On Politics
I never thought I would see the day when Democrats have more concern about decreasing spending than Republicans do about raising revenues.
It’s time for the Democrats to call the GOP bluff, thus fail to raise the debt ceiling. Let’s see if Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) is right.
Regarding Michelle Bachmann, as her campaign seems to be gaining steam, let us not forget that the key to winning an election is winning the center. Oh – I forget – That doesn’t matter in the Republican primary. I’m cheering for Bachmann! I said cheering, not voting.
Meanwhile, as Bachmann continues to capture Nincompoop supports, The Nincompoop continues on her quest to be the Tea Party’s Oprah – thus I’m anxiously awaiting the first issue of Sarah on the stands and the launching of Palinpalooza: the all-Palin all-the-time network.
Over in Capitol Hill’s House Chamber, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) completes his first six months without a jobs bill. To quote Mr. Speaker, “Where are the jobs?”
As Speaker Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continue to ask President Obama to lead, I ask, “Don’t we elect representatives and senators to lead?” Oh – I forgot – the follow their party!
Here’s an interesting website: Costs of War
On Potpourri
Cheerios recently turned 70! No wonder one of every eight box of cereal sold is Cheerios. Wow! It takes 3,115,524,416 Cheerios to circle our planet.
Loyal reader and commenter John loves cars, so here’s a link for John.
Doing my shoulder exercises continues to improve my shoulder, so I am to be able to golf this fall.
As the Cincinnati Reds continue not meet the expectations of many, much of what I wrote on this Opening Day post will explain their troubles.
The project is going well, but I miss my daily interactions with readers here and on the blogs of others. Even posting three times a week, I’m still not keeping up with responding to comments here. Thanks to those who keep coming back and for understanding my general absence. I encourage others to visit many of the fine bloggers in my sidebar.
On a final note, Fourth of July 2011 gives us a long weekend. As those of us with adolescent minds think of other variations of George Cohan’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, I enjoyed this video. Have a safe weekend!
A Frank Angle 
Wow, who would have predicted that on June 30th 2011 at 9:49 PM EDT the Reds would be just a 1/2 game ahead of the Pirates and with one more loss, That would have been thought a disaster with the Manager, GM fired and many of the players traded. But being just 2 games out They just might have ashot still at the playoffs. The one team that may not go away is the Pirates, They remind me a bit like the 2008 Rays,
Coming up during the All-Star Break will be The Expert’s 2nd 1/2 picks, I know the entire free world cannot stand the wait.
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I owe you a sincere apology, my friend. I gave you some guff (if I recall) when you injured your shoulder. I am currently sitting here, unable to look to the left. I strained my neck badly. PUTTING ON MY SHIRT. Getting old sucks!
An all-Palin channel? Isn’t that one of the signs of the Apocalypse?
Haven’t had a chance to check out the “costs of war” or the car link yet, but I’m sure they’ll prove interesting. Thanks for thinking of me. I got sidetracked today, but I’ll get to my “homework” tomorrow, which should help your mid-week workload.
Glad to hear the job is going good. Believe me, too busy trumps bored to death every time. My first 2 weeks on my first job consisted of reading manuals that would make Biden seem a fascinating speaker!
Have a happy Canada Day tomorrow, and a good 4th of July weekend! And take care of yourself, okay? 🙂
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Hmm – interesting choices on the beautiful cars. Being a sucker for station wagons, I love the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, especially in VXR/OPC sports trim. And the Holden Sportswagon from Australia is wondrous, as well, a rear-drive 5 passenger wagon with a Vette V-8! Of course, Mercedes makes a cute little wagon, the C-series. Throw in an AMG 500+ horsepower engine, and you get a hauler that HAULS! 😀
Of course, they missed the most beautiful car there is – a 1987 Chevy Cavalier Z-24 coupe, in Medium Blue Metallic! 😉
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Is it here?
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She’s the one with the squarish front end, and the two hood “bumps”. Like the 2nd or 3rd one, but in blue. The first car I had was a “brown metallic” 1973 Vega – a first-class crapbox on wheels, and I loved her dearly. She was bought by my dad, driven as a commuter car until my sister started driving in 1976, went back to my dad in 77, came back to me in 1980, and I drove her doors off until I got my Z in 1987. She hung around for 2 more years until my dad traded her in, still running, in 1989. Slow, noisy, great brakes, lousy suspension, no A/C, fair heat, vinyl seats (summer = YOUCH!!!!), and she rusted by about 30 pounds a year. Still have my Z, and a second as a parts car. Great vehicles!
