NO BLOOD FOR BERKELEY
NO BLOOD FOR OAKLAND
NO BLOOD FOR SAN FRANCISCO

Islam: The Jessica Hahn of Religion

Remember Jessica Hahn? She's the chick that posed for Playboy to prove she wasn't a bimbo (probably not nsfw, but I didn't hang around to find out).

Islam. I'm tellin' ya. Everytime somone suggests Islam is riddled with violence, islamists start rioting and killing and threatening to prove, apparently, that Islam is not riddled with violence.

Nut jobs.

Auntie Persnickety's Advice Column

Reduce clutter around the home by making use of multi-purpose items. For instance, magnetic jewelry also makes decorative and useful refrigerator magnets.

The Supreme Court SUCKS.

First the Supreme Court okays the McCain-Feingold Bi-partisan tyrant act of 2002, making me a potential criminal, and then they grant rights to some guys that want to kill me. Sweet.

The question has been raised on various blogs, including the old Kim Du Toit blog and The Smallest Minority . . at what point should US Citizens rise up in arms and overthrow the government? hate to say it, but that point was reached and passed in 2002, for those who love liberty and justice in the spirit of the original constitution. But the moment has passed, aand the support isn't there. One can't, alone, overthrow and start anew. & facts have to be faced - the current crop of US citizenz wants a dictatorship. For pity's sake, look at seat-belt laws. We are so eager to boss around our neighbors for their own good that we're willing to toss them in jail over a fucking seat belt. We no longer have the courage to allow our neighbors their freedom.

Yes, I do think seat belts are good for most people. Yes, I do wear a seat belt. But that's none of your business, just as it's none of my business whether or not you wear one.

For the 14 or so Americans who are still Christians, here's a bible verse for you:

"But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters."

That's from I Peter, chapter 4, verse 15.

That's what Peter, the rock upon whom Christ built his church, had to say about poking your nose into other people's business - & if ensuring your neighbor gets a fine for not wearing a seatbelt isn't nosy - as all in favor of seat belt laws do - , I don't know what it.

Anyway, I'm blue about the state of the red white & blue. There are bunch of US citizens in the 50 states, but I think lately there are more Americans-in-spirit in Poland and the Czech Republic than here.



o well. Change happens, and the US is falling from splendor. I suppose it had to happen sooner or later - that's just the way of the world.

Essay question: In the year 2033, when the US Government has finally toppled under its own weight, which countr(ies) will be the superpower(s), and what effect will this have on the remaining countries?

Which cat would you kill?

Cast of Characters:

Alison: minimum 18 years old, possibly more. Slightly arthritic, borderline diabetic, none of which drastically interferes with her daily life. Loves her human, spits at her son. Alison has been in the household since 1995. Occasionally vomits inside, never goes to the bathroom inside except in the litterbox. Likes to carry shoes around the house.

Smokey: 16 years old. Possible thyroid problem indicated by low weight and some hair loss. Does not drastically interfere with his daily life. Loves his human, tolerates his mother, Alison. Smokey has also been in the household since 1995. He and Alison were a package deal. Occasionally vomits inside, never goes to the bathroom inside except in the litterbox.

Straycat: about 7 weeks old. Found last week under a rosebush. Sweet, loving, healthy. Learns quickly - she only had to be hit with the water pistol once to stop climbing screens. Usual kitten tendencies but understands and uses the litterbox.

So you've probably figured it out - Alison and Smokey are established cats, Straycat is the new kid on the block. I have tried to find a home for Straycat - no luck. I tried the no-kill shelter. They're full and not taking any more. I put up signs around the neighborhood and have been checking the local paper. Nada. I think Straycat is as sweet as apple pie, but Smokey and Alison disagree. Smokey hisses and hunts, but stops with a hit from the squirtgun. Alison hunts and attacks, and doesn't stop for nothin', nobody, nohow, no way. She has to be bodily removed. Straycat wants to be friends with whatever creature she sees, is getting more neurotic by the minute, thanks primarily to Alison.

Do not tell me "they'll work it out." I know cats; they'll work it out when Alison has killed Straycat. Smokey and Straycat, yeah maybe. Alison and Straycat? Not gonna happen.

I, too, am getting more neurotic by the minute. I can't spend every second of my day chasing cats. At some point, I need to work, eat, and sleep. Something's gotta give, or more accurately, some one's gotta go.

