LOOKIN' AT MY LISTS.............

MUSIC
Looking for something really good?? Try Bobby Medina's web site.  Bobby is a good friend and has performed at several occasions when I was with SAS.  Besides that, I personally like his music.  If at any time anyone of you need some really good music, at a party or something, I very strongly recommend Bobby

http://www.24karatparty.com/


Now, on the otherside of the coin  try this one

http://youtu.be/UGs3OBE-dJk




Spa and Health

I think I enclosed this in another post but it's always good to review
http://youtu.be/KacHlcWTdow


On June 16th this year, I woke up my usual time (6AM)  went down to the kitchen and while the coffee was brewing, got the newspaper from the front step. Nice day beginning.  Opened the computer and it was absolutely amazing.  Must have been 50 messages to wish me a happy 75th birthday.   WOWWIE!!!  SO many people still remembered. I was totally blown away.  Even as I sat sipping my coffee and reading the emails and facebook........ more messages were arriving.    OOHHH, they have to stop soon,  I must be reaching the end of line of people that are still around that remember me.    By 9AM  it had decreased down to perhaps 1 message every 2 hours and by noon the messages had totally stopped, but now the mailman comes and low and behold 12 cards.  I remember walking back from the mailbox, (across the street) how my step was so energetic.  WOW! what an amazing day.

HAVING SAID THAT
when I awoke on June 17th.  I noticed that my step lost some UMPH, my desire to shave was slightly withdrawn, the lifting of my coffee cup, seemed to have become a chore  .......as was the bending over to pick up the newspaper.   What has happened???? could it be true that I have REALLY become........ OLD ?  It took several seconds more that day..................to open my computer and there were far less emails than normal..................are my friends disappearing?????  The whole day and from that day to the about 3 days ago, I seem to be out of step from the rest of the band................when they are LEFT stepping ............I am RIGHT stepping.  Is it REALLY, REALLY true that one can feel the changing body in just one day? NOPE!!!!!   because my one saving moment has once again arrived..............OOOOHHHHH my savior..................STUPID,  SLIMY, CRAZYMAN, POLITICS.     Thank goodness,  I HAVE BEEN SAVED!!!!!!!    which reminds me.............just read where Mr Boehner is trying to add another step in government........"THE SUPER CONGRESS"   creation of a 12-member panel made up of 12 lawmakers -- six from each chamber and six from each party
What a unique idea!!!!!!!!!      That's what we have now.................except for the numbers.......... what makes these....................." intelligent"  so called.............members think that they can get something done  just by changing the number of members.   We tried that also.............with our   GANG OF SIX.     .........Now............if we have 12 members....equally split..........and they vote.............around party lines.............how do we get a majority???   Has anyone thought about that?       It's apparent that they haven't!!!!!   The only way we will get anything done is by having  .A GANG OF ONE!!!!!!!   BUT ONLY when they are wearing ..............................A CROWN!!!!!!! Now.......we need a tie breaker person.  We could consider one of the below ideas:
1. We could have a baseball game between the parties and the winners will be the deciding vote for the next decision year.

2. We could have a Chariot race and the winner would be the decisive vote

3. We could have mass food fight to produce a winner.

Does all of this have a confusing sound?   Does any of it make sense?  The answer is   YES     NO  I am simply trying to show you that ..............I...............as one can produce something that just makes you shake you head.  Just think of what is happening with 535 idiots puts their two cents into anything.

Just think...................535   heads and not a full brain amongst them....................sounds like OZ to me , then again perhaps it's............the CRAZIES ............that's the problem.   Just goes to show you...........drink scotch and get something done..........................drink TEA and spend your time on the pot!

ARE WE IN DEEP S...?

