A SMORGASBORD FOR YOU

Don't forget the header. Click it.

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Jose and Carlos are beggars. They beg in different areas of town.

Carlos begs for the same amount of money as Jose, but only collects about eight or nine dollars a day.

Jose brings home a suitcase full of ten dollar bills every day, he drives a Mercedes, lives in a mortgage-free house, and has a lot of money to spend.

"Hey, amigo," Carlos says to Jose, "I work just as long and hard as you do, so how come you bring home a suitcase full of ten dollarbills every day?"

Jose says, "Look at your sign, what does it say?"

Carlos' sign reads; 'I have no work, a wife and six kids to support.' "What's wrong with that?" Carlos asks him.

"No wonder you only get eight or nine dollars a day!"Carlos says,

"Alright, what does your sign say?"

It reads, says Carlos, "I only need another ten dollars to get back to Mexico." **********************************************************************************

Woman accused of stealing 500 lbs. of gold

An employee of a New York jeweler stole 513 pounds of gold from the firm over five years, taking one small piece at a time hidden in her purse, police allege.

Authorities said Wednesday that Teresa Tambunting, 50, of Scarsdale, N.Y., a longtime employee of Jacmel Jewelry, brought a suitcase filled with 66 pounds of gold worth an estimated $868,000 back into the company's office after an investigation was launched in January, The New York Times reported. Authorities allegedly found another 447 pounds of stolen gold at the vault manager's home in February, the newspaper said.

"With gold trading at nearly $900 an ounce, the defendant is accused of establishing a virtual mining operation in Long Island City which siphoned off millions of dollars' worth of the precious metal from her employer," District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in the statement.

"It is alleged that this once-trusted employee carried out her long-term scheme by concealing jewelry and raw gold in the lining of her pocketbook.

"She was released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Tuesday on charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. She is expected to enter a plea May 19.

Tambunting, who had worked at the store for 28 years, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Does that make her a gold digger?

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Remember my posts about Mrs. (Ms?) Clinton and her seeming penchant for breaking into tears no matter the reason? Well, watch this one: (I hope she doesn't get into a match with the Talaban: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n4neGXa-0g&feature=related

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Uh, oh. Our President has been accused of paying off black farmers. Doesn't look exactly that way to me. Maybe some of the liberal press is turning on him? http://news.aol.com/article/obama-to-propose-125b-for-black-farmers/437055?icid=sphere_newsaol_inpage

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News from the locam front here in Albuquerque. Our city attorney, who has been accused of being soft on illegal aliens, has this written about her:

District Attorney Kari Brandenburg says the number of meth labs has more than doubled between 2007 and 2008 due to Mexican drug cartels.

Law enforcement officials say the Mexican government is cracking down on meth labs in its country, forcing cartels to find other places, like New Mexico, to make the product.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano increased protection in New Mexico by adding two border enforcement security task forces at the state's Mexican border.

Do you suppose they'll really do something about it?

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Connecticut is made as hell and won't take it anymore:

Connecticut Town Considers Low-Pants Ban

Low Baggy Pants Could Cost You Big Bucks In Fines (CBS/AP) STRATFORD, Conn. Something that's considered fashionable could be fineable if a Stratford councilman has his way.

Councilman Alvin O'Neal is proposing a ban on baggy pants that are worn too low with a hefty fine for those caught with their pants down.

O'Neal said he is responding to complaints from senior citizens around town who notice young people wearing their baggy pants as low as possible, revealing their backsides.

The councilman has proposed a town ordinance that would make it unlawful for people to wear "pants which fall below the buttocks to expose their undergarments," with a penalty of $250. The council has set a hearing on the proposed law for Monday night at Town Hall.

"I've had a lot of senior citizens complain that they were tired of going to the store and seeing people with their pants down below their buttocks," O'Neal said Friday.

He says the target of the new law is very specific, young people who wear trousers as low as possible without them falling down completely.

"We're not out to get plumbers whose pants creep down while they're working on your pipes," O'Neal said. Any proposed ordinance would have to pass muster with the town attorney.

"We intend to review it before the Town Council votes on it," Town Attorney Richard Buturla said. "Actually, a similar ordinance is being looked at in Atlanta."

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When we rebuild a war torn city, we do it right

SEOUL (AFP) - More and more South Korean schoolchildren are searching the Internet to find someone to do their homework for a fee, a report said Monday. A portal lists more than 500 websites devoted to homework with fees to pupils ranging from 8,000-10,000 won (eight dollars 50 cents to 11 dollars), The Korea Times said. "I need to write three English diaries by the end of the week," a 12-year said in a message posted on one site. "I don't really want to write them. Who can write for me and how much do I have to pay?" There are also websites offering already-completed homework with individual material downloadable for 500 won, the paper said. Others offer children a chance to share projects. Experts worry that such sites could send students the wrong message, that they can buy whatever they want, the paper said.

