O'Donnell, Timothy J.60, son of the
late Edward and Laleeta O'Donnell
died on February 1, 2010
at his home in St. Louis, MO.
Best friend and loving husband of
Hallie O'Donnell; loving father of
Michelle (Frank) Mancuso, Bridget
(Tim) Olson, Maghen (Greg) Ellingson
and Amy O'Donnell; dear grandfather
of Sean, Brooklyn, Justin and Keaghen;
brother of Kevin O'Donnell; best friend of
Pushkin and Sadie (dogs), Moose and
Jose (ferrets), Big Daddy and Jippy (turtles)
and Jake the bird.

No Justice, No Peace

This post was picked up from a wonderful Pakistani blog, Wake-up Call For Truth Seekers. It is a well-written blog giving much insight on the world from a Pakistani viewpoint. I am adding it to my blogroll, and would urge everyone to visit and check it out.

What You Didn't Know About The War



Without justice, there will never be peace. It is long past time that the American people end this carnage and hold the ones responsible to account.

Praying For Peace,
Brother Tim

The Graveyard of Empires

Why we will never win in Afghanistan.........

Is because our macho-hegemonic definition of 'victory' is, the other side surrenders and lays down their weapons. Well, guess what...... it ain't gonna happen. We base our definition on the archaic idea of war, armies versus armies. They say Afghanistan is another Viet Nam. They couldn't be farther from the truth. Although one can point out subtle comparisons, Afghanistan is a completely different situation.


Insurgents are not a country's military, they are it's citizenry. We call them insurgents and terrorists, but if this were to happen on our soil, we would be calling them patriots and freedom fighters.


As much as some Afghans may hate the Taliban, they hate the invaders even more. They understand why we're there. To take control of their land for the pipeline, to steal their natural resources, and to set up a military outpost in the region. They offered to sell it to us, but we thought the price was too high; so we pulled out our guns and tried to take it from them. A bad miscalculation on our part. We should have paid more attention to the lessons of history; the Afghans surely have. As barren and God-forsaken as that region is, it is a strategic piece of real estate. It has been for thousands of years, and it's people have grown accustomed to fighting off invading forces. We have let our arrogance and greed override our common sense and the facts history has provided to us. Sooner or later, the invaders will grow weary (or broke) and go home. The Taliban isn't going home. The Taliban IS home.


"I will fight my brothers and cousins, but I will stand beside them to fight off the infidels" ~ Old Muslim saying



The only 'victory' to be had, will be to declare victory (even though we know it to be untrue) and leave. Every last man. Leaving in place, military trainers and advisers will still be viewed as an occupation. If we try to hold on and stay, the Afghan children born today will be fighting us in 15 or 20 years.


While it's true that our casualty rate is much lower than Viet Nam, due to technical advances in weaponry, body armour, and equipment; our severe injury rate (lost limbs, lifetime head injuries, and PTSD, etc) has gone through the roof.


These technological advances also tend to hamper our fighting abilities as much as aid them. Our foot soldiers are burdened down with 100 lb backpacks filled with all the latest goodies, GPSs, Night vision equipment, radio gear, etc, etc. Toting around a 100 lb knapsack will wear down the best of men. And we wonder why we can't defeat a bunch of lice-infested men, living in caves, wearing only robes and sandals, carrying 25-30 year old Kalashnikovs. Good Lord, won't anybody speak truth to power?


Over the past several months, I have immersed myself into the study of the region, almost to the point of obsession. What I have discovered, validates everything I have said thus far. The only ones who even came close to conquering these people were Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan (the most ferocious warrior in history) when he led the Mongols. And even their 'victories' were not sustainable.


This is the region where Empires go to die. The following list is not complete by any means; and the dates sometimes overlap due to takeovers and two empires biting off of different sides of the poison apple at the same time. I left out numerous smaller invaders, since they were not considered empires. Although I'm not taking the time to give links, one can google any of them and come up with a wealth of information.


Starting with the latest-------

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) ~ 1979-1989
British Empire ~ 1837-1919
Mughal Empire ~ 1525-1709
Timurid Empire ~ 1370-1506
Il-Khanate ~ 1245-1332
Mongol Empire ~ 1221-1245
Khwarezmid Empire ~ 1215-1221
Delhi Sultanate ~ 1206-1221
Ghurid Empire ~ 1186-1202
Ghaznavid Empire ~ 970-1186
Abbasid Caliphate ~ 750-970
Umayyad Empire of Arabia ~637-750
Tang Dynasty of China ~ 620-637
Hepthalite Kingdom ~ 400-580
Sassanian Empire ~ 224-561
Kushan Empire ~ 135-240
Kingdom of the Western Satraps ~ 20-405
Indo-Scythian Kingdom ~ BC 140-AD20
Greco-Bactrain Kingdom ~ BC250-BC48
Mauryan Empire ~ BC305-BC232
Seleucid Empire ~ BC323-BC250
Empire of Alexander the Great ~ BC328-BC323
Achaemenid Empire ~ BC550-BC328

Looking at this list, I ask you: What degree of arrogance does it take to think that we can fare better?

