Monday - August 02, 2004

A Little About John Edwards

Not much is known about The Poodle's Puppy, or, as I like to call him, The Breck Girl, John Edwards.

As luck would have it, here's a piece that fills you in on the "middle class worker's" son. It's from Lowell Ponte.

In it you will find out more about how Edwards built his name on junk science, pretending to be babies in the womb, how his methods increased caesarian births in this county but DID NOT decrease MS births as he contended.

You'll read about his roll in the increased donations by trial lawyers to the Democratic Party.

You'll read about his ties to a specific law firm and what impact its founder expects to have on the body politic in general and the American public in particular.

If Kerry wins, we will need to fear for the state of the union. Like the hacks on the left who "claim" Cheney makes decisions to favor his pals at Halliburton, there will be hacks on the right that will go after Edwards for his influence with trial lawyers. The only difference? We'd be right.

Learn about Edwards' ties to the Saudis, the liberalism of his voting record.

It's not a pretty picture.

Sucking Terrorist Ass

Looks like the ACLU has something to hide. Seems they do not like the fact that non-profits taking money from the United Way will be required to have their employees' names checked against a government watch list of terrorists. So they decided not to take any. GOOD!

Of course, THEY claim this violates civil rights but as far as I am concerned they are hiding behind this supposed cloak of "intrusiveness" when in fact they may very well have something to worry about. I'd think a company would be grateful to know none of their employees are on this list. If they are, they can either be arrested, kicked out of the country, or have their name taken off due to error.

Considering how much money has gone to terrorists through charitable organizations here in the US, this is a great idea.

Too bad the ACLU would rather submit to terrorists than support measures to weed out them out. Makes you wonder who is in who's pockets.

Monday Rant (see addendum below)

Should We Eliminate The IRS? (see addendum at bottom)

I just read on Drudge that Denny Hastert is going to propose the elimination of the IRS during President Bush's second term.

You're all thinking, "HOORAY!! YIPPEE!! ABOUT DAMNED TIME!!! F**KIN' A!!!!!"

Hold on a minute now. Let's not get too excited just yet.

Something like that, frankly, scares me. Remember, this is Congress you are dealing with. The same people that passed Campaign Finance Reform with loopholes in it so big you could steer an aircraft carrier thought it with room for its destroyer escorts.

Here's what I would want you to consider in such a move:

1. What will be the sales tax rate and HOW will it be calculated?

2. What assurances do we have that the methodology for RAISING those rates is one tied to the requirement to maintain a balanced budget----at all costs? If not, you'll find this to be a nightmare!

3. Here's the biggest one of all which I rarely ever see discussed: during what sort of economic times will we be doing this changeover? If our economy is depressed, it will get even more so. If the economy is vibrant, no president will want it to happen during his watch. Why? Think about it.

a. How many people are employed by the IRS? They will be UNEMPLOYED!
b. How many people specialize in tax law? They will be UNEMPLOYED!
c. How many people are independent contractors doing printing of IRS publications? They will be UNEMPLOYED!
d. How many independent contractors run things like web sites, doing QC on print jobs for the IRS? They will be UNEMPLOYED!
e. How many companies specialize in tax preparation? (H.R. Block, among others) They will be UNEMPLOYED!
f. How many companies print "How-To" manuals for tax form preparation (J.K. Lasser for one) They will be UNEMPLOYED!
g. How many small print companies are there making copies of forms for individuals, mailing them out, etc. Some of them will become UNEMPLOYED!
h. How many accountants do nothing but tax preparation? They will be UNEMPLOYED!

Now let's look at the economic implication all these unemployed have on those who sell real estate, cars, furniture, appliances, etc. Their business will turn down as there will be millions of folks with no jobs to make the money to buy these things. Home prices will tumble. Neighborhoods will be at risk as folks will need to move who no longer have jobs.

And when this ripple effect begins folks start laying off and it begins to affect restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores, etc.

