Hell, yeah!
I've been hard on California, and rightfully so. Any state that continuously elects the likes of a Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein and Barbara "I've worked hard to be a Senator" Boxer, and then elects a bonafide moonbeam moonbat for a governor deserves most of the crap thrown its way.
Now, to be fair, Queen Pelosi is the direct result of the degenerates, freaks and voting criminals of the San Francisco bay area--an area, by the way, that most of us wish would just fall off into the ocean.
But Bell. Bell, California is a little suburb of Los Angeles who got fed up with the corruption blatantly exhibited by their small city council--corruption that included outlandish compensation packages and salaries.
One bozo on the city council was reportedly clearing $1.5 million.
I hope that sonofabitch goes to jail and gets pronged up the poop chute 1.5 million times.
Here's the story: "http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/09/national/main20040979.shtml"
Wake up America. I doubt the town or county exists that couldn't use a dose of what Bell did to their own elected rats.
For damned sure, this should happen in Washington DC. Starting with the White House and working our way down until every last criminal has been tossed out, arrested, indicted and convicted.
I expect this story to start making the rounds around America. And with any luck, other municipalities will follow suit.
We can clean America up. Bell, California, showed us how.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Unclogging White Collar Snobbery (or Flush the Elitists)
Believe it or not, summer is only a few months away from us.
For those of us already slaving away at a job, nothing really changes with the coming of summer. But for this year’s crop of high-school graduates, everything changes.
They have to make a choice: Go to work or go to college.
I heard on the radio the other day where there is some school district telling soon-to-be graduates that if they don't go to college they'll have to settle for blue-collar work.
Settle for blue-collar work?
While I'm sure that most teachers and counselors dream of having their graduates go to college and become accountants, stockbrokers, doctors, lawyers and astronauts, there is not a thing wrong with our young graduates looking to the blue collar professions. My dad used to tell my brother and me that "if it's honest work, it's honorable work."
I still believe that.
I also believe that most white collar professions are vastly overrated and that the people in them epitomize the old saying that goes, "There are a lot of people educated way beyond their intelligence level." Translated, that means you may have a PhD from Harvard, but you have the common sense of a dead gopher.
America would be in a world of hurt without our blue-collar workforce. Who are you going to call when your air-conditioning goes out in the middle of July--your stockbroker? Try calling your old botany professor sometime when your car starts making funny noises and belching smoke from somewhere under the hood.
Imagine if your toilet got clogged up and the only people you could call were white collar professionals. Call your accountant and he's likely to tell you to just go buy a new one, but be sure and keep the receipt so he can find a way to deduct it on next year's taxes.
Call your stockbroker and tell him that your toilet is clogged up and he'll ask you what brand it is, then put you on hold while he sells off all his stock holdings in that particular brand of toilet.
A doctor? First thing he'll want to know is if your toilet is on his list of approved insurance plans. If it is, he'll probably recommend an angioplasty and some prescription-strength Liquid Plumber. If it's not, he'll refer you to a doctor that works at the county hospital who handles indigent toilets.
And then there is always the chance that Obamacare may try to disqualify your toilet for a pre-existing clog.
A lawyer will want depositions from everyone who used the toilet in the past 24 hours so he can decide if they should join together in a class-action suit to sue the toilet manufacturer. Even worse, the lawyer might try to sue you for any accidents that occurred in your household as a result of everyone sitting around grimacing with their legs crossed while you tried to find someone to unclog your toilet.
And what would an astronaut care about a clogged up toilet? After all, when they're in outer space, they just go in their spacesuits.
What America needs is more vocational schools and programs that teach people how to work with both their hands and their brains at the same time. And what our school districts need to be doing is encouraging students to explore all the opportunities that are out there rather than just the college route.
To all the blue-collar workers out there, keep holding your heads up with pride. Go and find young people with aptitude, skill and attitude and teach them your trade by taking them under your wing or giving them an apprenticeship. Blue collar professionals built this nation and continue to ensure that it keeps on running. We should all be thankful and grateful for that.
It’s my opinion that America needs more plumbers and less lawyers. And as soon as we get enough plumbers on board, I say we flush all the excess lawyers down the proverbial white collar toilet.
That ought to clog it up but good.
For those of us already slaving away at a job, nothing really changes with the coming of summer. But for this year’s crop of high-school graduates, everything changes.
They have to make a choice: Go to work or go to college.
I heard on the radio the other day where there is some school district telling soon-to-be graduates that if they don't go to college they'll have to settle for blue-collar work.
Settle for blue-collar work?
While I'm sure that most teachers and counselors dream of having their graduates go to college and become accountants, stockbrokers, doctors, lawyers and astronauts, there is not a thing wrong with our young graduates looking to the blue collar professions. My dad used to tell my brother and me that "if it's honest work, it's honorable work."
I still believe that.
I also believe that most white collar professions are vastly overrated and that the people in them epitomize the old saying that goes, "There are a lot of people educated way beyond their intelligence level." Translated, that means you may have a PhD from Harvard, but you have the common sense of a dead gopher.
America would be in a world of hurt without our blue-collar workforce. Who are you going to call when your air-conditioning goes out in the middle of July--your stockbroker? Try calling your old botany professor sometime when your car starts making funny noises and belching smoke from somewhere under the hood.
Imagine if your toilet got clogged up and the only people you could call were white collar professionals. Call your accountant and he's likely to tell you to just go buy a new one, but be sure and keep the receipt so he can find a way to deduct it on next year's taxes.
Call your stockbroker and tell him that your toilet is clogged up and he'll ask you what brand it is, then put you on hold while he sells off all his stock holdings in that particular brand of toilet.
A doctor? First thing he'll want to know is if your toilet is on his list of approved insurance plans. If it is, he'll probably recommend an angioplasty and some prescription-strength Liquid Plumber. If it's not, he'll refer you to a doctor that works at the county hospital who handles indigent toilets.
And then there is always the chance that Obamacare may try to disqualify your toilet for a pre-existing clog.
A lawyer will want depositions from everyone who used the toilet in the past 24 hours so he can decide if they should join together in a class-action suit to sue the toilet manufacturer. Even worse, the lawyer might try to sue you for any accidents that occurred in your household as a result of everyone sitting around grimacing with their legs crossed while you tried to find someone to unclog your toilet.
And what would an astronaut care about a clogged up toilet? After all, when they're in outer space, they just go in their spacesuits.
What America needs is more vocational schools and programs that teach people how to work with both their hands and their brains at the same time. And what our school districts need to be doing is encouraging students to explore all the opportunities that are out there rather than just the college route.
To all the blue-collar workers out there, keep holding your heads up with pride. Go and find young people with aptitude, skill and attitude and teach them your trade by taking them under your wing or giving them an apprenticeship. Blue collar professionals built this nation and continue to ensure that it keeps on running. We should all be thankful and grateful for that.
It’s my opinion that America needs more plumbers and less lawyers. And as soon as we get enough plumbers on board, I say we flush all the excess lawyers down the proverbial white collar toilet.
That ought to clog it up but good.
Rattlesnakes and Bureaucrats
I was out looking at some land early last fall--land that I thought would make a fine private shooting range. While poking around the old gravel quarry, I heard a familiar buzzing.
In this day and age, most folks would reach for their cell phone, which was set on vibrate and emits a buzzing when someone interrupts your tranquility.
But as I reached inside my light jacket, I didn't unholster my phone, but instead my Smith & Wesson Model 686 .357 Magnum with the eight-inch barrel. The first three rounds in the cylinder were loaded with snake-shot--mini little shotgun type pellets, if you will, specifically formulated to send snakes, rats and other vermin to the same Paradise that ostensibly the vermin that flew into our World Trade Center Towers are now inhabiting.
I took aim at the offending rattlesnake and squeezed the trigger. One dead rattlesnake. Easy enough. When you grow up in Texas, you get used to dispatching rattlesnakes, rats and other vermin.
Not so, apparently, if you live in Pennsylvania--at least according to an old newspaper story a friend, and fellow rattlesnake shooter--sent to me. It seems the bureaucrats in Pennsylvania place an inordinate value on rattlesnakes. Even moreso than they do their own citizenry.
Now, when you mention rattlesnakes and government bureaucrats in the same sentence, you’d think it would be hard to tell the difference.
Not at all.
Rattlesnakes can actually use their brains.
Every time I tell myself that I can no longer be shocked by the ignorant actions of our government or the people who work for it, I know I’m just setting myself up for a letdown. And the latest incident of mind-boggling sheer stupidity is no exception.
According to the local paper in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, an 18-year-old hunter shot and killed a rattlesnake while he was hunting turkey. It seems he crossed paths with a four-foot rattlesnake that had killed a mama turkey and was threatening her nest that had ten baby turkeys in it. After killing the rattlesnake, he and his hunting buddy gathered up the little baby turkeys and took them home to try and keep them alive in order to release back in the wild once they were able.
Pretty decent and admirable thing to do, wouldn’t you say?
Not if you’re one of the bureaucrats making and enforcing policy with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.. These morons turn him over to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, who issued him a citation for killing the rattlesnake. The Fish and Boat Commission has jurisdiction over rattlesnakes.
Figure that one out, if you can.
As I understand it, in Pennsylvania you need a fishing license and a special permit to kill a rattlesnake. I have never heard of having to get a permit to kill a rattlesnake. That would be like having to get a license to set out a mouse trap or get a concealed carry permit for a fly swatter.
Just when you might think that these bonehead-bureaucrats with the Pennsylvania Game Commission couldn’t get any dumber. . . Remember those ten little baby turkeys the hunter rescued from the (now dead) rattlesnake and took home to nurture? The Game Commission seized those baby turkeys, and “according to PGC policy,” killed them.
Dead.
In this day and age, most folks would reach for their cell phone, which was set on vibrate and emits a buzzing when someone interrupts your tranquility.
But as I reached inside my light jacket, I didn't unholster my phone, but instead my Smith & Wesson Model 686 .357 Magnum with the eight-inch barrel. The first three rounds in the cylinder were loaded with snake-shot--mini little shotgun type pellets, if you will, specifically formulated to send snakes, rats and other vermin to the same Paradise that ostensibly the vermin that flew into our World Trade Center Towers are now inhabiting.
