I’ve received an email giving The Bull a ration of shyte on my take of the death of the ‘Butcher of Baghdad’, Saddam Hussein. I reviewed the latest video showing the entire execution. There was nothing there to change my mind. Saddam was taunted by his executioners, he taunted them back. He then began his last prayer which was cut short by an even shorter drop.
The Bull’s decision stands. Evil or not, he died like a man.
End of Discussion. 
I stampeded over to Bushwhack’s blog, American and Proud, found the following, and promptly stole it. Hope he don’t mind…
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Here are some statistics and conclusions about a different subject.
If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq
theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.
The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. Is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period.
That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S. Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.
Conclusion: The U.S. should pull out of Washington.
This one from Pop…
Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack.
1973 – Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack’s rifle, goes to his car and gets his to show Jack.
2006 – School goes into lockdown, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1973 – Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends. Nobody goes to jail, nobody arrested, nobody expelled.
2006 – Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario: Jeffrey won’t be still in class, disrupts other students.
1973 – Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal. Sits still in class.
2006 – Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping.
1973 – Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2006 – Billy’s Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy’s sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has affair with psychologist.
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to school.
1973 – Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2006 – Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1973: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2006: Pedro’s cause is taken up by state democratic party. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he can’t speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1973 – Ants die
2006 – BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny’s Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary, hugs him to comfort him.
1973 – In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2006 – Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.
All in the name of progress!
Enjoy your day.
Bull, out!
Did Saddam deserve his fate? Of course! No doubt about it.
The Bull hates to see any man dragged to his execution whimpering, though. It was this fate I had feared, not that I have any sympathy for the despot. I have to say that Saddam Hussein showed remarkable calm and presence of mind as he walked to the very gallows where he had sent so many others to meet their God.
I will NOT be placing any video links on this blog. Too many others have chosen that path and I will not cheapen this blog nor the struggle of the Iraqi people and US soldiers by such antics.
Saddam is dead. As it should be.
Life goes on.
Bull, out.
The Bull has been somewhat taken aback by the sudden shift in fortunes this week! Though there was bad news on the ex-wife front at the start of the week, that news was immediately quashed by news that I had won a Mosin-Nagant 7.62×54mm rifle from a local dealer. (Pick it up Saturday.) It has been a solid decade since I have won anything.
That alone was enough to signal a change, but then the dam burst and my long-threatened novel became a true work in progress! Suddenly, I only have to sit down at the computer for the words to flow. Already the first chapter is done and the entire outline is complete.
Gods, it feels soooo good!
Bull, out!
BAGHDAD, Iraq â€??? An Iraqi appeals court has upheld the death sentence imposed on Saddam Hussein at his first trial, Iraq’s national security adviser said Tuesday, and a tribunal official said the verdict will be carried out even if the presidency doesn’t ratify it.
Now, Saddam, take your medicine and die like a man. Alas! The Bull fears the old despot will have to be dragged to the gallows while pissing his pants. Remember that this is the same Saddam that was found hiding in a hole with a loaded pistol – yet never fired a shot. “Never be taken alive!” Yeah. Right. At least his sons went out in battle.
R.I.P. Saddam, you old bastard.
Bull, out.
It has been a while since I took time to write. This right foot of mine has drawn me away from the computer while I battle the infection. The medications do not make things any easier. Considering how my mood shifts when I don’t write I suppose I should listen to my wife, children, and friends and simply throw myself into writing full-time. Given a chance to so much as punch out a few words a day I am a much better Bull to live with on a daily basis.
One of the things I love to do is to observe people, watch their interactions, and then write about them. Usually what I write is kept separate and very private. Perhaps the best place I know to study people is that Southern highway icon, Waffle House (hereafter WH). When I think of the number of hours I have spent in either one of those elevated stools at the bar, or in one of the booths to the right of the entrance, (that being the non-smoking section in apparently all Waffle Houses), I almost cringe. Just almost, though. Too many wonderful stories have been told over glasses of iced tea, too much romance, (yes, romance!), has blossomed over hash browns – scattered, covered, and smothered, of course.
