The Hummers Have Arrived

The hummers are here and they brought lots of friends.

In the past two days, the number of birds using our feeders has jumped from six to about twenty. The feeders were empty this morning when I went out onto the patio before sunrise, and I could hear the birds already looking for something to eat. I filled the feeders then and by noon they were already empty. At 5PM, I filled them again, and by the time the sun went down tonight, they were nearly empty. Time to put up a few more feeders.

The neighbors also have two feeders up, so the little birds are feeding heavily.

Obama's War

The August American death toll in Afghanistan is the highest since the conflict began, yet there are no protests from the left, or at least the media has not been reporting any. Why not?

During the campaign, Obama constantly harped that we should get out of Iraq and send more troops to Afghanistan. His argument was that the terrorists lived there and that's where the 9-11 plans were hatched.

Okay, Mr. President, now that the troops are leaving Iraq for Afghanistan, what are you going to do about that war? It's now your war, so what is the mission? When will we know if we won? What is your exit plan? When will the troops come home?

Just asking.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Please forgive me for careening away from the problems of today to indulge a blast from the past...pun intended.

This is the missile I was assigned to from 1959-1963. It was known as the TM-76A Mace, and was operational in Germany and Okinawa from 1959 to 1969. I was on a launch crew, and while that might sound marginally exciting, it mostly involved sitting in a blockhouse and waiting for WWIII with a deck of cards or a pocket novel in hand.

As you watch the video, don't bother trying to turn up the sound...it's a silent movie...but do watch for the chase plane to flash by just after the missile leaves the shed. The pilot earned the nickname "Sagebrush Kid" when he returned to base with a twig of sagebrush caught in the intake of his F-100. Watching him approach the missile pad just before launch was like watching a plane taxi at 500mph. He was so close to the ground, you couldn't see daylight between his plane and the desert floor.

This old film was taken about the same time our crew was there in 1959, but we were on a different launch pad. The base is Holloman AFB, New Mexico, which is adjacent to the White Sands Proving Ground. I spent a week there and it was the most interesting week of my Air Force career. We got to see dozens of Air Force, Army and Navy missiles being tested, and most were top secret at the time.

Proudly Made in the PRC

If I recall correctly, I posted a rant about Chinese made goods a few months ago, so consider this rant #2.

I've been working in the garage the past several days, trying to organize and finish things like shelves, cabinets, door trim, etc. I also installed a window air conditioner in the workshop. Instead of setting it in the window, I cut a hole between the garage and workshop and mounted it up and out of the way. The damn thing was brutally heavy and getting it up the ladder and in the hole was a major undertaking.

Yes, just as you probably guessed, after a few hours of operation, the blasted "Made in China" heap of high-tech camel dung has stopped cooling. Now I get to climb the ladder and remove it...hopefully without dropping it...and then drive twenty-five miles to return it to Home Depot. Of course, instead of giving my money back, they will replace it with the another of the same unit. Then I can go through the installation process all over again.

The way my luck has been going with Chinese products, it will fail again, but this time it will happen a few days after the warranty expires.

Obama in Montana...the Rest of the Story

A friend passed along this e-mail that explains the warm reception the president got in Montana. The Wizard of Oz is still behind the curtain and the state controlled media can't bring themselves to open it.

Hello All,

By now you have probably heard that President Obama came to Montana last
Friday. However, there are many things that the major news has not
covered. I feel that since Joe and I live here and we were at the
airport on Friday I should share some facts with you. Whatever you
decide to do with the information is up to you. If you chose to share
this email with others I do ask that you DELETE my email address before
you forward this on.

On Wednesday, August 5th it was announced locally that the President
would be coming here. There are many groups here that are against his
healthcare and huge spending so those groups began talking and deciding
on what they were going to do. The White House would not release ANY
details other than the date.

On about Tuesday Joe found out that they would be holding the "Town
Hall" at the airport. (This is only because Joe knows EVERYONE at the
airport) Our airport is actually located outside of Belgrade (tiny town)
in a very remote location. Nothing is around there. They chose to use a
hangar that is the most remotely located hangar. You could not pick a
more remote location, and you can not get to it easily. It is totally
secluded from the public.
FYI: We have many areas in Belgrade and Bozeman which could have held a
large amount of folks with sufficient parking. (gymnasiums/auditoriums).
All of which have chairs and tables, and would not have to be SHIPPED
IN!! $$$$$
During the week, cargo by the TONS was being shipped in constantly.
Airport employees could not believe how it just kept coming. Though it
was our President coming several expressed how excessive it was,
especially during a recession. $$$$$

Late Tuesday/early Wednesday the 12th, they said that tickets would be
handed out on Thursday 9am at two locations and the president would be
arriving around 12:30 Friday.