I took aim at the offending rattlesnake and squeezed the trigger. One dead rattlesnake. Easy enough. When you grow up in Texas, you get used to dispatching rattlesnakes, rats and other vermin.
Not so, apparently, if you live in Pennsylvania--at least according to an old newspaper story a friend, and fellow rattlesnake shooter--sent to me. It seems the bureaucrats in Pennsylvania place an inordinate value on rattlesnakes. Even moreso than they do their own citizenry.
Now, when you mention rattlesnakes and government bureaucrats in the same sentence, you’d think it would be hard to tell the difference.
Not at all.
Rattlesnakes can actually use their brains.
Every time I tell myself that I can no longer be shocked by the ignorant actions of our government or the people who work for it, I know I’m just setting myself up for a letdown. And the latest incident of mind-boggling sheer stupidity is no exception.
According to the local paper in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, an 18-year-old hunter shot and killed a rattlesnake while he was hunting turkey. It seems he crossed paths with a four-foot rattlesnake that had killed a mama turkey and was threatening her nest that had ten baby turkeys in it. After killing the rattlesnake, he and his hunting buddy gathered up the little baby turkeys and took them home to try and keep them alive in order to release back in the wild once they were able.
Pretty decent and admirable thing to do, wouldn’t you say?
Not if you’re one of the bureaucrats making and enforcing policy with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.. These morons turn him over to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, who issued him a citation for killing the rattlesnake. The Fish and Boat Commission has jurisdiction over rattlesnakes.
Figure that one out, if you can.
As I understand it, in Pennsylvania you need a fishing license and a special permit to kill a rattlesnake. I have never heard of having to get a permit to kill a rattlesnake. That would be like having to get a license to set out a mouse trap or get a concealed carry permit for a fly swatter.
Just when you might think that these bonehead-bureaucrats with the Pennsylvania Game Commission couldn’t get any dumber. . . Remember those ten little baby turkeys the hunter rescued from the (now dead) rattlesnake and took home to nurture? The Game Commission seized those baby turkeys, and “according to PGC policy,” killed them.
Dead.
Would Muslim racing keep the pigs away?
I love this story. It's absolutely PI (Politically Incorrect) but 100% OAC (Ordinary American Correct).
Pig Racing next to a Mosque in Houston, Texas
Seems some Muslims down around the edges of Houston, Texas, decided to buy some eleven or so acres of land which is adjacent to a farm--a farm which also raises pigs.
Now, the Muslims knew this beyond a doubt when they looked at the land, negotiated for the land, purchased the land, and sealed the deal. But now they are offended by the presence of pork and have requested that the farmer get rid of his pigs.
The Texas farmer told them to go to hell.
The ragheads persisted, and the Texas farmer upped the ante.
Now, every Friday afternoon during traditional Muslim prayer time, the farmer holds pig races. He's getting quite the attendance from friends, neighbors and other interested parties.
Good for him.
I'm sick and damn tired of assholes from other cultures coming to America and demanding that I bend my culture to suit theirs. I have two words for you: The first has to do with the act of fornication. The second is You. Use your imagination.
Or to put it another way, get the hell out of my country.
I'm sick to death of signs, ballots, instructions on the telephone, etc being in Spanish. I'm tired of voting ballots having Spanish on them. Only citizens of this country can vote (exception being Chicago, of course) and a requirement for citizenship is the ability to read, write and speak passable English. So if you can't read the ballot, tough shit. Don't vote.
I'm sick to death of standing in line behind some curry-breathed Indian from Calcutta or New Delhi or wherever who's returning endless baskets of merchandise to the neighborhood Walgreens because they're running an Indian coupon fraud scheme. I'm tired of the Indians and Asians coming to our country and immediately signing up for Medicaid and food stamps--even as they're taking on a $55K/year job.
The sonsofbitches aren't even citizens, thus cannot vote, but still our stupid-assed whore politicians still cater to them more than they do they own citizens. Unbelievable.
But I really have an axe to grind with the Muslims and their pushing of Sharia law and other such crap on us. I'll consider Sharia law when the raghead imams and mullahs start dining on Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches before each prayer service.
I'm tired of anytime another terrorist incident happens, the Muslim clerics jumping to the terrorists' defense. I'm tired of the Muslims boasting how they're taking over the world. I'm really tired of the talk that the imams spout about how one day, all us "infidels" will be slaves to the Muslims. My ass.
So I salute my Texas brethren in Katy for holding pig races next door to the ragheads' proposed mosque site.
Only thing better would be if he held imam races.
I don't think that would offend the pigs.
Pig Racing next to a Mosque in Houston, Texas
Seems some Muslims down around the edges of Houston, Texas, decided to buy some eleven or so acres of land which is adjacent to a farm--a farm which also raises pigs.
Now, the Muslims knew this beyond a doubt when they looked at the land, negotiated for the land, purchased the land, and sealed the deal. But now they are offended by the presence of pork and have requested that the farmer get rid of his pigs.
The Texas farmer told them to go to hell.
The ragheads persisted, and the Texas farmer upped the ante.
Now, every Friday afternoon during traditional Muslim prayer time, the farmer holds pig races. He's getting quite the attendance from friends, neighbors and other interested parties.
Good for him.
I'm sick and damn tired of assholes from other cultures coming to America and demanding that I bend my culture to suit theirs. I have two words for you: The first has to do with the act of fornication. The second is You. Use your imagination.
Or to put it another way, get the hell out of my country.
I'm sick to death of signs, ballots, instructions on the telephone, etc being in Spanish. I'm tired of voting ballots having Spanish on them. Only citizens of this country can vote (exception being Chicago, of course) and a requirement for citizenship is the ability to read, write and speak passable English. So if you can't read the ballot, tough shit. Don't vote.
I'm sick to death of standing in line behind some curry-breathed Indian from Calcutta or New Delhi or wherever who's returning endless baskets of merchandise to the neighborhood Walgreens because they're running an Indian coupon fraud scheme. I'm tired of the Indians and Asians coming to our country and immediately signing up for Medicaid and food stamps--even as they're taking on a $55K/year job.
The sonsofbitches aren't even citizens, thus cannot vote, but still our stupid-assed whore politicians still cater to them more than they do they own citizens. Unbelievable.
But I really have an axe to grind with the Muslims and their pushing of Sharia law and other such crap on us. I'll consider Sharia law when the raghead imams and mullahs start dining on Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches before each prayer service.
I'm tired of anytime another terrorist incident happens, the Muslim clerics jumping to the terrorists' defense. I'm tired of the Muslims boasting how they're taking over the world. I'm really tired of the talk that the imams spout about how one day, all us "infidels" will be slaves to the Muslims. My ass.
So I salute my Texas brethren in Katy for holding pig races next door to the ragheads' proposed mosque site.
Only thing better would be if he held imam races.
I don't think that would offend the pigs.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Gpal: No pal of the gun world
Just as one man caused a furor worldwide with a Ponzi scheme that snared thousands within its financial spider web of deceit, so has the gun world been unwillingly duped by our own guns and bullets version of Bernie Madoff.
A 29-year-old schmoozer and charmer and bullshit artist from California has managed to create a fault line within the California gun owners, via Calguns.net, that makes the San Andreas fault look like a mere crack in the sidewalk.
Enter Ben Cannon, a slick, arrogant, con man who seemingly has more backgrounds than James Bond and the Chevy Chase character, "Fletch," all combined. To read Cannon's self-expressed resume, at the end of the day one can only wonder why this guy is not giving counsel to Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Tim Geithner when it comes to business and financial matters.
Only one small problem: Cannon's latest business failure, Gunpal, now known as Gpal, has flopped harder than a beached largemouth bass on an Alabama shoreline.
Enter the Gpal scam.
Let me back up for a minute and explain Gpal to those unfamiliar. . .Think Paypal, that monetary transfer service people use when they do business with Ebay. Paypal has been accused at many levels of being anti-gun and for suspending customers' accounts due to violations of their Terms Of Service (TOS) when gun purchases were made and Paypal used to complete the exchange of funds between buyer and seller.
So along comes Ben Cannon and Gunpal promising to be a gun-friendly transfer system as opposed to Paypal. He gets off to a well publicized start, because if there is one thing Ben Cannon is well-versed and practiced at doing, other than masturbation with himself as the object of his desire, it is in publicizing himself and his latest ventures.
Ben has a worshipping faction at a place called Calguns.net and as predicted, they lined up, passed around the Kool Aid, drank heartily and blindly supported Gunpal. Many others of us did as well. What's not to like about a pro-gun, gun-friendly financial transfer service, after all?
This Ordinary American was hoping Gunpal would succeed and become a viable service for frustrated gun owners unable to complete monetary transfers with Paypal for online goods and services related to the gun world.
But unfortunately, this Ordinary American was not familiar with Ben Cannon. Had any of us here at An Ordinary American known about Ben Cannon and his lying, scheming, scamming, bullshit ways, no way would we have been quietly supporting him or Gunpal.
Sometime around February 2010, Gunpal changed their name to Gpal. That should have been the first "uh-oh" sign for the gun world: A pro-gun service taking the word "gun" out of their name.
Some feeble excuses were offered and the Cannon Crusaders mixed more Kool Aid and slugged it down and staunchly defended their man.
But even as early as February 2010, not all was well. The first signs of trouble were already out and in the open. Several gun forum owners and administrators began posting warnings to their membership about Gunpal, now Gpal.
A fellow by the name of "GpalVP" immediately showed up wherever there was doubt of discourse about Gpal. He laughed off the problems and promised that they were simply "growing pains and that Gpal wants your business." The Kool Aid drinkers kept slugging it down.
Then in May, things got worse. It seems a lot of gun/industry sellers had been quite successful at promoting Gpal (formerly Gunpal) as their payment processor. But it also seems that Gpal wasn't quite as successful at paying out the money it was taking in.
Uh-oh number two.
More forum and site administrators started issuing warnings. GpalVP shows up and explains that one of their banks "screwed them" and that they are looking for a new bank.
