That’s fine. Because I’m drinking my coffee from a mug emblazoned with the logo of my favorite charitable organization, and y’all can’t get me down. Like Carin says, it’s all about balance, and my life? Pretty much there.

I get up when I want to.

Work my ass off when necessary.

Carry exactly the right burden on my shoulders.

So I’m ready for Monday. I can take Monday. So can you. Monday will not see it coming. It will be in shock and awed.

Now get out there and whoop Monday’s ass.

Okay, just a little cheesecake.

Hey Michael!

Oh, no, Tagnash is going to be PISSED!

Why XBrad flunked math:

Scott composing a poem for Valentine’s Day:

Shouldn’t have let that stump get out of hand.

There, new poat for your abuse.

OK, maybe the next dance?

How about this one?

OK, but I brought you to this shindig so. . .

Bitch. . .

*sits on the curb in the parking lot waiting for his mom*

It’s not glamorous and you won’t see it on any recruiting posters, but it is the reality of service. Now, some people say that offering high school students an opportunity to do this for some spending cash is racist. Really?

The young man pictured on the Mess Deck here cost the taxpayers quite a bit of money. First there was his public education from kindergarten to 12th grade. Then, the intensive effort to recruit him, send him to Boot Camp and on to his specialty training (in this case as an aviation electrician). Yet, after all this money spent on him, the Sailor has been assigned to spend 90 days sweeping and swabbing decks, serving food to his shipmates or providing laundry service.

Yup, that is 3 months out of a 6/7 month deployment that this young man will be engaged in these “menial” tasks. He probably isn’t really enthused about the tasks assigned to him and won’t be incorporating any of these endeavors into the sea stories he’ll be telling the folks back home. It’s not a lot of fun and it’s not what he signed up for.

So, why does the military, in this case the Navy, take this young man in whom they have invested so much and have him perform these mundane duties for so long? Couldn’t they just hire some civilians to do it? Isn’t it demeaning?

Some of you already know the answer. Some of you can guess. If you worked in fast food as a youngster, if you started on the loading dock, if you cut lettuce, picked tomatoes or baled hay in the summer, you know the answer.

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This week’s model is a young beauty that originally hails from the Check (fuck you and your fancy spellin’) Republic. Now a Brit, she is in he twenties and can’t seem to keep from looking sick, confused, or high as flippin’ kite. Please welcome some deranged chick with big knockers.

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Test time! Please form an orderly line and pick up your No 2 pencil and a Scantron form. MCPO, please just pick up a hammer, chisel, and a black piece of granite.

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98 – Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva.

661 – The Rashidun Caliphate ends with death of Ali.

1606 – Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31.

1776 – American Revolutionary War: Henry Knox’s “noble train of artillery” arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1785 – The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.

1870 – The Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity is founded at DePauw University.

1939 – First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

1951 – Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with a one-kiloton bomb dropped on Frenchman Flat.
1961 – Soviet submarine S-80 sinks with all hands lost.

1967 – Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

1984 – Pop singer Michael Jackson suffers second degree burns to his scalp during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in the Shrine Auditorium.

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And there you have it. One fucked up, Check-Brit. I’ll be busy doing nothing this weekend. You should stop by. We’ll put a few steaks on the grill and talk smack about everyone. Bring beer. Bring good beer.

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Damn it Roamy!  What have you done?

Yes.  Thank you for elucidating, Mare.

The auto bailout cost about $23.6B, which means that the average, federal income tax paying citizen paid about $310 to help support the auto industry in 2011 (this would represent total cost).  Most people would look at this and think that it’s not that big of a deal–except that all of it was completely unnecessary.  The administration used TARP funds to bailout GM and Chrysler so that union pensions and wages would not be reduced as part of the normal bankruptcy process.  The investors took the cut rather than the entire organization, thus preserving a core voting bloc for Obama.  Your $310 was transferred directly to a UAW worker, that averaged $40.33 per hour in wages and benefits, or $83,886 per year.

