beterwas
honestly misbehaving
Archive for Musings
August 9, 2007 at 11:45 pm · Filed under Musings
The only rule in hackey-sack is that you can’t say “sorry.” Likewise, there is a blogging rule against apologizing for tardy or lazy posting.
If there’s not one, there should be.
We are fulfilling the dreams of Irishmen everywhere — native and adopted, alike — and are opening a pub.
We’ve kicked the idea around for a decade or so, but Orlando just wasn’t the place to do it. We were waiting for the right place to present itself to us, and that’s exactly what happened.
Morton’s Pub & Grub will open October 1st, 2007. We’ll have a blog on the development of the pub, with lots of photos, on the website. So give it a look.
And stop in for a pint.
June 11, 2007 at 11:07 pm · Filed under Musings
Section 8, Paragraph ‘a’ of the Federal Flag Code reads “The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”
During a recent visit to Sofia by President Bush, the streets were lined with American flags, several of which were flown upside-down.
Certainly, there was no official statement intended; but surely many Europeans see Bush as a threat to their lives and security.
Already reeling from our current wars in their backyard, they feel new tensions rise between NATO members and Russia, as our president labors to divert attention from his failure in Iraq.
Often times, it takes a friend to point out to you that your behavior is self-destructive. We broke up with our oldest friend, France, when she suggested it. Maybe this time?
June 10, 2007 at 11:07 pm · Filed under Musings, Call Bullshit
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine emailed me an article from WorldNetDaily, wondering if anyone was talking about it.
No one was. No one from the MSM, anyway.
The article concerned the new and improved National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive, which grants the President extraordinary powers in a catastrophic emergency.
The idea seems practical enough on the surface: In the event of a crisis, we need to make sure the government keeps running, so a position is created to ensure national continuity. Sounds good, right?
Don’t be so sure. It turns out that there was already a National Emergency Act intended to keep the trains running and maintain our system of checks and balances. This one cuts Congress out of the equation, making the responsibility for maintaining government the exclusive purview of the executive branch. Sound familiar?
Also “catastrophic emergency” is rather broadly defined as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.”
Let that sink in for just a moment.
Read the rest of this entry »
June 9, 2007 at 11:19 pm · Filed under Musings
So, we had been moving for days and days, it was raining really hard, and the folks working on my car had already delayed us a day, and…well, it sucked trying to get out of Orlando.
In all the confusion, I left our television in the garage of our old house – the one I complained had been stolen out of our car.
Oops.
In my defense, I did say “I can’t allow that one person to sour me on humanity.”
Especially since it turns out that one person is me. Good thing.
June 7, 2007 at 9:15 am · Filed under Musings
Ah, the joys of moving!
We have just finished moving to Muncie, IN. It really is an exciting change for us, and the benefits are becoming increasingly apparent.
My hometown of Orlando has turned into something rather ugly over the past twenty-five years. Development is a plague, there are too many people, way too many cars and a general sense of mistrust towards one’s fellow man.
These changes come slowly, so much so that you don’t even realize they are happening. Then, one day, you look around and ask yourself “what the fuck just happened??”
Example: When you get gas in Orlando, you must not only pay first, without exception; but if you pay by credit card, you must also enter your billing zip code to prove the card you’re using is actually yours. The auto-flow clips have been removed from the pump nozzle, so you have to stand there and hold it; because if they don’t do that, someone will claim that the pump didn’t stop when it was supposed to, and so they shouldn’t have to pay. And finally, the pumps all have some statement warning that if you drive off without paying, you could lose your license; and Johnny Law is watching.
Here in Muncie, I went to fill up our moving truck before returning it. As soon as I lifted the nozzle, the pump said “begin fueling,” even though I hadn’t paid. I opened the nozzle, set the clip, went inside, chatted with the cashier while I waited for it to fill, bought some snacks, paid by credit card (without showing ID) and left.
Other than the niceness of it all, and that nostalgic feeling of “how it’s supposed to be,” something else important happened there: I bought more stuff while inside the store. So not only is “the Orlando way” a pain in the ass for customers, it short-changes the gas station operator.
The necessity that drives those restrictions is very real, though. Any place that let you pump first would bleed to death in a matter of months. The problem is that instead of coming up with ways to catch the assholes ruining it all for the rest of us, we as a society have opted to instead treat everyone as if they were potentially a criminal. And before you know it, individuals start treating each other that way, too.
We can’t let that happen, if we are to survive. Sure, people will steal from you if you leave yourself open, but guess what: Those people will steal from you no matter what you do.
In fact, someone stole our television from the trunk of my VW – while it was on the trailer hooked up to the moving van, parked in front of my house – the night before we left. As infuriating as that is, I can’t allow that one person to sour me on humanity.
I’m just happy to be back.
May 29, 2007 at 9:36 am · Filed under Musings
Last March, I travelled to DC to march on the Pentagon in protest of the war. While there, I met Cindy Sheehan, who is a true American patriot if ever there was one.
Cindy has tirelessly opposed the illegal and immoral war in Iraq for three years, ever since her son Casey was killed attempting to rescue some of his fellow soldiers in Sadr City.
Like many of us, when the Democrats took control of Congress in January, Cindy breathed a sigh of relief. The rubber-stamp approvals of reckless spending and abuse of power would stop, the President would be reigned in and the war would finally come to a close.
Last week, however, the Democrats reminded us why the right portrays them as being weak – because they are.
Among the many pieces of legislation put forth by this newly empowered congress, was a bill to make further funding of the war contigent upon troop withdrawal. It was something to be proud of – so long as you didn’t look at it too closely.