Will some blogger of the future compile a similar list, with the Empire of the United States at the top? Only time will tell, but I wouldn't bet against it.

What say Y'all?

Disaster Awaits,
Brother Tim

The Ugly Truth

I have jumped off the Hope Express.

"Where the ^@*# did Brother Tim go?"

I would rather walk barefoot through snow, than to ride another mile on this impending train wreck we call the Obama Presidency.

America, as we have known and loved her, is stricken with the terminal cancers of arrogance and avarice. That is why prudent, thinking people must prepare for the arrangements. America is on it's deathbed. The government that is supposed to protect and defend our founding documents; our sovereignty; and the citizenry, has fallen into default, and I am not referring only to fiscal matters. Morality, compassion, and justice, have become 'dirty words'; and the majority of the populace, to differing degrees, have bought into it 'hook, line, and sinker'. And what a sinker they've swallowed.

America, the land mass, will survive of course, and people will still inhabit it; but the ones left living under subjugation will have little recollection of the system under which their ancestors thrived.

Obama campaigned on promises of transparency, accountability, and equality. He has sorely disappointed. Lies come in many forms. There are lies of omission; lies by word parsing; lies by implication; bald-faced lies; et al. The bottom line is this: A lie, is a lie, is a lie, is a lie. It can be a Buick; Cadillac; Lexus; Ford; or a Volkswagen, but it's still an automobile.

I grow weary and jaded listening to all the progressives and liberals constantly making excuses for his ineptitude and nefarious behavior. "Give him a chance", "He's been in office for less than a year", "The Republicans are trying to make him fail". Well, Booooooo-hoooooo! Is everyone drinking the Kool-Aid now??? They tried to make FDR fail too. But Obama is no FDR. Obama is a black Harold Hill.

To those not familiar with Meredith Willson's, The Music Man, Harold Hill (Robert Preston) was a con man that sold the residents of River City, Iowa, band instruments based on learning them using the 'think system'. "Just think the Minuet in G, and you'll be able to play it. La de da de da de da de da, la de da, la de da.....". It doesn't work like that in real life, folks. The Emperor's naked, regardless of how regal he says his goals are. As my grandpappy was fond of saying, "Actions speak louder than words, Sonny".

You're probably wondering what set me off on this tirade. It was this enema-bag.

Or maybe more accurately put, the ones controlling the rectal nozzle, none other than the Obama Administration.


From the San Francisco Chronicle...

White House Wants Suit Against Yoo Dismissed

San Francisco ~ The Obama Administration has asked an Appeals Court to dismiss a law suit accusing former Bush Administration attorney John Yoo of authorizing the torture of a terrorism suspect, saying federal law does not allow damage claims against lawyers who advise the President on national security issues.

Such lawsuits ask courts to second-guess presidential decisions and pose "the risk of deterring full and frank advice regarding the military's detention and treatment of those determined to be enemies during an armed conflict," Justice Department lawyers said Thursday in arguments to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

It makes you want to ask that three-word question that starts with, 'What the ....?'

Let's put this in plain ole layman's terms, so everyone can understand.

A President wants to do something illegal, like a war crime such as torture for example. He has a lawyer write a memo stating that it's legal. The President can't be touched, because he's got a memo from his attorney saying it is legal. The attorney can't be touched, because he's advising the President. And no one down the chain of command, including those who did the actual torture can be touched, because there is a memo that says it's all legal. To every tin-pot, third-world, banana-republic dictator: "Eat your hearts out!". We executed people after WWII for doing exactly those same things. It was established (with our insistence) at Nuremberg, that 'just following orders' is NO defense for war crimes. Talk about double-standards.

Obama, the one who promised transparency, accountability, justice, and equality, has now turned his back on the Americans who put their trust in him. Worse yet, is he has instilled in a good majority of Americans, something similar to battered spouse syndrome. He bitch-slaps them around, spits in their faces, takes their checks, lies and cheats on them with a smile; and they say, "But we LOVE him".

Yes, people DO get the government they deserve.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"
~Pete Townsend

When the sh*t finally hits the fan, and we're all cleaning each other up, we can take solace by saying, "Those nasty Republicans caused it". [end snark]

Sounding the Trumpet,
Brother Tim

Moose Tracks

Tracking the news that others won't.

Lifesyles of the Rich and Famous

The following is a transcript of an interview with my cousin, Roscoe, who is a house guest of Tiger and Elin Woods. Roscoe was in the house when the fiasco started.

