A Cartoon

I don't normally post cartoons but I was browsing through a bunch of different stuff on The American Conservative website and this one just struck me a little humorous and wanted to share it.

A GREAT IDEA!

So I have this really great idea. It is just pure genius.

Check this out.

I am really broke and I can usually just barely scrap up enough to pay all of our bills so this is the plan I came up with.

I am going to go out and spend MORE money (that I don't have) to buy a bunch of crap that I don't really need and that will make me more prosperous. Yes, spending more of what I don't have will make all of my financial problems go away.

Right. Sounds stupid doesn't it?

Well...isn't this the same thing that the Obama administration is doing to fix our country's economy? Sounds like it to me.

That is what I like to call DOO DOO ECONOMICS.

Who is Pat Buchanan...Really?

I have heard a lot of bad things about Pat Buchanan. I don't think I have ever read a blog, newspaper article or listened to any type of broadcast that casts him in a positive light.

I never really bothered to ask why. I just figured from what I heard from others that this is the type of guy that Rush Limbaugh would call a right-wing nut job...so that must be pretty bad. LOL!

However, lately I have been wondering...honestly, what about him is so bad? So I decided to finally take a look for myself and see what I could find out about the man.

Here is some background about him first:

Born in 1938 in Washington DC to a nurse and an accountant. His great-grandfather fought in the Civil War for the South.

He is a Roman Catholic. He attended Catholic schools and was educated at Georgetown University.

While at Georgetown he served in the ROTC. At the outbreak of the Vietnam was he was rejected for military service due to mild arthritis. He earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia in 1962.

At 23 he began writing for the St Louis Globe-Democrat. In 1964 he was promoted to assistant editorial page editor.

He was hired as an advisor to Richard Nixon's presidential campaign in 1966 as a researcher. After Nixon took office he was hired as a speechwriter and White House advisor. When Nixon resigned he continued to work as an advisor to President Ford.

After this stint he became a political commentator, appearing on the radio show Buchanan-Brade (Tom Braden, liberal columnist) and beginning his TV career on The McLaughlin Group and CNNs Crossfire.

He went back to work for the White House in 1985 as Communications Director. After Reagan left the White House he returned to being a political commentator.

He challenged incumbent President George H.W. Bush's 2nd bid for the presidency and actually won 38% of the New Hampshire primary but overall only received 3 million total votes so he threw his support behind Bush.

In 1995 he ran for President again along with Senator Robert Dole who eventually won the Republican nomination (although he had defeated Dole in the New Hampshire primary by 3000 votes).

He left the Republican Party in 1999 and in 2000 won the Presidential nomination for the Reform Party. At this time he called for the U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations and the abolition of the I.R.S., the Dept of Education, Dept of Energy, and HUD. In the 2000 election he finished 4th with 0.4% of the popular vote.

In 2002 he started a conservative magazine title The American Conservative. Its 1st issue was released October 7, 2002.

So enough background, here are some of this thoughts on politics (along with a little commentary from myself about these viewpoints):

He considers himself a traditional conservative as opposed to a neoconservative (see What the heck is a neoconservative).

He supports the abolition of several government agencies such as the Dept of Education.

I am okay with that. I think the less bureaucracy, the better off we will eventually be.

He opposes military interventionism, frequently quoting George Washington and Thomas Jefferson about avoiding "entangling alliances."

I am okay with that too.

He believes that life begins at conception and fervently opposes abortion. He has been quoted as saying:

"I don't care about the circumstances of a child's conception...execute the rapist and let the unborn child live."

Okay, so I can see where those on the "left" (geez i hate using that word) would consider this to be an extreme point of view but personally I think he is right on the money.

He feels that a culture war is going on in America and that issues such as abortion, gay rights, feminism, flag-burning, and women in combat are dividing this country needlessly.

So far so good. I agree with him 100% so far.

He supports a constitutional amendment allowing state-sanctioned prayer in public schools.

Okay, I have a problem with that one. I don't want schools trying to teach my kids religion and I really don't think the "state" should be sanctioning anything. Voluntary school prayer is okay though.

He openly ridicules those who oppose the display of the Confederate flag stating that the U.S. Civil War was fought over states rights and "the right of a people to break free of a government to which they could no longer give allegiance."

Okay, this one is probably going to get me blasted pretty hard. I actually agree with him in regards to the Civil War. I personally don't think the Union had any right telling the Southern states that were not allowed to secede and actually fought a bloody, senseless war in order to force them back into it. And this particular war set a very long, ugly precedent in regards to states rights. Okay, bring it on, I'm ready for the tongue lashing.

He opposes the War in Iraq stating that it is being fought not over bringing democracy to a foreign nation but to preserve and protect American oil rights in the Middle East.

