Latest F1 Scandal with Max Mosley

If you follow F1 in any form, you should know by now that FIA President Max Mosley is involved in a sex scandal involving five prostitutes dressed in Nazi uniforms and some whipping action. While half the world, several F1 teams up and down the pitlane have condemned his actions and even his resignation, current World Drivers' Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, summed up my opinion perfectly...

It is his personal life and he can do whatever he wants and its not really my business or anyone else's to put their noses in.

Take his position as FIA President out of the equation and he's just some old guy trying to have some fun. Sure, getting whipped by five hookers in Nazi uniforms isn't exactly my cup of tea either but hey whatever works for Mr. Mosley. Afterall, it is his personal life and no one else's business. He only has himself and his family (not even sure if he is married) to answer to.

Hank Aaron is still the TRUE Homerun King

Today is not a day of celebration of Barry Bonds' 756th homerun, surpassing Hank Aaron's 755th homers, but a day of mourning for all sports fans across the country. We mourn of the steroid era that has become Major League Baseball and the fraud that is Barry Bonds who has attached his tainted name to professional sports' most honored record. We mourn that a cheater is among the greats, like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Roger Maris, at least on paper. Most of all, we mourn that MLB's Commissioner Bud Selig has turned a blind eye and allowed this travesty to happen.

Boohoo MLB, Selig and Bonds. Hank Aaron is still the TRUE homerun king.

God Speed Pluto, you meant the world to us

The International Astronomical Union decided yesterday to strip Pluto of its planetary status and demoted it to a dwarf planet. I wonder how he feels... I mean, he's furthest from the sun, he's small, cold, dark, very lonely and now he's being shunned. Poor little guy.

Now our galaxy, the Milky Way, has 8 planets officially.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

 Technorati Tags: Pluto

Fidel Castro

Looks like the end is finally near for Fidel and there is light at the end of a very long road back to a free and democratic Cuba.

My father, if still alive, would have loved this news. I hope now that I be able to meet my family in Cuba one day soon.

News Link: MSNBC

 Technorati Tags: Fidel Castro, Cuba

WW3?

9/11. Osama Bin Laden. al Queda. The War on Terror. Afghanistan. Iraq. Saddam Hussein. Muslim Extremists. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Iran. North Korea. Lebanon. Hezbollah. Syria.

Are we on the verge of World War 3? Imagine this... Israel invades Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah. Syria and Iran retaliate against Israel. We get dragged into the conflict. Insane Kim Jong-il launches missiles for fun. The British, Russians, Chinese get involved. WW3. If so, I can almost guarantee that it won't last for more than 24 hours as Israel has proven many times over that it doesn't fuck around. It may turn Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Iraq and other Muslim extremist and rogue states into a radioactive parking lot for the next few thousand years. Hopefully it won't take out the rest of the world in doing so.

God help us.

 Technorati Tags: WW3

Are poor people bad drivers?

I'm thinking about the last few times that I got into a car accident...

- May 2006 - rear ended by drunk driver in early 1990's Nissan Altima, no license or insurance

- March 2005 - rear ended/hit run by non-English speaking Hispanic male in very old Honda Accord, probably no insurance

- March 2002 - rear ended by crackhead in 1980's GMC Jimmy

- August 2001 - rear ended by lady too busy putting on her makeup than paying attention to her driving in 1980's Toyota Corolla

- September 2000 - rear ended by guy in an old Ford Truck, no insurance

What do all these unfortunate accidents have in common? Besides being rear ended, all these other drivers are members of the lower class and most didn't have insurance. I've also noticed too that people with shitty, old cars tend to follow much closer and ride your ass than people with newer, nicer cars.

Are poor people bad drivers? I hope not, but my personal experience so far isn't showing me otherwise.

 Technorati Tags: Bad Drivers, Lower Class

Your League is Rigged

Fuck you! Fuck you! Your league is rigged.

These are the infinite words of wisdom that Mark Cuban, the billionaire cry baby owner of the Dallas Mavericks, offered NBA Commissioner David Stern after Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Sunday night in Miami.

Rigged? Did you say rigged? I wasn't aware that the NBA possesses super powers. Lets see...

Did the league force Nowitzki to miss that all so important free throw in Game 3? No.

Did the league force the Heat to rout the Mavericks in Game 4? No.

Did the leagus force the Mavericks to miss critical shots and free throws in Game 5? No.

Did the league force Howard to call time out during a very untimely moment in Game 5? No.

Did the league force Wade, Shaq and the Miami Heat to perform at its absolute best during crunch time while the Mavericks collapsed.

Did the league force... fill in the blank yourselves. No, no, no.

So Cuban, you can whine, cry, bitch and moan all you want. Just maybe, MAYBE, don't you think that the Miami Heat might actually be a better team? Oh no, of course not, that wouldn't make a good fucking excuse.

Source: Miami Herald

 Technorati Tags: Mark Cuban, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, 2006 NBA Finals

The only Cuban NOT Welcome in Miami is...

Mark Cuban and his childish cry baby antics. Tonight, during Game 5, his antics went into overdrive as he seemingly blamed everyone else, except his own team, for their loss in OT.

 Technorati Tags: Mark Cuban, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, 2006 NBA Finals

DaVinci Code and Catholics

So I'm Catholic and I plan on seeing the DaVinci Code movie and therefore according to some people I'm a blasphemous sinner that will be going to hell. Some random thoughts...

Yeah I understand that Dan Brown's book and its movie version puts into dispute the very core of Christianity, however its a work of fiction and I take it for its entertainment value. Sure some people may take it as truth but then again some people also think we never landed on the moon or that Bush and his Administration ordered 9/11. The DaVinci Code book and its movie version are simply products of entertainment, nothing more, nothing less. It doesn't advertise itself as the Holy Bible or God's Word. Anyone that believes otherwise is just guillable and ignorant.

