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Furry Children
CONDO - Part III San Diego, California - Present Day SDPD motorcycle police officer Don Wall got ready to do what bikers do on any Sunday- get out his bike and go for a ride. Don Wall's destination was Tijuana. His bike was a KTM 920, an Austrian earth mover. It was a V-twin, and it was dual sport, meaning it was as good on the dirt as it was on the street- if you had the leg power to maneuver the beast. Don Wall did, although riding a motorcycle to Don was a zen activity- it should be effortless. The trick was concentration, which took a lifetime to develop. Don Wall had it. To the Donald, there was no difference between work and play, between happy and sad or between life and death. To Don Wall, the only distinctions were the subtle ones. He lived in the eternal moment. Don Wall donned appropriate riding gear, and that included his Tech .45 caliber service pistol. It had a supersonic load and a laser sight. It was good to 20 yards, and Don Wall could shoot instinctively. He shoulder holstered it and stepped on to his bike, started it, revved the engine gently, snicked it into gear, gently released the clutch, and took off. When Don reached the border area, he split lanes like any other biker commuter, and took pains to show civilian body language. He didn't want to get sent to Mexican secondary. The traffic was crowded, but he made it through okay. On the TJ side he sped up. Before you knew it, he was pulling up to Memo Rodriguez' small home in a worker's neighborhood in Tijuana. Memo was a Tijuana motorcycle cop.— April 4, 2010 1:22 p.m.
Vigilante Minutemen patrol border near Campo
Additional thoughts on immigration reform: We have some 10 million undocumented residents in the U.S. It may be quite a bit more. According to the cover story, a full 8% of the population of California is undocumented (or, if you prefer, illegal.) I trip out if someone is conservative and concerned about internal security threats, and doesn't see the wisdom in getting these people on the map, and out of the so called shadow society. 10 million strangers with no papers? Its not secure, and its not good for society in general. Getting the shadow society on the rolls, getting them squared away will help hold up wages. When they have illegal status, they depress overall wages. Now, undocumented work force has contributed to overall economic growth, but there's no denying that under the informal scheme currently employed, overall wages are driven down. What I'm saying is that there is room for improvement. You have to give Kingfisher credit, because at least hes willing to compromise. So many people are coming at this issue from a no-compromise attitude- on both sides, that its become a hard wedge issue in SD county, and then has spread all over the country. Europe has immigration problems due to their large population of muslims from Africa. We share with Europe the problem of large immigrant populations that aren't integrated. I want to emphasize that I am mindful of the upset that this hot button issue causes. I'd like to see a good bill come out of Congress, and I think its doable, but truthfully, I think it can't pass with the economy not fully recovered, because jobs are hard to come by in alot of sectors, and ultimately no matter where you stand overall, the jobs in the U.S. have to be available for American citizens, if they're looking for work. Lastly, immigration issues are not exclusive in terms of being hot button issues- look at health care reform. People differ, and theres alot of stress out there. Although I have my little feelings from the past on the Minutemen, I don't begrudge them their ideas, or position. The American way is supposed to be that if you feel strongly on an issue, you should take action. I think very few Americans are actually bigots, but in this type of issue,like playing the race card, its easy to perceive someone as being prejudiced or redneck or what have you. Its a tough issue, but once again, I give kudos to the article for being sensitive to all parties concerned.— March 27, 2010 3:27 p.m.
Vigilante Minutemen patrol border near Campo
I thought the article was vague and opaque on numerous counts, beginning with the mystery of who approached the filmmaker, and the use of the term motorbike. That sounds British, and BP ride quads, which was referenced at the end. The Minutemen aren't vigilantes in my opinion, at least in the pejorative connotation. They definitely have the right to do what they do. Where I take issue is calling themselves Minutemen. Thats like me thinking I'm Abe Lincoln, or Douglas MacArthur. The real Minutemen created this country. The so called Minutemen in East County are as full of crap as Thanksgiving turkeys. They are reportedly former veterans. Unlike the Minutemen of yore, these give a bad name to the military. Primarily because they bandstand and issue grievances while taking up a logistically futile and actually inane position. The border is over two thousand miles long. If you want to catch an illegal, why not go your nearest Jack in the Box? How many illegals have been caught? Very few. Those that were are released in a day or two. The worst thing about the Minutemen is that they created a bunch of political drama and furor, but U.S. immigration policy has been stuck in neutral for over 20 years. At what point do people say themselves, 'who is to blame for this?' instead of 'lets decry the odious illegal alien?' The guy that owned the farm knows the codespeak. Americans won't do farm work? Please. He says it two or three times. For ten bucks an hour, Americans will do farmwork. He wants to pay alot less. Then comes the $5 per tomato argument. The articles most desultory element of all, in my opinion, is quoting one man as being supposedly the top Minuteman in some vague romantic fashion, and then closing out by having the man with the eye patch agree to accept worker permits. As a footnote, I find it disturbing that this 'Kingfisher' fellow is quoted at length regarding murdered Border Patrolman Rosas, but no actual law enforcement officials were interviewed on the matter. For people who call themselves Minutemen, you'd think there would be a little more respect and consideration for someone who actually got killed doing their job. Overall, the article has enough apparent holes in it that a good editor might have said 'I love what you've got. Go get this stuff to bring it to a professional level, and it'll be ready.' Instead, theres flavor, theres interesting real people, but theres gaping holes in the specifics of it. I liked it and read it in its entirety with interest in one sitting without my mind wandering, but its vague qualities caused me to ask more questions than were answered. However, I do think the article showed sensitivity to all parties concerned- difficult to try, more difficult to pull off. So, kudos for the article.— March 27, 2010 9:17 a.m.
