Emily Post is Rolling in Her Grave

Manners,

2. manners,
a. the prevailing customs, ways of living, and habits of a people, class, period, etc.; mores: The novels of Jane Austen are concerned with the manners of her time.
b. ways of behaving with reference to polite standards; social comportment: That child has good manners.


I've written before about this, but will do so again as running around town Saturday with Cat gave me plenty of examples of rudeness to last awhile. I've noticed, especially in the upcoming generations, a lack of social skills having to do with politeness and concern for the fact that there are others in this world besides yourself. Ever see a group of Teens? They are armed with cellphones and stand around in groups that you believe that they know each other but yet they barely talk to each other yet text away to someone that isn't there. If friends of mine were constantly doing that we'd give them shit. Apparently this kind of rude behavior is "okay" with these kids.

Pause for your daily rant: What is it with texting anyway? Why the hell are people so fascinated with carrying on whole conversations via essentially instant messenger on a device that is a phone? You know, a phone??? A device invented by Alexander Graham Bell for one person in one place to communicate with another in a far away place without being in the same room. You know that device. These magical devices called cellular phones which allow you to speak to anyone, anywhere, at anytime (given you have a decent signal) by bouncing your voice off of a satellite in space. These people who can save themselves carpal tunnel syndrome by just dialing a series of numbers (or like my phone, just saying someone's name) and you can reach that person and....wait for it....HEAR THEIR VOICE!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!! WOW!!!! AMAZING!!!! I understand a quick message like "be home late" or "meet you for drinks at 6" but whole conversations!?!?!?!

Now back to your regularly scheduled blog entry:

As I was saying, before I went off on a tangent..mmmm nummy tangents...., for all it's vaunted "Southern Hospitality" (and I've been witness to that) there's alot of rude people out here. Actually in the US period (haven't been to too many other Countries to say the World....). Here's a few things I've noticed that are pet peeves of mine:

Line Etiquette: Or if you're British Cue Ettiquette. In a Grocery Store there are several lines to choose from and it is generally accepted that each register has it's own Line. You pick one (it's kind of a game....is that cashier quicker than that one? Is that Old Lady going to pay with a check that she hasn't even bothered to take out of her purse yet to write?) and get in it waiting your turn like a polite, civilized human being. At a restaurant, you cue up at the Host/Hostess station to give your name so you can be seated. Or if you have to pay at the register, you form one line and wait for the next available register. You don't, and this happens all the time at Cracker Barrel in my Town, decide that you are too special to stand behind everyone else and go to the open register at the far end of the bank of registers. I don't get this. A simple glance will tell you that there are several people waiting in line for the next register, but you oh entitled one feel that since there are several registers, there should be several lines. Even if that were the case, you don't get to go until the 8 other people waiting before you got there get to go. I could be an ass (NOOOOO....you Steve an Ass??? Say it ain't so???) and say something, but I would end up making a scene and embarassing my Wife. I couldn't help it. It would sound something like this; "Oh, is that your private register??? Because I didn't see your name on it. Don't let the simple f**king fact that there are about a dozen people standing over here waiting for the next available register dissuade you from being an rude, entitled Asshole. NOOO, please don't have an freaking consideration for your fellow man. By all means, cut in line Senior Asshat." Like I said, I'd embarrass her. They do this at the Hollywood video out here as well. There are a dozen folks in one line, then some asshat thinks they can start a line of their own. Umm, NO!!! Get your sorry ass behind everyone now. The Post Office has it down to a science. One word, Ropes. Isn't it funny how metal poles with faux-velvet padded chains formed into a maze-like configuration makes people observe good line etiquette? Seriously, it just shows how sheep-like we are. We can't form a line like civilized human beings without being shuttled like cattle through essentially chutes!!! It's very sad. We were in Sam's and they always have their free samples. Cat and I lined up to on the left side of the table where everyone else was lining up to wait our turn. These two Burly Mountain Women that weighed in at a combined weight of 700 or so pounds decided that they were going to start their own line on the right side of the table. WTF Fatty???? Did you feel that since your were some jumbo sized, manly looking beyatch that that somehow entitley your ponderous behind to jump in front of everyone!?!?!?!? I know better than to get between a lard ass and their food, especially cheescake, but Jesus!! Now what I don't understand, although it may have to do with what side of the vehicle you gas cap is on and people's not wanting to back in to a pump aisle, is the folks that sit in line waiting for their turn at the pump and there's at least one or two pumps open!!?!?!?! Now I feel bad just driving up and pulling up to the open pumps, but I reassure myself that if lazy ass would put it in reverse and take some effort and turn their wheel a bit they'd be pumping gas right now instead of me.

