Sailor On A Concrete Sea

The Story of Suzie

2009-07-13T12:02:00.006-05:00

Wow...I didn't realize I had neglected to post anything here on my blog for so long. That infernal Facebook makes it so easy to share things, I had almost forgotten to do anything here.

So, with that said...

Here's the Story of Suzie. If you're easily offended by topics regarding religion or satirical criticism of the same, just move along...these aren't the droids you're looking for. Nothing to see here.

(Thanks to the The Thinking Atheist)

Why I Am A Socialist.

2009-01-01T16:13:00.008-06:00

To celebrate the New Year, here's a great piece by Chris Hedges :

The corporate forces that are looting the Treasury and have plunged us into a depression will not be contained by the two main political parties. The Democratic and Republican parties have become little more than squalid clubs of privilege and wealth, whores to money and corporate interests, hostage to a massive arms industry, and so adept at deception and self-delusion they no longer know truth from lies. We will either find our way out of this mess by embracing an uncompromising democratic socialism—one that will insist on massive government relief and work programs, the nationalization of electricity and gas companies, a universal, not-for-profit government health care program, the outlawing of hedge funds, a radical reduction of our bloated military budget and an end to imperial wars—or we will continue to be fleeced and impoverished by our bankrupt elite and shackled and chained by our surveillance state.

The free market and globalization, promised as the route to worldwide prosperity, have been exposed as a con game. But this does not mean our corporate masters will disappear. Totalitarianism, as George Orwell pointed out, is not so much an age of faith as an age of schizophrenia. “A society becomes totalitarian when its structure becomes flagrantly artificial,” Orwell wrote, “that is when its ruling class has lost its function but succeeds in clinging to power by force or fraud.” Force and fraud are all they have left.

They will use both.

There is a political shift in Europe toward an open confrontation with the corporate state. Germany has seen a surge of support for Die Linke (The Left), a political grouping formed 18 months ago. It is co-led by the veteran socialist “Red” Oskar Lafontaine, who has built his career on attacking big business. Two-thirds of Germans in public opinion polls say they agree with all or some of Die Linke’s platform. The Socialist Party of the Netherlands is on the verge of overtaking the Labor Party as the main opposition party on the left. Greece, beset with street protests and violence by disaffected youths, has seen the rapid rise of the Coalition of the Radical Left. In Spain and Norway socialists are in power. Resurgence is not universal, especially in France and Britain, but the shifts toward socialism are significant.

Corporations have intruded into every facet of life. We eat corporate food. We buy corporate clothes. We drive corporate cars. We buy our vehicular fuel and our heating oil from corporations. We borrow from corporate banks. We invest our retirement savings with corporations. We are entertained, informed and branded by corporations. We work for corporations. The creation of a mercenary army, the privatization of public utilities and our disgusting for-profit health care system are all legacies of the corporate state. These corporations have no loyalty to America or the American worker. They are not tied to nation states. They are vampires.

“By now the [commercial] revolution has deprived the mass of consumers of any independent access to the staples of life: clothing, shelter, food, even water,” Wendell Berry wrote in “The Unsettling of America.” “Air remains the only necessity that the average user can still get for himself, and the revolution had imposed a heavy tax on that by way of pollution. Commercial conquest is far more thorough and final than military defeat.”

The corporation is designed to make money without regard to human life, the social good or impact on the environment. Corporate laws impose a legal duty on corporate executives to make as much money as possible for shareholders, although many have moved on to fleece shareholders as well. In the 2003 documentary film “The Corporation” the management guru Peter Drucker says: “If you find an executive who wants to take on social responsibilities, fire him. Fast.”

Read the rest of this wonderful article here.

It's time to get to work, folks. The Revolution starts now.

Take The Test

2008-12-08T18:47:00.004-06:00

Found this linked from DU:

What Breed Of Liberal Are You?

Here's my results--

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Working Class Warrior, also known as a blue-collar Democrat. You believe that the little guy is getting screwed by conservative greed-mongers and corporate criminals, and you’re not going to take it anymore.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

The categories are as follows:

Peace Patrollers, also known as anti-war liberals or neo-hippies—believe in putting an end to American imperial conquest, stopping wars that have already been lost, and supporting our troops by bringing them home.
Eco-Avengers, also known as environmentalists or tree huggers—believe in saving the planet from the clutches of air-fouling, oil-drilling, earth-raping conservative fossil fools.
Social Justice Crusaders, also known as rights activists—believe in equality, fairness, and preventing neo-Confederate conservative troglodytes from rolling back fifty years of civil rights gains.
Working Class Warriors, also known as blue-collar Democrats—believe that the little guy is getting screwed by conservative greed-mongers and corporate criminals, and you’re not going to take it anymore.
Reality-Based Intellectualists, also known as the liberal elite—are proud members of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.
New Left Hipsters, also known as MoveOn.org liberals, Netroots activists, or Daily Show fanatics—believe that if we really want to defend American values, conservatives must be exposed, mocked, and assailed for every fanatical, puritanical, warmongering, Constitution-shredding ideal for which they stand.

The book might be a fun read...

As a bonus, here's a link to the Conservative Insult Generator.

Now handy, descriptive phrases for Conservatives like "...Orwellian propaganda-dispensing chickenhawks...", "...sexually repressed gas-guzzling troglodytes..." and "...unhinged oil-company-fellating zealots..." are yours at the press of a button.

As my youngest would say, "SWEET!"...

