Yeah... that's what I want in a leader

If what Dick Cheney is saying is true (and I believe it is), then John Kerry is really more interested in politics than policy, opinions rather than convictions.

'

Dick Cheney said in a speech today that the John Kerry camp
polled on the new Bin Laden tape to see how he should react.

Personally, I'd rather not elect somebody who needs to see how to spin something or how it will play before making a response. Regardless of how people view GW, they should at least admit that he is a man of convictions.

UPDATE: When re-reading the article linked above there was this ad at the bottom of the page. This ad looked interesting so I clicked on the link to see what was going on. This linked to a big partisan website (similar to moveon.org) that was against GW. Interesting spot for this ad.

There is an "Are you righteous" bible quiz on this website, that regardless of which way you answer a question it finds a scripture to back up your answer. Everyone who has studied the bible (or studied religion for that matter) should know that you shouldn't take verses out of the context in which they were written. Also, please note that the answers here aren't comparable, it's not like both sides of the argument are in the new testament, or even the epistles, but I digress...this seems to be a little absurd Christian persecution or bashing if you ask me, but I'm not too surprised, when this site shows pictures of pro-choice rallies in their main banner.

Why the hell would Metro be better than Retro? The only thing I think of is Metrosexual which to me is not a good thing... Bush should dig the fact that he is retro, old school is always better than new school.

Random Thoughts

I took Thursday and Friday off due to a lot of hours lately and no recent vacation... So for the most part (except for getting some work done yesterday and today) I haven't been on a PC for the weekend (which equals no blogging).

Also, apparently something was up with blogger because my blog post (via email) about trying to keep the Red Sox curse alive didn't go up until after the Cardinals lost. Oh well... Wishful thinking.

The Cardinals had a great run and although it ended in a disappointing manner we still have to applaud their season. Like all the other great Cardinals fans I am not going to dwell on the disappointment of getting swept but look at the positives coming into next year:

• The core of position players should be intact (only the signing of Renteria is a question mark).
• It sounds like the management is already going after the holes exposed by the Red Sox... and they are going to try to get a power pitcher to get us over the hump. They will be able to do this by using the money freed up by Morris, Williams and Tino Martinez (who was getting paid by us this year for nothing).
• We will have a more mature: Danny Haren, Kiko Calero, Rick Ankiel, Yadier Molina and Hector Luna.

Onto the election:

I can't wait, because I am getting tired of the ads, rhetoric and ridiculous reporting by the mainstream media. On a sidenote: I listen to talk radio a lot and every time there is a top of the hour CBS or ABC radio news they always start with Kerry's campaign. Now maybe I'm being too picky, but I've heard at least fifty top of the hour news reports in the last two weeks and everyone of them started with Kerry's campaign. I also can't wait to find out who wins.

I am happy to report that for the first time (I think) my Mom will be voting a straight Republican ticket and advised my sister to do same. Go Mom!

Unfortunately, I will be voting in St. Louis County instead of St. Chuck (St. Charles, MO for non Missourians) because apparently I didn't change when I moved and my voter registration card showed up at my Moms. At least I'm registered, but I could have swore I changed that when I renewed my license.

That's all the news that is fit to print. I'll be blogging again soon.

Keep the curse alive...

Apparently, New York fans are reaching out to the Babe's grave trying to keep the curse alive... Let's hope it works.  GO CARDS!!!

Aaargh, Ugh, DON'T RUN!!! RUN!!!

Okay, it's 8:40 CST and I'm working at the office sitting at a table in front of a tv watching the game... Gotta love wireless networking. But, now I'm yelling at the TV!!

Two questions:
What the hell is Jeff Suppan thinking? RUN!!!! The Sox going to give the Cardinals the run and instead he acts like a moron and runs into a double play. Net result: No runs

What the hell was Jose Oquendo thinking? DON'T RUN!!! Why are you sending Walker on a shallow pop-up to left field. I know ManRam has been playing horribly, but jeez, the bases are juiced for gosh sakes... Net result: No runs

We better pull this out. I can't wait to hear what TLR has to say about this one...

Okay while I'm typing this TLR is telling Joe Buck that Suppan "just froze". He say's there is "no excuse for that". But, he seems to be pretty loose, which is good. When he gets uptight, so does the team.

Chris is a Red/Sox fan

Chris Hammond who I work with is a Red Sox fan... This sucks, if they win, all I have to hear about is the Red Sox and if the Cards win, I'll have to hear all about the curse.

Chris, who has been with us for a few months, is a great guy, but unfortunately he roots for the team I loathe. Oh well, if you are bored maybe swing by his site and give him a hard time...

The Felone Curse?

I had to go and open my big fat mouth about how well October is going (before going into a rant about Aliens...) for our St. Louis sports teams:

So this seems like a great October already, Cardinals are going to World Series for the first time since '87, Rams are 4-2, Mizzou is 4-2

Yeah, that worked out great, those teams are a combined 0-4 since that post. Good job Felone...