Yeah, I think everyone knows my opinion on all this. I totally agree with him on this too. See! A conservative that opposes the war. This is a good clear distinction between neoconservatives and traditional conservatives.

He fully supports the war on drugs and opposes the legalization of marijuana, except in medical cases.

Okay, another one I disagree with him on.

So far I really don't see anything that is all that extreme or kooky or anything that makes him a nut job.

I had heard at some point in time that his views on immigration reform are really what people go after him about.

So here is his "platform" regarding immigration:

He calls for a 10 year suspension on illegal immigration.
Uhm, wait why only 10 years? After 10 years we can have illegal immigrants again? This one I don't understand. Maybe I am interpreting this idea wrong.

He calls for a 2000 mile double line security fence between the U.S. and Mexico. Nothing really weird there. Bush signed a law to put a fence up.

He calls for an end to all social welfare benefits for illegal aliens, except for emergency medical services.
I agree. Sure they have can emergency medical treatment but once they are treated, let's ship em back where they came from!

He calls for punishing businesses that hire illegal aliens.
No problems with that.

He calls for a mass deportation of all aliens convicted of felonies and every gang member that is not a citizen of the United States.
Are there people out there that are actually opposed to this?

Okay, maybe the Christian feeling on this should be that we should be taking care of foreigners and what not and maybe that is the way I should feel but as a Christian I also know that the Bible tells us to follow the law and if you are an illegal immigrant you are breaking the law. So I will help you if you are hurt or poor (that is if I had any money to give you) but I will not condone your further breaking the law by remaining in a country of which you are not a citizen and certainly not the further taking in of benefits that should be illegal to be giving you in the first place. Sorry. If this is an extreme point of view then I guess my thoughts are a little extrem too.

So for the most part, in everything I have read about Pat I don't really find anything that weird or out of the ordinary. I decided to reserve a couple of his books from the local library to give them a read and see if I find anything goofy about his thoughts in those. I will let you know once I get them and finish reading them what I think about them.

Anybody else have any thoughts or read anything else about him that would clear up this whole why do so many people think Buchanan is a freak thing?

Picking the Favorites: Screeching Weasel

I will only be doing this for their studio LPs, not any singles or EPs.

Screeching Weasel
"I Hate Led Zeppelin"

Boogadaboogadaboogada
"Dingbat"
- - followed closely by "Hey Suburbia"

My Brain Hurts
"My Brain Hurts"
- - 2nd place goes to "Veronica Hates Me"

Wiggle
"Automatic Rejection"

Anthem for a New Tomorrow
"A New Tomorrow"
- - This one was a hard choice. I really like this album a lot. In fact, now that I think about it, this CD was actually the very first LP I ever heard from the band (the 1st recording I heard of them was the Radioblast 7")

How To Make Enemies and Irritate People
I can't really come up with a favorite because for some reason I really just don't like this album at all.

Bark Like a Dog
"Your Name is Tattooed on My Heart"
- - This one was even harder to decide on then Anthem. This album might even be a better album in my opinion than that one.

Television City Dream
"Speed of Mutation"

Emo
"Sidewalk Warrior"

Teen Punks in Heat
Can't really come up with one for this album either. I have listened through it a couple of times and really just don't like it all that much.

The Screeching Weasel DOTM

I did a DOTM for SW back in January 2007 but looking back at it, the post was really lame so I felt it deserved a "do-over."

Screeching Weasel
Released in 1987 by Underdog Records.
Produced by Screeching Weasel.
Band lineup:
Ben Weasel - vocals; John Jughead - guitar; Vinnie Bovine - bass; Steve Cheese - drums.
Tracks: 39

Boogadaboogadaboogada!
Released in 1988 by Roadkill Records.
Produced by Ben Weasel and Jughead.
Lineup changes:
Vinnie Bovine was replaced by Fish.
Tracks: 26

Punkhouse
Released in 1989 by Limited Potential.
Produced by Mike Potential.
Lineup:
Ben Weasel - vocals/guitar; Jughead - guitar; Sewercap - bass; Brian Vermin - drums.
Tracks: 6

Pervo Devo
Released in 1991 by Shred of Dignity.
Produced by Andy Ernst and Larry Livermore.
Lineup changes:
Ben Weasel stopped playing guitar and Danny Vapid was added as a 2nd guitarist; Dave Naked replaced by Sewercap on bass; Danny Panic replaced Vermin on drums.

My Brain Hurts
Released in 1991 by Lookout! Records.
Produced by Screeching Weasel.
Lineup changes:
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 14

Ramones
Released in 1992 by Selfless Records.
Produced by Screeching Weasel.
Lineup:
Ben Weasel - vocals; Jughead - guitar; Danny Vapid - bass; Dan Panic - drums.
Tracks: 14
This album covers the 1st Ramones album in its entirety.

