These Guys Are Scary!

Where have I been?  Our favorite companions for wine tasting had a few free days so we got together in Chelan to try the juice of the fruit.  More on that later.

From there we headed for Seattle then on to Canada to meet our friend the gallery owner to pick up a piece of art.  We had agreed to meet in Delta which is a small burg south of Vancouver.

Crossing the border is not our favorite activity, especially coming home.  I guess they resent the fact that we might have spent money in Canada rather than here or some such.  Who knows.

One thing we never expected, however, was to be stopped on our side of the border by our security people on our way to Canada!  As we approached the Peace Arch we saw the road was barricaded and a half dozen men with automatic rifles and flak jackets were stopping each car.  The two in front of us were waved through.  We were not.  We were driving our van.  What the...?

As one grilled Hub the others were busy checking out the vehicle including "patting down" the sides.  The security officer, from Customs and Border Security according to their caps, was especially interested in how much cash we had with us.  It seemed odd in this day of credit cards.  Hmmm.  He had trouble with the intent of our trip.  To meet the owner of a gallery from Port McNeill and pick up a totem pole.  Would it fit in the van?  Yes.  It is a small one - 5 feet or so.  Did we commission it?  No.  We just saw it and liked it and bought it.    We had been looking for one for quite awhile.  Did we have a place for it on our property?  It's going in our great room.  And so it went.

We got a similar grilling on the way home.  Curious.  Who could possibly have manufactured a tale about picking up a totem pole?

We asked our friend if he had any idea what it was all about.  It seems that one thing it could be is that since the Canadian dollar is now stronger than ours, they're coming to the states to shop.  While at the big malls smugglers hide drugs in or on their vehicles.  When they leave the smugglers follow them.  If they get caught, the smugglers get off scott free while some unsuspecting shopper is subjected to the drill or worse.  If they aren't caught the smugglers follow them to their destination, retrieve the drugs and go on their way.

Pretty neat, eh?  The only problem with that theory and what we went through is that they seek out cars with B.C. plates.  Ours, obviously, are not and who knows where our destination might have been!

'Tis a puzzlement.  What were the CBP agents looking for?  A couple of elderly gray hairs on an outing?  If we fit some type of profile, I'd sure like to know what the heck it is!

Maybe ALL Religions Need Scrutiny

When I saw the headline  'Jewish court sentences dog to death by stoning', I did a double take. I know Orthodox Jews live in a world of which I have no knowledge.  I didn't realize they also live in a different century and have beliefs that could certainly use some reinterpretation.

One wouldn't think a dog wandering into a court room, even a large one, would frighten adults.  But apparently one did.  Not that he was threatening or anything, but because he was a dog!

It seems that by Jewish tradition a dog is impure.  Not being able to get the dog to budge, one of the judges recalled a curse they had bestowed on a secular judge two decades prior because he insulted them.  They remanded his spirit into the body of a dog.  This one?

His spirit must pass from dog to dog because few live to be twenty years old and if they do they aren't likely to wreck havoc I wouldn't think.  Or whatever else the judges thought he might do.

Of course by now they were all worked up so one of the judges sentenced the poor dog to death.  By stoning.  By children.

Fortunately while all this was going on the dog went on his way.  Smart dog.

It just goes to show it isn't only Islam that harbors those with radical interpretations of their religion!  But having children stone a dog to death?  That they were even capable of thinking of that gives me the chills!

Is ANYONE Running The Country?

Who in their right mind would allow nearly  two thousand military grade weapons to be illegally bought and shipped to Mexico knowing they were going to the drug cartels?

Our Department of Justice in an operation called "Fast and Furious".

The theory was to link the weapons, by tracing serial numbers, to various crime scenes in order to scope out various drug cartels and eventually lead to high-level arrests.

When ATF agents objected they were threatened with punishment and retaliation.

