Mad SoapBoxer

2007-12-17T12:56:00.000-06:00

I’d REALLY Be MAD!

I’d REALLY Be MAD if I was paying school taxes in Saratoga California:

Suit over socks costs school $95,000

One of many ZERO INTELLIGENCE stories that keep popping up in the news.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071215/ap_on_fe_st/odd_cartoon_socks_lawsuit&printer=1;_ylt=AoK0mic6raQRpm3_4uwhKX0uQE4F

So, are the MORONS who cost the taxpayers $95,000 plus the school district’s OWN legal expenses still employed? Are they reimbursing the district out of their own pockets for this unwarranted waste? I sure hope so! And, I sure hope they don’t try to get jobs in MY district! Or, ANY district, actually… most of them already have more than their share of incompetents.

Hey, Let's Blast Another Country!

2006-10-02T12:01:00.000-05:00

Former US officials urge military action against Sudan over Darfur

What's making me MAD today: In the news we've got Anthony Lake, who served as president Bill Clinton's National Security Advisor, former Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Susan Rice and current Democratic representative from New Jersey Donald Payne saying the US should take the initiative and go blast Sudan because they refuse to allow UN peacekeepers into the country and are probably going to launch another "ethnic cleansing" operation.

Can someone PLEASE explain to Lake and Rice and Payne that this is the United STATES, not the United NATIONS? Do they have a really serious spelling deficiency or are they just morons? Do they believe the US is responsible for the world? OK, so the UN is slow at getting around to doing anything more than blowing hot air in most situations, but what makes that the US' fault? What makes it our responsibilty to take over where the UN fails to act as quickly as some would like or does something we don't agree with? The answer: IT'S NOT OUR JOB!

So, the UN's lacking -- work within the UN to improve it.

In the meantime, I recommend that the US send a Primary Attack Force of newly commissioned infantrymen: Lake and Rice and Payne. The rest of the troops are right behind you, guys -- WAY behind you. Good luck.

Fuel Mileage FRAUD

2006-09-29T10:12:00.000-05:00

Why don’t we real world drivers get the same fuel mileage that the window stickers say our vehicles should achieve?

1. The manufacturers do their own ratings. Well, DUH! The EPA verifies 10-15% of what’s reported to them with their own tests.
2. The vehicles tested are pre-production units, not necessarily the same as what we can buy. HOW different are they? Who knows…
3. Some vehicles are exempt, and they don’t test every combination of options, just a “representative sample” of engine and transmission sets for each model. Different wheels and tires, towing packages with different final drive ratios, accessories etc., not considered.
4. The ratings are done in a laboratory on a stationary machine, no accessories running (A/C), no wind resistance, no groceries or other loads, one person on board, at a comfortable indoor (lab) temperature.
5. They don’t measure how far a vehicle goes on a gallon of gas, but by using a formula that calculates what the mileage is from the amount of carbon an analyzing machine finds in the tailpipe emissions. DO WHAT?
6. They don’t burn gasoline. What the ^%#$@$&!??! Incredibly, they use “indolene clear” whatever the heck THAT is! You ever see THAT at your corner Super-duper Gasserup Mart? Dunno what they do for diesels, but my guess is it’s an equally sleazy trick.

Anyway, you take the above and add it all up, it equals FRAUD. And it’s endorsed by YOUR tax dollars at work in Washington DC.

The only POSSIBLE benefit of the system is that all of the manufacturers can be expected to lie equally to come up with the best possible bogus figures, and they all play the game the same way, under the same rules. In other words, if Brand X says their vehicle gets 10% better mileage than Brand Y’s comparable set of wheels, YOU would probably get 10% better mileage from Brand X if you drove them both under the same conditions. If you believe you’ll get anything like what the sticker says, I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you…

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/how_tested.shtml
http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4023628

WAY TO GO 7-ELEVEN!!