Bankruptcies will skyrocket. Inflation will shoot up. Cost of borrowing will make purchases prohibitive. People will consume less. GDP goes in the toilet. Wages follow. The vicious circle widens. Revenue to the treasury will PLUMMET (since people won't be buying) and sales taxes will need to be increased further exacerbating the now dire situation.

Just something for you to consider.

Hey, I think it is more than overdue that the IRS be abolished. But let's not get too excited about it yet, OK? We may think our Congressmen are nothing but a bunch of incompetent, power hungry individuals but stupid they are not. Once the public begins to grasp the enormity of such a change, you'll see how quickly it gets killed.

As for abolishing the IRS in small increments? Silly, silly people! Name for me when that's ever happened since every year Congress promises to make things simpler yet all they do is add more laws, more pages to the code, more complexity necessitating more accountants.

Sweet dreams, boys and girls!

ADDENDUM:

The comments have been spirited and lively. But I fear some have missed the point completely so let me polish a couple of points and add a couple more:

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Some of you folks are missing the point on my "economic" numbers: remember, it is not JUST the IRS we are abolishing. It's the printers, printing companies, accountants, lawyers, etc. This group numbers in the MILLIONS!!! Do I care much for lawyers? No! Accountants? No. My recent dealings with them regarding financial planning for my parents reinforced that feeling. Will I feel sorry for them losing their jobs? No. But it is not just them.

Back on topic--How many people work JUST for J.K. Lasser and H&R Block?

Maj Mike brought up another point--states! In states with income taxes and treasuries to handle the returns, how many hundreds of thousands MORE people get the pink slip?

DO NOT GET ME WRONG! The IRS should be abolished. It is confiscatory in its dealings.

BUT......................there is TOO MUCH invested by trial lawyers and such types (too many special interest groups paying off Congressmen, too) for this to get much headway. The rhetoric is great but if done too quickly the economy WILL suffer. GREATLY. Much as I'd like to see them go away I believe the solution will devastate the economy and repercussions would last years. To the young this can easily be overcome. But what about the others approaching retirement? This isn't just a couple of thousand of people from a large corporation. This will be hundreds of thousandss, millions---at once! Can we survive something like that? What if our unemployment numbers were already high? It's too ugly to think about.

And yes, the cost of running government with these people is prohibitive and we'd shrink government by not having them but to do this in one fell swoop is political and economic suicide.

I'd love to see a consumption tax but you can be guaranteed there will be NOTHING simple about it. There will be gradients in it. Exclusions to it. Rebates for others. Higher taxes for some. This new beast will not die.

In this particular scenario I'd rather have an enemy I know rather than a new one, unknown and created overnight by people who do NOT have my best interests at heart.

One last thing: Remember, we are approaching 50% of people in the US who pay NO INCOME TAX whatsoever right now. How excited do you think they will be when they find out their next pair of shoes will cost them 15% more? Or the next car about $4000 more? How much you want to bet the democratic rhetoric will reach heights and pitches we've not even begun to imagine as they are informed about this? Believe me, their incentive to vote will be very high!

I predict: We will not see abolition of the IRS in my lifetime.

Unbiased Reporting at NPR

If you ever need a good example of the left-leaning agenda at NPR, you'll have it with this one.

As usual, NPR is my wake-up alarm every morning. Usually within 3-4 minutes they've pissed me off enough that I get out of bed, fix the coffee, and start blogging.

This morning they were blathering about Kerry and what he says he'd do if he becomes President and what Bush should be doing in light of the newest terrorist threats and how not adopting the measures proposed by the 9-11 commission is to blame for what is going on. What pure, unadulterated claptrap.

Anyway, the announcer happily goes on to say that The Poodle's Puppy, Edwards, would be in the Orlando area where he was going to the home of a Republican who said he was changing allegiances this November.

Who is this republican? Frankly, my dear, who gives a fuck? Some schmoe.

But the Mayor of St. Paul Minnesota, a Democrat, goes in front of the media to say he is voting for Bush in November and what does NPR say about this?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ........................................nothing!

Do you need any more proof?