Now, an eyewitness account of what happened before the car-crash debacle.

Moose -- Hey, Roscoe! When I got that e-mail saying you were 'staying at the woods', I thought you meant, like, 'the forest'. The last I heard, you were up in Maine.

Roscoe -- Hahahahahahaha...... Moose, you're a riot! No, I meant I was staying at Tiger and Elin Woods' house. I had to leave Maine in a hurry. The old Injun I was staying with got really ticked off when I swapped off one of Brother Tim's large cans of Premium Spam for a Cornish Game Hen that the old Injun called, 'his turkey'. I'm sure once he tastes that Spam, he'll cool down and be giving me a call. Hahahaha!

Moose -- So, tell me, Roscoe, were you there when this fiasco started?

Roscoe -- I awoke around 2 AM to a lot of commotion. At first, I thought al Qaeda had pulled off another terrorist attack. As I rolled outta the nest, I thought I heard a sailor on shore leave cursing at a crying, sniveling little schoolgirl; when I poked my head around the corner, I discovered it was just Elin hollering at Tiger, saying something about text messages and cell phones.

Moose -- Anything else?

Roscoe -- Yeah, she said, "So that's your idea of going 'clubbing', huh? Sleeping with the Hostess and Cocktail Waitresses?"

Moose -- And then.....?

Roscoe -- And then she said, "I'll show you what 'clubbing' means to me." As she pulled out the Wedge from his golf bag, she hollered, "It's tee-off time, Mister!"

Moose -- Did that shock you?

Roscoe -- 'Surprised' would be a better word, as I've never seen anyone tee off with a Wedge before. Then all Hell broke loose.

Moose -- How many times did she hit him?

Roscoe -- Just once, that I saw, but once was enough. He ran out the door barefoot and bloody, and jumped into his Escalade, with her in hot pursuit, screaming she wanted to take a Mulligan.

Moose -- Then what?

Roscoe -- All I heard was the peeling of rubber and the sounds of breaking glass. About 20 seconds later, I heard the crash. I was still in the house, raiding the fridge; all the excitement made me hungry.

Moose -- Well, the media is certainly playing this up.

Roscoe -- You really need to give Tiger a break here. The thing most people don't realize is, the fire hydrants here in Florida are about ten feet tall, and built like Sherman Tanks. They have a propensity for jumping out in front of Cadillac Escalades, especially in gated communities. The wealthy are used to that; Tiger was just momentarily distracted. Under the circumstances, it's quite understandable.

Moose -- Do you think the marriage is over?

Roscoe -- Naw...... This kinda stuff happens to professional golfers all the time. It's like a sand trap on the links of marriage. I guess that's why Elin used the Wedge to tee off on him. The next morning, everything was hunky-dory. They were all lovey-dovey to each other. I took a photo as they were headed out to the Army Surplus Store, to buy an up-armoured Humvee to replace the Escalade with.

Moose -- Did you give them any of your sage advice?

Roscoe -- I told Tiger he needs to stay out of the 19th hole, and have his caddy do his ball-washing.

Moose -- And for Elin.......?

Roscoe -- I advised her to try shifting her weight to her left leg on the follow-through.

Moose -- Well, thanks for your insight, Roscoe.

Roscoe -- Anytime, Cuz, stay in touch. If ya talk to the old Injun, tell him he got the best end of the deal, that Cornish Game Hen wasn't all that good.

She Didn't Even Yell 'Fore',
The Moose

Try This For Thanksgiving

The best turkey recipe ever!


Try this recipe, and see if you don't get the most compliments you've ever gotten.

Thanksgiving Turkey


Ingredients:
1 Large lemon, cut into halves (the larger, the better)
Olive oil
Seasonings of your choice

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Rub olive oil on skin of turkey until well-coated.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and other seasonings you prefer.
Take a sharp knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat.
Slide lemon halves under the skin, peel side up, one on each side. This way the juice from the lemons will release into the breast.
Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove cover and continue to roast until juices run clear, basting every 20 minutes.

If you've followed these steps correctly, your turkey should look like the one below.



Bon Appetit!

I'm Still A Leg-man,
Brother Tim

Don't Stand In Front of the Fan

I have a feeling this is gonna get ugly.

Just in from the WaPo....

Afghan Election Commission Declares Karzai Winner

KABUL -- Afghan election officials canceled a presidential runoff scheduled for Saturday and declared President Hamid Karzai reelected on Monday, a day after Karzai's top challenger declared he would not take part in a second round of voting because of a persistent risk of fraud.

"The Independent Election Commission declares the esteemed Hamid Karzai as the president . . . because he was the winner of the first round and the only candidate in the second round," commission's chairman Azizullah Lodin told a news conference.

[...]