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John,
My sister has my dad’s photos of our early family cars. I’ll try to get them the next time I travel her way as I imagine you’ll enjoy them.
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i don’t remember if it was an ’87 or not, but i had a blue (light teal) metallic cavalier z-24 coupe! it was the cutest car! i bought it used, and whoever had it before put in a moon roof and custom rims. i must have been a late 80s model, because i had it in the early 90s.
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Nonnie crushing in a z-24 must have been quite the sight. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
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My first car 1964 Rambler American
Not sure if the link will work.
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My car looked just like that 90 HP flathead 6.
0-60 MPH in 10 minutes.
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You had my Vega smoked. 2-speed auto, 2.3 litre 4-cylinder that made about 50 hp. And one tiny problem – she actually FLEW at speeds over 70. I was going downhill once (the ONLY way to get over 60), throttle wide open to keep up with traffic, into a big merge where the Edens and the Kennedy expressways merge west of downtown Chicago. A semi moved over in front of me and caught me in its’ slipstream – and I lost steering! I couldn’t even brake – the wheels just slipped. After a short time, the semi moved over right, I got clean air and managed to get control back. NOT FUN! Then again, I did blow off a Vette! True story – my accelerator cable was sticking, so the idle wouldn’t kick down to low. So I was goosing the throttle to get it to kick down, and some jackass next to me thought I was challenging him! Light turned green, he floored it and killed the engine. I just putted on past!
The Vega was too slow to be stupid in. Remind me to tell you of my backwoods drive in my Z, averaging around 80mph on barely 2-lane roads. 😀
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John,
You have stories than Edgar Allan Poe! Thanks for sharing.
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This is a of an identical car to my girl – though mine doesn’t have black hood stripes:
And from the side: http://webspace.webring.com/people/wh/hondahater/images/z24thumb.jpg
My old Vega: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:71_Vega_sedan.jpg
Though this is a 1971, they were identical through 1973. In 1974, they changed the taillights and the front end for the uglier.
And the ultimate stealth car: http://img.feb-search.com/img2/0/m/s/v/g/_/s/4/msvg_subaru_loyale_gl.jpg
A 1990 Subaru Loyale Wagon, with the turbo 1.8 litre 4-cylinder. I got an airdam from the parts catalog for the sports sedan version, and added it myself. It could do 85mph all day. I blew off a Mustang GT as I passed a cop with radar, and the cop nailed the Mustang! And it could go through unplowed snow 2.5 feet deep with no problems. I miss that car, but the parts were hideously expensive. And though she had all-wheel drive, and the engine was only 118 hp WITH the turbo, she still scooted VERY well.
Thanks for the reminiscences, guys!
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LOL
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Larry,
Wow … Rambler … now there’s a car I haven’t thought of in years! Thanks for sharing.
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“Palinpalooza: the all-Palin all-the-time network.”
😆
Happy birthday Cheerios and America!!
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Spinny,
Palinistas attend Palinpalooza. This weekend at a family wedding, I discovered a Palinista, and will include it in next weeks OITS. Well, if I remember. Thanks for visiting & hope all is well.
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you’ll never be able to string together enough cheerios to circle the earth, because all those greedy little babies are always eating them! stupid babies! 😉
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LOL … oh that is too good of a line … MANY thanks for coming up with that one!
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Gads John, you’re bringing back some memories! I had a 75 Vega after some twit totaled my 69 Torino (loved that boat!). Hated the Vega.
Frank, you have a terrific 4th! 😀
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D-fae,
Dang …. from a Torino to a Vega … wow … what a shock! Thanks for sharing and hope you have a good holiday.
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Happy TGIF all! Celebrations on “our” Birthday Party here in Canada are in full force….lots of red and white everywhere.
As for my first car? Hahahaha as I mentioned to John a few times…I had a PINTO…yes a PINTO, I pretended it was a Mustang.
