Ugh!

Do not EVER make bloody marys using vanilla vodka. Absolutely disgusting. Not Stoli-icious at all.

The blame game: what I did wrong prior/during/after Katrina.

1). Johnny Baller: My failure to write my congressman about not doing enough to shore-up our levy system. Yep, I live in Sacramento, California and we are surrounded by 'em.

2). Residents in any area susceptible to a disaster (that's all of us): Believing that everything would be fine in a disaster because the gov't will take care of me.

3). The Media, who just didn't get it (most of us): looting is perfectly acceptable behavior if you are stealing supplies because your life depends on it. And, for all our experience in reporting horrible things happening around the globe, not using our initial airtime to get the message across: stuff like "get out now, how to get out, where to go, etc."

4). FEMA: acting like we never saw a hurricane before. A little preparation is a bad thing.

5). George W. Bush: Once again, prior to discussing important shit on TV, I still don't understand the levity of the events unfolding around me and can goof-off and make stupid jokes either before or during the televising; others would be stoic, crying, or adamant about getting something done. Think "inspiration", not teleprompter.

6). George's parents: we shouldn't go on TV and talk about poor people-it just makes us look arrogant and ignorant of what they are going through.

7). Stop reading this post and instead, click on my ASPCA link and help save someone's pet. It may be the only family someone has.

Re-Train America! Part One.

The premise is this: our nation, in its search for ways to stimulate the economy, foster more efficient and effective systems of transportation, and gradually yet systematically remove ourselves from dependence on an oil based-industrial revolution style lifestyle, is simply going about it the wrong way. My solution is elegant in its simplicity, effective merely by its application, and perfectly timed for $3 a gallon gasoline. We need to return to an economy where both product and people are moved not by automobile, but by railroad.

Over the course of several posts, I'm going to outline how we can do it, why we should do it and what you can do to help get it done. Disclaimer: post will not be consecutive and may be over take several weeks (I have other shit to do, you know). Plus, it's not like this is going to happen anytime soon (I may be optimistic, but I'm no fool).

So, now is the time to start thinking "trains," and literally, we just may get this thing rolling...

Wal-mart To the Rescue? Come On, Bill Gates!

Looks like I almost have to start shopping at Wal-mart again. It's a sad day when-and let's face it, this is exactly what they are-a convenience store outperforms the U.S. Government by leaps and bounds during a national emergency of catastrophic proportions. 20 million dollars in aid, 1500 trucks moving supplies to those in need and I still haven't heard Bush thank them once.

So, yeah, although they forced a few (O.K., tons of) local mom-and-pop businesses to close, created local gridlock, and refuse to provide decent benefits to insane employees who somehow still find praise for the wonders of Wal-mart, they certainly kick-ass as a disaster relief agency. Walmart, it turns out, is a true American patriot. Who would of guessed it?

And speaking of patriots, I'm throwing down the gauntlet at the feet of Bill Gates, the number one man at Microsoft. Bill, you have so much money, you could single-handedly rebuild all of New Orleans by yourself; your place in history would be carved in stone (literally, in highly polished granite, somewhere in the town itself should you rise to the occasion) as the man who rebuilt America's Cajun Headquarters and as the PC Emperor of the planet. For the record, I am fully aware the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a philothropic powerhouse. I just though I'd throw this out there 'cause giving feels so good.

Obese People More Likely To Survive Hurricanes Due To Buoyancy, Declares FEMA

You call this Disaster Relief? 'Cause I sure don't.

When the Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, was pleading with residents to evacuate his city, were those in charge of FEMA and the American Red Cross listening? And more importantly, if they were, what was going through their minds? They should have been moving food and water in to the Louisiana Superdome, setting up tents and shelters in nearby safe locations; no such luck: we never bothered to reach out to organizations that provided relief for weeks, months and years in foreign countries and, instead, chose to rely on FEMA, who acted as though they had never even seen a hurricane before. This is the type of warning that should have given them a clue: "There's certainly a chance it can weaken a bit before it gets to the coast, but unfortunately this is so large and so powerful that it's a little bit like the difference between being run over by an 18-wheeler or a freight train. Neither prospect is good." This warning came from Max Mayfield, the Director of the National Hurricane Center.