If I take Alison to the pound, she is too old to be adopted. Straycat's chances aren't much better, only 10%. Realistically, odds are that whoever goes will be put down.

Alison is old and will probably die in a few years anyway, while Straycat has her life ahead of her.

Alison is trained and well-behaved. Straycat is a kitten and will need discipline.

If Alison dies, Smokey's chances of following her to the pound are probably 50/50. If Straycat dies, Smokey's ok.

Alison is the aggressor here. Straycat is blameless.

Alison probably feels that Straycat is an interloper in Alison's territory. I have news for Alison and for all you bunny-huggers out there: it's my territory. Alison (and Smokey and Straycat) are here by my goodwill.

So which cat would you take to the pound?

Shari'a comes to Oakland

Oakland, California surrenders to The Muslim Temperance Union.

Two liquor stores trashed. One set on fire. One owner kidnapped and the Ass. Press doesn't think such kidnapping worthy of any additional details.

"

They just wanted to leave a message"

coos AP writer Justin Norton. Hello? Did they never hear of postcards, letters and sticky notes?

"But the recent attack . . . have injected religion into the debate."

Religion, mind you. Not violence. Not facsism. Not oppression. o no. Religion.

"The elder Bey was accused of raping young women. . .lauded for providing . .. guidance to young black men

."

ho-kay.

So here it is, boys and girls. The tone of the Oakland (cough, cough) leadership, and of the article, is cringing, crawling and craven, and nearly as disgusting as the actions of Oakland's laudable Black Muslim Community. Both the AP writer and the Oakland leaders quoted turn against the liquor stores with nary a word against the actual, genuine dyed-in-the-wool thugs.


Annie, get your gun - or get your burkha. If we don't cut this molly-coddling crap out, those are the only choices the future will hold.

While we ponder between blue steel and black burlap, raise a glass (of lemonade) to great-great Aunt Mariette, a die-hard member of the Women's Temperance Union, who spent her life working to get Prohibition enacted, thus ensuring the rise of the Mafia.




Mariette ended her days refusing to eat any cooked food. She dined on raw corn and raw hamburger.

She was a nutjob, and so are the proprietors of Your Black Muslim Bakery and others of their ilk.

It is not safe to continue pampering thugs. Is this not obvious? Do I really have to say this?

Judging by the words of AP crawler Justin Norton I guess I do. You need to say it to.

Kill 'em with Kindness

I understand and appreciate that liberals constantly strive to understand ‘root causes,’ and that liberals believe ‘there are no enemies, only friends we don’t understand yet.’ In support of those sentiments, and on the off-chance that a liberal will accidentally wander onto this site, permit me to take a few moments of your time, gentle reader, and introduce you to the root causes behind what some perceive as a blaming the victim mentality with respect to Hurricane Katrina.

First, you need to understand the worldview of those you perceive to be evil. Here are some commonly held precepts:

1. Bureaucracies and committees are inefficient and cowardly.
2. Governments are essentially composed of either a strong but usually vile single leader (dictatorship), or a herd of bureaucracies and committees.
3. Money is power. The more money you give to government, the more power it has. The more power it has, the less power you have.
4. A large group can do more damage than a single individual.
5. We are all human, and therefore fallible.
6. We are all human, and therefore capable of rising to great heights, if the need and motivation are present.
   

Put all the above into a pot and let it stew for a while. When it’s done cooking, one inevitably reaches the conclusion that relying on a government is iffy at best. Even if a particular government organization has great processes and 50% super-duper people, the not-so-super-duper will be afraid to act or incapable of acting promptly and efficiently, whilst the super-duper will have conflicting ideas about how to act. Research, analysis, and consensus-building all take time and tact.

On the other hand, each individual knows his own situation and is (or should be) in control of his own actions.

When you see us screaming at the TV "Where is your food? Don’t you know how to purify water with bleach? Why didn’t you leave?" we are not saying "chump. Serves you right." We’re saying "We want you to live! Why didn’t you want you to live?!"

Seeing people in pain and knowing that their pain wouldn’t have been quite so painful if only they too had been a bunch of redneck, survivalist nutjobs hurts.

