FamGuyToday by Aunty Fox

watch the new Bill Maher show, as 2 guests, a Repub and Tea Partier, drone on about Obama DOUBLING the debt, but won't admit why he HAD to. He inherited an economy with banking, manufacturing, housing, and unemployment in crisis, all at once, while GM, Ford, and Chrysler were barely hanging on, even after Bush wrote over $860 BILLION in checks. BTW, Big Oil and defense, the Bush/Cheney family businesses were doing VERY well, thank you, after they attacked the oil basket of the world. Two (unpaid for) wars going on. Tax base crashing while more people needed help every day. Oh yeah, Bush's 'temporary' tax cut for the top 1%, totally 'off the table', for discussion. Bush's fault? NO WAY, it's Obama's problem, according to these two. Total idiots, and there's lots of them around.

we get W's explanation for that blank, dense, 'deer in the headlights', look that he maintained, FOR OVER SEVEN MINUTES, when our country was attacked on 9-11.  'It was an expression of calm, for the kids', he explained recently. OH REALLY? Funny how W's 'expression of calm', looks suspiciously like an expression of total stupefication as his feeble brain tried, and couldn't deal with the facts, FOR OVER SEVEN MINUTES., as he sat there, holding 'My Pet Goat', until his handlers came and hauled him away.

 and if so, does he/she have a sense of humor? Well, here's some evidence. I googled 'percentage of qualified scientists who believe global warming is real', and consistently found numbers in the mid 90 percentile, BUT, the right wing, conservative Repubs, who reside mainly in Texas and deep south, continue to claim it's a hoax. SO, here's the humor thing. Texas is suffering thru it's worst heat wave and drought in many years, and this center of the lowest education/income in the US is baking. A sense of humor, or vindictiveness? Who knows.  I just know that the people who most vehemently deny the facts are suffering the most. Maybe there is justice in this world.... This was posted after reading one of FOX's lead articles accusing (a) scientist of scamming the evidence. Never mind the thousands who disagree, just publish what you want the (baked) sheep to believe. Rupert and Roger ARE consistent, if nothing else.

how being sick takes all the fight outa me. Normally, I'd be all fired-up as this (semi)artificial crisis descends on us as the nation is held hostage, primarily, by a bunch of freshman, Repub, Tea-party Congressmen. BUT, it seems that if it weren't this crisis, it'd just be another, equally serious one, as our once proud country is slowly rolling down a hill, gaining momentum, after Bush totally wrecked us. As we continue to descend into the pit, it may well be dawning on even the 'slowest' out there, that he did some real, long term damage. NO, not really, the only ones that don't realize it are the FOXNews disciples and reality has never been one of their strong points. To them, it's all the fault of the guy who was left to clean up the mess, as the mess-makers finally grow a spine and decide to become fiscally reasponsible, at exactly the wrong time.

for awhile, as I deal with a gall bladder problem, again. The most intense, long-lasting pain I can imagine. Have an appt w/a surgeon, but not 'til next week. In the mean time, I feel like Wesly, from 'The Princess Bride', as he was described as 'mostly dead'.

as the old crew met in the mountains, at Matt's fantastic 3 BR condo, outside of Breckenridge. Had a nice coktail hour, then some amazing steaks, with all the fixin's, and an evening of poker, as we relived all the fishing and hunting trips, as well as the decades of softball and other sports we did together. Then, it was breakfast burritos, and on to one of nicest golf courses you will ever see, nestled in a mountain valley.  Pretty amazing weekend, esp seeing Buggs again, as he joined us from Craig, with his new artificial leg. Sorta put things in perspective....

meeting with the local 'Board of Equalization', (after I protested my property valuation) whose only mission is to collect as much as they can in property taxes, by not recognizing the fact that property values have gone way down, since Bush and the Repubs wrecked the economy. Seemed pretty obvious to me, as I presented them with 'comparable sales' and other relevant facts. We'll see...