That was when this writer's BSD (Bull Shit Detector) first began vibrating and registering around a 6.3. Banks enter negotiated or standard contract relationships with customers. They don't just arbitrarily "screw you," not if they don't want a slew of FDIC and other fed investigators sticking an investigative microscope up their asses.
In June and July of 2010, the grumblings of non-payment by Gpal became more frequent, more widespread and more heated. In response, GpalVP's comments became more defensive, more derogatory and the first threats of "legal actions" against anyone saying or claiming derogatory things about Gpal and/or Ben Cannon began to surface.
Uh-oh number three.
Ben Cannon ignored the fact that by his shameless and endless self-aggrandizing and self-promotion, endless press releases and photographs on the internet that he had effectively made himself a public figure. When that happened, those well familiar with Ben Cannon and his scheming, scamming ways began coming out of the closet and telling eerily similar tales.
And within them, the truth about Ben Cannon began to emerge.
No longer was it considered cute that a 29-year-old con artist who still reportedly lived at home with his parents was out playing big-shot entrepreneur. Cannon's claims of grandeur began bringing him unwanted attention, such as an arrest for impersonating a police officer--a charge later dropped due to conflicting evidence reports.
Google searches for "Ben Cannon" "Gpal" "Fraud" and "scam" began yielding more fruit than a south Florida citrus harvest, and with them, more victims of previous Ben Cannon excursions began coming forth.
And they are still coming forth at the time of this writing.
The long and the short of it is that it strongly appears Ben Cannon and Gpal have not been paying out the money they've been taking in from gun world customers. Along the way, amidst a huge and ever growing number of complaints, Cannon has not-so-subtly changed the Terms of Service at Gpal--a move that has now garnered the attention of the FBI and the FTC.
There are a number of forums and gun-world related sites replete with honest, law-abiding gun sellers who are out sums of money ranging from $50 on upwards to four-figures, with some even claiming that they are out five-figures.
How they have not been paid is the question.
Hypothetical example:
If I sell you a gun for $5000 and you pay me via Gpal, then Gpal has $5000 of your money in their account, plus a fee from the percentage. I then request the $5000 be moved into my account. Gpal's TOS stated, at the time, three to seven business days for the transfer to occur.
That should have been the first bells going off. Up to seven business days to transfer money being held in accounts right next to each other?
But in many cases, the transfer wasn't done in seven days. In many instances, those transfers weren't even done in seventy days. So now, I'm out $5000 for this one transaction. If I've done several more nice gun sales, I could easily be out up to $10,000 in funds tied up in Ben Cannon's Gpal scheme, waiting on my money that the buyers paid in good faith and which has been documented to be in a Gpal account, to be transferred into my account.
Only, in too many cases, the transfers are not happening.
Our question is Why the hell not?
My gut feeling and opinion is because Ben Cannon and Gpal have already spent it, and are now having to wait on more money to come in so they can cover the outbound transfers. Ponzi scheme, anyone?
Ben Cannon has been spotted on several "lifestyles of the rich and adventuresome" websites and forums. He goes by the handle of "artherd" and has a smarmy picture of himself leaning on a silver foreign car and holding up a copy of the Wall Street Journal. http://www.luxury4play.com/business/43468-bank-bank-wire-transfers-2.html
There are literally countless more threads and links one can follow within the gun (and now guitar world, it seems) owners community to read about more tales of woe from Ben Cannon and Gpal.
The one thing that is obvious is that there is more than enough smoke billowing up to indicate a raging, out-of-control fire in the bedroom/office inside his parents' house where the latest "love 'em and leave 'em" business adventure by Ben Cannon is taking place.
Problem is, it's honest, decent law-abiding gun-owners who are getting burned. And for some of them, no amount of first aid can come fast enough as some have already had to shut their doors due to having their money disappear while entrusted to Ben Cannon and Gpal.
And that's what the most despicable of all.
Tweet
A 29-year-old schmoozer and charmer and bullshit artist from California has managed to create a fault line within the California gun owners, via Calguns.net, that makes the San Andreas fault look like a mere crack in the sidewalk.
Enter Ben Cannon, a slick, arrogant, con man who seemingly has more backgrounds than James Bond and the Chevy Chase character, "Fletch," all combined. To read Cannon's self-expressed resume, at the end of the day one can only wonder why this guy is not giving counsel to Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Tim Geithner when it comes to business and financial matters.
Only one small problem: Cannon's latest business failure, Gunpal, now known as Gpal, has flopped harder than a beached largemouth bass on an Alabama shoreline.
Enter the Gpal scam.
Let me back up for a minute and explain Gpal to those unfamiliar. . .Think Paypal, that monetary transfer service people use when they do business with Ebay. Paypal has been accused at many levels of being anti-gun and for suspending customers' accounts due to violations of their Terms Of Service (TOS) when gun purchases were made and Paypal used to complete the exchange of funds between buyer and seller.
So along comes Ben Cannon and Gunpal promising to be a gun-friendly transfer system as opposed to Paypal. He gets off to a well publicized start, because if there is one thing Ben Cannon is well-versed and practiced at doing, other than masturbation with himself as the object of his desire, it is in publicizing himself and his latest ventures.
Ben has a worshipping faction at a place called Calguns.net and as predicted, they lined up, passed around the Kool Aid, drank heartily and blindly supported Gunpal. Many others of us did as well. What's not to like about a pro-gun, gun-friendly financial transfer service, after all?
This Ordinary American was hoping Gunpal would succeed and become a viable service for frustrated gun owners unable to complete monetary transfers with Paypal for online goods and services related to the gun world.
But unfortunately, this Ordinary American was not familiar with Ben Cannon. Had any of us here at An Ordinary American known about Ben Cannon and his lying, scheming, scamming, bullshit ways, no way would we have been quietly supporting him or Gunpal.
Sometime around February 2010, Gunpal changed their name to Gpal. That should have been the first "uh-oh" sign for the gun world: A pro-gun service taking the word "gun" out of their name.
Some feeble excuses were offered and the Cannon Crusaders mixed more Kool Aid and slugged it down and staunchly defended their man.
But even as early as February 2010, not all was well. The first signs of trouble were already out and in the open. Several gun forum owners and administrators began posting warnings to their membership about Gunpal, now Gpal.
A fellow by the name of "GpalVP" immediately showed up wherever there was doubt of discourse about Gpal. He laughed off the problems and promised that they were simply "growing pains and that Gpal wants your business." The Kool Aid drinkers kept slugging it down.
Then in May, things got worse. It seems a lot of gun/industry sellers had been quite successful at promoting Gpal (formerly Gunpal) as their payment processor. But it also seems that Gpal wasn't quite as successful at paying out the money it was taking in.
Uh-oh number two.
More forum and site administrators started issuing warnings. GpalVP shows up and explains that one of their banks "screwed them" and that they are looking for a new bank.
That was when this writer's BSD (Bull Shit Detector) first began vibrating and registering around a 6.3. Banks enter negotiated or standard contract relationships with customers. They don't just arbitrarily "screw you," not if they don't want a slew of FDIC and other fed investigators sticking an investigative microscope up their asses.
In June and July of 2010, the grumblings of non-payment by Gpal became more frequent, more widespread and more heated. In response, GpalVP's comments became more defensive, more derogatory and the first threats of "legal actions" against anyone saying or claiming derogatory things about Gpal and/or Ben Cannon began to surface.
Uh-oh number three.
Ben Cannon ignored the fact that by his shameless and endless self-aggrandizing and self-promotion, endless press releases and photographs on the internet that he had effectively made himself a public figure. When that happened, those well familiar with Ben Cannon and his scheming, scamming ways began coming out of the closet and telling eerily similar tales.
And within them, the truth about Ben Cannon began to emerge.
No longer was it considered cute that a 29-year-old con artist who still reportedly lived at home with his parents was out playing big-shot entrepreneur. Cannon's claims of grandeur began bringing him unwanted attention, such as an arrest for impersonating a police officer--a charge later dropped due to conflicting evidence reports.
Google searches for "Ben Cannon" "Gpal" "Fraud" and "scam" began yielding more fruit than a south Florida citrus harvest, and with them, more victims of previous Ben Cannon excursions began coming forth.
And they are still coming forth at the time of this writing.
The long and the short of it is that it strongly appears Ben Cannon and Gpal have not been paying out the money they've been taking in from gun world customers. Along the way, amidst a huge and ever growing number of complaints, Cannon has not-so-subtly changed the Terms of Service at Gpal--a move that has now garnered the attention of the FBI and the FTC.
There are a number of forums and gun-world related sites replete with honest, law-abiding gun sellers who are out sums of money ranging from $50 on upwards to four-figures, with some even claiming that they are out five-figures.
How they have not been paid is the question.
Hypothetical example:
If I sell you a gun for $5000 and you pay me via Gpal, then Gpal has $5000 of your money in their account, plus a fee from the percentage. I then request the $5000 be moved into my account. Gpal's TOS stated, at the time, three to seven business days for the transfer to occur.
That should have been the first bells going off. Up to seven business days to transfer money being held in accounts right next to each other?
But in many cases, the transfer wasn't done in seven days. In many instances, those transfers weren't even done in seventy days. So now, I'm out $5000 for this one transaction. If I've done several more nice gun sales, I could easily be out up to $10,000 in funds tied up in Ben Cannon's Gpal scheme, waiting on my money that the buyers paid in good faith and which has been documented to be in a Gpal account, to be transferred into my account.
Only, in too many cases, the transfers are not happening.
Our question is Why the hell not?
My gut feeling and opinion is because Ben Cannon and Gpal have already spent it, and are now having to wait on more money to come in so they can cover the outbound transfers. Ponzi scheme, anyone?
Ben Cannon has been spotted on several "lifestyles of the rich and adventuresome" websites and forums. He goes by the handle of "artherd" and has a smarmy picture of himself leaning on a silver foreign car and holding up a copy of the Wall Street Journal. http://www.luxury4play.com/business/43468-bank-bank-wire-transfers-2.html
There are literally countless more threads and links one can follow within the gun (and now guitar world, it seems) owners community to read about more tales of woe from Ben Cannon and Gpal.