Joy

2008-11-06T21:21:00.003-06:00

My inbox has been deluged with emails forwarded around by frantic Righties who are completely at a loss for how to cope with McCain's shellacking at the polls. Everything from "y'all go buy as many guns and as much ammo as you can" (no, I'm not kidding...) to "When should I pull my child out of school and begin homeschooling them 'cause Obama is going to destroy the schools".

(Which begs the question: What business does a person who is so gullible as to believe in the immediate and total destruction of the public schools at the hands of a President-elect who hasn't even taken office yet have teaching their child about anything?)

So to lighten the mood a little (and maybe goad the punchdrunk Conservative minority who got their collective ass handed to them Tuesday a little, too) I present the following:

Nice rendering of ol' Johann Sebastian, dontchathink?

Our Long National Nightmare Is Over

2008-11-04T22:35:00.006-06:00

Congratulations to our new President-elect:

Someone reported a supporter in the crowd at Grant Park holding up a sign that read "We HAVE overcome."

How true.

Starting January 20th 2009, the real work begins...

David Alan Grier Beats Rush Limbaugh Like A Rented Mule

2008-11-02T10:55:00.001-06:00

From Grier's new show "Chocolate News":

Res ipsa loquitur...

RIP - Studs Terkel (1912-2008)

2008-10-31T22:48:00.003-05:00

The world is a poorer place today.

Author-raconteur-activist-radio host (and documentarian of Chicago and working-class America) Louis "Studs" Terkel has died at 96.

He was truly one-of-a-kind.

Read his obituary in the Chicago Tribune here.

The Tali-BornAgain Have Officially Jumped The Shark

2008-10-30T23:26:00.004-05:00

From the nutdish we find this gem (kudos to Right Wing Watch):

Vote For Obama-Go To Hell

The Fanatical Fundie Freaks are in full-blown freakout mode at the prospect of losing their grip on power now that their bogus "culture war" isn't getting any traction with the electorate these days.

Apparently their god takes Tuesdays off....

The coming political enema that flushes these superstitious medieval cretins into the dung-pit of history can't come soon enough.

Perhaps the Republic has survived their duplicitous reign of terror after all.

Chuck Norris Is A Washed-Up Asshat.

2008-10-28T12:17:00.004-05:00

I wish I could take credit for that title, but I can't. (Credit goes to Blue Texan over at Firedoglake.)

The aforementioned washed-up asshat is shilling for the NRA:

Nothing like ratcheting up the fear for the "God, Guns and Gays" crowd, who are scared out of their proverbial wits that Obama is cleaning up in former Repuke strongholds like the South and the Rust Belt. Now that Reaganomics is officially dead, the usual GOP xenophobia isn't working, and the debacle in Iraq and Afghanistan has finally become self-evident, fear is all they have left.

Even Daddy Dobson and the rest of the Fundygelical lunatic fringe are getting in on the fearmongering, envisioning the End Of Days that they fear, yet still lovingly long for.

Such complete idiocy.

I'm really starting to enjoy watching them soil themselves.

2008-10-25T12:26:00.003-05:00

Nashville, IL 12:25PM

Stopped for a quick break on the way home and a check of the news. I think this tops the Ron Howard video. It touches on some of the worst low points of what has become one of the darkest periods of recent history.

First, for context, here is the original:

Now here's the update on where the "Wassup!" guys are now:

Get to the polls, folks.

I don't think we'll last another 4 years to try again.

2008-10-23T17:59:00.004-05:00

Salisbury, NC 5:58 PM

Parked at the Derrick truck stop here. Not a bad little cafe on the premises, either. It's home-cooking (well, close anyway...) and relatively cheap. Wow...Two hot meals in two days; that's rare for me out here... Usually it's cold stuff out of the mini-fridge for days on end.

I came across probably the best campaign video I think I've ever seen. And it's true to it's author's nature--it's not mean-spirited or nasty and very creative.

Check it out. It put a big smile on my face:

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

I'll be glad when the fourth of November finally gets past. It's been a looooong campaign season.

Let's hope it turns out well for all of our sakes.

2008-10-22T19:51:00.008-05:00

Bracey Junction, VA 7:50 PM

Parked here for the night...just checking the news and blogs and such. I just had to share this bit of wisdom I came across--

One of my fellow DU'ers, a poster called GTRMAN, put this account up of an encounter he had at the local grocery store:

"I used my lunch time to go to the grocery store and pick up a few things. I was standing in line behind what I assumed were a mother, daughter and grand baby. The daughter had a baby about 18 months or so I'd guess, and was pregnant again.

They were talking about the election and lamenting that it was going so badly for McCain and the repugs, and talking about how bad things would be with the "awful Democrats" winning and "damn liberals" running the country and blah, blah blah. As we got closer to the register, I saw the daughter pull out an Access Oklahoma card, which is our electronic version of food stamps. Then I heard her mom tell her they would have to pick up her WIC at another store since the one we were in didn't do WIC vouchers or something like that.

It was at that point that I said "excuse me, I don't normally butt into other people's conversations, but I'd just like to say *You're Welcome*..." They shot me a puzzled look and after a pause, I said, "I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say *thank you*.."

The mom looked real puzzled and asked "why would we say that?" I said "because I'M one of those *DAMN LIBERALS* and *AWFUL DEMOCRATS* that has voted and fought damn hard to make sure you have the government food benefits you're so happily spending right now, among other things. If everything were left solely up to the tender mercy of the ultra conservative idiot republicans, you'd be in a world of hurt trying to find something to eat today!"

