Tuesday, November 29, 2005

And now from the wide world of sports (and other points east)

No folks, I have not gone nuts, but something about the sports world has taken my mind off of the moonbats (led by momma moonbat, Cindy Sheehan) are still wanting to attack President Bush over the Iraq War; the annual 'bachanalia of greed' (thanks to the late Jean Shepherd for that one) that has begun and the usual worries about bills and my cats trying to get outside to kill off the local bird population. So let's take a little spin around and see what is doing:

- The ownership of the Detroit Lions has lived up to the motto of its owners, the Ford Motor Company. Yep we all know the joke: FORD = Found On Road Dead and it seems as though they are now roadkill. This past Thursday, before a national TV audience and over 60,000 plus at Ford Field, the Lions were royally roasted by the Atlanta Falcons which resulted in Steve Mariucci being fired this past Monday. Fredo Corleone was bumped off with more class than how Lion management removed Steve from his post. Come to think of it, they really did not take responsibility for their actions leading up to the failure of the Lions with their good draft choices to progress beyond mediocrity..

If I may, let me suggest someone for the Motor City Kitties to consider bringing in to try to bring the team back to some sort of stability:
Lindy Infante
. Yes there are others out there: Mouse Davis, anyone with the last name of Saban, the students of Bill Walsh but the reason why Lindy comes to mind is because he was one of the originators (along with the Mouse) of an offense called the 'run and shoot'. It goes by several other names: gun and shoot, flood, empty backfield, spread, modified shotgun - no matter what it is called he was one of those who figured out a way of allowing a team to take advantage of a group of fast receivers with quick patterns. Granted the teams he coached were not known for their defense, but hey - that can be made up for later on. The fans are there to see scoring and to see the team win. And defense really does not matter if the winning team scores more points than the loser *S*

- Under ordinary circumstances, the next item would almost be considered a joke. It was recently announced that Kansas City was awarded a Super Bowl sometime in the next 10 years contingent on if they can put a roof over good old Arrowhead Stadium. Yeah, yeah I know this is not going to increase the chances of world peace or that weapons will be bulldozed into plowshares, but while it is a cool idea to give this game to a city that has a rich history in the game, something about this does not seem to add up. And that has to do with the roof design.

When this complex was first proposed, that being the twin ballparks for the Royals and the Chiefs, there was the idea of having a mobile roof for the stadia so that if there was rain or snow, it could be moved into place and the fans would be kept dry. A concept that was quite a few years ahead of its time, as has been seen with Le Dome Sky in Toronto and Reliant Field in Houston (the baseball ones like Safeco Field are legion now). But to get the big, big game the original roof on rails is going to be modified to be 'climate controlled'.

Now for a little inside info on this project: it may not happen and it has nothing to do with the architects or the engineering (HOK Sport if I am correct is going to be in on this) but it is the cost. My spies in the KCMO area have mentioned that the big hangup is the fact that the counties around the ballpark as well as the state are balking at the idea. In some places this would be seen as corporate welfare or as a greedy owner extorting the region, the usual. However in this case it can also be seen as an investment and something that will keep the area on the map. They need it because the Royals are sure as heck not doing it.

Put another way: if done the right way, this will be a landmark in KC like the BBQ joints (I know of a few there from years back) or the Jazz District (remeber folks, Charlie Parker was from there), the stockyards and the home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (if it were not for the Buck O'neills or Satchel Paiges who were a part of this league, people like the Barry Bonds', Ken Griffey-Jr.s' would not be where they are, let alone Jackie Robinson would not have broken the line when he did)

One last post on the subject matter: if this is the last season that Brett Farve plays for the Packers, then we have been treated through the years to a rarity in this day of greed and self importance. Yes there are the Peyton Mannings who are cut from the same cloth. but they are the exception. Then again too, Farve is in the right place because Green Bay seems to have a legacy of those who while they were big in the game, were just as regular as the townfolks who come out to see them come rain or snow or even bad seasons.

Monday, November 28, 2005

To the Jaime Foxxs of the world - If you are right, then explain the following:

Folks, I am still burning over those comments by actor Jaime Foxxx in regard to Tookie Williams (see the last post) and I have a question not only for that scumsucking weasel, but for others who insist that gang life (or even sports, entertainment and the like) are the only means for black males to succeeed. If that is the case explain the following:

- In recent years, the CEO's of the following companies were black men: American Express, AOL/Time Warner, Symantec, Maytag, Pizza Hut, Motown Records (forgot that one didn't you son?) and others.

- Two airlines were headed by black males here in the US: Air Atlana; while they lasted about 4 years had excelled in customer service and had in-flight ammenties that Midwest Express as well as the short-lived Trump Shuttle IMITATED and a Piedemont Express Airlines commuter/feeder run based in North Carolina; which while they ran small Beechcraft props, was owned and operated by a black male whose day job was flying 737's for Piedmont [soon to be US Airways)

-Mr Foxx's comments also do not explain why the following cities: Atlanta, Seattle, Denver, Rochester-NY, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City and a host of others have elected black males as mayors. There was even a black male elected governor of Virginia; that being Douglas Wilder.

- Also let him explain how the men who lead the Hayden Planetarium as well as the National Chess Foundation got to where they are? Wasn't by osmossis.

- And while we are at it, explain Colin Powell, please? Mr Foxx, do you assume that he was from another planet and had assumed the guies of a black male to rise through the millitary to become head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as Secretary of State in the first term of Bush the younger?

There are a few others, but you get the idea. While Me. Foxx is right that that are still problems which persist (and will not be solved overnight as some would like), there are those who have been able to get beyond the 'crabs in a barrel' mentality that seems to persist in the black community. Then again, Tookie Williams could have been like that if he had worked at that instead of creating a gang that went out of its way to terrorize and destroy the lives of others.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

If there was ever a reason to distance oneself from a community, this is it.

This evening, a friend of mine pointed out a quote; by Jaime Foxx from a film protesting the 'innocence' (that is a joke) of Stan 'Tookie' Williams, founder of the 'Crips' street gang:


"If Stan Tookie Williams had been born in Connecticut in the same type of situation, and was a white man, he would have been running a company," Foxx told the AP when the film aired last year on FX. "But, born a black man who has the capability of having brute strength and the capability of being smart in the ways of the world, he's going to get into what he gets into."