The one thing that is obvious is that there is more than enough smoke billowing up to indicate a raging, out-of-control fire in the bedroom/office inside his parents' house where the latest "love 'em and leave 'em" business adventure by Ben Cannon is taking place.
Problem is, it's honest, decent law-abiding gun-owners who are getting burned. And for some of them, no amount of first aid can come fast enough as some have already had to shut their doors due to having their money disappear while entrusted to Ben Cannon and Gpal.
And that's what the most despicable of all.
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Sunday, February 21, 2010
Liberty and Justice. . . is it still alive?
I am a contributing member to one forum and one forum only. I have "signed up" for several others, but am a "lurker," meaning I am a "read-only" guy. Have no interest in contributing my thoughts or opinions. On a couple of them, having to do with aviation and leatherworking, I can't contribute--the regular members on there are light years above and beyond my knowledge and experience.
The one forum I do contribute on shall remain nameless, but it is one where I feel very comfortable and very much a part of the community. So much so that I even send money to help support it.
It is not a political forum, but does have an "off-topic" area in which politics are often discussed. Normally I'd rather discuss autopsies and bowel movements over politics, but seeing as how they are so often similar in nature. . .
A member asked, "Is Liberty and Justice still alive in the United States?"
The answers surprised me, enraged me and encouraged me. But a response from one of the younger members evoked this response from yours truly:
So, do we still have liberty and freedom here?
Only so long as we continue to fight like hell for it. Marxist Muslim sympathizing pieces of fecal matter like our present President make the fight all the more harder, and often times treacherous.
But that is when the men are separated from the boys. Anyone can--and will--do it when it's easy and risk free.
It's times like these when the real Americans have to stand up and be counted.
And God Bless them, so far they are. I see them in Tea Parties. I see them in rallies. I see them in groups railing against incumbents. I see them in those who supported and got people like Scott Brown, Governor Christie and an entire Virgian top-executive group elected--tossing the incumbent support and mentality drones out on their asses in the process.
These people took tremendous risks, and look at what was gained.
You want Liberty? You want Justice?
Then fight for it, damnit!
The one forum I do contribute on shall remain nameless, but it is one where I feel very comfortable and very much a part of the community. So much so that I even send money to help support it.
It is not a political forum, but does have an "off-topic" area in which politics are often discussed. Normally I'd rather discuss autopsies and bowel movements over politics, but seeing as how they are so often similar in nature. . .
A member asked, "Is Liberty and Justice still alive in the United States?"
The answers surprised me, enraged me and encouraged me. But a response from one of the younger members evoked this response from yours truly:
I don't know how old you or any of the younger generations here are or if you served any time in the military, or in a war zone or in a foreign land, but. . .
I have. And I'll tell you--and anyone else reading--that while we have our warts, we are still a helluva lot better place to be than just about anywhere else in the world.
Our problem is that we're a bunch of spoiled, lazy, pathetic, whining do-nothing, MTV, American Idol, Survivor, Lost watching malcontents who are scared of sweat, callouses, physical pain and most of all, SACRIFICE.
Jesus Cristo! Talk to some of our WWII vets who lived through the Great Depression--and then WENT TO WAR for crying out loud! Listen to them talk about not having food to eat, about having to trade a family horse or mule for friggin' lard and flour JUST TO MAKE BISCUITS. Go to the library and look up pictures of the endless soup lines in the big cities. Look at the foreclosures. Look at the poverty. Look at the suicides that occurred.
Liberty and Justice?
I damned sure have Liberty and Justice. I have it in the U.S. Constitution. I may have to work a bit harder for it today than I would have twenty or thirty or forty years ago, but by God I still have it.
I have it because I still have a First Amendment that allows me to raise hell and speak out and call my elected officials a "dirty stinking crooked rotten sonofabitch" right to their face without getting tossed in the gulag for such a transgression.
How do I know? Because that is EXACTLY what I called U.S. Senator Phil Gramm back in 1989 and to his face. It didn't do my career advancement in federal law enforcement any favors, but I also didn't get tossed in jail or even reprimanded.
Why do I have a First Amendment? Because I also have a Second Amendment. I have a Second Amendment because I spend less time watching Lost and American Idol and eating Big Macs and more time writing letters and raising hell with my politicians and putting Big Mac money towards groups like the NRA and GOA and TSRA, plus supporting politicians that still believe in, and support, the Second Amendment and the rest of the Constitution.
Hell, we have people RIGHT FREAKING HERE that whine the NRA "isn't perfect" and has "betrayed them." They use that as justification to sit on their sorry dead asses and let the rest of us do the heavy lifting when it comes to defending our freedoms.
Well, BULLSHIT to that!
Without them or any of the other groups, we probably would not even be able to have this discussion. For sure, 90% of anyone who writes or even reads a blog would be tossed in the gulag.
But no, let's whine whine whine like a bunch of junior high girls who lost their tampons.
Liberty and Justice? It's all spelled out in the Declaration and Constitution. If you want it, you got to damn well FIGHT for it and DEFEND it. Preaching and whining to the choir don't cut it. You take the fight to the enemy and you kick them square in the testicles and hit them square in the mouth. You knock them down, then you kick the fecal-matter out of them while they're down and then you finish them off.
"But that's not civilized, Mr. Ordinary American," some will whine. Well kiss my uncivilized ass because that is what it took up through 1776, that's what it took in every major war or battle we've successfully fought and won, and that is what it will take to keep our Liberty and Justice secure for us and generations to come.
If you think it can't be done or don't want to "risk" anything such as your bank account or your house or your belongings, then get the hell out of my country because you're the problem and not the solution.
Apathy is exactly what the enemies of freedom--be it religious or political--count on. Apathy breeds comfort and comfort breeds fear. I was taught in the military to always take a little fear with me as it kept you sharp and focused. Same thing was taught to me in law enforcement.
Liberty and Justice? It's here. It's up to us to KEEP it here!
So, do we still have liberty and freedom here?
Only so long as we continue to fight like hell for it. Marxist Muslim sympathizing pieces of fecal matter like our present President make the fight all the more harder, and often times treacherous.
But that is when the men are separated from the boys. Anyone can--and will--do it when it's easy and risk free.
It's times like these when the real Americans have to stand up and be counted.
And God Bless them, so far they are. I see them in Tea Parties. I see them in rallies. I see them in groups railing against incumbents. I see them in those who supported and got people like Scott Brown, Governor Christie and an entire Virgian top-executive group elected--tossing the incumbent support and mentality drones out on their asses in the process.
These people took tremendous risks, and look at what was gained.
You want Liberty? You want Justice?
Then fight for it, damnit!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
An Austin Plane Crash & National Stupidity
You knew it was going to happen.
A small airplane did not crash into the IRS building in Austin today. It did not crash into the building anymore than an SUV swerved into a lane of oncoming traffic and running head-on into a flock of nuns.
A pissed off, deranged wackjob flew his airplane into the IRS building in Austin. Same as some unattentive numbnuts was paying more attention to his or her cell phone and text messaging while behind the wheel of a Suburban or Expedition.
Yet, the liberal dumbass rags immediately jump on general aviation. One of the more liberal, dumbass of the flock, The Christian Science Monitor, points out
This idiotic statement was made by a Texas RINO, US Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.).
I thought Repubics were smart enough to realize that inanimate objects are incapable of acting on their own. I also seem to remember many Repubics not wanting to hold an entire group accountable for the actions of a few.
Maybe we should just dump every damned Repubic this November since a few of them sided with Hussein Obama in passing this stimulus garbage that resulted in the largest national debt in our history.
Talk about revealing a weakness, in the Repubic's own words. . .
I have a couple of true passions in life. One is guns and another is flying. Both get maligned by Pravda and Tass (aka national media) and the Democraps whenever possible.
The Democraps and those who flock to them are terrified of law-abiding citizens who dare to exercise their Constitutional rights. Never mind the facts. Never mind that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens are used a gazillion times each year to defend honest citizens against the Democraps' core base, er, excuse me, I meant "criminals."
Freudian slip. Mea culpa.
But when the Democratic base uses guns in a felonious manner, it is naturally the law-abiding gun owner's fault somehow. Either we didn't lock our guns up securely enough, or we had too many or we sold it/them to the "wrong" person, blah blah blah.
What the Democratic mindset purposefully ignores, with the aid of Pravda, is that if my gun is stolen because I didn't lock it up well enough, that act of it being stolen is a CRIME. A crime committed by a CRIMINAL--a criminal who then uses my stolen property to commit another crime.
And somehow I'm responsible for that?
Bullshit.
Likewise, some wackjob flies his single-engine airplane into the IRS building in Austin, and I--pilot and operator of a single-engine airplane myself--am now branded a threat?
Bullshit again.
There are only three groups of people in this country stupid enough to believe that: Elected Officials, Reporters and the Sheople who blindly follow and believe them.
But lest you be surprised, need I also remind you that these are the same three groups who also got us "Hope and Change you can believe in." Talk about National Stupidity.
Anyone reading this who thinks that small airplanes are a danger should ask themselves this question about today's event in Austin:
Who poses a greater threat to your individual freedom, liberty and pursuit of happiness--the Internal Revenue Service or private pilots?
This is in no way excusing or defending Joseph Stack's wackjob stunt today. Personally, I'm glad the pukebag died in the crash. It was the least he could do. And I hope he has some serious explaining to do up yonder.
But for all the hype and BS I've read in the national and local rags about "those dangerous little airplanes" and "no way to defend against them," I've yet to read one stinking, solitary word about the antics and shenanigans of the IRS and that there is no way to defend yourself against any allegations made by the IRS.
And finally, I've yet to read any story regarding the reason such anger exists against the IRS that would cause someone to kamikaze themselves into the very open arms of Hell itself, which is what many refer to the IRS as.
Instead, we're being told that something else is the problem.
Is it any wonder that so-called "mainstream media" publications and broadcasts are losing money faster than Jennifer Anniston changes boyfriends?
Next, the media will tell us why we need to bail them out.
And that will be the ultimate National Stupidity.
A small airplane did not crash into the IRS building in Austin today. It did not crash into the building anymore than an SUV swerved into a lane of oncoming traffic and running head-on into a flock of nuns.