See? They can so follow our lead.

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Mexican sniffer dog dognapped

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A top police sniffer dog working for an elite Mexican drug squad was stolen during an airport transfer by thieves who left a mixed-breed puppy in its place, the attorney general's office said. Rex IV, a highly trained Belgian Malinois sheepdog with a string of drug hauls behind him, was checked on to a flight from Mexico City this week with seven other police dogs bound for an operation in the northern state of Sinaloa. But when the dogs arrived at Mazatlan airport, Sinaloa, their police handlers discovered a small black mongrel puppy inside Rex IV's cage, with the sniffer dog nowhere to be seen. "In 17 years I've never seen anything like this. It's rather delicate," a Public Security Ministry spokesman told Reuters on Sunday, adding that the worry was the dog could help smugglers find new ways to conceal drugs. "It's like kidnapping an intelligence agent," he said. An airline employee told investigators a man posing as a police officer appeared at the counter and asked to switch the puppy for Rex IV because the Malinois was unwell. Rex IV is part of an elite Special Canine Unit set up in 2001 as part of Mexico's battle against cartels that smuggle South American cocaine and other drugs to the United States. President Felipe Calderon launched a new war on drug gangs when he took power in December, sending thousands of police and soldiers to northern and western states where turf wars between rival drug cartels leave dozens dead each week.

A message calling the Federales curs?

A DIABOLICAL CONSPIRACY

I'm sorta sure you'll be receptive to the video hidden under the header. Give it a click. For a starter on my conspiracy (Capital C?) theory, please let me point out something: If you're a bear, you get to hibernate.You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that. Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that, too. If you're a female bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that. If you're a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them, too. I could deal with that. If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat...I wanna be a bear. Now for the balance of my CT. No, that doesn't mean Connecticut. Means Conspiracy Theory. Ahem. Sure, liberals all want the "assault-rifle" ban instituted. However, those with knowledge of past governmental actions understand that that kind of ban grows slowly over the years until it becomes all encompassing, all powerful and all in control of us. Unless we act, the second Amendment will be lost behind court cases forever. One small example of growth beyond reason is that of the Feds making a "humanitarian" appeal to supply the poor children with a half pint of milk in the 1950's. Who could say no to such a small human kindness, especially since the U.S. over produced so much milk it had to be dumped down sewers to get rid of it? (I come from Wisconsin. I saw it.) Well, in any case, fellow taxpayer and electee and citizen, from that 1/2 pint of milk, see who now controls our schools. See who is now responsible for the failure rate of our children. See who really selects the failing curriculum for your kids. It isn't you any more. Government employees in any bureau have a tendency, in order to protect their sinecures, of enlarging and expanding the scope of what they were set up to do. Like Topsy they just grow. They grow until the top people are insulated from the taxpayers by so many layers of departments and minions that they can no longer be contacted by us insignificant voters. It's an old way of making one's career safe and secure. And it is self propagating. Investigate some agencies yourself. The TV show (which I watched fervently and thankfully for its intelligent scripting and fine acting, I add) The West Wing, pointed out in an earlyish episode that a ban on automatic weapons would sooner or later open the door to a ban on all privately owned guns for the citizens. Did you vote for a person who seems to have this mind? It's strange (maybe not, I am only one voter) but none of the enquiring emails I have submitted to the Obama-Biden camps have received a response. I asked if they intended to end tenure for school teachers. No answer yet. I asked if they intended to seek a ban on automatic guns. No answer yet. I asked if they meant to erase the Federal Reserve Bank from the country. No answer yet. I asked if they intended to seek any changes in Federal Election Commission powers. No answer yet. I asked if they intended to put a limit on campaign spending. No answer yet. There were more questions. None have received any reply other than a random email or two stating they had received my email and it would be sent to the concerned department. What concerned Department? They didn't say. Maybe they meant the FBI. Are we really looking toward "multiculturalism, bilingualism, moral chaos and educational nullity."? Check out this Brit writer's opinion (no, I don't usually accept aliens judgements of American elections, But after my discounts of items, I still find his analysis vibrant and stirring): http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2008/11/obamaniacs.html .

A REASON NOT TO VOTE FOR OBAMA

Billy, we hardly knew ya.