It's time to ask some hard questions and do some investigating and start firing the obviously incompetent organizers of this so-called relief effort and replace them with quick-witted, capable people who can think on their feet and who are not afraid to make tough decisions in difficult times. Those of you in FEMA who turned away trucks loaded with water, who refused to allow the Coast Guard to deliver diesel fuel to the Jefferson parish, and who cut off emergency communication lines without bothering to provide any advance notice, you know who you are and you should be truly ashamed. If you were following some archaic rules and regulations you should have known that rules were meant to be broken. In times of need, you failed those who needed you most. Quit now and save us the paperwork.

These people are supposed to be the experts; people lives were in their hands and they simply were not up to the task.

I think we've become complacent and to far removed from reality. We don't know what it's like to be without food, water, shelter, transportation and a place to crap or piss. What it's like to have NOTHING. This is a common occurrence in third world countries. I'm listening to Larry King's show as I write this and I'm listening to former President Bush and his wife, Barbara, talking about how we should be focusing on unity and helping these people now, and not pointing fingers at what went wrong. This is exactly what is wrong with our leadership. They always focus on fixing what's wrong and not in preventing the errors in the first place. We all know how great it is that people are being saved this very minute, but it is tragic that we could have did so much more, buy neglected to do so out of incompetence. We have far to many "Yes Men," and not nearly enough of those who are fearless to say "No," to those who need to hear it most. If you want true change, surround yourself with those who possess different views and create an environment to foster ideas, and great things can come to fruition.

Our society, politicians, gov't leaders, managers and those who lead in general, spend way to much time putting out fires and not preventing them. Planes, buses, boats and trains should have been already in place, ready to move large numbers of evacuees. We have the greatest military force on the planet but we couldn't find the man powers to get ready for this? We could have moved cruise ships nearby to house people, readied large trucking firms to have rigs available to move goods and people. The majority of trucking companies are dispatched by computer and GPS; certainly our government could have set up accounts so we could tap in to their resources when needed.

Oh, and speaking of Trains, they would have certainly been helpful for moving folks out of town. I do not want to hear about how the poor could not afford to use buses and rail: in times of an evacuation, THEY SHOULD BE FREE! Do we need MBA's to figure this stuff out? I don't think so.

Yes, we are talking about class issues. In times of crises, however, we can blur those lines of division by using common sense. If Sacramento can have "ride RT for free" days, we can certainly give disaster victims a free ride as well.

The Department of Homeland Security is a joke. After 9/11 there was all this talk about creating a system of communication that emergencie workers would be able to use after acts of terrorism, but after Katrina, they had no cell phones and no land lines available for use, forcing the Police, Firefighters, Aid-Workers, and others scrambling for ways to communicate with each other. What the hell are they spending all that money on? Bush certainly didn't give it to New Orleans to shore up their levies. Oh, but we can spend 223 million dollars on an Alaskan bridge for something like 50 people. Yeah, that's right. Read it again if your having trouble with it. Yes, you voted for these guys. Time to make some changes.

Bush had to cut his vacation short-again. I am sick and tired of hearing about how it is so great that he, or any other leader for that matter, is down on the scene, getting their hands dirty, so to speak. It's their job. It's what they are expected to do. But, we should demand much more than that. Much, much more.

In my next post, I'm going to introduce my economic and transportation solution, intended to revitalize our economy and to help free us from oil, The Re-Train America Program.

Bush-right man for the wrong job-here's the job.

There are those if the Baller offices who would consider this an outrage, but there is an office in which George W. Bush is well suited and would, in my eyes, be much more effective than we ever believed possible: secretary-General of the United Nations. Here's my take on the situation:

First, John Bolton is the right man for the job. Why, you may ask? Simple. If Congress approves his nomination, contrary to all logical thinking, the basis for an effective U.N. will be put in to place. All of Bolton's criticisms, however harse and, in the words of many UN supporters, unjustified, are really quite accurate from a historical perspective. Just take a look at Rwanda and Darfur, where genocide is and has been a tragedy of humanitarian assistance, or lack thereof. Kofi Annan is simply too bureaucratic to take immediate action and stop the killings. If this lack of action was one your resume, you wouldn't get very far in your job search. At JBGDCI, your resume wouldn't even get past the screening process (did I hear our computers laughing?). Victims do not benefit by meeting after useless meeting. What they need is action.

