Thursday, January 31, 2013

Winston-Salem Journal LTE TH 01/31/13


We can do more
The election is over. The majority has spoken. We who voted for Mitt Romney have had time to grieve and now it’s time to face facts.
Unless something constructive is done, our beloved country is going to suffer. Our government must get tough. We can write to Congress members and demand that they work for the betterment of the country instead of giving in to the easy route.
But that is surely not all we can do. Those of us who believe in our Lord can pray. After all, he is still in control. He doesn’t answer prayer until it is asked for.
So, believers, go to your knees and pray for the restoration of America as a Christian nation.
America was founded on God’s word and based on his word has grown and prospered all these many years. We cannot afford to allow our leaders to drag this beloved country into bankruptcy.
HOLLIE TRIVETTE
North Wilkesboro
Ryan’s friends
Ryan Wood, the 16-year-old sophomore at West Forsyth High School, faced his battle of Burkitt lymphoma with his family, friends and classmates supporting him through showing their love, concerns and prayers (“ Family, friends lay student to rest,” Jan. 13).
Not to take any accolades due Ryan, I want to focus on the awesome position the teenagers took by generating a movement through social media that invited others to pray for him. They moved to the forefront and demonstrated that they are not ashamed of their Christian values. Also, his classmates were not afraid of being ridiculed by praying in school.
By their actions, they got the attention of adults here in Forsyth County and across the state and around the world. Scott Hamilton, a Journal reporter, stated in his article that the movement on behalf of Ryan gained the attention of well-known people like Chris Paul, a former student from West Forsyth High School, who is now a professional basketball player.
Often teenagers are viewed through negative lenses, but by the teenagers at West Forsyth uniting to hold prayer vigils and candlelight services, they taught the community a lesson: Teenagers do care; teenagers are courageous; teenagers have tremendous positive influence.
Ryan’s parents, grandparents and great-grandmother, Nell Scott, are missing him. We can show our admiration for Ryan by continuing to pray for the family and by praising his teenaged friends.
DORIS CONRAD
Winston-Salem
Finish the Thought
Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence: “Now that women can serve in ground combat roles in the military …”
“... you can truly tell your young daughters that they can be whatever they want to be if they put hearts and minds to it.”
BOON T. LEE
“… we will likely train our war horses, and tanks, too, to dance to the sound of flute music because people never learn.”
WENDELL SCHOLLANDER
“… there will be fewer and fewer women.”
CHARLES C. STOTT JR.
“… we have a true volunteer military. These brave young people have chosen to defend our country up to the ultimate sacrifice. Now let's do the same for them. I am not an advocate of big government, but we have a moral obligation to do the right thing.
“How can we have the need for a Wounded Warriors charity if the government was doing all it could? Why do we allow local vultures around bases to over charge and cheat our GIs, like that finance company in Fayetteville just pled guilty to? How can we allow our active duty people to be so poorly paid they qualify for food stamps?
“Until they are all home safe and sound, our representatives in D.C. need to get off their sorry butts and stop giving money to study fruit flies and endangered salamanders and take care of our troops.”
KEN HOGLUND

160 comments:

  1. The example of Chicago gun laws not being effective works both ways. One can actually point to Chicago and say oh they have some of the toughest gun laws in the nation but are they working? One need not venture far outside of Chicago to areas where gun laws are lax to purchase the guns. And according to Statistics the murder rate per 100,000 is less than half of what is was in the early 90's. Perhaps if gun laws were a bit more universal,hmm, so a criminal cannot just venture over to a Wisconsin or Iowa gun show to purchase their gun, their might be better results. The homicide rates per 100,000 in Chicago as per
    https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/News/Statistical%20Reports/Murder%20Reports/MA11.pdf
    1990: 851
    1991: 927
    1992: 943
    1993: 855
    1994: 931
    1995: 828
    1996: 796
    1997: 761
    1998: 704
    1999: 643
    2000: 633
    2001: 667
    2002: 656
    2003: 601
    2004: 453
    2005: 451
    2006: 471
    2007: 448
    2008: 513
    2009: 459
    2010: 436
    2011: 435
    2012: 506

    So even if the homicide rate in Chicago is too high and 3x that of NY or 2x that of LA, it is clear that the homicide rate is down almost 50% from the 90's. Illinois does not have state preemption for gun laws, so some municipalities have stricter gun laws than others. Yes, unfortunately Chicago has registered 40 homicides for the month of January, 2013, which sets a pace for 480 for the year, but in the early 90's that rate was 70-80/month and this after all the budget cuts the Chicago Police have had to deal with over the past few years. So perhaps if the gun restrictions were more universal and not just local, the homicide rate would be even lower.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gang violence is a major problem in Chicago and actually has been for over a century now but gang members need not acquire their guns in the city of Chicago, they just come to a NC gun show and buy all they want and transport them back. "Hickory man indicted for selling guns to felons, illegal immigrants" http://myfox8.com/2012/07/24/hickory-man-indicted-for-selling-guns-to-felons-illegal-immigrants/
      Authorities began investigating Morton in September 2011 under suspicion of of selling handguns, shotguns and rifles without a license at the Vintage Village Flea Market on Rocky Branch Road in Hamptonville, deputies said.
      Deputies said Morton was arrested on Jan. 28 after undercover officers witnessed him sell handguns to convicted felons and illegal immigrants on multiple occasions. In addition, the undercover officers purchased multiple “weapons of mass death and destruction” from the suspect, deputies said.