Happy Horny Gay and Sassy
Released in 1992 by Selfless Records.
Produced by Screeching Weasel
Lineup changes:
Danny Vapid switched to 2nd guitar and Gub took over on bass.
Tracks: 8

Wiggle
Released in 1993 by Lookout!
Produced by Mass Giorgini
Lineup changes:
Johnny Personality took over bass.
Tracks: 18

Radioblast
Released in 1993 by Underdog Records.
Produced by Screeching Weasel.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 2

Anthem For a New Tomorrow
Released in 1993 by Lookout!
Produced by Ben Weasel.
Lineup:
Ben Weasel - vocals/guitar; Danny Vapid - bass; Jughead - guitar; Dan Panic - drums.
Tracks: 18

You Broke My **** Heart
Released in 1993 by Lookout!
Produced by Mark Schwarz and Ben Weasel.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 4

How To Make Enemies and Irritate People
Released in 1994 by Lookout!
Produced by Mass Giorgini and Ben Weasel.
Lineup changes:
Bass guitar was supplied by Mike Dirnt.
Tracks: 13

Suzanne is Getting Married
Released in 1994 by Lookout!
Produced by Mass Giorgini
Lineup changes:
Bass was performed by Mike Dirnt on one track and Mass Giorgini played on the other.
Tracks: 2

Kill the Musicians
Compilation album released in 1995 by Lookout!
Various produced.
Various lineups.
Tracks: 31
Contains demos, b-sides, vinyl-only EPs and other various odds and ends.

Bark Like a Dog
Released in 1996 by Fat Wreck Chords.
Produced by Mass Giorgini and Ben Weasel.
Lineup:
Ben Weasel - vocals/guitar; Danny Vapid - bass; Jughead - guitar; Dan Panic - drums.
Tracks: 12

Forumla 27
Released in 1997 by Lookout!
Produced by Mass Giorgini and Ben Weasel.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 4

Television City Dream
Released in 1998 by Fat Wreck Chords.
Produced by Screeching Weasel.
Lineup:
Ben Weasel - vocals; Jughead - guitar; Zac Damon - guitar; Mass Giorgini - bass; Dan Lumley - drums
Tracks: 15

Beat Is On the Brat
Released in 1998 by Lookout!
Produced by Mass Giorgini and Ben Weasel
This album was recorded by the pre-Television City Dream lineup.
Tracks: 18

Major Label Debut
Released in 1998 by Panic Button Records.
Produced by Screeching Weasel.
This album was recorded by the Television City Dream lineup.
Tracks: 6

Emo
Released in May 1999 by Panic Button.
Produced by Brendan Burke.
Lineup changes:
Zac Damon left the band and Ben Weasel started playing guitar again.
Tracks: 12

Jesus Hates You
Released in 1999 by Panic Button.
Produced by Mass Giorgini and Ben Weasel.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 3

Thank You Very Little
Compilation album released in February 2000 by Lookout!
Various producers.
Varioius lineups.
Tracks: 51 (2 CDs)

Teen Punks in Heat
Released in 2000 by Panic Button.
Produced by Screeching Weasel.
Lineup changes:
Ben stopped playing guitar again and 2nd guitar duties were taken over by Phillip Aaron Presley.
Tracks: 20

Weaselmania
Compilation album released in 2005 by Fat Wreck Chords.
Various producers.
Various lineups.
Tracks: 34

What the heck is a Neo-Conservative?

I keep hearing about this term on the blogosphere and in other reading material and I have never really understood what is meant by this term.

So in the great tradition of other "What The Heck is..." installments, here is one for those of us dummies that don't know what a neo-conservative is.

Neo-conservatives support the idea of using America's military might to bring democracy to other countries.

They also support the idea of a government that is completely responsible for the welfare of its citizens.

Some of the main characteristics of neoconservatism include:
little emphasis on diplomacy
more emphasis on the use of military force
little emphasis on the use of international organizations
more emphasis on controlling the Middle East

Neo-conservatives believe that the United States should spread its own ideas of democracy globally, mostly through military force.

According to a Time magazine article from February 2009, neo-conservatives are more interested in confronting their enemies than they are in making friends.

The term itself was used in the early 1920s in opposition to right-leaning liberals. The modern usage of the word (neoconservative) increased with the focus on neoconservatism as part of the George W. Bush administration.

However, neo-conservatives were opposed to Bush's policies early in his first term. However, after 9/11, his tactics changed quite dramatically and his State of the Union speech in January 2002 was actually written by a neoconservative.

So in a nutshell, neo-conservatives are the conservatives that one could relate the term "war-monger" toward.

With all of this in mind, I could definitely not consider myself a neo-conservative by any means.

