Hey, if you're in the Charlotte area, I just now found out that Robin Hayes and Larry Kissell will be at the University City YMCA at 11:00 this morning. I'm going to try and make it down there for it, but I'm not sure I'll make it. If you're around, head on over and see one of the very, very few actual election races for U.S. House this year.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:45 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Charlotte has a new super-rich resident, Dr. Peter Gorman. He's the newest superintendent of schools. He is paid (in cash and benefits) nearly half a MILLION dollars per year by the taxpayer.

This year, nearly half are low-income, Dr. Gorman noted. With those students come significantly more learning challenges -- challenges that are more costly to address.

Dr. Gorman rightly pointed to the "significant raises for teachers and principals" that the N.C. legislature approved this summer as an aid in meeting that goal.

How would you like an 8.23% raise this year? That's what the "underpaid" teachers in Mecklenburg County got. And what did they have to do to earn that? Literally absolutely nothing. Zero. How's the educating of children, you ask? Shut up, that's not a valid question.

The monopolistic-government run "public" school system is about taking money from those who work and spending it, period. If you want your child to be educated, get them OUT of the government school system.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:04 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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So, what would you do if you were faced with this guy running straight at you at full speed?

Posted by: Ogre at 06:01 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 Get into the fetal position on the ground. These animals are harmless unless they feel threatened.

Posted by: Michele at August 25, 2006 06:16 PM (etwyR)

2 It depends... do they stink?

Posted by: Bou at August 25, 2006 08:20 PM (iHxT3)

3 Like we always say, never go against the Llamas!

Posted by: Robert the Llama Butchers at August 25, 2006 08:54 PM (IkTb7)

4 Kiss it??

Posted by: dragonlady474 at August 25, 2006 09:29 PM (RVpMt)

5 Off him a llama biscuit?

Posted by: Always On Watch at August 26, 2006 12:12 AM (vFS/o)

6 Harmless? That's what they want you to think! And Bou, stink is in the nose of the beholder. Robert? You've warned them, what else can you do? Dragonlady? Um... really? AOW, was that "off him" or "offer him?" Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

Posted by: Ogre at August 26, 2006 12:14 AM (QmGzr)

7 Uh, make that "offer." Sheesh.

Posted by: Always On Watch at August 26, 2006 12:18 AM (vFS/o)

8 I make lots of typos when I'm multi-tasking. Between comments I'm trying to straighten up the house so that the maids can get in here on Monday morning.

Posted by: Always On Watch at August 26, 2006 12:20 AM (vFS/o)

9 It's Bush's fault

Posted by: Michael at August 26, 2006 06:48 AM (6X+p8)

10 Well of COURSE it's Bush's fault. Is there anything he can't do?

Posted by: Ogre at August 26, 2006 01:54 PM (QmGzr)

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Ah, Friday and time to try and relax a little in this crazy, messed up world. How about a U.S. Marine joke?

A reality TV manager was interviewing one person from from each of the armed forces for a spot on the new TV show.

A soldier came in first and the manager handed him a berretta, and said, "Go into the other room there and shoot whoever it is in there." The soldier goes in and came back out and said, "I canÂ’t do it." He didnÂ’t get the spot.

Next a sailor came in and the manager said the same thing to him. The sailor went into the room, came out and said, "I canÂ’t do that." He didnÂ’t get the spot.

Then an Air Force pilot came in and was handed the same berretta and was told to do the same thing. Before he even went in he turned the manager down.

Finally a Marine came in and stood in front of the manager at parade rest. The manager handed him the berretta and told him to kill whomever it was in the other room. The Marine walked in and from behind the door came a loud BANG!! Then what sounded like braking wood and then screaming. The Marine walked out, covered in blood. The manager yelled, "What the hell happened?" The Marine replied, "Some idiot put blanks in the gun so I had to break off a table leg and beat her to death, sir."

Posted by: Ogre at 05:06 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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The mayor of New York was very worried about a plague of pigeons . The mayor could not remove the pigeons from the city. All of New York was full of pigeon poop. The people couldn't walk on the sidewalks or drive on the roads. It was costing a fortune to try to keep the streets and sidewalks clean.

One day a man came to City Hall and offered the Mayor a proposition. "I can rid your beautiful city of its plague of pigeons without cost to the city. But, you must promise not to ask me any questions. Or, you can pay me five million dollars and ask one question." The mayor considered the offer briefly and accepted the free proposition.

