Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Kill the Bail Out!




Not my words...but exactly my thoughts.

With the yard work looming, I am in a little hurry today, so will make this short and let one of my favorite Bloggers Michelle Malkin tell what's in store, and what is being added by the Democrats to our little $700 billion, er $1.2 trillion, wait $2 trillion dollar bailout. And the Euros want a GLOBAL SOLUTION! Lead by France no less. Give em' Hell MM:





Socialism 101 my ass....this is a full blown 400 level ass kicking of the American Taxpayer.

Of course liberals, being the narrow minded asshats they are, hate Malkin....of course moderates hate her as well, and some of those calling themselves conservatives, but are too Politically Correct to really be, kind of shy away as well....why? Because she calls it like she sees it...and I tend to agree with her views. Much like Sarah Palin, liberals hate women who dare to think for themselves, and don't follow the Hollywood and New York line.

My thoughts on the Bail Out:

If we don't pay, hard times will be coming you say? I've got news, this expensive band-aid will just delay the inevitable...and make the coming bust, that much harder on us all.

THE U.S. TREASURY=The Money Store(our rates of interest are outrageous)

Off to Wally World, for yard supplies and ammo!

back later>>>>>>>>>>>>
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photos-Snow in Northern Utah? Nope, I took this shot driving in the Utah Salt Flats on I-80....and Michelle Malkin, hard talking honest Conservative commentator.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Socialism 101/Early Fall Yard Work



What to do....? Sit here and listen to Glenn Beck while doing the blog and reading others, or head outside and begin the mammoth yard work project(at least for me, its mammoth). Let's start with Beck's program this week concerning the economy and the pending "bail out".



First off, the $700 billion dollar government "rescue plan" in reality will cost more like $1.4 Trillion. Second, when the Government takes over, you can bet your sweet bottom, the results won't be good long term. We are quickly falling into a major recession, Hell let's call it what it's going to be...A Depression. There are those out there that disagree with me and my attitude regarding the economic crisis, but the long wolves are becoming a pack. The ending results will not be what we are hoping for.


1929_____ Yes, the world and markets and economies are different than they were back in those days....remember also, October 1929 is when the Stock Market began it's slide....a few rallies here and there, and then the bottom was reached in December 1931....the economy hit rock bottom in 1933, thus setting the stage for the New Deal, the FDR takeover of the Government with his socialist agenda. Sure the New Deal helped the "Common Man" out, but the Depression stayed with us throughout the 1930s...finally ending in the early 1940s, thanks to good ol' WWII.

2008______? It appears(at least according to news reports now coming out), that last Wednesday night, the Federal Government was close, real close, to going belly up in a financial sense. I am sure we will see our ups and downs in the coming weeks and months, regardless of who takes the November election and wins the White House. The question is: When, not if, will this house of cards fall? Take a look at our aging population, our increased spending, the value of the dollar, Social Security, entitlements, retirement funds, FDIC, etc, etc. I may be wrong, but don't take your that bet to Vegas.

Fannie Mae and Freddie and their corrupt CEOs were the catalyst for this mess with willing help from Team Obama and Team DNC...the Bush White House gets no pass either. The government let itself be blackmailed by the poverty pimps into giving mortgages to unqualified people looking to buy houses they couldn't afford. But even without that corruption, this disaster was in the making, those things just moved up the timeline.
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OK, enough of this financial know nothing and my opinions on the future of the nation...on to some really important stuff.

The Back Yard_____

Now that Summer is done, and the fall weather cannot be far behind(so far it's been warm and dry however), I've looked at the house, the yard, and the surrounding foliage....I've come to the conclusion...It, like the American Economy, is a freaking mess!

Time to stir up my house paint, oil and fire up my chair saw(some of these projects are much to large for a simple trimmer)....and begin to do some cutting and painting. I've got evergreens that have gotten out of hand, a couple have to go(I hate killing off trees and plants, but it's been a long time coming). Ivy that needs culled and/or killed off. Shrubs trimmed, eliminated, and a driveway that is full of grass and weeds growing through the gravel....the weather looks warm, but less humid for at least another week, and this is as good as time as I can think of to get this started and done.


Did I mention, I hate yard work....but I like a decent looking yard, although I'm no yard snob.






