Al Gore stated two years ago that "we should artificially raise the price of gasoline to $5 per Gal". He and his cronies have almost reached their goal.

Make no mistake, the current price at the pump IS artificially high, and it's NOT because of price gouging by the oil companies. It is due to idiotic energy policies that forbid drilling for our own oil, and the refusal to build new refineries over the last twenty years due to pressure from ill-advised environmental knee-jerkers that merely HEAR the word oil and immediately protest against anything connected to the industry. They taqlk about using "alternative sources", yet when those sources are even tried to be used; their heroes in the Senate block their inception, as when Sen. Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy blocked wind power generators in the Chesapeak Bay last year because he said it would spoil the view from the Compound, or the Sierra Club protested/prevented the same technology being used in eastern California three years ago because they feared for the birds in the area.

What DO they encourage? They say it's a good idea to convert a third of our corn supply into ethanol; regardless of the fact that it will HAS caused steep rises in the general cost of food. They say WE must "conserve, recycle and reuse", even though the High Priest of their movement, the mighty Al Gore, uses TWENTY times the average of power for just ONE of the homes he resides in. WE must pay a 30% premium and use underpowered eco-box vehicles, while Mr. Gore continues to use his Chevy Blazer (after all HE is important and has to carry all that eco-propaganda to his eco-revivals 'scientific' expositions to the saved morons of the Church of Carbon Offsets.

We do need to wean ourselves off oil as much as we can reasonably do as soon as we can, but we shouldn't make our economy tank in the process.

We have enough oil reserves for our needs for the next two hundred years, on our own land; we need to start using those assets to relieve our foreign dependence on the Arab mullahs of the Middle East as we also bring new technologies online to replace the use of that resource.

We need to bring new Nuclear, hydroelectric, and wind power power plants online as soon as possible to help reduce that dependence on oil.

We need to build/create the new energy technologies probably not even thought of yet to replace oil for general energy needs. Hydrogen, Fusion, and(better than current) Solar technologies are all posibilities that just need time to be made usable. Lets buy that time we need without taking our economy down the drain, use the resources we have here.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:13 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:29 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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My new Nail Gun, made by DeWalt.
It can drive a 6-D nail through a 2 X 4 at 200 yards.
This makes construction a real breeze, and fun.
You can sit in your lawn chair, and build a fence.
Just get the wife and kids, to hold the fence boards in place.
While you sit back, relax with a cold coke.
When they have the board in the right place, just fire away.
With the hundred round magazine, you can build a fence with a minimum of reloading.
And the best part is, just think, after a fun day of fence building, with the new DeWalt Rapid fire nail gun, the wife will NEVER, ask you fix, or build anything else!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:45 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 132 words, total size 1 kb.

Where are all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods?

Where is all the media asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn't solved the problem? Asking where the FEMA trucks (and trailers) are?

Why isn't the Federal Government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in Chicago ?

When will Spike Lee say that the Federal Government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines ?

Where are Sean Penn and the Dixie Chicks?

Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen television sets?

When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a 'vanilla' Iowa , because that's the way God wants it?

Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of cannibalism?

Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates white, rural people?

How come in 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again?
_________________________________________________________________

I got the post above from a friend in E-mail and it really gave me pause to think about the differences in certain areas of the country.... even after Katrina, all you heard about was what was happening (or not happening, according to some sources) in New Orleans....you didn't hear much about the surrounding areas that were just as hard hit, if not worse. It was conventional wisdom that it was "all George Bush's fault",of course.

What was the difference between NO and the other areas hard hit by Katrina, and now the vast areas hit last week in Iowa? As far as I can tell, the main difference is in the expectations of the victims involved.

In those areas with large populations that were dependant on the government for their livelihood, and where there was constant reinforcement of the idea that "it's not your fault; you deserve help to survive", the people reacted just as you would expect from a victim mentality - they didn't even have the chutzpah to get out of the way when they knew the flood waters were coming.

That helplessness included those responsible for the welfare of the community. Mayor Nagin decried the lack of Federal aid when he didn't even use the resources available to him to evacuate people from the danger; letting school buses get flooded rather than using them to transport people to safety.

N O had an election soon after the disaster and the people re-elected Nagin as Mayor in spite of his lack of ability as demonstrated in the disaster; they preferred maintaining the status quo of eternal dependence on government aid to the possibility of a new paradigm of self-reliance with assistance to get over the hump.

