and William Ayers (a very very good friend of our President), who both had the vision of pushing the American people to the precipice of anarchy and to the point of violent protests. In their mind, this was and is the only way to create the opportunity to damage the present Republican form of government and its capitalist system where people on a grand scale would accept radical political and economic change. Chaos, according to this strategy, must occur so then Democratic Socialism can be introduced as the saviour of all.
While many of you may think the violent protests in Greece and Spain are far away, let me use a quote PJMedia.com (PJ Tatler column) to show you how it relates to us here in the U.S.:
“Voters in both France and Greece, two countries ruinously addicted to government entitlements, rejected the ‘austerity’ model of debt-reduction and instead doubled down on unsustainable spending sprees. France elected Socialist Francois Hollande as president, and in his acceptance speech he promised to increase government benefits and amp up ‘stimulus’ spending programs – the exact things that got France into a metaphorical debtors’ prison in the first place. But exactly as Cloward and Piven had surmised, once you get 50+% of the population hooked on ‘free’ government money, there’s no turning back – they will vote for socialists every time. The election of Hollande is the culmination of Cloward-Piven; the strategy worked, but in the wrong country...
“The message is clear: Once enough voters are on the dole, regardless of your party’s ideology or what label it has, you will win elections if you promise to keep the free money flowing. This was Cloward-Piven’s point, and they turned out to be frighteningly correct.”
When the so-named 'Arab Spring' was going on and you were watching governments fall one by one on your television, were you truly paying attention? Were you really listening? International labor unions, specifically the SEIU, were there with the protesters, amid the violence, learning and inciting and developing their skills during the whole ordeal. International labor unions were at the forefront of the protests in the European countries that were writhing in agony from being insolvent, stirring up the mobs to such a frenzy they were demanding the government continue to give them their entitlements, even though they may not have deserved them or earned them. The unions want these governments to fail, so a new socialist state can arise to take their places. These countries, France/Italy/Greece/Spain and eventually others have nothing left to give, and ignorant uninformed people can't seem to understand that. The SEIU provides office space to the Occupy Movement at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. Why do you think that is? It should be clear to any rational mind.
Guess what, people? The Baby Boomers are getting ready to retire. This will create an unavoidable increase in spending and put an intolerable weight on Social Security and Medicare, while both are almost insolvent as this is being written.
Ever expanding entitlements coupled with the growing dependency on Washington hand outs and then added to it Congress' being devoid of any real fiscal policy is sending us on a downward spiral of the death of life as we have known it. All of this has sped up the possible Cloward-Piven Strategy from theory, to becoming a reality.
If it is true that Greece and Spain has proven the Cloward-Piven ideology is viable, then our freedoms, liberty and capitalistic society are in grave danger of surviving. If the dissolution of governments during the Arab Spring and the financial ruination of those in Europe are the results of a carefully orchestrated implementation of Cloward-Piven by the Progressive Movement, then we who love the American way of life that we have known all of our lives should be ever vigilant of what may come to our shores. We have a snake in the White House with several heads throughout every branch of our government that are seeking to paint for us a new canvas for living. And it could be painted with the tinted poison of the Cloward-Piven Strategy.
Think about it for a moment...realistically. Please. A 41:1 ratio. That's incredible when everyone...and I mean everyone...knows our country is almost broke. What amazes me, and I don't use that word lightly, is how half the country obviously doesn't expect our government to live within its means when such a thing is expected of all of us to do so. I can't spend money I don't have. Oh, sure, I can pile up the credit card debt and take out loans until I owe more than I make...but there will soon be a day of retribution for me if I choose to do so. Our government acts as if there will never be a day like that to come knocking at their door...which is really OUR door. But, I fear for not too much longer.
What we are seeing played out before our very eyes is the Cloward-Piven Strategy. Richard Andrew Cloward (d. 2001) and his wife Frances Fox Piven (now 80 years old) concocted a theory in 1966 on how to eliminate poverty in the U.S. The foundation of this theory, or strategy, is to place so much weight on the entitlement system...by adding and adding and adding people to the entitlement rolls...that the country's economy will collapse. Once there is no longer any money to hand out, the theory goes, violence will erupt and social confusion will follow, forcing a Leftist political takeover in government. After that happens, they say, a guaranteed minimum income for all will be established, thus eliminating poverty.
For a long time, this theory has been poo-pooed and scoffed at. However, during the course of 2011 we have seen violence in the streets of Greece and Spain. Spending cuts have been met with a vicious backlash by the public who have become accustomed, over a period of many years if not decades, to receiving their piece of the pie. If ever there was a successful test tube case for Cloward-Piven, it is found in these two countries and, on a smaller scale, in others in the Eurozone that are financially strapped.
In 1970, the New York Times interviewed Cloward who was quoted as saying that poor people can only advance when the rest of society is afraid of them. The Occupy Movement was a small example of this push.
I have to point out that this theory was fomented by none other than the likes of Saul Alinsky and William Ayers (a very very good friend of our President), who both had the vision of pushing the American people to the precipice of anarchy and to the point of violent protests. In their mind, this was and is the only way to create the opportunity to damage the present Republican form of government and its capitalist system where people on a grand scale would accept radical political and economic change. Chaos, according to this strategy, must occur so then Democratic Socialism can be introduced as the saviour of all.