to a couple of trips we have planned, I realize one of the main advantages of travel.  It takes you out of your daily comfort zone, and allows the chance for adventure with your spouse. As you face each new day, and all the possibilities that are available, you can't help but get closer, as you depend on each other, in a world full of strangers. At least that has been my experience, as I travel with my best friend. What better way to spend limited funds, while you're still able?

what is really going on, and you watched John Boehner fudge all the facts in the political debate on the debt limit, you might think he had a legitimate argument. IF, you had no clue as to what is actually going on, as the 'Pubs go the extra mile for the top one% who don't want a tax increase, and blame our economic problems on Obama, instead of Bush and his henchman who did all the damage. Just muddy the water, and the sheep won't understand what's really going on.  Sickening, but SO typical of the Boehner-led clowns in Washington.

about those proud Reagan Repubs, whose memories of the B movie actor, with Alzheimers, are so far removed from reality. Reagan ignored the raging AIDS plague, de-funded much of America's safety net, nominated candidates to run agencies whose missions they opposed, fired 11,000 air traffic controllers and decertified their union, increased the number of American families living in poverty by a third, tripled the national debt, lied about selling weapons to Iran in exchange for hostages, and, ahem, raised the debt ceiling to one trillion dollars for the first time in the nation's history. BUT, according to his disciples, who are suckers for an 'actor', he's some kind of hero, because Communism inploded from it's own weight while he was in office. If there's a starting point to the debt mess we find ourselve in, today, it was the original clown in the cowboy hat (followed later by W) whose second rate acting fooled so many, easily influenced lightweight minds...

of the financial problems of our nation is shown in the large number of swimming pools being closed, during this heatwave. In May the Associated Press reported that cities and counties all over the country are closing their public swimming pools. In this summer of sweltering heat, with our nation in three overseas conflicts and oil companies reaping windfall profits from high gas prices and Republican politicians fighting to protect the riches of millionaires and billionaires, we cannot seem to find enough resources to keep the pools open for our kids."From New York City to Sacramento, Calif.," the Associated Press writes, "pools now considered costly extravagances are being shuttered." While the Repubs fight to keep tax breaks for gazillionaires and have no trouble funding W's wars overseas, they don't have a problem with kids not having a place to swim during a heatwave. It's pretty obvious who owns them...

as I'm leaving soon to pick up Dawg and Wally, and we're headed up to Matt's condo in Breckenridge.  Dave and Scott picked up Buggs and we're gonna have steak and fixin's this evening, then I will be taking their money, like always, in poker tonight. Then, it's breakfast burritos and golf at the Breck course tomorrow. Same crew that did so many years fishing in Canada together, meeting high in the mountains for some R&R. If I'm not back by Tuesday, send help...

as the Repubs walk away from a compromise on the debt ceiling, UNLESS, you remember Mitch McConnell's agenda, which he stated several times. "Our main goal is to make Obama a one term president'. When viewed from the Repub agenda, which means bringing the US economy to it's knees, in an effort to defeat Obama, it all makes sense, in a perverted way. Absolutely NO negotiation, just dogma, as the Repubs say NO, to any higher taxes on the upper one % of the food chain. The good news? The voters can see what's going on, as the 'fat cats' lean on the Repub pols they own. They're not all a bunch of FOXNews sheep, and it's gonna blow up in their faces. Am looking forward to it...

as Carol met the kids at 'Harry Potter', and I couldn't go, (kinda long story), but I felt I needed a special evening, SO, I did some French-fried  (Vidalia) onion rings. Wow, wish I felt comfortable doing these more often, BUT, they are grease soaked onion rings, and no matter how good they are, can not do something like that more than once a month. The good news, WOW, it was SO good, but, the BAD news, it's onions cooked in hot grease.  Would love to eat them every night, but could end up on "Walmart" videos, where I love to laugh at those people, who live that way, in the South.  Bottom line, LOVED IT, but can't do it often.

as I booked my first Social Security check (actually a ckg acct credit) today. The classic good news/bad news scenario, as I am officially an old fart, BUT, get a guaranteed monthly income. As Jon Stewart would say, 'your moment of Zen', and if you don't understand that refernce, that's your problem. As part of the generation who said, 'Never trust anyone over 3o, it's a whole new world', and who knows how long it's gonna last. Wow...

when I really love living in Colorado. We had a few hot days, but the hmnidity was never a problem, and now, even if it's over 90 degrees,  it's always near 60 at night, and you can always drive for a half hour and be in the 70's, even in the middle of the afternoon, or just look to the west and see snow covered peaks. That's part of the reason we live here, and the kids never plan to leave. Warm winters and cool summers. Gotta love it, as the rest of the country swelters, while the rightwingers deny climate change, and they try to endure the hottest temps in memory.