We haven't heard one word of complaint from those in Alabama or Mississippi that suffered just as much as the residents of N O from Katrina, or even those in LA that weren't in the city proper, nor from the current victims of flooding in Iowa.

The main difference in expectations seems to stem from the race of those involved. I say this knowing full well that that statement will certainly make me, ipso facto, a Racist, but I don't think that anyone can argue about the fact that one group is predominately (poor)Black and the other two groups are predominately white and "middle class" Black. I think that race IS a factor, but attitude is a much greater factor.

I believe that the poor attitude is engendered by the social engineering schemes of the Left. I truly believe that the "Compassionate" Left are the true racists.
Misguided "help" in the form of welfare with no strings attached (no strings other than the loss of self-pride and trust in self-reliance) has led to multi-generational government dependents that truly ARE incapable of fending for themselves.
The racism of soft expectations has proved to be more destructive to the Black race than the harshest forms of Jim Crow bigotry ever were.

We need to have an honest dialogue on race relations in the U.S., but I don't see it happening as long as the mass media only puts up the race pimps such as Jackson, Sharpton, and Wright as the "true" representatives of the Black population. Their only interest in race relations is in keeping them as strained as possible so that they can continue their money making power bases.

Have Blacks been abused in our past? YES, beyond denying by any sane person.
Are there inherent/unfair difficulties in being Black in America? I would say Yes, but with the stipulation that ALL of the races have some form of unfair conditions to deal with just by existing.

It's a true measure of the individual how he/she deals with those conditions in constructive and uplifting ways. We need to decide as a society whether we are going to continue with our heritage of self-reliance and self-determination, or move on to a Socialistic mode of the individual being merely a ward of the State.

Seems an easy choice to me, but not for the 'all compassionate' Left...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 859 words, total size 5 kb.

Where are all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods?

Where is all the media asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn't solved the problem? Asking where the FEMA trucks (and trailers) are?

Why isn't the Federal Government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in Chicago ?

When will Spike Lee say that the Federal Government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines ?

Where are Sean Penn and the Dixie Chicks?

Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen television sets?

When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a 'vanilla' Iowa , because that's the way God wants it?

Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of cannibalism?

Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates white, rural people?

How come in 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again?
_________________________________________________________________

I got the post above from a friend in E-mail and it really gave me pause to think about the differences in certain areas of the country.... even after Katrina, all you heard about was what was happening (or not happening, according to some sources) in New Orleans....you didn't hear much about the surrounding areas that were just as hard hit, if not worse. It was conventional wisdom that it was "all George Bush's fault",of course.

What was the difference between NO and the other areas hard hit by Katrina, and now the vast areas hit last week in Iowa? As far as I can tell, the main difference is in the expectations of the victims involved.

In those areas with large populations that were dependant on the government for their livelihood, and where there was constant reinforcement of the idea that "it's not your fault; you deserve help to survive", the people reacted just as you would expect from a victim mentality - they didn't even have the chutzpah to get out of the way when they knew the flood waters were coming.

That helplessness included those responsible for the welfare of the community. Mayor Nagin decried the lack of Federal aid when he didn't even use the resources available to him to evacuate people from the danger; letting school buses get flooded rather than using them to transport people to safety.

N O had an election soon after the disaster and the people re-elected Nagin as Mayor in spite of his lack of ability as demonstrated in the disaster; they preferred maintaining the status quo of eternal dependence on government aid to the possibility of a new paradigm of self-reliance with assistance to get over the hump.

We haven't heard one word of complaint from those in Alabama or Mississippi that suffered just as much as the residents of N O from Katrina, or even those in LA that weren't in the city proper, nor from the current victims of flooding in Iowa.

The main difference in expectations seems to stem from the race of those involved. I say this knowing full well that that statement will certainly make me, ipso facto, a Racist, but I don't think that anyone can argue about the fact that one group is predominately (poor)Black and the other two groups are predominately white and "middle class" Black. I think that race IS a factor, but attitude is a much greater factor.

I believe that the poor attitude is engendered by the social engineering schemes of the Left. I truly believe that the "Compassionate" Left are the true racists.
Misguided "help" in the form of welfare with no strings attached (no strings other than the loss of self-pride and trust in self-reliance) has led to multi-generational government dependents that truly ARE incapable of fending for themselves.
The racism of soft expectations has proved to be more destructive to the Black race than the harshest forms of Jim Crow bigotry ever were.