You read that one right. This sounds like the same type of BS that has been used to say to blacks that they are 'predestined' or 'predetermined' to be criminals. To quote the late Marvin Gaye 'makes me wanna holler, throw up my hands' in anger.

Then again, there is this to be said: those of you reading this who are black who have resolved to keep your distance (with exceptions, like I have done) from the community, you have done the right thing. Defending someone of this ilk shows how far down the sewer pipe things have gone.

By the by a listing of the people that this monster had killed is listed on the Gus Wired site. We need to keep the faith as far as these folks are concerned and remember that they are the true victims, the ones sho do not have the hollyweirdoes running around shouting their names out.

With the fest done, let all the other madness ensue...

Let's see: The Lions got beaten by the Falcons, or as was or could be said in Brooklyn, they got 'the boid', the Cowboys lost to the Broncos, dinners were capped off with pies and naps because of that funny little chemical in turkeys (l-tryptophan) and of course the day after can only mean one thing. Profits to be made, people to be pushed, cajoled, neglected and rejected. Yep the end times, I mean the end of the year is near...but not the end of observations from this outpost in PC-Land:

- For one let's hand it to the French. No this is not to laud kudos on them for Airbus or a particularly good lot of imported Brie and Roquefort, but because they finally got off their rear ends and did something that would be unthinkable in the US because of the PC nature of the society. After scenes like this , the French Parliment decided to crack down on rappers whose 'music' (now there is a laugh, it is music the same way passing gas is a sonata) is inciting the rank and file to riot. MP Francois Grosdidier is leading the charge and from this desk, it is a great thing. They are understanding that this form of noise actually can be and has been incendiary to the point that it has disrupted public order. Granted our friends on Broadcast Row want us to believe that all of France is either burning or ius about to become kindling, but fact is that the whole of the country is still intact. In any event they are taking steps before things get worse.

- Speaking of the strange nuts of the land, the moonbats are out in force again. Everyone's least favorite protest mom, Cindy Sheehan and her flock of meatheaded protestors have flown the cukoo's nest to camp out by President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Tx. Protest is fine, dissent is fine as well (as has been mentioned here and in other blogs), but when these are based on emotion and not fact it makes things and the world bad for all concerned. The protests against the Vietnam War for example may have ended up costing more lives than they claim to have 'saved' if that says anything.Think I am joking? Look it up folks, the numbers are there to back up this assertion, in more ways than one.

- In another blog on this site there was a mention of Bob and Doug McKenzie, I mean Canada attempting to improve workplace diversity by employing more 'persons of color' and that white Canadians need not apply. I will throw in my two to four cents into this to say this will not work. No the US has not been perfect as far as its track record with integrating the workforce_HOWEVER-we have also learned (with some exceptions) that the best way to hire people is bsed on their track record as well as the merits of same. Yes, I uttered the 'M' word - MERIT. And if there are two persons of equal merit for the same position and one is from a group that had not been in said same position, then by all means hire him or her. But to do this without any real checks or balances will cause problems, no matter how well intentioned.

- Well that leads into something else. Yours truly from time to time will eavesdrop or snoop in on some corners of the net and if those in Congress only knew the types of folks they have been dealing with as far as ENDA [Employee Non-Discrimination Act) were concerned, they would never ever back it. The reason why I made that stement has to do with the levels of hypocrisy that seems to rise in these folks faster than the tide did in New Orleans. No different than the trust-funder hippies who were protesting in the 60's. As soon as they were in a crowd claiming to love theiur fellow man, they ran back to their comfortable homes in the burbs away from the same people who they want to help and commune with.

Taken another way, anyone who remembers the suit against Hooters also will remember a rather ugly advertisement that the company put in several newspapers showing how crazy this suit was. Yep, it was the one of a man with a rather thick moustache wearing the skimpy company uniform. The point being made is that there are those the company hires for one particular job (waitresses) who fit a particular profile (as in the company name) and that to bend to a cuort decree would make their establishment a joke as well as cut down on business. While I am not crazy about how they do business, they are conducting their operation as they see fit and anyone who does not like it can lump it. Plus why should they (and others) be forced by law to hire anybody let alone those who are quite possibly just as narrow minded as they claim Hooters or other companies to be? (look at 98% of the literature or most of the 'celebrations' in the month of June and you will see the logic utilized here).

Finally, here is something to ponder when you are skimming through the sets with the remote and see all the 'student athletes' consder the following:

-Very few schools make money off of this as it is, Yes, there are the television contracts and the merchandising deals, but most lose money because it is a major expense. Weight rooms, ballparks, recruiting trips, scholarships and of course paying for the best coaches money can buy. Or at least rent.

-Sadly a lot of these kids who are playing now with dreams of the NFL. NFL Europe, the CFL, Arena Football League and others have a very short shelf life. Something on the order of about 2.5 to 3.5 years, depending on the position. Some will stay in the game for two decades, but that is a tribute to their work ethic.

-Lastly the original purpose of going to college is sorta lost on some of these folks in that the degree is less important as opposed to the degree of exposure they get on the gridiron. Makes what happened in the old Marx Brothers movie 'Horsefeathers' look rather tame, if not honest then in a humourous vein.

And that is it from the shores of 'Moscow on the Willemette' for now. Remember, the spotted owl you save may belong to someone else.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

A few thoughts leading into this weekend

Well it is that time of year and while the meat of this post will come later...hey I thought this logo was cute. Let's give it to the Detroit Lions , no matter what has happened in the motor city (and there is plenty, as what was mentioned in the last post about good, old GM), or for that matter how bad their season has been (there should be a diehard day for those who remember the last time the Lions were in the main round of the NFL postseason and not in as a wildcard team) or their sometimes bad draft choices and the fact that they do share the fall/early winter in Motown with the rabid fans of the Red Wings , they do have the tradition of the Thanksgiving Day game and that can be a comfort in a rather strange world.

So with that said and speaking of strange, let's get to a few random postings:

-If the opposite of 'pro' is 'con', then the opposite of progress is (LOL) you got it...Congress. The poster child for the latest bit of pure insane behavior is: Jean Schmidt (R) of Ohio. The same one who you saw this weekend on tape wearing a poor copy of a US Olypmpic Gymnastic Team Uniform who went after John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) over his comments about setting a date for the removal of of troops from Iraq. When she made he now infamous remarks about the Marine Corps , there were many boos that came in from those who were present in the chambers. Heck I was almost expecting THE MARINE: R. Lee Ermey to walk in and rip her a new one. While the floor of congress is open for any type of remarks, there is something to be said about making disparaging remarks about someone who has served in the millitary. In my book, that is just a little out of bounds.

