November 25, 2005

Welcome to Black Friday

Welcome to Black Friday. Go support capitalism and buy something! If you hate crowds, just buy it online!

Oh, but I'd suggest against buying the Dell Photo AI0 Printer 942.

It works fine for awhile, but once I ran out of printer ink, the problem began. The first problem is that no one provides the ink for this printer but Dell. So if you want replacement cartridges, you must buy them from Dell -- this means they can charge whatever they want.

The next problem came when I actually installed the cartridge that I had to buy from Dell. The printer goes out of it's way to let you know when the ink is low. Every time you try and print, the software stops you to let you know you're out of ink.

The ONLY way to inform the printer that you've bought a new cartridge is to install the new ink cartridge. So I did. And the printer doesn't believe it's a new cartridge. Therefore, any time I try and print, it tells me I'm out of ink and asks me if I really want to print.

After searching all on-line and included help files, there is apparently NO way to force the printer to understand it has a new cartridge. I've installed and re-installed the cartridge about 20 times now, all with the same result.

So, either Dell shipped me an empty cartridge, or the printer will not recognize the cartridge made by the same manufacturer. Either way, it's a piece of crap that I suggest you avoid.

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November 24, 2005

Thanksgiving Day Round-Up

If you want to read what others are saying about Thanksgiving, here's some links to things people are posing that I've found. If you want to add to the list, go ahead and trackback -- anything related to Thanksgiving is OK!

GM Roper is Thankful.
Boudicca is very, very thankful.
Jo wishes everyone blessings.
Jay is thankful, despite the ACLU.
Beth is thankful.
TMH's Bacon Bits is also Thankful.
Heidi and Kit send Thanksgiving greetings.
Is it just me offers thanks too.
Sissy is... well, you read it.
VW gets some help with her Thanksgiving preparations.
And That 1 Guy, well, sort of history of Thanksgiving.
Tammi's not feeling well.
Teach has a poem.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Also linked to Cao's Thanksgiving Trackbacks.

Posted by: Ogre at 06:41 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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Grateful People are Happy

At this time of year, especially in America, everyone joins together to give thanks. Sure, there's those who don't, but for the most part, the religious and even the atheists take the day off to celebrate the good bounty and to give thanks for all they have.

It's at this time that people really are happiest. That's because grateful people really are happy. Those who are not grateful are generally miserable. That's just the way it is.

Lack of gratefulness leads to misery -- for more than one. When one person gives and another receives, being grateful leads to happiness for both. When the receiver is not grateful, that leads to unhappiness for the receiver and the giver tends to be resentful.

This also shows why government cannot be successful in giving programs. Government, as an agent to redistribute wealth, is utterly impersonal. The recipient cannot truly show that they are grateful to the giver, because they are insulated from the giver by the government agency. At the same time, the giver cannot see or receive the gratefulness of the receiver.

Before the years of the "great society," givers and receivers were not insulated from one another. Charity and helpfulness was done at a local level by local people. People could give voluntarily and receivers could show their gratitude.

Such is no longer the case. Now people feel they are owed things that are given to them and do not show gratitude. Those who do attempt to show gratitude cannot because of the impersonal nature of the government and the forced "giving" by the taxpayer.

So maybe that's one reason why there's so much anger, conflict, and unhappiness in this country. Yes, the government, through welfare and other associated programs, really does do more harm than good, no matter their intentions.

I truly hope you are grateful -- today and every day.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:29 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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George Bush Thanksgiving Proclamation

Thanksgiving Day, 2005
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember our many blessings and to celebrate the opportunities that freedom affords. Explorers and settlers arriving in this land often gave thanks for the extraordinary plenty they found. And today, we remain grateful to live in a country of liberty and abundance. We give thanks for the love of family and friends, and we ask God to continue to watch over America.

This Thanksgiving, we pray and express thanks for the men and women who work to keep America safe and secure. Members of our Armed Forces, State and local law enforcement, and first responders embody our Nation's highest ideals of courage and devotion to duty. Our country is grateful for their service and for the support and sacrifice of their families. We ask God's special blessings on those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.

