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Why don't you eat meat?
Depends on the "meat" in question. I prefer chicken or turkey if I'm going to eat meat...and I grill it w/marinades on my Electrobachi. My preference would be true "free-range meat," as in going out and harvesting a deer, rabbits, or pheasant during hunting season (with a license, natch). Same for fish--I only eat fish if I catch-and-clean it personally. It's also a question of personal economics. If I cannot afford to buy meat--I do without. No biggie--I can still whip up a pasta primavera that's filling and frugal. Or try a mostacholli norteitaliano--mostacholi pasta with butter, cheese, garlic, and oregano. The cheese gives you the protein you will need, plus it's easier to digest (no acid from tomato-based sauce to worry you! Check out the "Recepies" file for this one!\). Whether to eat meat--or not--should be a personal choice, not a PeTA-based "Salvation of America by Legislative Fiat Accompli"-type imposition. The less red meat I eat, the better I feel...but I still eat it once in a while for the iron content. So, unless economics dictates otherwise...I limit myself to poultry, eggs, cheese, and ice cream when it comes to "animal foods." And, of course, fresh-caught (in person) fish. --LPR— July 24, 2010 8:14 a.m.
Gen. McChrystal, Rolling Stone, and a Supreme Court Interpretation of the Patriot Act
What goes for that cannon-fodder private goes for the general who commands him in a theater of war. Though our military has never been big on "obedience unto death," certain standards do have to be maintained. And if you shoot off your trap to a national magazine, especially how you care not for your superiors (be they civilians or uniformed)? You will pay for your misdeeds. And it's never a little price! In Gen. McChrystal's case, he was relieved of his command and sent back to the States (he retired today, btw). If it were some shavetail fresh from Hudson High (new 2nd Lieutenant fresh from West Point Military Academy, FYI)? General Court Martial, loss of pay and rank upon conviction, and a Dishonorable Discharge from the U.S. Army. Like it or not, you do surrender a few rights when you take Uncle Sam's Dollar, eat Uncle Sam's MREs, and wear Uncle Sam's uniform....for you are Uncle Sam's person now, not your own! That means if you are wise, you wait until you leave the service to tell the world what you truly think about those "higher-ranking" officers you had to serve under (even the civilian ones). And forget suing under the First Amendment's "Freedom Of Speech" clause--if you are in the military, there is no true freedom of ANYTHING short of what rights you are permitted to have by your superiors. Insubordination is still a crime under the Uniform code Of Military Justice...even for four-star generals. It's called "Conduct Unbecoming An Officer," and if convicted of this, you lose one step in your rank, half your monthly pay for three months, and may even end up in Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks (the military side of Leavenworth Federal Prison in Kansas) for your pains. Of course, had this been in a Fortune 500 company--McChrystal would have gotten the boot with NO Golden Parachute, and much sooner, too! Compare, contrast--then conclude! --LPR— July 23, 2010 11:17 p.m.
PROGRESS...progress...Progress?
To use the punchline from the WWII-era series "The March Of Time"-- "TIME--MARCHES ON!" So it is with time, so it is with progress. We can no more stop progress than we can stop Time Itself. Certainly, we yearn for a "simpler" time, in which we still had the jobs, education, and manners "we once knew." However, without progress, many of us (myself included) would either be dead or institutionalized. Where we need to be watchful is how progress is used. Like anything else, it can be used for good-or-evil. And the advent of "outsourcing" has nothing to do with Progress, but with a trend that manifested itself during the Egotistical Eighties. Companies were no longer concerned about putting out a quality product, nor were they concerned about the employees who toiled for them. No, they were concerned only about one thing: "Maximizing Profits." So, the companies-in-question began looking outside American borders for places where the labor was dirt cheap, labor regulations were more to their liking, and the government would spare them any tax burden. Hence began "The Exodus." First stop--Mexico and the maquiliadores. Then the People's Republic of China and Southeast Aisa. Then came the Invasion of India. The crowning irony--The Marshall Islands. They are considered a "U.S. Trust Tettitory," so anything the sweatshops there put out can be labeled "Made In The USA." Even the loss of the teller at the Wells Fargo bank can be chalked up to "profits before people." It used to be that to talk to a Wells Fargo teller, your account would get dinged three dollars each time. Yet Prrogress, like Time--Marches On! --LPR— July 21, 2010 8:33 p.m.
What do you want done with your body after you die?
When it is time for me to meet my Creator, all that will be left is an empty husk. After all is said and done, cremate my husk--then take the ashes to Lemoore and pour them into the Kings River, along with a twelve-pack of Bass Ale! My body will not be immortal--but my soul will always be, as will my legacy! --LPR— July 20, 2010 10:09 p.m.
