What are American priorities ?

Good morning everyone. Just reading the morning online news services. It makes me wonder just what citizens priorities in this country are. I mean besides personel ones. Does anyone care about the state of our nation. Have we become so numb that we don't care anymore?
Iraq is becoming completely unstabilized.....more so everyday. A government has been established....President Bush announces that it's a great day for the Iraqi people and the security of both Iraq and the United States, we now have a valid allie in the war on terror.( what else can he say, it's gone to shit)
Dozens of troops have been killed or wounded since the establishment of the "new " government. One of CBS's reporters is severely wounded, and two of her colleagues are killed along with US soldiers. There are now allegations of war crimes surfacing from proir events in the war. The Bush administration hears about it from the "press"!!!! What? Why didn't the President subordinates notify him about the allegations? Maybe it's more smoke and mirrors by the administration to allay blame.....who knows......
On the home front, we have allegations from members of Congress that the FBI is over stepping it's authority for investigating the alledged bribery of one of it's own. Congress has already demonstrated that it can't controll the illegal activities of it's own members. So what do the do? Cry wrong doing on the FBI's investigative techniques and hide behind the Constitution, yup....makes sense to me.( more political bullshit )
People in this country just don't get it or just don't care, either or, and I don't understand why.
Our country will soon be a third world nation. Our skilled labor force is disappearing. We are on the verge of giving people who came into this country as illegal aliens, AMNESTY. Then to top it off, they are only going to be required to pay up to two years in back taxes. OK, we give them amnesty. What do we do about the people that jumped through all the legal hoops to get here, to immigrate lawfully? What bone are we prepared to throw to these immigrants? I'm sure that Congress, being the outstanding institution it is can villify these people too.
I ask Americans.....where does the impropriety stop? The world is ever changing. It is a much more dangerous place to live today than it was even 5 years ago, as we well know. Has so much happened in such a short period of time that there is to much to follow? Have we all(myself included) become so disenchanted, that we feel that "resistance is futile!". I do wonder. I know I don't give anyone answers to these questions here. I do however ask the questions. Do I point my finger at people here?...DAMN right I do. I hope the ones I point the finger at read some of what I write. I'd love to debate their actions, I'd love to hear their answers. Not that they will give me truthful ones.
From what I read in the news these days, it makes me think that the main stream politicians are corrupt, they say what they think people want to hear to get elected, then tell us to go to hell. There was a news article the other day on one of the prominent news agencies stating pretty much the same thing.( it was about Congress telling working Americans to go to hell). If one politician rebutted what was stated in that article, it wasn't printed.......but I don't think anyone responded to the allegations. Amazing, absolutely amazing.
I don't think there was a response, because if there had been, it would have made for outstanding news, and the news services would have been all over it....but nothing.
So I guess we are going to hell, just like the political pundits want us to........to bad. If I'm going to hell, I'm going down fighting.

Hey! Have a good day, and good luck.

L8TR
Chris

Sometimes.....I just have to wonder

Hello everyone, hope your holiday weekend was good. Mine was...thanks for asking. ANYWAY, I guess this will be from my bikers point of view.
I just got my Harley rebuilt. The whole engine is brand new with the exception of the fly wheels and the engine cases. What this means to you non-biker types is that I have to break the engine in. This means no running it over 2500 rpm. This translates to approximately 53 MPH in 5th gear while traveling the highway.
I had occasion to make a run to Syracuse New York from the Binghamton area. I decided that the most direct route would be to run Rt 81. (big mistake) I got on the higway, stayed in the right hand half of the right lane, kept the tach at 2500 rpm, and tried to mind my own business.
I got to about exit 7 I think, I noticed drivers passing me on the left. Low and behold many of them were displaying a prominent middle finger. Apparently my 2500/rpm 53 mph didn't meet the parameters of their road trip requirements. I know it was a holiday weekend, and I know everyone was in a hurray Friday afternoon, but come on people. It's a dual lane highway, the posted speed limit is 65 miles per hour, and there is NO posted minimum speed limit. Now I know why these people were giving me the finger. They were obviously of limited intelligence, or at least experiencing a moment of limited intelligence. That and they were in a hurray and were pissed because they had to wait a few seconds to get into the left lane, to pass me, because of the heavy traffic.
Now many people will say that, well....you could have gone the back roads. Yes I very well could have gone the back roads or side roads or I could have hired a helicopter to transport my Harley to Syracuse.
Basically......many,many people are stupid. Most don't know they are stupid. So, as a result of this, I had to suffer their rath of finger giving. I feel if thats the worst thing that happen on an otherwise uneventful trip, then it was a success. You ask then, Why do you write about it? I say...because I can.
Now.......I have another question for my fellow bikers. What is the fascination with the wearing of the NAZI style helmut ? Really.....I'd like to know. What is it with certain bikers that feel they have to associate themselves with the Nazi's. The helmut looks just like the helmut the Nazi soldiers wore during the blitzkrieg, during the D Day invasion, when so many of the German soldiers killed the Allied troops breaching the beach head. Why would you want to wear the same style helmut of the troops that sent 6 million people, innocent people, to their deaths. Everytime I see someone wearing a helmut styled like the one the Nazi's wore, I say, there goes another Nazi......or so it appears. Seems this year I've seem more than ever.
Now I know that it's our right to freedom of speech, and the right to express ourselves in this country. I'm not saying you can't wear the Nazi style helmut, what I'm asking........Is WHY? Why wear it? It don't look that cool to me........