Bicyclists’ Demise
I ride a bicycle, I don't have a car. And I've ridden motorcycles since age 9, and ridden on the street shortly thereafter. I've driven custom touring buses cross country. I've sold cars for Chevrolet. The point is, I know how to drive, and I know how to ride. Traffic throughput is supposedly helped by bicyclists riding on the right side. But when a car hits you from behind, you're done, and you don't see it. Riding on the opposite side, you have a chance, but its an obvious distraction for drivers. My rule of thumb is this- stay on the sidewalk, and if you can't, either ride the wrong side of the road, or, if you are on the shoulder going with traffic, go the speed of trtaffic or as close as you can. On many roads, its doable, although it introduces a new set of challenges. The stretch of road you're talking about is unsafe for bicyclists overall. Period. The fact that it is the only connector in that area only emphasizes the short shrift given to bicyclists by governments. In SoCal, its about the cars. However, when I'm riding my bicycle from A to B I'm concentrating on what I'm doing, I forget about my other problems, and I'm free. Freedom is in very short supply in SoCal. You find it where you can. I think that's why the U.S. gov't has contrived to get people to kick my bicycle when I cross the border.— March 27, 2010 8:51 a.m.
Furry Children
¨How do you see the politics of the current situation, vis a vis China?¨ asked someone. ¨GM China has been moving units, whereas Fords China sales have been flat. The green dynamic is sensitive for China, because as primary global manufacturers, they create pollution. But so does the US. Indeed, you can look at it as a two way problem. China produces, US consumes. Theres a political dynamic where China holds US debt. But China only got that money by selling products to the US and elsewhere. In other words, we´ve successfully created a global economy, the question is whether politics will screw it up. As an American, I want to partner with China to the extent possible, but not shirk from the prospect of having to compete, if conditions aren´t right. Now, General Motors will never allow anything to prevent better markets and more prosperity. We can´t survive otherwise. The plain fact is, without free markets and prosperity, GM can´t move units. Like everyone else here, moving units is what we do.¨ There was a hush in the auditorium. Then Wolfgang Loescher, Mercedes Benz salesman extraordinaire, said ¨Versace, you are a Republican, yes?¨ ¨Yes.¨ said Tim Versace. ¨What do you think of Barack Obama?¨ A muted whisper of extreme interest resounded throughout the hall. This everyone wanted to hear. ¨Okay, the first thing is this, I´m a Republican because of my tax position. I´m being honest. As for president Barack Obama, I think very highly of the man. He´s a scholar, he commands the respect of his peers internationally among heads of state one would hope he would, and hes unlike other politicians. Because if you look at the man, what you realize is that where other politicians come up short, for whatever reason, Obama does not.¨ Now you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium.— March 25, 2010 9:05 p.m.
40-Year-Old Version
Well Diva, this is a poser, because women are sensitive about their age. Men are really lucky in the sense that we supposedly mature better, sexually. The truth is that men who never got none in the first place, act like longshot thoroughbreds, we gallop toward the finish line chasing what? Mature women are the best. I´m no big numbers stud, but I do know that women are like wine, they get better with age. Meanwhile, women know men get better with age, and some serious confusion erupts.— March 25, 2010 8:06 p.m.
