Spring Cleaning

A list of things that should be done away with, preferably forthwith:

"LOL"

"LMFAO--" The slang AND the group.

"Squeee!"

Socialism/Communism

The unrealistic belief that we will ever rid the world of bullying, hatred, racism, war, etc.. As long as there are humans on this planet, these things will exist.

Revisionism-- particularly as regards the War For Southern Independence and the Lincoln Myth.

Madonna's career-- seriously, it stopped being cute a long time ago, honey.

The Tim Burton/Johnny Depp partnership

Disney-- if you won't market your movies properly, what's the point of even making them?

Religious charlatans-- and not just the ones on TV.

More to come, I'm sure...

Book Review: Abuse of Power by Michael Savage

I think a new genre is in order: the "thriller-written-by-talk-radio-host" genre. "Abuse of Power" is, overall, a much better book than Glenn Beck's "Overton Window." This is primarily due to it actually being thrilling. Dr. Savage presents a much more action-packed novel than Beck that relies, not upon conspiracy theory, but actual existential threat for it's source of tension. The characters here are much more fully realized than in "Overton," with believable back stories and motivations for what they do (or, indeed, what they don't do).

Dr. Savage also manages to weave small history lessons into the narrative, making the book even more interesting. The action's locale moves around frequently, giving the plot an international scope. While, to some extent, the main character (Jack Hatfield) could be seen as a greatly idealized version of Dr. Savage himself, it did nothing to lessen his believability in my eyes (just as the knowledge that Conan the Barbarian was an idealized version of Robert E. Howard doesn't lessen Conan's appeal). And that is where I think "Abuse" succeeds where "Overton" does not... you believe in, and sympathize with, Dr. Savage's characters much more than Beck's... which is essential to any thriller.

For anyone who has or would pass this up because of preconceived notions about Dr. Savage, I would say that you are doing yourself a disservice by doing so. Dr. Savage has, with this first novel, proven himself as an adept writer of fiction. I hope to read more novels from him in the future.

Random Thoughts: March 26, 2012

It's really annoying when you find out that people are talking about you behind your back. It's even more annoying when people speak ill of you to others, with you present, as though you weren't even there.
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Oral arguments for and against Obamacare began today in the Supreme Court. Let's hope this travesty of a law is struck down... not just for our sakes, but for the sakes of our children's and grandchildren's futures, as well.
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For someone who has no record to run on, and whose biggest "achievement" is hated by the majority of American citizens, Obama sure seems confident of his reelection. Now, I'm no conspiracy theorist, but this makes me wonder if he and his cronies know something that the rest of us don't?
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I see "The Hunger Games" is a success. I have absolutely no desire to see it. After reviewing the basic premise of the story, I found that I liked it better the first time around... when it was called "The Running Man."
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If today's children want to read truly great fantasy, they should be reading all the Robert E. Howard, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Edgar Rice Burroughs they can get their grubby little hands on. Far, far better stuff than what is passing for fantasy these days.
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I love reading about religions of the world, past and present. It never ceases to amaze me what some people are willing to believe. I generally consider myself non-religious, although I do believe that there is a God of some sort. However, if I were to decide to practice a religion, it would probably be Odinism. I like it's family-and-friends-first philosophy... which is especially suited to me, as my friends ARE my family.

Book Review: The Overton Window by Glenn Beck

I didn't really expect much from this one, I have to admit. Beck has fallen out of favor with me in recent months as he has descended into Alex-Jones-without-the-Jew-hatred territory. His finger-in-the-wind endorsements of just about every Republican Presidential candidate, culminating in a predictable siding with fellow Mormon Mitt Romney, has been another source of frustration. Still, I decided I'd give this a go... and I'm glad I did.

Although described as a "thriller," there is very little real action in the book. This is made up for by a well-executed sense of intrigue, using real-life as a backdrop, to some degree. Although some of the main characters are thinly-veiled versions of actual individuals (some bordering on outright caricatures), the "it CAN happen here" feel the story possesses tends to override the flaws in characterization.

In short, give it a shot... no matter your political persuasion. It's a fast, easy read (I finished it in three days) that, I feel, is a good first attempt in this genre. I hope Beck gives the thriller genre another go. With "Overton Window," he has shown a good deal of potential.