Cellphones: Remember those wonderful devices I spoke about a bit ago? With these devices comes more opportunities for rudeness. When in a restaurant, even a place like Denny's, Steak and Shake, etc, turn the damn thing on silent/vibrate. How hard is that? The other diners in the place do not want to hear your cool ring tone. It's rude. It's bad enough conversation levels get loud in someplaces, but to constantly hear a cornucopia of ring tones going off in the middle of it is just plain rude. If it should ring, excuse yourself and go outside or away from the table to take your call. Don't sit there and do this : (in a loud voice by the way) "Hey what's up? Yeah baby, can't wait to tap your hot ass later....you sexy bitch you...". Thanks Douchebag, I bet the "hot ass" on the other end would love to know that you just let everyone in Cracker Barrel know that you're having sex later. Thanks for the heads up, why that's information that I needed to know so badly. When you are in the theater, just turn the damn thing off. Nothing pisses me off more than paying 10 bucks to see a movie and it getting to an intense scene only to have it ruined by the glow of some entitled asshole's phone as he checks his email or texts someone. Look Dickhead, ye of the attention span of a flea. You aren't the only one that paid 10 bucks to see this movie, and most of us would actually like to watch and listen to THE FREAKING MOVIE and not be distracted by you ruining our dark vision by your glaring little electronic device. If the movie is that boring, get the Hell out and go get your money back. Or the assholes that actually talk on their phones during the film. I throw shit at them then get the manager. Or the self important schmucks who can't stop yakking on the damn thing for five minutes to eat their damn meal. Ever see this? We were in a restaurant and this jackass is talking on the phone the entire time he was there. Even while he was eating.......not talking to his waiter, just nodding when asked a question. This moron kept this up even while walking to the counter to pay!?!?!? C'mon folks. No one is impressed by your bluetooth headset and the fact that you have a cellphone...k? We all have them. Hell I have a bluetooth headset and I must say they are handy devices. There are times I've been shopping when I was talking with Cat on the phone, but told her I'd call her back when I got into line to pay. The one's that get me are the Mom's with their kids in the grocery store, yakking away on the phone whilst their children are running rampant. Get off the damn phone Mom and pay attention to your crotch spawn okay......spend some time with your damn kids. You can talk to whomever later!! Now if you have to take a call say in the grocery or whatever, get the Hell out of line and deal with it or tell that person you will call them back as soon as you are done paying. I've had morons hold up the line because they are so busy talking on the damn phone that they haven't scanned their card yet, or taken out their check book or what have you.

Conversations in Public: The bottom line of manners is "be aware of the other people around you". It takes a matter of minutes. If you are in a public place, watch your freaking language. There are families with children around and other folks that just don't like impolite speech. Don't be walking through the mall with your buds and loudly proclaim "Dude I hit her like the fist of a f**king angry God last night. Her titties were off the chain!!!!" Thanks pal. My 5 year old Grandson just heard everything you said and is now wondering why you are hitting some woman. Oh, and keep it to a conversational level please. Cat and I are usually separated by a few feet. We don't TALK LIKE THIS TO EACH OTHER WHILE IN TARGET EVEN WHEN IT GETS A BIT LOUD!!!!! She's right next to me, and I don't have to shout for her to hear me. Or while in a restaurant, keep it down. There are sometimes I get into Cracker Barrel or Red Robin and I SWEAR TO GOD IT'S THIS LOUD....AND IT GETS LOUDER BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE'S CONVERSATION IS COMPETING WITH EVERYONE ELSE'S. All it takes is one table full of loud morons to start the auditory assault on my auditory orafices. Hee hee I said orafices. You all have inside voices (except Moose; I don't think he has an inside voice honestly.), use them.