We need to have an honest dialogue on race relations in the U.S., but I don't see it happening as long as the mass media only puts up the race pimps such as Jackson, Sharpton, and Wright as the "true" representatives of the Black population. Their only interest in race relations is in keeping them as strained as possible so that they can continue their money making power bases.

Have Blacks been abused in our past? YES, beyond denying by any sane person.
Are there inherent/unfair difficulties in being Black in America? I would say Yes, but with the stipulation that ALL of the races have some form of unfair conditions to deal with just by existing.

It's a true measure of the individual how he/she deals with those conditions in constructive and uplifting ways. We need to decide as a society whether we are going to continue with our heritage of self-reliance and self-determination, or move on to a Socialistic mode of the individual being merely a ward of the State.

Seems an easy choice to me, but not for the 'all compassionate' Left...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:29 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 859 words, total size 5 kb.

Where are all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods?

Where is all the media asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn't solved the problem? Asking where the FEMA trucks (and trailers) are?

Why isn't the Federal Government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in Chicago ?

When will Spike Lee say that the Federal Government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines ?

Where are Sean Penn and the Dixie Chicks?

Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen television sets?

When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a 'vanilla' Iowa , because that's the way God wants it?

Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of cannibalism?

Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates white, rural people?

How come in 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again?
_________________________________________________________________

I got the post above from a friend in E-mail and it really gave me pause to think about the differences in certain areas of the country.... even after Katrina, all you heard about was what was happening (or not happening, according to some sources) in New Orleans....you didn't hear much about the surrounding areas that were just as hard hit, if not worse. It was conventional wisdom that it was "all George Bush's fault",of course.

What was the difference between NO and the other areas hard hit by Katrina, and now the vast areas hit last week in Iowa? As far as I can tell, the main difference is in the expectations of the victims involved.

In those areas with large populations that were dependant on the government for their livelihood, and where there was constant reinforcement of the idea that "it's not your fault; you deserve help to survive", the people reacted just as you would expect from a victim mentality - they didn't even have the chutzpah to get out of the way when they knew the flood waters were coming.

That helplessness included those responsible for the welfare of the community. Mayor Nagin decried the lack of Federal aid when he didn't even use the resources available to him to evacuate people from the danger; letting school buses get flooded rather than using them to transport people to safety.

N O had an election soon after the disaster and the people re-elected Nagin as Mayor in spite of his lack of ability as demonstrated in the disaster; they preferred maintaining the status quo of eternal dependence on government aid to the possibility of a new paradigm of self-reliance with assistance to get over the hump.

We haven't heard one word of complaint from those in Alabama or Mississippi that suffered just as much as the residents of N O from Katrina, or even those in LA that weren't in the city proper, nor from the current victims of flooding in Iowa.

The main difference in expectations seems to stem from the race of those involved. I say this knowing full well that that statement will certainly make me, ipso facto, a Racist, but I don't think that anyone can argue about the fact that one group is predominately (poor)Black and the other two groups are predominately white and "middle class" Black. I think that race IS a factor, but attitude is a much greater factor.

I believe that the poor attitude is engendered by the social engineering schemes of the Left. I truly believe that the "Compassionate" Left are the true racists.
Misguided "help" in the form of welfare with no strings attached (no strings other than the loss of self-pride and trust in self-reliance) has led to multi-generational government dependents that truly ARE incapable of fending for themselves.
The racism of soft expectations has proved to be more destructive to the Black race than the harshest forms of Jim Crow bigotry ever were.

We need to have an honest dialogue on race relations in the U.S., but I don't see it happening as long as the mass media only puts up the race pimps such as Jackson, Sharpton, and Wright as the "true" representatives of the Black population. Their only interest in race relations is in keeping them as strained as possible so that they can continue their money making power bases.

Have Blacks been abused in our past? YES, beyond denying by any sane person.
Are there inherent/unfair difficulties in being Black in America? I would say Yes, but with the stipulation that ALL of the races have some form of unfair conditions to deal with just by existing.

It's a true measure of the individual how he/she deals with those conditions in constructive and uplifting ways. We need to decide as a society whether we are going to continue with our heritage of self-reliance and self-determination, or move on to a Socialistic mode of the individual being merely a ward of the State.