While many of you may think the violent protests in Greece and Spain are far away, let me use a quote PJMedia.com (PJ Tatler column) to show you how it relates to us here in the U.S.:
“Voters in both France and Greece, two countries ruinously addicted to government entitlements, rejected the ‘austerity’ model of debt-reduction and instead doubled down on unsustainable spending sprees. France elected Socialist Francois Hollande as president, and in his acceptance speech he promised to increase government benefits and amp up ‘stimulus’ spending programs – the exact things that got France into a metaphorical debtors’ prison in the first place. But exactly as Cloward and Piven had surmised, once you get 50+% of the population hooked on ‘free’ government money, there’s no turning back – they will vote for socialists every time. The election of Hollande is the culmination of Cloward-Piven; the strategy worked, but in the wrong country...
“The message is clear: Once enough voters are on the dole, regardless of your party’s ideology or what label it has, you will win elections if you promise to keep the free money flowing. This was Cloward-Piven’s point, and they turned out to be frighteningly correct.”
When the so-named 'Arab Spring' was going on and you were watching governments fall one by one on your television, were you truly paying attention? Were you really listening? International labor unions, specifically the SEIU, were there with the protesters, amid the violence, learning and inciting and developing their skills during the whole ordeal. International labor unions were at the forefront of the protests in the European countries that were writhing in agony from being insolvent, stirring up the mobs to such a frenzy they were demanding the government continue to give them their entitlements, even though they may not have deserved them or earned them. The unions want these governments to fail, so a new socialist state can arise to take their places. These countries, France/Italy/Greece/Spain and eventually others have nothing left to give, and ignorant uninformed people can't seem to understand that. The SEIU provides office space to the Occupy Movement at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. Why do you think that is? It should be clear to any rational mind.
Guess what, people? The Baby Boomers are getting ready to retire. This will create an unavoidable increase in spending and put an intolerable weight on Social Security and Medicare, while both are almost insolvent as this is being written.
Ever expanding entitlements coupled with the growing dependency on Washington hand outs and then added to it Congress' being devoid of any real fiscal policy is sending us on a downward spiral of the death of life as we have known it. All of this has sped up the possible Cloward-Piven Strategy from theory, to becoming a reality.
If it is true that Greece and Spain has proven the Cloward-Piven ideology is viable, then our freedoms, liberty and capitalistic society are in grave danger of surviving. If the dissolution of governments during the Arab Spring and the financial ruination of those in Europe are the results of a carefully orchestrated implementation of Cloward-Piven by the Progressive Movement, then we who love the American way of life that we have known all of our lives should be ever vigilant of what may come to our shores. We have a snake in the White House with several heads throughout every branch of our government that are seeking to paint for us a new canvas for living. And it could be painted with the tinted poison of the Cloward-Piven Strategy.
Disastrous turn of events
Shell's mobile offshore drilling platform, the Kulluk, is now reported aground off Kodiak Island.
Here's the update from the unified command.
Here's the update from the unified command.
UFA announces new leadership
United Fishermen of Alaska, the state's largest commercial fishing organization, today made two big announcements:
• Julianne Curry is taking over as executive director, effective tomorrow.
• Arni Thomson has stepped down as UFA president, effective today.
Here's a news release with more details and photos.
• Julianne Curry is taking over as executive director, effective tomorrow.
• Arni Thomson has stepped down as UFA president, effective today.
Here's a news release with more details and photos.
2013...Isn't half of that an unlucky number?
Well, here we are. At the precipice of another year looming before us, I look back on 2012.
In January, I took a month's leave of absence after having been in Nigeria for the last half of 2011. It took a lot out of me and I needed the time to rest and recuperate. In February, I went back to the UK and began work on a project that was headed to Sakhalin Island, Russia. In April, I returned to the U.S. and was assigned to assist the Venezuelan oil company, PDVSA, with their Dragon project that would be a major gas production field off the coast of Trinidad. From May 15 to June 15 I was in Trinidad babysitting a bunch of 36" pipe deep in the jungle of that tiny island. I remember the safety orientation upon entering the pipe yard. We were told to never approach the pipe that was on the ground without looking inside first...from a distance. It seems the crocs and the vipers like to get inside of them. Great. After that, I was assigned to help GE Vetco with an Angolan project. I was based in Houston, generating documentation in their engineering department.
The last week of September, my wife and I went on a long planned vacation to the Bahamas. On the day we got back, I was informed that I no longer had a job. I thought, "Man, you guys could have told me that before I left and spent $6000." Anyway, during the two weeks I was unemployed, I finished my sci-fi novel while networking and looking for a new job. A good friend of mine hooked me up with a guy who hired me...at nearly half the rate I was making before...as a Sr. Inspector for Det Norske Veritas (DNV). It was almost enough to keep the wolves away, but with my wife taking a job with a local supermarket, we were able to make ends meet with us only having to take out a thousand dollars a month from savings to compensate. It was straight contract, with no medical insurance or other benefits, but what I needed the most at the time was money.
Another good friend gave my resume' to one of his good friends who pushed it up the line. After two interviews and a little negotiating, I was offered a position with a major oil supplier at a little better than I had been making before losing my job in September. I start on January 7.
So, that brings us to 2013. Thirteen is just a number, but it is equated with bad luck by the more superstitious among us. I don't know what this year will bring, but I know one thing. There is no such thing as luck. There is such a thing as probabilities. There is such a thing as odds. But there isn't a thing such as luck. Luck is what YOU make if it's within your mental make-up and physical abilities.
I saw where a person in my tax bracket will probably have to pay an additional $6000 in payroll taxes in 2013 if Congress et al can't come to some sort of agreement today. The terrorists are offering a bounty on U.S. Ambassadors. Iran is still saber rattling over the Strait of Hormuz. North Korea is still being an irritant. The Chinese continue to build up their war machine. Syria, they say, could become another Somalia...just what Israel needs. Europe is still in economic crisis. Mexico's dead count continues to rise. Poverty abounds...disease is rampant...weather patterns are increasingly unpredictable...prices on everything is soaring...all the U.S. port longshoremen are threatening to go on strike...and 2013 seems to be set up to be quite an interesting year.
