fritz

We need to show more sympathy for these people. They travel miles and miles in the burning heat, they risk their lives by crossing a border, they don't get paid enough wages, they do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do, they live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language, they rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day every day... I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans, I'm talking about our troops. Doesn't it seem strange that the Guys in Washington are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support our troops and are now threatening to defund them? fritz

Hmmm, I see some scores are coming down. Maybe it's the way the questions were worded--they can be misleading. fritz

As those of you from Texas know, Rick Perry decreased our state property tax RATE. What a lot of people don't know is that, in order to garner the same amount (or more) of taxes, most all city and county entities increased APPRAISED VALUE. The value of my son's house in north Austin increased $25,000 this year, and he didn't do a damned thing to improve it. As he put it, it was just a coincidence, huh? There are too many such coincidences in Texas, and we can thank Rick Perry, the great leader? of Texas. fritz

"so from now on it is party on." What party? Oh, I'm just joking, as I always do. There are parties and then there are parties. I prefer the ones that serve beef brisket, and not that cheap chicken. The old saying "A chicken in every pot" is outdated. Support the beef industry and buy a steak. There is a new brand of beef, called Heartbrand, that is being served (at a higher price) in a local restaurant. It comes from a breed of cattle imported from Japan or somewhere, and is being bred here in Texas now. It will take awhile for enough slaughter animals to reach maturity and into the market, but this beef is supposed to be entirely different from regular beef. It is the healthiest meat you can eat---and it tastes GOOD! But as long as our government puts fuel over food as a priority, it may be awhile it reaches your market In the meantime, enjoy that ethanol and bio diesel. It comes at an expense to cattlemen in every state. And if you believe it will enrich the pockets of farmers, then think again! There are too damned many middlemen (on the New York Stock Exchange) that will profit first. fritz

"An article in the Statesman tells us that home foreclosures are down in the Austin area and are at the lowest number since 2002. And if you believe that, I have some ocean-front property in Central Texas you can buy at a great price! This is an inaccurate call on whatever data determined that foreclosures are down in the Austin area. The fact is that foreclosures throughout Texas, including the Austin area are at the highest levels ever in the state and will continue to escalate as appraisal districts continue to increase property values, thereby increasing taxes. In addition, Texas home insurance costs still are at doubled premiums, which remain the highest in the nation. These two issues are the primary reason for increased foreclosures as well as the need for homeowners to sell their property at below the market values. For the Addison-based Foreclosure Listing Service Inc. to say anything different displays either an ignorance on the topic or a manipulation of the statistics provided. In addition, be prepared for a more aggressive selling swing starting in January as overburdened homeowners are further bludgeoned by increased taxes and an overabundance of homes on the market. This will result in ever-increasing numbers of foreclosures and continued home sales below market value in a frantic attempt to unload the "ball and chains" clamped onto homeowners by an uncaring and special interest motivated legislature. This foreclosure pendulum swing will continue as long as the antiquated and infantilizing property tax and appraisal system continues to turn the great "American Dream" of owning your own home into a "Catastrophic Nightmare". The answer to foreclosure is to strike oil in your backyard! Well, that is a little extreme, but so is the claim of some "experts" that home foreclosures are down. I agree wholeheartily with the increasing tax appraisals being placed on people's homes as the reason for more foreclosures. And one of the reasons (at least in my county) for the increased appraisals, is because of oil wells in backyards! fritz

"fritz if you think a strong military is expensive you should remember what a weak military costs. Jimro " Obviously a strong military is expensive, but it helps the economy, just as the industrial/military complex of VietNam. But you must take into consideration that the fight then was waged by LBJ, and he also carried out domestic programs here in this very country. Losing the war in VietNam was hard on LBJ, but he did some things on the local level that did not ignore the economy, opposite to what Bush is doing today. Come on and admit it----Bush cannot fight the war and ignore social programs forever. The day will come, very soon, that a choice has to be made. And higher taxes are the only way! The legacy of Bush will be just to pass on his created debt to the newly elected. Just how long can you imagine tax cuts will be the answer? fritz

OK, I bowed to a few of the more radical right-wing answers, and came up with 24. How the hell does anyone get more than that? Anyone who lives in this country? Anyone who is not legally blind? If I can get it downloaded I will post a view by a columnist (Leonard Pitts) who puts the liberal/conservative arguement into new light. Not that it will sway the views of those narrow minded who have already made up their minds, but food for thought. fritz