Hell's Not For Children...EVER!
Believe it or not, when I go out to do Karaoke, "Hell Is For Children" is one of the songs I do perform. Though it was written for a different "voice," I'm able to get through it by unleashing much of the remaining pain and rage from what I went through as a kid. Part of my therapy (done sober, btw). --LPR— July 20, 2010 5:02 p.m.
Hmmm. Lucchino Lauds Private Ballpark Financing
We still are seeing the favorite game of NFL & MLB team owners is still going strong. You would have thought that they would have learned their lessons by now...but it's rather obvious they never will. Now their trick is to build their "Xanaduian Pleasure Palaces/NFL Ballpark\/Moneypit" undersize. Guess why? That's right, folks...to drive away Joe Six-Pack Fan in favor of the "swells" and other rich folks that folks like Spanos want to be seeing the Chargers (and in a lesser way, the Padres). Why is this? Simple--they can afford the "Seat Licences," luxury suite boxes, and other moneymakers that will pump money's mammy into the bank account of...The Spanos Family! And if they can get away with pulling a Donald Sterling and turn the Chargers into a reeking pile of compost-cum-NFL team? Don't put it past the Spanos family if it will make them a few bucks! Private ballpark financing? Don't make me laugh, Meatwad! No owner of a "major league" sports team truly wants to go that route...they are just too greedy to begin with! They would rather milk the public money teats than shove a crowbar into their wallets and do the proper thing. That being said...if they want a Xanaduian Pleasure Palace/NFL Stadium, they need to pay for it--ALL of it--out of their own bank accounts. No grumbling, no whining, no threats to move said team to the Ninth Ring Of Hell because the public will not pitch in! If they want it, they have to do like Joe Six-Pack and pay for it themselves! Otherwise, they can either make due with Qualcomm, sell the team--or go ahead and move on to Industry; L.A; Las Vegas; or The Dark side Of The Moon, for all I care. The world will not end if the Chargers (and the Spanos Family) were to get gone--we have far more pressing issues than feeding the Spanos Family's bank account in the name of keeping a NFL team here in San Diego! --LPR— July 18, 2010 6:08 p.m.
Enough
Here's a bit more... Enough love to overcome hate. Enough faith to overthrow evil. Enough wisdom to call out Bravo Sierra. Enough books to elevate thinking. Enough hugs to soothe a nation. Enough music to soothe our hearts. Enough empathy to heal our pain. Enough courage to continue writing. Enough peace to discourage war. Add more as you wish. --LPR— July 18, 2010 5:30 p.m.
Spin Doctoring/Or Come See Me Or U Don't Git No Ice Cream
Excuse me while I spoon up a dish before I add my two cents. I'm thankful that we have a place to exchange ideas and feelings here at SD Reader. I have seen both the good and the outright rancid...and the writers could either prosper, or be asked to find a new blogsite. And, yes, it hurts when we lose members. However, for each member who leaves our etherspace, there might be new members who will try their hand here. While we mourn our losses, we must, as a community, move on and grow. We must encourage new bloggers to join us here. And we must do what we do best...keep on writing! Do not mind me if I pour myself a straight root beer--it's hot and my thirst knows no ends! --LPR— July 18, 2010 5:22 p.m.
Time to Call Batman?
It has been said that clowns and jesters often pave the way for heavies. Such is Westboro Baptist Church's agenda. What they are mocks the true message of Christianity, wrapping hatred, bigotry, and outright blasphemy into a mis-reading of the Holy Bible, then try to present it as "Christian." I believe that Matthew 6:5-6 pretty much sums up what Christ thought of folks like Fred Phelps and his kin: "And now, as to prayer: "When you pray, be not like the hypocrites. Oh, how they love to pray while standing in the street, thet they may be seen of men. I tell you the truth, they alreadxy have their reward. "But when you pray, enter into a closet and pray to Your Father, who is with you in secret. And Your Father will reward you openly." And as for the kiddo in the photo: The younger you start them, the more fanatical they become as they grow-and-reach adulthood. It worked for the Hitler Youth and the Young Pioneers, and so it does with all fanatic-lead organizations! --LPR— July 18, 2010 5 p.m.
Reader writers on our country this July 4th
It used to be "Let A Smile Be Your Guide." Now it's "Let A Sneer Be Your Guide." The only person who looked halfway decent sneering was Billy Idol in his music videos! Pity! But, this is what our society has become! Hubris ante nemesis! (Hubris breeds nemesis!) --LPR— July 15, 2010 3:31 p.m.