      Delete
    2. Perhaps if gun advocates were as zealous about stopping this type of activity, sometimes criminal as in the above example, sometimes not because these same felons or illegals could have purchases weapons at any number of gun shows where criminal background checks are not required, then perhaps we could begin to get a better handle on gun violence in the US.
      At thousands of gun shows every year, people are able to purchase firearms without going through a background check. Under the federal Brady Act, Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) are required to check the purchaser’s background with the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) before transferring any firearm.

      However, a person does not need a federal firearms license—and the Brady Act does not apply—if the person is not “engaged in the business” of selling firearms pursuant to federal law. These non-licensees make up one quarter or more of the sellers of firearms at gun shows. Consequently, felons, the severely mentally ill and other prohibited persons who want to avoid Brady Act checks and records of their purchases are able to buy firearms at gun shows.

      Delete
    3. Criminals don't follow laws. I don't know when liberal people are going to get that through their thick skulls.

      Delete
    4. Duh, that's why they are called criminals. But just where do these criminals get their guns?

      Delete
    5. at gun shows maybe, where "law abiding citizens" can sell their guns to anyone with or without any background check

      Delete
    6. Criminals don't follow laws. Dr. Sauza, you always come up with the most insightful information. I'll bet you thought that up all by yourself, didn't you? on the way to chicken-fil-up or Machu Piccu?

      Delete
    7. My motto is: Keep it simple for simpletons.

      Delete
    8. Yes, your certainly a ton of simple.

      Delete
  2. LTE #1 We can do more
    According to NC's own top world evangelical, Billy Graham, in an interview with David Frost:
    David Frost: Say is this still a Christian Country?
    Billy Graham: No! We're not a Christian Country. We've never been a Christian Country. We're a secular Country, by our constitution. In which Christians live and which many Christians have a voice. But we're not a Christian Country.
    So how does one go about the restoration of something that never was?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Restoration will come through fervent prayer and the purchase of firearms to protect the prayers from the godless heathens who desire that guns be tagged, licensed and insured like automobiles.

      Delete
    2. The man who shot the children in Sandy Hook didn't apply to buy the gun he used, much less register it.

      I don't know why some of you people continue to profess and advocate ideas that have been tried and have failed.

      If you're going to yap about something, get educated, and then voice your opinion about it. Otherwise, you risk looking foolish.

      Obviously that doesn't matter to some of you'uns.

      Pathetic.



      Delete
    3. Yes, he stole the gun from an irresponsible gun nut, as most criminals do.

      If we didn't have irresponsible gun nuts who leave guns lying around waiting to be stolen, where would criminals get their guns.

      Delete
    4. His mother, who thought buying a bushmaster rifle and taking her challenged son and teaching him to shoot would be good for him. He did spend many hours at a shooting range with his mom learning how to shoot.

      Delete
    5. I'll bet she was a registered Democrat.

      Guns should be locked in a safe when they're not in use. Bo-metric ones are good for handguns. Although not all function quickly enough for self-protection purposes.

      Delete
    6. Hey Rush, do us a favor. Run her name and see if she really was a Democrat?

      Delete
    7. They have bio-metric security in Turkish jails now.

      They're not the 'Midnight Express' days.

      Delete
    8. Speed limits do not reduce traffic dangers because almost no one drives the speed limit; therefore, speed limits are not necessary for traffic safety and should be abolished just like the assault weapons ban was eliminated.

      Delete
    9. Worldly at 8:01 am: Snap! Good one.

      Delete
    10. Phargo at 6:41 am: Double Snap! Good one.

      Delete
    11. Nothing like having a liberal peanut gallery to give a person some nutty support.

      Delete
  3. Good AM, folks! Off-topic topics:
    The economy contracted slightly. Jay Carney blames the house R's. But, when the UR dropped, why that was to the Adminstration's credit. Jobless claims have increased. That would of course be the R's fault, right? But, I heard an economist on NPR say this AM that the economy should be starting to improve. That will be to the Administration's credit, right? Got it.

    The tough econony of President Obama's first term was Bush's fault, right? OK, then the economic recovery that came on the heels of Willard Clinton's first inauguration would have been to the credit of GHW Bush, right?

    Less weighty: listening to the NFL radio channel on Sirius XM on the way to work. The channel played a commercial from CBS that exhorted me to watch the Super Bowl because Beyonce', presumably a singer, will perform at halftime. Hey CBS and NFL radio, I'm listening to NFL radio, which means unless I am dead or comatose I will watch the SB to see the first and second halves. And since I'm listening to a station that specializes in football, there is a strong likelihood that I don't give a hoot in Hell about the halftime show, who is performing in it, or whether or not I have any idea who Beyonce' is.

    On the other side of the wasted commercial, the hosts featured 2 NFL players conversing, a defensive player for the 49-ers and JJ Watt, a defensive player for the Houston Texans. The topic: their modified Mohawk haircuts, or at least that was the topic when I switched the radio off in favor of relative silence. American Idol Nation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the blame/credit game is played by both sides and often, but that's politics. When Romney was campaigning in Ohio and Florida, he was blaming the President for a poor economy, meanwhile the Republican governors of those states were trying to take credit for such an improved economy in those states.

      Delete
    2. The drop, a surprise, was driven by a sharp fall in government spending and by businesses putting fewer goods on warehouse shelves, as well as by a decline in exports. The mainstays of the domestic private economy—housing, consumer spending and business investment in equipment and software—were stronger.
      Research firm Capital Economics called the report "the best-looking contraction in U.S. GDP you'll ever see." Forecasters didn't see the decline as a harbinger of recession.

      "a sharp fall in government spending" I suppose blaming the R's for a sharp fall in government spending is a bit much, but I would be willing to bet, they would gladly take credit for it.

