…Updates to my earlier post:

Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks the federal funding of NPR should be pulled.

And those like Juan Williams (whom, by the way, I rarely agree with but respect and enjoy watching) are not the only targets of liberals and Democrats. When you dare disagree with their political agendas, you’re either bigots or racists. And when Democrats get truly desperate? You can always count on them dragging out the race card, especially when its just days before a critical election. Hmm….haven’t I seen this kind of thing before?

Bernie Goldberg is calling today the day American liberalism died. Actually, it’s been dead - at least philosophically - for years, it’s the mainstream dino-media that’s been keeping its stinking, rotting carcass alive this long.

But I will say this: when you have a Democratic female political operative (Jerry Brown’s wife) calling Meg Whitman a “whore”, and the National Organization for Women refusing to condemn, and when a thoughtful and respectable journalist like Juan Williams getting fired by NPR for comments that were hardly controversial, you see modern-day liberals finally revealed for what they are: despicable, shameful hypocrites who would rather suppress speech and call people racists, bigots, homophobes, and xenophobes rather than engage in thoughtful dialogue.

…and why shouldn’t they - they get their cue every day from the leaders of the Senate, the House, and the White House.

Don’t get me wrong: there’s a place for competing political views and ideals - and yes, even liberalism - in this country and in the political marketplace of ideas. But, as Goldberg concludes:

It’s a shame that liberalism is dying in this country. It’s an outright crime that liberals are killing it.

Indeed.

A few tidbits on this Thursday AM:

So much for free speech at National Public Radio. But that’s liberalism for you: they’re all about tolerance, inclusiveness, and diversity - as long as you tow their line. I mean Juan Williams? Lemme tell you, if I had my way the first thing I’d cut funding for if I had my way would be National Public Radio. Then they could all go work for their intellectual partners Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. NPR is a despicable organization that has long outlived its usefulness.

…and after NPR, I’m cutting all funding for National Public Television and dismantle the Departments of Energy and Education, and the National Endowment For The Arts. All of them a total waste of taxpayer dollars and an absolute haven for waste.

…and then all members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives reduce their staffs by 50%.

…and the same goes for the White House - especially the President’s and First Lady’s staffs. Just more waste of the taxpayer’s money.

…and finally, all departments - and I man ALL departments - cut their budgets by 20%. All the folks I know have had to go on a fiscal diet, time for the arrogant elitist statist bow-tied bum-kissers in Washington to do the same.

Here’s what I’m thinking about when it comes to the November 2 midterms.

Now that’s the kind of hope n’ change I’m hoping for. This country’s future depends on it.

[Ed. note: they don't make songs like that anymore!]

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Pool temp: 73 degrees

Our good friend and frequent commenter Jana had to put her cat Willy down on Monday, bringing to a close a generation of pets we shared common love and companionship with so long ago when Tracey and I lived in Louisville. During those years (we lived in Louisville from 1998 to 2001) Jana had her cats Willy, Alex, and Elizabeth, and we had our cats Rascal and Sparkle, our parakeets Ferd and Big Bird, and, starting in 2000, the first of our rabbits: Marble, then Pepper, then, after their brief tryst, a brood of seven babies: Marble Jr., Marble Jr. Jr., Mocha, Marshmallow, Half N’ Half, Bandit, and Li’l Pepper (all of whom Jana babysat just a few weeks after their birth while we spent that Christmas in Massachusetts).

As time and the years passed the connection of generations started to break down. We lost Ferd during a Christmas visit in Massachusetts in 1998 (Jana was pet sitting and put Ferd in the refrigerator for safe keeping until we got back!); Big Bird didn’t last that much longer. There was no way we could keep all seven of the babies, so we kept Marble Jr. (she passed away last year), Jr. Jr. was given to our parish priest (I forgot what they named her but I’m told she passed away unexpectedly a few years later), Half N’ Half, Marshmallow, and Lil’ Pepper were given (driven, actually, via a 22-hour marathon round trip from Louisville) to a family in Emporia, Kansas, and Bandit and Mocha were given to a pet store in Louisville (the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life).

After we moved back to Massachusetts in 2002, we had to have Rascal put down (she was 15). Things were quiet for awhile, but then the years started taking their toll: we had to have Sparkle put down on New Year’s Day in 2006, we lost Pepper in July of that same year, then lost the unforgettable Marble in 2007. Along the way, as Jana had to have her own long-time cat companions Alex and Elizabeth put down, she gained another cat, Andrew, then three other cats (Lilly, Buddy, and Nellie) while we adopted a new generation of rabbits: The Big Nipper (whom we lost after only ten months), Little Half Pint, Cosmo, Peanut, and Geronimo and Ginger (the latter whom we lost unexpectedly last month).

