I'm recovering from having spent the night at the Zoo with 20 cub scouts (Webelos mostly). Was much fun! Hearing the wolves howl and the lions roar was a highlight.

I'm also working on the house and programming a custom CF CMS.

You should be watching the Firefly series!@~

Firefly is amazing.

This Sunday afternoon I am doing honey dos around the house. Though I found time to check my email and rss feeds. :)

My wife and I went to see United 93. Ray, I know you don't like politics on this blog (yes, you've actually yelled at me before :( ) - and I have to think that what would be considered RADICAL politics are even MORE off limits, but really I have to ask this. After what was done to us, can someone explain to me why we haven't turned the entire Middle East into a smoking, radioactive parking lot? This is an entire region that HATES Americans, and yet we tip-toe around their feelings as if we really cared WHAT they felt about ANYTHING.

Again, Ray, I do apologize for sounding off on your blog and using it for my own personal soapbox - I must point out that these views are in no way Ray Camden's views, or supported/whatever by this blog; these are MY views, period - but you did ask me what we were doing this Sunday.

My wife tells me that they're making a movie about the WTC right now, and she has vowed not to even let me in the theatre for that one. I understand I am maybe a bit over-emotional and....over-angry, but my question is this: WHY AREN'T THE REST OF YOU FEELING THE SAME DAMN WAY?????

Well, I have mostly been watching Lost (the american series) and trying to get CFC insight working in CFEclipse... fun fun fun!

When they control the military with ColdFusion, then we will talk about that.

Until then, this our our world and as we said in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, "We won't fight and you can't make us."

RE: Parking Lot of radioactivity and sludge...

Well, as much as I agree with you on the idea of wasting the middle east with bombs, particularly since they don't exactly care for us and would like to do the same to us (generally speaking). There is a problem with bombing them back to the stone age:

1) Takes a lot of bombs and kills lots of innocents

2) Really ticks off the rest of the world, who would probably turn against us (particularly since many don't like us anyway), which sucks, since the world we live in now is all emcompassing, we need them to buy and sell to us

3) We need oil. No way to dispute that. As long as 5 foot 1 95 pound women feel the need to drive 6 thousand pound SUVs that guzzle gas, or macho men need to try their V8 Ford F150s to their frigging cubicle offices, we'll need other country's oil. We consume far far more energy per capita than any other country in the world. We drink it up like there is no tomorrow and as long as we need/want their oil, we have to play nice in the sand box. i.e. no indiscrimanate bombing of the masses and the poor. We are greedy as a society and until we curtail our greed, we have to play nicely.

I'm going to try out another project in the flash 8 at work book. I went to my son's violin recital this a.m., and he played great. He's doing his homework. Maybe I'll go swimming and walk the dog.

I worked in the yard... in the rain.

I've been ripping siding off of my house for the last couple weeks. It's raining today, so i'm at the coffee shop working on my stock market prediction engine. After 10 years, CFML still kicks some ass.

Neil, the reason we haven't nuked the middle east is because, thankfully, we dont all make decisions based on knee jerk reactions after spending 2 hours in a theater. I saw United 93, and I thought it was a great film in that it presented the tragic story without glamorizing it or political undertones. Yes, there are threats to the US in the middle east. There are also people just like you and me, with individual views and opinions. Not every middle easterner hates Americans, and even if they do, they dont all want to fly a plane into your house. And they definitely dont all want to nuke America.

Knee-jerk reaction... hrmm.

Yeah, you're probably right.

These people don't CHEER when helicopters are shot down and our soldiers die (THIS time is was a British helo, but how many of OUR soldiers have had their deaths cheered and celebrated??)

These people don't bitch constantly about the world they live in, and curse America, when for the most part, every single one of their own problems is the result of their own incompetence.

But moreover, and most importantly, these people didn't KILL THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS simply to make a POINT. AND CHEERED - DANCED IN THE DAMN STREETS!!!!! - WHEN IT HAPPENED!

You're right. This is all in my imagination. Just Hollywood firing up my emotions so that I will have a 'knee-jerk' reaction to what is really our own fault anyway, right?

Let me guess:

you're an environmentalist who refuses to support drilling for oil but bitches about the price of gas.

you're a bleeding heart liberal who believes that the fasho-islamacists don't HATE us, they're just misunderstood.

you're one of the people SCREAMING about how immoral abortion is but supports the death penalty.

