The New Google Blog

It seems that Google (owner of Blogger.com) is forcing us blog owners to switch to their "new" version of blogger. My old Google blogger account (dating back to 2001) already has several blogs on it. The next time I log in to this blog it will be via my old/new? Blogger account. Make sense? Cheers. Update: Well I switched, lets see if the label options they gave me work.. Hmm...

Over The Edge - The Bullshit WAR On Terrorism

After reading the below news story via Yahoo I strongly suspect that George W. Bush is insane. He is either some sort of puppet for TPTB or truly nutso in wanting this "War" to go on. Face the facts: IRAQ and Saddam had ZERO to do with September Eleventh, 2001. That's right Z E R O ! The so called bad guy, Bin dead or Bin Laden, is either dead (my belief since December of 01'), or living in South America. This is no "WAR"!! This is an invasion of American corporations into Iraq using our troops to secure the (you guessed it!) O I L. Now, the puppet and his cronies thumb thier noses at you and me and want to use tactical nukes on Iran? Is there anyone in the military or government that has the nuts to stop this insanity? Radiation, as in "DU" and any other nuke ordinance, dosen't "go away". This stuff last for thousands of years. Bottom line? It's time for Americans who care about their future and their children's future to draw a line in the sand. STOP THE MADNESS Cheers. WASHINGTON - President Bush is sending Congress a $2.9 trillion budget that would provide billions of dollars for the war in Iraq, make his first-term tax cuts permanent and achieve a budget surplus three years after he leaves office. The massive four-volume set of budget books, featuring two-tone green covers, was headed to Congress Monday, where the plan will receive a decidedly mixed reaction from Democrats. They have made clear that they plan to push their own budget priorities after regaining control of the House and Senate for the first time in 12 years. In his new spending blueprint, for the 2008 budget year that begins Oct. 1, Bush is pledging to balance the budget by 2012, make health care and higher education more affordable and promote energy security. Iraq is likely to dominate the debate with war opponents who are pushing nonbinding resolutions expressing disapproval of Bush's 21,500-troop buildup there. Faced with the competing goals of funding the war effort, preserving his first-term tax cuts and still achieving a balanced budget, the president stuck mostly with modest new initiatives. Democrats, however, contended that Bush was able to balance the budget only on paper by leaving out significant costs such as the money needed to make sure that the alternative minimum tax, initially targeted at the wealthy, does not ensnare more middle-income taxpayers. He includes a fix for 2008 but not for later years. Democrats argued that Bush's insistence on preserving his first-term tax cuts will cost more than $2 trillion in lost revenue in the seven years after 2010, when the tax cuts are due to expire. "The president wants to make the tax cuts permanent even though all the forecasts show that will explode the debt right at the time the baby boomers retire," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D., said in an interview Sunday. "This budget is plunging us toward a cliff that will take us right into a chasm of debt." Bush's budget projects that the deficit, which hit an all-time high of $413 billion in 2004, will gradually decline until it becomes a surplus in 2012. To accomplish that goal, Bush would allow only modest growth in the government programs outside of defense and homeland security. He is proposing eliminations or sharp reductions in 141 government programs, for a savings over five years of $12 billion, although Congress has rejected many of the same proposals over the past two years. Bush also will seek to trim spending on farm subsidies by $18 billion over five years, mainly by reducing payments to wealthier farmers, an effort certain to spark resistance among farm state lawmakers. Bush would achieve nearly $100 billion in savings over five years by trimming increases in Medicare, the health insurance program for 43 million retirees and the disabled, and Medicaid, which provides health care to the poor. That effort is also likely to trigger heavy opposition in Congress, which rejected smaller Bush cuts last year. Most of the Medicare savings would come in slowing the growth of payments to hospitals and other health care providers, but $11.5 billion in savings would come from boosting insurance premiums paid by the wealthiest Medicare recipients. The president, appealing for Democratic support during an appearance at a House Democrats retreat Saturday, said the government must do something to restrain the soaring costs of entitlement spending on health care and Social Security before the looming retirement of 78 million baby boomers. Bush once listed overhauling Social Security as the No. 1 domestic priority of his second term. But his effort two years ago to accomplish the overhaul by diverting some Social Security taxes into private investment accounts went nowhere in Congress. The administration is asking for an additional $100 billion for Iraq and the global war on terrorism this year, on top of $70 billion already requested. That spending would drop to $145 billion in 2008 and fall to $50 billion in 2009, although administration officials conceded that future requests could go higher depending on the progress of the war. "It's tough to know what the military commanders are going to need on the ground," White House budget director Rob Portman said Sunday on CNN. The Pentagon is scheduled to get a hefty 11 percent increase in spending authority, pushing its 2008 budget to $481.4 billion. Bush's budget also includes an initiative to expand health care coverage to the uninsured through a complex proposal that would give every family a $15,000 tax deduction for purchasing health coverage but would make current employee-supplied health coverage taxable. Bush is also proposing to increase the maximum Pell grant, which goes to low-income students, from the current $4,050 to $4,600. Democrats are pushing for even larger increases. Bush's energy proposals would expand use of ethanol and other renewable fuels with a goal of cutting gasoline use by 20 percent over the next decade.

