Happy New Year!

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Phone Call

A lot of funny things can happen when when working with the public. For twenty years , I worked for what was then called the Veterans' Administration, most of the time in their call center. There we received calls on just about every subject imaginable, some of them having to do with V. A. benefits.

One day a co-worker of mine had a call from an elderly lady whose question regarded whether she was eligible for an increase in the benefit she was receiving.

My co-worker explained to her that the benefit she was receiving was determined by her income from sources other than the V. A. and that unless her income changed her benefit would remain the same.

She asked if there were any exceptions and my co-worker explained that there was an additional amount available for people who were seriously disabled, which meant she would have to be almost confined to her home. She told my co-worker " Well, I have a kidney disease."

My co-worker asked "Are you on a dialysis machine ?"

"No", she replied,"I'm on a regular telephone."

He could barely contain his laughter until he completed the call.

A Good Christmas

We had a good Christmas. It was quiet and simple this year as we didn't have a lot of money to spend this year, as I'm sure is the case with a lot of people. Our youngest son and his girl friend came over for Christmas dinner and that was nice.

Our oldest son is in the Army and he and his wife and daughter are somewhere in the midst of a move form Ft Gordon, GA. to Ft. Belvoir, VA., where he will be working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While at FT. Gordon he completed his training and certification as an LVN.

I hope you and yours had an enjoyable Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!

Here's wishing everybody a safe and Merry Christmas!!

Everybody's Talking

Everybody's talking about the photo of President Elect Obama in Hawaii without a shirt on. I'm not going to link to it , if you want to see it, it's all over the internet.

My question is, "Where has the Secret Service been?"

First, the shoe thrown at President Bush, now a picture of President Elect Obama, obviously taken from afar with a telephoto lens. The shoe could have been a bomb. The camera could have been a gun. What is the Secret Service doing these days? Apparently not their jobs.

I've seen this question asked about the shoe incident, but so far everyone seems to be too busy either swooning or being outraged over a shirtless photo of Obama to ask about the Secret Service.

More Christmas Cheer III

Check this out from John at OPFOR

More Christmas Cheer II

I got this from Danny Glover at Enlightened Redneck

More Christmas Cheer

I got this from Pistolero. He heard it here.
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A Quiz

I got this from Ragin' Dave

My Conservative Identity:

You are an Anti-government Gunslinger, also known as a libertarian conservative. You believe in smaller government, states’ rights, gun rights, and that, as Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Take the quiz at www.FightLiberals.com

Another Bailout

Via Instapundit there's quite a dust-up between Iowahawk and Protein Wisdom over the impending bailout for SantaCorp to prevent bankruptcy.

Nothng New

My wife and I went to Walmart tonight to see if she could pick up a flat screen monitor for her computer. We found one she liked and went to the checkout lines to pay for it. With just one item we went to one of two lines that were supposedly for 20 items or less. There were at least two people ahead of us who had more than 20 items and most had only two or three. As if this weren't annoying enough, there were only about three or four other checkout lines open and I'm talking about a busy Super Walmart on the Friday night before Christmas.

I'm almost ready to start loudly complaining when anyone ahead of me in the "fast" lane obviously has more than 20 items. I don't think any amount of complaining will do any good about more of the other check-outs not being open. I'm just glad we're through with our Christmas shopping except for some possible last minute things that we can get almost anywhere.

Internet Explorer

I went to Microsoft a little earlier to try to download the patch for the security problem in Internet Explorer and because I'm running an older version of IE, they were making it really difficult to get the a patch without the new version of IE. My reaction t that was to say "To hell with it" and continue using Firefox, until they make it a little easier to get the patch, which they will do eventually. In the meantime, I'm getting to where I really like Firefox.

First Flight

On this date in 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first powered manned flight at Kitty Hawk. How far we have come in 105 years.

Link

The previous post should have been linked to Owen at Boots And Sabers

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

I got this from Owen at Boots And Sabers.

Funny

If you want a laugh go to Xavier's blog for this video.

Thank You

I just want to say "Thank you" to my Congressman, Louie Gohmert, for voting against the automaker bailout bill in the House of Representatives last night.

The Automaker's Bailout

I'm against the automaker's bailout on principle, but I realize that we're going to be stuck with something along those lines. I agree with Francis Cianfrocca's opinion at RedState on what would be the best outcome we could hope for.

Open Carry in Texas

Several bloggers have written about the Open Carry movement in Texas.I agree with what Lawdog said.

Christmas Music

I love this song! Robert Earl Keen

Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

Sixty-seven years ago December 7, was on a Sunday. Lest we forget.

