Deep pockets

Keokuk National Cemetery

This old vagabond died flush with over a quarter mil on him in Sheldon, Iowa. After they figured out who he was they buried him with a military funeral.

I wonder if carrying all that money around made him feel more secure than people who worry about identity theft and the multitude of ways you can lose it by entrusting it to financial institutions.

Peg-Eye Nate's Really Deep Thoughts

Peg-Eye Nate blogs over at The Conservative Cat, and is renowned for his really deep thoughts. Here is the latest from a young fellow with his head screwed on straight:

The human species did not get where it is by being passive; rather, we got where we are because in some point in our history, someone discovered that when you hit something in the head with a sharp rock it doesn't get back up.

I wonder if there were any pacifists in his or her 'society' who wanted to Ban the Sharp Rock? As human nature hasn't changed all that much since then, there must have been some cave-wussies that thought the sharp rock was a bad thing. I suspect early rock grabbers' sharp rock bans were to blame for our near extinction 70,000 years ago.
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The picture isn't of Nate. Nate is somewhat more suave, and wears a mustache.

Meth-ican restaurant entrepreneur

El Chico Loco

Juan Humberto Castillo-Alvarez, ringleader of the Los Krazy Boyz Estherville, Iowa, gang that murdered 15-year-old Gregory Sky Erickson in 1997 over an unpaid drug debt, received his sentence yesterday at the Clay County Courthouse in Spencer, Iowa, according to The Daily Reporter. Castillo-Alvarez immediately fled the country after his number two man, meth idiot Luis Lua, murdered Erickson rather than simply "punish" him with two severe beatings.

Castillo-Alvarez fled to Mexico City, generally regarded as one of the largest and most corrupt cities in the world, but against all odds he was eventually captured there in 2006 and returned to Iowa for prosecution. He is the tenth and final member of the gang to be prosecuted and convicted.

Back in the mid nineties I was working in Estherville for awhile and had lunch at the Mexico Lindo restaurant that Castillo-Alvarez owned and operated. At that time restaurants owned by real Mexicans were still a rarity in northwest Iowa. Juan Humberto himself waited on me. He was a personable guy, the food was good and the prices were fair. I didn't know he had a pistol or two hidden in the ceiling tile. I also didn't know that you could get a side of Mexican weed or meth with your takeout order of tacos and enchiladas. I planned to go back the next time I was in town.

Sky Erickson was one of a kind according to local legends. In the words of his mother, Joni Ketter, "Sky was really a very cool kid. He was incredibly bright and had this magnetic personality that just drew other people to him."

Too bad the Krazy Boyz were drawn to him and too bad the cops arrested him in possession of some weed and $728. And too bad the criminal justice system tried to make an informant out of him and were unable to protect him from loco Luis. And why couldn't someone have come up with $1400 to pay off his drug debt? This is one of those stories that, if you were to dig into it, would probably reveal incompetence and failures far beyond the crimes of young Sky.

I remember reading an anonymous quote in 1997 from someone presumably higher up in the system, "There's plenty of blame to go around."

Let them eat ethanol

Full stomach or blissful numbness - take your pick

Food shortages? Food riots? Food rationing at Sam's Club? Instead of whining to the United Nations and blaming capitalist greed, American farmers should demand that the world's hungry folks be given corn liquor ethanol.

We make plenty of it, and alcoholism is a popular alternative to eating government rationed food. Just ask the former Soviets.

Earth Day

Click for some perspective

Ho-hum.

Toying with the wind

Wind Toys

Windmills weren't always a trick on taxpayers. The old relic in the picture was more useful than the goofy wind generators standing behind it.

A comment from Small Dead Animals should make most people doubt the efficiency of wind power and battery power.

I had walked on at the wind's will,-
I sat now, for the wind was still.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Lost weekend

A few of the EZ fixes

The installer failed on my Windows XP machine. It took me two full days to to fix it. Bill Gates suggests more than a dozen fixes, none of which really worked. The problem wouldn't have been so all-consuming had I not just bought a new flight simulation package. Obsessed with getting it installed, there was no time for blogging.

What did I miss? More Democrat blood spilled in the battle for the White House. A liberal pervert getting busted. A couple of important weekend anniversaries:

Oklahoma City Bombing - Columbine Murders

What the hey? At least now I can fly my C-47 over Omaha and see the First National Bank building.

Midwest quake on anniversary of 1906 San Francisco biggie

San Francisco - April 18, 1906

Odd coincidence? The earthquake that shook southern Illinois, and St. Louis, Mo. early this morning occurred on the anniversary of the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Almost at the the same time of day as well.