Lodin said the seven-member commission had decided by consensus to cancel the runoff and declare Karzai the winner of a second five-year term after consulting legal experts.

Peppered with questions about how the commission reached its conclusion, Lodin said, "It's like a wrestling match. If one wrestler refuses to wrestle, the referee raises the hand of the other and declares him the winner."

A national election is 'like a wresting match'? .......that's sure to win the hearts and minds of Americans at least.

Well, once again the 'esteemed Hamid Karzai' has stuck a knife in Obama's back. Let's see how he deals with this gem.

I Saw It Comin',
Brother Tim

Another One Bites The Dust

.......and it's doubtful there'll be another.

Since this was our first Halloween here at The Compound, we really didn't know what to expect. But our expectations were high as we made our preparations. Since our house sits a good ways back from the road, we decided to 'set up shop' outside the front gate by the road.

We made our preparations early, and at about 5:30 I went out to start a fire. I guess I've always had a tad of pyromania in me. There is a certain sense of calm satisfaction in burning something up. Whether it be in a fireplace, a bonfire, a campfire, or even in an old washtub, it brings a feeling of peace and serenity to me. So, I grabbed an old washtub that had outlived it's intended purpose in life, and helped it on it's journey into it's next phase of existence......... a Firetub! Since primitive times, man has always had a fascination with fire, and I proudly carry on with the tradition. The man who can build and maintain a nice fire, will always survive, just as in the primitive times. A man who controls fire is a valuable asset to his fellow-man. In the early days, you could not cook or stay warm without a good fire.

After spending the better part of an hour getting the fire 'just right' (these things take time), I set us up and called for Miss Hallie, the keeper of the candy.

She came out and we sat there all pleased with ourselves, drinking coffee (note the Thermos next to the table) and having conversation while we waited..... and waited..... and waited. Then two little ones showed up, and we serviced their 'loot bags', and waited some more. Twenty minutes later a lone gobblin came by, and we waited some more. Finally two more straggled by, and then it was 'business as usual'. I believe we ate more candy than we gave out. The five that did show up however, made off like bandits, as Miss Hallie was using both hands to scoop up a mound of treats for each one.

At 8:00, everything became eerily quiet and dark in the neighborhood. It was over. The bright side though, was we enjoyed ourselves. Time always passes so quickly when you're in the presence of good company!

So, I drug the Firetub inside the gate, and stood for a time, appreciating the beauty of the dying embers. I made up my mind, there and then, that I would NOT do this again. And then again, who knows? We did manage to spread joy to five little Trick-or-Treaters. We also had a good time sharing each other's company around a roaring redneck city-campfire.

Fired Up,
Brother Tim

Whistling In The Graveyard

Or hiking the ole Appalachian Trail
........South Carolina has something for everyone.

The South Carolina Tourist Commission must be simply overjoyed. It's the state that just keeps on giving. The stories are getting curiouser and curiouser. This story comes from The State, South Carolina's largest newspaper.

State official Roland Corning out of a job after incident

Columbia S.C. -- An assistant state attorney general was stopped in his car by a Columbia police officer Monday on suspicion of illegal activity, identified himself as an employee of the attorney general's office, and was not charged with a crime.

Roland Corning, an assistant attorney general, was pulled over by officer Michael D. Wines at 3:15 p.m. Monday, according to a Columbia Police Department report.

Wines is married to Megan Wines, who also works in the attorney general's office. Wines called his wife during the incident to verify Corning's identity.

Megan Wines then reported the incident to Deputy Attorney General John McIntosh, who relayed the information to Attorney General Henry McMaster, according to Trey Walker, spokesman for McMaster's office.

Less than two hours later, Corning was no longer employed with McMaster's office, Walker said Tuesday.

Wines wrote in his report that two people were in the car - Corning and an unnamed 18-year-old female, an "employee of Platinum Plus Gentlemen's Club."

Earlier, Wines had witnessed the Ford Explorer that Corning was driving pull into a secluded portion of Elmwood Cemetery that Wines had "received past complaints in ref. to illegal activity, i.e. sex acts and drug abuse," Wines wrote in the report.

[...]

Wines then interviewed Corning and the woman, and said they gave "conflicting statements as to why they were at the location, and to their relationship." Because of that, Wines wrote, he asked Corning some more questions, which is when Corning identified himself as an attorney and showed Wines his "state attorney general's badge."

"At that point I asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, which he stated no and gave consent to search," Wines wrote.

The search revealed a sex enhancement drug and some sex toys. According to the report, Corning told Wines he had a prescription for the medication and the other items were always in the car "just in case."

[...]

Corning is an assistant deputy attorney general and deputy securities commissioner with the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

He is a former state lawmaker from northeast Richland County and has been active in the state's Republican Party.

I thought things were strange when I lived in Louisiana and Florida, but South Carolina takes the cake, hands down.

