Quick Thinking Can Mean Wrong Thinking

The other day I filled up the tank and naturally was grimacing at the price.

Then, I pulled up to the highway and was waiting for a break in traffic to pull out. A guy in a green pickup truck turned in and shouted something at me. I don’t know what. He wasn’t smiling. “How rude!” I thought. Then, I saw his truck ‘s rear window. It had two Bush stickers on it.

I immediately wondered how did he know my political leaning, I don’t have any stickers or anything on my truck I should have shot have the finger I thought.

I turned and went down Canton Road a few blocks and turned into a shopping center and went into Doctor No’s Comic Book Shop. Sometimes when I am in that area I drop by and check out what new comics I might be interested in.

From time to time I buy THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN for several reasons. It is good art, a the dilemmas Peter Parker or SPIDERMAN finds himself in is well, mind bending, and my first cousin’s husband, Mark Bagley is one of the artists…. Or he was. His name has not been on the cover on any of the issues lately.

The owner of Doctor No’s was there, Cliff Biggers. I asked Cliff was Mark Bagley still with Marvel Comics, I haven’t seen his name on the covers lately.

The reason I asked Cliff about Mark is that Cliff helped get Mark started as a comic book artist and Mark has had autograph signings there from time to time.

Cliff said Mark is now with DC Comics – they gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse. The second-in-command joined in and said Mark will be doing the art for a new comic book which will be produced (or published) weekly. Cliff added, “weekly for a year, then it will stop.” One of them said the name of the new weekly comic book will be TRINITY.

So, now I know. About the only family events I get to go to are funerals and luckily for us, they are not that often - so, I only see Mark about every other year or so.

I said, “ I’m curious because he is my wife’s first cousin.”

And I left.

Walking to my truck I saw that my gas cap flapper lid was opened and the gas cap dangling on its cable.

So! That was what the guy with the Bush stickers was trying to tell me! Oh me.

Then as I was backing up the last sentence I said to Cliff Biggers surfaced in my brain’s on-line section: “I’m curious because he is my wife’s first cousin.”

Wait! I got it twisted! I meant to say, “I’m curious because he is my first cousin’s husband.”

Damn! Should I go back and tell Cliff and his second in command that I was wrong, and tell him my real correction version? And make a fool of myself?

Then I remembered, there is no need. I am invisible or the type who’s statements most easily and instantly forgotten. Before I got to my truck they had already forgot about me and what I thought to myself.

Having the knack of blending with the wall does have it advantages at times.

UN – Exterior postcard

There you can see the UN, the streets that border it and the East River.

I was thinking the other day, if an UFO plopped down in front of you and some strange creatures climbed out and demand for you to take them to your leader – who would you carry them to?

The head prime minister of the United Nations?

Or maybe you think you should take them to the United States leader – which would be the CEO of any of the largest companies that are in the league of the top ten.

But first, maybe you should ask the aliens if they want to see an elected leader? If they buzz and whistle among themselves, then turn to you and say the elected leader, you probably should carry them to President George Bush.

Then Bush can carry them to Dick Chaney, after all, we must follow the chain of command protocol.

Another Catch 22*

I listened to a special report on NPR the other night on the combat Army forces in Iraq who were injured mentally because of what they went through. Some saw their buddies blown to pieces, others got their arms blown off, and of course even seeing the enemy killed is no picnic either…. It all has a mental cross to bare.

War is Heck. – Linus of Peanuts or Alvin of Lil’ Lulu said that, I forgot which.

The report was of ex-soldiers they interviewed – mental casualties of the war. Not only are they living in hell, but they are getting no help from Uncle Sam. No therapy sessions or anything else.

Here is the loophole. Doing what war mental casualties do is unbecoming a soldier – In almost the same instant they are declared they need professional help and they are misfits, thus they are kicked out of the service with a less-than-honorable discharge. So, medical help to ex-soldiers is only available to those who were discharged honorably.

The Army send the men to war, and if they get “messed up” in the mind they get rid of them and fix it legally so that they don’t have to treat the poor guys or gals.

There were 28,000 Army personnel discharged that way in these times. That is heap of savings for us tax payers.

This reminds me, in a way, of my distant relative-in-law Moses Harshaw of Hancock County, Georgia.

