A Social Network Christmas

Snookered

"Snookered" ... definition: Slang . to deceive, cheat, or dupe: to be snookered by a mail order company

This is what happened to the Republicans in the recent debate over tax policy. It was a smashing victory by the Democrats who managed to portray the event as a victory in partisonship. You don't really think Nancy Pelosi was actually defying the President, do you?

Consider:

... the rates were established for two years, not made permanent. What do you think will happen in two years if Obama is re-elected?

... the move continued to be portrayed to the end as a tax "cut" (it was actually the avoidance of a scheduled raise) and as a windfall for "the rich", whoever thay are

... the unemployment benefits were extended with new stimulus dollars, not existing funds which happened to be available in mass quantity

... the payroll tax manipulation was irresponsible in light of the absence of a long-term solution for Social Security funding

Are the Republicans as ineffective as they seem? If the lopsided START Treaty passes, the answer is a resounding YES!

Love Seat

I'm not sure if I showed you a picture of this love seat. I had Steve retrieve it from a neighbors trash.

I finally finished it. Looks pretty good - even I have say so myself!

Post-Game Trauma

After watching the Rams play one good quarter and three bad ones against the Chiefs, I switched to a rerun of a disaster movie immediately following the game. There was a common thread in the programming theme.

I was surprised to see Matt Cassell play with seemingly no pain. It was also unpleasnat to observe how many Rams season ticket holders sold out to folks wearing red.

The difference in the game was clear. Although the Rams have a glaring weakness at wide receiver (basically a #3 wideout, one tight end, and a few others who will be seeking other employment next year), the Chiefs' counterparts played no better.

The difference in the teams were their offensive lines.

The Kansas City O-line protected Cassell and punched open enough holes to create a consistent running game. The Rams line had difficulty protecting Bradford, powering the running game, and worse, were responsible for several drive-killing penalties.

No Guts, No Glory

Prediction ...

Rams 20, Chiefs 17

Wiki-Crimes Against the State

Don't get me wrong ... a little whistle-blowing is a good thing. It leads to accountability and excellence. If a company or government agency is guilty of mismanagement or illegal behavior, it should be exposed.

But WikiLeaks crossed the line. We are in a war on terrorism, and they compromised our position. If our intelligence network is weakened, we are more suspectible to the attacks we've committed to stopping.

I've heard Julian Assange speak, and he's a raving lunatic. Our system of laws has guided us since the days of John Adams on how to deal with these situations: it's treason.

We'll have plenty of opportunities to save people from unfair free speech infringements. This is not one of those times.

The Lustron House

Every year before Christmas Steve & I take my moms side of the family out for a meal. This year we had lunch at the Lustron House. It was built in 1948 and it is made of metal - the inside and the outside. We enjoyed a delicious lunch that started with a fruit salad (Uncle Tom & Tommy really enjoyed theirs) and ended with a warm apple cake. Yum!

We then headed to the living room to watch a short movie about the construction of the house and to ask any questions we had.

These 2 joined the festivities this year.

You can see the dining room/kitchen from this angle. Notice all the cabinets? They're made of metal also.

I love hanging out with this group. At one point during the presentation I looked around and Dad & Uncle Frank were sleeping. Give them a little food and it's off to snooze land! I wish I had a picture of it.

I think everyone had a good time. Where should we go next year? Anyone have any ideas?