Joe Cassano

Vigilante Justice

It's time to take names and numbers.

Let me make myself perfectly clear. What I don't want is
'is 'ead on a stick. In the stockades will do. To history, this scum is worth millions alive. Don't no one take a shot at them. No martyrs, please.

If I strike readers as over the top this morning, it's not that I jumped.

It's that I've been pushed.

The Ides of March - Quiet Time

Putting away that bottle of hyperbolic acid this evening and picking up a little Botti. . . .

Botti, that's Chris Botti, 000000007

It's 0300 hrs Sozadee Time. The moon is reflecting off the breeze of the Channel into the ceiling of my study. Many who know me consider it insane to get up out of a warm bunk to change the course of my Wyliecat-30 at the Eastern Pacific buoy at LAT-LONG 112'30 W & 45-00 S.

176,000 maniacs behind me in the Volvo Ocean Racing Game (VORG). 28,000 are at their keyboards at this moment. There is good company among the VORG lunatics.

Before I know it, I have bungled my rounding through micro-managing my helm. Hundreds of places have been lost in these three early morning hours. Like all other losses before them, I have to put them behind me. Scoldings from Trophy Wife for my sacrifice of sleep and risk of health are ahead of me.

Through it all - loss and gain - Botti's Emanuel will sustain me.

Cramer -vs- Stewart

My comments can be found on Mad Mike's presentation.

Domestic Terrorism - A Recurrent Theme

In Mumbai, Baghdad and Kabul they call it terrorism. In our U.S.A. they call it a shooting spree.

That's what happened in Alabama today: nine innocents killed, plus one suicider shooter.

This is all part and parcel of the NRA's promotion of conceal carry: permitting the carrying of concealed hand guns under the cloak of law. The NRA says that if you prevent people from carrying side arms, only outlaws would have guns.

How about considering: if laws prohibited the carrying of loaded guns outside your home or your business, then if you caught a gun being carried in the streets, you would have caught one outlaw. Perhaps you could then bag him before he began behaving outlawish - by actually killing people. But the NRA has had its way: by legalizing the concealed carrying of side arms, police can't tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys until the shooting starts.

In Missouri, in fact, the law is so open that pretty much any resident over 21 with a clean criminal record can legally carry a loaded gun concealed in a car, even without getting the permit.

I never was persuaded on the appeal of conealed carry. It seems to me:

• By the time you realize that deadly force is appropriate, the bad guy very likely has an advantage over you. Remember that virtually every police officer slain on the job was armed and trained in self defense.
• The more you handle your gun, the more likely a child will get hold of it.
• Misuse of a gun, accidentally or deliberately, might cost you your liberty, your home and your bank account.
• Carrying a gun may make you cocky enough to fight when you ought to run.

No matter.

Let's continue with the comparison with domestic and international terrorism:

In the Middle East they have suicide vests; in our own Mid-West, we have the NRA Concealed Carry Vest.

Description: We’ve sold thousands of these vests to NRA Members who are quickly making it one of our most popular items of all time. Perfect for concealed carry, competitive shooting, off duty law enforcement, outdoor photography or just traveling around town. Made of 100% cotton double wall canvas with a full-zip and snap front closure. Features two interior pockets with an internal velcro panel that accepts any velcro-backed holster or accessory, such as the 5.11 Tactical pouches (not included). These pouches allow you to conveniently carry a concealed firearm, extra magazines and a flashlight or mace. Sixteen well-designed specialized pockets for cell phone, water bottle, writing instruments, etc. Available with or without NRA logo. Vented in the back for cool everyday wear. Price: $69.95-$74.95

That's what I learned today. Continuing education teaches me the older I become, the less I understand.

Paws de Deux

I've found another blog site where I can post occasionally, when I am of mind to. It's hosted by an old friend who's agreed to take me on.

Lil' Bill is not the sort of blog-meister who will edit my contributions out of all recognition (FUBAR) or just plain delete them when she disagrees with them. That's fine with me (as well as good for a change).

Lil'Bill just turned 85 or 86, but I've learned not to cut her any slack because of it. She still can kick yo' ass, no matter how big it is. Visitors to Paws de Deux should mind what they say.

I'm Down With Mo and Michelle O.

.






.

I'm With Maureen Dowd when she's protecting Michelle Obama's back arms.