I've got to say that's a heck of a lot of guns to keep track of considering our ability to track where our foreign aid goes, mostly to corrupt officials.  Even worse, these guns were let go knowing they would be used in crimes where people would be killed.  They were, including  Border Patrol guard Brian Terry. 1730 guns.  38,000 deaths since 2007.  Supervisors who retorted when  asked about possible loss of life in this operation, "If you are going to make an omelet, you need to scramble some eggs," and "If you don't think this is fun, you are in the wrong line of work, period."

Other than the 38,000 deaths over time, what was accomplished?   A few arrests of small-time crooks while the rest of the weapons were in the hands of criminals leading to a huge spike in the ongoing violence.

It's hard to believe the President would have given the go ahead to such an ill conceived plan.  What?  He didn't? According to Press Secretary Jay Carney, "He did not know about or authorize this operation."

Just who is in charge when it comes to an operation of this magnitude?  It's not Who.  He's on first. It obviously isn't Obama either.  He was probably on vacation or the golf course.

Beauty And The Beasts

The Stanley Cup goes to Boston; the clean up crews go to Vancouver, B.C.  What is it about supposed adults, mostly male, that turns them into uncontrollable monsters after sporting events?

Vancouver is a beautiful city.  At least it was until last night.  It has one of the most breathtaking settings a city could have.  They got through the Olympics, a far larger venue the final game of the Stanley Cup series with no major violence nor destruction of property for that sake and that sake alone.  So why after a hockey game?

Oh, sure, the home team lost.  It would have happened had they won.  Look at the mob violence that comes after soccer games.  It's a trait  common to no particular country and yet every country and for a variety of reasons.  Look at the rioting in Greece over their economic situation.  The only work that will come out of it is overtime for jailers and clean up crews.  I really don't understand it.  It will solve nothing.

People gather in mobs for all sorts of reasons.  In Greece as I just mentioned.  All over the middle east is another example.  They, at least, with good cause and non-violent.  In return their own governments fired on them.  Not rubber bullets to quell the crowds.  Live ammunition to kill the crowds.

Canadian hockey fans should be thankful they are in Canada, known for being nice!  In other parts of the world even the losing team might have been under threat of violence from their governments.

So come on sports fans.  Grow up.  Be thankful for the good things you have rather than destroying them because your team lost.  It's so unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Who will even remember this years Stanley Cup in six months?

 The violence and destruction, however, are another thing.

Lame Stream Media, For Sure

I'm no fan of Sarah Palin, but when she refers to the media as "lame stream" she just may have a point.  She also showed a hint of wisdom for not appearing in what was laughingly called a "debate".

When Michelle Bachmann comes away the winner, one has to wonder.  And be thankful it's early in the campaign process and hope the candidates wise up and refuse to fall prey to the silliness of CNN again.

Little is left to the imagination as to where CNN's politics are, just like NBC's.  Left.  Liberal.  None the less you'd think they'd take a Republican debate with at least a modicum of seriousness.

John King set the tone with his 'assume the position' remark. He should be fired for that and what followed. And/or whoever vetted the questions to be asked.

Maybe I take politics too seriously, but when I take the time to tune in to a debate I'm not really interested  whether Bachmann prefers Elvis or Johnny Cash or whether Pawlenty is a Coke or Pepsie man. Save the levity for the White House Correspondents Dinner.  It's a slippery slope to the Clinton campaign where the iconic question was 'boxers or briefs'.  It's a good thing Anthony Weiner wasn't on stage - or for that matter, asking the questions! Must politics be demeaned any further?

I'm really glad Bachmann has fostered 23 kids and is a mother of an additional five.  I'm glad Santorum fathered seven kids.  And the happy the other candidates also have their progeny to brag about, but I could care less when I've tuned in to listen to ideas, policies, possible soilutions.

Somehow when a reporter crows that the evening produced a cadidate that truly belonged there, Michelle Bachmann, and that she will drive the debate, I would at least like to hear a debate.

Like what would she do about the situation in Pakistan where the men who helped our CIA in the pursuit of bin Laden have been arrested.  Or what would any of them do differently than Obama and more importantly how they expect to succeed.

Maybe one network should host one night of chit chat with the candidates, answer all the nonsense, then get on with real debate.  Or has that already happened?