The mom just looked at me and sort of stammered and said "sorry, I didn't mean anything bad by what I said" I said "the hell you didn't, you just didn't think there were any of us *godless liberals* within earshot, or none that would have the guts to speak up. Next time you start running your mouths, don't be surprised when someone calls you out on your bullshit. Fact is, what your family is enjoying in benefits, which by the way I'm happy you have, is the result of my Democratic, union-man Grandfather voting for FDR in the 30s, and my Democratic Teamster Father voting for Jack Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson....and God willing Barack and the Democrats will win two weeks from now and set about saving the day once again from yet another godawful mess the damn republicans have created.Something to think about before you go into the voting booth."

I shut up and the two of them just sort of looked down at their feet as the checker finished ringing them up and they got out of there. As I was checking out, my checker was grinning and a teenaged girl in line behind me said "you're awesome....and you don't even look like a Democrat!"

Now I just wonder, what the hell is a Democrat supposed to look like? "

Well said, sir!

2008-10-22T12:16:00.006-05:00

Virginia Beach, VA 12:15 PM

Well...here I sit.

Freight's slow today and Huey (our inbound dispatcher) has the day off so they're shorthanded back at the office.

This doesn't happen very often, so I really can't complain.

2008-10-21T18:53:00.006-05:00

Hate At McCain/Palin Rally

I'm speechless....

Folks, these are our fellow Americans.

Such mindless vitriol and pre-programmed hate (courtesy of the sanctimonious right-wing gasbags of talk radio) awash in a cesspool of misguided nationalism masquerading as patriotism.

2008-08-15T22:15:00.006-05:00

Home 10:14 PM

Seems I haven't posted for a bit; it's been quiet and I got sick of the media hysteria over ex-contender John Edward's peccadilloes, so I've been on a bit of a self-imposed political fast.

So, with that in mind, here's the latest on...

The Pickle Project

I decided to attempt a little culinary science experiment and ferment some cucumbers in the old-fashioned manner.

I think they smell simply wonderful bubbling away on the kitchen counter, but the Mrs....well, not so much.

The above vessel is an early "Union Stoneware"-marked Red Wing 4 gallon stoneware crock that once belonged to my paternal grandmother. It seems to be working quite well.

We'll see in about two more weeks how the experiment turns out.

2008-08-04T14:12:00.003-05:00

Gainesville, Texas 2:13 PM

Just stopped for a break and a check of the radar to see what sort of tropical mess I'm headed into down in Baton Rouge. (well, Port Allen actually, but nobody's familiar with that, even though it's just across the river from BR.).

Then I ran across a few wise words from Garrison Keillor in his Salon.com column from July 30th:

"...I can't remember a summer I loved so much as this. This is a factor of age -- time is more precious when there's less of it remaining -- and partly it's anticipation that the dogs of war who slipped in the back door eight years ago will soon be gone. In a month, the Republicans will convene a few blocks from my house and I'd like to stand across the street with a sign, but I can't come up with the right wording. "Bleaughhhh," maybe, or "Arghhhh."

I stood watering the flowers this morning and then went upstairs and made my bed, two minimum-wage jobs that I am not well qualified for, apparently. But there is yet time to learn. As long as your mother is alive, you are still young, and mine is holding steady at 94, a tall tree shading us from mortality. Whenever I need to feel youthful again, I can trot out to Mother's and there is my high school graduation picture on the wall, the solemn self-important youth of the spring of 1960, who -- so long as I stay away from mirrors -- I maybe still am..."

Leave it to Keillor to express better than I could a few thoughts on age and mortality I've been having lately.

It's so soon autumn...and I wonder where the days went.

2008-07-29T16:05:00.005-05:00

Hillsdale, Illinois 4:04 PM

Check out this thug with a badge in action:

This pig should be charged with felony assault and battery. You can see the cyclist trying to avoid Officer Porcine, who has to run the last few steps to attack him.

Shameful.

Boot him off of the force permanently, Mayor Bloomberg. This type of behavior doesn't belong in "public service"

2008-07-15T23:44:00.004-05:00

Percival, Iowa 11:40 PM

Well, it's about time:

The Death of Reaganomics

It's looooong past time this supply-side nonsense was pitched into it's rotting grave.

The neo-conservative mythology of tax cuts for the wealthy equalling prosperity for all and "free" trade benefiting the working class was proven to be precisely just that even before Ronnie himself assumed room temperature. Only the lying wingnut cheerleaders like Rush the Oxy-Moron and Bill Kristol have kept it alive since, along with the compliant corporate lap-dog media.

All I can say is "Good riddance."

Maybe now we can get back to the New Deal, or at least what's left of it, before the entire country goes down the crapper faster than a 7-11 burrito.

2008-07-14T21:50:00.003-05:00

Wamsutter, Wyoming 9:48 PM

A quick thought for the day from political humorist Will Durst:

"George W. Bush is kind of like a stripper with hairy legs...At first glance he seems kind of interesting, but even from way back in the bar it's quite apparent that something is horribly awry."

Only 189 more days.

Will we last that long?

2008-07-13T21:57:00.005-05:00

Lyman, Wyoming 9:57 PM

Just when I thought I couldn't be surprised by the irrational insanity of some people:

Crazy Cult Demands The Return Of Magic Cookie;
Student Threatened With Death.

And no, they're not "mooslims"..... they're far worse.

University professor P.Z. Myers (the linked blog's proprietor) sums it up perfectly:

"I find this all utterly unbelievable. It's like Dark Age superstition and malice, all thriving with the endorsement of secular institutions here in 21st century America. It is a culture of deluded lunatics calling the shots and making human beings dance to their mythical bunkum."

Unbelievable, indeed.