Now these are examples of everyday rudeness I encounter. Friday will be Shopping Friday. The Day After Thanksgiving which starts off the official Christmas Shopping season. That's when people get really rude. Ever been in line to get one of those "the first 500 customers get a free so and so"? Talk about rude assholes. Jeez!!!! They form a line outside the store, then as soon as the doors open, the push, tackle, shove and otherwise inflict bodily harm on anyone in there way!!!!! It's crazy, and good reason I don't go shopping on that day. I'd go postal, I really would.

Now alot of these situations can be remedied by the register staff/clerks, etc paying attention!! Which, when they are, works. I've seen people try and cut line before and the observant clerk saying, "excuse me, but this person was here before you. The line starts behind them." It's very rare now that you see a clerk give a damn....yeah I know, Dante and Randall of "Clerks" are the prime example of "Customer Service" today.

Just remember folks, just because you had to wait 5 seconds longer than I did doesn't mean the world is going to end. Or just because you think your cellphone and the amount of calls you get a day make you important and impressive doesn't mean that the world cares. Be observant. Use some freaking common sense. Be polite. If others were there before you, you aren't going to die because you had to wait on them.

Those Grapes just keep on getting sour don't they?

Here I thought I was done with Political observations for a bit. Click on the blog title for the full article...oh and read some of the backwoods, redneck, sour grape comments too; they are worth a good chuckle. So on election day this "sign inspector" (and folks out here wonder why the State Government is broke....Memphis actually employs someone as a "sign inspector"!?!?!) used his petty tyranical position to pull up all of Obama's signs off of a certain section of Memphis. Apparently there is a law in Shelby County (Memphis' county) that keeps campaign signs, for sale signs, yard sale signs, etc a certain distance from the road. This "righter of wrongs" drove around on taxpayer money, in a State Vehicle, wasting taxpayer bought gas so he could take all of Obama's signs and take them to his campaign office in Memphis and write a citation to Barack Obama. Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently his campaign office in Memphis thought this guy was a moron (rightfully so) and ignored him and several requests from the County Court to pay the fine. So the County Court decided to take the President (on this Blog he's the President as far as I'm concerned) to court for a violation that he personally didn't take part in. To be fair, his campaign headquarters should have to pay any fine. A lawyer heard Barack's name called in court and spoke up to take the case.

Wow!!! Just Wow!!! You know you bunch of Hillbillies; if the grapes are too sour, stop eating them!!! How petty can you be? Oh wait, I forgot about Joe (Sam) the (non) plumber (ex-lawyer). There are a bunch of hicks out here who think that "he's not above the law. He should pay his fine....after all he stole the election...blah blah blah..." Oh God!!! Is this what it's like to be on the winning side???? Wow, now I know how the 20%ers feel. What's funny is some folks out here get pissed when the rest of the Country thinks we are a bunch of backwards hicks. I got news for you: STOP PROVING THEM RIGHT!!!!!

Honestly, you don't know how hard it is not to do a happy dance when I hear the whining. I honestly have to resist becomming a Giant Douche; it's really hard. I just have to keep telling myself that there will be 4 years (maybe more) of constant, daily amusement. Just being around the sour, bitter, redneck whiners will be oh so joyful. Sorry, there's the douche coming out in me.

The sour, sour grapes feed the bitter, bitter tears.

Movie Recommendations and TV Reviews

Just rented the following movies:
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines
Gremlins (hey my 14 year old Step-Daughter has never seen it....)
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Nim's Island

The Librarian series has two movies so far: the one I've mentioned, which is the second, and the first entitled :The Spear of Destiny or something like that. They are made for TV movies about an organization that works out of a Library that seeks out dangerous artifacts and brings them to be stored in the basement of the Library out of reach of dangerous folks. Bob Newhart and Jane Curtain are in it, as well as Noah Wylie. Entertaining stuff, rips off a lot from Indiana Jones and other movies of that ilk, but still fun.