      Delete
    3. Could economic activity actually have decreased because so many ardent supporters of the 2nd amendment are obsessed with the absurd idea that Obama is going to invade their homes and forcible take their firearms. They have been stockpiling guns and ammunition in anticipation of such taking, and this stockpiling is much akin to placing money in the sewage system because it deprives the larger economy of real economic activity that might support actual growth and development. If the money spent on guns and ammunition had been spent in restaurants and local businesses that actually want to sell something and make a profit as opposed to selling doom, gloom and the sky-is-falling fear mongering, then the economy would probably be a little better in my opinion.

      Delete
    4. Wordly, the gun/magazine/ammo purchasers are putting money into the economy. Now suppliers will have to reload their inventories, which will stimulate activity by gun and ammunition manufacturers, which in turn stimulates activity in a number of industries, metal and chemical, to mention a couple.

      Buying a firearm is no different from buying a TV or purchasing a meal out. It is consumer/end user spending.

      This activity has also served to increase the value of OT's stock holdings.

      Delete
    5. Except TV's and meals out are not usually manufactured to create violence. Buying street drugs stimulates the economy, because the dealer then buys a Cadillac Escalade, fancy clothes, a gun, eats out at expensive restaurants, buys lots of gold and diamonds.

      Delete
    6. Ridiculous. Of course buying a firearm is different...firearms have only one real purpose....

      Delete
    7. Wordly's point, if not tongue in cheek, was that firearms and accessories purchases are a drag on the economy, not about their actual employment. They are no more a drag than purchases of food for personal preparation and consumption, or razor blades, or whatever. The manufacture and distribution of them is as much economic activity as any other consumer good.

      Like razors, using them stimulates economic activity in a minor way. Just as razor users must buy shaving cream and razor cartridges, firearms owners who use their possessions must buy ammunition, targets, cleaning supplies.

      Firearms violence is another matter, and should be addressed as a pathology and with some of the restrictions cited in this forum.

      I still would like to see as much urgency applied to the carnage we inflict on each other with our automobiles. Yes, I realize guns are designed to make holes in things, and cars are not, but the body count from vehicles is higher, with significant economic impact also. Sure is easy to fulminate about "assault weapons and harvest political hay than it is strengthen licensing/rnewal requirements and put real teeth into dealing with bad drivers.

      Delete
    8. Most firearms that are bought never get used to shoot a person. Most are used for target practice or hunting.

      Rush loves to make a fool of himself, doesn't he?

      Delete
    9. The problem with automobiles is quite similar to the problem with guns.

      In both cases, the public sees ownership as their god-given right, so the licensing requirements are nowhere near stiff enough.

      In most states, driver education is required in the schools, but it is pretty lame stuff. And the "test" for a license allows you to get many answers wrong without "failing". We just cannot tell someone that they are too dumb to drive, even though any are.

      In the 60s, so many sailors were being killed in auto accidents that the Navy set up a required defensive driving course. Mine took place over four and 1/2 days at the old Riverside International Raceway in the desert near LA.

      It was very intense, both classroom and driving...the focus was on alertness and anticipation of dangerous situations...my favorite part was high speed avoidance. The idea was to give you "real life" experience under controlled conditions. And it worked.

      The sailor death rate went down sharply, but the Navy discontinued the program because it was "too expensive".

      Every driver should be required to pass a similar course before getting a license, but it's not going to happen, just as CCW permits will continue to be issued after those joke "gun safety" courses.

      Delete
    10. The majority of the people buying these guns already have guns and they are buying more for stockpiling purposes. I contend that this type of economic activity is not as stimulative as say purchasing food, eating said food and then needing to purchase more food. These guns and ammunition are just being stored, not used, in the hopes of selling at much higher prices if future manufacture is banned which is unlikely.

      Delete
    11. Hi all,

      As we all know well, economies are cyclical. Most of us also know that a normal economic downturn was exacerbated by banking issues, the long-anticipated baby boomer retirement influx, overborrowing to pay for wars, and all the complicated levers that play into it. Both R's and D's took advantage of the situation in campaigning to their advantage... however, I feel like the R's overplayed it and under-acknowledge the historical buildup to the "great recession".

      The dip in December numbers, I'm sure, is in part due to the "FISCAL CLIFF" headlines that dominated the December newspapers. Until guns dominated, that is. Have we all forgotten that?

      The problem is, stupid people like the Hollie Trivette (LTE 1), don't see through the bunk. There are too many stupid people, and not enough pushback on the real problems.

      Delete
    12. Everybody's stupid except for you and your liberal friends, right GG? Hee Hee Hee...you gotta love it.

      Delete
  4. Had to look Beyonce up.

    She does not have a modified Mohawk, at least not a visible one.

    My guess, from looking at her pix, is that she is famous for having somewhat oversized bxxbs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beyonce is quite pleasant to look at.

      Delete
    2. To each his own. As a child, I'm sure that big bxxbs would have been a major attraction for me, as I was a greedy little soul when it came to milk.

      Today, more than a handful seems wasted.

      Delete
  5. I knew I had heard her name. She "sang" at President Obama's inauguration or inaugural ball or something, but actually lip-synched "The Star Spangled Banner." One article referred to this as "the lip-synch SCANDAL. Scandal? American Idol Nation. (Yes, anyone who listens to the NFL Channel is a citizen of American Idol Nation. Guilty. My sentence is putting up with the rest of American Idol Nation :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. More off-topic: a week or so ago, the nation's newspaper of record, "The New York Times," reported, unsurprisingly, that former NOLA mayor Ray Nagin has been charged with corruption. This is unsurprising because corruption is the construction material of Louisiana politics.