2008-07-08T21:47:00.009-05:00

Des Moines, Iowa 9:47 PM

From the Kreepy Krazy Khristian files:

Uh-oh....

Donald Wildmon and the rest of the knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers down at the AFA have thrown down the gauntlet (yet again) because Mickey D's has contributed $20k to the "Hommasexshul Agenda". (Actually to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce...)

Check it out:

{begin quote}

McDonalds Makes Jesus Cry
by Chris Kelly

Original here.

There are billions and billions of reasons to hate McDonald's. They took the McRib away, for one, and that burns. (Sometimes I almost wish I'd never loved it at all.) There's at least one good reason to like McDonald's: They're being boycotted by the American Family Association.

What did McDonald's do to cross the AFA, its president, Donald Wildmon, and -- by extension -- Jesus (R-Nz.)? They donated $20,000 to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. McDonald's' revenue runs about five billion dollars a quarter, so you can see their profound commitment to destroying the family through sodomy.

The AFA says that by donating one thousandth of one percent of its 2007 earnings,

"McDonald's has chosen not to remain neutral but to give the full weight of their corporation to promoting the homosexual agenda."

Which seems like a kind of shrill definition of "full weight," but maybe it's like the Quarter Pounder®, and it's the weight before cooking that counts.

It feels a little like the American Family Association was looking for someone to boycott and it was just McDonald's' turn. They've already boycotted Sears, Kohl's, Kmart, Target, Old Navy and IKEA. As a result, they're naked and don't have anywhere to sit. The McDonald's boycott follows boycotts of Burger King, Carl's Jr., 7-11, Proctor & Gamble and Kraft, which means Donald Wildmon hasn't eaten anything for sale in America since the late '70s. You'd think he'd be dead, but no.

(He's a good guy. I'll bet he loads up on locusts, beetles and grasshoppers, like it says in Leviticus. The same book that -- there's no getting around it -- says homosexuality is an abomination, absolutely as heinous in G*d's eyes as strong drink.)

Does the AFA hate homosexuals? Absolutely not! It says so, right on their website, under the heading and sub-head: "Does AFA Hate Homosexuals? Absolutely Not!"

Should McDonald's take the boycott seriously? The customer is always right, I guess. (I think that's from Deuteronomy.) But McDonald's might want to think about the kind of customers they're losing. They appear to be lunatics.

Oh look, here are some of their thoughts:

"YOU DID NOT BILD YOUR COMPANY ON HOMOSEXUAL PEOPLE! IT WAS BUILD ON FAMILY VALUES! MAN,WIFE.CHILDREN!MOSTLTY CHILDREN! THEY DON'T COME FROM HOMO PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"What next, Adam & Steve in the children's happy meals? i WILL not condone the Corp. of Mc Donalds to force me to shop where it is not in lign with my believe in God and HIS scripture..."

"I have stopped at my last McDonald. If you support homos, that is fine with me. I do not have to eat your burgers. Maybe there are enough homos around to keep your arches open."

"I suppose next the playground will be open for pedifiles in order to not offend them."

"You have joined God's list of enemies!"

"What's next? Support for the Man-Boy Love Association! This shall not stand!"

"The McFaddin Family will vote with our Money and Feet and take our business elsewhere! You can stuff your Happy Gay Meal and Happy Gay Agenda where the Sun don't Shine!"

"If the McDonald's heirarchy thinks we'll buy their burgers and support deranged homosexual activists who force their lifestyle on innocent children in the public schools, they had better think again. Their burgers now have a smelly odor to them."

"You advertise straight to children (Happy Meals). Can anyone say pederasty? This lifestyle' you embolden is really a deathstyle!"

"The only thing you'll be cooking is yourselves, for eternity."

"the next thing you know RONALD will be molesting our children. No big macks for this family."

"Are you also going to support open activity between man and beast? You are helping to open the door to bestiality, sex with children, plural homosexual marriages and the list goes on!"

"Dear, McDonald's. Last week I ate a cheeseburger at your restaurant. If I would've known it was created by gay loving hands, I wouldn't have purchased it. Don't you guys know gays were behind the holocaust? First Jews, and now the family. What is next, McDonald's? Are you going to help gays eradicate sand? WHAT WILL WE DO WITHOUT SAND!?!?"

"I recently saw two young teenagers making out. I figure McDonalds is no longer my kind of place. I think the sixteen year old worked there."

I just had a thought -- honest to God, I swear this wasn't where I was heading with this thing; I was just going to make a lot of snotty remarks about reductio ad absurdum and the McFaddin Family's feet -- but it occurs to me that McDonald's has done something brilliant:

They've deliberately offended a demographic they don't want.

For just $20,000, they've chased off all the crazy people who hang around McDonald's sputtering and ranting and making me not want to eat there.

It's genius.

Now, if they'd just bring back the McRib.

{end quote}

Think I'll stop in for a Big Mac... ;-)

2008-07-07T22:06:00.010-05:00

There's an ironic lesson in here somewhere:

Libertarian Legacy? Ron Paul's Campaign Manager, 49, Dies Uninsured, Of Pneumonia, Leaving family $400,000 Debt

by Rob Kall

Originally posted here.

{Begin Quoted material}

"What a testament to the Libertarian creed, which abhors the idea of universal health care. This loyal, passionate man who died too young left his family a debt of $400,000 in medical bills. And who knows whether he put off getting treatment for the pneumonia that killed him because he was uninsured.

Kent Snyder did some amazing work on the Ron Paul Campaign and as remembered as a "libertarian giant"- by Lew Rockwell, on libertarian site, Lew Rockwell.com.

