RED vs BLUE - An Observation

If politics is the life blood of this country (okay, so it really isn’t) then consider this:

We have Red States and Blue States. The Red States are the ones that tend to vote mostly for the Republican and the Blue States tend to vote mostly for the Democrat.

Now, in our bodies we have our life blood – our blood. If you remember from your biology class you will remember that when blood receives oxygen (becomes oxygenated) it turns Red.

Also remember that when blood has no oxygen it is Blue.

What this means is that we need to get some oxygen to the Blue States – fast!

A-6Dude

Red State Martini
Four fresh cherries
1 ½ parts Vodka
½ part Pomegranate juice
1 part Fresh sour mix

Muddle cherries into a shaker, then combine the remaining ingredients with ice and shake vigorously until very cold. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with one skewered cherry.

Blue State Martini
Eight fresh blueberries
1 ½ parts Vodka
½ part Blue Curacao
½ part Fresh sour mix

Muddle blueberries into a shaker, then combine the remaining ingredients with ice and shake vigorously until very cold. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with three skewered blueberries.

How Do You Boil A Frog

Great Britain has caved in. UK Is Now UIK (United Islamic Kingdom).

Islamic law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases. Thus, the government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence.

This is not stepping on a slippery slope, this is getting on it and purposely sliding down.

And, if Britain does this, I am convinced other spineless EU countries will follow. I would not have thought that Britain would do this. At least, not be the first to do so.

Imagine if the Catholic Church, or any other religion, tried to be able to make binding legal judgments against people and usurp our justice system. We would be outraged!

This ruling in Britain is the epitome of liberalism running amok. They are afraid of offending the Muslims so now they will have a parallel legal system within their country. And, where will the checks and balances be? I think you know the answer to that question!

A country of laws must maintain those laws as absolute and must not bow to pressure from any group to allow a legal system to operate within a legal system.

How long will it be before a Muslim wants to bring a non-Muslim into a sharia court for some offense (perceived or real) against Islam?

I feel like a frog and the water temperature is slowly being turned up.

A-6Dude

Patriot Martini

3 parts Vodka
1 dash vermouth
1 part olive juice
2 drops hot sauce
1 cajun olive

Add liquid ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until COLD. Strain into a chilled martini glass and add Cajun olive.

The World Wants Obama - Do We Really Care Who The Rest Of The World Wants As President?

A BBC poll states that the world wants Obama. My guess is that this really means that the other socialist countries want another socialist and the trouble makers want a weakling in office.

What are your thoughts?

A-6Dude

Metropolitan Martini

1.5 parts brandy
1 part sweet vermouth
1/2 tsp sugar syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until COLD. Strain into a coctail glass and be metropolitan.

Madonna "Got Stupid"

In past posts I have talked about many of the entertainment stars that show their buffoonery when they think that they have the answers to our problems just because they are “stars”. Don’t get me wrong, they have the right to voice their opinions. But for some reason they think that their opinions are more valid then anyone else’s because of their stardom.

Madonna is the latest loser to join the ranks of those that should just “shut up and sing”. (obtw, I don’t want to hear the conservatives come out either. I want entertainers to entertain).

In her latest world tour that just kicked off, “Sticky and Sweet”, she sings her song “Get Stupid” and flashes images of McCain with destruction, global warming, Adolph Hitler and Robert Mugabe.

This is insulting and offensive! To include any U.S. politician in that same group of people is outrageous and utterly reprehensible.

I hope Americans will see this and respond by not buying her tickets. But, I fear that there are many other of her ilk that loathe the very country that gives them the freedoms and opportunities that they enjoy.

Then, at the end of the song she includes Obama, John Lennon, Ghandi and Al Gore in the same grouping. YGBSM!!

Ghandi is the only one of that four that has really done anything for the world! Lennon was a great entertainer and Gore was VP. Obama has done nothing! Give me a break!

Madonna has always been known for trying to go for the “shock and awe” approach in her career but now she has lost it. First of all, A 50 year old woman using the tour title of “Sticky and Sweet” is ludicrous.

Madonna, I hope you stay in England for the rest of your life. The last thing we need in this country is another “America-hating” has-been that thinks she represents what America thinks.

A-6Dude

And Madonna deserves no martini.

I Have Started Another Blog Site Dedicated to All Things Martini

Check out my other site dedicated to nothing political...just martinis.

http://martinioclock.blogspot.com/

A-6Dude

You'll see the recipe there.

The 5th Beatle

He’s a rock star!

No, Barak Hussein Obama is a “Barock” star. I don’t know if he can play any musical instrument but the mainstream media (MSM) treats him like a rock star.

His ‘World Tour 2008’ is being covered in depth by the MSM sycophants. When the three major network news anchors fly out with him on this tour it says a lot about them. This man is not anything more than a first-term senator who happens to be the presumptive nominee of the Democrat party.

The way the MSM is fawning all over him you’d think this was a reunion tour of the Beatles. Or, perhaps Barak is the 5th Beatle! John, Paul, George, Ringo and Barak!

Give me a break! This guy is not the President of the United States yet the MSM is covering every stop as if it were a state visit.

So on his ‘World Tour’ it is reported that he has an approval rating is 80% over there. Why isn’t it that over here?

The Europeans probably do like Obama. In reality he is a socialist. Any objective look at his policies and proposals will lead any honest person to say that the only difference between Barak and a socialist is that he doesn’t call himself one. And, socialism is predominant in Europe.

And, thus, the Europeans hang on his every word. He, alone, will save our reputation in the world. You know, the reputation that Bush has supposedly ruined with his cowboy diplomacy.

As much as he is treated like the 5th Beatle, how is he going to repair a reputation that has not really been tarnished? And here is why I say this:

He was over there in Germany yesterday bashing America in his Berlin speech, and apologizing for the actions of the U.S. This is disgusting and real Americans should make this known to him.

And, who said that he could apologize for what America has done? Especially in a country that has committed the atrocities it has.

If our reputation is so tarnished why is it that more people want to immigrate to America than all other countries combined? Why is it that when aid is needed in the world the first people that are called are Americans? Not Europeans…Americans! Why is it that in less than 300 years we have become the greatest country God ever let exist? We have done more good in the world than any other country in history and we haven’t been around for thousands of years…like some of them.

We do more for the world than probably all other countries combined. So if the world hates us as much as the MSM and the liberals say, why does the world turn to America first?

Because they want to be US!

But, I’m sure they do like Barack. He supports the policies they embrace in their world. And look what it has gotten them: high inflation, double digit unemployment, more restrictions of individual freedoms and an economy that is no where near as robust as ours.

I really don’t care if any other country likes us or not. America is the biggest beacon of freedom the world has ever seen, and perhaps ever will. No American should care about what other countries think of us either.

But if the 5th Beatle is elected president this fall I wonder about a couple of things:

Will they still like him when he has to make and enforce the policies of the U.S.?

Or, will he?

A-6Dude

Nutty Martini Recipe

6 parts vodka
1 part Frangelico
Lemon twist

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until VERY cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with lemon twist.

HOW WE GOT THE WORD "AVIATOR"

This explains it all.

