McCain Picks A Winner

"Now, no one expects us to agree on everything, whether in Juneau or in Washington. But we are expected to govern with integrity, and goodwill, and clear convictions, and a servant's heart.
" ~ Sarah Palin

Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for President has chosen Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, to be his running mate in the upcoming Presidential election.

I approve, I approve.

Palin, a strong Conservative, is the perfect contrast to McCain, who has often been a disappointment to many Conservatives, myself included, on several important key issues.

The Obama campaign is already attacking McCain's choice, saying "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency," a curious attack indeed coming from one who has even less experience than Palin.

I for one, am happy that Obama's people understand that concept. Since McCain has seventy-two years worth of heartbeats already used up, I'm glad there is someone who is more than capable of running the government should, God forbid, it become necessary.

One cannot say the same for either candidate on the Democratic ticket. One is the most incompetent man in the Senate, and one is the dumbest.

And those adjectives are interchangeable.

Incidentally, Palin is the only one of the four Presidential and vice Presidential candidates with experience at running a government, a fact that seems to be lost on Obama's people. They completely ignored the fact that Palin is a Governor, not a mayor.

I have a lot more confidence about the Republicans chances to win the election than I did previously, thanks to Sarah Palin. I can't say I'm as confident as most Conservative Republicans, but that's because I know how the Liberally biased media will treat her. Already, they have launched an investigation into why she fired some state officer. In all likelihood, it will turn out that he was fired because he didn't do his job, but the media will do their best to spin it to make it appear she had some selfish motive.

That won't be a problem. No doubt McCain's people have anticipated the expected media attack dogs and are ready for them.

This pick will energize the Conservative base, which was until now, rather skeptical of McCain's rather leftist leanings. Moreover, Palin's spot on the ticket should garner votes from the Hillary voters who feel abandoned by the Democratic party.

McCain should get moderate and independent votes, and the addition of Palin to the ticket will help him get Conservative votes. It is an ingenius strategic move by the McCain campaign.

Congratulations, Senator McCain, on an outstanding choice!

Over There

I won a bet, so I have posted a blog post over at Daddio's blog. So, instead of posting it here, it is over there. It will all be explained over there.

The Perfect Ticket

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" ~ William Shakespeare


Disclaimer: Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot Democrats don't consider their guys mortal! But I do, so the above quote refers to Obama and his "handlers", in this case.

Caption this!

So, the most inexperienced, unqualified man in the Senate has chosen the stupidest, most racist man in the Senate as his running mate.

Yesterday, while on my door-to-door fundraising drive for a local volunteer rescue squad, I happened upon a home that had a car in the carport with an Obama bumper sticker. As usual, I expected I wouldn't get a donation from this house. I have become accustomed to the fact that Democrats are usually not generous with their own money.

They are generous with other people's money, but I digress.

To my surprise, the lady of the house actually gave me the maximum suggested donation amount, and as she wrote the check, we (briefly) discussed politics. She hadn't heard B. Hussein had chosen Biden as his running mate. She speculated he might choose Gov. Tim Kaine, of Virginia. When I told her he had already chosen Biden, she replied, "Oh, that's a great choice. Don't you think he's a good choice?"

I thought about how the choice of Biden for Vice President should make it that much easier to defeat the Democratic ticket in November, and replied,

"I think it's the perfect choice, ma'am".

What Was In My Head When I Awoke

"He'd drink with the devil and spit in his eye, then go to confession on Friday" ~ unknown


Dublin O'Shea

CHORUS: Have another drink, boys. Well, have one with me.
We're home from the sea. Yes, we're back on the shore;
And if you get too drunk, boys, in this company,
You'll roar 'round Cape Horn on the Rory O'Mor.

He lived on the dockside near Liverpool town,
And he always went down to the "Thief and the Vagabond."
Everyone knew him as Dublin O'Shea.
Some say he came from Killarney.

CHORUS

I sing of an Irishman honest and plain,
But what's in a name when you think of the man himself?
He was a sinner and he drank with the same,
And he mastered the fine art of blarney.

CHORUS

He was a lay preacher and a God-fearin' man
With a drink in his hand. What a terrible sinner!
He'd drink with the Devil and spit in his eye,
Then go to confession on Friday.

CHORUS

For ramblin' and rovin' there's none to compare.
If you'd met him you'd swear that the man was a saint;
But if you could just see him in some foreign bar,
You'd swear he was the High King of Ireland.

