I am not a terrorist

Consider this an admission of sorts.

Next month, that calendar thingie demands that I admit to being 55-years-old. With that said, know that my daily routine is not much different than that of the 13-year-old Markie. I can still run faster than most of you, I can kick harder than most of you, and I can punch a helluva lot harder than most of you on even your best of days. And being juvenile to a fault, all of that fills me with misgiven pride.

During the restaurant years, I was tackled, tripped, punched, kicked, slashed, stabbed, hit with clubs of all sorts of lengths and weights, and even damn near put out of commission by a wooden crutch gone full-blown projectile. Still, I delivered much, much, much worse than any of the incoming fire. And I wear those scars like a badge of honor.

Some might say that I am an assh*le too inclined to making all violent and the like. And to those sorts of folks, I offer no defense. I am what they twisted and bent me into being. It is what it...wasn't supposed to be. Whatever. Either sue me or take the first punch.

With all of that useless swill having been typed, none other than the almighty Fedrule Govmint itself has determined that I am not a terrorist.

So, now that I've been vetted by Big, Big, Bigger & Still Bigger Brother, do you feel safer?

Later

Stuff

The new view.

I've really had it up to here with talk radio jocks and prospective candidates posing as activists going on and on and on about how one police chief and one elected official have more or less stood idly by while the destruction of our neighborhoods has been underway in Wilkes-Barre.

If a building is up to code, there is no law preventing absentee landlords from renting to absentee parents. If a particular street, section or neighborhood is peaceful and quiet, a Section 8 property or two will put the kibosh to all of that tranquility. There is no law against big city folk bringing their big city nonsense to Small City, U.S.A. There is no law specifying that we remain the lilly white city we all remember. And there is no law against public assistance being a way of life.

Too many of us are idled...unemployed. Too many of us are just drinking or snorting or shooting up until the next electronic cash transfer. Too many of us collect unemployment benefits for months and months and months on end. Basically, too many of us either never understood the benefits of a strong work ethic, or too many have forgotten while playing beer pong on the public dole.

So, replace that politician. And then sh*tcan that police chief you loathe so much. And when their much-heralded replacements take over, they'll quickly realize that you can't put lipstick on a populace that has gone above and beyond being f''ugly.

Face it, if peace and tranquility is what you want, you'll need to erect a special forces-styled forward fire base in the hills of Oregon. Consider it "white flight" on PEDs.

Don't forget the solar-powered radio.

On a whole other note. NO!...I do not know what happened to Gort!

Seriously, I have not a single clue. And the speculation is useless. I left him two messages, both of which he did not respond to. And over the many years, never did he not respond to my infrequent calls. 

I'm told he is a personal friend of Edward Snowden, so it's possible that he has taken an interest in Vodka of late.

You sure got me by the ball bearings.

And lastly, to the persistent detractor of mine, I offer this: One hour of glory beats an eternity of anonymity.

Now go back to your usual haunts, the reader's comments cesspools at both the TL and CV.

 Buh-bye

Are you ready...

One month to go.

Eli goin' all Timberlake on us.



Later

Detroit, here we come!

If you crunch enough numbers not supplied by the politically overzealous, you will undoubtedly realize that the United States is fast approaching a dangerous threshold, a calamitous tipping point if you will.



With the accelerating rise in the welfare ranks, disability claims, public sector pensions debt and the criminally prone…nearly half of the populace has no real skin in the economic game.


So when a Mitt Romney comes along promising that job creation will be his overriding priority if and when he is allowed to move into the White House, half of Amerika reflexively yawns.


Put simply, you cannot compete against the growing catalog of Govmint-provided freebies. There it is. Nearly half of the populace wants to eat, drink, collect tattoos and piercings, text, sext, thrash about naked, retire ridiculously early and be semi-illiterate on my dime.


I realize typing as much is not politically correct which will result in many hoping that some clandestine Govmint agency orders me captured and fed to poor people in Stoneageistan, but I truly do not care.


In a demographic sense, they constantly tell me that what we need is more forced diversity. Meanwhile, the unwritten political correctness statutes as they apply to diversity mandate that people of all shapes, shades and stripes think the exact same things.


And these rules of engagement come from the intellectually vapid folks not curious enough to meet or experience the lives and environments of those they prejudge and prejudge every harshly.


Ever met a militia member from Montana? Nope, don’t need to. Bitter, clinging gun nut gone racist.


Ever rode along with the police to see those “mean streets” with your own four eyeballs? Nah, not necessary. They profile and they are prone to outbursts of brutality.


Ever donned a uniform and been paid to dodge high-velocity rounds and large exploding projectiles? No, but I know better than our most senior military commanders.


Ever seen what the local coal plant means to the folks in Red Neck Creek, West Appalachia? No, and I don’t want nor need to. They are destroying Ice Station Zebra.


The great majority of the folks at the top of the media food chain avoid expressing opinions that differ from those that they run, party and cavort with. And they will not challenge the inane proclamations and banal absurdities conjured up by the folks at the top of the political food chain for fear of being banished, the media equivalent of being deported to Red Neck Creek.


Controversy?

Uh, better not. Go with the politically correct flow.


Herein lies the reason that the web garners so much traffic, while the print media continues to be reduced to peddling grocery coupons and the television industry has become the home of the slothful, drunken illiterate: The web offers a diverse Sargasso Sea of opinionating and the like. The web is the very last refuge for those who challenge, think and can still read the language. The web is what the other press venues once were.


Getting back to my original point, something approaching half of the country could really give a flying funk about wealth creation, job creation, personal responsibility, personal savings or enjoying the fruits of their own bounty.


They want the freebies they want, they want dummies like me to work and pay for it all, and they now have a Fedrule Govmint that is ready and willing to provide what they want.


The Chinese are also willing to provide what they want. And while I pay for it in the interim, the children and the grandchildren of the growing legions of freebie takers will pay for it later on.


We’re fast approaching apogee, and the rapid decline is waiting just ahead. The takers win out over the givers in the short term, but the country goes financial tits-up in the long term.

Detroit, here we come!


Later

Not RiverFest

Flat River, Durham County...

A kayak is snapped in half, trapping a paddler in the cockpit against a strainer.

Watch this and point out a few obvious mistakes.


There's something to be said for open-cockpit boats.

Later

Ray Bradbury, meet Survivor

This adventure intrigues the hell out of me.

But, there‘s no need for me until they discover life---termites--on Mars.

Mars One

The Mars One Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that will establish a permanent human settlement on Mars in 2023.
A reliable surface habitat will be set up before the first crew lands; more settlers and cargo will follow every two years.
Our plan is realistic because the technology needed already exists and can be purchased from the private space industry.
The first footprint on Mars will fascinate and inspire generations; it is this public interest that will help finance this human mission to Mars. Join our global effort by sharing our vision with your friends, supporting us and perhaps becoming a Mars astronaut yourself.


Departs Earth: September 2022.

Arrival on Mars: April 2023.

One catch, though.

It’s a one-way ticket. A one-way trip. There’s no coming back.

Oh, and it’s going to be the end-all reality TV show.

Later

Gone in 59 seconds

Courtesy of Duane Morris...



Nite, nite

Morning walkabout

I dunno.

I felt compelled to visit...

Later

Denouement

Coming from someone who loved working at Percy A. Brown & Co.: Foods of Distinction, the following makes me sad.

G'nite

Hotel Sterling: Rise and Demise

This video runs 30:01 but it's worth the investment in time.

It was produced by a few students from Kings College.

Give it a whirl.



Later