The New Madrid fault is believed involved in todays quake. That fault has caused several big quakes in the past. Should one like the 1811 temblor strike today, St. Louis and many other now heavily populated areas would see severe destruction.

Bush entertains Pope at White House with harp music

The Pope visits the US President

I was watching Pope Benedict's outdoor reception at the White House on TV. Its the Pope's birthday, and our President went out of his way to give the leader of the Catholic Church a great welcome. There were speeches and all that, which you can read about anywhere. What caught my eye was the huge golden harp that was featured in one of the musical interludes.

Imagine George Bush and his staff discussing plans for the papal visit.

Pres. Bush: "What kind of music do you suppose he likes?"
Staffer 1: "I dunno. Maybe Wagner? He's German, isn't he?
Staffer 2: "Not Wagner! Too Nazi."
Pres. Bush: "Harp music! Thats what they listen to in heaven, ain't it?"
Staffers at once: "Right. Yes. Brilliant. Good thinking..."
Pres. Bush: "OK, get us a big-ass gold harp and someone to play it. Should we do the 21 gun salute after the harp stuff, or before?"

The Pope should have a good visit to the US.

Claudia Cardinale's birthday

Today is Claudia Cardinale's birthday. I'm just posting this because I got tired of seeing Smilin' Geoff Davis from the previous post at the top of the page. More photos of Claudia can be seen here. The old babe is still working.

I liked her breast best in The Professionals.

An old boy's foot retraction

Geoff Davis

From his mouth. If you're a white politician you better not refer to a black colleague as boy; it would probably be easier for a black politician to get away with white boy. Darky would never fly but whitey might. Most likely the offending user of whitey could get by with a lighter, less groveling, apology.

American racial semantics in the 21st century.

I hope he's lying just to get elected

Drudge has this example of Senator John McCain trying to reach out to liberals. Here are excerpts from the nauseating story from the Hill.com.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Monday that he believes the country is in a recession, adding that “these are very, very tough times in America.”
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“Americans are hurting today,” McCain said at an Associated Press forum in Washington, D.C. “They’re hurting in the towns and cities across America. They’re sitting around the kitchen table, saying, ‘Are we going to be able to make our home loan mortgage payments? Are we going to be able to -- do I have to try to get a second job? Can I keep my job? Why was I laid off?’”
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The senator indicated that both Congress and President Bush are partly responsible for the situation, but argued that others are also playing a role.

“I think that there’s plenty of that blame to go around, including very greedy people that happen to be in Wall Street today ... like the CEO of Bear Stearns who decided the day before he was bailed out by the federal government to cash in millions of dollar's worth of stock,” he stated, adding that there needs to be “a lot more accountability” on Wall Street.

How I hope these are all just lies McCain is telling just to get elected. In my dreams: as soon as he takes the oath of office, President McCain is going to pull off that awful mask he's been wearing on the campaign trail. The real McCain, a cross between Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, will emerge to save America from stupidity, cupidity, Marxism and Mohammed.

Barack H. Obama serves burgers like a Christian

Excuse my unclean fingers

Perhaps Barack Hussein Obama isn't the Mohammedan some folks claim he is. This photograph shows Barack serving hamburgers yesterday in Muncie, Indiana. Note that he is serving the burger with his left hand. His unclean left hand; the hand Moslems use to wipe their butts. Only an infidel, a non-observant Mohammedan or an apostate would offer food to his friends this way.

Money Honey

Maria Bartiromo

CNBC anchor, interviewer and author. If you're reading this you probably know more about her than I do. If not, click title.

Whats it worth?

Gasoline - Miracle Fuel

Some small businesses are asking for government fuel price controls. The Grouchy Old Cripple, never one to pussyfoot around an issue, runs it down for those who think oil companies are the problem and government is the solution.

The above image is that of an old gas pump globe from a 2006 auction in Des Moines of gasoline memorabilia. Some day it will all be memorabilia but for now it's serious business. I cringe at the thought of price controls. I'd prefer the gas to be available even if I couldn't afford to buy much of it than to have it priced so artificially low that the pumps would run dry the next time a crisis erupts.

Polygamist Cults - Whats in it for the ladies?

Cool Cult Coiffure

Living with any number of women, even one at a time, is impossible, at least for me. Therefore, I can't for the life of me sympathize with the men at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (only marginally connected with the Mormons). I figure these men must be just plain old everyday sex perverts and pedophiles with scads of money. But what about the women? Whats in it for them?