While I was reading about neo-conservatives I ran across another term, paleoconservatism, so I thought I would read a bit about that one too.

This is a term used anti-communists and anti-imperialists in the United States that emphasize anti-federalism and the religious, national and Western identity of the country.

Paleo-conservatives are opposed to the funding of foreign wars or a term they use to refer to neo-conservatives, "polite totalitarianism."

One of the key aspects of their philosophy is their anti-federalist views. They believe that almost all government tasks should be performed at the local or state level and support the decentraliziation of our government and place more emphasis on local rule, private property and minimal bureaucracy.

I actually kind of like this idea and barring further reading about this political philosophy I can just about identify with this sort of conservatism in a lot of ways.

Picking the Favorites: Dropkick Murphys

Dave already did his list for this band so I figured I would do mine.

Dave is a bigger fan of this band than I am but they are a really good band and definitely worthy of a favorites list.

Boys on the Dock
"Never Alone"

Do or Die
"Cadence to Arms"

The Gang's All Here
"Amazing Grace"
-- I want this version of the song played at my funeral. It is amazing.

Mob Mentality
"The Kids Are Alright"
-- One of the best cover versions of this song that I have heard

Sing Loud Sing Proud
"The Gauntlet"

Blackout
"Walk Away"

Tessie
"Tessie"

The Warrior's Code
"I'm Shipping Up to Boston"

The Meanest of Times
Unfortunately I have never heard this album so I don't have a favorite.

Favorite Songs on each Ramones album

Okay kids, here is the next installment of the "Favorite Songs" series.

Ramones
"Havana Affair"

Leave Home
"Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy"

Rocket to Russia
"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"

Road to Ruin
"I Wanna Be Sedated"

End of the Century
"Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio?"

Pleasant Dreams
"The KKK Took My Baby Away"

Subterranean Jungle
"Psycho Therapy"

Too Tough to Die
"Durango 95"

Animal Boy
"Somebody Put Something in My Drink"

Halfway to Sanity
"I Wanna Live"

Brain Drain
"Palisades Park"
- - it was really hard to choose between this song and "Pet Sematary"

Mondo Bizarro
"Heidi Is a Headcase"

Acid Eaters
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"

Adios Amigos
No clue. I actually have never heard any of the songs from this album.

To Strike or Not to Strike....Better Figure it Out Soon IAM!

I came across this article by the NW Republican about the local Machinist Union and how there is a possibility that a lot of its workers will lose their jobs at Boeing here in Washington due to the company buying a plant in South Carolina.

Why are they buying a plant in South Carolina? Because the IAM (Machinists Union) will not agree to a no-strike clause in their next contract.

Here is the article

It seems logical to me that if the Machinist union wants their members to still have jobs 2-3 years from now, they will agree to the no-strike clause.

While at heart, I am still fairly pro-union (as if you did not already know that - this stance of course being another thing that keeps me out of the cool Republicans club - lol).

However, that being said, I think that going on strike is the wrong way to go about doing things. It only serves to stop production, weaken the economy and eventually just piss off the company you are working for to a point where you won't have a job at all anymore.

There are other ways in this day and age of negotiating things.

Honestly, the IAM needs to step back for a moment and realize that in reality, the machinist work for Boeing, not IAM. When Boeing decides to pack up and move to South Carolina, are the workers still going to have a job? Is the IAM going to do everything they can to go out and find their people new jobs? I seriously doubt it.

Wake up IAM. Your time is coming near.

Looking Back at Bush

Last night, I was watching a movie about George W Bush titled "W" directed by Oliver Stone. I am not sure how much of it was based on fact but it was entertaining to say the least.

One particular scene in it got me thinking though. Other than the War on Terrorism, particularly the invasion and occupation of Iraq, what will end up being Bush's legacy in our nation's history?

So I decided to do a little bit of reading and looking into what legislation was implemented while he was in office, which ones he supported and what not. Here is what I found:

2001

The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Act
This legislation was simple a law that enacted some huge tax cuts. Probably the biggest in our nation's history. This legislation was signed and implemented almost immediately after Bush took office.
I think this was a good piece of legislation and in general if it is looked at by itself it had an overall positive impact on the country in my opinion.

PATRIOT Act
This controversial act in a nutshell allowed law enforcement agencies to monitor private telephone calls, emails and other records in an effort to prevent and intercept terrorists in our country. It also made it easier for intelligence agencies to gather information inside the United States.
While I agree with the legislation in theory, I think in practice it went overboard. I think it gave too much power to those law enforcement agencies. That's just my opinion though.

2002

No Child Left Behind Act
This legislation reauthorized several federal programs in an effort to improve the performance of primary and secondary schools by increasing standards. It also provided more flexibility for parents in choosing their children's schools.
Another piece of legislation that I approve of in theory however I think education is an issue better left to the states. I also do not think it provided enough flexibility in choosing schools.

