Moonrise

Thursday, February 26, 2009

An oldie but still quite the Goodie.....

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a distinguished looking man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, “If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?”

Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, “Sure, Why not?”

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg , Germany .

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, “You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.”

“That’s right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,” says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the Bud says to the young man, “Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?”

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, “Okay, why not?”

“You’re a Congressman for the U.S. Government”, says Bud.

“Wow! That’s correct,” says the yuppie, “but how did you guess that?”

“No guessing required.” answered the cowboy. “You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don’t know a thing about cows…this is a herd of sheep. .

Now give me back my dog.


Now, ain't that just the true and honest?
Wollf

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Well, Hi there.........

I have simply GOT to stop collecting off the wall pictures that catch my fancy.....


Hear about the new Horror movie, "Dawn of the Undead........Gophers?"


Or about this Alaskan Clydesdale? For trues, this old farmer raised a orphaned Moose by bottle and ended up training and using it as a draft animal....no, I didn't check Snopes, but I got a kick out of the picture....

Says it's the best "draft horse" he has.....only problem he has with his Moose is once a year during rutting season....

"He goes off for a couple weeks, and then comes back home...."


This one just cries for the caption, "What, didn't see that rock, eh?"


And this one....I'm not sure if the little people can pull start that thing or not.....Where do People get their ideas for this stuff?


Oh yeah,
I rear-ended a car this morning.

So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car.

You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny?

Yeah well, I couldn't believe it... he was a dwarf!!!

He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted, "I AM NOT HAPPY!"

So, I looked down at him and said, "Well, then which one are you?"
*I may go to Hell for that.......*

Have a great day.....
I'm going in to the Medic for some checkups this afternoon....yuck.
Wollf

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Eco-system Lesson....kinda....

Channel Islands, California......

Home to these adorable little critters, the Island Fox, also the Alpha predator on the Islands.....damm cute little Alphas....the other Predator was the Bald Eagle, with a major taste for sushi....not little Foxes.....

But then comes DDT....which a lot of scientist types blamed for causing the Bald Eagles eggshell to be too thin to support the weight of nesting Momma Eagles. Thus, the Baldies no longer inhabited the Islands in any great numbers...which left the door open......because,

Without the territorial bald eagle, the islands were open habitat for the Golden eagle. Golden eagles migrated to the islands to hunt the large number of feral pigs on Santa Cruz Island. Preying mainly on mammals, not much into oriental cuisine like the Bald, the golden eagle next began hunting the island fox.

In the late 1990’s predation by golden eagles nearly pushed the island fox to extinction on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz Islands....horrible visual below.....

In the last few years, over 40 golden eagles have been removed from the northern islands and relocated to the mainland.

Since 2001, 46 young bald eagles have been returned to Santa Cruz Island. As the bald eagles have matured they have begun reclaiming the islands as their own.

*Cue Cavalry music*.......besides, I just love this photo......

So, happy ending for the little guys? Well, not yet, but their numbers have increased greatly since ol' Baldy has returned......
When I was at BUDS on San Clemente Island as a civvie contractor, I had one of these little dudes that I named Baloney, cuz it was his favorite thing in the world, would come through the open door of my hooch at night, and I'd awaken with him snuggled at my feet......


There. I'm done.
Wollf

Monday, February 23, 2009

An extremely rare photo.......

Of a baby Wookie......Chewbacca must be so proud.

I understand her name is "Awwwwrrrooooughfgrrrrr"

Bless the Wookies, every one.
Wollf

64 Years ago Today........

The Flag was raised on Iwo Jima.......

Semper Fi.

Nothing more to say that hasn't.......just Semper Fi
Wollf

Friday, February 20, 2009

They are at it again.........

Those who would take away our 2nd Amendment rights are at it again

Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009

1/6/2009--Introduced.
Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 - Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit a person from possessing a firearm unless that person has been issued a firearm license under this Act or a state system certified under this Act and such license has not been invalidated or revoked. Prescribes license application, issuance, and renewal requirements.
Prohibits transferring or receiving a qualifying firearm unless the recipient presents a valid firearms license, the license is verified, and the dealer records a tracking authorization number. Prescribes firearms transfer reporting and record keeping requirements. Directs the Attorney General to establish and maintain a federal record of sale system.

Prohibits:
(1) transferring a firearm to any person other than a licensee, unless the transfer is processed through a licensed dealer in accordance with national instant criminal background check system requirements, with exceptions;

(2) a licensed manufacturer or dealer from failing to comply with reporting and record keeping requirements of this Act;

(3) failing to report the loss or theft of the firearm to the Attorney General within 72 hours;

(4) failing to report to the Attorney General an address change within 60 days; or

(5) keeping a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm and ammunition for the firearm, knowingly or recklessly disregarding the risk that a child is capable of gaining access, if a child uses the firearm and causes death or serious bodily injury.
Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of firearms provisions covered by this Act.