I know some local Catholics in Miami who are actually planning to protest/boycott at movie theaters this Friday and throughout the weekend. Don't these people know that by protesting, the opposite effect will be achieved? Any attention is good attention, even negative. And of course, the news media will portray all Catholics as extreme fanatics in the coming days by showing protests after protests, as if Cindy Sheehan and her anti-Bush/anti-war freak show aren't enough.

And it seems like the Archdiocese of Miami wants all local Catholics to boycot and/or protest the DaVinci Code yet refuses to hear more important issues concerning education and an extremely unfair decision regarding enrollment restrictions against my alma mater, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. I wonder if I will go to hell if I call Archbishop Favalora, Father Dennison of Little Flower and Father Greer of Good Shepherd hypocrites?

 Technorati Tags: DaVinci Code, Catholic

Stupid Kids these days

So yesterday I come home from work and walk my two dogs so they can do their thing. So we're there, and my next door neighbor pulls up to her house in her SUV with her three kids. Her 10 year old son jumps out and starts yelling "Doggie! Come here doggie!" Then he tells his sister that they're "little and ugly", turns around, picks up this huge rock and throws it right at my dogs. It almost hits my 9 week old puppy in the head. I yell out "Hey kid what are you doing?" I pick up the rock and throw it over to their lawn. The kid runs into the house. His mom then gets out of the SUV, looks at me weird and starts walking inside. I try to call her, "Excuse me your son just threw a rock at my dogs, excuse me..." She completely ignores me and walks inside her house. I take my dogs back in my house and walk over to the neighbor's house and pounded on the door. The mom answers, I tell her "Don't ignore me, your son threw a rock at my dogs. I would appreciate it if you told him something and keep him in control because the next time, I won't be aiming for just your lawn." Then the bitch goes, "Oh yeah I already told him something and anyways calm down man, its just animals." Then slams the door in my face.

Bitch.

 Technorati Tags: Stupid Kids

Moussaoui sentenced to Life

After the hearing, Moussaoui proclaimed "America, you lost. ... I won." Win? What exactly did yhe win? Let's explore this...

- He won a permanent residence at the lovely United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado, nicknamed the Alcatraz of the Rockies.

- He won a lifetime of solitary confinement of 23 hours per day.

- He won a 7 x 12 cell where he will spend 23 hours per day for the next 40 to 50 years of his pathetic life.

- He won a lifetime of beatdowns, getting his assed kicked, raped and tossing Big Daddy's salad.

- He won a lifetime of starring at a concrete wall.

So he won huh? No. We won. He wanted to die not rot in hell. He wanted to become a martyr for the extremist Muslim world and the jury denied him that. Instead he will rot in that little cell for the rest of his life, wishing he was dead.

And I don't know about you, but if given the choice between the electric chair and life in a supermax prison, my reaction would be, "So where do you plug that shit in?"

 Technorati Tags: Moussaoui

My thoughts on Immigration

HR 4437 makes me sad. We were all immigrants at some point. Maybe not you specifically, but your father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc. The founding fathers of this country were immigrants. So now I don't fully understand the backlash against immigration.

There are some illegal immigrants who are in the US but hate this country and can be basically described as freeloaders. These people should be deported back.

However there are others who are contributing members of our soceity and we should help them become residents and eventually citizens.

Immigration is what this country was built upon and being anti-immigration only leads to intolerance and racism.

 Technorati Tags: Immigration, HR 4437

Why Iran must be stopped now.

The frightening truth of why Iran wants a bomb
By Amir Taheri

Last Monday, just before he announced that Iran had gatecrashed "the nuclear club", President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad disappeared for several hours. He was having a khalvat (tête-à-tête) with the Hidden Imam, the 12th and last of the imams of Shiism who went into "grand occultation" in 941.

According to Shia lore, the Imam is a messianic figure who, although in hiding, remains the true Sovereign of the World. In every generation, the Imam chooses 36 men, (and, for obvious reasons, no women) naming them the owtad or "nails", whose presence, hammered into mankind's existence, prevents the universe from "falling off". Although the "nails" are not known to common mortals, it is, at times, possible to identify one thanks to his deeds. It is on that basis that some of Ahmad-inejad's more passionate admirers insist that he is a "nail", a claim he has not discouraged. For example, he has claimed that last September, as he addressed the United Nations' General Assembly in New York, the "Hidden Imam drenched the place in a sweet light".

Last year, it was after another khalvat that Ahmadinejad announced his intention to stand for president. Now, he boasts that the Imam gave him the presidency for a single task: provoking a "clash of civilisations" in which the Muslim world, led by Iran, takes on the "infidel" West, led by the United States, and defeats it in a slow but prolonged contest that, in military jargon, sounds like a low intensity, asymmetrical war.

In Ahmadinejad's analysis, the rising Islamic "superpower" has decisive advantages over the infidel. Islam has four times as many young men of fighting age as the West, with its ageing populations. Hundreds of millions of Muslim "ghazis" (holy raiders) are keen to become martyrs while the infidel youths, loving life and fearing death, hate to fight. Islam also has four-fifths of the world's oil reserves, and so controls the lifeblood of the infidel. More importantly, the US, the only infidel power still capable of fighting, is hated by most other nations.

According to this analysis, spelled out in commentaries by Ahmadinejad's strategic guru, Hassan Abassi, known as the "Dr Kissinger of Islam", President George W Bush is an aberration, an exception to a rule under which all American presidents since Truman, when faced with serious setbacks abroad, have "run away". Iran's current strategy, therefore, is to wait Bush out. And that, by "divine coincidence", corresponds to the time Iran needs to develop its nuclear arsenal, thus matching the only advantage that the infidel enjoys.