Seems an easy choice to me, but not for the 'all compassionate' Left...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 859 words, total size 5 kb.

Where are all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods?

Where is all the media asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn't solved the problem? Asking where the FEMA trucks (and trailers) are?

Why isn't the Federal Government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in Chicago ?

When will Spike Lee say that the Federal Government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines ?

Where are Sean Penn and the Dixie Chicks?

Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen television sets?

When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a 'vanilla' Iowa , because that's the way God wants it?

Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of cannibalism?

Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates white, rural people?

How come in 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again?
_________________________________________________________________

I got the post above from a friend in E-mail and it really gave me pause to think about the differences in certain areas of the country.... even after Katrina, all you hyeard about was what was happening (or not happening, according to some sources) in New Orleans....you didn't hear much about the surrounding areas that were just as hard hit, if not worse. It was conventional wisdom that it was "all George Bush's fault",of course.

What was the difference between NO and the other areas hard hit by Katrina, and now the vast areas hit last week in Iowa? As far as I can tell, the main difference is in the expectations of the victims involved.

In those areas with large populations that were dependant on the government for their livilihood, and where there was constant reinforcement of the idea that "it's not your fault; you deserve help to survive", the people reacted just as you would expect from a victim mentality, they didn't even have the hutzpah to even get out of the way when they knew the flood waters were coming.

That helplessness included those responsible for the welfare of the community. Mayor Nagin decried the lack of Federal aid when he didn't even use the resources availible to him to evacuate people from the danger; just letting school busses get flooded rather than using them to transport people to safety.

N O had an election soon after the disaster and the people re-elected Nagin as Mayor in spite of his lack of ability demonstrated in the disaster; preferring maintaining the status quo of eternal dependence on government aid to the possibility of a new paradigm of self reliance with assistance to get over the hump.

We haven't heard one word of complaint from those in Alabama that suffered just as much as the residents of N O from Katrina or even those in LA that weren't in the city proper, or from the current victims of flooding in Iowa.

The main difference in expectations seems to stem from the race of those involved. I say this knowing full well that that statement will certainly make me, ipso facto, a Racist, but I don't think that anyone can argue about the fact that one group is predominately (poor)Black and the other two groups are predominately white and "middle class" Black. I think that race IS a factor, but attitude is a much greater factor.

I believe that the poor attitude is engendered by the social engineering schemes of the Left. I truely believe that the "Compassionate" Left are the true racists.
Misguided "help" in the form of welfare with no strings attached (no strings other than the loss of self-pride and trust in self reliance) has led to multi-generational government dependents that truly ARE incapable of fending for themselves.
The racism of soft expectations has proved to be even more destructive to the Black race than even the harshest forms of Jim Crow bigotry ever were.

We need to have an honest dialogue on race relations in the U.S., but I don't see it ever happening as long as the mass media only puts up the race pimps such as Jackson, Sharpton, and Wright as the "true" representatives of the Black population. Their only interest in race relations is in keeping them as strained as possible so that they can continue their money making power bases.
Have Blacks been abused in our past? YES, beyond denying by any sane person. Are there some inherent/unfair difficulties in being Black in America? I would say Yes, but with the stipulation that ALL of the races have some form of unfair conditions to deal with just by existing.
Its a true measure of the individual on how he/she deals with those conditions in constructive ways.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:12 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 811 words, total size 5 kb.

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I
kept staring at a drunken woman swigging her drink, as she sat alone at
a nearby table.

My wife asks, 'Do you know her?

'Yes,' I sighed. 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she started
drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she
hasn't been sober since!

'My God!' says my wife. 'Who would think a person could go on
celebrating that long?

So you see, there really are two ways to look at everything ....

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:54 PM | Comments (22) | Add Comment
Post contains 104 words, total size 1 kb.

“The United States leads the world in too many areas for us to start imitating those who are trailing behind.” —Thomas Sowell

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 11:48 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 30 words, total size 1 kb.

This from the American Federation of Republican Women (AFRW):

If Barack Obama is elected it is possible that four Supreme Court Justices could be selected during his tenure.

Do you trust him to select Supreme Court Judges?

