Support the People of Honduras

Why is it that our government has willingly accepted the results of Iran's likely sham election without question or criticism, but they have condemned the interim government of Honduras for taking the legal steps necessary to defend their constitution from a Hugo Chavez wannabe Marxist who was doing everything in his power to annoint himself ruler for life? Check out this Wall Street Journal story about the topic:

The Honduras Mess
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574427403985118892.html

Check out the story and if you agree that something stinks here, then call and/or write your congressional representatives and tell them that we should be supporting freedom-loving democratic allies that follow the rule of law like Honduras, not thugish, terrorist regimes that murder their own people like Iran.

The Weekly Erinism- 9/26/09

Here is a collection recaps of very brief conversations with our little girl, and it would be fair to say, the star of my blog, Erin. I won't offer much commentary, just the conversations themselves... I think they more or less say it all:

Me: If you don't finish your lunch, there will be no dessert.
Erin: Well, Dadoo, if you say that again, then I won't watch TV ANYMORE.
Me: If you don't finish your lunch, you can't have any dessert.
Erin: Dadoo, did you hear what I said?
Me: I did.
Erin: I don't think you did Dadoo. I said, if you say that lunch thing again, then I won't watch TV anymore, EVER!
Me: Erin, I don't think you understand how this works.
Erin: No, YOU don't understand how this works, Dadoo. OK FINE! I GUESS I'M JUST NOT WATCHING TV ANYMORE!!
Me: Works for me.
Erin: OK FINE!!!!!
(Guess she showed me).

Me: How was school today, Erin?
Erin: Good.
Me: What did you do today?
Erin: I don't remember.
Me: Did you get to go down the dragon slide?
Erin: Dadoo, when I spin in a circle, that means yes, and when I put my arm up in the air, that means no. Ask me again.
Me: OK... did you go down the dragon slide today?
Erin spins in a circle.
Me: That's great... did you get to play dress-up with the other little girls in your class?
Erin spins in a circle, starting to giggle a little.
Me: Did you get to ride around in the little toy cars in the basement?
Erin holds up her arm.
Me: Oh, OK. Well maybe next time. Did you get to play at the sand table?
Erin holds up her arm and spins in a circle at the same time... then realizing her mistake, she stops, looks up at me, and collapses on the floor in hysterical laughter.


From the living room, while Laur was in the kitchen and I was in our bedroom.
Erin: MOMMY! COME QUICK!! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!
Laureen: OK, I'm coming. What is it?
Erin: Just come quick!
Me: We'll be right in.
Erin: No Dadoo! I just want Mommy! You can't see this, it's for girls only!
At this point, Erin met me at the doorway to the living room and actually used her body to blockade the entrance to the living room, preventing me from entering without pushing past her. I looked at Laur for help, but she smiled and shrugged.
Laureen: You heard Erin, girls only.

But this one was my favorite:

Me: OK Erin. I have to go to work now. Have fun with Mommy today, and I'll see you when I get home. Love you.
Erin: Dadoo?
Me: Yes Erin?
Erin: I wish you didn't have to go to work. I wish you and Mommy could stay home with me every day.

Let's Talk Some Football

Exciting day in the NFL yesterday.

Frank Gore from the 49ers became the first guy since Barry Sanders to run for two touchdowns of over 79 yards in one game.

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints continued right where they left off last week. He threw 3 more touchdown passes, and the Saints lit up the Philadelphia Eagles 48-22.

Former Packer and Jet Brett Favre set the new consecutive games started record for the NFL (he already held the mark for QB's, but now he holds it for anyone at any position) when he started for the Minnesota Vikings. Over 17 years, and he hasn't missed a start.

Jay Cutler and his Chicago Bears knocked off the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers, winning on a field goal with :11 seconds remaining in the game.

And of course, my boys, GANG GREEN, the New York Jets, did what Kerry Rhodes said they wanted to do earlier this week and embarrassed their arch-nemesis, the New England Patriots. It was a thing of beauty to watch. Coach Ryan's attacking defense had Tom Brady looking shell-shocked by game's end (similar to how he looked in the Super Bowl against the NY Giants). The Patriots don't look the same, and that's because they are not the same. Richard Seymour is gone. Rodney Harrison is gone. Mike Vrabel is gone. Teddy Bruschi is gone. Their offense is older now, their defense is unheralded... they can't cheat anymore and get away with it. After the game, I sent a text out to several people that said, "There's a new sheriff in town, and his name is Ryan!" Imagine my surprise this morning when I opened the NY Post, and they had, almost word for word, the same sentiment scrawled across the sports-page as a headline. J- E- T- S- JETS, JETS, JETS!!!!!!