Campaign Reform Act
The major changes in this legislation were reforming campaign finance reform.
Nothing special here. I approve of the bill. Probably could have gone further but it was a good start.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act
This business reform law set standards for the regulation public company boards, management and accounting firms.
I am actually a little bit surprised that Bush approved of this. I really honestly thought he was pro-big business all the way. Shows how much I know about him. In any case, I did not dig very deep into this bill because it was terribly confusing to me so I don’t have any real logical comments about it.

Homeland Security Act
This Act created the department known as the Department of Homeland Security.
Not a big fan myself. Not a big fan of the government creating new departments with new bureaucracy. I think an existing agency could have done the same job this one does.

2003

PROTECT Act
This was a law designed specifically for reform in the laws toward sexual offenses on minors. Its biggest provision was that it allowed for mandatory life sentences for child molesters.
I’m all for that. Put them all in jail!

Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act
As the title suggests, this law prohibits late term abortions. This act by the way was upheld by the Supreme Court in a decision on the Gonzalez v Carhart case.
In my own mind, this piece of legislation is going to be one of President Bush’s lasting legacies. I think it took great courage to sign this bill into law.

Medicare Improvement and Modernization Act
This legislation overhauled Medicare by adding provisions for prescription drug benefits.
I’m okay with this. From what I have read about it the economic impact was minimal.

2004

Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Another one that I think will be a legacy in my mind for Bush. This recognized a fetus as a legal victim for numerous crimes. The only problem I have with it is that for whatever reason it did not define abortion as a crime against a fetus.

2005

Real ID Act
It set federal standards for drivers licenses and state identification cards.
I have no problem with this bill. Overall I think it was a good thing.

Bankruptcy Reform Act
This enacted many changes in federal bankruptcy laws, making it more difficult to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7. It affected both consumers and businesses.
This was not a bad law. Over time it seems like a lot of people starting using bankruptcy as a crutch to stop having to pay their bills. Bankruptcy in my opinion lessens the amount of personal responsibility in people.

Energy Policy Act
The legislation provided for tax incentives to businesses that research and manufacture alternate energy sources.
Good act here. Incentives to businesses (rather than penalties) is a good way to get things going in that direction. Heck of a lot better than some sort of cap and trade law.

2006

Adam Walsh Child Protection and Security Act
Further reformed sex offender laws. This organized sex offenders into 3 different tiers based on their threat to society. It also required all of them to register their whereabouts at specific times. Tier 3 sex offenders have to report their whereabouts for the rest of their life.
I support this law as well. There is a very small part of me that says it violates their right to privacy but I get over that really quick when I think about the little kids or women they have violated.

Secure Fence Act
This allowed for 700 miles of fence to be built along the Mexican border in an attempt to curb illegal immigration.
This was a good law too.

So overall, I think the few bad things that Bush did during his presidency (invading Iraq in the 1st place based on questionable intelligence; his abuses of presidential power) unfortunately are going to always overshadow the good things that he did during his presidency in most people’s eyes.

While I think that in most cases (most cases) everything he did, he honestly thought was for the good of the American people, I think in a lot of those cases where the wrong decisions were made he was probably misguided and relied too much on the advise of dishonorable people.

Are We Better Off?

Barack Obama campaigned for change. He talked about it constantly. Change in the way things were going. Change for the future.

During his campaign, he constantly attached the policies of George W Bush.

Specifically...

He campaigned against the war in Iraq. He promised he would pull us out immediately.

He campaigned for change in the economy stating the the policies of George W Bush ruined our country economically.

He campaigned for bipartisanship stating Bush was a straight party Republican and a yes man for the party.

He campaigned against the abuse of power by the Bush administration.

So...........

We are still in Iraq.

The country is going further down the economic toilet thanks to his policies.

He is a straight party line Democrat himself and only gives lip service to bipartisan solutions to our problems.

He himself has abused his power.

So where is the change?

It makes you wonder sometimes. Were we better off with Bush in the White House?

Robert S. McNamara, RIP

I read an article from the NY Times today about McNamara's passing. According to the article he died in his sleep around 5:30 A.M this morning. He was 93 years old.

For those that don't know who he was, Robert McNamara was the Secretary of Defense under Presidents John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson.

