Musings of the Great Gonzo

I am not a hugger, I never have been very comfortable with hugging and I really don’t see the big deal about doing it. But, I also have never really considered it an inappropriate action except in the work place between male and female co-workers or between unrelated adults and children of the opposite sex. Apparently several school districts disagree with me and find hugging of any kind inappropriate and have forbidden it as an inappropriate public display of affection on school grounds. According to Alabama’s Autauga County School System's code of conduct, "inappropriate public displays of affection, including but not limited to embracing and kissing" are not allowed. And a girl who attends school in that system received two days detention for consoling a male friend who had just lost a parent with a hug at school. Congratulations Alabama, you have just perpetuated the country’s opinion of your state as an uptight, bible-thumping backwater state that would rather stu...

I have said it before and I will say it again; I am proud of my son, a United States Army Soldier. On Wednesday of last week my beautiful bride and I drove to Columbia, SC to attend Family Day and Basic Combat Training graduation at Ft. Jackson for my son who successfully completed his training. As we drove I could feel my pride swell the closer we got to our destination. My feelings were very close to the surface and I began to reminisce about the past, the struggles and joys we traversed as my son grew to the man he most certainly is now. I thought about the fights, the rebellions and the heartaches we endured with him as a bitter teenager. My mind traveled back to the days when he was just a small boy so full of energy and wonder; his eyes so wide-open at the littlest things. I remembered the day he was born and the pride I felt at having a son to carry on my name and family. And I was moved to tears several times – my wife just drove and smiled, she knew what I was thinking a...

Yesterday Representative Pete Stark of California blasted the President with inflammatory comments because of his veto of the CHP initiative. Stark’s comments contrasted the President’s unwillingness to spend the money on the health care plan with the price tag of the Iraq war. In a short, two-minute diatribe, Stark twisted the President’s reasons for vetoing the CHP Bill into a way to save money to, “…Blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough so we can send them to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President’s amusement.” Democrats in Congress just keep getting bolder and bolder with their scathing comments regarding President Bush and his War on Terror. When will they ever learn? While the war is unfortunate, it is necessary to ensure that the very children Representative Stark accuses the President of ignoring can grow up in a world free from fear and terrorism. Democrats scream that President Bush is a criminal for involving United States in...

Nancy Pelosi had a busy day yesterday; she managed to make the Drudge Report for her comments supporting the Architect of the Capitol’s censorship of God on a certificate accompanying a flag flown over the Capitol building and for calling a meeting to discuss what would be discussed at another meeting. On the surface, Pelosi’s support of the Architect of the Capitol’s censorship on the certificate may seem trivial, but when it is seen in its greater contest it becomes more telling. The incident stems from a request made by a Dayton, Ohio area Eagle Scout requested a flag for his elderly grandfather. In the request, GOP Rep. Michael Turner said, the Scout asked for an inscription on the certificate to read, “In honor of my grandfather Marcel Larochelle, and his dedication and love of God, country, and family." This is not an overly religious request; it is a mere acknowledgement of this man’s reverence, patriotism and love of family. Yet, the Architect chose to censor the insc...

You just have to love it when court room security gets out of hand. What am I referring to, you ask? How about the Marshall Service in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho that told a woman she could not enter the court building when her underwire bra set off the metal detector? Now that is an overzealous security measure! According to an article in the Spokesman Review, Lori Plato set off the metal detector as she was entering the courthouse for a hearing. The Marshall monitoring the metal detector stopped her and asked if she was wearing an underwire bra. When, Mrs. Plato replied that she was, the Marshall said, “You have to remove it.” When Mrs. Plato asked if there was someplace private to remove the bra she was told there was not, but she could go to her car and remove it there. Um, because a car in a courthouse parking lot is so much more private. And, to add insult to injury, the Marshalls insisted that she allow her bra to go through the baggage screener for all to see! What they sh...

An interesting article appears today in the Southwest Florida Herald Tribune. The gist of it is that a man who lives in a deed restricted community put up a Website that criticizes the Neighborhood Association and its leadership. The main complaint of the society is that the name of the site includes the name of the neighborhood. This, says the association board, is against the neighborhood covenants and that if the man does not change the name of the site he will be fined $100 a day and have alien placed on his home for the amount of the fine. The man asserts that this is a violation of his First Amendment rights. See the entire article http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070921/NEWS/709210366. Why do I find this article so interesting? Well, friends let me tell you. About six months ago I belonged to a real estate investment association which used to operate a wildly popular online discussion group. The group offered investors an outlet to ask questions, discuss problems, ...