Did Rupert plan the 'pie in the face', that totally changed the headlines about hacking victims, paying off police, intimidating ploticians and forcing his rightwing agenda, based on lies, on the naive public?  Instead of those damaging headlines, we got the pie and  his 'Tiger Wife'. I wouldn't be at all surprised, that "The Man Who Owns the News', and "The Man Behind the Curtain', who has controlled the media so effectively, and for so long, could do it again. All part of the plan? Wouldn't even be the most outrageous thing he's done. Not even close....

to watch Rupert Murdoach, who was always SO proud to say what a 'hands on' guy he was, for financial and editorial control of his evil empire, UNTIL hewas busted. NOW, it's all about, "I didn't know, I don't have a clue', etc. Only the sheep will believe such crap, but that's nothing new...

as a group of hackers is hacking NewsCorps e-mails after NewsCorp hacked cell phones and e-mails of many victims, as well as paying off police and extorting politicians to further their rightwing agenda. Should be interesting as internal communications within the FOXNews' evil empire come to light, as I can only hope they do.

I had the Rupert Murdoch grilling by Parliament on in the background and Carol said how boring it was.  Within a few minutes, a guy came out of the crowd and slapped a shaving cream pie in Rupert's face. Not all that boring after all...

about Rupert Murdoch and NewsCorp. Although I generally admire entrepreneurs who build giant companies, Rupert Murdoch, despite giving us Homer Simpson, generally has not been a force for good over the course of his long career. His Bill O’Reilly-ed, Glenn Beck-ed Fox News has done a great deal to coarsen the political discourse. His tabloids have lowered the standards of journalism on three continents — and routinely broken the law on at least one of them. He had dumbed down his prestige papers, like The Times of London. He has run roughshod over cross-ownership rules meant to prevent one man or company from having too much power — and then used his lobbying might to get those rules diluted. I am certain that more is going to come out, how they illegally controlled politics and politicians for their rightwing agenda, and enabled Bush to start illegal wars, based on lies that they disseminated. I hope he goes to jail for the rest of his miserable life.

It is one thing for right-wing Republicans to deny Darwin, or sexual orientation, or even climate change, where the consequences can be fuzzed up via junk science and the impact of science-denial is diffused or delayed. It is quite another to deny the reality of an event scheduled to happen in a couple of weeks, that actually might backfire on them politically. How true, as these idiots play 'chicken' with the debt ceiling and fiscal responsibility.

I got into a discussion about the economy, and the reasons it is SO bad.  The difference, this time, was it was with an articulate, intelligent person whose opinion I respect. His main problem?  I found he used the same flawed reasoning that FOX has been able to foist on many people, that being the housing/mortgage problem we have is because of Clinton's policies. Wrong! True, the Clinton admin supported the idea that home building/ownership was good for people and the economy. In my opinion, no other business supports and builds a healthy economy like construction, because it involves SO many different businesses and the trickle down is HUGE.  This worked for many years, and was healthy because you actually had to QUALIFY for a loan, under Dem policies. The problems began, midway thru the Bush years, when the bankers started bundling the mortgages and selling them to various institutions, in the US and around the world. They made LOTS of money doing this. Then they ...

for watching 'em even momentarily, this morning.  I, like many others I'm sure, recorded the final round of the British Open, cuz it was cold, rainy and windy and was very close, with a large pack at the top, and it started live, at 4 this morning. I was flipping thru the channels and stopped at FOX, in a moment of insanity, to hear the spin they put on the Rupert Murdoch scandal, and caught one of their blonde air heads, as she said, 'Spoiler alert, Darren Clarke has won the British Open.' She didn't pause a split second duing the entire sentence.  Serves me right, for even exposing myself to their swill, but I think it's gonna be funny to watch 'em twisting in the wind as their boss, head of the evil empire, eventually faces charges for extortion and corruption.