Moses was a ruthless slave owner. When a slave got too old, sickly, or lame to be productive he took them to nearby Lynch Mountain and had them accidentally fall off the steep edge to a certain death. Evidently, he believed when a slave became a liability it was time for the poor slave to go.

At that time, Moses Harshaw was considered the meanest man in Georgia by some.

* If you have not read CATCH 22 by Joseph Heller you might enjoy it – it is about ironies in the Army too.

The Better Than Thou and Royalty at Dinner

Yesterday evening the President and the First Lady gave a white tie dinner for the Queen and her hubby. It is the first time the Bushes have had a white-tie dinner at the White House.

That must have been very tiring for our President… to have to learn proper dinner etiquette plus royal protocol – the do’s and don’ts of dealing with the royal blood.

I wonder if he resisted himself from saying, “Did I hear a ‘royal flush’”? when the queen returned from the ladies’ room.

It would love to have been a fly on the wall with a tiny little video cameras to record just how many times George put his foot in his mouth. It might have been a bigger fiasco than if the Queen had dinner with the Marx Brothers.

I wonder why the Queen carries around a pocketbook? To carry an I.D.? To prove she is who she says she is? Maybe she has tip money in it. In case of the ladies’ room at the Whitehouse, I am sure an attendant would be there to hand her what she needs and that would call for a tip.

That is one thing I have to admire about George Bush…. As high and mighty as he thinks he is, he keeps the formality of it all down. He is just as clumsy with his verbal blunders as I am – which calls for casual surroundings.

Of course, we keep our white tie dinner affairs to a minimum also.

I just thought of a cartoon: Bush's valet is holding up several ties beside a shirt and tux. Bush thoughtfully says, "I think I'll go with the fauxpas."

Happy Anniversary on "Mission Accomplished!"

four years and thousands of lives later.

But wasn't the Mission to find "Weapons of Mass Destruction"?

Miskakes Were Made

Last night Bush said mistakes were made and he takes full responsibility. How is he going to take full responsibility? Bow his head and look ashamed for one minute?

Now, if he is talking about it is okay with him to start impeachment proceedings, then, he is talking business.

I agree, a mistake was made... a terrible mistake, which goes along with the old saying "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." In other words we made a huge mistake when we reelected the ego maniac clown. We (the American people) made the huge mistake by reelecting him, and we are taking full responsibility, over 3000, so far.

Here and There

I hope the TV close-ups of Republicans in grief does not sway any percentage points back that had just been changed because of Bush’s antics.

While watching the Ford family morn for the past few days it it is hard not to feel for them and pray for Gerald. They way the cameras TV cameras were in Betty and their children's face invading their privacy, just to give us a little reality TV, it made us feel for them as a family. He again brought this country together.... just when many of the people were scorning the Republicans for "what a fine mess they got us into" with GW scratching his head, then one up and dies and we hear news men and old friends tell what a wonderful guy Gerald Ford was, and how he was a non-pretentious kind of nitty-gritty guy, which I think he was.

BUT!!! His leadership as President was 30 years ago. Times have changed. GW is the man now.... which has just the opposite effect than Gerald Ford had.


Last night Law & Order, Criminal Intent, was very good. It showed several ethnic groups having to interact and deal with each group’s scowl – and the lack understanding each group had for the other groups. Tch tch. Most of the people in the various ethic groups had good intentions, but with their heritage and all, it was just hard to understand one another…. I think the story was told well.

And to do a little bragging (who me?), after all the visiting cast presented themselves I correctly picked out the killer (that's me polishing my fingernails with my breath and the cloth of the chest part of my shirt).

The Buck Stops There

The people have spoken. Democrats control Congress now. And they might have control of the Senate also – its too early to call. Bush is surprised. He thought he had a mandate from the people to anything he damned well please. Well, the buck stopped at Rumsfeld. Donald Rumsfeld got the boot, less than a week before Bush announced there was no way he would fire Donald, he was there for the duration.

The news said Rumsfeld “stepped” down. “Stepped down” is different from being fired. Maybe Slippery George sidestepped his statement on a technicality.

Now, the kindler gentler Bush got word out for the new Democratic Congress members that he would like to meet with them and for them to work together – they were going to make a great team working together. That is less than 48 hours after he was saying how bad the Democrats are. But working together as a team? Isn’t that why all those Republicans didn’t get reelected?