YAH !  YAH!   I know that I promised that this weeks posting would not be political ..................but.........with so much happening....................or NOT happening in D.C.  that I just have  to put my 2 cents into the equation..  I've tried to follow these happenings ....with some kind of senility, ........adamantly listening to so many different versions of what's going on.  The only conclusion I come to is a comparison to my son and my daughter at age (3) and (4)  arguing over who was going to ride the tricycle with the bar in the middle...................and the tricycle didn't even have a bar in the middle ....... and then mid-sentence changing their thoughts on who said    NO first.     "I said NO first"........"NO ....I said .NO first" that went on for a good hour with each time the word  NO   became louder and louder.   Finally, Dad had to step in between them...............tell them to........ SHUT THE HELL UP!!! and take away the tricycle.   Now,  I guess it is the same as what is  happening with our supposedly intelligent half witted idiots..that we put into place.....................and now comes the time for someone to step in and say.........SHUT THE HELL UP.............AND get to work. " I want the ball"    NO " I want the ball".  Just take the ball away from them and send them to their rooms.
Now along with this.................if the kids decided they were not going to do their chores..............Dad decided they were not going to get their allowance, until the chores got done!!!!  Suppose we do the same with our legislatures.  Establish the system of ............. work first and then get paid.   Treat them just like we do with any other........contractor.   Fix my shoes,  than get paid........cut my grass..then get paid.  paint my house....then get paid.  If  they supposedly work for us............let them get treated that way.  They want to bankrupt the nation............(Wow!!!....what an idea.  Declare bankruptcy under chapter 11 and reorganize ...change the name to Divided States of Grover (( since so many of our politicians have pledged alliance to Grover))  instead of the USA..let them share that consequence.)   ,  BUT   DON'T TAKE AWAY MY SOCIAL SECURITY OR MY MEDICARE!!!!!!..............Meanwhile  crazy Grover and his lock box of IOU'S  can have tea in his pretty flowered inlay teacup.    Just a technical question for me to ponder..........................These politicians that have signed  this pledge to Grover or whoever.........should they have their passports taken away for pledging allegiance to some other than  the USA???
By the way.................whatever happened to .......one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for ALL.




                                                         *******************

Here is an article taken from the New York Times (July 19,2011)   No wonder we are in such a mess.  Legislatures working for their own interest, along with Grovers.........rather than the people they represent.
It shows that they are only where they are because they can't do anything else.   Another reason to have term limits on ALL elected officer's positions.


**********************************************************************************


Signing Away the Right to GovernPublished: July 18, 2011

It used to be that a sworn oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution was the only promise required to become president. But that no longer seems to be enough for a growing number of Republican interest groups, who are demanding that presidential candidates sign pledges shackling them to the corners of conservative ideology. Many candidates are going along, and each pledge they sign undermines the basic principle of democratic government built on compromise and negotiation.

Both parties have long had litmus tests on issues — abortion, taxation, the environment, the social safety net. The hope was that the candidates would keep their promises, and, when they didn’t, voters who cared deeply about those issues could always pick someone else next time. Human beings, after all, do not come with warranties.
But iron-clad promises were just what the most rigid Republican ideologues wanted. They had seen too many presidents — specifically Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush — bend when confronted by a complex national reality. Both those presidents agreed to new taxes and some Republicans said they did not fight hard enough to outlaw abortion or cut spending to the point where government was unrecognizable. In other words, they compromised a bit, to keep divided government from destroying itself. Washington, the ideologues decided, corrupted true conservatives into moderates.



More was needed to keep them in line, which gave birth to the signed pledge — no more enforceable than a spoken promise, but a politician’s actual signature was seen as more binding. The oldest and most pernicious of these modern oaths was dreamed up by Grover Norquist, the leader of Americans for Tax Reform, who has managed to get 95 percent of all Republicans in Congress to pledge never to raise taxes for any reason. If they end tax deductions, Mr. Norquist’s pledge-takers say they will match the increase in revenue with further tax cuts.



That pledge is the single biggest reason the federal government is now on the edge of default. Its signers will not allow revenues in a deal to raise the debt ceiling.



Its success has now spawned dangerous offspring. There is the Susan B. Anthony pledge, in which candidates promise to appoint antiabortion cabinet officers and cut off federal financing to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. It has been signed by Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum. There is the cut, cap and balance pledge to gut the federal government by cutting and capping spending, and enacting a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. It has been signed by all of the above candidates, plus Mitt Romney and Herman Cain.