Moments after Ahmadinejad announced "the atomic miracle", the head of the Iranian nuclear project, Ghulamreza Aghazadeh, unveiled plans for manufacturing 54,000 centrifuges, to enrich enough uranium for hundreds of nuclear warheads. "We are going into mass production," he boasted.

The Iranian plan is simple: playing the diplomatic game for another two years until Bush becomes a "lame-duck", unable to take military action against the mullahs, while continuing to develop nuclear weapons.

Thus do not be surprised if, by the end of the 12 days still left of the United Nations' Security Council "deadline", Ahmadinejad announces a "temporary suspension" of uranium enrichment as a "confidence building measure". Also, don't be surprised if some time in June he agrees to ask the Majlis (the Islamic parliament) to consider signing the additional protocols of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Such manoeuvres would allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director, Muhammad El-Baradei, and Britain's Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, to congratulate Iran for its "positive gestures" and denounce talk of sanctions, let alone military action. The confidence building measures would never amount to anything, but their announcement would be enough to prevent the G8 summit, hosted by Russia in July, from moving against Iran.

While waiting Bush out, the Islamic Republic is intent on doing all it can to consolidate its gains in the region. Regime changes in Kabul and Baghdad have altered the status quo in the Middle East. While Bush is determined to create a Middle East that is democratic and pro-Western, Ahmadinejad is equally determined that the region should remain Islamic but pro-Iranian. Iran is now the strongest presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, after the US. It has turned Syria and Lebanon into its outer defences, which means that, for the first time since the 7th century, Iran is militarily present on the coast of the Mediterranean. In a massive political jamboree in Teheran last week, Ahmadinejad also assumed control of the "Jerusalem Cause", which includes annihilating Israel "in one storm", while launching a take-over bid for the cash-starved Hamas government in the West Bank and Gaza.

Ahmadinejad has also reactivated Iran's network of Shia organisations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen, while resuming contact with Sunni fundamentalist groups in Turkey, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco. From childhood, Shia boys are told to cultivate two qualities. The first is entezar, the capacity patiently to wait for the Imam to return. The second is taajil, the actions needed to hasten the return. For the Imam's return will coincide with an apocalyptic battle between the forces of evil and righteousness, with evil ultimately routed. If the infidel loses its nuclear advantage, it could be worn down in a long, low-intensity war at the end of which surrender to Islam would appear the least bad of options. And that could be a signal for the Imam to reappear.

At the same time, not to forget the task of hastening the Mahdi's second coming, Ahamdinejad will pursue his provocations. On Monday, he was as candid as ever: "To those who are angry with us, we have one thing to say: be angry until you die of anger!"

His adviser, Hassan Abassi, is rather more eloquent. "The Americans are impatient," he says, "at the first sight of a setback, they run away. We, however, know how to be patient. We have been weaving carpets for thousands of years."

I do not fear the superpower democratic nation with a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons but the madman with a single nuclear bomb willing to detonate it in the name of a jihad. Iran must be stopped now.

Source: Telegraph

 Technorati Tags: Iran

Islam - Misunderstood or Hypocritical?

Islam promotes itself as a religion of peace. Muslims worldwide demand tolerance and respect of their religion and culture, especially in light of the recent Danish cartoons controversy.

Yet we have Abdul Rahman, an Afghan who converted from Islam to Christianity sixteen years ago, and was faced with execution. What crime did he commit? Nothing except for being a Christian, which is against Muslim law. Under extreme global pressure, an Afghan court dropped the case on the declaration of mental illness. Mental illness? Since when was being a Christian insane? And in what is now becoming tradition, Muslims are violently protesting in the streets of Afghanistan tonight, shouting "Kill all Christians", "Death to America" and "Death to George Bush". Yawn. So what else is new with these Muslim extremists? Oh and Muslim leaders and clerics are calling for the death of Rahman.

So much for being a religion of peace, tolerance and respect. They demand that of us, yet they know nothing of peace, tolerance and respect within their own world.

 Technorati Tags: Abdul Rahman, Islam

What does this really say about Islam?

This is my final post on the Muslim cartoon backlash subject, I promise, unless WW3 breaks out because of it. That said, what does the violent reaction to the cartoons from millions of Muslims around the world really say about Islam as a religion? I've always held the belief that Islam, like Christianity, promotes peace and goodwill amongst mankind. While Islam is a very different religion then Catholicism, the message itself is quite similar, or so I thought.

Now I'm not so sure anymore. While the fundamental message of Islam remains the same, radicals and extremists from within have twisted Islam into a religion that promotes racism, ignorance, hypocrisy, arrogance and violence. Their rally cry has become "Death to Israel! Death to America!" Muslims refer to those of us that are not Muslim as infidels. Their leaders, Imans and Sheiks promotes violence by making statements such as, "We will defend our prophet with our blood, not our voices." They are quick to offend and insult anyone that does not share in their Islamic beliefs, while demanding that they be respected at the same time.

Hopefully some, still sane, Muslims will one day realize that terrorists like Osama bin Laden and even their leaders are giving Islam and Muslims a bad name. Hopefully one day, some will rise up in an internal revolt and cleanse themselves of those twisted radical extremists and bring Islam back into a positive light.

 Technorati Tags: Islam, Muslim, cartoons

Contrast of Protesters

This is how normal, sane people protest...



This is how crazy, radical Muslim extremists protest...



Photo source: MSNBC

 Technorati Tags: Muslim, protest

Muslim Cartoon Row Insantiy

The Muslim Cartoon row has reached new insane levels. Heres some up-to-date news this morning...

Mohammed Usman, Senior cleric of the Ulama Council, Afghanistan's top Islamic organization stated...