Daily Dose

Quote of the Day

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. Shirley Temple (1928 - )

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On This Day in History

1776 Formal signing of the Declaration of Independence
1819 1st parachute jump in US
1858 1st street mailboxes-Boston, Mass
1909 1st Lincoln head pennies minted
1990 Iraq invades & occupies Kuwait


1861 First income tax is passed

The United States Congress passes the first income tax to raise revenues for the war effort. Although never enacted, it was an important fiscal innovation that paved the way for growth of the government in the 20th century..

HITLER BECOMES FÜHRER

With the death of German President Paul von Hindenburg, Chancellor Adolf Hitler becomes absolute dictator of Germany under the title of Führer, or "Leader." The German army took an oath of allegiance to its new commander-in-chief, and the last remnants of Germany's democratic government were dismantled to make way for Hitler's Third Reich.

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889. As a young man he aspired to be a painter, but he received little public recognition and lived in poverty in Vienna. Of German descent, he came to detest Austria as a "patchwork nation" of various ethnic groups. He found direction as a German soldier in World War I, and was decorated for his bravery on the battlefield. He was in a military hospital in 1918, recovering from a mustard gas attack that left him temporarily blind, when Germany surrendered.

He was appalled by Germany's defeat, which he blamed on "enemies within"--chiefly German communists and Jews--and was enraged by the punitive peace settlement forced on Germany by the victorious Allies. He remained in the German army after the war, and as an intelligence agent was ordered to report on subversive activities in Munich's political parties. It was in this capacity that he joined the tiny German Workers' Party, made up of embittered army veterans, as the group's seventh member. Hitler was put in charge of the party's propaganda, and in 1920 he assumed leadership of the organization, changing its name to Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers' party), which was abbreviated to Nazi.

In November 1923, after the German government resumed the payment of war reparations to Britain and France, the Nazis launched the "Beer Hall Putsch"--an attempt at seizing the German government by force. Hitler hoped that his nationalist revolution in Bavaria would spread to the dissatisfied German army, which in turn would bring down the government in Berlin. However, the uprising was immediately suppressed, and Hitler was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for treason.

Imprisoned in Landsberg fortress, he spent his time there dictating his autobiography, Mein Kampf (My Struggle), a bitter and rambling narrative in which he sharpened his anti-Semitic and anti-Marxist beliefs and laid out his plans for Nazi conquest. Political pressure from the Nazis forced the Bavarian government to commute Hitler's sentence, and he was released after nine months. However, Hitler emerged to find his party disintegrated. An upturn in the economy further reduced popular support of the party, and for several years Hitler was forbidden to make speeches in Bavaria and elsewhere in Germany.

The onset of the Great Depression in 1929 brought a new opportunity for the Nazis to solidify their power. Hitler and his followers set about reorganizing the party as a fanatical mass movement, and won financial backing from business leaders, for whom the Nazis promised an end to labor agitation. In the 1930 election, the Nazis won six million votes, making the party the second largest in Germany. Two years later, Hitler challenged Paul von Hindenburg for the presidency, but the 84-year-old president defeated Hitler with the support of an anti-Nazi coalition.

Although the Nazis suffered a decline in votes during the November 1932 election, Hindenburg agreed to make Hitler chancellor in January 1933, hoping that Hitler could be brought to heel as a member of his cabinet. However, Hindenburg underestimated Hitler's political audacity, and one of the new chancellor's first acts was to exploit the burning of the Reichstag (parliament) building as a pretext for calling general elections. The police under Nazi Hermann Goering suppressed much of the party's opposition before the election, and the Nazis won a bare majority. Shortly after, Hitler took on dictatorial power through the Enabling Acts.

Chancellor Hitler immediately set about arresting and executing political opponents, and even purged the Nazis' own SA paramilitary organization in a successful effort to win support from the German army. With the death of President Hindenburg on August 2, 1934, Hitler united the chancellorship and presidency under the new title of Führer. As the economy improved, popular support for Hitler's regime became strong, and a cult of Führer worship was propagated by Hitler's capable propagandists.