    What was also unsurprising is that the "Times," cited here for unbiased reporting, could not bring itself to report that Ray "Stuck on Stupid" Nagin is a Democrat. I read the report twice to see if I overlooked mention of party affiliation. I wonder if the "Times" would have been quite so oblivious had it been WI's Scott Walker who had been charged.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps the Times could not decide what to call Nagin, since he was for many years a neocon CheneyBush Republican who "switched" because he knew that he could not win the race for mayor of New Orleans as a Republican.

      You don't have to read the Times...there's always Fox, Limbaugh and the Tiny Network...

      Delete
    2. No Limbaugh or Fox, thank you. I get the Bucky news here. NPR is my primary source, or the Internet, which was my source for the "Times" article.

      Nagin currently is a Dem, so deciding should not have been that difficult.

      Delete
    3. Yes, a Dem who backed Bobby Jindal for governor. The foxnews.com only mentioned that Nagin was a democrat when they offered that he supported Jindal over his fellow democrat, never directly said he was a democrat.

      Delete
    4. Stab....stay on CNN that's more your speed-backwards.

      Delete
    5. I don't watch any of the TV news networks unless there is some notable event occurring, like an election, Arab spring event, tsunami, etc. I find the coverage pretty good, regardless of which network, including Fox. When we venture into domestic politics, it's another issue and I venture away from television. Occasionally, I will watch NBC News with Brian Williams, if Susan is watching it and if I'm home, not usual since I am normally at work, as I am now.

      Thus, I don't watch, O'Reilly, Maddow, Morgan, et al. I occasionally have watched Anderson Cooper's show, but I couldn't tell you if he is still in the 10 o'clock time slot now. I mostly read in the evening and check this blog.

      Delete
  7. Two 'hooded' Democrats rob Winston Salem home on video.

    http://www.wxii12.com/news/local-news/piedmont/Web-cam-catches-burglars-in-act/-/10703612/18345482/-/8sh5bi/-/index.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll bet you a year's income, neither of those two are even registered to vote.

      Delete
    2. I'll bet you a years' income that if they're not registered Democrats, they will be one day.

      Delete
    3. They're lucky George Zimmerman wasn't around.

      Delete
    4. Yes, Dr. Sauza never ceases to amuse me.

      Delete
    5. We are all lucky that Gee-Zee is no longer "around."

      Delete
    6. I would bet considerable that the 2 burglars never find themselves in a polling station, unless convicts serving time are given the vote.

      Delete
    7. If you think people that break into houses actually go to jail for any 'real' period of time, you're dreaming.

      Most get probation, and they never pay restitution.

      Your gold college ring gets melted down, and they get a snoot full of cocaine.

      Delete
    8. And most don't get caught, and they go on to vote for the Obamas of the electoral world.

      Delete
    9. As always, Tiny is talking through the wrong end about stuff he knows nothing about...

      "An 18-year-old pleaded guilty this week to committing a string of break-ins in southeastern Winston-Salem and taking at least $20,000 worth of property.

      Henry Ivan Magadan of 3636 Cash Drive pleaded guilty Wednesday in Forsyth Superior Court to 27 counts of breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering. He also pleaded guilty to one count of attempted first-degree burglary.

      Judge Andy Cromer consolidated the charges and gave Magadan an active sentence of two years and three months to three years and six months in prison. He also gave Magadan a suspended sentence of two years to two years and eight months in prison. Magadan will be on probation for three years once he is released from prison."
      ___W-S Journal

      One of many.

      Delete
    10. 27 Counts of B&E and one count of first degree burglary, and he only got two years and three months? Boy, that judge was REALLY hard on the boy wasn't he? Pathetic!

      Burglary is when you go into a person's house at NIGHT.

      He's really lucky George Zimmerman, or someone like him, wasn't around!

      Delete
    11. As always, Tiny natters on, knowing nothing about what he is nattering about.

      1. Burglary does not necessarily happen at night…another myth from the past where Tiny lives.
      2. The defendant was charged with attempted burglary, not actual burglary.
      3. Breaking and entering with theft is a class H felony in NC.
      4. The presumptive sentence for a class H felony ranges from 5-6 months to 16-20 months.
      5. The maximum sentence for a class H felony is 20-25 months.
      6. Sentencing is determined by a point system computed by the court which considers prior convictions, the number and severity of the counts in the current case and other aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
      7. In this case, the judge sentenced the defendant to an active term of 27-42 months in prison, along with a suspended sentence of 24-32 months, along with three years probation upon release.
      8. That sentence is at the top range for multiple class H felonies.

      It is fascinating to watch a "person" voluntarily display, day after day, the utter depths of their ignorance.

      Delete
    12. OT, would it have mattered in terms of charges/sentencing if the residence were occupied at the time of the crime? Just curious.

      Delete
    13. Yes...

      In NC, burglary is generally defined as breaking into any place that has sleeping quarters, not necessarily confined to residences...ie, you have a sleeping area in your office or warehouse, etc.

      The difference between 1st degree and 2nd degree is determined by whether or not there was actually someone present when you broke in...they do not have to be asleep, just present.

      Delete
    14. If he would have gotten sentenced by Judge Smith and Wesson, the Democrat would have gotten a lot more 'time' for his crime(s).

      Make sense NW?

      Delete
    15. If the burglar turned tail when detected and addressed, Judge Smith & Wesson would find his verdict overturned by a higher court, with Judge S & W subject to Judge Greybar.

      Delete
  8. Liberal media tries to make NFL player endure 'peeping' by present or potential gay members of the team while showering and/or dressing.

