Is This What They Died For?

Memorial Day, 2012.  Thank you to all the men and women who have served our country.  A thank you also to the families of those who have endured, at best, prolonged separations and, at worst, the loss of a loved one.  I'm one of those who was in between the mandatory draft and the volunteer armed services - my lottery number was too high to be called the years I was exposed.

True heroes all, those who serve.  My uncle is an American hero.  He passed away three years ago.  He served in WWII in the Pacific.  He was on one of those islands where only about ten percent of those who went came back.  We have a frame with all his medals here in our house. It was an honor to get to know him.

I wonder if what he and all that served, and continue to serve, find what's happening to freedom, the not-so-gradual erosion of our individual freedoms, something that they had in mind when they put on the uniform:

• We still have a law on the books that will throw me in jail if I choose not to purchase a commercial product - health insurance.  Enough comments made previously so I won't go over them again here.
• When I had to replace my pool filter motor, I learned that my motor is now "illegal" and large pool repair companies will not replace it as its not green enough.  I was also told I'd have to replace it with a "legal" motor if I ever want to sell the   house.
• Our city just passed a law outlawing plastic bags at grocery stores.  We now either have to bring our own bags or buy paper bags for ten cents a piece.  Another tax imposed on us all.
• More and more cities and counties are outlawing bake sales and the selling of Girl Scout cookies.  Its all in the name "healthy eating" and fighting obesity but we now have regulators looking at peoples lunches and banning fund raisers.  The food police have arrived!

These and more are just little bits of more regulation over every and any aspect of our lives.  Its got to end at some time or we'll wake up one morning and find we have no freedoms left - only choices from a pre-approved list of options and/or actions.

The Absurdity of Life as Recorded in the Los Angeles Times

Today's Los Angeles Times just had too much good material to pass up.  Submitted for your consideration:

• It cost the City of Los Angeles at least $4.7 million to deal with the occupy jerks and their aftermath.

• Celebrity moms are encouraging breast feeding their kids up past the age of five, eating pills made from their placentas, pre-chewing their kid's food and then spitting it into the kid's mouths and toilet training at six months of age.

• It is now prohibited to ship lithium batteries (think smart phones, lap tops and iThings) via the US Postal Service.  Its okay to ship them via UPS or Fed Ex, or to carry them yourselves or in personal luggage.  Just not via US Postal Service. Guess they only can blow up, catch fire or whatever they seem to do if in the possession of US Postal Service employees.

• LegalZoom is filing for an IPO.  Do you suppose they used lawyers?

As John Lennon once said......

obama Shoots Hoops

Of course the self-centered jerk made a complete mess of traffic during the morning rush hour.  Guess the elite Politburo can do whatever it wants and the rest of us can just eat cake.  

When is this country going to open up its eyes?

 

 Obama Plays Basketball With George Clooney, Tobey Maguire

The Huffington Post | By Luke Johnson  

The president shoots some hoops.

 

President Barack Obama played basketball Friday morning with George Clooney, Tobey Maguire and a few staff members, according to the White House pool report.

The game, which took place at the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, came after a fundraiser on Thursday held at Clooney's house. The event raised nearly $15 million for Obama and the Democratic Party. Tickets cost $40,000. Barbra Streisand, Salma Hayek, and Jack Black also attended. Two small-dollar donors won a raffle and also attended.

The event is part of a West Coast fundraising swing for Obama. The president attended two events in Seattle; the Dave Matthews Band performed at one.

Asked by CBS News' Mark Knoller about the winner of the basketball game, Obama said, "Of course George and I won but we're all winners because nobody got hurt."

Anyone Remember This ???

Didn't quite pan out, did it?

Parking Tickets and Dangerous City Drivers

There was an article today in the Los Angeles Times discussing how the city has raised parking ticket fines like crazy over the past few years in order to raise revenue for a cash strapped city.  Two interesting points came out in my reading of the article:

• First, it confirms that the LAPD does, in fact, have quotas on issuing tickets. If not, why is there a budgeted revenue number?

•  Secondly, and more frightening, is the comment by the head of the Department of Transportation that city drivers are a risk to "rear-end a car that they're not expecting". If the drivers cannot avoid a stationary parked car, a rather large and obvious object, are they not a bigger risk to pedestrians and small children? Maybe the city needs better drivers.

Just another exciting day in the City of Angels.