2005 March | The Bull Speaks!

Terri Schiavo – Home at last.

It is over.

Fifteen years too late, but Terri’s long nightmare is finally over. Perhaps now Terri’s parents can let her go and perhaps the Nation can begin to heal from this media-driven horror story.

Terri Schiavo, Rest in Peace.
Omar, out.

Let’s get this final battle started.

I just wrote to a lawyer in South Carolina, another one here in Alabama, and even sent a note to Senator Richard C. Shelby.

I’m ready to get this final battle behind me. The battle to clear my name and my debt.

If you’ve been reading this blog long you know I’m soon to start getting Social Security Disability benefits because of my FUBAR spine and other assorted ills. You will also know I’m a proud Papa of three great kids back in South Carolina. Clancy, Kelli, and Jake. The oldest, Clancy, is moving in with Lady Beth and me this summer after her HS graduation so she can go to nursing school and then Pre-Med. (Great, eh?)

If you put 2 and 2 together you find yourself asking: “How could you pay the child support if you haven’t been able to work?“
Answer: I haven’t! No income at all! My child support order is in excess of $175 per week. (See what happens when you go to court without a lawyer?) My Disability, when it starts, will only be $900 per month. Not to mention the past-due child support. *That* is a very scary number indeed. Read the rest of this entry »

New “high-tech” cutter being built for Coast Guard

Yesterday, March 29th, 2005, the keel was laid on America’s latest Coast Guard Cutter. Here’s some info…

WJTC-TV

(PASCAGOULA, Miss.) March 29 — “Itâ€™s the latest weapon in the nationâ€™s homeland security arsenal and its being built close to home. It’s an ultra-sophisticated “high-tech national security cutter” for the Coast Guard. The new National Security Cutter will be the backbone of the Coast Guardâ€™s new fleet. The budget right now calls for 8 such cutters supported by several dozen new pursuit and patrol vessels. The Coast Guard says the new vessel will eventually be namedâ€¦ they don’t yet know what or when. Until then it just carries the designation â€“ WMSL 750. The new cutter should be finished and ready for sea trials during the first half of 2007.”

That said, The Bull did a wee bit of digging and found the following on this new CG beastie being built just down the road…

New high tech cutter being built for Coast Guard

DEEPWATER NEWS

“September 9, 2004 marked the beginning of construction of the first new Deepwater cutter, the Maritime Security Cutter, Large (WMSL). The
Deepwater Program reached another milestone in its journey to provide the men and women of the Coast Guard the necessary capabilities to attend to the maritime homeland security needs of this great nation. The start-fabrication ceremony for the lead ship, WMSL-750, was held at the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems
(NGSS) Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula, Miss. held two days before the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our nation.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Only in Alabama…

ENTERPRISE, Ala. (AP) â€??? A 7-year-old who apparently wanted to play with friends couldn’t wait. He drove off in his father’s truck, eventually running it into a ditch before police officers managed to coax him out of the vehicle.

The boy was driving the big, dual-wheel truck erratically along Highway 27 when other drivers called police Thursday morning, saying they couldn’t see anyone behind the wheel. The boy apparently got the keys while his father, who was not identified, was sleeping, and he was trying to drive to an Enterprise day care center, police said.

Capt. Mike Lolley said the boy was near a convenience store when the vehicle swerved into a ditch. The boy rolled up the windows and locked the doors as police approached. He pressed the gas pedal and the truck sent mud and dirt flying but didn’t move. Officers coaxed him out by telling the child they would take him to play with his friends, then took him to the police station.

Yep. Only in Alabama could a child of 7 drive a dualie out of a driveway and miles down the road to town. And only in Alabama would the same kid try to evade arrest! (Also makes me wonder what is in store for Lady Beth and meself with these 3 yr old twin boys of ours. They already collect bruises and black-eyes like some people collect stamps!)
Omar, out.

A correction, or an update?

In an earlier post on this blog (link) I, The Bull, made a statement that I was rather more than eager to get my mitts on the Ruger New Vaquero, model number NV44. It is a beautiful color case frame and deeply blued barrel. A fine weapon to be sure. There have been rumors of recalls, but a call to Ruger assures me that it is not so. Here’s a reminder of its good looks…

However, I must now tell you that the NV44 has serious competition!

Say “Hello” to the Ruger New Vaquero, model number KNV44.

