Kowabunga

What a day! I made it up to the Bush Campaign HQ for another day of fun (literally and figuratively) to learn that Rudy Giuliani would be coming thru. And me without a camera. As we continued to work on prepping for this weekends door-to-door campaign, more people showed up, including a couple of photographers from the local papers.

After a bit, Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota came strolling thru, said hello to a few people, and disappeared.

Soon after that, there was a big cheer as Senator Norm Coleman and former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrived where I was hard at work. Camera crews and about a hundred Bush volunteers (more than double what was present when I showed up early that afternoon) surrounded the two politicians.

Senator Coleman started off with a rousing speech that got the volunteers worked up and cheering, as Coleman gave his"Top Ten Reasons" to vote for Bush. without a doubt, one of the most important of these is "Leadership Matters." What Coleman meant by this, among other leadership attributes, is that a leader does not follow public opinion, he shapes it. A rather important point, and a disitnct contrast between President Bush and Senator Kerry. Bush wants to do what's right for America, Kerry wants to be popular with the French. Which of these two do you think is the leader?

Giuliani spoke next, to the cheers of all those in attendance. Regrettably, I didn't have an opportunity to take notes, and I was caught up in the emotional high of having these two great leaders close at hand, encouraging all of the hard working volunteers to continue in their efforts during the next 100 hours leading up to the election.

Coleman stuck around long enough to shake a few hands and get his picture taken with a couple of the volunteers before they both hit the road for their next stop.

After that, things settled down to normal, as we went back to work prepping for this weekend's big get out the vote push.

I ended the evening, quite late, by doing a little drive-by lawn sign planting. I had run into one of my neighbors who asked oif there was any chance of my picking up a sign for another neighbor who had given his sign to his daughter. I managed to get a couple of signs, and late as it was, and not wanting to distrub them, I plucked them into the ground next to his sign for Pat Garofalo. He may be wondering where they popped up from, so we'll just tell him that the Menehune's came around and left them.

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The Red Wing Republican Eagle has endorsed John Kline for the Minnesota 2nd Congressional District. Here's an excerpt:

John Kline has served Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District precisely how he promised he would -- as a forthright, conservative Republican who votes his conscience and convictions while taking constituents' interests to heart.

There is no doubt about it, Kline has done a superb job for the Second District, and has been very supportive of our troops serving in the Middle East, and diligent in informing his constituents of how things are going in Iraq anf Afghanistan.

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Stardate, oh wait, that's Pajama Boy talk.

We'd been in port at DS9 for a week, waiting for a delivery of surfing wax for the Kowabunga. Those Feddie supply ships take too long to transport needed supplies out to the far reaches of the Federation. Not very efficient, unlike the Klingon Empire, or even the Ferengi. This is what happens when government takes control of transportation. Distribution slows down to a snails crawl. It gets worse when you let government control the means of production, which the Federation is hard at work at accomplishing. Mr. Zog's has been working on moving their factories out of Federation space before they get nationalized. If Flipper Kerry wins the election, then they've made the right decision. Either way, supply of their number one product should stabilize. Demand is always high for their wax.

With everything else secure on the Kowabunga, I decided to check out the Promenade, and hit Quark's for a few rounds. I noticed that maintenance crews were busily working on cleaning up after the Drazi election. Okay, so how was I supposed to know it was Green Drazi Week at DS9 when I offloaded the group of Purple Drazi that Flipper stuck me with. The ensuing riot on the Promenade generated a call from one very upset Cisco.

Starbuck's had opened up on DS9. About time, even if they do make a lousy raktajino. You'd think that refugee from a Battlestar would at least learn how to make a decent cup of coffee, not like those silly fru-fru drinks the Pajama Boys like to quaff down by the gallon. Latte's, I think is what they call them. Note to self: Next time I see Cisco in Quark's buy him a round, preferably a Fuzzy Klingon.

Noticed funny blue cabinet labeled "Police Public Call Box" next to the Starbuck's. I guess the crime rate must be going up. Or maybe riot control for the Drazi? I wonder who won?

Entering Quark's I made a quick scan, noticed a few Drazi knocking back pints of Denebian slime Water. No sashes, so these guys had been "voted" out of the election. Quark had redecorated, and added another one of those new Police boxes I had noticed by the Starbuck's. Cisco must be paranoid, or something.

At the bar, Quark came up and said, "So, Kahuna, the usual?"

"You bet," was my response. The usual being a pint of Guinness with a Tribble Sweat chaser. "May as well rack up a second round. It's been a rough day."

"Oh, do tell...Cisco still mad at you for dropping those Drazi off on his doorstep?" I nodded. "No surprise there, it was the middle of the Green Drazi Convention. Imagine: Hundreds of Drazi, all wearing green sashes, having a grand old time, when suddenly twelve Drazi wearing purple show up. Luckily I was able to close down before the riot hit my bar." I nodded again, plunked down the empties from my first round, while Quark drew me another pint, and set a second shot of Tribble Sweat down in front of me.

"So, what's with the new security boxes?" I finally asked.

"Security boxes?" Quark looked puzzled, so I pointed at the blue police box. "Oh, that, it belongs to the Doctor."

"Julian taking an interest in police property?"

"No, not Julian, him." Quark pointed out a man with brown curly hair sticking out form under a foppish hat, a multi-colored scarf coiled around his neck and draped over his shoulders.

"Who's he?"

"Some drifter. Arrived in that blue box in the corner."

"So what's his name?"

"Who."

"Him?!" I pointed at this roguish fellow, just to confirm who I was talking about.

"The Doctor?" Quark responded, nonchalantly.

"Yes, the doctor. What's his name?" I was loosing my patience with Quark. I slammed the empty shot glass upside down on the bar, just to annoy Quark. He winced.

"I told you already."

"Told me what?"

"His name."

"Who's name."

"That's right."

"His name is Right?"

"No. Who's his name."

"That's what I'm asking you!"

"Okay, Kahuna. Take a deep breath and relax. Listen to what I say. The name of the Doctor is Who."

"Quark, you should listen to yourself. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been seeing Gag Halfrunt."

"Quiet, someone might hear you." Quark's glance darted around the place, checking to see if anyone had heard that last exchange. Relaxing, he said, "Look, Kahuna, just call the guy Doctor. Everyone else does. He's just the Doctor."

"Okay, so he came here in that blue police box. There's one like it down by the Starbuck's. He couldn't have come in that one as well, now could he?"

"He could."

"Who could."

"That's right."

"You're losing me," and I was getting more annoyed. Time for another Guinness. "And I'm getting dry."

"No more for you unless you swear that you will never, ever slam a glass down on my bar again. You know how it hurts my ears."

"Okay, I'll swear to never do that again."

Quark, satisfied, drew a pint of Guinness for me.

"Now, about this Doctor, how could he show up in two of those boxes?" I asked.

"More like seven or eight. Including the one in Cisco's office. Cisco wasn't amused." Quark pointed to various groups around the place. "And they all brought a variety of friends." I could see the dollar signs in Quark's eyes. Profit!

"So, who are they?"

"The Doctor."

"All of them?"

"That's right. And they are all the same person, and yet they aren't," Quark sounded a bit mechanical in his response, as if he said it a hundred times before. "If you only knew how many times I've been thru this."

Things were beginning to get clearer, but then again, maybe not. "What brings them to DS9?" Curiosity was nagging at me.

"They all came out to see the new K'Abbot and Kostello routine. They're performing here tonight. I even saved you a few tickets." Quark smiled, "but they're going to cost you."

"Okay, Quark, how much?" He knows I am a big fan of these two comedians. They even made a few films, my favorite being K'Abbot and Kostello Meet Captain Kirk. Tremendous laugh fest as they outwit Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise, preventing McCoy from putting Kostello's brain into Spockenstein's Monster. It's been awhile.

"Kahuna, old buddy, old pal. All they are going to cost you is ten barrels of Blood Wine. The good stuff, not the cheap stuff from Rua Penthe."

"Deal." I finished my third round, failed to slam the shot glass on the bar to Quark's delight. "I better get back to the ship and let the crew know we're going to the show tonight."

Quark may be a pain to deal with at times, but he always takes care of his best contacts, and we always take him up on all offers extended. Ten barrels of Blood Wine. We've got at least that much in the cargo hold.

