2005 | The Bull Speaks!

Don’t Blame the Pagans!

Want to read a strange retail story? Read on. The following was found in the “Out There” section of Fox News. Then read my comments below…

Wednesday, November 09, 2005
No, your holiday binge drinking hasn’t gotten that out of control so early â€??? that Christmas tree really is upside down.

Retailers are rolling out inverted trees as a hot new novelty item this holiday season.

Claiming the new model “Leaves more room on the floor for gifts,” Target offers three upside-down trees for $299.99-$499.99 on its Web site, according to USA Today.

The paper reports that ChristmasTreeForMe.com is selling bizarro trees in the 5-to-7Â½-foot range for $280-$504 and Hammacher Schlemmer has rolled out a $599.95 pre-lit model â€??? which it can’t keep in stock.

“We increased the amount we ordered from last year, but ended up selling all of them already,” Joe Jamrosz of Hammacher Schlemmer told USA Today.

“The Solstice Evergreen” author Sheryl Karas told the paper she isn’t sure what’s behind the new upside-down tree trend, a Central European tradition from the 12th century.

“There’s something sinister, almost bad, about it,” the Santa Cruz, Calif., author, told USA Today.

“It’s a pagan thing,” she said. “If they thought about it, they wouldn’t turn it upside down.”

But the retailers defend the fake flipside trees, hung from the ceiling or a wall, sometimes with a weighted base, as just so much holiday fun.

“Many of the people have been using them as their second tree. A novelty,” Jamrosz told USA Today. “They also find the bigger gifts don’t fit under a traditional tree.”

First, the entire idea of bringing trees indoors during the longest nights of the year is, indeed, a Pagan thing. We bring in living trees for the fey to live in where it is warm and dry. It is, like the idea of the Easter Egg, a Pagan tradition kidnapped by the Christians.

So, why would Pagans want to turn OUR OWN SYMBOLS upside-down?

You idiots! This is a marketing ploy, pure and simple. The idea is to make more room under the tree so those of you out there that equate “Love” with “dollars spent” will have to spend even more. Don’t for one bloody moment even dare to blame Pagans for this stupidity. For that matter, don’t blame the Christians either.

Blame the Wall Street marketing directors and the concept of, or ‘God’ to some, Greed.

Omar, out.

November 9th…

November 9th… Now there is a special day! Why? Simple. It is my oldest childs birthday.

Clancy Breeann turns nineteen today. That’s right, nineteen. The big 1, 9! It’s a weird age as I recall. In the eyes of most of society you are no longer a kid, but still not quite an adult. Heck, I missed my nineteenth birthday. I simply forgot it. Clancy seems to be totally non-concerned. She even had the audacicity to tell me she’s “getting old“.

“Getting old“?? My Gods! Youth is completely wasted upon the young!! :-/

I suppose that this birthday means more to me than it does to her. As I’ve written before, she recently moved in with us and began her Nursing studies at the University of South Alabama, (and currently a straight ‘A’ student. Yep, I’m proud!). Due to what became an ugly post-divorce, I’ve had very limited contact with my kids for years. It is the first time in those years that I will be able to give my daughter a hug and a kiss on her birthday rather than just a phone call. No matter what she gets for her birthday, there is no doubt that the biggest ‘present’ is mine – having her here with me.

Happy Birthday, Clancy! Daddy loves you.

“Proud Papa” Omar, out.

Happy Pagan New Year!!

er… Give or take a couple of days depending on your Tradition, that is.

Yep. It’s New Years day for me. No resolutions, no wild parties. Just lots of wholesome family fun that we enjoyed to the fullest. Oh, we did have a party on Friday night, but it was mellow and lots of fun. The scene was completed with the first large-scale use of our fire pit. Everyone enjoyed themselves and everyone was very well behaved.

Next time I’m considering a pig over that fire…

Omar, out.

Finally! I’ve been asked the question outright!

It finally happened.

Someone asked me the question that has been one every political mind…

“Is American ready to have a woman, or a black, in the Office of President of the United States?”

The Answer is a big ol’ Hell YES!
Though not some weak-kneed figurehead. Said person is gonna have to be both, loyal to the Constitution of the United States as written and intended by the Framers, and be more than reasonably clean of record.

In this writer’s opinion that will likely rule out Condi Rice because of the (long expected) current Liberal-fueled, so-called White House scandals. Unless, of course, the investigations end and totally clear her and the Bush Administration before the race begins.