Here is a short chronology of the career of Mr McNamara:

Born in San Francisco, California in January 1916.
Graduated from the University of California, Berkely in 1937with a BA in Economics and a minor in mathematics and philosophy.
Earns a Masters degree from the Harvard School of Business Administration in 1939.
Begins teaching at the Harvard Business School in 1940.
Enters the service as a captain in 1943.
Leaves active duty in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Begins work at the Ford Motor Company in 1946 as manager of planning and financial analysis.
Becomes president of the Ford Motor Company in 1960.
Accepts President-elect John F Kennedy's invitation to become the Secretary of Defense in 1960.
Resigns as Sec. Def. under President John in February 1968.
Begins serving as head of the World Bank in April 1968.
Dies in his sleep in July 2009.

The Vietnam War is frequently referred to as "McNamara's War." When the war began, it was his and Kennedy's idea that the troops in Vietnam would be "advisers." That they were training the armed forces in South Vietnam but they themselves would not engage in combat.
However, after the Gulf on Tonkin Incident in August 1964, he supported the increase in the number of troops and the scope of their mission in the area.
Even though he approved of and was instrumental in the expansion of the war in Southeast Asia, he constantly butted heads with the military leaders and even thought toward the end that the war could not be won. In interviews he claimed that he only supported the war out of loyalty for the administration and that each time he visited the area he would come back reluctant that our country should have gotten involved.

He once said that had Kennedy lived "...if faced with the loss of Vietnam....he would have withdrawn."

He not only was in constant disagreement with the leaders of the military but also with the President [Johnson] himself, primarily over strategy in Vietnam. He began to recommend reducing troop levels and hand over ground fighting to the South Vietnamese as early as November 1967 but was rejected by Johnson. McNamara announced his resignation as Secretary of Defense in November 29, 1967.

I once began reading a book titled Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam. I never got a chance to read the book all the way through (I will have to reserve a copy at my local library and attempt to read it again) but from what I did get through (and from what I remember) the author of the book (H.R. McMaster) all but comes right out and says that the failure of our nation to achieve victory in Vietnam falls almost exclusively at McNamara's feet.

I'm not sure if I would agree to that but it does seem to me (from other things I have read about him) that he really did not want us over there to begin with.

In any case, the man is deceased now. I offer my condolences to his family and may Robert S McNamara rest in peace.

Favorite Songs on each U2 album.

Here is my next edition of this recently-created series:

Boy
"I Will Follow"

October
"October"
- - 2nd place is Gloria

War
"New Years Day

The Unforgettable Fire
"Pride"

The Joshua Tree
"Bullet the Blue Sky"
- - 2nd place is In God's Country

Achtung Baby
"Even Better Than the Real Thing"
- - 2nd place is Mysterious Ways

Zooropa
"Numb"

Pop
"Wake Up Dead Man"
- - 2nd place is If God Will Send His Angels

All That You Can't Leave Behind
"Walk On"
- - 2nd place In A Little While

How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
"All Because of You"
- - 2nd place Yahweh

No Line On The Horizon
"Magnificent"
- - 2nd place No Line on the Horizon

Who Knew It Would Last This Long?!?!?

Happy 1000th post everyone!

Can you believe that this post marks the 1000th post for Otter Limits?!? Who would have thought this silly little thing would have lasted that long! Heck, other than my marriage, I don't even think I have had a relationship that has last this long. LOL!

To commemorate the 1000th post, this will be a little retrospective type thing of the blog.

I began writing this blog in March 2005. I can't remember why I started writing it or even how I discovered blogging in the first place. I know I was working at AT&T Wireless at the time so it might have been a co-worker that turned me onto it at first but I can't be certain.

Since the time I started this blog I have held 4 different jobs (AT&T Wireless/Cingular; TeleFlora; Costco; Premera) not including my brief stints as a Domino's delivery driver. I have also lived in 5 different cities since that time (Everett, WA; Midwest City, OK; Oklahoma City, OK; Mountlake Terrace, WA; Seattle, WA).

The blog itself seems to have evolved over time. What started out as a blog containing music and other entertainment material along with some random person rants has been taken over by politics and theology but still sprinkled quite often with entertainment related nonsense.

To give you a better idea of what sort of things make up this blog, here is a quick and concise breakdown of what type of posts have graced it over the years up to this point:

• Politics - 311
• Music - 272
• Theology - 98
• Movies - 95
• Books - 56
• Sports - 51
• Life - 36
• Other - 80

And here is a list of some posts that are my personal favorites:

P.O. Box and a Pager (March 23, 2005)
One of the first blogs I wrote. This was a little autobiographical piece about what my life was like at one point in time.

My Life in a Call Center (July 8 2005)

This one is about, as the title suggests, my job experiences and comments about working in a call center.

Fathers Eyes (August 29 2005)

This was part 2 of a series I did for a while titled New Parable. This was my own personal observations about reflecting on faith and comparing the way God sees us as we see our own children.

America: Isolationist or Interventionist? (January 2007)

This post dealt with the foreign policy of our country, past and present.

The Failure of the War on Drugs (June 20 2008)

The title says it all on this one.