Kahuna

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What a day! After work, I headed over to the Bush Campaign HQ to put in some more time getting things ready for this weekends door-to-door campaign. I was surprised that the labeling of the door hangers was nearly complete. Although there was quite a number of volunteers there, more are always needed. Go to the Bush MN for more details. The door-to-door begins tomorrow, and without a doubt, more volunteers will be needed. Come on out and have some fun, meet new people, and help get Dubya re-elected.

Although the labeling is nearly completed, there is still the preparation of route maps to be done. As I was wrapping up for the night, a team of Texas volunteers (you can bet theyve already voted) stormed HQ, and set up shop to do the mapping. They were well organized, setting up teams at a number of tables, breaking down the precincts by street, then drawing up the map routes. And yes, there will be more of this to do today.

Tomorrow is the Bush Rally in the Twin Cities. If you havent been to a Rally, then this will be your last chance for President Bush. Go, see, listen, enjoy. I went to the Chanhassen Rally Chanhassen Rallyand even got a couple of decent pictures while I was there. Support the President: Go!

Today will be a long day at HQ, as I took the day off from work so I can help prepare for the final push. I am also trying to find out when and where to meet for the door-to-door in my own area. A novel idea, work where I live instead of driving 45 miles each way.

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The last couple of evenings have kept me very busy, as I have been spending them over at the Bush ampaign HQ in St. Paul Nice bunch of volunteers up there.

I've been working with the team prepping the door hangers for the groups that will be canvassing the neighborhoods this weekend as part of the "Get Out The Vote" event. This has involved sticking address labels on cards, and also serves the purpose of informing voters where their polling place is. This is a handy thing in the event that some people will be new to the area they now reside.

The second part of this is making maps for the walkers so they can have a reasonable guide to place these door hangers. It is possible I will be out there with them on Saturday and Sunday. We'll see.

This particular project is being lead by Allison, a nice Minnesota girl. Various locals have been streaming in to help on a regular basis. Indeed, I am getting to know a few of them. John who is here at the behest of the RNC, Karen from Prior Lake and a few other familiar faces.

Not so surprisingly, Scott of Pink Monkey Bird joined us tonight. He sounds like he is still having some issues with blogger since his blog crashed a few weeks back. Hopefully he will soon have that resolved.

That's it for tonight. It's already late, and am pretty beat.

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There is nothing more enjoyable than an away mission to a campaign rally, and so it was for the Klingons For Kerry, as we headed out for his most recent Minnesota stop.

We were greeted by a team of guys in suits with funny ear pieces, and long black wands that they passed over our uniforms, identifying all the metal objects. They admired our many weapons, especially the Batleths, and asked if they could try them out as the Klingon weapon of choice looked like it would be a great tool for crowd control. They starred longing at our disruptors, and asked us to keep them set to stun. Of course we nodded that we would use the stun setting only if absolutely necessary and did not mention that a disruptor set for stun was like hitting someone with a heavy club. Come to think of it, THAT is the stun setting.

After passing thru the gates, hard fighting Klingon Warriors that we are, and recognizing that an army move on its stomach, we headed for the food court first, where we found an array of delicacies ranging from Belgian Waffles, French Toast, fries with ketchup, and bottled Evian water. No yuch, nor gagh, and definitely no blood wine. At least they weren't peddling root beer. We discovered that the fries came with an entire bottle of Heinz Ketchup, and that the waffles could be had with a variety of toppings, like whipped cream. At least we could pretend that those long stringy cooked potato slivers were gagh, even if they didn't wiggle when you picked them up from the pile.

Kerry supporters would stop us to get pictures taken, holding signs of support with sayings like "Trial Lawyers For Kerry" and "Give Litigation A Chance." Asked our position on Iraq, we responded that they should be blasted from orbit and let Kahless sort it out. This was received with great joy, and they all seemed to think we were on to something with that plan.

Others asked us where we stood on abortion, to which we said we never abort any mission, especially against the Rommies. This generated a confused look and then one explained what abortion was. This surprised us as we did not realize they believed in sacrificing their unborn children to the god, Abortion. The Kerry supporters shook their heads and explained further. Now we were confused. Why would any race willing kill their unborn children, their very future generations? This made absolutely no sense to us. What a self-centered bunch of people!

When asked what ship we served on, they frequently assumed we were a part of the "Winter Soldier" and were surprised to learn that the name of our battlecruiser was the IKV Ronald Reagan.

They asked us our position of only taxing those making more than $200,000 per year, explaining that is how they define who is rich. I said why would you want to ruin people's incentive to be productive by taxing them more than if they are less productive. They looked like a tribble caught in the headlights of my 4x4. I tried to explain that the more you tax people based on their incomes, the less incentive they have to be more productive. Why try and make more money if the government is only going to take away more of what you make. Then I asked, wouldn't you like to be making that much money? How about your kids? Finally, I could see the gears in their brains slowly begin to turn with the realization that maybe cross the board tax cuts are a good idea.

But surely you don't support privatizing Social Security, they asked. To which we responded, do you really want to trust the government to manage YOUR retirement savings? Can't you decide for yourself how to best manage that money? They came back with a well, sure we can, but there are many who couldn't and we'd only end up having to support them if they lost money. Excuse me, but, YOU ARE DOING THAT NOW! By letting workers choose whether or not privatize their Social Security, and manage the investment theirselves, you will greatly reduce the cost to taxpayers to keep those who lose their investments afloat, since most people will actually end up in better financial shape by investing their money in the stock market, rather than getting only what the government thinks you should have. This garnered some nods of agreement, albeit grudgingly so.

The next inquired about where we stand in regards to the invasion of Iraq. We said that the removal of this mass murderer was a good thing, and the world is better off now that his regime has been removed from power. But, they cried, there were no WMD's found. Except for a few artillery shells that fell into the hands of terrorists, the ones loaded with Mustard gas and Sarin nerve gas. But that was only a few, old relics of the regime, they claimed. We shot back that all of the weapons programs were posed to be restarted at an instant, that the personnel that ran them were still apart of their military complex, and all the data needed to rebuild was readily available to this dictator who has used these weapons on his own people. Not to mention the mass graves of hundreds of thousands of people. Besides, how long should it take to map out and inventory 130 ammo dumps, some of which are bigger than Manhattan?

They insisted that Iraq was under Major Kaos, so we asked who he was, and what unit he commanded. This generated a response from that Major Kaos served General Mayhem, to which we said that although we have never heard of him, either, it sounds as though he is doing a fine job, however should not tolerate the continued kidnapings perpetrated by terrorist groups inside of Iraq. They looked at us with a perplexed look.

Since our conversations seemed to be going no where, we decided to leave. When we reached the weapons check desk, they informed us that they were quite intrigued by our Batleths and wished to keep them for training purposes. As this bunch of Secret Service agents seemed to be a reasonable bunch of warriors, and dedicated to their work, we told them to consider the Batleths to be a gift from the Klingon Empire.

After this frustrating event, we learned that our beliefs were in line with W. So, maybe we should change our monicker to Klingons For Bush. Not quite the same ring, but at least we'll be with the right crowd. End of report.

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What a day! My original plans were to spend Saturday afternoon at the Bush Campaign HQ for Minnesota. It is a good thing that my schedule was flexible. It turns out that the NARN, while subbing for Hugh Hewitt on Friday night, announced plans to show up at Bush HQ to work the phone banks. Their take was "if we can do it, so can you." To be followed by adult libations afterwards. This sounded like a good plan to me, and figured I could show up for that.

As fate would have it, duty called. Big problems with some database servers, so I spent most of the morning working, and then a couple of hours pounding away on my website, listening to the NARN, so showing up at 4 P.M. was the best plan.

Bush HQ put me to work on a "mailer" campaign. Not actually a mailer, but putting labels on door hangers that the "knockers," volunteers going door-to-door, could hang on door knobs as a reminder to vote and where their polling place is located. Actually, a darn good idea for anybody new to their neighborhood. This was a fun opportunity as the group I was working with could socialize while we worked.

After two hours of this, six o'clock rolled around, which seemed pretty quick, which just goes to show that time flies when you are having fun. That's when the NARN came over to say hello to us, as they were in a different office working the phones.

