Yet, at the same time, I see such suffering around me, and wonder why my God would let that happen?  Why would my loving, omniscient God, not intervene.  Why would He sit idly by and watch the slaughter of his chosen people, during the Holocaust?  Watch Stalin murder millions?  Watch Pol Pot cultivate the “Killing Fields”?  Watch the murder of 3,000 on 9/11? And I look around and see, all over the world, the taking of life, by beasts.  And at times, the beasts, don’t appear any different then you and I.  There is injustice.  But then I think, perhaps, this reality, is only one frame, in a movie that has no beginning and no end?  That I am an extra, (not the star), just a player, in a movie, with a plot I don’t know about, don’t understand, and action scenes I’m not part of.   I guess, I’m not privy to the “big picture”.  Point being, I suppose, this frame in the movie, this life, you and I are so invested in, is just a frame in a movie, playing out, one lifetime at a time, shot at/in time, and perhaps, that is not all there is.
 
And slideshows?  Strange how my life has turned into a slideshow/power point presentation.  My mind, traveling to the Grandview office, registers no leaves on the trees, then buds, then leaves, then leaves turning brown  …  and once again, no leaves.  Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall.  The seasons played out on a yearly basis, in snipits of memory.  No different than the seasons in my life, but measured in different terms.  Births, birthday parties, graduations, weddings, anniversaries   …  and then, funerals.   No doubt, all, milestones.  I’m attending funerals now.  It dawns on me, the road ahead, for me, is way shorter than the road behind.  By the grace of God, the road I’ve traveled was the right choice for me. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I� I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

“And of course, there are incredibly gifted minds who don’t believe in a “Creator/creation”.  LONDON, England (CNN) –Stephen Hawking: God didn’t create universe.  “God did not create the universe, world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book that aims to banish a divine creator from physics.  Hawking says in his book “The Grand Design” that, given the existence of gravity, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” according to an excerpt published Thursday in The Times of London.  “Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist,” he writes in the excerpt.”  I have NOWHERE near the intellect of Stephen Hawking, so it is easy for me not to understand what “Spontaneous Creation” is.  And “… given the existence of gravity, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing,”. I don’t get that either   …   if there is gravity, isn’t something there?  Like gravity?  So you do have something.  Those of us who believe, do not call that, which caused the first movement, “gravity   …  we prefer it call that force, “God”.  [Footnote:  the response from British clergy.]

And in earth shattering news for my Dear Friend Dan R,  (who brews his own and judges beer competitions  –  believe it or not, there is actually a certification process!!)  (CNN) — World’s ‘oldest beer’ found in shipwreck.  “First there was the discovery of dozens of bottles of 200-year-old champagne, but now salvage divers have recovered what they believe to be the world’s oldest beer, taking advertisers’ notion of ‘drinkability’ to another level. Though the effort to lift the reserve of champagne had just ended, researchers uncovered a small collection of bottled beer on Wednesday from the same shipwreck south of the autonomous Aland Islands in the Baltic Sea.” Wonder what it would taste like?  Also found, mixed in with the bottles, a card from a DWI lawyer.  His name, translated?  Basil Beermanov.  His motto:  “The beer may lose it’s head, but not my client.”

And in news that makes me proud to be an American:  Washington (CNN) –  Air Force hero’s actions in Laos finally recognized after 42 years. “President Obama will award the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for bravery, to Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger for his valor in saving the lives of three wounded comrades at a then-secret base in Laos in 1968, the White House announced Friday.  After Etchberger saved his fellow airmen, he was shot and killed by enemy fighters.  His heroics were kept a secret for years because the United States wasn’t supposed to have troops in Laos during the Vietnam War. President Lyndon Johnson rejected a nomination for Etchberger to receive the Medal of Honor at the time because of the political trouble it could have stirred up.”  Better late than never.

Again, a short Ramblings.  Had several hearings this week and did not have the time to research some topics I wanted to share.  The Editorial Staff abandoned me  …  when I was late giving them their treats.  I think while I was in court this week, they unionized.  Just a sign of the times, I guess.  Although it is a 3 day weekend, I will meet with two new clients tomorrow and another client late Sunday afternoon for trial preparation, (the trial is next week).  I have been creating more canvas prints, as I have time:  you can see them in my Facebook Gallery and will add more.  To create them, my out of pocket cost is between $50 - $70, depending on size.   I plan on selling the big ones 15″ x 20″, for $150.00.  Time to post these Rambling and create another canvas print   …   and later as I drift off to sleep. say a prayer of thanks for the many blessings Susan and I have in our lives and of course a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  Be and sleep well, the best there is, is on watch so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent.  As always   …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden,  Missouri and the (&&^%^$ striking Editorial Staff

Yet, at the same time, I see such suffering around me, and wonder why my God would let that happen?  Why would my loving, omniscient God, not intervene.  Why would He sit idly by and watch the slaughter of his chosen people, during the Holocaust?  Watch Stalin murder millions?  Watch Pol Pot cultivate the “Killing Fields”?  Watch the murder of 3,000 on 9/11? And I look around and see, all over the world, the taking of life, by beasts.  And at times, the beasts, don’t appear any different then you and I.  There is injustice.  But then I think, perhaps, this reality, is only one frame, in a movie that has no beginning and no end?  That I am an extra, (not the star), just a player, in a movie, with a plot I don’t know about, don’t understand, and action scenes I’m not part of.   I guess, I’m not privy to the “big picture”.  Point being, I suppose, this frame in the movie, this life, you and I are so invested in, is just a frame in a movie, playing out, one lifetime at a time, shot at/in time, and perhaps, that is not all there is.
 
And slideshows?  Strange how my life has turned into a slideshow/power point presentation.  My mind, traveling to the Grandview office, registers no leaves on the trees, then buds, then leaves, then leaves turning brown  …  and once again, no leaves.  Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall.  The seasons played out on a yearly basis, in snipits of memory.  No different than the seasons in my life, but measured in different terms.  Births, birthday parties, graduations, weddings, anniversaries   …  and then, funerals.   No doubt, all, milestones.  I’m attending funerals now.  It dawns on me, the road ahead, for me, is way shorter than the road behind.  By the grace of God, the road I’ve traveled was the right choice for me. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I� I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

“And of course, there are incredibly gifted minds who don’t believe in a “Creator/creation”.  LONDON, England (CNN) –Stephen Hawking: God didn’t create universe.  “God did not create the universe, world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book that aims to banish a divine creator from physics.  Hawking says in his book “The Grand Design” that, given the existence of gravity, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” according to an excerpt published Thursday in The Times of London.  “Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist,” he writes in the excerpt.”  I have NOWHERE near the intellect of Stephen Hawking, so it is easy for me not to understand what “Spontaneous Creation” is.  And “… given the existence of gravity, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing,”. I don’t get that either   …   if there is gravity, isn’t something there?  Like gravity?  So you do have something.  Those of us who believe, do not call that, which caused the first movement, “gravity   …  we prefer it call that force, “God”.  [Footnote:  the response from British clergy.]

And in earth shattering news for my Dear Friend Dan R,  (who brews his own and judges beer competitions  –  believe it or not, there is actually a certification process!!)  (CNN) — World’s ‘oldest beer’ found in shipwreck.  “First there was the discovery of dozens of bottles of 200-year-old champagne, but now salvage divers have recovered what they believe to be the world’s oldest beer, taking advertisers’ notion of ‘drinkability’ to another level. Though the effort to lift the reserve of champagne had just ended, researchers uncovered a small collection of bottled beer on Wednesday from the same shipwreck south of the autonomous Aland Islands in the Baltic Sea.” Wonder what it would taste like?  Also found, mixed in with the bottles, a card from a DWI lawyer.  His name, translated?  Basil Beermanov.  His motto:  “The beer may lose it’s head, but not my client.”

