Pawlenty: Me Too! Me Too!

A Tip of the Toque to Gabriel Malor at Ace of Spades HQ.

Oh, goody! Pawlenty endorses Hoffman, now Hoffman has a chance! Pawlenty will attract moderates who were undecided! Our savior!

Bull.

Pawlenty did this because, frankly, he can't afford not to. Palin forced his hand. He wants to run in 2012, and whether it's as a candidate or a kingmaker, the 'cuda's established herself as a force to be reckoned with.

If she plays kingmaker, he needs to curry her favor by appearing to have all the proper Conservative cred.

If she runs, he can't let her take too much of a lead so soon, can't seem to have been "scooped" by her. If Hoffman wins, it's a feather in Palin's cap, and Pawlenty is trying to put an asterisk by Palin's assist -- "Yeah, she endorsed him, but who didn't? Who's to say it was her endorsement and not mine that put him over the top?" But I don't think the people he's trying to impress (conservatives) are going to be fooled.

As for the NRCC, who is endorsing a liberal RINO, screw 'em. We don't need a RINO to win over moderates -- we need a principled conservative who understands where to give a little and where to stand firm on principles.

When he was still alive, my father loved to watch football, rooted for his favorite teams passionately. But nothing pissed him off worse than when a team would sit on a lead. He especially hated the "Prevent Defense" -- he called it the "Prevent Winning Defense" He drilled it into me -- you don't play to not lose, you play to win.

The GOP is playing to not lose -- it's bending over backwards (and often just plain bending over) to avoid alienating anyone who might have at any point in the past, or might be considering anytime in the future, voting for anyone in ANY race who happens to have an "R" next to their name. Meanwhile, we're failing to stand up for the very things that once defined us as conservatives, and we're STILL not winning, because now the party is alienating the people it once felt it could safely rely on.

Back in Time

Friday I got to go down to Roseburg and attend my high school alma mater's homecoming game. I left early in the day and made a pilgrimage of it. I'll post pictures as soon as I get them developed, and talk a little more about the places I stopped.

And yes, we won, Douglas defeated Brookings-Harbor 40-28, and it wasn't even really THAT close -- BH's last touchdown came with less than a minute to go. Way to go, Trojans! They're 8-0 now and ranked in state -- #3 before the game, we'll see where they sit when the polls come out.

Ain't It the Truth

Musical Geography Trivia Question

If she finally quit living on dreams, where did she take off her ring?
(1 point each for the building, city, location, and place in the building)

Missing Child

UPDATE: According to sources, the child was recovered safe in Eugene area. The Suspect is still outstanding.


SUSPECT:MendozaPaulino, Juan DOB 09/29/1981H/M, 5-10, 170, Blk Hair, Bro eyesTattoo of "Juan XVIII" on left arm.

VICTIM:Mendoza-Peebles, Shaeleigh DOB 06/30/2008LSW: Pajamas with white top and pink/brown pants.

At about 5:15 am this morning, Juan MendozaPaulino took his 18 month old biological daughter from her mother's residence in violation of a restraining order. The suspect has threatened in the past to kidnap this child and take her to Mexico. At this time, there are no associated vehicles for the suspect. He is associated with 2264 2nd Street in Springfield. This apparently is the residence of his aunt. A teletype has been sent to all western states and border patrol.

CONTACT:
Detective Jeff Roth
Eugene PoliceViolent Crimes Unit
541-682-5569

Not at the END of My Rope, but Developing Rope Burns

So I had my interview today. Eh. I was interviewed by both the director of food services and the exectuive chef. They seemed to like me, but the chef was unimpressed by the short order nature of the restaurants where I've worked, my lack of "Real" reataurant (his words) experience. Furthermore, my time in SO and institutional showed when I proved too rusty to answer a simple culinary question -- what are the 5 mother sauces, and how do you make a Sauce Mornay? I felt like a freaking IDIOT.

I'm getting damned discouraged, and I'm on the brink of looking again for some other career. Maybe I just wasn't meant to do something I enjoy. I mean, SOMEBODY has to be a drone.

Out of my Hole

It's been what, a month or so since I blogged? A lot has been going on, and I jut haven't had the mental energy to blog. Heck, I'm barely keeping up with reading my own favorite blogs that regularly.

I moved out a little over a month ago, and am living ina rented room. It's... well, it's different as an adult in his forties from living like this as a twentysomething.

It's a daily financial struggle, because I'm underemplyed, but things are looking up. I have an interview tomorrow with a very large, very well-funded local institution. It would also be only part time, but even if I can't make it fit around my current schedule, the increase in pay and the fact that they offer some benefits at as little as twenty hours.

I see The Lad 4-5 days a week, and up until recently had him for most of the day two of those days. I'm now being scheduled to work Saturdays, so Buddy day has been moved to Fridayand truncated -- I have him from 9:30 AM until I drop him off at the babysitter on my way to work at 5.

Trust me, I've been following politics recently, just haven't commented on them here. It's been interesting to say the least. SO much to address, I think I'll save it for individual posts.

Haven't been doing a lot of serious cooking outside of work these days -- bachelor syndrome, it's too much trouble to go to to cook for just one person. Although I did come up with an excellent "Doctored Ramen" recipe.

I've spent some time on Facebook, reconnecting with old friends from high schol AND college, and even one or two from jr. high and earlier. I've been humbled by the level of friendship people still extend to me after so man years of disonnectedness. The compassion and encouragement they offer me in both the situation with my marriage and my job hunt has been overwhelming. I was shy in high school, and never extended myself to my classmates in a substantial way, and I'm learning now just how much friendship I missed out on because of that.

In a smaller way, I'm also still amazed at the real genuine warmth shown to me by my blog readers, who surprisingly enough still show up to read and comment when I finally do post. Your graciousness is not unappreciated, and hopefully will soon be rewarded.