As an aviator, I come from a long lineage rooted in a secret society, formed around one thousand years ago. I now know that I am a warrior and here is the proof!

A little known fact is the origin of the word, "Aviator." In the immortal words of Johnny Carson: "I didn't know that."

Phu Khen (pronounced Foo Ken, 1169-?) is considered by some tobe the most under-recognized military officer in history. Many have never heard of his contributions to modern military warfare. The mission of this secret society is to bring honor to the name of Phu Khen.

A 'Khen' was a subordinate to a 'Khan' (pronounced 'konn') in the military structure of the Mongol hordes. Khan is Turkish for leader. Most know of the great Genghis Khan, but little has been written of his chain of command.

Khen is also of Turkish origin. There is not a word in English that adequately conveys the meaning. Roughly translated, it means, "One who will do the impossible, while appearing unprepared and complaining constantly."

Phu Khen was one of ten Khens that headed the divisions, or groups of hordes, as they were known, of the Mongol Army serving under Genghis Khan. His abilities came to light during the Mongols' raids on the Turkistan city of Bohicaroo. Bohicans were fierce warriors and the city was well fortified. The entire city was protected by hugewalls, and the hordes were at a standoff with the Bohicans. Bohicaroo was well stocked and it would be difficult to wait them out.

Genghis Khan assembled his Khens and ordered each of them to develop a plan for penetrating the defenses of Bohicaroo. Operation Achieve Victory (AV) was born. All 10 divisions of Khens submitted their plan. After reviewing AV plans 1 thru 7and finding them all unworkable or ridiculous, Genghis Khan was understandably upset.

It was with much perspiration that Phu Khen submitted his idea,which came to be known as AV 8. Upon seeing AV 8, Genghis Khan was convinced this was the perfect plan and gave his immediate approval.

The plan was beautifully simple. Phu Khen would arm his hordes to the teeth, load them into catapults, and hurl them over the wall. The losses were expected to be high, but hey, hordes were cheap! Those that survived the flight would engage the enemy in combat. And, those that did not? Well, surely their flailing bodies would cause some damage.

The plan worked and the Bohicans were defeated. From that day on, whenever the Mongol Army encountered an insurmountable enemy, Genghis Khan would give the order, "Send some of Phu Khen's AV 8-ers."

This is believed, though not by anyone outside our secret society, to be the true origin of the word Aviator (AV 8-er). Phu Khen's AV 8-ers were understandably an unruly mob, not likely to be socially acceptable. Many were heavy drinkers and insomniacs. But when nothing else would do, you could always count on an AV 8-er. A Phu Khen Aviator.

Denied, perhaps rightfully so, his place in history, Phu Khen has been, nonetheless, immortalized in prose. As the great poet Norman Lear never once said:

"There once was a man named Phu Khen,

Whose breakfast was whiskey and gin.

When e'er he'd fly,

He'd give a mighty war cry:

"Bend over, here it comes again."

It is an honor to be a Phu Khen Aviator. I wear the mantle proudly, but speak of it cautiously. It is not always popular to be one of us. You hear mystical references, often-hushed whispers, to "those Phu Khen Aviators."

I do not let these things bother me. As with any secret society, we go largely misunderstood, prohibited by our apathy from explaining ourselves. We are expected to always live down to the reputation of the Phu Khen Aviator...a reputation cultivated for centuries, undaunted by scorn or ridicule, unhindered by progress.

We drink, we're crude, we sleep late, urinate in public, and we get the job done.

And, when others are offended, I can revel in the knowledge that...

I am a PHU KHEN AVIATOR!

A-6Dude

Jet Fuel Martini

1 part Cinnamon Schnapps

1 part Peppermint Schnapps

Shake over ice until VERY cold. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Climate Change Delusion

Psychiatrists in Australia have discovered the first case of “climate change delusion”.

Joshua Wolf and Robert Salo, of the Royal Children’s Hospital, writing in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry say that this delusion is a ‘previously unreported phenomenon”.

"A 17-year-old man was referred to the inpatient psychiatric unit at Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne with an eight-month history of depressed mood . . . He also . . . had visions of apocalyptic events."

Sounds like Al Gore, eh?

"The patient had also developed the belief that, due to climate change, his own water consumption could lead within days to the deaths of millions of people through exhaustion of water supplies.

Here is (Australia’s) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd yesterday, with his own apocalyptic vision: "If we do not begin reducing the nation's levels of carbon pollution, Australia's economy will face more frequent and severe droughts, less water, reduced food production and devastation of areas such as the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu wetlands."

You know what they want, don’t you? They want our money! And they want to scare us with these visions of a scorched earth to get us to buy into this global warming hoax and give up our money for their cause.

And here is a senior Sydney Morning Herald journalist aghast at the horrors described in the report on global warming released on Friday by Rudd's guru, Professor Ross Garnaut: "Australians must pay more for petrol, food and energy or ultimately face a rising death toll . . ."

Did you read that? Pay more for food and energy or die? If it weren’t so arrogant I would find it funny. Okay, I am laughing at these fools, but still.

These guys, Rudd and Garnaut, want to scare people into backing their plan to force people who produce everything from petrol to coal-fired electricity, from steel to soft drinks, to pay for licenses to emit carbon dioxide -- the gas they think is heating the world to hell. They want your $$$!

The cost of those licenses, totaling in the billions, will then be passed on to people through higher bills for petrol, power, food, housing, air travel and anything else that emits the life endangering CO2. In some countries they're even planning to tax farting cows, so there's no end to the ways you can be stung.

What's next? Do we get taxed for exhaling?

Rudd, and all of the other idiots hope this pain will make people switch to expensive but less gassy alternatives, and -- hey presto -- the world's temperature will then fall, just like it's actually done since the day Al Gore released An Inconvenient Truth.

So here is where it falls apart.

Australia on its own emits less than 1.5 per cent of the world's CO2. Any savings they make will make no real difference, given that China (now the biggest emitter) and India (the fourth) are booming so fast that they alone will pump out 42 per cent of the world's greenhouse gases by 2030.

So, if the world’s green house emissions are growing -- by 3.1 per cent a year thanks mostly to these two giants -- the 20 per cent cuts Rudd demands of Australians by 2020 would be swallowed up in just 28 days.

Listen people! That's how little our multi-billions of dollars in sacrifices will matter. These people want our money and liberties and their claims that we’ll be dead if we don’t are outright LIES!

Garnaut on Friday admitted any cuts Australia makes will be useless unless they inspire other countries to do the same -- especially China and India: "Only a global agreement has any prospect of reducing risks of dangerous climate change to acceptable levels."

So if this were a real threat, and if it means that we are dependent upon China and India to buy into this and get on board, we’re toast!

A year ago China released its own global warming strategy which bluntly refused to cut its total emissions.

In that report Ma Kai, head of China's powerful State Council said, "China does not commit to any quantified emissions-reduction commitments . . . our efforts to fight climate change must not come at the expense of economic growth."

Do you hear that? This coming from a communist (not too distant from our liberals and environmentalist wackos in political philosophy and tactics)…we will not let our economy suffer in order to fight global warming. Guess what? They really don’t believe in it anyway!

