The Best of Intentions

Shoot.

I had the best of intentions. Really, I did. I got to work around 6:30 this morning cranked out some of the stuff I had on back log, held all my important meetings, made it a 6pm soccer game and got home in time to grill steaks and vegtables for dinner with the family at 9. Quite a day.

Then I logged on to The Pursuit of Happiness and there was one new comment! How great is that? I do a post about the fact that I've got nuthin' and somebody actually bothers to give me a comment. "How nice" I thought.

So I opened my comment section and there before my very eyes was not some happy words of encouragement, but rather something else. Something dark, forboding and threatening.

An attorney threatening me with a lawsuit.

Even worse, this certain attorney, by his own admission, has been known to pack heat in situations of conflict! How alarming is this? I'm a simple family man, never hurt a sould in my life (as long as you don't count that man I shot in Reno - just to watch him die). Well to say the least I was shaken....shaken to my very core.

Why I was so upset, that that steak that wonderful boneless ribeye that I had consumed amidst the fawning love of my supportive family did a flip in my tummy. And that just ain't right. Because, you know, I cook a mean steak.

Oh I've been to Ruth's and Morton's and all the other guys, but I got to tell you folks, all I really need is some decent beef a hot fire of hardwood charcoal and my handy, dandy double wide grilling spatula.

The key to a great steak is very simple. First, you've got to let the meat get to near room temperature before you grill. This time of year one hour out of the fridge is more than enough warming time. Secondly, the master of the grill knows to not be shy with the salt and pepper. Give each side a healthy shake and your taste buds will salute the greatness that is you. Finally always remember the two step cooking process; Step one char each side of your steak for 2 minutes over a very hot flame and the execute Step Two by moving the meat to the indirect side of the grill and cover until you reach your desired done-ness - between 5 and 7 minutes in my experience.

People bow down, angels sing and a special post is reserved for you in the hall of the grilling greats.

As for maniacal and possibly armed attorneys, I've got this advice: If they stop by with that crazy eyed look, hand them a beer, feed them a steak and watch the savage beast subside.

Of course if that doesn't work, make sure your shotgun is nearby!

Hanging On

It's busy here at the Pursuit household. We've got a graduation a week from this Friday, we're trying to clean up construction dust but are still waiting for the bathroom counter which, amazingly is holding everything else up at this point, short work week this week, next week, and the week after that, and a lot of stuff at work to do. Which is another way of saying;

I got nuthin.

Sorry, but I'm tapped out tonight. I'll guarantee a quality post for Wednesday night.

That, by the way, is the Pursuit Rock Solid 100% guarantee which is not available anywhere else but here baby.

This Weekend's Rockin' Tune: My Fave Band Ever

Does it get any better than the Pretenders and Chrissie Hynde? I suppose there is a misguided soul out there who might disagree, but for me, this is the top. I can't tell you when I first heard the Pretenders but I can tell you when they really registered for me.

It was somewhere around 1981 on U.S. 65 between Chicago and Indianapolis. I was driving my pal J and I back to school in B-Town, and he had this over played tape of Chrissie, James Honeyman Scott, Pete Fardon and Martin Chambers. The deal was simple; I drove and got us there safely and Jim ensured we had a good time and kept the music rockin'.

The Pretenders classic debut was all we needed to Rock. I won't go into the musicality of this disc, if you don't know, then all I can say is get thee an education. The riffs, the beats, that sexy, sexy voice were so new and profound. Nothing had ever sounded like the Pretenders up until that point, and to this day they remain an original. The Songs on the disc are timeless and sound fresh a quarter century after they first ripped through the atmosphere of my Gran Prix; Precious, The Phone Call, Space Invader, an update of The Kink's tune Stop Your Sobbing, Private Life, and the brilliant Mystery Achievement. We played that tape over and over, never missing the chance to yell out "Fuck Off" when the right moment in Precious came up.

Of course, there was also today's song, Tatooed Love Boys. A terrific little diddy, it sums up all that made the Pretenders great. A unique sound, the groovy beat, and Chrissie's snotty attitude; "I shot my mouth off and you showed me what that hole was for".

Enjoy.

The Fat Old Wrestling Coach

I could never figure out how ole Denny became Speaker of the House. For those of you unfamiliar with Denny's curious rise to power, it is an interesting story; Ex High School wraslin' coach, gets himself elected as Congressman, lives in obscurity for a couple of years, ascends to third highest office in the country.

Impressive? Yes. Curious though, is the word I'd use for it. For one thing, it has never been clear to me what the man did to gain the office. Surely there were others more qualified, and undoubtedly there were those who would have seemed more prepared for the job. But when push came to shove - and lets remember that Denny came to office after Newt and Congressman Livingstone were shoved aside - there was our boy from Illinois.