However, with this team, action they would get. With Bolton as representative of the U.S. to the United Nations, Bush is the perfect candidate for Secretary-General of the U.N.-he's eager to go to war with those he considers evil, favors a strong military and surrounds himself with those loyal to the cause. Steadfast in nature and sure of his actions, at least as portrayed by his cronies and the media, this could be the world's opportunity for a man who could make a difference to those who are truly most in need of immediate assistance and protection. The United Nations could use a man like this.

In addition, although he would no longer be officially serving the U.S., Bush could help rebuild the hatred of the U.S. in other cultures and nations by now using our military might for truly humanitarian reasons and not simply in order to further U.S. interest abroad. Could you imagine a would where other countries would actually support the actions of George Bush? What a concept! So, although this word has been beaten to death, this is the paradigm shift the United Nations has desperately needed for sometime. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but this time it sounds like the right idea: George, the people of the world need you.

Philipe Alou is a cry baby. Fire him instead.

For those of us who attended and paid attention during our geography lessons, the Caribbean is a region, not a race of people. For those of you who were absent: the Caribbean is composed of approximately 7000 islands and is divided in to twenty-five regions. Its populace does contain "Dominicans, Mexicans and Venezuelans." as his son, Moises, has pointed out. But, it also has its fair share of whites, Spaniards, African-Americans, and several other races of people. So, one could hardly construe Larry Krueger's comments about how painful it is to watch a bunch of "brain-dead Caribbean hitters hacking at slop nightly," as a racist remark.

Nor is it a stretch to believe that Philipe does indeed have "cream of wheat in his brain." All one has to do is watch how he continually changes pitchers at the first signs of trouble. Defending this behavior as "it's just his style," is both an excuse for poor management and an insult to the pitchers that he removes. I say it's high time to remove the manager and put someone who is a little more stable in his place. Dusty Baker takes this kind of flack with his morning tea and then comes out swinging.

Just because Alou is geographically challenged and has misunderstood Krueger's comments does not make him the poster boy for anti-racism. What his comments do make him is a hypocrite: "There's no way to apologize for such a sin." Since when are sins unforgivable? So much for following what the Bible teaches the true believers.

KNBR should be held accountable in the press for allowing this witch hunt to proceed as it has. This is, plain and simple, just sloppy journalism, and it's no wonder there are those who believe theEnglish language is on a down hill slide. If you can't understand the language, you certainly shouldn't be allowed to use it to publicly crucify someone who obviously has a better grasp of it the management of KNBR.

Those of you who are outraged by Krueger's comments are a disgrace to English students everywhere. So, pretty please with sugar on top, go back to school, try to study and for God's sake: take notes!

Medical Marijuana vs. Marinol

This one is short and to the point. Here's the reason to smoke marijuana for medical reasons and not take Marinol, as Jerry DiGiacomo of Antelope, California so blantantly recommends in his letter to the Sacramento Bee, where he states, "Most 'medical marijuana' users are just looking for an excuse to smoke pot." Marijuana is easy to cultivate, can be done organically and creates communities for local patients and creates revenues for local economies-all without the support or need of pharmaceutical companies. Sounds like Jerry hasn't thought this one through all the way-unless, of course, he's holding stock in some drug companies...