And there is the particularly bizarre Marriage Vow, in which candidates agree to oppose same-sex marriage, reject Shariah law and pledge personal fidelity to their spouse. Until it was changed after a public outcry, it also contained a line saying that a black child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by a two-parent family than a similar child raised in the Obama era. It was signed by Mr. Santorum and Mrs. Bachmann.



Only one candidate, Jon Huntsman Jr., has refused to sign any pledge, saying he owes allegiance to his flag and his wife. It is refreshing in a field of candidates who have forgotten the true source of political power in America.

FOR BEING A LIBERAL......I AGREE WITH THE REPUBLICANS

I actually thought I was a Liberal..................however in listening to the budget debates................I agree with the Republicans.  WHA??      YAH,  I am fed up with this crap about paying taxes.  The Republicans are right............don't raise taxes...............as a matter of fact   WHY HAVE ANY TAXES AT ALL.  It's just a big waste of time  and think about this it would cut the government in half........MAYBE EVEN small than Walmart  ...........if not more............as a matter of fact, once again  no IRS no social services, no CBO no nothing and the bottom line would be the best. NO DEBT to be resolved (since we have no income)  l and the world would go on.  As a matter of another fact, we don't need any of that leaders BS,  the bible would be our leader.            Come to think about it this life already lives.  Right here in the USA so we don't have to go far to be able to model ourselves all over again.   Just a short trip to AMISH COUNTRY.    No reason people can't grow their own food and make their own candles for light, raise their own meat, sew their own clothes...............in fact we could form small women's clubs throughout the USA and teach the ladies the art of quilting, candles stick making, keeping the house clean,cooking, making babies and us men could just take care of the building shelters, slopping pigs, growing the food for our families, making babies,  and we need no money.  We can trade our leftovers for other peoples leftovers.    Simple!!!  So now we have a balanced budget.............NO INCOME FROM THOSE STINKIN' TAXES...........................NO DEBTS TO BE PAID OFF OR LEAVE TO OUR YOUNGIN'
Well, now that that's settled I better wake Margot up now (it's 10am)  and have her sew these holes in my socks and underwear.   OH,,the hell with it who needs  socks and underwear!!!!!!!

Now the other solution is just as the Republicans want.  NO TAXES FOR THE RICH.  put all the taxes on the backs of the poor.  OH  sorry they are not the poor.............yet..................the correct word would be ............the unwealthy  or middle? class.until they become the LOWCLASS.  This will create jobs. It gives the already wealthy more money if they pay NO TAXES.  They in return,  will have more money to offer more jobs (at lower costs) and the unwealthy class should bear the privilege of paying more taxes,   I say about 40% payroll taxes.  This would follow Reagans  UPSIDE DOWN TAX program, or as it was know the ripple (trickle)    down effect. The unwealthy would be required to spend 35% to buy products from the wealthy (in order for them to keep their jobs) and they will have the privilege of using the balance of their wages for anything they wish.

Just think,   either of these solutions could mean PARADISE ON EARTH.   No wars, since we have no money to pay for them, no catastrophes, since we have no money to pay for them, and besides God would be watching about how good everyone is getting along that HE would not create any catastrophe's. No need for unemployment, since there will not be any, no need for IRS since each person would be responsible for his own money, no need for military since there will no wars since we have no money to pay for them. No need for oil exploration since we will not gas guzzlers, since we will use horse and buggy for our main transportation,     WOW!!!!! HOW BRILLIANT!!  we have been there before,  probably still have the blueprints around this lifestyle filed away under  "THE   15th CENTURY"   Don't even need a commission to review this.
During the 2010 elections, I had all hope in the Republican party, since they spent ALL THEIR TIME talking up how they would be able to create jobs and how the President......did not get it........that the American people wanted jobs.   Now in looking back......I perhaps have misunderstood something ..........since the unemployment rate has increased........did they actually mean  ...........they could increase JOBLESSNESS.

Now, I have also discovered........that behind the scenes....there has been this dude, by the name of Norquist, Sorquist or something like that that has become an autograph collector and has collected the signatures of ALL OF THE REPUBLICAN congress people.........with the exception of one  promising that they will NEVER, EVER CROSS MY HEART   raise taxes........and if I do he can recall their job.  GEE,  never heard of political IOU's  (yah right!!!)  It's like selling your sole to  THE DEVIL.  I'll give up my family and my beliefs,  just give me a chance to never raise taxes..............even if I know it could be good  for me and the world....................PLEASE, PLEASE  oh man of fire! I swear allegiance to you.

