Random Thoughts And Comments
February 10, 2010
Barry’s Bane:
No I don’t seriously believe in curses or hexes, etc. but one has to wonder. We always hear about the man with a Midas Touch in reference to King Midas who was reveled for his ability to turn everything into gold. I think it is called the Sidam Touch where everything turns out bad.
Just to name a few, BHO went to Copenhagen to plead the case for his home town to host the Summer Olympics. They assumed they were in the running and didn’t make the first cut. BHO goes to New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts to campaign for his fellow democrats. They lose.
He travels to Copenhagen again to save the World Climate Conference. It’s a disaster. He lives in Washington, D.C. and it gets hammered with repeated record snowfalls. His home town of Chicago suffers an earthquake.
It’s all highly coincidental but I think if I were a politician interested in winning my next election, I’d steer clear of that man.
Global Warming Insanity:
Did you know that global warming causes earthquakes and other natural disasters? The latest comes from Eve Ensler and we should not doubt her for one minute. After all, how can you not take seriously a woman speaking on behalf of climate science who became famous for writing about vaginas.
And the Insanity Rages On:
Michelle Obama has launched, “Let’s Move”, a campaign supposedly geared toward slimming down America’s fat kids. Who could argue with that. We need to do a better job at teaching our kids how to eat better. And did I tell you that needs to be done at home?
But that isn’t nearly as effective as telling the world that fat kids are a threat to our national security. That’s what the First Lady said. She also said, “So many parents desperately want to do the right thing, but they feel like the deck is stacked against them. They know their kids’ health is their responsibility but they feel like it’s out of their control. They are bombarded by contradictory information at every turn, and they don’t know who to believe.”
So, close your eyes and follow the Obamas. After all, our national security depends on it.
Tea Parties:
Ignorance prevails when it comes to the democrats and republicans trying to understand what’s behind the Tea Parties. They just don’t get it and what’s scary is that some think they do but they don’t. Some on the republican side of things think they are “in” with the Tea Party simply because they are republicans. On the left, they have yet to figure out what the movement is. Here’s a hint. It’s not about drinking tea.
Iran Sanctions:
This time we’re really going to left them have it!
Auto Recalls:
Is Nissan Motors a big enough auto seller to warrant a government forced recall on something wrong with their cars?
Tom Remington
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‘Tis The Season For Random Thoughts
December 11, 2009
The United States Congress has decided that there is nothing more urgent than to pass a law forcing college football to devise a playoff system and ditch the BCS bowl birth boondoggle that everyone hates this time of year because their team didn’t make it to the championship game. Go Prairie View!!
Can someone please explain to me why this is any of Congress’ biddnih? The same question that totally screwed up Nancy Pelosi’s head could be asked here; “Where specifically in the Constitution does it say that Congress is supposed to decide a national college football champion?” And before you Pelosi supporters ask, yes, I am serious. This is a serious question. (Hint: There is a Constitution)
Maybe I actually have the answer. You see most people think BCS stands for Bowl Championship Series. What it actually stands for is Big(ass) Cash Split. Teams that make the BCS series get to split up all that cash. And you thought this was about football. Too bad those undefeated teams that play in places like Idaho (where is that anyway), have to get any of that pay out money. But they deserve the money. The last time they shared in the prize money it wasn’t enough and so when it came time to put artificial surface on their football field, they bought blue. What? It was on sale!
So, there’s money involved, therefore Congress must be authorized through the U.S. Constitution to decide how best to spend it. I know they know how to spend my tax money. That’s settled. Go Prairie View!!
Who in the dickens is this little butterfly loving freak to your left?
Climategate! Oh, Climategate! Forever will you be overlooked! Oh, sorry. I got carried away for a moment. ‘Tis the season!
You know, I’m not very smart and I’m willing to admit it. I am smart enough to do that. Isn’t it awful when dumb people think they are smart but they are not smart enough to know they are stupid? Or is it worse when people are stupid, they know they are stupid but they think you are stupider and will never admit their own stupidity?
We’ve all heard the expression about a person that doesn’t have a clue. Some of us who have a bit of a clue have heard the same expression taken to it’s superlative of, “he don’t even suspect!”
I laughed this morning when I read a headline, “Climategate Doesn’t Change the Facts of Climate Change”. Curiosity got the better of me even though I knew what was going to be said. The person making the claim that Climategate wasn’t changing the “facts”, supported that claim by citing the facts that are now in question as to being actual fact or fiction from Climategate. Oh, well.
I want everyone to know how much better I slept last night. For weeks now I haven’t slept good at all, laying awake night after night fretting over a proposal for a public option or government run health care plan. When I discovered it had been taken out of the most recent health care bill was I some relieved. There’s something so reassuring when I read that “the public option has been taken out of the health care bill. Instead, it will be replaced with an independent health insurance company that will be run by the government.” Oh, praise Jesus’ name! I don’t even suspect.
I was going to avoid this subject but I can’t help it. Tiger Woods! What a mess! Now rumors are flying around that he is going to give up golf in order to save his marriage. The real reason he’s thinking of giving up golf is because the Swedish golfer Jasper Parnevik introduced Tiger to his wife. Rumors are also flying that Tiger got a phone call from Parnevik saying that now that he’s had a nine iron smashed across his face, does he have any idea what a driver would feel like…………well, let’s not go there.
We really all should find something better to do with our time. You know Tiger made his choices and now it seems he is realizing the consequences all by himself. I don’t think he needs any of us helping him to screw it up worse than it already is. But then again, that wouldn’t be American would it?
‘Tis the season! Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! And finally my ’tis the season random thoughts will leave you with a YouTube video of some of the most precious Christmas songs of all time…….well, maybe the most precious Christmas songs of this week. Or maybe the songs only slightly resembles Christmas and it’s just plain funny stuff.
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts – Open Air w/ Tom Remington
November 20, 2009
Some random thoughts really! The $100 million health care bill bribery; If politicians stopped meddling in things they don’t understand, we could shut down Washington; Taking the moral high ground is kind of like claiming you’re only in ankle deep when you really went in head first; Global warming cheaters; Getting out of paying bad debt and back taxes.
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Random Thoughts And Comments
September 28, 2009
It must be time!
I wise man once told me that when it came time to elect a new president, just open your wallet and look in to see if there is more money in there today than when the last president was elected. Perhaps an oversimplification of a method of determining validity but sane just the same.
One of the things that should be of concern to most Americans today still remains national security. It does me. Well, we are not about to elect a new president but it won’t be too long before we will be faced with mid-term Congressional elections. So how’s that national security working out these days. I’m opening up my wallet and looking in to see if I believe, as was promised, that the world would fall back in love with America with President Obama in charge and we’d be a much safer country. Hmmmmmm!
When was the last time a United States president lobbied the Olympic Site Selection Committee to bring the games to American soil? Um, er, ah, oh, well, maybe……..never? What can possible go wrong with that. Maybe Obama will travel to Copenhagen and offer up a round of fist bumps and all is well. One rumor floating around is that Obama was already notified Chicago would win the games for 2016 so he’s going to go to Copenhagen and pretend he’s hardlining the committee. It will be his first foreign policy victory since becoming president. Hmmmmmmm!
Obama says kids need to be in school longer, perhaps even shortening or eliminating the summer vacation. So, Mr. President, is it that the kids need more time to learn the lyrics to “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Barack Hussein Obama”?
Obama says he “wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place to go.” A safe place to go? Are you kidding me? I think Obama needs to get out a little bit more. Not that his predecessor knew what was going on in our schools either, but inner city school certainly are not safe havens. And he basis his decision on what his two daughters think. I wonder what his thoughts would be if he had two boys? Hmmmmmmmmm!
I read someplace that the biggest mistake a head of state can make is to go before television cameras without having anything new to say. Hmmmmmmmmm!
