I'm Baaaack!!!

It was good to get away for a few days. I had my doggie, Laura, to keep me company.

Just to show you the kind of people you meet in rural Nebraska, I have two stories.

First, I stopped in at the Big Springs grocery to get some meat for the trip. The lady told me about the bag I left there last September with fly spray and a fly swatter in it. She told me to go to the back and get those items. It's a small, homey little place - mostly farmers.

Second, I got big time stuck at the North Shore, gate 5. The Ranger was precipitously close to going into the ditch and I had tried jacking it up, putting rocks underneath and all - no go. So, I took Laura and headed up to the highway. At 10:30 PM, there was NO traffic at all. Finally after about 10 minutes a little car came by. The guy slowed down and then turned around. It was a squeeze to get in Dick's little escort, as it had been hit on the driver's side. But heck, I'd ride in anything rather than walk back to my trailer. Dick worked for the railroad and had a HUGE garage at his place, in Lemoyne... In the back was an old Ford Bronco - the big kind. He popped the hood and squirted some gas into the carb to get her going as she hadn't been started in 6 months.

To make a long story short, the Bronco towed my gutless Ranger out of there, with almost no resistance. We exchanged information and he said he'd take a case of MGD beer, when I got a chance. I stopped in Ogallala the next day and got him two. Not a bad deal for twenty -two bucks. The Bronco is for sale and he'd let it go for $500.

News Blackckout!

Gosh, the news is all bad, with the exception of the stock market today. That's why the trip to Nebraska is SO necessary. I suppose there will be the inadvertant news on the FM radio stations, but hopefully if I turn on PBS on the tv, it will be some documentary on the Great Plains or the railroads or something nice.

The news coming home will hopefully be many trout or walleye caught and that the pipes and water heater don't leak when I turn on the water. I'm getting too old to crawl under that trailer, but I think I could replace the old water heater.

Have a great week!

Cho family statement...

I'm just glad I did not hear any ignoramus make racist statements about Koreans. This has to be one of my favorite Asian nationalities. I will continue to look at most Korean people as kind, loving and peaceful people. The family statement only backs up what I say.


As a white guy, I've got to remember that the vast majority of these mass shootings was by angry white males.

A quiet sort of loner I may be, but unless I totally loose my mind, I have no intention of going out and killing people. As I hate guns, I doubt this is likely. Unlike this young man, I've realized that with the Internet, there is a place for everyone and I just gave up trying to fit in with society at large. A handful of friends makes me happy and I hope to get a couple out to the trailer in Nebraska.

Whew!

Things ain't gettin' no better! I don't want to comment much on the Virginia Tech shootings very much, except to say that it's hard to think about... I remember I was not working during the Columbine tragedy, watched too much television and got depressed.

Reading comments in a Denver Post forum, I notice that everybody has a solution now... Yeah right! Those comments were coming out before they'd even ID'd the shooter. I was sad to see he was an immigrant - just for those who would lump all Asian foreigners together.

All that can be done is to comfort those who lost loved ones and thoroughly examine any information that can be found on that guy. I'm sad to say this probably isn't the last school shooting (high school or college), that will occur. Until there is an abatement in mental illness, I doubt any government actions will resolve anything.

Cheney: Democrats likely to back down on war spending

Yeah, he's probably right... But the "war spending war" will likely go on way too long - at the cost of the troops. As I said in an earlier post, Nancy Pelosi should have given the President until the end of the year to show results.

To his credit, Bush appeared to hear voter sentiment and fired Don Rumsfeld back in November of last year. My question is: is the "surge" working???? Aside from some cheerleading by Senator McCain, I see little evidence of this. We are getting numbed to the daily car bombings and there seems to be no letup.

Cheney should wipe that smirk off of his face and stop making such aggrevating remarks. All they accomplish is challenging the Democrats to fight harder against the Administration.

The demise of IMUS...

Well, at least I can say I know who this guy is. I'm not at all interested in talk radio, but sometimes venture towards talk television. I must say that after hearing and watching the ladies on the Rutgers team speak, they don't at all fit Imus' description. I know he was just trying to be funny, but when there are bright articulate people being labeled in this fashion, it is not going to go over well.

The bottom line is that Imus apologized and they accepted it. Sure, I think some kind of punishment is in order: perhaps a suspension. But this sudden firing goes over the top. Why not let him serve a suspension and have warning that upon return that this kind of racist remark will NOT be tolerated!!?? Then they would have to see if enough people would listen or watch him to make it worth it to continue the show. He was around a long time and I bet there would still be a following.

Happy Easter!

This is, without a doubt, my favorite Christian holiday. I feel that in the case of Easter, the Christian part overcomes the superfluous stuff like the easter bunny or colored eggs. Too bad the Easter sunrise celebration had to be cancelled, but we do need the moisture... Anyway, I like that there is no month-long hyper fest as in the case of Christmas. And then people get mad at you if you wish them happy holidays during the whole month of Christmas!

Easter is just one day, or one week if you are religious.

As for Jesus, the reason for the holiday, I choose to believe the traditional story that he died (for our sins), and was resurected three days later - to be re-united with his father. I'd prefer just to think that he was never married.

Back Home!!!!!!

Oh thank God the British sailors are home with no major incidence. I hear a lot of complaining about how they were used for propaganda, but considering the stakes.... it all worked out well.

I was impressed about how well-spoken their Commander was and he did a good job in explaining what was said in Iran. Media stunt it may be, but it's over now!!!

I liked the confidence with which they claimed that this will not happen again. I hope the British and American Navy personnel take due precautions to insure it does not.