Ma Kai also said, "It is quite inevitable that during this (industrialization) stage, China's energy consumption and CO2 emissions will be quite high."

Just last month, India likewise issued its National Action Plan on Climate Change, and also rejected Rudd-style cuts. The plan's authors, the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change, said India would rather save its people from poverty than global warming, and would not cut growth to cut gases.

"It is obvious that India needs to substantially increase its per capita energy consumption to provide a minimally acceptable level of wellbeing to its people."

The plan's only real promise was in fact a threat: "India is determined that its per capita greenhouse gas emissions will at no point exceed that of developed countries."

I love this! These people get it! The amount of money spent and liberties lost to fight the global warming hoax will seriously hurt the global economy. And, we will accomplish nothing as far as changing our climate.

India and China are not going to cut their economic throats to buy into this hoax.

Don’t think that our very own global warming zealots won’t try to do the same types of things here. They are doing so now. Look at what is happening in California.

If you want to decrease emissions into our atmosphere then let us build more nuclear power plants. But you libs do want those either.

But at least we now have a name for their lunacy…

“Climate Change Delusion”.


A-6Dude

Georgia Peach
1 part Vodka
1 part Peach Schnapps
4 parts Lemonade
1/2 part Grenadine

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until VERY cold. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with peach slice.

Lessons They Won’t Teach In School

I received this in an email this morning:

A good story that you can tell even your youngest child and they will know the difference between a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican.

I remember the time that Catherine, one of my daughter Shannon's friends when she was little, told me that she wanted to be President oneday. Both of her parents are liberal Democrats and were standing there with us - and I asked Catherine, "If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?"

Catherine replied, "I would give houses to all the homeless people."

"Wow, what a worthy goal you have there, Catherine." I told her, "You don't have to wait until you are President to do that. You can come over to my house and clean up the dog poop in the back yard and I will pay you $5. Then we can go over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $5 to use for a new house."

Catherine, who was about 4, thought that over for a second, while her mom looked at me, and Catherine replied, "Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and clean up the dog poop and you can pay him the $5."

“Welcome to the Republican Party, Catherine,” I said.

A-6Dude

York Peppermint Martini
2 parts Van Gogh Mojito Mint Vodka
1 part Kahlua2 part Godiva White Chocolate

Shake vodka and Godiva White Chocolate liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice until cold. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass garnished with chocolate flake rimming (optional). Sink Kahlua into the bottom of the glass slowly. (Cocktail created by Roe Ali)

Political Correctness Has Gone To The Dogs

I’m sure that Chelle B. could do this more justice than I will but we truly have become a world of people that are way too easily offended. Although this next one occurs in Scotland it could just as well be here with the way the liberals turn into invertebrates when it comes to political correctness (okay, it's not just around things PC that they lose their spines).

Muslims in the Scottish district of Tayside are outraged by the appearance of a wide-eyed, 6-week-old puppy on postcards distributed by the local police force, according to the Daily Mail. The offense is over the fact that Muslims consider dogs “ritually unclean”, whatever that means.

The police distributed the card to notify the residents of a new phone number for non-emergency phone calls. They put the dog on it because it is a cute German shepherd puppy that is in training to be a police dog.

So, here we go…

"My concern was that it's not welcomed by all communities, with the dog on the cards," said Dundee councilor Mohammed Asia, according to the report. 'It was probably a waste of resources going to these communities.

'They (the police) should have understood. Since then, the police have explained that it was an oversight on their part, and that if they'd seen it was going to cause upset they wouldn't have done it.'

Councillor Asif, who is a member of the Tayside Joint Police Board, said that the force had a diversity adviser and was generally very aware of such issues.

YGBSM! A diversity adviser??? This is liberal crap. I am all for community outreach but tell me this, who was in Scotland first? The Scots or the Muslims? This fear of possibly offending someone or some group is what got me into blogging. And when I read dung like this article I know that if we don’t come to our senses, we will be seeing more of this in America than we already do.

Perhaps there are those that are offended by the head dress that some Muslims require their women to wear. Do they cry offense when they cannot see what the woman’s hair looks like? I have yet to hear it!

What we should be offended about is that our traditions and culture are under attack by people that come to our country and expect us to give them up to adapt to them. I would never think of moving to another country and expecting them to adapt to me. It’s THEIR country. I am a guest! Or, if I go there to become a citizen then I need to adopt their culture and traditions. It doesn’t mean that I cannot observe my own traditions but I should not be arrogant enough to ask them to change the way they think and act just for me.

Liberals, on the other hand, do everything they can to bend over for every diverse group of people and will gladly give up any tradition or cultural identity for their mantra of multiculturalism. And as I have said before, multiculturalism is the death knell of a society.

I welcome, as most Americans do, all those people from other countries that want to come here legally. But do not come here and expect me (or us) to change our way of life, our culture and our traditions so that you are not offended. You should have known what you were coming into before you came here. And, if you didn’t, feel free to leave.

I am tired of the spineless liberals who are afraid to defend what this country stands for because they live in a state of cultural self-loathing.

I, for one, love this country and the things that have made it the greatest country God every allowed to be created.

Apparently, not all folks feel that way.

Chief Constable John Vine said, 'His incredible world-wide popularity - he has attracted record visitor numbers to our website - led us to believe Rebel could play a starring role in the promotion of our non-emergency number.

'We did not seek advice from the force's diversity adviser prior to publishing and distributing the postcards. That was an oversight and we apologise for any offence caused.' (I left the British spelling in these quotes).

WTF are you apologizing for, constable? Your police force sent out a notice with one your own on it, a police dog in training, and you want to apologize because an immigrant group feels offended? Grow a pair, sir. You provided the public with information that was important to them and they should be grateful.

The puppy got people to look at it…you caught their attention.

Has your diversity adviser approved letting the your police force use the dogs in Muslim neighborhoods? You might want to make sure that you don’t offend anyone in the course of enforcing the law.

What’s next, will we have to give up having dogs as pets?

I am offended that people are so easily offended. Get over it!

A-6Dude

French Martini
1 1/2 parts vodka

1/4 part Chambord® raspberry liqueur

1/4 part fresh pineapple juice

1 twist lemon peel

Add ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake until VERY cold, strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Wes Clark, the General Who Can’t Be Quiet

Wesley Clark is at it again. I have posted about him before. Every time he talks on a TV show it becomes more apparent why he was fired as the NATO commander.

Now he attacks John McCain’s military service as irrelevant for the position of our commander in chief. This guy is sickening.

With Obama planning to visit the Middle East and Europe in an apparent effort to burnish his foreign policy credentials, the credentials of his likely presidential rival, Senator John McCain, were attacked Sunday from a man considered a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate (even Obama is not that stupid).

The retired and fired general Wesley Clark said McCain had not "held executive responsibility" and had not commanded troops in wartime. Clark, a fellow military man who was once the NATO supreme commander (and fired from that job too, for issues around his integrity and character) launched a sleazy attack on McCain because "he hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall" as a wartime commander, the general said on CBS.

When the interviewer, Bob Schieffer, noted to Clark that McCain had been shot down over Hanoi, Clark replied, "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president."

