Saturday, February 05, 2005

I’ve exported the database of my old blog and I’m still considering whether or not to import the entries to this one. My dilemma? Comment spam still residing on those old posts. After a while I stopped fighting the battle with the comment spammers that were hitting my old blog and there are hundreds of those link-infested comments riddled throughout the archives. I don’t want to bring them here and I can’t be bothered with cleaning them up. I thought about just deleting all the comments from the database, but there are some good conversations I’d hate to lose.

Anyone have any suggestions? I have some time before the hosting at that place ends (in May), so it’ll still have a home there. But once that ends, I’d like to have a home for that stuff.

The couple I mentioned in this post were caught in Utah.

I just noticed that the photo of Muppet Scooter below (see here), does exactly match a photo of me from my college days. I’ll have to find and scan it. Hilarious.

Friday, February 04, 2005

Total commute time from work to home on Friday night: 2 hours
Total time spent waiting for the pharmacist to answer a simple question: 10 minutes*
Total amount spent on cold meds for sick roommate: $13.00
Arriving home to find that your dog has left a liquid-solid** “gift” for you on the berber carpet: priceless

* I stopped at the CVS to get cold meds for ECD, but I wanted to make sure what I got was OK with the prescriptions she takes so I wanted to ask the pharmacist the question. I waited for about 3 minutes before anyone even acknowledged my presence at the counter. I then waited about 7 more minutes for the pharmacist to “be right with me” before I lost my patience and called out, “Nevermind!” I then spent some time perusing a particular brand that was made for people with high blood pressure - that’s what I got.

** Nothing like arriving home to any type of “gift” from the pooch, but this particular edition was unpleasant and took some time to clean up. She’s now happily noshing her dinner. Man, the dog’s life…

And now I need to figure out what to make for dinner that my sick roomie will eat.

Oh, yeah and shout out to KBF. I’ll respond to your email later!

LATER: And I forgot to mention the uplifting topic on Chris Core’s radio show during my drive home. But that’s for a separate post of it’s own and boy, it’s a doozy.

Via Rocket Jones, I learned of the death of Ossie Davis. Sad, indeed.

Generally speaking, it seems that the American political Left just doesn’t get it yet - why they keep losing. Dr. Joyner has a great post that touches on “Fascists and Nazis, Republicans and Democrats.”

On Fascism:

“Islamo-fascist" is not used merely to describe a set of ideas with which, presumably, virtually all Americans disagree. Rather, it describes the political credo that motivates a terrorist movement and its sympathizers. The facist label is used because the fascsist ideology, like Islamism, required an absolute fealty to a dogma issued by a central leadership, a totalitarian worship of that idea, and terroristic violence to kill or intimidate the opposition.

On Janeane Garofalo/Nazism:

“The inked fingers was disgusting,” said Garofalo, who is one of the hosts on the Air America radio network. “The inked fingers and the position of them, which is gonna be a ‘Daily Show’ photo already, of them signaling in this manner [Nazi salute], as if they have solidarity with the Iraqis who braved physical threats against their lives to vote as if somehow these inked-fingered Republicans have something to do with that.”

Given that, if Garofalo’s policy preferences had been enacted, Saddam Hussein would still be in power, this is an odd position indeed. All taxpaying Americans had something to do with the Iraqi vote, in that we financed it. Congressional Republicans have more to do with it than most, given that they supported the policies that led to the Iraqi elections against considerable political opposition at home.

He includes a bonus link to Victor Davis Hanson, who says:

If the American Left is furious over the loss of most of the nation’s governorships and legislatures, the U.S. House, the Senate, the presidency, and soon the Supreme Court, the Europeans themselves are furious over America’s power — as if Red America is to Blue America as America is to Europe itself. Thus how can a mongrel culture of Taco Bell, Bud Light, and Desperate Housewives project such military and political influence abroad when the soft, subtle triangulation of far more cultured diplomats and sophisticated intellectuals from France, Germany, and Scandinavia is ignored by thugs from Iran, North Korea, and most of the Middle East? Why would the world listen to a stumbling George Bush when it could be mesmerized by a poet, biographer, aristocrat, and metrosexual of the caliber of a Monsieur Dominique de Villepin? Why praise brave Iraqis lining up to vote, while at the same hour the defeated John Kerry somberly intones on Tim Russert’s show that he really did go into Cambodia to supply arms to the mass-murdering Khmer Rouge — a statement that either cannot be true or is almost an admission of being a party to crimes against humanity if it is.

[...]

