Ghosts of Christmas

At the end of a long Christmas day (I was awakened from a very nice sleep at 6 am this morning) as I sit here in the Kudzu Grotto (KG) just me and the mice still awake, and I've not heard a peep out of the mice, so they may have turned in also, the images of this Christmas keep running through my minds eye, blurring with ghostly images from Christmases past, both near and far.

The smile I've worn most of the day still feels glued to my face as I picture loved ones, especially the little ones, having a completely joyous time..

From the opening of the first presents early this morning when it was just the wife, Eldest Daughter with husband and Eldest Grandson and I, to the parting this evening after the other children with additional grand children and in-laws had arrived, feasted, unwrapped presents, enjoyed each others company and in general just had a grand ol' time, today has transported me into a time of happiness as I forgot all about cares of the world, politics, war and day to day living in a much changed world from how it was when I was a child myself.

There are some like Fred who, having abandoned the US for the expatriate life in sunny Mexico, (a move I have to confess I have a secret longing to make also due to the generally poor opinion I have of the elite who would have us all bow down to the idol of gubbermint) who delight in pointing out the false God on Consumerism that all to many of our countrymen and women bow down to this time of year. Which worship I confess I have decried many times myself, but then there are those moments which still give me gladness and hope that all is not lost.

Moments like the laughter and giggles of small children as they run to you handing out presents as their parents hand the packages to them and point out who they are to give it too. Which activity I have to admit they seemed to love as much or perhaps even more than receiving their own gifts.

A moment like the one just before the big family feast when every one is asked to gather round as I, head of the family, am expected to ask grace, and young grandson Lee bursts out with the request, "Can I say Grace", and all the adults try to quiet him, but the spirit whispers to me to let him do it, and his simple, humble, heartfelt words touch hearts much more eloquently than anything I could have said, leading to exclamations of joy and awe that remind me of Tiny Tim's words at the end of A Christmas Carol, "And God Bless us,... Everyone". We were indeed blessed by this child.

Much as we were blessed so many years ago by the birth of a small child to a young Jewish girl in a far away land.

Whether you are a believer or not, where ever you are, no matter your situation.....tonight I deem you friend for stopping by and hope that you are blessed.......Everyone of you. I hope you experience joy similar to mine as I hold one of my grand children.



Although this picture was taken at the Thanksgiving/Surprise birthday party for me, it expresses pretty well the joy felt today.

Eviction notices

Having just spent over an hour going over the plan to either get the rent money due the old Grump in the New year or evict the current tenant (much the preferred option) the subject is high on my aggravation list at the moment. This is the third discussion in depth he and I have had about the subject and the result is the same every time. We have our goal, our tactics and logistics mapped out in the most minute detail, accounting for every contingency we can imagine, and I am heartily sick of the subject. Realizing that an eighty-one year old has not so much else to worry about, considering that meals are planned and cooked by the wife with occasional help from yours truly, housekeeping and laundry is taken care of by the wife with minimal interference by yours truly, his health care is taken care of by medicare and private insurance which he pays for out of his ample social security check and pension, his focus can be turned almost entirely to this one aspect of his life. But damn! Just work the plan.

It makes me realize that the current political class which is leading the country further and further away from the Constitution can also be evicted by the real owners of this Republic.

All we have to do is have the will to do it, plan to do it and then use the electoral process against them in the next election.

Things can seem really bad. Lord knows I rant and rave enough about the situation. And believe me the financial ruin the politicians are heaping upon our country can lead to disaster....BUT ONLY if we let them. With a nation of armed Citizens we have in the event everything else fails the ultimate winning hand.

Things have to be done in order. First we show the politicians who is boss and then we'll have to kick out the fraudsters who control the money.

Ron Paul is exactly right. Our elected representatives have sold us out to the fraudsters..
.....but only because we have let them. It's time to educate yourselves, decide on the goal of Freedom, make our plans and then work the plan.

The goals set out by Marcus Tullius Cicero would make a nice place to start.

Another one bellies up to the trough

I know.....I know...I've ranted enough here over the last five years to make you think I know that all politicians are liars and whores, but like Diogenes I continue to seek a politician who has a single principal. Just one...is that too much to ask?