In 1938, Hitler implemented his plans for world domination with the annexation of Austria, and in 1939 Germany seized all of Czechoslovakia. Hitler's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, finally led to war with Germany and France. In the opening years of World War II, Hitler's war machine won a series of stunning victories, conquering the great part of continental Europe. However, the tide turned in 1942 during Germany's disastrous invasion of the USSR.

By early 1945, the British and Americans were closing in on Germany from the west, the Soviets from the east, and Hitler was holed up in a bunker under the chancellery in Berlin awaiting defeat. On April 30, with the Soviets less than a mile from his headquarters, Hitler committed suicide with Eva Braun, his mistress whom he married the night before.

Hitler left Germany devastated and at the mercy of the Allies, who divided the country and made it a major battlefield of Cold War conflict. His regime exterminated nearly six millions Jews and an estimated 250,000 Gypsies in the Holocaust, and an indeterminable number of Slavs, political dissidents, disabled persons, homosexuals, and others deemed unacceptable by the Nazi regime were systematically eliminated. The war Hitler unleashed upon Europe took even more lives--close to 20 million people killed in the USSR alone. Adolf Hitler is reviled as one of history's greatest villains..

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Today's Birthdays

1905 Myrna Loy Montana, actress (Rebound, Emma)
1922 Carroll O'Connor NYC, actor (All in the Family, Heat of the Night)


Thanks to The Quotations Page Famous Birthdays Snopes

   Sunday - August 01, 2004

All My Blog Children

Sob .. it brings a tear to my eye. A happy tear though. Another of our faithful readers has started her own blog. First, Mr. Minority left the fold and and kicked out on his own (although he still visits to comment) and now Barb (the Annoying Little Twerp) has started her own blog.

It is sad when one of our little birds leaves the nest but Vilmar and I continue to carry on. We wish them all well and urge you to visit them often.

Memo To Tribune Barb: I expect to see a blog post slamming the rotten Cardinals ASAP, kiddo. Get vicious, get mean .. and then tell us what you really think about Dummycraps. We will be watching ....

All Is Explained: Indy To Boston To Alabama

Where to begin? The last ten days have been physically exhausting and nerve-wracking to say the least. The road trip began in Indianapolis, made its way to Boston, spent five days behind enemy lines and then made another trip of over 700 miles to Huntsville, Alabama. Let's start at the beginning ....

DISCOVERED!!! ALLAN’S NEW JOB!!!

A recent vacancy caused by the firing of an employee necessitated a new hire---quick! Which explains why the Minister Of Propaganda absconded so quickly and is now in Alabama.

Read this to find out Allan's new job and why he had to hurry to Alabama!

The question is this though: will he continue in his predecessor's steps and if so, need we fear he try and do the same thing to us?

Update From Caesar (Allan): Vilmar, you must be off your medication again. Take your pills and calm down.

Animal Phone Calls We’d Rather Not Hear

Dog: [*heavy panting*] "Hey, could you put the phone up to your butt for a minute?"

Beaver: "Hello, Ms. Stone? Close your legs, for cryin' out loud! You're giving my kind a bad name!"

Dog: "Can you please page Miss Legtohump, first name Anita?"

Dog: "My name is Humphrey Quentley. Is the bitch of the house in?"

Iguana: "Roy Scheider? This is Liz... Liz Erd. I want my neck back!"

Dog: "Hello, Twin Dragons restaurant? EAT ME!!"

Mink: "Could I speak to the lost and found? I think I left my coat."

Dog: "Is your refrigerator running? Well you better... Hey, Look A Cat!"

Donkey: "Is 'U.R. Ugly' there? ... Why, yes, I *am* an ass."

Dog: "Is there a Hugh Jefirehydrant there?"

Squirrel: "I'd like to speak to Holden... Holden Manuts."

Lamb: "911? Please send an ambulance! My sister is bleating from her mouth!"

Dog: "I am the Viper.... I am the Viper... I vill vipe my butt on your vall-to-vall carpet!"

Sperm whale: "May I speak to Ms. Lewinsky, please?"