Then And Now

I remember listening to Johnny and June on the AM band in the sixties and seventies as a kid. After watching "Walk The Line" on DVD I get chills watching this above You Tube Video. It bares your soul, or does mine to the fact that people are mortal. Watch it and tell me your thoughts... Cheers.

Remembering Officer Dennis McNamara

Five years ago Tuesday, January 30th, Upper Darby Police Officer Dennis McNamara was gunned down in cold blood by a real scumbag loser by the name of Thomas “Tom Thumb” Campbell, a career criminal and member of the outlaw Pagan’s Motorcycle Gang. This pig who boasted “He would never go back to jail and would shoot a cop” or something to that effect took a Husband, Father, friend, and all around good cop away from this earth. The coward that he is, Campbell, like most of his caliber of thug, chose to react to facing the music “As in warrants out for him” by murder. Diane McNamara, Widow of Dennis, told Gil Spencer of the Daily Times that she did not want Campbell to get the death penalty, to let him rot in jail. I agree after reading her story to a point. If any two cretins on the planet need to be tortured on a daily basis it is Campbell and my favorite scumbag, Mumia Abu Jamal. To you cop killer loving losers who support these low lives? Remember: you or you families may need a cop one day. SAY NO to naming a New York steet in honor of Mumia! Thank you Trek for the link! My heart goes out to the McNamara family, friends and fellow cops, who have to deal with his murder every day of their lives. I read where Dennis was into the Guitar, and Poetry, things that are both noble and good. Campbell? Crack and Vodka. What I want to say to Thomas Campbell? Do you have any remorse??? I've included some information and links below. Donations for Officer McNamara's Children can be sent to: McNamara Children's Trust Fund c/o Commerce Bank Lawrence Park Branch 2014 Sproul Road Broomall, Pa 19008 A painting of Dennis (Pictured above) that can be found here with more information on how to obtain it. Delco Heroes Upper Darby Police Department Officer Down

In Defense Of Curt Weldon

You be the judge. To be fair to Curt, I felt that he is sincere in his "Able Danger" beliefs, and that he was baited by others to ruin his career. Melanie Sloan is the woman who Curt targets as his political assassin. Her reward? A place on capitol hill. We will see Curt, we will see...

The Kidd Of Speed

I was going thorugh my old favourites on my old hard drive that was sitting on the shelf. The "Kidd Of Speed" was a link that I remember well. It was a link to a web site of a Russian woman named Elena Filatova, who took lots of pictures while riding her motorcycle in and around the Chernobyl area, after the nuclear accident. I sitll find her web site account both chilling and exciting, God knows we could have the same thing happen here in the U.S. - Remember this? Anyway, a lot of web sites have said a lot about her, one saying the whole thing is fake. I tend to disagree, being that I do see a motorcycle in some of the pictures, and one with the nuke plant in the background. Other sites like Snopes and Boing Boing have chimed in, mainly because they need the attention and to me are disinfo web sites anyway. Cheers.