Big Government To The Rescue

Thank God for the wonderful Bureaucrats in our Federal Government, specifically the Consumer Products Safety Commission!! Without them, children everywhere would be dropping dead from second-hand EZ Bake Ovens aquired at neighborhood yard & garage sales. Without the intervention of these all-knowing, benevolent government watch-dogs to keep a vigilant eye on the sinister threat of used children's toys, who knows how far-reaching the threat would be to our little ones. We should all be grateful that there is a government agency to enforce these critical regulations and impose $100,000 fines (per infraction) on the vicious proprietors of these used playthings of death.

Yes, I AM being facetious.

If you were reading the above and wondering when and how I went off the deep end, then check out this story from Fox News, and maybe you'll understand:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,552021,00.html

So now the Federal Government feels it should be regulating the sale of used toys. That chink chink chink noise you hear is the sound of our freedoms being slowly chiseled away. I wonder how our founding fathers would react to the absurdities that we put up with from our Government.

I've posted this quote here on this page in the past, but I think it is important that I post it again because of who said it and because of how prescient a statement it has proven to be:

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison, the Father of our Constitution.

Our freedom is being stolen from us, in tiny, miniscule, almost imperceptible increments. And most of us happily go about our lives, heads in the sand, oblivious to the incremental loss of liberty at hand.

Should it really fall to the Government to regulate the sale of toys at a garage sale? Isn't there a certain amount of assumed risk with anything and everything that we purchase on a second-hand basis? Don't the parents of a child bear the ultimate responsibility for the safety and well-being of said child? If I buy my daughter a toy drum, and she pokes out her eye with the drumstick, is it fair for me to blame the toy's manufacturer? Or better yet, the store that sold it to me? How about if I buy it at a garage sale, should the homeowner be held responsible? And if the very same homeowner is found to be selling such a dangerous toy drum set, should they be met with the full force of a whopping government fine? Sounds preposterous, right? No more so than a homeowner being fined for the sale of an EZ Bake Oven.

This is a perfect example of the kind of idiotic excess we get when we have too much government regulation. I'm all for protecting children from danger, but let's be reasonable. We can't take away every threat. Recalling toys because they contain lead paint is reasonable. Recalling a toy because a piece can be broken off and swallowed is UNREASONABLE. A small piece broken off of ANYTHING is a choking risk to a child. And holding unwitting sellers at a garage sale responsible for selling what the Government considers to be an "unsafe toy" is also UNREASONABLE. That is why it falls to the child's parents to protect the child from such dangers.

Hillary Clinton once said, "It takes a village to raise a child." Well I wholeheartedly disagree. What it takes is at least one involved and engaged parent/guardian, and the proverbial "Village" should keep its nose out of their business, except in cases of clear neglect and abuse. This includes toy purchases made at garage and yard sales.

The Race Card

So let me get this straight. Governor David Patterson, one of the most inept executives I've had the opportunity to observe in my lifetime, is met with criticism and plummeting poll numbers for his many shortcomings and failures, but he believes it is because his critics are racists and bigots. Then, Congressman Joe Wilson, caught up in an emotional (if inappropriate) reaction to President Obama's speech, calls out "You lie," and Democrat luminaries like the always lucent Jimmy Carter say it is because Wilson is a racist.

Meanwhile, Congressman Jim McDermott (no relation, thank the Lord), says George W. Bush "would mislead the American People" in 2002, while in Iraq, no less, and he is simply expressing his first ammendment rights. Except, instead of calling out his President on the floor of Congress, he is doing so while on foreign soil. I ask you, which is worse?

"Bush Lied, People Died!" Sound familiar? Or how about, "Bush lied us into war for oil"?

Let's look at a partial list of the collection of other current and former Congressmen who at one time or another called George W. Bush a liar: John Olver of Massachusets, Representative Henry Waxman of California, Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, Representative Pete Stark of California, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusets, Representative Maxine Waters of California, and Representative Barbara Lee of California (Go California!! Represented several times!). And of course, there are the congressmen who may not have called him a liar outright, but who threw around words like "deceived us" and "misled us" in describing Bush and his policies. Folks like John Kerry of Massachusets, Nancy Pelosi of California, Jerry Nadler of New York, and Robert Wexler of Florida, among others.