Back Later>>>>>>>>>>>>>
photos-At the Top...Dona Bay, Venice, Florida
The Market...Bust or Bust Lite?
At the Bottom: PRH and the Back Yard Jungle that awaits....











Monday, September 22, 2008

Yankee Stadium=Turn Out the Lights!











Growing up in Venice, Florida, there really wasn't a major league baseball team nearby to root for. Now this was the 1950s, no Marlins, no Rays, no Atlanta Braves, etc. No teams really close to southwest Florida to call "ours", so you had to make due with what you could off the Saturday Game of the Week, local newspapers, and sports magazines. Didn't take me long, around 1955 or so, to figure out the New York Yankees were the best of the best, they had the original TV Sports Superstar in Mickey Mantle....so Hell, I was a Yankee fan....and I followed the Bronx Bombers until about 1964, when after moving back to Ohio, I began rooting for the Cincinnati Reds....once "The Mick" retired, that was the end of my love affair with the Yankees...but it was a fun ride. To this day, Mickey Mantle, human warts and all, remains my all time favorite player, in any sport.

Last night, I turned on the tube to watch the end of Yankee Stadium on ESPN...without interest on who won or lost. NY won 7-3 over Baltimore, keeping the razor thin chances of making the playoffs alive...this years addition will not be participating in the Playoffs...unless Boston, the hated Red Sox would lose their final 6 games and the Yanks win there final 7, thus forcing a playoff. Sitting there watching Yogi and highlights from the past, I managed to go deep back into my memories, of those childhood days, growing up on the Gulf Coast. Sweet they were.

I did a JV game at Waynesfied Saturday, and a Rec Department double header at Celina yesterday with Sam...the weather is back to dry, somewhat humid, and typical later summer/early fall weather.....now that the weather is supposed to cool down, can't see that in the near future forecast, I have decided to get out and do some "yard" work, and a little painting.

So, I will oil up the chain saw, buy a couple of new paint brushes, and once the humidity drops....start at it. A couple of evergreen trees have to go, some bushes need major trimmings and the Ivy in the back side of the property needs cut down. Then paint the east side of needs a re-do...that side gets a direct hit from the sun, and fades quicker. I will also do the back(south) side and some trim work.....the rest will wait until next spring, summer, or maybe early fall...after all, I'm retired, and can do it whenever I darn well feel.

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Freshman game at Celina tonight. Anissa is home with me with a cold, so will work around the homestead until about 3.

Back Later>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

photos-Me and brother Mike with the Venice Elks 1957....Childhood Hero Mickey Mantle at Yankee Stadium in the 1950s. And Yankee Stadium in the beginning.

Friday, September 19, 2008

9/20/08=Good Morning!


Enjoy the Weekend. Back to the Battle come Monday.



{photo-The Sun rising from the east above the City of Celina,Ohio, this morning at 7:40}

Off to Nappanee, Indiana




Just a quickie before jumping in the shower.

Sam and I are headed for Nappanee this morning, he has to pick up his briefcase and driving records, and drop off a large hitch. I just want to get away for awhile, so the 120 mile drive each way will give me that chance.

This will be likely Sam's last visit to Hoosier Transit for awhile...at 26 years old(27 in December) he finally has his mind cleared to go back to college....and next Wednesday, he begins his classes at Ohio State University-Lima. If all goes well there, the mathematics major will head for Columbus and the main OSU Campus in a year or two....and with the classes he took several years ago at Wright State, he should have his B.S. in some high class math major at around 30 years old....I can't say much I wasn't done with college until 29. Of course I had the Air Force as an excuse, Sam has the family "wanderlust" as his. Either way, his driving days are put on hold, and it's back to the classroom.

With him being "older" and not part of the family financial empire..:) He was eligible for several grants, and with his math scores he got just about enough to pay his way through. Maybe one small loan he will need, but his brain power is giving him a chance to get his degree without a lot of his own money outlay ed, and without mom having to co-sign any loans. Hummm, maybe all kids should either go in the military or wait to head off to college?