Now Nelson has gotten on board the gravy train.

Clean house and a third of the Senate in 2010. That'll be a start.

Want your picture taken with Fat Al

Well...be prepared to pony up the shekels. The man has no shame I tell you.

Some see through the FIC (Farce in Copenhagen). Gerald Warner give us a heads up.


Not only is Fat Al second only to Bill Clinton as liar-in-chief (thanks largely to eight years of on the job training, he thinks people will pay for the privilege of posing for a photo with him.....little realizing that most of them only want some thing to draw red rings on for posting at the 100 yard mark at the nearest rifle range.

Yet we see that some are stupid enough to pay for carbon credits when they take a plane flight. So based on the assumption that there is a sucker born every minute Pope Al is just doing as he has always done....pork the fatties for all they are worth.

Another rainy day

With wind and mid-thirties for the high temps. Brrrrr. I don't live far enough south, but since family and friends are here and finances preclude a move..........here I'll be for a while yet.

The morning was spent mostly outside working, then a couple hours inside getting ready to send a package off. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the truck picking up some presidents.
No heavy lifting but a bit tired around the neck tonight as I had to listen to the ol' Grump for the two hours I was inside. Hopefully he has seen the light.

I wasn't planning on posting tonight, but my good friend LL has a post you should read which includes the following bit of inspirational, spiritual music. Send a little tip Mr. Hookers way if you can and spread the word to support our troops.

The Pledge from jameshooker on Vimeo.

The more things change the more they remain the same

It would appear we have learned nothing in the last 2000 years.

“The budget should be balanced,
the Treasury should be refilled,
public debt should be reduced,
the arrogance of officialdom
should be tempered and controlled,
and the assistance to foreign lands
should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt.
People must again learn to work,
instead of living on public assistance.”

Quote from Marcus Tullius Cicero

63 BC

With a hat tip and thanks to Dax and his little brother.

If I never posted another thing and this message could be spread all over the US of A, I could die happy knowing I did my part to try to effect positive change.

It wasn't Peking Duck

No......but it was one of Chef Ming's better efforts.

Today being the anniversary of the wife's entry into the light at least 39 years ago, I made an effort to clean up a bit....even shaved and splashed on a little Old Spice after shave, then squired her in the Red Ram to the local Kroger shopping center beside the Home Depot to one of the Classic City's better eating establishments the aforesaid Chef Ming's, where we dined on Shrimp, Scallops and Beef with Oriental Vegatables. Not our everyday fare but a very nice break in the kitchen duties for the wife and a fix for my oriental food jones. Both the location and dish were her choice as I had thought of taking her somewhere to get medium rare cow with baked for her and salad for me, but as it was in her honor, I let her do the choosing.

I've learned a little something in the last few years of marriage. One thing is to let them have their own way every once in a while.

If you ever have a chance to visit Ming's emporium try the Mushroom Beef.....my all time favorite. Go hungry as the portion sizes will be all you could ask for.

A little coolish here in the Classic City today. Once again I failed to notice the frost on the ramp off the back deck and busted my ass......well it was already cracked (groan).

I spent a goodly bit of time in the back yard trying to get some product ready to ship and finally had to admit that time waits for no man and you can't rush some things. Oh well..
..tomorrow is another day and I'll finish by lunch.

I'm working against a deadline since Christmas is next Friday and if I want to be paid for this week's efforts I'll have to ask for a rush processing to get paid by Christmas Eve. It helps that I smile at all the girls working there and they feel sorry for an old man and will take pity on me.

The goat roping in Copenhagen is becoming a farce with most of the third world tin pot dictators taking the opportunity to bash the US and Capitalism while trying to wheedle money out of us. Well.......really they didn't have to wheedle much as Hillary Clinton was there to throw money at them.

I really wish we had a president who had the common sense and cojones to tell those idiots to shut their pie holes and go back home and encourage the free markets in their own country so as to raise the economic standards there instead of bashing us with one hand and holding the other out for some of our generosity. But instead we have a communist wanna be who will make a speech there totally tearing down the Goodness that used to be The United States of America. Wanna bet......any takers?