Millions and billions of people will celebrate its coming. There will be fireworks and parties and well wishes all around. Some people won't make it through the first day of 2013. Many won't make it through the year. Many more will be born into it, come to adulthood in it, enter puberty with it, laugh...cry...mourn...and be ecstatic about new things and old. As for me, I'll just get another year older...if I'm one of those who makes it to 2014. If 2013 happens to be my last, I don't think I will like that. Who wants to have a partial, unlucky number on their tombstone? 2014 would suit me better. Kind of has a ring to it. Don't you think?
In January, I took a month's leave of absence after having been in Nigeria for the last half of 2011. It took a lot out of me and I needed the time to rest and recuperate. In February, I went back to the UK and began work on a project that was headed to Sakhalin Island, Russia. In April, I returned to the U.S. and was assigned to assist the Venezuelan oil company, PDVSA, with their Dragon project that would be a major gas production field off the coast of Trinidad. From May 15 to June 15 I was in Trinidad babysitting a bunch of 36" pipe deep in the jungle of that tiny island. I remember the safety orientation upon entering the pipe yard. We were told to never approach the pipe that was on the ground without looking inside first...from a distance. It seems the crocs and the vipers like to get inside of them. Great. After that, I was assigned to help GE Vetco with an Angolan project. I was based in Houston, generating documentation in their engineering department.
The last week of September, my wife and I went on a long planned vacation to the Bahamas. On the day we got back, I was informed that I no longer had a job. I thought, "Man, you guys could have told me that before I left and spent $6000." Anyway, during the two weeks I was unemployed, I finished my sci-fi novel while networking and looking for a new job. A good friend of mine hooked me up with a guy who hired me...at nearly half the rate I was making before...as a Sr. Inspector for Det Norske Veritas (DNV). It was almost enough to keep the wolves away, but with my wife taking a job with a local supermarket, we were able to make ends meet with us only having to take out a thousand dollars a month from savings to compensate. It was straight contract, with no medical insurance or other benefits, but what I needed the most at the time was money.
Another good friend gave my resume' to one of his good friends who pushed it up the line. After two interviews and a little negotiating, I was offered a position with a major oil supplier at a little better than I had been making before losing my job in September. I start on January 7.
So, that brings us to 2013. Thirteen is just a number, but it is equated with bad luck by the more superstitious among us. I don't know what this year will bring, but I know one thing. There is no such thing as luck. There is such a thing as probabilities. There is such a thing as odds. But there isn't a thing such as luck. Luck is what YOU make if it's within your mental make-up and physical abilities.
I saw where a person in my tax bracket will probably have to pay an additional $6000 in payroll taxes in 2013 if Congress et al can't come to some sort of agreement today. The terrorists are offering a bounty on U.S. Ambassadors. Iran is still saber rattling over the Strait of Hormuz. North Korea is still being an irritant. The Chinese continue to build up their war machine. Syria, they say, could become another Somalia...just what Israel needs. Europe is still in economic crisis. Mexico's dead count continues to rise. Poverty abounds...disease is rampant...weather patterns are increasingly unpredictable...prices on everything is soaring...all the U.S. port longshoremen are threatening to go on strike...and 2013 seems to be set up to be quite an interesting year.
Millions and billions of people will celebrate its coming. There will be fireworks and parties and well wishes all around. Some people won't make it through the first day of 2013. Many won't make it through the year. Many more will be born into it, come to adulthood in it, enter puberty with it, laugh...cry...mourn...and be ecstatic about new things and old. As for me, I'll just get another year older...if I'm one of those who makes it to 2014. If 2013 happens to be my last, I don't think I will like that. Who wants to have a partial, unlucky number on their tombstone? 2014 would suit me better. Kind of has a ring to it. Don't you think?
Big trouble off Kodiak
The drilling platform Kulluk and two tugs. USCG photoShell and the U.S. Coast Guard are fighting like crazy to save a mobile offshore drilling platform that's broken free from tow boats in a stormy Gulf of Alaska south of Kodiak Island.
Responders are thinking about taking the platform, if they can regain control of it, to safe anchorage in Marmot Bay.
Here's a state situation report issued at 5 p.m.
And here's a unified command website with updates, video and photos.
Countdown to relief?
As politicians in Washington, D.C., struggle to avoid the "fiscal cliff," they're also weighing another important matter: a $60.4 billion supplemental appropriations bill (H.R. 1) aimed primarily at providing relief for Northeast states hit by Superstorm Sandy.
The Senate voted 62-32 on Friday to pass the bill.
Now it's up to the House. Time is short. The bill dies without action before the new Congress is seated Thursday.
So what does Alaska care?
The bill includes $150 million in aid for fishery disasters the Commerce Department has declared this year in several states and territories including Alaska, for its recent poor Chinook runs.
Some say the Sandy bill is loaded with questionable items, such as "$150 million for fisheries as far away from the storm's path as Alaska."
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski is just fine with using the Sandy bill as a vehicle for Alaska relief.
The Senate voted 62-32 on Friday to pass the bill.
Now it's up to the House. Time is short. The bill dies without action before the new Congress is seated Thursday.
So what does Alaska care?
The bill includes $150 million in aid for fishery disasters the Commerce Department has declared this year in several states and territories including Alaska, for its recent poor Chinook runs.
