DENNY GREEN FIRED IN ARIZONA

He was who we thought he was.

HANGING OUT WITH SADDAM

It's not my purpose here to engage in sophomoric discussion of the merits of capital punishment. Specifically with respect to the world as we find it today, what will it improve and what will it make better when the Iraqi's whack Saddam, presumably this weekend. Would it be better if they let some Kurds drop saran gas on him?

On the one hand, this gives them "closure" (they're still an occupied country but they're gonna have closure.....and I'm a Japanese Astronaut). On the other hand, there's the argument there's been enough killing and dying (Although, in the words of Doc Holliday, Saddam probably "needs Killin' ").

OK, I teed it up. Now you hit it out of the park. Your thoughts?

PIKE COUNTY COURTHOUSE: CLEAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT!

My understanding is that it is more difficult to keep an old building clean and well maintained. Well, the Pike County Courthouse is very old but the folks there keep it spotlessly clean. There are a lot of well maintained buildings in the UMRB but none better than the Pike County Courthouse. So, when candidates talk about "cleaning up" local government, it's already been done in Pike County. It's a credit to the Sheriff and County Board.

Good Job, Folks.

GERALD R. FORD: EXAMPLE OF A MAN GROWING INTO THE OFFICE

Gerald Ford was one a crop of midwestern GOP congressmen who constantly fought progressive programs during the Nixon years. It was always either Gerald Ford or Melvin Laird carping about some evil thing the democrats were doing to the Dickster. Ford seemed, frankly, dull and unimaginative. The only time he ever smiled was when he was around Bob Michel. Irrespective of his political philosophy, he just never seemed very bright.

When he was appointed Vice President, he was immediately exposed to all the evil influences there. I don't know whether Haig tried to make a deal with Ford for Nixon's advance pardon or not, but Ford must have felt under enormous pressure whilst Tricky and his minions were still there. This seemed to have concentrated his mind wonderfully. He was a different guy.

Then he became president. Instantly, he became this rather independent outside-the-box thinker, on the pardon, on Vietnam, even on the tax brackets. On balance a pretty good president (even if I did think that Henry Kissinger was given way too much leash). Another example of man of decency and sound personal principles growing into the job.

Even while he was being something of a hack candidate for president, he continuing being a solid president.

Even when we think we know how the job will develop the person, we really don't. In Nixon's case that was probably a bad thing. In Ford's case it was a good thing and sort of made one feel good about the human condition.

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

So far today, I've been in the Circuit Court, the State's Attorney's Office, the Circuit Clerk, The Probation Department, the City Treasurer, Comptroller, HR Director and Reception area. There's one or more sick person in every one of them.

What a recipe for epidemic disease. Get everybody on a negative diet, sleep deprived and full of anxiety, then jam them into crowded places (Malls, WalMarts, Churches and Parties) where they can share all of the mutant, antibiotic resistant bugs they've cooked up in their little human petry dishes and then, if they're not already contaminated, keep them in the house all day sharing the same food source.

Honoring Baby Jesus by viral sharing--It's a family value. Since we really don't know what date Jesus was actually born on, maybe we should Spread the holiday around in the warm months. You know, like A-E in May, F-M in June, etc. This would also help reduce stress on package handlers and spread cash flow more evenly for retailers. I'll be the Centers for Disease Control would like it!

BE JOYOUS AND, ABOVE ALL, BE SAFE

To all my cybercolleagues and RW friends, have a great holiday and be careful out there.

WHO WROTE THAT GRANT?

I just read in several national newspapers that there was this massive study done to gauge the sexual activity of young people. The came to the astonishing conclusion that a boatload of youngsters were having intercourse before they got married. Can you imagine that?

That was certainly money well spent. They should have stood it on its head and studied whether the guys who were claiming to score regularly actually were (or whether it was the quiet guy who didn't put his business in the street.)

I feel like a better person for having this penetrating knowledge.

NOTE TO ADAMS COUNTY YOUNG DEMOCRATS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Everybody in the party looks forward to your annual "Beef in the Boonies" Party. You're always gonna need the money. The party always needs unity events. How about you get it on the calendar so we can plan around it and promote it.

Note: It doesn't have to be an election year for money to be a cool thing for a YD org. to have.

BREAK TIME

No substantive posts today, Friday or Saturday. I'll try to moderate comments but no guarantees. Be well. With a little luck, I be back at ya Sunday, maybe Monday.

HUMP DAY HAPPINESS: FULL RSS CAPABILITY

Thanks to Forgottonian, OQ and Rocky Racoon, as well as several out of town bloggers for the feedback on my RSS. Somehow I'd managed to turn it into RDS (Real Dysfunctional Syndication) but today, only three months after I broke it, it is back up and doing whatever the hell it does.

The modest number of sites who syndicate me are thanked for their patience. For those of you waiting to go to Beta Blogger, I think it's safe now.

WILL SMITH QUOTE APPROPRIATE FOR THE SEASON

"People buy things they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't like."

DILUTION IS W'S SOLUTION

The strategy is pretty obvious and pretty lame. The President is going to a whole bunch of places to "seek consultation" on the "way forward". The whole purpose of this appears to me to be not learning or taking input but to water down the ISG recommendations and turn them into just another resource out there.