It's October and all is right with the world...or so I thought

I love the fall and really love the month of October... baseball playoffs (sorry Joshua... it's a great game), football (American-style) really kicks it into gear, election time (especially during a presidential election year), the leaves changing color here in Missouri, the cooler weather, college football, etc.

So this seems like a great October already, Cardinals are going to World Series for the first time since '87, Rams are 4-2, Mizzou is 4-2, we just launched a website that I've been working on round the clock for a long time.

And then... I saw this website (via Dave Barry's blog) that made me question whether or not I'm being controlled by or about to be abducted by aliens. Unfortunately, this helmet doesn't stop some types of mind control:

The thought screen helmet blocks telepathic communication between aliens and humans. Aliens cannot immobilize people wearing thought screens nor can they control their minds or communicate with them using their telepathy. However, people can still be overcome by the Mantis alien (leaders) direct hypnotic-staring procedure as described by David Jacobs in ufoabduction.com. New devices and methods to overcome their hypnotic control ability are being tested.

Now I'm afraid I'm going to get caught by: (You have to read this using your best redneck voice) "one of those that there leader type aliens, who can just stare at me and abduct me, don't laugh, it happened to my cousin's husband Jimbo, he was out there noodling for catfish and he caught got without his helmet on... "

Still in redneck voice:
"Although I'm not sure if I need a helmet because I'm a pretty big guy and those aliens don't scare me, I reckon"
"I'd be like, Who ya lookin' at, ya big green, ugly alien? I ougtha kick your ass just for looking at me.... we don't take kindly to your type round here"

This is what is right with baseball

This post by someone named KennyBoyerFan in stltoday.com's forum is what is right with baseball... Instead of clicking out of here... Here it is in it's entirety:

Busch Stadium is not our house.

So I will not waste your time this morning talking about the importance of the Cardinals protecting our house in Game 6 of the NLCS. I will not broach the obscenity of seeing Houston players spilling champagne on our living-room carpet.

Busch Stadium is not our house.

It's much more important than that.

It's where many of us watched our first game, caught our first foul ball, begged for our first autograph.

It's where Gibby ruled the mound, where Brock ran like the wind, and where Ozzie made all the folks go crazy.

It's where the El Birdos dominated, where Sutter struck out the last batter of 1982, where Mike Shannon has worked since the joint opened in 1966.

The Ol' Redhead managed there. Stan the Man played his harmonica there. The White Rat led us back to glory there.

This is where Gussie drove the Clydesdales, where Willie McGee tracked down fly balls, where Joaquin Andujar summed up his philosophy of life in one simple word: Youneverknow.

This is where Big Mac smacked No. 70, where Tommy Lawless flipped his bat, where GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY...BRUMMER'S STEALING HOME!!!!!!!

This is where the greatest St. Louis team in Busch Stadium's history performed. That's right, the 2004 Cardinals. They had the best home record, the best record in baseball. Right on that field.

Ted Simmons played there. Kenny Boyer managed there. And a beloved old man in a bright red jacket told a mournful nation why it was good and right to play baseball after Sept. 11.

My friends, Jack Buck's coffin rested on that field. Darryl Kile pitched his last game there. And many of us cannot walk into that stadium without thinking of loved ones who are no longer with us.

Not today.

We don't lose today.

Not against the Houston Astros. Not against a pitcher named Pete Munro. Not against a wild-card team.

Not in Busch Stadium.

No, it's not our house.

It's simply the place where our memories congregate, where our baseball dreams are stored, where the voices of millions of fans and the ghosts of seasons past await their call to arms.

Folks, it's time to wake 'em up.

This is what's wrong with baseball...

I love baseball!!!! But this type of headline is what is wrong with it... Why should baseball executives care if the teams shake hands. I'm beginning to really dislike Bob Watson. What does this guy have against the Cards???


Go Cards!!!!

Can you be charged with a crime against yourself?

This article seems a little odd to me... I know that child porn is a serious crime and people who deal in it should be handled with the most severe laws available.... but can you be charged with possessing and posting illegal pictures of yourself?

A 13-year-old Lacey boy who posted pictures of himself on the Internet was charged with possessing and dealing in child pornography.

Regardless of what happens to this boy, the whole thing is rather disturbing. It's also rather disturbing that someone this kids age would want to do that...

Poll Results

I found a nice site where you can track the polls and they combine them into an index for you.

Also, Drudge had a nice article about the trends from the debates.

Go Cards!!

The Ig Nobel Prize

This is a funny award given to people who have done research into interesting (and funny) items. They even have a ceremony at Harvard where they present the prizes.
Here is description of what this is from the site:

Every Ig Nobel Prize winner has done something that first makes people LAUGH, then makes them THINK.