And in news that makes me proud to be an American:  Washington (CNN) –  Air Force hero’s actions in Laos finally recognized after 42 years. “President Obama will award the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for bravery, to Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger for his valor in saving the lives of three wounded comrades at a then-secret base in Laos in 1968, the White House announced Friday.  After Etchberger saved his fellow airmen, he was shot and killed by enemy fighters.  His heroics were kept a secret for years because the United States wasn’t supposed to have troops in Laos during the Vietnam War. President Lyndon Johnson rejected a nomination for Etchberger to receive the Medal of Honor at the time because of the political trouble it could have stirred up.”  Better late than never.

Again, a short Ramblings.  Had several hearings this week and did not have the time to research some topics I wanted to share.  The Editorial Staff abandoned me  …  when I was late giving them their treats.  I think while I was in court this week, they unionized.  Just a sign of the times, I guess.  Although it is a 3 day weekend, I will meet with two new clients tomorrow and another client late Sunday afternoon for trial preparation, (the trial is next week).  I have been creating more canvas prints, as I have time:  you can see them in my Facebook Gallery and will add more.  To create them, my out of pocket cost is between $50 - $70, depending on size.   I plan on selling the big ones 15″ x 20″, for $150.00.  Time to post these Rambling and create another canvas print   …   and later as I drift off to sleep. say a prayer of thanks for the many blessings Susan and I have in our lives and of course a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  Be and sleep well, the best there is, is on watch so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent.  As always   …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden,  Missouri and the (&&^%^$ striking Editorial Staff

And on the national level, perhaps African-American communities have the same small town social order and sub-species:  (CNN) –  DEA wants to hire Ebonics translators.  “Wanted by the Drug Enforcement Administration: Ebonics translators.  It might sound like a punch line, as “Ebonics” — the common name for what linguists call African-American English — has long been the butt of jokes, as well as the subject of controversy. But the agency is serious about needing nine people to translate conversations picked up on wiretaps during investigations, Special Agent Michael Sanders said Tuesday. A solicitation was sent to contractors as part of a request to companies to provide hundreds of translators in 114 languages.”  Wow.  African-American English is that difficult to understand, that translators are necessary?  Where is it spoken?  Only goes to prove, all cultures, races and religions have their 2%’ers, “Homo Scumbagus”.  Just part of the human condition.

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) –  Live tiger cub found in suitcase at Thai airport.  “A live tiger cub hidden in a suitcase filled with stuffed toys was spotted as it went through a luggage X-ray at a major Thai airport, a wildlife trade monitoring network said   …  Authorities found the tiger Sunday in a suitcase belonging to a 31-year-old Thai national, who was scheduled to board a flight for Iran, the organization said.”  Smuggling a tiger into Iran?  Perhaps the Iranians are attempting to breed fundamentalist Islamic, mutant, radioactive, Ninja, tigers?

And, promises and your tax dollars at work:  (CNN) –  Worker at taxpayer-funded agency in Virginia plays hooky for 12 years.  “A worker was paid for 12 years without ever showing up for work at a Norfolk, Virginia, agency funded by federal, state and local money, officials say.”  Kind of makes you wonder how many government employees are getting paid for doing nothing, even when they show up for work?  Who is at the helm?  What happened to the promise for “change”?  Wasn’t there a promise that the 3.2 Trillion dollars spent in the last 18 months,  the various “Stimulus Packages”, would fire up our economy?  Weren’t we promised that the unemployment rates would not get above 8%? And other promises?  What happened to having all bills the President will sign posted on the White House web site for five days before signing them?  Wasn’t there a promise that the congressional health care negotiations would be broadcast live on C-SPAN.  Wasn’t there a promise to end earmarks?  Wasn’t there a promise to close the detention center at Guantanamo?  Wasn’t there a promise to make peace with direct, no precondition talks with America ’s most hate-filled enemies during the first year in office, ushering in a new era of global cooperation.  Wasn’t there a promise to end the hiring of former lobbyists into high White House jobs? Wasn’t there a promise to end no-compete contracts with the government?  Wasn’t there a promise to disclose the names of all attendees at closed White House meetings?  Wasn’t there a promise for a new era of bipartisan cooperation in all matters? No new taxes?  Weren’t federal taxes on tobacco products raised?  Isn’t allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire, a tax increase? Point being?  Red and Blue pigs promise what they need to promise, in order to to get elected.  Look, there is no question our Federal government serves an important function in providing for the common welfare in areas that the separate States can not, because they lack the resources.  Why do they lack the resources? Share with me  …  when and how did we get to a point, where State and local governments can not function without federal subsidies?   How did the “Commerce Clause”, (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3,  of our Federal Constitution:  “To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes”), grant so much power to the Federal Government?  Cause the establishment of so many Federal agencies, like the DEA, ATF, USDA, etc.? Really think our Founding Fathers had this in mind?

And just something I found interesting:  (Health.com) –  Is black rice the new brown?  “According to ancient Chinese legend, black rice was so rare, tasty, and nutritious that only the emperors were allowed to eat it. Times have changed. Although black rice is still relatively rare, researchers are trying to bring its distinctive flavor and mix of antioxidants to the masses — or at least to a grocery store near you   … Like brown rice, black rice is full of antioxidant-rich bran, which is found in the outer layer that gets removed during the milling process to make white rice. But only black-rice bran contains the antioxidants known as anthocyanins, purple and reddish pigments — also found in blueberries, grapes, and acai — that have been linked to a decreased risk of heart disease and cancer, improvements in memory, and other health benefits.”  Never heard of “Black Rice“.  The interesting thing?  Once it is processed/milled, (the hulk, bran and germ removed),  just like “Brown Rice“, it becomes “White Rice“.  Interesting, isn’t it?

Sitting here watching the evening news, the rock band outside our bedroom window has finally stopped playing, the “Editorial Staff” is crashed and asleep, (as is Susan) and I’m sitting here finishing off this weeks Ramblings. In my mind, poorly written, certainly not a work of literary art, (writing is not my strong suit to start off with),  but something I can contribute/do to instill a sense of normalcy/continuity  …  and perhaps, cause a chuckle/thought.  I spent my spare time this week making frames for the prints I entered in the art show at the Fair.  Walked around earlier,  visited with friends and shot some pics.  This one won first prize in the “Professional Photography” category.  I finished this one this evening.  Perhaps, I need to think about selling prints?  Tomorrow, I will have the privilege of walking with my brother veterans, (American Legion Post 2011, Honor Guard, (been a member for 32 years)), in the parade, (after Mass).  Interesting to me, in the parade, when our flag passes, who stands and pays their respect:  the “Homo Scumbagus” folks, nor their children, don’t  …  they are too busy picking up the free candy being thrown by the folk, in the floats behind us.  Time to post these Ramblings and hit the sack, say my “Thank You’s” and drift off to sleep.  Oh!  And, of course, say a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  Be and sleep well, no need for me to share that you can do so because our best is on watch?  Is there?  If my post offends, I apologies.  That is not my intent. As always  …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri  …  and the Editorial Staff, Willie, Karly, Dinker, my L’l Buddy  …  and Floyd.)