Well,  to end this posting,  I must say that my alarm has now rung and I am once again AWAKE. Thank Goodness................thought I actually  contacted Alzheimer's.      WHAT A HORRIBLE DREAM!!!!!!!

AM I REALLY SEEING..................WHAT I AM SEEING??

  A couple of months ago, we spent 8 days in Hawaii.  It was planned primarily for the reason ........to get out of the rain and into some sunshine.   I took my laptop and my camera and thought I would just occupy my time at night having a mai tai on my lanai, downloading photo's taken that day and relaxing.   WRONG!!!  I found that I went a little over crazy with the camera and spent the evenings editing the photo's taken, mainly deleting the ones that Margot would not let me keep.  Sure.....I sat on my lanai ................with my mai tai................and  thought back over the days events...........laughing like hell.  The beach scene was so hysterical it was obscene.  Women and men  wearing beachwear that they should stay away from.  The seniors in our country......and I mean over 80..........should actually look in the mirror before they are let out at night............or day if they are going to the beach or the pool.
Now, the women were either bikini ready or not.Most bikinis adorned the bodies of those from 18-40 with the perfect hour glass figure. Perfect to look at and all had the motion of the ocean working in their favor.  Once above 40 the pack started to expand............a little and I would say that the one piece suit was the way most went.   The actual surprising part was that once above 60,  the bikini once again was brought out of the closet and this is where the ladies should look in the mirror before they attempt to squeeze themselves into one of these babies, especially if you are no longer size 8 or smaller which  95 % of the woman are not.  You may have been a beauty 35-40 years ago but you just don't have it anymore.   Now, I thought I knew the difference between a bikini and a thong..................but apparently not.   Some of these bikini's turned into thongs by the time some of these woman slipped out of their outerwear.  I have a compassion for most woman............but..............please stand in front of a mirror before you head to the beach.  Do you really think you look good??
On the other hand............men are just as bad if not worse.   Overhangs (called stomachs)  seem to take away all the sucking in men use to attempt attention from the more desirable beauties. Some men, those with half way acceptable bodies try to European it with the skimpy Olympic style suit with the extra front pocket to carry the package but if you only knew how stupid you actually look you would  wear a bag over your head to hide any identity. Here again on the other hand those of you way over the scale numbers try to fit into this skimpy suit, for what reason, I don't know and it turns out to disappear when that spare tire rolls over you...............and the suit.
 I will never forget the apparently well to do man, perhaps in his 50"s smoking a long $25 cigar with a belly on him that would put Santa to shame,, tried to fit into one of those skimpy suits.  NOW, I know exactly how a sausage feels stuffed into the casing. Very tight in the middle but a stomach and chest that would not be able to fit into a size 70 jacket and thighs the size of watermelons.  Oh what a sight. Sir--------look in a mirror.  The last thought you may have before leaving your hotel room is that you probably think you look hot!!!!!..........but.........remember, there is probably some guy, like me, or gal out there with a camera taking your picture to put on YouTube.

Just for an experiment, I put on my trunk type bathing suit and looked into that mirror.   WOW!  beautiful well trimmed  hair of silver, very expressing eyes, nice chin structure, broad shoulders, desirable chest............WHOA!!!..........TONTO !  just what I was talking about 10 seconds ago..........hide that Michelin and don't leave the room,    better yet, want to go to the beach...................wear a 3XX  tank top and just tell people that you are allergic to the sun as you stand ankle deep into the rushing oncoming waves.
That should make me look...................at least evenly from those broad shoulders down to those skinny legs...............talk about "battle of the bulge"

.Well, I have the whole summer to work out.............so that I look good at the Thanksgiving table.