Yep. Polished stainless. Looks like the old nickel plating, doesn’t it? Not only that, but it has another huge advantage I must consider… Corrosion resistance.
Fact: I live on the coast now , and it is a very warm climate. Since this will be my daily carry firearm it will be exposed to coastal weather and perhaps salt water. And bunches of sweat.
Fact: I might as well admit that I’m addicted to blackpowder. No doubt I’ll want to try blackpowder loads in those big .45 Colt cases. Stainless would make the cleaning up afterwards much easier. Heck, I might go with a BP self-defense load. Imagine the look on the faces of baddies as one falls with a HUGE hole in him and the supposed victim disappears behind a cloud of white smoke! Don’t write to me! I know about all of the reasons we went to smokeless powder. I was just thinkin’…
Omar,out.

Gathering of the Blogs!

Tis time once again for the Gathering of the Blogs!

Be there Scottish blood in ye veins, (or if ya simply like to wear the kilt…), then you should join yer blog to our Cause. With any luck something will start a wee ruckus an’ we can once again hunt Englishmen! (Though as was proved in the Revolution, the only other thing besides pigs that you can’t make eatable jerky from is Englishmen – though it was tried!)

I have to thank Graumangus over at Frizzen Sparks for turning me on to this event. Of course, I can not begin to speculate on the possible damage to the female population upon seeing Graumagus in a kilt. Unlike meself who looks mighty fine in the plaids…
Omar, out.

Best Wishes to an Arch-Nemesis

Wha…?
The Bull has an Arch-Nemesis?

Aye. He is a very powerful man. Not just in his hometwon – where he is akin to God – but Nationwide. His name is Jerry Falwell of Lynchburg, VA. And he is now in critical care with a serious illness.

Jerry and I have had only two encounters face-to-face. Both I feel I won since he left and I retained the field of (verbal) battle. I have found the man to be head-strong, egotistical, and totally unyeilding in his views – much like me! I suppose that explains much of the animosity over the years. The remainder is our polar-opposite veiws on Paganism. I maintain that all positive paths lead to the Godhead and that there is room in America for all faiths. Jerry counters that there is no Truth except his truth and that there is no room in America for anyone but Christian, (…preferably Baptist…), homophobes. When he resorted to loud prayer on our last meeting he found that my prayers can be louder than his.
Ahhh…. the ‘Good Ol’ Days.

Two years ago Jerry’s wife did an interview with one of the local TV stations in Lynchburg. She was asked how she felt about some of the outragious things that fall from his mouth whenever a camera is pointed at him. She replied that there have been many a time she had whispered under her breath, “Oh Jerry, please just shut-up!” Jerry, who was sitting beside his wife, just looked at her and smiled a loving smile. This explains in what way Jerry and I see eye-to-eye: We both love and honor our wives. We trust them to see through the veils and know what is best for us even though we may not always follow that path.

So, I wish you well, my old nemesis! Get well soon. Though we can not agree on most subjects, I can still respect a man that honors his wife and stands his ground.
Omar, out.

Darwin Award? Still it is true!

The following is an actual, documented, case of terminal stupidity…

Darwin Award

We have a winner…!

The following mind-boggling attempt at a crime spree in Washington appeared to be the robber’s first (and last), due to his lack of a previous record of violence, and his terminally stupid choices:

1. His target was H&J Leather & Firearms, a gun shop specializing in handguns.
2. The shop was full of customers – firearms customers.
3. To enter the shop, the robber had to step around a marked police car parked at the front door.
4. A uniformed officer was standing at the counter, having coffee before work.

Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up, and fired a few wild shots from a .22 target pistol. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, the police officer with a 9mm Glock 17, the clerk with a .50 Desert Eagle, assisted by several customers who also drew their guns, several of whom also fired.

The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from 7 different weapons.

No one else was hurt in the exchange of fire.

Forty-seven rounds fired and the only one hurt was the bad guy. I suppose the Liberal Gun Control lobby would find something wrong with it, but I don’t!!
Omar, out.

The Theme Switcher

Currently this blog is running a ‘Theme Switcher’ for both your amusement, and mine. Good ol’ Alex King is running a WP 1.5 Theme Contest. In honor of that effort all of my favorite themes are listed in the Switcher you’ll find elsewhere on this page.