A few questions that cross my mind are: Why would a police officer, in the midst of an investigation, phone his wife for verification? And why was no arrest made?

The police report was obtained by the Associated Press on a FOIA request. If you read the second page of the report, you will see that the 'sex enhancement drug' was Viagra, and the 'sex toys' were two vibrating penis rings. Corning stated he keeps them in his car 'just in case'.

I would venture to say that everyone in South Carolina keeps an Emergency Kit in their car. Let's see:

Spare Tire --- Check
Jack --- Check
Road Flares --- Check
Viagra --- Check
2 Vibrating Penis Rings (1 for back-up) --- Check

I wonder if he had the forethought to stock extra batteries?

Cum Visit South Carolina,
Brother Tim

American as Baseball and Apple Pie

Well, Apple Pie at least.

With the World Series just beginning, I thought it apropos to write about this. This is not something new, but it is something I find few people are actually aware of.

Those hand-stitched, cowhide spheres used in the Great American Pastime, like most everything else nowadays, are not even made in the good ole U.S.A.. The company that is exclusively licensed since 1977 to supply all Major League, Minor League, and NCAA baseballs is Rawlings Sporting Goods. The company was founded here in St Louis, Missouri by brothers, George and Alfred Rawlings in 1887. The company now does business under the name Rawlings of Costa Rica, S.A., and manufactures all of it's baseballs, as well as apparel and other equipment, in Turrialba, Costa Rica.

Workers inspecting baseballs at the Rawlings plant.

I should have titled this piece 'American as Third-World Slave Labor and Apple Pie'. The wages and working conditions are horrid to say the least.

The approximately 600 workers at the baseball factory in Turrialba are either sewers, who stitch the cowhide covers onto the baseball’s sphere, or they are assemblers and winders who are responsible for assembling the core’s parts, made of two kinds of rubber and cork, and the winding of the ball’s four different grades of yarn. Those who stitch are required to complete 108 stitches into the cowhide leather of each ball by hand.

Each sewer must complete one ball every 15 minutes. They are required to reach a minimum quota of 156 balls a week in a factory without air conditioning, in temperatures exceeding 90°, requiring permission to use bathrooms, and denying speaking between workers on the factory floor. The hours that workers put in average 11 per day and they must always reserve their Saturdays for the factory in the event an “emergency order” comes through. If not available on Saturday, they are terminated.

They work piecemeal for about .30/ball. Rawlings' total manufacturing and shipping cost is about .88/ball, and they sell them at retail for $14.95.

In 2005, the average salary for a Major League Baseball player was $2,632,655, according to Baseball Almanac. The workers at the plant earn about $2,750 per year, about a penny/hr above the local minimum wage.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, when interviewed at the 2006 All Star Game, stated that, “I really believe this is the Golden Era of baseball.” Many have scratched their heads since that remark but he followed up to say, “Do you know we will have $5.2 billion in revenue this year? I feel good about where we are." It is quite clear about what he means by the Golden Era. Sadly, however, some of that gold has come at the cost of others’ basic rights and human decency.

It doesn't take an economist to see what's wrong with THAT picture.

On top of that, in 2005, the United States government entered into the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), allowing for further tax breaks for U.S. corporations doing business in Central America and without providing for genuine policing of unfair labor practices in offshore U.S. manufacturing.

Rawlings was awarded a 54,000-square-foot free-trade zone by Costa Rica. It pays no taxes. It imports, duty-free the makings of millions of baseballs — cores from the Muscle Shoals Rubber Company in Batesville, Miss.; yarn from D&T Spinning in Ludlow, Vt.; and cowhide from Tennessee Tanning in Tullahoma, Tenn.

The company manufactures 2.2 million balls per year, with MLB accounting for 1.8 million of them.

Warny Goméz, 33, worked for four years at Rawlings, put himself through college and became a primary school teacher. "People here have no choice but to work there," he said. "There are almost no other jobs."

"There's tremendous pressure to produce," he added. "The balls have to be exactly alike, totally perfect, and for this work people are paid $50 or $60 a week. A machine can't make them — it has to be done by hand. But they demand the precision and speed of a machine."

Dr. Carlos Guerrero, who worked at the Rawlings plant as a company doctor in 1998, and at the national health insurance clinic in Turrialba from 1991 to 1997, said a third of Rawlings workers developed carpal tunnel syndrome in those years. (The syndrome, which causes pain and numbness in the hands, is common among assembly-line workers, typists and computer operators worldwide.) He said perhaps 90 percent of Rawlings workers experienced pain from their exacting work, from minor cuts to disabling aches.

I can't help but think, that there is a special place in Hell reserved for those that would abuse their fellow-man to such a degree.

So, with this in mind, enjoy the World Series ................. if you can.