Obama's Words
When asked what criteria Obama would require when selecting judges he said,
"We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges." - Barack Obama, To Planned Parenthood, July 17, 2007

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama on the Confirmation of Judge John Roberts:
"Truly difficult cases" should involve "one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of one's empathy." September 22, 2005

The Supreme Court Oath
According to Title 28, Chapter I, Part 453 of the United States Code, each Supreme Court Justice takes the following oath: "I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God."

NFRW's Words
A Supreme Court Justice is to "do equal right to the poor and to the rich"-not just the poor as Obama believes.

A Supreme Court Justice is to, "administer justice without respect to persons,"-not taking into account if that person is "African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old," as Obama said.

A Supreme Court Justice is to, "be impartial,"-not talking in to account "one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of one's empathy," as Obama said.

Barack Obama does not honor the Supreme Court Oath and its intent.

Do you trust him to select Supreme Court Justices?

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

NO. I DON"T.

20 WEEKS UNTIL THE 2008 ELECTION

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 01:42 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 360 words, total size 2 kb.

Well, the Demoncrats are finally bold enough to show their true Socialistic heart. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) proposed that the oil companies and refineries be nationalized, Rep. Maxine Waters(D-CA) agrees.

Kim Du Toit has the right idea: ANY polititian that proposes nationalization of any sector of private companies should be immediately be stripped of office for breaking their Constitutional oath of office. I would go a step furthur and add that some form of legal consequences be added to that. The statement that "they have the freedom of speech to say what they wish" is a true strawman, they do have the right to SAY anything they wish, but when their proposed actions violate their oaths of office, all bets are off, and there ARE SHOULD be consequences to be faced. Free Speech is NOT a defense for malfeasance.

Incidentally, Maxine, "the People" DO own those companies already, they're called SHAREHOLDERS, maybe you should go back to school and LISTEN this time in Economics class.

Democrats are all about injecting government into all aspects of our lives; experience has shown any of the THINKING people still left out here that government is the WORST choice to run ANY sort of undertaking (Amtrak ring a bell?...public education?...Medicare?), and the bigger the goverment, the worse their performance.

If we don't start holding our elected officials responsible for their actions, we will soon get the tyrany that we will deserve by that inaction.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 01:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 250 words, total size 2 kb.

George Carlin has died from heart disease at the age of 71.

Mr. Carlin was an icon of my youth; the "Seven words you can't say on television" was one of the funniest things I ever heard and typified his lack of concern over the conventional.

Although we disagreed vehemently on most matters of politics, he still retained the ability to make you listen and, more importantly, THINK about what you believed in.

He once said that "if you scratch a cynic, you'll find a disappointed idealist"... that certainly explains a lot of his comedy. While disdaining political correctness he still espoused the "Progressive" ideals of the Left, while still mocking some of the byproducts naturally occurring from implementation of those ideals. In other words, he was an equal opportunity curmudgeon.
He will be missed on both sides of the political divide.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:07 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 147 words, total size 1 kb.

Eighteen Double Vodkas

A guy walked into a bar one day and said to the barman, "Give me six double vodkas."
The barman says, "Wow! you must have had one hell of a day."

"Yeah, I just found out my oldest son is gay."

The next day, the same guy came into the bar and asked for the same drinks. When the bartender asked what the problem was today the answer came back, "I just found out that my youngest son is gay, too!"

On the third day, the guy came into the bar and ordered another six double vodkas. The bartender said, "Jesus! Doesn't anybody in your family like women?"

The man downed the first drink and shook his head, "Yeah, my wife!"

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 130 words, total size 1 kb.

Those that know me know that my greatest passion is motorcycling (which is a real drag when I'm on the disabled list...) I'm always looking for new avenues of learning about what moves me, so I joined an online Women's Forum group (STOP laughing!) that has a section devoted exclusively to motorcycles; I don't care the source, if I can learn from it.

They have a great article this week on the do's and dont's of being a good passenger, that is a good base primer for those that have never ridden and wonder what it would be like to be on a bike and so take a lift.

Sometimes the commenters can get too far into the touchy-feely mode, but on the whole they really seem to know the score and tell it like it should be.

My most basic piece of advice for those considering riding?, just remember this:

There are two types of riders; those that have gone down, and those that will go down.

Every time I get on my bike, I always check to see if I experience just a tiny tingle of butterflys in my stomach, If I DON"T feel it, I don't ride. Reasonable fear is good, it helps keep you safe. ("Caution" may be a better word for it, but everyone knows what fear is and may term caution as something else.)