Directs the Attorney General to:
(1) establish and maintain a firearm injury information clearinghouse;

(2) conduct continuing studies and investigations of firearm-related deaths and injuries; and

(3) collect and maintain current production and sales figures of each licensed manufacturer.

Authorizes the Attorney General to certify state firearm licensing or record of sale systems

Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:

*It is registered.
*You are fingerprinted.
*You supply a current Driver's License.
*You supply your Social Security #.
*You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any
time of their choosing.
*Each update - change or ownership through private or
public sale must be reported and costs $25 - Failure to
do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm
and are subject up to a year in jail.
*There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305
stating a child-access provision. Gun must be locked
and inaccessible to any child under 18.


Thanks to my Best old Friend in the Great White North for the reminder......I put a widget thingie over on the left to track where the bill is at any given time.....

This is an important if not the most important personal Liberty Bill in a long time. "Any Government that does not fear its Constituents is a Tyranny".....I don't know who said that, so maybe I did.

The entire bill isHERE

Pay attention Folkes,
Wollf

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Picture clearing time...............

Some animal testing I can get behind........

Maybe these are the Eucharist that Nancy Pelosi uses?

Srsly, I really do..........

This would be my standard excuse.....except I am never late....it's not Ransom, but sure looks like his Brother.........

And this could be my Credo for Life.....WooHoo!!


That is all. Nothing more to see here.....please move along
Wollf

Blame Bush!!!

I am so friggin' tired of hearing that the financial crisis is the fault of the Bush Administration.....why can't People see that the President, no matter what his name or Party affiliation, does not set or institute Policy????

Aaarggh.....the cause? Greedy Executives thinking the bubble would not burst on their watch, and a Congress filled with bureaucrat dipstick wastrels.....Frank, Reid, Pelosi, et al.........

Dennis says it quite well today....and I'm done thinking about it.....I hates them. Read what he has to say at.......
Grouchy Old Cripple
Wollf

Ransom and Uber..........


This is a constant at the Lair......Best buddies

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Yannow, it just might come to this..........

When the Federal Government continues its power grab of States and Individuals rights, it seems that a course of action has been laid out already.....over two hundred years ago.

Remember this little ditty? Seems I've seen it somewhere......

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness

And then Thomas Jefferson added these words.......

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Sure hope it doesn't come to that.....maybe bold statements as have been made by a number of States in their Resolutions of State Sovereignty....will get the Feds attention.....

Hmmm....I have some research to do.
Wollf

Young Drivers.........


They'll get the point. Sometimes a direct STOP doesn't quite get through to them.......
Wollf

Don' Mess with muh Kitteh........


Thanks, Cries......laughed hard.
Wollf

Works Every Time........

The other day, I needed to go to the emergency room.

Not wanting to sit there for four hours, I put on my old Marine Cammies and stuck a patch that I had downloaded off the Internet onto the front of my shirt.

When I went into the E.R., I noticed that 3/4 of the people got up and left. I guess they decided that they weren’t that sick after all. Cut at least three hours off my waiting time.

Here’s the patch. Feel free to use it the next time you’re in need of quicker emergency service.

Srsly.



Rascist Ba$tard that I am

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Where's Ronnie when we need him most?



People just don't learn, do they?
Wollf

Try this sometime............

The guy parked his brand new Porsche Boxster at the far end of the lot, cockeyed across two spaces.

The car was obviously his baby, and he didn’t want anybody coming within fifteen feet of it, much less actually having the gall to approach it with another car.

'Course he didn't care that it was two spots he was taking up....his car is better than yours.....

So, of course, I left him a note. “Sorry about the ding,” it said. Didn't even get close to his car, let alone scratch it.....

Y’know, just to screw with him.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

So....an experiment.........

Told you I'd have some pictures......and I was kind enough not to bother you with any of Wollf himself.......but, What did we do today? Wollf, Dragn, Bigger and Lil' Wolfie.....and Uber Doggen did a snow trip, up the "33" between Ojai and Taft....up around highway marker 50 in the Sespe National Forest, about forty five minutes from the Lair, if you drive real fast.

We took a bunch of pictures.....too many to post, but Dragn is an editing wizzbang, asides of being much too cute for yours truly.

She put together a slide show with some pretty good music that really shows just how much friggin' fun we had...... Oh Uber is the short dark haired one with four feet on the ground.
He is currently curled up and sound asleep at my feet....long day with his mom and dad and his boyz.......