The lack of preparation is also a reproach1. Among the 90,000 competing thoughts that scramble for attention when watching the devastation, one thought emerges repeatedly:

"I am a moron."

Two days before Katrina, I’m in Wal-Mart looking at the camping equipment. "Oh, a snake bite kit. Maybe I’ll add one to my hurricane kit next year."

1969, 500 people in Louisiana died of snake bite after the hurricane. I have still not purchased a snake bite kit. I am in Florida, with diamond-back rattlesnakes and pygmy rattlesnakes and water moccasins and coral snakes. Maybe this weekend . . .

"That could be me."

I don’t have anything to poop in, for pete’s squeak.

Will my water purification tablets take care of things like pesticide? I don’t know, but one day my life may depend on it.

Will my wind-up weather radio with the cell phone re-charger actually work? I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.

Will connectivity be available? Probably not.

If I could get in touch with anyone, could they reach me to help me? Probably not.

& so I get angry, on a primeval level, at all the evidence Katrina and her victims present to me, reminding me that I am human and fallible. Maybe if they’d done what I’d done, they’d be okay and I wouldn’t have to be reminded of my own mortality.

I’ve seen some comments and posts that imply we should not ‘blame the victim.’ But it is a mistaken kindness, and a false sentiment, that confuses ‘blaming the victim’ with ‘stating the facts.’ It is a fact that some people would still be alive today if they had been better prepared.

It is necessary to state that fact if we don’t want more people to die in future hurricanes. There are three hurricanes in the Eastern Atlantic right now. There are more hurricane seasons to come, one each year, and many more years to come, pray God.

When we holler "Why didn’t they . . .?" we are trying to help future hurricane victims. Maybe the LLLs, with their super-sensitivity, can help us re-phrase it, but do not try to shut us up or close your eyes to the value of the content. If you succeed, the life you fail to save by utilizing the expanded knowledge and increased personal responsibility of hard-hearted, evil right wingnuts may be your own.

Person A’s life trumps Person B’s feelings. There is an ever-widening gulf between the worldviews of an LLL and a conservative/libertarian/whatever I am, but surely we can all agree on that?

Yes?

1 Incidentally, when Christians talk about natural disasters being a warning, reproach, or punishment from God, they are generally meaning it in this sense. Those of us who escaped are to take it as a 'warning ticket' from God, that we need to behave ourselves in the future, look to our souls and also use the good sense that the Good Lord gave us.

ok, I've calmed down.

Maybe Mayor Nagin just freaked out and is behaving like a civilized person now. We're all freaked out right about now.

& we will be for quite a while, I imagine. Please, let's try not to make any stupid laws until we're out of reaction mode, okay?

Let it percolate for a while, and discuss it when we're all once again rational. I'm not talking about help or aid, obviously give now and give until it hurts, but about making new laws and new departments and new regulations.

Carping at people who are trying to help is unproductive. It will only discourage them from helping in the next disaster.

Mayor Nagin, are you listening?

I'm starting to hear some things from people who are volunteering in the New Orleans area that ought not to be happening. I don't doubt that NO is under a whole lot of stress, but don't make the people who are helping you, out of their own time and own pocket, wonder why they bother.

Update: By. Gads. He didn't even read his own city's evacuation plan.

Nagin, just shut the fuck up. If ever I get my hands on your balls, you'll be wearing them for a necktie.

Update 2: It gets worse. Order an evacuation after commercial transportion shuts down, leave city transportion in the flood. Nice.

George Bush is not a weather god, racist or otherwise.

Persons evacuating to the Superdome in New Orleans were told to bring food and water for 3 days. If, as a crazed radio man stated, people were indeed dying in the SuperDome of deydration as early as Wednesday, they were either robbed or they came ill-prepared.

Recommendation for Florida EOCs, as a result of lessons learned:

Charge an admission to shelters, equal to 3 days food and water per person. Confiscate at the door and ration.

ok, water is heavy and there will be many people who can't carry 3 days worth. Stock those shelters with water, have 'em bring what they can

Carping at people who are trying to help is unproductive. It will only discourage them from helping in the next disaster.

Rebuilding New Orleans in situ is stupid. NOT WITH MY TAX MONEY, YOU DON'T!! Move the damn town, or what's left of it. I cannot bear watching this again. The remarkable adaptability of man is what enables us to survive from the cold wilds of Alaska and Siberia to the steaming heat of Mexico and dry heat of the Sahara. So embrace your humanity and adapt to geographical reality of New Orleans - which was not below sea level when originally built umpteen years ago.