    Media calls him anti-gay because he doesn't want to become a victim of gay sexual harassment.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/chris-culliver-49ers-cornerback-gay-players-not-welcome-in-nfl_n_2584762.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gay athletes participate in every sport. Most gay athletes I know don't even like to shower with the ones that claim they are straight because they are generally nasty and have poor hygene, always crawling with jock itch and athletes foot, but if we want to shower after practice or a game, well there is little choice unless one waits to go home and shower, which I often did

      Delete
    2. Kwame Harris could squish you between his little finger and thumb. If you are so frightened of someone looking at your naked body in public, gay or straight, then keep your clothes on.

      Delete
    3. Men and women don't shower together, why should heterosexual men be forced to shower with gay men?

      Delete
    4. An NFL football player a VICTIM of harassment? Bucky, even for you, that is too much of a stretch.

      Delete
    5. They are not forced to shower at all. Many don't.

      Delete
    6. These gay sexual harassers will be brought to justice one day. Mark my words.

      Delete
    7. Sexual harassers should be brought to justice, gay or straight, and both often are. Not all straight people nor gay people are sexual harassers.

      Delete
    8. Men are starting to raise their hands about this form of sexual harassment. Women don't get peeped at while they're showering by men. Why should men have to endure such outlandish behavior from these bucks?

      Delete
    9. Gay men are horny all of the time. Just ask Paris Hilton.

      Delete
    10. I'm a gay man and I am not horny all the time, so that's a false statement on it's face value. Of course from you, I wouldn't expect anything else.

      Delete
    11. Bucky, stay the hell out of the showers, then. Or shower fully clothed. I bet that'll draw more leering than showering otherwise.

      Lessee, we have a fragile economy, aging infrastructure, global warming, a Congress composed of recalcitrant children (in large part), an explosive demarche by the Israelis in Syria, and Beyonce lip-synching the National Anthem. And we're focusing on gym showers. I think I made reference to American Idol Nation. (sigh) Guilty again.

      Delete
    12. This story was on the national news Stab. Are you going to start limiting the scope of the topics that we can discuss?

      If you noticed, I covered quite a few diverse topics in my initial postings today.

      Delete
    13. that's because all your postings were responses to all the diverse topics already in discussion.

      Delete
    14. I noticed how you pounced on my commentary there Mr. Bob.

      Oh, and by the way, what are doing back in here? You were as quiet as a mouse for a while?

      Delete
    15. Not limiting the discussion, just commenting on the commenting.

      How in hell would Paris Hilton know about gay guys' libidos? They wouldn't be hitting on her. And why in hell should I care what Hilton thinks/says/does anymore than I care about whether Beyonce lip-synchs during the SB performance? Now, if she starts calling plays, I'll sit up and take notice.

      Delete
    16. Paris is Tiny's muse...he has cited her wisdom more than once previously.

      Considering that he is always raving about the air-headed blondes on Fox, I think that he equates intelligence with bxxb size.

      Delete
    17. There may be a correlation there. I don't think Paris is very intelligent.

      Delete
    18. Yeah, parrot head,keep squawking.

      Delete
    19. Yeah, straight guy bathrooms are DISGUSTING.

      My freshman year at Hopkins I lived in an all-male dorm that was last remodeled when Eisenhower was president. To this day I still have anxiety dreams about being trapped in there.

      Delete
    20. Oh, Arthur, I forgot you lived in Ballmer! So are you rooting for the Ravens this weekend? Between R Griffin III and the Ravens this year, everyone is football crazy around here. Usually people tend to ignore it in favor of ice hockey or baseball... not this year.

      Delete
    21. Susan lived in Ballmer, well, Joppatown (sp?) while her ex- was doing postdoc or something at Hopkins. Thus, we have a good time twice during the regular season when the Steelers and Ravens meet. We are now a Ravens household, of course.

      Susan taught at Bais Yakov (sp?), an Orthodox Jewish school, which is in Owings Mills, I think. She enjoyed the experience, but there was a minor bit of culture shock once, when she wore a sleeveless dress to work. She was advised that her arms would henceforth be covered.

      Delete
    22. Go Ravens!

      It sucks that east coast crabs aren't in season right now; crab cakes would be perfect for the occasion. But yeah, I'm loving it, 'cause Baltimore has never gotten the respect it deserves. No city in America has more personality as far as I'm concerned, except for NOLA.

      Delete
    23. Wouldn't expect you to appreciate her, Buckums.

      Delete
    24. Pittsburgh has lots of personality, too. Haven't been to Ballmer in years but Susan wants to visit. Perhaps this summer when the Orioles are in town. And the Aberdeen Proving Grounds are just up the road a way.

      Delete
    25. Hey guys,

      I love Baltimore too. I go there often because I dumped my drs here and take the little commute to JHU. We take our European friends there and they love it. Staballoy, I forgot that Susan lived in MD! BIG tight orthodox jewish community in Baltimore. In some ways it's like going abroad.

      Such a small world.

      Delete
    26. Staballoy, you and Mrs. Staballoy are always welcome to stay here. Our small but clean and well-equipped guest swuite is yours. It would be a pleasure, and Mr. G loves to cook.

      Delete
    27. I know that "suite" is not spelled "swuite". I should spell check before posting.

      Delete
    28. We think it is swuite and swuell that you invite us. We will look at our summer calendar. Thank you!

      Delete
  9. Liberal hate speech floods the radio airwaves.

    http://video.foxnews.com/v/2130337374001/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This really quite interesting. I know many of you liberals won't take the time to watch it.

      All I can say is Wow!

      Delete
    2. and you don't say that very well.

      Delete
    3. I say it well enough that you understand.

      Delete
  10. LTE #1 – OK, so I’m on my knees and praying but this alert keeps popping up:

    Term “Christian nation” not recognized. Try refreshing the page.