Potpourri

"Man, I am just flat worn out!" ~ Me

Since my new wife had never been to Kansas or Missouri, I wanted to show her some of my favorite sights and monstrosities located in Kansas City, my adopted hometown, and Wichita, my actual hometown. Most importantly, I wanted to treat her to some of restaurants that I used to eat at but don't exist out here on the east coast.

Unfortunately, our time was limited, and she was tired, so we didn't get to very many places. I managed to show her those ridiculous modern art "sculptures" (and I use the term loosely) mounted on the top of the pylons over Bartle Hall in KC, but only from a distance. I don't know if she got the full impact of them or not.

I wanted to treat her to Gate's Barbeque, too, but didn't have the time. All I could do is point one location out to her as we drove past. Gate's is famous as much, if not more, for the greeting one gets as soon as one enters ("Hi, Can I help you?")as their tasty barbeque.

We left our motel room early Sunday morning and I intended to take her first to Oklahoma Joe's Barbeque, which I think is the best in the world, but we were too early and it wasn't open for business yet, so we drove on southward.

Then, after visiting "The Kansas Sampler" a store that sells souvenirs of Kansas and Kansas City, and buying an armload for friends back home, I wanted to treat her to the absolute best frozen Custard anywhere in the U.S.A. (sorry, this was the biggest picture I could find, and this one is in Chesterfield, Mo. I should have taken a picture of it myself, but I explained why I didn't in my previous post)It's called Sheridans Frozen Custard, and the reason it's the best is because of the secret ingredient. I know the secret ingredient, because I was once a manager for Sheridan's, but I won't divulge it here.

Again, my intent was stymied, because on Sunday mornings, Sheridan's doesn't open until 2:00 P.M. The sign says they are "In church", and at the original location, I'm sure that's true, as I know Jim Sheridan, and he is a church-going man, but the one in Olathe is owned and operated by a Jewish man, and I doubt he is in church on Sunday mornings. Alas, it was closed, too.

So, disappointed, we drove on down to Osawatomie, Kansas, where my daughter and her family live. After a very nice visit, we left for Wichita, but I wanted to make a quick stop in Ottawa, Kansas, to treat my wife to Taco Tico, the closest Taco Tico location to Kansas City. Most are located in and around Wichita. Again, to my consternation, we found Taco Tico no longer in Ottawa, the building now occupied by a fish restaurant. So, we ate at Sonic, and continued on to Wichita.

After we arrived in Wichita, my wife at last got the opportunity to sample Taco Tico, and she agrees it is much, much better than Taco Bell. I was pleasantly surprised as well. It was even better than I remembered. Unfortunately, after eating Mexican food once, she didn't feel up to sampling "Lil Mexico", another of my favorites.

Oh well, at last we had the pleasure of eating at both Oklahoma Joe's (Yes, it is located in a gas station. I even got a T-shirt that reads, "My favorite Restaurant is in a gas station") and Sheridan's on the way back through Kansas City. She agrees they are both as good as I predicted.

Also, in KC, I tried to show her some more sights like the Country Club Plaza,
including the J.C. Nichols Fountain, (above) and other Kansas City tourist attractions, but she was so engaged in a phone conversation with AAA securing a motel room for the night, she totally missed most of what I showed her.

Upon arriving home to Virginia, I checked my e-mail and found this interesting picture sent to me by a friend: The caption said something like, "If you're going to feature the flag in a photo-op, you might consider holding the phone right" or something like that. I can't think of the words to describe what I think.

I'll leave it to my readers to decide what might be a better caption.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

"Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone". ~ The Dhammapada

Here are some pictures I took on my trip to visit my mother, siblings, kids, and grandkids.



Clouds in the mountains of West Virginia.


My grandchildren Alaina and Aaron, also known as A.J. He turned his head just as snapped the photo, and I didn't take another one, because I didn't know my memory card held over 200 images. I thought I only got about 27, like regular cameras. I thought my exposures were limited. OK. I'm old!

One wall of the Knute Rockne memorial at the Matfield Green, Kansas turnpike rest stop, featuring his famous "Gipper" speech. (You can click for an enlarged picture) Knute Rockne was killed when the airplane he was traveling in crashed on a hill in the nearby Flint Hills. One can see a cross on the top of the hill from the highway.

A shirt in the window of a store in Mission, Kansas, near Kansas City.

The "portal" to Delano, Kansas, which is what west Wichita, Kansas used to be called, in the 1860's. Nineteenth century Wichita, contrary to popular belief, was not the "wild and wooly" town of movie and dime novel fame. It was quite civilized and peaceful. Delano was where all the gunfights, prostitution, gambling, etc took place. You can see the two tallest buildings in Kansas in the background. The one that looks taller is actually the second tallest. it's a matter of perspective. The other is further away.