Some interesting opinions rendered this week defining rights granted by our 1st Amendment. [Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.] Using the word “granted” is a poor choice or words:   isn’t our Bill of Rights just an affirmation of the fact that the primary function of our Constitution is to limit the power of our “Red” and “blue” pigs?  Washington –  Roadside crosses for fallen Utah police unconstitutional, court rules. “A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that roadside crosses erected to memorialize fallen Utah Highway Patrol officers violate the First Amendment’s prohibition of government endorsement of religion.  The Denver-based 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals said that the 12-foot-high crosses bearing the name and badge number of deceased officers sent an unconstitutional religious message to motorists on the state’s highways. “We hold that these memorials have the impermissible effect of conveying to the reasonable observer the message that the state prefers or otherwise endorses a certain religion. They therefore violate the establishment clause of the federal constitution,” the appeals court said in a 35-page decision.”    …   and   …   Christian Science Monitor –  Antigay church can protest military funerals, judge rules.  “Missouri violated free speech protections when it passed a law to prevent Westboro Baptist Church, known for its provocative antigay protests, from picketing military funerals, a federal judge ruled Monday.  A federal judge has struck down as unconstitutional a Missouri law aimed at preventing members of a Kansas-based religious group from conducting inflammatory protests outside the funerals of fallen US service members.”  …  and  …   Washington (CNN) — Appeals court rules Stolen Valor Act unconstitutional. “Lying about military honors is not a crime, a federal appeals court has ruled, tossing out the prosecution of a California public official who falsely claimed to have won the prestigious Medal of Honor.”  Makes sense to me.  Our 1st Amendment protects what religious hate mongers can preach at the funerals of our fallen heros,  protects some waste of skin lying/claiming he is the winner of the highest honor our nation can give to one of our men and women in uniform   …   and bars memorials to Highway Patrol Officers who gave their lives protecting us.  Oh, and it also protects the rights of Muslims to build a Mosque in the shadows of the Twin Towers.  Share with me   …  why you can have a law that limits the distance a “tittie-bar” can operate next to a school or church, but a law that limits how close the Westboro hate mongers can preach their filth at the funeral of one of our fallen heros is unconstitutional? 

Perhaps some insight into where 3.2 Trillion of our tax dollars have gone these past 19 months:   Washington Post –  Largest-ever federal payroll to hit 2.15 million.  “The era of big government has returned with a vengeance, in the form of the largest federal work force in modern history.  The Obama administration says the government will grow to 2.15 million employees this year, topping 2 million for the first time since President Clinton declared that “the era of big government is over” and joined forces with a Republican-led Congress in the 1990s to pare back the federal work force.  Most of the increases are on the civilian side, which will grow by 153,000 workers, to 1.43 million people, in fiscal 2010  …  From 1981 through 2008, the civilian work force remained at about 1.1 million to 1.2 million, with a low of 1.07 million in 1986 and a high of more than 1.2 million in 1993 and in 2008. In 2009, the number jumped to 1.28 million. Including both the civilian and defense sectors, the federal government will employ 2.15 million people in 2010 and 2.11 million in 2011 …” It sure has not gone into the private sector:  UK Guardian  –  US unemployment figures increase fears of double-dip recession.  “Worst joblessness statistics for nine months and gloomy manufacturing data send dollar and Wall Street tumbling.  Shares plunged on Wall Street and the dollar fell sharply tonight after an increase in jobless claims and weak signals from industry prompted fears that the US is heading for a double-dip recession.  The Dow Jones index fell 200 points at one stage in morning trading in New York after the US labour department reported that 500,000 new claims for unemployment benefit were filed in the week ending 14 August ” an increase of 12,000 on the previous week and the highest figure for nine months.” I wonder if the Blue Pigs that currently control our Congress have considered the possibility that how and where they are spending our tax dollars, isn’t creating jobs, isn’t filtering down to the small businesses that actually hire workers and make our economy grow?  Tax increases would be a solution, IF our Red and Blue pigs used the increased revenues to pay down the debt   …   but history teaches they won’t. 

(CNN) — How to create a ’super password’.  “Say goodbye to those wimpy, eight-letter passwords.  The 12-character era of online security is upon us, according to a report published this week by the Georgia Institute of Technology.  The researchers used clusters of graphics cards to crack eight-character passwords in less than two hours. But when the researchers applied that same processing power to 12-character passwords, they found it would take 17,134 years to make them snap. “The length of your password in some cases can dictate the vulnerability,” said Joshua Davis, a research scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.” Actually, an uncrackable “passphrase” must be at least 21 characters long, contain upper and lower case letters, symbols and numbers. The problem with that?  You can’t remember it. I have developed an algorithm that will allow you to have a unique “passphrase” that is impossible to forget.  I shared it at a CLE Session I taught and is available as a handout, if you have an interest, Email me.  It is simple and elegant.  A sample?  *234Karl@amazon.com567*  Use the same 4 beginning and ending characters for each passphrase, your name and website you want to log onto in the center.  Simple and easy to remember.

Sitting here editing these Ramblings, once again, under a thunderstorm watch.  The “Editorial Staff” is sleeping at my feet.  When I renovated Ft Timmerman in the early 90’s, I sectioned it off into three living areas, with three furnaces, water heaters, airconditioners and three gas and electric meters, each.  A couple of years ago, I had the gas meters consolidated into one meter and this week, I had the electric meters consolidated as well, after looking at  the tax, service and tariff fees on three electric bills.  We will save $47.00 per month by getting rid of two of the three meters!!  BTW:  I challenge you to figure out what all the fees and tariff add-ons on your electric bill stand for and who gets the money!!  Ft Timmerman is 50′ x 150′.  Installing 2 additional cutoff boxes,  wire capable of handling 200 amp service and labor wound up costing us $1,350.00.  The renovation should pay for itself in a little over 2 years and that doesn’t include the tax benefits.  Time to post these Rambling,  print a couple of my images,  16″ x 20″ on canvas, then build frames to stretch the canvas over.  This is what they look like:  “CLICK HERE“.  They are stunning!  Then turn in for the night.  For my “Thank You’s” tonight, a “Thank You” for the men and women in uniform coming home this week.  It made my heart sing to see the “welcome home” they recieved. Sure different than the one many of us remember.  A “Thank You” for having the best partner, friend, lover and traveling companion any man can have:  my Susan   …  a prayer for little Willie, he is spending the night at our Vet’s office, (vomiting and a bloody stool)   …   and of course, a prayer for the safe and soon return of our other men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  Be and sleep well,  take the time to look around and notice/catalogue all the things in this life, (the many blessings), you have, to say “Thank You’s” for.  It is far too easy to take them for granted.  If my post offends, I apologize  –  that is not my intent.  As always  …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT  (the dumb old county lawyer from Holden, Missouri   …  and the “Editorial Staff”, Dinker, Karly, Willie, my L’l Buddy and Floyd.)

No doubt illegal immigration is a problem that reasonable, honorable people can differ on how to solve.  But is this enough?  Washington (CNN) –  Obama signs bill approving $600 million for border security.  “President Barack Obama signed a bill Friday that provides $600 million in emergency funding to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border  … Among other things, the bill provides for roughly 1,500 new law enforcement agents, new unmanned aerial vehicles, new forwarding operating bases and $14 million in new communications equipment.” Not even close.  We spend, have spent, how Billions of dollars, ostensibly, to defend our boarders overseas?  Have how many boots on the ground?  Look,  the solution isn’t building a wall around our America.  The solution has to be centered around making coming here, illegally, counter productive, economically.