The great conundrum in all this is that, the very moment you bring a new pet into your lives, you’re destined to have the sad experience of saying goodbye to them somewhere in time. Some people just can’t handle the pain of losing a pet, but in my view, I’d rather give an animal a nice home and happy existence, then “love and lose” rather then never love at all. Being around Rascal, Sparkle, and Marble Jr. when they passed from this life to the next was as painful, poignant, and holy an experience as one is ever going to experience, but I wouldn’t have it any other way: death is a natural part of life, love between God’s creatures is eternal, and the pets we love as family members deserve nothing less than us being with them when that time inevitably comes. We should all be so lucky.

Even without the “pet connection”, Jana and Tracey and I would undoubtedly share a love and common bond from our time together in Louisville, but the loss of her cat Willy truly marks the end of an era: I’ve met the wacky Andrew, but Tracey hasn’t; Jana hasn’t met any of our current stable of rabbits. So there’s a generation connection that’s now lost in time.

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Pool temp: 74 degrees

Thoughts while wondering if the Texas Rangers can really stuff the Yankees…

Personally, I’ve believed this for a long time. Truman was a prtty damned good one, though.

So, $3 trillion dollars later, how do y’all like that “hopey changey” thing? Feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth? I know our foreign lenders do. Disgraceful.

Mark my words, after the dust is settled on the 2010 mid-terms, this is going to be a major story in 2011. With cities and perhaps even states teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, let me be the first to call it “The Next Civil War”.

…I’m just glad we have a president who’s a uniter and represents all the people. Gosh, he’s so good at that!

Here’s hoping that Gallup is right, and that two weeks from tonight the Democrats will see a wave that makes Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi look like bit players in The Poseidon Adventure.

Not that I’m feeling cocky, but when you have an incredible 117 seats that are viewed as very competitive in an economy like this one, and a White House that reflects both the incompetence and cluelessness of the dude-in-charge, there’s something potentially big out there that the major news networks and lamestream media are missing.

…or maybe they’re starting to take a hint?

Can you imagine the howls and outcry if this kind of story was linked to a Republican administration? Why, there’d be calls to impeach all over the place.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Michelle Obama. Healthy living, indeed.

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Pool temp: 68 degrees

Thoughts while jetting west after a nice October stay in Massachusetts:

Looks like the heat man finally turned off the heat and Arizona winter can begin. It’s been a long time coming…

If you’re in the area and looking for a fun and challenging nine-hole track to play some bright October afternoon, you can’t do much better than the “Blue Course” at Pease G.C. in Portsmouth, NH.

What is it with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd? Her latest column is nothing more than a bitter, angry, and catty screed about Republican women candidates. It tells you a lot about the mindset of so-called feminists when women can write and (in the case of the Meg Whitman “whore” comment) say such awful things about other women.

But this kind of thing seems rampant with the Democrats these days. And you know why? For the first time, there’s no media to cover for them; between the Internet and alternative blogs, Democrats everywhere are under the microscope and there’s nowhere left to hide.

Sure, the New England Patriots’ defense came up big in the fourth quarter and beyond in their overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens, but Joe Flacco as a quarterback will never lead a team to the Super Bowl.

It’s been great watching the New York Yankees’ starting pitching get battered around by the Texas Rangers. Tomorrow’s a big game for Andy Petitte - someone’s going to have to give the Yankees bullpen a break - but it’s also a big game for Texas, as a win would give them a huge advantage for the rest of the series.

Congrats to Rocco Mediate and his victory in the Fry’s Open. He’s one of the honest-to-goodness good guys on the PGA Tour.

You can’t beat the roast lamb at the Aegean Restaurant in Watertown, Mass.

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Pool temp: 68 degrees

It’s a lazy Sunday, so we’ll make these quick and dirty (but interesting!):

The so-called “horror fly” returns from the dead.

This is what happens when greens and golf-ball sized hail meet. It ain’t pretty.

Teeing off at the Texas Motor Speedway.

15 cool facts about Halloween.

Whale poop good for ocean health.

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Pool temp: 70 degrees

[Ed. Note: The following press release from Kittyhawk Productions national headquarters was found in my Inbox this morning:]

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NEWS RELEASE: TOP PRIORITY CLASSIC RECORDING “TINY BUBBLES (LONG VERSION)” LAUNCHED ON YOUTUBE

KEY WEST, FL - October 15, 2010 - Kittyhawk Productions (NYSE KHPR) announced today the third and final release of classic recordings by Top Priority (”The Band That Rock Forgot”) now available on YouTube!

Reached at his Dana Point, California bungalow, Top Priority executive producer Victor N. Cucini had this to say about the recording’s long-awaited official release: “Tiny Bubbles (Long Version)” is a new phase recording by Top Priority as “Scat Jacobs and The Manhattans Featuring Sonny Williams”. This song comes from the very last recording session held in the old Richard house cellar in Tewksbury during the summer of 1977. This recording features only Mark Richard, Doug Richard, and Jerry “Keys” Palma, as guitarist Ken “The Cat” McDougal had recently left the band to join the Air Force, and Mark was only weeks away from joining the Army.