We also remember those affected by the destruction of natural disasters. Their tremendous determination to recover their lives exemplifies the American spirit, and we are grateful for those across our Nation who answered the cries of their neighbors in need and provided them with food, shelter, and a helping hand. We ask for continued strength and perseverance as we work to rebuild these communities and return hope to our citizens.

We give thanks to live in a country where freedom reigns, justice prevails, and hope prospers. We recognize that America is a better place when we answer the universal call to love a neighbor and help those in need. May God bless and guide the United States of America as we move forward.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 2005, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship with family, friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Linked to Real Teen and Cao's Blog.

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George Washington Thanksgiving Proclamation

General Thanksgiving
By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

Linked to Cao's Open Trackbacks.

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November 23, 2005

Fun Stuff

Well, it's after noon on the east coast before a 4-day holiday weekend (at least in the U.S.). I'm not sure anyone is reading anything any more, so I'm going to put the brain on hold until sometime later. In the meantime, VW has her weekly Humor for Wednesday up. It includes gems like these:

If you're too open minded, your brains will fall out

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he'll be a mile away - and barefoot

Posted by: Ogre at 02:05 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Hillary Clinton Inconsistent?

An interesting justaposition on political positions here. Mrs. Clinton said,

to stay ... "until the job is done" amounts to giving the [them] "an open-ended invitation not to take care of themselves."

And I agree completely...if she were talking about things like government social programs, welfare, the war on drugs, social engineering, utopian laws, etc. But, of course, being a Democrat, she was talking about Iraq.

So her position is that if the US government keeps helping Iraq endlessly, it's bad because they will become dependent on the US. However, if the US government keeps helping wefare recipients, it's not bad because they will also become dependent on the US.

How do you rationalize that position? I guess Clinton just wants certain people dependent on her -- ones that are physically close to her and relatively unarmed.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:45 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Taxation without Representation

One of the few valid purposes of governments is to protect rights. However, whenever it comes to one government agency getting more tax money, no matter the purpose, reason, or method, NO other government agency will step in and uphold the law.

Case in point: another example of taxation without representation.

Posted by: Ogre at 10:18 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Free Speech

It's just freedom of speech, right?

collegesign.gif

Your right to free speech ends when you require me, at gunpoint, to pay for it. Government has NO business in education.

Update: The anti-American bastard is no longer taking my money. Good riddance.

Posted by: Ogre at 07:28 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Pot? Meet Kettle.

Here's irony for you: Earl of the North Carolina Legislature (House Speaker) Jim Black wants the legislature to form an ethics committee. This is in response to the first three people assigned to run the new NC Gambling Tax commissions, err...lottery, who have resigned due to "conflicts of interest."

Talk about closing the barn door after the horse have gotten out -- actually a more accurate description would be closing the fence gate after the cattle have left -- and there's no fence, just a gate standing in a field.

He wants to form an ethics committee to examine GAMBLING. As Bugs Bunny would say, "What a maroon!"

Of course, the real reason for this is to attempt to deflect attention away from Jim Black, who has various FBI investigations ongoing into people closely related to, and employed by him. I mean how many sitting speakers of houses in the country currently have a web site dedicated to getting him to resign...run by a member of his own political party?

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November 22, 2005

A Bath?

Kender seems to think I need a bath. I don't smell anything...

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Carnivals!

A few carnivals for your reading pleasure, if you're not already on Thanksgiving vacation -- or, even if you are and just are looking for some good reading!

First up this time is the New Blog Showcase Carnival. This is the blog carnival that showcases new blogs (blogs that are less than 3 months old). This week's host is Bloggin' Out Loud.

The new blog showcase really is a neat one. This week Bloggin' Out Loud does a great job introducing a number of new blogs. Go read them -- remember when you were brand-new and dying for comments?

Next up this week is the growing Carnival of Liberty, this week hosted at Left Brain Female in a Right Brain World.

This carnival is really getting large, but it's always a good read. If you want to read about growing or shrinking liberties in America today, this is the carnival that you want to read. Lots and lots of good stuff is there for you to read now.