The following came to me in an email from my sister-in-law, I was not able to verify it authenticity on the Internet, but none-the-less the sentiment is excellent. It is attributed to John Howard the Prime Minister of Austrailia. In this speech he does not belittle anyone, he merely says that Austrailians have the right to be Austrailian without having to worry about who they are offending. And anyone who immigrates to Austrailia is welcome to do so provided they wish to be Austrailian and live by the laws of that country. We Americans should adopt the same attitude whether we are talking about Muslims, Latins, or any other ethnic group that wants to live inthe United States. Here's the article... Prime Minister John Howard - Australia Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks. A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loya...

I've posted in the past how I think this whole global-warming thing is bunch of crap; aparently I am not the only one. Over 500 scientists have published materials in journals such as Science, Nature, and Geophysical Review -- all major publications. But, have we heard about this in the mainstream media? Nope! It doesn't make for as good a talking point or headline. It's better to scare the bejeebies out of people, get them all riled up that the Earth is dying and its our fault rather than do some actual reporting on real science. As reported at Earthtimes, a leading website which reports news related to the human environment, it boils down to this: 1. A natural moderate 1,500-year climate cycle has produced more than a dozen global warmings similar to ours since the last Ice Age and/or that 2. Our Modern Warming is linked strongly to variations in the sun's irradiance. 3. Sea levels are failing to rise importantly; 4. That our storms and droughts are becoming fewer ...

Today, at the same time young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrats' manic obsession to bring down our commander in chief. What has happened to the party I've spent my life working in? I can remember when Democrats believed that it was the duty of America to fight for freedom over tyranny. It was Democratic President Harry Truman who pushed the Red Army out of Iran, who came to the aid of Greece when Communists threatened to overthrow it, who stared down the Soviet blockade of West Berlin by flying in supplies and saving the city. Time after time in our history, in the face of great danger, Democrats and Republicans worked together to ensure that freedom would not falter. But not today. Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator. And nothing makes this Marine madder than someon...

The British government is expected to approve scientist’s plans to create human-animal hybrid embryos . What kind of sick idiocy is this? Aside from the religious implications there are moral issues to think of. This kind of research belongs in the realm of horror movies and only there. To be fair, British law calls for the destruction of any hybrid embryo after 14 days. But, what if some scientist decides that he wants to see what will happen if the embryo is allowed to grow? You can’t tell me that the same scientists that plan to play God haven’t wondered what would happen if a hybrid embryo was implanted in a womb and allowed to grow to full gestation. These are the same folks who think that human cloning is OK. Don’t you guys watch the movies or read fiction at all? These moral dilemmas have been played out in a number of works, the results are always tragic. In The Island of Dr. Moreau, human-animal hybrids live a tortured life on the mad doctor’s private island. The boo...

My son left for Army boot camp this morning. He has chosen to serve his country and I could not be prouder of his choice in life. Service to one’s nation is perhaps the noblest call a young man can answer, it shows a willingness to become a stronger, better man and a desire to defend the nation which has provided so much. For several years I have written about our nation’s brave soldiers and how we should support them. Now, I have a more personal reason to call for that support. My son, my flesh and blood,the boy I reared as a single parent from the second grade until now – with noteable help from many others, including my wife even though she is not his natural mother -- is one of those courageous men answering the call to serve his country. I could not be more proud. Christopher has set out on a fantastic adventure, one that will test him dearly and stretch him to the limits of his abilities. But, in my heart I know he will succeed. I have faith in him. And even though I am n...

The American dream seemed to have come true for twin sisters in sleepy Lexington, South Carolina. They had a lucrative business with important government contracts. They were helping our troops in Iraq by supplying urgently needed parts for critical equipment. Their business was booming and the profits were astronomical. Too bad they were conning the American public of over $20 million dollars in the process. C&D Distributors bilked the military out of the money in shipping charges by exploiting a glitch in the payment processing system used to fulfill orders marked ‘priority.’ According to a story from Bloomberg Online, payments for orders with this designation were automatically paid by the computer without human oversight. When C&D discovered this they began taking advantage of the lack of oversight and charged exorbitant shipping charges. How exorbitant? Let’s just say that the $12.95 shipping charge added to your bill for Ginzu Knives pales in comparison. Shipping charges ...

So, there I was neck deep in hot mud. Before I knew it a small woman came from no where and painted a light-colored, cool mixture onto my face and placed a cool cloth on my forehead. Hardly a dignified position for a man of my stature, but DAMN did it feel good. Alright, the mud did feel kind of weird as one lowered themselves into it – kind of squishy and gritty at the same time. And if you sank to low in it got really hot (talk about hot buns!). But, if you let the mud support you and just sort of floated on it, it was quite relaxing – it was all warm and kinda tingly. I’m describing today’s first activity, a mud bath and massage at Golden Haven Spa in Calistoga on the far northern end of the Napa Valley where they are blessed with geothermal springs which heat mineral heavy water to nearly 150 degrees. As experiences go it was an interesting one, mud got into places I didn’t know I had; I would not have missed it for he world, however it is not something I am likely to line up...