Have a good day and good luck.............

L8TR
Chris

We're in it together.... and boy are we in trouble!

Just look at the headlines. Members of Congress raising hell because the FBI executed a warrant, a legal warrant, issued by an acting Judge, an officer of the court. To search the office of a government official who the FBI claims they have on tape, accepting a bribery.
Ok....now maybe the guy didn't do it....we gotta remember, innocent until proven guilty and all that. HOWEVER......I seriously doubt that the judge in this case would have issued a search warrant unless the FBI guys had pretty good evidence. The judge had to know that it had to be a hornets nest when he signed the warrant.
The in trouble part I'm talking about is how loud and clear that Hastert and Pelosi are yelling that members of Congress are exempt from the law because of their position. They are saying now to subvert the FBI's investigation that they are going to transfer the records to the I think it was the Ways and Means comittee..........what the F*&%? Openly admit that they want to stop a legal investigation by a goverment law enforcement agency. Hell, why don't they just promote legalized Congressional corruption..........so I say folks....boy oh boy are we in trouble, big trouble.
Just ain't no more safe havens or super heros anymore.....how demoralizing.

Ok, I'm late for the morning mail run gotta go, lemmee know what ya think if ya read this.

L8tr

Chris

Did I call that one or what!!!????

Good morning to all. Sad news from Aruba........the authorities in Aruba have released the newest suspect in the Holloway case. What did I question in my post yesterday? The guys lawyer said they had to release him for lack of evidence.
Lets face it America, these law enforcement types in Aruba are clowns, they should be in a circus, not law enforcement. The head prosecuter had better take stock of the eveidence these idiots are using to bring these people in.....or maybe it's not their fault. Remember, the Van der Sloot fellow is the son of judge or a magistrate. This latest detainee is a friend of Van der Sloot, so we gotta ask.....is there maybe some politics entering into the investigation. Maybe, or maybe not. It's hard to read anything into what we get from the media. I think what the Aruban and Dutch authorities are releasing is very limited in scope.
My view as a retired law enforcement official is these Aruban/Dutch law dogs are at best, a clown act that no self respecting cop would want to follow. The take I got from what I have read is that they didn't want to, or were reluctant to, cooperate with the FBI. WHY???!!! If they want to solve this thing they would accept help from outside agencies.
Anyway....another alledged suspect has come and gone.....a man arrested then let go because of a lack of evidence. Once again, the relatives of Natalie Holloway are denied a possibility of closure around their daughter.
What can I say......THIS!!!! You so called Officers of the Aruban/Dutch court, Law Enforcement of the Aruban/Dutch government.....get your SHIT together and solve this mess......OR let our forensic specialists from the United States intervene and help. As we say in the biker world...."Are we gonna dick around all day or are we gonna ride!!!!" You guys in Aruba have dicked around enough, get the job done already.

L8TR everyone...........
Chris

News Flash.......ARUBA!!!!