It for damned sure rules out that Nazi Cow, Sen. Hillary R. Clinton as she has shown us all clearly how she plans to rewrite the Constitution as she and her Liberal lap dogs see fit. Screw the Founding Fathers. Screw Individual Freedoms. Socialism in America.
Frightening.

For years I’ve said there is a “No Lose” ticket out there. Don’t matter much which person takes top billing either…
Gen. Colin Powell and Sen. Elizabeth Dole.
Both are strong on the Constitution. Both believe in America. Both are extremely experienced in real life and politics at many levels. Dole is simply an outstanding American in every respect. However, Powell really intrigues this writer. Take the following quotes from “The Powell Principles“, (McGraw-Hill 2003):

“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”

“Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.”

“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.”

“Every organization should tolerate rebels who tell the emperor he has no clothes.”

Now, how to get Powell to agree to run? The problem there is that he promised his wife he would leave public office and he is a man of his word. Dole? I wonder about her “War Chest”. Does she have the funds & fund raising ability to get the job done? Actually, the same applies to Powell.

Yes, I know there are pockets of racism and sexism here in America. I see it far too often. Here in Mobile, AL a black Mayor was elected for the first time just weeks ago. Immediately following were the whispers of how the City will now become a cess pool, whites will now be second-class citizens, etc. Not blatent hatred, but distrust and low expectations It saddens me. However, Mobile, AL is not the United States and those whispers are merely the dying breaths of a decrepit culture on its way to the grave.
Good riddance.

As I see it, there is only two groups here in America that could not yet have a member run for President: Gays and Pagans. I’m Pagan. While I’ll likely not live to see one of us in the Oval Office I know that Time will cure that ill. So, too, for Gays.

As long as the Constitution of the United States of America is held as dear to the populace as it has been for over two hundred years there is a Promise of Freedom and Equality for all Americans.

Omar, out!

Movin’ to Mars. Ain’t coming back!

I was out – again – reading through the blogs when I came upon a mention of a webpage called “Your Age on Other Worlds“. Intrigued, I zipped over there and had my age quickly calculated.

Imagine my delight to find that on Mars I would only be 23.1 years old! Yay!

I was especially pleased as while at the County Fair a couple of days ago I won a prize for “Fooling the Guesser”. The carnie attempted to guess my age within two years either way.
I’m 43 years old. The guy guessed 52!

52…? Hell yeah, I’ll take 23.1!

Oh. The prize was a two foot long plush dragon.

“Old” Omar, out…

Blog Values

So I’m bored and reading various blogs – like I do most mornings. Then I come across a blog with a post noting just how much his blog was worth according to research by Technorati. His was a cool $36,000.00+! The blog owner had made comment that if anyone wanted to pay hi that amount to stop blogging he would gladly do so.

I thought for a moment, debating if I really wanted to start off my day with the insult of finding this blog to be worth less than a cup of coffee. Then, I thought, “What the hell. Let’s give it a go!”, and hit the button. I nearly fell in the floor when this came up…

25822676 789bf55448 t Blog Values
My blog is worth $81,293.76.
How much is your blog worth?

$81,293.76? Who knew?

BTW: I, too, am willing to sell this blog for that exact amount. However, that doesn’t mean that “someone” else in this home wouldn’t fill the void with a new blog. Just so you know…

Omar, out.

Most Highly Decorated Boat Honored with Coin

Northwest Territorial Mint | October 21, 2005

After completing nineteen daring deployments over a stunning thirty year career, The U.S.S. Parche, the most decorated boat in U.S. Navy history, lowered her colors for the last time in the fall of 2004.

Parche (pronounced PAR-chee) was the last of the Navy’s thirty-seven Sturgeon-class attack submarines to be decommissioned. During her career, Parche earned an unprecedented nine Presidential Unit Citations. Additonally, the sub was awarded ten Navy Unit Commendations and thirteen Navy Expeditionary Medals. Parche also holds the U.S. record for submerged endurance.

During one of the boat’s legendary deployments in 1982, under the leadership of Captain Peter Graef, Parche maintained submersion for an amazing 124 days before resurfacing. Demonstrating its remarkable endurance, Parche came close to breaking its own record in 2002, when the boat and her crew completed a 121-day submerged deployment.