Now that Bush ate a little humble pie he is saying, “Let bygones be bygones.” I wonder if he would have criticized John Kerry so unmercifully if JK had made that dumb statement after the election?

Wednesday Morning Armchair Politicking

Well, Sonny did.

Nationally it appears that Bush’s Iraq efforts had a negative effect but in Georgia had minus effect. Most of Georgians are sold on slick talking Republicans. In fact, they even gained a bit. Now, the two top offices in Georgia will be held by Republicans. Now, the Lieutenant Governor is held by a Democrat – which is the same Democrat that ran for Governor and lost.

Why?

I think Governor Sonny Perdue had more money to spend on the ad campaign. And although he may not be that charismatic he is a good actor – he came off like he is very easy going and charismatic.

And I think Mark Taylor threw too much mud. People thought of him as a negative mud slinging person. And I think he was too brutal to Cathy Cox in the form of negative campaigning. But, Cathy Cox got even by not doing anything. She may have made a difference if she had shown support of Mark, but she remained silent, which honestly, I don’t blame her.

And the charisma charm I think was why Casey Cagle (Republican) beat Jim Martin (Democrat). Casey is charismatic. Casey radiates a positive force. Jim Martin looks serious and depressed. This may be completely opposite of what they really are, but this is what I think their images are.

I think Jim Martin is more ethical than Casey Cagle – but he didn’t smile enough. He didn’t have that radiant beam about him. Which all reflects the belief people naturally like the good looking person most. It has been proven that good looking people, men and women, are offered more perks, more service, and more for the buck in general.

And you can not underrate the gullibility of voters.

Hang 'Em High!

The Republicans may be right. It appears God may be on their side and he is playing dirty politics. He is arranging things or playing chess to make Democrats look bad.

The latest God chess move was that John Kerry told a joke that didn’t come out right. Have you ever had that to happen? – say something you thought was witty and clever and it was received wrong and the burst of laughter you were expecting was substituted for a deadly silence? I have.

But in my case just my own bruised ego was the only damage which is resilient anyway. In Kerry’s case, it is the Democratic Party. Kerry, one who fought in Viet Nam - who put his life on the line during a war made a mistake. I am sure he has the utmost respect for the fighting man because he was one himself.

And what is ironic, the person taunting Kerry about the mistake is a person that did not see any war action. He is our President. He and his father managed to pull a few strings to hide his records in a national guard unit someplace in Alabama…. And the only proof he was even there was some dentist signed his dental records, but no one actually remembers seeing him.

And to add a little more to the Ironic Pie is that Kerry made one mistake in a speech. Can you count the number of mistakes Bush has made in speeches? You would fill up a note pad quickly if you followed him around making notes of his mistakes and speech blunders. There are books and blog-sites with his dumb-ass quotes. There is even a tear-a-page daily calendar, a new calendar every year! And he makes a big show of Kerry's one slip up?

Bush would be a good rabble-rouser for a lynch mob. Maybe that is what he is cut out to do in life.

Something is not right. Or maybe that is the problem, it is too Right.

A Leader to be Proud Of

On The Today Show this morning (during my workout) they told with election day coming upon us George Bush is in plenty of the commercials. But, he is playing a reverse roll. The last time around, it was a shoo-in if the Republican running had a picture of he and President George Bush having a quality moment together. And this time around the Democrats are taunting the same photograph – showing proof he was in cahoots with the President. In fact, the incumbent Republican office holder is saying, "Wait! I did not agree with Bush on everything!”

And the Democrats plays another commercial that the Rep paid for the time before saying he agreed with the President 98% of the time.

There were several Republicans that fit that description.

The Today Show showed in one photograph of the Republican candidate and Bush having quality time. The same picture was altered to remove the President. The candidate didn’t want to be seen with him.

I think it is pretty much the unwritten rule that congress members vote alone party lines. You are shunned if you don’t. Now, considering, the King of the Republican Party and the Nation is considered a nut by more and more people, Republicans are bragging about how independent they are.

BULL SHIT!

BUSHIT

A lady in DeKalb County, Georgia, has a bumper sticker that says "I'm tired of all this Bushit".

The police there pulled her over and gave her and charged her with Georgia law that prohibits lewd or obscene bumper stickers.