More About Me Part 2

When I was born, I was a mess by all accounts. I'm told I had a double hernia and an extremely rapid heartbeat. The doctors had to stop my heart and restart it electrically, which was still a fairly new procedure in 1972. I wasn't expected to survive. Looking back on my life now, especially the past few years, I sometimes wish I hadn't.

It's becoming more and more apparent to me that I must have raped a nun in a past life. That's about the only thing I could have done heinous enough to justify the miserable turn my life has taken in the past few years. The weird thing is, I actually welcome it, in a way. The more obstacles, the more adversity, the more misery that gets heaped upon me is only going to make my eventual triumph all the more sweet. The best can't be hidden away forever, and the cream really does always rise to the top.

I was always taught to believe that I wasn't better than anyone else, but that's not true. I am better than everyone and everything that stands in my way. I guess I've known it all along. And, in due course, they'll know it, too.

To paraphrase the liner notes to one of my favorite band's albums, " I only wish to live long enough to piss on the graves of my enemies."

Random Thoughts: March 19, 2012

Much like the "contraception issue," the gay marriage issue is not about civil rights. It is about religious freedom.
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I read that a Disney executive said that the company expected a loss on "John Carter." Apparently... since they made absolutely NO effort to market it properly. Which, of course, begs the question: Why would any company spend so much to make a film that they, admittedly, expected a loss on?
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After viewing a recently-released promo photo from the upcoming "Lone Ranger" movie (also a Disney production), I have come to the conclusion that it will be a stinkeroo. With the Ranger (Armie Hammer) in a black three-piece suit and Texas Ranger badge, and Tonto (Johnny Depp) in corpsepaint with a dead bird on his head, I believe that Disney's lack of respect for the source material will leave them with a real flop, once again at their own hands. At least now 1981's "Legend of the Lone Ranger" won't be remembered as the worst LR depiction ever.
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Apparently, the next series of the flagship BBC program (and greatest television series of all-time) Doctor Who is to feature a Western-themed episode with scenes shot in Almeria, Spain, where some of the best (and worst) Spaghetti Westerns were filmed. As if I needed another reason to be excited about DW...

How Not To Rig A Primary

There are reports that Democrats have been voting for Rick Santorum in states with an open primary system, because they believe that he will be the easiest person for Dear Leader to beat in the general election. Whether they are right or wrong is a debatable point, but the real issue here is the rigging of a political party's primary by the opposing party. I posted the following in a Facebook group last night. As Ted Nugent would say, "It's so simple, it's stupid." I said:

"This primary season is all the evidence needed to push for a National Primary... where every state votes on the same day and we get rid of this antiquated "caucus" Bovine Scatology once and for all. You must vote in your own party's primary, and "independents" have to shut up and take whatever us non-wishy-washy types give them to choose from. And absolutely NO changing party affiliation within six months of any election. Just for good measure, we should also make it illegal for candidates or potential candidates to engage in anything that could even remotely be construed as campaigning before six months prior to any national election."

Feel free to add to this list in the comments section...

The Point

Lately, I find myself wondering "what's the point?" What's the point of trying to do the right thing, help those who need it and shoot for success? From where I sit, I can see none. Not when doing all the above only serves to get you shat upon with a vengeance by those who would fancy themselves your betters. Nice guys really do finish last, it seems.

The only things that keep me going are my friends-- my real friends. They know who they are, or at least, they should by now. More than one of them is in the same boat... knowing that they will spend their entire lives striving for what, in the end, will be nothing. And all the while, those who were born with horseshoes up their asses will skate through life without a care in the world.

That leads me to the other thing that keeps me going-- the chance, no matter how miniscule, that one day I will be able to stick it to the pampered... to somehow, someway, make them feel as tiny and powerless and impotent as I feel now. That chance does exist, so long as I remain alive... so long as I draw breath and hot Irish/Cherokee blood continues to flow through my veins. No matter how long it takes, no matter what I must endure along the way, I know that, just as the proverbial dog, my day, too, will come.

Get ready.

A Recommendation

Great performances, great costumes, great effects, 3D that doesn't seem intrusive, an excellent adaptation of a classic story, and the foxiest Martian princess you are ever likely to encounter... on screen or otherwise!