So....did wolf and the Crew havea good time...or what?

Oh....there's sound too.......Wollf

Valentines Day.........

And no Cubs til evening. A fun day to start a three day weekend.

Just a little journally note, we went up to Ventura and roamed around Main Street, stopped at the Army Surplus store and bought a few things, a good pair of Magnum hiking boots for Dragn and a "wooley pulley" sweater for me.

Ate lunch at the Busy Bee, a seriously retro cafe, '50s style, and just enjoyed the cold, brisk day.

Today, we're loading up the Cubs and Uber dog.....and heading for the snow. Maybe as far as Frazier Park, but as cold as it's been, I figure we'll find it well before then.....hope so, because in temps and weather like we've been having, the CHP closes down the "5" fairly quickly.

Maybe we'll go the back way up the "33" behind Ojai....well, I'll tell you about it when we get back.

Older Wolfie, the Cub, went on quite the adventure with two of his packmates yesterday, hiking to, and then climbing the local landmark, Mount Boney. It went a bit better than last years try when he had to call Wollf to "save" his group.

Remember this?May 2008 Hiking Boney. The kid that couldn't make the last one wasrelieved of an invite this time.......

He did call me when they got back to the trail head for a ride back to his mom's house, but I politely declined....it was only another two miles....sheesh. We won't be raising any sissies around the Lair....

Have a great day, I know we will....Uber and his first snow...humor shall occur.
Wollf

Friday, February 13, 2009

Dragn had the day off........

Wonder what she's up to with her free time........

Oh.....I guess that.
Heh

Happy V-Day everbodies!
Wollf

From The Telegraph........


Teenage handbag thief outpaced by 72-year-old ex-sprinter

As a former Track Coach, this warmed the cockles of my old heart......

The schoolgirl was surprised to discover her victim, a former All England Schools championship sprinter, still had a turn of pace - at the age of 72.

As Mrs Hirst gave chase, she soon began to close on the culprit who was forced to throw down the bag in her desperation to escape.

The retired teacher had allowed three teenage girls into her car to help her with directions after getting lost on the way to a theatre.

She was straight out of the starting blocks again, however, when one of them took advantage and tried to make off with her bag.

Mrs Hirst said: "Suddenly I felt 18 again. The adrenaline just kicked in and I seemed to turn back the years.

"She had a head start but I covered 70 yards in about 15 seconds and was within two strides of her when she looked over her shoulder and saw me.

"She probably thought I was an easy target but she shouldn't have judged a book by its cover. The look on her face was one of sheer amazement and she just threw my bag aside."

Mrs Hirst, a widow, from Mansfield, Notts, was able to stop and pick up the bag which she described as containing her "whole life", including her purse, keys and address book.

As a 17 year old, she was the Nottinghamshire County Schools 100 yards champion and qualified for the final of All England Schools Championship in Ashington, Northumberland.

Her latest unscheduled sprint was from the car park of the Duchess Theatre, in Long Eaton, Derbyshire.

She had stopped to ask the three girls, who were aged around 15 or 16, if they knew the way and they insisted on getting into the car to take her there.

When they arrived one of the girls asked for 20 pence and Mrs Hirst realised her bag had suddenly disappeared with one of the back seat passengers who was calling for the others to go with her.

"Then she started running and that's when the fun began. I was not as out of breath as I thought I would be at my age," she said.

When Mrs Hirst returned to the car, the other girls apologised for their friend's actions and she decided against calling the police.

She added: "I just told them to choose their friends more carefully. There was no way I could detain them and at the end of the day I was just glad I had my bag back."

Mrs Hirst, who has two grown up children, was later rebuked by her daughter who told her the girl could have had a knife or turned aggressive.

She added: "I didn't think of my safety, but I did pay for it a little the next day. I was covered in aches and pains and my daughter turned to me and said it was because I didn't warm up properly."

I'm sure glad she was all right.....but then the ADD kicks in, and I wonder about the thief......what kinda out of shape, junk food eating thieves are we raising nowadays?

My youngest She-Cub ran a personal best 12.7 100 Meters in high school. Lucky for society that she's not a thief, huh?

Have a Great Day......
Wollf

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Moral of the Story..........


The teacher gave her third grade class an
assignment: Get their parents to tell them
a story with a moral at the end of it.


The next day, the kids came back and, one by one,
began to tell their stories.There were all the regular
types of stuff: spilled milk and pennies saved.
But then the teacher realized, much to her dismay,
that only Ernie was left.

'Ernie, do you have a story to share?'