According to some in this country, their advice to you would be to commit some heinous crime and then run away and hide for about 30 years. Then you can come out and you shouldn’t be prosecuted. Oh, but wait. I think it would have something to do with who you are or what your name is. Never mind! Hmmmmmmmm!
“Couldifmite” Hmmmmmmmmm!
Growing up the perpetual “smart ass”, if someone had a headache, I told them I could take care of that for them. I never really did what my intentions where, but I told them if they let me stomp on their foot as hard as I could, they wouldn’t be thinking about their headache anymore.
And so it goes with Bill Clinton. Do you realize how many people who once considered him the biggest sleaze ball to walk the planet, are now thinking he was a pretty good president? Just think about Obama as being the stomping on the foot. Hmmmmmmmmmm!
A male bear in a German zoo attacked and killed a female bear while zoo goers looked on. Zoo officials have no explanation as to why the bear did this. Well, duh! Anybody who’s not interested in being politically correct can find a simple explanation. Officials said the male bear was a “Syrian” brown bear. Was the bear’s facial hair shaved off? Hmmmmmmmm!
New DNA testing has revealed that the skull, once thought to be the charred remains of Adolf Hitler, is actually that of a woman. It was believed that Hitler shot himself in the head and this skull had what was an obvious bullet hole and supposedly it matched dental records. Hmmmmmmmm! I think this deserves another, Hmmmmmmmm!
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts And Comments
August 21, 2009
Can anybody tell us what getting all “wee-weed up” means? Is that a cultural thing? Is that something used at Occidental, Columbia or Harvard? Maybe he used it with his kids when they were younger or not.
The Evangelicals are in a tither over Obama’s statement that some people have been “bearing false witness”. Their claims are that this is a direct reference to them, calling them liars. I don’t see it that way. In the context of who he said it to and where he said it, I would say it was more his use of a Biblical reference to schmooze a bunch of progressive clerics. To me it bordered on blasphemy.
And he also used the statement that “we are our brother’s keeper”, another Biblical reference misquoted. The question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, was never answered in the Bible. Cain had just murdered his brother and God asked Cain where his brother was. His response was, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” It was never a statement of fact.
Some think that God must have been a socialist/democrat because He looked out for people’s well being. True! Christ would never turn his back on anyone, but he also never went around telling people he would do everything for them. He asked us to help take care of those who are incapable of caring for themselves and Christ taught many how to care for themselves. I doubt very seriously that God intended that any government become “my brother’s keeper”.
What I take issue with the most, which once again I guess I’m alone on this one, is when Obama said, “We are God’s partners in matters of life and death.” As one pundit said, Obama stepped down from being god long enough to say we are partners.
Please consider his statement for just a moment. His claim is that man has been given an equal say with God in matters of determining who shall live and who shall die. This is quite scary actually. We have discovered that Obama is the ultimate in narcissism and therefore he has picked up several references to him being almighty. It is one thing to reference his gigantic ego by calling him “the messiah”, “the one”, “Obamessiah”, etc. to lay claim that man is a partner with the real Almighty, I’m not sure whether to call it blasphemy or plain ignorance, influenced by a self destructive ego.
For me it began the other night while watching Sean Hannity on Fox. For clarity, I am not a regular watcher of his show or anyone other Fox News talk shows. I just don’t have time but occasionally I tune in. What was on startled me. Hannity had put together his own “townhall” meeting. He had something like 40 people sitting on his stage. About all I know of the demographics of the group was that 21 voted for Obama and 19 did not. They were then asked a series of questions and given opportunities to answer.
Not surprising, the majority was in displeasure with the way Obama was doing his job. What was surprising is that most who expressed contempt did so because they felt Obama was not forceful enough in pushing his socialist (my word not theirs) agenda. They felt as though the president was not strong and was backing down from the pressure from the right. One member even went so far as to say Obama was no different than former President Bush.
I’ve seen much of the same being expressed since that Hannity show. It woke me up to the reality that this country may be in bigger trouble than I thought.
We deal with lying in odd ways these days. The most common method to sweep a lie under the rug is to claim that you “misspoke”. But what’s completely unproductive and very childish for that matter, is calling somebody a liar because they said something you don’t agree with.
There are hard solid facts that in discussions one might have a difficult time in disproving but I’m talking more in the way of ideals and particularly political ideals. Take health care reform……please! Most think something needs to change in our health care industry. For me personally, I think some deregulation in certain areas would eventually drive the cost down – being that cost is my number one issue. Frivolous lawsuits is the other.
If and when someone tells me that deregulating isn’t the answer, can I call them a liar? Of course not. They simply have a different opinion. We need to get over this. It shouldn’t stop strong debate on such important issues. Bring out the name calling and series debate has ended.
Some on the right read the health care bill and in it they see taxpayer-paid abortion, they see a single payer insurance plan and even death panels. They didn’t just make this stuff up. They read it and this is a conclusion they came to based on experience, past performances and concern or fear if you prefer. It’s an opinion they have formed.
Those in support of this plan, who have their own opinions, aren’t doing a very good job of convincing enough people that it doesn’t say that. Instead, even our own president is calling those in disagreement, liars (bearing false witness). That’s not good. It’s unproductive, it’s unbecoming the leader of the free world and sends out a message that he can’t explain what the bill really says either.
Rational discussion and debate are immediately squished when one calls the other a liar. Remember, lying is making a claim when you know it is wrong. Let’s grow up!
Have a good day!
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts And Comments
April 22, 2009
How many of you watched the movie Forrest Gump? Assuming the majority of you did, do you think Forrest was the dumbest man around or the brightest? Did any of you see yourself in him? We could just as easily ask ourselves about real life people/organizations/companies and if they are really that dumb or do they think we are that dumb.
I just found out that General Motors, one of the Big Three automakers on the verge of bankruptcy, spent over one million dollars over the past three months lobbying Congress. In total, $22 million was spent to lobby Congress by the top recipients of bailout money.
Let’s see if I can find something that I can better relate this act to readers with. Let’s see. How about this? I am on the verge of bankruptcy. I am several months behind in my mortgage payments, 2 months behind in my car payment and I just received word my taxes and insurances are all going to double next month.
So, what’s the best thing to do? I’ve been here before and got out of it but I can tell you the last thing I would have ever done was to spend a few thousand dollars to go to the state capital and lobby politicians in hopes I can get a break on my taxes.
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I heard on the radio this morning that 2/3 of all mortgage foreclosures are going unreported and the banks are holding back the resale of all these properties simply to artificially keep the value of real estate higher than it should be. While I normally could give a hoot what any bank did to run their business into the ground, wasn’t the whole idea of bailing out the banks to liquidate these assets and get money flowing again? This is YOUR tax dollars at work.
Not only did the banks receive TARP money that was supposed to be used for loans to keep money flowing, they hoarded it and refused to lend it. Isn’t that what banks do? Isn’t that how they make money? We have people with money eager to spend it and the banks won’t sell foreclosed property.
Now that makes you go hmmmmmmmm!
~~~~~~~~
Also heard on the radio the other day. I was listening to a conversation between two people and one guy was representing a local electricity producing company. He was selling a “smart grid” system for people to use on their homes. This “smart grid” is supposed to tell you, right down to the penny, exactly what things in your house cost what to run and offers ways to save money.
Not too many specifics were shared during this interview, like the cost of the “smart grid” or exactly the “average” savings buying one would give consumers. Being a bit on the geeky side, I thought about these “smart grids”, not from a perspective of saving the planet, global warming, carbon footprint or so much saving money as just fascination.
I listened further and found out that if people would use more of these “smart grids”, it will not only save the planet but will create well over 1,000 jobs just in the Miami area alone. WOW!
