Sheeple Without a Shepherd

Call this an editorial, an opinion piece with a twist: I leave Mike Huckabee twisting in the wind of his own bloviation, as recorded in the YouTube piece below. “Mike Huckabee for Dogcatcher: the stray dog packs’ best friend!”


Well, the Republican’t sheeple of Iowa have adequately demonstrated that they are either

  1. too stupid to be out without a keeper (or, alternatively, as an old cowpoke I once knew was wont to say, too dumb to pour piss from a boot)
  2. or

  3. fully on board with the move to surrender U.S. sovereignty at the behest of The Governor from Tyson Foods

Personally, I’m going for the (kinder, gentler, more) charitable interpretation: dumber than a bag of hammers. (On that note, I will say I had a conversation with an elderly gentleman just last night who was really sold out for The Governor from Tyson Foods… until I played the following Youtube video for him… )


Trackposted to Nuke’s, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, The World According to Carl, Shadowscope, Blue Star Chronicles, Celebrity Smack, Big Dog’s Weblog, Cao’s Blog, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Hosting Woes

Note: the post below is replete with opinion based on a year’s suffering through with Fatcow (sucks dead bunnies through a straw). Be warned.


Napolean is reported to have said,

Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity.

By this time, there is some small degree of doubt on my part that stupidity alone can account for all the misbehavior of my former hosting company, Fatcow (sucks dead bunnies through a straw). After all, I canceled the account last month and was assured (“assured” by a Fatcow representative–now there’s a laugh!) that I would not be charged by Fatcow for any further service.

I shoulda known.

Sure enough, a charge showed up yesterday on my bank account. From Fatcow. Wonder of wonders, it at least reflected ONE of the two offers of three free months’ service (not quite 1/3 and a little more than 1/4 of an annual charge had been deducted from my account–IOW, not anything like an honest 3 months’ service, let along the SIX monts’ service Fatcow–sucks dead bunnies through a straw–people had CLAIMED they were crediting my account with. Oh, and yes, the account charged is a debit account. Philosophical reasons. Just ask sometime.) But… if they were going to steal from me–and they were stealing from me–why deduct ONE of TWO offers for free service?

Idiots? Diabolical? Diabolical idiots? I’m going with door number three.

So, I called Fatcow (sucks dead bunnies through a straw) to discover what tales the people there would spin (surely you do not think I would expect anything approaching honesty or accountability!).

It’s all my fault, I discovered. Of course. I canceled at the wrong time. Why, I should have known that they’d be swamped in December and allowed for the inevitable failure of the cancellation to wend its way through to actually being effected! Shame on me for expecting that the poor, beleagered minions of Satan at Fatcow would have the time or inclination to actually DO THEIR JOB any time in December! No! Impossible! What in the world was I thinking?!? Why, as much expect honesty from a politician *spit* or news from a Mass Media Podperson!

But wait! There’s more! Not only that, but Fatcow has also supposedly issued a refund for the theft!

“Gimme your money!”

Days (or weeks or months) later, “Here’s your money back. I’ve used it in the meantime, but you have it back, now dontcha?”

Except… I don’t have my money. They stole theirs (with a canceled authorization) some days ago, but the return they say was effected… isn’t in my hands.

Question: If someone steals money from me and then shrugs me off with a callous, “The check’s in the mail,” type answer, what am I to think?

Riiiiight. As I said, “I don’t care what your records show. Your records have lied–or Fatcow reps have lied–repeatedly to me in the past. Give me my money.”

Pushed that last one hard enough I at least got someone to say (do you think I can believe them? Me neither) that Fatcow’s legal department would give me a call.

Now, that’s a call I welcome. What could be more fun than talking to the lawyers of the most disgusting, incompetent, dishonest business I have ever done business with?

Just waiting for the state attorney general’s office to open so I can lodge a complaint for fraud, theft, whatever I can.

Fatcow sucks dead bunnies through a straw.