A pissed off, deranged wackjob flew his airplane into the IRS building in Austin. Same as some unattentive numbnuts was paying more attention to his or her cell phone and text messaging while behind the wheel of a Suburban or Expedition.
Yet, the liberal dumbass rags immediately jump on general aviation. One of the more liberal, dumbass of the flock, The Christian Science Monitor, points out
"The incident has “revealed a weakness we have been aware of since 9/11.... It’s an issue that Congress definitely needs to look at,” he said.
This idiotic statement was made by a Texas RINO, US Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.).
I thought Repubics were smart enough to realize that inanimate objects are incapable of acting on their own. I also seem to remember many Repubics not wanting to hold an entire group accountable for the actions of a few.
Maybe we should just dump every damned Repubic this November since a few of them sided with Hussein Obama in passing this stimulus garbage that resulted in the largest national debt in our history.
Talk about revealing a weakness, in the Repubic's own words. . .
I have a couple of true passions in life. One is guns and another is flying. Both get maligned by Pravda and Tass (aka national media) and the Democraps whenever possible.
The Democraps and those who flock to them are terrified of law-abiding citizens who dare to exercise their Constitutional rights. Never mind the facts. Never mind that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens are used a gazillion times each year to defend honest citizens against the Democraps' core base, er, excuse me, I meant "criminals."
Freudian slip. Mea culpa.
But when the Democratic base uses guns in a felonious manner, it is naturally the law-abiding gun owner's fault somehow. Either we didn't lock our guns up securely enough, or we had too many or we sold it/them to the "wrong" person, blah blah blah.
What the Democratic mindset purposefully ignores, with the aid of Pravda, is that if my gun is stolen because I didn't lock it up well enough, that act of it being stolen is a CRIME. A crime committed by a CRIMINAL--a criminal who then uses my stolen property to commit another crime.
And somehow I'm responsible for that?
Bullshit.
Likewise, some wackjob flies his single-engine airplane into the IRS building in Austin, and I--pilot and operator of a single-engine airplane myself--am now branded a threat?
Bullshit again.
There are only three groups of people in this country stupid enough to believe that: Elected Officials, Reporters and the Sheople who blindly follow and believe them.
But lest you be surprised, need I also remind you that these are the same three groups who also got us "Hope and Change you can believe in." Talk about National Stupidity.
Anyone reading this who thinks that small airplanes are a danger should ask themselves this question about today's event in Austin:
Who poses a greater threat to your individual freedom, liberty and pursuit of happiness--the Internal Revenue Service or private pilots?
This is in no way excusing or defending Joseph Stack's wackjob stunt today. Personally, I'm glad the pukebag died in the crash. It was the least he could do. And I hope he has some serious explaining to do up yonder.
But for all the hype and BS I've read in the national and local rags about "those dangerous little airplanes" and "no way to defend against them," I've yet to read one stinking, solitary word about the antics and shenanigans of the IRS and that there is no way to defend yourself against any allegations made by the IRS.
And finally, I've yet to read any story regarding the reason such anger exists against the IRS that would cause someone to kamikaze themselves into the very open arms of Hell itself, which is what many refer to the IRS as.
Instead, we're being told that something else is the problem.
Is it any wonder that so-called "mainstream media" publications and broadcasts are losing money faster than Jennifer Anniston changes boyfriends?
Next, the media will tell us why we need to bail them out.
And that will be the ultimate National Stupidity.
Airlines wonder why they're going broke?
Had the misfortune to fly to Phoenix this past week for a wedding.
The misfortune had nothing to do with Phoenix, a town I enjoy visiting, or the fact that my nephew was getting married--he's a good guy and he found a jewel of a lady to settle down with.
The misfortune was once again having to deal with an airport system that would give George Orwell a bad case of indigestion, not to mention the shakes.
Compounding this experience was the fact that we flew with American Airlines. As usual, late arriving on both ends of the flight despite severe-clear weather throughout the entire route.
But what really steamed me was having to pay $25 to check one piece of luggage. What pissed me off royally was that if I'd wanted to check a second piece of luggage, it would've been an additional $35 dollars.
I have no brief with the airplane people at American Airlines. None whatsoever. The airplane people are those folks who drive the planes, attend to the passengers, load the bags and fill up the fuel tanks, take my tickets and tell me to "have a nice flight." They are all outstanding, hard-working people.
No, it's the alpha-hotels who run American Airlines. Alpha-hotels like Gerard Arpey, the CEO, and Don Carty, the ex-CEO.
For those of you who are not ex-military or ex-law enforcement, "alpha-hotel" is an acronym for asshole. People like Arpey and Carty sometimes get a bit testy about being called an asshole, so hence, the use of alpha-hotel.
The alpha-hotels who run American Airlines continue to badger the airplane people--those who do the work--into making and taking less so that the executives, who don't know a pitot tube from a pressure gauge or an aileron from an amperage indicator, can make and take more.
In the Air Force, generals who do not have pilot's wings are looked at as little more than political pissants--which they are. After all, the job of the Air Force is to fly airplanes. Everything else around the Air Force is designed to support the air portion of the mission.
Likewise, in the Marine Corps, you will not find a Marine that is afraid of guns and who does not know how to shoot one.
In the Navy, you'll find a lot of Admirals who still think that port is an after dinner alcoholic beverage and starboard is what their grandchildren look at when visiting the planetarium.
Like the Air Force, these pissant admirals and generals often end up in senior management at the Pentagon, where they can do the least amount of harm to the actual warriors out in the real world.
However, at American Airlines, pissants like Arpey, and Carty before him, rise like the proverbial turd floating in an overused toilet bowl to the very top of the organization--put there, in large part, by fellow incompetents who were appointed to the Board of Directors by previous incompetents.
In the military, we used to refer to such antics as a circle-jerk.
Just as pissant admirals and generals look out for each other, often at the expense of the troops, so does today's breed of corporate CEO and board directors.
Who pays?
We do, of course.
We have to pay. Carty sucked the airplane people at American drier than a stadium full of vampires with keys to the blood bank. Arpey, not to be outdone, turned his pencil-pushing hyenas loose and found more scraps of meat here and there from the airplane people (pilots, attendants, mechanics, handlers, etc) that could be picked and gnawed away at.
Then the pencil-pushing hyenas struck gold.
The passengers hadn't been fleeced yet.
So now, no matter what you pay for a ticket on American Airlines, if you want to be able to change clothes when you get to your destination and you have to check that suitcase because it will not fit in the overhead, fork over $25 smackers. That's $50 additional for a round trip.
Think American is finished? Hell, no.
If you want to take a nap and ask for a pillow--that's $8. EIGHT DOLLARS for a pillow you can buy at Walgreens for $2.50 all day and every day. EIGHT DOLLARS for a pillow that you don't even get to keep.
What if you catch a chill on an American Airlines flight and ask for a blanket? $8 more dollars. EIGHT DOLLARS for a blanket you can get at Wal-mart for ONE DOLLAR all day long.
What's next, a surcharge for ringing the bell to get an attendant's attention? A surcharge for saying, "Hello, how are you doing?" to the flight crew as you herd your way into the airplane? How long will it be before there is a surcharge for logging onto the American Airlines website just to see what the newest surcharges are?
I wish I could say American Airlines was the only airline that is doing this, but the sad fact of the matter is that they are not.
But American Airlines got a dumptruck load of our money--public tax dollars--after September 11, 2001 to stay in business. Carty walked around Washington DC with his hand out more than a New York City panhandler. Arpey likes to hint and threaten at bankruptcy and re-organization.
In the midst of the Obama-cession, it boggles my mind how businesses who are struggling insist on raising prices, then whining like a jilted prom queen when customers flip them the finger and shop somewhere else. Or, when customers simply refuse to shop at all.
This is yet another example of what happens when our government gets too involved with our private sector businesses. Businesses begin picking up the bad habits of our government.
Growing up, when times were tough, my parents taught my brother and me that we had to "tighten our belts and watch our spending." Government is just the opposite--they spend more and charge more.
Hey Gerard Arpey! Here's some advice:
Listen to your passengers and customers. I saw two dozen empty seats on our flight. Empty seats don't make money. Discount them. It costs the same to fly that MD-80 from DFW to PHX whether you have two empty seats or 60 empty seats. Making a little money is better than making no money.
Good advice, eh?
That'll be $25 Arpey owes me.
Maybe we customers should start charging businesses for our patronage. . .
The misfortune had nothing to do with Phoenix, a town I enjoy visiting, or the fact that my nephew was getting married--he's a good guy and he found a jewel of a lady to settle down with.
The misfortune was once again having to deal with an airport system that would give George Orwell a bad case of indigestion, not to mention the shakes.
Compounding this experience was the fact that we flew with American Airlines. As usual, late arriving on both ends of the flight despite severe-clear weather throughout the entire route.
But what really steamed me was having to pay $25 to check one piece of luggage. What pissed me off royally was that if I'd wanted to check a second piece of luggage, it would've been an additional $35 dollars.
I have no brief with the airplane people at American Airlines. None whatsoever. The airplane people are those folks who drive the planes, attend to the passengers, load the bags and fill up the fuel tanks, take my tickets and tell me to "have a nice flight." They are all outstanding, hard-working people.
No, it's the alpha-hotels who run American Airlines. Alpha-hotels like Gerard Arpey, the CEO, and Don Carty, the ex-CEO.
For those of you who are not ex-military or ex-law enforcement, "alpha-hotel" is an acronym for asshole. People like Arpey and Carty sometimes get a bit testy about being called an asshole, so hence, the use of alpha-hotel.
The alpha-hotels who run American Airlines continue to badger the airplane people--those who do the work--into making and taking less so that the executives, who don't know a pitot tube from a pressure gauge or an aileron from an amperage indicator, can make and take more.
In the Air Force, generals who do not have pilot's wings are looked at as little more than political pissants--which they are. After all, the job of the Air Force is to fly airplanes. Everything else around the Air Force is designed to support the air portion of the mission.
Likewise, in the Marine Corps, you will not find a Marine that is afraid of guns and who does not know how to shoot one.