On the saving side, I don’t know how much money I can save by purchasing a “smart grid” and taking the full Monty on this. On the expense side, I got to buy the “smart grid”, replace all my light bulbs in my house, buy a new television, never use my computer again, replace my air conditioning and heating systems, etc. Once I’ve done all that, so that I can fully realize the savings, my electricity rates are going to go up because, for one, someone’s got to pay for the 1,000 new jobs in the Miami area alone.
Also, rates will go up because demand for electricity from oil and coal fired plants will go down. You know. The old supply and demand thing. And because now I’m paying more for my electricity, the money can be used to build more wind farms and solar panel fields all across the countryside. This all costs a lot of money and so I got to pay for it.
I think I’ll just pay my .75 cents for my old reliable incandescent light bulb and remember to shut the light off when I leave the room.
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I read yesterday where Pennsylvania now has somewhere around 16,000 black bears, having quadrupled in numbers over the past four decades. I guess that hunting thing isn’t quite wiping out bears in the Keystone State.
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Yesterday I was reading a very touching story about Susan Cenkus, who returned to Benton Falls in the Chilhowee Campground area of Tennessee, where she lost her daughter to a black bear attack three years ago. It was so said to hear her recount the events. How she sacrificed herself in hopes to save her children and how it is her Christian faith that has gotten her through it all.
I thought it was a very fitting story and then I got to the last sentence of the article:
Monte Williams of the U.S. Forestry Service told media representatives the attack was unusual, adding, “Black bears usually don’t attack people.”
Is it some kind of law that every time a human is attacked by an animal that the media has to end it with this disclaimer at the end of every story? If they must do this, then why not add just a bit more to the statement that could actually be helpful? Why not word it this way? “Black bears usually don’t attack people, HOWEVER, there are known instances and we should remind people that anytime you enter the woods where black bears are known to roam, always be prepared!” And then give them a resource where they can learn how to be prepared.
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts And Comments
February 11, 2009
Tired!!
Ah, yes! It’s that time again. So many thoughts pummeling this tired brain! Tired, yes, I’m tired. I’ve never been tired like this ever in my life. I’ve been tired from cross country skiing 30 kilometers but the recovery was sweet. No, this is a different tired. Some may say it’s because I’m pushing 57 but I don’t think so. 57 is young! I’m mentally tired. The brain is receptive to a constant bombardment of information but processing it into usable material is daunting. How do the masters do it? I’m anal, organized. For God’s sake I contemplate in what order I’ll dress myself in the mornings and trying to sort a steady diet of free flowing information is tiring. I’m learning.
lib·er·ty (lbr-t)
n. pl. lib·er·ties
1.
a. The condition of being free from restriction or control.
b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one’s own choosing.
c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor. See Synonyms at freedom.
2. Freedom from unjust or undue governmental control.
3. A right or immunity to engage in certain actions without control or interference: the liberties protected by the Bill of Rights.
4.
a. A breach or overstepping of propriety or social convention. Often used in the plural.
b. A statement, attitude, or action not warranted by conditions or actualities: a historical novel that takes liberties with chronology.
c. An unwarranted risk; a chance: took foolish liberties on the ski slopes.
5. A period, usually short, during which a sailor is authorized to go ashore.
Is this us anymore?
Chairman Obama!
Chairman Barack Obama was in Ft. Myers, Florida yesterday peddling is Stalinist agenda on the blind people. The media is smitten as badly as the people who can only see what they are craving to see. They yearn for something no man can give them. A woman in the audience stands up to the microphone and with tears down her face, begins to tell Chairman Obama that she is homeless. The crowd stands in awe as if anticipating the great one to somehow part this woman’s waters.
The lady begs Obama, “Please, help me!”
The Chairman appears a bit uncomfortable but I’m sure realizing he has power over the fawning masses, he moves from his bully pulpit into the crowd. He approaches the woman and bends slightly to kiss her cheek, promising he will do what he can. People standing around, mostly women, are quivering, shivering in uncontrolled anxiety (or envisioning having sex with him), tears also running down their faces. I could read the lips of at least one woman repeating over and over, “I love you Barack. I love you Barack. I love you Barack.”
Teddy Roosevelt!
Yesterday I began reading Chapter Eight of Hunting the Grisly and Other Sketches by Teddy Roosevelt. Chapter Eight is called, Wolves and Wolf-Hounds.
About two years ago, I penned a piece called, Me and Teddy Roosevelt Were Best Friends. We weren’t but the article dealt with those who invoke old Teddy’s name in a way to support their agendas fully believing they knew and understood who Teddy Roosevelt was.
It’s funny that our wildlife officials and politicians didn’t consult more closely with Teddy’s observations in Chapter Eight as he describes wolves he found all across the U.S. I can guess that one of the reasons is because they didn’t like what he had to say. More on this in a day or so.
Census!
Most aren’t aware or haven’t thought much about the fact that Chairman Obama used his power of the Executive Order to transfer control of the U.S. Census from the Department of Commerce to the White House. I’ve been asking among some of my friends, where’s the outrage?
Evidently people don’t understand the power of the census. As was so aptly put by one Congressman, the Census is the basis for everything that is done in Washington. Let me repeat that for you. The Census is the basis for everything that is done in Washington.
When the federal government decides to allocate money to the states, it is done from data collected via the Census. Every decision made in Washington is directly or indirectly based on Census data.
There used to be a time when the Census workers actually went to every door of every house in America, as well as visiting park benches to count the homeless, and counted heads. Chairman Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rambo Emanuel isn’t going to do it that way. He will “get a sense” of how many people live in a community. This “getting a sense” will determine political boundaries, congressional districts, population centers and in essence, Emanuel and Chairman Obama can manipulate the Census and rewrite the political structure of this country. They can ensure leftist dominance for decades to come. Think about it!
So where’s the outrage?
One Trillion!!!!
The word trillion has become quite popular of late. I remember as a kid learning about numbers. I can distinctly remember when I discovered how to count to one million. Of course I never actually did do the counting but I grasped the concept of thousands adding up to hundreds of thousands, all in numerical order, to eventually strike one million. There was a pattern. I wanted to be a mathematician. That was cool! Didn’t happen.
Eventually I learned that after millions came billions and then trillions. My brothers and I did like to sit around and pretend we knew some far fetched words to describe numbers too big to handle – I think gazillion was my favorite.
The truth is we don’t know what a trillion is. It’s kind of like the guy we just elected president. We think we know him but actually we only know his name is Barack Hussein Obama. We think we know how far it is to what was once the planet Pluto, but we don’t really.
This morning my son began instant messaging me about how much a trillion dollars was. He began putting it into perspectives that might help us understand. He said to me, “If I paid you $96,000 a day, you would be a millionaire in less than 11 days.” (Don’t ask me why he chose $96,000) At the same rate, I would become a billionaire in just over 28 years. And at $96,000 per day, I would reach one trillion dollars in roughly 28,500 years.
The U.S. Senate passed the $830 billion dollar spendulus bill. Without interest, if we began paying off that debt by $1 million dollar per day, it would take 2,274 years to do it. Too far fetched isn’t it?
The Senate was haggling over a mere $100 billion dollars in the bill. That $100 billion dollar difference is 274 years of paying $365 million a year.
This makes no sense. It is clear this government is out of control!
All Hail the Great One!!
All this fawning and panting and fantasizing over Barack Obama I find disturbing. He’s a man and that’s it. But people for centuries have believed they could find what they are looking for in a man or sometimes in a group of men, i.e. The Beatles.
For me often the best way to deal with such obsessions is to find humor.
I wish I could remember the name of the humorist/storyteller who used to entertain us with many stories about Brother Billy and one of my favorites is The Piccolo Player. In telling of the events yesterday in Ft. Myers with Chairman Obama descending upon the crowd while they waited in anticipation only reminded me of the Brother Billy story of when he went to visit the Vatican.