Islam says it's all right to demonstrate but not to resort to violence. This must stop. We condemn the cartoons but this does not justify violence. These rioters are defaming the name of Islam.

Finally someone in authority has some sanity and common sense. Now if he can only get the Imans to do the same, this cartoon row turned almost WW3 can end.

Meanwhile in Afghanistan, protesters attempt to storm a US military base in Qalat resulting in four deaths. I wondered if the four protesters who died are now disappointed that they are not met with 40 virgins in heaven? So much for common sense. If I was a protester, the last place that I would want to try to storm is a fortified US military base.

In Kabal, college students, aka terrorists in training, were shouting "Death to Danish! Death to Americans!" Pathetic.

Back home, President Bush is calling all nations to help end the insanity, saying...

I call upon the governments around the world to stop the violence, to be respectful, to protect property and protect the lives of innocent diplomats who are serving their countries overseas.

 Technorati Tags: Muslim, cartoons, Bush

Cartoon Revenge or Hypocrisy?

An Iranian newspaper has announced that it will be holding a competition for cartoons regarding Jews and the Holocaust. As I stated in my post "Muslim Hypocrisy", the Muslim people demand respect of their culture and religion but do not offer that same respect back to others of different cultures and religions.

 Technorati Tags: Muslims, cartoons, Holocaust

Catholics are now targets of Muslim rage

The Canada National Post reports the death of a Catholic priest in Turkey.

Italian priest Andrea Santoro was shot and killed at the Santa Maria Catholic Church in Turkey. A witness stated that the gunman shouted, "God is great!" as he killed Father Santoro.

In Lebanon, protesters burned down the Danish embassy and stoned a Catholic Church.

And for what? Over a stupid cartoon? The insanity must stop before more innocent people are killed for nothing.

 Technorati Tags: cartoon, Muslim, Catholic

Muslim Hipocrisy

Over the weekend, Muslim protests against the Jyllands-Posten cartoons have turned violent and deadly. Several Danish embassies, consulates and missions have been burned down throughout the Middle East, as protesters continue to call for violence and death against Denmark and all countries where the cartoons have been published. Four people have died and a dozen injured over cartoons.

It is ironic that Muslims are protesting these cartoons for its subject matter and claim to be a people of peace when they should also protest as vigorously against their own radicals from within. Bin Laden and his like are the cancer of the Muslim culture but sadly I don't see most Muslims condemning terrorism but whether embracing it and even calling for further attacks against us, the Western world. I see this as truly hypocritical and their actions only make the topic of these cartoons relevant. So while most Muslims are protesting and calling for the deaths for America and Europe now, where were they on September 12, 2001? Where were the protests against Osama bin Laden and al Queda? Maybe they were too busy praising Allah that day.

Another hypocritical issue relates to respect. While they demand that others respect their religion and culture, they do not respect Western culture or other religions, like Christianity. They do not want to be offended but will quickly offend others. I guess they haven't heard of the golden rule - "Do onto others as you would wish them do onto you."

While I understand that Muslims are offended by these drawings ridiculing their great prophet, it is absolutely pathetic that they are trying to start World War 3 over some fucking damn cartoons. Jyllands-Posten already offered its apologies, so get over it already.

 Technorati Tags: Muslim, protests, Jyllands-Posten, cartoon

Muslim Cartoon Jihadists

Muslims worldwide are up in arms about a dozen Danish cartoons that depicts their Prophet Muhammed wearing a turban bomb and various other satirical cartoons poking fun of Muslims and Muhammed.

One of the cartoons and reported to be the most offensive one...



The Muslim reaction...



Now Muslims all around the world are calling for a protest of Danish products, threating those who publish the cartoons with violence and death, burning the Danish flag, calls for a jihad "holy war" against Denmark and all of Europe, chants for further attacks like the 7/7 London terrorist bombings and even requests to Bin Laden for "Denmark to be blown up."

The Muslim reaction is doing nothing but validating the subject matter of the cartoon. Muslims constantly burn our flags, insult us and our way of life, insult Christianity, condemn our government and President, call for the deaths of Americans and America and call all those who do not believe in Islam "infidels" but get their panties in knots by some silly, mildly offensive cartoons? Get a grip and lighten up people, its a fucking damn cartoon. Its not like Denmark and Europe bombed Mecca.

Kudos to Denmark for refusing to apologize and other European nations for republishing the cartoons in their media. These cartoons are an expression of freedom of speech and democracy.

 Technorati Tags: Muslim, cartoon, Muhammed, Denmark

Google versus Big Brother

News is coming out today that Google is fighting the Bush Administration's request to release millions of search records, specifically a random sampling of one million search queries submitted to Google's search engine in a one week period. The idea behind this request relates to the Bush Administration's efforts in fighting child porn. Google cites privacy concerns as its main reason why it is fighting this request. Yahoo!, AOL and MSN are rumored to have complied to similar requests by the Department of Justice.

In a time where our Freedom of Speech is constantly under threat, kudos to Google for protecting our First Amendment rights. Unlike its competitors, I hope they will not break under pressure and see it through to the end.

Bravo Google, Bravo.

PS - In no way am I condoning child pornography or abuse of children. This case goes beyond child porn and threatens our privacy. First the DOJ wants search engine records to look into child porn, but one has to wonder what's next?

 Technorati Tags: Google, privacy

Ray Nagin and the Chocolate Factory

If Rudy Giuliani can be considered America's best Mayor, then Ray Nagin should certainly be America's worst.

