Illinois Senators Dave Syverson and Brad Burzynski held Breakfast with the Senator this morning. They had done this every couple of weeks last spring and I attended every one of them. I found each one to be informative and exposing of the problems of Illinois Government. They havenÂ’t had one since last May, which I sorely missed. Shadoglare joined me for this one.

The point of the breakfast was to discuss multiple topics including the status of the Capital Plan, Status of the RTA-CTA (Regional Transportation Authority –Chicago Transportation Authority), Blagojevich’s Health Plan, and budget updates. There was also an open question time. While everyone was eating they showed the below clip from the CBS affiliate in Chicago, CBS2, report, “Exposing Blagojevich: Governor’s Style and Obstacle” It’s about 8 minutes long, but it is worth the watch.

The worst part of this clip is the interviews and quotes from not only political players in his own party, but also his own staff! IÂ’ve said for years this man is trying to destroy Illinois, but I never imagined it was this bad. He continually tries to overspend our income. Illinois is already in fiscal trouble due to over spending, bad budgeting and poor money management by our government. If he canÂ’t get the funding through taxes, heÂ’ll sell 25-year bonds, take the money from pension funds or take monies from taxes earmarked to be spent elsewhere. He is trying to push a Health Care plan that covers everyone in Illinois with a household income under $85,000.00, including illegal aliens.

If he gets voted in for a third term, so help me I think that will be the nail in the coffin of any hope I have that this Nanny State will get any better.

Posted by: Contagion at 01:56 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Why are the reporter and news people surprised by this? For that matter, why have they waited until AFTER the election to do this report... it's certain that all of this was going on before the election! Of course, the problem is - the next election is FAR away. So that means they want to be sure that all these things are old news by that time. ARG!!! Bobby-boy will run the state into the ground.

Posted by: Teresa at November 30, 2007 05:39 PM (rVIv9)

2 What's really disheartening is the poll at cbs2chicago.com shows 54% think he's doing a good or excellent job. Everyone I know thinks he stinks, even the democrats. But then, I'm not in Chicago.

Posted by: don at December 01, 2007 01:06 PM (c6Bhn)

3 And you think California's jacked up...

Posted by: That 1 Guy at December 02, 2007 10:27 AM (NJMQg)

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Grandma died at 8:10 this evening. At least now she'll know some peace and comfort.

Posted by: Contagion at 10:11 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
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Last night my mother told me that my grandmother doesn't have long left to live. For the last two years she has given us a scare on a regular basis that it was her time to die. It got to the point that when my mother would call and tell me that Grandma didn't have long to live, I'd shrug it off figuring she would bounce back. And every time she would. Inevitably most of the family felt that way.

Now we have a slightly different situation. They put Grandma has gotten worse, last night they finalized all the paperwork for a DNR (Do not Resuscitate). They also instructed the staff to take Grandma off of her meds, only keeping her on her meds that will keep her comfortable. While at work this morning I receive a call from my mother, "The hospice called, they say your Grandma is going to pass shortly".

I left work quickly and drove to the nursing home as fast as I could, I wanted to see her one last time. I had been planning on stopping in today on my lunch break, but it didn't look like I was going to be able to wait that long. When I arrived at the nursing home, Grandma's breathing was labored and shallow, her pulse was up over 110 and they couldn't take her blood pressure anymore. Her blood oxygen level was around 65%. She sounded really bad. Nurses and attendants where in and out all day checking on her and kept giving us the same line, "anytime now".

I sat with her for 3 hours, finally I had to go get Clone. Mom runs a daycare and usually watches him, but since she was with Grandma, she had a substitute filling in for her. Unfortunately the substitute couldn't stay all afternoon and Clone was the only kid she had left. Now I'm sitting home with the boys waiting for the call.

Unfortunately I'm not sure if it's going to happen tonight, tomorrow or when. It's going to be a long wait.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:06 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Again tonight’s beer is sponsored by Bruce of Back to the Batcave… whom seems to have started posting again. However, some of them are complete lies! Last Friday, after being blamed for his “condition” due to festivities the day before, he gave me a bottle of Jaw-Jacker by Aracadia Ales.

This comes in the standard 12 oz brown bottle. The main label has the name of the Brewery at the top. There is a picture of a funky pumpkin headed scarecrow on it with a mouth full of sharp teeth. It looks like it’s trying to growl at the moon. Behind that it appears to be a door on an old building. The name of the beer is closer to the bottom. It has a quick blurb that says, “Ale with spices added. (Cinnamon, Allspice and Nutmeg).