'Yes ma'am. My daddy told a story about my Aunt
Karla. She was a pilot in Desert Storm, and her
plane got hit.
She had to bail out over enemy territory, and all
she had was a flask of whiskey, a pistol, and a
survival knife.
She drank the whiskey on the way down so the
bottle wouldn't break, and then her parachute
landed her right in the middle of 20 Iraqi troops.
She shot 15 of them with the pistol, until she ran
Out of bullets, killed four more with the knife, till
the blade broke, and then she killed the last Iraqi
with her bare hands.'

'Good Heavens,' said the horrified teacher. 'What
kind of moral did your daddy tell you from this
horrible story?'

'Stay the f**k away from Aunt Karla when she's been drinking.'

Well, I'm here to tell you......sounds like good advice....heh,
I felt like a giggle.....Thank you Stanley.......

Wollf

Hmmmmm...hadn't heard of this before.....

From Ha'aretz, one of the Daily Newspapers of Israel, and it just struck a blow at my naievete........

A few weeks ago, a senior Greek Orthodox clergyman in Israel attended a meeting at a government office in Jerusalem's Givat Shaul quarter. When he returned to his car, an elderly man wearing a skullcap came and knocked on the window. When the clergyman let the window down, the passerby spat in his face.

The clergyman prefered not to lodge a complaint with the police and told an acquaintance that he was used to being spat at by Jews. Many Jerusalem clergy have been subjected to abuse of this kind. For the most part, they ignore it but sometimes they cannot.

On Sunday, a fracas developed when a yeshiva student spat at the cross being carried by the Armenian Archbishop during a procession near the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. The archbishop's 17th-century cross was broken during the brawl and he slapped the yeshiva student.

Both were questioned by police and the yeshiva student will be brought to trial. The Jerusalem District Court has meanwhile banned the student from approaching the Old City for 75 days.

But the Armenians are far from satisfied by the police action and say this sort of thing has been going on for years. Archbishop Nourhan Manougian says he expects the education minister to say something.

"When there is an attack against Jews anywhere in the world, the Israeli government is incensed, so why when our religion and pride are hurt, don't they take harsher measures?" he asks.

According to Daniel Rossing, former adviser to the Religious Affairs Ministry on Christian affairs and director of a Jerusalem center for Christian-Jewish dialogue, there has been an increase in the number of such incidents recently, "as part of a general atmosphere of lack of tolerance in the country."

Rossing says there are certain common characeristics from the point of view of time and location to the incidents. He points to the fact that there are more incidents in areas where Jews and Christians mingle, such as the Jewish and Armenian quarters of the Old City and the Jaffa Gate.

There are an increased number at certain times of year, such as during the Purim holiday."I know Christians who lock themselves indoors during the entire Purim holiday," he says.

Former adviser to the mayor on Christian affairs, Shmuel Evyatar, describes the situation as "a huge disgrace." He says most of the instigators are yeshiva students studying in the Old City who view the Christian religion with disdain.

"I'm sure the phenomenon would end as soon as rabbis and well-known educators denounce it. In practice, rabbis of yeshivas ignore or even encourage it," he says.

Evyatar says he himself was spat at while walking with a Serbian bishop in the Jewish quarter, near his home. "A group of yeshiva students spat at us and their teacher just stood by and watched."

Jerusalem municipal officials said they are aware of the problem but it has to be dealt with by the police. Shmuel Ben-Ruby, the police spokesman, said they had only two complaints from Christians in the past two years. He said that, in both cases, the culprits were caught and punished.

He said the police deploy an inordinately high number of patrols and special technology in the Old City and its surroundings in an attempt to keep order.

I'm missing something in this whole thing.....I thought Christians and Jews stood together in Israel. Well, maybe it's just isolated, and if so, it seems that something should be done about the thuggish behaviour of thes students.

Anyone want to fill me in?
Wollf

Remember.........

What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

The Government cannot give to anybody anything that the Government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them; and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for; that, my dear friend, is about the end of any Nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!"
- Dr Adrian Rogers.

Conservative Wollf.......

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Rock Angels......

M'Lady Dragn is the Band Director at the loacl middle school , as some of you know, and last Friday night the school had a "Talent" show......for those of you with Cubs of your own, you know how fun they can be.......

To add a little something this year Dragn and a group of other teachers put together a Rock Band for the kids' enjoyment....The Rock Angels"....it was quite the treat, and the kids got to see that their teachers were regular goofy people too.....

M'Lady Dragn in all her punk rock 80's glory, slashed tee-shirt and jeans and spiked like a rooster hair.....ready to get down with some drummin'......

Don't worry......she usually looks a lot more like this......