Perhaps the result of this frustration is that European intellectuals damn the United States for action in Iraq, but lament that they could do nothing in the Balkans. Democrats at home talk of the need for idealism abroad, but fear the dirty road of war that sometimes is part of that bargain — thus the retreat into “democracy is good, BUT...” So here we have the global throng that focuses on one purported American crime to the next, as it simmers in the luxury of its privilege, education, and sophistication — and exhibits little power, new ideas, intellectual seriousness, or relevance.

Ouch, indeed.

Go read the whole thing, as they say.

Since the Friday Five is no more and I have nothing much to say, here’s the FridayQ:

FQ TOPIC: Sleepy.

FQ1: On average, how many hours of sleep do you get each night? Do you think that’s a good number?

I try to get 8 hours of sleep a night. It’s a great number since it’s the recommended number.

FQ2: Have you any sleep essentials? A nightlight or teddy bear perhaps? Must the door and closet be either closed or open?

No sleep essentials per se. I do sleep with the radio on. The door is usually open. I usually lotion up the hands right before turning out the light - mostly in winter.

FQ3: What do you wear to bed? What color are your sheets? How many pillows under your head?

Pajamas - all year round. In the summer I wear cotton pj pants with a t-shirt. In the winter it’s flannel with a long-sleeve T.

One pillow under my head.

FQ BIG SLEEP: Share some helpful advice you use when having trouble falling asleep.

I’m a good sleeper usually. However, I try to limit my caffeine and sugar intake in the evening. I never watch TV in bed and I rarely read in bed. My bed is for sleeping only.

Remember the story of the adopted kids in New Jersey who were discovered to be several years older than they looked because they were so severely malnourished? (I tried to find a valid link, but the story is old enough that it’s off of most news source free pages.) Turns out that there’s a couple on the run for doing the same thing to kids in their care - only these folks physically tortured the kids in addition to starving them.

Citrus County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Gail Tierney said an arrest warrant was issued for John Dollar, 58, and his wife, Linda, 51—each of whom face one count of “aggravated child abuse/torture” for all five children.

The Dollars were the legal guardians of all seven children, although they were not their biological parents, Tierney said. She said the other two children were said to be “favorites” of the Dollars, and were spared their alleged abuse.

I’ll spare you the details of their alleged abuse on this page, the fuller story is in the extended section.

How you can help:

Authorities believe they may be traveling in a 1996 black-and-gold Provost Marathon motor home with Florida tag number U06YAC. The couple may also be towing a 2000 gold-colored, 4-door Lexus with Florida tag number DH41D.

Authorities say anyone who sees the vehicle or vehicles should call 352-726-1121.

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Phone rings. I pick up ...

ME: US Marshals Service.

HIM: I’m looking for a number for the federal government.

ME: Which agency, sir?

HIM: The federal government.

He then went on to explain that he’s being exploited in a child support case or something like that.

ME: Sir, our agency doesn’t handle child support cases. You need to call your local authorities first.

HIM: I was told that it was a federal matter, so I need a phone number for the federal government.

*SIGH*

ME: There is no such number, sir. You need to figure out which agency handles that and look for a number for that agency.

HIM: Oh.

It was really tempting to put him on hold and find a number to a Senate democrat, but I resisted.

You are Scooter.
You are a loyal, hardworking person, better known
as a doormat.

SPECIAL TALENTS:
Going for stuff.
LEAST FAVORITE MOVIE:
“Go For Broke!”

QUOTE:
“15 seconds to showtime.”

LAST BOOK READ:
“300 New Ways to Get Your Uncle to Get You a
Better Job “

NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT:
Coffee, clipboard, and Very Special Guest Stars.


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I take exception to the doormat idea. Anyone who’s read here long enough knows that not to be the case.

Courtesy: Bryan

I’m already tired of this Democrat Talking Point.

LATER: Was it roulette when President Bill Clinton said basically the same things about Social Security in his SOTU in 1999?

So first, and above all, we must save Social Security for the 21st century.

Early in this century, being old meant being poor. When President Roosevelt created Social Security, thousands wrote to thank him for eliminating what one woman called “the stark terror of penniless, helpless old age.” Even today, without Social Security, half our Nation’s elderly would be forced into poverty.
Today, Social Security is strong. But by 2013, payroll taxes will no longer be sufficient to cover monthly payments. By 2032, the Trust Fund will be exhausted and Social Security will be unable to pay the full benefits older Americans have been promised.

From President Bush’s speech last night:

Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to come up with an extra 200 billion dollars to keep the system afloat — and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than 300 billion dollars. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be drastically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.

Roulette, my rear.

Courtesy: SixHertz (adult language warning)

Following up on my post about the Redskins’ plan to require season ticket holders to purchase their tickets with the team credit card, the team office has rescinded that plan.