Time for beer. I headed over to a pub just down the street for suds and grub with a couple of the NARN and another volunteer, where we had a good long chat about the impending election, blogs and radio shows in general. It turns out that Mitch Berg, of Shot in the Dark, and I have a mutual friend: Patrick Garofalo, who is running for my districts State House seat, and one of the few Republicans to be endorsed by the Star Tribune.

After chowing down, and everyone was going their separate ways, I decided that since it was early, I would head back to Bush HQ and do some more work. There was a new bunch of folks getting these door hangers ready, and the staffer that was in charge, Allison, gave me a welcome back and put me right back to work, sticking those labels on the cards.

Next thing I knew, it was 11 P.M., well past the time I figured I'd say for, and definitely time to call it a night. It was a good way to spend an evening, actually had a blast. And I plan to put some more time in before this election is over.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Yep, it's happening. The Dems are hard at work in their attempts to prevent our Military members serving overseas from exercising their right to vote. In Pennsylvania, there was much rejoicing as the Dems succeeded in getting a ruling that denied a Department of Justice request that new absentee ballots be sent to our service members overseas, and a two-week extension for our men and women under arms serving in foreign lands.

For the full article, check out the Pennsylvania State website.

What a great nation we live in, where those who voluntarily choose to don the uniform of our armed forces can so easily have their right to vote taken away from them.

Posted by Sqotty at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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A lot of hay has been made over Senator Kerry's recent foray into the wilds of Ohio on a goose hunting expedition. This obvious ploy to appeal to hunters is as transparent as Hillary Clinton's claim that she used to hunt ducks with her rifle; this was a few years ago. Wow! Kerry supports hunters and Second Amendment rights just by going out and shooting some poor, innocent, not mention defenseless, bird. But hey, anything to support the Second Amendment rights of hunters.

Kerry went out goose hunting with three compadres. In every picture of the foursome returning from the field, only three are carrying a dead goose. Kerry is not. Why is this? Did he actually bag a goose as he claims? If so, where is the bird?

AP News had the following classic quote.

"I'm too lazy," Kerry joked. "I'm still giddy over the Red Sox. It was hard to focus."

Now ask yourself, do you really want a guy who says he is too lazy to carry his own goose off the field? Is this the kind of guy you want as Commander in Chief of our military. If he is too lazy to carry his kill, what will he do to our troops in the field while under hostile fire? Assuming, of course, he secures the requisite permission slips from France and Germany. My guess is, leave 'em to die, or order them to tuck tail and run.

What kind of hunter does not bring out his own game? One who cares about the environment? Not likely, as if he did kill a goose, and he didn't bring it out, then where is the bird? Or is he once again giving his Secret Service team the bird, just as he did while snowboarding last Winter. Maybe he just abandoned it, leaving it to the carrion-eaters; coyotes, vultures, or some redneck answering to the name of Bubba (sorry, Bubba, no offense intended).

Perhaps he didn't shoot any geese at all, only went out for some good ol' fashioned male bonding with their guns. I can just imagine it. One guy shows Kerry is Remington 870, another his Mossberg, then Kerry whips out his $5000 game smasher, and "what do you fellas think of this very expensive piece of work."

As for it being too hard to focus, focus on what? Where the goose he claimed he shot landed? Forgetting to retrieve the bird after shooting it? If he can't stay focused on something like this, what will he do when he is in charge of our Armed Forces, not to mention the proverbial button? How can we trust a man to remain focused on the REALLY BIG issues if he can't stay focused on a simple game of duck, duck, GOOSE?

Focus. That's what is demanded of a commander in chief to be. He must be able to stay focused on the situation at hand, regardless of whether it is a short hunting trip to impress the local sportsmen, snowboarding so as not to plow into a Secret Service agent (then cussing the poor guy out), or the war on terror, national security, and the list goes on.

Maybe Kerry believes he can get away without being focused on things, as he can always farm these tasks out to those he believes better suited to it than he is: hunting to the Secret Service guys, as he knows they can shoot straight; National Defense can also be farmed out, to the U.N., unless he can secure the aforementioned permission slip from the French.

The AP News article continues on with:

Kerry adviser Mike McCurry said it's important in the final days of the campaign that voters "get a better sense of John Kerry, the guy."

For what it's worth, I believe they have succeeded. Kerry is lazy and incapable of keeping his focus. Not the kind of man who should be leading this country, or be trusted with the command of the U.S. Military.

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Where are they? In hiding? Could it have something to do with Goose Season, thus they are all out emulating their hero and candidate for the Presidency? Duck Season! Rabbit Season! Duck Season! Rabbit Season! DUCK SEASON! Okay, it's duck season. BLAM! and off goes Daffy's beak, yet again. Or are they too embarrassed about how outspoken Kerry is in regards to the killing of an innocent little goose that never did anyone any harm and so removed their marks of fealty to the Liberal cause?

Where did they all go?

The unofficial bumper sticker tally for this morning's commute was a shutout. Bush - 10, Kerry 0. Nader also had 0, but then he is, politically speaking, a big zero, so no surprise there.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Today it happened. It happened while I was on the road, driving home from work. It happened just south of Burnsville, on MN 35. It was the first of its kind that I had seen in the wild. It was on a van. It was a Nader 2004 bumper sticker. Yes, that's right, there are Nader supportors in this here state.

Meanwhile, the informal vehicle with bumper sticker survey is still running in Bush's favor, although the "Support Our Troops" stickers outnumber all others combined.

The count for Wednesday was:

Bush - 8 Kerry - 5

And the count for today is:

Bush - 14
Kerry - 4
Nader - 1

This is an informal survey, and is by no means accuratly reflects what will happen in Minnesota on November 2nd. That is the poll that counts.

As for the "Support Our Troops" stickers, I see them on all kinds of vehicles, everywhere I go, including in that bastion of Liberalism, Northfield, Minnesota. They come in all kinds of flavors, from the traditional yellow ribbon, and the red, white and blue, to camouflage, this last being the latest flavor to grace the autoscape.

Most often, I see these stickers without accompanying campaign stickers, however, when I do, they are almost invariably Bush stickers. Almost all, but not quite. There has been one, and only one, that I have seen, that had a Kerry sticker on it.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Star Tribune (Free Registration required) has endorsed Patrick Garofalo of Farmington for the House 36B seat. This is a major shock as Pat is a Republican.

District 36B: Garofalo

Republican Patrick Garofalo is the right candidate at the right time for this district. It was disappointing when Rep. Steve Strachan, a promising first-term lawmaker, stepped down from this seat after becoming Lakeville police chief. Then Garofalo, 33, a network engineer with Allianz Life Insurance and a community activist in the Farmington-Lakeville area, came forward.

He is more conservative than we would like, particularly on social issues. But he is also pragmatic and well-informed, and would energetically represent his growing district. He's sensitive to the residents of the district's semirural area who are anxious to preserve local control and open space. But he also understands the importance of developing a multimodal regional transportation plan that includes rail transit. He recognizes the need to work in concert with the rest of the metro area. His balanced approach should make him a good contributor to growth strategies south of the Minnesota River.

The DFL candidate, Benjamin Coler, 32, is a bright recent law school graduate who moved to Farmington six months ago with the intention of running for this seat. He's not yet ready for the Legislature.

The Trib also has a profile on Patrick, where they rate the candidate on several state issues. Worth checking out.

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Teresa Heinz speaks her mind, yet again. Over on yahoo has an article quoting the woman who wold be First Lady with the following:

"Well, you know, I don't know Laura Bush. But she seems to be calm, and she has a sparkle in her eye, which is good," Heinz Kerry said. "But I don't know that she's ever had a real job - I mean, since she's been grown up. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things."

Heinz Kerry said she sees her age as a benefit - she is 66 and Bush 57. "I'm older, and my validation of what I do is a little bit bigger - because I'm older, and I've had different experiences. And it's not a criticism of her. It's just, you know, what life is about," she said.

Since she made these statements, she has been reminded that First Lady Laura Bush was a public school teacher, librarian and a mother.

Last I checked, all of these qualified as real jobs, especially being a parent, and there is no way that she could have forgotten that little point, as the Bush daughters have made appearances here and there in support of Dubya, including at the debates, where the families of both candidates came onto the stage, including the daughters.

