Memorial Day 2011



Italy or not, this day my home is American soil.



Miscellanea . . .

. . . and minutia

Q and A:  How do you recognize a parking spot for the disabled in Italy?   Easy.  There is an able-bodied Italian parking there, and another waiting for the spot when he leaves.

The mouse . . .

. . . turned tail

Shortly after the shameful attempt to profit from the exploits of brave men by copyrighting "Seal Team Six" for shoes, games, hats and entertainment, and with only minimal pressure from the U.S. Navy, the Disney Company has struck it's colors.   The twats have now been given their dishonorable discharge.  Well deserved, that. 

Gates . . .

. . . and walls



Unemployment is very high in Italy in general and Naples in particular.  Europe's open borders are also gateways from contries with even more severe conditions.

The result?  Lots and lots of petty - and not so petty - crime. 

Burglary seems to be the second national sport behind football.  A couple of months ago, two houses less than 200 meters from us had attempted break-ins.  In both, the miscreants made it into the yard, but were unable to enter the houses. 

The response? Alarms and fortifications.  Walls and gates.  The gates range from primitive to decorative.  Electrical, mechanical and manual.  The walls range from modern stonework to medieval bulwarks.  The photos below were taken within ten-minutes walk from our house.

We're well alarmed and well fortified, but it's a bit sad that these precautions are necessary.  What's even sadder is that we're not allowed to cudgel the living bejesus out of anyone we find wandering around in our living room.

Millions believe it . . .

. . . so, why not admit it?

Ok, ok, I KNOW it's not politically correct.

  I cannot . . .

. . . be trained

My computer at work automatically resets the Num Lock key to "off" every time it reboots.

Every night.

In order to log in every morning with a key card and a PIN, I need to turn the Num Lock back on.

Every morning.

I always forget.

Every morning.

And have done so for one year, two weeks and six days.

Tomorrow, this shall change.

I would change the startup up to activate Num Lock automatically, but I cannot.  Uncle Sammy won't allow it.

Opportunist . . .

. . . vultures

In a shameless display of greed, the Disney Company has applied for a trademark on "Seal Team Six."

And it only took them two days after the raid on Abbottabad.

The applications cover toys, games and playthings; gymnastic and sporting articles (except clothing); hand-held units for playing electronic games other than those adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor; Christmas stockings; Christmas tree ornaments and decorations; snow globes; clothing; footwear; headwear and entertainment services.

Disney has attempted to reserve the right to squeeze a dollar from just about anything  these brave men have done over their entire history as Seals in the U. S. Navy.

Because the Navy did not use the name in commerce, and because Seal Team Six is no longer the official name of the team, the money-grubbing bastards at Disney will probably succeed.

What next?

Anyone have a copy . . .

. . . 0f 1984?

I need to read it again to find out what our all-knowing, all-powerful government is going to do next.

Why?

We are soon to have a PLAN.  A Personal  Localized Area Network required on all of our cell phones.

Why?

Because the government needs to text information to us in case of . . . well, whatever they think is important. 

Said messages include Amber alerts about missing children, information about imminent threats, and (the topper) urgent messages from the president.  These messages will supersede ALL other traffic to prevent delay.  And, they will be broadcast to ALL cell phones in an area regardless of carrier or home location.

The system will be operational in New York City and Washington D.C. by year's end.  The rest of us are not far behind.

We can opt out of all of these messages.  Well, except for messages from the president.  Those cannot be blocked.

"Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."
- George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 7

Bush . . .

. . . Doctrine

When Charlie Gibson ambushed Sarah Palin with HIS understanding of the Bush Doctrine, he had no idea what he was talking about.

Succinctly, it is this:

1. If a country harbors terrorists, it will be considered a terrorist nation.
2. The U.S. reserves the right to preemptive strikes to prevent terrorist acts.
3. The U.S. reserves the right to unilateral action to prevent terrorist acts against its interests.
4. Democracy around the world will be supported.

Barry O apparently understands it perfectly.

Abbottabad, anyone?

Never bring a knife . . .

. . . to a cat fight *

A Cleveland (Texas) man was attacked by a housecat Friday. His afternoon injuries were so severe that he had to be taken by air ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

At some point during the attack, the man and the cat reportedly were injured by a knife the man was holding. The cat was taken to Big Thicket Animal Hospital for examination.

The man's identity is unknown at this time.

* Disclaimer: Although that was my first thought when reading the story, someone beat me to it in print.

Eh . . .

. . . wot?

I know that hats are de regueur at Brit weddings, but when did a hat change from something you wear on your head to something you glue to your forehead?

Unfu**ing . . .

. . . believable

To put a third eye in bin Laden, Barry used intel started by a president whom he vilified, from a place he wanted closed, and gained by using methods he called criminal. Then, he executed with teams that Bubba decimated with cost cuts, was too timid to use, and claimed he lacked the authority to prosecute.  

How are the photos of bin Laden more inflammatory than the 2,000+ he wanted to post from Abu Ghraib?

Oh, and he's willing to publish photos of military coffins arriving home, but not a picture of the architect of 9/11? 

Beyond that, when explaining the raid, his team had about as much discipline as the Three Stooges in a pie fight.

To those who say that Barry did what President Bush could not, think on this.  If Bush had not revitalized the Special Ops forces and established his anti-terrorism doctrine, Barry could not have succeeded.  And, if Bubba had done his job, neither President Bush or Barry would have had to worry about bin Laden.

Without Comment . . .