I've saved the best for last in this post -- my favorite carnival, The Tarheel Tavern. This is a carnival for and about North Carolina blogging, so feel free to jump right in.

This one is usually quite light on the political views and anger and nearly always has a very wide variety of posts on all sorts of topics. If you want some lighter reading, be sure to head that way! This week, Pratie's Place is the Tavern host this week. Grab a drink and head on over!

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More Carnivals

And there's more carnivals this week for your reading pleasure while visiting your relatives!

The Carnival of the Clueless, brought to you by Right Wing NutHouse highlights all sorts of people who are, well, really clueless. Most of them have found a home in government.

The Conservative Cat has some Funny Stuff. Need a laugh? Head there.

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Alarm Clock Meme

Ok, VW Bug seems to think that she can just tag me with a meme and it will turn out how she likes. Boy is she wrong! Here's the rules, as she's supplied them to me:

First: (This has been redone for Ogre's sake). Copy and paste questions #1 thru #4 to a post on your site. Answer the questions to the best of your ability. Then copy #5 and include the link.

Second: Link to my site (because itÂ’s polite to link to the site that tagged you).

Third: Go and tag up to five other blogs, or more if ya like.

Fourth: Email the owner of, or post on the blogs that you have tagged, to inform them that youÂ’ve tagged them.


Ok, step 1 is to copy and paste questions #1 through #4 to a post on your site. Here you go:

1. Do you use time for an alarm clock up to in the morning?

2. What do many how wake set it times?

3. Do have a snooze button? If so ever clocked an alarm?

4. you you you hit the bus?

Then I am to answer the questions to the best of my ability. Very well.

1. No, time uses me for various nefarious purposes. One day I may learn to control it so I can take over the world.

2. Banana cake mambo dump truck taxi driver.

3. No, I have arms and legs and teeth, no buttons, at least as long as I stay away from those government-run black helicopters. Since I don't have a button, I am not obligated to provide information about me clocking or not clocking any alarms.

4. I did not.

Second, I already provided a link back to VW, and here's a link back to the evil person who started this.

Third, ooo, look! Something shiny!

Posted by: Ogre at 01:00 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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It's a damn animal.

Stuff like this makes me want to reduce my donations to "charities" without knowing exactly what they are doing with my money.

I don't know about you, but when I think of the Humane Society, I think of the people who work to save abandoned animals, those who help pay for neutering pets so more animals don't get abandoned, and helping those who have pets.

Unfortunately, that's wrong. The humane society of the United States instead is interested in a political agenda that values animals more than people. Humane Society, you've gotten the last dollar from me after this stupid lawsuit to treat birds that are being slaughtered "more humanely."

Yes, I know this lawsuit to "protect" birds is a publicity stunt for Thanksgiving, but in my case, it's backfired. I used to give a good bit of money to this organization because they helped abandoned pets. Not one dollar more. I'm going to instead start just sending random piles of cash to the Jacksonville Cat House when I feel the need to donate to help animals.

If you're interested, they use all the donations to help stray cats. The address is

The Stray Cathouse
818 Margaret Street
Jacksonville, FL 32204

Posted by: Ogre at 10:32 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Charlotte Observer on Crime

The Charlotte Observer, a Knight-Ridder newspaper and one of the strongholds of communist and socialist thought in the east, has come up with the solution to crime in North Carolina.

Of course, they never actually admit there's any crime in North Carolina, and they imply that their solution is for elsewhere in North Carolina, because Charlotte, their hometown, has no criminals since they've all been helped with the social problems.

They are responding to news that is getting a lot of headlines in North Carolina in which Former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Burley Mitchell suggested decriminalizing illegal drug use because the drug war has simply been lost. Mr. Mitchell said that resources and prison space would be freed up if drugs were decriminalized.

The Observer, however, doesn't like that idea. They want to continue to lock up drug users. Instead, their solution is to free everyone ELSE in the jails! This is what passes for enlightened opinion in Charlotte, NC.