We worked a football game, Junior High, at Spencerville, last night, off tonight, but back at that Saturday morning. I'm at Waynesfield and Sam is at Delphos. Sam now begins his basketball license course one night a week as well(starting October 6th). Baseball, Football, and now Basketball, should earn him enough money to pay for any extra expenses, including his gas, since at this time he is going to make the 80 mile round trip from Celina to Lima and back for classes, rather than live up there. Those courses are 4 days a week this fall quarter. Good Luck Sam, we know you can do it.

On the subject of sons...youngest boy Hal called from Fairborn, last night....thanks to the remains of "Ike" hitting the area on Sunday, they are still without power at his apartment. 5 days, these folks in the Dayton area have been without power longer than some of those in Texas....unbelievable. He is showering at a friend's across town, who has power, and eating out, which is putting a strain on his budget....which for a guy in Grad School, that money flow is already on life support. But he will find time to go to another wedding, this one in Columbus, hopefully when he returns on Sunday, it will be to the modern lifestyle, but no guarantees the power will be back up, even then.

Off to Nappanee, back later!
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Hal Stanley Houseworth(L)born 1984, and Samuel William Houseworth(R) born 1981, as they looked 20 some years ago.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Battle of Chickamauga-145 Years Ago











On a hot late summer weekend in north Georgia 145 years ago this week, the Union Army of the United States suffered it's worst defeat of the American Civil War. The one side of my Houseworth family was involved in this conflict in a most personal way.

Both Gilman Houseworth and his younger Brother Henry, were volunteers in the 26th Ohio Volunteer Army:

This battle begin in full on September 19, 1863....145 years ago this Friday. By the time it ended a day and one half later, the Union Army and many of it's regiments were scattered or in disarray, as were the bodies of dead and wounded from both sides. Of the 58,000 Union Troops, 1657 were known dead, 9756 wounded, and another 4757 missing and presumed dead. Among those dead were 18 year old Henry Houseworth, with the wounded was his older brother Gilman, age 20. Both men were my Great-Great Uncles. They were but 2 of 16 known direct Houseworth relatives that served with the Union Army. Others included my Great Grandfather Nelson S. Houseworth(1837-1887), and his diminutive cousin SB "Maish" Houseworth(1846-1944). Maish was the last Civil War Veteran to die in Marion County, Ohio, in 1944, at the age of 98.

Anybody thinking or waxing nostalgic about war, especially this war between brothers and family members, needs only to read the excellent book by Peter Cozzens, from 1996 titled, [The Battle of Chickamauga] "This Terrible Sound"....It is the most detailed story of America's deadliest battle, home or abroad. In addition to the casualty list of the Union, The Confederates did not fare much better. Even though they won the battle. Of the total 66,000 sons of the south fighting in north Georgia that weekend, 2312 lay dead, 14, 674 were wounded, and another 1468 were listed as missing.

A more detailed account of my families participation in the Civil War in general and Chickamauga in particular can be found at my genealogy blog:


Link back to the story on my post of September 20, 2007.


Henry Houseworth never returned to Waldo in Central Ohio...Gilman Houseworth did, but it was not without a price....more on Gilman and his life following Chickamauga can be found at the genealogy blog as well.



A few years ago, in February 2004, returning from delivering a RV in Florida, while driving back to Ohio in the Jeep, I decided to pay the battle site a visit. It was a rainy cold February 15th to be exact. I can tell you the site of the 26th Ohio Battlefield at the Viniard Field would have had a haunted feel no matter the time of year. Even more so on this gray, wet late winter day, you could almost feel the restless souls of the men that fought and died in that bloody battle.....145 years ago this week, the bloodiest battle in American History took place, not on some far away European or Asian land, but right in the American South, where brothers fought cousins, and Americans fought each other. And the real reason they fought has died with those long gone soldiers.

With the political winds of today, are we that far away from another Chickamauga, or worse?

Back Later>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
photos- Gilman Houseworth as he looked in 1885/the cover of Cozzens book/and the site at the Chickamauga Battlefield called Viniard Fields, where the 26th took it's stand, as it looked in the winter of 2004.
















Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Powerless


Hurricane Ike's aftermath continues across southwest and central Ohio. While here in the west central part of the state the wind damage was minimal, basically tree limbs, some trees onto houses, and crops knocked down....we came out with power for the most part. The folks in the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus areas, as well as some in northern Kentucky and west Pennsylvania were not so lucky.