Play Ball,
Brother Tim

The United States of Amnesia

More random thoughts from the ole rabbit hole.

Americans are, by and large, stricken with invincible ignorance. We refuse to acknowledge mistakes, and fight tooth and nail to perpetuate the status quo.

This applies to virtually every aspect of our sorry state of affairs. We've learned absolutely nothing from past wars of aggression for profit. We are all to quick to eat up the propaganda that is spoon-fed to us about our 'National Security Interests'. We are like little school kids, peeing our pants, every time we hear the word 'terrorist'. We have bought 'hook, line, and sinker', the mantra of 'We must fight them there to avoid fighting them here'. The sad reality is, we have lost more lives in two un-Godly, immoral, illegal wars of aggression, than the 'terrorists' could have accomplished in decades. Why are we obsessed with doing their work for them? Have the death merchants of the Military/Industrial Complex, along with their political lackeys we call our 'Representatives', not plundered and pillaged enough of our resources?

The same can be said about Health Care, Big Insurance, and the Pharmaceutical Industries. Why are we stuck on stupid when it comes to changing the status quo? Are the invincibly ignorant happy with what is being done to this nation? Why is it we are afraid to stand up for our rights? Why do we continue to coddle the elite corporatists? Are we living in fear that they may may decide to cut off our 'crumb supply'? I, for one, would rather suffer starvation, than live off the crumbs given me for a meager existence. My purpose in life, is not to make sure that the already obscenely wealthy are well taken care of. I live by the words of the New Testament, and THAT is not in there.

We provide trillions of dollars to the banking and corporate industries because they are too big to fail, yet fail to regulate or reign in the practices that caused the need for the bail-outs to begin with. Apparently, 'too big to fail' grants them license for 'too big to change'.

We are duped into believing that we live in a Democratic Republic. Bwahahahahahaha. We live in an Oligarchy, Aristocracy, or Plutocracy. There is not a whole lot of difference between them, identify it as you see fit.

We soothe ourselves with illusions like, 'Home of the free and the brave'. We are a nation of sissies, cowering with fear at the mere mention of the word 'terrorist', which has led us to give up our liberties and freedoms in the name of 'safety'. We would do good to remember the words of Benjamin Franklin: Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

We refuse to fight fair, like real men, in hand-to-hand combat. Ever wonder why? Instead, we like to reign death and destruction from 30,000 feet, or hundreds of miles away with cruise missiles and unmanned drones; caring little about the innocents, many woman and children, whom we slush off as 'collateral damage'. Yet, at the same time, decry and denounce the other side's use of IEDs and suicide bombers. The reason for this is glaringly apparent, but never mentioned. We call them cowards, when in fact, we are just projecting our own lack of courage and commitment. We like to laud our service personnel as 'heroes', putting their lives on the line. When one is involved with going into another country and killing innocent people, they are far from heroic; they are murderers. 'Just following orders' is no excuse. Where are these people's souls?

We like to proclaim ourselves a 'Nation of Christians', but the truth of the matter is, we are a nation of sadists, heathens, barbarians, and atheists. Those who insist on calling themselves Christian and perpetrating these atrocities will have one rude awakening come Judgement Day.

What say y'all?

Praying For Justice,
Brother Tim

Moose Tracks

Tracking the news that others won't.

President Comes Clean On Moon Bombing


Washington D.C. ~ President Barack Obama, at a press conference on the South Lawn, Friday, gave clarity to the latest NASA mission.

"I had planned this briefing for the Rose Garden last Friday", he started, "But I was awoke early in the morning with news that I had won the Nobel Peace Prize. As you can surely understand, I felt uneasy making this announcement along with the Nobel thingy."

"The official NASA story of trying to find oil and water, and determining if the moon is really made of cheese, was, for security reasons, a cover story. This was a national security matter propagated by religious zealots"

Pausing to draw a deep breath, and wiping his brow with a kerchief clutched in his left hand, he continued, "I'm here to do some testifying today."

"Americans have been led by satan to believe that the Muslims are their biggest threat. Can I get an Amen on that? But I know Islam, and I'm here to tell you, Muslims are NOT our biggest threat. Ya wanna know who we should be fearing? Ya wanna know who would destroy everything America stands for? Well, I'll tell ya who ..............................the Moonies!"

"We've gathered intelligence from the U.K., France, the Vatican, and other sources in the Solar System, that the Moonies are an imminent threat. So, for the sake of national security interests, I used the AUMF, enacted on September 18, 2001, to preemptively 'shoot for the moon'".

The Blog of Revelation contacted National Security Advisor, Gen James L Jones, for comment. Referring to the President's 'solar system' remark, we asked, "Does that mean some of the intelligence came from Uranus?"

He laconically replied, "Affirmative".