Gremlins: Well.......what can i say, if you are as old as I am, you saw this in the theater when it came out and it was the funniest thing you saw.

Journey to the Center of the Earth: New version with Brendon Frasier and the kid (don't know his name but he's been busy) who starred in Zathura and Bridge to Tarabithia...it's not Jules Verne version, but the story references Verne's book. Apparently Verne's book wasn't fiction but the truth. I've heard that about Verne's works alot actually, and it's been the plot of alot of Verne related subjects. Case in point: in the Time Wars series by Simon Hawk, the main Temporal Terroist, Nikolai, steals a Russian Submarine and kidnaps the Time Commandos and a Scientist named Jules Verne....long before he ever wrote any of his fiction. There was also a lame Sci Fi show about Verne that hinted at the same thing. It's a great Family Movie....funny and enjoyable.

Nim's Island: Another great Family movie with the little girl from Little Miss Sunshine, Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler (and no, he doesn't yell or kill people in this movie like he did in 300).

TV shows:
Well of the new shows that started this Fall that looked good to me, only three have ranked continued viewing: The Mentalist, Eleventh Hour and Life on Mars.

I caught 3 episodes of Fringe....meh. The show had an interesting premise, but the execution of said premise is lame. The cast kind of sucks and it's just plain boring. Sorry Fox, you can't remake the X-Files and it looks like you've spent so much energy on American Idol that you forgot how to make scripted shows. Same with My Own Worst Enemy. Had promise and I like Christian Slater but it's going nowhere fast. He is a spy who has a mental block that hides his spy identiy until it is needed. When not needed he's a mild mannered married wage slave. I thought they were going to go slow with the Married guy's personality coming out when it should and it would take him awhile to find out what was going on, but they jumped right into it. His spy self leaves messages for his other self and vice-versa. It's really stalled and gotten boring. Not going anywhere fast, I give it a pass.

Mentalist: I recommend this show for the cast. Great characters and it's a great whodunnit with a twist. The main character used to be a "psychic" ala John Edwards.....the fake psychic that used to be on Sci Fi....and now he helps the FBI solve cases because he's extremely observant and can get in people's heads just by talking to them/observing them.

Eleventh Hour: Great cast again, and a great sci fi-esque whodunnit show.

Life on Mars: A cop from 2008 gets hit by a car running across the street to bust a suspect and wakes up in 1973. The cast is great. I mean you have Michael Imperioli (Chrissy from the Sopranos) and Harvey Keitel. It's like watching an old cop show from the 70's and the fish out of water aspect is great. At first you weren't sure if the main character was in a coma, but recent episodes have verified that he is.

Now for a bit of a slam on my once Favorite show: Heroes is going downhill fast. This season I thought you were going to see a sort of Justice League vs Legion of Doom......almost happened once, and it looks like it's going to happen again, but the story in between that's been leading up to it has been really lame. You know you're stalling when you do a Flashback show. It better get better quick or it won't be back next year.

History: Lather, Rinse, Repeat

I read a slightly disturbing thing the other day. Apparently now that gas prices are hover at 2.00 a gallon a Texas plant that builds SUV's for one of the big 3 has started getting busier making more of the gas guzzling behemoths. There was also a report that stated that SUV sales are starting to go up again. Do you Douchenozzles not understand anything????? This is how the 4.00 a gallon gas started. With people who don't need a huge, gas guzzling vehicle buying gas guzzling vehicles and putting a strain on the gas reserves. Dumbasses. As for the big 3; I'd really love to see them burn to the ground, weighed down by their own greed and short-sightedness. Unfortunately, retired worker's pensions would stop and there would be about a million or so jobs lost. We can't have that happening now. That would be a disaster! It's hard to get a factory job here; most of our crap is manufactured overseas. Hey maybe that's where the bailout money should go; to help the workers. Retrain them to do something else, help them find new jobs. When that happens, then let the Big 3 die, feet twitching. Maybe they will get the hint. I don't get it. Toyota, Nissan and Honda can make diverse products, why can't Chrysler? Ford does an okay job of it; better than GM. Seriously, the three Japanese companies make SUVs, Mini Vans, Fuel efficient sedans, sporty cars, etc. When was the last car you saw Dodge make? Dodge hasn't made a car (the Magnum but who the hell wants that thing) in a long time. It's all Full-size Pick-Ups or SUVs with Hemi's. Ford is trying with their Focus to make a decent mpg rated sedan. My Wife's Focus isn't too bad. GM, boring plasticy crap, although they are making up for it with the Volt (electric car). So before you go out and buy that new SUV because they are real cheap right now, think about why they are real cheap right now. Think about the way the oil market goes up and down seemingly at a whim. If you thought about it, you'd realize that it's like the instructions on a shampoo bottle; lather, rinse, repeat.