Lemme see, thirty or so extra pounds, a cheaper suit than Barracks and a beard to hide behind.

Do you believe he's thinking something like "Boy, have I got this guy suckered in. Move over, sonny and make room for your new Secretary of State."?

Or do you think he's going to kiss the candidate. After all, he's got his arm around the man.

I thought it kind of funny the governator had a flag pin on, after all the fuss about Barracks not wearing one.

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One of the biggest reasons to oppose Sen. Obama is to make sure Bill can’t even drive near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Let alone get inside.

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Yeah, Bill's shown his loyalty and dependability by turning his back on the Clintons (he'd be picking fruit if it weren't for Ex prez Clinton. Another reason to dislike the male Clinton.)

Is it possible to refer to Hillary as Dr. Frankenstein? Or Igor? And ask her what, now that it breathes, she intends to do with it?

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Other than my learned distrust of this man (I was NOT born despising him) what's new about his farce of pretending to be a worthy Governor?

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I'm glad you asked (He, he, he). I don't know if you've heard of the horrendous, uncontrolled fire that burned in one of our mountain chains? The Manzano mountains. They separate Albuquerque from a beautiful wilderness area. A number of people live there, doing what people in forested areas do.

Anyway, fire officials say it was deliberately started by humans (who have to be at the bottom of the evolutionary scale). The fire raced through the underbrush and became a conflagration. Winds (some as high as 50 mph) pushed the inferno along. The crews were not making headway against the fire, anywhere along the line. Then a lessening of the wind and the fire fighters had it 35% contained. It was looking good. The governator looked the scene over and declared it a disaster area. He was appalled at the damage. Horrified. Aghast with disgust.

So he went to the Kentucky Derby to rub elbows with the rich (in an effort to get them to contribute to Barracks' campaign?) and drink mint juleps.

While the fire burned and destroyed the lives of those caught in the holocaust. The fire was again fanned by high winds and routed the gallant defenders. It was, apparently, a super effort by the fire fighters that they stopped the flareup from consuming everything in its path.

But that didn't stop our Bill from flying to Kentucky, sucking up to the wealthy, (he's had lots of practice at that.) and raising dough for Barracks' campaign.

Oh, yeah, something to add to his "caring about New Mexico" horsepuckies: He was so used to being away from N.M., he didn't bother to tell the lieutenant governor he would be gone. The governator's spokesman (read toady) said it was "an oversight". Oh, yeah. Sure.

Someday we'll get a real Governor here again. But it ain't Bill Richardson.

About that hairy ape look on his face? Men grow beards when they want to hide something. Wonder what he's hiding? Or maybe, wonder what he isn't hiding?

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Don't forget to click on the header.

OBAMA, CLINTON, CATMOVES FOR PRES

Working piecemeal and in such a dangerous position should get warnings from OSHA. But they may be too busy filling out the mountains of paperwork (whatever happened to The Computer, which was going to eliminate paperwork?

I think this picture represents the jerry rigged attempts at government that Americans have had to put up with for the past 20 some years.

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It seems a sad fact of higher education in our America, that far too many uni's and colleges are living in the dream world of Ivory Towers, where they and theirs are safe and protected from the harsh and ugly realities of the world and its ways. Promulgating these precepts, what can we expect other than confusion and candidates like Obama and Clinton?

There is NO Messiah going to run for President this time around. (I think the last one with common sense might have been Jack Kennedy, but that's open to argument.)

Dwight David Eisenhower warned us about watching out for the Military/Industrial complex and their machinations. Franklin D. Roosevelt told business to go to hell and do things his way. Harry Truman echoed his former boss. George Washington didn't want a Federal Banking system.

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What have we got running today? A lady who breaks into tears when the going gets tough.

A guy who wants to be all things to all people.

Another guy who seems to indicate he wants to go along with the things the way they are now.

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Balls.

How about somebody who says "to hell with the status quo. Let's try some things that are really, truly designered to help our own citizens. Let's not keep the entangling alliances that incompetents have developed over the past years. Let's not accept a role as the World's Police Force. Let's tell countries that we will spend Trillions for defense, but not one red cent for any tribute. Let's tell the world that America is going its own way and business will be subservient to the American populace or it will be closed. By force, if necessary. The age of screw the customer is over. Line up, get into the mood of becoming helpful to your own people or move to a foreign country where you can try to sell to us."

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There.

I've just negated the top two Dems and the single top Republican. There's no real promise in any of them.

Maybe what's needed is a real, functioning cap on how much each candidate may spend in each state in their effort to get elected. It could be based on the population of the state. Maybe a buck per person of voting age. It should include all forms of ads. Newspaper, TV, radio, Web sites, etc., etc.