The Observer actually thinks that people should still be arrested and jailed for drug use, but all other crimes should have reduced sentences and lesser punishments. Why? Because there's not enough prison space.

So seriously, I couldn't make up stuff this stupid, the Charlotte Observer thinks that because there's not enough prison space that murderers should bet set free while people who possess pot should get the prison space.

I think we should just pack them in tighter into the prisons. What's wrong with hot bunking and making the criminals work 3 shifts making big rocks into small rocks?

Posted by: Ogre at 07:15 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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November 21, 2005

Middle Earth Race

I really love the story of Middle Earth. I read the books long before they even dreamed of making the movies...and I read them more than once. So I can't resist quizzes related to that story:

Rohirrim
Rohirrim


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

(Hat tip to Blue Goldfish.)
(Linked to Stop the ACLU open trackbacks).

Posted by: Ogre at 03:05 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Tax $ for Hatred

Once again, we see the same claims of free speech being screamed while tax dollars are being used to support the enemy and to encourage sedition. Yet again there's a college "teacher" who is being paid with my tax dollars and he wants all American troops to murder other American troops.

See, this is yet ANOTHER reason that government shouldn't be involved in education. This is MY tax dollars at work. Yes, you have the right to freedom of speech, but you do NOT have the right to have me PAY YOU for a platform for your freedom of speech.

And if government got out of the education business altogether, this would NOT be an issue at all.

(Linked to Stop the ACLU Open Trackbacks).

Posted by: Ogre at 01:03 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The Wild West, 2005.

Our porous borders are not as benign as many people think. I'm originally from Wisconsin, and if anyone had told me stories about the southern border today, I would've assumed they were talking about the Old Wild West - until Kalishnakovs and AK-47s entered the story, that is. Today's American/Mexican border is a wasteland of trash, human waste, and ruined land criss-crossed with heavily traveled dirt highways. It doesn't matter that the land is privately owned, or that Americans living on the border live in a constant state of armed alertness, 24/7 - it's the Wild, Wild West, 21st century-style.

As he careered along the rock-strewn gully towards his silver mine deep in the Sonoran desert of southern Arizona, Roger McCaslin first checked his bowie knife, then his pistol, and finally his Kalashnikov. From the road, he had already noticed that something was wrong.

"The gate's broken and the door on the trailer's open. They've been here, I know it," he said ominously. "I just hope they've moved on - for their sake."

Under the harsh sun, Mr McCaslin's black cowboy hat cast a shadow over his droopy mustache and a face so deeply creased that it resembled cracked saddle leather.

Welcome to the Wild West 2005, where modern-day cowboys still guard their land from interlopers - but using AK47s and four-wheel drives instead of Winchester rifles and horses.

more...

Posted by: Ogre at 11:50 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Illegal Alien Murderer

Once again we have yet ANOTHER illegal alien who decided to drive drunk and kill someone.

When I first read this story, all details about the driver were hidden. Finally, after the radio news stories released the details, the newspaper reluctantly revealed that the murderer was an illegal alien.

The collision happened when the drunk was going OVER 100MPH the wrong way on an INTERSTATE highway. He struck a college student head-on. The student was killed, the drunk got a broken leg.

I don't think any of my good readers can imagine that type of collision. Imagine going the fastest you've ever gone in a car -- for most readers, that MIGHT be 80MPH. Now imagine hitting a solid brick wall without slowing down. That's less than HALF the impact of the collision: this collision was made at at least 170MPH.

Folks, this is acceptable in many cultures. It shows you are "macho" if you can drink and drive. In many non-American cultures, this man would be admired, not condemned.

We have a MAJOR problem with immigrants in America, and CERTAINLY in North Carolina, whether you or any politician wants to admit it. Dammit, We need a fence NOW. I don't care what the fence costs, we're spending tens of billions of dollars now on non-citizens, and they are costing us lives.

Build the damn fence now and start deportations and fines against anyone who hires a non-citizen NOW. I don't care how difficult it might be. I don't care who's offended. Get the damn criminals out of my country NOW.

TMH has more on illegals committing crimes. more...

Posted by: Ogre at 10:02 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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