Some of these themes are quite good. Especially Jakarta 1.51 by Jose Mulia, which I have set as my default. I swear, some of these guys and gals are pure artist! Someone wrote that “Code is Poetry”. I am now totally convinced of that as fact. If only I had that talent… I *am* trying though! Between dealing with the kids and the pups – not to mention the grown dogs, cats, dragons, lizards, snakes, and mice – there is little time for new self-taught skills. Then there are my physical limitations. Not being able to sit for any length of time and lack of sleep do a number on ones ability to concentrate. One day though, I’ll get it right. Perhaps if there is another contest I can submit a theme of my own. I *do* have a vision of something different, incorporating features from several current styles plus a couple of plug-ins.

Now I have to just figure out how to fit this jigsaw together!

Meanwhile, enjoy the themes. Some will not have all of my normal sidebar goodies. Then again, some have said my blog is too crowded anyway…
Omar, out.

Midgard Lives!

Don’t ask me how or why this poor wee Common Central American Boa has survived, but she has! Tonight I took her out for some socialization and she proceeded to shed her entire skin as she twined through my fingers. That’s right, she shed in my hands! *That* was cool.
And her hide is once again whole!

On Feb. 19th her skin split for four inches down her spine just after she had swallowed a nice meal of fresh rat pup. After all of her other illnesses and a “failure to thrive” we were certain that she was a hopeless case. We kept her on clean Cage Carpet, kept the wound sprayed with an antibiotic, gave her only small meals, and prayed.

Looks like it worked!

She has a thin white scar running down her spine, much like mine. We will put her back on “fuzzies” tomorrow for her meal and will get her back on her favored substrate, Eco-Earth mixed with shredded Aspen. She is still FAR behind where she should be in growth, and is still in grave danger of not surviving. Midgard is a poster child for Bad Breeders. Still, you have to say she’s got heart!
Omar, out.

Another Follow-up: USS San Francisco (SSN-711)

More on the USS San Francisco and the required Navy sacrifices.

By ROBERT A. HAMILTON
Day Staff Writer, Navy/Defense/Electric Boat
Published on 3/23/2005

Six submariners assigned to the submarine USS San Francisco (SSN711) have been punished for dereliction of duty or putting a vessel in danger in connection with a Jan. 8 incident in which the submarine slammed into a seamount in the Pacific, killing one sailor and injuring 98 others.

The San Francisco was making a trip to Australia when it came to periscope depth to fix its position accurately a little more than 400 miles southwest of Guam. Minutes after diving, and while traveling at a high rate of speed, the submarine hit a seamount in an area where official Navy charts list 6,000 feet of water.

The Executive Officer, a lieutenant commander, and the navigator, a lieutenant, received permanent punitive letters of censure, Navy sources said Tuesday.

The assistant navigator, a Senior Chief Electronics Technician, received a similar letter and was stripped of his Navy enlisted classification, which ousts him from the submarine force. (Ouch!)

Three other enlisted men, all members of the San Francisco navigation team, were demoted one rank, one of them from Electronics Technician 1st Class to Electronics Technician 2nd Class, and two others from 2nd Class to 3rd Class.

Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the Pacific Submarine Force, said Capt. Bradley Gehrke, commodore of Submarine Squadron 15 in Guam, conducted hearings on the charges Tuesday.

â€œSix crew members received punishment for actions that led to the grounding,â€?? Davis said. â€œBecause this was a non-judicial proceeding, we’re not going to release names.â€??

Davis also declined to identify by job any of the submariners punished, and would only confirm that punishment included demotions and letters of reprimand. He said the investigation into the accident â€œis ongoing.â€??

â€œMy understanding is that the investigation is being reviewed and is very close to complete, but I don’t have a time when it will be released,â€?? Davis said. He also could not comment on whether there has been a decision on whether the San Francisco will be repaired or scrapped.

Machinist Mate 3rd Class Joseph Ashley was killed in the Jan. 8 collision when he was thrown more than 20 feet and struck his head on a large pump. Almost two dozen others were injured so badly they could not perform their duties.

Despite the injuries and extensive damage, the crew got the ship back to its home port of Apra Harbor, Guam.

Navy sources have said, however, that the damage to the ship, particularly the alignment of some of the propulsion equipment, is worse than initially believed and that the submarine may have to be scrapped.