A Coup by The Minister of Propaganda

While Allan was in Boston last week enduring the hell that can only be called the Democratic Convention, he was able to infiltrate party headquarters and abscond with a copy of John "The Poodle" Kerry's job application. Seems all dummycraps have to file one of these when they are running in the primaries and must have one on file for review before being nominated.

I consider what he accomplished quite a coup!

For such valiant courage in the face of rabid moonbats, I hereby issue an Imperial Decree pardoning our Minister of Propaganda for any crimes he may or may not have committed. So is it said. And so it shall be.

Here's the application and I share it with you now:

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NAME: John Kerry

RESIDENCE: Many mansions, including Washington, DC, worth multi-millions.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Law Enforcement. I voted to cut every law enforcement, CIA and defense bill in my career as a US Senator. I ordered Boston to remove a fire hydrant which I considered unsightly, in front of my mansion, thereby endangering my neighbors in the event of fire.

MILITARY: I used three minor injuries to get an early discharge from the military and service in Vietnam (as documented by the attending doctor). I then returned to the US, joined Jane Fonda in protesting the war, and insulted returning Vietnam vets, claiming they committed atrocities and were baby killers. I threw my medals, ribbons, or something away in protest. Or did I? My book; Vietnam Veterans Against the War: The New Soldier shows how I truly feel about the military. I deplore the military!

COLLEGE: I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. Unlike my counterpart George Bush, I have no higher education and did not get admitted to Harvard nor graduate with an M.B.A

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE: I ran for U.S. Congress and have been there ever since. I have no real world experience except that of a gigolo, by marrying rich women and running HJ Heinz vicariously through my wife, Teresa.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: As a US Senator I set the record for the most liberal voting record, exceeding even Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton. I have consistently failed to support our military and CIA by voting against budgets, thus gutting our country's ability to defend itself. Although I voted for the Iraq War, now I am against it and refuse to admit that I voted for it. I voted for every liberal piece of legislation. I have no plan to help this country but I intend to raise taxes significantly if I am elected.

My wealth so far exceeds that of my counterpart, George Bush, that he will never catch up. I make no or little charitable contributions and have never agreed to pay any voluntary excess taxes in MA, despite family wealth in excess of $700 million.

I (we) own 28 manufacturing plants (Heinz) outside of the U.S. in places like Asia, Mexico and Europe. We can make more profit from the cheaper cost of labor in those countries, although I blame George Bush for sending all of the jobs out of Country.

Although I claim to be in favor of alternative energy sources, Ted Kennedy and I oppose windmills off Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard as it might spoil our view of the ocean as we cruise on our yachts.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES: None.

PERSONAL:

I ride a Serotta Bike.

My Gulfstream V Jet is called The Flying Squirrel.

I call my $850,000 42-foot Hinckley twin diesel yacht the Scarmouche.

I am fascinated by rap and hip-hop and feel it reflects our real culture.

I own several "Large" SUVs including one parked at my Nantucket summer mansion, though I am against large polluting inefficient vehicles and blame George Bush for the energy problems.

PLEASE CONSIDER MY EXPERIENCE WHEN VOTING IN 2004

Sunday Pin-Ups (sorta)

Three little lovelies for the men today. Ladies, scroll down for yours.

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We start with the king of pin-ups, Alberto Vargas.

From the time Esquire first introduced America to the Varga Girl, in 1940, the name Vargas has been synonymous with pin-up and glamour art. In fact, the word "vargas" has actually been applied to almost every kind of pin-up subject - a fitting tribute to the most famous and prolific glamour artist of all time.
Born February 9, 1896, in Peru, Alberto Vargas was the son of a renowned photographer, Max Vargas, who had taught him how to use an airbrush by the time he was thirteen. Vargas' first encounter with America happened about noon at Broadway and Fourteenth Street, when he was suddenly surrounded by a lunchtime crowd of smartly dressed office workers. Mesmerized by their grace, sophistication, and beauty the young artist decided he would spend his life glorifying the American Girl.