HOWEVER!! That law was ruled unconstitutional over ten years ago. The lady is now suing.

You can buy that sticker or other anti bumper stickers at Junkman's Daughter in Little Five Points in Atlanta.

Bullshit Baffling

I know someone going on an interview for a technical kind of job. The person said, “If I can’t dazzle them with my knowledge I’ll baffle them with my bullshit.”

I like that.

I believe it was a nice day like this five years ago when the Earth stood still. For two very good insights on 9/11l01 check out Suzanne’s Cuss and Other Rants” and Button’s “Liberal Lucidity” blog links on the right.

I almost spilled coffee all over my face listening yesterday to something like Meet the Press when Dick Chaney was asked what connections, if any, did they have that Iraqis had any thing to do with the terrorist attack on 9/11 and he said something to the effect, “Absolutely none.”

Did I hear that right? Did I misinterpret what Dick said? Absolutely none?

If “absolutely none” is right and they didn’t find Weapons of Mass Destruction, so over 2,000 American lives later Bush can say the joke is on him.

A lot of people, according to polls, feel that Americans are safer now that Iraq is squashed. Are we? We stirred up a hornet’s nest in the Middle East. Now, the percentage of people in that part of the world who think it is okay to kill Americans have jumped much higher.

So, the joke may be on us.

Our policies, if you want to call it that, have turned some middle of the road Muslims into extremists.

And Bush is so concerned about turning Iraq into a Democratic nation I wonder why it hadn’t occur to him to turn other countries in that region to the same, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and others that are our friends but yet undemocratic?

Another thing, Toby Keith was on CBS Sunday Morning. He has a lot of praise for the U.S. military man. Which I agree, they deserve our respect. But some times he talks and sings as if he is the one that is going over seas and kick some ass for messing with the U.S. of A. I know, when he was in the service this country must have been much safer. By the way, which branch was Toby in?

Which reminds me of a song by Kris Kristofferson “Lord, It Is Hard Being A Christian Soldier When You Have To Carry A Gun”.

President-In-Town Traffic Blues

Never invite the President to come to speak in your area. He clogs up traffic for hours.

After I picked up the sheet cake yesterday I thought I could avoid the traffic by bypassing all the main roads and take the I-75. After I got on it and it was too late to change my mind I found the traffic was at a standstill. I drove down the emergency lane to the next exit and got off and got into another long line of cars of drivers who had the same idea I did.

Then, after getting on the main road I had no problem getting to my destination. As I passed Dobbins Air Force Base there was just one lone Sheriff’s car sitting there. I delivered the cake to Anna about 15 minutes ahead of schedule and got back on the parkway north. The Cobb Parkway between Anna’s work and Marietta is lined with car dealerships, restaurants, and signs.

Why didn’t I think of that. No one who wanted to drive the President would want to drive him through that eye-sore. They would want to drive him up the I-75 and take the Dobbins Air Force Exit.

When I got up even with Dobbins Air Force Base the traffic was again at a standstill. While sitting there, looking over at the run way I saw more than a handful of people standing by the fence, some was pointing. I followed their fingers and there was what I believe to be Air Force One. It is big blue and white airplane, standing regal-like with a couple of men standing near by, probably guarding it.

I sat there about 15 or 20 minutes and only got to creep up when a car on my side decided to do a U-turn and go the opposite way. Way ahead, where I earlier saw the deputy sheriff’s car was many flickering blue lights. Then I figured the President would be coming in from the I-75 Exit ramp and they had the southbound of the Cobb Parkway blocked off – no traffic was coming down the southbound lanes. So, I made a u-turn and headed south myself.

At the first intersection of a street heading west, I took, and again was free of standing traffic problems. In Smyrna I turned right and was going north again towards Marietta on Atlanta Road. This is in a heavy Hispanic area. I noticed on the sidewalk were many Hispanics of all shapes and sizes walking. In my area when you see people on the main road sidewalk walking they are generally exercising. I don’t think these people were exercising, I think they had to go someplace.

I stopped to eat at the newly opened “Popeye’s”. I am a sucker for any type of Cajun food, and a new restaurant I am a sucker for. The parking lot was full, including one mail delivery truck. I thought I would probably know the mail carrier inside. But I got inside and there were only three customers, and no Postal carrier. Figure that one out – or who cares? I was there to see how well their spicy Cajun was anyway.