So it was OK for these folks to accuse the last president of lying, but now that the shoe is on the other foot and the man in the White House is a Blue instead of a Red, calling him a liar is grounds for Censure and evidence of not only the accuser's own bigotry, but symbolic of a growing undercurrent of racism in the opposition movement? Yeah, and if you believe that, I assume you probably believe the moon landing was faked, Elvis is alive, and that Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson are innocent men.

Funny how the rules change when the person running the show is a Donkey instead of an Elephant, isn't it? Wait, maybe it was OK to call Bush a liar because he was a white man of privilege who was "selected, not elected." So as a white man, is any criticism that I make of our current President racist in nature? If so, does that apply to all white people? Does that mean that we should all just sit back and shut up until President Obama's term is up? I'm not sure. I wish someone on the Left would publish a manual or rulebook for all of these P.C. Guidelines and Regulations For Racial Sensitivity.

But wait, remember this quote?

"I'm sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you're not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we're Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration."

That was current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a Senator at the time, back in April of 2003. I wonder if she would give the same speech, word for word, today. Perhaps she would make a minor caveat, changing the last line to "We need to stand up and say we're American, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any white, republican administration." Maybe, in the end, dissent is only patriotic when the Executive Branch is being run by a Republican. What do you think?

The Weekly Erinism- September 13, 2009

While at work yesterday, Laureen called me from home and asked if I wanted to join her and Erin for a school clothes shopping spree when I completed my shift. I agreed, and at 4:00 PM, they picked me up at my store and we were off to the mall in Livingston.

Erin was quite happy to be getting lots of new size 4 clothes (she turned 4 in July, but because she is small for her age, she has continued right on wearing the size 3 clothes, a fact that has recently proven terribly vexxing to her). She was well-behaved as we slogged through rack after rack of pants and shirts, trying to strike that perfect balance between great deals and nice clothes. But eventually, it proved a little too taxing for our little girl, and she began to grow impatient, reminding us every 30 seconds or so about how thirsty she was. Figuring we better wrap things up, Laur and I gathered our spoils and carried them over to the check-out counter, where we were quite thrilled to receive an extra 15% off our purchase.

After a brief respite in which Erin recharged with a bottle of water and an M&M cookie, it was back to Sears for new shoes. Erin picked out a pair of sneakers with the characters from Disney's "Cars" (I think they were intended as boy's shoes, but don't tell her because she is SO proud of them). We also picked her up a new pair of dress shoes, and a new pair of everyday shoes (again, sales were too good to pass up). At this point, Laur wanted to find herself a new pair of work shoes, so I suggested that Erin come help me find a new cardigan style sweater for myself. At first, Erin wanted to stay with Mommy to quote, "try on all the shoes", but she eventually relented and came with me so that Laur would have some freedom to shop for herself.

While wandering through the men's department, Erin and I rounded a store fixture at a brisk pace and I had to suddenly stop short. There was an unexpected cart blocking the path. This sudden stop caused Erin to walk headfirst into me. Clutching her forehead as she sidestepped away after the collision, she more or less shouted,

"Dadoo!! You need to be more CAREFUL!!! You just bumped my head with your great big GIANT BUTT!!!"

I heard snickers from the people around me in the store as they tried to hide their laughter at my expense. Looking down at Erin in disbelief, I foolishly asked,

"What did you say?"

Louder this time, Erin stated calmly and matter-of-factly, "I said, you bumped my head with your BIG BUTT! Be more careful."

The snickers turned into stifled laughter and muffled guffaws. At this point, Erin realized she had an audience. I watched in seeming slow motion as she panned her head around the men's department, taking notice of just how many of our fellow patrons had stopped engaging in commerce in order to stand there and watch her little show. Then, that same wicked little smirk spread across her face that I've seen so many times before, as she realized that her performance was a hit, and she began to play to the crowd.

"Dadoo, you have a BIG BUTT! You shouldn't hit me in the head with it. You should be more careful."

"OK Erin, that will do. Help me find my sweater."

"Watch out for Big Butt Dadoo!" Other small children shopping with their parents are now in hysterics.

"Erin, that's enough with the butt jokes. Some people might find them to be rude."

