23 March 2010

JDRF Walk, 2010

Breakfast (why the breakfast for a diabetes event is all-carb is beyond me):
A nice sand-sculpture:
Devin and Grandpa, starting the walk:
Devin and (her) Mom, continuing the walk (she outpaced G'pa and I for the first time):
There's always something oceany to take pictures of (washed up jellyfish):
A couple of pictures to kind of show the line of people:

The End:
A Self-Portrait:
Deving, playing after the walk:

17 March 2010

We got our census form...

...and promptly looked up the sections of the constitution which applied to the situation.

From the U.S. Constitution:
Article 1 Section 2:
"Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.
Amendment 14:
"Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed."

These are the constitutional guidelines for our federal census, therefore question 1 on my census form is constitutional.

From my 2010 census form:
"1. How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2010?" Pretty simple, quite constitutional.
"2. Were there any additional people staying here April 1, 2010 that you did not include in Question 1?" ??? If I answer the first question correctly, do I really need the second one?
Now that we've satisfied the census provisions in the Constitution, the part that pisses me off:
3 wants to know if we rent, have a mortgage, or own outright our home.
4 requests our phone number.
5 asks for first name, middle initial, and last name for each person living here. This might be ok, just to help eliminate fraud, but it's not technically in the constitution.
6 is sexist. Can the government not count us without segregating us by our private parts?
7 is ageist. Can the government not count us without segregating us by our age?
8 is racist. Can the government not count us without segregating Hispanics, Latinos, and Spanish origin folks?
9 is racist. By definition. "What is Person 1's race?" Can the government not count us without segregating us by race?
10 is about whether people in this home live or stay somewhere else sometimes. I don't even know what to say about this one. Does it really make a difference?
There's room on the form for 12 people.

Do I need to point out that the only reason the government needs this information is so that they can redistribute wealth (in theory) from those they see as having it to those ages, colors, and sexes that it sees as not having it?

I'm sure there's a regulation or code somewhere that makes this all legal, but it doesn't make it right.

I think I'll get a big fat red marker and write a "5" on the front page and return it.

06 March 2010

14 February 2010

Kevin is 18 now...

We made this mead today. Local wildflower from 2008. 28 Brix with Lalvin EC1118.

We'll open the first bottle 31 Jan 2013. What a nice, dark and aromatic honey it was.

05 February 2010

Nietzsche kind of revered hipocrisy,

I don't see it as a very redeeming human quality, myself.

Pelosi: Where Are the Jobs, Mr. President?

August 1, 2003


Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' announcement that 470,000 people abandoned their job searches in July and that 3.2 million private sector jobs have been lost since President Bush took office:

“The fact is that President Bush’s misguided economic policies have failed to create jobs. Since President Bush took office, the country has lost 3.2 million jobs, the worst record since President Hoover. And today we learned that in July nearly half a million people gave up looking for a job.

“Job losses are taking a real toll on the financial security of American families. While Democrats are fighting for opportunity, jobs, and economic security for working families, Republicans continue to focus on helping those who need help the least...
“It is time for President Bush and the Republicans to get to work for all Americans, not just the elite few

Well, we're at a jobless count of 8.4 million during the current recession. Why does she not ask the president about that anymore? Is it really just because today's president is a Democrat? How very small-minded of her. And everyone else.

29 January 2010

1 goal down...

I got the 45 out of layaway back on the 3rd of the month, but didn't take any good pics until I ultra-lightly bead blasted the marred finish. It sure looks nice now!
I am relatively new to the 1911 scene. Back in '92 I had a combat commander, but I sold it.
I'm pretty sure the trigger and sights are aftermarket, and maybe even the mainspring housing (it's plastic!). I like the sights a lot, but the trigger has a wiggle to it that bugs me so I may work on/replace that.

The Not-So-Great Communicator

think about the following sentence:

"The middle east is a problem that has plagued that region... for centuries."
-POTUS44 BHO 1-28-2010 at a town hall meeting in Tampa responding to a question from a USF student.

I realize I'm not Harvard educated, but isn't the region itself the middle east? Isn't that like saying that the home 2 doors down from me is a problem that has plagued that house for months?