I'm not saying I'm buying the entire ISG either but this sure looks like a way to trivialize the ISG, keep doing what the administration is already doing (not defining the benchmarks that equal "victory") and make it look the ISG is just a modest part of that huge buffet out there of responsible advice.

Stubborn is still stubborn, even when it's sold as revised analysis.

DEAR MR. RUDE PUKE HATHEAD BASKETBALL FAN

You are everywhere, BDG, The Pit, Pepsi, upper and lower, and you're very big in Liberty.

I am talking to all in your species. Did your mother ever tell you that it was rude to wear your hat indoors? Did it ever occur to you that the short woman sitting behind you, who paid for her ticket just like you, is having trouble seeing over you and even more trouble seeing over your lovely, adjustable, high crowned, Skoal logo cap? Does it really mean that much to you, at a school basketball game for you to tell the world, with your ball cap, that you're a Carolina Panthers' fan? Have you considered that the little boy you brought along to the game (presumably your son --must be your visitation weekend) is learning something from watching your rude, self-absorbed behavior? Or perhaps that thing is just stapled to your head.

Or maybe it's much simpler. Maybe you're just so stupid that the idea of removing an outdoor accessory INDOORS just never gets onto your radar screen. Or maybe your bulb is so dim that your radar screen isn't even illuminated. You really don't look that stupid. You're clean, have most of your teeth and seem to have dressed yourself. If you are that stupid and if you represent the new, emerging America, this would mean we need a whole new level of remedial signage at the area Gyms. It would be like "Gym behavior 099". A start would be:

NO PEEING IN THE HALLS--PLEASE USE THE RESTROOMS

NO SMOKING IN THE CROWDED GYM WITH THE GUY IN FRONT OF YOU WEARING A SWEATER THAT'LL GO UP LIKE KINDLING

CONCEALED CARRY IS DISCOURAGED ON SCHOOL PROPERTY

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM GROPING OTHER FANS

TAKE YOUR FREAKING HAT OFF IN THE GYM!

Should we really have to tell people stuff like this?

PUTTING THE "WORD" OUT!

OK, I'm just the messenger here but there's a new brand of malware out there. So far as I know it doesn't have a name yet, possibly because it's not the virus that's new, it's the way of getting it into your computer. Hackers have found a hole in MSWord that can be exploited to implant a virus. There is no patch yet.

Until the Patch is out, don't open Word documents emailed to you unless you're expecting them, even if the source is trusted.

You can read more about this at the Microsoft site or at Kim Komando's site. Here's the bizarre thing (I've never seen this before): the technique works in both Mac and PC versions, Mac 2004 and later and PC 2000 and later.

Update your virus protection software and ask for any expected documents in PDF. It's a jungle out there!

SAY IT AIN'T SO, JOE!

No, I'm not talking about Shoeless Joe. I'm talking about highly respected blogger Josephus. Preliminary indications are he's transferring his interesting and entertaining blog to Blogger in beta. There are two things anyone considering the transition needs to know: First, the change is irrevocable; and , Second, beta means "we don't have all the bugs out, yet!"

Good luck, my friend. I hope you don't have the problems I had when I mindlessly made the switch.

IRAQ STUDY GROUP: DIFFERENT ANGLE

What am I missing here? A bunch of admittedly distinguished citizens submits a report and folks on both sides of aisle go "Ooh-Aah" as if they'd invented freaking flubber. It makes me ask two related questions:

1. Don't we already have a CIA, Terrorism Czar, Intelligence Overseer, Department of Defense, War College, Joint Chiefs and a National Security Council to do stuff like this?

2. Why is it that Washington types seem to think that, just because folks are old, they have no agenda of their own? Only young people are on the make? I kinda doubt it.

EASTERN MEDIA--I HAVE NEWS

The unwashed out here in flyover country are really not having as much trouble getting through the day as you in the presence of all the uncertainty about what Tiki Barber will be doing next year.

Oh, and you can quit saying "New York Football Giants". For those of you scoring at home, there haven't been any "New York Baseball Giants" for nearly 50 years. You got the Mutts instead. Get over it!

A FOND GOOD BYE TO A GOOD HEARTED, "STICKER" OF A MAN: GEORGE RODNEY SACKETT

This weekend we say good bye to a local treasure. George Sackett has helped more people in more ways than about anybody I ever met. He was practicing tough love with his friends going through troubled times before anybody knew that's what it was supposed to be called.

If he was your friend, he'd never quit on you. He would be there not only till the last dog died, but until he did. There was no more ferociously loyal friend.

George was a gifted craftsman, a skilled businessman and a compassionate, humanistic man. He had unusual, folksy speech patterns but was still a captivating storyteller. He was a brother veteran.

There is no one to replace George's heroic assistance to an entire community in need of his skills and passion. Still, if all the people he has helped will now pass it on to others, we'll do OK.

Special people come into our lives. George was one of mine. Nobody ever taught me more about what it means to be a man, in the best sense of that term.

I'll miss you, Buddy. Every time I'm in a tight spot, though, I'll handle it better for having had your example. GodSpeed.

SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, THE BCS GETS IT RIGHT!

Just when it looked like the BCS was about to spit the bit, they got it right and have Ohio State Playing the SEC Champion instead of Fichigan, whom they had already beat.

The perverse thing about this is that it is BAD for the game. It'll make it look the BCS is providing a useful National Championship Format and probably get their contract extended, thereby forestalling a true playoff.