New York (CNN) — Professor says he was fired, discriminated for being straight. “A former college professor in upstate New York says he was fired and discriminated against because he is straight.  Dr. Csaba Marosan taught natural Sciences at Trocaire College in Buffalo. He told CNN that he was asked not to return this year because of his formal complaint against the college in 2009.  Marosan alleges that college officials gave preferential treatment to gay faculty members in a small clique dubbed, “the Merry Men.” The college denied the allegations and attributes his dismissal to lack of qualifications. The former professor said he has taught at the college for eight years  …  A report from the New York State Division of Human Rights shows that a dean of education allegedly made comments about Marosan’s nationality, accent, culture and manner of greeting colleagues.”   …  “Manner of greeting colleagues”? Interesting.  I guess, not being gay, he didn’t know the secret handshake gay folks use to greet each other.  I wonder what it is?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — A surprise tax cut for the (almost) rich. “Worried about your taxes going up next year? They might for some high earners. But some not-quite-rich taxpayers could end up with a surprise tax cut.  If the Bush tax cuts expire for the nation’s top earners, people making a pinch less than the wealthiest Americans, who don’t quite qualify for the new top two tax brackets, could find themselves in an even lower bracket next year  …  The government is defining the wealthiest Americans as individuals with taxable income of more than $195,550, ($200,000 in adjusted gross income) and joint filers with taxable income over $237,300, ($250,000 in adjusted gross income).  These taxpayers could be hit with higher tax bills next year as the tax rates for the top two brackets return to pre-Bush administration levels of 36% from 33%, and 39.6% from 35%.  But under Obama’s tax plan, the 28% income tax bracket would be widened. According to estimates from Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation, if your taxable income is between $171,850 and $195,550, you would fall into this “sweet spot” and be moved from the 33% tax bracket to the 28% bracket and could end up saving more than $1,000 a year.” And cutting taxes for folks making between $171K and $195K would really be a stimulus for our economy, wouldn’t it?  And increasing the tax rates for folks making less than 34K a year from 10% to 15% would make a real dent in our national debt?  Is it really wise to screw around with our current tax structure/rates, given the current economic climate?

(CNN) –  Finalist dies at world sauna championships.  “A competitor has died and another is in hospital following a tragic end to the World Sauna Championships in southern Finland. Russian Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy died Saturday after taking part in the final of a competition in which contestants are required to withstand rising temperatures for as long as possible.” There is a “world sauna championship”?  A competition between fat guys competing to reach world acclaim, by trying to survive a “shake and bake”?  Kind of reminds me of the “Kamikaze Pilot Reunion Dinner”.  Seems  …  no one ever shows up.

(CNN) — U.S. electricity blackouts skyrocketing.  “New York’s Staten Island was broiling under a life-threatening heat wave and borough President James Molinaro was seriously concerned about the area’s Little League baseball players. It was last July’s Eastern heat wave and Consolidated Edison was responding to scattered power outages as electricity usage neared record highs    …   Experts on the nation’s electricity system point to a frighteningly steep increase in non-disaster-related outages affecting at least 50,000 consumers.  During the past two decades, such blackouts have increased 124 percent — up from 41 blackouts between 1991 and 1995, to 92 between 2001 and 2005, according to research at the University of Minnesota.”  But don’t worry, it will get better when more electric vehicles become available and the power companies justify building a bunch of coal powered generating stations, (and pass the cost on to their consumers),  to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

(CNN) — Twitter photo helps nab suspected flasher.  “An alert rider of the Boston area transit system helped nab an alleged flasher by posting a photo of the suspect on Twitter, according to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. Rider Nay Khun was riding the train Wednesday afternoon when he spotted the suspect “fidgeting with his crotch area with his zipper open and his penis exposed,” according to the MBTA. Khun immediately posted to his Twitter account a photo of the man, saying “pervert on the 2nd car of the red line … help me report him.” Great use of an iPhone. Later, Mr. Khun was contacted by Apple to be a spokesperson for the new “app”, Apple will be marketing in conjunction with McDonalds.  “Perve Pounder”.

Sitting here hunkered down at Ft Timmerman, editing these Ramblings  …  it is hot outside and we are expecting another round of thunderstorms.  The “Editorial Staff” is just laying around, enjoying the cool tile floor,  (everything, the counters, floors, etc. in Ft Timmerman are tiled for easy clean up).  Made my second canvas rail frame,  10.5″ x 16.5″ for mounting standard 13″ x 19″ canvas sheets.  Interesting how the second one is nowhere near as “wonkey” looking as the first.  There really is a learning curve.  I might actually develop a nack for building them!  As for the mounted print?  The one I have finished is stunning!!  Powell Gardens is having their annual “Butterfly Festival” this weekend:  will try to attend tomorrow, if the weather permits.  For “Dinner and a Movie” Sunday?  Thinking about doing shrimp stuffed chicken breasts, a baked potato and baby peas.  The movie?  “Nanny  McPhee And The Big Bang“  Time to post these Ramblings, (they have been, every week, since February, 2002)   …   then share a quiet evening, with the best friend, partner, companion, lover, any man can:  my Susan.  Later, for my “Thank You’s”, I will once again say a “Thank You” for having Susan to share our many blessings with   …  and of course, a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform:  care to join me? Be and sleep well, the best there is, is on watch, so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent.  As always …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri  …  and the sleeping Editorial Staff, Karly, Willie, Dinker, my L’il Buddy  …  and Floydious Irritatus  …  the copy boy.)

And in the same vein, perhaps a response to those folks who consider a constitutional challenge by several State Attorney Generals to the Healthcare Reform Act, “frivolous”:  EXAMINER –  Judge lets Virginia challenge ObamaCare’s individual mandate, refusing to dismiss lawsuit.  “A federal judge in Virginia has allowed the state’s lawsuit challenging the federal individual health care mandate to proceed: “A judge on Monday refused to dismiss the state of Virginia’s challenge to President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law, a setback that will force his administration to mount a lengthy legal defense of the overhaul effort.   …   “Today’s ruling should finally silence those who maintain that the legal challenges to Obamacare are frivolous political ploys or sour grapes. The constitutional defects in the healthcare reform are very real and quite serious. Never before has the government claimed the authority to force every man, woman, and child to buy a particular product - and indeed such authority, whether claimed under the Commerce Clause or the taxing power, does not exist …”  [If you wish to read the “Petition”, click “HERE“, the “Motion to Dismiss”, click “HERE” and the Judges “Opinion”, click “HERE“]  Apparently, after reading the pleadings and listening to the arguments,  the Judge decided the case will go to trial:  that a cause for which relief may be granted, exists. Certainly not “frivolous”.

And in the economic news today?  The net result of having spent 3.2 Trillion dollars these past 18 months:  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Jobs continue to sputter.   “For the second month in a row, the U.S. economy shed jobs as the government continued to unload Census workers, offsetting gains in private business hiring. The Labor Department on Friday reported a net loss of 131,000 jobs in July, an improvement from the revised loss of 221,000 jobs in June.  For the second month in a row, the U.S. economy shed jobs as the government continued to unload Census workers, offsetting gains in private business hiring. The Labor Department on Friday reported a net loss of 131,000 jobs in July, an improvement from the revised loss of 221,000 jobs in June  …  The loss was due to the end of 143,000 temporary Census jobs in the month, but hiring by businesses also continued to be weak, as those employers added only 71,000 jobs in July. Public sector job losses weren’t limited to temporary jobs though, as government jobs outside of Census fell by 59,000 in the month, most being cut from state and local governments facing budget problems.” So share with me   …  where did the money go?  Was using “Stimulus Funds” to bolster state and local government payrolls the best way to stimulate the economy, or just a way to maintain the status quo, business as usual, instead of forcing state and local governments to downsize, (like corporate America was forced to do?)  Increase income taxes on the folks who are working, by not renewing the Bush Tax Cuts?  Share with me   …  when do you think the “Spin Doctors” will change “Bush Tax Cuts for the Rich”, to the “Obama Tax Hikes on the Poor”?  Isn’t that what increasing the income tax rate from 10% to 15% on folks making less than $34K a year,  really is? 