And, it was videotaped....a bit too dark, and horrible sound....not the band....the equipment, sheesh.....My Cubs and her Dragnlings will enjoy being able to see it, so.....here it gets posted......

Sorry, no more World Tour Tee-shirts are available....they sold out immediately.....
Back later with some picture disposal.....
Wollf

For Foxfier.....formerly a Sailorette......

Anybody else out there in the world never heard of a "Kindle"? It's a wireless reading device that I just learned about over at Head Noises .

It made me remember this......sorry 'bout the sub-titles.....but it's cute.


Wollf

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Not Yours To Give.......

Our Leaders in Congress should read the words I've excerpted below. We have a Constitution, and really bears minding.....

Not too many Davy Crocketts up their on the Hill....... It's long, but if you like History and Love the basis for our Country, I think you'll enjoy re-learning......

David "Davy" Crockett (1786-1836) was a frontiersman, orator and politician from Tennessee . After a youth spent developing his skills as a marksman, and working for farmers, cattle owners and a wagoner, he became leader of a battalion in the Creek Indian Wars (1813-14).

In 1821, he was elected to the state legislature and from 1827 through 1833 he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Defeated by a narrow margin while running for a fourth term in Congress, he left Tennessee for Texas in 1835 and immediately developed a strong attachment to his new home.

In early 1836, he was among the 189 defenders who died at the Battle of the Alamo , fighting for Texas independence.

Col. David Crockett
US Representative from Tennessee

(Originally published in The Life of Colonel David Crockett, by Edward Sylvester Ellis.)

One day in the House of Representatives, a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support. The Speaker was just about to put the question when Crockett arose:

"Mr. Speaker--I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent appeals have been made to us upon the ground that it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the deceased lived long after the close of the war; he was in office to the day of his death, and I have never heard that the government was in arrears to him.

Every man in this House knows it is not a debt. We cannot, without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as a charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much money of our own as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week's pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks."

He took his seat. Nobody replied. The bill was put upon its passage, and, instead of passing unanimously, as was generally supposed, and as, no doubt, it would, but for that speech, it received but few votes, and, of course, was lost.

Later, when asked by a friend why he had opposed the appropriation, Crockett gave this explanation:

"Several years ago I was one evening standing on the steps of the Capitol with some other members of Congress, when our attention was attracted by a great light over in Georgetown. It was evidently a large fire. We jumped into a hack and drove over as fast as we could. In spite of all that could be done, many houses were burned and many families made homeless, and, besides, some of them had lost all but the clothes they had on. The weather was very cold, and when I saw so many women and children suffering, I felt that something ought to be done for them. The next morning a bill was introduced appropriating $20,000 for their relief. We put aside all other business and rushed it through as soon as it could be done.

"The next summer, when it began to be time to think about the election, I concluded I would take a scout around among the boys of my district. I had no opposition there, but, as the election was some time off, I did not know what might turn up. When riding one day in a part of my district in which I was more of a stranger than any other, I saw a man in a field plowing and coming toward the road. I gauged my gait so that we should meet as he came to the fence. As he came up, I spoke to the man. He replied politely, but, as I thought, rather coldly.

"I began: 'Well, friend, I am one of those unfortunate beings called candidates, and--'

"'Yes, I know you; you are Colonel Crockett, I have seen you once before, and voted for you the last time you were elected. I suppose you are out electioneering now, but you had better not waste your time or mine. I shall not vote for you again.'

"This was a sockdolager . . . I begged him to tell me what was the matter.

"'Well, Colonel, it is hardly worth-while to waste time or words upon it. I do not see how it can be mended, but you gave a vote last winter which shows that either you have not capacity to understand the Constitution, or that you are wanting in the honesty and firmness to be guided by it. In either case you are not the man to represent me. But I beg your pardon for expressing it in that way. I did not intend to avail myself of the privilege of the constituent to speak plainly to a candidate for the purpose of insulting or wounding you. I intend by it only to say that your understanding of the Constitution is very different from mine; and I will say to you what, but for my rudeness, I should not have said, that I believe you to be honest. . . . But an understanding of the Constitution different from mine I cannot overlook, because the Constitution, to be worth anything, must be held sacred, and rigidly observed in all its provisions. The man who wields power and misinterprets it is the more dangerous the more honest he is.'

"'I admit the truth of all you say, but there must be some mistake about it, for I do not remember that I gave any vote last winter upon any constitutional question.'

"'No, Colonel, there's no mistake. Though I live here in the backwoods and seldom go from home, I take the papers from Washington and read very carefully all the proceedings of Congress. My papers say that last winter you voted for a bill to appropriate $20,000 to some sufferers by a fire in Georgetown. Is that true?'