On Martin Luthur King Day, Ray Nagin suggested that New Orleans will be "chocolate again" and that he doesn't care what "Uptown people or wherever they are say... This city will be a chocolate city. It's the way God wants it to be." Chocolate? I like Snickers and Rocky Road too but I'm not sure about rebuilding New Orleans using it. Oh wait, I think he meant African-Americans. He went on to say "Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country... Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves." He claims that his speech was inspired by an imaginary conversation he had with Martin Luthur King. Well Nagin, Martin Luthur King was an unitor, not a divider.

New Orleans is on the brink right now. They need a leader that will unite the city, bring everyone together and rebuild this city that former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial once described as a "racial and cultural gumbo", as I remembered from my days at Tulane. Nagin, unfortunately is not that leader. If New Orleans is to be rebuilt and restored to its past glory, Nagin must go.

 Technorati Tags: Nagin, chocolate, New Orleans

The old Seven Mile Bridge is no longer part of the US

Today, fifteen Cuban exiles were deported back to Cuba. They were rescued last week by the US Coast Guard, clinging onto the old Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys. The technicality... the old Seven Mile Bridge is not considered "dry foot" since it is not connected to the mainland. Under the current wet foot, dry foot policy, Cubans who reach US soil are allowed to remain in the US but those stopped at sea are deported back to Cuba. So according to this ruling, the 7 Mile Bridge is no longer US territory? But wait... if a crime takes place on the old 7 Mile Bridge, the criminals will be prosecuted the same as if they commited the same crime in the middle of Downtown Miami.

As the son of a Cuban exile, I'll have to say... que mierda!

Merry Christmas

How has wishing someone a Merry Christmas become polically incorrect? Happy Holidays! Seasons Greetings! Annoying. Have we all forgotten what this holiday season is all about? It certainly seems like celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ has taken a backseat to political correctness. Afterall Jolly Ole Saint Nick proclaimed, "HO HO Merry Christmas!"

So heres to wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

Bush White House in Crisis?

This week brought news of the death total in Iraq going over 2,000, record low poll numbers, the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, arguably the most unqualified nomination to such a position, collasping under fierce critisism from Bush's very own party, Hurricane Wilma bringing renewed criticism to FEMA and finally today... the indictment and resignation of Scooter Libby for the CIA leak investigation and the continued investigation of Bush's closest advisor, Karl Rove, meaning the Bush White House and the Iraq War may potentially be put on a very public and ugly trial. Is this the beginning of the end or will Bush bounce back like Reagan after Iran-Contra and Clinton after Monica?

Harriet who?

No judicial history. No judicial experience. There are many other more qualified judges that should have been nominated for Supreme Court Justice, instead Bush choose to award a friend in Harriet Miers. This is probably the most unqualified nomination for the Supreme Court in US history.

Interesting view about Katrina and New Orleans

I do definitely believe though that we are breeding a society of "losers." I'm not describing a "winner" as someone who makes a lot of money. Because there are many rich people that are complete losers in life but yet they are wealthy. This is how I feel. The whole mentality of survival of the fittest which has kept all forms of life at their peak potential, is quickly dissipating as we speak. Too many government programs and welfare systems are allowing the dumb and weak to breed more dumb and weak people. While the ones that stay moral and put forth a conscious effort to give back to society, choose to breed less. So, in 40 years, The people that have been raping our country, will be the ones in charge of it.

To give you my thought on the whole hurricane situation. It could be mother nature, but it could be some divine act the we can't even understand attempting to rid the world slowly of the ingrates and social misfits. Whose to say that an asteroid taking out a whole world of carniverous wild beasts that we're slowly evolving, that gave way to a more intelligent creature was an act of mother nature? Or could it have meant more. What about Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Tsunamis slowly taking course to erradicate the world of people who are in a sense "locusts". Terrorists, Gluttons, Warmongers, Ingrates, Social Degenerates that aren't contributing to society but merely destroying it. I'm sorry but as long as the world has the view of "well, it doesn't effect me so I don't care!" The situation's only going to get worse. I'm sorry I'm going on a rampage here but I think the analogy to Rome was a good one. The idealistic thoughts and standards of Rome gave way to the degeneracy of it, and ultimately the ruining of it. I do feel bad for the people that loss their homes, the ones that chose to evacuate New Orleans. The ones stuck in other cities trying to start their life over and be productive members of society. But the ones that bull shit and are just throwing their hands up and not trying to help put the pieces back together. Those are the ones that are too selfish to understand that they are a part of something larger than themselves, the only thing they care about. I'll show you an email one of my friends recieved and read this. These are the people that are breeding, raising a new generation of welfare recipients.

'A VOLUNTEER IN HOUSTON............

THIS IS AN ACCOUNT FROM A VOLUNTEER IN HOUSTON

I arrived at the astrodome only to find out that there are too many volunteers and that volunteers were needed at the George R. Brown Convention Center. As I was walking up to the Convention Center I noticed a line of cars that wrapped around blocks filled with donations. These where ordinary Houstonian's coming with truckloads and trunks full of water, diapers, clothes, blankets, food, all types of good stuff. And lots of it was NEW. I felt that warm fuzzy while helping unload these vehicles of these wonderful human beings. I then went inside the building and noticed approximately 100,000 sq. ft. of clothes, shoes, jackets, toys and all types of goodies all organized and ready for the people in need. I signed up, received a name badge and was on my merry way excited to be useful.

I toured the place to get familiar with my surrounding; the entire place is probably around 2 million sq. ft. I noticed rows as far as the eye can see of mattresses, not cots, BLOW UP MATTRESSES!!! All of which had nice pillows and plenty of blankets. 2 to 3 bottles of water lay on every bed. These full size to queen size beds by the way where comfortable, I laid in one to see for myself. I went to look at the medical area. I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing!!! A makeshift hospital created in 24 hours!!! It was unbelievable, they even had a pharmacy. I also noticed that they created showers, which would also have hot water. I went upstairs to the third floor to find a HUGE cafeteria created in under 24 hours! Rows of tables, chairs and food everywhere - enough to feed an army!