In her NYT column, Should Michelle Cover Up? Ms Dowd writes that she was recently sharing a cab ride with David Brooks who presumed to comment on the First Lady's arms. To be sure, Mo set the Prince of Snark up by asking Brooks what he thought of Mrs. Obama's arms. Brooks took the bait. He said,

She’s made her point. Now she should put away Thunder and Lightning . . . Washington is sensually avoidant. The wonks here like brains. She should not be known for her physical presence, for one body part. . . .Sometimes I think half the reason Obama ran for president is so Michelle would have a platform to show off her biceps.

Brooks added that the policy crowd in D.C. would consider the dress ostentatious and made her daunting.

Like Sandra McElwaine who wrote in the Daily Beast that,

. . . . you can’t escape the subject—Michelle Obama’s unrelenting sleeveless look, and namely, her gorgeous, toned arms. In the midst of a conversation about the thorny issues of the day someone will mention those limbs.

. . . . Michelle has simply turned toned arms into a bold, new fashion statement. Anatomical discussions around the proverbial watercooler used to revolve around legs or boobs or butts or toes, or even a serious wardrobe malfunction à la Janet Jackson. Not anymore. Not since the high-gloss first lady started flaunting those glistening ab-fab Obama-arms, the body part du jour . . . .the firmest triceps, biceps, and deltoids in town . . . . she feels compelled to don a sleeveless frock and flash those lanky, flab-free arms.

. . . . what has captured public attention and caused all the brouhaha is not just Michelle’s choice to bare arms, but her obvious devotion to physical fitness . . . . Michelle pumps iron and works out with a personal trainer for 90 minutes, three times a week, sometimes as early as 5:30 am—with her husband.

. . . . In all seriousness, and with all due respect to her, someone should tell Michelle to mix up her wardrobe and cover up from time to time. I’m beginning to think she has an Arnold Schwarzenegger complex.

Ms. Dowd disagrees, saying that Michelle

... ignored that talk, thank heavens.

Let’s face it: The only bracing symbol of American strength right now is the image of Michelle Obama’s sculpted biceps. Her husband urges bold action, but it is Michelle who looks as though she could easily wind up and punch out Rush Limbaugh, Bernie Madoff and all the corporate creeps who ripped off America.

I love the designer-to-J. Crew glamour. Combined with her workaday visits to soup kitchens, inner-city schools and meetings with military families, Michelle’s flare is our depression’s answer to Ginger Rogers gliding around in feathers and lamé.

Her arms, and her complete confidence in her skin, are a reminder that Americans can do anything if they put their minds to it. Unlike Hillary, who chafed at the loathed job of first lady, and Laura, who for long stretches disappeared into the helpmeet role, Michelle has soared every day, expanding the job to show us what can be accomplished by a generous spirit, a confident nature and a well-disciplined body.

I'm with Mo. She brings on her own Thunder and Lightning.

Baseball Returns to Los Angeles!

Manny Ramirez will see to that.

Manny Ramirez will play for the Dodgers for one or two more years at $25 billion a pop. Not surprising. In 16 MLB seasons, Manny has earned $162,149,269.

On July 31, 2008, Manny was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-way deal in unusual circumstances: his salary was to be paid by the hapless Boston Red Sox. The Dodgers had him for free for the remainder of the season.

The numbers Ramirez put up for the Dodgers in those two months, when projected over a full season, would have amounted to a .396 batting average, 51 home runs, 159 runs batted in. No player has been able to put up those kind of numbers in a full season, in major league history.

Ramirez is a great hitter in a clutch. He explains his immunity to pressure in his hitting this way:

We've got nothing to lose. Just play the game. Why panic? If we don't do it, we'll come back next year ...... There's always next year. Who cares? It's not like the end of the world.

His presence in the batting order at positions three or fourth transforms the line-up from an average offense to a contending threat. We’re looking at this group of probable starters: Russell Martin, Casey Blake, Blake DeWitt, Rafael Furcal, Orlando Hudson, James Loney, Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp. All of these guys have pop and there's not an easy out among them. With Ramirez batting in front of- or behind- them, these guys will produce plenty of runs.

Of course, the season will hang as it always does, on the lack of injuries.

And the pitching. Manny doesn't pitch (baseballs).