You see, you must understand that Brother Billy is a cripple. He gets around on crutches mostly. But Brother Billy was on tour of Europe and decided he wanted to visit the Vatican in hopes of seeing the Pope. He had been to London’s Big Ben but couldn’t go up inside the giant clock because he’s a cripple you know. He also went to Pisa, Italy to view the Leaning Tower. Again he was shut out of going up to the top. He’s a cripple you know. He passed on the Eiffel Tower because he knew he was a cripple.
As luck would have it, when Brother Billy arrived near the Vatican, crowds had begun to gather along both sides of the street. Everything was in a buzz. The excitement was at a feverish pitch. Brother Billy asked a nearby tourist, “What’s everyone doing?”
Brother Billy was told that soon the Pope would be coming down the street and that everyone was gathering in hopes of getting a peek at the Pope.
It was hard for Brother Billy, being a cripple you know, to work his way through the crowd but seemingly undaunted and driven by the prospects of maybe seeing the Pope, Brother Billy worked his way toward the curb. Somehow he wanted to be in front to see the Pope.
Brother Billy was cripple you know and was beginning to tire. He waited and waited. Soon Brother Billy considered giving it up. He couldn’t stand here on the street any longer. He was, after all, cripple you know.
But wait, Brother Billy could here the crowds cheering. Could this be the Pope, he thought?
Yes, he looked anxiously down the street, his frail body slung over his aged crutches. He is a cripple you know.
The Pope neared and as the vehicle carrying the Pope got beside Brother Billy, the Pope ordered the vehicle to stop. The Pope dismounted from his perch and approached Brother Billy. Brother Billy was surprised, the sweat pouring from his brow as he struggled to keep himself upright. He is a cripple you know.
The Pope approached Brother Billy. He was carrying with him his holy sceptre. He reached out with the staff and touched Brother Billy’s right side and his right crutch flew out from underneath him and into the crowd. The crowd ooohed and aaahed.
Next the Pope touched Brother Billy on his left side and like the right, the crutch flew out from under Brother Billy and landed in the crowd.
From behind Brother Billy in the crowd you could hear someone yell, “Has he been healed?” Nearby a man replied, “No, he fell flat on his face. He’s a cripple you know.”
Tom Remington
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Random Christmas Eve Thoughts
December 24, 2008
Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!
There! If I’ve offended you, leave now and by all means DO NOT continue reading any further!
“What do you want for Christmas?” That question has been drummed into us all since birth. Need I remind you?
Christmas is the day we have chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. “And unto this day a Savior is born.” The Bible gave us a promise that one day God would send us an only child, a son. He would be born of common people, a virgin and to make the story oh so much better, the baby Jesus was born in a stable amongst animals.
Jesus grew up and was killed because he spoke the truth but because of his death it became possible for all of us to have everlasting life. For Christians, Christmas day is the celebration of the birth of Christ not what you’re going to get for a present.
They say history repeats itself. Will those who speak the truth of Christ be killed because of it? Actually, they already are.
If a stranger came to your house and asked to borrow money, would you give it to them? If someone you knew asked to borrow money would you give it to them, even if you knew they had a reputation of making very poor decisions on managing their money?
I remember the day when a man’s word and reputation was all that was needed to secure a loan from a bank. Needless to say that same man’s word and reputation could be a roadblock in securing a loan too. I could place a call to my neighborhood bank manager and tell him I needed some money and that was good enough for him. I didn’t even have to tell him what I was going to use the money for.
This morning Thomas Sowell reminds some of us not to be so bowled over with the fact that Barack Obama has placed so many people around him with Ivy League degrees. He points out what some of the same Ivy League degrees have gotten us in the past and present.
There is so much intelligence around that we have now come to self-investigation. People want to know why the financial industry is a shambles, so those responsible for oversight of the financial industry appoint themselves to conduct an investigation.
Where is the love, brothers? Where is the trust? There is none and you’re an idiot if you trust anyone tied up in politics. None of us know to what degree Barack Obama was involved with Rod Blagojevich and we may never know. However, appointing one of your own to “investigate” the depth of that involvement doesn’t hold any water we me. As a matter of fact it only serves to elevate the level of distrust.
Will it be the Florida Gators or the Oklahoma Sooners? Did Alabama get a raw deal out of this? Appears the NFL is coming down to four teams. In the NFC it looks like the Giants and the Panthers. The AFC is coming down to the Steelers and the Titans. Who are the other teams we need to watch out for?
Here’s an unoriginal thought. NASCAR drivers wear fire suits when they drive. We think of it more like a uniform and it’s plastered with all the driver’s sponsorships. Should we require a similar thing for those in Congress and the White House? Maybe even make them place decals and logos on the cars they drive too?
Put on your “What If” hat for a moment. What if some or all of the states got together and told the federal government to stick it? What if they told them they were sick and tired of their meddling, unconstitutional ways. What would happen?
What if Idaho, Montana and Wyoming got together and told the Department of Interior they were not going to spend another dime on managing wolves or provide any assistance in the matter any longer? What would the feds do?
Here’s another “What If”. What if just one state would have the support of its legislature to enact a bill that says that no longer will any fees collected from hunters, fishermen and trappers be used for any non game programs. Then move non game programs over to parks and recreation of a department of conservation to be paid for through general taxation or some other means.
If carbon dioxide is now consider a pollutant by the misinformed, then all gases must be considered as such. Then what?
Well, I have to go finish getting ready for Christmas. Hmmmm, I wonder what I’m getting for Christmas?
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts And Comments
October 16, 2008
While I’m sitting here waiting for our server to reboot (God, technology stinks), I thought it might be a good time to clear the air with some random thoughts and comments.
Especially after last nights final (thank God) debate, Joe became a repeat household name. Will there be a run now on newborn babies being named Joe? How about Trig? Then again, we may have some on the far left who had been considering naming their son Joe and decided instead to have an abortion because last night’s Joe appears to be an evil capitalist.
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McCain’s effort at the debate last night reminded me of something that happened during my high school years. I was on the ski team and we had a Saturday race. For those unfamiliar with alpine ski racing, the object is to go from start to finish by passing between sets of poles in the fastest time. This requires quite a bit of concentration as those sets of poles (gates) come at the skier in rapid succession. Today there are only red and blue gates. Back when I was in high school, for a slalom event, there were red, blue and yellow.
One of my teammates, who after the day was over, earned the nickname of Hollywood Howe (Howe of course being his last name.) That day his father was filming the race with his new 8mm(?) movie camera. While Hollywood Howe was attempting to negotiate the maze of bamboo poles, when he reached the point of the course where his father was filming, he turned in the direction of the camera and waved. Doing so he missed the next two gates and became disqualified.
This was John McCain last night. He forced some issues to get his attacks in on Barack Obama but many of them were handed to him or perhaps served up like huge softballs aching to be blasted out of the park.
McCain was much like Hollywood Howe. He got in his initial licks and seemed quite pleased with himself that he could do it, but he was never able to finish the course and pick up a time to be competitive. He started his attack but just never knew how to “eloquently” finish it off. In short, he probably came across to some as quite amateurish. That will teach him to try to say anything meaningful during a debate.
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Have you noticed how popular it is to call something what it isn’t. For example, Barack Obama talks incessantly about his tax cuts for 95% of the people. Aside from the fact that 95% of the people don’t pay taxes, it isn’t a tax cut. It’s a redistribution. It’s also social welfare because those earning little enough income that won’t pay any income tax, will now get a check from the government, stolen from the working man. That’s social welfare also known as socialism. It will destroy us.