I cannot stress this enough: GO SEE "JOHN CARTER." You will not be disappointed.

Peyton Manning: What's The Big Deal?

The following is my opinion, formed over many years of having Peyton Manning shoved down my throat by my fellow Tennesseans.

Can anyone explain to me why anyone should give a rat's hairy hindquarters about Peyton Manning? I mean, this is the guy who is deified by fans and alumni of the University of Tennessee, yet couldn't deliver a National Championship to them. Yet, he gets a major thoroughfare in Knoxville named for him. His successor, Tee Martin, won UT a National Championship, yet is treated as an afterthought. Another one of those "things that make you go 'hmm'..."

The fact of the matter is that since the death of Steve McNair, Peyton Manning has assumed the mantle of most overrated and most irrelevant quarterback in the NFL.

The fact of the matter is that, no matter how much unwarranted and misguided praise is heaped upon him by sycophantic fans and journalists, he will never be able to surpass the level of mediocrity achieved by his footnote-in-football-history father.

The fact of the matter is that, when everything is said and done, it doesn't matter what Peyton Manning has ever done or will ever do. He will still have to go to his grave knowing in his heart that his little brother is demonstrably better than he will ever be.

Cue the pitchforks and torches...

Random Thoughts: March 7, 2012

The Mitt Romney campaign is now saying that it would take an "act of God" for their candidate to not get the Republican Presidential Nomination.

"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name..."
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My heartfelt condolences go out to Mrs. Louise Cantrell, wife of the late Chief Warrant Officer (and Green Beret) Edward Cantrell, who died recently while unsuccessfully trying to save his two daughters (ages 6 & 4) from their burning home. CWO Cantrell is the very definition of the word "hero."
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Since withdrawing its advertising from Rush Limbaugh's radio program in the wake of "Flukegate," Carbonite's stock has dropped almost 12% from Monday's market opening. And it serves them right.
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Apparently, it's now racist to chant "USA" at sporting events in Texas, as it might offend teams with minority players. Just think about that for a bit...
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Former governor Sarah Palin says that she voted for Newt Gingrich in her home state of Alaska's Republican Presidential Primary, which means that she still has larger testicles than at least 90% of men in the Republican party.
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Twenty-four-year-old Amanda Clayton from Lincoln Park, Michigan won $1M from the Michigan State Lottery this past fall, yet still collects and uses approximately $200 per month in food stamps. She says it's OK because she took her winnings as a lump-sum payment, which halved the prize, and that "I feel it's OK because, I mean, I have no income and I have bills to pay. I have two houses."

TWO HOUSES? With "NO INCOME?!"

In my opinion, it appears as though Sandra Fluke has a new buddy in the "liberal-"progressive" prostitute" pool.

War Of Words: My Opinion

Much hay has been made of Rush Limbaugh's labeling of one Sandra Fluke a "slut" last week. Well, let's take a closer look at poor little Sandra Fluke:

1) First, she was referred to as "Susan Fluke." Then, all of a sudden, her name was "Sandra."

2) First, she was a 20-something law school student. Later on in the week, it was revealed that she was, in fact, 30 years old and that it wasn't clear if she was actually still attending law school or not.

3) It was also revealed that she is a hardcore feminist/activist who, allegedly, was specifically invited to the hearings by failed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

4) She claimed she would have to spend about $3,000 on contraception over a three year law school stint... which would average out to her engaging in sexual intercourse three times daily over the course of each year.

5) She received a personal call of support from no less than Dear Leader. That's odd... I don't remember Barry doing the same for conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham when she was called a slut by liberal talk show hack Ed Schultz a while back...

Now, notwithstanding the fact that the issue here is not contraception, but whether or not the federal government has the authority to force religious institutions to violate their basic tenets and beliefs (they don't), the fundamental question is this: what are we supposed to call a woman who fits the above five criteria?

Slut? Maybe. Liar? Quite possibly. Prostitute for a phony liberal/"progressive" agenda?

Most definitely.

Ronnie Montrose 1947-2012

The Rock genre has lost another legend. Ronnie Montrose, guitarist extraordinaire, died on March 3rd, 2012 at the age of 64. The cause was prostate cancer which he had battled for several years.