In the Navy, you'll find a lot of Admirals who still think that port is an after dinner alcoholic beverage and starboard is what their grandchildren look at when visiting the planetarium.
Like the Air Force, these pissant admirals and generals often end up in senior management at the Pentagon, where they can do the least amount of harm to the actual warriors out in the real world.
However, at American Airlines, pissants like Arpey, and Carty before him, rise like the proverbial turd floating in an overused toilet bowl to the very top of the organization--put there, in large part, by fellow incompetents who were appointed to the Board of Directors by previous incompetents.
In the military, we used to refer to such antics as a circle-jerk.
Just as pissant admirals and generals look out for each other, often at the expense of the troops, so does today's breed of corporate CEO and board directors.
Who pays?
We do, of course.
We have to pay. Carty sucked the airplane people at American drier than a stadium full of vampires with keys to the blood bank. Arpey, not to be outdone, turned his pencil-pushing hyenas loose and found more scraps of meat here and there from the airplane people (pilots, attendants, mechanics, handlers, etc) that could be picked and gnawed away at.
Then the pencil-pushing hyenas struck gold.
The passengers hadn't been fleeced yet.
So now, no matter what you pay for a ticket on American Airlines, if you want to be able to change clothes when you get to your destination and you have to check that suitcase because it will not fit in the overhead, fork over $25 smackers. That's $50 additional for a round trip.
Think American is finished? Hell, no.
If you want to take a nap and ask for a pillow--that's $8. EIGHT DOLLARS for a pillow you can buy at Walgreens for $2.50 all day and every day. EIGHT DOLLARS for a pillow that you don't even get to keep.
What if you catch a chill on an American Airlines flight and ask for a blanket? $8 more dollars. EIGHT DOLLARS for a blanket you can get at Wal-mart for ONE DOLLAR all day long.
What's next, a surcharge for ringing the bell to get an attendant's attention? A surcharge for saying, "Hello, how are you doing?" to the flight crew as you herd your way into the airplane? How long will it be before there is a surcharge for logging onto the American Airlines website just to see what the newest surcharges are?
I wish I could say American Airlines was the only airline that is doing this, but the sad fact of the matter is that they are not.
But American Airlines got a dumptruck load of our money--public tax dollars--after September 11, 2001 to stay in business. Carty walked around Washington DC with his hand out more than a New York City panhandler. Arpey likes to hint and threaten at bankruptcy and re-organization.
In the midst of the Obama-cession, it boggles my mind how businesses who are struggling insist on raising prices, then whining like a jilted prom queen when customers flip them the finger and shop somewhere else. Or, when customers simply refuse to shop at all.
This is yet another example of what happens when our government gets too involved with our private sector businesses. Businesses begin picking up the bad habits of our government.
Growing up, when times were tough, my parents taught my brother and me that we had to "tighten our belts and watch our spending." Government is just the opposite--they spend more and charge more.
Hey Gerard Arpey! Here's some advice:
Listen to your passengers and customers. I saw two dozen empty seats on our flight. Empty seats don't make money. Discount them. It costs the same to fly that MD-80 from DFW to PHX whether you have two empty seats or 60 empty seats. Making a little money is better than making no money.
Good advice, eh?
That'll be $25 Arpey owes me.
Maybe we customers should start charging businesses for our patronage. . .
Monday, April 20, 2009
TSA is antithesis of USA
I must've woken up in the wrong country this morning.
Upon checking my e-mail, which is a hit and miss proposition depending upon my mood, I found a note from my favorite uncle with a "you need to check this out" line attached. I did, and in following the link to a You Tube video, my blood began to alternately boil and chill.
The TSA, also known as the Transportation Security Agency, and also known among my circles as Mall Ninja Rejects (translation: not even qualified to be a non-gun toting security guard at malls empty parking lots), jacked up and detained a United States citizen at the St. Louis airport.
His offenses were multiple and egregious.
Offense number one was having Ron Paul stickers on his luggage. According to the Department of Homeland Security, that is a tipoff that the young man is a high-probability right-wing conspiracist and extremist.
Imagine that--supporting someone who supports the United States Constitution makes one a an extremist and conspiracist, according to our own present day government. Now under Hussein Obama, America's first Muslim supporting, sympathizing and supporting President, anyone who supports the United States Constitution rather than Hussein Obama's mandates and "plans," makes them a subversive.
But enough of that, and on to the more serious of the young man's crimes.
He was carrying cash. $4700 to be exact.
The mensa candidates who wave the TSA insignia and badges at Lambert Field Airport, St. Louis, took this to be "highly suspicious" and detained the young man. Then they began asking the United States citizen the kind of questions that I thought only occurred on old movies you see late at night dealing with Nazi German days or some poor schmuck caged by the Soviet KGB back in their day.
You know the type questions: "Tell us what we want to know and you will not be harmed. Otherwise, if you do not tell us what we want to know, we'll take you downtown to the Station where you can talk to Hitler himself."
Or, another favorite: "Well, comrade, if you have nothing to hide, then what is the problem with answering our very simple questions? If you do not, comrade, we will consider charging you with State Treason and let Comrade Stalin preside over your sentencing to the gulag."
You probably think I'm kidding, or being overly-dramatic with my satirical "examples" of questioning. Can't happen here in the USA, you say--you've got to be pulling my leg.
Nope.
In fact, this is straight from a story in the Washington Times:
On the tape, Mr. Bierfeldt is asked repeatedly where he works, where he obtained the money and why he was in St. Louis.
In each instance, Mr. Bierfeldt asked whether he was required by law to answer the questions.
"You want to play smartass, and I'm not going to play your f--ing game," the TSA official said.
The TSA goons repeatedly threaten to take the young man to the "station" where he will "explain himself" to the DEA and FBI. And then they throw out the favorite, "If you don't have anything to hide, then what's the problem with answering our questions?" line.
Unbeknownst the TSA/Mall Ninja reject goons, the young man began recording the interrogation almost immediately after the goons pulled him away from the check-in area--and the recording made its way onto a Fox News program, and then onto You Tube.
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDv_fWMfnN0&feature=player_embedded
The head TSA flunkie kept asking the young man why he had so much cash--as if it were any of his damned business. The young man kept asking the TSA goon if he was "required by law" to answer that question. From listening to the TSA goons, I would venture a sizeable bet that they know as much about the law as Michael Jackson knows about testosterone.
The mainstream media loves the TSA. They love to rag on the TSA when appropriate, but only because they can remind all of America that TSA was one of George W Bush's abortions. They love TSA as an alternative to trained, ex-military pilots keeping a handgun in the cockpit. (Never mind that the handgun has more locks and harnesses on it than a seventeeth century debutante's chastity belt.) They love TSA for the sense of "security" dumbasses like today's liberal media get when seeing overweight/under-brained Darwinian rejects running from one banana tree to the next in our nation's airports posing as security experts.
And so, with this love affair the mainstream media has with TSA, naturally there has been very little airplay or mention of this incident. But thank God for the internet and Fox News and patriotic ordinary Americans who aren't afraid to stand up, shout out and raise hell over such travesties of civil rights. The Washington Times immediately ran a story on it, but thanks to the Washington comPost, the Times gets often overshadowed.
Is there a lesson in all of this? Absolutely. The number one lesson is that our rights are being trampled more and more with each passing day. And as much as I despise the Muslim President, he can't take all of the blame in this--although he could damned sure fix it.
No, this little burueacratic turd known as DHS and TSA was the sole making of the illegal-immigrant loving George W Bush. Rather than enforcing the laws in place to protect us from those who would invade our borders, Junior Bush chose to align himself with his appointed cronies who would prosecute those who protected us from the criminals invading our borders.
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean went to prison thanks to Junior Bush's pal and appointee, US Attorney Johnny Sutton , for shooting drug-smuggler and illegal invader Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila--who by the way, had over 700 pounds of marijuana in his van. Sutton, incidentally, has his own questionable past regarding overzealous prosecution and the use of questionable evidence. Didn't matter a damned bit to the Junior Bush Justice Department--Sutton was a pal, a crony and an appointee. He was untouchable.
Vincente Fox, Mexico's Chief of Corruption (aka President), was also a pal of Junior's. Can't have the Mexican criminals getting shot on U.S. land--it just isn't fair. So two good agents get felonies slapped on them and go to prison. Drug dealer and illegal invader Davila gets full immunity.
That's the (expletive deleted) government at work protecting your rights.
And now, your government is still hard at work protecting your rights with goon squads like the TSA in airports like St. Louis rousting United States citizens who dare support people and groups who support the Constitution.
And the idiots in Washington wonder why so many of us are so pissed off.
Upon checking my e-mail, which is a hit and miss proposition depending upon my mood, I found a note from my favorite uncle with a "you need to check this out" line attached. I did, and in following the link to a You Tube video, my blood began to alternately boil and chill.
The TSA, also known as the Transportation Security Agency, and also known among my circles as Mall Ninja Rejects (translation: not even qualified to be a non-gun toting security guard at malls empty parking lots), jacked up and detained a United States citizen at the St. Louis airport.
His offenses were multiple and egregious.
Offense number one was having Ron Paul stickers on his luggage. According to the Department of Homeland Security, that is a tipoff that the young man is a high-probability right-wing conspiracist and extremist.
Imagine that--supporting someone who supports the United States Constitution makes one a an extremist and conspiracist, according to our own present day government. Now under Hussein Obama, America's first Muslim supporting, sympathizing and supporting President, anyone who supports the United States Constitution rather than Hussein Obama's mandates and "plans," makes them a subversive.
But enough of that, and on to the more serious of the young man's crimes.
He was carrying cash. $4700 to be exact.
The mensa candidates who wave the TSA insignia and badges at Lambert Field Airport, St. Louis, took this to be "highly suspicious" and detained the young man. Then they began asking the United States citizen the kind of questions that I thought only occurred on old movies you see late at night dealing with Nazi German days or some poor schmuck caged by the Soviet KGB back in their day.
You know the type questions: "Tell us what we want to know and you will not be harmed. Otherwise, if you do not tell us what we want to know, we'll take you downtown to the Station where you can talk to Hitler himself."