So that was the layout: great food, comfy beds, clean showers, free medical help, by the way there was a library, and a theatre room I forgot to mention. Great stuff right????

Well here is what happened on my journey -

I started by handing out COLD water bottles to evacuees as they got off the bus. Many would take them and only 20% or less said thank you. Lots of them would shake their heads and ask for sodas! So this went on for about 20-30 minutes until I was sick of being an unappreciated servant. I figured certainly these folks would appreciate some good!!! So I went upstairs to serve these evacuees some GOOD food.

Evacuees came slowly to receive this mountain of food! I tell them that we have 2 types of great deli sandwiches to choose from - ham and turkey. Many look at the food in disgust and DEMAND burgers, pizza, and even McDonalds!!!! Only 1 out of ten people who took something would say "thank you" the rest took items as if it was their God given right to be served . They would ask for Beer and liquor. They complained that we didn't have good enough food. They treated us volunteers as if we where SLAVES. No not all of them of course...but 70% did!!!!!! 20% were appreciative, 10% took the food without any comment and the other 70% had some disgusting comment to say. Some had the nerve to laugh at us. A needless to say I was in utter shock. They would eat their food and leave the mess on the table... some would pick up their stuff many would leave it for the volunteers to pick up.

I saw many young ladies carrying mattresses and I helped for a while. Then I realized something...their where hundreds of able bodied young men who could help!! I asked a group of young evacuees in their teens and early twenties to help. One said "We just lost our ****ing homes and you want us to work!!" The next said "Ya Cracker, you got a home we don't" I looked at them in disbelief.

If immigrants, who come here, can work and become successful... CAN'T THE MAJORITY OF THE HOMEGROWN DO IT!!! If we continue to reward these losers then we will soon destroy our great country. I just witnessed selfish, arrogant, unappreciative behavior by the very people who need help the most. Now these same people who cursed me, refused my generosity, refuse to help themselves are now DEMANDING handouts on their terms!

I think it's time that we demand work for relief and stop this cycle of behavior which is going to spread in our city which already has enough of these problems.. It's this behavior which has caused these 'REFUGEES' to be in the situation presently in and they will continue to be ,until they learn that work is rewarded and laziness brings nothing... It's sickening to hear the press act as if it's noble to be a poor person. IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP AMERICA!!"

What we might need is just somebody to take out the trash and, maybe, evolution/nature is doing that in ways that we don't understand and may cause us to have to suffer through so we can see a better day. Maybe this all seems utopian and will never happen but if that's the case. I believe human civilization will be just a blink of the Earth's existence because we are giving way to the destruction of it by not enforcing the right moral fiber in people.

Unknown source. I found it on s2ki.com.

Even though I disagree, it is an interesting article filled with interesting points.

Having lived in New Orleans during my college years, I do see where the writer is coming from. With the exception of the French Quarter, Downtown, the Garden District and Uptown, much of the rest of New Orleans is very poor and consequently resembles a huge ghetto. Some of my friends used to ask me why I moved back to Miami from New Orleans after Tulane. I would tell them that NO was great during college but its not a city where I want to live.

I've heard many other stories from volunteers from Houston about this negative refugee attitude. Its sad. Unfortunately many of them are stuck in the welfare circle. They were born into the welfare system, witnessed their parents living off welfare, they were raised in it and now that they are adults, they know nothing else. In a way, they and their resulting generations are trapped unless society changes.

The welfare system needs to be severely downsized. Instead of giving handouts and reinforcing their freeloader attitude, the system should educate them. Providing real education and job training is the only way to break this cricle. Educate them into productive members of society instead of letting them be freeloaders.

I hate it when I go to the gym and...

People are standing around the equipment chit chatting. The gym isn't a social club.

People who sit on the equipment, not to work out, but just to sit around and watch TV. Do that at home you fat ass couch potatoe!

People who leave their sweat on the equipment and don't care to wipe it down. Thats just plain nasty... ewwwww.

People who ask you, "Hey man how many do you got left?" while you're in the middle of doing a set. Umm hello you impatient asshole, can't you see I'm just a little busy right now!

Too Late Mr. President

Heres my reaction to Bush's speech last night... While the plans that Bush laid out are good, his commitment to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf region to be bigger and better than before are strong, his rare admission to failure is welcomed, it is too little, too late. We are three weeks into this crisis. Bush had the chance to pull the nation together in the early days after Katrina but he dropped the ball. He could have given this speech last week but didn't. Now its week three... too late.

Blaming Bush for my shoelaces coming untied

Make no mistake, I'm angry at Bush. His failure to rapidly respond to the people of New Orleans resulted in deaths. This is the United States. People shouldn't be left to starve or dehydrate or just rot to death. I understand that the local and state responses were lacking as well but the buck stops with him. As President, he could of and should of done more. As President, he should have been informed of the situation, not learn about it from a DVD containing various evening newscasts.

However this isn't about Bush but about those people that blame Bush for everything.

You're poor and didn't get a huge tax break like rich people? How dare Bush lower taxes! Nevermind that Bush's tax cuts are across the entire income spectrum, from those making $10K per year to the Donald Trumps of the world making billions per year, nevermind that everyone got a tax cut, nevermind that everyone is taking home more money, nevermind that I have an extra $100 per month thanks to Bush's tax cuts. No you're poor, live in the ghetto and life sucks. You should go on welfare and let the government feed your lazy, worthless ass. Take that Bush!