Some say the Sandy bill is loaded with questionable items, such as "$150 million for fisheries as far away from the storm's path as Alaska."
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski is just fine with using the Sandy bill as a vehicle for Alaska relief.
Chinook salmon catch a break
Deckboss was reviewing a recent federal fisheries report and found a very interesting chart (below) on Chinook salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands trawl fisheries.
As you can see, it shows bycatch has been much reduced in recent seasons. Use the tools in the lower right corner to enlarge the chart.
As you can see, it shows bycatch has been much reduced in recent seasons. Use the tools in the lower right corner to enlarge the chart.
What Is A Man?
Men have been under attack since at least the 1960's. At times, it has been deserved. At others, not so much. There are good men, and there are bad men. There are men's men, and then there are weak, limp wristed men. There are men of high thoughts and great ambitions, and then there are men with little thought and no ambition. And, of course, there are men stuck in between.
All the diverse sections of society have their own definition of what a 'man' is. I don't care to hear them. I don't care to discuss them. I'm also not interested in what your idea of a 'man' is. In my opinion, it's probably wrong anyway.
There is an old joke that asks, "Do you know why men die before their wives?" The comical answer is, "Because they WANT to." The reason it's humorous is because it probably has some fact to it. My grandfather on my dad's side was a good man. He worked hard and provided for his family as best he could. My grandmother was a horrid shrew who harped on him constantly. Upon my high school graduation, he came to our house while she was out. The poor man handed me a roll of dimes for a graduation present. He said to me, "I had to sneak out to give you this. Don't tell your granny I gave it to you." I heard...and I must admit I was never able to substantiate it, that he died in his easy chair while she was standing over him with one of her vile tongue lashings. He probably died because he wanted to. For those on that side of my family who might read this...keep a lid on it. She didn't like us and we didn't like her. End of story.
A man is a weak creature. Yet, he is asked to carry a large burden. I am not saying it is larger than a woman's, so don't even go there. I've already said he is weak. He may be strong physically, but he is weak, to some degree, in every other category. If you don't believe me, then stop singing the song in church that states, "I am weak, but thou art strong." Okay?
What is it that makes a man where he can look in the mirror and truthfully say, "I'm a real man." ? Now, I know that Hollywood is make believe, and people can't change their entire lives around in two hours. But one of my favorite movies of all time is 'Scent of a Woman', with Al Pacino, made back in 1992. The climax comes when Al Pacino's character, Colonel Slade, comes to the defense of a young man at a high end prep school. He has been accused of being a witness to some vandalism. His family is poor, and he is facing expulsion from the school. Pacino gives one of the most rousing speeches I have ever heard on film to save the young man's educational career. In one part of the speech, Pacino says there is one thing he knows about Charlie, and that is he won't sell anybody out to buy his future. The reason he said this is because Charlie confided in him that the Headmaster had offered him a bribe to inform on his fellow students, and that if he didn't comply, he would be expelled. But, it was the next thing he said that I believe defines a man. He said the following, "Now I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But, I never took it. You know why? Because it was too damned hard."
And, he's exactly right...or, at least...the screenwriter was. There are too few men today who will risk it all for what is right. They wring their hands at the hardness of it. Our world has become filled with males who will not rise up because it may mean their careers or their standing in the community. They allow tyrants, both big and small, to run over them without so much as a whimper. They acquiesce to the status quo for fear that to do otherwise might get them labeled as a troublemaker. I know a tale of two music leaders in two different churches. In one, the people murmured against their song leader...who was a long time friend of the pastor. To save his job, he let the song leader go and surrendered to the mob. In the other church, the same thing happened, but in this one the song leader wasn't a long time friend of the pastor. Yet, the murmuring didn't have any weight. The man had not done anything wrong scripturally, morally or communally. The pastor refused to make the man step down simply because he wasn't doing what the mob wanted him to do. Both of them were let go. I was the song leader in the first one...and the pastor in the second.
At one time I worked for a certain company where the President/Owner was certifiably insane. I didn't know this at first, but soon came to realize it. I won't go into great detail, but the client for the project I was managing had gotten 45 days behind on a $1.2 million dollar invoice. The President was furious that he couldn't get them to pay, so I was ordered to fly to their office and get his money. I spent three days with the client. We never argued, never yelled, never acted unprofessionally. At the end of the third day, all 1.2 million hit the bank before I boarded my plane to come home. That was on a Friday, and I thought about it all weekend. I decided that 1.2 million dollars was enough money where I shouldn't have to take any flak for just one day. I got up that Monday morning and looked my wife straight in the eye. I said, "Honey, now when I come home today...I may not have a job. At least for today, I'm not taking any shit from this guy." She advised that whatever I decided to do was all right with her. I made it until nearly 2:30PM. Not once did he thank me...ask me how I did it...or even mention it at all. I had already asked the finance manager if the president had been informed of the receipt of the money, and he said he told him the moment it hit the bank. At 2:30, he began to rail at me about something that was insignificant...as it usually was... and that's when I informed him that nothing he was saying really surprised me because he hadn't made a correct decision on this project since I had been there. That statement was when I effectively quit, but I was in for a surprise. The man turned blood red in the face and pointed at the door, screaming at me. "You wanna step outside!" I smiled and advised him that I certainly did, because I had been wanting to whip his ass for the last two months. I walked out and upon entering the hallway I turned around to see him still standing there. Except, he wasn't looking like a warrior now...he was actually trembling. He incorrectly assumed that because it was his business and he was lord of all he surveyed, that I would cower in submission upon his outburst. The fact is, one should never invite a man outside whose last name is Coward. Such a man fought all the way through school just to prove he wasn't. I said, "Are you coming?" To which he replied, "Why don't you just get on outta here." I did, but not until I walked back in the office and shamed him with a barrage of verbal indictments and epithets. These were not spoken softly and lasted about five minutes. I called his bluff, and he turned out to be a whimp. I, on the other hand, turned out to not have a job. But, it didn't matter. We didn't starve and I ended up with a better job, anyway. What mattered was that I did not allow somebody to run over me simply because he thought he could. What mattered was the 1.2 million came with an additional price to that person. The price of treating one with respect...or suffering the consequences if he didn't. I have it on good authority this idiot stayed in his office for the rest of the week behind a closed door, too embarrassed to show his face to those that worked for him because he had been shown to be a lamb...instead of the lion he pretended to be.