2006-09-27T12:07:00.000-05:00

7-Eleven dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo

Finally we see someone with the backbone to act!! Maybe this will be more symbolic than truly damaging to Venezuela and their mouthy leader, but if nothing else, chances are it sends the majority view among Americans. Maybe eventually the Venezuelan people and Chavez’ backers will see the fool for the liability he really is.

Disgusting Ken Lay News

2006-07-12T09:55:00.000-05:00

I don’t know about you, but I for one am disgusted at the news that, since he died, the US Federal Court system will likely vacate Ken Lay’s criminal convictions which means it’s as if he were never even charged.

Apparently there is precedent in the legal system for such lunacy, but does that make it RIGHT? NO!

Was he CONVICTED? YES!

So, explain to me why the record wouldn’t SAY he was convicted in such-and-such a court after due process of law on whatever counts the jury found (all of ‘em), and he died before sentencing and pursuit of possible appeals.

Isn’t that what happened? YES!
Isn’t that the truth of the matter? YES!

So, why doesn’t the story stop right there? Just because he didn’t do the time doesn’t mean he didn’t do the crime – it’s been PROVEN he did the crime, right?

Vacating the convictions and erasing his record creates a lie. Is that what the US Federal Court system is charged with doing, spending millions of taxpayers’ money to find out the TRUTH in a criminal proceeding then creating a LIE by erasing it because the perpetrator/defendant dies? NO!

Does his death change the truth? NO!
Does his death change the crimes? NO!
Does his death change the trial(s)? NO!
Does his death change his guilt? NO!

Does it matter? YES! Do we want a legal system that does what is RIGHT, or a sham, one that creates LIES? Do we want a legal system that builds on precedent where the precedent was established to foster LIES, or one that corrects the errors of prior rulings to develop a precedent or RIGHT?

Does it matter? YES! Vacating the convictions removes the ability of the government to continue to pursue seizure of the spoils of Lay’s crimes, at least $43 million that will allow the heirs to his estate to live the life of Riley, while thousands of employees and investors whose livelihoods and retirement funds he ripped off will suffer, some scratching by at poverty levels for the rest of their days. The satisfaction in knowing they are alive and he is not is pretty faint satisfaction, don’t you think?

And don’t EVEN get me going on how the press is waxing eloquent about how “good” a man he was, such a “good Father”, “community leader”, “philanthropist”... I’m going to hurl…

Now that I’ve written all that I’m even MORE disgusted than when I started.

This about sums it up: “Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?”

Fluffgate Battle May Be Over

2006-06-28T08:23:00.000-05:00

See prior post on lunacy in the Legislature of Mass.

State Sen. Barrios has backed off in the face of numerous challenges to his IQ (my guess is it's a negative number) after a totally wasted week in their current session:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/us/28fluff.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Key quote from another legislator who one-upped the fool by taking the absurdity to an even higher level: 'Ms. Reinstein said. "I've always said from the beginning that it's insane that we're doing this now." '

Legislative Fluff

2006-06-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

If you are OK with your blood pressure or have your meds close at hand, check this out:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13445850/

I'm glad that Massachusetts doesn't have any crime or health care or environmental problems or education issues or any REAL business for their Legislature to spend their time on. You think Barrios bothered to check any actual nutritional FACTS before opening his mouth and sticking his foot in it (high protein, low sodium, low cholesterol http://www.mealsforyou.com/cgi-bin/nutritionDetail?id.2194)? Not likely. You think he has any clue that kids' dietary/nutritional requirements are a little different than his? Not likely. You think he has any clue what school lunches are about? Not likely. (See http://www.healthinschools.org/focus/2004/no1.htm to get an overview of the actual issues). Hopefully come election time the voters will remember their "OUTraged" legislators and vote them "OUT".

Morons.

UPDATE: I’m slightly (VERY slightly) encouraged to see that the fool Barrios has at least recognized that he’s a fool, although he’s not gone so far as to back off of his idiotic position.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/06/22/all_the_huff_over_fluff/

Makes Sense To Me

2006-01-18T08:19:00.000-06:00

While interviewing an anonymous US Marine, a Reuters News agent asked the Marine what he felt when sniping members of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

The Marine shrugged and replied, ”Recoil."