I talked with youngest son Hal down in the Dayton/Fairborn area last night....he was cleaning out his frig, taking the meat downstairs and cooking it up on his neighbors grill...the college boys, Hal and his roommate "Woost", didn't have a backup plan and the stuff in the icebox was gonna go bad, so Hal gave most of it to his downstairs neighbors as a trade off, so he could cook up his T-Bone Steak which he wanted to eat....bottom line is, DP&L(Dayton Power and Light) says the residential areas might not have power until this weekend or even early next week. I talked with my friend Tom down in the Delaware, Ohio(north of Columbus), area, and they are in the same boat...no power yet. The out-of-power count in Ohio is upwards of 800,000 as I type.


So here we are in the lower midwest, over a thousand miles from where "Ike" made landfall on the Texas Gulf, and we have as many without power as they do....granted, not the damage, but in this day and age, it's still a pain in the ass for those affected.

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Freshman football at Celina Stadium last night, with visiting Kenton coming away with a 26-6 win over the host Bulldogs. The weather was finally "football weather"....a cloud cover and temperatures in the mid 60s. Tonight I stay home doing a Recreation game between 2 of the 3 young Celina teams.


Health wise, my back is holding out{Knock on Wood} so far about 1/2 way through football season....it was about this time last year{first week of October actually} that my back went south and I ended up with the epidural the week before Christmas...hopefully this fall will be winter.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Introducing 'The SS OBAMA 08'


Don't need many words to add to this little diddy.


lmao!


Introducing "The SS OBAMA"

Ike Blows Through Ohio



Some 36 hours after making shore at Galveston, Texas, on the Gulf Coast....Hurricane "Ike" made it's presents felt right here in western Ohio.


Oldest son Sam and I had a Rec Department Junior Football game in Celina...we finished up at 3PM, just as the wind picked up into the 50 and 60 MPH range....corn knocked down, limbs blow out of trees, and power out to more than 800,000 thousand in southwest Ohio alone....here in west central Ohio, some power out, but all-in-all we survived without major damage. Talking to my youngest son Hal, in Fairborn(Home of Wright-Patterson AFB), where he is student teaching and doing Grad Studies at Wright State, his power went out around 3pm yesterday, and is still out this morning....Fairborn High School was delayed 2 hours, most of the Dayton area schools were closed.

Now don't get me wrong....we received nothing compared to Texas and the western Gulf Coast area.....but we did get a blow.

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The sun is back out and cooler, sunny, weather will stick around for the remainder of the week. The rain we got from "Ike" was minimal in our area, most of the heavy rain stayed west in Indiana and Illinois, or ran north into Michigan.

Bad weekend for Ohio football...Ohio State proves the experts right...the Buckeyes were not ready for USC....they were defeated in prime time 35-3 by the Trojans and were lacking in every part of the game...back to the drawing board. Meanwhile Michigan continues to fall into the pits of Big Ten Football, Lil' Richey's team got their asses kicked at Notre Dame, by a pretty weak team...and ouch! Charlie Weiss(ND Coach) gets taken out on the sidelines and his knee is blown out. The Bengals and Browns continue to stink up the NFL....although why anybody would care about the over-hyped professional league is beyond me.

Freshman football at Celina tonight.....and a full slate of under varsity and Recreation games this week.

back later
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Photos-The wind and trees blowing through my back yard from "Ike"

Friday, September 12, 2008

Charlie Gibson American Assclown/Hurricane Ike




As we head into the weekend, I would venture to say the most talked about stories on TV/Radio and the Internet are Hurricane Ike and the Charlie Gibson/ABC interview with GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

First on to the Palin interview...you have to ask yourself why "Team McCain" would allow their ticket star to be interviewed by this left wing ass named Charlie Gibson? You knew it would be a hit piece...Hell they might as well put her up against Keith Olberman, at least everybody knows that low talent dirtball is a tool of the DNC. Gibson is a lightweight when it comes to TV Anchors...but from what I've seen he did his best to discredit Palin, by asking questions none of the candidates including Half Breed Barry could answer.....Palin did pretty good in deflecting the continued hate from the Main Stream Press and the Washington elite. No bombshells here, the press is left grasping at straws.