When Schieffer then asked what executive responsibility Obama had held - the Democrat's résumé includes work as a community organizer in Chicago and eight years in the Illinois legislature - Clark said that Obama was running on the strength of his character and good judgment.

Clark has neither of those two qualities – strength of character or good judgment. So I am not sure why he thinks he can assess those traits in another. Of course, I don’t think Obama has them either.

Wasn’t it back in 2004 at the Democrat Convention where Clark praised John Kerry’s naval service as the right kind of service? Clark is amazing in his ability to be wrong about everything.

The sad thing is that he cannot see that the Left is using him. He is pathetic.

A-6Dude

Alien Secretion
1 part Midori® melon liqueur
1 part Malibu® coconut rum
1 part pineapple juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until VERY cold. Serve in a chilled martini glass.

Unintended Consequences? Or Deliberate Stupidity?

The Left loves Europe. They want to be like them in every way they can. It doesn’t matter how bad the idea is, they will embrace it with passion.

When the left is in charge of the economy it flounders. I don’t make this up; statistics show it to be true. So here is an economic train wreck that is being seen in Europe because of the global warming hoax. And this is what the Left wants in this country too.

In the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest airports is expecting to see about 55,000 fewer travelers this summer because of the global warming tax they have levied on air travelers.

"We're expecting zero growth in 2008, and in fact a decrease (in passenger numbers) in July and August," an airport spokesman was quoted as saying by the domestic ANP news agency.

The Netherlands is the only country that levies an global warming tax on flights departing the country -- 11.25 euros per passenger (17.75 dollars) for European destinations and 45 euros for intercontinental points.

With higher fuel prices pushing up air fares worldwide, travel industry experts say the tax will hurt business at Schiphol and see many Dutch travelers go to nearby German airports instead. It won’t only be at the airport where business is affected, it will touch a whole lot more.

I hope you people see what we’re in store for if we go down the road on this global warming hoax. The Left’s answer will be more taxes and less freedoms and the economy will truly suffer. History has shown that when taxes are increased, the economy declines. It also shows that when taxes are cut, the economy grows. It doesn’t matter what the tax is for, the effect is the same. And in this case it would also be the global economy that suffers too.

These geniuses that think that mankind is so powerful that we, in less than 200 years of industrialization, can destroy a planet that has been around for 4.5 billion years. Aside from the arrogance of their premise, it’s just preposterous.

But the environmentalist wackos have them (and some Republicans too) so afraid that they will march in step with them.

So, my liberal friends, watch what happens in Europe with this belief that we can tax our way into a cooler climate. If you watch what happens in Europe with an objective mind (and, for the world's sake, please try!) I think you will see the economic impact that will occur if we continue down this path of arrogance and stupidity. But I guess we're supposed to judge them on their intentions, not their results.

A-6Dude

Raspberry Truffle Martini
1 1/2 parts Raspberry Vodka
1 part White Creme de Cacao
3/4 part Cream
1/2 part Chambord Liqueur

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice until VERY cold. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with raspberries or maraschino cherry. Perfect for those global warming days of summer.

Wordless Wednesday

A-6Dude

Please! Leave!

It pains me to report this. I have always liked Susan Sarandon. Plainly put, she is a babe. And, she is a good actress. She has always been one of my favorite actresses.

That is, until the last few years. I know that the majority of the entertainment industry is composed of liberals. But the smart ones keep it to themselves to prevent potentially alienating half of their fan base. Some come out and openly support a candidate or a cause, and that’s their right.

Some of them, however, think that because they are stars that they are smarter than the rest of us. Those are the ones that Laura Ingraham wrote about in her best-selling book, Shut Up and Sing.

Unfortunately for me, Susan Sarandon is one of those Hollywood narcissists that think we really value what they say. They are not part of the process but they seem to have all of the answers. And that answer is usually, Hate Bush, Hate Republicans, Hate Conservatives and Hate America.

They embrace socialism, communism and any tin pot dictator that stands for opposite of the values that America espouses. I really don’t think most of them have an original thought. They are too used to having a script from which to read and I don’t think that their political and social rants are anything more than the memorization of a script that was written for them.

Now let’s go back to the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections…remember all of the ‘stars’ that said if George Bush won the election that they would leave the country? Remember how many of them actually did? ZERO!

Fast forward to 2008, enter Susan Sarandon. She says if John McCain gets elected, she will move to Italy or Canada. She adds, "It's a critical time, but I have faith in the American people." She is for Obama.

What? You thought Susan of all people would be for Hillary Clinton? Not so fast. She mused: "I thought the whole point of feminism is that you're not supposed to be defined by gender. I don't understand the reasoning behind that, because I wouldn't vote for Condoleezza Rice, and I hated Margaret Thatcher." Why, because they are, perhaps, accomplished? Or maybe she is not a feminist. Most likely, it's because they don't agree with her view of the world. And what does supporting Hillary have to do with gender? don't you support your candidate because they share your views on issues?

OK, American people. Let’s see if she will actually move. Let’s go put McCain in office and force her hand.

But Susan, why Canada or Italy? Why not one of the third world countries run by the leftist/communist/socialist leaders you embrace? Granted, Canada is a socialist country and so is Italy (I believe). But why not move to Cuba? Venezuela? El Salvador? Or one of the other countries ruled by thugs? You Hollywood liberals seem to embrace them openly, put your money where you mouth is.

And, Susan, please do us a favor…follow through with the promise this time. And take your friends with you.

A-6Dude

The Ultra Alexander
2 parts brandy
2 parts creme de cacao
1 tablespoon whipping cream
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
Chocolate shavings


Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add brandy, creme de cacao, whipping cream, and chocolate syrup. Shake, strain, and serve in a glass. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

11 Rules of Life

I have been way busy lately with work and kids. I am missing so much fodder out there to comment on too. Just my luck!

The below was erroneously credited to Bill Gates. It's really an excerpt from the book "Dumbing Down our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes. It’s a list of eleven things you did not learn in school and directed at high school and college grads.

He hits the nail on the head with these 11 Rules:

RULE 1
Life is not fair - get used to it.

RULE 2
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with car phone, until you earn both.

RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping they called it Opportunity.

RULE 6
If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.

RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Are any of these incorrect?

A-6Dude

A Dutch Perspective On Our Political Process

From an email I received…

“We in Denmark can not figure out why you are even bothering to hold an election.

On one side, you have a bi*ch who is a lawyer, married to a lawyer . . . and a lawyer who is married to a bi*ch who is a lawyer.

On the other side, you have a war hero married to a good looking woman with big biznoobies who owns a beer distributorship.

Is there a contest here?”

They have a point!

A-6Dude

Abra Cadabra Martini
2 part Van Gogh Vodka
1/2 part peach schnapps
1/2 part apricot brandy
1 part pineapple juice

Pour ingredients into shaker and with ice and shake. Strain into a COLD martini glass.

What If on Global Warming

This is a short post. My question to all of the believers of the man-made global warming hoax is simple:

Let’s just for a minute accept the premise that you are right. Let’s also say that tomorrow we adopted all of the measures you think we should take. Let’s say that it works and we achieve the 0.7 degree reduction in temperature in the next 50 years that Kyoto promises.