How could she have forgotten that? Or does she consider a stay-at-home mother as less important than being, say, billionaire heiress. One must ponder this.

Unlike The Bride of Frankenstein, Laura Bush is a class act. For all those who like shouting "You go girl," try directing that at someone who truly deserves to be told that.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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This just in over at Schoolastic News predicts a Bush victory on November 2nd.

"George W. Bush won the kid's election poll with 52 percent of the vote," announced Scholastic Student Reporter David Rush. Senator John Kerry received 47 percent. One percent of the votes were for "other," with quite a few kids writing in Mom" as their choice for President.

Scholastic News has conducted student election polls since 1940. Poll results, which are not scientific, have reflected actual results in all but two elections: 1948 and 1960. In 1948, kids chose Thomas E. Dewey over winner Harry S. Truman. In 1960, America's classrooms chose Richard M. Nixon over winner John F. Kennedy. Both were close elections. In 2000, student voters chose George W. Bush, mirroring the Electoral College result but not the result of the popular vote.

Sounds good to me. The funny thing is, the two years they missed, they voted Republican. Maybe our schools aren't as left leaning as we thought.

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Over on the NRO website, they have a new article breaking down the current state of the battleground States.

MINNESOTA: POLLS & SCHEDULES [Scott W. Johnson 10/19 11:10 AM]

In 2000, Minnesota was a powder blue state - Gore edged Bush in Minnesota by only 60,000 votes out of 2,450,000 cast, 47.9 to 45.5 percent. Ralph Nader essentially carried the balance; Minnesota was one of Ralph Nader's strongest states. Nader is on the ballot in Minnesota again this year.

Gary Gregg, NRO's official electoral-college dean, has tentatively moved Minnesota into Kerry's column and accordingly designated Minnesota a powder blue state. Gregg's designation appears reasonable; Kerry holds a 5-point lead in the last poll conducted by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, although Rasmussen has the race tied in the most recent public poll of Minnesota voters. We think that Minnesota remains a battleground state.

Today's Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that John Edwards will be stumping this afternoon in traditional Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party territory in Hibbing, Minnesota, best-known as Bob Dylan's hometown. On Thursday Kerry himself will tout a "Fresh Start For America" while addressing a rally in the parking area adjacent to the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. Reading the tea leaves, the Kerry campaign must lack confidence that Minnesota is poised to break its way on November 2.

What about the Bush campaign? It has scheduled President Bush to appear in Republican stronghold of Rochester tomorrow. The Bush campaign rightly senses that Minnesota presents a prime opportunity to turn a blue state red.

Let's face it, even though Nader is on the ballot in Minnesota, I seriously doubt that he will have the impact on the election like he did in 200, when he received roughly 8% of the vote in this state.

On the upside, Minnesota has become somewhat more Republican since 2000, and I believe there are a lot of DFLers who are fed up with the unreasonable hatred displayed against Bush and Republicans in general.

I don't think that this unmitigated hatred of Bush is an election year phenomenon, at least not for the rabidly liberal types in the state (and I know a few people who qualify as rabid), and I am expecting there will be a backlash against the DFL again in 2004, just as there was in 2002 when they lost so many elections, especially for the state wide offices.

Based on my own experiences recently in the state, I believe there is a strong possibility that Minnesota will go for Bush. It may be tight race, however, it is highly probable that Bush will carry Minnesota. Some of the observations I have made recently:

• Vehicles displaying Bush bumper stickers are running about 3 to 1 compared to vehicles displaying Kerry bumper stickers
• When wearing my Bush '04 cap, I frequently encounter people who say they support Bush. This is especially true of the college set.
• Houses with Bush signs versus Kerry signs are running about even in the state.
• Many Bush supporters are not openly so, as there is a great deal of hostility directed at us.

The first item, concerning vehicles with bumper stickers, is a growing trend in the state. Bear in mind that I drive roughly 100 miles every day to commute to work, most of it on the highway, in the Metro area. I also don't survey vehicles in my immediate neighborhood, or where I work, as that would skew the results, and take away a sense of randomness in the survey.

Another point on bumper sticker survey is that many Bush supporters are displaying "Support Our Troops" stickers on their vehicles instead of a "Bush/Cheney" sticker. These vehicles are also not factored into the survey, as not all such drivers may be Bush supporters.

I believe that the rabidness of the anti-Bush segment of the DFL in this state is going to do more to help Bush, and do far more long term damage to the Democratic party as whole than these nutcases realize, as they turn this once fine political party into the party of hate.

Bush will carry Minnesota, and the country.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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One of my Klingon buddies, Qob sent me the following straw poll that, if it were accurate, would predict a nationwide landslide for Dubya. Regrettably, it may not be very scientific, it is could be a good indication of where the country is heading.

For instance, Minnesota, where I live, is shown as distinctly red, with 51%, Kerry has 48%, and Nader with a spectacular 1%.

California, where I grew up, is much closer, with Bush at 50%, Kerry at 49%, and Nader again with a spectacular 1%.

As for Florida, land of the butterfly ballot, Bush has 54%, Kerry 45%, and Nader ends up with a spectacular 1%.

Overall, Bush is shown with 55%, Kerry with 44%, and Nader with a spectacular 1%.

Now, if only we can be assured that November 2nd will bring similar results.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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There is an aricle on The Alien Online about the perpetually planned Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy movie. It looks like Disney has picked up the rights and may run with it.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Stardate, oh wait, that's Pajama Boy talk.

There is an old Klingon proverb that states "Revenge is a dish best served cold." I can't think of any place colder than deep space, and so I made my plans.

I contacted the Duras Sisters, and arranged to rendezvous with them at Rua Penthe, where we would do a bit of trading. They were surprised at my request for a Ripple Wrangler, their lowest capacity wave maker, designed for gremmies and novice stellar surfers, insisted that as part of the deal for the 500 cases of ketchup, with a load of caviar and champagne thrown in, that I tell them what I wanted it for. I suppose it didn't help when I told them that I wanted it setup to resemble a Duras Sisters Primo Supremo Wave Maker Torpedo. They figured I had to be up to something special. So I had to tell them I was planning a little revenge on someone who did me a dirty trade. They accepted my explanation, and agreed to the deal.

After that, I headed down to Quark's place for a pint and a chaser before leaving port, and casually let it slip that I was picking up a couple of fresh torpedoes from Lursa and B'Etor, but not to let it circulate to widely. These things are so hot, they are next to impossible to get, unless you are me, and know the sisters.

Once we arrived at Rua Penthe, and rendezvoused with the Duras Sisters, they came on board for a few rounds of Blood Wine, and they pressured me into spilling the whole scenario to them.

"So," Lursa said, "Flipper slipped you a load of ketchup instead of wax, and you plan to get even. That's it?"

"Well..." I wasn't sure if I wanted to give them whole, complete, setup. But the Blood Wine had me relaxed, so I gave it to them. "Flipper can't surf even half as well as Gremmie. So, I thought I'd record some classic footage, and swing back to Quark's for a special showing and victory party."

"Okay, Kahuna, but we want to come along for the fun," Lursa and B'Etor insisted.

"Deal. Your ship or mine?"

"Too many ships might have him thinking something is up. We'll ride with you, and send ours over to DS9," Lursa responded.

And so it was that I found myself hanging out at Rigel VII, waiting for Flipper to show up in the Winter Soldier, and a small fleet of Secret Service escort ships. I figured that Quark must have told at least a hundred people by sub-space that I had some new torpedoes, and might be willing to part with one.

I was right. It wasn't long before we were hailed by the Winter Soldier, and Flipper came up on the screen, looking like Mr. Homn. "Ah, Kahuna, so good to see you again," came his greeting. Yeah right!

"What brings you out around Rigel, Flipper."

"Looking to catch some hot waves. Hey, I hear you have some Duras Sisters Primo Supremo Wave Maker Torpedoes. Any chance of trading for one. I have 500 barrels of Zog's. I'll even throw in 10 cases of 100 Feddies Tribble Sweat."

He must be desperate. He hasn't offered ketchup as trade stock.

"I don't know, Flipper. These torpedoes are pretty hard to come by. If you can throw in a few dozen barrels of Blood Wine to sweeten the deal, maybe we can talk."