Autopsy Shows Terri Schiavo's Parents in Persistent State of Denial

Learn To Pick Your Battles

The real tragedy for everyone involved in the beating death of Mark Leidheisl is that none of the involved parties had the sense to forgo pulling over, choosing instead to continue with their juvenile conduct; the end result being one dead banker and a couple of guys who are facing either some prison time or, perhaps even worse, a lifetime of psychological trauma and sleepless nights for killing a man. This is a prime of example of street smarts vs. booksmarts and booksmarts lost the battle, save for Marks' passenger, who clearly had the right idea in running away. Coming from a background in finance myself, unless you are a banker and have mastered some form of martial arts, it is best not to get involved in fisticuffs. This does not excuse the other two from responsibility: we all know it's a bad idea to involve oneself in anything that pertains to road rage, and, like Dr. Laura, I am getting quite distressed by the seemingly never ending parade of those who are unable to separate logic from emotion. If you gotta flip someone off, hey, whatever, but why is that some people do not hear the little voice inside their head that says "man, do not pull over or you might get shot," or "screw this guy, I need a burger?" Alcohol? Maybe. But if that's the case, neither of these guys should have been driving in the first place. And if they were drinking, the Maloofs and the Arena people had better be concerned if they served any of the involved parties any cocktails or beer. Can you say Leidheisl Arena?

RT's proposed fair increase.

Off the top of my head, I'd have to say that even with the increase in fair, my car is still a whole lot more money to operate. A quick calculation puts my vehicle expenditures at around $3,800 (payments, insurance, gas and maintenance) vs. $960 for a years worth of RT monthly passes. Its been a few years since they have done so, and it sounds like a prudent fiscal move. However, I would like to add a few things to RT's agenda:

1) Light Rail should be more conveniently located, say, like stopping at Sac State. Who to blame: Sac States administrators who killed that idea. Or, in my world, it should have run right down the middle of J Street all the way to Rancho Cordova (or farther).

2) Bike lanes and more bike lanes. Yeah, everyone says it dangerous to ride on the streets. Hello! That's because there are no bike lanes. There should be bike lanes on Freeport Blvd., on Broadway, on J Street, on Folsom Blvd. The list goes on. There should be bike lanes that parallel light rail lines, 'cause that would make way too much sense to actually put them there. Imagine how nice it would be to have bicycle lanes that went on for miles with little or no interruption and with hardly any interaction with motorvehicles. Wow! I'm getting excited just thinking about this concept...

3) Create more bus express trips, so we can get somewhere a little faster than five times what it takes to do so by automobile. I recently rode the bus and transferred to light rail to get from Fulton Ave to Fruitridge-approximate travel time: one and a half hours. Wait a second, that was a beautiful thing, having all that time to read and be unproductive; just enjoying life. Nevermind on this one. We need to slow down more.

4) Grant amnesty for groups or individuals who stand up to thugs, out of control kids or anyone else who is disruptive, rude or violent on public transportation. If you are an ass, you deserve what you get and those giving it to you should be allowed to walk away after wackin' your dumb ass.

Do not complain about how this will affect seniors. Screw 'em. Most of them have sold us out for their own pensions, welfare, medical care and whatever else you can name so they can benefit from lower taxes and earlier retirement then we will ever see. Yes, I know there are exceptions and that's what social programs are for. Go ahead, ask your baby boomer parents how much they paid for college; that should give you a pretty good idea of how much they really care about your welfare. Oh, here's a good one: instead of asking how much their parents gave them to help buy their first home, ask them what percentage of the purchase price it was. Then compare that to what they did or did not give you. Kinda ugly, huh?

RT clearly needs to increase fairs and we do need more public transit. Maybe this will spur more people involved in the planning process, and help enlighten people like Britney Williams, who, in today's Sacramento Bee, was quoted as saying, "I mean, I don't see the reason for them to raise the prices," and how it may inspire more people to ride bikes, drive or, in her case, get a license. On the other hand, she did mention that it may inspire people to ride bikes...

Jeff Weise: Columbine's lessons go unlearned.

Yes, this is sad and tragic and every parent is now, once again, having to ask themselves "can this happen to my child." This is simply the wrong question. The correct question is complex, requiring deeper thinking and self contemplation. "Why, after Columbine, did we not try to teach our children to respect those who are different from us, and, rather than torment them with cruel words and division, embrace those differences and celebrate diversity?" I know this sounds like hogwash to many of you, but that is the fundamental question.