Fort Belvoir, Virginia (CNN) — ‘Birther’ colonel’s attorney wants charges dismissed.  “Charges against the Army officer who refused deployment to Afghanistan because he says President Barack Obama doesn’t have the authority to send him, should be thrown out says his attorney, Paul Jensen.  Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin went before a military judge — and a standing-room-only courtroom — in Virginia on Friday to face three charges of disobeying a lawful order, one count of missing movement (not deploying with his unit) and one count of dereliction of duty   …   Lakin is a decorated Army doctor and an 18-year veteran who is now facing court martial for disobeying orders to ship out for another tour of duty in Afghanistan. He specializes as a primary care physician and flight surgeon. Doctors in those positions often fly in medevac helicopters in the war zone.  Lakin says the orders are illegal because, he claims, Obama — the commander in chief — has not proven he was born in this country and is therefore ineligible to be president. Lakin wants Obama to produce his birth certificate.” I thought he had?  This Lt. Col., decorated war veteran, doesn’t sound like a “wingnut” to me.  Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

And talking about “wingnuts”?  (CNN) –  People posing, and talking, as their pets on Facebook. “There’s nothing too unusual about the way Shiva Lingham starts her day. After a quick breakfast, she goes upstairs and crawls into her mom’s unmade bed. An hour or so later, a well-rested Shiva visits the family laptop to log on to Facebook and update her status. Only Shiva can’t use the laptop alone — she doesn’t have opposable thumbs. But then, most cats don’t.Shiva’s owner, self-proclaimed “crazy cat lady” Kirsty Worrall, created Shiva’s Facebook account in September to keep her friends and family up to date on the kitten’s progress.” Ok.  Ok.  Although none of Susan’s “babies” has a “Facebook” page,  each does have their own webpage on http://www.chappysplace.net/, sharing their stories on how they became a member of the Timmerman Family. 

And some “fatherly” dating advice for our single, male, “puppysharks”.  Only date “frumpy” looking women.  Why?  (CNN) — Women buy sexier clothes when most fertile.  “If you’re a woman who loves to shop, your purchases may be unconsciously influenced by your hormones.  A new study, to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research, finds that women at peak fertility are more likely to buy sexy, revealing clothes than women of a similar age range who are at less fertile points in their cycles.” Also, keep in mind, Missouri adheres to the “Zipper Rule”.  What is the “Zipper Rule”?  If you are male, and drop your zipper   …   it is going to cost you.  Period.  And, as I shared with a client fighting a child support increase, (3 children, 3 different mothers), this past week    …   “have you considered that a vasectomy is alot cheaper than attorney’s fees?”

Sitting here editing these Ramblings, the Editorial Staff outside, playing.  They will want back in shortly.  Had a BLT sandwich last night, using veggies we harvested from the garden at FT Timmerman.  Had my air conditioning guy out today.  Both of our units are from the early 90’s and certainly not energy efficient.  Discovered a geothermal heat pump would cost $17,000 - $25,000.  Replacement 14 SEER central air units would run around $2,500 each installed  –  16 SEER and above would run around $2,700 each, for just the unit.  The savings?  Around $40 - $65 per month.  Ok.  So we run the units 4 - 5 months a year.  At best, that is a saving of $325/year.  How many years would it take for us to recover the cost of replacing the units we have?  I think we will wait until the units fail.  Oh, and by the way  …   that $1,500 tax credit is for a 2 year period, 30% of the cost of what you buy, and does not apply to installation costs. Oh, and ever wonder if the “Bark-Off“, (that little box that emits ultrasonic sounds to keep your dog from barking),  you see on the infomercials, actually works? Bought one at Walmart and tried it.  It does.  Time to post these Ramblings and spend a quiet evening, hunkered down at Ft Timmerman.  Got in a roll of 17″ x 40′ inkjet canvas in today and will make some test prints. Later, as I drift off to sleep saying my “Thank You’s”,  my greatest Thank You being Susan to share His many blessing with, I will say a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  Be and sleep well, our best is on watch to ensure you can.  If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent. As always  …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri  …  and the Editorial Staff, Dinker, Karly, Willie, my l’l Buddy  …  and Floydious Irritatus, the copy boy).

And in the same vein, perhaps a response to those folks who consider a constitutional challenge by several State Attorney Generals to the Healthcare Reform Act, “frivolous”:  EXAMINER –  Judge lets Virginia challenge ObamaCare’s individual mandate, refusing to dismiss lawsuit.  “A federal judge in Virginia has allowed the state’s lawsuit challenging the federal individual health care mandate to proceed: “A judge on Monday refused to dismiss the state of Virginia’s challenge to President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law, a setback that will force his administration to mount a lengthy legal defense of the overhaul effort.   …   “Today’s ruling should finally silence those who maintain that the legal challenges to Obamacare are frivolous political ploys or sour grapes. The constitutional defects in the healthcare reform are very real and quite serious. Never before has the government claimed the authority to force every man, woman, and child to buy a particular product - and indeed such authority, whether claimed under the Commerce Clause or the taxing power, does not exist …”  [If you wish to read the “Petition”, click “HERE“, the “Motion to Dismiss”, click “HERE” and the Judges “Opinion”, click “HERE“]  Apparently, after reading the pleadings and listening to the arguments,  the Judge decided the case will go to trial:  that a cause for which relief may be granted, exists. Certainly not “frivolous”.

And in the economic news today?  The net result of having spent 3.2 Trillion dollars these past 18 months:  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Jobs continue to sputter.   “For the second month in a row, the U.S. economy shed jobs as the government continued to unload Census workers, offsetting gains in private business hiring. The Labor Department on Friday reported a net loss of 131,000 jobs in July, an improvement from the revised loss of 221,000 jobs in June.  For the second month in a row, the U.S. economy shed jobs as the government continued to unload Census workers, offsetting gains in private business hiring. The Labor Department on Friday reported a net loss of 131,000 jobs in July, an improvement from the revised loss of 221,000 jobs in June  …  The loss was due to the end of 143,000 temporary Census jobs in the month, but hiring by businesses also continued to be weak, as those employers added only 71,000 jobs in July. Public sector job losses weren’t limited to temporary jobs though, as government jobs outside of Census fell by 59,000 in the month, most being cut from state and local governments facing budget problems.” So share with me   …  where did the money go?  Was using “Stimulus Funds” to bolster state and local government payrolls the best way to stimulate the economy, or just a way to maintain the status quo, business as usual, instead of forcing state and local governments to downsize, (like corporate America was forced to do?)  Increase income taxes on the folks who are working, by not renewing the Bush Tax Cuts?  Share with me   …  when do you think the “Spin Doctors” will change “Bush Tax Cuts for the Rich”, to the “Obama Tax Hikes on the Poor”?  Isn’t that what increasing the income tax rate from 10% to 15% on folks making less than $34K a year,  really is? 

Fort Belvoir, Virginia (CNN) — ‘Birther’ colonel’s attorney wants charges dismissed.  “Charges against the Army officer who refused deployment to Afghanistan because he says President Barack Obama doesn’t have the authority to send him, should be thrown out says his attorney, Paul Jensen.  Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin went before a military judge — and a standing-room-only courtroom — in Virginia on Friday to face three charges of disobeying a lawful order, one count of missing movement (not deploying with his unit) and one count of dereliction of duty   …   Lakin is a decorated Army doctor and an 18-year veteran who is now facing court martial for disobeying orders to ship out for another tour of duty in Afghanistan. He specializes as a primary care physician and flight surgeon. Doctors in those positions often fly in medevac helicopters in the war zone.  Lakin says the orders are illegal because, he claims, Obama — the commander in chief — has not proven he was born in this country and is therefore ineligible to be president. Lakin wants Obama to produce his birth certificate.” I thought he had?  This Lt. Col., decorated war veteran, doesn’t sound like a “wingnut” to me.  Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

And talking about “wingnuts”?  (CNN) –  People posing, and talking, as their pets on Facebook. “There’s nothing too unusual about the way Shiva Lingham starts her day. After a quick breakfast, she goes upstairs and crawls into her mom’s unmade bed. An hour or so later, a well-rested Shiva visits the family laptop to log on to Facebook and update her status. Only Shiva can’t use the laptop alone — she doesn’t have opposable thumbs. But then, most cats don’t.Shiva’s owner, self-proclaimed “crazy cat lady” Kirsty Worrall, created Shiva’s Facebook account in September to keep her friends and family up to date on the kitten’s progress.” Ok.  Ok.  Although none of Susan’s “babies” has a “Facebook” page,  each does have their own webpage on http://www.chappysplace.net/, sharing their stories on how they became a member of the Timmerman Family. 