Montrose was born on November 29, 1947 and grew up in San Fransisco, California before running away to Colorado at age 16. In 1969, he started a band called Sawbuck with bassist Bill Church. During the recording of what was to be the first Sawbuck album, producer David Rubinson arranged for Ronnie to audition for the legendary Van Morrison. Ronnie then played on Morrison's album "Tupelo Honey."

Following this, Ronnie would briefly play with Boz Scaggs before joining the Edgar Winter Group in 1972. He featured on the EWG album "They Only Come Out At Night," which featured the hits "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride." Ronnie would then leave EWG to form his own band, the appropriately-monikered Montrose, in 1973. The classic Montrose line-up featured the aforementioned Bill Church on bass, Denny Carmassi on drums, and the then-unknown Sammy Hagar on vocals. The first Montrose album featured such classics as "Rock Candy," "Bad Motor Scooter," and "Space Station #5." A second album, 1974s "Paper Money," would follow before Hagar would leave the band in pursuit of a solo career. Ronnie would record under the Montrose and Ronnie Montrose banners until also forming the band Gamma in 1979, which would record three albums throughout the 80s and 90s, and a fourth in 2005.

The original Montrose line-up (Ronnie, Church and Carmassi) would reunite to appear on Sammy Hagar's solo album "Marching To Mars," on the song entitled "Leaving The Warmth Of The Womb." They also played as special guests at several Sammy Hagar concerts in 2004 and 2005. Ronnie also performed regularly from 2002 to the present under the Montrose banner with rotating bassists and drummers, and with Keith St. John on lead vocals. Also, over the years, he did session work with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Gary Wright, and the Neville Brothers, among others.

While on tour in late 2009, he revealed that he had been fighting prostate cancer, but that he had, apparently, beaten it. It seems now that that was wishful thinking.

Ronnie Montrose was one of those musicians who was well-known to the Rock community, but not as well known among the general public. I've always thought that was a shame, as this master of the Gibson Les Paul was every bit as talented as, if not more talented than, his more famous contemporaries. He wasn't a particularly flashy player, but he was always solid- delivering exactly what each song needed. Rock-n-Roll is going to be much worse off without him.

R.I.P. Ronnie Montrose. Rock on in the Great Beyond.

(Biographical information from Wikipedia)

Ride Into Glory

Dark clouds fill the sky
No worse could things for me be
I kneel and ask the Gods why
Why have thou forsaken me
But strength is intrinsically mine
I know not the meaning of quit
I will break the shackles that bind
In despair I refuse to sit

        I will arise from out of the mire
        Those who oppress me will soon feel the fire
        I will bring all of my hatred to bear
        And my cries of vengeance will ring thru the air
        As I ride into glory

Under the hot midday sun
I strike my transgressors down one by one
My sword, mace, and axe on a bloodthirsty binge
As I travel on unleashing revenge
So many assumed that they had me beat
But now they all choke on bitter defeat
It's been said ev'ry dog has its day
But 'tis only you who can show you the way

        I will arise from out of the mire
        Those who oppress me will now feel the fire
        I will bring all of my power to bear
        And my cries of vengeance will ring thru the air

        As I ride into glory

Andrew Breitbart 1969-2012

News of Breitbart's death came as a total shock to me, as I'm sure it did to most who were aware of him. He was one of the very few people these days who seemed willing to help lead the Conservative movement. His vision of utilizing pop culture, social media, and the internet in general to aid in the movement's appeal to young people was pioneering and sorely needed. I remember watching his many appearances on various television shows. His disheveled appearance and almost manic-depressive delivery, while entertaining, belied just how smart and on top of things he really was. He was one of those people, of which there are few, who seemed to genuinely not give a damn about what others thought of him. His priority was getting to the truth as best he could, and ensuring the continuance of the Conservative movement. He wasn't, as most establishment Republicans are, afraid of going after the other side the way they go after us. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet the man, but in his media appearances he always seemed to be someone I had known all my life...

Yesterday, I stated that one should enjoy life, and everything in it, as much as possible, as you never know when your number may be up. By most accounts I have read, Breitbart did just that. That should be the biggest lesson we take from the life and death of this Conservative warrior.

R.I.P. Andrew Breitbart.