Corey Blaser, a young, rookie MLB umpire was called into duty, in the Rockies/Brewers baseball game last night, after the regular ump was unable to continue.  In a play at home plate, Chris Ianetta, the Rockies catcher, obviously tagged out (as shown by many TV replays) the Milwaukee runner as he slid toward home, but the rookie ump blew the call.  Ianetta, who had NEVER been ejected from a game, disagreed with the call, as most players would, and was immediately thrown out. Then Jim Tracy, the skipper, was also ejected.  With a brand new catcher, who had never caught the pitchers for the Rocks, our guys went on to lose by one, 8-7, and had their winning streak ended  The rest of the story?  Corey Blaser graduated from Pomona High, in the Denver area, and it was his first game officiating in Denver. Nice job, rookie.  Enjoy watching the replays....

how our country got into such a mess, and think the Casey Anthony jury was terrible, here's a public service to help them understand.  Just click on the Bill Maher arrow. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-wilstein/the-best-late-night-clips_5_b_899828.html#s308696&title=Bill_Maher _

when I look at those those who believe in a 'literal' Bible, and shake my head in disbelief.  There was a time when uneducated people could be forgiven for belief in obvious myths, but that was long ago. This article was in today's AOL. Why do most modern scholars reject a reading of the Bible as history much less as literal fact? 1. In an age of science and technology, too much of the Bible is simply unbelievable to today's mind and turns people away from the underlying messages. From a scientific standpoint, many of the "facts" in the Bible are simply wrong. One of many examples: according to Genesis, the universe is just over 6000 years old. According to physics, the Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago. 2. Many of the stories are also scientifically impossible, like the tale of Joshua stopping the sun moving across the sky. This story assumes (as was the thinking then) that the earth was flat and was at the center of the universe. We simply know ...

as Sarah Palin's new movie, 'The Undefeated', opened to nearly empty theaters and lousy reviews from the public and professional reviewers.Except, from FOX, that is, who loved it. I am totally shocked, again, as FOX is at odds with the 'lame stream media' (meaning educated, non-sheep).

have come out in the last few days, concerning Rupert Murdoch and his news empire/monopoly.  He is the largest shareholder (in NewsCorp), at 40%, but the second largest is a Saudi oil prince, whose profits rose obscenely, at the expense of the American people when W attacked Iraq, based on lies, shoveled out by FOXNews. I'm shocked. Also, the investigation in the U.K. has shown that Murdoch and his minions hacked politicians' phones and e-mails, then used the info as blackmail to get them to go along with his right wing agenda. I'm shocked, again. Who woulda thunk? The good news? News Corp, (FOXNews in the U.S.), is now under investigation, here, for the same type of slimy practices. Any guesses how the 'Fair and Balanced' network is gonna do under the microscope? Should be interesting as the truth comes out, not that it will change the opinions of any of the 'true believers' in the evil empire, who blame Obama for having to borrow money to keep us afloat af...

tonight, about how the Repubs are trying to pin the bad economy on Obama, but the truth is, it's not about Clinton's famous line, "It's the economy, stupid, but rather, it's STUPID's economy', referring to GWBush. Perfect....

from a great trip.  Flew out w/Kari to pick up her new (for her) car in Nashville.  Lotta good times, as we visited the folks' home towns, had some excellent meals, heard lots of great music, many hours of conversation and I got to watch her hit a hot streal at Harrah's, on a riverboat casino in Kansas City. Had  a good visit w/the folks, who hadn't been able to watch TV for 3 days, since they got a new set, and had no clue how to operate the several remotes they had. Saw in the news, where a FOX guy bitched about the 'petty' Dems, reminding him of 9-11, after he said, 'I don't remember any terrorist attacks under George Bush.'  Who takes these clowns seriously, as they try to wreck the economy, AGAIN, trying to get back in power? I love Bill Maher's comment, "If you vote Repub, and aren't a millionaire, you can't bitch about the Casey Anthony jury, cuz you're a f---'in' idiot, just like them.'  Not an exact quote, but cl...