What do we do when the next ice age occurs?

So we reduced emissions to get us cooler, what do we do to get us warmer?

A-6Dude

Russian Martini Recipe
4 parts vodka

4 parts gin

1 part white chocolate liqueur

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake till very cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Global Warming - The Real Worst Case Scenario

I am now convinced that this man-made global warming alarmism is real. And here is the worst case scenario.

Climate change may hamper production of the grains and barley required to make alcohol and beer.

Out of New Zealand is a story that says just that. Global warming could cause a shortage of these grains and thus cause prices for beer and vodka to rise. This story was only referring to NZ and Australia but since we are told that this global warming stuff is the worst thing to hit our planet, it must be affecting grain production every where.

This would be catastrophic, to say the least. While I like beer, it is not my drink of choice. But this warming adversely affects malted barley production it would stand to reason that all grain production would be affected.

As you can tell, martinis are my drink of choice (followed closely by single malt scotch). And though vodka can be made from almost anything, a lot of distillers make it with grain.

So, the impact on grain production would also drive up prices of vodka. That would be disastrous, as well, for us martini aficionados. And, since scotch is made from malts, those prices will go up, too, as the ability to produce those grains is reduced by the warming caused by our presence here on earth.

Let’s take it to the next logical conclusion… tobacco production will be a casualty of our greenhouse gas production.

Do you know what that would do to my life? Especially on Fridays when we sit around the cul de sac and solve the world’s problems while drinking martinis and smoking cigars?

We have got to take this seriously, folks. This is too important for us to laugh at anymore.

The logic is simple (even if the science is not quite there).Tthe warmer it gets, the more the arctic ice cap melts (for some reason it is growing in the Antarctic region). The more it melts the higher the seas rise and that creates coastal flooding. The less land there is for man to inhabit leads to a higher density of people per square mile (except for those that don’t escape in time). That will encroach on farming land. Combine that with the heat and, vioila!

It’s a vicious cycle! And I have a solution.

Let’s capture all of the melting ice and use the water to make beer and distill vodka and scotch! We would prevent a disastrous sea level rise, and would have cold beer for those unbearably hot, last days on earth before global warming kills us all (according to Al Gore).

I wish that I had come up with that idea of using glacial melt myself. It appears that some folks in Greenland have already thought of this, in part. There’s a story out of Greenland where it is reported that some entrepreneurs have captured the melting ice from global warming and are using it to brew beer.

Outstanding! Even in the face of certain doom, capitalism flourishes!

This is a brilliant way to use that water, which is the key to life!

And, as Noel Coward so brilliantly said, “Water is necessary for life, but the martini is necessary for a life worth living.”

A-6Dude

Midori Martini (hey, it’s Green!)
2 parts vodka
1 part Midori liqueur
Dash of Vermouth (optional)

Shake over ice till VERY cold and strain into chilled martini glass.

Another Victory on the Illegal Immigration Front

Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri signed an executive order that includes a series of steps to combat illegal immigration. He correctly links the presence of illegal aliens to Rhode Island's financial woes. It’s good to see a leader see that can add 2 + 2 and get 4.

He signed the order Thursday and it requires state agencies and companies that do business with the state to verify the legal status of employees. It also directs the Rhode Island State Police and prison and parole officials to more aggressively find and deport illegal aliens.

By the way, did I mention that he was an evil Republican? I really didn’t think I would need to do so since I am talking about someone doing the right thing for our country.

Like all of us, Gov. Carcieri said he understands that illegal aliens face hardships — but he does not want them in Rhode Island, America's smallest state. "If you're here illegally, you shouldn't be here illegally. You shouldn't be here," Carcieri said.

Here comes the violin music….

Illegal alien advocate Juan Garcia fears Gov. Carcieri's proposals will drive a vulnerable community underground. Would that be underground into one of the tunnels going back to Mexico? He said illegal aliens who are victims of crime will fear approaching police, and that children could suffer if parents lose their jobs.

"These people are not criminals," he said. "This is affecting the poor people."

Juan, they are criminals. What part of the word illegal is so hard to understand? They are here illegally. Because they’re poor it’s supposed to be okay? Rhode Island faces an estimated $550 million budget deficit, its worst financial crisis since a series of bank and credit union collapses in the early 1990s.

I wonder how much of that deficit would be gone if RI didn’t have to use the taxes of legal citizens and guests to pay for services for illegal aliens? As a result, Carcieri has had to propose cutting school funding, reducing welfare and health care benefits and even letting prisoners out of jail early. Maybe all of those areas would be getting cuts even if there weren’t illegal aliens in RI. But I bet it would be less. And in all fairness, it isn’t the burden of the illegal aliens alone that have caused this deficit. But it didn’t help either.

The truth is that we need to either enforce our current immigration policy or get a new one. We need to secure the borders first, and then figure out how to handle the supposed 12-20 million illegal aliens in this country.

Carcieri supports increasing the number of legal immigrants and skilled workers allowed into the country. The difference here is the word ‘legal’.

When a reporter asked if his order might embolden xenophobes (that’s liberal code word for anyone that loves this country and wants our immigration laws enforced), Carcieri blamed the media for inflaming the immigration debate. YES!!! As we used to say when our bombs hit the target… “Shack”!! Way to go, Governor!

So, under his order, state police will enter an agreement with federal immigration authorities permitting them access to specialized immigration databases. That information would allow police to identify and detain illegal aliens.

Even better, though, the state police could investigate the legal status of anyone they suspect is an immigration violator, including crime victims, witnesses and people supplying police with confidential tips. Finally, someone is taking the political correctness out of the way of enforcing our laws.

I’m sure this will cost money in the short term but I know it will save money in the long haul.

Perhaps we could send a bill for services to Mexico and other countries that tell their people to come here illegally.

Now I am going to wait to see what the real defenders of freedom, the ACLU, have to say about this.

A-6Dude

The Kiss of the Tigress
2 parts Mandarin Vodka
1 part Cointreau® Orange Liqueur
1 part Orange Juice
1/2 tsp Powdered Sugar
1 Twist Oranges

Moisten glass rim with an orange twist, then dip rim into sugar (for more flavor try Stirrings® Coffee and Cocoa or Espresso rimmer). Pour liquid ingredients into shaker with ice and shake until very cold. Strain into rimmed martini glass. Garnish with twist of orange if desired.

Math Does Not Lie

1. To find a Woman you need Time and Money. Therefore:

Woman = Time x Money

2. “Time is Money” so:

Time = Money

3. Therefore:

Woman = Money x Money

Woman = (Money)2 [Sorry, I can't make it superscript. This is Money squared]

4. “Money is the root of all problems”

Money = √Problems [square root of problems]

5. Therefore

Woman = (√Problems)2 [square root of probems - squared]

Woman = Problems

A-6Dude

Sweet Martini

1.25 parts Gin
1/4 part Sweet Vermouth

Shake over ice till very cold. Strain into martini glass and garnish with maraschino cherry.