Still Learning

The last couple of posts I've been learning to put videos on my blog. You Tube makes it a lot easier than I thought. So please forgive all the editing and reposting in the last couple of posts.

Emmylou Harris - Walls of Time

Try again

Emmylou

Here is an Emmylou Harris video.

More On Home Defense

Bayou Renaissance Man has an excellent post on handguns for home defense and concealed carry. I found it as useful as his posts on shotguns and ammunition and other issues for home defense . I would recommend these for either the newcomer to shooting or the longtime shooter or anyone in between.

Butt Dust

I found this on one of my online groups and thought you might enjoy it. It may have been around for a while, but I don't remember it. Enjoy!

Butt Dust
What is Butt Dust??? What, you ask, is 'Butt dust'? Read on and you'll discover the joy in it! These have to be original and genuine. No adult is this creative!!
JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: 'Mom, why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?'
MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, 'If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six.'
STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. 'I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window.'
BRITTANY (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: 'How does it know it's me?'
SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. 'Please don't give me this juice again,' she said, 'It makes my teeth cough.'
DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: 'How much do I cost?'
MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: 'Why is he whispering in her mouth?'
CLINTON (age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried when his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, 'I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in it?'
JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.' Concerned, James asked: 'What happened to the flea?'
TAMMY (age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, 'Why doesn't your skin fit your face?'
The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget.... this particular Sunday sermon...'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust...' He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

It Made Me Feel Better All Day

This morning I went to renew the registration on my truck.
It was actually due in November, but they were closed
Friday, which I didn't know until I went there on Friday.
It was rather chilly with a cold wind this morning, so I was
wearing an old style Air Force flight jacket and and ball
cap with "USAF" on front. Anyway I got there about ten
minutes after they opened and there was just one person
ahead of me in line. When my turn came, I walked up to
the window and as I did, I was looking down at the documents
I was carrying to be sure I had everything I needed. When
I got to the window and looked, up the lady at the window was
standing up and holding out her hand as if to shake my hand.
She was close to me in age and I thought "Am I supposed to
know this lady?" I had never seen her before in my life.
Then she said,"Thank you for your service."

I said "You're welcome, I appreciate your thanks" as I
have learned to do. We went ahead and completed our
business, and I again thanked her for her kind words and
wished her a good day.
I didn't mention to her that it was a long time before I
received any thanks for my service in Vietnam. I've
learned not mention it. In fact, it wasn't until about
2004 or 2005 that I started hearing "Thanks", but I hear it
more and more now and I'm grateful for that.

I'm not saying I was spat upon or cursed when I returned
from Vietnam,because I wasn't. I saw what happened to
others, though and didn't advertise the fact that I was a Vietnam
veteran until many years later. I no longer bear any grudges
or harbor any resentment over that, but many do. I've learned that
holding on to such resentment hurts me much more that
anyone I may resent.

Having said all that, let me add that I will not tolerate that
kind of treatment toward out troops today. There is not
much of that but there is some and it seems to receive
the notice that it deserves, at least in the blogosphere.
So if you see an active duty member or someone you know
is a vet, tell them "Thanks". It'll make you both feel better.
I know it made me feel better all day.
Update: Had to make a slight edit for clarity.

Home Defense

Back in June, I was trying to decide what to do with my stimulus check and I decided to use part of it to update my gun collection and home defense system. I wanted a shotgun, but wasn't sure I wanted a 12 gauge because I'm not as young as I used to be and I thought a 20 gauge might be the answer. I did some research and found that Peter at Bayou Renaissance Man recommended The Mossberg Bantam for home defense, especially in situations such as mine. So ,when the check came, I went t0 Gander Mountain and bought one and I've really been happy with it. As Peter said in his post, it's lightweight and easy to handle, and at home defense ranges, 20 gauge buckshot is just as effective as 12 gauge. Tam prefered the Remington 870 but the sentiment is the same. Thanks to both of them for sharing their knowledge and experience. Update: the second link was wrong, so I fixed it. Update: Had a typo in the update.

You'll be missed, Kim

Kim du Toit is retiring from blogging. He will be sorely missed. He is one of the first blogs I started reading about four years ago. I don't remember how I found his blog, but it was one I read almost every day. He's the reason I finally started blogging. Best wishes to he and Connie.
Oops. Forgot to title this the first time.

Thoughts on Mumbai

In another life, I was an intelligence analyst and, with that in mind , I've been thinking about the events in Mumbai and what might happen here. I think it's unlikely that another attempt will be made to hijack aircraft. I also believe all our efforts at airport security have been useless and even counterproductive, but that's a subject for another post, another time.