    LTE #2 – I’m not sure what the significance of this matter having gained the attention of Chris Paul is.

    Does Beyonce know about it?

    Finish The Thought: Now that women can serve in ground combat roles in the military we can be sure that many sniveling cowards who have never served their nation in any way will be spouting off about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And (gasp) will Beyonce' lip-synch during her SB 1/2-time performance? Will Stab miss it because he was swilling beer in the kitchen? Quite likely.

      Delete
    2. Probably, singing live from the 50 yard line with a mike just doesn't have the digital quality required for commercial TV and at 8mil/min for a commercial spot, advertisers expect quality from the shows they are buying from.

      Delete
    3. And that $8MM/minute goes aglimmering while Stab swills a $1.50 beer away from the set. I'm aging out of the target audience, though, so not much matter.

      Delete
    4. While Beyonce is quite pleasant to look at and can sing reasonably well, I'm not a particular fan of her music. I might watch the first minute or two of her appearance to see if a "wardrobe malfunction" is potentially feasible, else I'll probably watch something else.

      Delete
    5. Beyonce is smokin' hot. Although Mr. G and I each have a "freebie"... (if we meet our respective "freebie" and have a shot at a little "encounter" with that person, we get a free pass without reprimand from the other... of course it has to be someone generally unattainable, not like Mr. G's secretary or anyhting...)

      Mr. G's freebie is Scarlett Johansson.

      My freebie is Scarlett Johansson. It was Beyonce for a little while, but I don't find her intellectually stimulating. ;-p

      Delete
    6. My cultural illiteracy is vast: I have no idea who Scarlett Johansson is.

      Delete
    7. I still don't know her claim to fame, but Ms. Johansson is indeed an attractive young woman, but a generation or so too young.

      Delete
    8. She's got a nice booty butt, that's her claim to fame.

      Delete
  11. Good afternoon folks!
    LTE 1: "We who voted for Mitt Romney have had time to grieve and now it’s time to face facts." - I am happy to see a person who is willing to face up to the fact that Romney lost, however why on earth would you grieve over it? I can see grieving over a lost loved one (including those of the non-human variety), or a lost job, or the end of a relationship, but grieving over someone losing an election you don't even know??? Furthermore, what's up with the completely ambiguous 2nd paragraph? "...restoration of America as a Christian nation." "America was founded on God’s word..." - Again, do what??? When was America ever a "Christian nation"? The majority of US citizens may be of the Christian faith, but the US was never a Christian theocracy nor was it "founded on God’s word".

    LTE 2: Young people always get a bad rap from the previous generations, but adults can learn a lesson in the compassion towards others that teenagers often demonstrate as in this case.

    Finish the thought: We have finally caught up to Israel, New Zealand and a few other countries in another aspect in our maturation as a country. Good thought from Mr. Lee and Mr. Hoglund...well, until Mr. Hoglund's last unfortunate paragraph.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I felt deeply sad for Kerry when he lost, because the swift boat crap was heinous. I cried at his concession speech. It wasn't long after that I officially took my name off the republican roster.

      Delete
    2. We're glad you're gone GG. We have high standards in the Republican party, and it's clear you don't meet them.

      Delete
    3. Indeed, gg, you could never measure up to a roster like this brief one off the top of my head:

      Rick Santorum
      Newt Gingrich
      Ricky Perry
      Michelle Bachmann
      Herman Cain
      Sarah Palin
      Donald Trump
      Mike Huckabee
      Pat Robertson
      Rush Limbaugh
      Glenn Beck
      Rick Scott
      Nikki Haley
      Ann Coulter
      Todd Akin
      Richard Mourdock
      Ted Nugent
      Karl Rove
      Louie Gohmert
      Paul Broun
      The Tea Party in general, and of course, last and least
      Tiny

      Delete
    4. The best the Republican party has to offer.

      Myself, I'm proud to be a Democrat.

      Delete
  12. Tiny on Goosey Mtn & Chick-faux:

    “A trip to both places is better than dinner and a movie with a hottie for me.”

    The last time Tiny had dinner and a movie with any woman, Al Jolson was singing "Toot, toot, Tootsie, good-bye" in the world premier showing of "The Jazz Singer".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chick-fil-A's business is booming from what I can tell.

      Delete
  13. What do you mean by "back in here?" I've been posting the LTE's every morning, with a few exceptions, since 10/06/11. I don't always respond, but that doesn't mean I am not here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He just missed you Phargo, I'm sorry to say it. Every second you are gone feels like decades to him.

      Delete
  14. Hollie Trivette:

    Really? I have no idea how Mitt Romney losing has anything to do with our country "losing religion".

    As a matter of fact, I was at my godson's Christening service 4 years ago, where the priest's message was about how Mitt Romney IS NOT A CHRISTIAN. I have it on video if you'd like to see the service, Ms. Trivette.

    As a matter of fact, I would argue that the democrat's notion of "sharing the wealth" is more Christian than the republican's "what's mine is mine" ideology.

    - Signed, a Christian Independent.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Doris Conrad:

    It is indeed moving when young people show great character.

    I can think of hundreds of similar circumstances, Virginia Tech for example, where young people of all faiths and non-faiths stood together and prayed or mediated for their lost friends.

    Humanity, decency, caring and concern are something that, thankfully, most humans share.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Some of Tiny’s dumber remarks collected in one place for everyone’s entertainment:

    “Men and women don't shower together…”
    Well, we understand why you don’t, but I shower with women all the time.

