Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Dennis Miller on UFC

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

I tuned into some new sports show with Dennis Miller as the host and he had a coule of UFC fighters on. Between segments he quipped:

You know it’s a tough sport when the referee has to tell you that eye gouging is illegal. That’s usually a given!

I like UFC and the other mixed martial arts (MMA) fightig circuits out there. Given that I wrestled for about 10 years in my life it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that I find the sport interesting.

I found out on Saturday night that a fellow from my old high school wrestling team is looking to get into the sport. Nick Piccard. His father boxed and his younger brothers were wrestlers too. Good ones at that; all of them. Here’s the youngest one’s list of accomplishments.

This should be interesting. Nick’s a tough bastard and I think well suited to the sport. I remember once watching him tear a dude’s rib off from his sternum in a match. It was all on the up-and-up, totally legal, but damn that had to hurt. I forget the name of the move (Mark and Phil, help me out!) but the opponent is broken down, you’ve got a lock on his wrist through the crotch, you drop your elbow into the middle of their back, grip their shoulder, and use that as a lever to turn them. It’s just a move for a quick turn and some backpoints, not to stick them. When the guy wouldn’t turn Nick torqued on him hard enough to pull a rib off his sternum. That hurts.

Going Home

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Originally mentioned here was the story of members at THR donating money to get a 1911 into the hands of a WWII vet. In late June 2004 he got the pistol.

I regret to inform you that Mr. Davis has now passed on.

Rest in peace, Mr. Davis.

Aaron Russo Has Passed

Saturday, August 25th, 2007

Damn.

See Bill St. Clair’s place for more.

Question Everything

Sunday, August 6th, 2006

Well, Reuters is getting their ass handed to them as of late with regards to their photography in the Middle East.

Michelle Malkin has a good round-up showing what the blog world is finding. Lots of “Photoshopping” of the images to make the situation look different than it actually is.

Looks like they’re making up stories rather than just reporting the news.

More Details on the MT Trip

Sunday, July 16th, 2006

OK. I haven’t done a good long drive in a while. I’m still coming down off some sort of legally acquired high because of this last one. See the previous post for the stats.

If you want more details click to see below the fold.

» More: More Details on the MT Trip

Whoa!

Thursday, June 22nd, 2006

Court approves new dope-driving test

Apparently, in Michigan, you can get a DUI if any THC is found in your system. Which is, I think, about a week long period after you’ve smoked some marijuana.

Seems a might bit unreasonable to me.

Stalker?

Wednesday, June 21st, 2006

Okay, things have gone from being annoying to just plain creepy.

I’ve had some guy, named Hyman Brenner, post over and over again that he wants to get in contact with me. Just check the comments on this post to see it.

Initially I deleted the stuff. I thought it was just spam. When he emailed me personally I responed to his vague request that he should email me his questions so that I can respond to them.

No response. I figured it was just a spam bot.

Apparently not. Now I’ve got MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY getting postcards from this idiot trying to contact me.

I tried calling his toll-free number a few times today. I get voice-mail every time. The message is like this. “Hello. Please leave your name and telephone call back number. “.

Who the fuck is this guy?! He’s apparently willing to mail shit to people that share my last name but NOT willing to answer compliant emails that I send him? That doesn’t make shit for sense!

I don’t know what you are, but you are pissing me off. I was perfectly happy enjoying your annoying non-responsive idiocy until you fucked with somebody that shares my last name.

You’re making me angry, and that is not good.

UPDATE: I called again and left a voice mail explaining my position. It was not very polite. I gave him my phone num ber in the event that he has any actual questions for me. Smart move? No, but it’s better than having this ass-hat mail shit to people related to me.

UPDATE II: I left another message. I am not a nice person when you start involving my family. The words “ya fuck” will probably spew forth from my mouth. They did on the last one!

Could Have Been Me

Thursday, June 15th, 2006

Hat tip to Bill St Clair for finding this one.

Unanswered questions at Dulles Airport

Go and read the whole thing, please. I found it rather chilling.

The summary is that a person that writes columns on traveling likes to keep a good eye on the differences between various airports in the post 9/11 era so other travelers know what to expect. When stopped by somebody not wearing a TSA uniform demanded ID he questioned who they were and inquired as to why he was supposed to show them ID.