Decide if the risk is worth the experience (to me it IS) and plan ahead for that time when there is only time to "wonder just how much this is going to hurt". You ride long enough, it WILL happen. Being forewarned and prepared can make all the difference between "what a stupid thing to happen" and "The family requests that in lieu of flowers that a donation be made to (the charity of your choice)" Stay alert and always try to prepare for the worst scenario.

Friendly advice for what it's worth:

1) Take a riders safety course from the AMA, ABATE, or other qualified organization. Even as just a passenger, they can teach you how to stay as safe as possible, if you listen and take their instruction to heart.

2) ALWAYS dress properly :

(A) NEVER wear polyester (unless you really enjoy the Medics using a wire brush on your skin to get the melted debris off/out of it).

(B) Leather is the best option, heavy denim is second.

(C) Never wear shorts. Long sleeves are allways preferable.

(D) Wear heavy shoes that provide support and ankle protection. Boots would be best. Make sure that any footwear you ride in has a heavy sole that can give you traction and protection. Tennis shoes are NOT good riding gear.
Wearing Flip flops is a good way of clueing everyone around you on just how much of an idiot you are, so that they can try to stay as far away from your incipent tragedy as possible. (Hmmm. maybe that could be a good thing...I may have to re-think this one)

3) ALWAYS consider every other vehicle around you as an enemy that is out to ruin your day....most of them aren't but you never know WHICH one of them IS, so they must all be suspect. Plan for what they may do before they do it and try to always leave yourself an "out" and plan how you will use it.

4) WHEN that car pulls that bonehead action, and you know that there is no other option, LAY THE BIKE DOWN. Try to get the mass of the bike between you and what you're going to strike, it's a lot easier to replace a bike than your body parts. (Being properly dressed will give you more confidence that you will reduce your injuries as much as possible when using this manuever). This procedure is only rarely mentioned in passing, if at all, but I'm sitting here capable of passing this on because my father taught me how to do this when he first taught me how to ride as a young teenager with a skull full of mush. I'm convinced that it has saved my life on at least two occasions, and prevented some serious injuries on at least three other occasions

5) Use good sense, if you don't, riding is a highly effective way of thinning the gene pool. Yes, it IS a thrill to take that machine up to it's RPM limit, but the faster you go, the less chance you have to survive when things go wrong. I don't know too many riders that haven't gone up to that red line at least once, but count yourself lucky if you survive the experience and don't make a habit of it. On the flip side DON'T be TOO cautious either. It is really dangerous to be a roadblock in the way of ({usually} impatient) traffic, if you are too scared to ride at reasonable speed, biking just may not be the activity for you, at least not on public streets.

6) You may wonder why I haven't said "ALWAYS wear a helmet".
I think that it's a mixed bag. Beginning riders should always wear a helmet. Once you have enough experience under your belt, I personally feel it should be an individual choice.
I USUALLY wear one, but sometimes I just don't want to, and I feel that there really are some legitimate reasons NOT to, but that's a discussion for another time. Suffice it to say that personal freedom comes with personal responsibilty in making informed choices; I don't believe in legislating that choice away from anyone.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 939 words, total size 5 kb.

Well the creatures living next door are in fine voice today....they are playing their (C)rap music so loud that they have to yell at the top of their lungs to try to have what passes for a conversation with each other...if screaming obscenities every three words at each other and saying "Ya feel me on dat?" can be called conversation.

It's a real shame that some humanoid creatures just didn't receive the proper training growing up on the fact that people have to make some accomodations when they live in a neighborhood where the houses are within ten feet of each other. I've complained to the responsible parties and have been told that I am 'intruding on their privacy' when I do so...yet they fail to see any problem when I can't hear my tv over their noise in my own living room located on the OTHER side of my house from them.

Yes the Police have been notified, several times, but as yet they have failed to make any checks...just as well, I really don't wish to have to watch my back every time I leave my front door. Not really their thing anyway; not sexy enough.

But if you see a news story about a Indiana Cracker going berserk and shooting into a crowd on a private residence's porch; please send me some bail money!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 09:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 229 words, total size 1 kb.

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply
for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my
driver's license to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I
had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but
I would have to go home and come back later.

The woman said' 'Unbutton your shirt.'

So, I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said
'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me', and she
processed my Social Security application.

When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the
Social Security office.