9/11? Its a conspiracy! Bush is behind 9/11 to advance the cause of the Global Elite. Now lets make a website and sell some DVD's to spread the truth under the name Alex Jones! Forget that it was radical Muslim terrorists belonging to al Queda who attacked our country, forget that there is overwhelming evidence that it was al Queda, forget that Osama bin Laden admitted that he is behind the attacks, forget everything that engineering experts from MIT have wrote regarding the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers. No no, 9/11 is an inside job, the WTC collapsed due to demolition explosives and Bush is behind it all.

Iraq War? Bush attacked Iraq for its oil! Nevermind that at the time, intelligence sources believed that Saddam was trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction, nevermind that Saddam has violated UN sanctions time and time again, nevermind that Iraqi forces have shot at patroling US fighters in the no fly zone, nevermind that Saddam had invaded Kuwait just a decade earlier, nevermind that Saddam had used weapons of mass destruction against his very own people inside his very own country, nevermind the Iraqi people live in state of tyranny and environment of fear, nevermind that we signed an agreement with Iraq that states Iraqi oil is their oil and it belongs to them only. No, poor Iraq was attacked by the big bad United States and its all Bush's doing.

Your son got killed in Iraq? Oh I know, lets go to his ranch, organize a rally and go on national TV proclaiming "Bush killed my son!" Forget the fact that your son was in Iraq under his own free will, forget your son was protecting our nation and our freedoms, forget that he was killed by terrorists, forget that everytime you choose to speak, you are disgracing yourself, your son, your military and your country. No forget that, Bush killed him.

Gas prices too high? Lets blame our idiot President! Nevermind the basic law of supply and demand, nevermind that we are in the middle of the summer season when travel peaks, nevermind that Hurricane Katrina damaged 1/3 of our nation's oil production facilities, nevermind that OPEC not Bush controls the price of oil, nevermind that terrorism, the threat of terrorism and instability in Iraq and the Middle East effects oil prices, nevermind that we have an unfriendly anti-American leader in Venezuela, nevermind that Europeans have been paying $6 to $7 per gallon for the past year and we have it lucky. No nevermind the real reasons why we are paying $3.29 at pump, its all Bush's fault.

Nevermin... Wait, damn my shoelace just became untied... that damn Bush, everything is his fault!

Personal Space Invader Alert!

Don't you hate it when your 2 feet personal space is invaded? I am.

Today I went to Quizos to grab lunch and the guy behind got so close behind me that I felt him breathing on me. I moved over to the side as he closed in, hoping against hope that he would realize that hes too close. But no, as I opened up a small gap, he quickly closed it. By the time I paid and left, I almost turned around to yell out "Hey man back the fuck off!"

Ms. Sheehan Enough is Enough

"George Bush killed my son!" proclaims Cindy Sheehan. Hmmm I thought her son, Casey, was killed by terrorists in Iraq not our President. But wait... oh... I understand now. Sheehan blames Bush for the death of her son, not the terrorists that are really responsible for her son's death. In her mind, she thinks that because her son freely volunteered to be in the military and that his unit was called to serve in Iraq to fight for Iraq's independence from a sadistic leader, to protect our own freedoms and way of life and continue the fight in the war on terror that it is somehow Bush's fault that her son was killed by terrorists. I'm surprised that she doesn't blame the recruiter who recruited her son or the transport pilot who flew her son to Iraq. They must share some of the blame too. Hey maybe his third grade Math teacher should be blamed too.

So while Cindy Sheehan is demanding an one-on-one meeting with President Bush, one that she will probably never receive, she is making a fool out of herself, disgracing the memory of her son and all those who have died and demoralizing our already demoralized military. Sheehan calls herself a Catholic and often quotes passages from the Bible to make her points, yet I am embrarassed to refer to her as my fellow Catholic. She is nothing more than one of those religious nutjobs in Pinellas County months ago protesting the feeding tube removal and eventual death of Terry Schiavo.

Cindy Sheehan needs to shut up, pack her shit up and go home.

I not understand.

So my fiancee told me about this new promo that Bellsouth is offering their DSL/Boardband customers a new lower price. Only catch is that you have to call and request it, its not something automatic.

So anyways, I call and go through their ignoring menu press 1 for this and 2 for that. Finally I get through to a human being and guess what? His name is "Bob" and he sounded like he was from the Middle East. I didn't know that Bellsouth has joined Dell, Microsoft and the rest of the evil companies who have moved their call centers to India or Pakistan. But OK fine, I ask "Bob" about these new DSL fees and that I wanted them applied to my account. Unfortunately all "Bob" could say in his Middle Eastern accent was "Please repeat slow again."

"WHAT ARE THE NEW DSL FEES"

"Please repeat slow I not understand."

"THE NEW DSL FEES"

"Please repeat slow I not understand."

"DSL FEES"

"Please repeat slow I not understand."

"DSL"

"Oh ah yes DSL. We have DSL."

"No shit Bob." click

Pet Peeves

I hate when people touch and leave fingerprints on my car, especially after I've just washed it. Don't parents these days teach their kiddies that it is disrespectful to touch other people's property?

I hate when people give their opinion even when its not wanted and they feel a need to inject their two cents in everything.

I just saved $75 on my auto insurance!

No I didn't switch to Geico but went back to Allstate. I'm with State Farm now and I'm paying $310 per month for auto insurance for both my cars. Allstate, my former insurance company, is now offering me $235 per month and with increased coverages - 100/300 bodily injury, 100 property, $500 deductible. Since I recently wrote a piece about buying a new car, I thought I would give out my advice on buying auto insurance.

- Avoid those Mickey Mouse Tio Pepito's Seguro Hialeah types. Yeah they are cheap, but as in everything else in life, you get what you pay for. If you actually have an accident or are the victim of theft or vandalism, God forbid, and need to file a claim, I wish you luck. These little insurance companies will do everything it can to avoid paying out the claim. A friend of mine had his car stolen in December 2004. He had some small unknown insurance company because they were the cheapest he found. He filed the claim, they denied it saying that they suspect that he stole his own car. Stole his own car! To this day, he still does not have his money or his car and still needs to pay his monthly financing payments for a car that he no longer has. Its a pretty crappy situation.

