Saturday Excursions

Well, today was suppose to be Bounce's first puppy class, but it was not to be. They called last night at 9:45 p.m. to let us know that we weren't having class. It seems that a couple of the people that had signed up for the class had backed out. We'll have to wait for a couple of more weeks before they have a class beginning again.

This morning started off badly with Bounce - while I was getting ready to head out with Walter on an errand, he decided to get one of my brand new Italian shoes and chew it up while sitting on the sofa. He came close to death...Walter saved him by putting him in the utility room. This was one of the reasons why we were taking him to puppy classes.

Our morning errands took us down to the river where I was able to get a few new pictures and then over to the Arboretum - in search of a Chai Latte - I saw this pair of swans swimming on the lake. Now that's something that we don't normally get to see. Way cool. Walter was so nice to pull over and let me out to take pictures.

I've uploaded a few more of the ones that I took to this album. Enjoy!

On to PetSmart where I picked up Bounce a new crate. This one will be much better for keeping him contained. It is wire and big enough for him to move around in. Better to be confined than for me to be ready to 'kill' him. (Not that I would, but there have been a few times when it has crossed my mind.) He's just going to have to learn who is the boss.

The last couple of stops to finalize the morning were pretty quick. A stop into Stein Mart for a replacement pair of shoes. I was happy to see that they still had a pair in my size. I'm locking them in the closet from now on after I take them off. Then to Pleasant's Hardware, Walter's favorite shopping location for some sort of fastener.

So far this afternoon & evening, Bounce has been giving me the "sad" look from his new cage. Then the "indignant" look. It won't be long before he's trying the "pity me" look in an effort to get out. Too bad cause it ain't happening.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

The Navy has 3 NEW SHIPS

USS REAGAN

Seeing it next to the Arizona Memorial really puts its size into perspective... ENORMOUS!

When the Bridge pipes ' Man the Rail' there is a lot of rail to man on this monster: shoulder to shoulder, around 4..5 acres. Her displacement is about 100,000 tons with full complement.

Capability

Top speed exceeds 30 knots, powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling

1 Expected to operate in the fleet for about 50 years
2. Carries over 80 combat aircraft
3 Three arresting cables can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet

Size

1. Towers 20 stories above the waterline
2. 1092 feet long; nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall
3. Flight deck covers 4.5 acres
4. 4 bronze propellers, each 21 feet across, weighing 66,200 pounds
5. 2 rudders, each 29 by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons
6. 4 high speed aircraft elevators, each over 4,000 square feet

Capacity

1. Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel
2. Carries enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days
3. 18,150 meals served daily
4. Distillation plants provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2,000 homes
5. Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,325 miles of cable and wiring 1,400 telephones
6. 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets

USS BILL CLINTON

The USS William Jefferson Clinton (CVS1) set sail today from its home port of Vancouver, BC

The ship is the first of its kind in the Navy and is a standing legacy to President Bill Clinton 'for his foresight in military budget cuts' and his conduct while holding the (formerly dignified) office of President.

The ship is constructed nearly entirely from recycled aluminum and is completely solar powered with a top speed of 5 knots. It boasts an arsenal comprised of one (unarmed) F14 Tomcat or one (unarmed) F18 Hornet aircraft which, although they cannot be launched on the 100 foot flight deck, form a very menacing presence.

As a standing order there are no firearms allowed on board.

This crew, like the crew aboard the USS Jimmy Carter, is specially trained to avoid conflicts and appease any and all enemies of the United States at all costs.

An onboard Type One DNC Universal Translator can send out messages of apology in any language to anyone who may find America offensive. The number of apologies are limitless and though some may seem hollow and disingenuous, the Navy advises all apologies will sound very sincere.

In times of conflict, the USS Clinton has orders to seek refuge in Canada.

USS BARACK OBAMA

Details are as vague as his past, his economic policies and his credentials to lead.

But don't you worry..........he has a plan!

A Teacher Lets Obama Have It

A TEACHER FROM THE GREAT STATE OF MISSOURI WILL LOSE HER JOB FOR STANDING UP FOR ALL OF US. Give this teacher and true American a standing ovation. This 4th grade teacher has said it all, and she was brave enough to attach her name to it. (I checked this out on Snopes.com, and found that while the letter is reportedly an actual correspondence, the author that it was attributed to was only someone who had forwarded it and her email signature had remained on it when it was forwarded again.)

April 17, 2009

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Mr. Obama:

I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally.

You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America.

You are responsible to the citizens of the United States. You are not responsible to the peoples of any other country on earth.

I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States telling Europeans that we are arrogant and do not care about their status in the world. Sir, what do you think the First World War and the Second World War were all about if not the consideration of the peoples of Europe? Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about? Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century?

Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the United States does not consider itself a Christian country? Have you not read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States?

This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and the principles governing this country, at least until you came along, come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?

Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans.

Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia... You didn't show Great Britain, our best and one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia .. How dare you, sir! How dare you!

You can't find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you don't want to offend the Germans but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey ...... You offended our dead and every veteran when you give the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. What's the matter with you? I am convinced that you and the members of your administration have the historical and intellectual depth of a mud puddle and should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.

You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers and the American automobile manufacturers yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, and the Freddie Mac bonuses. What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it.

What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves? I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer.

You haven't said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didn't!

Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses. In fact, Fannie and Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million not a bad take. Who authorized that and why haven't you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now?

I resent that you take me and my fellow citizens as brain-dead and not caring about what you idiots do. We are watching what you are doing and we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you.

I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do and say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities. I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not get a chance to spend two terms destroying my beautiful country.

Sincerely,

Every real American