THINGS TO PONDER > > > > > > > > > > GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER 1. Sag, you're It.2. Hide and go pee.3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.4. Kick the bucket5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over. 6. Musical recliners.7. Simon says something incoherent.8. Pin the Toupee on the bald guySIGNS OF MENOPAUSE:1. You sell your home heating system at a yard sale.2. You have to write post-it notes with your kids' names on them.3. You change your underwear after a sneeze.OLD IS WHEN: 1. Going braless pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.2. You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along. 3. Getting a little action means I don't need fiber today.4. Getting lucky means you find your car in the parking lot.5. An all-nighter means not getting up to pee!Thoughts for the weekendWouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctr Alt Delete' and start all over? Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor!Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever. But Most Of All, Remember !A Good Friend Is Like A Good Bra. Hard to Find, Supportive, Comfortable, And Always Close To Your Heart! ================= Ponderisms I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway. Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to? In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? Who was the fi rst person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?" Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt."If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway? Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle? fritz

It beats the schitt out of me how they scored it, but I got 15! I took it again and scored sixteen just what the hell does this all mean? fritz

Tye and me go way back. He once posted that, since fritz dislikes me, maybe I should quit. I replied to the contrary. I never disliked him (or anyone here, even if it appears that way sometimes). His voice was well spoken and observed, and I shall miss him. Dammit, to the rest of you here, take good care of yourselves. Let us all live a full and happy life, regardless of how we get along. Life is too short to just go along with the status quo, when and if we see things differently. Tye lived by this, and I will miss him. fritz

Aww heck, just nuke 'em! fritz

A question has been asked of me and I will answer to my best ability. Stimulating the economy is GW's wish but he does it just with gish. A lot of money, during VietNam was redirected from sir and mam. It went to pay the complex of military and you and me saw narry a dime of it, we were in a hole but not on the dole. History repeats itself, we are once again on the shelf! Ignore the ecomomy, if you please but there will come a day that we will all pay, higher taxes, if we stay at war and not peace. Like the garageman said---you can pay me now, or you can pay me later! fritz

Forget those cheesy koozies, forget the ice bucket. With one of these, you can keep your bottle of beer, or wine, or champaign very cool. cooler A piece of 5 thousandth stainless shimstock 8X9 and a rubber band is all you need. It started out as a muffler patch, but I see greater potential. fritz