In addition, we are all being bombarded with the same school kid journalism in the papers, internet and TV: "He wore black." "He wore a trench coat." "He drew a very strange sketch." I know tons of kids who wear black, draw skulls and enjoy dark poetry, but this hardly makes them a threat to society. All of the Enron, Worldcom and Tyco folks wore suits, but you don't see people damning the rest of those who don similar clothing. How dumb would this look in your local paper: "Every time I saw him, he was wearing a suit and tie. We used to hang out, but then he started drinking Mochas and reading the Wall Street Journal-I mean, come on. What do all those strange symbols in that paper mean?"

So, all you so-called journalist, I'm throwing down the gauntlet. Every time a murderer, rapist or serial killer is caught, please report what type of clothing they wear, what style of art they are fond of creating, the music they enjoy and whose blogs or websites they visited. "He enjoyed the paintings of Thomas Kinkade and listened to Whitney Houston." Or "He started discussing Wagner operas and I should have seen it coming." "All those pictures of bunnies; such a cry for help." "Did you see his blog? He complained of being wrongly accused of acts he did not commit." Hell, that's half of the teenagers of the planet right there.

Well, there you have it. So, start investigating and show the world just how suspect we all are.

And the winner for worst comparison goes to...

Shane Singh, Sacramento Republican Candidate for Congress, for equating the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube to "the Nazi's putting disabled people to death since they were a burden to their society." (Sacramento Bee editorial letter, March 22, 2005) Although I feel strongly compelled to discuss this further, doing so would make me feel cheap. Perhaps my strongest pet peeve regarding the Republicans is their inevitable resortment to name calling. Once again, I am sorely disappointed. Come on. Its been 15 years, people! Damn it-now I feel cheap. Gotta go...

Schiavo's lack of will power torments us all.

So, congress has time to hold hearings on illegal substance (aka: steroids) use in baseball and they can all get together to find time in constructing legislation to interfere with family medical decisions in the Schiavo feeding tube debacle, but they were unable to find the time to read the Patriot Act prior to signing. Both Congress and Bush are overstepping their bounds by involving themselves in a state matter-thereby ignoring constitutional separations of state and federal gov't.

The question one has to confront is this: why not step in and fight everyone's battles? This case is only important due to a set of parents illogical attachment to a belief that their daughter is somehow going to be "OK" again if she was ever to come out of her coma, which, according to her doctors, isn't going to happen. And really, the real issue here is how come the media is not discussing why she went in to this coma in the first place. Well, I'll tell you instead: she was another person who resorted to bulimia to make herself thinner. KRON reports...

"But keeping the weight off was a struggle for Terri Schiavo, and years later -- after her heart stopped briefly, cutting off oxygen to the brain -- a malpractice case brought against a doctor on her behalf would reveal she had been trying to survive on liquids and was making herself throw up after meals. The Schiavos' lawyer said her 1990 collapse was caused by a potassium imbalance brought on by an eating disorder." http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=2994651

Here's my rundown. Pretty girl makes stupid decision in how to lose weight (vs. eating correctly and exercise), then ties up our courts with a frivolous lawsuit, blames a doctor and society for her problems, is discovered to be causing her own problems, later dies because of them, is resuscitated and slips in to a coma, is given no chance of recovery, and is now tying up Congress, our president and the news media. Ironically, this is all over whether to stop feeding her, which is what brought this on in the first place. I am not being funny. This is a fairly good example of what is meant by the "consequences of one's actions."

Now on my "Do Not Hire" list...

If anyone would like to read what is perhaps the most asinine letter to the editor ever, check out the March 2, 2005 edition of the Sacramento Bee. And I quote: "Two thirds of Earth is covered in water and man occupies only about 10 percent of the remaining third. The entire planet is surrounded by an atmosphere 55 miles thick. That's a lot of air to pollute. While we can trash nearby rivers and lakes and foul the air around our cities, to think we can affect our climate is absurd." -John Carter, Roseville.

The legal team of JBGDCI was adamant in their recommendation not to locate our HQ in Roseville, and now I remember why: lack of sound reasoning in potential new hires.

Many Sacramentens Just Don't Get It.

You won't see the photo of the soldiers uniform in a noose, which Steve and Virginia Pearcy decided to hang from their home, on my blog. Why? Perhaps it had never occured to them or any of the other supporters of their action, that if and when this photo gets posted to some website and our soldiers take a look at it, even though the intent may not be there, it's going to make us look like we blame them for what's going on in Iraq. We all know who's to blame for the war and we know where his residence on Pennsylvania Ave is. But that is not the point. Say what you will, but this looks like America after Vietnam all over again.