MORE STUPID THINGS WE SEE EVERY DAY

2006-01-16T14:36:00.000-06:00

MORE STUPID THINGS WE SEE EVERY DAY

1- OK, I understand why there are CALENDAR Years us mere mortals go by and there are FISCAL Years that the government and business world use (irritating, but generally manageable), but what about new model year cars and trucks? THEY are available in dealer showrooms towards the end of September or the first of October every year, have been for decades. So, we buy 2006 cars 3-4 months before 2006 starts.

HELLO!! The $&%^$@&*($% year starts in JANUARY! What MORON decided that automobiles should have “calendars” of their own? Do they think they are FOOLING someone into believing they are “cheating” the calendar or something? And I’m not talking about a consistent calendar for the whole industry, but it’s almost different for EACH $&%^$@&*($% CAR. And of course, there are exceptions: SOME cars come out in the spring, some in the summer… but do they go by the same calendar as the rest of us? Not $&%^$@&*($% likely. A new model you buy in June 2006 will be a 2007 model. Morons.

2- Magazine publishers are also calendar-challenged: wouldn’t you think a January magazine would be issued in JANUARY?

HELLO!! December (or November) is NOT THE SAME AS JANUARY is it??!! Of course, in January you can’t actually buy a JANUARY magazine, since they’ve all been pulled and replaced with February’s issue (or maybe March’s). Morons.

3- Ever buy a Sunday newspaper on SATURDAY? WHY!?!?!? OK, so a Friday newspaper you get on Friday and you figure the news is stuff that happened on Thursday, right? So a Sunday NEWSpaper will have news pieces about what happened on Saturday, right? Then a Sunday paper you buy on Saturday must have articles about stuff that happened AFTER it was printed, right? So that means the articles are written by PSYCHICS, right? But, it gets worse. They also have a SATURDAY paper put out on (oddly enough) Saturday! AND, you can get a Sunday paper on SUNDAY… imagine THAT! Of course, it’s different than the psychics’ Saturday version of the Sunday paper's news… HELLO!! Does any of this make sense to anyone outside of the publishers (and psychics)? I didn’t think so. Morons.

Yathink maybe colleges and universities need to add “Remedial Calendar Reading” classes to the curriculum? Not only for the people planning careers in the auto industry or magazine and newspaper publishing fields, but also for the rest of the public who don’t see how stupid it is.

MORONS.

Mine Rescue Lesson: Just Say 'Don't Know'

2006-01-05T12:42:00.000-06:00

Well, DUH!

NYC Transit Union Trying To Create A Smoke Screen

2005-12-27T09:17:00.000-06:00

Anyone out there recognize a smoke screen? NYC Transit Workers Union officials obviously have found something they think will divert attention from the illegal strike they called:

Bloomberg's Word Choice Still Under Fire"
By VERENA DOBNIK, Associated Press Writer Mon Dec 26, 8:33 PM ET

NEW YORK - Four days after the city's transit strike ended, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was still coming under fire for his use of the word "thuggishly" to describe the actions of the leaders of a union that is mostly minority. "

“Bloomberg said he stood by his characterization of the union leadership's actions. A spokesman for Bloomberg, Paul Elliot, said Monday: ‘It is astonishing that some insist on continuing to divisively inject the subject of race four days after the strike has ended. One has to wonder what their motivations are.’ "

Are YOU falling for the union's BS? Calling everything a racial issue is very popular these days, but that doesn’t make it real.