- At the risk of beating an issue into the ground, the fact that the government is doing anything about the Katrina aftermath is amazing in itself. There has been a fictional precursor of what was to be expected in the case of a severe disaster hitting the US, in this case The Day After . For those of you who do not remember this, it was an ABC TV movie from 1983, which explored what would happen to the Kansas City area and suburbs (Lawrence, Kansas) when a nuclear war was started. In the film it was shown that in spite of the fact that FEMA had thought they were prepared for the worst to happen, they were overwhelmed by the scope of this disaster. Hence any type of recovery would take a very very long time [There is a disclaimer in this film that says the depiction of this event was mild compared to what could possibly be the case assuming a full scale nuclear war were to break out). So in effect recovering from an event like Katrina; while not in the ballpark of a full scale attack, is going to take time.

- Maybe it is just me and a few others who are in the know,
but it is strange that Michelle Malkin is not one of those who is featured prominently in the marketplace of ideas when it comes to issues affecting the black community or for that matter the world at large. Could it be that she is a conservative or one who does not fall in line and follow the 'monolith of thought' that seems to be omnipresent in the black press or that she can hold her ground with any of the mouthpieces that the media tries to throw at here when there is a (HAHAHA) debate or could it be that she just makes a hell of a lot of sense in her columns? Perhaps it is all of the above and that is too bad. Put another way, when a charlatan like Al Shaprton or a poverty pimp such as Jesse Jackson are still considered to be the (cough, cough) 'voices of reason' and those like Ms. Malkin are viewed as 'traitors to their race' there is something really wrong.

- Last on the list for now is the fact that Boeing is on the rebound! So much so that they have announced a new plane, that being the 747-8 , a longer as well as more fuel efficient version of the current 747, that being the 400 series. Plus there is no need for the airports to invest in stronger runways or even larger jetways for passengers to board and deplane the jet (Are you listening, Airbus?). Plus with all the orders, Seattle, Witchita and other cities that Boeing has a major installation can breathe and look forward to persons working.




That is it for this dispatch from the land of perpetual political correctness, I mean Portland, Oregon. Remember folks this weekend, piss off PETA and eat a turkey!!!

Monday, November 21, 2005

First it was Oldsmobile, next Saturn and soon Ze World!!!!!

Before you say, 'Rhea you are sounding like an evil scientist from a bad 50's horror movie!!', folks cool down and I will explain why the title is as it is.

Earlier today, the second largest company (well at one time they were) on the Fortune 500, GM announced that they were going to shed 30,000 jobs as well as in the process close 9 plants. This is being done to make the firm more 'efficient and profitable', that is of course if someone finds credible the spin from the Wall Street Journal and other flacks. However this approach has been tried by GM and the other members of the Big 2 for YEARS.

Case in point:the Saturn experiment. Remember way back when, GM said that Saturn would be the platform by which they would try to form a new partnership with the United Auto Workers union; that each car would truly be built to order like how steaks are ordered in many restaurants, plus some other changes would issue in a new day for the industry. Well guess what? One of the plants that is slated to be closed is in Spring Hill, Tennessee which is the home of Saturn. Hmmm, 2 + 2 in this case spells that the Saturn line will be gone, like the 88, 98, Toronado and the Cutlass of Oldsmobile fame.

Granted the loss of jobs is not something to be sneezed at but, in the grand scheme of things, this is something that happens in the course of capitalism. When the IT industry started its initial outsourcing of jobs and quite a few 'geeks' were out of work, at least intiaally the response from some was 'get over it, find something else even if it means pushing brooms or working at Taco Bell'. Gee and some of that was from those who were working for firms like GM and others who thought that their positions were secure. Well not to be callous or mean to those persons, but apparently those chickens have come back home to roost. Maybe these folks will learn not to be so harsh about others because the shoe can be on the other foot rathe fast.

Also before anyone who thinks I am turning into a [perish the thought), Michael Moore, let me remind folks here that 'Fat blimp from Flint' is about as sincere in his convictions as Frank Pantangeli was in 'The GodFather'. Besides, what happened to Flint and GM in general is part of the cycle of life or that of business. In short, it happens.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

And here we thought it was safe to fly!!

Well, as if this upcoming week and time of year does not have enough stress (I will not outline it, each person reading this knows it chapter and verse), the NBC Nightly News, Saturday Evening Version, came up with a great one: THE SKIES ARE NOT SAFE!

Here, as a bookie would say is the skinny: the NBC report stated that flying the 'friendly skies' is not as safe as it once was because there have been one too many 'runway incursions' (meaning that two planes either while taxiing to takeoff or after landing almost running into each other] or near misses in the air [George Carlin called it right though; 'It is not a near miss, it is a NEAR HIT!!!'). But the same report also mentioned that the current number of these incidents is DOWN from several years ago.

While there was a mention of some new technologies that will aid in lowering the number of these potential accidents: new runway lights, more information intensive displays for the air traffic controllers and other things. There is one invention that is available now that can help alleviate the worry of these accidsents in the making...and it is available now. Any person who has Flight Simulator on their system knows about it and even NASA has had a hand in its development. It is called TCAS, short for Traffic Collision Avoidance System. It is an alert that comes flashes on the flightdeck to let the crew know there is a problem ahead in the form of other aircraft.

Maybe I am being a little hard on the media, NBC in this case-but why was this left out of the equation? Was it the fact that this is a Saturday night and people think that 'facts' and 'research' are better left for the weekdays or even 'Meet The Press'? Interesting concept. However the fact that air travel is still safer than driving down the local interstate should keep whatever butterflies there are at bay.

Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

In case you are wondering, no you did not stumble on another fan page for 'Pinky and The Brain'. It is just that this has been one of those weeks where weirdness has reigned in so many corners, if there were to be awards for 'Ultimate Pinhead This Week' the choices would be difficult. But yours truly is not without her own list, so here goes:

-The US Congress. Yep the same ones who have helped to make Washington DC: 'First In War, First in Peace and last in the American League (that was when there was a baseball team there called the Washington Senators many years ago) can replace the last item in the list with 'Last in logic'. Why? This is due to the current spate of blatant dissention that is coming from them about the war in Iraq. In particular, Congressman John Murtha. All that needs to be said here is 'Hey Sparky, just because you served in the Marines and have been in the House long enough to remember gas being .05 Cents a gallon does not give you the right to demand that we have an exact exit date for the troops.' Anyone with a borderline room temperature IQ can tell you never, ever give the enemy the leg up and asking for a date when we will be out will give the scum of the earth enough time to plan their next series of nefarious deeds.