And life has been good in Washington for Denny. Never a svelt gentleman, he seems to have spent a good amount of his time as Speaker gamefully attempting to wrastle the title of "Corpulent Congressman" away from Gerry Nadler. I've presented two pics above; the first shows ole Denny when he first ascended to the post and the second in a more recent photo when he was apparently threatening to "Crush David Dryer's head like a rotting melon". Ok, I made that last part up.

Still, one could look at those photos and say Denny has spent some serious feed time at the public trough. Looking at those pics, its awfully hard to not think of Newt's contract with America and the simple principles it espoused. I'm not sure what happened to those revolutionary Republicans and their principles, but I think there is a real good chance that Denny might have crushed them with his enormous ass.

I'm not saying the guy is corrupt, although being from Illinois alone should be more than enough to cast doubt on any politician's integrity. But, combined with his behavior in recent days around the Jefferson case.......well let's just say I'm saddened, but not surprised at how poorly this man is representing his state and country.

"The Republicans: Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss"

Almost fits on a bumper sticker.

Of All The Crazy Ideas!

Well, here is the worst idea ever: “Hey gang! Let’s turn the democratic process into a gambling operation to increase voter turnout!” I sat in stunned disbelief as I read this article today and wondered how any reasonable person – one who in this case is a Dr. – could possibly suggest such an inane idea.

But for Dr. Mark Osterloh suggesting isn’t good enough. Oh no, not for Dr. Mark, no sireee. Dr. Mark is a man of action! A man who stands behind his ideas, and no matter how incredibly stupid they may seem to us common folk, Dr. Mark has cold hard cash ready to promote is hair brained scheme!

It’s extraordinary really; the degree that some people will go to in the seemingly self defeating effort to out themselves as idiots. They hunt publicity, spend their money and come up with some of the craziest crap ever conceived by the human mind. This idea of Dr. Mark’s in my view, qualifies for idiot vision of the year.

And it’s only May.

Well done Dr. Mark!

And what is the good Dr. proscribing for the greatest democracy in the history of the world? Why voting/lottery of course. I suppose we could call it Voto! The basic idea is this: In Arizona, Dr. Mark suggests that every person who votes in an election be granted and entry in a drawing to win $1,000,000. Once the election is over, a winner will be named and the cool mil will be paid out of the Arizona unclaimed lottery prizes pool.

Obviously, only a population of idiots could be convinced to go along with such a scheme, but in a state that has enough unclaimed lotto money to finance this ridiculous proposal I suppose anything is possible. Perhaps the most incredible aspect of this whole idea is that it wasn’t spawned in the nation’s most squalid swamp of a hellhole; Florida.

There are so many down sides it is almost impossible to catalogue them in one post. First I suppose we have to start with the idea that getting people to vote who can’t be bothered to put the corn chips aside and waddle down to the voting both is a good idea. Let me be clear. THESE PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER BE ENCOURAGED TO VOTE. Oh yes, it’s true that if they insist on voting the constitution gives them the right, but let’s face it, all we really have to do to ensure the integrity of the electoral process is to be sure that Springer has a good fight on. I have little doubt that we can work some sort of deal with Jer..

Secondly, why in the world would we want to tie the most honored practice of citizenship to a tawdry, addictive affair? Oh sure, not everyone…or even a majority of people get addicted to gambling, but a good number do none the less. Good Lord, if we allow Dr. Mark to pull off this idiocy, you just know that he, or some other mouth breather will be back suggesting that we hand out shots for every successfully cast ballot. Where will the lunacy end?!

I can hear it now, “I’m candidate X and I approve of this add. Gambling or drinking problem? Call 1 800 STOP BET or 1 800 NO SHOTS”.

Still Dr. Mark is proud of his plan. When most normal people would hide their faces in shame for coming up with such a bad idea, Dr. Mark apparently believes he is a man of uncommon vision! Towards this end, the good Dr. has committed $200,000, American, to bringing his insane vision for the bastardization of the electoral process to fruition.

I have no idea how somebody, purportedly with a post graduate degree, could come up with this hair brained scheme. Although, come to think of it, the truth is that we really don’t know what Dr. Mark is a doctor of, so perhaps we should be careful in assigning credibility to what may be very dubious credentials. After all there was that day in college when I proclaimed myself, the “Doctor of Smooth”, and perhaps the good Dr. Mark has come up with a similar designation of distinction. I mean, a guy that would spend 200 hundy on a wacky voter-gambling idea might just be the same kind of guy to announce his self designated doctorial status. So before they go any further I’m strongly suggesting that the good people of Arizona - and by good people I mean to exclude the 185,903 lunatics who have already signed the petition to get this nightmarish proposal on the ballet – might want to be sure they know who they are following. Of course I have no way of knowing, so we’ll have to assume he is legit.

The bottom line is that this plan must be stopped now. If we fail it is very possible we’ll see the likes of Vito Corleone elected governor of Arizona. No doubt Don Pedro will be Lieutenant Gov., and I can just see the Queen of Spades as AG.