Vargas maintained a full schedule throughout the 1920s, working for a diverse group of clients in addition to the Follies and Paramount. Vargas. By 1935, he was working for Warner Brothers and, before the decade was over, for MGM.

Vargas' first calendar jobs were two pastel glamour pin-ups executed for Joseph C. Hoover and Sons between 1937 and 1939. He became an American citizen in 1939.

Vargas continued to paint Hollywood stars while he worked for Esquire. His 1941 movie poster of Betty Grable in Moon Over Miami was a great success; among the other leading ladies he painted were such stars as Jane Russell, Ann Sheridan, Ava Gardner Linda Darnell, Marlene Dietrich, Loretta Young, and Marilyn Monroe.

In 1957, Playboy magazine published a pictorial feature on Vargas' nudes, which drew the attention of publisher Hugh Hefner.Embarking on this momentous association in 1960, Vargas was to paint 152 works for Playboy during this period, adapting to new moral standards and more explicit sexuality.

This one is untitled.

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Next we have an artist named Jennifer Janesko

Janesko began drawing and painting female images at a very early age. The Kansas City artist started exhibiting sensual female paintings in galleries after graduating from Stephens College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in December, 1989. As a fine artist, Jennifer focuses her attention on the female form. As an added effect, Jennifer often uses metallic gold and silver on selected areas of clothing and accessories. The hard, reflective metallic sharply contrasts with the soft, flowing skin for a dramatic effect. Jennifer uses airbrush and paintbrush to create a mixed media painting.

Jennifer Janesko's distinctive art is quickly achieving international recognition. Playboy magazine featured illustrations by Janesko in the June 1998, March 1999, March 2000 and February 2001 issues.

Title: "Fit to be Tied"

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Last, we have Drew Posada

He was born in 1969, as Andrew Posada and raised in a very poor household that didn’t have money to buy sporting equipment and video games, etc. but always had pencils and paper.

He became a professional freelance artist in 1985. After graduating high school he freelanced as an artist and worked as a picture framer.

In 1994 he was flown down from Seattle to San Diego to try out for a job as an illustrator at Image Comics. They hired him immediately and he worked for quite a few studios within Image; Top Cow, Wildstorm and Extreme.

Title: Heaven and Hell

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Ladies, the last time Allan tried this we heard complaints about the pin-up being too young, blah, blah, blah. So in an effort to ameliorate this situation, we give you this:

Daily Dose

Quote of the Day

Democracy is two wolves and a sheep debating what to have for dinner. Freedom is a well-armed sheep ready to contest the vote! Ben Franklin

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On This Day in History

1785 Caroline Herschel becomes 1st woman discoverer of a comet
1790 1st US census (population of 3,939,214)
1834 Slavery abolished in British empire
1944 Adam Clayton Powell elected 1st black congressman from East
1958 1st class postage up to $0.04 (had been $0.03 for 26 years)
1987 Crossbow flight record (2,005 yds 1'9") set by Harry Drake in Nevada

1914 FIRST WORLD WAR ERUPTS.

Four days after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany and Russia declare war against each other, France orders a general mobilization, and the first German army units cross into Luxembourg in preparation for the German invasion of France. During the next three days, Russia, France, Belgium, and Great Britain all lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and the German army invaded Belgium. The "Great War" that ensued was one of unprecedented destruction and loss of life, resulting in the deaths of some 20 million soldiers and civilians.

On June 28, 1914, in an event that is widely regarded as sparking the outbreak of World War I, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, was shot to death with his wife by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe's great powers collapsed. On July 29, Austro-Hungarian forces began to shell the Serbian capital of Belgrade, and Russia, Serbia's ally, ordered a troop mobilization against Austria-Hungary. France, allied with Russia, began to mobilize on August 1. France and Germany declared war against each other on August 3. After crossing through neutral Luxembourg, the Germany army invaded Belgium on the night of August 3-4, prompting Great Britain, Belgium's ally, to declare war against Germany.