Many former crewmembers expressed the desire to commemorate Parche after learning she was going to be taken out of active duty after thirty years of service, but one man stepped forward and took up the challenge. In anticipation of Parche’s decommissioning ceremony, Senior Chief Petty Officer Shaun Peirsel, who served on board Parche from May of 2000 until August of this year, spearheaded an effort to have a special commemorative coin made to honor the service of the boat and her crew. “I wanted to do something special to honor the ship’s history and to help carry on her name,” Peirsel said. “The coin seemed to me to be the best way to make it happen.”

With this goal in mind, Peirsel began to sketch out the coin’s design. In early 2004, he set out to find a company capable of transforming his vision into reality. After months of scouring the internet, he made contact with Northwest Territorial Mint. Working closely with the company’s design team, he was able to create a unique commemorative coin worthy of Parche’s proud heritage.

More than just a symbol of Parche, the 1,100 coins produced by Northwest Territorial Mint exclusively for the boat’s decommissioning were made from metal taken directly from the Parche itself. Eighty-seven of the original 1,100 coins that were produced at Northwest Territorial Mint’s facility in Auburn, Washington were presented in August of 2005 to the members of Parche’s final crew. These eighty-seven coins contained a special reverse and were inscribed with the names of the respective crew members.

The remaining 1,013 coins, which were distributed to Parche’s past crew members, featured a more generic reverse and were not inscribed with the names of the recipients. With the original coins distributed, Northwest Territorial Mint has announced plans to mint a second coin commemorating Parche. The new coins will be struck using the same die as the original but will not contain any metal from the boat.

The first Parche (SS 384) was commissioned in 1943 and earned acclaim during World War II as part of the Navy’s famous Pacific Submarine Force. During her five years of service, the boat earned two Presidential Unit Citations.

“All of us who served on Parche were aware of how important that first boat was,” said Peirsel. “We were proud to continue in that great tradition.”

The reverse of the coin that Peirsel helped to design bears the shield of the Parche, inscribed with the Latin phrase “Par Excellence,” the motto shared by both boats.
Parche is depicted returning from her last mission on the coin’s obverse. Flying high above her deck are the Presidential Unit Citation and Navy Unit Commendation flags.

The new coin salutes Parche’s outstanding service to the Navy and the nation at large. As he considered the final commemorative coin, Chief Peirsel said “I hope it helps people come to appreciate Parche and how important the ship was to America’s naval history.”

Took a Goat to get it done. Of course.
Omar, out.