"'Well, my friend; I may as well own up. You have got me there. But certainly nobody will complain that a great and rich country like ours should give the insignificant sum of $20,000 to relieve its suffering women and children, particularly with a full and overflowing Treasury, and I am sure, if you had been there, you would have done just as I did.'

"'It is not the amount, Colonel, that I complain of; it is the principle. In the first place, the government ought to have in the Treasury no more than enough for its legitimate purposes. But that has nothing to do with the question. The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be intrusted to man, particularly under our system of collecting revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the country, no matter how poor he may be, and the poorer he is the more he pays in proportion to his means.

"'What is worse, it presses upon him without his knowledge where the weight centers, for there is not a man in the United States who can ever guess how much he pays to the government. So you see, that while you are contributing to relieve one, you are drawing it from thousands who are even worse off than he.

"'If you had the right to give anything, the amount was simply a matter of discretion with you, and you had as much right to give $20,000,000 as $20,000. If you have the right to give to one, you have the right to give to all; and, as the Constitution neither defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a charity, and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other. No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity.

"'Individual members may give as much of their own money as they please, but they have no right to touch a dollar of the public money for that purpose. If twice as many houses had been burned in this county as in Georgetown, neither you nor any other member of Congress would have thought of appropriating a dollar for our relief. There are about two hundred and forty members of Congress. If they had shown their sympathy for the sufferers by contributing each one week's pay, it would have made over $13,000. There are plenty of wealthy men in and around Washington who could have given $20,000 without depriving themselves of even a luxury of life.

"'The congressmen chose to keep their own money, which, if reports be true, some of them spend not very creditably; and the people about Washington, no doubt, applauded you for relieving them from the necessity of giving by giving what was not yours to give. The people have delegated to Congress, by the Constitution, the power to do certain things. To do these, it is authorized to collect and pay moneys, and for nothing else. Everything beyond this is usurpation, and a violation of the Constitution.

"'So you see, Colonel, you have violated the Constitution in what I consider a vital point. It is a precedent fraught with danger to the country, for when Congress once begins to stretch its power beyond the limits of the Constitution, there is no limit to it, and no security for the people. I have no doubt you acted honestly, but that does not make it any better, except as far as you are personally concerned, and you see that I cannot vote for you.'

"I tell you I felt streaked. I saw if I should have opposition, and this man should go to talking, he would set others to talking, and in that district I was a gone fawn-skin. I could not answer him, and the fact is, I was so fully convinced that he was right, I did not want to. But I must satisfy him, and I said to him:

"'Well, my friend, you hit the nail upon the head when you said I had not sense enough to understand the Constitution. I intended to be guided by it, and thought I had studied it fully. I have heard many speeches in Congress about the powers of Congress, but what you have said here at your plow has got more hard, sound sense in it than all the fine speeches I ever heard. If I had ever taken the view of it that you have, I would have put my head into the fire before I would have given that vote; and if you will forgive me and vote for me again, if I ever vote for another unconstitutional law I wish I may be shot.'

"He laughingly replied: 'Yes, Colonel, you have sworn to that once before, but I will trust you again upon one condition. You say that you are convinced that your vote was wrong. Your acknowledgment of it will do more good than beating you for it. If, as you go around the district, you will tell people about this vote, and that you are satisfied it was wrong, I will not only vote for you, but will do what I can to keep down opposition, and, perhaps, I may exert some little influence in that way.'

"'If I don't,' said I, 'I wish I may be shot; and to convince you that I am in earnest in what I say I will come back this way in a week or ten days, and if you will get up a gathering of the people, I will make a speech to them. Get up a barbecue, and I will pay for it.'

"'No, Colonel, we are not rich people in this section, but we have plenty of provisions to contribute for a barbecue, and some to spare for those who have none. The push of crops will be over in a few days, and we can then afford a day for a barbecue. This is Thursday; I will see to getting it up on Saturday week. Come to my house on Friday, and we will go together, and I promise you a very respectable crowd to see and hear you.'

"'Well, I will be here. But one thing more before I say good-by. I must know your name.'

"'My name is Bunce.'

"'Not Horatio Bunce?'

"'Yes.'

"'Well, Mr. Bunce, I never saw you before, though you say you have seen me, but I know you very well. I am glad I have met you, and very proud that I may hope to have you for my friend.'