Keep It Local - How Comcast Keeps The Competition Out

I use Verizon as both my telephone and Internet access for both my home & business. I have a Verizon DSL connection that on average is 2 times faster uploading than both Comcast And RCN (Both of which I have used at one time or another as my broadband connection.) After reading this article last month I contacted Verizon asking them when they would be installing FIOS in my area. In my opinion, the above web site is nothing more than spreading dis-information about Verizon, and asking people to add fuel to their fire (Or $$$ in their bank accounts)by signing the petition. I do not like internet access via cable. It is like a bunch of rats on the week end all running through the sewer and then stopping to fight over a piece of crap, blocking the rest of the rats from going about their business. Bottom line? Comcast, RCN, and the rest of the "Cable Companies" are trying to suppress Verizon and technology that would improve the consumers life and broadband connection tenfold, and interfere with the bottom line of their coffers.. (As in stocks, etc) Sounds like the oil companies. A dying breed, eh?

Young Votes

On November Seventh, 2006 I spent the entire day at a polling place in Drexel Hill. Of those who came to vote I counted on one hand those whom I considered between the age of 18 and 30. No wonder their issues are given short shift by the elderly politicians. The issues of youth are decided by politicians who forget what it is to strive and succeed at an age where the toughness of living begins. The bottom line, younger voters don't vote. It would take a political scientist to reason why that is. I have my own opinion, but why we don't take that serious problem and make it a top priority. Of course it is every persons right to exercise their vote. The right to vote was fought by those who spilt their blood so we could plot the course of America. History is replete with the freedom fighters who died for our right to vote, Martin Luther King, suffragettes, South African apartheid fighters, the purple fingers of Iraqi voters who risked life and limb to vote. So why are the youth and so many others so apathetic. Are we so caught up in our daily lives to undertake what those before us who gave their lives so we could exercise this most important right. Voting is the ultimate reform. Don't vote and the results are obvious. Apathy and uninvolvement is our Representatives and Legislators best friend. The less you care, the more they can keep you uninvolved, the more their actions are without scrutiny. Voting is the ultimate term limit reform, hold them to the fire and they're out. Look at Bryan Lentz and Joe Sestak. Thus leads me to my proposal to encourage voter participation. Statistics tell us voter participation is at an all time low. We need to reverse this trend, but lifelong career incumbents benefit from smaller turnouts and in many cases thwart turnout for their re-election. My proposal is to educate those who find other reasons not to vote and convince them to do so. I have five proposals to encourage voting. 1. Allow 17 year olds to vote only in primaries. Thus indoctrinating their civic responsibility. 2 .Create a tax credit for casting a ballot. 3. Produce public service announcements extoling the historical value of voting 4. Have the state air appeals to encorade young voters to participate. 5. Address the negatives that occur when uninvolvement and apathy results. These ideas are not borne of my position as a member of the Democratic Party. They are the realization that apathy is a scourge on our society. To be part of a Community entails an obligation to make it a better place when you are part of it. Most of all the young people who follow who will someday thank you for teaching them the value of citizenship that those who have come before you taught you.

KATRINA - Why The EAGLES Were Destined To Lose

The Eagles lost just a few minutes ago in the NFC game, 27 to 24. The Refs called some really shitty calls, especially the one when we were within striking distance with a field goal. These "officials" are bullshit! I think that the National Football League is corrupt and want the Saints to win it all, based on orders of the Chimp in Crawford. Hey, it will have good ratings, atone for the bullshit job FEMA did there with hurricane Katrina, and make NOLA's "Saints" the new "America's Team". I want an investigation on these game officials. Like just where do they live, finanical situations, and their buddies. Face it: The Eagles should have one this game hands down!

The Hawk

Today I was going out my back door to work when I spotted my neighbor holding a camera in his hand. He motioned to me to be still, then pointed to a Hawk, munching on a pigeon. I think this one is a male red tail hawk, if anyone could verify it I would appreciate it. I never thought that Hawks would kill pigeons. Field mice, squirrels, or an small rabbit maybe, but attack other birds?