If you’d like a good lesson on how to name something what it isn’t, simply visit the Congressional websites and read down through the list of bills passed or proposed. They are deceptive and misleading and done so with a purpose – to trick you and I into believing the bill is something it’s not.
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Blindly and ignorantly, Congress voted to send a whole bunch of money to Henry Paulson. Let’s not forget that important little fact. Henry Paulson, being described in some circles as the man without a country, was handed a bagful of cash. He’s dishing this out to the nine biggest banks in the country so they can loan it to other banks. Our brain trust in Washington (the same that got us into this mess) says that one of our big problems is banks don’t have cash and can’t or won’t loan money to other banks making it impossible for you or I to borrow money. Is this true? Are you having any problem borrowing money? My banks got all kinds of money and are eager to loan it.
So let’s pretend this is true, that banks can’t lend money because they don’t have any. So Paulson digs into his newly found Christmas bonus and begins doling out the money – I’m sure done in such a way that his buddies don’t come first. And the banks immediately begin lending money, helping us to get back on track, right? Wrong! Their hoarding the money! Duh!
That won’t work, the idiots who suggested it won’t work and so let’s let the same morons think up another scheme and probably put more cash into the pockets of the crooks who got us into this mess to begin with.
There will come a point when we will have to ask an honest question. Who is dumber? Those idiots or us for allowing it to continue.
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I was listening to a radio show the other night. I’m not going to say who it was because I’m not 100% sure who to credit the comments to. They asked this question: If you were witnessing something dying before your eyes, would you stand and do nothing about it?
The host then went on to describe the death of America and it seems nobody is doing anything about it. America is now a socialist (for lack of a better description) country now and it appears in search of a Marxists dictator leader. The same commentator was recalling reading Aldous Huxley. Many years ago Huxley wrote that in time the Soviet Union would become more like the United States and the United States would become more like the Soviet Union.
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I once scoffed at an older brother of mine when I asked him if had done his duty and voted. He replied, “There’s nobody I want to elect and I refuse to vote for someone because they are the lesser of evils.”
Little did I know then that in 2008 I would be honestly staring down the barrel of the same dilemma. For me the comparison between Obama and McCain is worse than troubling. I find nothing in anything that Obama says as something I would agree with and very little from McCain either, yet I find Barack Obama extremely dangerous and dishonest and that is the only reason I will vote for McCain.
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I’ve heard asked many times why people can’t see that Obama has all these troubling associations in his past. I’ve thought that myself and I think I might have come up with as good an answer as I’ve heard.
Recall the impeachment proceedings of Bill Clinton. The man was accused of lying under oath, this all a result of, among other things, having oral sex in the Oval Office.
We remember that the House impeached him but the Senate refused to and therefore Slick Willie lived to have oral sex again. Some were outraged and others, perhaps the majority, thought it was all ridiculous and that we should leave Clinton alone. Why?
My explanation then was twofold. One, Clinton lied and studies then clearly showed the vast majority, especially the younger generation, saw nothing wrong with lying to achieve personal goals, i.e. cheating on tests etc.
Two, I believe a large number of Americans, both male and female, have probably undertaken similar sexual activities within the workplace, not necessarily the White House and probably considered Clinton’s escapade something they would like to have a shot at. We know now as we did then that sex isn’t really sex unless it’s intercourse with someone you actually care enough about to have a “relationship”. In other words, sex is a recreation.
In short, people didn’t want Bill Clinton to get in trouble for what he did because in seeing that happen, they see themselves.
Now we have Barack Obama running for President of the United States. If it is true that people aren’t interested in Obama’s ties with Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, ACORN, Rev. Wright, etc. etc., it’s because they once again see themselves.
Think for a moment who is leading this country. The majority were in their prime during the Vietnam War area when defiance and radicalism were born and reared its ugly head in this country. How many of you participated in this “movement” to some degree growing up? How many of you grew up? How many, like Ayers, did not?
People see themselves in Barack Obama, the radical, the activist and if they can live with themselves, they can live with Obama as their president. Anything but George Bush!
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I will end my Random Thoughts and Comments with a question for you to consider, one that is quite personal and not one that I am necessarily looking for an answer to.
I have had this question in my mind for a long time now as I’m sure most of you have to. I’ve asked it and discussed it with some close family and friends but never in any public forum such as this one.
What prompted me to ask it here was Ann Coulter’s article today in Town Hall. Her article tackles the problems of polls and the repeated inaccuracies that seem to favor the democrats (depending on how you look at this.)
She travels back through recent history, when polls were being used, and shows a pattern in which just prior to the elections, polls in general show a much different trend than what actually results from the election. In other words, the polls historically have shown democrats to have bigger supporters than republicans. Here’s one example she cites:
In 1980, Ronald Reagan beat Carter by nearly 10 points, 51 percent to 41 percent. In a Gallup Poll released days before the election on Oct. 27, it was Carter who led Reagan 45 percent to 42 percent.
In 1984, Reagan walloped Walter Mondale 58.8 percent to 40 percent, — the largest electoral landslide in U.S. history. But on Oct. 15, The New York Daily News published a poll showing Mondale with only a 4-point deficit to Reagan, 45 percent to 41 percent.
Why the discrepancy? I can only guess but we can’t disregard the fact that when an individual enters a polling booth, what they do there is private. Who they vote for is their own business and nobody needs to know. Isn’t American great, at least for now?
Obviously, in looking at Coulter’s figures, something appears to have changed from the time people answered the polls and they entered the polling booth – or the polls were skewed (another discussion).
This brings me back to my question. Quite some time ago, I began searching my own heart and sole. It became obvious that in this presidential election, people were going to have to consider voting for either a woman or a black man or both, first time in American history. Would either of these choices influence my decision on who I would vote for? The answer is no!
Now, here’s my question. When people enter the privacy of the polling booth this November 4th, will they vote differently in private than what they have publicly announced because it is a black man on the ballot?
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts And Comments
September 2, 2008
It donned on me quite early this morning that this HAD to be a day for “Random Thoughts and Comments”.
It was a long weekend, or that’s what it is called. I’m not sure what was so long about it. It seemed very short to me. I hope your “long” weekend was a good one. What did you do? Me? Not much. I spent far too much time working but then in this business you have to make hay when the sun shines.
I did go down to the beach yesterday around noon. There was just a slight milky white sky but all in all the sun was quite bright. The weather is amazing and something scientists can’t understand. Even though we think we can – we do talk a lot about it – I think it is better to just shut up about it and enjoy.
I’m no different than anyone else. I like to bitch about it – like it does any good.
It was hot at the beach and for the Gulf of Mexico, the water was riled up with some decent waves for the surfers and boogie-boarders to enjoy, all a result of Mr. Gustav. Everyone was out it seemed and most were in the water.
We set up our chairs and I threw up an umbrella to get out of the direct sunlight. After a short stroll down the beach, wading in the warm surf, I was pretty much drenched from the sweat and so we headed home to jump in the pool. (BBQed up a nice steak last night to end the weekend.)
I’ve been trying to get a good handle on this V.P. pick of McCain’s – this Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
My thought that Palin was a pretty good pick became immediately reinforced by the reactions of the left and the Obama worshipers. They hate her and everything she stands for.
You know sometimes I choose to escape to a bit of a “La-La Land”. I’m sure we all do to some degree. Unless we are immersed into some aspect of our society, isn’t it safe to say that we form general opinions about how people think and why?
In my “La-La Land”, I puzzle over things like “Pro Choice”, “Feminism”, “Equal Rights”, “Environmentalism”, “Conservation” and any other “ism” you want to toss in the ring. We all have our thoughts on all of these issues and I would be willing to wager that if 100 people were put in a room, there would be 100 different opinions about each one of the topics listed.