And some “fatherly” dating advice for our single, male, “puppysharks”.  Only date “frumpy” looking women.  Why?  (CNN) — Women buy sexier clothes when most fertile.  “If you’re a woman who loves to shop, your purchases may be unconsciously influenced by your hormones.  A new study, to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research, finds that women at peak fertility are more likely to buy sexy, revealing clothes than women of a similar age range who are at less fertile points in their cycles.” Also, keep in mind, Missouri adheres to the “Zipper Rule”.  What is the “Zipper Rule”?  If you are male, and drop your zipper   …   it is going to cost you.  Period.  And, as I shared with a client fighting a child support increase, (3 children, 3 different mothers), this past week    …   “have you considered that a vasectomy is alot cheaper than attorney’s fees?”

Sitting here editing these Ramblings, the Editorial Staff outside, playing.  They will want back in shortly.  Had a BLT sandwich last night, using veggies we harvested from the garden at FT Timmerman.  Had my air conditioning guy out today.  Both of our units are from the early 90’s and certainly not energy efficient.  Discovered a geothermal heat pump would cost $17,000 - $25,000.  Replacement 14 SEER central air units would run around $2,500 each installed  –  16 SEER and above would run around $2,700 each, for just the unit.  The savings?  Around $40 - $65 per month.  Ok.  So we run the units 4 - 5 months a year.  At best, that is a saving of $325/year.  How many years would it take for us to recover the cost of replacing the units we have?  I think we will wait until the units fail.  Oh, and by the way  …   that $1,500 tax credit is for a 2 year period, 30% of the cost of what you buy, and does not apply to installation costs. Oh, and ever wonder if the “Bark-Off“, (that little box that emits ultrasonic sounds to keep your dog from barking),  you see on the infomercials, actually works? Bought one at Walmart and tried it.  It does.  Time to post these Ramblings and spend a quiet evening, hunkered down at Ft Timmerman.  Got in a roll of 17″ x 40′ inkjet canvas in today and will make some test prints. Later, as I drift off to sleep saying my “Thank You’s”,  my greatest Thank You being Susan to share His many blessing with, I will say a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  Be and sleep well, our best is on watch to ensure you can.  If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent. As always  …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri  …  and the Editorial Staff, Dinker, Karly, Willie, my l’l Buddy  …  and Floydious Irritatus, the copy boy).

The gist of the letter blamed our national debt on the “Bush Tax Cuts to the Rich”.  The “Bush Tax Cuts” will “sunset out” this year, unless renewed.  If allowed to expire, this pilgrim opined, there will be enough tax revenue paid by folks making over $250,000.00 a year to pay off the deficit in no time.  Really?  From an article in Forbes Magazine:  How Will The Expiring Bush Tax Cuts Affect You? “The two major tax-cutting bills from the Bush era were the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) of 2001, and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. These two laws cut taxes across the board for earned income, long-term capital gains and dividends. The legislation also expanded the child tax credit and made dozens of other changes and adjustments to the tax code, involving exemptions, deductions and the marriage penalty   …  EGTRRA created six tax rate brackets–10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33% and 35%, based on income levels. If no extension is passed and signed into law, then the pre-2001 tax rates will go back into effect starting in tax year 2011. The 10% bracket would disappear, and those taxpayers would move up to the 15% bracket, which would apply to all incomes below $34,550. The other tax rates would increase to 28%, 31%, 36% and 39.6% for the highest earners making more than $379,650.  One major provision that will expire at the end of 2010 is the child tax credit, which EGTRRA doubled from $500 to $1,000 per child. Unless Congress votes to extend the child tax credit, the maximum amount will revert back to $500 for tax year 2011, and the number of families eligible for that amount will be much less as tougher eligibility standards that existed prior to EGTRRA will go back into effect.”    So folks making less than $35K get a 5% tax hike and folks making more than $380K get a 3% tax hike  …  in the middle of a recession?  So working people, the “middle class”, the folks most hurting during this “economic downturn”, (don’t you just love Washington Speak?), take it in the shorts again.  Is this the change you voted for?  I didn’t mention all the other non-tax “changes” that will increase your tax load.  Oh.  And remember how “Healthcare Reform” was supposed to make health care more affordable?  Well, it appears that will result in Susan and I having a 30% increase in our health insurance premium next year.  The skinniest horse, continues to have the most flies.

As for the national debt?  You can run your own numbers HERE.  They show that with a Democrat President and Congress, (1992 - 1996), the debt jumped from 4.5T to 5.3T, (with “T” being a Trillion Dollars).  With a Democrat President and a Republican Congress, (1996 - 2000), it jumped from 5.3T to 5.6T.  And from 9/11 forward, with a Republican President and a Republican Congress, (2000  - 2006), it jumped from 5.6T - 8.6T.  With a Republican President and a Democrat Congress, (2006 - 2008), it jumped from 8.6T to 10.6T  …  and finally, with a Democrat President and a Democrat Congress, (2008 - 7/2010, 18 months), it jumped from 10.6T to 13.2T.   The only “change” I plan on voting for this election cycle, is a change in whatever Pig, Red or Blue, (the reference is to “Animal Farm“), is currently feeding at the Washington Trough. 

And proof as to how Americanized the Japanese have become:  Tokyo, Japan (CNN) –  Tokyo’s “oldest man” may have been dead for decades. “Police have found the mummified body of a man believed to have been Tokyo’s oldest man, who may have in fact died some 30 years ago, officials at the city’s Adachi Ward said.  Sogen Kato, who was born on July 22, 1899, would have been 111 years old if he were alive today. Police are still investigating the case, but officials told CNN they found newspapers in his room dating back three decades, and think he might have been dead for at least that long.”  …   Mr. Kato lived in a part of Tokyo known as “Little Chicago” and voted in the last three elections.  He obviously was not the Eveready Bunny nor a former Toyota employee:  he stopped running.

And in the news that makes me question whether we can win in Afghanistan:  (CNN) –  WikiLeaks founder ‘disappointed’ by Gates’ remarks. “WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Friday that he was disappointed by criticism from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates over the release of about 76,000 pages of U.S. documents related to the war in Afghanistan.  Gates said Thursday that the massive leak will have significant impact on troops and allies, revealing techniques and procedures.  Assange rejected that assessment Friday, saying in a release that Gates “has overseen the killings of thousands of children and adults” in Afghanistan and Iraq.”  The released documents do reveal command structure, procedures, the incompetence of some of the past leadership and most important, just how corrupt and ineffective the Afghanistan government is. This war is starting to look a great deal like our failed excursion in Vietnam.  On the evening news, more lives lost. 

And our tax dollars at work:  Washington (CNN) –  Defense officials investigated for child porn.  “Several dozen current, former and contracted employees of the U.S. Defense Department may have put national security at risk by accessing and purchasing child pornography, government documents showed Friday.  Several of the people identified in a series of reports released by the Defense Department were listed as having top secret or higher security clearance. They worked for groups within the department such as the National Security Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office, two of the country’s top intelligence agencies.”  So how many were prosecuted for possessing “kiddie porn”?  Sure didn’t see anything in the news.  I suppose that’s the benefit of working for the government.