The government is not your mama. Charity groups are not your mama. I am not saying this to berate those in trouble today, but to help those who may be in trouble tomorrow.

Can we stop laughing at traditional values, now, please? "Be prepared," that corny old Boy Scout motto, can come in pretty handy.

Pray.

BOO!

scared ya, didn't I?

Registration never leads to confiscation

O no. Never.

"Xena became an outlaw. . .won a reprieve . . . (she may) never return to Denver . . ."

Git outta town, girl, we don't like your kind.

It's bad enough that I won't willingly consider moving to some place like California or NY because of the gun registration there, but this is simply insane. Worse, in a day-to-day way.

Floridians who don't like thieves need to write a letter

The Select Committee to Protect Private Property Rights
1101 The Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1300

Re: HJR31

Gentlepersons:

I appreciate the good intentions behind the introduction of HJR 31, and am pleased that the Florida Legislature has the good sense to be appalled by Kelo v. New London. However, the amendment as proposed is not tight enough.

Under no circumstances should any government take property from one private party and provide it to another. It doesn’t matter whether the recipient is acquiring the property for development purposes or to create a private haven for the spotted owl or injured pelicans; theft is still theft.

At the risk of sounding facetious: There are many thieves and robbers in the private sector, and the government is forbidden to compete with private enterprise.

On a more serious note, a government’s job is to protect citizens’ rights. The government that usurps its citizens’ rights has rendered itself obsolete.

Please tighten this amendment. Thank you for your time and attention.

Brian Blair, My Hero!

Raise a glass to Brian Blair, Hillsborough County Commissioner. According to the radio, my noble statesmen (countymen?) have informed 'the state' that eminent domain requests will not be considered unless they're for genuine public use, such as roads and schools, and requests for economic development will be right out. You go, Killer Bee!

According to the Orlando Business Journal, Florida's fair legislatures and governor aren't best pleased about Kelo either.

A blog entitled The Matrix Has You, but apparently run by a business called Florida Homestead Services, links to the amendment proposed by the Florida House to tighten definition of public use, but in my view it doesn't go far enough. Under no circumstances should the government transfer property from one private party to another, whether it's for economic development or not. What if the stealing party wants to use it protect spotted owls or something? It's still theft.

The following is from the Orland Business Journal Article, which also states that Florida is among the eight toughest states for eminent domain:

"Locally, the decision and Florida's law could be tested soon in places such as the Home Acres neighborhood near Winter Park, where developer Dan Bellows has bought up 51 acres in the community with the plan to redevelop it into a mixed-use project.

Not everyone in Home Acres, however, wants to be a part of the project, and Bellows has asked the Winter Park City Council to create a Community Redevelopment District and use its power of eminent domain to help with the project.

That would completely transform the blighted area, says Bellows.

The likelihood of the project happening seems slim, though, as city officials are not even sure if they would use eminent domain for such projects.

'I'm not comfortable at all with eminent domain being used for a private development, especially when it runs to the advantage of one developer," says Winter Park Mayor Kip Marchman. "Blight, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and we need to be careful that any project is truly for a public purpose, meaning literally everybody benefits from it."

If Florida is among the eight toughest states, citizens of 42 states are really screwed. There appears to be nothing standing between the Home Acres folks and the Robber Barons but one mayor's good sense and decency.

Would someone please throw some ice cubes into the Gulf of Mexico?

Tx.

P.E.T.A. = Cat Killers

If you happen to see a PETA member, be sure to remind them that they are responsible for any harm that may come to Allison and Smokey during this hurricane season. Why? Because, due to the machinations of animal rights activists, animals can no longer be shipped with the luggage, in pressurized but not temperature controlled areas. Due to PETA and others of their ilk, it is now more expensive to fly one of my cats than to fly myself. If I must evacuate out of state, I will not be able to afford to take the cats. I'll be leaving them here, in flood zone You-gonna-die-girl, to fend for themselves.

Thanks, PETA. Thanks a fucking lot.

Anybody who has a problem with the above can set up a $1600 escrow account for me, with the funds to be released when a hurricane is Tampa Bay bound.