Merriam Webster’s has the definitions that prove Bloomberg hit the nail right on the head.

thug
Pronunciation: 'th&g
Function: noun
Etymology: Hindi thag, literally, thief: a brutal ruffian or assassin : GANGSTER, KILLER

gangster
Pronunciation: 'ga[ng]-st&rFunction: noun: a member of a gang of criminals : RACKETEER

racketeer
Pronunciation: "ra-k&-'tirFunction: noun: one who obtains money by an illegal enterprise usually involving intimidation

smoke screen
Function: noun1 : a screen of smoke to hinder enemy observation of a military force, area, or activity2 : something designed to obscure, confuse, or mislead

Here’s hoping the laws that were broken by the union are enforced and the fines collected promptly:

“Earlier this week, the judge, State Justice Theodore Jones, fined the union $1 million a day during the strike. And under the state no-strike law, the rank-and-file members were automatically docked two days' pay for each day they stayed off the job.” DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press Writer

In addition to “thug”, the word “IDIOT” applies to the union leadership (a misnomer in itself, of course) as well. The 4-day strike by 33,000 transit workers making an average of $55,000 a year equates to a total fine of just under $60,000,000. It works out to over $1800 per worker, or about 3.3% of their average salary. That sure looks like to me they threw away just about the equivalent of a year’s inflation/cost of living adjustment. And, do you think the transit workers have made friends and influenced people? Would YOU want to have millions of New Yorkers ticked at YOU? Have I missed something or was that strike a pretty $%%#&#$^&#$^ stupid move on the union’s part?

You can see the whole Yahoo News article I’ve quoted here.

Iranian Leader Calls Holocaust a 'Myth'

2005-12-14T11:51:00.000-06:00

Someone needs to drop a grenade in that idiot's shorts and rid the world's gene pool of one more moron.

Click for Yahoo News Article

Santana Apologizes For Sony's Stupidity

2005-12-13T22:11:00.000-06:00

As I noted in my prior post, SONY is going down for infecting thousands of CD buyers' computers with malicious hidden programs containing spyware and potentially damaging vulnerabilities. Per Carlos Santana's web site they are joining the attack against this serious and inexcusable threat. My guess is Carlos has enough muscle of his own to cut the weasels off at the knees, but the State of Texas has already fired a shot, as have others. Let's have a round of applause for Carlos and Deborah Santana!!

Click here for Santana's website and their messages concerning what may be the all time most suicidal error in judgement ever made in the world of commerce (or at least in the running for the title).

Hussein Co-defendent Complains About Treatment

2005-12-08T11:02:00.000-06:00

A co-defendant in the trial of Saddam Hussein complained on Wednesday about the quality of cigarettes the U.S. military gave him while in custody. Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Saddam's former intelligence chief and one of his most feared sidekicks, also said the food was bad and he was not given blankets. He lost 18 kilos in just two months in captivity, he complained.

All Together Now….

Awwwwwwww…… so sorry…..

NOT!

Click for Yahoo News Story

All in favor of cutting off his smokes, meals and maybe a few body parts say AYE…

All in favor of sticking a nuke up his…………….

Snif

2005-12-08T09:49:00.000-06:00

Just back from the dentist's office, had my semi-annual cleaning done. I MISS THE CRUD!!

Good News / Bad News

2005-11-30T08:28:00.000-06:00

Good:
• Hallelujah!! I can clip my nails on an airplane again!!

Click: “Sharp Objects May Be Allowed on Planes”

Bad:
• On 9/11 planes WERE hijacked and used as weapons by terrorists with box cutters, which I presume would be allowed again?
• The Feds’ income stream from sales of confiscated “contraband” will be severely curtailed.

STUPID THINGS WE SEE EVERY DAY

2005-11-28T16:31:00.000-06:00

STUPID THINGS WE SEE EVERY DAY (but aren’t likely to change)