"Can it be better said than this! Profiling I just read in the paper today that some Muslim doctor is saying we are profiling him because he has been checked three times while getting on an airplane. (A Letter From An American Airlines Pilot) This is the same question that many of us have been asking for the past several years....this well spoken man, who is a pilot with American Airlines, says what is in his heart beautifully....read, absorb and pass on....it's time to get answers from those who claim their terrorist members do not represent them..why are their leaders not LOUDLY AND FIERCELY AND CONTINUOUSLY condemning their visible murderous brethren? YOU WORRY ME! By American Airlines Pilot - Captain John Maniscalco "I've been trying to say this since 9-11 but you worry me. I wish you didn't. I wish when I walked down the streets of this country that I love, that your color and culture still blended with the beautiful human landscape we enjoy in this country. But you don't blend in anymore. I notice you, and it worries me. I notice you because I can't help it anymore. People from your homelands, professing to be Muslims, have been attacking and killing my fellow citizens and our friends for more than 20 years now. I don't fully understand their grievances and hate but I know that nothing can justify the inhumanity of their attacks. On September 11, nineteen ARAB-MUSLIMS hijacked four jetliners in my country. They cut the throats of women in front of children and brutally stabbed to death others. They took control of those planes and crashed them into buildings killing thousands of proud fathers, loving sons, wise grandparents, elegant daughters, best friends, favorite coaches, fearless public servants, and children's mothers! The Palestinians Celebrated, The Iraqis were overjoyed as was most of the Arab world. So I notice you now. I don't want to be worried. I don't want to be consumed by the same rage and hate and prejudice that has destroyed the soul of these terrorists. But I need your help. As a rational American, trying to protect my country and family in an irrational and unsafe world, I must know how to tell the difference between you, and the Arab/Muslim terrorist. How do I differentiate between the true Arab/Muslim-Americans and the Arab/Muslims in our communities who are attending our schools, enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter these same good neighbors and children? The events of September 11th changed the answer. It is not my responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of its religions, with ALL of its different citizens, with all of its faults. It is time for every Arab/Muslim in this country to determine it for me. I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know whether or not you love America. Do you pledge allegiance to its flag? Do you proudly display it in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will protect and prosper it? Or do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one of your "Jihads"? Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation affords? A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country? Are you willing to preserve this freedom by paying the ultimate sacrifice? Do you love America? If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it. Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking as a community and as a religion to protect the United States of America! Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent because I worry about who you regard as innocent. No more benign overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about what is unprovoked to you. I am not interested in any more sympathy...I am only interested in action. What will YOU DO FOR AMERICA - our great country -- at this time of crisis, at this time of war? I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets. I want to hear you chanting "Allah Bless America ." I want to see young Arab/Muslim men enlisting in the military. I want to see a commitment of money, time, and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole. The FBI has a list of over 400 people they want to talk to regarding the WTC attack. Many of these people live and socialize in Muslim communities. You know them. You know where they are. Hand them over to us, now! But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action. Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even tighter. You have disappeared from the streets. You have posted armed security guards at your facilities. You have threatened lawsuits. You have screamed for protection from reprisals. The very few Arab/Muslim representatives that HAVE appeared in the media were defensive and equivocating. They seemed more concerned with making sure that the United States proves who was responsible before taking action. They seemed more concerned with protecting their fellow Muslims from violence directed towards them in the United States and abroad than they did with supporting our country and denouncing "leaders" like Khadafi, Hussein, Farrakhan, and Arafat. If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all people then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements from popular Muslim leaders to back it up. What good is it if the teachings in the Koran are good and pure and true when your "leaders" are teaching fanatical interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance? It matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if large numbers of the world's Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion. A form that has been demonstrated to us over and over again. A form whose structure is built upon a foundation of violence, death, and suicide. A form whose members are recruited from the prisons around the world. A form whose members (some as young as five years old) are seen day after day, week in and week out, year after year, marching in the streets around the world, burning effigies of our presidents, burning the American flag, shooting weapons into the air. A form whose members convert from a peaceful religion, only to take up arms against the great United States of America, the country of their birth. A form whose rules are so twisted, that their traveling members refuse to show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name of Islam. Do you and your fellow Muslims hate us because our women proudly show their faces in public rather than cover up like a shameful whore? Do you and your fellow Muslims hate us because we drink wine with dinner, or celebrate Christmas? Do you and you fellow Muslims hate us because we have befriended Israel, the ONLY civilized democratic nation in the entire Middle East? And if you and your fellow Muslims hate us, then why in the world are you even here? Are you here to take our money? Are you here to undermine our peace and stability? Are you here to destroy us? If so, I want you to leave. I want you to go back to your desert sandpit where women are treated like rats and dogs. I want you to take your religion, your friends, and your family back to your Islamic extremists, and STAY THERE! We will NEVER give in to your influence, your retarded mentality, your twisted, violent, intolerant religion. We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that matter, to take away that which is so precious to us: Our rights under the greatest Constitution in the world. I want to know where every Arab/ Muslim in this country stands and I think it is my right and the right of every true citizen of this country to demand it. A right paid for by the blood of thousands of my brothers and sisters who died protecting the very Constitution that is protecting you and your family. I am pleading with you to let me know. I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American. But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance and it is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand." "Until then .. you worry me" " *************************************** submitted by fritz

Congratulations! Is it your first? It's been so long ago that my son was born, that I remember more of my grandaughter who is now two years old. New life is special. Take good care of her. fritz

"The Telephone federal excise tax was put in place to help pay for the Spanish American War (1898), and it's been on and off the books ever since." You had a telephone in 1898? Damned, they didn't get the lines to me until the '60s! "we need to be increasing military spending. Maybe we should take care of Iran and Syria." Well schitt, just use the telephone federal excise tax, and take care of Iran and Syria! "I'm sure that when I'm a grandfather that I'll look back to the days of my youth in the 1980's and believe that things were better then. But unless something really terrible happens in the future, it won't be true, it would just be nostalgia." I doubt if you know the meaning of "nostalgia", only facts. Your facts. Sometimes (more often than not) you fellows make me wonder why you ignore the obvious. fritz