How's that hope and change working out for you now??

It's enough to make me wish we had a Queen running things. At least she knows how to stretch a shilling.

Watersports & Other Recreational Activities

Warning: This post is so much in opposition to the previous post I caution you not to read it if you have a weak stomach. If you do and are of a sensitive and gentile nature, don't come crying to me if you want to vomit or commit acts of violence upon certain of your leftist neighbors. I tried to warn you.



We've had enough rain here in the Classic City vicinity this year to make walking outside to your truck be considered a watersport of sorts I suppose.....and there might be those whose first thought on seeing the word might think of synchronized swimming, water polo, or even slip sliding down the rocks at Bramblett Shoals where as kids we were thrown into the deep water under our fathers stern guidance.

Ahhh those good old days of long ago... Times change and not always for the better in every instance.

Take for example the things they teach our most precious possessions, our children, in the gubbermint schools these days.....

Things like fisting and pissing on your partner....WTF?? I mean come the hell on here..
...fisting and pissing??

And it was done by the new Czar for Safe Schools appointed by Barrack Huesein Obama (piss be on his name).

Folks we've been traveling down the wrong fork in the road for a goodly number of years now..
...and I realize that I'm getting a little long in the tooth and have a few more gray hairs on my head than in times past.....but I say again.....WTF?? is this how you make sure the school environment is a safe one??

When I was a kid in school the safety issue was taken care of by Principal Britt or one of the teachers......and that was effected by swift and painful application of a good piece of heart pine or oak 1 X 4, oftimes with airholes drilled in it to ensure you got the message that there would be no funny stuff tolerated while you were under their care. And God help you if after administration of the wood to your nether extremities they then called your parents.

I realize that times have changed, but are we really better off having our children taught the vilest possible things in a school setting? I don't think so.

Not unless you have a predilection for stuffing gerbils up your ass.

Just damn

Another Rainy Sunday in Georgia

The Classic City area hereabouts has certainly had it's fair share of the water this year. Now that the leaves are mostly off the hardwoods things look as cold as they feel outside.

I was awakened a little after 7pm by my youngest grand daughter who came giggling into my bedroom and yelled, "get up paw paw". Right there I started smiling 'cause I knew it was going to be a good day.

She had been sent to fetch me by her nanny who wanted me to go to Mickey D's to bring back some fast food breakfasts for us all, courtesy of the old grump who like a ground hog had stuck his head and $20 to pay for the eats. Sausage and hotcakes with syrup and butter, Big breakfasts with sausage, scrambled, biscuit and hash browns. Lots better than cold cereal.

Small Grand children are special anytime of the year, but especially around the time of Christmas I think, seem to be endowed with all the qualities we oldsters look backward and wish we had never lost.

We have six grand children ranging in age for 17 down to 3 1/2. All healthy, Thank God, all smart, all a blessing to those around them....well one could study a bit harder. But, all of them amaze me with how different they each are. Each of them with something to teach us every day.

So this evening I'm not dwelling on the problems of the world. I could care less if a golfer has a predilection towards buxom young women who are not his wife....or politicians who are willing to sell their souls for a mess of porridge.

I'll sleep the sleep of the happy and contented. Blessed beyond my limited understanding.

Cleaning up on a Rainy Saturday Evening

For much too long I have put off the task of cleaning up some of the disused, disabled and un-liked links in my side bar. Tonight was a perfect time to take care of this bit of old business.

Some were deleted either because they had quit blogging or I developed either antipathy or disdain for them personally in general or their writings in particular.

Others were added because I like their writing or their points of view. One was linked because she is my daughter and I love her.

There are many other sites I read from time to time and sometimes more often which I might add if it strikes my fancy or I find myself with too much time on my hands again.

Welcome new guys and thank you to all the old timers. You all give me much enjoyment.

If you see something you don't recognize in the blogroll check it out. If you don't like it..
...well, you don't ever have to go there again.

Winning hearts and minds

That phrase will of course be instantly recognizable to any person who served in what we like to call the South East Asia War Games of forty years ago. You may remember........the one we lost.

