New Orleans Lady

My wife and I have just returned from a weekend trip to New Orleans. We both grew up in New Orleans and now live three hours away in Brandon, Mississippi. Her parents still live down there so we go as often as we can afford to visit. The biggest thing we love to do in New Orleans is eat. There are so many restaurants we are always discovering new ones to try; couple that with the many festivals around the area and you have what I call "heaven on earth"

Now, I know after Katrina, hell even before Katrina, the opinion of everyone outside the city of New Orleans was such that the city was populated by godless heathens and other undesirables. To all of you that have never lived in or even been to New Orleans, let me tell you this; the city is not dying, it is not a den of thieves, nor is it a city best written off. As a simple matter of fact, I chafe whenever I hear someone who is not from New Orleans putting her down. If you have never been then how do you know?

One very true, very sad fact exists for New Orleans natives; this fact is no matter where you go in this great country, you will always be disappointed in the food. There is no other place in America that has the number and variety of restaurants like New Orleans. I know, I know, there will be the naysayers touting NYC, Chicago, L.A., Atlanta, ad nauseam but let me tell you there is no other place in this country where you can sit down to a Middle Eastern meal while your laundry is being done right next door...in the same duplex...by the same owner of the restaurant.

We went to the Crawfish Festival in Chalmette this weekend; this is only the second year for the festival since Katrina. Once we stepped into the festival, though, it was like they had never skipped a beat. Sure, driving through the Lower 9th Ward we saw remnants of the destruction the flooding wrought but the area was also very much alive with reconstruction. Houses are being raised and rebuilt, along with the hearts and hopes of its residents. The despair and hopelessness you are hearing about on the nightly news didn't appear for us and the residents of St. Bernard Parish and Chalmette were just as warm and welcoming as they were before Katrina.

The food was outstanding as always and the bands provided music that was ambrosia to my ears. The weekend after Easter is the French Quarter Festival and if you are anywhere within 500 miles of New Orleans I would say you absolutely HAVE to go. While you're there check out a few of the restaurants down St. Charles Ave, Prytania or Magazine Street; you will see what I mean about the food of New Orleans. I will post another story here soon about my home city where I will tell you about some of the great places nobody but the locals know about.

In the meantime sit back, pop a Dixie and turn on LSU Baseball!

Drug Free for Free Money

I just read an article that I found interesting and I thought I would share it with you. The Huffington Post reports that some states are considering requiring drug tests for welfare, food stamp and unemployment recipients. States Considering Drug Tests For Welfare Recipients

Apparently, politicians are now thinking that since so many different companies require drug testing in order to get a job, the people that are not working and receiving government assistance should also be tested for drugs. Well, I am going to bet that some of you who know I am a Democrat and I voted for Obama will think that I will say it’s unfair to them and it is a violation of their civil rights. If you think that, I would tell you you are wrong.

I joined the Navy over 20 years ago and for those 20 years I submitted to random drug tests; I tested negative every time. When I retired from the Navy and started working for Raytheon, I first had to submit to a drug test to be employed; guess what, I tested negative. When I applied to AAI Services, who is my current employer, I had to submit to a drug test; since I am working for them you know I tested negative. I am subject to random drug testing by AAI and I don’t have to worry because I do not do drugs.

So, why is it that I have to submit to drug testing to be able to work yet someone who is not working at all can get a welfare check, unemployment check or food stamps and not have to submit to a drug test? If this supposedly violates their 4th amendment rights to privacy then what about MY 4th amendment rights to privacy? I read in this article that a federal court struck down a Michigan law that ordered random drug testing of welfare recipients. Didn’t that federal action violate Michigan’s rights under the 10th amendment?

I still don’t get it; why is it that a worthless, lazy, scumbag welfare queen who hasn’t done an honest day’s work in her entire life get to be high as a kite on my dime? Why is it I have to agree to be tested to have the privilege to work but they don’t have to be tested to be lazy scumbags? Excuse me, but if this is unfair to anybody it is unfair to us taxpayers who are supporting the “worst” generation.

Honesty Is The Best Policy....Right?

What is up with the world today? Has our environment gotten so bad that the slightest act of honesty or kindness merits accolades? Before you start trying to answer these rhetorical questions, let me explain the events that led up to me asking these questions:

This past Sunday the wife and I took the truck up to the local garden center to buy some mulch. Anybody who has ever lived in a neighborhood with a homeowner’s association can understand the need for fresh mulch in order to make the gardens look pretty. The reason we were going on Sunday was because I had bought some cheap mulch at a bigbox store; at 99 cents a bag it was a steal. Well, 20 bags later and the wife says it’s not what she wanted, it’s not right, it’s not mulch, etc. So, we returned the cheap mulch and got our $20 back.

Then on Sunday, we went to the local garden center to purchase cypress much for four dollars a bag. So, I forked out over $100 for 25 bags of the expensive mulch and off we went back to the house to do some gardening. In the course of laying out the new mulch, I discovered the garden center inadvertently loaded my truck with 26 bags of expensive mulch. Well, we only paid for 25 and we only used 25 so the first thing I figured was I would return the extra bag to the center as soon as I had a chance.