I cant believe that all of them were held there against their will. I know some women, and darn few of them would sit still for being forced into any lifestyle. The little kids aren't accountable, but my experience is that females have mind of their own by the time they are teenagers. Many teens are willful if not outright rebellious; its only natural. So why do the women stick around?

It must be the nifty hairdos. Thats what Homa Khaleeli writes at the Guardian:

What is not explained in any of the news reports so far is what membership of a polygamous cult could possibly offer its female members. Yet pictures showing the women and girls being bussed from the sect's headquarters have shed light on at least one unlikely advantage - great hair.

There must be something to this. Every picture I've seen of women being 'rescued' shows their hair is done up in complex hairstyles. Hairstyles which must require considerable time to effect. If the raid on the polygamist cult's HQ was indeed a surprise, one must conclude that these ladies didn't have time to do up their hair just so they'd look good in the news pictures. The cult ladies must go around with their hair fixed all the time.

Even the little girls have hairdos

Would big hair, all day, every day be enough to get these otherwise normal women to go along with perverted polygamist husbands? I wonder if the writer that suggested this, Homa Khaleeli, wears Mohammedan garb? Or, if she is married, does she share her husband with other wives? I wonder if the fundamentalist Mohammedan women have outlandish hairdos under their burqas?

Hand-held lie detector is old hat

Seen on the Drudge Report: Pentagon's New Weapon: Hand-held lie detector. Whats new about that? I've had a hand-held lie detector for decades.

Abu Ubaida al-Masri dead - natural causes?

al-Masri slips on banana peel, dies

KPTM FOX 42: "A U.S. official confirmed to FOX News Wednesday that Al Qaeda operative and bomb expert Abu Ubaida al-Masri is dead". Most reports are claiming that the Mohammedan fanatic died of natural causes. Maybe hepatitis, wink-wink. How could this happen to the world's - luckiest - terrorist?
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Don't confuse your al-Masris. The one in the news today isn't this nasty cat, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who also may or may not be dead of one thing or another.
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Reminds me of this story by Scott Ott: 1960's CIA Plot to Kill Castro Nears Success.

Free Tibet? Why not Free China?

Free China and you free Tibet. It isn't about the Olympic racket. Its about communist slavery, oppression and hegemony. Marxist thought stinks on ice.

Lunatist Tool

Lunacy: a cross-cultural affliction

Some folks study the zodiac, like cousin DadGum. I'm more of a lunatist; I keep an eye on the moon. I'm - not - alone - in this - interest. Lunatism could easily predate human consciousness as we know it. Most folks can't seem to ignore the moon. Even the most rational among us try to come up with explanations for anecdotal correlations such as the one between moon phases and human aggression, investment behavior and more.

Being aware of the moon, as with most sky-watching, is supremely easy. You go outdoors and look up. What about those times you can't see the moon for the clouds or because you are in your underground survivalist retreat? All you need to satisfy your inner lunatist is this super simple little piece of software: Moontool for Windows.

In sky-watching as in baseball, you can't tell the players without a program.
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If you were looking for a lunatic tool, try here and here.

Charlton Heston - El Cid passes away

Heston as El Cid Campeador

Charlton Heston died last weekend. He was a fine actor, a good human being and an American who put his career on the line to defend our constitutional rights. I remember him best in his role as Judah Ben-Hur, but he starred in so many monumental films that its as easy to think of him as the hapless astronaut in Planet of the Apes as it is to picture him parting the Red Sea as Moses. Michelle Malkin links to a fine homage printed in the Washington Post, the last place I would have looked for one.

Today, I want to remind Plains Feeder readers of Charlton Heston's role as Rodrigo Diaz, the champion of the first Reconquista. The one where the Spaniards drove out the Moslem occupiers of Andalucia, not the historically corrupt Mexican version of the reconquista that is in the news today. The misguided and grossly confused proponents of Aztlan would like to see huge tracts of the US Southwest 'reconquered' by Mexico.

Granted, no one is much worried about Mexico invading the US, but a growing fifth column of anti-American illegal immigrants are buying into this bastardized view of historical inevitability. The latest flap involves the advertising industry pandering to the reconquistadores. Absolut Vodka is getting blogged over the head for an advert featuring a map of Aztlan.