Furry Children
A man stood up and asked "Can you explain the situations of the big three American car makers and your impressions?" Tim Versace stuck his hands in his pockets for a moment. looked down as if in deep thought and said "We have Ford, GM and Chrysler/Fiat. Ford is doing it right. Top to bottom, their line up is solid, reliable and imbued with the characteristics people associate with and look for in a Ford. With GM and Chrysler going through abbreviated BKs last year, Ford has snapped up market share and maintained a profitable, viable market position. Chrysler/Fiat- Chreysler got crunched by the 2008 spike in energy prices the worse, because Chrysler makes a bigger, more powerful automobile overall. With the partnership with Fiat, there's going to be a greater balance. Fiat has tremendous small cars, real world beaters. Meanwhile Chryslers larger models are old school Detroit iron with unique value. GM and Ford are both gravitating away onto new styles. So, Chrysler's green outlook is coming on strong. For those who will continue preferring a larger model, Chrysler has it in spades, at decent price points. The larger you go, the worse you're going to get hurt, because big now means high end. Finally, Chrysler has Jeep, which is a world class division that really commands buyer loyalty. You can't find a used Jeep for sale, because people love them. So, Chrysler was hit hard, but its repositioning courageously. Uh, GM..........GM............" The crowd laughed appreciatively as Tim Versace hesitated. "Yeah, tell us what happened to GM, Versace!" someone chimed in, causing more laughter. "That's fair. In January 2008, GM was sitting on a $34 billion cash horde and moving more units than anyone else in the world. People thought we were crazy sitting on that much cash. When energy prices spiked and the real estate bubble burst, GM took severe losses and began burning through the cash stack. In late 2008, when the financial crisis struck, GMs reserves began running out. The question was: seek capital overseas or not. GM chose not to. Instead we accepted assistance from the Federal government, and now we are owned by the Feds. That's not a permanent situation, but it is reality in the here and now. Ultimately, I look at it as there's been a real crunch, and GM has definitely felt the pain. As America goes, so goes GM. We want to diversify, and we want to be part of the global market into the future." There was silence for a moment, then warm applause broke out. Veronica's face brightened. Maybe Tim Versace could pull this off after all.— March 25, 2010 10:10 a.m.
Furry Children
Back at the Copenhagen Conference of 2009, Tim Versace was summarizing the General Motors presentation. There had been a slight interruption, or as Tim Versace would later characterize it- 'audience participation.' He said to the assembled world's greatest car pros: "Dynamic interaction is important. Too often in the U.S. we have accepted that people come from other places, but we haven't interacted sufficiently with people from other parts of the world. All of that has to change. As car pros, we can have our beefs, but our responsibility as professionals and bread winners is to understand the new green, and incorporate it into our products, and then move the new, greener units. We have to explain to the buying public the relationship between value and green. When people think technology we think cars. If we fail, we're not going to get the bounce back in the economy- others will. Working together, we can make the world a better place, and keep our own standards of living high. Its not going to be easy, but it is doable. Me, I'm an optimist. I love my country, I love people, I love my product and I love selling it. I have a great life. The way its been explained to me is this: 'Now's your opportunity to give a little bit back, and even more than that, to make a difference in the world- a real difference.' Ladies and gentlemen, lets make hay while the sun shines. When we leave this conference, we can go back to the old ways and stagnate, or we can stay busy. If we do, let it be green. Thank you so much, I appreciate your attention." There was sufficient applause for Tim Versace to steal a glance at Veronica. She was really upset, because she thought Tim Versace was making a fool out of himself. She looked at Tim Versace and drew her hand across her throat- 'Cut it short.' Tim gave her a very special bemused expression that he reserved for certain people and certain times. It connoted- 'I can see that you have doubts. Now watch me.' "Alright, as promised, I'll take questions." Tim Versace announced to the crowd at the Copenhagen Conference of 2009. "On any topic?" asked a voice in the crowd. "Anything." said Tim Versace, point blank.— March 25, 2010 9:35 a.m.
Morbid Curiosity
Refried, we used 'Quitased'which tastes exactly like Squirt. Fresca toronja tastes different. Some people just can't drink Tequila because the taste makes them gack. When I drank liquor, I liked Jack Daniels, but in my future I see wine as a drink of choice. Ms Grant is spot on when it comes to alcohol loosening the tongue and dropping inhibitions. It also helps for coping. Think of the Russians in the old USSR. I'd definitely want to do shots of vodka.— March 16, 2010 11:38 a.m.
Furry Children
"You see, Kato, I was lost in the world, I had no outlet for my bad feelings, and a lot of problems in my neighborhood. The military take me, and give me a constructive thing to do. Defend China, experiment with new technology, participate. I'm so happy in the military, but then I say to myself- you're not happy with yourself, you're happy because you're in military." "If it make you happy, whats the problem?" asked Kato. The Jet pulled out a very trick thermos, shook it and opened it. It was tea. The Jet loved to drink tea. He offered it to Kato, who took a drink, and handed it to the Jet who drank, and said "I want more self-control of my feelings. What did Dalai Lama say?" "Dalai Lama say art of happiness is first a skill that must be developed. Slowly but surely, increase things in life that make you happy, and decrease things in life that make you unhappy. That way, you learn to be happy." "That's logical." said the Jet. "Get this- Dalai Lama say there was a study on people who win lottery. Without exception, after initial shock and surprise of winning lottery, maybe one year, everyone go back to being just as happy or just as sad as they were before winning lottery." The Jet laughed again. Real laughter. He said "That's ironic." They drank more tea. "Hey, Jet?" "Yeah?" "What do you think is the meaning of the Yin and Yang?" "Ask who created it. Maybe he knows, or maybe not. To me, Yin and Yang represent discernment. To know what is true and what is false. To know where success lies, and where failure lies. Most people fail because they failed to discern. But, if you live long enough, you should gain discernment." said the Jet.— March 15, 2010 7:14 p.m.