And then you’ll know what will happen next don’t you? That’s right. Bill Clinton will take up residence in Phoenix, and chase “that hotty” all over town!

The Worst President Ever?

I’ve been hearing a lot of foolish talk lately about how George W. Bush is the worst president in the history of the United States. Most recently, I’ve seen the linked ABC.com posting about the John Edwards interview is which he suggested that Bush was “worse than Nixon”. For the most part I’ve chosen to ignore these statements as the fevered rantings of the left. No great fan of Mr. Bush myself, I must say that anyone who believes he is the worst president ever has either gone absolutely nuts, or wasn’t alive during some other recent administrations.

My problems with Bush stem from two areas critical for presidential leadership; Budget control over Congress’ natural impulse to spend, and leadership of the country. On these two points I think Bush has been awful and at best inconsistent, respectively.

Government tax receipts, particularly in the past two years of the Bush presidency have responded exceedingly well to the Bush tax cuts. Receipts are higher than they have ever been, a fact not at all shocking to supply siders, yet the budget deficit has ballooned beyond the point of acceptability. While I’m not going to go all Sully on you and proclaim the demise of the Union, or imminent financial collapse, the fact is that too much is being spent on programs that lock in future growth in spending and create structural problems with controlling spending. From my conservative viewpoint, Bush gets a “D” at best.

Leadership though is where Bush has been a particular failure. It was a while back, but Tom at the Functional Ambivalent made the accurate observation that Bush is a guy who is real good at starting things, but lacks the follow through and energy to finish the job. He was perfect for responding to the 9/11 attacks, and initiating our original response, but when it came to leading the country over the long term, and most importantly, responding to the attacks from the disloyal left, he simply didn’t have the desire.

This, more than anything else, is what accounts for both his low approval rating and the battle weariness of conservatives in this country. We were and remain ready to fight the good fight, but when day after day rolls by with no Whitehouse leadership in responding to some of the most outrageous of claims from the left, we wonder why we should post our capital for a man who has tired of risking his.

So we have the situation that we now find ourselves in; daily attacks from the left claiming that this president is the worst of all time, when nothing could be further from the truth. Ironic, since the left seems to see a lie in everyone’s statements but their own, don’t you think?

Still, let’s examine the charge and see if we can find any truth in these claims. We all know that President Bush was left with a country that was in pretty bad shape after eight years of the do-nothing Clinton Presidency. North Korea had been given money to build its nuclear program, China was becoming increasingly aggressive towards the U.S., a second intifada was underway against Israel, Iraq was shooting at our jets patrolling the “no-fly” zone, and Osama was attacking U.S. interests around the world with virtual impunity. The economy was in recession, the stock market had experienced one of its greatest bubbles (and subsequent crashes) ever, and unemployment was on the rise. People joked that whoever won the election between Gore and Bush would wind up the real loser considering the mess that needed to be cleaned up.

Sure enough, once Bush took over the trends that started under Clinton continued and Bush had to begin the process of repair. North Korea became increasingly aggressive, China shot down a U.S. Military plane and held it’s crew hostage, and then there was 9/11 – the attack instigated by the man Clinton wouldn’t go after.

After five years of Bush, things are by no means perfect, but are they better? I’d suggest the answer is a resounding yes. North Korea has been silenced and China is making less noise about attacking Taiwan. The Taliban is gone and Al Queda is on the run throughout the world. Since 9/11 there have been no attacks on American soil. The economy is as strong as it has ever been, with unemployment figures that are lower than the average achieved in the Clinton administration, and stock market values that reflect reality. Iraq is no longer run by a madman who harbors terrorists and shoots at our pilots, but instead is a country experimenting with democracy and fumbling its way toward a better future as is Afghanistan.

Have there been problems along the way? Without question. There are those who have issues with the tactical plan for securing Iraq, but except for a select few, not many of these folks seem to have any solid ideas beyond the old, “we need more troops” canard. Most amusingly, some the most vociferous of critics, including our boy Andy, have never even bothered to take a trip to the country and take a look at the situation on the ground for themselves!

I’ve run on long enough here, so I won’t bore you with some of the details of the truly bad presidencies of my lifetime, but trust me; Bush doesn’t even qualify for the worst of the past 40 years. Allow me to remind you of some of the low points; Bay of Pigs, Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis, Gulf of Tompkin, Wage and Price Controls, Whip Inflation Now (WIN), Iran Hostage Crisis, “A Great Malaise”, Appeasement, Afghanistan.

Come to think of it, George Bush is actually one of the better Presidents.

How Not To Rob A Funeral Home

In fact why would anyone want to rob a funeral home, although if you read between the lines here, there is a very strong chance that robery was the last thing on this young man's mind. A guess maybe you could say he was "dead tired".

Ba dum bump.

I'm here all week.

Try the veal.

Via Vodka Pundit......... kind of. Congrats to the talented Mr. Green