    “Women don't get peeped at while they're showering by men.”
    Really? Poor Tiny has had a very unadventurous life. When we were in sixth grade (that’s Tiny’s level), we got caught peeping into the women’s shower room at Crystal Lake. Mr. Davis banned us for two weeks.

    “Liberal media tries to make NFL player endure 'peeping'… gay sexual harassment.”
    Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…and so on. Tiny commits dumbness harassment on all participants of this forum every five minutes or so.

    “Gay men are horny all of the time. Just ask Paris Hilton.”
    Tiny cites his muse…you might think it is strange that Paris would be Tiny’s muse, but she actually is perfect…big bxxbs, tiny brain.

    I am heterosexual and horny all the time. All of my heterosexual friends, male and female, are horny all the time as well. I guess we are a major threat to the peace and tranquility of the nation. Stamp out heterosexuals!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paris Hilton on homosexuals: Gay men are disgusting!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAzL4JBRAkg
      ________

      If you've ever seen a bathroom where a gang of gay men have been having sex, you'd agree with Paris. They usually leave these little pieces of toilet paper all over the floor. Who would dare pick one up?

      Paris seems like a pretty smart girl to me.

      Delete
    2. Hanging around a joint where sexual activity goes on in a bathroom, hetero or not, strikes me as less than intelligent.

      Delete
    3. You've obviously never lived in a 'gay community'. You don't have to 'hang around' bathrooms. The disgusting behavior in bathrooms comes to you.

      Delete
    4. Well, Bucky, why would you of all people be anywhere near a gay community to know of all this?

      Delete
    5. Stab, you're forgetting that Tiny lives in a totally imaginary world. In his case, how could that not be a gay community?

      Delete
    6. Gee, my imaginary community is some place in the hills overlooking Los Angeles or with a view of Diamond Head, never considered the demographics of the place. Might have in my pre-Susan days, of course :D

      Delete
  17. Indeed, all the more reason she's a "freebie"!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Staballoy, this was supposed to go with your "generation too young" comment. Unattainable = freebie.

      Delete
    2. Hi GG, and understood.

      Susan and I do not a similar understanding, but one time I retained the services of a slender blonde cat sitter for the two cats at my place, and Roscoe at hers. I met the sitter at Susan's with Susan there, explaining to Susan I did not want to meet with the sitter alone at my place.

      Susan said if I could score with comely Kim, more power to me. She was joking, of course, but I turned it around for a subsequently beaming Susan: "Naw, too scrawny."

      Delete
    3. Smart man, Staballoy.

      Delete
    4. Staballoy, how is Roscoe? What is the animal census count in your newly merged abode?

      Delete
    5. Roscoe is fat, spoiled, sassy, follows me around the house like a puppy. Amy died a year ago, lung cancer. Andy is in vet at moment, complications of diabetes, hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, and anemia, but they're dragging him back for me. He still enjoys being around, so I will not do what more economy-minded pet parents might do. I have to give him insulin shots, thyroid medicine, and blood pressure pills every day.

      Delete
    6. Again, I'm really sorry about Amy, Staballoy. In some of my catch-up reading I see you've indeed had more loss. Not to put words in your mouth, but you seem to have had some very low lows and very high highs over the past few years.

      I'm sorry to hear that Andy is struggling. He's lucky to have you. I have hypothyroidism too, so I know how the little guy feels. Angelina, ever the huntress and family protector, sends her regards.

      Delete
    7. Thank you, GG. Yes, highs and lows over the past couple of years, but we ended the year on some up notes, obviously. I think Andy will pull thru for a while, and enjoy life for a time. I haven't paired him yet with Roscoe, but will when he returns to health and see how that goes.

      The thyroid medicine I give him is the easiest, a chewy tuna- or chicken-flavored disc the size of maybe 4 or 5 dimes stacked atop each other. The BP pill can be a challenge. He's good about his shots, a real trouper.

      Delete
    8. I really hate giving pills to cats. Our method involves one cat, one pill, one very thick towel and two evil human torturers.

      The cat is wrapped in the towel from the neck back, then held by one of the torturers. The second torturer pries open the cat's mouth, pops in the pill, then holds the cat's mouth closed until she is forced to swallow. During this part, if cat looks could kill, both torturers would be on their way to hell.

      If all goes well, bloodshed is minimized. The amazing thing is that the cat forgives you within a few minutes. They must have much bigger hearts than humans do.

      Delete
    9. Andy is easier than that. I hold his mouth wide open and put the pill in his throat. He swallows, jumps off my lap, walks in a circle, then jumps back in my lap, and purrs. They do have big hearts.

      Delete
    10. Our Angelina doesn't take too kindly to medicine or nail trimming. Mr. G makes me always do both tasks, so she doesn't really let me hold her without her tail twitching nervously .... unlike her calm and relaxed tail when Mr. G holds her. Someone has to be the bad guy, I suppose.

      Delete
  18. Biden says curbs on guns won't stop massacres

    Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/31/biden-says-curbs-on-guns-wont-stop-massacres/#ixzz2Jasy8BCE
    _______

    But he wants to restrict people's rights that are law abiding. Makes perfect sense to a liberal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are glad to hear that at least some rights are law abiding. But I do worry about all those rights that are not law abiding.

      How do we tell which rights are law abiding and which are not?

      ¡No lo se!

      Delete
    2. That Biden is a piece of work. I met him years ago. If he wasn't a Democrat, and all you had to do with him is hang out, and drink beer, he'd be a great guy.

      Delete
    3. Amazing! Joe Biden was in Tiny's mum's basement!

      Tiny better hope that his mum doesn't find out about the beer.

      And Biden better hope that the voters don't find out that he is Tiny's drinking buddy, or his 2016 run for the White House is doomed from the start.