Yesterday morning I stopped in at one of the local Waffle Houses for a bite to eat. There was a tad of guilt on my part as I normally would never go without Lady Beth. Still, I was hungry from waiting on the Dept. of Veteran Affairs to dispense more antibiotics for the afore mentioned infection. I’ve visited this particular WH several times since I adopted Mobile, AL as my new pasture. Hobbling through the two glass doors my nose was first to warn my body systems of almost sinfully taste ahead as well as the most certainly sinful amounts of fat and cholesterol that would soon be slamming my arteries shut. The air is thick with the scent of grilled meat, melted cheese, eggs, and onions. Hash browns seem to have no real scent of their own, just the wonderful things they are topped with like onions or jalapeños. Behind it all is the smell of coffee. Always. Personally, I’m happy to report that I’ve made it to the age of 45 never having tasted coffee. I don’t know why, just never even wanted to try it. Same for smoking tobacco or pot. Simply no desire. Then again, I adore haggis – especially when made with deer parts.
To the right of the door all of the booths were full. No matter as it is kind of rude to take up a booth for only one. In the first booth were two men, white and in their sixties, debating Life, the current war, marriage and anything else that came to mind. Behind them was another couple. Black, middle-aged, and very well dressed. It was the manner of their dress that drew my attention, but it was the way the looked at each other that held it. It was obvious that they had eyes for no one but each other. Never had, never will. During my meal they said very little yet communicated with each other continuously. Yes, they wore matching wedding bands. Behind them, against the back wall, were three young women. Two white, one Japanese. Asian women, I must admit, have always caught my attention. As I moved towards the empty bar to take a seat I heard the Asian woman speak, though softly, in a definite Japanese accent. New immigrant or student? Student. And she appears to be no stranger to the grilled hash browns!
The following report is from Military.com. Yep, I swiped it in total, but I am giving them the credit. Hey, it’s 0330 here! Gimme a break!
Norfolk, VA. – After 22 years of service, USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) was inactivated in a ceremony Dec. 14 at Norfolk Naval Station Pier 3.
The widow of Adm. Hyman G. Rickover, retired Cmdr. Eleonore Rickover, who also served as the ship’s sponsor, attended the submarine’s final ceremony and was able to recount vividly the day Rickover was brought to life. She also recounted the significant impact the sub had on her life.
“This submarine has been very special to me the last 22 years. When my husband died it was like, through the submarine, he was still alive,�? said Rickover.
Rickover, whose name was memorialized with the attack submarine, as well as Rickover Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy, retired from the United States Navy on January 31, 1982, after 63 years of service to his country and to 13 different presidents.
During the ceremony Adm. Kirkland Donald, director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion, talked about some of Rickover’s philosophy and traits and the life accomplishments which had a large impact on today’s Navy.
“Adm. Rickover believed that hard work and heavy sweat was the only way to work and he often reminded his students of that. We are his students and we share one thing in common, we strive for excellence, because he taught us how,�? said Donald.
Donald went on to say that it was a sad day, but also a time to celebrate the accomplishments of Rickover and its crew. During Rickover’s 22 years of service it has completed 14 deployments and earned four Battle Efficiency “E�? awards, pending the announcement of the 2006 results.
Rickover recently returned from its final six-month deployment to the North Atlantic where it made port visits to Haakonsvern, Norway; Faslane, Scotland; and Rota, Spain. Submarines like Rickover have comprised the front line of defense for decades.
During deployment the crew demonstrated the flexibility of the fast-attack submarine by conducting stealth endurance and agility operations in support of the global war on terrorism and maritime security operations.
When first commissioned, Rickover surpassed the underwater capabilities of any class of ship that had come before. With stealth, persistence, agility and firepower, fast-attack submarines like Rickover are multi-mission capable -– able to deploy and support special forces operations, disrupt and destroy an adversary’s military and economic operations at sea, provide early strike from close proximity, and ensure undersea superiority. Rickover is 360 feet long, displaces 6,900 tons of water, and can travel in excess of 25 knots.
Another one gone. Sometimes I wonder how you guys that retired from an entire career on the boats don’t just weep with every such story. ‘Tis a sad thing to see such strength and honor set aside and scrapped. Ah well…
Bull, out.
Someone, please, explain this one to me. I caught it on Fox News Online.
NEW DELHI, India â€??? An Indian runner who won a silver medal in the women’s 800-meter run at the Asian Games earlier this month has failed a gender test and is likely to be stripped of her medal, news reports said Monday.
Santhi Soudarajan, 25, was made to take the gender test in Doha, Qatar after her victory.