For your July 4th – our Diva Céline Dion’s rendition of your beautiful “God Bless America” is sooooo moving…Enjoy the early Birthday present…
About this music video was made and aired in September 2001. Céline Dion’s version received enough radio airplay to reach number 14 on Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. 9/11 affected people from all round the world.Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Celine Dion performed the song on the TV special America: A Tribute to Heroes. Shortly afterwards on October 16, Sony Music Entertainment released a benefit album called God Bless America, which featured Dion singing the song.
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Actually, Meesh, for the years the Pinto was around, it WAS the basis for the Mustang! “Mustang II” it was called, and aside from some outside trim bits, a V-8 engine and slightly better suspension, and some leather interior trim, they were identical. To this day, Mustang “purists” refuse to recognise any Mustang from the 1970s as a “real” Mustang! 😀
And despite their infamous reputations, Pintos were actually quite good cars. My wife had a 1978 Pinto, and though it leaked like a sieve (every fluid – it’s name was “Puddles”) due to lack of maintenance, it was a solid, good-running car. Especially for a Ford product! :p
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“Puddles” eh? I have never named my car anything…however my Pinto could have been named “Rusty” because of the rust that took over before it died. Had a miniature toy husky called “Puddles” though, for obvious reasons.
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Now that’s a hoot!
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I’ve only named one other car. We bought a used Cavalier as a parts car for my blue car, off the Internet from a dealer in North Carolina. When the car arrived (we BSed a local company that ships Amish furniture to haul it back for us VERY cheap), they lowered it off the flatbed, my wife got in, turned the key, and it started first time! (I didn’t care if it worked – my original plan was to take it apart to resurrect my car). Tamy asked if I had a name for the car. The last time I saw my friend Grace Lee Whitney (from Star Trek), she was wearing white, the “new” car was white, and it was going to “save a wretch” – namely my car. It all fell together, and from that day, the white Z is “Grace”. (Yeah, I know I’m weird. Believe me, this is a MILD episode! 😀 )
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“Grace” how regal! Whenever I see the name “Grace” I think of this old quote..
Anyway, gotta run shortly for a planned group July 1st barbecue…. I insisted because it was Friday… I wanted to incorporate festivities as a “Surf & Turf”…. Soooooooo I am in charge of Salmon on a cedar plank —-> http://www.cedargrilling.com/art.htm We shall see how it turns out.
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Meesh,
It’s not the line, but here’s something.
How did your grill adventure go? Good party? Fill us in!
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Star Trek and cars woven in the same comment. Impressive.
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John,
All this car stuff is a heavenly topic for you! 🙂
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Meesh,
Many thanks for sharing the one of the best voices of all time. Given the timing & the voice, non wonder it was a hit. Actually reminded my of another Canadian hit, which I will share on Monday! Now I have you wondering. 🙂 … And happy belated Canada Day … and with two distinguished visitors from across the pond to boot.
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Not much of a party Frank…HOLY fireworks were something else. Guess what though,,,I dreamt about you, very good too. No, I’m not a psychic, but I feel good things are on your horizon!
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Thanks for the Costs Of War website. I plan to keep up with the information it provides. It’s interesting to watch the emerging debate within the Republican Party as it compares the monetary costs of John McCain’s – All War, All The Time – for “American Values” policy, with the type of small, non-nation invading, non-nation building, operations that took out Osama Bin Laden.
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Tim, you might want to check out http://www.icasualties,org. They list all the fatalities, from both Iraq and Afghanistan, for every foreign army in each country. You can sort the table by country, date, and a variety of other features. It’s startling to see the percentages of casualties – some small countries, like my new-found Romanian friends, have suffered high casualties as a percentage of their total deployment. Sobering, but interesting.
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John,
Wow .. very interesting … thanks for sharing!
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Tim,
Glad you enjoyed the site. I learned about it while listening to POTUS Politics on XM … but I haven’t had a chance to study the site for myself. And yes – the upcoming budget & war debates will be interesting. Thanks for commenting.
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Frank,
Where’s my manners? Great “Opinions in the Shorts” I absolutely adored that video….très charmant mon ami!
Have a fabulous weekend!
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Meesh,
Many thanks … and I thought the video was a hoot … and an unexpected surprise in relationship to the title. Say hello to Wills and Kate for me.
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