      Delete
    4. Joltin' Joe strikes me as about as normal a guy as a pol can be, nevermind our ideological differences. I'm sure I'd enjoy a beer or four with him. His gaffes indicate to me that he isn't too studied about how he presents himself. Good for him.

      Delete
    5. I too like Joe. We would be far better off with more pols like him.

      In the early days of the Republic, before politics became a profession, we had quite a few Joes in Congress...butchers, bakers, not sure about candlestick makers, but certainly blacksmiths, who were the most important people in almost any community.

      They were chosen by their neighbors because they were respected in their communities and expected to actually listen to their constituents and vote accordingly.

      Of course, that went away long ago. The average American today has never even seen, in person, much less talked to, any of their representatives, from Congress right down to the local school board.

      Delete
  19. Add one more of Tiny's gems:

    "Most firearms that are bought never get used to shoot a person. Most are used for target practice or hunting."

    A study done last year showed that about 35 million Americans used firearms for hunting or target practice in 2011.

    Since the latest estimate of total guns in the US is a bit over 300 million, one wonders what the other 265 million were used for. Clearing stopped up drains? Waking the children up in the morning? Shooting the TV whenever the President appears on the screen?

    Since Tiny has great difficulty grasping the simplest concepts, we'll try to put this in perspective for him.

    35 million is about 12% of 300 million. 12% of anything does not = most.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shooting the TV whenever the President appears on the screen?

      Elvis lives.

      Delete
    2. A popular pastime in certain households, especially in South Carolina, Mississippi and other backward places.

      Don't complain, because it stimulates the economy...they have to buy a new TV to watch American Idol and Dancing With the Wannabe Stars.

      Delete
    3. Oops, misspelling. Better correct it before our resident language genius swoops down on me with both cheeks.

      "American Idol" should be "American Idlers".

      Delete
    4. The 265MM guns are doing what mine are doing, being stored unused, like exercise equipment in a lot of households :)

      Delete
    5. Notice Rush says a 'study' done, but he doesn't mention the study's author or a reference to the study. Like we're going to believe the forum fool? Haaaar haar!

      Delete
    6. I'll bet Paris Hilton knows more about guns than our favorite forum NW.

      Delete
    7. I've verbally beat Rush so much he's turned into a glue horse.

      Delete
    8. Rush the 'big dog' juvie lawyer. Pathetic!

      Delete
    9. I have been a licensed firearms dealer and have tutored reservists in Western and Soviet-pattern weapons. OT knows much about weapons, from small arms on to the latest major weapons. Your trollery is getting a bit winded.

      Delete
    10. According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, paid American gym memberships passed the 50 million mark in 2010. Sad to say, 4 out of 5 of those memberships went unused. Sort of like Tiny's 5 yard daily run.

      That same year, a study in the UK showed that Brits waste £1,213 (almost $2,000) per year on unused goods. That includes £461.29 on gym memberships and home exercise equipment, over a third of the total.

      Research firm NPD says that the average American household has more than $7,000 worth of stuff sitting around unused, not counting big ticket items like TVs and furniture. But here's the good news.

      A growing number of national companies take trade-ins for cash or store credit. They include Play It Again Sports, Buffalo Exchange (clothing, jewelry, shoes, etc), Babies R Us and Sears. Amazon currently takes textbooks, DVDs, Blu-rays and video games and is rapidly expanding into other electronic areas.

      I like the store credit option, because I can use that to buy more stuff that I won't use.

      Delete
    11. My comments are trollery but yours and Rush's are astute commentary?

      I don't profess to know everything. Rush does.

      Delete
    12. Stab's comments and mine and that of many others in this forum are "astute commentary" because they are based on actual facts, as opposed to your muddled made up crap.

      It is traditional in the history of homo sapiens to seek real information as a way of finding solutions to problems...one of the most important reasons why homo sapiens is the dominant species on earth and monkeys are not.

      Contrary to your comment "I don't profess to know everything...", you do just that, despite the fact that you have been proven ignorant of nearly everything over and over in this forum.

      I'm sure that your poor mum is ashamed of what she has wrought.

      Delete
    13. Boy, a lot flap from a big time juvie lawyer...hee hee...you're pathetic.

      Delete
    14. I'm strutin my stuff in the Forsyth County courts...hee hee...oh lordy lordy.

      Delete
  20. Yes, some of our comments are astute (by no means all). And yes, the Paris/guns comment is schoolyard name calling, aka trollery. You can make intelligent observations. You just frequently decide to comment otherwise. I guess you enjoy attention, no matter how it is paid.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The stats on hunting and target shooting come from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

    I was a bit surprised to find that target shooting outstrips hunting by about 2-1. I grew up in a hunting family and was taught gun safety and how to track and shoot at a very early age.

    I had relatives who went dove hunting with .22 rifles, because they found using shotguns too easy. Try that sometime.

    And I will never forget the time that one of my uncles took some of my friends and I to a shooting demonstration in Davie County. The instructor told us to forget about sights and to imagine our forefingers as an extension of the rifle barrel. He told us that if we simply pointed at something without thinking, we would be pointing directly at it, every time. I thought that was crazy, but he made us do it, and he was right.

    He then used a sightless pellet gun to shoot aspirin tablets out of the air. We were skeptical, but by the end of the lesson were having some success ourselves.

    Years later I brought this up with our Marine instructors at Pendleton. This was heresy according to the USMC manual, but eventually a couple of them laughed and admitted that in combat, the finger point method made more sense than what they taught on the range.

    Who would have thought?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How about a link there big boy? You're about as trustworthy as Anthony Weiner with a computer.

      Delete