Good morning again. It seems the clowns in Aruba have come up with yet another suspect, and the ninth arrest in the Holloway case.( I wonder if they will let him go too?) I just gotta ask....are these Aruban/Dutch sleuths ever going to get this right? I mean come on! I think they had the original three way back when, but being that the lead suspect was the son of a judge or magistrate, well you all know the drill.......let'm go...we'll find some unsuspecting dope to pin it on.....
I guess we'll just have to take a "wait and see" stance....right? Right!

Have a good day

L8TR
Chris

....and the rehtoric continues

And a good Monday morning to all. Just reading the news at the various online news web sites. I was reading what our illustrious Attorney General Gonzales was saying about the 1st Amendmant not being an "absolute" when it comes to reporters writing about leaks that concern our "national security". He's talking about the leaks about the domestic spying reported I think first by the New York Times.
I might be inclined to agree with him.......EXCEPT.......I'm very concerned about what the current Administration claims as important to "national security". We still don't know if the NSA has collected everyones phone records or not. The big three phone companies all deny that they turned over client records as it would have violated certain "privacy laws". So the jury is still out on that one. Sounds like a leak designed to add to the current administrations "smoke and mirrors" program.
However...we still have the pending investigation into the Valerie Plame "outing". This investigation has been ongoing for almost three years. Fearless leader Bush first stated that if there was anyone leaking information in his administration he wanted to know. Well....it appears that the "leakers" in this case were Gunner Cheney and his front man Herr Libby.......last I knew they were Bush administration people, even Karl Rove may have had something to do with it. The most drastic thing that has happened is that Herr Libby resigned,,,,Oh Boy! Wow! Yippe KiYea MotherF*&%#.....that is certainly dealing with it.
My point to all this palavering is that....well.... it appears that Gunner Cheney and Herr Libby purposely released this information, they wanted it out there....so a reporter does what reporters do, they report. It's the same thing with the domestic spying program. Someone in the government put the information out there. Now our government wants to arrest the reporters for reporting information that was leaked by high government officials, the 1st Amendmant be damned. Bullshit...arrest the guy that leaked it. It ain't rocket science people.
This same principal applies to all government leaks.....whether or not they sanction the leaks. If you want to prosecute someone Mr. Gonzales, prosecute the perpatraitors, not the reporters doing their respective jobs.
This Bush administration appears to want to take cetain liberties with the constituiton as they see fit. Manipulate it so that it will fit their agenda.....they are playing a dangerous game with the liberties founded for us not that long ago.....lets not forget where we came from.

With that.....have a good day and good luck,

L8TR
Chris

Perception and word games

Hello everyone, lets stay frosty and watch them corners. OK....lets see...where was I?....Oh yah........The Senate has approved of President Bushs speech about the "illegals" being in the country. They have voted to give them amnesty. Like it or not, call it what you want...." a shot at citizenship".....it's amnesty. Hey look! When the tax collector says your taxes are due....and sometimes ya don't have all the money....they give you amnesty....a chance to pay your taxes later.
Well part of the bill says that the "illegals" will have to get proper jobs and pay back taxes...."PAY BACK TAXES"(taxes previously owed).....DUH!!!! thats a form of amnesty. They are going to give 12 million illegal aliens "AMNESTY" Friggin smug bastards.......and it's for the good of the country......ya right......they are mining votes for the Republican party is what they are doing.
MEANWHILE back at the ranch.........they(the military pundits) are having discussions about about POWS and interrogation techniques. It has been reported that the Bushies like to take" UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACHS TO GAIN TIMELY INFORMATION" in interrogating participants from the other side in our war against terror. I think a more appropiate term would apply.......TORTURE.......YA! folks thats what they are talking about......"unconventional approachs to gain timely information" is the politically correct terminology for torture. Yup....uh-huh it is.
Just like saying the "undocumented" instead of "illegal aliens". Now lets not forget to give President Bush credit for his part in all this as he endorses all these ideas. I mean really, how nice he wants to sooth everyones worries. I mean after all his buddy Karl Rove told the Hill that the President doesn't want to discourage anyone from crossing the border from Mexico into the United States to make a better life..........SOOOOOOOO.....lets send 6,000 National Guard troops to the border with Mexico, and lets build a great big fence, a triple layer great big fence.........I mean really......would that be a discouraging image to anyone that might think they can just waltz right through the border and become better just for being in America.
Give me a break.....really.....they show the squalor and bad conditions these immigrants come into when they cross the border.......well guess what???!!! DON"T COME THEN!!!!! Morons......stay in Mexico......like Forrest Gump said....."stupid is as stupid does"....gee I think we could apply that to Washington politics too.
Now lets not forget this guy.......Rep. Harold Rogers Republican Kentucky. This guy is in charge of Congress' Homeland Security Budgit, it has been said this guy is an" exemplary figure of Congressional disgrace" he has plied companies with tax payer money, held up ID cards for Homeland Security defense personel at great expense. He has been given trips to Hawaii, California, and Ireland, so on and so on......now what I wonder is.......what is this asshole still doing in Congress? Really I do. Why isn't his lame stupid ass in prison some where?
Yet it continues, everyone is more concerned with terminology, the rights of illegal aliens in our midst, and offending people that haven't even entered or tried to enter our country yet.
I mean lets not concern our selves with the myriad of wounded service men and women returning from Iraq, lets not help them get rehabilitated, or oriented back to life in these United States. Lets not do something about getting people BORN here health care. Lets spend billions of dollars trying to get social security to illegal aliens. Christ this country is screwed up, it really is.
Good news is my Harley should be almost ready to ride this afternoon....maybe that will help to improve my less than even outlook on our grand nation. I actually just don't like the present leadership we have, they don't have much where with all to see what they are doing wrong....OH Well....a deep subject........get it?