My favorite one from this year is the Ig Nobel Prize for Economics. It was awarded to the Vatican for "outsourcing prayers to India".

Feeling particularly dumb today...

I'm having one of those rare days where I can't seem to finish any tasks and feeling rather dumb...

And this isn't a lack of confidence or anything like that, but normally I can crank through any coding problem in my way and for whatever reason today is not my day. I confirmed today's stupidity by taking an online IQ test and scoring 30 points lower than my normal score. I scored a 131. Could this be caused by stress, being tired, or by being sick (even though I don't feel sick)?

I'm not sure, but like W. said last night "You can run, but you can't hide..." from the fact that I have some scientific proof (albeit not an exact science) that I am dumb today....

I need to finish my work so I can try to watch the Cards game on TiVo (or as I like to call it the greatest invention for people who are never home).

Stupid guy out.

Pics from the debate

I'm sure glad Kyle had a digital camera last night. I need to get one of those... It's pretty sad when someone who works in technology doesn't own a camera... oh well.

Here is Haze's post with pictures from the rally last night. Like I said in last night's post, we were really close.

Godwin's Law - or how all arguments eventually revert back to Nazi name calling

I saw this link and laughed about how all online arguments (whether via blogs, usenet, discussion boards) somehow revert back to name calling, and specifically calling somebody a nazi. It brought me back to an old post about how when liberals are losing an argument (or just plain angry) they always break out the required nazi or hitler reference.

Great Night! Great Debate! Hanging w/ W.

I just got home from a Republican rally where we watched the debate and then the President stopped by afterwards (Thanks haze for the tickets). Bush did great tonight! The atmosphere was electric and we luckily got upgraded to some premo seats (Thanks Aimee) right behind where George W. was speaking. We were in the fourth row directly behind the podium probably about twenty or thirty feet away. Look for us on TV clips or pictures.

I'll post some more comments tomorrow about the actual debates... and hopefully with haze's help I'll be posting some pictures.

PeopleSoft - Oracle Soap Opera

Everyone loves a good drama... The attempted hostile takeover of PeopleSoft by Oracle has all the makings of a good movie.

Craig Conway (the recently fired CEO of PeopleSoft) used to work for Larry Ellison (the founder of Oracle). It seems like this takeover offer is more personal pride and vengeance than sound business practices.

Granted, by purchasing a smaller competitor, Oracle could gain some market share. But they have stated that they will not enhance or create future versions of PeopleSoft's offerings, thus alienating PeopleSoft's existing clients, especially those who have large scale investments in PeopleSoft software. Would you buy software from a company who attempted to shutdown the software you were using and force you to move to another application (after the support runs out of course)? So while gaining market share, the company is upsetting the people they gain. They are also losing the PR battle.

Now that Craig Conway is gone, this deal will probably go throw and Ellison will win his battle. Conway has been on a one-man mission to stop the acquisition and it cost him his job and through his "half-truths" to the the public about the effect of the deal on PeopleSoft it has cost the shareholders 2 Billion Dollars.

Here are a few good links about the situation:
PeopleSoft Running Short on Options, Credibility
Oracle Clears the Conway Hurdle

Something else...

I saw this news this morning:

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected a Democratic bill Tuesday that would reinstate the draft, 402-2. The vote was scheduled to silence a Democratic whispering campaign that accused President Bush of having a secret plan to restart the draft if he were reelected. Only Congress could authorize an involuntary call-up.

Which by itself is no big deal, but then I realized that two nights ago a democratic congressman was talking about reinstating the draft because he felt like the poor people were the only people affected by war. So he wanted to "spread out the casualties". Now you are probably thinking to yourself, "what's the big deal?", "we heard the same thing on the news". Well.. the big deal is that the democratic congressman was an actor and the show was The West Wing and it was on tv for the first time about a year ago.

Have we really gotten to the point where the democrats are watching The West Wing to see what Aaron Sorkin's next big idea is?

Great Joke

I think haze may have already shown this one... But I saw it again this morning and figured it was worth a second look:

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, 'Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am.'

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, 'You're in a hot air balloon approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.'

She rolled her eyes and said, 'You must be a Republican.' 'I am,' replied the man. 'How did you know?' 'Well,' answered the balloonist, 'everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me.'

The man smiled and said, 'You must be a Democrat.' 'I am,' replied the balloonist. 'How did you know?' 'Well,' said the man, 'you don't know where you are or where you are going. You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met but, somehow, it's my fault.'

U.S. Senator Jim Talent's (R-MO) Statement on the Kerry Doctrine

Talent's comments....

I think Talent does a great job of being straight to the point.

The Kerry Doctrine dictates that America should not defend itself unless the French and others tell us it’s okay. Senator Kerry should tell the voters how many permission slips he would require and from whom.