"Blood Wine? No, no Blood Wine here, sorry."

"Okay, then have you got any Green to throw into the deal?"

"No Green...how about some Purple?"

Purple? What the Fek'lhr is Purple? "Well, I don't know...how much of this Purple have you got?"

"I can give you 12, which is all I've got."

Twelve what? Oh well, what the hey. I can always use it as trade stock. "Deal. You just got yourself the latest in surf wave makers from the Duras Sisters. Have your cargo chief work out the transfer with Kareless."

"Roger that, Kahuna, and thanks."

He switched off the comm and called up Kareless, my cargo chief. "Be sure that you get the wax on board first, and check some of the barrels to make sure he isn't pushing more ketchup on us. That stuff is harder to trade than stem bolts."

The Duras Sisters were rather pleased with the take, since they were due part of the haul. We weren't celebrating long before I got the call from Kareless confirming that this time the stuff was Mr. Zog's, so we went ahead and transferred the torpedo, while still receiving our goods.

Then the Winter Soldier hailed us again. It was Flipper.

"The last of your end of the deal is beaming over now. I hope you enjoy your Purple. By the way, someone has been filming my practice runs. I hope you don't mind if I ask you not to follow us."

"I wouldn't even think about it." No, not think, but do.

"Good...really appreciate your co-operation here. Well, that's it for the cargo transfer. Gotta run. Winter Soldier out." He cut communications.

I signaled Kohath to be ready to follow when the least expected thing happened. The Winter Soldier disappeared from our view screen. Somehow, Flipper had managed to lay his hands on a cloaking device. Who'd have thought.

Meanwhile, I received a call from cargo. It was Kareless.

"Everything all secure down there?" I asked.

"Well, um, yes sir, but about that Purple..."

"Yes, yes, twelve cases, right?"

"Well, not cases..."

Barrels? Even better. "Okay, barrels then, got them secured?"

"Not barrels, either."

Not barrels?! "Okay, what ever the containers this Purple..."

"Not cases, not barrels, but Drazi."

"Okay, so secure the twelve Drazi and we'll sample one later."

"Uh, Kahuna, you still don't understand. He beamed over 12 Drazi, and they don't look very happy."

They?! "Are you trying to tell me he sent us 12 Drazi wearing purple sashes?"

"Um, well, yes, that's exactly what he did."

Just great. If they find out over at Little Green Drazi, my targ will be cooked. "Well, I guess you better find some quarters for them, and hid anything of that other color."

"You mean green?"

"PURPLE!" I heard the Drazi call out in the background.

Well, maybe we'll get lucky and the Drazi election will be over before we hit DS9.

Kahuna

Posted by Kahuna at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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On the way home from work tonight I stopped and picked up William Shatner's new album, Has Been. Now before anyone says, "oh no, not another Shatner album," remembering his first such forays into the realm of music during his run as Captain Kirk in the '60s, you should check it out first. This album is a brilliant departure from the first album.

The album features Shatner performing spoken word to a mix of pop, R and B, not to mention Rock and Roll. Although it lacks the brilliant Julius Caesar Rap that he recorded for the film Free Enterprise, the pieces cover a full range of styles and emotion.

I found the songs "That's Me Trying" and "What Have You Done" to be full of emotion. I could tell that Shatner poured his heart and soul into these two poems set to music.

"That's Me Trying" is a song about a father wanting to reunite with his estranged daughter, just to meet, get acquainted and do what a parent/child should do.

In "What Have You Done," Shatner talks about the loss of his wife when she drowned in their pool several years ago, and one can definitely feel how much he aches for her loss.

The title song, "Has Been," has a distinct Johnny Cash feel to it, definitely country western, and not at all what I expected on an otherwise pop/rock/rap album.

Whether Shatner is on a serious note, or touching on his humorous side in tracks like "You'll Have Time" and "I Can't Get Behind That," Has Been is a brilliant album.

The spoken word to music is certainly a medium that Shatner is suited for, and succeeds at it beyond expectations.

Many of the songs were co-written by Shatner with Ben Folds (who plays piano throughout the album).

Posted by Sqotty at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Well, it's out, William Shatner's new album, "Has Been" as hit the stores. Yes, I plan to get a copy of it. Unfortunately, it looks like it is lacking the rap piece he did for the movie "Free Enterprise."

Fox News has the following to say:

NEW YORK — Just in time for Halloween comes a CD from a guy more likely to inspire a holiday costume than a musical following — William Shatner. The one-time James T. Kirk of "Star Trek" fame has released an 11-song collection this month, a follow-up to his 1968 spoken-word debut that garnered such critical infamy it became a camp classic.

So it must be asked: Is this a trick or a treat?

"It's a treat for me," Shatner, 73, said by telephone from Los Angeles, where he was taping an episode of "Boston Legal," his latest TV show. "I hope nobody turns a trick on it."

The new album — slyly titled "Has Been" — once again puts Shatner's choppy, emphasis-added words to music. But this time he's penned his own lyrics and tempered the cheese quotient with a few musical friends. Ben Folds, who produced and arranged the new album and co-wrote many of the songs, wrangled guest appearances by Joe Jackson, Aimee Mann, Henry Rollins and Brad Paisley.

I'll have to swing by a couple of stores tomorrow to see if I can pick up a copy. So far, the reviews by the fans over on Amazon look very favorable.

Posted by Sqotty at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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On September 11th, 2001, the world changed when a band of terrorists hijacked four airplanes, crashing two into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, and a third into the Pentagon, killing thousands of people, and injuring many more.

America went to war, liberating Afghanistan, where the masterminds of the attack hid and trained their army of murdering thugs, and then liberated Iraq, freeing a people that lived under the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein and his minions, a dictator who provided aide and comfort to terrorist organizations.

President Bush has made it clear that his intent is to "stay the course" and complete the mission at hand, spreading democracy in the Middle East.

On the other hand, John Kerry has said he wants to return to a time when terrorism is nothing more than a nuisance, the kind of thing that happens to other people, in other places, but not to Americans.

On April 12, 1985, Libyan terrorists blew up a restaurant just outside of Madrid that was popular with the American military community. Although they failed to kill Americans, 18 Spaniards lost their lives in the attack; one victim was the cousin of a friend of mine (his wife is Spanish). There was a number of Americans among the 82 who were injured, including a couple of guys from my unit. This was one of many attacks on Americans, and a personal one for me.

To these people, as with the victims of 9/11, and all victims of terrorist attacks, terrorism is NOT a nuisance. It is an act of evil. If we do not stay the course, then this evil will grow in strength and spread like the malignant virus that it is.

Posted by Sqotty at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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I don't even know where to begin on this one. Here's the image of the ad that was found, courtesy of Fox News.

For those of you who do not know me, and the many who do but may not know some of the family history, I have a cousin who is mentally handicapped. This mean spirited ad denigating both our President and those who were born with mental disabilities brings the Kerry campaign and his supporters to all new lows.

The people producing such reprehensible ads are the most contemptable type of people and should be shuned. One more reason to vote for W.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Just received word from Pat that he has been endorsed by the Pioneer Press.

Here's a part of what they had to say:

The Republican candidate to replace Rep. Steve Strachan in this rural district, Pat Garofalo, is well-versed in the issues facing the Minnesota Legislature and has obviously given them a lot of thought. Garofalo, a network engineer for a life insurance company, impressed us with his well-reasoned answers to questions about transportation, education and state budget issues. We believe he is the best choice in District 36B.

Garofalo, 33, of Farmington, served as campaign manager for Strachan, who is stepping down to concentrate on his new job as Lakeville police chief, and also worked on the Pawlenty gubernatorial campaign. District 36B includes Farmington, a portion of Lakeville and several rural communities in Dakota and Goodhue counties.

Check out the whole editorial for more info.

Pat's website is Patrick Garofalo for MN 36B.

Posted by Sqotty at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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John Kerry has gone beyond the event horizon and fallen into a black hole, form which there is no return. At least, one would hope. His references to Mary Cheney as a political weapon in his quest for power has had a tremendous backlash against him, as well it should. He continues to not get "it." Kerry has stated that since she is "out," she is fair game. Mary Cheney is NOT running for office. Her father is. She is private citizen, and regardless of whether she is publicly "out" or not is of concern only to her, her family, and friends. The Vice President's daughter should not be used as a political football and punted by Kerry in an underhanded tactic just to try and score a field goal in his Presidential Campaign.