I relate these stories because I live by a code. I treat everyone with respect, until I am disrespected. I don't care if it's my boss, a congregation, the client, a crowd or a mob. No man is better than me, and I am no better than any man. If doing the right thing means living under a bridge, then so be it. Now, please do not misunderstand me. I have not always done the right thing. But I try very hard to do it. There are really no grey areas when it comes to right and wrong. It is either black or white. Everything...ultimately everything...can be reduced to right and wrong. I firmly believe that.
If a man truly attempts to do that which is right, and gives it his all, no matter the possible cost or negative result...then that is what makes him a real man. He is kind when allowed to be...respectful when respected...loving of family...strong with his children...supports those who depend on him...stands by his friends...protects his own and those around him...and stands up to petty tyrants...no matter the cost. In fact...he won't even take into account the cost. He will simply try and do...what's right.
All the diverse sections of society have their own definition of what a 'man' is. I don't care to hear them. I don't care to discuss them. I'm also not interested in what your idea of a 'man' is. In my opinion, it's probably wrong anyway.
There is an old joke that asks, "Do you know why men die before their wives?" The comical answer is, "Because they WANT to." The reason it's humorous is because it probably has some fact to it. My grandfather on my dad's side was a good man. He worked hard and provided for his family as best he could. My grandmother was a horrid shrew who harped on him constantly. Upon my high school graduation, he came to our house while she was out. The poor man handed me a roll of dimes for a graduation present. He said to me, "I had to sneak out to give you this. Don't tell your granny I gave it to you." I heard...and I must admit I was never able to substantiate it, that he died in his easy chair while she was standing over him with one of her vile tongue lashings. He probably died because he wanted to. For those on that side of my family who might read this...keep a lid on it. She didn't like us and we didn't like her. End of story.
A man is a weak creature. Yet, he is asked to carry a large burden. I am not saying it is larger than a woman's, so don't even go there. I've already said he is weak. He may be strong physically, but he is weak, to some degree, in every other category. If you don't believe me, then stop singing the song in church that states, "I am weak, but thou art strong." Okay?
What is it that makes a man where he can look in the mirror and truthfully say, "I'm a real man." ? Now, I know that Hollywood is make believe, and people can't change their entire lives around in two hours. But one of my favorite movies of all time is 'Scent of a Woman', with Al Pacino, made back in 1992. The climax comes when Al Pacino's character, Colonel Slade, comes to the defense of a young man at a high end prep school. He has been accused of being a witness to some vandalism. His family is poor, and he is facing expulsion from the school. Pacino gives one of the most rousing speeches I have ever heard on film to save the young man's educational career. In one part of the speech, Pacino says there is one thing he knows about Charlie, and that is he won't sell anybody out to buy his future. The reason he said this is because Charlie confided in him that the Headmaster had offered him a bribe to inform on his fellow students, and that if he didn't comply, he would be expelled. But, it was the next thing he said that I believe defines a man. He said the following, "Now I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But, I never took it. You know why? Because it was too damned hard."
And, he's exactly right...or, at least...the screenwriter was. There are too few men today who will risk it all for what is right. They wring their hands at the hardness of it. Our world has become filled with males who will not rise up because it may mean their careers or their standing in the community. They allow tyrants, both big and small, to run over them without so much as a whimper. They acquiesce to the status quo for fear that to do otherwise might get them labeled as a troublemaker. I know a tale of two music leaders in two different churches. In one, the people murmured against their song leader...who was a long time friend of the pastor. To save his job, he let the song leader go and surrendered to the mob. In the other church, the same thing happened, but in this one the song leader wasn't a long time friend of the pastor. Yet, the murmuring didn't have any weight. The man had not done anything wrong scripturally, morally or communally. The pastor refused to make the man step down simply because he wasn't doing what the mob wanted him to do. Both of them were let go. I was the song leader in the first one...and the pastor in the second.