An Uncle Ronnie Rememberance

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

“You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.”

~~~Ronald Reagan~~~

The Nazi Cow Who Would Be President

Here’s a quote from the The Nazi Cow Who Would Be President:

In a time when our nationâ€™s military is serving in hostile locations across the globe, I believe there is nothing more important to our soldiers then letting them know that their country supports their courage and sacrifice.

Er… Yeah…
This coming from the same wench that regularly stares favorably at Socialist Governments and day dreams of a Socialist America. The same woman who could see no real problem with gas prices going as high as $6.00 per gallon. Of course, her veiws tend to flip-flop much like John Kerry’s depending on the political winds at the moment. The same woman who decries racism in any form, but has too many times to count been heard to scream such things at Bill as “Jew motherfucker,” “Jew Boy” and “Jew Bastard.” [NewsMax, 15 and 17 July 2000]. (Not that good ol’ Bill is so lilly-white. He was often quoted using the “N” word to refer to both Jesse Jackson and local Little Rock black leader Robert “Say” McIntosh.)

Probably the best quotation that can be used to sum up Hillary Clinton is this: â€œWe must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking of whatâ€™s best for society.â€?? What the heck, woman!? Have you even freakin’ read the Constitution of the United States?

More, let’s not forget the quote from He Who Would Be ‘First Husband’ â€“ William Jefferson Clinton: â€œWe canâ€™t be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.â€?? Says a lot about this family, doesn’t it?

Oh yeah, just so you are reminded, Hillary… Here’s a famous shot taken of you with one of our American Heroes. You remember, don’t you? The guy who showed the world that he was forced to have his picture taken with your shriveled Socialist mug…

Before anyone that may not have seen this photo yet says that it was falsified, here is what Snopes.com had to say about the matter:

TRUE!

The gesture of crossing one’s fingers is not unique to the military, of course; it is an ages-old symbol used to indicate that the finger-crosser does not mean what he is saying or is being compelled to act through coercion. (A typical kiddie trick is to surreptitiously cross one’s fingers behind one’s back while making a promise, a token that supposedly shields the finger-crosser from the obligation of upholding the terms of his oath.) The implication of the photograph shown above (which began circulating on the Internet in early 2004 and was taken at one of the military facilities New York senator Hillary Clinton visited in Iraq during the Thanksgiving 2003 holidays), then, is that despite the smiling faces and friendly hand-shaking captured in the picture, the soldier is communicating that he is not really all that pleased to be meeting Senator Clinton.

The “not really all that pleased” assessment is evidently accurate â€??? although the picture originally appeared without any accompanying text, and the “coercion” caption was only added later to make the humor of the photograph more explicit â€??? as the soldier pictured with Senator Clinton (who asked that we not identify him by name) told us that he employed the gesture to indicate that he was not a fan of the senator’s and was not as appreciative of having the opportunity to meet (and pose with) her as it might otherwise appear.

Omar, out!

I’ve found a Booger!

No. Not that kinda booger!

This kind of Booger!!!

Ain’t he cool? Booger here is in need of a home. Currently he lives with his long time human parents who now, due to age and health, can no longer care for him. According to our Reptile Vet, this Iguana is the best cared for lizard she has ever seen. He even gets his scales oiled regularly! Did you know that four foot long lizards can be potty trained? This one is! No foolin’! He’s a sweet one. Loves to get scratched, loves a warm dark blanket to sleep under and loves his salad.

If anyone takes a notion, check us out at Chaos & Critters or on Petfinder.com. Heck, just write to me and I’ll send you a few more pics.

Never thought I’d see a beautiful Booger, but now I have!

Omar, out.

In Defense of Hillary Clinton

*gag!* You have NO idea how bad that title tasted!

Here’s the thing: Every week I get something along the line of a thousand emails. Most are legit. A number, (too many), are spam. Another percentage are Internet Rumors. Mostly the rumors are silly and obviously horse shyte. The point where I begin to have issues with the rumors is when they threaten the future of this Great Land I call home.

You see, all too often those email rumors are aimed squarely at Senator Hillary Clinton and that is where the danger lies. Attacks of every conceivable nature have been leveled at the Senator from New York. The vast majority are obviously totally false, others can not be substantiated at all. (For starters, check out Snopes.com if you want to check for yourself.) I’m here to tell all of my Dear Readers that this type of cheap attacks must stop – and I mean right now! We don’t have time to play with cheap internet jokes.

The mid-term elections are rushing down upon us even as I sit here typing and Conservative may be in a world of deep, dark, shyte. The next Presidential Election is closer than you may want to think. If there was ever an occasion not to be wasting time on false accusations against Hillary Clinton, this is it. If the best we can do is the tripe that is out on the Web now, (mostly old and recycled crap), then count on Hillary Clinton changing her title from Senator to President.

It can happen. It will happen. And YOU are the only hope for the ‘Land of the Free’ to stay that way!

This may sound like the rantings of a desperate Conservative flunkie. So be it. What I know is that should Hillary Clinton gain the office of President and there be anything even close to a Liberal majority in either House or Senate, then America as we know it will cease to exist. Freedoms we have known for centuries will be swept away in a tidal surge of Liberal/Communist cheers and tears. Just for starters…

Taxes? You haven’t seen taxes yet!
Gas prices? Dude, those are just the beginning! Hillary would *love* to see $6.00 per gallon be the norm.
To my fellow Outdoorsmen: kiss your guns goodbye, and your knives (just like in jolly ol’ England), and hunting, and – if PETA gets it’s way – good bye to fishing! (Wouldn’t surprise me to see PETA become a Government Agency under Hillary…)