I hope you don't think either of the two main political parties would allow this to happen. If they did pass a bill such as this, I'd be willing to be bet they'd "forget" to put a penalty on violations.

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I think I might nominate Lin (of The Creek site) for lady Pres. She's a lot wiser and one hell of a huge bunch more humorous than the ex pres's sobby female. I think I'd like Babzy to be her running mate, too. With those two in charge we'd be howling with laughter more than crying in our beers (as we do now).

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Catmoves wants to be dictat, er, President, too. "Hang 'em high" is my slogan. At least it ought to scare the bejesas out of them.

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Who's your nominee?

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Don't forget to click on the header. And I did NOT write this article.

HILLARY SPEAKS, TIM GRILLS

Yeah, I know. Anyone can have ridiculous and painful pictures taken in an instant.

But Hillary Clinton showed up on Tim Russert's Meet The Press show this a.m.

(I really hate that they have an ugly logo on the base of the screen, when the entire back wall is plastered with the name of the show.)

The word "overkill" comes to mind.

You can visit MTP by clicking the header.

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I have been trying to avoid saying very much about the Dumocrat candidates. With one exception, that is.

But something really stood out in this interview. I should have counted, but, as usual, the idea came to me half way through the interview.

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Now, without looking back, how many times has the word "I" been used in this post?

It is realised here, that a blog is a very personal thing and one should be allowed certain leeway. It's our contribution to the egotism pool after all.

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If you watch that video, you can count the "I's". And then reflect on this: You have to have an enormous ego to even consider running for President. (As well as enormous money for the campaign. But that's another post.) If that were the only consideration, I think Hill would get the nod from the populace.

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But, after Hillary's (some say faked) breakdown into tears on national television in front of God and all, the thought occurred to me about the Russian ICBMs being shipped into Cuba and what JFK did about it. The pressures on him were enormous. World War III was on the brink of breaking out if he did not handle it correctly. He was a combat warrior who had his PT boat shot out from under him and knew what war was all about. Whether you liked him or not, you had to admire the way he handled the situation.

Hillary, on the other hand, is as blind as Dubya about real war. Neither she nor her husband have ever experienced it up close and ugly.

I got thinking about what if she had been President then? Would she have broken down into tears in the War Room? On television? In the Oval Office?

Any possible chance of my voting for her disappeared with that episode.

Menopause is a bitch.

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One final thing (for now, anyway) was her non reaction when her Hubby said that oral sex isn't real sex.

I tried telling that to a young lady after the Clinton episode. You can use your imagination about what she told me.

BILL RICHARDSON WON'T YOU PLEASE COME HOME?

Looks like a group photo of the Iowa electors who chose to vote for our governator, Bill Richardson, in the primary.

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But there's more to this story:

I visited my doctor Friday morning (for some needed assistance) and he, smiling from ear to ear, told us about his son's experience with Richardson Party Politics.

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Seems the young fellow, a state employee, took some time off and went up to Iowa to help Bill get votes.

Before he left, he contacted the people in Richardson's campaign and was told he would be reimbursed for travel expenses both ways, and would get bed and board paid for while he was there working for his "hero".

Apparently, someone "forgot" to pay him (and his mates who went with him), so he wound up calling Dad and asking for some money to buy food and get home. Dad laughed and laughed, suggested he find his way back home by bus, promised to feed him when he got back.

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I looked at Doc skeptically, and he admitted sending bus fare to the lad. But that was all, he grinned at me. "He's learning about honesty and politicians" was the explanation.

To make the story complete, our local newspaper ran an article on Saturday, stating that the governator had closed the Iowa office and asked his "volunteers" to follow him to New Hampshire.

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Now, the "volunteers" were as successful as they could be with what they had to work with in Iowa. We know that Obama won the contest with Hillary a distant third.

Bill? Oh, he got fourth place. With almost 2% of the total vote.

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Now, it seems to me that any reasonably intelligent person, who could only get such a piddling number, would understand that he was not liked and would not be able to get the votes needed in any of the Eastern states. He should be able to figure out that those voters were neither impressed nor believed his fairy tales.

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I gained a lot of respect for Iowa voters after this fiasco (on Bill's part). They weren't fooled by his rhetoric, they didn't buy his "qualifications", they didn't believe in his pie in the sky.

I suspect that the almost 2% were those who devoutly wanted the idiocy of Iraq ended as soon as possible, regardless of any consequences down the line. (No, I don't believe in G. Bush's war. But that's another posting.)