-Sticking with the DC area, another one on my list is PBS. To be honest, it does have its place; many of us liked 'Sesame Street' or Mr. Rogers Neighborhood' when we were younger, much younger; for grownups the early versions of 'NOVA' or reruns of programs from the BBC (and for me, they did score a few points with the airing of the Moody Blues Live at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra). But these days they have become more or less the Chicken Little Network because of programs like NOWwith David Brancaccio who took over from the programs' creator, Bill Moyers. Each week it seems that instead of investigative jounalism, they stay on the leftist side of the street, saying that anything that comes out of corporate America or any other part of the industrialized world is EVIL!!! EVIL!!. Does not matter who it is, if one is a capitalist, they are the anti-society, anti-human. Truly pinhead material.

-The producers of the morning network 'news' (HA,HA,HA!) programs deserve a mention here, as well as a special 'pinhead award', due to the fact that they have now become more or less, organs for fluff but also where some folks try to extend their 15 minutes of fame. After all, how many times can you sit through 'Apprentice' or 'Survivor' rejects or see reports about omnidevices? 'Omni' as in those items that can do everything from spinning ones favorite CD to cooking a rotisserie chicken in less than 90 minutes to making julienne fries. With the time of year being what it is, there is more of this to come.

Of course there are others who deserve mention in this space and over time, they will get their due. There is one company I would like to mention though as needing to get a 'shout out' in this column. That is those lovely folks from Kodak. Now why should they be on this page you may be asking yourself? I am glad you asked because it all has to do with the fact that the company that had given the world the means to get into phtography with just a small metal box (Instamatics, Brownies and the like) made a decision over the past couple years to leave that end of the business like some kids leave the prom early for hotel room dates. That is right, they feel that digital imaging [another way of saying 'digital photography'] will be the only way to go. Hence while the stores still have Kodak film on the shelves, in the next few couple years those wlll disappear.

All of this is rather odd because their competitors; Konica, Fuji and AGFA are still making film, as well as digital supplies available to all; including old hands like me who still prefer to have a hard copy of a pic we have taken with a camera. And contrary to what Kodak thinks, digital cameras cannot capture all of the colors that do exist; along with the shadings and all that is in-between. Sorry, but '100100010001' in pixel-speak is not the same as having the gradations of color. (Although the AGFA site has an explanation of how their product shows real colors, the same can be applied to Fuji because it is very similar in structure and outcome)

Thursday, November 17, 2005

The Great Digital Divide Deception

A man much wiser than I had once said there are "liars, damned liars and statistics" and darnitall he was right. The term, 'Digital Divide' is an example of this.

In the US it is used to explain why whites are more likely to have computers in their homes than blacks are, based on the percentage of those in the home. According to the last census [and backed up by a few 'Think Tanks'], the numbers as far as 'market penetration' [I do not come up with this stuff, to quote Casey Stengel, you can look it up] show that 69% of the white population have PC's in the home vs. a little under 30% for those in black homes...or some figures coming close to that. As a result, many of the usual suspects have blamed this on racism, oppression and the other items on the liberal laundry list. However the 'divide' is really based on something a little more basic.

Culture. No not the bacteria that makes milk yogurt or turns other foods into a modern art masterpiece of germs. Culture in this case means what is accepted or acceptable among citizens in parts of the US. Now at the risk of angerring the few libersls who may still be reading this, fact is that the white population sees the computer and its ancillary parts as being a 'tool' or a utility item that a household cannot be without, like a toaster, microwave, dayplanner-as well as being something that will allow their children to stay in the game with their peers because the environment is competitive. HOWEVER, blacks [not all but there is this persistent attitude in parts of the population] see the computer as being another way that their children are bcoming 'white' [read the last sentence again and you will see what is meant] and would as a result lose their heritage and culture; that what it is connected to is 'evil' and is considered less of a utility as opposed to a big screen TV or entertainment items or even a pair of Air Jordans [a little extreme but you get the idea].

So it is not a divide that was created by some big, bad evil group of corporate presidents, but is rooted in what is 'valued'. Yep, it comes down to values and what one feels will help them in life as opposed to the other party. However this term does come up again because of what happened yesterday.

Let's give the folks at MIT their just due, because it takes a lot to get accepted into this school and some of the brightest minds in the country and the planet are educated within its halls. With that said, this idea makes about as much sense as a screendoor on a submarine or an outdoor ice hockey rink in Mexico City in the middle of summer.

In the picture of this 'device'this laptop it looks no different than a toy. An Etch-a-Sketch on green steriods. But what makes this concept to help others using this 'PC' so incredibly insane is that the operating system is going to be in 'linux'.

That's right folks, linux. Isn't that special, because this will not only add to the planned cost for the computer, but will bring about its own series of rather serious problems:

-Linux is not so much an operating system as it is a PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE and it would help to teach programming basics before even getting to the point of using this language.

-The PC iteself will use a crank to power it in case the electricity were to run out. Gee with all of the devices on this system, that crank had better be a real good one, or some of these folks may need spinach to spin it around enough to create the power for it to just even make a simple display. Speaking of which...

-It has a display that will fry in the sun. Did anyone connected with this understand that the type of screen that will be built into this will breakdown because of extreme heat? It is not like this is going to have any coolant being piped into the pixels.

Lastly, there is the plastic this is being made of. My oh my, how could anyone with a brain and a pulse not see that this will melt like the screen. After all this is not an Easy-Bake Oven [A toy by Kenner from the 60's, kids ask your parents about this one].