Thursday morning about 600 tickets were passed out. However, 1500 were
printed at a Local printing shop per White House request. Hmmmm......900
tickets just DISAPPEARED.
This same morning someone called into the radio from the local UPS
branch and said that THOUSANDS of Dollars of Lobster were shipped in for
Obama. Montana has some of the best beef in the nation!!! And it would
have been really wonderful to help out the local economy. Anyone heard
of the Recession?? Just think...with all of the traveling the White
House is doing. $$$$$ One can only imagine what else we are paying for.

On Friday Joe and I got out to the airport about 10:45am. The groups
that wanted to protest Obama's spending and healthcare had gotten a
permit to protest and that area was roped off. But that was not to be. A
large bus carrying SEIU (Service Employees International Union) members
drove up onto the area (illegal)and unloaded right there. It was quite a
commotion and there were specifically 2 SEIU men trying to make trouble
and start a fight. Police did get involved and arrested the one man but
they said they did not have the manpower to remove the SEIU crowd.
The SEIU crowd was very organized and young. About 99% were under the
age of 30 and they were not locals! They had bullhorns and
PROFESSIONALLY made signs. Some even wore preprinted T-shirts. Oh, and
Planned Parenthood folks were with them.....professing abortion rights
with their T-shirts and preprinted signs. (BTW, all these folks did have
a permit to protest in ANOTHER area)

Those against healthcare/spending moved away from the SEIU crowd to
avoid confrontation. They were orderly and respectful. Even though SEIU
kept coming over and walking through, continuing to be very intimidating
and aggressive at the direction of the one SEIU man.

So we had Montana folks from ALL OVER the state with their homemade
signs and their DOGS with homemade signs. We had cowboys, nurses,
doctors you name it. There was even a guy from Texas who had been
driving through. He found out about the occasion, went to the store,
made a sign, and came to protest.

If you are wondering about the press.....Well, all of the major networks
were over by that remote hangar I mentioned. They were conveniently
parked on the other side of the buildings FAR away. None of these crowds
were even visible to them. I have my doubts that they knew anything
about the crowds.
We did have some local news media around us from this state and Idaho.
Speaking of the local media...they were invited. However, all questions
were to be turned into the White House in advance of the event. Wouldn't
want anyone to have to think off the top of their head.

It was very obvious that it was meant to be totally controlled by the
White House. Everything was orchestrated down to the last detail to make
it appear that Montana is just crazy for Obama and government
healthcare. Even those people that talked about their insurance
woes........the White House called our local HRDC (Human Resource and
Development Committee) and asked for names.. Then the White House asked
those folks to come. Smoke and mirrors...EVERYTHING was staged!!!!!!!!!!!

I am very dismayed about what I learned about our current White House.
The amount of control and manipulation was unbelievable. I felt I was
not living in the United States of America, more like the USSR!! I was
physically nauseous. Joe and I have been around when Presidents or Heads
of State visit. It has NEVER been like this. I am truly very frightened
for our country. America needs your prayers and your voices. If you care
about our country please get involved. Know the issues. And let Congress
hear your voices again and again!! If they are willing to put forth so
much effort to BULLY a small town one can only imagine what is going on
in Washington DC. Scary!!



Sue
Bozeman, Montana

Crime Report

I'm glad we didn't build our house on the road that goes past our little development. It's a dangerous place to live.

Last year, a drunk took down one side of our neighbor's fence and kept driving. They found the car a half-mile down the road with an 8' section of wooden fence jammed underneath. He had torn the front suspension out when he hit the fence and was skidding on the wood for the entire distance. A state trooper found the driver some distance away, trying to leave the scene on foot.

Last night, someone hit a different neighbor's brick mailbox and completely destroyed it. From the looks of the damage, it appears it was hit by a trailer or the side of a flatbed truck. The way some of the locals drive with their farm trucks, it's a wonder there aren't more accidents. The road is narrow and hilly and it's difficult to see oncoming traffic in several places, especially on the stretch where the two accidents happened.

Accidents...break-ins...drunk drivers...no matter where you live, most of society's ills manage to follow.

Outrage on the Left

Sure is good to see Barney Frank’s ire over someone calling Obama a Nazi. He’s been so consistent in condemning such reprehensible acts, such as Nancy Pelosi claiming town hall opponents to the health bill were wearing swastikas, and Durbin and Murtha claiming our troops were acting like Nazis. Well, even if he didn’t say anything about them, I know he condemned the protester in the photo….you mean he didn’t? What a surprise!