Today we're doing the same thing in North West Asia. What a goat rope.

It is always a great thing to be able to sway people to your way of thinking by your words and deeds to the mutual benefit of both parties. I am a big fan of getting people to think in terms of Freedom and The Rule of Law under something resembling our Constitutionand Bill of Rights.

But when reason and diplomacy has failed and the shooting starts.....then the leaders of a Nation such as ours has as it's first obligation to win the conflict so decisively and quickly that as few of your own troops suffer injury and casualties as possible. This has the added benefit of killing as many of the opposing forces leaders and reducing to as few as practical the numbers of civilian casualties in the area you are in effect taking over.

Eliminate in totality the forces who oppose you and who are restricting their peoples Freedom and then you have the time and ability to convince your former enemies of the correctness of your ideals of Freedom, Justice and Liberty. This is a natural desire of all intelligent, freedom loving individuals everywhere.

Of course there are always, as we see in our own country, those who want to be controlled and enslaved by someone who will at least feed them or give them a free place to live along with whatever other things they can get from the producers without effort on their part.

Wise leaders however would institute policies to wean everyone except the truly incapable and sick from the teat of the public dole.

But first in order to convince people who have not known freedom, you have to eliminate or so cow the opposing forces that they are not capable of disrupting your efforts to educate the people in their own higher capabilities.

As a for instance, I urge you to consider the peoples of Japan, who sixty years ago were totally defeated by us and within 20 years had so adopted the freedom mindset that their economy and country became one of the strongest in the free world.

Pussies like BHO and General MacCrystal who has his nose up BHO's butt, will only cause more US casualties for a military who are some of our best and brightest young people and will as a direct result create less Freedom and Liberty, as well as Justice in the world....more importantly .....less of the same here in our own country.

Which will one day lead to the deaths, on both sides of the issue, in our own hometowns.

Leadership is about courage, competence, conviction, commitment, and character.

The great Acidman once wrote that there are three kinds of bloggers; Linkers, Stinkers and Thinkers.

As anyone who has followed the masturbatory spewing that goes on here knows, I am among the second classification with an occasional foray into the first. I make no apologies, the connections between the keyboard, my fingers and the brain are tenuous in the best of times. Medications help somewhat based on the phase of the moon, I guess, but like a boil (Definitely not for the weak of stomach) on the back of my neck, sometimes I just have to pop things out, because, come on, can you imagine how much more ugly things would get inside my head if it were just left to fester?

One of the pulsating pustules that festers in the fetid fields of my wonder-ings is the fact that we have no leaders amongst those currently elected to the highest offices in the land.

Below I blatantly borrow from and link to a blog post that addresses the characteristics and qualities necessary in a leader. That way you don't have to sink deeper into the steaming swamp that passes for my thoughts.

Leadership is about courage, competence, conviction, commitment, and character.

Leadership has five basic components; the first is courage, not just physical courage but also moral courage to stand, sometimes alone, in order to do that which is right. It is about having a unique quality that in times of a trying crisis steps forth and exhibits itself in actions that are selfless and display uncommon virtue, valor, and resolve.

The second component is competence which is an ability to anticipate a problem, analyze viable solutions, and execute a decision. It is truly a talent that is necessary as America faces some of the most pressing issues in our economy, national security, energy independence, and illegal immigration. Competence knows no partisan agenda but seeks that which is best for those whom a leader is called to lead.

The third component is conviction which relates to one having a strong belief. What we need now more than ever are men and women who have a strong belief in America and its Constitution. America is a Republic and what is a fundamental principle of a Republic is adherence to Rule of Law….and that is our Constitution.

A conviction in America would have precluded the passing of the insidious healthcare legislation last week, in the wee hours.

The fourth component is commitment. In the military we all take an oath to our Constitution, to support and defend it, against all enemies foreign and domestic. We have a bond to our Brother and Sister Warriors. America now needs leaders who are committed to the American people, not their own self-interest and certainly not special interest, foreign or domestic.

Finally, leadership is about character, and for me that is defined by “doing what is right when no one is watching”. Far too many of those who are inferior to us have risen to positions of governance, only to make deals and decisions in hiding.