When pressed further, he expounded, "I know this might smell a little bad to some people, but this is some serious sh*t. We're not just shooting moons like a bunch of boozed-up frat boys."

Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), members of the Senate Lunatic Intelligence Committee, issued a joint statement.

"We have reliable intelligence that the Moonies are manufacturing WMDs (Wicked Moon Drugs), and have a viable program for Moon Dust Enrichment, which will power a TMZ (Tidal Modification Zapper). They could literally wreak havoc on our planet. Our intelligence indicates they could have enough enriched moon dust to power three zappers within a year. Time was of an essence. For once, we stand behind the President 100%. The Republicans got this started by ridding the airports of them, and now the President, a Democrat, has courageously and valiantly carried the ball forward."

"This is a win-win-win situation. It hits all the bases; the War on Terror; the War on Drugs; and most importantly, the War on Sanity."

"We have bombed the snot out of just about every country on Earth, it is time to expand our horizons on a more Galactic plane. Our Crater-buster bomb had pin-point accuracy, and burrowed deep into the moon's South Pole to completely destroy their enrichment facilities. Let this be a warning to the Martians and Venusians, and anyone else out there, that this is OUR universe."

Michelle Bachmann (R-Minnesota), who is head of the House Kool-Aid Caucus, told reporters, "I'm sure gonna miss those Moon Pies, even though they went straight to my thighs."

Not to be outdone, Vice Presidential hopeful, Sarah 'Mooselini' Palin opined on The View, "I can see the Moon from my front porch."


In other news: John Boehner (R-Ohio) was trapped for 12 hrs in his tanning bed.


Keepin' Track,
The Moose

Random Thoughts from the Rabbit Hole

One of my favorite books, is Lewis Carrol's, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It is chock-full of life's truisms and philosophies. There are several quotes I like, but I will use just three. The first two are:

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"
~Alice

"It would be so nice if something made sense for a change."
~Alice

Although they seem at first to be contradictory, a closer look manifests the harmony.

I read about current affairs, both domestic and global, from literally dozens of sources daily. Everything from the economy to health care to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to our destruction of the environment we live in and depend on. I try to bring forth the truth of what I see to be happening.

I find myself, at times, to feel like I'm in a no-win situation. Signing petitions; letter writing; e-mails; phone calls; blogging; and even voting, has an almost zero effect. Call it what you will, fascism; police state; oligarchy; faux aristocracy; plutocracy; whatever. One thing it's not, is a democratic republic; not anymore, if it ever truly was one.

Being the old hippie I am, I thought I'd let y'all listen to Grace Slick while you finish reading this.



Now, an explanation for my absence in the blogosphere this past week. I was feeling somewhat burnt out, and didn't fully realize it until good friend, Betmo, got me interested in a couple of games on Facebook. Two farm games and a cyber cafe game

I found extreme relaxation playing with these. I would equate the strategies required, as being similar to a computer chess game. It is interesting to see the personal tastes of other players, as they go about setting up and managing their farms and cafes.

I also took care of many neglected chores. I groomed the pack (except for Miss Hallie) and took them to the Vet for their annuals (shots, check-ups, etc). I always like to have them smelling and looking good when they visit the Doc.

I also bought lumber and built some much-needed shelving for the basement. We need a lot of shelving. It's the curse of a pack rat, trying to store and organize a lifetime's of collections and future projects. Some of these projects I've hauled all over the country for the last 35 years or so. Although I do try and reduce the inventory, it seems that the 'in dept' always overwhelms the 'out dept'.

Changing my normal fanaticism for current events to a minimal amount of time has been a balm for my spirit. I apologize for being slack on making my rounds, but have found this time to be a blessing. I will come back, hopefully stronger than I was when I left. I will, however, be aware that I am powerless to change the status quo. It's no fun to watch human suffering and think, 'I told you so'.

It boggles my mind how our elected representatives in Congress, and the rest of government, can be so callous to the needs of the populace. They harp on the sanctity of life, yet refuse to address the suffering and deaths of tens of thousands of their fellow citizens. They are addicted to war, any war, killing hundreds of thousands more. Can this, by any stretch of the imagination, be a moral and upright way to live? How can these people look at themselves in the mirror every morning? How much is a human life worth to them? I guess the mathematical formula would be: Lobbying and Campaign Contributions + Corporate Profits divided by the number of deaths = the worth of a human life. I have never seen a statistical compilation, but I would venture to suggest it is next to nothing.

Oh, and that third quote:

"Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only knew how to begin."
~Alice

Chasin' Rabbits,
Brother Tim

Update-- Musical credit: White Rabbit (1967), Jefferson Airplane. But y'all knew that, huh?

We Just Don't Know When To Stop

Will we ever, ever, ever learn?

"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead"
~David Glasgow Farragut

As we supposedly try to bring peace to the world (haha), we have this escalation.