It’s hot here in California, uncharacteristically hot. The weather reports say that the temperatures reached nearly 102 in the valley; the locals say this is very rare. Most of the time the summer-time temperatures hover in the mid to upper 80’s, tomorrow they say it will be hotter – leave it to us to bring a heat wave. But, all in all, the heat isn’t that bad; it’s very dry so it is bearable. We started our second day of tasting rushing to make the first tour at Mumm Winery. I wanted to see how sparkling wine was made and, we just made the 10:00 AM tour. Karri walked us through a small demonstration vineyard and explained the varietals used in Mumm’s champagnes. Surprisingly they use a variety of grapes in each type of wine they make; this insures the consistency of flavor one expects. We walked the production area and learned how the grapes are harvested, juiced and how only the first few drop of juice from each grape is used to make the wine anything after that is usually mor...

Greetings from road again dear readers. This week I have taken my lovely wife on a week-long adventure to Napa Valley and San Francisco. As I write these very words I sit in our hotel room as she naps of the afternoon's tastings. Today was our first day in wine country and our first impression as we drove up valley from the town of Napa to St. Helena were that this is one beautiful place. Napa itself is the largest town in the valley and is still postcard perfect. But, as we traveled through some of the small towns we noticed that this area is all about remaining small town while still serving the tourists, gourmets, and wine-loving public. Our first stop this morning was at the Oakville Grocery, a tiny little store not much larger than your average convenience store. But, there wasn't Frito-Lay brand in sight; this place was all about gourmet foods from imported olives to hand-made stuffed grape leaves. We settled for an apricot bar for me and turtle cheese cake for her (hey, ...

All across the nation, in the small towns, in the big cities, along the flowing rivers, and in the shadows of the majestic mountains people are preparing to enjoy their holiday off from work. Parents are loading beach blankets, coolers and sun umbrellas into the trunk of the family van and then strapping their brood into car seats for the trek to the beach. Couples are driving the winding roads of Napa Valley in their convertible, the top down, happily chatting about the last winery they visited. Barbeque pits are being fired up and beer bottles are being opened. And for most of these people not a thought is being given to the men and women this day is meant to honor. I woke up this morning after sleeping in a bit and channel surfed a bit past Fox News channel. They were broadcasting live from Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. They were honoring the men and women who had given their lives in service to our great nation. In the past year over 1,000 of our brave young...

Campaign promises have always been hard to swallow, and politics has always been a seedy business, but the NEE Party in Belgium has made some promises and lowered politics even further below the belt. Tania Derveaux, the leading candidate for the two-year-old NEE Party (“no” in Belgian) has promised to perform an act Bill Clinton is very familiar with to the first 40,000 men who write ‘NEE’ on their ballot during the country’s elections on June 10. What act, you ask? Well, let’s just call it a Lewenski. On the group’s website ( http://www.nee-antwerpen.be/index-eng-blow.htm ) the terms of service are spelled out explicitly: Description of Services The Services consist of Tania performing fellatio on selected individuals who have requested the Services through this form. Travel and other expenses will be covered by NEE. Any sort of recording (video, audio or photographs) of the performance is strictly prohibited without written permission. We adhere to high standards of service but d...

And the wild speculation begins. Hurricane season is only a week or so away here in Florida and the forecasters are ramping up the doom and gloom machine. As many as, “…13 to 17 named storms are expected to form during the six-month Atlantic hurricane season that starts on June 1, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA.)” Let’s see, how accurate have these guys been in the past? Not very. But, let’s let the numbers prove it out. In 2006 a more active than usual season was predicted. An average year has just fewer than 10 storms. The predicted number for 2006 was 17 – we got nine of which only two made landfall. So, the unusually active year really was just average. In 2005 – the deadliest and most active hurricane season in over 150 years – the prediction was 13, we got 28. Slightly more than average (insert sarcasm). Not only that but, the world witnessed the erasure of an entire metropolitan area, billions of dollars worth of damage and hundre...

Ok, so I don’t like the guy. I find him to be an ignorant, self-important, pompas ass. But, in his new documentary he may hit upon some interesting points that hit way too close to home for many Americans. Who is this rogue that I so loathe, yet hate myself for finding his views on this particular subject both fascinating and infuriating? None other than the idiot darling of the left, the prince liberalist, the schlock-meister of modern documentary, Michael Moore. After alienating the Republican Party and Bush supporters everywhere with his 2004 Cannes Film Festival award winning “Fahrenheit/911,” Moore is back at Cannes with his new documentary “Sicko” in which his aim is placed squarely on the sad shape of the U.S. medical industry. This new film focuses on the failings of American medicine, the greed surrounding big insurance and pharmaceuticals, and the lack of vision in the government to fix the problems. He compares the care received by citizens of other countries such as Great B...