Posted by Sqotty at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Stardate, oh wait, that's Pajama Boy talk.

It was after the Betelgeuse Rollers. I put into port at Deep Space 9, docked the Kowabunga, and headed down to Quark's. It had been a long haul out from Betelgeuse, and I was ready for a pint or five.

After I hit the bar, I remembered that the last time I was here there was a bunch of Feddies in dark suits loitering around, and driving business down. They were looking for whoever had delivered up some footage of Flipper Kerry when he was out playing with a Genesis Wave Maker ME.

I took a look around, noticed the distinct absence of said interlopers. Business was still a little off, but looked to be heading back to normal. A couple of Drazi wearing purple sashes were at one end of the bar, talking with Morn.

Quark joined me at the bar, "Ah, back in town, eh, Kahuna. The usual?" I nodded my response. As he pulled a pint of Guinness for me, he looked around and said, "What do you think of the new big screen monitors?"

I hadn't noticed, so I looked. These things were huge. Quark must have bought out the section of DS9 directly above his bar to make space for the things. And there were three of them.

"Great for watching the Betelgeuse Rollers," he said, setting the pint in front of me, then following it up with a shot glass of Tribble Sweat. "And other surfing adventures."

"How'd you manage to get all of this?" I was curious.

"Remember that memory chip you sold me a while back," alarm bells started going off in the back of my head, "well, turns out the subject of said surfing incident wanted it off of the market, so they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. No worries, though, I didn't tell them where I got it from, just all copies that were currently in my possession."

Okay, so I could relax, and knocked back half of my Guinness. Quark is, after all, a businessman, and one you could trust if you are is friend, which I am. "What about future films, are they expecting you to turn those over, or information on them?"

"They didn't get that specific in their demands. Nor did I tell them about the copies I exported the Romulans. Nor the copies I sent back to Ferenginar." Quark displayed a wicked grin at this disclosure. "Maximizing my profits, which is only fair since they essentially shut me down for several weeks."

I finished off my first pint, drank the round of Tribble Sweat, and slammed the empty shot glass upside down on the bar. Quark snatched up the empty glass, wiped down the bar, said, "Ya know, Kahuna, I really wish you wouldn't do that. It hurts my ears!"

I grinned at Quark, said, "So what's the latest news?"

"Aside from your losing the Betelgeuse Rollers to Zaphod Beeblebrox?" I winced at the mention of that. "Stunning defeat."

"It was second place, not a loss," I said, a bit defensively. "How about another round?"

"Only if you promise to stop pounding the bar with the empties. Otherwise, no more Tribble Sweat for you!"

"Would you prefer I throw them at one of those nifty new viewscreens of yours?"

"You wouldn't do that."

He had me there. "Okay, no more pounding the bar with the empties," I agreed.

"Now, how did you manage to lose so badly?" Quark was trying very hard to needle me on the Rollers.

"Well, for some reason, the barrels of Mr. Zog's Sex Wax we got in trade turned out to be barrels of ketchup." Those barrels were received in trade from Flipper for a Duras Sisters Special, labeled as wax and no one bothered to check. Including me! However, Kareless should have flagged me down when he noticed something was amiss with the stuff he was slopping on the hull of the ship. No Tribble Sweat for him during this leave. Come to think of it, no leave for him.

"Now, who would have done such a thing as that?"

"I wonder," I said, finishing off a second Guinness, tossing off the chaser, and remembering to NOT slam the shot glass on the bar when I got Quark grimacing at me. "Besides, with Zaphod using an Improbability Drive, that made him pretty tough to beat. Did you know that an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters appeared on his wave, knocking out a manuscript for Hamlet? In Klingon?"

"No."

"Yep, sure did, saw the whole thing. It was wild." A third round appeared on the bar in front of me.

"Say, did you check out the latest report over on Little Green Drazi?" Quark said, just a little loud. This garnered the response he wanted as the two Drazi at the end of the bar shouted out "Purple," looked around for targets, and seeing that they were the only Drazi in the place, went back to their drinks and conversation with Morn. Quark snickered at their reaction. It was definitely a deliberate jab at them. "Election time for the Drazi," he explained. However, my curiosity was aroused.

"What report is this?"

"You haven't heard then. Well, a couple of days after the Rollers it came out that Flipper Kerry had arranged to have someone "ghost surf" for him in the competition. Originally he had selected Captain Gremmie, but apparently they had a falling out, so he got someone else to do it. Want to know who?" He was deliberately drawing this out. Must be good.

"I'll bite, who?"

"Piccard."

"You've got to be kidding." I knew he wasn't, and somehow it all fit, especially the use of the Piccard Maneuver in the competition. No one, other than the legendary Captain Surrender, ever used that particular stunt.

"Nope, no kidding. Apparently it came out in a session with his analyst, who leaked it to the media, most of whom glossed over it, discounting the incident. Gremmie confirmed it, probably because he lost out on Best Wipeout." I could tell by the expression on Quark's face that there was more.

"And..."

"Well, Gremmie also confirmed the footage of the winter Soldier you traded to me as being the real McCoy. That's why I was able to get so much for the memory chip you traded me. Flipper Kerry wanted that footage put out of circulation."

Things were really becoming clear. He made out like a bandit. Now, I wonder what I could get of the one I had of the Winter Soldier smashing up with a Duras Sisters Special. Better get back to the ship and make sure we still had it. Maybe Quark and I could form a partnership and really soak the Ketchup King, especially after the way he took me on the trade for that torpedo.

I finished my third round, got up and told Quark I'd catch him later, and that I might have something special for him. All he could say was that if it is as good as the last one, and then the profits should be great.

Kahuna

Posted by Kahuna at 8:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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"Welcome to the Betelgeuse Rollers. I'm Michael Garibaldi, and co-anchoring this event is Ford Prefect, legendary research for the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. On the deck handling today's interviews is Jake Cisco. What an incredible array of top notch surfers we have here today. Got any favorites, Ford?"

"Well, the Kahuna is always the favorite. He's held the top position for quite a spell today, however, there are a number of up and comers who will be trying to unseat the Kahuna from his reigning position."

"Yes, from Flipper Kerry with his ship, the Winter Soldier, to Captain Gremmie and the Bat Guano."

"Not to mention Nog, who is running out there in the Defiant, Captain Sulu with the Excelsior, Han Solo and Chewbacca, and a whole host of others. This is going to be quite an event, Mike. And look at the turn out, fans from across the cosmos, even followers of the Great Prophet Zarquon."

"You've got that right, Ford. Let's check out the Duras Sisters as they prepare to send the wave making torpedo into Betelgeuse. This'll be a sight for sore eyes."

"They'll be launching the latest in their line of ultra super wave making torpedoes, the Duras Sisters Primo Supremo Wave Maker Torpedo. This baby is so hot, it can cause a super nova to nova. It's the equivalent of you or me getting hit on the head with a lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters for stars. Zowee!"

"That's right off of the product brochure, and from what I hear tell, it's right on the money. Best waves since the Big Bang, or so the Duras Sisters claim."

"No kidding. And there's the launch! Look at that baby go, and all of today's surfers are maneuvering for position to grab a piece of the wave that the detonation of Betelgeuse will produce."

"Oh, man, Ford, look at the size of that wave. Have you EVER seen anything like that?"

"Wow, that's magnificent. Biggest wave I've ever seen. And look at that, it's Han Solo and Chewbacca first up on the wave."

"Yep, and it looks like the Millennium Falcon is having a devil of a time holding onto that piece of wave. Looks like they may have picked out a bad section, as they struggle to hold onto this wild surf. Their in the tube, with crushing wave forces all about the Falcon, and out they shoot like a bat out of Hades. Not a bad ride for this dynamic duo."

"Nog's up with the Defiant, holding steady as he carves up the face of the wave, but wait, what's that sputtering out of their engines?"

"Look's like ketchup, Ford."

"Ketchup?"

"Sure looks like, and down goes the Defiant as the wave crumbles about it, pounding it with stellar debris. Too bad. There was high hopes for Nog, but maybe he'll do better next time."