I could go on and on.... but, it would probably just be a 'knee-jerk reaction' after spending 45 seconds reading an email that basically meant that we should continue to take it where the sun doesn't shine simply because we can't seem to be able to weed out the monsters from the normal people, and the normal people over there refuse to point out who and where the monsters are.

IN MY OPINION, IF YOU SHELTER AND COVER UP FOR A MONSTER, YOU **ARE** A MONSTER!

But what do I know.... I am just having a knee jerk reaction to watching a 2 hour movie. The problem is, we've all gotten complacent, we've forgotten just how PISSED OFF we SHOULD be. I don't agree with the rhetoric that this is a 'global war' on par with world war II. But I DO believe that, on some level, its us or them.

In a situation like that, its gotta be us, every time. I feel bad for the innocents who will have to get burned down, but I am sure that there were innocents in Nagaski, too.... This country had the balls then to do what needed to be done, rather than to sit around and bitch about the cost of doing it.

Ah yes... we (US and UK) invaded Iraq because of 9/11? err..hm. no.. it was because the Tony and George Show said they had Weapons of Mass Destruction, which.. hmm.. havent materialised. Great, £300 Million to go find a .. I guess.. a pen or something.

Next, IRAN! The show must go on!

Spent the day playing with my baby girl and attending to visitors. In the evening, watched the eviction show on big brother nigeria...

Yes, it was a pen, but it was a really, really cool pen. First the girl is clothed, then naked, then clothed, then...you get the idea. Come on, isn't that worth the money and the lives we've spent? </sarcasm>

Before anyone sends angry replies, accept my sarcasm for what it is. I spent time in uniform and have a lot of friends who are or have been over there (although I never was). Sarcasm is just a way of dealing with these things.

I drank lots of beer.

And to throw some gas on the political fire, I saw a great bumper sticker this weekend.

'Would your unborn fetus has rights if it were gay?'

Priceless.

Iraq is a totally different kettle of fish (though how the HELL did the UK get away w/ only dropping 300M? We spent that on January 17th. And the 18th. And the 19th....... ok, a BIT of an exaggeration, but the point is made).

In the 80's, the Russians - by and large; not completely, but for the most part - were left alone by the hijackings and whatnot that swept the world because they let it be known that if you killed any Russians, they would bring the wrath of GOD down on the Middle East.

If Bush (and believe me, I understand Bush is a lying, no-speaking-right, manipulating bastard) went on CNN and said, "The next American that dies, we will drop a nuke on a Muslim holy site..." Mecca, or whatever.... He'd have to follow through only ONCE. First, we wouldn't HAVE to find osama bin dumbass, the middle east would hand his turban-wearing ass over to us on a platter, and second, there would never be another act of terrorism again. And if there were, well, we keep making the middle east glow until the problem goes away.

I understand that there are people in the middle east that want no part of this fight, BUT THERE WERE PEOPLE IN NY ON 9/11/01 WHO DIDN'T KNOW THERE ***WAS*** A FIGHT!!!! And, again, its us against them, and unfortunately, in a situation like that, THEY have to GO!

Iraq.... jeez, where do you even start? Yup, Bush lied. There, I said it. Saddam was a problem, but he wasn't OUR problem. How about the fact that 15 out of 19 hijackers were from SAUDI ARABIA...?? THAT sounds like OUR problem....

But.... again, what the hell do I know....

I made the point about the 300 million pounds because, and this isnt really shocking, our National Health Service is overbudget by exactly that ammount. Hmm.. I wonder where the money went? more beds? nay!

I dont think getting all the bombs out for the lads is the answer, the ants are already in your pants and stomping on the ant-hill will just make them all scatter all over the place (ehem, like here, remember we have a memorable date too! 7th of July and then the subsequent attempts)

This is all an Oil race, that will end eventually: http://www.oilposter.org/po...

You can see that the US reserves are dwindling and you need to secure oil, at whatever cost.

No country would spend that much money on a war if there wasnt a good economical benefit.

I played a gig, finished a book, played a gig , then watched some TV

Thank you everyone for keeping civil. Please be sure to keep it that way. ;) Oh and Jeff, thanks for making me feel lazy. ;)

Ah, spending time with your son is more important than making the weeds grow higher anyway, right? I got wet enough for both of us :)

I were in Trondheim for my nieses confirmation. Had a wonderful time meeting relatives that we meet far to seldom (5 years ago was the last time). I left my laptop at home, and for a large part left the cell phone in the car. Ahh.... :)

As to the discusion in other comments: Neil, you're probably a nice enough fellow, but you and the likes of you scare the heck out of me. Far more than the average middle eastern person. Read my take on it here: http://www.waterswing.com/b...