If these folks really want to bridge the divide, start with education. Start with the basics and do not hand a person a basically useless toy right away with the thinking that this is going to instantly cure the ills of the world. Remedying the problems of the planet takes time and a lot of effort, not a quick feel-good answer from a group of well meaning eggheads.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

The Darker Side of The Burbs

When I was growing up, there were a few 'main drags' that seem to go from one extreme of the world to another and then back to normal. Roads with names like Linden or Merrick Boulevard or Jamaica Avenue or to an extent Northern Boulevard; they all start in one place that looks somewhat normal through areas where even the rats carry machine guns and the stores look like they are preparing for a hurricane and then head towards the beginning of the strip malls and fast food joints every 100-200 yards [ok a little extreme but you get the ides]

Reason why I mention this is that here in Portland [also known in some quarters are 'Moscow on the Willemette'], we have such a street. Well let me rephrase that: there are a few roads that go from the light to the dark and back into sunshine, but the one near where I live is just one really good if not strange example of this. 82nd Street is one of those streets. Granted it does go by more of its fair share of strip and large malls [Clackamas Town Center is part of this and it is a nice place when the children are in school], but it also because it is on the fringe of the city, it qualifies as a street in the burbs. And as such it goes from homes to sections of town that no self-respecting mutated cockroach would want to reside back out to sections where there is light. Well, artificial light from the strip malls, the buddy-buddy credit car dealerships, pawn shops as well as payday loan shops; you get the general idea.

The other component to this are those who occupy this 'street of broken dreams and beer bottles' and that tends to be another part of the darker side of this. So much so that even some of the bus drivers I know of are not happy about doing the runs that come out here. If it is not the methheads that are a part of the landscape, it is those who would be great guests on any 'instant justice' programs that seems to clog television these days. And this is equal opportunity: black, white, hispanic, oriental, male, female you name it - all sorts of are a part of this wonderful tapestry. The same type of tapestry that makes for some wonderful columns, radio rants and work for those men in blue. As in emergency room workers as well as cops.

Not all is from the shallow end of the gene pool. There are some decent folks here, who live in this almost forgotten by civility land because the rents are low and the stores are nearby for goods. But it is just that when one rides the bus or walk around this street they get the sense that somehow the world just went off its axis and is now a land of severe extremes. So much for the burbs that was predicted at the world fairs.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Just remember this when you hear any of the Dems talk about Iraq

A quick observation before the Monday rush hits:

Something came to mind after having seen Howard 'I have a scream' Dean and Charles'Upchuck'Schumer on the Sunday morning programs talking about how [they feel] Bush and the government have 'lied' about this war and othercurrent issues. It is a scene from 'Dr Strangelove':


General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you recall what Clemenceau once said about war?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No, I don't think I do, sir, no.
General Jack D. Ripper: He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.


A little bit extreme, but the point is there. War is an issue best left to those who are of millitary thought. Politicians would rather do what is publically expedient or would get them re-elected and not make the hard choices. Put another way, if the current mindset of the Dems was in place after Pearl or before D-Day, suffice it to say the US and the world would a drastically different place.

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Peace, Love, DOPES!!!!!!!

It has been said that the 60's has had several lasting legacies. That is true, there are quite a few of them: Civil Rights legislation and the Great Society, The Space Race with the US landing on the moon in June of 1969, music which included the rise and influence of Motown and of course, The Beatles, the New York Mets pulling off the miracle win in the '69 World Series and other events. But now there is a report of another legacy from that decade; this is one we may not want to be proud of.

The CBS Evening News, Saturday Edition aired a report that the baby boomer generation that came of age during that decade is now sucumbing to the main excess of that decade at a faster rate than the rest of the population. Yep, it was the drugs, man!!! Pot, smack, heroin-you name it; these have resulted in persons who are in their 60's being admitted to rehab centers at a high rate, but the cause of their ultimate demise is not the usual, like old age. In New York City for example, treatmet groups that are being set up for these addicts are filling up as soon as they are opened.

As scary as this is, there is another wave which will hit in a few years. Let me offer a theory as to how this will come about: In addition to the children of those folks from the 60's who see drugs as not being that big a deal, there will also be the children of the inner city who were either born addicted to or were instroduced to crack and other illegal drugs that infested those communities. And as the number of folks who are going to rehab increases, the cost to coiety is going to increase, which in turn will turn an already stressed out healthcare system into a quagmire. Hence the US at a time when we need to maintain that competitve edge in industry and trade will be handicapped, by treating folks who wanted to drop out of society by either shooting up, snorting or smoking some substance. That may sound harsh, but the reality is very ugly as well as detrimental to the overall future of the country, as well as for the industialized world that tends to copy and emulate the US.

Changing the gears here, a little snooping around on the net is yielding that some of those special interest idiots are still saying that this past week's election is proof positive that the GOP is in serious trouble. Plus the 2008 election will mean the Demoncrats, I mean Democrats will, according to these folks win both houses and the White House. To these folks I will quote Aerosmith: 'Dream On'. Why? Because it is not going to happen. Not to mention the fact that what is behind the Dems and the left are organizations so extreme in their own views, that if in power they would turn this country into a twisted form of a socialist state, but one with special rights and laws for 'special' people. [Will save that list for another time]

Another thing for these folks who are in this jocular mood over this past week. Remember this headline from many years ago: "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN!!!!!" because Dewey the morning after realized he was beaten by the man from Independence. History has a habit of repeating itself like a record with a skip.

Friday, November 11, 2005

When the weirdness rains, it pours!!!

One of the really nice (joking of course) things about living in this time is that there is sooo much that occurs, so much to make one scratch the head and ask 'what were the folks smoking and where can I not get any?'. It can boggle the mind, such as the following that has happened just since the last post from the keyboard:

- Seattle, that other bastion of crazed liberal thought to the north of here decided to do something that makes sense. In the last election, they turned down a plan to expand the monorail which currently runs between Downtown Seattle (The Westlake Shopping Center) and Seattle Center. YES!!!! Some folks have the seen the devil behind the details.

While it will give that 'Jetsons meets Logan's Run' type of look to the city, who in their right mind would want all of this concrete running through town?? Not to mention this will interfere with those views of the sound and sunsets that the city is known for when the clouds and fog lift. Plus the city already is building a new mass transit system that will be more efficient-even if a lot of it is based on light rail and subways. In fact, yours truly had been involved in the effort to get this type of plan passed back in the 90's, which passed the King County vote, but did not in Pierce and Snohomish (the counties to the south and north of Seattle). While having a new LRT system is not going to cure all of the transit ills, it is better than betting the farm on a system that would end up being an eyesore.