Methinks a comment that differs to no small degree from the opening quote could well apply to all the lies, distortions, incompetence and outright idiocy I have experienced at the hands of Fatcow (sucks dead bunnies through a straw). At least some of the “I’ve followed policy and helped you all I can” B.S. I’ve had to put up with, now even past when I had severed all ties with Fatcow (sucks dead bunnies through a straw):

When a stupid man does something he knows is wrong, he always claims it is his duty.–G.B. Shaw

Update: Well, Fatcow (sucks dead bunnies through a straw) did finally come through with the refund. Finally. Doofuses.


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Trackposted to Nuke’s, Outside the Beltway, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Allie is Wired, Woman Honor Thyself, Shadowscope, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Big Dog’s Weblog, Wolf Pangloss, and Conservative Cat, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Not a petty annoyance

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Found via The English Guy,

“Create an e-annoyance, go to jail”

Yep. Anonymous, otherwise unaccountable trolls may face federal jail time and fines. But, really, who needs the feds in the middle of this? After all, kicking trolls can be fun (if sometimes boring). And cyberstalking–which the law referenced is aimed at–is more than just being annoying… but the law singles out “annoying” behavior as a federal crime, now, punushable by fines and jail time. To be sure, it also strengthens actual anti-stalking provisions, but even there, is that really a federal issue?

Oh, well. It’s law now. *sigh* Might as well start using it as a club for playing Troll Golf.

FORE!

Semi-anonymously graffiti-sprayed at Basil’s and The Conservative Cat.

Well, I may actually watch 20/20 on Friday…

I can’t recall the last time I wasted an hour watching 20/20 (“Puff Ficto-Journalism for the Sheeple”), but this Friday, I may actually watch it, or at least tape it so I can skip the dull yappy-yappy airhead portions for something (possibly, we’ll see) a wee tad interesting by someone who’s not a complete idiot.

John Stossel is reportedly doing a segment asking “Are kids in the United States being cheated out of a quality education?”

I’m not holding my breath. While the broad strokes may actually have some validity, there’s no way Stossel’s going to have air time enough (assuming he has his data ducks in a row) to air the issue or make much of an answer to the question.

But he may at least have some information to offer, and he has a well-known POV and tendency to throw the Bullshit Flag.

May actually be worth watching. But probably not live.

Written on the blackboard (though scarcely 500 times–surely I’ve not been that bad?) at Committees of Correspondence, NIF and Jo’s Cafe’s Monday Specials.

UD: Is it a segment or the whole hour? Conflicting info. But an hour’s not enough to more than touch on the issue, anyway, but we’ll see. Comparing New Jersey students and Belgian students on a standardized test is just mean, though…

heh.

Update: In comments, Hugh weighs in with an observation I might quibble with in percentage breakdown only a small tad. A very wee tad, not substantive. And an observation concerning local SC state politics/education.


I agree that responsibility can be shared. The roughly approximate proportions are as follows: Parents: 60% (most probably more) * Administrators: 20% Legislators: 20% * Parents have the ability to vote. And, they can hold administrators feet to the fire. Alas, most parents are gutless wonders who REFUSE to take responsibility for their offspring. What I can vouch for is the statement(s) in the NewsMax item. What was written here about Gov. Sanford and SC is TRUE!

An Answer to Murtha “Dhimmi-crats”

Michelle Malkin made the following video available for download. She also includes this snippet, as well as a link to the full transcript of the Murtha/Moran townhall meeting designed to elicit anti-war (really, anti-Bush and anti-victory) thetoric last week.

“… I think it’s a disgrace when members of our Congress –just as they did in 1975 when they sold out the south Vietnamese–are selling out our soldiers today in Iraq!”

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And just in case you missed it, in an earlier post, Michelle Malkin also provided the following clip of Sgt. Mark Seavey speaking to Murtha and Moran. (She has more from Sgt. Mark Seavey at her blog, linked above.)

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Ten Good Ones… times 2

Boudicca picked up a non-meme-ish suggestion and passed it on in Top 10 Good People of 2005. Not necessarily “big names” but folks who’ve been a strong positive influence, personally or in wider society.

At least, that’s how I’m choosing to interpret this. 🙂 Bou’s post was a lil vague (she was still heavily medicated from her surgery), and GuyK’s post at Charming, Just Charming (whence Bou picked this up) is pretty open-ended.