To the embarrassment of progressives everywhere, the bill also contained funding for more than $3.7 billion in farm subsidies, $2.9 billion in additional Gulf Coast hurricane relief and $2.4 billion for social programs such as money for rural Northwest school districts, health insurance for poor children, energy assistance for poor families and others.
To the surprise of…, well…, no one, the President pounced on them for it: “They have a responsibility to pass a clean bill that does not use funding for our troops as leverage to get special-interest spending for their districts…”
Then he vetoed it, telling them “They have a responsibility to get this bill to my desk without strings and without delay.”
So, after much blustering about the consequences of elections, Reid and Pelosi did what they have always done: They caved.
Read the rest of this entry »
April 8, 2007 at 6:16 pm · Filed under Musings, Live & Let Live
Last week, Orlando developer Cameron Kuhn bought the long-beleaguered Church Street Station complex.
CSS was the brainchild of Bob Snow, who converted the historic train station and surrounding buildings into an old-time entertainment venue call Rosie O’ Grady’s.
During the 70’s and 80’s, Rosie’s was a popular spot for locals and tourists. There was fine dining, live music – mostly dixieland jazz – and shopping.
For the past five years, CSS has been owned by boy-band creator Lou Pearlman. Like most (if not all) of Pearlman’s dealings, the purchase and operation of the complex was on the shady side. Promises were made in exchange for a backroom sweetheart deal from city, but those promises never came to fruition after the sale was closed.
Pearlman’s been bad news for downtown for a long time, but he’s loaded and connected, so he’s gotten away with giving the city the finger – until he went bankrupt. Suddenly, not-so-loaded equated into not-so-connected, and Pearlman found his assets on the auction block.
But who has $34 million lying around to buy some prime downtown real estate – to be made all the more prime by the pending plans to build a new arena down the street? Cameron Kuhn, that’s who. His goal is, after all, to own all of downtown Orlando; and he’s well on his way.
Read the rest of this entry »
April 3, 2007 at 4:48 pm · Filed under Musings, Call Bullshit
I had a bunch of memes rattling around to write on, but I either never got the chance, or else there wasn’t much there.
Either way here goes:
• In DC, I noticed that the Metro trains and stations are full of ads for miltary vehicles. Not just the line that goes to the Pentagon, either. And even on that line, can the Pentagon officials making purchasing decisions can be swayed by a placard in the Pentagon City station?
What does that say about the seriousness with which the Pentagon regards our military?
• I believe that the Iraq war funding bill showdown is really a way for Congress to test the waters for impeachment. President Bush is on the ropes, and they know it. He’s also predictable, as all arrogant men are. So when he vetoes HR 1591, just as Nancy Pelosi knows he will, we get to see just how much support he still has from the Republicans in Congress.
If I could see it go differently, though, there is one thing that I would change: The earmarks. I realize that concessions had to made to ensure passage, but if there ever a time for a true one-issue bill, it’s now.Shame on you, Congress (you know who you are).
• Did the President just criticize Congress for being on vacation – just before he left to go on yet another vacation, himself??
March 8, 2007 at 12:41 pm · Filed under Musings
I’ve been sick for the past two weeks, coughing up loogies the size of egg yolks, losing my voice, sweating constantly. It’s been a blast!
Before that, my wife Stacy was sick.
And before that, William was sick.
The entire month of Febru-weary, our has been the house of “ewww.”
We seem to be coming out of it now, just in time for a week at the beach – just the thing I need to recharge my writing batteries.
January 1, 2007 at 1:24 am · Filed under Musings, Finish Ahead, Raise The Debate
I’m sure that I’m not alone in being grateful that this past year is finally over.
Come to think of it, I’ve felt that way for the past six or so years.
It isn’t just about the current administration, either – although that’s certainly no coincidence – but rather about our collective outlook.
To say that we live in divisive times has come to both have a cliché ring to it, and represent a monumental understatement. In fact, many of us have worn our derision towards one another as a badge of honor, fanning the flames of incivility and disrespect.
Well, for my New Year’s resolution, I simply say “Enough!” It’s time to bring true civility and consideration back into style.
What do I mean by “true” civility and consideration? I mean a genuine regard for my fellow human beings and their right to have their own perspectives. We can disagree, and one of us can even be completely wrong, but that doesn’t mean we have the right to personally insult or assault one another. My caring about the environment doesn’t make me a “moonbat,” just as your homophobia, support for the war, desire to drive an FUV…well, whatever, doesn’t make you a bad person.
This isn’t to say that civility means being a candy-ass, in fact quite the opposite: It means having high enough regard for one another to be honest and sincere with them, while at the same time separating the issue of disagreement from the person doing the disagreeing.
I resolve to not only engage in that, but also to help others see the distinction. Especially, the next time I read something like this:
“Without all that filthy American money, [Gwyneth Paltrow] would still be stuck here in the States known as that miserable blonde girl with a New York mansion who used to be engaged to Brad Pitt–instead of that smug blonde girl with a London mansion married to a moonbat who makes a living trashing the capitalistic society that puts food in their children’s mouths.”
Rather than hope that Coulter, Malkin, O’Reilly, et al, will just go away, I believe it is our obligation as human beings to defend their victim-of-the-day’s right to have and express a dissenting opinion, and challenge them to counter those opinions without resorting to personal attacks. It’s unlikely that they’ll change their ways, but perhaps some of their readers will see that there’s no real substance to the views they choose to express.
I encourage you to do the same.
·
Next entries »