A terrorist attack by boat or ship as some of the terrorists in Mumbai apparently used probably won't be attempted either. I don't know much about port security in this country, but I believe smuggling the needed men weapons, ammunition, and supplies into this country by boat or ship would be too difficult.

Our southern border, however, is another story. Crossing it with whatever they needed would be relatively easy. In none of our cities are malls, hotels, and business centers secure, or even close to it, and that it is as it should be. Our police departments are not equipped for that kind of attack, nor should they be.

Most of the states along our southern border are friendly to the Second amendment, and an unknown number of their citizens are armed, at least part of the time, and are trained in the use of their weapons. What is almost always overlooked is the fact that many of these citizens are veterans and have received military training. And some of those are combat veterans who possess skills they will never lose or forget.

If these terrorists are as accomplished at planning as some in the media would have us believe (media reports are all I have heard, I have not heard any reliable reports from a military source), they will avoid these states.

That leaves us with California. That is just one more reason why I don't wish to live there or go there.

I Didn't Know That!

Let me start by saying that I'm not the sharpest knife in
the drawer as far as technology is concerned. As I heard
on a radio commercial the other day, I think high tech is a
power drill on the top shelf. Anyway, the other day, I
dropped my cell phone. It was one of the flip/camera
phones, and when I picked it up to check it, the screen
remained dark, so I knew I had a problem. I went to
the phone store, which thankfully is nearby, to
see if they could repair it or somehow make it work
again.

The young lady looked at it, and when she checked
the account, told me, that under some recent change in
Federal law I was not an authorized user, but that my wife
was because she had opened the account. I remembered
having heard of this change somewhere, so I was not
really as disturbed by this bit of news as I would have
been if I had never heard of it. I went home and asked
my sweetie if she to return to the store with me to see if
the phone was insured or if I was eligible for an upgrade.

So we went back to the phone store and sure enough the
phone was not insured and I won't be eligible for a full

upgrade until next May. I thought I was going to have

to buy a new phone. Then the young lady told me that, "

What a lot of people do is.." to go to Walmart and buy a

$15.00 Go Phone and take the sim chip out of my old

phone and put it in the Go Phone, and that it would work

fine. So I did that and I at least have a phone until I can

get the full upgrade deal, (which is significant.) The

only thing I don't have on the Go Phone is the camera

function and that's no big deal. All I can say is

"Aint't technology wonderful?"

Silence

The silence of President-Elect Obama concerning the terrorists in Mumbai is deafening.

Scofflaws

I had to go out this morning to pay some bills and run some other errands, and that required that I travel in many of the heavily travelled areas in town. Traffic was not as bad as I expected on Black Friday, but that was not what caught my attention. At nearly every intersection where I had to stop for a traffic light, there were two, three, or more people running red lights. By this I mean they were continuing through the intersection after the light had turned red. These people don't seem to understand that they are being selfish and discourteous at best and endangering the lives of themselves and everyone around them at worst. No matter what, they're breaking the law. I believe this type of disregard for the law and the safety of others is symptomatic of the general lack of regard for the law so prevalent in our society, and that is also contributing to the win at any cost attitude of many of our politicians and lawmakers these days.

Music

Xavier has a nice post about one of my favortie kinds of music.

A Good Day

Thanksgiving turned out to be a good day. My sweetie had to stop during cooking the meal to clean the oven. Last night a small amount of some mystery liquid appeared in tne bottom of the oven and that contributed to the problem. We still haven't figured it out.

Now that I've gotten the nuts and bolts of this figure out, I'll get ot eh real

Now that I've gotten the nuts and bolts of this figure out, I'll get tol

More Fun

In the words of the aforementioned Lewis Grizzard, "This is more fun than a pet chicken".

Success

Now that I've got that right the link in the last post is to my wife Pam's new blog about her hand-made jewelry shop. So go there and check it out.

Try Again

Try again. That didn't work,so let's try this

Check This Out

Check this out while I learn to link to another blog

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who happens to stumble on to this blog.

Progress

Blogroll posting is underway. There must be an easier way to do post a blogroll, I just haven't figured it out yet, but i have to say Blogspot makes it easy to get started.

First Post

Lewis Grizzard once said the hardest part of writing a column was deciding what he wanted to write, and then getting over feeling self-conscious about it. Grizzard died, prematurely in my opinion, in 1994 which was pre-blogging, but for me the sentiment is the same. I know I have a lot to say, I'm just not sure how to say it. I've been reading blogs for four or five years. They've sort of set the standard for me. As soon as I figure our how to post my blog roll, I'll do so and you'll be able to see that the standard is high indeed.