Regardless of your religious persuasion most human beings surely recognize that a Jesus vanity plate is a not a reasonable offering to be included in Florida's stable of over 100 different vanity plates. I would assume it's a violation of church and state and apparently so did the Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Although the initial proposal made it as far as the state senate floor just 2 weeks ago, the crucified Jesus plate (below - yes it's real) and the stained glass window plate that read "I believe" were voted down. "I believe" referring to the sci-fi television show X-files and Fox Mulder's belief in aliens. I think.
Personally I like my "Everglades River of Grass" plate although I'm sure someone could make an argument against such a Pagan statement.
My niece had the chance to vote today on which dessert the class would have and the winner was ice cream. There was doubt for a while if sugar cookies would win but in the end I think the right decision was made. I'm entirely proud and enormously excited about the ice cream and obviously very tired after watching all of the dessert poll numbers. I think I had a sugar rush at one point and saw a holographic hallucination of Wolf Blitzer sprinkling red and blue toppings on the ice cream.
I need sleep. Tell me what you think of Tuesday night.
When I hear the word "Maverick" the image of of James Garner from the old western comedy has been seared into my brain. The word is brandished about these days and now firmly affixed to Presidential Candidate John McCain by his own doing. And now running mate Sarah Palin has placed herself on the "Team of Mavericks". But I never gave much thought to what the word actually means.
Webster's Dictionary offers the two definitions:
an unbranded range animal ; especially : a motherless calf
an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
I find this interesting for two reasons - We don't know in fact if either are without brands and to call yourself a "Team of Mavericks" is like calling yourself a "Team of Loners".
But most interesting is the third thing which I failed to mention existed when I said "two reasons" just one sentence ago - and that is the etymology of Maverick. Apparently it refers to 19th century American pioneer and rancher Samuel A. Maverick who made the bold decision not to brand his cattle's flesh and thereby not providing a way to separate his cattle from others. Ranchers called him a Maverick for doing so - or maybe they were just referring to him by name. It would have been later that lazy ranchers who didn't brand their cattle were called out for "pulling a Maverick". In fact Maverick didn't brand his cattle because he simply wasn't interested in doing so.
John McCain has labeled himself a maverick, a rebel, one who does not go along with one group. You have to be careful with how you brand yourself. That stuff doesn't come off.
I'd much prefer a leader who can lead any herd rather than the lone calf in the wilderness.
Apparently Governor Sarah Palin believes the "Change We Need" is climate change. Up until just a few weeks ago she was insistent that climate change was not caused by man. Suddenly she believes than "man" may be the cause, but doesn't want to argue about the causes. She just wants to make nonsensical blather that provides a glimpse of her cluelessness when it comes to environmental issues. I suppose it's hard to suggest moving away from fossil fuels and promoting alternative, renewable resources when you're addicted to oil. And if you admit burning fossil fuels causes climate change.....
The following is an excerpt taken directly from the transcript of the Vice-Presidential debates. I have changed nothing
IFILL: Governor, I'm happy to talk to you in this next section about energy issues. Let's talk about climate change. What is true and what is false about what we have heard, read, discussed, debated about the causes of climate change?
PALIN: Yes. Well, as the nation's only Arctic state and being the governor of that state, Alaska feels and sees impacts of climate change more so than any other state. And we know that it's real. I'm not one to attribute every man -- activity of man to the changes in the climate. There is something to be said also for man's activities, but also for the cyclical temperature changes on our planet. But there are real changes going on in our climate. And I don't want to argue about the causes. What I want to argue about is, how are we going to get there to positively affect the impacts? We have got to clean up this planet. We have got to encourage other nations also to come along with us with the impacts of climate change, what we can do about that."
Does Palin actually makes sense to anyone? She sounds like Miss Teen South Carolina.
BIDEN:Well, I think it is manmade. I think it's clearly manmade. And, look, this probably explains the biggest fundamental difference between John McCain and Barack Obama and Sarah Palin and Joe Biden -- Gov. Palin and Joe Biden.
If you don't understand what the cause is, it's virtually impossible to come up with a solution.
Heck Joe - I'm glad you heard me screaming at the gosh darn TV. You took a few of the words right out of my head.
I've been away on vacation, but in my absence a few posts that I had written before I left came out a bit screwy. The previous of which "Polar Bear Opposites" was sabotaged and some of the text did not appear. I blame the NSA but that's what I get for showing my political leanings.
It is fixed now.
Anyway. I'm back and will post some Smokey Mountain spelunking, salamandering and "bear frightening baby" photos over the next few days, but to lighten the mood and assure I have a post that does not mention hurricanes - here's a few photos of our final adventure from Pigeon Forge, TN. (Described in a travel guide as such -"If this town were a haircut - it would be a mullet")
MaLe was too scared to race on the 4 story go-kart track and Ash "had to hold the baby", so Kate humored me and raced around the track of doom. When in Pigeon Forge do as the tattooed, tube-topped, chain-smoking teenage locals do.
I'll apologize up front for directing you to a video including Glenn Beck. He's a repugnant human being and I would give my left hand to slap him with my right hand. But he interviewed presumptive VP candidate Sarah Palin a few months ago and I thought a few of her views were utter nonsense.
Sarah Palin is an intelligent, yet agenda-driven person and her utilitarian views on Alaskan oil bubble through. Regarding the interview:
1) Palin says the Polar Bear population has increased over the last 30 years and they should not be listed as an Endangered Species.There are several sub-populations of Polar Bears around the Arctic. 5 are declining, 5 are static, 2 are increasing and 7 populations are indeterminate. I don't know the specific number of Polar Bears in each sub-population but overall there are about 25,000 bears. The problem is global warming - which Palin reportedly doesn't believe is occurring, is causing the Arctic ice sheets to melt. Polar Bears hunt by seeking out ice holes that seals use to breathe air. They then catch and eat the seals which I hear are delicious. As the ice continues to decrease and habitat becomes more fragmented, Polar Bears that require the ice will suffer and could very well become extinct.
2) Palin refers to the oil and natural gas in Alaska as "our oil". "Our" being Alaska's and she demands the right to drill immediately in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Federal land is protected and the natural resources on it, in it and under it belong to the American people. Congress can approve the drilling in ANWR, but they haven't since it is considered to be an insufficient amount. Drilling would be restricted to a small area, but getting the oil to refineries would be environmentally damaging. Pipelines would disrupt Caribou migrations at the least and the 19 million acre refuge was established in the 60's (and planned before Alaska was a state) to protect the natural ecosystem. McCain and Obama are against drilling in ANWR.
3) Palin suggests we are "fighting over energy supplies" in the wars the US is currently waging.Really? I thought it was about "weapons of mass destruction." Did we invade a foreign country to assure oil rights? I do believe she is on the record as saying what most politicians have not.
When Nixon called for the creation of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, Congress approved legislation that "was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a consequence of economic growth and development untendered by adequate concern and conservation." Polar Bears are perfectly qualified for this protection. They simply "mess around" with Palin's oil and gas drilling interests so the state of Alaska is suing the Federal Government to keep the bears from being listed.
As the former chair of theAlaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Sarah Palin is an appropriate spokesperson for the continued pressure to utilize the natural resources of Alaska, but she clearly cares little for the plant and wildlife of Alaska, nor Endangered Species Act that was created to protect them.
Let's NOT bring these ideals to the lower 49. I won't be voting for McCain/Palin.
Personally I like my "Everglades River of Grass" plate although I'm sure someone could make an argument against such a Pagan statement.
When in Pigeon Forge do as the tattooed, tube-topped, chain-smoking teenage locals do.