Thank You For Your Service.

I always like to post the most famous picture of WWII (even though this one is staged, I highly suggest seeing "Flags of our Fathers" or reading the book for the true story) on Veteran's Day to remember those that fought the good fight so that we here at home can continue to be Americans. The oldest Vet I knew was my Cousin's Grandfather by marriage, Mr. Dominick DiMaggio (yes he's related to Jolting Joe). A fine man who passed away a few years ago. It was pure gold to hear him talk about being stationed in Italy playing baseball between battles. Thank you Dominick. To my good friend back home Jim McWhorter who was a door gunner in Hueys for two tours of Nam and the lasting impression that left on him (we are never allowed to put him in a helicopter, period). I Thank you Jimmy. To Sgt. Petro and Sgt. Hopkins and all the other active duty soldiers I've met at the Bad Karma Airsoft Field; thank you. To Jimmy Dixon who in his late 40's early 50's joined the Kentucky National Guard to support his son who also joined. I thank you both for your service. To Col's McKnight and Longrear, men who I've had the pleasure of meeting at the Operation: Irene airsoft events; thank you. To PFC Blackburn and MSGT Mullens; I thank you as well. To the men and women still in Iraq and Afghanistan; thank you. I may not agree with the reasons you are still in Iraq, but I support you nonetheless. You go where they send you. That's the Military. So take pause today to remember those that have fought and died and fought and survived in this Country's armed conflicts of the past and present.

Open Letter to Al Davis

Dear Clueless McGinnty,

 

You are cordially invited to pull your head out of your ass and go die; please.   You have made a Mockery of the once great Oakland Raider football franchise and we the die hard fans have had enough.  Coaches usually get fired when the don't win for long periods of time, and they usually are allowed to...wait for it....COACH!!!!  You know, given an opportunity to control the team.  That's what a Head Coach does.  If the Head Coach wants to fire the Defensive Coordinator because the Defense sucks; you let him.  That ass is still coaching and the Defense still sucks.  Oh, I forgot Al, he is really good at kissing your wrinkled old man ass...after he helps change your Depends that is..... You sir have no clue anymore what football is about.  Hello, Al?  This is the 1960's calling and we'd like to tell you that football has changed just a tad.  You were pissed when Kifkin got rid of Moss...guess what, Moss sucks.  He didn't do crap for the team and he sure isn't helping out in New England now is he.  JaMarcus Russell is a good QB, but when the O-line is like a giant sieve it's hard for the man to do his job.  Watched about 2 minutes of the Panthers/Raiders game yesterday.  I had to turn it off.  If you can't see that you are screwing up the team Al, then there is no hope for the future of your franchise.  I mean the Raiders used up all three time outs in the FIRST QUARTER!!?!?!?!?!  Who does that?  Did you not see that happen Al?  Or was some sycophant blowing sunshine up your ass to the point where those oversized 70's glasses you wear were getting rosier and rosier....

 

In closing, please sell the team.  Seriously Sell the team or sit down, count your cash and STFU and let some qualified people run it.  If you can't do that, then please hurry up and die so someone can.  

 

Sincerely,

A Disgusted Raider Fan.

The Tears they taste so sweet......