The "Keeper of the Plains" statue created by Blackbear Bosin, Native American artist from Wichita. It is located at the confluence of the Big Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers in Wichita, in front of the Mid-American Indian Center Museum and cultural center.

By the way, in Kansas, these rivers are pronounced "ArkanSAS", not "ArkanSAW" like the rest of the country pronounces them.

The other two of my grandkids, Tristan and Alexia, with my son Anthony, who has no kids but is holding our Pug, Suzie.

Incidentally, both my daughter and my daughter-in-law are pregnant with their third children. I will soon have two more grandkids.

A souvenir shop somewhere in Central Missouri. We got some Wizard of Oz stuff, Betty Boop stuff, and a Barney Fife T-shirt. "Nip it!"


A statue of some guy sniffing his own arm pit in front of the Tamarac Center in West Virginia. And the Tamarac Center. I didn't go in. I had to stay outside and walk the dog.


The Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.

Whew!

What Was In My Head When I Awoke

"There's a fly in my suit!" ~ Orlando Jones

I found this on Youtube. It's a hilarious scene from a little known film called "Evolution". It stars David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, and Orlando Jones. In this scene, a small alien creature has cut it's way into a HAZMAT suit worn by Harry Block, played by Orlando Jones, and then entered his body.



Hey, I can't be held responsible for things I'm thinking when I wake up! It just happens and no one knows why.

Terrorists For Obama

"We are advertis'd by our loving friends." ~ William Shakespeare

While I was driving back home on my road trip to Kansas City and Wichita, Kansas, and scrolling through the radio stations, I heard a short blurb from American Family News Network about illegal campaign contributions to B. Hussein Obama's campaign.

Naturally, I tried in vain to find anything about this story on any "mainstream" media network, but couldn't find it anywhere. Not even on Fox News.

It seems to me this should be a major story. As it has been reported, According to Federal Election Commission filings, Barack Obama has received illegal donations from Palestinians living in Gaza, a hotbed of Hamas terrorists.

The report goes on to say, Obama received more than $24,000 in campaign contributions over a period of two months last fall from three Palestinian brothers from the "Edwan" family in Rafah, Gaza, which is a Hamas stronghold along the border with Egypt.

And, Attorney and conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel notes foreign nationals are barred from making contributions in connection with any election -- federal, state, or local -- and an individual is allowed to give only $2,300 per election to a federal candidate or the candidate's campaign committee.

"The donations are basically through and through illegal -- that's number one. And number two is how the Obama campaign tried to conceal it," Schlussel chides. "They listed the campaign contributions as coming from Rafah, Georgia. They used the 'GA' from Gaza so it makes it look like it's legal; and then for the zip code it says '972,' which is actually the area code to dial over to Gaza," she contends.

I echo Ms. Schlussel's observation that, if the Obama campaign is willing to "accept thousands of dollars beyond the legal limit and they're also going to flout [Federal Election Commission] restrictions...that's very indicative of what kind of president [Obama] is going to be."

I will go one further that that. I have always said I don't rule out the unlikely possibility B. Hussein Obama is an undercover Muslim who is trying to get elected President so he can destroy America from the inside. I'm not asserting that theory to be true, I'm just not ruling it out.

Even if he isn't a Muslim plant, and if the contribution came from Hamas or terrorist supporters in Gaza, this story would seem to indicate the terrorists want Obama to be elected President. If that's true, it begs the question, "why would terrorists want Obama to be President of the United States?"

It could be they see Obama as the "Paper Tiger" that Usama bin Laden declared the United States to be, (back during another Democratic administration) or it could be they truly have an ally in Obama. In any case, they obviously don't see Obama as any threat.

Whatever the reason, the fact that B. Hussein's campaign is not only accepting illegal campaign contributions from Palestinian nationals, but covering them up as well, should send up a huge red flag to patriotic Americans of all parties.

On The Road

"Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone". ~ The Dhammapada

I'm leaving today for Wichita, Kansas to visit my kids, grandkids, siblings, and mother. We are going by car.

I know many of you will want me to stop by for dinner or coffee, but the way the trip is planned, I probably won't be close to anyone except perhaps Dan Trabue (going through Louisville), but I doubt he wants me to stop and converse. Anyway, we won't have time.

I doubt I'll have any time or place to blog at least until after we arrive in Wichita. My mother has a computer but I don't think she has high speed.