If I talk to a friend or a neighbor about any of these subjects, they may not get into their true, gut feelings and only scratch the surface. I think this is kind of where my “La-La Land” takes me and it’s a safe place to be at that moment.
But what happens in the heat of battle, if that be the correct way to describe it. You see, I see the announcement of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as Sen. John McCain’s running mate as launching a missile into the Democrats’ camp, the Dem camp being all those supporting Barack Obama.
This has prompted a response of which we begin to see the true colors of that side, a side that has readily been described as far left. In this latest skirmish, here is what any observer would have learned in regards to some of the topics I listed above.
Pro Choice – We have all come to learn that pro choice means a woman is thought to have the right to choose whether or not to keep a baby when she learns she is pregnant. Pro life means you don’t kill the baby through abortion. What we have learned from the left is that pro choice means your only choice is to abort. When someone chooses to keep a baby, that’s wrong. So for the left, the only choice is kill the baby.
We can also learn that supporting and promoting women in all walks of life is a wonderful thing, unless you come from the right. If so, only liberal thinking women deserve a chance at positions of power.
What else? Oh, yeah! Barack Obama and his supporters get angry when anyone, mostly from the right, questions his experience as being adequate enough to lead the greatest nation on earth. But it is acceptable to question the experience of someone who would be a vice president. Huh? I wonder if it really does matter that the pick is a woman?
As this war heats up, other issues begin to rear their head. Palin supports wildlife management that animal rights and the anti-hunting crowd don’t approve of. This of course has sparked some debate about her being a choice for V.P. I have spent a great deal more time discussing this subject than most and have learned that “science” is a cherry-picker’s tool. Depending on the position at the moment, science is not reliable in making decisions to determine things like removing wolves from the endangered list but science is pretty good if the same crowd can suggest that killing wolves from an airplane or helicopter isn’t scientific. This portion of the left has really been sent into a tail spin over the Palin pick.
Bear and human encounters in New Jersey are escalating out of control. One report I read said encounters were up nearly 90% from over a year ago and yet the anti-hunting government is still telling people hunting only increases bear populations.
How can that be? Have you ever noticed this avenue used by the antis? The only times bear numbers in New Jersey decreased and human encounters dropped was the year after a hunt, yet the government lies to its people about facts.
I’ve always wondered how that hunters have always been blamed for the extinction of some animals. I’m not completely stupid. I know and admit that many years ago without any regulations and game management, things weren’t looking real good and yes, hunting was blamed for drastic reductions of certain game animals in certain places. So why are we also blamed for population increases when we hunt them?
It’s true. Coyote lovers say that if we begin hunting the little varmints we’ll only make the population go up but if we begin hunting the wolf, the population will be wiped out again. Does this make sense to you?
I was just reading about a study that Dr. Charles Kay, a professor at Utah State University, did on the abundance or lack thereof, of wildlife during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. To keep it brief, it was all quite interesting. Using the journal kept by Lewis and Clark, Kay discovered that in places where the natives lived, game animals and other wildlife, were quite sparse, due to over hunting. In places, he called buffer zones, where natives didn’t live, wildlife was quite abundant.
Anti-hunting groups will quickly cite such instances as proof that hunting is bad for the ecosystems and will turn around in the next sentence and say that hunting only increases populations. Give me a break!
Did you hear about the turkey buzzards in one Florida park that are pecking the rubber gaskets off cars left in the parking lot? Medard Park, not too far from where I live and a place I’ve been to a few times, is the site of where these buzzards land on you car when you aren’t around and peck and chew the rubber gaskets around your windows and doors. Biologists think the rubber looks like dead and decayed carcasses so they go after it. Animals do weird things, sometimes just because they can.
Kind of like me!
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts And Comments
August 14, 2008
These days it seems most of my thoughts are random. So much going on in the world and with this age of instant communication, people want to know…….right now! As a reader, do you simply read from one, two or three sources and accept what you have read as fact? Do you look into things that interest you to learn more or verify it’s authenticity? Most don’t!
I do both but more times than not I come away with more questions than I had before I began reading anything. I suppose this is good, at least for me, as it tells me I’m not totally convinced that what I read is the gospel.
Here’s a question for you. We as humans develop thoughts and ideas from a very early age. As we grow, oftentimes our thoughts, ideas and ideals change too. Are you the same today as your were when you were say 15? Many have said that when we reach adulthood, we should have become who we are going to be. I guess from that they mean that our ideals and beliefs are pretty much etched in stone. If this is true, what is that magical age in which we can no longer change? Or can we change?
Examine yourself for a moment. Using your current age, do you still adjust your thoughts and beliefs according to what you learn on a daily basis, providing of course you are still learning?
It appears an evil sin as a politician that you change your mind about something. Today that is called flip-flopping. Yes, we see flip-flopping a lot by candidates in order to pander for votes but I’m talking mostly about real change. Is this bad or good? Does this mean you are an indecisive, wishy-washy person too fickle to lead or does it mean you are willing to adjust your thinking with more knowledge?
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If Michael Phelps doesn’t win 8 gold medals in the Beijing Olympics, will he be a failure?
Why did Meredith Viera on the Today Show, in talking with the women’s gymnastics team, focus on how the girls felt about losing?
What is the real age of the “children” representing China in women’s gymnastics?
Will the Tampa Bay Rays win the AL pennant? Does anybody really care?
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What does it say about our society now that the National Inquirer magazine is considered a legitimate and respected media source for breaking the John Edwards scandalous affair? Everyday, the New York Times seems to shrink in readership and the National Inquirer goes up. Hmmmmmmm?
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I heard that the head of the FCC is saying that next year a new and different version of the “Fairness Doctrine” will be introduced. For those who don’t know, the Fairness Doctrine began and then was overturned, to guarantee that in talk radio anybody who expressed a thought had to give equal time to someone with an opposing view.
This new and improved act won’t be called the Fairness Doctrine but will more than likely be hidden in some sheep’s wool and disguised as something like “The Freedom of Speech Act” or some such foolishness.
For those who may also not be aware, the FCC guy said the new “Fairness Doctrine” will extend to the Internet, to get rid of guys like me and the millions of other people in this country wanting to share their thoughts and ideas.
If such a law should pass and I would be required to present opposing views, there would be hell to pay and I hope that millions of other Americans will stand up and say they aren’t going to take it anymore. Most will just say, “Oh, that won’t happen here.”
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Is the Tenth Amendment dead? Is it now null and void because the states have been bought off with federal money? If, as some say, once any state accepts federal money, they give up their rights and powers to the federal government, then do people on welfare and/or receiving any kind of federal assistance also give up their rights? Does anyone know what the Tenth Amendment is?
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And the final question of the day: Is it closer to New York or by car?
Tom Remington
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Traveling The Highways Of The U.S.
August 10, 2008
I’ve done my share of driving over the years and this year has been no exception, except for the ridiculous amount I’ve had to cough up for gasoline but it was my choice to travel and my choice to keep pumping the gas. There is much to be observed while driving for hours on end and with those observations come seemingly countless hours to think.
My return trip to Florida was less than relaxing because I’ve come to the conclusion I’m driving a lemon. If it’s not a lemon, it is demon possessed. I’ve dumped way too much money into this piece of junk, enough so that now I have more money invested in it than I’ll ever get out of it, I’m afraid. You’ve heard much of my complaining about that so I’ll leave it alone – at least for the most part.
My wife and I finished loading up the lemon van at around 7:00 a.m. on Thursday and first headed west into New Hampshire to hook up with Interstate 91 going south in Wells River, Vermont. Tragedy struck in New Hampshire!
My wife had already succumbed to the overpowering feelings of getting sleepy while riding. I have always said it is mind over matter and I don’t have much of a mind so it doesn’t matter. I just keep on driving and sucking up everything around me that I can and still manage to keep a car in the road.