Hey everyone, have a great day and good luck........

L8TR
Chris

It is what it is, no gettin around it.......

Hello everyone, I got some more bitchin to do. Yup and it's about Bush. Sorry, but I'm just sick of his crap. (* note: I'm a registered Republican, but don't know how much longer)
OK....he says that he's sending our already over worked and underpaid National Guard to the Southern Border. He says they are going there for logistical support of the Border Patrol.........Ya.....So what!!! If they are going to be logistical support only, then what good is it to send 6,000 troops to the border? We need to close the borders, stop the infiltration of illegal aliens into our country. Yes folks I said "illegal aliens", not guest workers, not the "undocumented" as some "politically correct " pundits have named the illegals.
They have come to us illegally, they work here in violation of labor laws, at the behest of people willing to break the law to hire them. Yet Bush and Gunner Cheney want to make them citizens.( Also SCREW you Mexico, if we want to use troops to stop people coming into the US we will, you use your troops to distribute drugs to the American drug dealers, you hypocrite bastards)
On another note about the illegals. I have a fellow biker friend, he is a Puerto Rican fellow....guess what he says. When he came to America from Puerto Rico, an American protectorate, he had to get a job to stay. Prove that he had a job, and he had to prove that he could provide for his family before the government(at the time) would let him stay here. Granted that this was well over 20 years ago, but he did it. He did what he had to do to stay in the land of grand oppurtunity. He has done well for himself and his family. He is also grateful for his prosperity. He says of the "illegal aliens" that want amnesty now....It is what it is, they are illegal and they need to take their own responsibility for that, so it goes,from a Puerto Rican fellow....."it is what it is".......He says it's to bad that they were allowed to infiltrate the US as easily as they did, but now it's time to pay the piper.....and I gotta say.....I agree with him.
So Mr Bush and Gunner Cheney....don't burden me with problems that I'm not responsible for......stop trying to generate a greater voting base for the Republican party with illegal aliens, and try running the country with honesty, and integrity, rather that with smoke and mirrors, and when the smoke thins out don't stand there shrug your shoulders and say Oh well....the next guy in line can figure it out....like you did with the troops departing Iraq.
It's time to step up to the plate Mr. Bush, however, I highly doubt that you understand that concept, you or Gunner Cheney.