(Health.com) –  Can a mother’s affection prevent anxiety in adulthood?  “Babies whose mothers are attentive and caring tend to grow into happy, well-adjusted children. But the psychological benefits of having a doting mother may extend well beyond childhood, a new study suggests.  According to the study, which followed nearly 500 infants into their 30s, babies who receive above-average levels of affection and attention from their mothers are less likely than other babies to grow up to be emotionally distressed, anxious, or hostile adults.”   That’s the good news.  The bad news?  The 500 infants followed into their 30s   …  were still living at home    …   and none had Jewish mothers.

Sitting here listening to the dogs play and editing these Ramblings.  A “flash flood” warning down south.  Susan’s computer is now converted to WIN 7 and we are in for a quiet weekend at Ft Timmerman.  It is hot and muggy outside, the air conditioners  are running, and I hate to think what our electric bill will wind up being, (the TED 5000 projects over $400.00).  Orsheln called yesterday and we preordered 2 tons of pellets, (at $1.75 per 40 pound bag), to be picked up in November.  Good price, during the heating season, they can sell for $4.75 a bag.  If you have any interest in getting a pellet stove, better order now.  Nothing really interesting to watch on TV tonight, even the “Hitler Channel” has reruns I have already seen.  My Epson 7500 is back up and running and this weekend, I plan on making my first 2′ x 3′ print on canvas.  Cutting and making a frame, then stretching the canvas over it.  Should be interesting.  Time to post these Ramblings and later when I say my “Thank You’s”, the most important, a “Thank You Lord! For giving me Susan to share Your many blessing with.“  …   and a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  It is becoming apparent to me, we can not win the war in Afghanistan, given the corruption of the existing government there, and frankly,  that means a waste of lives.  Makes me sick thinking about it. Be and sleep well, the best we have as a nation is on watch, so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent,  As always  …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri   …  and the Editorial Staff, Dinker, Willie, Karly, my L’il Buddy   …  and Floydius Irritatus, the copy boy.

And also this week   …   men stuffing things in their shorts:  (CNN) –  Mexican police arrest man hiding 18 monkeys under clothes at airport.  “Mexican authorities searching a man with a bulge under his shirt at the airport in the nation’s capital found 18 monkeys hidden beneath his clothes, police said. Investigators grew suspicious after Roberto Sol Cabrera Zavaleta, 38, became “markedly nervous” when asked what he was transporting, Mexico’s Public Safety Department said.” That was probably a miss statement by the “Investigators”.  The monkey’s were South American “Titi Monkeys“,  arboreal nut eaters.  No doubt the suspect became “markedly nervous”, when he noticed the monkey’s were working their way down to his crotch   …  and   …  condoms, stealing them, is something you would risk going to jail for?  INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) –  Police: Condom thief stuffed his pants.  “Metro Police are looking for a man who gave a Broad Ripple security guard a hard time while stealing several boxes of condoms from grocery store.  Officers were called around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night to the Marsh supermarket located at 2350 Broad Ripple Avenue. The security guard told investigators he witnessed a man shoving several boxes of condoms down his pants.”  Certainly not the place contemplated in the old “Firestone” Tire jingle from the 60’s and 70’s:  “…  Where the rubber meets the road.“!!  Doesn’t sound to me this idiot would have much use for these tires.  I can just picture this pilgrim explaining to his cell mates, what he was busted for:  “Yea  …  well, I was on my way to rob a bank and thought I would stop and pick up some things for later.”  Wonder what his place in the prison hierarchy will be?

And another candidate for bottom lug on the prison totem pole:  HUDSON, TX (KTRE) –  Police charge Lufkin man with sex assault of girl high on cough syrup.  “Hudson Police have arrested a Lufkin man after they say he had sex with a 13-year-old girl while she was high on cough medicine.  According to an arrest affidavit, Joseph Michael Weeks, 18, met up with the alleged victim and two other friends. According to the report, one of the friend’s mother allowed her daughter and the 13-year-old girl to leave with Weeks, but she told Weeks not to mess with the girl because she knew that he was a “male whore dog”  …   Thornton  [a friend of weeks] says the community is disappointed. Weeks had plans to enlist in the Air Force. “They don’t think it’s right because Joseph had a life to look forward to,” Thornton said. “Now, it’s ruined.”  I would never have suspected “cough syrup” could be a “date rape” drug.  The community was disappointed because this idiots life was ruined?  What about the 13 year old victim?  And, what kind of mother would allow her daughter and a 13 year old child go out with a “male whore dog”?  Perhaps Texas “male whore dogs” don’t pose as much of a threat to young girls  …   as “male whore armadillos”?  Course, then there’s them “longhorns”.
 
And for our home grown Missouri morons:  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Undercover taxidermist busts illegal hunters in southern Missouri.  “Dozens of hunters in southern Missouri could face criminal charges stemming from a sting involving an undercover taxidermy shop. The Department of Conservation said Monday that it discovered 425 wildlife violations committed by 68 people who brought animals into “Craig’s Taxidermy” in Birch Tree in southern Shannon County.”  I can understand a person poaching, hunting to provide food for their families.  But share with me    …   how much food could you have bought, for the money you would have spent having your “trophies” mounted?  Can you picture the conversation these folks would have if sharing a cell with the monkey smuggler and the condom thief? 

Short Ramblings this evening  …  was working on an emergency motion for temporary custody/visitation in a Motion to Modify currently pending.    Seems my client will be deployed to Afghanistan in about 6 weeks and the decree we are seeking to have modified only calls for 2 weeks summer visitation with his son.  The trial is set in 3 weeks and he will have to leave for pre-deployment training the day after trial.  He will have two weeks in September  …  then ship out for a year in Afghanistan   …  on convoy duty, (he’s a truck driver).  Mom refuses to allow him the extra time with his son.  Frankly, makes my heart bleed even thinking about the pain/loss he has to be feeling  …  and the fear, (not his, although he no doubt has some  …  but his son’s).  There are other facts which obviously led up to the Motion to Modify,  but her attorney’s response to the request for additional time?  “FAX me a proposal and I will talk it over with my client.  Absent an agreement, I have told her to abide by the decree.”  “How about the next three weeks?”  “No.”

Time to post these Ramblings, it’s later than usual.  The “Editorial Staff” is asleep.  It is hot and humid outside  …  I can hear the air conditioning working to keep us cool and comfortable  …  and the electric company’s shareholders smiling.  I’m looking at a geothermal heat pump.  They are expensive and I am not certain, as yet, whether at our age, the investment would be cost effective.  If Susan and I were younger, I would commit in a heartbeat. I noticed several posts on the SFIG about upcoming changes to our Tax Code and how the net effect will be more tax revenue for the Federal Government. Not being touted as a tax increase,  but just a means to ensure more people pay their fair share.  From what I understand, everyone will have to file a 1099, report ANY payments over $600.00 made to anybody during the tax year, (like utilities, insurance companies, grocery stores   …  you name it!)  A fine/penalty if you don’t.  Some folks will have to report health insurance paid by their employer, as income   …   slowly, bits and pieces of the 2,700 page “Health Care Reform Act” are coming to light.  Also, the Bush Tax cuts will be not be renewed.  Not really a tax increase is it?  But then, there has to be a way to pay for the 3.2 TRILLION dollars spent by this administration and their Republican cohorts, these past 18 months. The party of “No” has not been real successful saying “No”.  If there is a difference between “Red” pigs and “Blue” pigs, (the reference to pigs is from Orwell’s “Animal Farm“), would you share with me what that is?  Time to post, and later, when I say my “Thank You’s”, a special prayer for the safe and soon return of my client   …  a prayer that his ex-wife does not break out in hundreds of tiny *ssholes, and each one develop hemorrhoids    …  a “Thank You” for Susan to share this life with   …  and a prayer for the safe and soon return of all of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?).  Be and sleep well knowing our men and women in uniform, (like my client), will be on watch, sacrificing, so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize.  That is not my intent.  As always  …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri  …  and the Editorial Staff, Dinker, Willie, Karly, my Lil Buddy and Floydious Irritatus  …  the copy boy.)