The Wall Street journal reports that Kent, more than anyone else, persuaded Ron Paul to run for president. And Kent, according the the WSJ said, "ultimately became a $35 million operation with 250 employees that helped deliver more than one million votes for the Texas congressman's bid in the Republican nominating contest."-

Ron Paul posted this message about Snyder on his website: ""Like so many in our movement, Kent sacrificed much for the cause of liberty, Kent poured every ounce of his being into our fight for freedom. He will always hold a place in my heart and in the hearts of my family."

Sadly, the Libertarian heart apparently does not include health care. The poor guy raised tens of millions of dollars and couldn't afford the $300-$600 a month that COBRA medical insurance would have cost.

Paul has some good idea-- get out of Iraq, get the US out of a lot of other countries. But his opposition to government, to universal health care""these ideas just don't work and his campaign manager's death makes a tragic example of it.

A website has been created to help raise the $400,000 to pay the medical bills."

{end quoted material}

That last line is the clincher, isn't it...

Looks like a "socialist" solution is needed to fix a problem created by Libertarianism / "Free-market" Capitalism once again.

2008-07-03T00:30:00.009-05:00

Warrenton, Missouri 12:31 AM

While checking the news and weather I came across a brilliant little piece by satirist Scott Bateman on Salon.com. The Audio track comes from a 1950's-era propaganda film aimed at keeping 'Murica's youth free from the Communist threat.

The visuals, however are Bateman's usual comic genius.

Listening to it is really squirm-inducing. I can almost see the red-blooded, all-American, dutiful little crewcuts gathered 'round the speaker...it's quite odd that the original producers of this tripe didn't see the irony in their own words.

It's pure, unadulterated McCarthyite paranoia at it's finest.

Enjoy.

2008-07-01T17:21:00.011-05:00

Montgomery, Alabama 5:22 PM

Here I sit at the Flying J south of Montgomery....

I don't reload up in Birmingham until 2:30 tomorrow morning, so I'm killing time on the tubes.

It's been interesting to note that the Corporate Media has completely ignored the story of McCain being a tax deadbeat.

"...Newsweek is set to publish a highly embarrassing report on Sen. John McCain, revealing that the McCains have failed to pay taxes on their beach-front condo in La Jolla, California, for the last four years and are currently in default, The Huffington Post has learned.

Under California law, once a residential property is in default for five years, it can be sold at a tax sale to recover the unpaid taxes for the taxpayers.

The McCains own at least seven homes through a variety of trusts and corporations controlled by Cindy McCain."

So much for the "liberal" media charge (it was always BS anyway...only those brainwashed by chattering talk-radio gasbags or John Birch Society propaganda would ever believe such twaddle.) If anything, the media is moderately Conservative, except for Fox News; it's pure GOP talking points and right-wing propaganda 24/7.

And SEVEN homes??!?

Boy what a "regular" guy that McCain is....a real everyman, to be sure.

And now something else to think about:

The nations in black are labeled "endemic surveillance societies" in the legend at the right.

Nice...We're in the same league with China, and the old Soviet Union. Uncle Joe and Mao would be surprised.

Or maybe not...

2008-06-28T22:22:00.004-05:00

Present Location: I-57 Rest stop near Sesser, IL

Stopped for the night en route to Jacksonville, FL and the new setup seems to be working fine.

I've been keeping ahead of a line of storms back to the west, so I'll probably get hit with rain in the night. Hope the cool weather stays around for the Fourth but I doubt it.

Speaking of the Fourth, here's one of my favorite little video presentations, created right after the debacle that was the 2004 election. It was inspiring then, as it is now. Just the thing for the Fourth of July:

It still gives me chills....

2008-06-25T13:16:00.004-05:00

One more step completed; I now have wireless broadband access.

I found there aren't too many wi-fi locations where I travel, at least not free ones, so the folks at Alltel hooked me up.

Next trip out I have internet access. (Hooray!)

No trip assigned yet, but.....soon.

2008-06-22T10:55:00.003-05:00

It arrived!

And boy, does it work...

Vista is taking a little getting used to, though. I'm off for Houston in a few minutes so we'll see how accessible the free wireless access is at the rest areas (and perhaps find a few unsecured networks along the way, maybe?), since my air-card hasn't arrived from Alltel yet.

Dan (his page-link is at the right) has proven indispensable as usual; I don't think I could've gotten this up and off of the ground without his learned assistance.

(Thanks, Dan!)

So, until later....

2008-06-19T22:57:00.004-05:00

Egad, indeed...

I think you could measure the time between my posts here in units of geological time.

Not to worry; the new laptop is in transit and should arrive any day, so now I have the capability to blog from the road (whether I have the wherewithal to regularly do so remains to be seen, however...).

Until then, here's a bit of humor:

(As Shakespeare said "...many a truth be told in jest.")

2007-08-12T23:59:00.000-05:00

Egad...

It's been nearly a year since I updated this blog. Dan was giving me a hard time about it the other day, so I finally thought to update it a little.

I don't know if I'll keep the "travelogue" format it has had; it does read a little dry....ahem.

I've tried to keep it from getting political (a quite difficult task for me, to be sure...) or careening off into one of my rants like those I've penned and posted elsewhere around the net, always under a pseudonym. ;-)

We'll have to see what the future brings.

Until then,

2006-09-25T16:28:00.000-05:00

9-19-2006 Junction City, KS to Erlanger, Ky – Louisville, KY to McPherson, KS

8:30 PM Out the door, off to Salina. Pick up an empty at the yard and stop at the Flying J for the usual. This looks to be an uneventful trip. Stop at the Topeka, Service Area on the KTP. (Decent breakfast available at Hardee’s.) Nice and cool out, so I shut the truck down. Will likely need the extra wool blanket I carry, though. It’s already down into the 40’s.