The test reports sent to the Indian Olympic Association on Sunday say said she “does not possess the sexual characteristics of a woman,” The Times of India reported. The test was administered by a medical commission set up by the games’ organizers.
There are no compulsory gender tests during events sanctioned by the International Association of Athletics Federation, but athletes can be asked to take a gender test. The medical evaluation panel usually includes a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, and an internal medicine specialist.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, chairman of the medical commission of the Indian Olympic Association told the Indian Express newspaper that the Olympic Council of Asia had been informed of the results of Soudarajan’s gender test.
Sports officials in the athlete’s home state of Tamil Nadu said that they have no information on her whereabouts. “If the reports are true, then it is very sad and extremely disappointing,” her coach, P. Nagarajan, told the Indian Express.
The Bull stands confused. Doesn’t anyone ever think to check these things? How many guys do we have playing girl’s sports? What are we talking about here? Does “she” have male bits? Is this a case of too many steroids? What?
I swear, some will do anything to get ahead…
Bull, out.
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Your Christmas is Most Like: A Very Brady Christmas |
 For you, it’s all about sharing times with family. Even if you all get a bit cheesy at times. |
Do you ever get the feeling that somehow you just can’t get things right?
That’s the way I feel about surgeries. I seem to pull through each one – even the really dangerous ones – just fine. I follow every request of my doctors to the letter. Yet somehow during the healing process something always goes wrong. Usually an infection of some sort.
You’ve guessed it, haven’t you? You’re right. The foot surgery I thought was behind me has made a bad turn. I woke up on Friday and the foot was somewhat red. (Mind you, this is a full week after the Doc said all was well and removed the sutures.) Later, a tiny hole opened in the scar line and… and…
Well, let’s just say you never want to see stuff like that leaving your body in ANY form or fashion. I nearly lost my cookies. I’m talkin’ some nasty, grody, shyte.
Back to the Doc. Back on crutches. On massive doses of antibiotics and boredom. So, if The Bull seems somewhat quiet for a few days, you know why.
Later!
Bull, out.
Sometimes a small story comes down the wire that not only catches your eye, but also has a huge “pucker factor”. This wee tale is most definitely one of those stories! I caught this one over at Fox News. They snatched it from the Associated Press. I had to start a new category for this one!
NEW DELHI �?? An Indian man who was attacked and mutilated by a group of people with a grudge had successful seven-hour penis-reattachment surgery, a news report said Sunday.
The unidentified 28-year-old man was assaulted in an unidentified town about 125 miles from New Delhi, the Times of India reported. Despite taking nearly six hours to reach a hospital in New Delhi, doctors were able to reattach the severed organ because it was properly preserved in ice after the attack. The surgery lasted seven hours, the report quoted Dr. Aditya Agarwal, who performed the operation, as saying.
“I am able to do all the things a normal person does, and I am very grateful to the doctors,” the man was quoted as saying. He said he had an old dispute with his attackers.
B.K. Rao, a top official at Sir Gangaram Hospital where the surgery took place, hailed the successful operation. “It has given back a young man his life and his social status,” he said.
The Bull doesn’t know exactly how the loss of ‘manly bit’ effects a man’s social status in the confusing culture of India. However, I can agree on the bit about getting his life back! [insert full-body shiver here] That, Dear Reader, would be a serious blow to a guy’s ego.
I suppose he could become the ‘John Bobbet’ of Indian porn…
Bull, out!
My local shooting club, the Pascagoula Shooting Club, held our second business meeting of its new era on Sunday. Despite being brought near to ruin by financial tom-foolery we have stood together and found ourselves strong! A new set of By-Laws, a SOP, and a sound business plan were presented to the Membership for review. The Bull was even named Executive Secretary and I hope to fill that position with all due diligence.
Along with the “plinking” range, (which is the very backbone of every shooting club), our range also offers long range shooting to 1000 yards – the only such range within some 300+ miles. Every shooting discipline is offered. Planned expansions include simple trap and long range bench rest.
The Bull tends toward the more traditional single action/lever action and muzzleloader shooting, but to each his own. It also doesn’t hurt that I’m already set up for such shooting! (Being big on eagerness doesn’t entirely make up for being light in the wallet.)
At any rate, stop by our website and check out what is going on down here on the Gulf Coast.
Bull, out.
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