I can't get over people out here.........your guy lost, deal......you have a new President...like it or not he's the leader of this Great Nation you love so much but yet I hear asshats say they want him to fail or be assassinated. Your tears...they taste like sweet nectar to me.......yum..... So let me get this straight; you want our Country to fall into ruin. You want our leader to fail and die? Really? You know if I said shit like that about Bush you'd call me UnAmerican and want me to be deported. Talk like that isn't Patriotic. So don't you fucks dare tell me how Patriotic you are...screw you. Now I know you're saying "but Mr. Ranter......you'd be pissed off if McCain won..." Oh yes I would have been very pissed off, but I wouldn't call for the man's assasination. Nor would I want him to fail....Hell no!! Look I hate Bush, that's no secret, but I don't want the man to die. I just wanted the Man to be a fucking leader...but instead he became a gross Mockery of the Office he holds. He dragged that Noble Office through the muck and mire and spit on the memory of those that came before him. Great and Noble men; Lincoln, Jefferson, etc. Your guy lost; suck it up you freaking whiners!!!!! Like you bastards have been saying for the past 8 years, and I will say it to you now: America, Love it or Leave it. There's one door that leads North and the other leads South....then there's several other nations to choose from. Go, get the fuck out......we don't need your negative asses around anyway. You are what's stopping this Country from working. You're negativity and Partisan politics are what keeps us down and what's making us a laughing stock on this Planet. When the rest of the World celebrates our choice of a new leader, that should tell you something right there. I'm all for Free Speech, but there comes a time when we really should rexamine that right. The KKK and Neo Nazi, Black Panthers, etc these groups should be labeled Domestic Terrorists and shut down. Hell all Street Gangs should be declared Domestic Terrorists and shut down. Yes, everyone has the right to say what the Hell they want, but you know what.......if what you're saying is hate speech, then you should lose all rights to say it....or at least have to suffer consequences for it.

And here's a link to a photo montage of the next President to further fuel those tears....

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/the_next_president_of_the_unit.html

Yes We Can!!!

And we did! It's about time this Country woke up. Now before I go gloating....I notice this morning that I woke up with a bit of smug on my face.....I'd like to say that I respect Sen. John McCain for his enduring sense of honor and graciousness and manners. His supporters on the other hand.....stay classy GOP Frat Boys. Jeez...you know you're a douchebag when the candidate you support gives you a disgusted look for catcalling and booing during a concession speech. For all those asshats that booed at the mention of President Obama's name (trust me, it's okay to call him that now as W is just a page in a history book) I've got a bit of advice: Suck it bitches!!! He's you're President now and if you don't like it you can go North until you hear people speak French and say "Eh" alot or you can go South until you hear "Como estas ustedes?". Sour graps much??? It was like a football press conference or something.....some idiot shouted "Sarah Palin in 2012"......yeah like the GOP is going to back that. I think they've learned a very hard lesson. Anyway, great respect to Senator McCain and a big "what do you expect from rich, white, douchebags" to his supporters. Did you notice that when President Obama mentioned John McCain his supporters didn't boo but applauded respectfully. Now for the gloating.

The victory speech was awesome and meaningful, like most of President Obama's speeches have been (by the way....I'm going to use that term alot....I'm a mean bastard that way...rub salt in that GOP wound). It was also sobering and humble. The same line he's used over and over again will hopefully be what this Country becomes; the United States. That's right, no Red, no Blue but freaking Purple. Like I said earlier, I have smug on my face today and I'm not wiping it off for a bit. C'mon, I live in freaking Tennessee here, the State where the local CBS affiliate went to local coverage as President Obama's win was announced and they didn't cut back to Katie and the gang just said "CBS is reporting that Obama has won. We congratulate him. Now back to our discussion of the State Assembly race". It was like a "our guy lost so we don't give a shit, but hey Tennessee let's be happy that our State Assembly is now in the control of the Republicans and will give our Democratic Governor a pain in his ass". I got a bit of advice for you WTVF....your Republican is showing, might want to tone that down. Just because this is a Red State, and just because McCain prevailed here doesn't mean that we all don't want to see the CBS coverage and we can care less about the local State Government.....Almost 800K Tennesseans voted for Obama.........that's plenty so show it and stop being biased. If I want biased I'll watch Fox News. I'm anticipating lots of grumpy people to day; suck it up bitches you lost and now you know how most of us have felt for the past 8 years. Today is the day to gloat because tomorrow it's time to get down to business and hopefully get this sinking ship we call the United States of America back on track. I leave you with a snippet of lyrics from the Scorpions Song "Wind of Change"