» More: Could Have Been Me

Ouch

Thursday, June 15th, 2006

Ammo plant workers killed when warhead exploded

The explosion of a missile warhead Monday morning at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (IAAP) has left two workers missing and presumed dead and two other workers with very minor injuries.

I don’t have anything insightful to say, here, but when I saw this article I was reminded that there’s people out there not in uniform that are doing their part to keep our military going that are risking their lives. In this case, actually losing them.

Global Government

Wednesday, June 14th, 2006

I’m going to start with off with something entirely docile, NASCO. It’s North American’s SuperCorridor Coalition, Inc. and is in their own words “… a non-profit organization dedicated to developing the world’s first international, integrated and secure, multi-modal transportation system along the International Mid-Continent Trade and Transportation Corridor to improve both the trade competitiveness and quality of life in North America.”

Okay, so that ranks as the strangest non-profit idea I have ever seen. It also makes me wonder how you become a non-profit incorporation when you’re meddling with systems in three different countries. I would presume this is an awfully complex problem. Further, you have to wonder where they get funding from. I don’t know where it all comes from, but we do know this from their ‘About’ page:

NASCO has received $2.5 million in earmarks from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) for the development of a technology and tracking project. The project will have a team approach, using members of NASCO as the primary participants in the project, to the extent possible. NASCO believes the deployment of a modern information system will reduce the cost, improve the efficiency, reduce trade-related congestion, and enhance security of cross-border and corridor information, trade and traffic.

The emphasis is mine, not theirs.

Those that fear a global government have been harping on this project for a while it seems, and I have generally wrote it off. It’s just a road system for crying out loud! What possible harm can come from it, aside from abusing eminent domain to make it happen for the sole benefit other countries?

Around 8:00pm today everything finally made sense. I had all the hypotheses from other thinking people in my head, but actually seeing the map today made it all click.

Look, NAFTA was paperwork. It busted down trade barrier walls but didn’t generally affect most people. I know from personal experience that Canadian steel products became very cost effective for us in America, but I gather that the US populace as a whole didn’t notice much.

This SuperCorridor is actually real. It is happening. It is something you’ll actually be able to reach out and touch, if not only with the rubber wheels on your vehicle. It’s a symbol of what I, and many others, see happening.

After NAFTA we got the EU in 1992 which is still being expanded.

After the EU there was CAFTA which puts the US into free trade with a number of Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.

Now, all these treaties are doing is setting laws for international trade between agreeing members. What could possibly go wrong?

I present to you, right from the United States Constitution the Interstate Commerce Clause:

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes

In the USA that clause means that the Federal government can require you to sign for Sudafed when you buy it. That means that they can regulate what guns you can purchase. That also lets them throw you in the slammer if you grow a plant in your backyard and use it for yourself. See US v Reich for proof.

Hell, the reason your state is enforcing seat-belt laws is because of the interstate commerce clause. The Federal government gives the State back some money for their highway system, but they mandate that said State must have mandatory seat-belt laws.

If that doesn’t exemplify the level of fine grained control that a government will exercise over it’s population in the name of commerce I don’t know what does.

If you can regulate commerce then you can regulate anything. More importantly you can control anything which is why the “tracking” abilities of NASCO make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up a bit.

The thinking goes that once enough of these multi-nation trade unions are established one only has to unite these entities to effectively create a global government. What happens with NAFTA, CAFTA, and the EU agree on something? We all have to abide by it. Just as when the USA agrees to something that means my home state of Michigan, by proxy, agrees to it.

I admit, I might be out in “tin-foil hat land” but consider the past. One is hard pressed to find a law in this country post 1930′s that doesn’t relate to the interstate commerce clause. It has been abused and contorted in a myriad of ways to restrict our freedoms all in the name of protecting commerce.

You might think I’m crazy but if you think that a body of politicians won’t abuse their ability to control international commerce just as they have done here in the USA, land of the free, under the guise of inter-state commerce then I’m forced to question your sanity.

In all honestly I don’t think there is anything we can do to stop this from happening. There aren’t enough people paying attention which means the US will just continue down the same path. Our politicians will set us out, we’ll suffer, and a handful of people here in the country will understand what actually happened.

I’m open to ideas, but I’m afraid this post will only amount to an “I told you so!” in the far future.