9-20-06 Off around 8:00. Nice morning out. The paving crew is on hiatus today, so no back up east of KCMO. I catch the broadcast of Sen. Barack Obama’s speech on energy independence on Franken’s show. That guy has a bright future ahead of him… I stop at a Denny’s in Shelbyville, IN. It really isn’t designed for truck parking, but several of us do. I’ll have to remember this spot.

9-21-06 Off around 4:30 AM. Breakfast at Denny’s again. Get to Erlanger about an hour ahead of schedule, even before anyone but the Fed-Ex repair guy across the way. Unloaded and headed for Louisville. Not as big of a hurry this time, as I have plenty of time to get there before they shut down. Load quickly and head for home.

9-22-06 Spent the night at Betty’s Truck Stop near Houstonia, MO. Watched a big storm near KC, but it never got close to me. Cool and humid this morning. Pull out and head for home. Unload in McPherson without any trouble and head for Salina. Fuel and unload and into the Cavalier. Not much for an eventful trip this run; some are like that, which is nice. Don’t need too much excitement…..

2006-09-19T20:32:00.000-05:00

9-8-2006 Junction City, KS to Columbia MD – Baltimore, MD to Tompkinsville, KY – Louisville, KY to McPherson, KS

3:45 PM – Out the door headed for MD. Little bit of rain. The Mrs. Is worried about one of the stray kittens she has been caring for. Doubt it will make it many more days. Stop into the Flying J for coffee, ice and cash as usual. Maybe I’ll make Kingdom City, MO tonight.

9-9-06 Nobody by the scale last night, so parking was easy. Water still draining into the truck from the A/C system, so hope it doesn’t flood this trip. Have to write that up when I get in. It’s one long pull to Keyser’s Ridge, MD from here. Almost exactly a day’s drive – 710 miles.
Little weather crossing IL and IN, but an uneventful trip today. Highlight was Rev. Dr. James Forbes on Air America Radio interviewing Noam Chomsky about his new book “Failed States”.

9-10-06 Spent the night near Friendsville, MD just west of Keyser’s Ridge. Shut the truck off all night since it was cool and the next morning my coolant level was low enough to set off the alarm, which will engage the automatic shut-down in 1 minute. I started out of the rest area and the truck died before I got out. I restarted it and continued on and it died again. I re-re-started it and got heading up the hill enough to get the coolant sloshing around and heating up and expanding to cover the sensor.

On my way finally, I’ll have to add some water when I get to Columbia, MD.

Passing under Green Lantern Rd. I see that it is the Eastern Continental Divide. Not much of a mountain compared to the Rockies. Little bit of fog at the higher elevations. Hope the sun starts burning it off soon.

Climbing up Braddock Mtn. I see the elevation sign is 985 feet. Funny that this is a mountain and it’s still 500 feet lower in elevation than the McPherson airport back home.

Unload and head to the New Transit Truckstop in Millersville, MD. Get hit up for money twice, once by a rather nice looking 30-something woman about 4 PM and some guy at 2 AM. I wasn’t quite as nice to the dude at 2 AM; he got told to get lost in no uncertain terms. Neither gets a handout, as both are most likely scam-artists.

9-11-06 I sleep fitfully after that; I usually get up that early, so it’s hard to go back to sleep. A bit later I shuffle in for coffee and breakfast. I reload at the Baltimore Marine Terminal with Russian plywood for KY. Waiting to be loaded I see the M.V. Pepino D’Amato, an American flagged freighter being loaded with coal by a massive conveyor system. There are mountains of coal here, hopper cars loaded to the brim and huge equipment to move it around.

On the way out I pass through Ft. Meade, the HQ of the NSA. It’s a rather creepy-looking place, rather like a second-rate community college, except for the MP’s with their German shepherd attack dogs patrolling the grounds.

Passing through West Virginia, it has really opened up and poured. Need to find a place to stop.

9-12-06 Spent the night near Nitro, WV. Gee…I wonder how that town got it’s name here in the middle of coal country? Stop for fuel at Cannonsdale, KY. Continue on to Lexington and turn south to the Louis B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway. I get to Tompkinsville, KY on the narrowest road I’ve seen in a while. At Edmonton, KY I see a sign saying it was the hometown of the Kentucky Headhunters, a great alt-country band. Unload and head for Louisville and try to make it before they close. I get there with 15 minutes to spare, exactly when I said I’d be there. It was a close estimate; closer than I like. Reload in Louisville for McPherson and grab a quick nap before heading out; it’s been a long day. Take off and drive right by the motel my folks are staying at for the big Southern-gospel music convention in Louisville. Weird that we’re all here at the same time. No time to meet up as they are already at the convention center and I want to get on the road for home.

9-13-06 Stay near Grayville, IL. Less than 10 hours home from here. Uneventful run to Galva for the night to unload next morning in McPherson.

9-14-06 Unload in McPherson and head for Salina. Fuel up and head to the yard. Unload the truck of my personal gear, load up the Cavalier and head for the house. About a 3000 mile week…

It’s good to be home.

2006-09-03T23:46:00.000-05:00

8-29-2006 Abilene, KS to Ruther Glen, VA – Baltimore, MD to Junction City, KS

11:10AM I’m out the door headed for Virginia. Dispatch called and said that there wasn’t a reefer at the yard (needed for this trip) so I should go to Junction City and get an empty. (Strange intermittent clunk in the left front end of the Cavalier; hope it isn’t a ball joint.)