It has a ruddy orange color to it. There is some cloudiness, but light does pass through easily. It poured almost no head. What film there was faded quickly to a film and then nothing. There is no lacing at all.

An overpowering scent of pumpkin, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon is noticeable. Caramel malts can also be detected if one concentrates. Though not as strong as the scent, the flavor is again a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and pumpkin. Floral hops finish it off with a bitterness. The aftertaste actually worsens before it starts to fade. ItÂ’s a bitter combination of beer and pumpkin pie. Actually this almost tastes like an IPA that had a slice of pumpkin pie dissolved in the bottle.

ItÂ’s a medium bodied beer. There is some prickly carbonation on the tongue.

This was an unpleasant beer to drink. The flavor was vile, the aftertaste disconcerting and the thought of drinking another will wake me up in the middle of the night screaming. In fact after the first sip I made such a hideous noise that the entire family came running to see what was happening. If I never drink this beer again, IÂ’ll be a happy man. I may just have to kick Bruce in the dick the next time I see him for giving this to me. I give it 1.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:30 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 After I stopped laughing my ass off I have to say sorry on the hideous beer!

Posted by: Bruce at November 28, 2007 07:41 PM (ecH0X)

2 Wow, a 1.5! I was figuring considering how nasty beers have rated like a 4 on your scale before, even rubbing alcohol would probably be like a 2.... and this got 1.5!? Maaaan it *has* to be nasty

Posted by: Shadoglare at November 28, 2007 11:45 PM (4iXDP)

3 However, the label is strangely compelling... LOL.

Posted by: Teresa at November 29, 2007 01:58 PM (rVIv9)

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I get home tonight and I have an e-mail from my friend Smokepoles telling me that Google has implemented a new feature that allows you to put in a phone number and if you search you're able to find the information of the numbers owner. I had heard this before, but never saw it work... until tonight. I went out and sure enough I entered my number and up popped my first initial, last name, city and state. At first I wasn't too concerned, you really can't get too much from that, but I decided to remove it anyway. As I was going through the remove process, Google linked me to some other sites that also do reverse number look ups. Two of them, WhitePages.com and PhoneNumber.com not only gave out my full name, but also my wive's name, our home address and directions on how to get here. For the last forty minutes I've been on a rampage having all of my information removed from these sites.

So if you are a little concerned about privacy, you might want to check and see if you are listed on any of these.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:42 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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You may recall I've asked you questions about Chili in the past. I have some more for you.

Chili: With or with out beans?

What is the best meat for chili?

Let me know what you think, a very important decision hinges on all of your answers.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:20 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 For my Hubby? No beans and made with steak AND hamburger. For me?? Beans are awesome in chili! And beef is the meat of choice... Did I help?

Posted by: Richmond at November 27, 2007 05:29 PM (cTBnn)

2 Totally beans! In fact I kinda like a mix of.. uhh.. can't remember the names of them now.. the "usual" softer brownish bean, and there's a sort of meatier/thicker reddish bean that's good in chili too. I prefer the ground beef, though small steak chunks might be good too. In that last batch I had with the steak I think it was just the fact that the steak was in "strip" form that bugged me.

Posted by: Shadoglare at November 27, 2007 08:37 PM (4iXDP)

3 Beans. Of course. Steak is fine, but I usually use burger....for cost as well as ease of preperation....

Posted by: Tammi at November 28, 2007 06:13 AM (so3V6)

4 I prefer with beans. As for the meat, you must try beef tri-tip cut into 1 inch cubes. Makes a very hearty and beefy chili. You'll need to use a Dutch Oven or other heavy pot for preparation as the tri-tip needs to cook longer than say hamburger but man is it ever worth it. Got a couple of good recipes, let me know if you'd like to see them.