The next day the man climbed to the top of City Hall, opened his coat, and released a red pigeon. The red pigeon circled in the air and flew up into the bright blue sky. All the pigeons in New York saw the red pigeon. They gathered up behind the red pigeon. The New York pigeons followed the red pigeon as she flew eastward out of the city.

The next day the red pigeon returned completely alone to the man atop City Hall. The Mayor was very impressed. He thought the man and the red pigeon had performed a wonderful miraculous feat to rid the city of the plague of pigeons.

Even though the man with the pigeon had charged nothing, the mayor presented him with a check for 5 million dollars and told the man that, indeed, he did have a question to ask and even though they had agreed to no fee and the man had rid the city of pigeons, he decided to pay the 5 million just to get to ask ONE question.

The man accepted the money and told the mayor to ask his question.

The mayor asked: "Do you have any red Muslims?"

(H/T to Mustang)

Posted by: Ogre at 04:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If you believe anything you read in the newspapers today, especially related to current events or international affairs, you might want to check out Zombietime's analysis of the Red Cross Ambulance fraud from the Middle East.

It shows total incompetence on the part of the media and a clear, strong, political bias of the so-called "neutral" parties of Lebanon and even the Red Cross.

I've mentioned before that the International Red Cross is clearly an organization allied with anti-freedom forces, and this provides even more proof.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:07 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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For those who like to claim that Islam is a "Religion of Peace" and demand that everyone accept every religion as valid, you also have to accept, rejoice and celebrate religions that rape and molest 4-year olds; and those that are cannibals. After all, who are YOU to judge what is good?

This IS the natural result of moral equivalence and "tolerism" of everything.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Howard Fierman is suing the state of North Carolina. It is an interesting lawsuit, because the state claims that games of chance are illegal in the state. His lawsuit claims that poker is a game of skill, not chance, and should therefore be legal. Personally, I don't care, but I think perhaps he should sue on different grounds, or perhaps another lawsuit should be started.

The law is pretty clear:

§ 14‑292. Gambling.

...any person or organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.

This section shall not apply to a person who plays at or bets on any lottery game being lawfully conducted in any state.

maximum punishment is more than 30 days but not more than six months imprisonment

If gambling is bad, punish it -- no matter who does it. If it's okay, then let anyone do it! It really is that simple. That's freedom. But, of course, the Democrat-controlled North Carolina legislature is simply not interested in freedom at all.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:19 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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In case you missed it, I'd like to point out the new renter (over there at the very top of the left sidebar), Morning Coffee. It is

Just a simple blog with my opinion on current events. I have no Special Qualifications nor a unique insight, just an opinion that I choose to publish here. Feel free to make your own comments.

Most of what I blog about concerns the War on Terror, the Media, Politics, Corruption, Immigration and Illegal Immigration. Though I consider myself a conservative, and generally side with Republicans on most political issues, I am registered as an Independent. My refusal to align myself and register as a Republican is not because of any one issue but rather because I refuse to associate myself with crooked politicians regardless of their party affiliation, or how much I agree with them on any specific issue.

So if you like it here, you might just like it over there. Why not take a peek now and say "Hello?"

Posted by: Ogre at 06:11 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Well, the ACLU hasn't actually sued yet, but this is the organization that they absolutely despise -- and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them start a lawsuit here against the Boy Scouts. Yet again, scouts save a life. 9- and 11-year old boys, trained by the Boy Scouts, saved an 18-month old girl from drowning. This is what the Boy Scouts DO. This is what they are trained to do. This IS their purpose.

There is no word on when the ACLU will file a lawsuit claiming that the Scouts should not have been allowed to be on public property at the Two Rivers State recreation area because that violates the imaginary separation of church and state.

Christian Nanson and John Fitzgerald, that is absolutely OUTSTANDING.

Your Omaha Scout troop should award you the Boy Scout Heroism Award.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:05 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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William H. Donahue is the President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights based in New York. He received his Doctorate in Sociology from NYU in 1980. He is the author of three books, two of which are very critical on and revealing of the ACLU. We have quoted from his books on numerous occasions so it was quite an honor when he returned my call requesting an interview.

His first book, The Politics of the American Civil Liberties Union, was published in 1985. His second book, The New Freedom: Individualism and Collectivism in the Social Lives of Americans, was written while Bill was a Bradley Resident Scholar at The Heritage Foundation; it appeared in 1990. Bill's third book, Twilight of Liberty: The Legacy of the ACLU, was published in 1994 by Transaction Press; a new afterward to this book was published in 2001. Source

Posted by: Ogre at 03:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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And reward the guilty. That's the standard use of the justice system in America today. Teenagers were trespassing and got shot. That should be the end of the story because if you're trespassing, YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW. However, these teenagers won't be punished at all. Sorry, since they got shot, we have to punish the evil person who had a gun and was defending himself, rather than the actual criminals.