Florida Tax Holiday, June 1 through June 12!!

Press release here and more details here.

Stock up on those hurricane supplies! No tax on flashlights, lanterns and candles under $20 (including Yankee Candles? o boy!)

Gas cans under $25

Batteries, coolers, ice chests, first aid kits under $30

Radios and tarps under $50.

I didn't see water purifiers on the list, though. O well.

The tax holiday is over June 12th - go shopping now!

& a special "Thanks" to the Honorable Jeb Bush.

That explains a lot!


Rongorongo (Easter Island, C.E. 1800)You are RONGORONGO. You are the script of the
language Rapanui. The language is still spoken,
but no one can read the script. Are you
ideographic? Phonetic? Ideo-phonetic?
Hieroglyphic? A comic strip? Illustrations for
a fairy tale? No one knows.

Which Indecipherable Script Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Headdress tip to The Politburo Diktat

'Twas a dark and scarey night

cuz dey ain't no street lights in this town

There are two types of street lighting available to unincorporated Hillsborough County residents: Area lights, which are privately placed, owned, and paid for; and Street lights, placed on county property, maintained by the county, and paid for with your tax dollars.

To get an Area Light, call TECO, 813 635-1500, and schedule an appointment.

Caveats:

• Two year contract required
• Minimum charge of $10 per month, added to your electric bill
• Light must be placed on your private property, not on the easement/devil's strip/parkway
• A large truck (about the size of a dump truck) must be able to access the property.
  

To get a Street Light, work with the Hillsborough County Street Lighting Program, telephone 813 272-1551.

Caveats:

• Street Lighting must be done to the entire subdivision
• Petition required; a majority of homeowners must sign it. See website for details
• Your property taxes will increase by an unknown amount. A study must be done; number & type of street lights determined, etc. County could not provide a minimum or maximum dollar figure.
• In the February following petition signature, the street light request will go before a public hearing. If approved, "street lights could be installed the following year." (emphasis added) Or, presumably, they could not be installed the following year.
  

In short, if you feel the need for better lighting, start with TECO and see if an area light does the trick. If yes, fine. If not, start the street light petition process. By the time it goes through, your TECO contract will have expired.

How to install a catflap in a steel door

Step 1: Get a Dremel.

Step 2: Get a Cut-off wheel and a grinding stone. Grab a steak knife from the kitchen.

Step 3: Sketch the template outline on the door in accordance with the instructions.

Step 4: Cut down the outline you have drawn, using the Dremel and cut-off wheel, just through the steel. Wear safety glasses for this, really. The sparks fly!

Step 5: Pry out the steel. It's just an outer lining. Take the steak knife and carve out the foam inside the door. Smooth the steel edges with the grinding stone.

Step 6: Cut out the other steel lining with the cut-off wheel. Smooth out with the grinding stone.

Step 7: Shove the cat through the hole a few times.

Step 8: Follow the instructions for putting up the door. Here, you will need a metal-cutting drill bit and probably a regular drill, or maybe an attachment for the Dremel. Anyway, my bit wouldn't fit my Dremel. Do not drill into the foam; you only want to pierce the steel. Your cat should catch on to using the door right away, if it's been through the open hole a few times. If your cat is dumb, like one of mine is, put them on one side of the door, and food on the other. Go shopping. By the time you get back, your cat will have figured it out.

The above is the wrong, Persnickety way to do it, but darn it it worked. The right way is to draw your outline, use your metal bit and electric drill to drill holes clear through the door in each corner of the outline. Then, using a jig saw and metal-cutting blade, insert the blade into one of the holes and cut out the door hole clean through, following merrily along the outline. Power tools and $10 blades notwithstanding, I lacked the physical strength to control the saw, particularly when it cut through the steel, encountered the soft foam, then hit hard steel again. I actually broke the saw blade off inside the door. The right way is probably the quicker way, for those with the muscle. But the right way is the wrong way if it's not personally possible.

Cheers!

P.S. You may have another bit of difficulty with the wood at the bottom of the door, or the door panels. The bottom two inches of my door is wood. My cat flap just barely fit. Ideally, the bottom of the cat flap should be at the same height as the bottom of your standing cat's belly. You might want to do a little measuring - of the cat, the door, and the various available cat flaps, before you start carving holes in anything.