Confessions of a Comic Book Geek (November 21 2008)

This one is some of my thoughts on movies that are based on comic books.

Bride of Why I Vote This Way (February 11 2009)

I am not really sure why this post is one of my favorites. It is basically the post where I dropped the bomb, so to speak, on my current policy regarding abortion.

Music Labels (April 16 2009

About my love, of lack thereof, for labels in the music industry.

Musical History of Me (April 22 2009)

This is another autobiographical piece from a musical perspective. Basically it is just a story of the various bands I have been in over time.

How to Lose a House (May 27 2009)

This post was the story of how I lost my house in Oklahoma City. I couldn't really say why this is one of my favorite posts other than the fact that it is one of those posts that as I was writing it, it just kind of struck a nerve in me.

Two Rights Don't Make a Left (June 2 2009)

I love the title of this post. In this post, as well as a couple of other related ones, I talk about why I don't claim membership or allegiance to either of the major political parties in this country.

I also have quite a few (for lack of a better term) columns that I do. These are types of posts that I do with great frequency. Here are a few of them that I really like:

DOTM. That stands for Discography Of The Moment. This is a series where I list all of the albums that a particular band has released.

Shuffle. This is a series I do where I list the music that my iPod has chosen on a given day. Anyone that owns an iPod might understand this. I go into the Menu and choose Shuffle and it just starts playing random songs. Every so often I do this and list the songs that it has chosen for me on that particular day.

Once Upon a Time in America. I used to do this series of posts that I called On This Day in History where I would list several events that happened in world history on the given day that I would do it. This spinoff series deals specifically with events that happened in American history and 99% of the time are specific to one specific event for each day that I do the post.

Sounding Off. I don't really do this one anymore. Mostly I just do it hardcore during the election season. It is just a simple way to get out my specific positions on the political issues of the day.

So while in retrospect, this blog really is full of a lot of nonsense and I am really surprised that there are still people out there that read this tripe. And I really find it hard to believe that I show up with high rankings on Blog Net News so often.

In any case, I really appreciate everyone that comes by and talks over the issues with me, leaves comments and such.

You keep reading it and I'll keep publishing.

Take care and I'll see you again in another 1000! LoL!

Favorite Songs on each Weezer album.

Here is a continuation of a new column that Dave and I will be doing for a while.

Weezer (1994)
"Only In Dreams"
Really hard album to pick ONE favorite from.

Pinkerton
"The Good Life"
Really easy to pick from. I was not all that impressed with this album.

Weezer (2001)
"Simple Pages"
Another hard one to pick ONE favorite from.

Maladroit
"Keep Fishin"
Not a real big fan of this album either.

Make Believe
"Perfect Situation"
Followed very closely by the song "This Is Such a Pity." It was really hard to choose between these two.

Weezer (2008)
"Pork and Beans"

Favorite Songs on each Bad Religion Album

It is really strange that while I was thinking of another band to do one of these on this band did not come up first. Oh well, I guess 2nd isn't all that bad either. LOL!

Bad Religion
"Bad Religion"

How Could Hell Be Any Worse?
"We're Only Gonna Die"

Into the Unknown
"The Dichotomy"

Back to the Known
"Along the Way"

Suffer
"Do What You Want"
followed closely by the song Give You Nothing.

No Control
"I Want to Conquer the World"

Against the Grain
"Operation Rescue"
followed closely by Modern Man.

Generator
"Only Entertainment"
This one was kind of hard. Lots of good songs on this one.

Recipe for Hate
"American Jesus"
Another one with a lot of good songs.

Stranger Than Fiction
"Marked"
Nearly impossible. Probably their best album in my opinion. There are no songs on this album that are not great.

The Gray Race
"Drunk Sincerity"

No Substance
"In So Many Ways"

The New America
"The Hopeless Housewife"

The Process of Belief
"Sorrow"

The Empire Strikes First
"Let Them Eat War"
This one was not very hard. I did not particulary like this album all that much. In fact, there are really only 2 songs on it that I can in all honesty say that I like.

New Maps of Hell
"New Dark Ages"
This album to me was a complete disappointment. I would even almost go so far as to say that this album sucks. This favorite song is the only song on the album that I do like.

Favorite Songs on each Social Distortion Album

This is a sequel of sorts to my recent post about my one favorite song from each Descendents and All albums. I was thinking I should do another one of these and for some reason this is the first band that I thought of.

Kudos to Dave for the original idea!

Mommy's Little Monster
"Mommy's Little Monster"

Prison Bound
"Prison Bound"

Social Distortion
"So Far Away"

Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
"Cold Feelings"

White Light White Heat White Trash
"Dear Love"
This was a really hard album to pick one favorite from. It is by far my favorite Social Distortion album.