Perhaps time for all of us to review our overhead expenses and look at ways to serve our client’s needs in a way they can better afford. May need to barter  –  there are unemployed tradespeople with valuable skills you may have a need/use for  …  and your skills, they may have a need for.  There already is a vibrant “Barter” community up and running on-line  …  and “Craig’s List” is full of listings offering to barter services and tangible goods. Course, the IRS is very aware of  this:  “Barter transactions can provide your company with important financial, sales, and marketing benefits. Like other transactions, however, barter sales are taxable, and your company must report them to the IRS. This is also true of credits you receive or spend through a barter exchange; regardless of how you use barter credits, they’re taxable as if they were cash.” Like during the “Great Depression“, life hasn’t stopped  …  for now,  for too many of us,  it has just gone into “barter” mode.

Point being, I suppose,  isn’t is time for a “change”:  not the political b*llshit put out in sound bites,  all part of pandering to the least common denominator for votes   …  but perhaps, a fundamental “change” in the way we view ourselves, our obligations/commitment to our core values, family, friends, community   …  and our America.  Perhaps, time to put “political party” affiliations aside, and realize we all share common goals:  provide for our families and be secure from predators, foreign, domestic, physical and economic.  Sure seems to me, the folks from both political parties striving to get access, gain control, of the governmental trough all have the same goal:  get elected by whatever means they can.  And once there?  Do what?  We are involved in two shooting wars and, now, as of today,  we have a 13.2 trillion dollar national debt.  Share with me   …  do you really believe any of them will have the political courage, guts, to look you in the face and say:  “We can not afford to fund two wars, provide the services we do, without raising taxes   …  or  …  cut bait overseas and use the money to secure our boarders AND cut entitlements.  We can no longer afford to police the world nor can we provide a “safety net” so tightly woven, it catches all.” 

Perhaps, if there were Red and Blue Pigs, (reference “Animal Farm“), at the helm, willing to do what needs to be done, we would not be reading statistics like this:  Washington (CNN) — June was worst month for Army suicides, statistics show.  “More U.S. soldiers killed themselves last month than in recent Army history, according to Army statistics released Thursday, confounding officials trying to reverse the grim trend.  The statistics show that 32 soldiers killed themselves in June, the highest number in a single month since the Vietnam era. Twenty-one of them were on active duty, while 11 were in the National Guard or Army Reserve in an inactive status  …  He said he could offer only what he has said before: “Continued stress on the force and the opportunities we have been facing in terms of the challenges in the Army continue to cause these events to take place.”   …   or news like this:  ABC NEWS  –  Afghanistan War: U.S. Wounded Toll in 2010 Nearly Matches All of 2009. “Already on track to be the deadliest year ever for American and NATO forces in Afghanistan since the Taliban was overthrown in late 2001, 2010 also will be the worst year ever for numbers of Americans wounded in the war. In fact, the number of American service members wounded this year already has approached the number wounded for all of 2009.”  Time for a change, isn’t it? Nuff said.

And our tuition and tax dollars at work funding scholarly work:  (CNN) — Study: Body shape affects memory in older women. “A woman’s body shape may play a role in how good her memory is, according to a new study. The more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory, according to research released this week from Northwestern Medicine at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The effect is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, known as pear shapes, than women who carry it around their waists, called apple shapes.”  Who thinks up these studies?  “Pear Shapes” and “Apple Shapes“?  Let me guess   …   older women with “Watermelon Shapes” were not included in the study because their memory was so bad, they couldn’t remember to show up?

And in other reported research:  (BBC NEWS)  –  Link between inactivity and obesity queried.  “Researchers have challenged the assumption that a lack of exercise causes children to put on weight. An 11-year study of more than 200 children in Plymouth suggests the effect is the other way around - that getting fatter makes them inactive. The paper, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, concludes that programs to tackle obesity may need to focus more on food than exercise.”  I guess that means, if you stop feeding your kid junk food, while they are parked on the couch watching cartoons or playing with their “Play Station”  …  as a result of which, they lose weight, so you can buy their clothes off the shelf at Walmart, instead of  at the “Emil the Tent Maker boutique”   …   they might want to go outside and play?  Never happen  …  cause you would have to get off the couch too  …  to supervise them.

(BBC NEWS)  –  Chatting chimps in Uganda, Africa are ’socially aware’.  “Chimpanzees are aware of the social impact of their communications, primatologists have discovered. Chimps communicate using a variety of calls and gestures, including making vocalizations known as pant grunts, which signal subordination. But researchers have found that chimps will change what they “say” depending on who is listening. That reveals a previously unrecognized social awareness that has implications for the origin of human language.” Human language?  Nah!  More likely the origins of “Rock and Roll”.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Patent troll sues Apple, Google, and most of the tech universe. “NTP Inc., a patent holding company that shook up the tech world several years ago by extracting a pricey legal settlement from BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, announced Friday it had launched a fresh barrage of patent infringement lawsuits against the tech world’s leading lights  …  The lawsuits highlight a problem often cited by critics of current U.S. patent policy: Companies are allowed to collect patents for inventions they never plan to manufacture. Those companies, often referred to as “patent trolls,” can then opportunistically sue alleged infringers  …  The United States is the only major country that gives patents to those who can prove they invented an item before someone else’s patent was filed.” Interesting indictment of our sense of values and notions of what is fair, isn’t it?

And in the news that will make your stomach turn:  (CNN) –  Author sentenced to six years in prison for possessing child porn.  “A federal judge sentenced children’s author K.P. Bath to six years in prison Thursday for possessing child pornography.  Investigators found a large collection of pornographic photographs and video clips in the Portland, Oregon, home of the author of “The Secret of Castle Cant” and “Escape from Castle Cant,” according to a statement federal prosecutors released Thursday. “Many of the videos graphically depicted the sexual abuse of very young children,” the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon said  …  Bath volunteered at the Beverly Cleary Children’s Library in Portland and worked at The Asian Reporter newspaper, according to a 2004 University of Alabama news release describing an alumni reading series.  Bath had a master’s degree from the university and had worked as a field hand, factory laborer, musician, editor and teacher, the news release said.” The good news? He wasn’t a priest, a boy scout leader, a daycare provider   …  or a world famous, award winning film maker.  Just a run of the mill waste of perfectly good skin.

Sitting here editing these Ramblings, the Editorial Staff hunkered down because we are under another thunderstorm warning.  My large format printer, the Epson 7500 is back on-line after having it serviced, (the print head was clogged because of lack of use.)  You can NOT let inkjet printers sit for any length of time because the ink will dry, plugging the ink nozzles).  I plan on printing several 2′ x 3′ canvas images, stretching, UV coating and texturing them, (those of you who have one of 11″ x 14″ prints know what I am talking about!)   …  and entering them in the State Fair.  Last time I entered an image, (2001),  it won an honorable mention for fine art.  Time to post these Ramblings and watch some “canvas stretching” videos on YouTube.  Can’t be that hard to learn!!  Later, as I say my “Thank You’s”,  I will thank God, that Apple has a fix for the new 4G iPhones, (in case the owners forget to do so), and most important, a “Thank You” for having Susan to share this life with   …  and of course, a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  Be and sleep well knowing that no matter how bad the economy gets, as long as our best remains on watch, and as long as there is love and alcohol in this world  …  you will have job security, (although you may have to take your fee in Chicken lips or pork bellies).  As always  …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri   …  and the “Editorial Staff”, Dinker, Karlie, Willie, my L’l Buddy   …  and Floydious Irritatus  …  the copy boy.)