53 days till election day, and the Dems are running scared, scared of a 44 year old self described Hockey Mom wearing lipstick. It's fun to see these jackasses squirm...I don't know who is going to win the upcoming Presidential election....my guess is, it's 50-50 at this point...the one thing I am sure of, if Obama gets elected, Israel will attack Iran before this half assed "Community Organizer" steps foot in the White House.

Ike on the loose
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On a much more serious note Ike has taken aim at the Texas coast...5.5 million folks live in the Houston area alone, including my old Air Force Sky Cop buddy:

The way thing look{if they don't change in the next 15 hours} a wall of wind, surge, and destruction, like something we have not seen in decades is gonna strike the Gulf Coast of Texas...pray for those folks in harm's way. Do that while you are filling your tank, upwards of 20% of our refinery production could be damaged or destroyed....

Stay Tuned!

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On the home front, we finally got some much needed rain overnight, this coming after I mowed down some weeds in the front and back yard....our wet spring and early summer has turned into a full mini drought, which looks like we will end over the next few days....even predicted to get the remains of "Ike" by early or middle of next week.After a rare off day{that's not a Wednesday or Friday}, I will be back at Football tomorrow in Spencerville, working a JV game, and working for the first time with Sam...we have done hundreds of Varsity baseball games together, but his is the first football contest where we will both be on the same field. We repeat that Sunday at a Rec game in Celina....next week looks pretty full as well.

Have a great weekend, and once again, pray for those folks in Ike's way.


back later>>>>>>>>>>

photo-Hitman Charlie Gibson interviews Sarah Palin/Hurricane Ike heads towards Houston/and the welcome rain finally comes to Celina.





Thursday, September 11, 2008

Where Were You 9/11/01?


I'm sure anyone over the age of 12 knows what they were doing(if not sleeping) when the twin towers came down. I was sitting at my desk at the Van Wert Health Department going over my daily list of inspections I felt like doing, when I glanced at my computer screen to see the front photo of the Yahoo Home Page with a burning, gaping hole, and a tail wing sticking out of one of the towers. The original reports were that a "small plane" had slammed into the tower...we knew within a few minutes, that it was much more than that.

Today, 7 years, almost to the minute later, we now know we were at war....we are still at war. Sad part is, folks in the MSM and the liberal blog world think they are at war with Sarah Palin, conservatives, and the GOP...they continue to give the main culprit..."ISLAM" a pass for the evil it is...make no mistake about it...Islam, no matter how you spell it, is evil. To those that compare conservative and fundamentalist Christians with Islam...I say you're nuts, there is no comparison to it's evil.

Time for reflections my friends....just what are you priorities, are they the same as on September 11, 2001? If they are, better wake up...big things are coming, and depending on how the election turns out, it may be sooner, rather than later. I've got my own opinions on what will happen if Obama is elected, if McCain is put in the White House, things are less clear.

Stay tuned...a McCain/Palin win things will change slow, if Barry OH wins, Israel will make a move on Iran before he steps in the White House....they can't afford to let him cut their legs out from under them.....make no mistake, he will attempt to do just that.

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On a happier note, our early fall like weather continues, and it is perfect. No A/C needed, and we may even get a little rain yet this week....have not mowed in a month. No football tonight, back at it Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday....

Meanwhile my great part-time job in Greenville has ended, 20 months of easy money couldn't last. Was nothing I did, the company that ACP supplied decided to go in-house, saving some big bucks. Those Jap car plants know how to save a dime, that's why the continue to thrive, while the "Big 3" head towards oblivion.

Perhaps come November I will go back to driving RVs...if the situation get stable in that hurting industry...if not, I will grab on to something else. Forget about the doom and gloom in the job market...there are plenty of full and part time opportunities out there, for someone willing to work....I, of course, am not interested in anything other than a part time opportunity that keeps me busy a few hours a week, and into beer and cigar money.

That is it for this morning.....REMEMBER THE VICTIMS OF 9/11 AND DON'T FORGET JUST WHO THE ENEMY IS

Back Later

OK moving forward ..Be Prepared

  Looking Ahead: If you check out the last post, written a few minutes ago, you will notice that Blogger is changing...a code for "We W...