So, maybe not ten. Maybe not the TOP ten. But quite a few.

Let me begin with my fav top ten bloggers who have had a positive influence on me this year. Keep in mind: I am NOT listing them in any order other than maybe alphabetically, ‘K? Having pared it down to only ten, I feel badly because another list just as long belongs with this one. So, as wrong as this list is, here are ten OF the top good folks who have positively influenced my life this last year:

Kris at Anywhere But Here
Christine of BTW and Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea
Bou (heal quickly!) at Boudicca’s Voice
My Blogmom, Carol Platt Liebau 🙂
Kathryn at Cathouse Chat
Diane of, well, Diane’s Stuff
Rich at The English Guy
Kat from Keep The Coffee Coming
TMH (secretive booger that he is) of TMH’s Bacon Bits
Woody of the eponymous Woody’s News & Views

Please keep in mind that I’ve left off many who have been just as good to me, had influence just as positive as the folks on this list, but I’m trying to keep this portion at ten. The rest of you who belong on this list also know you do, but you’re the kinda folks who will take it in the right spirit. Good on you one and all.

In “real life” I’d have to list my Wonder Woman, Lovely Daughter and Bubba at the top. No matter what (even when I’m not at my best or irked with one of them or whatever), they are the most positive influences in my life. Period. They KNOW the real curmudgeonly me, and still lend me their light.

I miss my neighbor. Yeh. The one neighbor, really. Always ready to help with anything. Nobody’s perfect, but he was a thoughtful, generous guy.

A couple of my siblings definitely qualify as strong influences for good-older sister and younger brother. Pretty constant contact with these two, and they are always uplifting. Heck, I’d have to say my youngest nephew has been a strong positive influence! (Just keeping up with his academic progress has thrown me back at some classics in my reading.) Great kid.

Guy at the local grocery who has fun playing my silly people/word games. Heck, the checkers there are neat, too. Aww… even the owner’s a really nice guy (though he’d not necessarily want ya to know it–likes to play curmudgeon. heh).

And two clients who have done medical transcription for years (you know who you are-and since you read this blog, I’ll let this be your “Have a great new year!” OK? :-). Thanks, ladies, for your continual positive outlook and influence on me. Oh, and thank the bread baker, too.

NOTE: this list is not exhaustive, either. Just a quick runback through a few contacts in the last lil bit who have been constant positive influences over the past year.

And that’s my of ten of the top Good People of 2005 for the “real world”-how about yours?

Is it still Christmas in Cambodia?/OP

I figure I’d better hold this post open for trackbacks in case anyone knows when Jean Fraud sKerry’s gonna get back from his Christmas in Cambodia… Maybe that’ll be around the time he finally keeps his word on such matters as, gosh, I dunno, releasing his records?

(BTW, I’ve actually got that release date. Inside information. 12th of Never.)

Meanwhile, If you don’t understand what a trackback is go here for a good explanation. If your blog software doesn’t generate trackbacks use this form or this one.

Short shrift again today. A few links up later. DO hit the “Treatment Time Open Trackbacks” over at The Uncooperative Blogger. Note other linkfests in my left sidebar, too, ‘K?

Cya at Choose Life! (Just wanted to link to a blog! with! an! exclamation! point! 🙂

UPDATE: The MaryHunter noted in comments that DL’s trackback from Teddy Lied, Mary Jo Died failed. A shame, really. Otherwise, how are y’all ever going to find the piece? Oh. OK. And TMH’s trackback of Realizing UN/NGO Tsunami Aid… Someday disappeared into the aether as well, apparently. And do note his commentary on the hubris of modern genetic tinkerers.

Still short shrift. Will update later… possibly.

Note

Very light posting today, and perhaps this week. Several “real world” things stacked up on me, for one thing, and then… tired of routers going south on me. *sigh* Going to be on/offline intermittantly this week as I assemble components and test different firewall/router setups using an old P-II as a testbed.possible appliance instead of just going out and buying yet another replacement quirky router-firewall that only does some of what I want…

But that’s just a lil lagniappe from life. It’ll be fun, but eat up some more of that time thing…

Oh. Well. Should have done this years ago.