- Auto insurance companies look at several qualifying factors... credit, age, sex, marital status, home owner or renter, location, driving history, accident history, claim history, insurance record, year/make/model of your car. From this they calculate your insurance rating.

- To get the best rate, you should have a 700+ FICO score, be over 25, male, married, home owner, no points in your driving history in the past 3 years, no accidents in the past 3 years, no claims in the past 3 years, no lapse in auto insurance in the past 5 years.

- What does credit score have to do with auto insurance? It really doesn't but auto insurers seem to believe that people with bad credit are a higher risk and they have studies to prove it. I call BS.

- At 25, you qualify for regular adult rates.

- Under 25, guys are considered more risk. Over 25, the situation is reversed so why are women considered higher risk? Because women cannot drive. Just kidding!

- Getting married also drops the rate a little. But I wouldn't run out to ask any random girl to be your insurance discount just yet.

- Usually people freak when they get a ticket and think their auto insurance will go up. False. Simply getting a ticket will not affect your policy. Being found quilty and acquiring points does however. This is why when you do get a ticket, do not just pay for it and forget it. Take it to a lawyer. Its only $75 and he'll deal with it. I get several tickets a year for speeding usually. I simply fax the ticket and a copy of my credit card to my lawyer and a few months later, its dismissed. No worries.

- Even when switching between policies, do not let your old policy end before the new one begins. If it lapses, you will be looking at higher rates.

- Get as much discounts as you can. Because I have two cars, I qualify for the multi-car discount. There are passive restraint, educational, active alarm discounts, etc.

- If you have two cars, list one as your daily driver and the other as your weekend pleasure vehicle.

- Shop around for the best rate. Allstate, State Farm, Geico, Progressive, Traveler's are good places to start. In my experience, Geico has very strict credit and driving history requirements. I didn't even qualify for Geico. Progressive is probably the most expensive out of the group but if you have a bad driving record, they'll probably accept you. Both Allstate and State Farm are good, but I find Allstate's rates, customer service and claim handling to be better.

Allstate's rate is lower, I'm getting better coverage and better service. State Farm has treated me good these past two years but in the end, I'm in good hands with Allstate.

Appreciate the Smaller Things in Life

This morning, I learned to appreciate the smaller things in life, like having a working a/c. My a/c broke yesterday and let me say, no a/c in Miami in the middle of summer is hot. And not hot in a good way but hot as in hot like hell!

New Car Buying Guide

This weekend I helped my friend's mom buy her new 05 Nissan Murano. I negotiated a decent deal... $350 under invoice + tax, tag and tittle. Buying a new car can be scary so I thought I would share my some of my tactics that I've learned with you.

- Most view car sales people as the scum of the earth. While sometimes true, most of them are just doing their job - make the most money from you as possible. Your goal, as the buyer, is to get the best deal possible.

- Do your research. Information is key here. The lack of information or misinformation will get you ripped off. The dealer does not rip people off, ignorance rips people off. Before even walking into the showroom, go to the manufacturer's website of the car(s) you are interested in and configure one to your liking. The price listed is MSRP. Then go google the invoice price of the car and its options and packages. Google owner forums to read real world opinions/problems about the car. Learn as much as there is to learn. Become an expert. Get a feel for how much others are paying. If you're not a car person, ask a friend who is to accompany you.

- Invoice cost is not true invoice. Dealers often get their cars from the manufacturers lower than invoice so negotiate $500 to $1,000 below invoice price and up. Then how do they still make money? Well, dealers make money in one of four ways. One, profit from the sale. Two, manufacturers often offer their dealers rebates and incentives, so they get cash back. Three, interest rates. Banks often give cash back to the dealers. Finally, from trade-ins. Low ball buyers on their trade-in and resell high for a huge profit.

- Everything is negotiable. Price, options, dealer fee, destination charge, even the interest rate.

- Play their game. Tell them that you got another quote from another dealer for $250 over invoice and you want them to beat it, even though it might not be true. Lie. Make up a story about how your friend's Uncle brought his car from this dealer for $500 under invoice and you want the same deal.

- Be quick. For every comment they make, reply. If they ask, how am I supposed to make money off this deal? Reply, from all the business that I refer you.

- Be strong and firm. Figure out your ceiling and don't go beyond that. If they sense a weakness, they will pounce on you.

- Be prepared to walk. If you don't like the deal, walk. If they want your business and they will, they will chase you down in the parking lot and give in to your demands.

- Say no to extras. Don't let them sell you extra options that you don't need or want. If they tell you they only have this model with xyz packages, tell them to locate exactly the car and options that you at another dealer and perform a dealer trade or order the car you want not what they want to sell you.

- Get financing before. Go to your credit union or bank and get financing before going to the dealer. Credit unions offer lower interest rates usually. My S2000 is financed through a local credit union.

- Price out insurance before too. Big mistake for many buyers, as most look at the insurance after they have already taken their new car home. If you finance and lease any new car, the bank will require full coverage insurance so price it out. Make sure you will be able to afford the monthly payments on the car, insurance, gas and eventual maintenance.

- Never tell them about your trade-in until its time to talk about it. Negotiate the price on the new car first. If they ask, tell them no you are not trading in a car. If you say yes, they will give you a good deal on the car but low ball you on the trade in. After the price is settled, then tell them oh I decided to trade in my car just now, then negotiate that. I would suggest to not trading in the old car, but sell it in the private market or sell it to CarMax. You will g