If our Country is to survive for another 233 years we must regain an ability to assess leadership. And in the coming year there will be many parading before us for support to gain that special honor to govern.

Some one like this man is needed, and we need one like him in every congressional district in the country.

If we don't find and elect these kinds of people soon we may well find out what Zimbabwe is like here in the former land of the free.

Great Speech

Want to watch something to get the image of PBHO last night out of your brain.

I know you do.

Go over to GOC and watch the video. Then send Lt. Col West a note of appreciation, maybe even a dead president picture or two.

Lt. Col. Allen West for congress

Goat Ropin'

You knew it was going to be bad last night, didn't ya?

PBHO is going to explain his Afghan Adventure, complete with charts and graphs.....no, wait...
he can't watch the teleprompter and point at charts at the same time. There is a reason they don't let him chew gum.

I didn't watch. I'm too freakin' old to subject myself to anything that painful. I feel sorry for the West Point Cadets and their instructors who were forced to sit through the whole thing.

Did anybody think to count the number of times they interrupted him with wild un-controlled applause? They probably had some Major in the corner with a cue card that said, "Applaud". Mostly that's what Majors are good for... following orders whilst keeping their noses firmly implanted in their superiors arse.

Folks, this ain't no way to win a war. Our troops on the cutting edge deserve better.

I'll let you go over to Guyk’s for a better analysis of the situtation. Follow his link to Joan of Arrgh for another. You might also take a look at what the German news source thought of PBHO's speech.

It probably wouldn't bother me quite so much if I hadn't already lived through one such disaster as this has the potential to be. Even more so because I have a nephew scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan next month with 2 of his brothers still in the Reserves....plus my 9 year old grandson want's nothing more than an old steel pot type helmet for Christmas so he can play soldier. Maybe by the time he's old enough this country will be led by grownups again. If not and I'm still alive they'll have to cut the handcuffs between me and him to get him into the green meat grinder.

'Cause let me tell you something.... I've been to the rodeo and I've seen all the shit kicking and goat roping before.

Mind Time Travel

Too many years ago I decided the the misfortunes of life would affect me less if I keep a certain detachment....a distance if you will, between everyone else and me. When people who occupied the next bunk over, or in the next hut were there in the morning and not in the evening, the void left, especially if quasi-friends was a bit much to bear.

Consequences resulting from that decision have had far reaching effects, touching wife, children, friends, both near and far, work and job satisfaction.

Probably the worst effect has been an inability to plan for the long term, focusing rather on the immediate over the anticipated. This has lead to a life lived on the edge.....never fully tasting of the sweetness of a fully involved life. If you wonder how such a one could accumulate nearly 42 years of marriage to the same person and wonderful children and grandchildren who love me.......so do I. Blessings of Angels I suppose.

One of the results has been a focus more on the work, whatever it was, or at other times totally blowing it off, so that the tangible rewards enjoyed by many haven't been fully experienced. Travel, for instance, has always been something I wanted to do. Did we do much of it. Not if it took more that 6 or 8 hours. Mine has been done in my minds eye.

Wish to travel to Europe, watch the travel channel or mostly read books. Africa...watch Humphrey Bogart in 'The African Queen", or 'Casablanca'.

The last weeks travels have been to Mexico, sparked by 50 and 20 Peso pieces... Holland for information on Trade Ducat, Great Britain to look at Half Sovereigns.

Today I traveled back to 1911 Germany, to the reign of Wilhelm II for a Gold 20 Mark coin.

The history on young Wilhelm was quite interesting. The Kaiser who helped incite the Austria-Hungary federation to provoke war with Serbia was the grandson of Queen Victoria of Great Britain and actually held a position in the English armed forces by birthright. Little good it did him when England, Russia and the U.S. came to the fight against them in WWI. Little wonder that pictures of him taken in Holland where he fled into exile and lived until death in 1941 showed a sad, perhaps bitter, man. I wonder how many shoulda, woulda, coulda thoughts ran through his head over the last 30 + years of his life.

I guess like most of us he had plenty of them.

Traveling in Mind Time is no substitute for actually going there, but it may be as close as I get.