I guess I’m getting paid for the extra miles, but……

When I get to Salina, it turns out one has emptied out at Abilene, so just a short jaunt to get it and head in to get loaded.

Quick stop for the usual at the Flying Hook – ice, water, cash and coffee. On to Abilene for the empty and into the shipper's to load.

About an hour later, I’m on my way to VA.

The usual scenery ensues after a short snooze at Topeka. (I shouldn’t get up so early…)

The six-lane section of the KS Turnpike is getting closer to completion. Beautiful sunset and Marc Maron sitting in with Sam Seder on AAR makes for a nice drive east.

Stop at Kingdom City, MO for the night. Some doofus has parked east of me and really closed up the distance for the line of trucks on the east side of the lot to get out easily. I was worried I was getting too close, but since he pulled in there, I’m not going to sweat it.

Guess I’ll hear angry air horns in the morning if they can’t get out.

8-30-06 Breakfast at Denny’s again. Not bad for the money and the coffee’s good; plus they usually give me a big mug of ice for my water mug. Fog sets in after leaving Kingdom City; right down to the deck. Hope it burns off before long- even fog doesn’t slow the crazy drivers down much on this section of Speedway 70.

Rachael Maddow replays CNN’s Kyra Phillips and her little bathroom open microphone faux pas. She called her sister-in-law a “control freak” over national TeeVee. The loud ZZZZZZZZZZiiip of her dress was a nice touch, too.

Bet Thanksgiving at the Phillips house will be interesting this year…..

Hopefully I beat the traffic at St. Louis.

I catch a great interview of John McPhee about his new book Uncommon Carriers. It chronicles the long-haul truck drivers, riverboat crewmembers, Merchant Marine, etc. of the country. Add that one to my list, too.

Tom Ashbrook’s On Point has an interesting discussion on Daniel Dennett’s controversial new book Breaking The Spell: Religion as a Natual Phenomenon with it’s author and Boston College Professor of Theology Stephen Pope. I can’t say I would totally agree with Dennett’s theories regarding the origins of religion and it’s evolution along with mankind; but he does make some interesting and thought provoking observations, however Prof. Pope made even better ones.

If you’re into PodCasting, I would recommend downloading that one.

Stop at the Goshen Road rest area in IL for a sandwich and a break.

Fuel at Haubtstadt, IN. Continue across IN on I-64 into KY. I’m trying to think of a way to make my log look halfway accurate in dealing with the turnpike coming up in West Virginia. Maybe I’ll stop on it somewhere and I can make the toll receipt timestamp agree with a legal (well, sort of…) log. Stop for coffee and more ice at the Flying J at the KY – WV line.

8-31-06 I spent the night on top of the mountain (what passes for one in this area, anyway…) above the New River gorge. I think the closest town is Smoot, WV.

The sign at the "Mandatory Truck Stop (to) Check Brakes" says “No Overnight Parking”.

It wasn’t ALL night…just most of it. No law enforcement officials stopped by to say “Hello”, so it was a successful slumber. It’s at least a 7% grade on the way down. I head down in 6th gear and the compression brake eliminates the need to use the brakes very much, so I make it to the bottom without incident or the stink of hot brakes. The “Runaway Truck Emergency Ramp” is at least two miles from the top; I don’t see how you could make it to there if you were indeed in a runaway condition. My guess is that you would be burning in a crumpled heap in the bottom of one of the ravines long before you got to the ramp.

Climbing up the next mountain on I-64 near exit 99 I see there are lights inset into the road surface on the edges about every 30 feet or so. They’re quite bright; I guess to mark the edges in the fog (usually a low hanging cloud) so common here. Really a neat idea and the first time I’ve ever encountered it.

I make my delivery appointment on time and I get a satellite message to reload in Baltimore, MD. This is welcome news, as the remnants of hurricane Ernesto are heading up the eastern seabord and leaving much rain and high winds in their wake. I want to reload and get out of the area before that hits…

I bypass the bridge construction at Washington DC by going around the west side, missing the Woodrow Wilson bridge mess completely.

I’ve read it is the worst commuter delay in the nation. No point in finding out firsthand…

It takes a few hours, but I get out of Baltimore after the evening rush and head for the MD panhandle. Pass through Cumberland, MD: the hometown of actor/voice talent Eddie Deezen. The name might not ring a bell, but you’ve likely heard his unmistakable voice in a commercial, movie or cartoon. (Hint: He’s the odd little guy with the ventriloquist’s dummy on the Ferris wheel in the movie 1941).

Stop for the night on top of Keyser’s Ridge at Little Sandy’s Truck Stop. (Exit 14 on I-68.)

9-1-06 Omelet and three cups of coffee for breakfast. Back on the road, now driving in the outer edge of precipitation from Ernesto. Slow quiet day across Ohio (a.k.a. Slow-hio).

55 MPH makes an almost endless drive seem worse.

I see a wonderfully profound bumper sticker on a car: Blind Faith in Bad Leaders is NOT “Patriotism”.

Stop for the night at Marshall, IL at a big, well-lit rest area. It’s cool enough outside tonight to shut the truck off and open the windows for a nice breeze.

9-2-06 I get up at 4:15 AM and pull out. Hope I can get in and drop this load early today.

Stop for a break and coffee in Effingham, IL. About exit 13 on I-270 in IL, I see a nice bike trail heading off northwest with a recumbent speeding along it. There are several nice trails like this in the St. Louis area.

On across MO into KS.