The Washington Redskins said yesterday they would no longer require season ticket holders who buy their seats with a credit card to use a Redskins Extra Points MasterCard, dropping a policy the team had announced only a week ago.

An official with the credit card company said it had asked the Redskins to drop the requirement and to allow Redskins fans to use any MasterCard when they buy their seats, and that the team had agreed. MasterCard generally does not allow merchants to accept only one type of its co-branded or affinity cards over others, the official said.

So it turns out that it wasn’t because the front office realized it was a boneheaded move. Interesting.

Courtesy: My mother.

I’m sure I’ve talked about the phone calls we get from prisoner loved ones - they want to know where they are or whatever. We have a blanket policy of not giving out that information to anyone but attorneys for security purposes.

So I just got a call from a man looking for his wife who must have been moved to another jail. I asked him if he was family to which he said he was her husband.

ME: I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t give out that information. You’ll need to contact her attorney.

HIM: I have and he says he can’t get the information either.

ME: Well, he’ll have to continue calling because I can’t give you the information.

HIM: *highly sarcastic tone* Well, thank you for being so nice. What’s your name, please?

ME: Jen

HIM: Last name?

I gave him my last name.

HIM: Badge number?

ME: I’m not a deputy, sir. I’m administrative.

HIM: May I speak to your supervisor, please?

ME: Sure, I’ll transfer you.

ECD was in my office during the call and she was cracking up that the guy got so irate. She stood in my boss’ doorway while he listened to the guy complain about me and then he defended me for abiding by the policy, which I’m sure that guy hated.

When the call was over, my boss came into my office and told me to keep on doing what I’m doing. Thanks, boss!

I feel for the family members because I know that it must be frustrating to get the run-around. But while I’d like to help them, I just can’t because our policy is very clear. I would hate to be the one responsible for something negative happening because I tried to help out a supposed loved one that turned out not to be so.

I thought the SOTU speech last night was pretty good. I’m not a fan of some of the social spending he wants to implement and I’m not a fan of his immigration policy post 9/11, but the rest was good. I thought he explained the problem with the Social Security plainly and outlined the privitization plan clearly. I like that plan a lot and I think it will do a lot to help younger Americans to actually get some of the money they put into the program.

What’s completely maddening is that the Democrats are lying to the American people - yes, I said lying. They are liars. They need to go back and listen to the tape of their own people talking about how Social Security was heading for crisis not too long ago. President Clinton called it a crisis. Tom Daschle called it a crisis. Up until President Bush started talking about actually doing something proactive to help fix the problems, they were all crying and whining about the crisis. Today, because they can’t stand this President, they claim there is no crisis. They are lying, partisan hacks and they need to stop it right now. Seriously, just stop. You Democrats claim to want to help the American people. Well, you’re not helping.

You don’t like this President? Fine. But you need to set aside your personal dislike for the man and really think about the plan he’s presenting. Your knee-jerk rejection of this particular plan is short-sighted and makes you look like the petty politicians that you are. It’s this kind of partisanship that makes the people distrust you.

Did you even listen to what he said? I don’t think so, because I heard a Democrat governor say this morning on the radio that President Bush was proposing to eliminate Social Security. What? Clear out your ears! That is not what he said. He looked into the camera and said very clearly that for Americans over 55, nothing would change. And that for younger Americans, he was proposing that they be given the voluntary option to set aside a portion of the payroll taxes deducted for Social Security into a savings account from which they would get 100% at the time of their retirement. The majority of their FICA deductions will still go to the larger pot. That doesn’t sound like an elimination of the program to me. You do a grave disservice to Americans with these kinds of lies.

The best part, and it made me cry for both women, was the moment the Iraqi woman and the Marine’s mother embraced. Hey, anti-democracy-in-Iraq people, were you paying attention to that? That Iraqi woman would not have been able to vote on Sunday or be sitting in the US Capitol if not for that mother’s son’s valiant service. That Iraqi woman was the reason we invaded Iraq. That Iraqi woman is the reason we stay to help them rebuild their country. That Iraqi woman is why our proud and honorable fighting men and women are risking their own lives. How can you not get that?

OK, rant over. Anyway, the speech was good.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

I started a long complaining post about how way too many of our callers don’t use the automated menu, but rather hit the button to get to the “operator” (me). Most times, if the caller had actually listened to the menu, then they would have known to hit the button for the “criminal section.” (These callers are equally prisoner loved ones and lawyers.)

I understand that automated phone menus are impersonal, but they do serve a function and can actually save the callers and answerers a lot of wasted time. So I implore you, please listen to the menu you get when you call a business. If you really can’t figure out which button to push, then go to the operator. But really listen, because even the least user-friendly menus will have a better option than the operator and it will save in productivity for the business.