The Real Reconquista

Astute bloggers know that the Mohammedan jihad brought the scourge of fundamentalist Islam to the Gates of Vienna. The Mohammedans are still almost at those gates. Anyone familiar with history also knows that the original Jihad saw the Moors (another name for Mohammedans) conquer much of what is now Spain. The jihadists ruled over their Spanish conquests (Al-Andalus) for ages: 711 to 1492, hundreds of years. The term Reconquista was given to the Spaniards' successful efforts to drive the Mohammedan fanatics out of Spain and back to North Africa, from whence they came.

The champion of the Spanish Reconquista was El Cid Campeador, a cat named Rodrigo who inspired and led the Spaniards to victory over the Moors. Charlton Heston played El Cid in the 1961 movie of that name. The film isn't exactly historically accurate. The movie Cid gets killed but leads the final assault as a corpse strapped to his famous horse, Babieca. Actually, the real El Cid died of old age, just like Charlton Heston, at his home in reconquered Valencia. Its a great story, and still timely in light of today's resurgence of worldwide Jihad.

Someone should put the Aztlanists wise. They claim solidarity with the Mohammedan Jihad, while simultaneously holding up El Cid as an exemplar of their lame 'reconquista' movement. Of course, inconsistent reasoning never bothered these cats and their supporters before.
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What do you say? I think its time to prevent the need for another reconquista here at home. Stop the Dhimmitude, appeasement and accommodation of these dangerous Mohammedan fanatics.
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Charlton Heston - College Days

Read an interesting article about how Heston never forgot his pre-Hollywood days. Adios, Campeador. We will never forget your "cold, dead hands" speech to the NRA.

Hitler was a victim?

Doomed by his genes?

Modern science has found an excuse for even the most extreme forms of sociopathy. Murderous tyrants like Adolf Hitler are helpless victims of their genetic make-up. Stalin, Mao, Castro and Arab Jihadists aren't to blame for their ruthless behavior; its in their genes.

There is an excuse or reason to avoid personal responsibility for almost any behavior these days. Politically correct academics are working on a scientific "way out" for wrongdoers of every stripe, from disruptive grade-school boys to genocidal maniacs. Its only a genetically induced chemical imbalance. Perhaps they will find a pill for it.
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PANG theory (People Are No Good) has a new corollary: People may well be no good, but it isn't their fault because their genes made them that way. Now, take your meds or you'll turn out like Hitler.

Disturbing videos - watch at your own risk

Resisting the Insect Overlords

This horrible video crossed my path at the Blog Quebecois, where gnotalex adds an edge to the promotional video by suggesting that we consider welcoming these grotesques. I watched the video two weeks ago, and can't get the thought of these things loose on the streets out of my mind. I'm hoping that posting the troubling phenomenon will be cathartic.

Soviet Dénouement -Triumph of the Nekulturny

This next cultural travesty was inflicted upon the old feeder by Eric Parks blogging at RedStateEclectic, disguised as a Mental Exercise. Instead of a Mental Exercise, I found myself needing a Mental Exorcism to get this unwholesome musical video worm out of my head. Cop a laugh, if you can.

Angry journalists blame blogs, blog blame

Ever since Dan Rather got canned...

The Main Stream Media is going through some changes. Changes resembling those that transformed the buggy whip industry at the advent of the automobile age. Advertising revenue is off, circulation/viewership is down and public trust in MSM journalists is at an all-time low. The "workers" at the MSM newspapers and network news desks are feeling the pinch.

As liberals everywhere are wont to do, these disgruntled journalists are casting blame everywhere but upon their own failures. Most of them seem to blame the internets in general and the blog phenomenon in particular for their slide into unemployment.

In an ironic turn of events, these complainants find little choice but to use the very instruments of their torment to give vent to their dissatisfaction. They have a web site. But for a few cosmetic differences, their web site might as well be yet another miserable blog.

What goes around, comes around.

Fahey: Omaha may get downtown stadium for free

A new downtown stadium at no cost?

Just when you thought Omaha's Mayor Mike Fahey was on the ropes, the crafty pol pulls a rabbit out of his hat. Fahey wants a new riverfront ballpark built as part of his legacy, but many think it too costly. Now he says the city can have a new stadium for free, thanks to his middle east connections.

Even as recall petitions are being circulated, in part over the stadium issue, Fahey has cooked up a plan to get his stadium built by oil-rich Arabs. The details won't be made public until later today, but here's what the Omaha World-Herald had this morning. Excerpt:

As Landow outlined the arrangement, the ballpark would be built in the riverfront area, as previously planned. The only difference would be the addition of two towering minarets marking the foul lines. In exchange for completely funding the stadium, The Emir of Dubai would have use of the facility for an outdoor Mosque and a Muslim-American resource center.

Dubai. Its where its at.