Diana Griego Erwin got it right this time in quoting Ken Russel, who said "What I wish is that the cops would close down the street so we could actually talk to one another." She then told him that this was the most intelligent comment she had heard all night, and I'm afraid to say it, but that should be such a given that it need not be said, but I'm pleased she told him so. That type of feedback is a nice change from the majority of activites that went on that night.

What is even more sad is that our city council said they couldn't solve the problem. What problem? That some residents decided to act upon their constitutional rights? "Unfortunately or fortunately this is protected speech by the First Amendment ... so there is nothing we can do about it," Sacramento City Councilman Rob Fong said. At least Councilman Fong worded his statement ambiguously. Now there's taking a stand for you-or not, in this case.

Evidently, an unknown (at this time) group of individuals have torn down the display, thereby performing the illegal acts of vandolism and trespassing, along with not letting their morals get in the way of doing what's right. But, at what cost? Just because you disagree with the statement does not give you the right to trounce upon the constitutional rights of others. Wouldn't it have been much easier to approach the Pearcy's home, knock politely on their door and ask if you could discuss their new home ornament and why you find it offensive? Apparently not.

Now that's a great lookin' bitch.  

Say what you will about Bush-now here's a stance!

Did anyone see the bitch that won Best In Show at Westminster today? Carlee, the dog that took top honors, is clearly the canine who has it all. If you didn't watch this event, and you're the type who who says this stuff is boring, then you are truly an ass. Having the opportunity to watch anyone or anything, for that matter, at the top of their game is an inspiring experience; this time all the better knowing that these animals are probably just having a great time and have little knowledge of what their actions are actually leading up to: Best In Show, Westminster. Bravo, Carlee!

Mr. Baller enjoys a nice Cuban during a rare moment of relaxation in San Francisco (Sept. 2004). 

Bush's Budget: Write to your Reps and ask them to reject it!

Is anyone besides me sick of all this budgetary hocus-pocus that Bush is attempting to use in presenting his new budget to Congress? Cheney: "I think you'll find, once people sit down and have a chance to look at the budget, that it is a fair, reasonable, responsible, serious piece of effort." Perhaps, but only for a six year old. The operations cost of Irag and Afghanistan will be left out of future budgets, along with the costs of "solving" the so-called Social Security crisis. These figures should be readily available to the public, not just those privy to the budgetary process and they should be discussed opening in public forums, aka the media. Take in to account the proposed cuts in law enforcement ($1.3 billion), educational ( $4.3 billion), rail transportation (no subsidy to Amtrak and $20 billion to high-speed rail), doubling co-payments and adding additional fees to veterans, and what you have is a budget that leaves every child left behind, unprotected and unable to move about to see his now broke grandfather.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was on ABC's "This Week" saying "I hope we in Congress will have the courage to support it." Can it be any clearer that the once strong and progressive McCain is now just a patsy for his party? What I would have liked to hear is something more along the lines of "I hope we in Congress will have the strength to stand up and demand more from our Commander in Chief. This budget is exactly what has been wrong with corporate America and should not be allowed to continue in the America you and I live in." But, of course, I am just dreaming.

Does anyone feel safer now after reading William Finnegan's article in the The New Yorker? It turns out that the Bush administration isn't nearly as serious about protecting us from terrorism as it would have you believe, and instead, relies primarily on the media's lack of in-depth reporting skills, thereby allowing them to get away with doing almost nothing to increase our national security: In 2001, Bush required all cargo on commercial flights to be screened. Flashforward to 2005. What percent is being screened as I write this? Less than 5 percent. And when Clark Evin, the depts. Inspector General outlined in his reports this and other serious security deficiencies, his was let go. And don't get me started on the lack of security screening that is not going on at our commercial harbors-the percentage is about the same.

Feel safer with George W. Bush in office, 'cause I sure don't

Jimmy Carter Invents Time Travel!