BEING ITALIAN.................!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gCRDDf5-_4

I've been trying to reason out for myself,  if there is a difference in being Italian,  being raised Italian or being born into an Italian family.  Some may say that they are all the same...........but just think about it for a minute.
Being born Italian, simply means beginning ones life with two parents of Italian decent.  With that in mind, is one born Italian if .....say,  one parent is Italian, who lived his entire life in America and one parent is Albanian, but lived only 1 year of  her life in Italy.......?  For all intense purposes, I  have selected to say I was born Italian simply by having 2 parents of Italian decent. Correctly, I guess that really makes me an Italian American.  This is, of course, argumentative in the eyes of some................but I certainly believe that everyone must have some kind of beginning.......so......I was born into an Italian family......making me Italian.   Being raised Italian is a little more difficult to show.  Being raised, in my mind, means from birth forward to 18 years old . Nothing, during this period, brings to mind anything to establish why my being in a one child Italian family established me as an Italian.
  I was not, in any sense of the word raised Italian, unless of course, one considers eating pasta every Sunday with a family that for one reason or another spoke Italian or Albanian 3/4 of the time is being raised Italian.  I for one do not consider this as being raised Italian.  I have had my share of pasta, pizza, cannelloni, ravioli, lazanna ,tortellini, fettachini or any other kind of inies along with all the Italian meats, veggies, and WINE, OVER MY LIFETIME, but .......did not have grease in my hair, a pencil mustache, gold chains around my neck or any of that sort of Italian stuff.................admittedly, I do have hair on my back, stomach, legs and so forth.  I don't look good in bicycle speados and rode a bike with  fat tires instead of skinny ones and I don't talk like........"yo.....know what I mean"  " tink a   bout it"
So........what makes an Italian,.......ITALIAN.........I haven't the slightest idea.  Growing up, I did have some questions on my being .......truly ..........an Italian.  Only child in the family just was to much for me to comprehend.......the Italian part, but here I am, an only Italian child. NOW,   if this makes no sense to you......just think how I feel!.  It's this  rambling on that is most annoying and confusing.     The one thing this constantly brings to mind is how  VITO, this Italian seems to bring something into the room.  It's funny how just having this name and with people having the knowledge that I am an Italian brings a certain feeling of uncertainty into any room.  I remember, attending meetings, how........as soon as I entered the room a sense of..........I KNOW NOTHING hushness came over the participants...............oh, I would say until they actually knew it was safe to talk in front of me,.......guess they all wanted to hear me speak in this low soft voice like having cotton in my cheeks.  In fact a certain reputation had followed me to Seattle and being such a small airport at the time I originally arrived from New York, Just the first name was enough to have people question whether or not I was a member of an "international organization."   Well, I took advantage of this by never giving a definite yes or no but only  shrugged my shoulders and not speaking. "If this is what you want to believe,.......far be it me to say any different.  As the airport grew, so did the name of VITO.  Being Italian is great!!!!!.............and intimidating.

Last night Margot and I went to a Jazz concert at the local high school to listen to the high school jazz band.  In all honesty, we went primarily to listen to the guest artist they featured, a Latin jazz musician by the name of Bobby Medina. Bobby happens to be married to a gal that once worked for SAS in Seattle.  Bobby had not only performed with some big musicians throughout his career but also for some functions held by SAS.  The concert, last night was somewhat of a kickoff to an upcoming concert for him and his band.  His tapes are fantastic and if you enjoy Latin jazz, I strongly suggest you pick one up.   You might want to contact him at bobmedina@jps.net

Hope you checked out the video at the start of this page.

WHY IS THIS SUCH A BIG DEAL??

Here is an article that you should read!!! (just click on the title)

Travel TSA defends privacy, safety of imaging machines Seattle Times Newspaper

Travelers are making such a big thing .............out of nothing.  Now we have a Senator from Alaska refusing to go through an imaging machine........because she had a mastectomy. Something you may not know is that many, government officials DO NOT GO THROUGH a security check.   I wonder if the TSA agents go through an inspection and if not......WHY? .....can they be eliminated from terrorist actions? Are they so level headed that they will NEVER want to due some harm to another person. OH excuse me, they must be level headed they are government employees.
Some government officials use government A/C paid for by the taxpayers and I would venture to say that all charge their travels to their offices..........paid by the taxpayers.   So, if the taxpayers are paying for their travel and they work for us, the taxpayers.  Why can't we deduct their costs off our income taxes????
   Granted ...... I had some fun on a previous posting about the Airline Captain that apparently went into the mens room and vomitted after having to go through........a gropping.......by a male inspector.  Would he feel the same way if it were a female inspector?.....  Bet not!!  I can understand the reason flight crews are reluctant to go through these checks,  after all, just think .......... some may go through 2-4 checks per day depending on flight schedules.  The one realistic reason is that we don't know for sure if the radiation needed can effect them as years go by.......and the government doesn't know either. Then again, I open and use my microwave at least 15-20 times a day, have I now been effected by this radiation? Is this the reason I am slightly overweight? 