For the most part, the people of Europe greeted the outbreak of war with jubilation. Most patriotically assumed that their country would be victorious within months. By the end of 1914, well over a million soldiers of various nationalities had been killed on the battlefields of Europe, and neither for the Allies nor the Central Powers was a final victory in sight. On the western front--the battle line that stretched across northern France and Belgium--the combatants settled down in the trenches for a terrible war of attrition.

In 1915, the Allies attempted to break the stalemate with an amphibious invasion of Turkey, which had joined the Central Powers in October 1914, but after heavy bloodshed the Allies were forced to retreat in early 1916. The year 1916 saw great offensives by Germany and Britain along the western front, but neither side accomplished a decisive victory. In the east, Germany was more successful, and the disorganized Russian army suffered terrible losses, spurring the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in 1917. By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks had seized power in Russia and immediately set about negotiating peace with Germany. In 1918, the infusion of American troops and resources into the western front finally tipped the scale in the Allies' favor. Bereft of manpower and supplies and faced with an imminent invasion, Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in November 1918.

World War I was known as the "war to end all wars" because of the great slaughter and destruction it caused. Unfortunately, the peace treaty that officially ended the conflict--the Treaty of Versailles of 1919--forced punitive terms on Germany that destabilized Europe and laid the groundwork for World War II.


1943 PT-109 sinks; Lieutenant Kennedy is instrumental in saving crew

On this day in 1943, a Japanese destroyer rams an American PT (patrol torpedo) boat, No. 109, slicing it in two. The destruction is so massive other American PT boats in the area assume the crew is dead. Two crewmen were, in fact, killed, but 11 survived, including Lt. John F. Kennedy.

After five hours of clinging to debris from the decimated PT boat, the crew made it to a coral island. Kennedy decided to swim out to sea again, hoping to flag down a passing American boat. None came. Kennedy began to swim back to shore, but strong currents, and his chronic back condition, made his return difficult. Upon reaching the island again, he fell ill. After he recovered, the PT-109 crew swam to a larger island, what they believed was Nauru Island, but was in fact Cross Island. They met up with two natives from the island, who agreed to take a message south. Kennedy carved the distress message into a coconut shell: "Nauru Is. Native knows posit. He can pilot. 11 alive need small boat."

The message reached Lieutenant Arthur Evans, who was watching the coast of Gomu Island, located next to an island occupied by the Japanese. Kennedy and his crew were paddled to Gomu. A PT boat then took them back to Rendova. Kennedy was ultimately awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, for gallantry in action.

The coconut shell used to deliver his message found a place in history-and in the Oval Office.

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Today's Birthdays

10 -BC- Claudius 4th Roman emperor (41-54 AD)
1770 William Clark Charlottsville VA, 2nd lt of Lewis & Clark Expedition
1779 Francis Scott Key composer (Star-Spangled Banner)
1819 Herman Melville US, author (Moby Dick, Billy Budd)


Thanks to The Quotations Page       Famous Birthdays      Snopes

Kerry Statue Unveiled

The Official John Kerry Vietnam Veteran Statue was unveiled today.

Sadly, the artist was only able to capture one of Kerry's faces.

Mysteriously, the inscription on the statue reads "Bob Hope Is On The Way".

Strange ....

Issue A Fatwah Against Michael Moore?

Let's see, the one American I absolutley despise is Michael Moore. He's a fat, useless, lying fucktard.

When it comes to foreigners, the ones I hate most are the Saudis. Seventeen of the nineteen terrorists who crashed the planes on 9/11 were Saudi citizens and the Saudis have sponsored radical Islam in the form of Wahabbism around the world for decades.

Now, it appears the Saudi royal family is mad at Michael Moore for his film "F-9/11".

Who should I side with in this dispute? Hmmmmmmmmm .....

Aw, fuck it! Tell the Saudis to issue a Fatwah against Moore and have him killed. However, after Moore is dead, we bury him and wait a million years. This dead "doposaurus" should create enough oil to power our starships for centuries. Oh .. and in the meantime we force the Saudis to pay reparations to the US for the killing .... say, 20 million barrels of oil per month .... free.

I like it when a plan comes together.

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THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.

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