- Well the NFL looks as though they are going to try to run this play til they get it right. It seems that they want to place another team in the Los Angeles area... AGAIN . Yes, it is the second largest television market in the US and the only one of the top 50 that does not have an NFL team, but after the last two bolted, why??Makes as much sense as wehn Bud Wilkinson , as coach of the Cardinals switched their offense to the Wing-T, something that worked in college but not at the pro level.

Let's go over the facts of this situation: When the Rams were in LA; they intially played at the Coliseum; which while they had large crowds, they rarely sold the place out. This especially became evident after the blackout rules were changed in the 70's (by a threat of Congress, no less) which as a result meant that LAX was shut out of watching on home television some of the more 'attractive' games that had involved the Rams. On top of that, the ballpark is located in a section of town that is not considered to be all that safe, even when USC plays their home games there. And in typical LA fashion this story gets even stranger because...

In the late 70's the Rams then left LA proper to play their home games in a (bastardized) Anaheim Stadium [Funny, they were not called the Los Angeles Rams of Anaheim]. This move was prompted by the enclosing of that ballpark and the construction of skyboxes for the few, the proud, the ones with a little too much money, but not enough sense to remember they are watching the Rams. The problems with the lack of sellouts still plagued the team because: 1.Fans were trapped on Interstate 5 trying to get out to Orange County to the ballpark, 2.Many of the sightlines in the park were POOR as far as football is concerned, 3. The teams for the most part had a habit of stinking up the joint and lastly 4. On Sunday afternoons in the fall, some would rather spend time on the beach or with family then see a bunch of whinning adult babies not trying to play a game they get paid very well for. Of course after a few years of this and losing money, they left LA for St Louis and a spanking new ballpark, with all the goodies that would make most team owners salivate. However, this void was soon to be filled by...

Darth Vader, oops I mean the Oakland Raiders. Yep-my man Al Davis (I cut him some slack on this because, after all he is an ex-Brooklyn kid) moved the Raiders from the Bay Area to LA, but not for the green pastures of the Coliseum. Or even the planned ballpark in Irwindale (LOL). Nope, Al did this because there was something else on the horizon that would make his team an insane amount of money (or at the time it was being seriously discussed), as well as others. Pay Per View TV for select games.

Yep you read that right, PPV. This came out during the testimony in the lawsuit Davis filed against the NFL with regard to their rules against a team being relocated without a vote by the fellow owners. Apparently, the LA market is so coveted because while fans may not turn out for the games (the Raiders when they were in LA, even when they won the Super Bowl averaged bet 55,000 and 59,000 per game and rarely, sold out the place) would be more than happy to pay $4.50 or more for a game that they want to see from the comfort of their own homes. The plan after that case was shelved, the Raiders moved back to Oakland (to a ballbpark with the skyboxes out in center field refered to as condominiums). However in an ironic twist, the NFL has its own network and is now considering again PPV for games moved to prime time on Thursday Nights. Stay tuned, because there has been a very nasty rumour floating around that the Super Bowl may go to PPV by the middle of this century [to quote Gordon Gecko from Wall Street, 'Greed, for lack of a better word is good').

-This next one brought a smile to the face because, I love cats (live with two of them, Rachel and Marissa) and this was another example of the will to survive. In fact the cat in this pic, bears a strong resemblance to Rachel in that she is Maine Coon/Tabby Mix. By the by the Maine Coons are known for beingvery smart, true longhairs, big boned (not fat, this is an adaptation over time by evolution), their fur can be any color and like Siamese and good old alley cats are very very loyal. Oh yeah, she may look a little upset, but heck wouldn't you be after an ordeal like this and then had cameras shoved in the face? Then again Rachel and Marissa look at me like that (Marissa is a black Siamese/Burmese mix) give me that look when it is time to fill the dish or when they see me spending too much time on the net.

One last item to consider folks. Last night NBC closed out the Nightly News with a report on the state, or lack therof of language. In particular how the slang that is common on the net and in other places has not just crept into daily casual usage; but how it has changed even business correspondence. So much so that corporations are now sending their managers to 'remedial business English' classes. Maybe this is not a sign of a collapse, but when standard parlance of commerce is replaced with smiley faces and other 'cutespeak', commerce as well as other parts of the society are heading for trouble. Unlike a rock rolling down a mountain, we can put the brakes to this before there is a crash.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Just a few random thoughts

There have been a few items that have been rattling around the mind, so here are a few, submitted for your approval:

1. The Democrats seem to be celebrating a little too early in California after the special election where the initiatives that Arnold wanted to have passed failed. Don't these folks understand that this means that this means a continuation of the same crap that happened under Davis. which the Governator was trying to eliminate? Any wonder why big businesses are fleeing the state quicker than an uncovered Mets fan in the Wrigley Field bleachers.

2. While this one flew under the radar; Amtrak fired its boss, David Gunn. His name may not be familiar to about 98% of the planet, but he was the former head of the New York City transit system some time back and was credited with part of its turnaround during the 80's. Sadly there is a big difference between making sure the IRT Lexington Avenue Line runs on time and trying to fix a system so far in disrepair that sparkling wine is broken out if a long distance train arrives within a half hour of its scheduled time. Then again, the same thing can be said about the regular service that runs between DC and Boston.

3. No tears will be coming from this desk over Terrell Owens and his suspension for the rest of the season by the Philadelphia Eagles. At last, a team has said that enough of the whinning and bad attitudes of these spoiled brats is ENOUGH! They may not be as deadly on the field as far as their vertical game is concerend at this point, but hell they will be better off longterm in the locker room because this irritation is gone.

4. Dovetailing on that last column about the rainbow/alphabet soupers, while I am not crazy about their bland reality in spite of the flag they carry - sadly they may be on to something. If what currently shows up in daytime media is any indication (for example: that pride of Rego Park, Queens-via Cincinatti, Jerry Springer) there may {notice I said MAY} be a justification for this. After all would you want to be associated with that trash if one is trying to disprove they act like that in order to get laws favoring them passed?

5. Michael Savage is right about liberalism. For a while now he has called it a mental condition, which some have said is a joke and the man is nuts. Well if it is not a sign of bats in the belfry and the elevators not going to the top floor, why the heck is it that those mouthpieces of liberal thought and diversity (damn there went that word again!) the ACLU tend to want to defend the most looney, strange and profane of the world. It is almost as though they want the 'weird and the wacky' to be mainstream. Gee that may play in Greenwhich Village or Beserkely but in the rest of the country, hell no.