Another General Opens His Mouth – Reveals Stunning Ignorance

What is it with these retired generals? Recently I discussed comments that Gen. Wesley Clark made about McCain not having the right kind of experience. Now, former Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen Merrill “Tony” McPeak, co-chair of Obama’s campaign, has equated Bill Clinton to Senator Joseph McCarthy.

First of all, I am NO Clinton lover. Neither of them. And I love the chaos that is going in the Democrat Party right now. If you are looking closely enough you are seeing what these people really are.

Apparently McPeak was disappointed (that’s double-speak for being pissed) with remarks Bill Clinton made in Charlotte, NC today while campaigning for the Hill.

"I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country," Clinton said. "And people could actually ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."

McPeak learned of the remarks while at an Obama rally in Salem, Ore. Afterward, he called Clinton's statement horrible and compared it to McCarthy, the Republican senator from Wisconsin who held hearings on suspected Communist sympathizers in the 1950s.

"It sounds more like McCarthy," McPeak said. "I grew up, I was going to college when Joe McCarthy was accusing good Americans of being traitors, so I've had enough of it."

Of course, the Clinton campaign ridiculed the comparison. This may be the first time I have agreed with anything Hillary’s campaign has said.

"To liken these comments to McCarthyism is absurd," Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said. He said McPeak was "clearly misinterpreting" the remarks and suggested that might be an intentional effort to divert attention from a recent controversy involving controversial statements by Obama's former pastor.

Singer may have something there. This pastor issue is not going away soon and I don’t Obama can do enough to put it behind him because he blew the one chance to address it.

My real issue here is with McPeak. For a man that was in college during the evil McCarthy crusade against communism he should be able to distinguish what McCarthy did and said from what Bill Clinton said in his remarks.

McCarthy was on a campaign to prove that there were communists that had infiltrated the highest levels of the U.S. government. The Dems cried fascism and in typical Democrat manner went about destroying McCarthy’s name. He may have been more vilified by the Democrats than Hitler. He seems to have been more hated.

But in 1995 the U.S. government released a set of Soviet cables that had been decoded during the Cold War in a top secret program known as the Venona Project. The cables proved that McCarthy was RIGHT!

Liberals had waged almost a 50 year war of lies and disinformation about McCarthy and his charges. But now we know that McCarthy was right. There were communists in the highest levels of the government and the Democrats and liberals knew it (at least the ones that seemed to be the most outraged at the time).

Or maybe that is why McPeak is crying so loudly. Maybe Bill Clinton was right about Obama’s loyalty, if that is what he was insinuating.

History has proved McCarthy was right. If Bill Clinton was referring to Obama’s patriotism will he be proven right to? Will McPeak’s comparison be prescient?

A-6Dude

Miss Lewinsky
1.25 parts vodka

1 part Lime/Citron liqeuer

1 dash Angostura Bitter

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker until very cold. Strain into a cocktail glass. Enjoy with a moist cigar.

Sean Penn – Clairvoyant!

Sean Penn is clairvoyant. Or, so he believes.

He was in San Francisco wrapping up filming on a new movie about Harvey Milk (Penn is shown at left during the filming), the first city supervisor that had openly admitted choosing a homosexual lifestyle. Sean Penn, of course, was playing Milk. But, because he's a "method actor," he wanted to be called Harvey in between shots.

Between scenes a production assistant was following Penn around the front of City Hall with a large umbrella to shield him from the sun. Seeing he had a captive audience, he moved out from under the umbrella to deliver an impromptu speech to the crowd of extras.

"I almost wish Jerry Falwell were alive to see this. Almost," Penn shouted to the crowd. After dropping some names of conservatives who are still with us - "Bill O'Reilly, who is too stupid to talk about," and "Sean Hannity, the butt boy of Rupert Murdoch," Penn said, "We know something more. WE KNOW THEIR END IS NEAR (emphasis mine)."

Sean, stick to acting. I think you are a good actor. But you are not a clairvoyant. Let’s look at the ratings for Monday, March 17, 2008 to see the facts.

CABLE NEWS RACE MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2008 VIEWERS

FOXNEWS O'REILLY 3,040,000

FNC HANNITY/COLMES 2,337,000

FNC GRETA 1,862,000

FNC SHEP 1,583,000

FNC HUME 1,508,000

CNN DOBBS 1,227,000

CNN KING 983,000

CNN COOPER 976,000

MSNBC OLBERMANN 962,000

CNN BLITZER 839,000

CNNHN GRACE 663,000

MSNBC HARDBALL 604,000

Sean, one doesn’t have to be good at math to see the facts here. Although you liberals hate FOXNEWS, they are cleaning up in the ratings. You can see from the numbers that Bill O’Reilly has almost 2.5X the viewers of the highest rated CNN show with Lou Dobbs (and some liberals don’t like him either). In fact, the lowest rated FNC show (Brit Hume’s) had almost 25% more viewers than the highest rated CNN or MSNBC show.

Sean, math doesn’t seem to be one of your strong suits so stick to something that you seem to be able to do well – pretending to be someone you’re not! Or, maybe you should stay at a Holiday Inn Express before launching into your liberal mantra.

A-6Dude

Benedict Arnold Martini
1 part Whiskey
1 part Benedictine

Shake over ice until very cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and a mint sprig (optional).

Hate Crimes

There are many laws on our books that are a waste of ink. Among them is the idea that we need laws for so-called hate crimes. Let’s take one example. Murder is murder so what makes it any worse if a white person kills a black (or insert minority of choice) person during the commission of a crime or just because the person was black? The net result is the same. Someone was killed and it is a crime.

I think the answer is 'White Guilt'. This is a disease that liberals are trying to infect us with because they feel that white people (and America) are responsible for all of the ills of the world.

So we now have hate crimes legislation that gives harsher sentences for those convicted of killing a person of another race, creed or religion if one of those three issues was the reason for the killing (or any other crime). But my question is, still – isn’t murder bad regardless? Why is that we need to make the punishment tougher on someone just because they killed a black, or a Jew, or a Muslim, or a yellow person, or a brown person, or a red person, or a person that has chosen a homosexual lifestyle, or any of the other categories that qualify? Again, it’s white guilt.

And why is it that if a black person kills a white person for any reason, no one calls it a hate crime? The two young, white coeds from Auburn and U of North Carolina that were killed recently were both killed by blacks (at least that is what we are being told). Why aren’t those being investigated as hate crimes? As far as I know it’s never been mentioned. But remember the Duke rape scandal that never was? It was all a lie and because the girl was black, everyone had a field day with the white college boys. How come Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson haven’t apologized for convicting those boys before any of the evidence was in?

Only whites seem to be able to commit hate crimes. One of the black youths arrested for the murder of the UNC coed is also being accused of killing an Asian Duke grad student. Why isn’t that a hate crime?

The answer is: HYPOCRISY!

A-6Dude

Irish Tiramisu-tini
¼ c espresso
4 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
1/3 c mascarpone
2 scoops vanilla, chocolate or coffee ice cream
2-4 ice cubes
2 soft ladyfinger cookies sliced lengthwise, or shortbread wafers
Chocolate-hazelnut spread
Chocolate syrup
Blend espresso, Irish Cream, ice cream, mascarpone and ice until smooth. Drizzle chocolate syrup along inside edges of chilled martini glass in a spiral shape (or, just rim the glass with chocolate syrup). Pour mixture from blender into glass. Spread layer of chocolate-hazelnut spread in between ladyfingers or sandwich between shortbread cookies. Dip cookies in cocktail.

