Obama's "sniper fire"

Some are calling this Obama's Sniper Story but I have to say this is less egregious than hers.



Memory is a relative of truth but not it's twin. In Obama's defense the applause was lukewarm at best which to a politician is the same as silence I guess. The lesson is simple: There's video of everything. Don't go out on that limb unless you're sure.

Scenes from a marriage

Ever have a zinger that is simply too good to pass up? One you know will get you in trouble but you're powerless to resist lest the moment pass and never come up again? I had one of those the other night.

Eldest has been having trouble getting to sleep at night. If we leave him in his room he won't stay there. Sometimes he'll go in and wake the baby up. Sometimes he sleeps in my bed and sometimes he just wanders around his room getting into all kinds of trouble. I've found that if I lay down w/ him for about 10 minutes Mr. Sandman comes sooner rather than later. Well, I lay down w/ him the other night and I was so tired I was out. My wife left me as she figured I was tired and would wake up on my own. I did but about an hour later. I dragged myself up and into our bed and was out for the night. My wife decided to torment me.

Mrs. Duffy: You missed some hot lovin' last night
Duffy's Brain: Dude, you must return fire. You can't let a hanging curve ball just sit there!
Duffy's Penis: NOOooooooooooo! Do that and she'll freeze me out! C'mon I'm dying down here.
Duffy's Brain: Shut up you! I run this outfit. We're doing this! Full Steam Ahead!
Duffy's Penis: What? Overruled? How the hell did that happen? This is a coup! Attica! Attica! Attica!
Duffy: Really? Who was here?
Mrs. Duffy: *laughs* You're funny.

I'm very lucky she took it with the spirit it was intended.

Notes from the future

So the price of gas is going nowhere but up (you may have noticed). I boldly predict that trend will continue for the foreseeable future. This, in turn, means the airlines are going to have major problems in short order. There are going to be fewer passengers as they are forced to increase the prices to compensate. They will then begin the wailing and gnashing of teeth and file for bankruptcy. Congress will then write them a check for a few hundred million dollars to get them back on their feet. Not a loan mind you, a gift. A gift that you and I don't get and will never get. I have zero sympathy for them. I ought to know, I used to work for one. They are stupid beyond imagining. They know they'll never be allowed to fail if they get big enough. The smaller carriers will come and go but someone is always going to get a big piggy check from the government taxpayers to keep flying. How dumb are they? Let's go to Ed Cone for more:

The picture at far left is the view forward from row 11 on this evening's 6:50 United flight from Chicago to GSO (I missed my original connection). The picture next to it is the view to the rear of row 11. (Click images to enlarge)

What's going on? An industry that has forgotten about customer service.

Almost nobody opted to pay $30 bucks extra to sit in "economy plus," which promises a few inches of extra legroom. When it became clear that the flight would be packed six across from row 11 back while row after row sat empty in the front, people asked if they could move up. The flight attendants said no, you have to pay for those seats. Not very customer-friendly or situationally aware, but comprehensible.

So a guy asks if he could pay on the spot. Nope. People were laughing at the United's cluelessness, but it wasn't very friendly laughter.

Salable When the drink cart came by I bought myself $5 worth of stress relief and asked the flight attendant (politely) why she could sell me a drink but not a seat. She looked at me like I had two heads and said they are in no way set up to take reservations, you have to do that with a service representative.

I started to say I didn't want a reservation, I wanted to hand her $30 and move up one freaking row, but it felt like I was on the phone with Bangalore and couldn't get a supervisor, so I just shut up and drank.

The flight attendant stewardessess have been trained by BF Skinner apparently and don't know or care that they have actual customers. Rather, they figure they have your money and they have certain steps 1 - 14 that must be followed. Nothing changes. Ever. No further thinking required. As Dennis Miller likes to say, they traded their adult lives for free airfare and now they're waitresses at a bad restaurant at 25,000 feet.

There are a thousand things wrong with the airline industry. None of them cannot be fixed by letting them all fail and start over. No exclusivity at hubs allowed. Competition reigns supreme. No absurd union rules about flight time etc. Departure has to mean wheels off the ground not pulling away from the gate and then immediately moving back to let the crew off to eat dinner. (Many times the "mechanical problems" cited for being late are not that at all. Union rules require that flight crews have an hour to eat a meal after X hours of flight time. Frequently, they'll board the passengers, pull away from the gate thereby meeting FAA requirements for "on time" and then move back to the gate. You sit and wait while the crew goes for dinner. If you're lucky they don't take the full hour. Oh, and a swing crew will babysit you while you wait.)

George W. Bush is a moron

and so is John McCain. At least that's what I keep hearing. Every utterance from the President is scrutinized for any possible interpretation that makes him look stupid. McCain is derided for saying Shia when he meant Sunni.

What would the world say if either of them referred to the "57 States" they've visited? There would be unceasing howls from Berkley to Boston and rightfully so.

So what to make of Obama describing his visits to 57 states? Some in the audience laugh but it's clear he's not joking. He goes on to say that he wanted to visit Alaska and Hawaii but his staff couldn't justify it. The fact that this is not news anywhere on the MSM is proof positive that democrats and especially The One will never be subjected to the same cynical eye cast on republicans

Libertarian conundrum

My libertarian instincts sometimes fail me. Here's a prime example;


Man Ticketed For Wearing Speedo On Beach