Posted by: spurs at November 28, 2007 07:17 AM (SQsl6)

5 must.have.beans and beef

Posted by: Quality Weenie at November 28, 2007 07:30 AM (ZM3Qb)

6 Originally, Chili did not have meat. Chili with any kind of meat is actually Chili con carne, or "chili with meat." If my memory serves me correctly, the original style chili did not have beans, either. But for me, it doesn't work without the meat and beans. At our house, we usually use ground beef, our good family farm raised stuff. I also know a LOT of guys who make their chili with venison. Similar to beef, most people won't know the difference, but it is actually healthier. I also know a guy who makes "Pork Chop Chili." More about the pork chops than the chili, it is very good. He cooks pork chops in a large pan of very spicy chili. Eaten off a plate, it is important to have something good to drink with it, otherwise your mouth will melt out of your head.

Posted by: Petey at November 28, 2007 08:36 AM (tmnSV)

7 Deer. Beans. And all the peppers the law will allow Mine Won.

Posted by: BloodSpite at November 28, 2007 09:43 AM (xUF9P)

8 I shall defer this to those who actually make chili... I've never been a big fan of it. Although I prefer chili with meat and beans.

Posted by: Teresa at November 28, 2007 09:59 AM (rVIv9)

9 I use equal amounts of stew beef and ground sirloin (5 lbs or better ea) with about a half pound of ground sausage. the bigger the pot the more to freeze (even better re-heated). definitely brown the meat in small stages so it won't steam in the pot. then cook for 1 hr in covered pot with chicken broth before adding the spices for the last couple of hours or so. to cut acidity of you can add a half lb of mexican chocolate. sounds strange but it works. Beans are up to you, pintos are traditional, but gassy. red kidney beans (drained and washed) are good too if you want to reduce the amount of gaseous aftermath. that's my 2 cents worth

Posted by: SB at November 28, 2007 04:50 PM (C/5ks)

10 Beans - ground and cubed beef (we also use venison here) yummy!

Posted by: oddybobo at November 29, 2007 12:10 PM (mZfwW)

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Earlier today one of my employees came to me and asked, "Can a human swallow a spoonful of cinnamon?" After staring at her blankly for about 30 seconds I responded with, "I don't know... and don't you have some work you should be doing?" Of course this planted a seed of wonder in my head as to why she would ask such a question. 30 minutes later I approach her and ask her "Why did you ask me if a human could swallow a spoonful of cinnamon?" At which point I was caught in the middle of a disagreement.

One of my people said they heard on the radio this morning that a human can not swallow a spoonful of cinnamon. They went so far as to try it on the radio show with multiple people and none of them where successful. My other employee stated it's baloney, there is no reason a human couldn't do it. Well I honestly don't know, and really don't want to try it. So I suggested each go home and give it a try and bring back the results tomorrow.

Until then, do any of you know if a human can swallow a spoonful of cinnamon?

Posted by: Contagion at 05:13 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Sure! If you mix it with enough water - or better yet, cookie dough!

Posted by: Richmond at November 27, 2007 05:30 PM (cTBnn)

2 Looked it up :p It's *hard* to swallow because it's a fine power and it's an irritant (especially to the throat), plus the saliva kinda turns it into a paste... but not impossible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2KladqtSLM http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentId=256563

Posted by: Shadoglare at November 27, 2007 08:34 PM (4iXDP)

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I spent the whole day yesterday down at Fritz's in Stillman Valley. Over the last week I told everyone I bumped into that I was going to be down there all day and that if they wanted they could come down for a drink or two and some conversation. Through out the day various friends stopped in, some ate, some just drank, but all had a good time. The staff was nice enough to fill me in on all the local gossip and inquired on missing individuals. They were even nice enough to turn the TVs the the Tennessee Vols' game for me. Which turned out to be a great game. A real nail biter, they won in 4th overtime!

Now today I'm heading over to my friend J-man's house to watch the afternoon games with some friends there. I was going to host it at my house, but J-man doesn't like my TV. Since it's only a 27 inch TV, he doesn't think it's big enough. Thus he begged, pleaded and groveled to his wife to let him have it at there house, and she said yes. It doesn't matter to me any. I wouldn't mind having the guys here, but on the same side I don't have to worry about Clone climbing all over everyone and I don't have to pick up after them.

The best part about today is that since the Packer's already played and won, I can enjoy all the other games with out wondering what's going on.

Posted by: Contagion at 10:50 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Here is a fun little time waster for everyone called Dead of Night. You have to defend your compound from zombie hordes. It starts out easy enough, but it gets difficult quickly.

Just remember if you lose your medic, you can't heal your units.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:40 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Thomas Wilson, better known as Biff Tannen, the bully, from Back to the Future. I originally heard it on the radio yesterday morning while out buying ammo, after doing some searching I was able to find a video clip of it.

If you didn't enjoy that, then in the immortal words of Biff, "Butthead!"

Posted by: Contagion at 08:43 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I know I'm a Star Trek fan and a techno junkie and I have many readers that are too. So when I found this I knew I had to share it. Below is a video clip of how to take a Blu-Ray laser and install it into a Star Trek Phaser to get a "functioning" phaser.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:29 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Last week I posted a high speed clip of a hollow point bullet traveling through ballistics gel. This week I found a montage of various high speed photos involving everything from bullets to drag racers.

I thought the scene with the tire on the drag racer was pretty cool. I never realized how much stress is put on those tires.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:23 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Yesterday, Thanksgiving, went really well. There was no drama at all. Then again most of the day was spent with my father and I in the basement watching football. The Packer's won, after trying to give it up on Thanksgiving again, putting them at 10-1. Since both my father and I are Packer fans, we were damn delighted.

Of course today is Black Friday, that shopping day in which people become rude animals mugging each other to get some deal at what ever big box store. Seriously I've seen people get into fights at Wallyworld over TVs. Traffic is insane as people ignore the rules of the road to rush to the next store to buy items. It's just stupid. Until last year I avoided going out on Black Friday. That was when I found the good deal on ammo. Well they had the same deal this year. So off I went to try and get me a buy.

Dick's Sporting Goods had the sale of buy one box get a second 50% off. Unfortunately this year they had better trained staff and I didn't get 50% off all of my ammo. Also this year they jacked up the price of ammo right before the holiday, so I really didn't save that much. Even so I still ended up getting six boxes of .45 automatic. I went to Gander Mountain to try to get the deal there as well. My friend that worked there left a couple of months back to take a job elsewhere and they wouldn't honor the coupon from the competitor this year. I did end up picking up 10 boxes of 7.62X39mm and a Christmas present for Boopie. I didn't mean to do any Christmas shopping, but one of the few items he actually really wanted they had a Gander Mountain and it was a good price on it.

The nice thing is that neither store was busy at all. Heck I didn't get out of bed until 7:45 AM and when I arrived at both stores, they weren't overly busy at all. In fact I've seen them busier on normal weekends. Now of course the staff at both stores say they get busier in the afternoon after all the big electronic items are sold out at other stores. The only problem I had was the traffic. I really wish I had push bars on my truck. I also wish I had the right to pull people over and ticket them still. At one point traffic was grid locked because people were turning on red and the roads were backed up so they couldn't get out of the intersection. Cross traffic and on coming traffic had to stop because cars were blocking the intersection. I really just wanted to push the idiots off of the road so that traffic could get going again.

I didn't do it, but I really wanted to.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:21 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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This billboard pretty much sums up how I feel about animals and hunting. Especially on Thanksgiving day.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:49 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It's Thanksgiving again. As many of my readers may recall the last two Thanksgivings have not been good for me. This year is shaping up to be a bit better. My in-laws were not able to make it this year, so that means I don't have a 4 day "Why Contagion sucks" fest. However, we are still going to my mother's were I've learned I have at least one aunt and cousin coming with as well. I would have backed out entirely except originally my in-laws were coming to town and I'm not cooking for that many people.

Yesterday we went to Clone's preschool for a Thanksgiving program/feast. It was a potluck style lunch with all the traditional Thanksgiving foods. After the meal the kids got up and did a little program for the parents. I learned a lot about my son's school that day. First it is ethnically challenged. There were no minorities at the school at all. Then this was the most un-politically correct Thanksgiving program I have ever seen. The kids dressed as pilgrims got to act with dignity, while the ones as Indians, "With their heathen ways", did the "indian dance", made the woo-woo-woo-woo sound and some came out with drums making the universal Indian drum sound, BUM-bum-bum-bum. And before you ask, hell yes I was laughing. Offended? no, not me and apparently none of the other parents either. It was really cute.

They also sang Thanksgiving themed songs like, "I don't want to be a Turkey on Thanksgiving" and "Turkey on a rail". These were hilarious, not just the way the kids acted, but the lyrics as well. The above picture is of Clone flapping his arms like wings trying to get away from being eaten.

I'm going to leave you all now to have a wonderful and fun Thanksgiving. Don't eat too much and hopefully you all have a good day! Oh, and before you I forget I left you all something in the extended entry to help brighten your day.

more...

Posted by: Contagion at 08:42 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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TonightÂ’s beer is review is sponsored by Bruce of Back To The Batcave (My latest blogspawn to abort itself with out warning) On his journey down state last month he brought back a beer for me to review. Schlafly Summer Kolsch Ale by The Saint Louis Brewery, INC. in St. Louis, MO. With a might THANKS to Bruce for his patronage, sponsorship and encouragement of my drinking habits, lets get this review started.

Like most beers this came in your standard 12 oz brown bottle. The body label is green with the brand name in a white oval with “Brewed in Saint Louis” on a black background spread above and below it. Only on the neck label to you get the type of beer, Summer kolsch ale. On the neck label there is some information about the beer itself. According to the date on the bottom of the main label this beer was “bottled with love on” April 12, 2007.

A nice thick white head forms when poured into a glass. I had an inch thick head with nice large bubbles on it. The head slowly dissipates. After 15 minuets I still have about an 1/8 inch head on the beer. There is some lacing on the side of the glass. There is a pale yellow color to the beer. A cloudiness can be seen when one tries to look through it. If it is held up to a light source you can really see how cloudy this beer really is. You can make out objects on the other side, but not much detail.

The scent is a strong citrus hop scent with a touch of sweet grass. There is also a slight bread aroma to it. The flavor is mainly of bread malts and citrus hops. There is a lemon accent to it that can probably be linked to the slight bitterness. The aftertaste fades quickly. Overall the taste is kind of weak and unimpressive.

This is a medium bodied beer with a nice crispness to it. The carbonation is at a good level for the overall body and taste of the beer.

I enjoyed drinking this beer. It wasnÂ’t anything I would brag about, but I enjoyed it. This is a nice hot day or drink with pizza beer. The flavor acts as more of an accent than as the center of attention. I give this beer 4.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:13 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The other day on the radio they were having a political discussions and one of the guests made the statement that he felt that everyone in America should have to do a mandatory 4 years military service before the age of 40. It doesn't necessarily have to be in a combat role, but they have to serve in some capacity. (Clerks, supply, etc)

This topic was debated by the hosts, other guests and callers and made me wonder. I think military service is a good thing. Yet I don't know if I like the idea of mandatory military service as you may get undesirable candidates in the military. It's no secret that I never served. Not that I didn't try, but I was rejected from all branches of the military due to a medical problem... mainly that I had four metal pins in my left leg holding it together. After college I just wanted to get my career started. By this guests plan I would have served, probably as a clerk, but I still would have served.

But would I have gotten the same experience if I had? Part of the reason I was rejected is because they didn't think I would make it through boot with out damaging my leg even worse. So if I don't go through boot, am I not missing out on the opportunities and experience he wants me to have? You know, the discipline, camaraderie and spirit of our fighting men and women.

So what do you think, is mandatory military service a good thing?

Posted by: Contagion at 06:36 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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1 Serving your country in some form or fashion, yes. Mandatory MILITARY service? No. Part of what makes our military great is that those who go in pretty much really want to be there. Having been in the military I remember those who were there who realized they had made the wrong choice, and did nothing but bitch and moan, bringing down the morale of everyone. Having it full of a bunch of whiners like that won't serve anyone's purpose.

Posted by: Mrs. Who at November 20, 2007 09:12 PM (6zbwL)

2 Mrs. Who has a point. Also, I think that those who are wealthy and connected will still get out of it.

Posted by: Bou at November 20, 2007 09:41 PM (DWOkQ)

3 Yeah, that has always been the #1 argument against mandatory service, and I agree with it. If you have soldiers that don't give a shit, they're gonna fight like they don't give a shit.

Posted by: Shadoglare at November 20, 2007 10:19 PM (dei2m)

4 Mandatory military service is a polite and politically correct word for draft. I wouldn't want the juvinile deliquents in my hood being forced into the miliary to "protect" me, it would scare the living hell out of me. And arn't the dictator countries the only other countries that demand a stint in the military?

Posted by: Quality Weenie at November 21, 2007 08:04 AM (ZM3Qb)

5 Free citizenship to anyone willing to serve 4 years in the service.

Posted by: BloodSpite at November 21, 2007 09:48 AM (xUF9P)

6 No mandatory service - that's called a DRAFT. Voluntary Service only. I *would* support mandatory work in a service industry - waiting tables, tending bar, slinging cocktails or doing dishes. Everyone should experience dealing with Joe Public in a service capacity.

Posted by: Richmond at November 21, 2007 03:16 PM (6QRLC)

7 QW- I believe that Taiwan and Israel still require it of their youth.

Posted by: Bou at November 21, 2007 04:25 PM (DWOkQ)

8 QW, there are alot of countries that have mandatory military service... only few of them might be considered dictatorships: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China (PRC), Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Korea, South, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (ROC), Turkey, and Ukraine. While I don't entirely agree with mandatory service, I also don't think it would hurt too much. Most countries that implement it ask for about one to three years... some even less. And not all of them ask for immediate service, they just say that between the ages of "" and "" so much time must be served. It would do some folks good. And it may help to keep dumbasses from running their sucks about shit of which they know nothing, if they had firsthand experience. Some of these countries' peeps are actually proud to do their service. Imagine that... 'Course, as Bou stated, those with money and connections would slide out of it. And there is the point that Shadoglare made. And thanks to our new user friendly military, those idiots cannot be properly dealt with...

Posted by: That 1 Guy at November 21, 2007 06:33 PM (NJMQg)

9 I'm not in favor of peacetime conscription (i.e., mandatory military service). But I would support mandatory military training.

Posted by: Consul-At-Arms at November 22, 2007 01:51 AM (FwGck)

10 So, who pays for this little plan? If you bring in all these people to serve, they you must have facilities for them... It "sounds" like a good idea until you start thinking of the logistics. Everytime I hear one of these plans I give it the Who, What, When, Where, and Why test. Who are you going to pull in, what are you going to do with them, where are you going to put them, and why is this a good idea? Bill and Hill closed many bases - which have now been converted to civilian use - where are you going to put the extra people? Where will they be trained, housed, fed? What military hospital facilities will take care of them when they get sick? Who is going to coordinate this plan? And with our military budget already a source of derision... where is the money going to come from? This is a "millions of extra people" plan - not just a few thousand. Who is going to train them? You'll have to pull in more active duty people into training - which takes them away from the vital jobs they are doing now. Who takes over for those pulled out to train the green recruits that will only stay a short time in the military... about long enough for the training and then they leave. Yet another feel good plan with no thought behind it except that "it would be a good thing". I don't see it. If we had a framework in place to deal with this, I could see it - but this is a MUCH larger country than any of the others that have mandatory service - which makes it far more difficult to implement than any other country. And we have always been a country that considers it essential to give people the option of doing or not doing. We have the worst problems when we have a conscripted Army. This is a short version of all the bad things about the plan. The only good thing... you make people serve for a period of time and maybe they get something out of it. Is this a fair trade off for all the rest?

Posted by: Teresa at November 22, 2007 11:26 AM (rVIv9)

11 how about some form of "service" period - as a teacher, police officer, fire fighter or the guy who picks up trash on the highway. Some kind of volunteerism that connects them to the country and serves the nation. I firmly believe that not everyone should be a soldier/sailor/marine/airman, but I do think that service to the country makes for better citizenry because they earned it.

Posted by: katana at November 23, 2007 12:07 AM (1ZskG)

12 I've linked back to you here: http://consul-at-arms.blogspot.com/2007/11/re-mandatory-service.html

Posted by: Consul-At-Arms at November 23, 2007 12:25 AM (FwGck)

13 The thing about mandatory service schemes for civilian fields is that what you end up with is underpaid involuntary servitude that the rest of the public gets quickly accustomed to. So salaries in all those fields where there is suddenly lots of "free" labor are artificially depressed. How this is supposed to make young people more prone to volunteerism and civic-mindedness continues to escape me.

Posted by: Consul-At-Arms at November 23, 2007 12:30 AM (FwGck)

14 I don't know forcing someone to be a teacher or doing public service is a good idea. The point the guest was trying to make regarding Mandatory Military service was that it was supposed to help support the military, give the citizenry more appreciation of the military and to make people more accountable for what is happening in our country. As ex-law enforcement I can see where you are coming from, but I don't know if we'd want someone to be a teacher that really isn't qualified. As for picking up trash on the side of the highways, I think we have prisons full of that kind of free labor.

Posted by: Contagion at November 23, 2007 08:40 AM (QQZMi)

15 I don't think it's going to make people appreciate the military just because they were forced to be in it. If you don't appreciate something, being forced to do it is going to make you hate it that much more. Take those hippies from the Vietnam error, when forced to be in the miliary (draft) they all tried their dammest to find a way out of going.

Posted by: Quality Weenie at November 23, 2007 06:16 PM (BksWB)

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Friend and long time reader Petey sent me this video clip for his candidate of choice, Mike Huckabee.

I'm in the Fred Thompson boat, but damn that was just too funny.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:57 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 I didn't say Huckabee was my candidate. I am still undecided on which candidate I am throwing my support behind. I like Thompson, but would not be surprised if the republican nominee is Rudy. The video was just way to funny. When Chuck Norris jumps in a lake, Chuck Norris doesn't get wet, the lake gets Chuck Norris.

Posted by: Petey at November 20, 2007 10:59 PM (JhiOW)

2 Huckabee? HUCKABEE?? O. M. G. Don't get me started He's one of the reasons I left Arkansas for Missouri Example of Brilliant Huckabee plan: "We're gonna close all the schools with less than 1,000 kids and bus them to where ever they need to go to school so we don't have to pay for them anymore." Result? 87% of Arkansas schools are now over crowded and oh yea, theres less than 4 counties who were given the monetary funds to build new ones. Then he took the savings and created some anti-obesity program for schools nationwide. Jimmy can't read, but by gawd he can Jog! So much for storing highschool fat to feed ourselves through middle age.

Posted by: BloodSpite at November 20, 2007 11:13 PM (tfPjU)

3 Hahahahahaha!!! That is TOO DAMN FUNNY!!

Posted by: Richmond at November 21, 2007 03:18 PM (6QRLC)

4 Hahahahahahaha!!! Now THAT'S FUNNY! I love it!

Posted by: Richmond at November 21, 2007 03:19 PM (6QRLC)

5 Fluffy is messing with me... Gah...

Posted by: Richmond at November 21, 2007 03:20 PM (6QRLC)

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TheKarmaQuiz.com - Online Karma Test Click Here!
Contagion, Your Karmic Alignment is: Zen Intuition!

Score: 19 You have a direct perception of truth. You are very keen and don't use it to take advantage. When you commit positive deeds, you don't do them to get ahead, you do positive deeds simply because it makes you feel good. Your intentions are almost always meant well and all this positive karmaic energy is bound to come back to you in a great way!

huh... who would have thunk?

Posted by: Contagion at 06:10 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Wait... you do positive deeds? :p

Posted by: Shadoglare at November 19, 2007 07:13 PM (dei2m)

2 Wow I'm impressed!

Posted by: ktreva at November 19, 2007 07:22 PM (QQZMi)

3 Must be all of those sensitivity classes

Posted by: ktreva at November 19, 2007 07:30 PM (QQZMi)

4 I AM ZEN!!!! Score: 21 Zen Intuition.

Posted by: Petey at November 19, 2007 08:38 PM (JhiOW)

5 Hey!! We match! Ok - I'm 22, but still.....does that make you nervous, to know you and I are so much alike? ;-)

Posted by: Tammi at November 19, 2007 09:23 PM (dnmhS)

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I know I'm a little late in getting this out, but today, November 19th, is National Ammo day. What is National Ammo Day? Well in their own words:

It is a nationwide BUYcott of ammunition. You buy ammunition. 100 Rounds a person.

The goals of Ammo Day:

The goal of National Ammo Day is to empty the ammunition from the shelves of your local gun store, sporting goods, or hardware store and put that ammunition in the hands of law-abiding citizens. Make your support of the Second Amendment known--by voting with your dollars!

There are an estimated 75 MILLION gun owners in the United States of America. If each gun owner or Second Amendment supporter buys 100 rounds of ammunition, thatÂ’s 7.5 BILLION rounds in the hands of law-abiding citizens!

The gun/ammunition manufacturers have been taking the brunt of all the frivolous lawsuits, trying to put these folks out of business. Well, not if we can help it! And we CAN help it by buying ammunition on November 19!

I actually bought 120 rounds. 100 .45 ACP and 20 7.62X39mm. It's not like its not going to be used, and if it helps send a pro-firearm message, even the better. So if you haven't done it yet, go ahead and do so, even if it is a day late.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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