Thursday was no different than most travels. Of course it had been raining all night, something we saw a lot of this summer. I heard one unofficial report that portions of Western Maine had received over 20 inches of rain in June and July. I think my camp received at least 12 feet of the stuff.
I was driving along and thinking about some of the things I had done this summer. One of the thoughts that entered my head was how that often on this trip through New Hampshire, headed for Vermont, I have been blessed with seeing wildlife.
Just then, I looked to my left and spotted a lone deer, perhaps a doe, standing tall in the unmowed grasses of the hillside. She was beautiful. The sun was trying to burn its way through a stubborn cloud cover and mist hung heavy everywhere. Prior to this, I had witnessed several wild turkeys coming out into the openings trying to dry themselves and scratching for a meal.
The deer lazily loped up the hillside, acting as though she didn’t want to get her new shoes and slacks wet, although I think only that that’s how I would feel trying to maneuver through that tall, wet grass.
A smile swept over my face and a warm feeling filled my guts. I quickly gave a thanks to God above for blessing me with an opportunity to see one of His great creations.
Within less than a quarter mile, the road narrowed. To my right there were steel guard rails creating a barrier from a steep bank that dropped quickly to an old railroad bed. The hillside again dropped sharply from the railroad bed down to the edge of a field that ran out to the bank of the river.
Happening faster than any human could react, I saw a baby deer stick his head out under the guard rail. It was so tiny, it was mostly hidden behind the rail. As soon as I saw his head, he moved to cross the road and that’s when I hit him.
I felt like crap! My wife quickly sat up asking what happened. There was a place on the opposite side of the road where I could pull over and did. I examined the car and as I suspected there was no damage. I immediately hustled back down the road to find the little deer.
God did I feel awful. It was settled when I looked up and lying motionless directly under the guard rail was the tiniest little deer, weighing no more than 20 or 25 pounds I would guess. There was nothing I could do.
As I returned to the highway, it took several miles to get that image out of my head. During this time, I did some thinking.
I have had a driver’s license for 41 years come this January. I tried to calculate out how many miles I’ve logged in those 41 years and needless to say it was difficult. I would guess it would be conservative to say I’ve averaged between 10,000 and 12,000 miles each of those 41 years bringing me close to a half-million miles of driving. The vast majority of those miles have occurred in deer country and this is the first deer I’ve hit and/or killed with a vehicle.
Other things that I took note of during my return trip to Florida had mostly to do with gasoline and driving related events. The highest price of gas I saw was $4.09 a gallon. I did not pay that much. The most I paid was on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Lee, around North Adams. I paid $3.94. The lowest I saw and paid for gas was in South Carolina. I paid $3.53 a gallon.
Road barges were nearly non existent on the highways. A road barge is what I call the big RV’s, campers, oftentimes rigs pulling a car behind. I call them this because too often when you get behind one you are there for miles on end trying to get around them.
I would say traffic appeared to be normal or perhaps a bit lighter than normal but what I did notice was the vacancies in the motels and hotels. We decided to stop in Winchester, Virginia the first night. It was just after 10 p.m.. I was worried we would not find a vacancy. Usually in summer, that late at night, you end up sleeping in the car.
I don’t know for sure but I would estimate the Travellodge we stayed at was half full. The second night was no different. The Sleep Inn in Savannah, Georgia, was very quiet and the rates we paid for the rooms both nights, were considerably less than I would have expected to pay.
The high price of gas may be keeping some people off the highways but I can attest to the fact that those out there still driving, surely haven’t slowed down any. I’m a conservative driver. I hate speed and enjoy being relaxed and comfortable when I drive. I can’t do this traveling over 70 miles per hour.
I would move to the far right lane, set my cruise control at about 3-5 miles over the speed limit and I am without a doubt the slowest vehicle on the highway.
This got me further thinking. Nobody pays attention to speed limit signs anymore. In all honesty, I find it frightening. Millions of drivers, of poor ability, chasing others down the Interstate, traveling in excess of the speed limit easily by 10, 15 or 20 m.p.h., talking on cell phones, watching movies, weaving in and out of traffic and basically having little or no thought as to what they are doing or whose lives behind, beside and in front of them they are endangering.
I hear talk once again of instituting a 55 m.p.h. national speed limit. Why? Nobody will pay it much mind and even if the highway patrol could enforce it, they won’t.
But think about this. If the government decided to lower the speed limit, how many millions of speed limit signs in this country would have to be changed……..again, and who’s going to foot the bill?
I am back home in Florida now adjusting to the warmth of the sun. I’ve washed the weeks of mud build-up off the lemon van and am beginning to go through the motions of returning to “normal”.
Tom Remington
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It’s Time For Random Thoughts And Comments Again
July 8, 2008
I pick up my granddaughter each day after school during the school year, take her home, cook her supper and help her with homework. Somewhere during that time span she tunes in the television to a show called, “I Carley”. The show is about two friends, ages around 11 or 12?, and they do an Internet show called, you guessed it, I Carley. Part of the show is when bells and whistles sound and a loud, booming voice says, “Time for Random Dancing”, at which point the hosts and the IT geek begin doing gyrations considered to be dancing. I suppose this can be considered filler space.
On the same token, I guess my random thoughts and comments can also be considered filler space yet I seem to get pretty good responses from readers to my random thoughts and comments. Maybe I should change it to random thoughts, comments and questions, as I more often than not ask more questions than I try to answer, which makes my job easier. After all, anyone can ask a question. They only risk looking stupid, which I’ve done more times than I care to mention.
President Bush has agreed in principle with many other world leaders, with exceptions, to reduce the carbon emissions in the world by 50% by 2050. 50% of what? Is that 50% of the current emission rate or 50% of projected emissions? Does this mean everyone will cut back 50% or that the U.S. can cut back 75% and leave others to grow and prosper as they will?
And what will reducing carbon emissions accomplish? The truth is nobody knows, no more than they know what growing emissions will do. Has it gotten to the point now that an exiting U.S. president has nothing left for valid accomplishments to achieve before leaving office, that they have to tackle something like global warming? At least other presidents thought trying to get a worthless treaty signed between Israel and Palestine was a big accomplishment. How about being the first president to invite a polar bear to the White House and as him what he thinks about the high price of gas?
What happens if we rid the world of all man-made carbon emissions? Will we then all freeze to death?
Ever ask yourself why, in the high-tech world we live in, we can create and accomplish so many remarkable things, yet some things are laughable? Here’s an example: I just got my van back from the garage – yes they had it for one week! It cost me $600.00 because of one rubberized belt that wraps around a system of pulleys that make things work.
Think about it a minute. This basic concept has not changed since the auto was put together well over a century ago. Granted the belts have gotten better and they last longer and the pulleys themselves are made better but this is basically a hunk of rubber, sometimes more than one, that without it, nothing else would work.
The mechanic said it was a fluke, what happened to my car. Evidently a strip of the rubber belt peeled off and “flukily’ got wrapped around a pulley, which in turn caused tension which resulted in the timing belt skipping about 4 notches.
I wonder if the space shuttle uses rubber belts? Does Air Force One? How about Al Gore’s brain? Does he even have a brain? We know most politicians don’t……have a brain that is. Maybe their brain is a belt. Oh, man! I’m being so random.
And to go along with the mechanics of an automobile, the mechanic was telling me that my spark plugs should have been changed 50,000 miles ago. “What happened to the 100,000 mile change?” I asked.
Of course there are exceptions to everything and I own them all. No, you can’t have any. They’re all mine! It seems Chrysler doesn’t want to use the good plugs, so the mechanic says, “Hey, every 25,000 you should yank them out and replace them! They are easy to get at and takes no time at all!”
“That’s great!” I said. “But I was looking the other day and I couldn’t see any easy way to get at the back 3 plugs.”