Today, Tuesday, I went to the garden center and returned the extra bag of mulch. The young man who took it out of my truck asked me if I had the receipt in order to be reimbursed; this is when I told him the whole story of being loaded with one bag too many. Well, you would have thought I had single-handedly saved the world; his reaction and the reaction of his coworkers were so overwhelming it was embarrassing to say the least! Now, I am not telling you this story in order to toot my own horn; I am positive there are many more people that would have done the exact same thing in the exact same situation so there is no need to feel special about doing the right thing.

Which is what bugs the hell out of me; we live in an area that is supposedly filled with Christian people yet one simple act of honesty triggers an astounding reaction. Has the world gotten so bad that honest people are now the exception rather than the rule? I really would like to know your thoughts on this.

Ever Wonder....

So I was sitting here reading a piece by Jack Cafferty on cnn.com and I had a thought. His piece was about the annoying kids out there adn the incompetent or lazy parents out there who indulge their bad behavior. So, I had a thought; why don't I write down my observations here and you can share your irritations with the everyday world? Now I know my biker rant against stupid drivers of the female persuasion didn't exactly burn up the web but at least I'm having fun...are you?

Some of the things I have observed:

Ever wondered why the shortest line in the grocery store is the slowest line? I think it's because the person checking out picked up an item without a price on it and the genius at the register doesn't know what to do besides call out on a microphone for another genius to go find the price OR the person checking out waited until everything was rung up to pull out the checkbook and...honestly, who writes checks anymore OR they're digging in their purse for that ever elusive fifty cent off coupon for the double-fudge chocoholic super sugar bars...and they weigh about 500 pounds. I have observed all three of these on several occasions in various stores throughout the country.

I have also oberved that the vast majority of the cars that weave in and out of their lane, inexplicably slow down only to speed up again when you try to pass are almost always piloted by someone on a cell phone...and those someone's have turned out to be women on just about every occasion...I'm not saying women are inferior to men or are dumber than men but it sure is funny how many women I see on their cell phones while rolling down the road.

I've been called a racist before when I have commented on various vehicles as "black" vehicles. I'm not trying to be racist but it sure is uncanny that every time I see the two tone purple and green ultra-metalic paint with about 15 coats of clear coat on a chevy with 36 inch low profile tires and rims blasting Kanye West at 1800 decibels it is always...EVERY TIME...being driven by a black guy...and every time I see a car that even remotely fits that description it is always...EVERY TIME...being driven by a black guy. So why am I a racist every time I comment on a "black" car?

Have you ever noticed that every single time you see a vehicle with a fish or handicapped license plate on it, it is ALWAYS the slowest, most obnoxious driver behind the wheel? Every time I have been behind a vehicle with either of these things, that vehicle is always...EVERY TIME...travelling about 5 to 10 miles below the posted speed limit and is invariably in the left lane. I mean come on, it doesn't take a genius to eventually see that handicapped plates and Jesus fish equals dumbass...does it?

So now it's your turn; you tell me what you have observed and what you think of it! Come on, it'll be fun!

The American Taliban!!!

Ok, look, I am usually a reasonable guy but there are times when things get so crazy I just have to unleash and really beat someone who desperately needs it. Right now that someone is the ultra-right wing uber-religious whacko wingnut organization Quiverfull. To steal a short line from Newsweek magazine, Quiverfull is a “…antifeminist, conservative Christian movement…” Personally, I think Newsweek is being too nice. From their website, I see this organization encourages women to forgo all birth-control options; they view contraception as a form of abortion and also consider natural family planning as an attempt to control fertility. Normally I would just leave this alone because I usually just shake my head at the idiot whackos but this group also emphasizes the importance of women submitting to their husbands and fathers, that gender equality is against God’s law and that a woman’s highest calling is wife and mother.

Now get this, boys and girls, the advocates of this group encourage women to an almost militant fertility to raise an army of children to wage spiritual battle against God’s enemies. HUH?!!? It gets better, y’all; two Quiverfull advocates, Rick and Jan Hess, authored the book “A Full Quiver: Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ” in the 1990’s. In this book they opine the gains of Christians if they began producing “full quivers” of “arrows for the war”: control of both houses of Congress, reclaiming “sinful cities” such as San Francisco and huge boycotts of companies that do not conform to their Christian views. Am I the only person here who sees this group for what it truly is? This group is NOT Christian, people; this group is the American Taliban!!!!

Think about it, this group advocates the subjugation of women and wishes to wage war on all who do not believe as they do!! We spend all our time being afraid of Al Qaeda, the Taliban and Muslim extremists when we have them right here in our own backyard! How can any sane, reasonable person even think this group is legitimate and has true Christian ideals!?! WAKE UP AMERICA!!! Get your heads out of your Bibles and take a look at the real world!!!!!!! Women everywhere should be united in outrage at this group! But no, my guess is all the easily brainwashed sheep (i.e. – 99% of all religious people) will just go merrily along blindly listening to and obeying their pastors and priests and vote us right into TALIBAN RULE!!!