Ray - I'm really sorry for "poluting" your blog with this. But I feel certain things needs to be answered.

Neil I agree with you, but perhaps ray's blog is not the spot for it...

Email me and we can find our method for explaining our thoughts...without intruding on ray's thoughts..

Thanks...

Guys, I LOVE Ray's blog, and read it (multiple times) every day. And if this was/is an inappropriate place for this, I apologize - I truly meant no disrespect.

That being said: Trond, perhaps if someone you cared about was hurt on 9/11, you would feel differently. The cold hard facts of the matter are this (and anytime anyone says these things, they are immediately labeled a racist, so people just stick their head in the sand and hope it goes away):

Just about every single major conflict on the planet today involves Muslims.

Muslims HAVE to fight a guerilla war, because they haven't won a straight-up fight in.....jeez, CENTURIES now.

They stab us in the left eye, while looking us straight in the right eye and say, 'But we're not ALL like that!'

These people have sworn before their god that they will destroy our way of life, and they COUNT on the fact that there will be people like Trond who will say, "Ahhh...live and let live"....

And lastly, I agree. We need the oil. We - the US - use far more than our share. You know what?

So what. Whenever there is a problem anywhere in the world, people look to us to solve it. Let me tell you this: most, if not ALL, of Europe would be speaking German (if not that, than Russian) if it weren't for the U.S. They LOVE us THEN. However, when it comes time for us to look after our OWN interests, then we're evil, self serving and vile.

In my opinion we have two choices: we drill the oil from our own resources, but that will never happen. The environmentalist nuts in our country have a strangle hold on THAT process, so we're left with one alternative, in my humble opinion.

We take it. Throughout human history, there have been strong people, and there have been...weakER people. Can you imagine the Roman Empire saying, "Mr. Osama bin NutJob, please let us have the oil we need and don't kill TOO many of our Roman Citizens?" or the British Empire saying, "Shiek WhoEverYouAre, please bend over so I can kiss your royal behind while one of your minions boots me in the arse"? Come on. Be real. But now, because its OUR turn?? Now, all of a sudden that type of behavior is uncivilized. NOW its terrible. Its ok when OTHERS do it to us; its ok when Europe needed us to save their arse time and time again. But now?? Oh no, we can't do that. Screw that.

Let me tell you a secret folks: when hundreds of thousands of tanks with the Chinese red start are rolling north, right over Asia and towards Europe - THEN the world will love the U.S. again. Mother of God, can you imagine Truman saying, 'Well, not ALL of the Japanese is Hiroshima are bad people who hate us'????

Yeah, its people like me that scare you - until you NEED people like me. Then we're the best damn friends you've ever had.

Everyone (so far) has been nice and respectful, and I appreciate that. And normally I'm all for free expression (shoot, it drives my traffic up ;) but I'd like to ask that we please stop. I -do- post political entries every now and the, but this is the type of argument that will go around and around and around.

So..... for now.... lets just agree that I'm always right and move on. :)

I won't agree to that...Because no one is always right or wrong...

:)

Holy Crap Neil, what the heck is your malfunction? Have you actually severed in the U.S Military? I'm betting you haven't. I doubt you'd even qualify. I've done my time and done my duty and I am happy and proud to be listed among the ranks of the retired military

You say, "But.... again, what the hell do I know....." Well, evidently you know very little.

Then you say, "Guys, I LOVE Ray's blog, and read it (multiple times) every day. And if this was/is an inappropriate place for this, I apologize - I truly meant no disrespect." Yet you continue. You are truly a disingenuous person. You have truly shown disrespect for Ray and everyone here.

And it gets better. You say, "Yeah, its people like me that scare you - until you NEED people like me." BS. You don't scare anyone and understand this now. No one need people like you.
Now I can't wait to see what you call me. And I'm betting you get it ALL WRONG. You are truly a clueless person.

Have a nice day.

MOS 12B10.... if YOU have a clue, Gary, you'll know what that is.

Let me guess.... you voted for Kerry in the last election.... no, don't bother to lie about it, we all know already, anyway....

Oookkkaaaay. So I'll be closing the comments I guess. Too bad folks couldn't just let it go, but I did ask for this to stop.