Hey everyone....have a great day, and good luck,

L8TR
Chris

...and the political pundits(or hacks) say Bush doesn't cater to the wealthy

Yup! They went and extended good ole boy Bush's tax cuts. Yes it will effect my income. I can expect to see another whole $46.00 in my tax return next year. Hey with my $100.00 gas relief return Congress wants to give me, if I play my cards right I can get a tire for my Harley. Wow! Wouldn't that be great. Opps, I forgot that Congress decided not to do the gas relief thing, I guess it cost to much.
Now if you make over a Million bucks a year, you will get a net savings well over $40,000.00. I'm glad to see that President Bush has my elderly moms interest in his heart. She don't even make $20,000.00 a year with what little pension she gets and social security. Thanks George, you got such a big heart, and thanks to Congress for extending those tax cuts. I'm sure your big pay check earners and the special interest groups you guys entertain thank you too.
Hats off to Lou Dobbs, just read his piece on the immigration issues on CNN. Nice job Lou, keep up the good work. Not that Bush will listen to you or anyone else....remember, he has the DEVINE connection with whatever.
DAMN!!!! What the F*&% has happened to this country?
IS ANYONE OUTRAGED? ANYONE!!!???? I know life ain't Burger King and we can't always have it OUR way, but damn!!!! We are gettin shit on all over buy this President and his administration. We have a Vice president that made millions off a war he was instrumental in concocting......and no one is pissed?
Gunner Cheney pisses and moans about patriotism, yet he and an aide are the front runners in the race as suspects in an investigation into the outing of a CIA agent. Screw Cheney and Libby.
Then we have good ole Congress, they too must think the American public are morons, or asleep, or comatose. The idiots in Congress, both parties, couldn't find their asses with both hands if they had to.
Well, I've spouted off enough, I need to go put my Harley together and get straight with myself. I'm not sorry about what I write, but I'm pissed. Plenty pissed. This is bullshit, and we are expected to sit and take it. Makes me want to relinquish my right to vote, seems it doesn't do any good anymore, politicians are in it for their own agendas, and screw the people who put'm there. The fore fathers of this country must be turning over in their graves, ashamed of the government and what it is today. I know I'm ashamed of the US government. I certainly don't feel they have our nations best interest at heart. How very sad, that I have to put this in print.

At any rate, have a good day.......

L8TR
Chris

I can't resist this entry

Well.......I see Gunner Cheney is at it again. Now he's gone and pissed of the Russians. Putin is saying that Russia now needs to build up it's military and bring it to paroday with other nations. He ( Putin) apparently in a speech made veiled references to Cheny's assertions that the Russian government isn't being mindful of civil rights and democracy........
This coming from Gunner Cheney who had a closed door session with Congress in regards to the governments right to interrogate (torture) prisoners in an effort to obtain valuable intelligence for use in the war against terror. Not to mention the incarceration of detainee's without the filing of charges against them, still being held in US military prisons. I guess this isn't considered a violation of anyones rights .
OK.....Does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture......or is it just me? Maybe I'm the one with the warped view of the world, or at least this situation.
My shit gets old doesn't it? Damn it pisses me off the way these politicians double speak, say what they want to who ever they want, and then deny responsibility for the outcome.
Then again, I guess if I made 9 million dollars last year, I'd say pretty much what I wanted......Oh well.

L8TR
Chris

What's next?

Good morning all. As you can see I'm just sitting here wondering what the devil is next in line for the United States.
We are in a war that we can't seem to bring to any thing that resembles a conclusion. We are being governed by a "lame duck" president who's numbers are approaching some of the lowest we've seen in awhile.
There is a developing "nuclear threat" from an entire country of islamic people who a vast majority of their population wish terrorism upon our sand covered heads.( Yes folks, most of us here in the US have our heads in the sand or up inside another body cavity).
Our Congress is politically ineffective because there is so much in fighting, and possibly corruption. The jury is still out on the corruption part.....I guess. Who knows.
The President is making changes in his administration for who knows what reason(s). Yes, the White House administration "outs" one of it's own spies, swears the perpatraitor of the act will be dealt with. A special prosecutor is assigned, and what happens. The "outing" leads right back to the top levels of the United States government....so what do pundits in charge do, re-appoint a new head of the agency where the spy was "outed" from. NOW! theres some bold thinking. Yup, the Bushies are saying, we nippped that one on the ear didn't we.
Our government has to look like the biggest clown act to the rest of the world since I don't know when. Ya sure it's easy for me to sit here and throw insults at the current administration, make fun of them and what have you....but ya know what? I'm tired of it.
Every news agency on line shows political hacks stating this about that, how they are going to change things and it's business as usual. Nothing changes, the economy worsens, or world position slips more and more everyday. The citizenship of the United States suffers more and more.
The governments response to the Gulf coast has been less than a half assed attempt, I mean they haven't even tried to appease the people affected. However they did bring charges against a Law Enforcement official who did the right thing for the people in his parish.
The press highlights the last letter sent to Bush from Ahmadinejad about him wanting to be God buddies with Bush. Did they forget about Bush saying he had a direct connection to God? Hey! who knows, maybe they could pray together and release some of the political tensions between the two countries.( You think I'm being sarcastic?).
Anyway......I do wonder whats next for us. I still say we're all in it together, and I do wonder when, loud and clear, public out cry will begin? I guess when some people get the sand or the shit cleaned out of their ears........