The grounding destroyed three of the four ballast tanks in the bow, shattered the sonar dome and smashed the sonar sphere. In addition, a bulkhead at the front end of the ship was buckled.

Read the rest of this entry »

Food fer Campin’!

Well, looks like Graumagus from Frizzen Sparks has been bitten by the camping bug. It happens. Especially to us ol’ buckskinners! Hell, ever since I read his latest posting my mouth has been watering for some campfire cooking and my back has gone into “pre-stiffness mode” in readiness to sleep on the ground!

Ok, Graumagus. You wanted campfire cooking. Here it is!

Omar’s Wretched Sausage Roll-Ups

Johnsonville HOT Italian Sausages, not ‘mild’ – HOT!
Flour tortillas (the big ‘uns)
Hot Pepper Jack Cheese
(NO SUBSTITUTION IS ALLOWED!)

Poke a few holes in the skins of your sausages to let some of the grease out. (Or you’ll regret it later!) Then either grill the sausages over a hardwood fire -or- mate them to your squirrel-cooker fork next to the fire. When done, warm a tortilla on a hot rock or the grill for a few seconds. Wrap sausage in tortilla with a couple of slices of Pepper Jack Cheese. Guaranteed to bring every early risen mooch in the area to your camp site. If you didn’t poke holes for the grease to escape you’ll know it when you bite into the thing and scalding grease rolls down your chin taking your lower lip with it, depositing the now fried appendage on your beer gut.
Damned good breakfast! Omar’s favorite food anytime!

Here’s another one. This one is from another ex-Navy guy, Gary Winkle of SC, (Submariner…). It is guaranteed to make you shyte at some point during the day. Especially helpful if you’ve had far too much cheese lately…

Gary Winkle’s “Pre-Lube”

Your favorite Sausage (in a roll)
3 lg. Red Delicious or Yellow Delicious Apples per pound of sausage.

Dice apples into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch chunks. Brown loose sausage – no bloody patties!!. Just as the sausage is done, add the apples to the frying pan and cook the mixture until the apples begin to look somewhat transparent. (That means they are done. They have soaked up all the grease they can hold.)
Serve hot, though it ain’t bad cold. Lady Beth loves this stuff!
Have “Strikin’ paper” handy as you WILL hit the hooter before lunch. You have been warned!!

There ya go, Graumagus. Enjoy! If you ever head south to the Gulf, look me up and we’ll try out these foods together!
Omar, out.

Well, get out the Kleenex box.

The following is an email I received this morning from one of my email list. “GrannyFairyKat” is a very special person in our lives. She is the Pagan Priestess that Handfasted (married) me and Lady Beth last April. Her husband is working in Kabul, Afganastan and sent her a very special letter that needs to be shared.
~O*

Message: 2

Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 10:03:07 -0600 (Central Standard Time)
From: “GrannyFairyKat”
Subject: Our Flag

This is something very special that happened to Harry. As most of you know
he’s in Afganastan helping to build the American Embassy in Kabul. We’re
going to have to come up with some very special place for this flag when he
gets home. He made friends with the Marines who were stationed as the guard
to the old embassy there. They smoked cigars and drank beer together when
they could, and he’d told them he was married to an “X” Marine.

“Well, get out the Kleenex box.

Yesterday, just before sunset, I got a call on the radio to come to the old
embassy. I thought that they were having trouble with their power. When I
got there, all of the officers of the weapons company that are to be moving
out were on the embassy steps. Capt. Ziegler said that I was to witness the
lowering of the colors. Well we all stood at attention and when the flag was
folded, the color guard marched up and presented it to me.

I lost it there, I started crying like a baby. Iâ€™m tearing up now. Capt.
Ziegler also gave me a nice certificate to frame. It has the embassy seal,
the American flag and the Afghanistan flag and says:

â€œThe flag of the United States of America

This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown by the Marines of Weapons Company 2d Battalion, 6th Marines over the United
States Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM on the
24th of March 2005, in honor of:
HARRY and CAROL (last name withheld)â€??
.

I donâ€™t remember what all Capt. Ziegler said, but he mentioned â€œYour wife, a
marine foreverâ€??.

Iâ€™ll remember that whole occasion for the rest of my life.”

Harry

Well, even with as much fun as I’ve had over the years at the expense of the JarHeads I have to say this: “Marines have a helluva great sense of loyalty and style.”
That’s right. I said it!
Omar, out.

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