FINALLY, Let's give a late bravo and a toast with our croissants to the French Government. YAY, they are going to expell those punks who have caused the riots and problems over the past few nights. Nice to know they have gotten with the program and will send these weasels packing. Perhaps the last words these folks should have uttered to them on the plane out is 'don't come back now, you hear?'

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Why is it that the folks who sponsor that 'Rainbow Flag' so gosh darn vanilla?

Now that I have gotten your attention with the title, let's start this one out with a little tale. 'Once upon a time...' an airline; in this case United decided to paint their planes with what they had termed were 'world colors'. That meant red, blue, green and others against a background of aircraft carrier grey. From what was mentioned in their news releases, this was to show that good old UAL not only served all of the continents on the planet; but employed and embraced the concept of (here comes that word again) "diversity". If truth be known, they do-anyone who does not believe that; remember the listing of those who were killed on 9/11, in particular the crew of Flight 93 and you get the idea.

Unlike how United does business, while the gay community and its sponsors seem to in their media presentations want the world to see a rainbow flag, but put forth a media image that would look too close to the world of the 50's suburbs. As in, let's say the battle over gay marriage. One does not need to look very carefully at the footage from ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and the rest to see that the landscape of the protestors looks like the top of Everest or Mt Hood. Nary any persons of color at all which would make any person with a brain wonder why this is the case, especially since they are the same ones who use as a symbol a flag that supposedly represents all people, all stripes, religions etc.

I can offer up a couple theories for this and while theories, they do have a ring of truth in them. The first being is that they want to create a media image that can be sold outside of their home hotbeds of the east and left, I mean west coast. After all they do not want the image of the pride parades to be what folks in Witchita or Ames see, so they need things to match what those target populations are (by the by, I am using those two cities as examples, in actual point of fact, Witchita and Ames are MORE DIVERSE than the standard pride parade).

Now the second theory will probably get a few folks wanting to get my address and throw bricks or even firebombs. It seems that since most of what does go on for those in the pride bunch is more often than not centered around sex, they only see blacks and others 'of color' as being equals in the bedroom or any other place they want to practive their version of horizontal enrichment, but not any place else. Sounds controversial? You betcha, but the sexual myths have been around for years and was the basis of those legends surrounding the supposed sexual prowess of blacks and others before, during and after the civil war. No one wants to admit to that openly, but if one were to do a little digging, they would find that this attitude is still rather entrenched.

Yes there have been attempts on the part of the pride party pack to try to disway the public at large that they want to represent those of all colors. However it seems that for this is only shown when the cameras are around. At least with United, those folks can and do walk the walk and talk the talk of the rainbow. These other folks well one has a chance of seeing a more diverse crowd at a Montreal Canadiens hockey game. Then again too, those who are 'of color' should be careful of playing into the sexual stereotype as well and demand that they be treated as human beings in this. If not, then the alphabet-soupers would feel they are justified in keeping their distance; due to the fact they do not want to be associated with those whose behavior is more like Jerry Springer guests than those who can hold a rational conversation or even be included in protests for 'rights'.

Monday, November 07, 2005

California Strikes Again [And we are in trouble if this one spreads]

Just after I had written about how the weirdoes in the state of confusion, I mean California are trying to recall the Governator because apparently he is not turning out to be a pushover weenie and give in to the liberal loonies, another bit of manure has arisen from the dung heap. In this case it has to do with a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Weasels.

This one deals with the Palmdale school district sending out questionaires to the students asking them about their sexual history. (Someone else has placed this on the net in a better form than I can at: http://redstate.org/story/2005/11/2/22125/7274/) What makes me really sick about this is that these questions were sent to 7th graders without the parents knowing and then this court of ill repute and lack of brains said the parents had no recourse in this. Bizarro-world strikes again.

Telling a parent they have no grounds to question or even to fight this type of intrusion on their children is just plain wrong. If you read the questions as stated in the previously refernced site, it becomes obvious that there is another agenda at work here. It has been known for quite some time that slowly but surely the basics of education in the school systems of some of the larger cities (controlled by liberals - surprise, surprise) have had creep in under the radar a loosened attitude towards sexuality and all that goes with it. This is being introduced to younger and younger students in the name of being diverse.('Yes Johnny and Sue some of your fellow 6th or 7th graders are sexually different than you and we must understand as well as be accepting/tolerant).

Is it any wonder then that the US is slowly falling behind many other industialized nations as far as math and science are concerned. While we may be nuturing more Maplethorpes or worse, the edge that we used to have as far as being innovative is going the way of the Edsel. And the parents who are fighting this are real heroes. They understand the stakes better than the union creeps who have tried to bring this in with the blessing of Carter and Clinton appointees. From my desk, this type of crap has to stop, NOW.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Why should the will of the people be under attack?

Elections here in the US and in other countries are, if I am correct based on the fact that the majority has elected an official or has passed a proposition which, it is thought would make things better for the general populace. However it looks as though some have very short memories.


It seems that this past week, those wonderful folks in Hollyweird and in other parts of the state of California have stepped up their verbal attacks and protests against Governor Schwarzenegger because they do not like the fact that he is trying to tighten the reigns on spending. Oh yeah that as well as trying to make the state more business friendly. In doing so, he has had to make some rather difficult decisions because being the head of a state does entail that duty. However the protestors from Los Angeles to San Francisco have a case of amnesia.

Wasn't it just a couple years back that a Democrat named Gray Davis had the state on the verge of a virtual bankruptcy? If memory serves, his adminstration was marked by runaway spending, an energy scandal that caused rolling brownouts [a lot of this caused by firms such as the late Enron] as well as problems with every union and special interest group throughout the state. He faced a recall election as a result and the people chose The Terminator if only due to the fact that he said he would not let this 'business as usual' attitude prevail. [Minnesota did similar a while back by electing Jesse 'The Body' Ventura their governor, but what he did there caused more problems in his one term than anything else...that will be for another time]. And he has not let it happen.

In the time that Arnold has been in office he has cut some of the red tape that used to tie up the process of getting business done. Contrary to what the unions and the Hollyweirdoes [Warren Beatty and others] have tried to get out through propaganda machines like the AP, there is construction going on. There are jobs being created. The transit agency in California, CalTrans is expanding service in the tightest of traffic corridors. Plus he is trying to get the schools to get their acts together by taking on the rules that have been in place that have kept educational progress stagnant [and have allowed tenure in such a way that even bad teachers cannot be removed unless it took, pardon the term an 'act of god'].