Or, another favorite: "Well, comrade, if you have nothing to hide, then what is the problem with answering our very simple questions? If you do not, comrade, we will consider charging you with State Treason and let Comrade Stalin preside over your sentencing to the gulag."
You probably think I'm kidding, or being overly-dramatic with my satirical "examples" of questioning. Can't happen here in the USA, you say--you've got to be pulling my leg.
Nope.
In fact, this is straight from a story in the Washington Times:
On the tape, Mr. Bierfeldt is asked repeatedly where he works, where he obtained the money and why he was in St. Louis.
In each instance, Mr. Bierfeldt asked whether he was required by law to answer the questions.
"You want to play smartass, and I'm not going to play your f--ing game," the TSA official said.
The TSA goons repeatedly threaten to take the young man to the "station" where he will "explain himself" to the DEA and FBI. And then they throw out the favorite, "If you don't have anything to hide, then what's the problem with answering our questions?" line.
Unbeknownst the TSA/Mall Ninja reject goons, the young man began recording the interrogation almost immediately after the goons pulled him away from the check-in area--and the recording made its way onto a Fox News program, and then onto You Tube.
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDv_fWMfnN0&feature=player_embedded
The head TSA flunkie kept asking the young man why he had so much cash--as if it were any of his damned business. The young man kept asking the TSA goon if he was "required by law" to answer that question. From listening to the TSA goons, I would venture a sizeable bet that they know as much about the law as Michael Jackson knows about testosterone.
The mainstream media loves the TSA. They love to rag on the TSA when appropriate, but only because they can remind all of America that TSA was one of George W Bush's abortions. They love TSA as an alternative to trained, ex-military pilots keeping a handgun in the cockpit. (Never mind that the handgun has more locks and harnesses on it than a seventeeth century debutante's chastity belt.) They love TSA for the sense of "security" dumbasses like today's liberal media get when seeing overweight/under-brained Darwinian rejects running from one banana tree to the next in our nation's airports posing as security experts.
And so, with this love affair the mainstream media has with TSA, naturally there has been very little airplay or mention of this incident. But thank God for the internet and Fox News and patriotic ordinary Americans who aren't afraid to stand up, shout out and raise hell over such travesties of civil rights. The Washington Times immediately ran a story on it, but thanks to the Washington comPost, the Times gets often overshadowed.
Is there a lesson in all of this? Absolutely. The number one lesson is that our rights are being trampled more and more with each passing day. And as much as I despise the Muslim President, he can't take all of the blame in this--although he could damned sure fix it.
No, this little burueacratic turd known as DHS and TSA was the sole making of the illegal-immigrant loving George W Bush. Rather than enforcing the laws in place to protect us from those who would invade our borders, Junior Bush chose to align himself with his appointed cronies who would prosecute those who protected us from the criminals invading our borders.
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean went to prison thanks to Junior Bush's pal and appointee, US Attorney Johnny Sutton , for shooting drug-smuggler and illegal invader Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila--who by the way, had over 700 pounds of marijuana in his van. Sutton, incidentally, has his own questionable past regarding overzealous prosecution and the use of questionable evidence. Didn't matter a damned bit to the Junior Bush Justice Department--Sutton was a pal, a crony and an appointee. He was untouchable.
Vincente Fox, Mexico's Chief of Corruption (aka President), was also a pal of Junior's. Can't have the Mexican criminals getting shot on U.S. land--it just isn't fair. So two good agents get felonies slapped on them and go to prison. Drug dealer and illegal invader Davila gets full immunity.
That's the (expletive deleted) government at work protecting your rights.
And now, your government is still hard at work protecting your rights with goon squads like the TSA in airports like St. Louis rousting United States citizens who dare support people and groups who support the Constitution.
And the idiots in Washington wonder why so many of us are so pissed off.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
In Texas, We've Had Enough
The Representatives of the people of Texas spoke loud and clear today. And, they put it in writing.
"We've had enough."
As a proud, native Texan, I'll add two words to that: "more" and "damnit," as in "We've had more than enough, damnit!"
H.C.R. 50 serves “as notice and demand to the federal government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers” and that “all compulsory federal legislation that directs states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties or sanctions or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding be prohibited or repealed.”
As some may or may not know, Texas joined the Union by treaty--not by annexation. We can secede from the Union, and we can subdivide into five states. Friends of mine at the airport have "United States of Texas" stickers on the tails of their airplanes. I have the patch. It's a beautiful thing.
When is this arrogant, idiotic federal government along with the crybaby socialist liberals who run it, going to finally figure out that the people who work and make this country work, have had enough?
Perhaps more importantly, how are the arrogant idiots going to get the message?
Some say through the ballot box.
Maybe. But after seeing the travesty of election justice in Minnesota today with Al Franken's annointment. . . . I just don't have much faith in ballot boxes anymore. Not when a Democratic pollster suddenly "found" a box full of ballots in his trunk--ironically, the overwhelming majority of which came from Democrat voters. Not when several precincts turned in more Democrat votes than what they had for total number of registered voters.
There used to be a time in which Democrats were somewhat respectable. They claimed to be for the working man, the little business guy, and so forth. Those days are simply gone. The Democrats are now made up of and run by people exemplified by the likes of Hussein Obama--the most dangerous person ever to have set foot in, let alone resided in, the White House. Hillary Clinton, with her unabashed power grabs and mysterious unexplainable string of deaths during her husband's eight years of personal and political infidelity. Joe Biden, the great plagerist. Ted Kennedy, a legendary, deadly drunk who wants to spend everyone's money but his own and for whose nephews, date-rape is considered safe-sex. Safe, because if you're a Kennedy, you're safe from prosecution.
Tax-cheats, unabashed adulterers, aberrant lifestyle promoters and supporters, domestic terrorists (PETA, ALF, ELF, et al), crooked trial lawyers (redundant), transgender freaks, generational welfare recipients and cheats, Medicaid fraudsters, draft-dodgers and flag-burners. . . these people make up the core as well as the rank and file of today's Democratic Party. To acquire even more supporters and voters for the Democratic party, recruiters scour our nation's "skid rows" looking for bums and winos to register to vote--promising them booze and cigarettes in return. They scour our nation's prisons, looking for paroled felons--even though I was always under the impression that felons couldn't vote. . . in spite of Hillary trying to have that little detail either overturned or overlooked. They scour our nation's housing projects, looking for people who've never had a damn job in their life who've instead slopped like a hog at the public trough. They wade through the hordes of ILLEGAL ALIENS (aka CRIMINALS) looking to fraudulently sign them up to vote.
This is today's Democratic Party. And today's Democratic Party runs today's federal government, aided and abetted by a sympathetic mainstream media.
Well today, Texas said, "We've had ENOUGH."
We have modern day Democrats here in Texas. Most pollute cities like Austin and Dallas. They originally spawned in northern cesspools like Philadelphia, Detroit, New Jersey, Boston, Chicago and of course, New York. They oozed easterward from the likes of coastal California, Oregon and Washington--where I'm sure the inland residents were happier than hell to see them gone.
But too bad for these infestations from the north and from the left coast. There are far more native Texans who cherish our indepence and independent nature. Far more Texans who are fed up with these meddling Yankees and Californians. And more than enough native Texans smart enough to live far from the concrete sewage pools known as Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio--and instead reside and live in towns like Lufkin, Gainesville, Nacadoches, Longview, Amarillo. . . and even smaller communities like Sulphur Springs, Seymour, Tulia, Spur, Tahoka and other places that are just dots on the map.
These are the places where you'll find the true values of our great state. And these are the places where today's Democratic Party is about as welcome as the chicken pox.
HCR 50 and its declaration is a good thing.
It's a polite, peaceful--but make no mistake about it--firm way to let the rest of the nation and the federal government know that we've had enough.
Or as I say, more than enough, damnit!"
"We've had enough."
As a proud, native Texan, I'll add two words to that: "more" and "damnit," as in "We've had more than enough, damnit!"
H.C.R. 50 serves “as notice and demand to the federal government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers” and that “all compulsory federal legislation that directs states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties or sanctions or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding be prohibited or repealed.”
As some may or may not know, Texas joined the Union by treaty--not by annexation. We can secede from the Union, and we can subdivide into five states. Friends of mine at the airport have "United States of Texas" stickers on the tails of their airplanes. I have the patch. It's a beautiful thing.
When is this arrogant, idiotic federal government along with the crybaby socialist liberals who run it, going to finally figure out that the people who work and make this country work, have had enough?
Perhaps more importantly, how are the arrogant idiots going to get the message?
Some say through the ballot box.
Maybe. But after seeing the travesty of election justice in Minnesota today with Al Franken's annointment. . . . I just don't have much faith in ballot boxes anymore. Not when a Democratic pollster suddenly "found" a box full of ballots in his trunk--ironically, the overwhelming majority of which came from Democrat voters. Not when several precincts turned in more Democrat votes than what they had for total number of registered voters.
There used to be a time in which Democrats were somewhat respectable. They claimed to be for the working man, the little business guy, and so forth. Those days are simply gone. The Democrats are now made up of and run by people exemplified by the likes of Hussein Obama--the most dangerous person ever to have set foot in, let alone resided in, the White House. Hillary Clinton, with her unabashed power grabs and mysterious unexplainable string of deaths during her husband's eight years of personal and political infidelity. Joe Biden, the great plagerist. Ted Kennedy, a legendary, deadly drunk who wants to spend everyone's money but his own and for whose nephews, date-rape is considered safe-sex. Safe, because if you're a Kennedy, you're safe from prosecution.
Tax-cheats, unabashed adulterers, aberrant lifestyle promoters and supporters, domestic terrorists (PETA, ALF, ELF, et al), crooked trial lawyers (redundant), transgender freaks, generational welfare recipients and cheats, Medicaid fraudsters, draft-dodgers and flag-burners. . . these people make up the core as well as the rank and file of today's Democratic Party. To acquire even more supporters and voters for the Democratic party, recruiters scour our nation's "skid rows" looking for bums and winos to register to vote--promising them booze and cigarettes in return. They scour our nation's prisons, looking for paroled felons--even though I was always under the impression that felons couldn't vote. . . in spite of Hillary trying to have that little detail either overturned or overlooked. They scour our nation's housing projects, looking for people who've never had a damn job in their life who've instead slopped like a hog at the public trough. They wade through the hordes of ILLEGAL ALIENS (aka CRIMINALS) looking to fraudulently sign them up to vote.