At one time I worked for a certain company where the President/Owner was certifiably insane. I didn't know this at first, but soon came to realize it. I won't go into great detail, but the client for the project I was managing had gotten 45 days behind on a $1.2 million dollar invoice. The President was furious that he couldn't get them to pay, so I was ordered to fly to their office and get his money. I spent three days with the client. We never argued, never yelled, never acted unprofessionally. At the end of the third day, all 1.2 million hit the bank before I boarded my plane to come home. That was on a Friday, and I thought about it all weekend. I decided that 1.2 million dollars was enough money where I shouldn't have to take any flak for just one day. I got up that Monday morning and looked my wife straight in the eye. I said, "Honey, now when I come home today...I may not have a job. At least for today, I'm not taking any shit from this guy." She advised that whatever I decided to do was all right with her. I made it until nearly 2:30PM. Not once did he thank me...ask me how I did it...or even mention it at all. I had already asked the finance manager if the president had been informed of the receipt of the money, and he said he told him the moment it hit the bank. At 2:30, he began to rail at me about something that was insignificant...as it usually was... and that's when I informed him that nothing he was saying really surprised me because he hadn't made a correct decision on this project since I had been there. That statement was when I effectively quit, but I was in for a surprise. The man turned blood red in the face and pointed at the door, screaming at me. "You wanna step outside!" I smiled and advised him that I certainly did, because I had been wanting to whip his ass for the last two months. I walked out and upon entering the hallway I turned around to see him still standing there. Except, he wasn't looking like a warrior now...he was actually trembling. He incorrectly assumed that because it was his business and he was lord of all he surveyed, that I would cower in submission upon his outburst. The fact is, one should never invite a man outside whose last name is Coward. Such a man fought all the way through school just to prove he wasn't. I said, "Are you coming?" To which he replied, "Why don't you just get on outta here." I did, but not until I walked back in the office and shamed him with a barrage of verbal indictments and epithets. These were not spoken softly and lasted about five minutes. I called his bluff, and he turned out to be a whimp. I, on the other hand, turned out to not have a job. But, it didn't matter. We didn't starve and I ended up with a better job, anyway. What mattered was that I did not allow somebody to run over me simply because he thought he could. What mattered was the 1.2 million came with an additional price to that person. The price of treating one with respect...or suffering the consequences if he didn't. I have it on good authority this idiot stayed in his office for the rest of the week behind a closed door, too embarrassed to show his face to those that worked for him because he had been shown to be a lamb...instead of the lion he pretended to be.
I relate these stories because I live by a code. I treat everyone with respect, until I am disrespected. I don't care if it's my boss, a congregation, the client, a crowd or a mob. No man is better than me, and I am no better than any man. If doing the right thing means living under a bridge, then so be it. Now, please do not misunderstand me. I have not always done the right thing. But I try very hard to do it. There are really no grey areas when it comes to right and wrong. It is either black or white. Everything...ultimately everything...can be reduced to right and wrong. I firmly believe that.
If a man truly attempts to do that which is right, and gives it his all, no matter the possible cost or negative result...then that is what makes him a real man. He is kind when allowed to be...respectful when respected...loving of family...strong with his children...supports those who depend on him...stands by his friends...protects his own and those around him...and stands up to petty tyrants...no matter the cost. In fact...he won't even take into account the cost. He will simply try and do...what's right.
Outlook is good for Upper Cook Inlet sockeye
Here's the 2013 forecast for Upper Cook Inlet sockeye salmon.
It calls for a harvest of 4.9 million fish by all user groups. That's well above the 20-year average of 3.8 million.
It calls for a harvest of 4.9 million fish by all user groups. That's well above the 20-year average of 3.8 million.
Tour operator sues over new observer program
A Southeast Alaska sportfishing outfit called The Boat Co. has filed this lawsuit against the federal government seeking to block the expanded fishery observer program taking effect in the new year.
The suit says the revamped observer program isn't adequate to address "massive" bycatch of halibut and Chinook salmon in the Gulf of Alaska.
The Boat Co. describes itself as a nonprofit "cruise fishing operation" that allows clients to sportfish on skiffs deployed from two tour boats, the 145-foot M/V Liseron and the 157-foot M/V Mist Cove.
The suit argues planned observer coverage levels on commercial fishing vessels aren't adequate to collect quality bycatch data and make sound management decisions to "arrest the recent declines in the highly valuable halibut and Chinook populations."
These declines have affected The Boat Co.'s business, the suit says.
The suit says the revamped observer program isn't adequate to address "massive" bycatch of halibut and Chinook salmon in the Gulf of Alaska.
The Boat Co. describes itself as a nonprofit "cruise fishing operation" that allows clients to sportfish on skiffs deployed from two tour boats, the 145-foot M/V Liseron and the 157-foot M/V Mist Cove.
The suit argues planned observer coverage levels on commercial fishing vessels aren't adequate to collect quality bycatch data and make sound management decisions to "arrest the recent declines in the highly valuable halibut and Chinook populations."
These declines have affected The Boat Co.'s business, the suit says.
If I Could Only Get The Support
I would love to get elected to Congress for just one term. One two-year term is all I would want. My objective would be to harass them all in their offices, berate them from the House floor, call them out in news conferences and vote against every tax increase, entitlement package and pork barrel bill. I would introduce legislation to cut allocations of money to ALL foreign nations, cut spending for frivolous projects, and to cut out their special 'insurance' and paydays for life. It would be the most glorious two years of my existence and I would shame them all. None of my bills would pass and none of my votes would be on the winning side, but I guarantee you that every last one of those cretin usurpers would HATE me and throw the wildest party at the end of my term. I would vow not to run for re-election and I would keep that vow...unlike the other powermongers among them.
I can see it now. I would be deemed the Mad Hatter from Texas. The Texan Maniac. The Insane Incumbent. Those are only the ones that can be printed. There would be no sacred cows in Washington. I would demean the president, the senate, and the representatives on both sides of the aisle. For once, we would have a working man who really knows the people of his constituency and would speak for them with rage and angst that would equal the blasts of heat from a fiery hell. I wouldn't be some high-falutin' rich cat that has infected those most hallowed halls of what once housed honourable men who truly sought what was best for the American people. These parasites on our society would loathe every moment of coming to work, fearing every second they were there that I might come in with my bombastic style and dive right in to their miserable comfort zone and tell them exactly what the American people think of them. I should know, because I am an American people.