As part of the reelection campaign, the Obama administration is going to constantly tout the ‘saving of the auto industry’ as a positive accomplishment.  The amount of money poured into the gaping maw of the auto industry is staggering–50 times that of Solyndra–and should be called out for what it is: corruption, straight up.

TURDSDAY MORNING POAT UPDATE by Hotspur

I will not get into the people who have withdrawn. Well except for Rick Perry, he was almost ready for prime time and the best of the field, until he dropped out. I am done with that so lets talk about the rest.

Let me start with Ron Paul. Really? Is he even a republican? He is conspiracy 101. His base is tinfoil hats. Oklahoma City was a inside job? Contrails? 911 truthers? Why do you even let him on the stage? Giggles? To make the rest of them look sane?

Rick Santorum.

As a social conservative I have some respect for where he is coming from. He is a me too conservative that was a squish senator. He will tell you anything to get elected. He believes that government is the answer. Do you have a problem? Government will fix the booboo for you. Big Government is the answer to all that ails you. He is a big government technocrat that is mouthing conservative talking points just so he can be elected.

Newt

I love Newt but he can NEVER be president. Never. Ever.

Newt has fantastic ideas. Really dumb ideas, fantastically stupid ideas. He needs a filter. I love 10% of his ideas. I am Meh on 80% of his ideas. I truly despise 10% of his ideas. He is all over the chart. He is a scrapper. I admire that. I want someone with fire in their belly! Take the fight to Obama! Newt has that. Sadly he has tons of baggage. He is Cabinet level tops.

Mitt

I voted for Mitt in the 2008 primary. He has the business chops to fix the economy.

He is a squish that will say anything to get elected. I took a few hours to read everything on his web site. EVERYTHING!

I agreed with 98%. He was a little vague on much. However I read everything he said. I disagreed with him on using Bowles Simpson as a starting point for the tax code. Really? Lets use Obama’s the most socialist president in the US history as a starting point? His overall sentiments were  positive. Unfortunately he is a wooden animatronic caricature of somebody with a ego that will say anything to be elected.

That covers the current republican field. Egoist failures that cannot beat Obama. WTF are you thinking? Bob Dole? Yes Bob was a fantastic war hero. I honor and respect his service and courage. President? Not so much. I think Mitt is the establishment Bob Dole. Only with less courage and respect.

I look at the people who did not run. Sarah Palin, she is the most controversial but I want to vote for her to make Democrats heads explode! Not to mention I agree with her 98% of the time.

Jeb Bush My 1st pick

As a Floridian I approve. He took the whole state including corrupt Miami/Ft Lauderdale and made it turn right. He was a hell of a great governor. He is wrong on Immigration but I will give him a pass on 1 thing.

Rubio!

What can I say. A little seasoning and he is the man. I have not found a thing I can fault him on.

Jindal

Anybody? Anybody? What a great person.

Nikki Hailey? I like but give her a few years. However she is better right now than Barack.

Scott Walker has proved he can make a difference. Where is he?

Paul Ryan

Has his hand on the economy. He is a dud to the electorate. No Fire no fight. just good economics.

Did I mention Scott Walker? He has PROVED he can govern a state and balance the budget. Anybody? Anybody?

I have more that I would consider as a good nominee however I am running out of steam. Last but well maybe least Chris Christie. He had the fire in his belly. He will not put up with the BS from the MFM. While not my favorite he has none of Newts baggage and…well he kicks ass and takes names. He is not a namby pamby Mitt.

My first and best hope for president is Bill Bennett.

What a awesome man! Candor, Intelligence, and good will in spades! If someone made me dictator for life I would abdicate to him.

What we need is someone who does not want to run for president. I do not wish any of these egomaniacs on our country. After all we have ego in chief Barack now what could go wrong?

Oops 5 trillion in dept given out to democrat supporters.

Wait another pipeline pic

One last thing Oil Gas and Natural gas pipelines. Buffet is being rewarded by Obama for shutting down the XL pipeline. See Aggies post here
and the pipeline graphics  oopsie that is only Natural gas pipelines. Nebraska has how many?

Here is the major trunk lines of oil and gas over 20″ pipelines

Yup right through that protected  aquifer how many times?