Finally, to my Christian Readers: You may think that people like me, (a tattooed & pierced Pagan), are your worst enemy. You are wrong, for you and I share many common beliefs. One of those is that as an American we may worship our Creator as we see fit. I promise you that the Liberal Left has different ideas that they wish to impose upon us all. As they see it, ‘the mob’ – as they refer to the population – is deluded by Faith and can not be trusted to make individual decisions and is in need of ‘guidance’.
Thier ‘guidance’ I can do without, thank you very much!

There is one thing I’ve learned since moving down here to the Gulf Coast. Preparation. Hurricanes are stearn taskmasters. Wait until the last minute and you will lose. Everytime. The same goes with Elections. We must prepare. We must come together, we must gather facts – not cheap lies. This preparation must start now.

We must also seek out our strongest to do battle in 2008. McCain? Rice? Giuliani?
I don’t know.
What I *do* know is that it is time for us to get started on the path and to arm ourselves with FACTS – not fiction!

Omar, out.

Loophole Allows Arlington Burial for Murderers

(Found on NewsRadio 710 WPMI-AM Mobile, AL website.)

By LISA HOFFMAN – Scripps Howard News Service

If the notorious BTK serial killer Dennis Rader wants to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, there’s nothing to stop him.

But that would change under a newly unveiled Senate measure to close a loophole that allows some murderers to be laid to rest in America’s most sacred soil.

“We should not bury brutal murderers alongside America’s honored dead,” said Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, which held a hearing on the matter last month.

Rader – who called himself “the BTK killer” for “bind, torture, kill” – was recently convicted of murdering 10 people in Kansas. Under current law, he is entitled not only to burial at Arlington or another national cemetery, but also to such military honors at his funeral as the playing of taps and the presentation of a flag to his family.

LZIL: file not found:
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That is because Rader received an honorable discharge from the Air Force, where he reached the rank of sergeant. Such service entitles him and other veterans to the right to be interred in a national cemetery. It also is because Rader was sentenced to life in prison with at least the technical possibility of parole in 2180. As a result, Rader is not covered by a 1997 law passed to prevent the remains of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh _ who was a decorated Army soldier during the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War _ from being buried in any such cemetery. That law was narrowly written to exclude from burial just those convicted of capital murder with a sentence of life without parole or death. Veterans’ organizations had fought a broader measure because of their contention that _ except for the most heinous of criminals _ an honorable term of duty is sufficient justification in itself for a military burial, regardless of what else the person might have done. But reports last summer of the placing of the cremated remains of convicted double-murderer Russell Wayne Wagner at Arlington triggered a new look at the burial rules. Wagner was convicted of killing Daniel Davis, 84, and his wife, Wilda Davis, 80, in a brutal stabbing in 1994 in Hagerstown, Md. Though sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, he was eligible for parole. After Wagner, 52, died in February of an apparent heroin overdose in a Maryland state prison, his remains were placed in a columbarium at the cemetery. The son of the murdered couple was outraged to discover where Wagner had been laid to rest, and the situation stirred Congress to re-examine the rules. Craig has also introduced a bill that would allow the removal of Wagner’s remains from the cemetery. At a hearing in September, Department of Veterans Affairs officials said those claiming the national-cemetery-burial benefit are checked to make sure they indeed served, and did so honorably. No criminal records checks are currently made. (Contact Lisa Hoffman at HoffmanL(at)shns.com.)

Oh crap! This needs fixing!
Omar, out!

Terror Survival, my big ol’ butt.

I’ve just wasted 15 minutes of the short amount of time I have left on this planet reading a pile of shyte called a Terror Survival Handbook. Here’s the list of items they suggest you have on you at all times.

Energy Bars. Have you ever ate those things? You’d do better eating the nearest corpse…
A small towel. Duh. Anyone who has ever read “A Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” knows that! You’d best make it a large towel, though…
A bottle or two of water. No complaint here, though I’d add water purification tabs or one of the new filter straws as well.
A small flashlight. Always a good plan.
A moderate amount of cash. Another well made point.
A small whistle. Make that a LOUD whistle. Don’t play here. If you’re trapped a small kids whistle won’t make it.

“Wait!“, you say. “You just agreed with most of the points on the list“. Yep. I did. Problem is that the list isn’t complete. If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog then you are aware of the “everyday carry” items I’ve spoken of so often. Grandpa Homer made me a believer and I hope I’ve made one out of at least one of my readers. Here they are:

A knife – *well* sharpened. Mankinds first truly effective tool and still used everywhere,everyday.
Some way to start a fire. I carry a Zippo lighter. YMMV.
A length strong string or small rope.

With these items added to the list above you can survive a hell of a lot of bad shyte. However, I’ll add one last thing:

A Handgun that you are well trained in the use of, and at least one reload. Why not go ahead and be proactive when it comes to terrorism? I like any weapon firing a round .40 caliber or larger – preferably .45 caliber.

Let’s be real here. We’re talking about terrorist wanting to kill you and as many of those around you as possible. If you’re certain he’s a terrorist, take his ass out first! Terrorist are NOT human beings. They are vermin and should be treated as such. It is best to swat the mosquito before it bites.

That it for now from Mobile, AL.

Omar the Bull, out!

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