From the Telegraph.....

Asif Ali Zardari was given an ultimatum by America Photo: EPA

US threatens to escalate operations inside Pakistan

By Ben Farmer in Kabul and Javed Siddiq in Islamabad
Published: 5:42PM BST 27 Sep 2009

Washington has long been frustrated at Islamabad's reluctance to target the Afghan Taliban's ruling council, the Quetta Shura, which is accused of directing large parts of the insurgency across the border in Afghanistan.

State department and intelligence officials delivered the ultimatum to Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, last week as he visited the US for the United Nations' security council sessions and the G20 economic summit.

[...]

An official at the Pakistani interior ministry told the Daily Telegraph: "The Americans said we have been raising this issue with you time and again. These elements are attacking Nato forces in southern Afghanistan, especially in Helmand. The Americans said 'If you don't take action, we will.'"

Rehman Malik, Pakistan's interior minister, said the US had so far been unable to provide detailed intelligence to target the Quetta Shura. He said: "We need real-time intelligence. The Americans have never told us any location."

US unmanned drone strikes have so far been confined to Pakistan's federally administrated tribal border regions where Islamabad holds little sway. But attacks in or around Quetta, in Baluchistan, would strike deep into the Pakistan government's territory and are likely to cause a huge outcry in the country.

Playing video games with remote-controlled drones armed with hell-fire missiles is sure to endear us to the Pakistani people. How else can we get rid of all those pesky wedding parties.


Now along with escalating the war in Afghanistan, we plan on expanding it to include Pakistan as well. When will the hegemonic insanity stop?

Praying For Peace,
Brother Tim

The Iranian Situation

Put yourself in their givehs.

Persian Givehs worn by Iranians

Iran, and by extension, most of the world, now finds itself in a most precarious situation. If this situation is not brought into check quickly, it could well lead to disaster for everyone involved. It is indeed a possibly horrifying scenario with no pleasant outcome. It's a sad and unnecessary equation.

American hegemonic hubris + Iranian defiance = Mexican standoff

The new American mantra of, "My way, or you die way", must be changed. All the blathering propaganda of, "The world community will be with us this time", is just that; blathering propaganda. Sadly, it all boils down to two things. 1) We want to control the world (except for Israel) and 2) We want to protect Israel. We are wrong on both counts. I find it ludicrous, absurd, and down-right farcical, that we keep insisting that Israel is our friend and ally. Israel doesn't give a rat's ass about what we think, or there would be a Palestinian State and an end to their planned genocide of the Palestinian people. We should bear in mind, that Israel is NOT our 51st State, and should be treated accordingly. Israel is now 60 years old and should be forced to take care of itself. Maybe if that responsibility were to be laid on them, they would learn to start playing civilly with others.

As it is, the Americans are engaging in chest-pounding, only to have the Iranians nose-thumbing in response. How, and when, will this come to resolution? I will offer some food for thought, with some statistics and a graphic.

As I have said many times, "I don't know if Iran has a nuclear weapons plan or not. But I DO know this: They'd be fools if they didn't". Take a good look at the map. They are surrounded by nuclear-armed states. Pakistan; India; Israel; the United States (Iraq/Afghanistan); China; and Russia. In addition to that, the U.S. Military footprint covers just about the entire area, including, but not limited to, Uzbekistan; Turkmenistan; Kyrgyzstan; Oman; Saudi Arabia; et al. How should Iran feel? How would we feel if the Chinese were to establish bases in Canada; Mexico; and Central American nations?

Next, I would like to address Iran's size and population. Again, look at the map. Iraq has 167,618 sq mi, with a population of just over 28 million. Afghanistan has 249,347 sq mi, with a population of almost 32 million. Iran has 636,374 sq mi, with a population of around 72 million. This shows that Iran is 50% larger than both Iraq and Afghanistan combined, with about 12 million more in population. Since we are doing such a fabulous job in those two theaters, what do you suppose the outcome will be should we go off half-cocked, and attack Iran? Can you spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R?

Our Treasury has been pillaged while we live off of credit, and our Military is on the verge of depletion, what will we do? Will we abandon Iraq and Afghanistan? Will we re-institute the draft? Will we re-visit WWII rationing of gas, food, metals, etc, etc?

Then we have those mythical allies of Russia and China. As they see our military footprint growing closer and closer to their borders, how logical would it be for them to assist us?

Also thrown into the stew, is the fact that China imports 15 to 20% of it's crude oil from Iran. Who would replace that?

And understand that Iran is also a huge customer of both Russian and Chinese arms sales.

It's time for American bravado to cease. It's time for America to view the situation as the rest of the world sees it. It's another no-win situation for us.

It's time to practise tough-love and cut Israel loose, lest we all go down together.

It's Time For Justice,
Brother Tim