L8TR
Chris

Just one of the FBI's ten most wanted

Hi all, I learned about this guy on Americas Most Wanted on Saturday night, this guy is....no other way to say it.....an ASSHOLE. WARREN STEED JEFFS w/m DOB 12-3-1955, 6'3 to 6'4" tall, weighing in at about 155 pounds. There is a picture of him at the FBI's most wanted website, I think he is also on Americas Most Wanted website too.
He is considered a profit by his followers in the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints church or religious group. He is also known to travel with a contingent of well armed LOYAL body guards.
His claim to fame is that of getting his followers to permit their younger (in the area of 14 years old) daughters to submit to arrainged marriges to older men.
Ya this guy is an asshole.......sounds like its "made to go prostitution". He and his followers are practicing polygamists, including the cops in Colorado City, Arizona. It appears that these cops were helping this piece of shit accomplish his activities. Apparently to lower the number of prospective grooms, many of the young men were uprooted from their homes and run out of town. At the behest of of Jeffs, and the cops did it for him.
This guy could be any where, from Utah, to British Columbia, to Mexico. Has ties to several other states too.
I just had to pass this on to anyone that cares. This guy and those that help him need to run down hard, and their own brand of terror stopped. It needs to be done quickly and quietly, with extreme predjudice.....I hate to be judgemental, but this guy needs to be stopped.

OK, I ranted enough, everyone have a good one.

L8TR
Chris

Fighter Planes and make shift used car lots

WHOA!!!! It has beeen awhile since I blogged. Not that anyone has noticed. Anyone who reads this is probably wondering what the devil fighter planes and make shift car lots have in common, how are they linked?......well....they aren't.
This last weekend I was in Syracuse at my girlfriends home. We were doing things out side. The Airmen from the 174th Fighter Wing of our Air National Guard were out flying their F16c's. What a tremendously beautiful site to see,... these state of the art fighters fly.
On two different occasions I saw these guys fly vertical(in a hurray) and over the top and straighten out. It was truely an impressive act to witness. It made me wonder what it must be like to sit at the controls of such an tremendous machine. Whats it like to pull g forces like that flying straight up and over the top.
My hat is off to those guys flying the F-16's from the 174th fighter wing. Thanks boys for the security you provide not only the citizens of central New York State, but also the United States.
Now......the second part of this blog is 'NOT" so patriotic, it may seem idiotic to some. Take some time and drive around, and check out some of the mall parking lots. Especially the ones close to busy roadways. See if you don't notice a myriad of vehicles with "For Sale" signs posted on them in some manner. The vehicles are usually parked in the parking spaces closest to the roads, and not near the buildings the parking spaces are intended for. I must also mention that for the most part these spaces are usually unoccupied even during normal business hours.
My point however is this. This is not public property. These parking lots are privately owned by developers who lease the mall spaces to individual stores. The parking spaces are for mall patrons.
What I am wondering is this. What makes people think that they have a right to go to these places, put a "For sale" sign on a car, boat, motorcycle, couch, trailer, or what have you, and advertise to sell it. I mean the stores there are paying rent, usually to the tune of $1000 a square foot or something like that to sell their wares. Do the people selling their cars and other various pieces of property have permision from the mall owners? Is it someone from the stores selling these items? I think not. These people are usually people who have some sort of interpretation of entitlement, that it is their God given right. It's OK that they trespass on the mall properties and sell their things.
If I'm wrong about this, please feel free to contact me via my blog, and let me know. Not that any of this matters, nor is it any of my business. It's just something I wonder about, and I just ask the simple question, why do we Americans feel free to take more liberty than is already awarded to us, as we do live in a democracy, and can pretty much do as we please as long as we don't infringe on others rights. If you read this and have an answer, let me know.

Thanks for reading. have a great day, week, and month, I will blog some more I'm sure.

L8TR
Chris