The world is closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change

Take me
to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change

More Desperation

Yesterday as I was driving home I noticed the three Obama signs on people's front lawns were missing.  I at first thought these folks had taken them down because it was all but inevitable....well okay there is Florida to contend with but I digress....but then I noticed that all the other elections signs, Mayor, State Rep. etc, were still up.  How petty can you get?  Do these desperate morons think that taking an Obama sign off of someone's front lawn is going to make the Candidate disappear?  Or that the owner of said sign will be intimidated not to vote?   This is just petty, dumbassery at it's finest.  All your actions will do is make that person hate you, or feel sorry for you or even firmly drive them to the side of the Democratic Party.   Sorry dumbasses, you take my sign off of my lawn, then I will be less likely to vote for your guy/gal next time around because their supporters are petty assholes.  It's a sign...and removing it isn't going to change anyone's mind.   Intimidation only leads to polarization.  Someone barely leaning Democrat will only be firmly entrenched in the Party by your intimidation.   My Wife also discovered the lengths GOP folks will go to in their Desperate attempt to somehow win this election.  She works for a major Realtor Company.....not going to mention which one because there's not many that are considered "major".....and the woman that owns her Branch office in MJ and the other one in another City decided to Spam all the Realtors with Anti-Obama Emails.......one putting this Financial Crisis squarely on Carter's shoulders...which is damn funny.  Carter may have pushed the banks to make risky loans in the 70's, but Reagans "trickle down" economics didn't do squat to help and King George the 1rst didn't help much either.  Clinton left Shrub with a massive Surplus after 8 years, and we can see what Bush did with that Surplus.  This email ended with "still think this is all Bush's fault?"   Why yes, you stupid beyatch I do.  Hell we have proof that pretty much the majority of this mess we are in is because of the failed policies of the Bush Administration.  She must be a 26%er.  Still thinks Good 'ol W has done a fine job.   Her next one was about Obama and the Fannie Mae Freddie Mac people that supposedly gave him loads of cash......which is old and has been proven to be completely false and a pack of lies.   I emailed Cat back the Snopes link about it and said "if you really want to piss her off, send her this link and tell her she's passing along lies now".   What galls me is that if it was my Wife passing along Anti-McCain stuff, they'd give her so much shit.  I've never met this woman, but it just shows me her character.  She will break the rules or do things that would be considered a "no no" with anyone else just to get her way or to make others abide by her opinions.   Desperate morons like this don't realize that all you are doing is preaching to your little choir.  You aren't going to change anyone's minds with this crap.  Especially crap that has been publicly debunked time and time again.  I swear the GOP record goes like this "Socialist, Marxists, too risky, Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, tax the middle class, tax and spend, redistribute the wealth, not even a citizen, secret muslim, Fannie Mae Freddie Mac, most liberal candidate ever..."  Can you please get some fresher rhetoric????  Is that possible?  Half the shit that comes out of the GOP mouth is the same debunked, recycled scare tactics that only energized your own small minded, gap-toothed, bible-thumping Core.  Maybe if John McCain would have told us what the Hell he wants to do for this Country, he may have stood a chance.   Maybe if John McCain would have actually checked the background of the running mate his GOP cronies were going to pick for him he may have stood a chance.   All I know, from McCain's own lips, that he is planning on doing for this Country is freezing spending, giving each Family 5,000 dollars to buy health insurance and giving even more tax breaks to the huge Corporations in hopes they will re-invest in America.   That's all I've heard him say.  That's his platform right there.  Barack Obama has detailed several things he wants to do to address our Country's problems.  He has told us over and over again what he wants to do, and it hasn't wavered.  People like the sound of it.......people have no clue as to how freezing spending is going to help.   So let's look at this; we have schools in dire need of cash, a health care industry that pretty much will leave most people with no choice but to die because they can't afford to get better and an economy circling the drain.   So McCain wants the Government to continue to tax the Middle Class more (as of right now, there are more Middle Class families and small businesses that pay more of a percentage of taxes than some Corporations....tell me how that's fair?) and let the Corps keep more of their profit so they can invest in sending more jobs overseas so they can increase that profit even more.  Yeah that's investing in America.  But he doesn't want to spend any of that tax money, yet somehow he's going to give each family 5K to go out and buy health insurance.....that's what a third of a years premium, and if you have a pre-existing condition good luck finding any insurance.  That doesn't solve the problem at all....Hell it's not even a band aid it's just throwing coins at beggars.  So pretty much the things the Mac said he's going to do for us won't solve anything.  I guess that's all he's go though because everything else he's said is the GOP recording of "Socialist, etc etc".  Hell even his little GOP plant Sam "Joe" the-non-licensed Plumber is a sham.  Not only is he breaking Ohio Law by doing plumbing without a license, he doesn't even know how he's going to purchase the business he was going to purchase, and I doubt highly that a one-two man Pluming operation is going to make Net Income of anywhere close to 250,000.....besides Sam the Sham was a Lawyer before he became a Non-Plumber (wonder what happened....probably disbarred...) and he owes back taxes of about 2K.  Yeah that's a real example of the "Real America".    Give it up GOP, this isn't your year.  Your boy Shrub the Cowboy screwed everything up for the past 8 years and no one wants a repeat.   They don't call him McSame for nothing you know.