She said, 'You should have dropped your pants... you
might have gotten disability, too'

(Hmmm...I joke I can relate to.....Thanks Wayne)

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 143 words, total size 1 kb.

Off the seventh tee, Joe sliced his shot deep into a wooded ravine. He took his eight iron and clambered down the embankment in search of his lost ball.

After many long minutes of hacking at the underbrush, he spotted something glistening in the leaves. As he drew nearer, he discovered that it was an eight iron in hands of a skeleton!

Joe immediately called out to his friend, "Jack, I've got trouble down here!"

"What's the matter?" Jack asked from the edge of the ravine.

"Bring me my wedge," Joe shouted. "You can't get out of here with an eight iron!"

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:53 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 108 words, total size 1 kb.

I need a LITTLE MAN GAS SYSTEM(tm)!

Just maybe I could save enough to be able to pay the lawers if we got caught....

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:54 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 30 words, total size 1 kb.

Yeah, I'm being lazy....here's some jokes I got in my E-mail today, I hope they give you a lift like they did for me.

The Hair Dryer

A distinguished young woman on a flight from Ireland asked the Priest
beside her, 'Father, may I ask a favour?'
'Of course child What may I do for you?'

'Well, I bought an expensive woman's electronic hair dryer for my
Mother's birthday that is unopened and well over the Customs limits and
I'm afraid they'll confiscate it. Is there any way you could carry it
through customs for me? Under your robes perhaps?' 'I would love to help
you, dear, but I must warn you: I will not lie.'

'With your honest face, Father, no one will question you.'
When they got to Customs, she let the priest go ahead of her.
The official asked, 'Father , do you have anything to declare?'
'From the top of my head down to my waist, I have nothing to declare.'
The official thought this answer strange, so asked, 'And what do you
have to declare from your waist to the floor?'

'I have a marvelous instrument designed to be used on a woman, but
which is, to date, unused.'
Roaring with laughter, the official said, 'Go ahead, Father. Next!'

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

Replacement Windows

Last year I replaced all the windows in my house with that
expensive double-pane energy efficient kind, and today, I got a call
from the contractor who installed them. He was complaining that the
work had been completed a whole year ago and I still hadn't paid for
them.

Hellloooo, just because I'm BLONDE doesn't mean that I am automatically stupid. So, I told him just what his fast talking sales guy had told ME last year, namely, that in ONE YEAR these windows would pay for themselves!

Helllooooo! It's been a year! (I told him!)

There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I
finally just hung up.... He never called back.

Guess I won that stupid argument. I bet he felt like an
idiot.

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

9 Months Later...

Jack decided to go skiing with his buddy, Bob. So they loaded up Jack's minivan and headed north. After driving for a few hours, they got caught in a terrible blizzard. So they pulled into a nearby farm and asked the attractive lady who answered the door if they could spend the night.

"I realize it's terrible weather out there and I have this huge house all to myself, but I'm recently widowed," she explained. "I'm afraid the neighbors will talk if I let you stay in my house."

"Don't worry," Jack said. "We'll be happy to sleep in the barn. And if the weather breaks, we'll be gone at first light." The lady agreed, and the two men found their way to the barn and settled in for the night. Come morning, the weather had cleared, and they got on their way They enjoyed a great weekend of skiing.

But about nine months later, Jack got an unexpected letter from an attorney. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but he finally determined that it was from the attorney of that attractive widow he had met on the ski weekend.

He dropped in on his friend Bob and asked, "Bob, do you Rremember that good-looking widow from the farm we stayed at on our ski holiday up north about 9 months ago?"

"Yes, I do." Said Bob.

"Did you, er, happen to getup in the middle of the night, go up to the house and pay her a visit?"

"Well, um, yes!," Bob said, a little embarrassed about being found out, "I have to admit that I did."
"And did you happen to give her my name instead of telling her your name?"

Bob's face turned beet red and he said,
"Yeah, look, I'm sorry, buddy. I'm afraid I did." "Why do you ask?"

"She just died and left me everything."

(And you thought the ending would be different, didn't you? get your mind out of the gutter ! ... you know you smiled...now keep, that smile for the rest of the day!)

*************************************************************
This just proves that we have become too dependent on our computers.
Are you male or female? To find out the answer, look down.......
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Look down, not scroll down. Geeez.

Thanks to Jack and Wayne

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:41 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 763 words, total size 4 kb.