Jim White's Open Salon Blog

Pick a Piggie

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:09:08 -0400

This little piggy went to market (and screwed it up)

This little piggy stayed home (which one?)

This little ~~piggy~~ pit bull had ~~roast beef~~ mooseburgers

And this little piggy had none

This little piggy cried "Wee, wee, wee" all the way home (see photo above).

Open Season on Democrats?

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 14:09:58 -0400

Thanks to an article in today's Gainesvile Sun, I drove by and took a picture of this sign:

The sign is on this building:

Here is the website for the business.

Here is the owner, G.F. Butch Ford, in his own words in the article: “The Democrats have been traditionally anti-gun. I’m just stating my thoughts as to who I think should run the government based on that very narrow issue,” Ford said. “Do I want to shoot Democrats? No. The Democrats love the First Amendment, which is freedom of speech, but tend to ignore the Second Amendment.”

I think Mr. Ford might enjoy a few phone calls and faxes from people who would like to exercise their First Amendment rights and let him know what they think of his sign.

Gee, with the arrests in Minnesota the last few days for "conspiracy to riot", I wonder if Mr. Ford might similarly be at risk for conspiracy to murder? Don't hold your breath.

"He said, (sniff) he would pick meeee!"

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:08:30 -0400

Okay, this afternoon I was taking a nap and I thought I heard a strange noise from my cell phone. I picked it up and clicked on the line, only to hear a conversation get started.

Here is what I remember:

“Harry (sniff), it’s Joe.”

“Joe, I told you to quit calling me. We kicked you out.”

“But Harry, I can’t quit crying. He said (sniff) he would pick meeee!”

“I’m sorry, Joe. We told you he was bad news.”

“Please let me back in, Harry. I’ll be good (sniff). I promise.”

“Joe, I told you the only way I can stay in charge is by kicking you out. Nothing personal.”

“Harry, I’ll do any(sniff)thing.”

“Joe, I really don’t think there’s anything you can do now to help yourself. And try to stop crying.”

“Harry, I have an idea. When I get up to give my speech Monday, I’ll tear up the written copy and say that I endorse Barack. Would that get me back in?”

“Wow, Joe, if you do that, I might just be able to help you.”

“Thanks, (sniff) Harry.”

“Joe?”

“Yeah, Harry?”

“Will you check my bearings?”

That’s when I hung up.

Don't Pick the Old Guy!

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:08:01 -0400

August 29, 1936.

That is the date of birth for John Sydney McCain III. To capture the flavor of that date, I found what was purported by an enterprising E-bay seller to be a copy of the cover of The Saturday Evening Post for that date:

That slogan on the car really seems to sum up the McCain campaign: “Four wheels, no brakes. We’re off!” McCain’s campaign on the Straight Talk Express has no brakes. The “maverick” is allowing his entire campaign to be run by lobbyists and he has abandoned all of his centrist views to try to win over the base (and boy is it base) of his party. The look of skepticism on the young lady’s face says it all.

On the occasion of McCain’s 72^nd birthday, I took a look at the Wikipedia entry for the number 72. One interesting tidbit is that was the number of fights for Joe Lewis, who finished his career with a record of 69 wins and 3 losses. Notice that the magazine cover refers to an article where Max Schmeling explains how he beat Lewis in their first match-up. Schmeling is an interesting case. Hitler tried to use him as a propaganda tool, but he resisted giving in entirely and never got rid of his Jewish manager. Lewis wanted a rematch and got it quickly. Here’s what happened to the older white guy in this one:

A final note on Schmeling is that he went on after his boxing career to own the Coca-Cola franchise for all of Germany. Kinda like marrying into a Budweiser distributorship?

Of course, no observation of McCain’s birthday would be complete without recalling the touching scene three years ago on the tarmac in Arizona, on the day that Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. It’s hard to believe that the White House still has this photo on its web site:

Barack Obama’s 72^nd birthday will be August 4, 2033.

If the voters of the United States elect John McCain as president, we will be getting the equivalent of this 1936 Hudson:

Good luck with that!

Bullying as Foreign Policy

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:08:05 -0400

C'mon, George. Pick one side of an issue and stay there. Remember back in July of 2003:

President Bush today came close to taunting Iraqis who were attacking American-led forces in Iraq and said the assaults would not cause the United States to leave prematurely.

''There are some who feel like -- that the conditions are such that they can attack us there,'' Mr. Bush said. ''My answer is, bring them on. We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.''

Or, more recently, we have this:

President Bush thanked Mr Brown for his "strong statement" and added:"The Iranians must understand that when we come together and speak with one voice we are serious." He said pressure was necessary to "solve this problem diplomatically" -but added: "Iranians must understand, however, that all options are on the table."

So, how in the world does that get us to this little gem coming out of his mouth this morning, in discussing the conflict between Russia and Georgia:

"Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century," Bush said.

The poster boy for bullying and intimidation as foreign policy is now finding his own faults in another leader. I really don't think there could be anyone on earth with a bigger self-awareness deficit.