You know, I originally intended in writing a smart, informative piece on this group and point out the flaws in their thinking; flaws such as why are you having so many children when we literally have hundreds of thousands of children right here in the US that are waiting to be adopted, living in foster homes, and living in poverty. I wanted to ask why, when we have all these unwanted children in this country, you would want to produce even more children. Then I became angry…because I realized this group does not care about those children; no, they care about their own and hope to take over the government so they can tell us how to live as well. This group is not Christian in any sense…nor is any evangelical church Christian in any sense.

No, true Christians would be pushing for better care for ALL children; they would be pushing for adoption of these children; they would be pushing for better education for these children so we can stop the cycle of poverty and unwanted pregnancy. TRUE CHRISTIANS would be doing everything they can to help the ones that are already here and need our help…not “raising an army to wage war on God’s enemies…” You want to know why I hate Christians and organized religion? THIS is why…bigoted, racist, hate-mongering groups like this who prey on the dimwitted and easily influenced to further their sick, twisted agenda while operating under the guise of Christianity…THIS is why I hate organized religion. THIS is why I shake my head when I hear people talking about how they were “saved” or “born again” THIS is why I hate George W Bush and hate the Republican Party…THIS is why I voted for Obama…and THIS is why I will vote against any politician who invokes their religiousness as a qualification for office.

STUFF!!!

Well, here I go again; I must again apologize for not writing to my blog more frequently. Of course when life gets hectic, things tend to get pushed to the side, you know? So, here are some more musings of mine with samples taken from recent events in my life.

I watch a lot of television and I am irritated by the commercials which are becoming more prevalent than the banal, inane programs I watch. For instance, raise your hand if you are sick of watching cartoon bears using toilet paper. Seriously folks, can’t the tp maker come up with something a little more creative than cartoon bears? Reminds me of a joke; one day a bear and a rabbit were doing their business in the woods when the bear asks the rabbit, “Does your poop stick to your fur?” The rabbit replies “Why, no, I have never had that problem.” So, the bear promptly picks up the rabbit and wipes his butt with him. Maybe the ad-man that came up with cartoon bears heard this joke…

Am I the only one relieved that the cavemen stopped appearing on my television? Talk about an existential meltdown, we went from cavemen and a computer generated gecko to a stack of money with fake googly eyes. Cheaper but still silly…maybe there’s a better way to sell insurance, like just having a guy stand there and tell us how their insurance is better than the rest…oh wait, that idea is taken already…pity…

How did we ever clean our houses before a cartoon bald guy showed up and provided us a line of products that made other spray cleaners weep OR how about all the poor brooms, mops and dusters out there desperately serenading their housewife owners to drop the new super-duper cleaning pads and take them back? Oh my, reminds me of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice…remember all the brooms and mops engulfing Mickey?

Yeah, I know the whole premise of commercials is to hawk products and entice us to buy, buy, buy; but seriously, have you ever recorded a half-hour show and then watched it while fast-forwarding the commercials? Used to be a show was between 22 to 25 minutes with the rest being commercials. Now it’s more like the show is 18-20 minutes long and you see more ads than show…not to mention a neat little concept called product placement. You know the scheme, products that have the name blurred out or changed but the label itself is all too recognizable.

To what end is all this advertisement leading? My guess is it’s all a big conspiracy to get us to spend more money on, to put it in the words of the late, great George Carlin, MORE STUFF! Maybe we can make a commercial like that? We can have a cartoon bear and lizard talking all about how they don’t have enough stuff! Coming soon to a store near you…STUFF!!! Now you can clutter up even more of your house and garage with stuff you’ll never use…buy our stuff!!! Nah, it would never work, people aren’t that gullible…hmmmm…

Softcore Porn????

Ok, so I have to ask this question of you; take a look at the above pic and tell me what you see. Do you see a swimsuit model from Sports Illustrated on a Southwest Airliner or do you see "soft core porn"?

The reason I am asking is because according to USA Today, some people are complaining about this paint job, take this complaint for instance "Does anyone else find this kind of trashy for Southwest? Having a woman in a bikini on the side of the plane hardly seems like the epitome of the friendly, down-home airline I’ve grown accustomed to."

Here, read the comments from these morons, "The Star-Telegram adds some customers feel the image adds an adults-only vibe that some passengers –- especially those with children –- may prefer to avoid. "Many women do not enjoy having their husbands exposed to explicit pictures or explaining to young children why the lady on the plane is 'showing her boobies, ' " Texas customers Chris and Sharon Kraemer say in a letter to Southwest that's quoted by the Star-Telegram. "

I wish I could find these idiots and ask them exactly where is this woman who is "showing her boobies"? Sure looks like a bikini to me. Further reading of the article and reading some of the comments I am forced to conclude that the people complaining are Religious Right Whacko Nutjobs who think we should be still in the 1950's with Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and Ward and June Cleaver. I am so astonished at these people the only thing to say is grow the hell up, people.

But, since we know the right wing nutjobs will never ever live in reality maybe we should suggest they put on their foil hats and crawl back into their caves...either that or go to Disneyland and live in Fantasy World...oh but wait they can't do that either because Disney hosts "gay days" at their parks. Just shaking my head at the lunacy and stupidity of right wing bible thumpin morons.