"It was one of the luckiest hits of my life that I met him. He mingled but little with the public, but was widely known for his remarkable intelligence and incorruptible integrity, and for a heart brimful and running over with kindness and benevolence, which showed themselves not only in words but in acts. He was the oracle of the whole country around him, and his fame had extended far beyond the circle of his immediate acquaintance. Though I had never met him before, I had heard much of him, and but for this meeting it is very likely I should have had opposition, and had been beaten. One thing is very certain, no man could now stand up in that district under such a vote.

"At the appointed time I was at his house, having told our conversation to every crowd I had met, and to every man I stayed all night with, and I found that it gave the people an interest and a confidence in me stronger than I had every seen manifested before.

"Though I was considerably fatigued when I reached his house, and, under ordinary circumstances, should have gone early to bed, I kept him up until midnight, talking about the principles and affairs of government, and got more real, true knowledge of them than I had got all my life before.

"I have known and seen much of him since, for I respect him--no, that is not the word--I reverence and love him more than any living man, and I go to see him two or three times every year; and I will tell you, sir, if every one who professes to be a Christian lived and acted and enjoyed it as he does, the religion of Christ would take the world by storm.

"But to return to my story. The next morning we went to the barbecue, and, to my surprise, found about a thousand men there. I met a good many whom I had not known before, and they and my friend introduced me around until I had got pretty well acquainted--at least, they all knew me.

"In due time notice was given that I would speak to them. They gathered up around a stand that had been erected. I opened my speech by saying:

"'Fellow-citizens--I present myself before you today feeling like a new man. My eyes have lately been opened to truths which ignorance or prejudice, or both, had heretofore hidden from my view. I feel that I can today offer you the ability to render you more valuable service than I have ever been able to render before. I am here today more for the purpose of acknowledging my error than to seek your votes. That I should make this acknowledgment is due to myself as well as to you. Whether you will vote for me is a matter for your consideration only.'

"I went on to tell them about the fire and my vote for the appropriation and then told them why I was satisfied it was wrong. I closed by saying:

"'And now, fellow-citizens, it remains only for me to tell you that the most of the speech you have listened to with so much interest was simply a repetition of the arguments by which your neighbor, Mr. Bunce, convinced me of my error.

"'It is the best speech I ever made in my life, but he is entitled to the credit for it. And now I hope he is satisfied with his convert and that he will get up here and tell you so.'

"He came upon the stand and said:

"'Fellow-citizens--It affords me great pleasure to comply with the request of Colonel Crockett. I have always considered him a thoroughly honest man, and I am satisfied that he will faithfully perform all that he has promised you today.'

"He went down, and there went up from that crowd such a shout for Davy Crockett as his name never called forth before.

"I am not much given to tears, but I was taken with a choking then and felt some big drops rolling down my cheeks. And I tell you now that the remembrance of those few words spoken by such a man, and the honest, hearty shout they produced, is worth more to me than all the honors I have received and all the reputation I have ever made, or ever shall make, as a member of Congress.

"Now, sir," concluded Crockett, "you know why I made that speech yesterday.

"There is one thing now to which I will call your attention. You remember that I proposed to give a week's pay. There are in that House many very wealthy men--men who think nothing of spending a week's pay, or a dozen of them, for a dinner or a wine party when they have something to accomplish by it. Some of those same men made beautiful speeches upon the great debt of gratitude which the country owed the deceased--a debt which could not be paid by money--and the insignificance and worthlessness of money, particularly so insignificant a sum as $10,000, when weighted against the honor of the nation. Yet not one of them responded to my proposition. Money with them is nothing but trash when it is to come out of the people. But it is the one great thing for which most of them are striving, and many of them sacrifice honor, integrity, and justice to obtain it."

Perhaps we Conservative types are in an Alamo situation of our own........
G-d Bless America.
Wollf

Monday, February 9, 2009

Just the most Amazing thing.........

That I've seen in a long, long time.....Dogs and polar bears playing......

Almost....I said almost, makes one think that the Palestinians can get along with Israel.......

Nah. Polar Bears have more humanity than Hamas....
Wollf

Just made me laugh........I dunno

The Preacher was in the middle of his Sunday sermon.......

Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the congregation. Everyone started screaming and running for the entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from Evil Incarnate.

Soon everyone had exited the church except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew without moving, seeming oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy was in his presence.

So Satan walked up to the old man and said, “Don't you know who I am?”

The man replied, “Yep, sure do.”

“Aren't you afraid of me?” Satan asked.

“Nope, sure ain't,” said the man.

“Don't you realize I can kill with a single word?” asked Satan

“Don't doubt it for a minute,” returned the old man in an even tone.

“Do you know that I can cause you profound horrifying AGONY for all eternity?” persisted Satan.

“Yep,” was the calm reply.

“And you're still not afraid?” asked Satan.