What bothers me is not whether Jimmy is guilty or innocent, but rather that the majority of folks who write about this, or any other topic for that matter, seem to be unable to engage their brains prior to picking up a pen or turning on their PC.

Have you all forgotten, or more probably, been unaware, that President Carter has done more great things after departing from the presidency that any other president? He's been involved with the building, personally mind you, of over 100 houses with Habitat for Humanity, meets with diplomats to discuss important global issues (ending cotton subsidies to help maintain the lively hood of small farmers as one example) and he builds furniture by hand. Know, I realize many of you would not consider that last one important. However, most people couldn't build something useful by themselves if their lives depended on it, so I rank that one rather high myself.

None the less, we are talking about Jimmy Carter here. It would be perhaps the greatest plot twist of all if someone could prove that Carter was intentionally involved in a Food for Oil scam. Not likely, though.

I, for one, will patiently await the results of thorough and complete investigations prior to condeming the man for meeting with someone who was involved in wrong doing. After all, we all have done the same and I don't expect the Feds to come knocking at our doors any time soon.

Sunset from JBGDCI headquarters. 

I love my job!

Johnny Baller would like to express his Sincere Appreciation Mainly (S.A.M.) to those who work directly with him for the use of what appears to now be not so common, common sense. There is nothing more enjoyable in a work place than to watch someone who is at the top of their game.

Off My Chest

• To all of you people who where offended by the cartoon images which portrayed the Sacramento firefighters as womanizers: you are they people that the rest of us make fun of as soon as you turn around and leave. What you should be offended by is the behaviour of those firefighters who were responsible for those repugnent acts; that's the time when you pick up your pen, your phone or laptop and communicate to those in charge to demand that some thing really be done about vs. slapping the offenders on the wrist. Instead, you show your true colors by implying that those cartoons were meant to represent all firefighters, and only someone blinded by bias would assume that stance. Shut up and become productive citizens.
• To all of you women who are wearing the veil and act as though you are doing so because God/Ala deemed it so: study some history-men wrote the Bible and the Koran, along with most of the other major heavy paperweights/divine revelations; so guess who is trying to keep you down? You got it-men. Doesn't anybody who watches Hollywood movies realize that all those fucked-up woman roles were mostly written my men? And, when they were written or directed by a woman, it was generally altered so that it would make it to the screen; you don't find that many "strong women" roles in Hollywood, and when you do, they were played by women who were strong in their own lives: Betty Davis, and of course, Katherine Hepburn, the template for strong womanhood. Men who say women need to be covered in public because they are wanton, or that it imparts men with lust are not putting the blame upon where it belongs: themselves. What, we can hold jobs, play sports, rant about how we hate every religion but our own and how the rest of the world is evil, but we can't control our own actions towards the very women who we claim to protect. Hogwash! How transparent is that?
• To everyone who is in denial about the torture at Abu Ghraib: do you really want to place yourselves amoung the Holocaust deniers? Think very carefully about this. Because some of us have already cut you out of our wills and are looking forward to making video tapes to played at the will reading pointing this fact out to all who are present...
• To all of you State Workers who voted for Arnold: you have no reason to complain about what happens to your job. You can't way we didn't try to warn you...
• Get off of Prince Willams back! Wearing a Nazi uniform doesn't make you a Nazi any more than wearing a policemans uniform at Halloween makes you a policeman. If you feel a need to be offended, direct your feelings and actions against people who are actually doing something wrong, like Prime Minister Tony Blair or President Bush, who both directed us all in to a war were hundreds of thousands of people have had their lives permanently scared by death, destruction, loss, grief, and actual, real pain. Does anybody besides me long for a time when the press took photos of things that had meaning?
• OK, I'm done now. Whew!

Availability Notice

The offices of JBGDCI and its staff are currently unavailable for the remainder of the holiday season, which, according to the Baller calendar, falls on the date of January 15th.

For those of you interested, JB and his companion celebrated the arrival of the New Year in Fort Bragg, California, a small coastal town located just north of Mendocino, enjoying the fine selection of local cuisine and beverages this region has to offer. Information on this area can be found at
http://www.fortbragg.com/

Ciao!