"Mike, Jake Cisco is with Han Solo down on the deck. Shall we see what's the word from the surf?"

"Absolutely. Take it away, Jake."

"Thanks, Mike. I'm here with surf scoundrel, Han Solo, just in from one wild ride. What was it like out there."

"Gnarly, Jake."

"How did you manage to hold on to your wave for such a good ride?"

"Well, as my old buddy, Luke Skywalker, would say, the Force was with us."

"Your score came out with a 9.67...are you happy with it?"

"Sure. It may not be a perfect 10, but I think that'll be a hard score to beat. Especially with this brutal wave."

"Thanks, Han. Back to you, Mike."

"Roger that, Jake. Back to the action as Sulu goes out with the Excelsior with one wild ride. Look at him take that wave, upside down. Ford, do you think that'll help his score?"

"Well, the judges tend to discount simple stunts like that, however, there he goes into a twister roll and flipping up on his warp drives. That'll help some."

"Yep, and here's his score, 9.65, just a hair behind Solo. Not bad for this over-powering wave."

"And here comes Gremmie in the Bat Guano. This cat has lost more ships than Piccard has, and not with the same style as Piccard."

"No doubt he'll be a contender for best wipeout. Ouch! And down he goes, pummeled by the solar mass of this crushing wave."

"Mike, up next is Flipper Kerry with the Winter Soldier. Looks like he may have picked a bad piece of wave. He's flying in there with gusto, but it looks like he's having some difficulties."

"That's for sure. Egads! Ford, I can't believe this. He's using the Piccard Maneuver! I haven't seen that used in ages!"

"And down he goes, the Winter Soldier getting pummeled by billions and billions of star stuff. But what an incredible wipeout!"

"Let's join Jake Cisco down on the deck...Jake?"

"Thanks, Mike. I'm here with the latest and greatest surfer to come out of the Federation, Flipper Kerry. Tell us, honestly, Flipper, what was it like out there."

"I'll tell you Jake, that was the gnarliest time I've ever had since Christmas on Bajor, when I had to deal with drunken Kardasians and Maquis, celebrating the Holiday, and firing phasers and photon torpedoes indiscriminately. When the waves began to crumble around me, it created a situation just as dangerous. However, thanks to my training with the Deep Space Patrol, I was able to persevere and not sustain too much damage to the Winter Soldier. If I'd been able to hold it a few seconds longer before the whole wave front collapsed on me, I have no doubt I'd be coming out of this as this year's Champion."

"I must admit, Flipper, that was one awe inspiring wipeout you suffered out there. It looked like you were executing the fabled Piccard Maneuver out there. How did you pull that off?"

"Well, I leveraged all my experiences I gained in commanding light patrol craft during the war, combined it with my vast knowledge of Galactic Surfing, and just did the best I could."

"I am sure that if Piccard were judging this year, he would have been beaming with pride. That's a wrap on the deck for now, back to Michael Garibaldi and Ford Prefect on the observation platform."

"Thanks, Jake. Well, Ford, looks like the next surfer up on the waves is none other than that legendary frood, Zaphod Beeblebrox."

"Zaphod Beeblebrox?!"

"Yes, that's right, and it looks like he is surfing one of the blackest ships I've ever seen."

"Zaphod Beeblebrox."

"Yes, you said that already. Man, that is one black ship. Looks like something once owned by Hotblack Desiato of the Disaster Area. I wonder if it can move as well as it looks.

"Zaphod Beeblebrox. Hmm. What was that, Mike?"

"I said Zaphod has this real black ship, so black you can't even see it against the fabric of space. An amazingly amazing looking ship."

"Oh, yes, Zaphod, must have stolen another of Hotblack's stunt ships. The ones he uses to crash into stars. Actually, it seems somewhat suitable as he is riding the waves created by the detonation of a star. Wow! That ship sure is black. Look at him carve up the waves, it's almost like he isn't even there. I haven't seen Zaphod since the last time he stole one of Hotblack's ships. In fact, Hotblack was spending a year dead for tax reasons."

"Hotblack better be ready to spend several years dead for tax reasons if Flipper gets elected President of the Federation. Come to think of it, we may all want to spend a few years dead."

"No kidding. Zowee, look at Zaphod go! Shoot the tube, carve back up to the wave's crest, nose down thru the wave and pop back out thru the curl! Incredible! That's just so improbable that he could pull a zinger like that!"

"That's some performance he's giving out there. Hey, Ford, do you know if this ship is equipped with the Improbability Drive?"

"No way, Mike. Where would he get another one of those things. That would be highly improbable"

"Well, how do you explain these scores from the judges? 3,408,967 to 1, 6,548 to 1, 200 to 1, 75 to 1, 1 to 1."

"That's just to improbable to be happening, Mike, but when Zaphod is involved, I guess even the most improbable of things can happen."

"And how improbable do you think it is that Zaphod may walk away with this trophy"

"I don't know, Mike, but it certainly is looking very good for Zaphod. Let's go back to the deck where Jake Cisco has tapped into the mind of Zaphod's analyst, Gag Halfrunt."

"Thanks, Ford. How about that Beeblebroz? That was an outstanding ride on the waves out here on Betelgeuse. Right now I am with his analyst, Gag Halfrunt. so how about the big Z? Do you think he'll get this year's trophy?"

"Vell, Zaphod's just zis guy, you know?"

"Ahm, yes, but will he win it."

"Ach, vell, that iz highly improbable, however, he may just pull eet off. As for the other patient I have in zis competition, vell now, I could tell you some interesting storiez..."

"Other patient?"

"Ach, yes, but I cannot tell you hiz name, but hiz psychosis iz quite unique. He seez Earth people, galactic leaderz of all kindz. Vhy the last time he vas on my couch, he spent the whole hour discussing Intergalactic policy with the Founders, claiming that he vas told that they have got to get a new Foreign Policy in place, that the current Federation Administration iz just killing them. And then on another occasion, he discussed the outlook of the Klingon Empire with Kahless, who haz been dead for, vhat, thousands of years? Not to mention Surak of Vulcan while eating at that Scottish place, the von mit the arches."

"Really? Incredible. He must be a psychic channel or something."

"Vell, I vould lean towardz the 'zomething' end uf the spectrum."

"We'll just have to speculate as to the identity of this mystery surfer who sees foreign leaders wherever he goes. Ford, what do you think?"

"Zaphod Beeblebrox? Oh, wait, you mean this other frood. Should be interesting to speculate who that is. What's your take, Mike."

"Well, my money is on Flipper Kerry. He's said some awfully strange things on the surfing circuit, including how he keeps running into Galactic leaders in odd places, and refuses to disclose who they are or what was said."

"Good point. Certainly not something Zaphod would do."

"Let's get back to the action as the Kahuna and the IKV Kowabunga grabs a huge wave, riding it hard and fast."

"Wow, Mike, look at the Kahuna go. Go. Go. Go."

"Yep, he's really carving that wave up, and there he goes with his trade mark, ten red shirted Feddies hanging from his warp engine pods."

"Now that's how to hang ten! This frood must really know where his towel is at!"

"You said it. He's cruising along wonderfully, managing to hold his own as he slides down the face and rides in the tube, the wave crashing all around the Kowabunga. This is a top notch ride, but will it be enough to beat the big Z?"

"Not a chance, Mike. Remember, Zaphod may have an improbability drive, which means the more improbable the situation, like Zaphod actually winning, the more likely it is he'll win."

"Point noted, Ford. And here come the scores. Wow, not quite perfect 10' but very close. How will that compare with Zaphod's 3,408,967 to 1?"

"That depends on how the judges determine final scores, especially after accounting for those nutty numbers Zaphod got."

"Here comes the final rankings. Yep, Ford, looks like you called it, with Zaphod coming in first to take the trophy form reigning champion Kahuna, and the Kahuna settling for second place. Flipper gets the honors for best wipeout this year. I see Jake Cisco has got hold of the Kahuna. What;s the word from the deck, Jake?"

"I'm here with surf legend Kahuna of the IKV Kowabunga. Tell me Kahuna, are you disappointed with being topped by Zaphod Beeblebrox? Can you tell us what happened out there."