I still feel that the task of inspecting travellers can be transferred to the private sector........and that will help big time to reduce the deficit.........and in return can be just as effective. Just because you wear a government supplied uniform it does not justify that you are anymore efficient at your job.........or at least.......that's what the conservatives like to think.

Speaking about that.  I, today, read an interesting article written by Paul Krugman, not only a Syndicated columnist but also a Noble prize winner of economics. He wrote , what I thought was a true ........but funny..... item and I want to pass it on to you. It was the result of a Republican report released last week at the Congressional Joint Economic Committee.  It was called "Spend less, Owe less, Grow the Economy" They (the republicans) argued that  slashing government spending and employment in the face of a deeply depressed economy would actually create jobs. I quote this so I don't get in wrong.

Here is the reports explanation of how layoffs would create jobs

"A smaller government work force increases the available supply of educated, skilled workers for private firms, this lowering labor cost. Dropping the euphemisms what this says is that by increasing unemployment, particularly of educated, skilled workers...in case you're wondering, that mainly means schoolteachers..we can drive down wages, which would encourage hiring. There is, if you think about it, an immediate logical problem here. Republicans are saying that job destruction leads to lower wages, which leads to job creation, But won't this job creation lead to higher wages, which leads to job destruction. which leads to....? I need some aspirin
Beyond that, why would lower wages promote higher employment?
There's a fallacy of composition here. Since workers at any individual company may be able to save their jobs by accepting a pay cut, you might think that we can increase overall employment by cutting everyone wages. But pay cuts at, say, General Motors have helped save some workers jobs by making GM  more competitive with other companies whose wage costs haven't fallen. There's no comparable benefit when you cut everyones' wages at the same time
In fact, across the board wage cuts would almost certainly reduce not increase, employment. Why? Because while earnings would fall, debts would not, so a general fall in wages would worsen the debt problems that are, at this point, the principal obstacle to recovery.

Now, I need an aspirin also!!!!!!  I basically stand by my own thoughts.     If you have no incoming money......the result is .............you cannot spend.............therefore you have no budget...........this all leads to
1. you make money
2. you spend money
3. you borrow money...................but it has to be paid back..............to someone.................SSSOOOO
4. you make more money
5. you can spend more money,      etc   etc    etc
6. If you stop ALL spending , you cannot buy anything   so why make money.  Lets all go on a .......FREE........... vacation.

HAVE A BALL!!!!!!

Since the new TSA rules went into effect regarding the new search procedures used at the airports, we had not made a trip.  I listened very carefully to all this commotion about how the TSA inspectors were taking advantage of their new powers to search people. .....How the middle age lady thought the process was so disgraceful  being touched by a woman or how the one Flight Captain, after experiencing  the new method .......found himself in the men's room.......vomiting over being touched in private places.  I wonder if he gave that any thought before he reached out and grabbed a hostess by her butt after she refused to have a drink with him.  I find it rather amusing  since I had never met a Captain that was this sensitive to being touched............... unless it was because the inspector was a man,  which tends  me to ask why  men find it so EVENTFUL to watch woman ..........fondle ...........woman. 

I sort of looked forward to this inspection during a recent trip we made to Hawaii.  All I could think of the last week before leaving was how lucky Margot would be since it was 100% sure she would go through an extensive search since she has a Knee replacement and ALWAYS sets the buzzer off.  I wanted to intentionally leave my belt on.......but just before I entered the scanner.....I was reminded to take my belt off.   RATS!!!   I already had my  line picked out for when they told me to raise my arms and spread my legs and say          "Do you mind if I have to go up your thighs?".......................... "NO PROBLEM.........HAVE A BALL!!"  but I never got to use it.   Guess Margot was relieved,   since the rumor has it that  anytime someone made any kind of unwanted comment they were thrown off the flight.   Anyway, as I easily passed though the scanner with no sound, I took a look back and watched Margot getting her intense search.  How lucky could she be.  Guess, at our age, anytime some affection , of any kind comes along .........you just take it as.......................OK that wasn't so bad,  I have had better.

