Jun 27, 2008

Selling your dreams

1982 CB650 Screaming Rocker

After two years of finding just the right parts (like a Stage 3 Jet kit, pod filters, dunstall reverse megaphone mufflers, new rear shocks, replacement fork seals, clubman drop bars, a GS550 Suzuki tank, a new tombstone tail light assembly, a new wiring harness, and a new battery) I removed the luggage rack and front fender, powder coated most parts, cleaned the electrical brushings, and finally gave it the winning paint job it needed.



Jun 25, 2008

Court rejects death penalty for raping children

Here is part of  a story that I grabbed from MSNBC:

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Wednesday outlawed executions of people convicted of raping a child.

In a 5-4 vote, the court said the Louisiana law allowing the death penalty to be imposed in such cases violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

"The death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in his majority opinion. His four liberal colleagues joined him, while the four more conservative justices dissented.




Since we cant kill them then when someone is convicted of raping a child then the parents or guardians of that child should be allowed to cane, beat, batter and bludgeon the convicted rapist.  That is my two cents.... we have got to make them think twice about doing it again if we let them live.

Jun 18, 2008

THE WAR PRAYER - Mark Twain

I guess the story holds that Twain wrote this around 1904-05 and it was rejected by his publisher at the time. It is said to have been found in his manuscripts after Twain's death. It was first published in 1923 in an anthology by Albert Bigelow Paine, entitled Europe and Elsewhere.


The War Prayer
by Mark Twain

It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.

Sunday morning came -- next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams -- visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation

*God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest! Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!*
Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory --

An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued with his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:

"I come from the Throne -- bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import -- that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of -- except he pause and think.

"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this -- keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.

"You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it -- that part which the pastor -- and also you in your hearts -- fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. the *whole* of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory--*must* follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

(*After a pause.*) "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

Jun 13, 2008

Crank-case breather tube on CB650

I installed a crank-case breather filter last night. The filter was
21 bucks (K&N) from Baxter's. The filter has a threaded bolt end
opposite the in-line so I drilled a hole in the plastic fender and
poked that bolt thread part through it. put clamps on the hose and
tightened it down. real easy and clean looking.

(It's the thick tube running under the top of the frame)

Jun 11, 2008

Tornado outside Kearney, NE May 29, 2008


Here is a picture probably taken by a friend of one of my relatives 8 times removed or so that live in NE. I got it as a forward from my mom. There are more pictures of this storm at Nebraska Weather Photos.org but I couldn't find this photo (or one better) in their collection.

I was chased by one of these when I was about 8 or 9 while riding with my Aunt Julie in her little dark green bug down I-80 to Lake McConaughy. I remember the scene being pretty much like that picture. Well it was whiter, but I remember the panic in my aunt as we watched the funnel cloud forming in front of us and off to the North (my side of the car... I had a great view). Julie was leaned way over her steering wheel as we went "under it". Good thing there was a tornado to help with the air-cooled engine at full RPM to get by it before it touched down. That bug was all over the road. Julie is leaned way forward on her steering wheel like I said, and I thought she was doing it to watch the thing. We are both freaking out and I said something like "Just drive, I'll watch it- lean back and drive!" She snapped back with something to let me know that hugging the steering wheel with her entire body was the only way to keep the rig on concrete.

Oh. Duh.

I think I felt like a heel for a split second in between trying not to mess my shorts.

Jun 9, 2008

Fully Automatic Metal Machine Gun

A bit of art left in my kitchen by Dustin when I was gone.
Your Comments are welcome.

Flight Simulators for flying as a House Fly

I think I need this made for the Mac. If I can master the house flies flight and transfer that knowledge to my fly cast it would be the ultimate in imitating the natural bugs.

Ok, maybe that is a bit overboard.

Beer Cheaper than Gas - Drink, Don't Drive!

It's been cheaper than gas for a while. Whether it's PBR on ice with a straw or a lovely HUB Beer (this local brewmaster took gold and silver in the World Brew Cup '08) at 3 bucks a pint. Maybe I am paying more but I haven't paid attention... Ettinger's beers are priceless.

Jun 2, 2008

New Audi R8 hits the wall at VIR

So you have just went out and got yourself a really sexxy fast new car.... oh man... then you take it to the track to have some fun... (Oh geez I think I might know this feeling). And you are driving it at its edge... but you think you are doing okay but one little quick right then left and tire grip escapes.... and then you say exactly... "no, no, don't hit the wall..."... and then some other stuff is said while your gut aches and your adrenaline rushes and you imagine your wife's face as you pull in to your driveway later tonight.

Oh man.