Then, back on the road again going up Cobb Parkway, I approached a red light too fast and could not stop and saw it turn to red as I was going under it. It was the same intersection that a camera took a picture of Anna running the red light and sent us a citation in the mail Darn!

However, in my rear-view mirror a yellow or orange pickup truck was right behind me. He ran the red-light too. Maybe he was so close he covered up the camera’s view of my license plate. And even if it did take a good picture, then I am sure it would have taken a good picture of the truck in the same picture frame. The orange or yellow truck will be my alibi – he was too close to my rear-end for me to stop.

The Upcoming Morning

The big news for this area is that at the Atlanta Zoo announced that Lun Lun, a female Panda Bear has given birth to a little hairless thing that look like a little clawing and crawling blob of pink bubble gum. The Zoo officials say that a twin might possibly be born sometime today.

Lun Lun was artificially inseminated . I doubt if her male compound-mate Yang Yang will be handing out cigar-shape sugar canes.

The second and less impressive news for this area is that President Bush in Air Force One will be landing at Dobbins Air Force Base here in Marietta and whisked off to the Galleria, which is in nearby Smyrna (also in Cobb County) to defend his reasoning why fighting in Iraq is the best way to fight terrorism.

I think it will boil down to: “Because I say so!”

By the way, on The Today Show this morning they said Bush would be Atlanta today defending his Iraq/Terrorism position. He will not. He will be in Smyrna. Atlanta is 12 or miles away.

Some local Republicans are keeping their distance from the President because of public opinion against him and his war. Republican Governor Sonny Perdue said he would be by the President’s side because, after all, he is President of the United States, so he would be by the President’s side, regardless who it is.

I don’t remember all that stand-by-your President talk from Republicans when Clinton was president.

Anna worked from the time we went to bed and woke up back at it, working at making a crock pot of meat balls to carry to work. Her office is giving a baby shower to one of the engineers and his wife today at lunch.

It is my job to be clawing at the door at Costco when they open this morning at 10am. I am to rush in, pick up a baby shower sheet cake ordered and rush it to her office. Time will be the essence. There will be no time to make a quick swoop of the free hot samples. Can I do it?

Then my second hurdle might be zig-zagging between an army of Secret Service men. Her office is between Dobbins Air Force where Bush will land and the Galleria in Smyrna where he is to speak.

Maybe I might accidentally bump into Bush face to face. If so, what do I say to him to have him look at his choices from a different angle? Maybe that is all he needs, a suggestion to guide him in the right direction. Hmmmm.

Lady Sings the Blues - Georgia's 4th Dist Election

Well, we won’t have Cynthia McKinney to push around anymore.

Or will we? I bet she is not through yet. She has plenty of gumption left and she will use it.

I heard that some Republicans were secretly wishing she would win. They were hoping she would win because she was very good at embarrassing the Democrats.

However, things like that can backfire. Look at Bush, who I think is a an embarrassment of the Republican Party. Both people have been out of control while in office.

I have to Cynthia credit for her early critiques of Bush and his handling of Iraq. She was accusing him of handling it wrong long before anyone else dared to. I think she deserves a thumbs up for that.

Sphincter

I am old enough to be on Medicare, which I am. I probably have a failing (or it has already failed) brain. My brain needs all the exercise it can get.

I read someplace that to learn a-word-a-day and use that word at least once that day is good brain exercise.

Today I learned the word “sphincter” which the dictionary tells me it is an annular muscle surrounding and able to contract or close a bodily opening.

If I translate that right, a sphincter is the “O” ring of your ass-hole.

So, now, how to use it in a conversation, besides defining it or asking what it is… that was quiet a challenge until I saw something on the news about the Whitehouse.

You might say we presently have a sphincter presidency.

Oxymoron photo

Photo Moment

This barn is not far from us. I run or bike by it sometimes when I exercise.

The yard is a corner lot. The barn is behind the house. In front of the house, facing both roads is a huge sign saying something like "GET OUT OF THE UNITED NATIONS" and in smaller print it has The John Birch Society and the 1-1800 number.

Bush may help them with that request. Before he gets through, we might be kicked out of the United Nations.

Gobble Gobble!

I pardoned her at Thanksgiving and now she is my pet. I named her Monocle!