Now, on the way back from Hawaii, the thought was that I would pull a Howard Stern shock spot, so I wore flip, flops, my bathing suit and a tank top going through security...........No problem.......what could they ask me to remove?    Of course, just after security I would change into shorts, shirt and sneakers....... DAMN!!!!  THE BUZZER just went off..................Why ME!!!!!....What am I carrying??.  It seems that in walking through the terminal I stepped on a small paper clip that embedded itself into the soft flip flop It must have taken 20 minutes to discover what it was, meanwhile Margot had her intense search, a cup of coffee and came back to get me.  Worst part was ................I just couldn't come up with anything!!!!! .that's strange to even admit...........and I was afraid to.

Now this reminds me about a trip I made to Sweden, some years back............about 6years.   During the last day there, my belt had broken.  Not having enough time to go out and look for a new one, I asked my host if they happen to have a belt I could borrow..........Well, I was a little overweight at that time and they just looked at me and laughed.   The only thing they could come up with was a piece of green  wrapping string.   Well, as long as it held up my pants......I saw nothing wrong with it so, around the old waist it went.......twice ..........and then covered up by the broken belt to the point that you just could not see the string.  Everything was going along OK, security in Sweden never asked me to remove my belt but just ran a hand wand over me after setting off the magnetometer.  WALAA!!!   passed that one.  Now.........it's a different thing on my arrival into Seattle, after customs you had to go through a security check since the government agencies are located in a building that also housed domestic airlines.  It seemed that since you had to go through security before going on domestic flights and even coming off an international flight you were still on an airplane that................could have.............passengers on it that did not pass through a security check point that was not approved by our FAA...................it's another long story..............but I can see what they had in mind.   Anyway,  there I was at the magnetometer.............with my belt on................so as I was told by the then.....................agent for a non government company (before TSA times) but controlled by the FAA ....to remove my belt.    I tried to tell him my pants would fall................he would have nothing to say about that!!!!!!!  just take off your belt................HEY!  HEY!   HEY !    WHAT;S THAT GREEN STRING!!!!   where does it go.  Embarrassingly, I tried to tell him my story..... but he was very insistent that I remove it in front of him (guess he though it was a fuse, heading down the front end of my pants and attached to a GIANT BOMB!!!!  Well the funny part of the story is that everyone around me stood back with their fingers in their ears and watched as I gently  untied the string and tried to hold my pants up at the same while doing my 15 minute standup act.................Now,  that's embarrassment   The new system of getting felt up is nothing compared to that.

Brings up a point about the TSA,...............established  by the Bush Administration ........a result of 911 and the suspected reason that a BIGGER  government can run a more efficient security. WRONG!!!!   What it created was a giant department with over 125,000 employees of which less than 1/3 are inspectors, the rest is administration .........ALL EARNING big bucks!!!!!!  Before them private companies had the chore of security PAID  by the airlines      BUT       daily monitored by the FAA and weekly meeting with all of the security companies and airlines updating any new FAA requirements.  Just think of the savings!!!!!!!!!my conservative friends who want to cut government!!!!!!!  There is my suggestion........................!!!!! Get rid of the TSA and go back to the old system and save some big bucks.  Seems that it will match  what the GOP wants to do!!!!! OK! OK!  Granted some procedures would have to be improve over what was done some 20 years ago.................but that's the easy part.  
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 I recently read that the GOP leadership, determine to turn back the times of the Pelosi era .....has reinstated the use of  styrofoam cups in the Capital cafeterias.  Guess if they are given  another term they will advance America by putting the lead back into the paint covering the walls.

I promised in my last posting that I would have our trip to Hawaii on film for you.  Well, Margot has now given it her PG rating so here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aeqQonRlWw