And so it begins, after a record drought in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia, the hurricane season rears its ugly head a few weeks early. Just this morning the National Weather Service has issued what they are calling it Special Tropical Disturbance Advisory. Here’s the text: A NON-TROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...CENTERED ABOUT 175 MILES EAST OF JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA AND ABOUT 160 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA...HAS BEEN MOVING SLOWLY WESTWARD AT 5 TO 10 MPH. THE LOW IS PRODUCING GALE-FORCE WINDS NEAR THE COASTS OF NORTH CAROLINA...SOUTH CAROLINA...GEORGIA AND NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA. THIS SYSTEM HAS CHANGED LITTLE SINCE THIS EVENING...AND NO SIGNIFICANT STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED. THE LOW IS BEING MONITORED FOR SIGNS OF TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL CYCLONE DEVELOPMENT...AND AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS SCHEDULE TO INVESTIGATE THE SYSTEM TOMORROW MORNING. Don’t get me wrong, we REALLY need the rain around here. It has been so long since we hav...

She’s at it again. Sheryl Crow, the one-woman crusader against hygienic rear-ends, has written in her blog crying about how the media spun her words and how she was the butt of jokes on late night TV. Sheryl, baby, what did you expect? You know the world we live in; if you are in the public eye and make a stupid statement, you can expect to called out for it. But wait, Sheryl now says that when she proposed a limitation on the number of squares of toilet paper we should be allowed to use she was only making a joke . That may well be true, but it was a pretty bad one and a lot of folks did not take it that way on initial reading. In her rant, posted to her blog Friday, May 4, she goes on to talk about how the media is out of control and that news stories are spun with little or no fact-checking. I must say, I am one of those who read her blog and on first reading thought she was just another tree-hugging liberal activist with an agenda (which, of course, she is) who is riding the...

It’s about time. Someone in the national spotlight and within the African-American community is stepping up and speaking out. Finally someone has gotten some sense and mustered the courage to voice his outrage at the current state of the Rap and Hip-Hop culture so many urban youths emulate. But is it enough? Who else will step up and demand change? Sharpton? Jackson? I doubt it. That would, in the words of Cam’ron (see article below), damage their street cred. Russell Simmons has called for a moratorium on the use of three particularly derogatory terms as reported on The Independent today: Yesterday, he called for a voluntary ban on the three words he considers the most unacceptable, and among the most common, describing "bitch", "ho" and "nigger" as "extreme curse words" that were inconsistent with any sense of social responsibility by rap artists or their record companies. "The words 'bitch' and 'ho' are utterly der...

According to Sheryl Crow, the 45-year-old singer, we can curb global warming by limiting the amount of toilet tissue we use to only one square, except on those occasions when 2 or 3 may be needed because of pesky body waste. Wh-what! Hell, this morning alone I used 30 or 40 squares in just one sitting. I guess my waste is just more pesky than most. Saving trees by reducing the amount of toilet tissue we use is, well, a crappy idea. Sheryl revealed this stunning and insightful ecologic breakthrough on her blog along with several other suggestions to fight global warming and stop the destruction of the world as we know it. Among her other bright ideas is a removable “dining sleeve” to wipe your greasy mouth with instead of using paper napkins, and a reality show geared on which the winner would be the person who lives the “greenest” lifestyle. What can I say but, Brilliant! In the spirit of Ms. Crow’s blog, I would like to make a few suggestions to her of my own: 1. Stop selling yo...

"If I knew the serial killer was living next door to me?" Comments like this, to be broadcast on NBC’s 60 Minutes program, are exactly what is wrong with today’s society. The comments were made by Hip-Hop artist Cam’ron whose real name is Cameron Giles in response to a hypothetical question posed by NBC’s Anderson Cooper. "I wouldn't call and tell anybody on him -- but I'd probably move," says Giles. "But I'm not going to call and be like, the serial killer's in 4E.” Why wouldn’t Giles call the police? Why wouldn’t he perform his civic duty as a citizen of the United States? Why would he allow a rapist, pedophile, or mass-murder get away with their crimes? The pathetic answer is that it would harm his image in the Hip-Hop culture. “Street cred” is an unseen force which surrounds rappers and increases their record sales exponentially if it is possessed. It is what drives some rapper’s sales figures into the astrosphere while others flounder...