“Nope,” said the old man

More than a little perturbed, Satan asked, “Well, why aren't you afraid of me?”

The man calmly replied, “Been married to your sister for 44 years.”
heh.

Wollf

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Cher ain't no Kate......

And never will be with her America hating heart.

And asides, Kate Smith carried herself as a Lady on into her later years, unlike that sixty something skank.

Why, you ask? It's that durned Attorneys fault today, did a blog on Cher almost being killed bythe Republicans......oh, it's just too much for me. Go visit The Digital Hairshirt

I had to clear my eyes after reading about Sonny's X....
G-d Bless America.....even the Democrats
Wollf

Friday, February 6, 2009

Been Sick.....Blechhhhhh

Probably more like food poisoning. I am RARELY sick....I get ten sick leave days a year, and have peobably used four in the ten years I've been at this employ.

36 hours in the rack......well, and that "Other" room......Came into work this morning with four aspirins and a half a bottle of Pepto in my tummy.....hope I get to feeling better soon, because....

Dragn and her "Rock N Roll" band, "Rock Angels" is playing at the local Middle School where she teaches. Should be a Lot of fun and Plenty of Blogging material....her outfit is straight up late Eighties Punk....cute as a button, if I say so myself.....ok, I correct myself....."Radical Cool"....

So, I'm just going to post a few things I enjoy.....

First, what I consider to be the only existing photo in the Galaxy of a new born Wookie.....


Then, another of my Faithful Readers wearing the Gear.......

Hint to "Faithful Reader"...U R DOING IT WRONG....

And Finally, the most devious trick play in Football history........

Made me laugh out loud, because we used to do that in our sandlot games. Would Never have thought to try it in a real game.

Have a good one,
Wollf

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I Told You So.........

Lesbians Who Led Mass. Gay Marriage Fight to Divorce

Julie and Hillary Goodridge were among seven gay couples whose lawsuit, Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health, thrust Massachusetts into the center of a nationwide debate on gay marriage.

The couple became the public face of the debate in the state, the first to legalize same-sex marriages.

The couple was married on May 17, 2004, the first day same-sex marriages became legal under a court ruling. Their daughter served as ring-bearer.

Oh the Ironing.......and am I happy that their "marriage" has ended in divorce?

Of course not.......*hee hee hee*

Welcome to the joy of Dissolution, my same sex attracted friends.....it is ugly. Remember the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for"....

I have been married twice before, and shall be married again....details pending....and thus, I have enjoyed the thrill ride of divorce court twice in my life. I'm pretty good at being married....never cheated, always provided and am actually a pretty decent guy, although I do have a tendency to snore....all wollfs do....

Wow, ADD in full gear this early in the morning...back to some sort of point, I'm good at being married, 12 years and 20 years, respectively...

I am HORRIBLE at divorce. It hurts....a whole lot worse than just a non married breakup, even if you're living with someone, because there are Laws and Duties and Taxes and Child Support and Alimony and money, money money involved.

Oh....and Lawyers.....no offense DHS, divorcing requires a guide through the dangerous swamp of the dissolution....

This couple has a child together, I'm picturing turkey baster stuff, yuck, and being "married", some one of them is going to have to pay the other some child support....and were they both working? Will their be alimoney?

Will they have a wonderful time splitting their community property?

I doubt it. I never have.

So, my Ghe friends, you won the "right" to the WORD....."Married".

And all the pain that comes along if it doesn't last. Welcome to Hetero Hell. And to make it more fun for you, you made a spectacle of yourselves on the National stage, and Everybody is now into your personal business.....even me.

Should have kept your sexual proclivities inside your own house. I know that I do...and it seems to work out pretty well......schmucks.

*Messages left for the Goodridges were not immediately returned Tuesday*

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Fifty Years........



Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens....Rest in Peace
PS....love this song.....about twice a year.
Wollf

Monday, February 2, 2009

A Monday evening Interlude.....

Celtic Women......


Kinda makes you go *aaaahhhhhhh*...
Wollf

Some more fun pics......

Ran into this picture this weekend, and because of where and whens that I've been in life, it just called out for some kinda caption......

Anybodies recognize this young Lady?.......sure looks familiar to Wollf's old eyes...

Doesn't look like one to trifle with.....

And this sweet little Kitteh? Looks as though Lil' Wolfie might have some explaining to do....if he survives the discussion.....


And finally, a cartoon version of my Dragn....she just got her hair done and the resemblance is really fun and remarkable.....thanks to Day by Day over in the sidebar....great cartoon.


"Yes, Dear.....guess I'll stop at Radio Shack again....
heh
Wollf