The Governator is going to make mistakes and he is not going to be able to please all of the people all of the time. In addition to being seriously crazy, this would also cause a larger bottleneck in Sacramento than the traffic coming in each morning. The short minded in the state who seem to find the time to go out of their way to protest like there is all the time in the world [makes one wonder if the teacher's union for example is always marching what is going on in the classrooms] failing to remember that the will of the people has spoken and Arnold has to be given time to do his job. Then again another former governor of the state said the same thing. That was Jerry Brown, the former 'Governor Moonbeam'. But he was right, so folks relax, the will and voice of the people have spoken and now let things develop. If no one likes it, heck vote Arnold out in the next election or even recall him if need be.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Rap as the Fuel of Riots and Cultural Decay

'Rap'

Just a simple word. It can mean anything from a knock on the door [as in Poe's 'The Raven'], to a reputation to its current meaning. That being the spoken or yelled words over music. In the book here some of the better versions of it are the early work of Run-DMC, 'Informer' by Snow and a piece called 'Roll The Bones' by Rush.

Over the years though rap has gone from just spoken boasts to the grease, as it were of disrepect for authority, women and for each other. Derogatory terms for ethnic groups that years ago would [and in some cases can cause hate crimes to arise]cause problems are now just common terms. Defining people as the 'n' word, women as the 'b' word and telling people that their lives are not worth anything unless they have a lot of material goods and a harem of women to love, leave and ignore are acceptable, as well as telling youth that they have to be antisocial in order to gain any type of respect. After all to the aveage rapper, going to school, working hard to get ahead and making a positive difference in this life, that is for 'chumps'.

And with the access to 24/7/365 media that some do have, like those who are rioting in France they are now imitating those very words that extort some here to just throw their lives away and act as though violence-physical and emotional will change the world. Sorry folks, that is not the case. What they are emulating is nothing that will only cause more problems. Less respect from the outside world and even more isolation inside the ghettos that these folks want to remain in because [like some here] they want to be around their 'hommies' and 'plot against the man'...or in the case of France 'le hommes du government'.The jails in many cities are filled with people who thought that this method of social change would work. The ones in Paris and other cities throughout France will be same soon enough.

By the by, the song by Rush I mentioned earlier...here is the rap from that song:

Jack -- relax.
Get busy with the facts.
No zodiacs or almanacs,
No maniacs in polyester slacks.
Just the facts.
Gonna kick some gluteus max.
It's a parallax -- you dig?
You move around
The small gets big. It's a rig.
It's action -- reaction --
Random interaction.
So who's afraid
Of a little abstraction?
Can't get no satisfaction
From the facts?
You better run, homeboy --
A fact's a fact
From Nome to Rome, boy.

What's the deal? Spin the wheel.
If the dice are hot -- take a shot.
Play your cards. Show us what you got --
What you're holding.
If the cards are cold,
Don't go folding.
Lady Luck is golden;
She favors the bold. That's cold.
Stop throwing stones --
The night has a thousand saxophones.
So get out there and rock,
And roll the bones.
Get busy!

[Thanks Geddy, Alex and Neil]

If y'all did not get this, get busy, stop blaming the man and try fixing things by getting with the program. The world will be better in the long run because of it.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Memo to the Borough of Brooklyn: Do not build the Nets Arena

Folks I have a confession to make here: I am an ex-Brooklynite. Yes I was born in the land of the Dodgers and Ebbetts Field, Coney Island and Nathans, Ralph Kramden to name a few [as well as Chris Rock, Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman-R, Al Davis-owner of the Raiders and others] and as such I have a fondness for the place. When I last lived there close to 20 years ago, it was still a place where neighborhoods had characters all their own, with a diversity that was not forced but happened naturally. Heck even the cats and dogs got along there.

The reason why I mention all of this is that there is now a plan afoot to build an arena for the New Jersey [if they move there it will be Brooklyn] Nets in the middle of the borough right on top of what is now a slightly abandoned rail yard owned by the Long Island Railroad/MTA [the Atlantic Yards]. While this will bring jobs to the area-and they are needed; it is just that this is not going to be the savior that it is being touted as. Granted the housing that is part of this is needed [if the promise of mixed use housing is lived up to] but not with the arena as the carrot on the stick.

Also the list of places where economic development being spurred on by such structures is a short one: Camden Yards-Baltimore, Jacobs Field-Cleveland, SBC Park-San Francisco, Harry S. Truman Sports Complex: Kauffman Stadium/Arrowhead Stadium-Independence, Missouri, Coors Field-Denver. However in other cities, this image of the growth and boom towns around the ballparks have yet to be fullfilled [Miller Park-Milwaukee] or even worse, fans have stayed away because the team playing there has found ways to remain lousy even with the new revenue streams [Comerica Park-Detroit anyone?].

Brooklyn can and has survived rather well without an arena to place it on the map. And for the Nets, they can ahare the same arena with New Jersey Devils in beautiful downtown Newark. This is of course if they do not fight over revenue. Or to put this another way, Henry Hill that great Brooklyn Wiseguy would have said 'A ballpark would not be needed to make Brooklyn a somebody in a world filled with nobodies'.

[If you want to check the real stats on this issue, check out a book called: 'Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit' (2nd Edition) by Joanna Cagan and Neil deMause]

Thursday, November 03, 2005

What do you do when you have no clue about how to be a part of society? Riot, what else!!!!

Sad isn't it? The land of fine wine, world famous art and of the expatriot American artist and musician in the last century is now facing riots from those who have immigrated in but want to be no part of the country. Well they do not want to be a part unless they get guarantees about such things as jobs and housing.

What is wrong with this picture? Many things!! For one nothing in life is guaranteed...not one damn thing. Secondly this is not their house it is the French house and while yes there is respect for the traditions that some will bring with them to their new home, this does not mean that the country in question has to bend over backwards to the point of breaking in order to accomaodate the new citizens. If that were the case, no country on the planet would even progress.

By the by if these folks want jobs and start to pay their own way for housing, guess what? There are cities all over France that need people to work in them. Lyons, Marseilles and others. One just has to look, read and make an effort. Oh I forgot, making an effort is something that the lefties tell people is what the government has to do not the people in question. Damn them.