“Tiny Bubbles (Long Version”) came in a burst of inspiration after the boys had traveled to Hampton Beach earlier that summer and saw a combo of elderly gentlemen playing under the music shell there and attempting to sound hip by playing popular tunes like “The Hustle” and “Play That Funky Music” to a swing beat. Well, the boys thought this was so outrageous and absurd that they felt the need to record their own form of tribute - hence, “Tiny Bubbles (Long Version)”. I’m pleased to be able to make this fine recording available to the general public. It’s a gas.”

Click here to hear Scat Jacobs and the Manhattans Featuring Sonny Williams perform “Tiny Bubbles (Long Version)”.

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Pool temp: 71 degrees

Back at my folks’ apartment when the bandwidth is great and the Internet is highly accessible. I’ve been dying to send y’all these links:

Rabbits eating cars at Denver International Airport?

President Obama dissing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a strategically horrible political move. All this does is reinforce the perception that Obama is anti-business.

A transgender “woman” sues the LPGA for rights to play on their tour. I dunno, to me their rule that says you have to be born a female seems pretty clear. Just another example of how screwed up this country is.

This invention sounds pretty cool to me.

That was a great series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers. Here’s hoping the Rangers can beat the Yankees and make it to the World Series.

Barack Obama: Petulant of the United States.

If a Republican were President, this news would prompt the charge of “quagmire” all across all the mainstream dino-media. With Barack Obama in the White House? Nada.

Looking for some cool vintage surf / California ’60s style wood signs? Check this great site out. I got an Endless Summer movie sign for a birthday present and it’s “da bomb”.

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Pool temp: 69 degrees

I’m telling y’all, if I had this hotel Internet connection at home I’d slit my wrists. How can a major hotel chain (Crowne Plaza) in a major East Coast metropolitan area still have wired network connections, and a painfully slow one at that? I mean, it’s bad enough that the hotel has seen better days and stands astride the Mass Pike where traffic flows at all hours of the night and Amtrak commuter trains rumbling below shake the hotel’s foundation (I love the sound of traffic and trains but I doubt many visitors do that close by), but crappy Internet connectivity is simply inexcusable in this day and age.

If you knew how long it’s taken me to just type this post you’d understand.

But overall it’s great to be back in New England. The crazy traffic patterns, the loons that dart in and out of lanes to try and save a few minutes’ commute at the risk of their lives (and others), the crisp October air, the Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner, the Italian subs (with tomatoes, onions, and pickles), the Sam Adams Octoberfest on draft - all just a reminder of home.

Tonight we had dinner at Jerry Remy’s by Fenway Park. Great location, the huge flat-screen TVs in high def were awesome, but the food was pretty disappointing. Just your average pub stuff. But, the Octoberfest was cold, wet, and fresh so that was good enough for me.

And that Friday Nor’easter I said yesterday was going to be just another rain storm? Well, as they say in those Southwest Airlines commercials, “It’s on.” I can’t wait!

Wish I could write more but I’d be up another hour trying to get this post posted. Tomorrow I’ll be checking out and heading back to my folks where their is warmth, love, and a great Internet connection. Talk to y’all then.

I was planning on using this post to link to a bunch of (at least for me) interesting stuff, but my 100.0 Mbps Internet connection here at the Crowne Plaza suspended over the Mass Pike here in Newton, Massachusetts is acting more like a 10.0 Mbps. Hard to believe in this day and age that you can get crappy Internet in a hotel like this. But that’s OK, I’ll make due with a few non-linky observations:

October in New England is beautiful. The colors seem to be a little dull, but the shimmering golden sunset to the west (it wouldn’t be to the east, right?) tonight was glorious to behold.

Most of the cabs in Boston now accept credit cards, and I say it’s about time. If there’s one industry that was slow in embracing the technology of the times it was the taxi industry. I understand why cabbies wouldn’t want it - they’re used to getting their payment on the spot instead of waiting for 3 or so days for their fares to process, but really, how many people carry cash around with them? I know I don’t. The only times I ever carry cash is when I travel; back in Gilbert I can count the number of times I’ve actually had money in my wallet this year on one hand.

Yesterday they were talking as if we were going to get a full-blown nor’easter this Friday - that would have been very cool - but now it looks as the storm isn’t going to blow up off the New Jersey coast like they originally thought. Instead it’s just going to be your average rain storm. Too bad.

Celebrated my birthday on my own in Boston’s North End at Pagliuca’s. “Try the veal, it’s the best in the city.” (Now what movie might that quote be from, eh?) The two glasses of house chianti I had weren’t bad either, and their bread is top notch - you simply can’t get bread like that in Arizona. Must be the dust.