Sex Love and Rock n Roll
"Reach For the Sky"

Stay tuned. I have another coming up here in a minute.

Sunday Evening Shuffle

1. In The Meantime - Helmet (1992's Meantime)
2. Jamie - Weezer (2004s Weezer Deluxe Edition)
3. Who'll Stop the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970s Cosmos Factory)
4. Let's Hear It For Love - Smoking Popes (1997s Destination Failure - this song was originally released on their 1993 CD Get Fired)
5. Telling Them - Social Distortion (1983s Mommy's Little Monster)
6. Get the Time - Descendents (1986s Enjoy!)
7. The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota - Weird Al (1988s UHF)
8. I Want to Conquer the World - Bad Religion (1989s No Control)
9. Carry You - All (2000s Problematic)
10. In a Win Win Situation - Emergy (2005s The Question)
11. And I Love Her - Beatles (1964s Something New)
12. The Story - MxPx (2005s Panic)

Once Upon a Time in America (July 5)

On this day in history in the United States in 1934..........

It was Bloody Thursday.

First some background.

In May 1934 longshoremen (dock workers) began to organize under the International Longshoreman's Association union and went on strike due to the horrific working conditions they suffered on the docks.

Longshoremen, sailors, seaman and other maritime workers all over the west coast also went on strike.

On Thursday, July 5, 1934, the police were brought in by ship owners to break up the strikes. The assault began in the San Francisco port when the police shot tear gas canisters into the crowd, followed by a mounted assault. At some point during the day the police began firing shotguns into the air, quickly followed by firing them into the crowd.

By the end of the day (over a period of an 84-day strike) 6 men were killed and hundreds more were wounded and beaten.

In the end, the strikers won a union-controlled hiring hall, a coast wide workers agreement and the ILA became the International Longshoreman's and Warehouse men's Union.

Every July since 1934, long shore locals all over the West Coast observe Bloody Thursday as way to remember those who lost their lives in the 1934 strike.

Each year in the Seattle-Tacoma area, they hold a picnic at Lake Sammamish for all ILWU members and their families. They have a catered barbeque, live music, guest speakers, games and stuff for the kids. It is all a pretty cool event that I have attended several times (my wife's uncle is a longshoremen in Seattle).

In any case, today (July 5) is the day we remember those who lost their lives so that the longshoreman's union became what it is today.

Thank you Olaf Helland. Thank you Shelvy Daffron. Thank you Howard Sperry. Thank you Nick Bordoise. Thank you John Knudsen. Thank you Dickie Parker.

Favorite Songs on Descendents/All Albums

Dave did his Favorite Song on Each Descendents and ALL Album on his blog so I thought I would follow suit.

I too will list the Descendents and ALL separately.

DESCENDENTS

Bonus Fat
"Weinerschnitzel"

Milo Goes to College
"Hope"

I Don't Want to Grow Up
"Silly Girl"
- - Good Good things was a very close 2nd

Enjoy!
"Get the Time"
- - close 2nd was Sour Grapes (it was really hard to choose between these 2)

All
"Coolidge"
- - close 2nd was Clean Sheets

Everything Sucks
"I'm the One"
Figuring out a one favorite on this album was the toughest one of all of them because album is just jam packed with awesome songs.

Merican
"Merican"

Cool to be You
"Dreams"
- - lagging just barely behind in 2nd is Cool to be You

ALL

Allroy Sez
"Just Perfect"

Allroy for Prez
"Skin Deep"

Allroy's Revenge
"She's My Ex"

Allroy Saves
"Just Like Them"

Percolator
"Minute"

Breaking Things
"Shreen"

Pummel
"Breakin Up"
2nd favorite is Million Bucks

Mass Nerder
"Until Then"
This was a really hard one to pick out a favorite on too as far as ALL albums go.

Problematic
"Better Than That"

Now for those taking score.....here is a list of songs that match between Dave's and my list:

"Hope" from Milo Goes to College
"Silly Girl" from I Don't Want to Grow Up
"Get the Time" from Enjoy! (even our 2nd faves were the same)
"Shes My Ex" from Allroys Revenge
"Shreen" from Breaking Things
"Better Than That" from Problematic

The Descendents Shuffle

This morning Dave posted a Currently Listening that was comprised strictly of songs by the band ALL.

I told him in the comments that he should do one for the Descendents but then decided that I would do one myself so here it is!

1. Rotting Out (Everything Sucks)
2. Coolidge (All)
3. Dreams (Merican)
4. Sour Grapes (Enjoy!)
5. Hope (Milo Goes to College)
6. She Loves Me (Everything Sucks)
7. Silly Girl (I Don't Want to Grow Up)
8. Wendy (Liveage)
9. Merican (Merican)