They dither and dather and pontificate and obfuscate and defecate over one another like snakes in a mad, sexual frenzy and all they seem to be able to do is bring us further under control of their cold and clammy clutches. All they seem to be able to do is chip away at our way of life and suck out as much blood and money as they can take into their bloated and cavernous maws. All they seem to be able to do is reduce us further into a cattle pen, keeping us caged up while they get stronger as rulers and throw away the honor of being our representatives.
Oh and how they would shun me. I would be put on the worst committees. Given the worst detail. Kept out of the loop. Yes, when it would come to my time for speaking on the floor, it would be empty. They would schedule me to speak at 3AM and all would be gone. Yet, my words would ring out. I would make sure at least one reporter was there and I wouldn't care how he reported on me. He could be as caustic as he wanted to be about how worthless a congressman I was. For the media is just as sick and twisted as our government is. They are as deeply embedded between the sheets with these dictators as any two dollar whore. The whole lot of them are.
Would be that God would find it in his will to grant me the support necessary to enable me to point a gnarly finger at the likes of Sheila Jackson Lee, Dianne Fienstein, Harold Reid, Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, and the rest of that traitorous lot and rain down on them the very fires of the righteous indignation that should be coming their way every single day they sit on their thrones and look down their noses upon us...the very ones who put them there in the first place. We might not be able to cast them out, but all it would take is one person with no thought of power, no thought of re-election, no thought of becoming like them...to cast them down with the power of speech into the pit of judgment and call them out for what they are...liars, usurpers, traitors, parasites and an enemy of the people they claim to serve. I would even attack the Supreme Court, for they too have lifted themselves up to rule over us. (NOTE: I understand some of the above are senators, but I would get to them, too.)
However, it will never happen. Our entire nation has been so pussified that real men...on a grand scale...do not exist any longer. There are only individuals...a few pockets...men's men here and there and not enough to take them by storm in the very snake den they live in. No, the American voter is a stupid bunch and that's why those in Washington look at us like sheep. The American voter doesn't want to send in a warrior who will break the status quo like Moses did the Ten Commandments. They want to send in somebody who will get along and get something done. So, how's that been working out for the American voter so far? Eh? It's about time an honest to goodness un-housebroken slovenly loose lipped maverick who didn't care what any of those trollops thought about him was elected to office and sent there for one purpose, and one purpose only. And that would be to cause as much havoc and hell as possible in two years' time. It would be magnificent if it could happen. Absolutely magnificent.
I can see it now. I would be deemed the Mad Hatter from Texas. The Texan Maniac. The Insane Incumbent. Those are only the ones that can be printed. There would be no sacred cows in Washington. I would demean the president, the senate, and the representatives on both sides of the aisle. For once, we would have a working man who really knows the people of his constituency and would speak for them with rage and angst that would equal the blasts of heat from a fiery hell. I wouldn't be some high-falutin' rich cat that has infected those most hallowed halls of what once housed honourable men who truly sought what was best for the American people. These parasites on our society would loathe every moment of coming to work, fearing every second they were there that I might come in with my bombastic style and dive right in to their miserable comfort zone and tell them exactly what the American people think of them. I should know, because I am an American people.
They dither and dather and pontificate and obfuscate and defecate over one another like snakes in a mad, sexual frenzy and all they seem to be able to do is bring us further under control of their cold and clammy clutches. All they seem to be able to do is chip away at our way of life and suck out as much blood and money as they can take into their bloated and cavernous maws. All they seem to be able to do is reduce us further into a cattle pen, keeping us caged up while they get stronger as rulers and throw away the honor of being our representatives.
Oh and how they would shun me. I would be put on the worst committees. Given the worst detail. Kept out of the loop. Yes, when it would come to my time for speaking on the floor, it would be empty. They would schedule me to speak at 3AM and all would be gone. Yet, my words would ring out. I would make sure at least one reporter was there and I wouldn't care how he reported on me. He could be as caustic as he wanted to be about how worthless a congressman I was. For the media is just as sick and twisted as our government is. They are as deeply embedded between the sheets with these dictators as any two dollar whore. The whole lot of them are.
Would be that God would find it in his will to grant me the support necessary to enable me to point a gnarly finger at the likes of Sheila Jackson Lee, Dianne Fienstein, Harold Reid, Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, and the rest of that traitorous lot and rain down on them the very fires of the righteous indignation that should be coming their way every single day they sit on their thrones and look down their noses upon us...the very ones who put them there in the first place. We might not be able to cast them out, but all it would take is one person with no thought of power, no thought of re-election, no thought of becoming like them...to cast them down with the power of speech into the pit of judgment and call them out for what they are...liars, usurpers, traitors, parasites and an enemy of the people they claim to serve. I would even attack the Supreme Court, for they too have lifted themselves up to rule over us. (NOTE: I understand some of the above are senators, but I would get to them, too.)
However, it will never happen. Our entire nation has been so pussified that real men...on a grand scale...do not exist any longer. There are only individuals...a few pockets...men's men here and there and not enough to take them by storm in the very snake den they live in. No, the American voter is a stupid bunch and that's why those in Washington look at us like sheep. The American voter doesn't want to send in a warrior who will break the status quo like Moses did the Ten Commandments. They want to send in somebody who will get along and get something done. So, how's that been working out for the American voter so far? Eh? It's about time an honest to goodness un-housebroken slovenly loose lipped maverick who didn't care what any of those trollops thought about him was elected to office and sent there for one purpose, and one purpose only. And that would be to cause as much havoc and hell as possible in two years' time. It would be magnificent if it could happen. Absolutely magnificent.
New Podcast Up With Dom Flemons!