But it wasn't enough for her. She fired off a couple more before she was done, culminating in the following,

"My Dadoo has a GREAT BIG GIANT BUTT," picture a maniacal cackle coming from Erin as anyone in earshot also burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

"OK ERIN. THAT'S ENOUGH WITH THE BUTT JOKES!"

Crestfallen, Erin put her head down in a sad, defeated gesture. Until, that is, Mommy came walking up and said,

"What's going on over here?"

Erin's face lit up as she got to fill Laureen in on her little stand-up routine (much more quietly this time). Sheesh, I thought I'd at least have until junior high before I became the "butt" (both literally and figuratively) of her jokes.

Goodbye Bacon Cheeseburger, Hello Grilled Chicken Salad

Laur and I went to the Doctor today for our first "annual" physical since probably 2003. The results were actually better than expected for both of us, so that was good news. The Doc gave us both referrals to a Dermatologist because she was not happy that neither one of had visited one in a while, what with both of our family's histories with skin cancer. She gave me a free sample and a prescription for medicine for my migraine headaches, and she referred me to a sleep clinic because she feels strongly, based on what both Laureen and I told her, that I suffer from sleep apnea. She also wants me to lose some weight (the doctor, I mean, although I'm sure Laur wouldn't mind either).

Laureen and I were both surprised by our cholesterol numbers (Me- because it had gone down nearly 30 points since it was last measured and because my bad cholesterol has gone down over the years, Laur- because her total cholesterol was higher than mine even though she generally eats better than I do). The good news on cholesterol, however, is that we were both below the upper limit of 200. Unfortunately, with this little bit of good news came the bad news:

Our triglycerides were too high.

These are essentially the thoughts that went through my head:
"Aghhhh!!!!! I didn't even know I had triglycerides! How can something I didn't know existed possibly be too high? OK. OK. No big deal, right? I mean, how important can they possibly be? Wait. What? You are saying that they are very important? That a high count for triglycerides actually can hold down our good cholesterol? Not Fair!! Take 'em back! I don't want them. How did I even get them?"

This is when the doctor told us what we already knew but had been in denial about for a long time. The problem is within our diet. Too much fatty food. Too many sweets. Too many carbohydrates. That, in a nutshell, is why we have too many triglycerides. Next came the dreaded news that we both should have known was coming... new diets for the next 3 months. We can kiss the good (bad) stuff goodbye.

Bye Bye 1/2 pound Bacon Cheeseburgers!
Au Revoir footlong Philly Cheesesteaks!
You've been delicious, but from now on, it'll have to be 4 ounces of grilled chicken, sliced up in a salad (oh, and hold the croutons & creamy ranch dressing as well).

We'll miss you, Spicy Buffalo Wings!
And I guess we can bid adieu to brownies, cookies, cake, and- GASP! - Laur's cookie bars!!
Instead, we'll be chowing down on broccoli, spinach, green beans, and cauliflower. Yep, I can eat all the cauliflower I want. There are no limits. If I wanted to wade knee deep into a pool of cut cauliflower and shovel it down my throat using one of those plastic, children's beach shovels until my stomach is ready to burst, nobody will bat an eyelash. However, if I try to sneak even one Hostess cupcake, there will be hell to pay. And the worst part is that we did this to ourselves!!

Oh well... I'm off to go research our triglyceride lowering diet, and to throw down a row of Oreos... I'm kidding, I'm kidding... Well, at least about the researching our diet part.

Again, kidding. So next time you're in Northern NJ, look us up and maybe we can go out to dinner. You can order yourself the 3/4 pound steak & 6 jumbo shrimp with fries and a coke, and Laureen and I will order the 4 ounces of baked chicken with steamed vegetables and rice. Hmmm!!!! My mouth is watering already.

The Weekly Erinism- Sunday, 9/6/09

Last night, around 8:00 PM, Erin asked Laureen to join her in her bedroom for a game. Laureen told Erin that they could play for 10 minutes, and then Erin had to get ready for bed. As they rounded the corner to Erin's bedroom, Laur turned back to me and said, "Let me know when ten minutes have passed." Then, she disappeared around the corner.

"Speed" with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves was on the television, and I watched the scene where the police bring a flat-bed trailer up alongside the bus to try and unload the passengers until it was time to update Laur. Right about the time that Dennis Hopper blew up the stairwell on the bus killing a woman, I shouted out to Laureen,

"10 MINUTES ARE UP!!"