Stop for a 30 minute nap at the rest area just west of Maple Hill. That’s what I get for getting up so early…

Drop the loaded trailer and hook an empty reefer in Junction City and head for home. Stop for fuel at the Petro 2 in Salina and then to the yard to drop the empty and get my stuff gathered up.

4:50 PM In the Cavalier and headed to the house. Another run in the record books.

Nice to be home again.

2006-08-28T00:45:00.000-05:00

8-18-2006 Junction City, KS to Jacksonville, FL - Miami, FL to Abilene, KS

Off for FL late afternoon out of Galva. Beautiful thunderheads visible in the north and northwest. Really dark and blue; that almost indescribable shade of blue that only appears when a storm is nearby. Hope I can get my stuff into the truck, grab an empty trailer and scram before the deluge hits. Not much room to hang up wet laundry in a Freightliner...

Stopping in at the Flying J in Salina for a cash advance, ice for my big water mug and the biggest cup of to-go coffee they have in the place. Oh, blessed caffeine... Dan M. called as soon as I got rolling, filled him in on the proposed blog (this one you are reading now...) and he thought it a good idea. He was trapped at the local pool in Grand Rapids; his kids were swimming and he had to stay close by, so he was passing the time by relaxing under the shade trees and calling me.

Drop the empty and grab the loaded trailer and freight bills in JC and back on the road.

Crossing over the Topeka Ave. bridge on I-70, I see that they are well underway demolishing it to make way for a new, updated replacement. It dates from I believe 1937, when US 75 passed through town, by the state capitol building, before the later realignment bypassing the cities and the inevitable sterile interstate highways. Don't get me wrong...I love the convenience and high-speed travel of the superhighways, I just enjoy the sights and sounds one can only see along the old highways and backroads. But driving for a living and making money by miles driven , one obviously chooses the hi-speed route.

Driving through Kansas City I see Royals Stadium lit up and a better than usual crow to cheer the Royals. Nice to see they still have the support of the locals. More of a light show at Columbia, MO and the storms have intensified and are producing the most intense lightning I've seen in a long time. A cell tower was hit just as I passed; now I have the afterimage burned into my retinas....that'll take some time to go away. What better soundtrack for this type of drive than Carmine Coppola's ethereal "Apocalypse Now" score on the XM radio.
Mixes well with the abstract and surreal worldview created by the lightning and rain.

Stopped for the night at Kingdom City, MO.

8-19-06 Breakfast at Denny's and off on my way. Across IL on I-64 to Mt. Vernon and south on I-57 to the I-24 junction. Onwards to Kentucky. Stopping to stretch my legs at the state scales and Truck Safe Haven (a quite eloquent name for a parking area, eh?) I see I have a flat on the trailer. Luckily, there is a tire repair shop that will do a service call at the truckstop down the road a few miles. Arriving at Huck's Travel Center outside Kuttawa, KY, I grab a space that can accommodate the truck and give the service guy room to work.

One hour and about $300 later, I'm back on my way. Fuel at Oak Grove, KY, cross Tennessee through Nashville into Knoxville and take I-75 south into Georgia.

Stop for the night south of Atlanta after pulverizing a bat with the truck windshield.

8-20-06 Off bright and early toward Jax. Weather held. When I arrive, there is one truck being unloaded, one waiting, then me. So much for my appointment time. Apparently they are severely behind. I remember that Jacksonville is always a goat-screw and I also now remember why I don't take this run very often. Oh, well...it'll be a good check with this week's mileage. (Think Happy Thoughts!!!)

It only takes another 7 hours to get out of here. I'm about ready to have blood come out of my eyeballs from thinking about this: now I have to run extra hard to get to Miami to reload in the morning at 9 AM.

Time for some creative logging...

8-21-06 I make it Miami after fueling in St. Augustine, FL and sleeping at a rest area 100 miles north of Miami. That 100 miles was ALL city. Such sprawl...

Good thing I called them for directions, it was a two-block street, really not more than an alleyway, and it was 7 miles from where I thought it might be.

A small load on, and I'm heading back north. My second pickup in Miami cancelled because the Friday truck fit it all on, so I'm free to head for Adairsville, GA before routing for home.

Leaving my first stop, I can't help but laugh at the posted signs: "$1000 Reward for reporting illegal dumping" on the fences and signposts. Everywhere around them are old mattresses, tires, appliances, household junk, etc. piled up to five feet deep.

Apparently they need to increase the reward amount.

Driving north on I-95 I see a nice black Peterbilt 379 pulling a reefer with a perfectly life-like corned beef sandwich on the side at least 6 feet tall with the words: "Driver Of This Truck Carries No Mustard." Too funny.

Around Daytona I encounter another beautiful storm with chain lightning boiling around inside it. Florida seems endless, so it provides a little something to look at.

8-22-06 Thank goodness I don't get stopped at any scales between Miami and Adairsville. My logbook is a complete fabrication. Once I get loaded I can take a half day off or so and let it get caught up with reality.

I hear an interesting interview of the author of "How To Survive The Robot Uprising" on Air America Radio (It's not as geeky as it sounds...might have to put that on my list.)

Long nap at Monteagle, TN and a bite at the truckstop restaurant. Real country ham, two eggs and homefries. That helped; sandwiches out of my fridge were getting a little old.

On up through KY into Illinois. Past the watertower at Metropolis, IL with the big likeness of Superman.

Stop at Nashville, IL for the night.

8-23-06 I'm about an hour east of St. Louis. It's one hard, high-speed burn to Abilene from here. I should be home before dinnertime tonight.

5:40PM - In the Cavalier headed for the house. Another run come to a close.

Good to be home.