World To Africa is accredited by all the major hotel groups like Sun International, Legacy,Three cities etc. as well as the major operators in the industry in South Africa . The Major shareholder in World To Africa is also a major shareholder in a Top company that is listed on the JSE(South African stock exchange) that is worth millions of US Dollars. DELTA AIR LINES WINTER SALE TO SOUTH AFRICA FROM $ 77500* ROUNDTRIP! * Roundtrip flights from JFK or Washington or Chicago to Johannesburg Taxes approx $250.00 collected at time of ticketing Accompanying Children (2-11 years - @ 75%) and Infants (0-23 months - @ 10%) fare discounts apply. Discounted add on fares to connecting cities within South Africa available. Discounted add on fares to Cape Town and to Durban available. TERMS & CONDITIONS: BOOKING PERIOD: Limited Time Offer – Reservations must be made from June 18th through to July 15th, 2007. TRAVEL DATES: Travel to South Africa between November 1st through December 7th with return travel completed by December 7th, 2008. TICKET PURCHASE: Tickets must be paid for and issued within 5days of booking. All reservations must be ticketed by July 22nd, 2007. Reservations will automatically cancel if not ticketed. MINIMUM STAY: 5 Days MAXIMUM STAY: 12 Months ADD-ON U.S. CITIES: U.S. city add-ons are available for this fare. Please call for details. ADD-CITIES: U.S. city add-ons are available for this fare. Please call for details STOPOVERS: Two stopovers in Atlanta/Johannesburg; 1 free and 1 additional at $100 in either direction. CHILDREN & INFANTS: Accompanying Children (2-11 years - @ 75%) and Infants (0-23 months - @ 10%) fare discounts apply. Discounted add on fares to connecting cities within South Africa available. FREQUENT FLYER MILES: Sky Miles mileage may be accrued. However, Sky Miles bonus award upgrades do not apply. CLASS OF SERVICE: Seat availability is capacity controlled and must be available at time of reservation. Wait-listing is not permitted. CANCELLATIONS: Ticket is non-refundable. CHANGES: Before departure: No changes allowed. After departure each change will incur a charge of $250.00 change fee. Minimum/Maximum Stay restrictions apply. When my well comes in or I win the lottery this would be my fondest wish served upon a silver dish. But until that day I don't got the pay. fritz

What?? You weren't sure your propaganda was heard at first, that to quench your thirst you posted twice your words of wit? You know what that rhymes with! fritz

"from what i have seen on the history channel i do not know if i would beleive it " The History Channel? A popular show, but it's still a show. If you really want to know What happened then and there You won't find it there. It is, after all, just a show. fritz

Midway sponsors a show on TV, and while it may have some small interest to certain persons, it is nothing more than just a big commercial. I lost interest with Midway (and it's owner) when they started their war against Brownells'. Who started that war is just as unclear as just who started the damned war in Iraq! But Midway went the way for the least to pay, Even if it meant your lament! fritz

Where did I find an honest mechanic? There is a fellow who has a nice shop about 10 miles from me, all backroads from here to there. He does car and truck work, but probably more tractor work. He is in the process (and it will be a long one, given his crowded schedule) of restoring an old 8N Ford, that is his own. I used to have one, the same year 1952 that was the last year of the 8N. He has it in one bay, and is replacing every single part on it, besides the engine. It will be really special, and makes me kick myself that I traded mine off years ago (before they started to go up in value). Collector value, I guess. Just as in guns. How did the J-B Weld hold up? Still not sure, the beer can and the clamps are holding back the gas. I have the new upright manifold and muffler on hand, but will see how long it lasts. Just curiousity (and frugalness) I guess. Maybe add laziness into it also. Us German engineers are not quite as tight as the Scots, but pretty close. BTW, since the shop is within tractor driving distance (one hour), I decided to just drive it home. The weather forcast was for rain, but how can you be sure? I took a raincoat just in case, and it rained a flood in that hour's ride. My head and shirt stayed dry, but my ass got wet. So did the bill in my back pocket, as did the checkbook in another pocket. To add insult to injury, when I drove into my place, the damned ground was dry! There is no justice! I squeezed the water out of my pants in order for my lawn to enjoy what I had grit my teeth for an hour to endure! fritz

Tomorow I pick up my old David Brown from the shop. What I thought might be a serious problem in the lower engine, since it has over 7,000 hours on it, was just the valves out of adjustment. The clearance on both intake and exhaust is supposed to be .010 (ten thousandths). Some were over 25 , only one was correct. That would explain the slight clatter in the engine. When I get it back, another tractor needs to go to the shop for a fuel pump and water pump. In the interim, I need to replace the jerry-rigged beer can fix on a Ford with the new parts that arrived yesterday by UPS. It used to be the UPS guy bringing me guns almost every day, now he brings me tractor parts. Never a dull day down on the farm. fritz

"I wish we could get that kind of stuff down here. " Careful there, my friend Before we have this trend There must be a fire and that I do not desire! fritz

By "Jesse", do you mean the colored man who is so clean? Is he the one, the very same who has the very name of our beloved president Jackson? That is cause for action! Is that what this day has to all of us to say that we were wrong albeit it strong? But let us not separate fed from state To those of you who had to work today and could not go out and play I give to you, in consolation that's what made this nation. fritz

This was taken near the Idaho/Washington border recently. Conditions (clouds, moisture, etc) have to be just right and the image lasted for about an hour-- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/fri...867DFC26JOE.jpg fritz