"Well, dude, there was some gnarly action out there on the surf, and then it turns out that one of my crew used ketchup instead of Mr. Zog's to wax down th eship before hitting the waves. Go figure. Even with that, though, it's hard to knock out a ship running an Improbability Drive."

"Back to you, Mike."

"Well, that's a wrap for the Betelgeuse Rollers. Stay tuned for the post competition commentary with Can Dather and the 60 Stardates Crew."

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What an event! Met up with Scott of PinkyMonkeyBird at the Minneapolis Hilton for the Final Debate party being hosted by AM1280 and the bloggers that comprise the NARN. I'd figure there was around 600-700 people in attendance, and they were quite the exuberant crowd. Met another blogger, Tom Swift, of Pair 'O Dice and had a minute to chat with State Senator Tom Neuville of Northfield, my neighboring community. Also met up with one of the guys from FreedomDogs.

There were a number of bloggers there, many of whom were "live blogging", that is to say posting to their blogs updates on the debate in a blow by blow fashion. Not having a laptop with wireless capability, I'm doing it the old fasion way and posting after the event.

First impressions are important. Kerry looked wooden, actually reminding me of Glenn Strange as Frankenstein's Monster, no surprise since he is married to the Bride of Frankenstein. Bush, on the other hand, looked fresh and energetic. Where Kerry looked dead, Bush looked vibrant. This was a change for the better over the first debate when Bush did not look to be at his best.

The questions, though mainly focused on domestic policy, did allow for opportunities to remind Americans of the War on Terrorism. Although part of Presidnet Bush's stump speech, he got in "Freedom is on the march" and brought up the point that for the first time Afgahnistan held a free election. Opportunities did abound for the President to display his accomplishments in spreading liberty in the Middle East, and he took them all.

One of the best catch phrases of the night was during the responses to the question on taxation, when Bush said "We're spending your money," in reference to the need for fiscal responsibility, and remembering that the money collected in taxes is money that comes from Americans, and does not belong to the Government, but entrusted to the Government. Bush later blasted Kerry with "mainstream American Politics, you sit on the far left bank."

Towards the end of the debate, Kerry once again discounts our allies, their contributions to the liberation of Afgahnistan and Iraq, and their tremendous sacraficies. Bush kicked his butt again. How can this guy (Kerry) form an international coalition when he continues to denigrate the contributions of those many countries who have already given the U.S., Iraq, and Afgahnistan their support as well as the lives of their servicemen?

Overall, Bush's star was shining bright, and gave his best debate performance of the three, and literally clobbered Kerry at every turn.

It was a great debate, and a great party to be at. Thanks again to the NARN and to AM1280 The Patriot for hosting this event. If you missed it, you missed out on one heck of a party.

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Adding some pictures from Saturday's rally in Chanhassen.

What would a rally be without an exuberant group of volunteers. Here's three during the "pre-game" pep rally, getting the crowd energized for Dubya's arrival.

President Bush.

And a second picture of the Prez. Focus is a touch soft, but hey, otherwise it's a pretty good pic.

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Today was the day of the Big Event in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The day was picture perfect for early October, the sun shining down, not too hot, and not a hint of the coming winter in the air. The throngs of Bush supporters began to gather in the morning, my arrival being just before noon, and there was already a thousand or so of people there.

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I hope you all were as interested as I was in this debate. It was a good one. The exchanges between President Bush and Senator Kerry were hot and pointed. One major difference between the two is credibility. Bush has it, Kerry doesn't. Examples:

Kerry consistantly denigrates our allies in the coalition serving in Iraq, specifically the UK, Australia, and Poland.

Bush did retaliate with "Tell Tony Blair we're going alone. Tell Silvio Berlusconi we're going alone. Tell Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland we're going alone." A very nice jab back at Kerry.

Kerry did attempt to come back at W when he points out that eight countries have left the coalition, he fails to mention the reason is that they caved in to the demands of terrorists holding their countrymen hostage.

Although he doesn't say so directly, Kerry also denigrates the contribuion of all of the allies, spcifically El Salvador, before they pulled out. The troop of El Salvadoarn soldiers participated in a tremendous firefight a few months ago, at great cost, serving along side their U.S. counterparts, heroically and proudly. Let us not forget any of the coalition forces, or their contributions, even those who pulled out due to pressures at home.

In another question, Kerry is challenged to look directly into the camera and state he will not raise taxes on Americans making less than $200K. Believability of the "No New Taxes" Mantra: zero. I could see his nose growing with every word he said.

His plan for tax cuts - $1000 child care tax credit, which is a drop in the bucket if you have children in day care, meaningless if you don't; $4000 tuition tax credit, also meaningless if your kids decide not to go to college, and join the work forces, or choose to serve their country; federalize health care. Yeesh!

End result, even though I don't earn $200K a year, my taxes will not get any lower, and may still go up! Same with any family where there is a stay at home parent (so much for the child care tax credit).

All this from a man who never met a tax increase he didn't like, including raising the taxes on Social Security benefits that retirees receive.

Later on in the debate, Kerry is asked a direct question concerning the use of OUR money to pay for abortions, despite that many Americans believe that abortion is morally wrong (and repugnanat). His response:

"First of all, I cannot tell you how deeply I respect the belief about life and when it begins. I'm a Catholic, raised a Catholic. I was an altar boy. Religion has been a huge part of my life. It helped lead me through a war, leads me today."

If you are playing the debate drinking game, take five shots: four mentions of his religious background and Vietnam!

Meanwhile, instead of addressing the concerns that American tax dollars would not be used to pay for abortions, he skirted around the question as much as possible, however, when he mentions Constitutional rights, he as much says that he will spend OUR money on this abhorrent practice. I never knew that people had a Constitutional right to a taxpayer subsidized abortion until now.

Okay, overall, I give this debate to W. He presented himself a lot better than in the first debate, and he speaks with honesty and integrity, whereas Kerry frequently danced around the questions in attempts to obfuscate the real meaning of his answers, and just wasn't credible on many of his points.

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This is a handbook on winning elections and why it is not only important that the GOP wins, but why it is critical for GOP victory. It is also a book I wish I had read, had it been available, 10-15 years ago. It would have prevented a lot of bad voting decisions.

Hugh Hewitt, famed AM Radio Shock Jock, presents sound arguments why winning elections by large margins are needed, how the political process works, and why not only being involved, but understanding the key issues, is critical in understanding the political process.

In the second chapter, Hewitt describes the Six-party system and how that each of the two major parties, Republican and Democrat, are actually three parties merged into a single, larger, entity. He also goes into detail on each of these three aspects that comprise the Republican and Democratic parties, how they differ, who makes up their leadership and what they stand for. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

But wait, there's more. Hewitt doesn't just stop there, he dedicates a section on why political parties are important, specifically the two major parties, how money comes into play and why our contributions to the party and to individual campaigns not only matter, but are crucial to success. (It is interesting to note that I made my first campaign contribution this year, just before reading this book.) Money is the life blood of the campaign and the party, and this particular theme is emphasized several times, for without cash, there can be no victory.

He then dedicates a section on message delivery, covering the old media (newspapers and letters to the editor) to the latest in technology: the Blogosphere. The attention he dedicates to the current trend in information distribution is not unwarranted, and although he gives some good examples of why Americans should read blogs, his point on the importance of Blogs was recently driven home by the revelation that certain documents used in the 60 Minutes report on President Bush's ANG record as being forgeries designed to discredit the President. The bloggers, from the gang that comprise the The Northern Alliance Radio Network to Little Green Footballs, the guy who took one of the messages, typed it into MS Word, and overlaid it with one of the forged documents, showing that they were an exact match, something that would not have been possible had the forged document actually been typed on a 1970's era typewriter. Hewitt rightly refers to the Blogosphere as the new media, and its bloggers like these who have paved the way for this new medium.

Overall, this book is dynamite. It is easy reading, flows nicely from one point to the next, and a pure joy to read. Hewitt also includes a recommended reading list, and it is not out of ego that he recommends his own book (along with several others) as places to start for independents and others in the middle ground of the political spectrum to learn why the Republicans need to be retained in office, and elected to additional offices. It is a must read for anyone interested in the political process, not just this year with the impending Presidential election, but for the next several election cycles as well.

The book can be ordered directly from Hugh Hewitt on his website. Tell him Sqotty sent you.

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