What I Am – A $104,655.60 Ad in the Washington Post

The following is an ad placed by someone with the money needed to fund a rebuttal to what Howard Dean, Democratic National Committee Chairman, said recently, that many Republicans have never done an honest day's work in their life. The following full page ad was placed in the Washington Post by a businessman named George J. Esseff, Sr. He paid $104, 655 .60 to run the ad and only did it because he is sick and tired of the way that "the rich" are portrayed by liberals these days. It is a great read.

**********************************

Maybe you're a Republican?

In today's America ask a growing number of high school and college students, their teachers and professors, the self-anointed media elite and/or hard working men and women of all ethnicities the question, "What is a Republican?" and you'll be told ".. a rich, greedy, egotistical individual, motivated only by money and the desire to accumulate more and more of it, at the expense of the environment, the working poor...and all whom they exploit..." I am a Republican - And I am none of those things...and I don't know any Republicans who are!

WHAT I AM first and foremost, is a loving husband of some 72 plus years, the father of four and an American who's proud of his country...and his country's heritage.

WHAT I AM is the grandson of immigrants who risked every-thing, including their lives and those of their children, to escape tyranny in search of freedom.

WHAT I AM is a man who grew up during the Depression and witnessed first hand the effects of the Stock Market crash and the soup lines that followed. I watched as both my parents and grand parents, who had very little themselves, share what food they had with a half dozen other families, who had even less.

WHAT I AM is someone who worked his way through college by holding down three and four jobs at a time and then used that education to build a better life.

WHAT I AM is a husband who at age 24 started is own business for the "privilege" of working 60, 70 and 80 hours a week, risking everything I had including my health, in search of a better life for myself and my loved ones.

WHAT I AM is a businessman whose blood, sweat and tears and plenty of them..., made it possible for me to provide a secure living not only for my family and myself, but also for literally hundreds of my employees throughout the years. Employees, who in turn were able to buy their own homes, raise their own families and give back to their communities and their country.

WHAT I AM is a man who believes in God; a God who has blessed this country... and all for which it stands. (AMEN!)

WHAT I AM is someone who knows, if you doubt miracles exist in today's world; you need only to look into the face of those who received them....and the eyes of those who give them.

WHAT I AM is an American who's proud that his President embraces a belief in God; proud of a President who understands, as "politically incorrect" as it may be, there is evil in this world and for the security and safety of all freedom loving people everywhere, it must be confronted...and it must be defeated.

WHAT I AM is an American who takes comfort in the knowledge that our President refuses to allow decisions concerning the very safety and security of this nation, to be governed by the political whims of foreign governments.

WHAT I AM is tired of hearing from leading Democrats who see only negativity in America; racism in her people; class warfare in her society and “political incorrectness" in her character.

WHAT I AM is a former democrat who now understands that it is the soldier and not the reporter that guarantees us our freedoms of press, speech and dissent.

WHAT I AM is a man who believes in the sanctity of life; a man who is repulsed by the pandering of the political left for votes, at the expense of the unborn.

WHAT I AM is a husband and father who believes in the sanctity of marriage and the preservation of the family unit.

WHAT I AM is an ex-movie goer who is repulsed by those insecure, socially inept, elementary thinking, ego-inflated "entertainers" who have appointed themselves "experts" in the fields of national security and geo-politics and then use their forum to attack this nation, its leaders and its actions....much to the delight and encouragement of our enemies. (RIGHT-ON!)

WHAT I AM is an American who understands the difference between "censorship" and "choice." Evidently, these individuals do not, because when these same "celebrities" receive public ridicule for their offensive actions, the first thing they yell is "censorship." What they seem incapable of understanding is...the right of free speech and dissent is shared equally by those offended...as well as those who offend. I support and will continue to support those films and performers whom I choose to and refuse to support those I don't. It is my right as an American a right I will continue to enthusiastically exercise.

WHAT I AM is a voter, tired of politicians, who every time their voting records are subjected to public scrutiny, try to divert attention from their political and legislative failures by accusing their opponents of "attack ads" and "negative campaigning"....and the news media who allow them to get away with it.

WHAT I AM is a Catholic who loves his God and his Faith and who's been taught to respect all religions whose teachings are based in love, peace and charity. As such, I am embarrassed and ashamed of those individuals in both private and public life whose decisions and actions are devoid of any sense of character or morals; individuals who are only driven by what's best for them....rather than what's right... often times at the expense of many....including our national security.

WHAT I AM is a realist who understands that the terrorist attack that murdered hundreds of innocent Russian children could have occurred here, in our heartland. That's why I sincerely believe America needs now, more than ever, a President who sees with a clear and focused vision and who speaks with a voice when heard by both friend and foe alike is understood, respected and believed.

WHAT I AM is eternally grateful to Ronald Reagan for having the bravery to speak out against Communism and the courage of his convictions in leading the fight to defeat it; and George W. Bush for the vision, courage, conviction and leadership he has shown in America's war on terrorism amidst both the constant and vicious, personal and political attacks both he and his family are made to endure.

WHAT I AM is a human being, full of numerous faults and failures, but a man nonetheless who though not always successful has continually strived to do "what's right" instead of "what's easy." A man who is challenging the religious leaders of all faiths, to not only preach to their congregations the fundamentals of "what's right" and "what's wrong," but to also then holdthem accountable for their actions in both the public and private sectors.

WHAT I AM is disgusted with the Courts who on one hand call the murder of a pregnant woman a "double homicide," but then refer to the abortion of her baby as "pro-choice".

WHAT I AM is someone deeply troubled by a political party which embraced a candidate whose primary "leadership" qualities center around his protesting of the Vietnam war and his labeling the honorable men and women who fought in it, (50,000 of whom gave their lives in that action), as rapists, and war criminals (John Kerry). That same political party then stepped forward this year to block the appearance of a true Vietnam war hero, retired Admiral and former United States Senator, Jeremiah Denton, (a man who spent seven years and seven torturous months in a North Vietnam prison), from speaking before an open session of the California legislature as part of that state's 4th of July celebration. The reason Democrats gave for refusing to allow this American hero to speak before their state legislature was because of the "conservative" nature of his views. As an American, that troubles me deeply....as well it should you. (Are you listening Mr. D?)

WHAT I AM is a man who feels the need to spend, ONE HUNDRED & FOUR THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED & FIFTY FIVE DOLLARS ($104, 655.60, tax paid) of his own money, to purchase this advertisement, in order to set the story straight. Some may say this money would have been better spent feeding the world's poor. At the risk of sounding self-serving, as an American and as a Republican, for the last six decades of my life, I have done exactly that...and more. Following the examples of my parents and grand parents, I have used my earnings to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, provide housing for the elderly and medical care for the sick..... and continue to do so...and I'm not alone in that work.