At this point, Erin and Laur came running out of Erin's room and Erin ran to the bathroom to get ready for bed. That is when I had my brilliant idea... figuring it would surely make Erin laugh, I decided that I would continue to announce the elapsed time, on the minute, until Erin went to bed. So, shortly thereafter, I shouted,

"11 MINUTES ARE UP!!"

"I know Dadoo, and I'm already getting ready for bed," came Erin's reply.

Sixty seconds later,

"12 MINUTES ARE UP!!"

"Thank you Dadoo. I know. I'm getting ready for bed already."

"13 MINUTES ARE UP!!"

"UGHHH! I KNOW DADOO! I'M BRUSHING MY TEETH WITH MOMMY!!"

"14 MINUTES ARE UP!!"

I heard a little frustrated shreik, and then her little Stewie Griffin footsteps as she motored around through the kitchen and dining room, into the living room where I was sitting. Stopping right and front of me, a wry little smile spread across her face as she said,

"I know Dadoo. Thanks, but you already said that, like, 20 times already."

Here we are, in early Septmeber, and all seems right in the baseball world, what with the Yankees tops in the league and the Mets an afterthought. The Yanks have 85 wins this season before anyone else has even won 80. Derek Jeter is poised to pass Lou Gehrig as the all-time NY Yankees leader in career hits (think about that for a second... he's already passed Ruth, Dimaggio, Mantle, Berra, & Mattingly), Mark Texeira and Jeter are both likely contenders for MVP, CC Sabathia is probably the front-runner for the Cy Young Award, and the Yanks are looking more and more likely to lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Lots of reasons for a Yankee fan to smile, right?

Well, I can't. I am suffering from some sort of NY Yankees malaise, and the source of my problem can be summed up in 4 letters: AROD. Why is this guy still a Yankee? He was warned prior to last off-season that if he chose to exercise his opt-0ut clause and void his contract, he would not be re-signed. So, when he opted out, imagine my surprise when Cashman and the Steinbrenners not only re-sign him, they do so for more money and for 10 years! We were finally free of this selfish, me-first spectacle of a player, but we willingly brought him back, and with the team holding all of the leverage, they bid against themselves to bring him back for even more than he had been already scheduled to make!

When A-Rod opted out, I had a brief moment of elation as I imagined finally being able to come back to my team. They had jettisoned so many high priced, self-centered, under-performing "stars" in recent years in favor of the kind of signings that built their championship teams of the nineties. We were done with the A-Rods, Gary Sheffields, Jason Giambis, Kevin Browns, Randy Johnsons, and Carl Pavanos. They brought in Mark Texeira... a man with the professionalism and attitude (not to mention skills) of the classy Yankees who manned first base most of my life- Don Mattingly and Tino Martinez. With A-Rod choosing to walk away, and Texeira joining the team, this was starting to feel like my team again.

A-Rod, like Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmierro, Andy Pettite, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and Roger Clemens is now a confirmed steroid-using cheater. And we have the privilege of watching him pursue his now meaningless home-run record, which he will almost certainly capture from fellow cheat, Mr. Bonds. So when he breaks that record thanks to the chemicals he's been injecting or ingesting, are we to stand up and cheer... only if it's a Bronx cheer, if you ask me.

A-Rod ruined everything by coming back. Sure, the team is playing great, and are looking like a shoo-in to get back to the Series. Sure A-Rod has played a large role in the team's success. But anyone who's been following the team since A-Rod's arrival knows that it is only a matter of time before the real A-Rod resurfaces. Only a matter of time where the Yankees big man comes up small yet again in some critical moment. That is why, no matter how gaudy his numbers, A-Rod will never be Derek Jeter, who is a winner through and through. That is why, if I had to build a team to compete for a championship, I would choose Jeter as my shortstop over A-Rod without a second thought. One need only think about the signature plays in both men's playoff repertoire to spot the immense difference in their value. Jeter is probably most remembered for that spectacular flip to home in that Oakland game that nailed Jeremy Giambi at the plate. You know the one I'm talking about... the one where Jeter came out of nowhere to make an impossible play on what should have been a sure Oakland run scored. Contrast that with A-Rod's signature play as a Yankee- trying to swat the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove against Boston. The guy is a joke, a cheater, and the reason that I cannot enjoy the Yankees current success.