Can You Smell that?????

Take a whiff....there's this stench of sweat and nervousness coming from the GOP...ah now I know what that is: it's Desperation, the new cologne by John McSame and Sarah Failin. Honestly I've never wanted an election to be over so much in my life. Now let's just hope they've figured out how to work voting machines in Florida......

There's a special place in Hell for people like this.....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/11/01/national/a132957D66.DTL

 

Click on the link to read a sordid tale of a Halloween Buzzkill and all around mean person.   And they wonder why we treat the Elderly like crap.....some of them deserve it.   Remember that grumpy old white bitch in your neighborhood?  Remember her?  She would emerge from her Dungeon to growl at you for walking on her lawn.  In an affluent neighborhood in Detroit this rich old biddy was turning kids away from her house on Halloween if their Parents were Obama supporters.   When asked by reporters what about the poor kids that she turned away that burst into tears this wrinkled old prune said "Well everybody's got a choice.....".    Talk about taking sour grapes to the next level.   Nothing in the article as to what her house looked like the next day.  If this had been in my neighborhood when I was a kid.....oh the amount of TP and eggs her house would have been covered in would have been astounding.  We would have thrown the most eggs at her car.....love to eat away that paint job.  She had a sign up warning everyone but still.  These are freaking kids who have no control over what their parents do or even care about politics.   Although I'd like to thank her, she's just driven a crapload of future voters to the Democratic Party....good job beyatch!!!  As a parent I'd take this opportunity to console my kids by saying "see Honey, that's what Republicans do.  They are EVIL people who are in league with the Devil.....". 

Get out and Vote

Another great Socks and Barney strip from Steve Conley.

I remember in 11th grade one of my US History teachers had a bumper sticker in her classroom stuck on a cabinent door. It said "If you don't vote, don't complain." I remember the day I turned 18 I went down to the local Post Office and did two things; one I wanted to do, the other I didn't really want to do but had to by law. The thing I didn't want to do was register for the draft. The thing I wanted to do was register to vote. Look, McCain is going to win Tennessee because the majority of folks out here are crazy......they will only vote for a Republican. Period. End of Story. I voted anyway and I voted for Barack. I wasn't the only one out here from the number of Obama signs on lawns I've seen. In the long run your vote does count, even though you may think it doesn't. Just remember, there are people in other countries that risk life and limb just to get to the polls, all you have to do is be late for dinner. Think about it.