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In a way, it has now become a painful embarrassment for us New Mexicans. And Bill won't realize that his "team" made the biggest effort, spent the most money they ever have and still couldn't sell him to the people. His statement "On To New Hampshire" is not a rallying cry. Considering the Iowa results it sounds more like a painful wail, a "I coulda been a contender" kind of stance.

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Somehow, I think the New Hampshire voters will see through his act, will note that he has been gone from New Mexico for almost a full year while the state has more than enough problems that are not being taken seriously by him. After all, if he can't care for a state of 2 million, how could we entrust 300 million souls to him? He is, once and for all, a carpetbagger in the worst sense of the term.

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One more word of advice Bill: the American people are really, really worried about the economy and your record of spend, spend, spend, even if we don't have it, won't stand you in good stead.

TERRY TAMMINEN FOR PREZ

Never mind Hillary, Obama, Richardson nor any of those other people. They're amateurs.

I've discovered a new candidate for the job of Prez of these United States. He's got some interesting thoughts, too. __________________________________________Count Me In My presidential platform calls for clean air and no war. What about yours? By Terry Tamminen 16 Feb 2007 Grab hold of the political moment. The U.S. appears headed for a bumper crop of 2008 presidential candidates, most of which know they can't possibly win the nomination, let alone ever be hailed as the chief. So why do they toss in their hats? Many say it's to ensure the national debate includes their ideas for improving America. On that basis, I figured it was time I stop being coy and jump in too. I therefore declare my candidacy for president of the United States and, if elected, here's my agenda: 1. Apologize to the world and get out of Iraq immediately. If the oil companies want their wells protected, let them hire the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who are currently the victims of our invasion and inept occupation to become security guards. Save over $100 billion a year.2. While the recent U.S. House bill to reduce about $14 billion of oil subsidies is laudable, I would eliminate the other $100 billion too. Combined with my first point, that gives us $200 billion a year to work with on other priorities. 3. Apologize to the families of the 100,000 people who die prematurely in the U.S. each year from disease related to completely preventable petroleum air pollution (and the 6.5 million Americans who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases) for public policies that allow such legalized assaults. Use half of the $200 billion to provide health insurance to the 45 million Americans who have none, so at least everyone will get health care. It doesn't really matter if people are poor, slackers, or illegal immigrants. It costs us far more than $100 billion a year to deal with the illnesses of the uninsured, providing expensive reactive health care mostly in emergency rooms instead of more affordable proactive health care in a doctor's office. 4. Use $20 billion a year to replace every diesel mass-transit and school bus in the nation that emits more pollution than the cleanest engines on the market today. Then tackle the oldest, dirtiest trucks and locomotives. Replace these vehicles with ones that run on the cleanest fuels available, which today are biofuels, natural gas, and hydrogen. This program will not only reduce a significant percentage of the life-threatening air pollution that grips our cities, it will stimulate investors to build a nationwide fueling infrastructure for clean fuels. It will also cut greenhouse gases. And I would consider insisting that the replacement vehicles be mostly American-made, thus renewing the U.S. auto industry and its workforce. In The Same Vein One Nation, Under Terry An interview with California environmental adviser Terry Tamminen. Use the rest of the money to offer a four-day (32-hour) work week to any government employee willing to volunteer one day a week for public service, and encourage other employers to do likewise, with an emphasis on volunteering in local schools. People could make their communities better, safer places to live, and reduce crowding on freeways (reducing air pollution and lost productivity for everyone).Would any or all of these measures improve your everyday life? Better health care, less pollution and disease, thousands of new jobs, less traffic -- I suspect that would make a difference worth voting for. I have solutions for global warming, illegal immigration, foreign affairs, and the erosion of our education and justice systems too, but I'll save those for the rubber-chicken dinner circuit. In the meantime, look for me in New Hampshire and Iowa perfecting my baby-kissing techniques.And if you think you can do better, why not tell the world by declaring your candidacy and setting out a platform of your own?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - - - - Terry Tamminen is the former secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and is now a policy adviser and author. His new book is Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of our Oil Addiction.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's not a joke. We need someone who can sort out the messes created by our most recent administration. I know, this guy is an environmentalist (no, Hillary, that is not a bad word) and far too many of us think that because right now it's colder than hades there is no such thing as global warming. That ain't the way it works. It sounds like an oxymoron but "global warming" also indicates this horrid cold weather. Read the reports. Google has them. New Hampshire and Iowa are too far away for an old geezer like me to travel too, but I hope he finds the voters there interested. Iowa should love him. That's where they grow the vegetables we put in our gas tanks.