We have a new podcast up at John's Old time Radio show..part 2 of grammy winning Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops..Songsters. It's free so enjoy!
All 16 episodes are up on iTunes and are free including the 5 part podcast with Robert Crumb which was done in France.
John's Old Time Radio Show
All 16 episodes are up on iTunes and are free including the 5 part podcast with Robert Crumb which was done in France.
John's Old Time Radio Show
NY Journal: Liberalism Run Amok
Yeah, great idea to publish the names and addresses of law abiding citizens who have a permit to own a handgun in two places in New York. Shame on you people for legally and lawfully owning a handgun. How dare you? Now, just like pedophiles and other sex offenders, we know who you are and we know where you live. The only problem with that is...so do the criminals in your area.
What idiot doesn't know that burglars read newspapers? The first place they go to is the obituaries. They find when funerals are going to take place so they can visit the home of those who are off burying their loved ones. They also glean the Want Ads to see who has what on sale they can make a quick buck off of. Sometimes they go to the people's homes and just rob them then and there. They peruse the news section to see who got sick and who got hurt and went to the hospital and find out where they live while they're in the hospital. The newspaper is a great place to find an easy mark so these no-gooders can ply their trade. How do I know? I used to work for a Sheriff's Department...and we know these things.
Now, the New York Journal has made it even easier. Hey Crook! You want a gun? Just go to Bob Doogie's place at 112 Groverton, Rockland, New York. He's got a Glock .41 that would fit your hand perfectly. Just case the place and wait til everyone's gone to work and go right in and get it. Hey, Crook Number 2! You want to rape somebody? Well, at 3261 Richmond Hills, Westchester, New York, there's a fine little filly by the name of Shelley Do-Right that lives there and guess what? She doesn't have a gun. Wait until around 3AM, when you know she's in a deep sleep, creep in and nail her! It's that easy.
But Wait! There's more!! Why only do one at the time when you can make a night of it! Find one home that does have a gun that is next door to one that doesn't have a gun. You can kill two birds with one stone...to steal a phrase! The New York Journal invites all you criminal types to subscribe to our publication and we'll almost open the gawldurned door for ya! All you have to do is send $15.95 for a six month subscription and we'll give you all the information you need to get in, get out, and carry away the goods and/or nail the goods while you're there!!!
That's what the New York Journal is all about. Community service! We don't just help those who are good citizens...we help the scum as well. That's how we can honestly say we're an equal opportunity newspaper.
That's the main problem with liberals. They don't think. They believe they are sooooo smart and sooooo above everyone else on the brain chain, they end up hurting the very people they 'say' they are trying to protect. Many non-gun owners in those areas have written to the Journal mad as hell, saying that the paper has now possibly made them vulnerable to the criminal element there. At least some people have a modicum of sense up there.
Some of my own liberal friends firmly believe they are so much smarter than me, yet I can at least see the forest, in spite of the trees. I doubt the idiots that work for the NY Journal even know what a tree is, much less a forest. Shame on the gun owners? No, shame on them. I hope they lose every subscriber and have to shut their doors. It was irresponsible and dangerous to the people they 'say' they serve. And if you disagree with me on this....as Greg Gutfeld says...you're worse than Hitler.
What idiot doesn't know that burglars read newspapers? The first place they go to is the obituaries. They find when funerals are going to take place so they can visit the home of those who are off burying their loved ones. They also glean the Want Ads to see who has what on sale they can make a quick buck off of. Sometimes they go to the people's homes and just rob them then and there. They peruse the news section to see who got sick and who got hurt and went to the hospital and find out where they live while they're in the hospital. The newspaper is a great place to find an easy mark so these no-gooders can ply their trade. How do I know? I used to work for a Sheriff's Department...and we know these things.
Now, the New York Journal has made it even easier. Hey Crook! You want a gun? Just go to Bob Doogie's place at 112 Groverton, Rockland, New York. He's got a Glock .41 that would fit your hand perfectly. Just case the place and wait til everyone's gone to work and go right in and get it. Hey, Crook Number 2! You want to rape somebody? Well, at 3261 Richmond Hills, Westchester, New York, there's a fine little filly by the name of Shelley Do-Right that lives there and guess what? She doesn't have a gun. Wait until around 3AM, when you know she's in a deep sleep, creep in and nail her! It's that easy.
But Wait! There's more!! Why only do one at the time when you can make a night of it! Find one home that does have a gun that is next door to one that doesn't have a gun. You can kill two birds with one stone...to steal a phrase! The New York Journal invites all you criminal types to subscribe to our publication and we'll almost open the gawldurned door for ya! All you have to do is send $15.95 for a six month subscription and we'll give you all the information you need to get in, get out, and carry away the goods and/or nail the goods while you're there!!!
That's what the New York Journal is all about. Community service! We don't just help those who are good citizens...we help the scum as well. That's how we can honestly say we're an equal opportunity newspaper.
That's the main problem with liberals. They don't think. They believe they are sooooo smart and sooooo above everyone else on the brain chain, they end up hurting the very people they 'say' they are trying to protect. Many non-gun owners in those areas have written to the Journal mad as hell, saying that the paper has now possibly made them vulnerable to the criminal element there. At least some people have a modicum of sense up there.
Some of my own liberal friends firmly believe they are so much smarter than me, yet I can at least see the forest, in spite of the trees. I doubt the idiots that work for the NY Journal even know what a tree is, much less a forest. Shame on the gun owners? No, shame on them. I hope they lose every subscriber and have to shut their doors. It was irresponsible and dangerous to the people they 'say' they serve. And if you disagree with me on this....as Greg Gutfeld says...you're worse than Hitler.
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