Quote of the Week

“It’s a good basic axiom that if you take a quart of ice-cream and a quart of dog feces and mix ’em together the result will taste more like the latter than the former. That’s the problem with the U.N.”

- Mark Steyn

(A Tip of the Toque to Robbo at TPSAYE)

Remember

This post was originally posted on 9/11/06. I am adding more to it today.

Three years ago, on the 5th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I joined the 2,996 Project, an effort to memorialize all of the victims of that horrible day. When I joined, I was given the name of a victim, and agreed to remember her on my Blog. The person I was assigned was:

Ann M. McHugh

Age: 35
From: New York, NY
Killed at the World Trade Center

At the time, with my first year in Culinary School looming, that was all I had time or energy to post. As I read other posts contributed as part of the project, I was struck by the amount of care and research done by many people on behalf of their 9/11 victim. So I've decided to start looking deeper into the life of Ms. McHugh, and share with my readers, as time goes by, what I can find out about her.

So far, this is what I've found:

Ann Marie McHugh came to the United States from [Ireland]. She was born in 1966 and died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. She worked in the World Trade Center for Euro Brokers Inc. Her body was not found.

Also, a commenter back in 2006 shared this:

I'm not sure if I'm intruding by doing this, but she was more from Ireland than New York, and her sister's old blog is here, and her new blog is here.The old blog links directly to an old post you should probably read.

The old Blog link he posted was to a specific post, and the link is broken, but here's the link to that old blog's main page.

Quote of the Day

"Y'all got on this boat for different reasons, but y'all come to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you than I have before. Maybe all. Sure as I know anything, I know this - they will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, ten? They'll swing back to the belief that they can make people... better. And I do not hold to that. So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave."

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, 'Serenity'

R.I.P Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy has died of brain cancer. He was 77. Whatever you thyought of his life, his career, his politics, or his controversies, it's over now. From here on out it's between him and his Maker. My prayers are with those who loved him.

If you hear the Mariachi static on your radio and the tubes they glow in the dark, where are you?

Musical Geography Trivia Question

I was sick and tired of everything when I called you last night from where?

Quote of the Day

"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember it or overthrow it."

-- Abraham Lincoln, 4 April 1861

Info Blegging

Something I've always wondered regarding German armored vehicles from WWII: a lot of times you'll see the designation of the vehicle end with the term "Ausf." followed by a letter -- e.g. Pz.Kpfw.Tiger Ausf.E. I assume it's a designation similar to the American "Model" or British "Mark", but what is the literal translation?

Just for my own satisfaction.

Quote of the Day

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."

- Patrick Henry

Only in Eugene...

...will you see a Prius with an NRA membership sticker.

Musical Geography Trivia Question

Not too many horns can make that sound. Where are they?

Public Service Announcement

I have been putting this blog post off for a while, hoping I wouldn't have to post it, not knowing when or how to broach the subject, but the time has come when I have to address it, because the topic of it will be something that directly affects me on a daily basis, and hence will have an impact on my blogging.

My wife and I are getting a separation. the paperwork will be filed this week, and I will be moving out as soon as a few practical issues have been addressed.

The goal at this point is to gain perspective and seek counseling ofor both of us. Reconciliation is still a possibility.

The reasons for the separation are complex, and neither one of us is entirely without fault nor completely to blame.

I do not intend to air our dirty laundry here any further, and ask that any readers who know us personally refrain form taking sides or making personal comments regarding either of us in my comments. My wife and I may have our issues, but they are ours, and as the mother of my son I still respect her and her privacy.

Please pray for both of us and especially for our son.

What's The Frequency, Kenneth Herr Goebbels?

OK, I know I said I wouldn't be blogging, but this was just to ripe a fruit not to pluck.

From the Aspen Daily News: Dan Rather wants Obama to help save the news.

From itself?

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather called on President Barack Obama to form a White House commission to help save the press Tuesday night in an impassioned speech at the Aspen Institute.

“I personally encourage the president to establish a White House commission on public media,” the legendary newsman said.

We could call it something like, "The Ministry of Information"! Yeah!

Such a commission on media reform, Rather said, ought to make
recommendations on saving journalism jobs and creating new business models to
keep news organizations alive.

Here's an idea for a way to save journalism jobs: BE JOURNALISTS, NOT PROPAGANDISTS!

Corporate and political influence on newsrooms, along with the conflation of news and entertainment, has created what Rather called “the dumbing down and sleazing up of what we see on the news.”

Do you think that maybe some of that "sleazing up" can be attributed to the media's whoring itself out to one political ideology, Mr. "Fake but accurate"?

The free press, as established by the First Amendment to the Constitution, ought to operate as a public trust, not solely as a money-making endeavor, Rather argued, and it’s time the government make an effort to ensure the survival of the free press. If not the government, he suggested, then an organization like the Carnegie Foundation should take it on. Without action, he predicted, America will lose its independent media.

So let me get this straight -- the way to ensure a free press is to have the government control it? how very Soviet in your logic, Dan.

“If we do nothing more than stand back and hope that innovation alone will solve this crisis,” he said, “then our best-trained journalists will lose their
jobs.”

So that's what it really comes down to. Dan's worried about his buddies' paychecks. When he says "Best-trained", just filter it as "Most thoroughly indoctrinated" and you'll see what the real crisis for Dan and his ilk are. Because the fact is, Mr. BLather, innovation alone IS solving the crisis. From alternative news outlets, to the blogs, to the way that social networking sites like Twitter were used to get the news out of Iran when the government there had shut down traditional journalists, innovation is driving changes in how information gets out. The old legacy media no longer holds the information monopoly. And THAT is what Dan Rather REALLY wants Obama to save.