Who the &@#%$&^* came up with this lunacy?
• Gasoline in the US priced at “$.$$9” per gallon? Does anyone have any fractional pennies to use for the 9/10 of a cent when buying gasoline? Do our credit cards get charged fractional pennies for this 9/10 of a cent? What idiot came up with that nonsensical standard in the first place!??!
• Highway signs that tell us such-and-such a street is at the “NEXT Exit” when it’s actually at THIS exit where the sign is, not the next one? (I know, I know, if you look at the dictionary, paraphrased, the word “next” can be used to mean “this” OR “the one after this one”, so it’s a bit of English-language lunacy. Regardless, a more sensible standard could have been established 100 years ago or so by whoever painted the first signs this way.)
• Stores and other buildings with expensive double entrance doors, one of which is always kept locked so we smash into them expecting them to actually work. Is it laziness, just too much trouble for whoever opens in the morning to turn the key twice instead of once?
• Ditto with major event venue parking lots where thousands of vehicles dangerously block roadways while crawling past half a dozen chained gates to funnel through the one or two that are open for a football game or whatever. (Ever see someone try to cut into the line? Wonder where road rage comes from?) Then how many locked building entrances do you hike past to get into the ^@$#&* place? And who among you can say you’re certain all of the elevators are actually turned ON once you get inside? Memo to building and stadium planners: don’t bother with traffic/pedestrian studies to optimize entrances and circulation. You’re wasting your time and money.
• And unmanned (unwomanned?) store check-out counters? Don’t EVEN get me started!

OK, where’s my blood pressure medication? I think I need two… maybe three…

More to come as I run into them…………..

What DO Kids Learn In School?

2005-11-20T21:18:00.000-06:00

Just what is it that kids learn from school these days? The “Three Rs” are out, that’s for sure… based on the story of an Ohio family being sued by their school district for “out of district tuition” to the tune of $35,000 because their house straddles the line between two districts, the kids learn that common sense, fairness, integrity and competence are not requirements for running a school district. In spite of the State of Ohio ruling in advance where the kids should attend and the family complying, they were sued anyway, TWELVE YEARS AFTER THE FACT. Seeing a chance to make an easy chunk of change, they got the state to change their ruling long after the kids were gone.

Click for Cincinnati Enquirer article.

So, we learn that:

the bullies in the schoolyard taking the little kid’s lunch money aren’t the ONLY bullies

the word of a State Agency is of no value

there’s no statute of limitations on money-grubbing

greed is good if you can collect

it’s OK for the government to take advantage of citizens

you can find a scumbag lawyer who will argue anything for a buck

you can find a moron judge who will buy any slick argument made by a scumbag lawyer if it victimizes an honest citizen who does everything right.

If school districts spent half as much energy on actually trying to teach stuff to kids as they do with $&^$%^$@!$#$^ like this, the students would be GENIUSES.

BIGGEST SPYWARE SCUM CAUGHT: SONY!

2005-11-11T22:19:00.000-06:00

Yep, one of the most brazen and insidious spyware purveyors ever is headed to court and has thoroughly trashed a formerly clean reputation. They're going DOWN!

Whatever they think they might have accomplished by joining the ranks of the distributors of computer viruses, Trojan Horses and worms they will lose a thousandfold in the backlash of this TOTALLY STUPID / MORONIC / IDIOTIC move on their part. They deserve it, fer sher.

Click for Yahoo News Story

I suggest you run Ad-Aware, Norton Antivirus and Spybot NOW, even if you think maybe you have not played a Sony CD on your PC... (I've got an Ad-Aware scan in progress.... it has found 14 new critical somethings so far...)

Farts!

2005-11-11T21:42:00.000-06:00

Farts are the fuel of the future! An inexhaustible supply of combustible gas that will actually reduce the greenhouse effect and save the world!!!!

Bottle YOURS now!!

Intro

2005-11-11T12:27:00.000-06:00

OK, so here it is, my PERSONAL place to vent... I'll be putting my 2 cents' worth in here from time to time, but don't expect to see anything with any kind of regularity.

1- I'll occasionally enter my thoughts on DWI -- Dealing With Idiots

2- I'll lambaste the fools we elect to public office (see #1 above)

3- I'll have a thing or two to say about the Media (see #1 above)

4- And I might comment on celebrity behavior (see #1 above)

Feel free to vent right back... of course, I may agree with you but I might consider your post to be another case of "DWI", so I hope you don't offend easily...