This is today's Democratic Party. And today's Democratic Party runs today's federal government, aided and abetted by a sympathetic mainstream media.
Well today, Texas said, "We've had ENOUGH."
We have modern day Democrats here in Texas. Most pollute cities like Austin and Dallas. They originally spawned in northern cesspools like Philadelphia, Detroit, New Jersey, Boston, Chicago and of course, New York. They oozed easterward from the likes of coastal California, Oregon and Washington--where I'm sure the inland residents were happier than hell to see them gone.
But too bad for these infestations from the north and from the left coast. There are far more native Texans who cherish our indepence and independent nature. Far more Texans who are fed up with these meddling Yankees and Californians. And more than enough native Texans smart enough to live far from the concrete sewage pools known as Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio--and instead reside and live in towns like Lufkin, Gainesville, Nacadoches, Longview, Amarillo. . . and even smaller communities like Sulphur Springs, Seymour, Tulia, Spur, Tahoka and other places that are just dots on the map.
These are the places where you'll find the true values of our great state. And these are the places where today's Democratic Party is about as welcome as the chicken pox.
HCR 50 and its declaration is a good thing.
It's a polite, peaceful--but make no mistake about it--firm way to let the rest of the nation and the federal government know that we've had enough.
Or as I say, more than enough, damnit!"
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
United is dying. Welcome to the Divided States of America.
Americans should be scared of the present administration that was elected to Washington. Damn scared.
For the first time in the history of this nation, we have a President who is not only appeasing the very Muslims who've declared war against us, but now we have a President who is also identifying with them.
The fact that this President is apologizing for America pisses me off. Mightily. And to that, I have a message for the Kenyan imposter and Muslim sympathizer:
Mr. President, I did not vote for you, or support you in any way or form at any time during your political career. You DO NOT represent me. And since half of the country did not vote for you, nor do you represent them. Please do not speak for us. Speak for yourself.
If this President is going to insist on speaking for America, he should clarify things a bit. He should say things like, "The majority of my supporters, which comprise only about half of our nation, think that America has been arrogant in the past. The other half, who opposed me, do not believe so."
And while we're at it, I would urge the President to continue his use of the moniker "America" rather than the "United States."
After all, we're no longer United.
How long has it been since a clear, overwhelming majority has supported a president in an election? I believe it was back during the Reagan versus Carter, then Reagan versus Dukakis. Only victories I've seen that were more lopsided were the Dallas Cowboys versus Buffalo Bills Super Bowls.
But when Clinton blew his saxophone and bit his lower lip into the White House, the nation began becoming less United and more "what's in it for me" oriented. The trend continued throughout eight miserable years of Hillary's shrieking, Bill's infidelity, Janet Reno's hideousness and Leon Panetta's flip-flopping. The election between Al Gore and George Bush cemented the end of United as we know it. It also began an ugly trend by the Democrats which continues to this day--the effort to disqualify ballots cast by soldiers, sailors and airmen serving overseas. More on that at a later date.
For a brief few moments immediately after September 11, 2001, the nation became United again. But within months, the typical appeasement pacifists and screeching liberals regained control over the media, and we once again were only America or "The States." No more United.
For eight years of George Bush, we were not United. We had ordinary Americans on one side, and on the other we had the media and the screeching liberals who blamed Bush and Republicans for everything from war to warts, global warming to burnt toaster pastries, and everything in between. It was all carefully orchestrated to put another liberal in the White House, except this time, the media and the screeching libs would not be satisfied with just any President; no, this time a truly divisive individual had to be put in office.
Nothing divides America like race. So naturally, it was time to further divide America and put "a person of color" in the White House. And the media did exactly that. And with the election and anointment of the nation's first president "of color" and one who openly empathizes with the very factions who attack us throughout the world, the "United" in "United States" went by the wayside.
The media and liberal faction knew that a United nation would never elect a president who empathized with our enemies and openly preached socialism. So they placed the race card and the fear of being tagged as a racist to further divide the nation. Along the way, they demonized the conservatives and everything that had happened in the past eight years--conveniently ignoring that Saddam Hussein was out of business, as were his murdering sons, and that America had not suffered an attack since 9/11.
So the media and the left divided America in half, and then divided even further. And it worked. Hussein Obama was elected president of America, but not the United States because again, we are no longer United. And now we're plundering through record high unemployment, a global recession, piracy on the high seas (kudos to the SEALs for zapping three of those four assholes), record foreclosures, record number of businesses shutting their doors, layoffs and record cuts in our military/defense spending.
To counter that, the Kenyan imposter is using tax dollars--your money and mine--to buy banks and auto manufacturers. That's called nationalizing, and it's a damned dangerous path. But then again, so is electing a Muslim sympathizer to the highest office in the land. So is electing a guy who promised to take more of your money and give it to those too damned lazy to work as hard as you do.
A United States would never have fell for that. But a Divided States let it go.
So now we're on the eve of April 15--tax time, and it's bad.
People are seeing a little bit more money on their paychecks--if they're fortunate enough to have a job--since the Hussein administration has "reduced" the amount of withholding taxes taken out of your checks. But that is still Hussein's money--and next April 15, 2010, you'll be paying it back.
We used to call that Smoke and Mirrors. It was bullshit back then, and it's bullshit today.
A United States would never have fell for that. But our Divided States of America simply isn't paying attention. More money in their pocket for now, and to hell with later. Who's on American Idol and what time does it start? That seems to be all we care about any more.
A war is brewing. Another civil war. But this one will not be along geographical lines, but rather ideological lines--and it will be even more brutal and bloody than the one that began brewing and finally erupted over 150 years ago.
United is out. Divided is in.
For the first time in the history of this nation, we have a President who is not only appeasing the very Muslims who've declared war against us, but now we have a President who is also identifying with them.
The fact that this President is apologizing for America pisses me off. Mightily. And to that, I have a message for the Kenyan imposter and Muslim sympathizer:
Mr. President, I did not vote for you, or support you in any way or form at any time during your political career. You DO NOT represent me. And since half of the country did not vote for you, nor do you represent them. Please do not speak for us. Speak for yourself.
If this President is going to insist on speaking for America, he should clarify things a bit. He should say things like, "The majority of my supporters, which comprise only about half of our nation, think that America has been arrogant in the past. The other half, who opposed me, do not believe so."
And while we're at it, I would urge the President to continue his use of the moniker "America" rather than the "United States."
After all, we're no longer United.
How long has it been since a clear, overwhelming majority has supported a president in an election? I believe it was back during the Reagan versus Carter, then Reagan versus Dukakis. Only victories I've seen that were more lopsided were the Dallas Cowboys versus Buffalo Bills Super Bowls.
But when Clinton blew his saxophone and bit his lower lip into the White House, the nation began becoming less United and more "what's in it for me" oriented. The trend continued throughout eight miserable years of Hillary's shrieking, Bill's infidelity, Janet Reno's hideousness and Leon Panetta's flip-flopping. The election between Al Gore and George Bush cemented the end of United as we know it. It also began an ugly trend by the Democrats which continues to this day--the effort to disqualify ballots cast by soldiers, sailors and airmen serving overseas. More on that at a later date.
For a brief few moments immediately after September 11, 2001, the nation became United again. But within months, the typical appeasement pacifists and screeching liberals regained control over the media, and we once again were only America or "The States." No more United.
For eight years of George Bush, we were not United. We had ordinary Americans on one side, and on the other we had the media and the screeching liberals who blamed Bush and Republicans for everything from war to warts, global warming to burnt toaster pastries, and everything in between. It was all carefully orchestrated to put another liberal in the White House, except this time, the media and the screeching libs would not be satisfied with just any President; no, this time a truly divisive individual had to be put in office.
Nothing divides America like race. So naturally, it was time to further divide America and put "a person of color" in the White House. And the media did exactly that. And with the election and anointment of the nation's first president "of color" and one who openly empathizes with the very factions who attack us throughout the world, the "United" in "United States" went by the wayside.
The media and liberal faction knew that a United nation would never elect a president who empathized with our enemies and openly preached socialism. So they placed the race card and the fear of being tagged as a racist to further divide the nation. Along the way, they demonized the conservatives and everything that had happened in the past eight years--conveniently ignoring that Saddam Hussein was out of business, as were his murdering sons, and that America had not suffered an attack since 9/11.
So the media and the left divided America in half, and then divided even further. And it worked. Hussein Obama was elected president of America, but not the United States because again, we are no longer United. And now we're plundering through record high unemployment, a global recession, piracy on the high seas (kudos to the SEALs for zapping three of those four assholes), record foreclosures, record number of businesses shutting their doors, layoffs and record cuts in our military/defense spending.
To counter that, the Kenyan imposter is using tax dollars--your money and mine--to buy banks and auto manufacturers. That's called nationalizing, and it's a damned dangerous path. But then again, so is electing a Muslim sympathizer to the highest office in the land. So is electing a guy who promised to take more of your money and give it to those too damned lazy to work as hard as you do.
A United States would never have fell for that. But a Divided States let it go.
So now we're on the eve of April 15--tax time, and it's bad.
People are seeing a little bit more money on their paychecks--if they're fortunate enough to have a job--since the Hussein administration has "reduced" the amount of withholding taxes taken out of your checks. But that is still Hussein's money--and next April 15, 2010, you'll be paying it back.
We used to call that Smoke and Mirrors. It was bullshit back then, and it's bullshit today.
A United States would never have fell for that. But our Divided States of America simply isn't paying attention. More money in their pocket for now, and to hell with later. Who's on American Idol and what time does it start? That seems to be all we care about any more.
A war is brewing. Another civil war. But this one will not be along geographical lines, but rather ideological lines--and it will be even more brutal and bloody than the one that began brewing and finally erupted over 150 years ago.
United is out. Divided is in.
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