“Oh, yeah!” he said. “It’s easy when it’s up on a lift.”
Enough of the car! Well, not quite yet. I have a confession. Since I owned a 1965 Dodge Coronet 440 back in the early 70s, I have owned mostly Toyota cars, with the exception of a short time I owned another Chrysler product.
For the most part my Toyotas (I still own and drive a 1993 Corolla I bought new) have been remarkable vehicles. Not for the only reason, but this time I thought I would try American again – you know? Buy American! Since then, my American-made car has cost me $3,700.00 in about 8 months time. Hmmmm! Should I stick with American?
Since being at camp this summer, I have been perhaps a “green’s” worst nightmare. I burn an open fire in my outdoor fireplace nearly everyday. I got an old refrigerator I run in the shed to keep drinks cold in – probably the gaskets are bad. I have used about 30 ounces of bug spray from an aerosol can and I eat a lot of foods that make me gassy. What say you, Mr. Green Weenie?
Under someone’s idea of life the way it should be, I’d have to go shopping for some carbon credits so I could roast my next hot dog! Excuse me. I’ll be right back. Got to toss another log on the fire. One that I sawed up with my gas powered chainsaw – one that I read contributes more “pollution” than several automobiles.
I got to go finish getting ready for a seminar I’m conducting tomorrow for members of the local chamber of commerce on how to maximize your website. Sounds fancy doesn’t it. What it really means is I’m going to help them understand that you can’t create a website and then look at it once a month waiting for it to do something for you. This should be fun!
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts And Comments
July 1, 2008
It has to be time for random thoughts again as it seems that’s all I have right now with little time or energy left to do a lot of research into creating not so random thoughts.
I heard today at one of the local auto garages here near my summer camp that the owner has never had so many high cost repairs to automobiles. I shared with him about my brother-in-law who just laid out $2,800.00 for repairs on a 2007 Ford F-150 truck with little more than 30,000 miles on it.
The Ford dealership where my brother-in-law went said the same thing as the local guy that it was because of the state of Maine now using just calcium chloride to clear the roads in winter. The local guy told me, of which I cannot verify, that environmentalists say the negative effects of calcium chloride are less than that of pulverized sand (after it has been spread and run over by several thousand cars and trucks). Save the damned environment, right?
At what expense! Ever looked around an auto garage at the leftover and used car parts taken out of vehicles? Where to they go? What impact do junk piles and junk yards have on the environment? How much more of the earth do we need to dig up to manufacture more parts? These are parts that normally may last the life of the automobile. They’re being replaced after 2 years.
The local mechanic also told me of trucks and SUVs of 2-5 years of age having to be junked because the calcium chloride has destroyed the frames. What happens to that mass of junk? As they say here in Maine, “Ain’t too friggin smaht if ya ask me!”
Anyone else hearing anything about “excessive consuming”? I’m hearing that in parts of the country – Arizona seems to ring a bell – communities or members of such, are pushing to pass measures that would restrict how much you can “consume”. It seems the Nazis…er, I mean those who act like Nazis, don’t think you and I have a right to buy and use what we will. We’re talking houses, cars, TVs, etc.
One method called for a cap and trade program that would be much like those of our communist politicians who want to control our carbon expenditures. Each person will have consuming credits issued. If they are used up and want more, they can negotiate the purchase of credits from some schmuck who ain’t got a pot to go to the bathroom in.
Comrades! This is good for the Mother Land?
But hang on! I heard a term yesterday I have never heard before – Imputed Income! Obama says, perhaps not directly, that we will have a tax increase if he is elected prime minister. It could be the biggest one ever. It’s slimy enough that those idiots in Congress, who actually could give a rats behind about your bank account, the price of gas, the cost of food, or the amount of taxes you pay, but this slime ball plans on instituting something called “Imputed Income”.
From what I understand, if you make over $75,000.00, you can, come April 15th, write Obamessiah a check for about $50,000.00 for your share of taxes. He vows to steal from the rich and dole out unearned cash to the lazy SOBs who refuse to contribute to our economy. (There is a growing number of believers in distribution of wealth in this country which is a good indication that we have created a bunch of lazy, good for nothing, slobs.)
So what’s this imputed income thing? Well, say for instance you make $50,000.00, you might think, according to the lies of the Obamaman, that your tax load will be less than that of the guy who made $75,000.00 and gave it all to the government. Wrong! Your “imputed income”, which according to the Kremlin-like Congress, has a perceived value much higher than $50,000.00 and therefore you owe the same tax as the guy who earned $75,000.00. Hang on folks! We’re in for a bumpy ride.
So, the U.S. Supreme Court made a ruling in which it defined the Second Amendment. Why are there people who are like Hatey Smurf who all they can offer up in response is that it ain’t nothing, it means nothing and won’t change anything? Dunno? Then why are there people who think happy days are here again and everything is looking brighter everyday? If you figure it out, write a book!
Why is Justice Scalia an idiot in some people’s eyes and Justice Stevens the most intelligent being on the planet? Or vice versa?
Why are all the leaders of the communists, dictatorships and terrorist-sponsoring nations lining up to endorse Sen. Obama? Why do conservatives hate McCain? Why does Bob Barr (libertarian candidate) dislike American troops?
I heard about a high school student who couldn’t or didn’t want to complete his essay as part of his in class work. He simply wrote, “Fu*% You” on his paper and passed it in. The teacher gave him a grade of 7.5 for what he wrote because he spelled it correctly. Evidently, the teacher made comment that had the student included an exclamation point, he would have received a grade of 12.5 percentage points.
Tom Remington
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Random Thoughts And Questions…..For The Simple Minded
May 28, 2008
Here we go again. The last time I did this it seemed to be somewhat of a success and readers felt comfortable enough to leave a comment or two. Let’s go!
1). If crude oil is $130 a barrel today and economic “experts” claim that crude oil prices if they went to $150 a barrel would translate into $6-8 a gallon gas. If tomorrow crude dropped to $80 a barrel would that translate into $2 or less per gallon of gas?
2). Scientists (we don’t know which ones. It could be the “smart ones” who say global warming is real or the “dumb ones” who say science isn’t settled.) have discovered that there is climate change on Mars and Saturn. It also happens that the climate change is warming. It has been reported that one scientist has come up with a “controversial” scientific theory. His theory is that the warming of the planets might not be caused by man-made carbon dioxide emissions. He further theorizes that the warming might be directly related to solar activity. Why is that a “controversial” scientific theory?
3). Vice President Dan Quayle for all intent and purposes destroyed his political career, for whatever that was worth, because he couldn’t spell potatoe….er, uh, potato….hmmmm. Presidential hopeful Barack Obama said he’d been to 57 states campaigning; he was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and said Sioux City, which is in Iowa; he referred to states near to Arkansas as “those states in the middle” and wasn’t aware that Kentucky was a boarder state of Illinois; he says he was born as a result of his parents getting “together” during the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Obama was born in 1961; he didn’t know what language was spoken in Afghanistan; he views countries like Iran, North Korea and Cuba as tiny, not posing any threat; he claims his uncle was with the Americans when they liberated Auschwitz – the Russians did that; and the most recent one was him claiming to see dead people in the audience during a Memorial Day speech. The media declares Obama the front runner and is sure to win in November. Does any of this matter? I guess things change.
4). A report out recently says that in April Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles than they did in March. Wow! Right? There are around 200,000,000 licensed drivers in the U.S.A. That means each licensed driver drove 55 miles less in April. That’s 1.8 miles less per day. How much is the price of gas getting us to change driving habits?
If the average vehicle were to get 20 miles per gallon (I don’t know the exact figure) then we saved 550,000 gallons of gas. Will that affect supply?
Tom Remington
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