WHAT I AM is someone who is paying for this announcement at my sole expense in hopes of opening the eyes of those led blindly by ill-informed elements of our great nation, who, through either ignorance, or malicious intent, repeatedly attack and belittle those of us who belong to a political party that holds true to the belief, "The rights of the governed, exceed the power of the government." For those interested, I am speaking only as a tax-paying individual who is in no way associated with the Republican National Committee, nor with any of its directors, or delegates.

WHAT I AM is a man who understands, "the American way of life" is a message of self-empowerment for all.

WHAT I AM is an American who is grateful that our nation gives each of us the opportunity of self-determination and the right to benefit from the fruits of self achievement. (IF ONLY EVERYONE WOULD!)

WHAT I AM is an American who wants to preserve that way of life for all who seek it.

WHAT I AM is blessed to be an American.... and proud to be a Republican.

A-6Dude

The Right Kind of Military Experience – When the Generals Come Calling

Byron York, of the National Review Online, penned a piece on Sunday describing an attack by failed 2004 presidential candidate General Wesley Clark on John McCain. I don’t know Wes Clark but was in the military while he was (that’s kinda like saying I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night, eh?).

There was a recent conference call where some retired military leaders endorsed Hillary Clinton to be the next commander-in-chief. During that call Wes Clark made the following statement saying that McCain did not have the right kind of military experience:

“In the national security business, the question is, do you have — when you have served in uniform, do you really have the relevant experience for making the decisions at the top that have to be made? Everybody admires John McCain's service as a fighter pilot, his courage as a prisoner of war. There's no issue there. He's a great man and an honorable man. But having served as a fighter pilot — and I know my experience as a company commander in Vietnam — that doesn’t prepare you to be commander-in-chief in terms of dealing with the national strategic issues that are involved. It may give you a feeling for what the troops are going through in the process, but it doesn't give you the experience first hand of the national strategic issues.

If you look at what Hillary Clinton has done during her time as the First Lady of the United States, her travel to 80 countries, her representing the U.S. abroad, plus her years in the Senate, I think she's the most experienced and capable person in the race, not only for representing am abroad, but for dealing with the tough issues of national security.”

As I recall, General Clark was fired from his role as the NATO Commander (although in the military it is rarely said that one was fired – they were reassigned). In my career in the military (I just hope it was the right kind of experience to be voicing my opinion here), my observation was always that one has to really screw up to be relieved of a command before the tour was over. That just wasn’t something that was (or is) done lightly. Nonetheless, Wes Clark was fired from NATO.

But worse is why he was relieved a year early. During the 2004 presidential primaries, retired Gen. Hugh Shelton, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked if he would support retired Gen. Wesley Clark for president. He quickly took a drink of water. "That question makes me wish it were vodka," Shelton said. "I've known Wes for a long time. I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I'm not going to say whether I'm a Republican or a Democrat. I'll just say Wes won't get my vote."

So, here is a guy relieved for “integrity and character” issues. This is not insignificant. And yet he thinks he knows what the right kind of military experience that is needed to be commander-in-chief.

But let’s look at what he said.

“But [McCain] having served as a fighter pilot — and I know my experience as a company commander in Vietnam — that doesn’t prepare you to be commander-in-chief in terms of dealing with the national strategic issues that are involved.”

First of all, Wes, how does being a company commander on the ground in Vietnam make one a better commander-in-chief than being a fighter pilot (I flew in jets in the Navy too)? Just what experience do you receive in a foxhole that others don’t? I might even say that McCain's experience in direct contact with the enemy on a daily basis makes him more qualified than the average grunt. After all, he was seeing them up close and personal.

But I’m curious as to how a foxhole provides you more “experience first hand of national strategic issues” than any other role in the military? The answer is – it doesn’t. So, tell me, Wes, how does being fired from NATO give you that experience?

Let’s look at past commanders-in-chief and see what in their career made them eligible to be our president and commander-in-chief. I won’t go back too far.

Woodrow Wilson, who led us into WWI, had NO military experience. Yet, he led the country into a war. He had been Governor of New Jersey, though.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (can I use his middle name), who commanded the military during WWII, was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Wilson. That doesn’t really count for military experience since at that level you are really a politician trying to take care of the Navy. FDR had no time in uniform as far as I can tell.

Harry Truman was an artillery officer during WWI. So, we have the first US President in the 20th century to have both served in the military and to have led the military in a war. But, Truman wasn’t a company commander. Was his military experience the right kind? And we will never know but my guess is that if he hadn’t been FDR’s VP he would never have been president.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was a brilliant general in WWII. He led men in combat on a large scale. Unless you count the fact that he did start sending advisors to Vietnam he never led the military into a war as commander-in-chief. Did he have the right experience?

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (oops, there's that middle name again) was a PT boat skipper in WWII, not in a foxhole. He was courageous in saving his crew when they were sunk by a Japanese ship. Did that give him the right kind of military experience to lead us into Vietnam?

Lyndon Baines Johnson was Kennedy’s VP when he was assassinated. He, too, had been a naval reserve officer in WWII. Was this the right kind of military experience to keep us in Vietnam?

Richard Milhouse Nixon was also a naval reserve officer in the supply corps during WWII. Was that the right kind of military experience to lead us out of Vietnam?

Gerald Ford was another naval officer that served in WWII. Did he have the right kind of military experience? We’ll never know because he never led us in a war.

Jimmy Carter was also a naval officer and served primarily in the submarine service. Was this the right kind of military service to qualify as commander-in-chief? Let’s look at the Iranian hostage crisis to get that answer.

Ronald Reagan served in a motion picture unit during WWII because he was nearsighted and that excluded him from serving overseas. Was this the right kind of military experience?

George H. W. Bush was a navy pilot in WWII and was also shot down. Fortunately, he was rescued. But being a pilot like McCain, was that the right kind of military experience? Was he qualified to lead us to victory in Desert Storm?

William Jefferson Clinton never served in the military. Clark supports him and Hillary so what in their background gives them the right kind of military experience? WJC took us to Kosovo and Somalia. Was he qualified?

George W. Bush was a pilot in the Air National Guard. Was it the right kind of experience to be commander-in-chief?

My point here is that where I believe military experience is a plus for anyone to be our commander-in-chief, it isn’t really required. And if a candidate has military experience it really doesn’t matter what they did in the military. I just showed you a wide variety of military experience in the above past presidents, and some that had zero experience.

Whether or not a presidential candidate ever served in the military in any capacity is not that important to me. What is important is what they stand for and how well they can lead.

So Wes Clark is out to lunch on this. And to say that Hillary’s “ time as the First Lady of the United States, her travel to 80 countries, her representing the U.S. abroad, plus her years in the Senate” make her the most qualified person to be our next commander-in-chief is not only grossly idiotic but it gives credence to Gen. Shelton’s decision to fire him, and it should have been for more than Clark’s integrity and character flaws. After this comment he should add stupidity to the list of reasons.

And, Wes? Since when does military experience equate to right kind of domestic and economic expertise?


A-6Dude

Woman Warrior

4 parts vodka
1 part blue curacao
1 part freshly squeezed lime


Shake with ice until very cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime.