Rep. Ellsion and Support for Voter Fraud

Wait until the last minute of this video, then make up your own mind: Exactly what is Keith Ellison trying to protect? 




Get out there and vote on Tuesday, folks.

Rocky Horror - Let's Do the Time Warp Again

It is hard to believe that the Rocky Horror Picture Show is 35 years old.  The themes contained in the film and the overall wackiness made it a good pick to die a silent death in the popular culture swamps of 1975.  But survive it did, and eventually thrive through midnight showings starting late in the '70's. 

The story was odd at best, acting irrelevant based on the over-the-top script, but the music, ah the music was incredible.  It was the platform that eventually kicked Meatloaf's career into a higher gear, and his performance as Eddie is unforgettable. 

Rocky Horror - Hot Patootie - MyVideo

The movie is getting additional exposure now as Glee ended up doing a RHPS episode. Unfortunately, their covers lacked the rawness of this classic, and ended up sounding like American Idol rejects. Thus, for a palate cleanser, we close with the original Time Warp. It's just a jump to the left...

The Old Electronics Boy Just Ain't What He Used to Be

My entire life I've considered myself quite the electronics wunderkind.  I kept up on technology, could connect anything, fix some things, and ordinarily take care of myself and my electronics.  Unfortunately, the new house has me completely stumped.  I'm hard wired (one problem) for sound throughout the house, and have speaker on the patio, in the living room, in the basement, and in the garage.  Looks like Ryan Longwell liked music as much as I do. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have any of the equipment to drive this sonic bus, so I spent time (too much time) at Best Buy with an idiot know-nothing that really wanted to sell me a surround-sound system, and at the local nerd stereo store.  $650 later I had all of the hardware I needed, and with an additional stop at the local hardware for some extra speaker wire and wire strippers, I figured I was in business. 

FAIL. 

The amp is throwing nothing but error signals, I can barely get music out of my first of four connections, and I've lost my cool.  I know I'm chumping something easy up - a crossed wire, positive touching negative, something - but I can't find it.  I finally raised the white flag and called in the stereo geeks to see if I could pay them to do what I cannot. 

I would have been better off just sticking to my iPod headphones...

EDIT - after taking a call from a geek, finding my backbone, and logging about a half mile between the basement, patio, garage and living room, I finally successfully got up and running.  It may have taken me 18 hours, but I did it.

I think I still might have been better off sticking to my iPod headphones.

Thanks

Maybe it is the incredible windstorm, and the realization of just how weak, fragile and small we all are. Maybe it is the upcoming hunting trip with beloved family and friends. I don’t know. But for some reason, I awoke with a deep sense of thanks this morning. Thanks for my wife, family, coworkers and friends. Thankful for my job, security, and comforts. Thankful for the many people and blessings in my life.

In the hurry of our everyday lives and getting to the next item on the to-do list, it is easy to lose this perspective.

I guess that makes me thankful to be able to be thankful.

It is Time to Bench Brett Favre

It is time for Brett Favre to step aside.  His play of last night made it obvious that his heart and head are no longer in the game.  A passer rating of 50 in a critical game, nationally televised, and during his last appearance on the field in which so much had been achieved is an abject embarrassment. 

Beyond the play, look at his body language.  He wasn't coaching or cheerleading in the huddle.  He limped like a fouled soccer player after the play, but miraculously played through the pain during the game.  Where in the hell is the guy from last year? 

All of this is getting old.  Between his surgically repaired ankle, his tendonitis in his elbow, and pictures of his junk on an ex-coworker's phone, there is way too much going wrong with this guy right now to attach our playoff hopes to him. 

I never, ever, ever, thought I'd utter these words: 

Play Tavaris Jackson.  Please.

Brock Lesnar Beat Down by Velasquez

Brock Lesnar got destroyed Cain Velasquez last night.  I mean destroyed.  Lesnar started hot with his bull moves, but Velasquez countered, semi-landed some punches that surprisingly put Lesnar on the ground, then followed up with a horrific ground-and-pound that opened a horrible cut under Lesnar's left eye that's probably still bleeding.  

Weird stuff about last night:  

• Lesnar clearly didn't look like he was into it.  Not at all.  I'm not sure if the illness took its toll or what, but Brock didn't look like he wanted to be there.  
• Lesnar's beard was awesome.  Made him look like some kind of Viking or mountain man.  
• They kept repeating that the league had never had a "Mexican" champion, and keep playing up that angle throughout the night.  Well, duh.  The league hasn't been around, and is missing a Chinese, Russian, Indian, Irish... 
• Speaking of which, Velasquez is hardly "Mexican."  He's an NCAA champion wrestler who went to Ohio State.  Hispanic?  OK.  
• The conspiracy theorist in me gives pause to Lesnar's apathy and the "Mexican" hype.  What does this win do to help the UFC expand its borders?  I wonder if Jesse Ventura will get all over this?  

Bad fight by Brock, but I'll gladly plunk down the $50 for the rematch.

NPR Punsihes Their "Uppity" Employee

Here's the elephant in the room.  NPR thinks Juan Williams is an uppity n-word.  He needs to know his role, say only what's approved, and if he gets uppity, well then he gets what he deserves. 

Black people aren't supposed to think for themselves.  When they do, they're dangerous.  Make an example of them. 

Of all of the claims of racism floating in this story, NPR reign as kings.  Juan's firing was a simple cross burning in a career. 

Do as you're told, n-word, or else. 

Government sanctioned bigots...

The Path I'm On

Before I decided to take the new gig, I was being courted by another company at the same time.  They had reached out to me late in the process, and we moved quick as I was expecting (and ultimately received) an offer from my current employer.  The job was a par with what I'm currently doing, located in the Twin Cities, and darn interesting.  Despite three rounds of interviewing, they couldn't move fast enough, the other company tendered an offer, and I needed to make a decision.  Hence, off to Green Bay we go.  

A couple of days ago I get a call from the other company.  They wanted to check in and make sure I was happy in Wisconsin, and that what I had joined was working for me.  They also stated that in their search I has really stood out, and if there was a possibility to re-start our dialog, they were confident that they'd be able to put something together to make a move back home to the Twin Cities work. 

Wow. 

That really caught me sideways.  I miss Minnesota and being near my farm and cabin.  I miss my friends.  Our home back there isn't selling - not even close.  Beyond the flattery of such an offer, it did invoke a twinge of interest. 

That being said, the twinge is far outweighed by my desire to see this current engagement to fruition.  I'm making good progress, I see a fabulous future ahead, the company has been more than accommodating, and it is as fun as it is challenging.  I thanked the caller for the compliment, let her know I was flattered, but told her that I was locked in. 

The very next day, this breaks: C&B dumps the CEO. 

Was there any correlation?  Zero.  But all throught this entire process it has felt like the path forward for me was made abundantly clear, and this is but another example of that.  There are probably a dozen examples of how that path has been defined, and we're now getting to the weird area. 

Why is it happening?  I don't know.  All I know is that it sure looks like something is at play here, and I better follow the path. 

"Shovel Ready? Did I Say Shovel Ready?"

It turns out the only thing that was shovel ready was the pile of BS that had to be fed to the American people to get support for the economic boondoggle that was the "stimulus." 

So, where did the money go?  Great question, and one that needs to be answered. 

We're talking hundreds of billions here, people.  This is a ponzi scheme in the highest order. 

The Left loves its little catchphrases.  Here's one for you: Obama lied, the economy died. 

Two weeks.  Make your vote heard.

Minnesota Pheasant Opener 2010 Report

Pheasant opener was a hit here is west-central Minnesota.  Most of the corn has been picked, and despite high temps and limited dog power (the warmth completely saps the dog, plus they had already had a very successful duck hunt under their belts with lots of retrieves), we still scratched out three, while dropping a fourth. 

On the second day, I was forced to leave early to head back to Green Bay at a decent hour, and on my way out I decided to hit a small patch to let the Yellow Dog and I stretch our legs before the 6+ hour trek ahead of us.  In 10 short minutes we had our two bird limit, and were back on our way.  Unfortunately, one of the birds I shot landed in a wet area, and while she tried all she could to find it, Deuce was unable to produce the bird.  No worries.  I called Fuzzy on the way out, described the area, and asked if he could don his waders and take his dog through there.  Sure enough, the bird was ultimately brought to hand - nice work boys. 

Speaking of nice work, here's a photo of Fuzzy with our first coyote kill. 

The predator hopped out into a picked corn field and presented a great shot well away from any dogs, and Fuzz put a couple of caps into him, and just like in the cartoons, the coyote pays the tax man.  He was a big one too - compare him to the small dog (60 lbs.) and our guy had to be in the 50+lbs. range.  We've been plagued by coyote for years now, and I'm becoming increasingly worried about the safety of our dogs and the population of our pheasants. 

Here's to having one less mouth to feed up there.  Well done, Fuzz.

Minnesota Wild - Off to Usual Start

The best thing about moving to Green Bay is not having out outlet to waste my time watching "pigs on ice" anymore. 

Bad franchise, bad offseason, bad start, bad year.

Minnesota does not deserve to brandish the name of "The State of Hockey."  More like "The State of One-Goal Losses." 

Twins Need Gardenhire to Get Ejected

Although I hate saying this, it is clear that it's time to toss Gardy out of the game.

I don't say this lightly.  Not at all.  The manager has a lot of resepect in the dugout, and his franchise has had a fantastic regular season run under his tenure.

Check this out.

• Overall win percent = .550
• 6 first place finishes
• Only one losing record

All of this stuff rocks. But here is the biggie. A .231 post season winning percentage.

This guy simply cannot get a team of proven winners to do a thing when the bright lights are on.

Oh, we may steal one from the Yankees tonight, but everyone knows this series is over, and there will be no game 5, and the Twins will face yet another offseason thinking about how close we were.

I’m sick and tired of close. We have and have had the talent necessary to win. Gardenhire, for whatever reason, can’t harness that talent to do so in the post-season.

So, either we remain content to be in the race all year and continue to fall on our faces in the playoffs, or Gardenhire needs to lose his job.

If it was my call, Gardy, you’re outta here.

2010 Minnesota Duck Opener Report

See any ducks in this sky? 

Neither did we. 

Thus began the 2010 duck season in Minnesota.  While Saturday was a bust in the west-central part of the state as nearly all of our teal and wood ducks had migrated, Sunday was a bit better as the ring-neck population in the area was surprisingly high. 

I was lucky enough to be joined by my buddy Nick who drove all the way from Chicago to do a lot of sitting in a boat, listening to the dog whine and staring at mostly empty skies.  Despite our circumstances, Nick had a grin most of the weekend, and this photo was not atypical. 

Nick needed to get back to Chicago on Sunday afternoon, and since Monday was my birthday, I decided to stay up and set up in a position to take advantage of all of the ring-necks in the area.  That strategy paid off, as I took my 6 duck limit in about a hour and a half, and added a bonus goose as well. 

I wish we would have figured out that location earlier so Nick could have got into the action, but that’s part of hunting – always a day one way or the other, or at the other end of the lake. 

SSG Miller and the Medal of Honor

Today, President Obama bestows the nation's highest honor, posthumously, to SSG Robert Miller.  His bravery and selflessness were remarkable.  Here is an excerpt the official citation:

Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, U.S. Army, heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the enemy of the U.S. while serving as the Weapons Sergeant, Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3312, Special Operations Task Force–33, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force–Afghanistan, Forward Operating Base Naray, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

As Staff Sgt. Miller and the lead element of the patrol entered the mouth of the narrow valley, they confronted an insurgent hiding behind a large boulder. Refusing to surrender, the insurgent leaped from the boulder yelled, “Allah Akbar!” and began firing on the lead element from approximately five meters. Staff Sgt. Miller stepped forward to return fire and killed the insurgent instantly.  This contact initiated a near-ambush from a company-sized group of insurgents. The insurgent forces fired on Staff Sgt. Miller’s patrol with multiple PKM machine guns, RPGs, and AK-47 assault rifles from distances of less than 25 meters.


The patrol was completely vulnerable, in the kill zone and without cover in a complex ambush with insurgent fighting positions located to the front (East), the left (North), and the right (South).

It soon became evident that numerous insurgents occupied prepared, elevated and hardened fighting positions in the mountain rock with overhead cover along the North and South valley ridgeline. Insurgents on the valley floor to Staff Sgt. Miller’s direct front, left, and right were fighting in defilade and possessed ample cover and concealment necessary for the employment of overwhelming fires on the totally exposed patrol.

As enemy fire erupted from the high ground, Staff Sgt. Miller called out the contact report to his team members and his detachment commander located behind him. He simultaneously engaged multiple insurgent positions from a distance of approximately 15 to 20 meters.  In the face of devastating insurgent fire, the ANA located directly behind Staff Sgt. Miller broke formation and bound away downhill and out of the kill zone, leaving Staff Sgt. Miller alone and with no support in the open terrain.

To the front of Staff Sgt. Miller’s position one PKM machine gun and five AK47s were inflicting devastating hostile fire on the retreating ANA members and the remaining ODA patrol. Understanding the potential for catastrophe, Staff Sgt. Miller boldly charged the enemy and accurately engaged the entire force with his squad automatic weapon, thus eliminating the threat.  With heavy fire from insurgent forces from all sides of his position engulfing him, Staff Sgt. Miller continued to engage at least four other insurgent positions, killing or wounding at least 10 insurgents.


The darkness of the night and limited visibility made Staff Sgt. Miller’s weapon, also the most casualty producing, the greatest threat to the insurgent ambush. The highlighted muzzle flash and the distinct sound from his SAW instantly marked Staff Sgt. Miller as an easily identifiable target.

Cognizant that his vulnerability increased with every burst from his SAW, Staff Sgt. Miller continued to engage the enemy courageously drawing fire away from his team and onto his position. Within seconds, Staff Sgt. Miller began receiving a majority of the insurgents’ heavy volume of fire.  Realizing that his team was pinned down and unable to actively engage the enemy, Staff Sgt. Miller, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, continued to charge forward through the open area engaging multiple elevated insurgent positions and purposely drawing fire away from his trapped ODA members.

Staff Sgt. Miller’s cover fire was so accurate that it not only provided the necessary cover to save his team, it also suppressed the enemy to the right flank of the patrol, to the point where they could not reposition from that direction against the ODA for the duration of the engagement.  His actions single-handedly provided the needed cover fire that allowed his fellow ODA members to maneuver to covered positions as the ANA broke formation and ran away from the kill zone.


During his final charge forward, Staff Sgt. Miller threw two hand grenades into fighting positions, destroying the positions and killing or wounding an additional four insurgents. Only when Staff Sgt. Miller realized his fellow team members were out of immediate danger, and in positions to support him, did he attempt to move for cover.  As he directed his fire to engage enemy positions above him, an insurgent shot him through the right side of his upper torso under his right arm; the area not protected by his body armor. Staff Sgt. Miller immediately turned toward the enemy and shot and killed the insurgent who had wounded him. During this time, Staff Sgt. Miller’s detachment commander also sustained gunshot wounds to his upper chest and shoulder.

The perilous situation forced the detachment commander to order the ODA to fall back to cover. Staff Sgt. Miller realized his commander was seriously wounded and that, as the point man with ODA’s only SAW, he had the highest potential to inflict the most casualties on the enemy. Again, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, Staff Sgt. Miller remained alone at the front of the patrol, so his team could bound back.

Ignoring the severity of his critical wound and still completely exposed to intense, direct enemy fire, Staff Sgt. Miller continued to low crawl through the snow, incessantly fighting uphill into the valley to engage insurgent positions to the East and South in order to draw fire away from his wounded commander and identify insurgent positions to his fellow ODA members.  Without his heroic efforts, his wounded commander would not have been moved safely out of the kill zone to the casualty collection point.

Throughout the engagement, the insurgent fire around Staff Sgt. Miller was so intense that his fellow team members could not see him due to the dust, debris, and RPG and small arms fire impacting around him. During the ensuing 25-minute battle, Staff Sgt. Miller was mortally wounded by a second gunshot to his upper torso under his left arm. Despite suffering a second and fatal wound, Staff Sgt. Miller remained steadfast and continued his selfless acts of heroism. He provided essential disposition and location reports of insurgent actions and he relentlessly fired his SAW until he expended all of his ammunition and threw his final hand grenade.

At the first opportunity, members of Staff Sgt. Miller’s team bound up to his position to render aid and recover him. Enemy reinforcements overwhelmed the recovery team with direct fire causing the team to seek cover. During the recovery attempt, the enemy’s precision was clearly evident as team members sustained multiple hits from small arms fire to their body armor and equipment.

Approximately an hour and 45 minutes later, a quick reaction force arrived, which allowed the ODA to lead a patrol back into the valley to recover Staff Sgt. Miller. As a testament of the enemy’s tenacity, the quick reaction force sent to assist with recovery operations sustained additional casualties from intense direct RPG and small arms fire. Because of the enemy’s dominance of the terrain and potential for loss of additional lives, the patrol was forced to use its second CCP and two MEDVACs.

The entire battle lasted nearly seven hours.


Post-battle intelligence reports indicate that in excess of 140 insurgents participated in the ambush, more than 40 were killed and over 60 were wounded. Staff Sgt. Miller is credited with killing more than 16 and wounding over 30 insurgents. His valor under fire from a numerically superior force, complete selflessness and disregard for his own life, combined with his unmatched ability to accurately identify and engage insurgent positions, allowed his patrol to move to the safety of covered positions.

Staff Sgt. Miller chose to remain in the fight and provide vital suppressive fires to his teammates in order to save their lives, while disregarding his own mortality.

Staff Sgt. Miller’s selfless acts saved the lives of his seven of his ODA members and 15 Afghan soldiers. As a result of Staff Sgt. Miller’s heroic actions, the Gowardesh Insurgency was dealt a crippling blow, decimating insurgent forces involved in the battle, and shattering their morale and confidence. Staff Sgt. Miller’s actions exemplify the honored tradition of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, Special Operations Task Force–33, the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force–Afghanistan, Special Operations Command Central, and the U.S. Army.

Rest in peace, SSG Miller.  You represent our very best.  Your country thanks you.

Moss Back to Minny?

The NFL is abuzz with news that the Vikings and the Patriots are in discussions for a trade involving one-time Vikings great Randy Moss.  Moss had his baggage while in Minnesota, don’t get me wrong.  He also had an imminently forgettable stop in Oakland where it appeared his career had finally died.  But a move to New England, and a magic year where he and Tom Brady could do no wrong resurrected Moss and reestablished him as a preeminent NFL wide out.  Fast forward to today where a sullen Moss is sulking about a contract, and the Vikings have more holes at wide receiver than a Tiger Woods alibi, and the deal looks like it might work. 

Sure, some will argue that, regardless of the deal, getting Randy back in purple is not worth it.  Consider the following: 

• The biggest hole the Vikings have is at wide out.  Moss fills that hole, and is the perfect compliment to Harvin on the other side, Shinacoe at TE, and AP coming out of the backfield. 
• Moss, while 33 years old, can still stretch the defense.  Defenses must account for that, hence holes now open for Peterson. 
• Favre and Moss were rumored to be teammates more than once, and to bring them together at this point in their respective careers can inspire both to a big year.  Both recognize their clocks are ticking. 
• The Vikings, off to a tough start, absolutely need something to spark their season.  With both the Bears and the Packers showing that they’re hardly going to dominate the division, this move sends a clear signal to the league that the Vikings are all-in. 

Look, I know Randy has issues (remember AFROS – America’s Finest Receivers On Sunday?), but there simply isn’t any better solution for the Vikings’ woes than to welcome back #84.

Get it done.   

Down Goes Foursquare! Down Goes Foursquare!

I’m hopelessly addicted to Foursquare. 

For the uninitiated, Foursquare is a mobile, social media application that leverages GPS technology inherent in some mobile devices to encourage you to “check in” at various locations to tell the world what you’re doing.  It ups the ante by offering “badges,” or small tokens, for completing specific tasks (e.g. you’ll get the “Swarm” badge if you check into a place in which there are more than 50 other Foursquare users already checked in, you’ll get the “Newbie” badge for your first official check in, etc.)  Beyond badges, Foursquare also awards Mayorships for being the person that checks into a specific venue the most times.  

As a web marketer, an application like this, in which you can reward people for showing up to specific venue (like a store), adds another very valuable and very strategic promotional arrow to my quiver.  

Unfortunately, the site is a victim of its own popularity, as increased traffic has crashed it for basically the past two days.  This isn’t uncommon – both Facebook and Twitter suffered similar growing pains.  But for those of us aching to check into the Green Bay Residence Inn to protect our standing as Mayor, this outage is pretty darned unacceptable.

Interesting Math on the Makeup of the Senate

Lawers.  Now it all makes sense. 




Hey! He forgot to mention one comedian!