I seriously do not think there is any hope for justice in America any more.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:07 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Hey, you "people" (and I use that term loosely) suing Sago Mine Operations, you're scum. You're lower than dirt. You are ghoulish slime balls.

Why? Because while you claim that you are suing because of negligence, but that's B.S. You're suing because you are scum-sucking bastards who want money for free. That's the bottom line, plain and simple. You claim that you're "suffering" because of the deaths of your family, but if we're to believe that, then by giving you a pile of cash, you suddenly won't be suffering any more. Nice memory of your family, huh? You hate losing them, but you won't hate it as much if you get cash.

You are ghoulish scum-sucking bastards, trying to PROFIT off the horrible deaths of your family. If there were justice in this country, you would be fined for even taking such a case to court.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:02 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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There's an interesting article about why Jessica's Law didn't pass in North Carolina this year, despite the Democrats claiming it did -- sort of. Jessica's Law is a law that's been making the rounds through the states that seriously punishes absolutely mentally deformed people who sexually attack and kill small children.

The Democrats claim they passed a "strong" law regarding sexual predators -- and Jessica's Law would do just that. But that's not the law they passed. Jessica's Law basically says that these people are basically not human, cannot be "rehabilitated" and should be put to death because there is literally no hope for them. However, the law the Democrats passed said that they will monitor these people.

No, really.

The most violent, repeat sexual offenders will be monitored. That's it. No prison time, no death penalty, just give them a tracking device so we can tell where they are when they're committing these crimes. And this is victory to the Democrats.

Oh, and the biggest reason they didn't pass the good version of Jessica's Law? Because it was proposed by a Republican. That's all. The Democrats in Raleigh are so biased against Republicans that they literally do not care what the law is about -- if a Republican proposed it, they're against it.

Go ahead, keep electing Democrats to Raleigh (well, when you actually have a choice, that is).

Posted by: Ogre at 12:02 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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If you need a smile, watch this guy play the keyboard. It starts out slow, but stay with it -- you can't help but smile!

Posted by: Ogre at 06:07 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Just for Smokey (our recovering quiz-o-holic), Tammi provides this quiz.

You Are 52% Control Freak

Generally, you are in control but not a control freak. You life is usually in order. However, sometimes you get too obsessed with making everything in your life picture perfect.

Are You A Control Freak?

Posted by: Ogre at 05:04 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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by Julie of Degree of Madness

If you owe back taxes to the federal government, the next call asking you to pay may come not from an Internal Revenue Service officer, but from a private debt collector.

Within two weeks, the I.R.S. will turn over data on 12,500 taxpayers — each of whom owes $25,000 or less in back taxes — to three collection agencies. Larger debtors will continue to be pursued by I.R.S. officers. (link)

Posted by: Ogre at 04:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Can someone please explain to me the need for the the federal government in this case? If you see a dolphin in danger, apparently you better not touch it or the federal government will PUNISH you for helping the animal.

When they noticed him three weeks later still sporting the Speedo, they decided enough was enough and got an emergency rescue authorization from federal officials.

Go ahead, try and convince me that this government is completely and totally out of control.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:07 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Note the title says, "Selection" and NOT "election." That's because last night in Mecklenburg County, two new North Carolina House members were selected by the nomenklatura in the county INSTEAD of by voters. There was no election, not even the appearance of an election. There was no "unopposed" candidate for the voters to pick or to write-in someone else. Instead, a small group, behind closed doors, simply picked the new "representative" for the various proletariats.

And of course, this all happened within the confines of the law. Yes, I used communist terms, and yes, the laws are currently, obviously, very communist. In the communist system of government, the ruling class makes all the rules and decides what is best for the people. It is not a government by the people, and it is not a representative government. That is exactly what happened in this case.

Two legislators waited until AFTER the deadline to file for election. They then announced that they wanted to "retire." Then secret meetings were held to determine their "replacements." Since in one of the two cases, there is zero opposition in the fall, this was direct selection of legislators. NO ONE was given a chance to campaign and win votes. NO people were allowed to vote.

Go ahead, try and convince me that this is a government by the people and for the people. It was once, but it very clearly no longer is.

And in case you were wondering -- these were Republicans doing this.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:37 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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In case you've forgotten about America, John Wayne describes it for you.

Good stuff.

Posted by: Ogre at 06:01 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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