that started when our plane had to turn back when it was obvious it needed a brake job, after it's violent shimmy on the tarmac.  Deplaned and reloaded and got to Nashville few hours late, then waited for our ride who was late, then had some issues with the new car,  Finally got on the interstate and ran into a traffic jam, cuz of a truck that had caught on fire.  BUT, it's a great vehicle, (Acura MDX) with all the bells and whistles and we made it to Pducah, IN, BUT, our phone network (Stinkin' T-Mobile) , doesn't work, but the wifi here at the Best Weatern does. Not perfect start, but turning into a good trip. We be road warriors.  Good tunes and Kari's always fun.  No hurry to get back. Later..

as we had dinner w/all the kids at Manny and Bo's, then breakfast w/the old farts at Bean and Berry.  Another day of outrageous rainstorms as the monsoon has set up over Colorado like I've never seen it. Over 4" of rain in the last few days, all in big storms in the afternoon.  Last night a pack of coyotes were going crazy, with spooky howling, in the fairway right under our upper bedroom deck, until I scared 'em off with a flashlight. Their glowing eyes looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Finally got home grown tomatoes for BLT's.  Tomorrow it's off to Nashville, w/Kari.  Should be a fun trip.

that a cancer had infected their largest, oldest, tabloid, in the form of Rupert Murdoch, they moved swiftly, with many criminal charges and now the venerable 'News of the World' has been shut down, after 168 years. Read what AOL has to say about it...  In the U.S. of A., it's a different story, and it cannot be understated. Here, Murdoch's sins were less sensational -- but more important, arguably a matter of life and death on some stories. With his most audacious move, the invention of the Fox News Channel, Murdoch and his minions created a vortex of misinformation and emotion draped in an American flag that changed a nation's politics for the worse. That affects a lot more people than phone hacking, no matter how heartless that was. When will America learn, as England did, that we have been hacked and hijacked by a fake news agency, with an agenda for gazillionairs, vs the American people, that is a thinly disguised giant propanda machine?  The fact that oth...

that not all voters are FOXNews sheep? Smart Repubs (believe it or not, there are some), realize what a dangerous game they are playing, according to Warren Buffet. Republicans are playing a dangerous game by refusing to raise the debt ceiling, according to Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett."We raised the debt ceiling seven times during the Bush Administration," Buffett told CNBC on Thursday. Now, the Republican-controlled Congress is "trying to use the incentive now that we're going to blow your brains out, America, in terms of your debt worthiness over time."

in the murder trial of her daughter, consists partly of explaining why she lies so much.  Her lawyer claims she was raised in in an environment of lies and half truths.  Well, I can sort of understand that. When you are a child, and 'reality' continually changes, and the adults in your life can't be trusted for basic facts, I can see how a young mind can be affected.  It is not the fault of that child, when she grows up and can't be trusted to tell the truth.  Children are the result of their home life, and when they are surrounded by adults who, for one reason or another can't be trusted to tell basic truths, of course the child will grow up to tell lies. You can't really blame the kid, when she is raised in an environment where truth doesn't matter, with constantly changing 'facts', and parents who have a problem telling the truth. Just look at the children who are raised in cults. It's not their fault when they grow up needing professional...

the FOX sheep didn't notice, cuz FOX didn't report it.  This just in.  The official weather reports just came out.  2010 tied with 2005 as the hottest year on record.  Really. No matter what FOX says. Climate change is real.  The earth IS getting warmer.  It doesn't tmatter what Roger Aisles and Rupert Murdoch would like the sheep to believe.  Science IS real. There's a thing called Google, for the real facts, beyond FOXNews.  There is a real world, out there, that is based on facts, not propaganda.  Check it out, sheep.

The same people who raised taxes after 'read my lips, NO new taxes' and voted to raise the debt limit SEVEN times, as GW added 4 trillion to the debt, have now decided they would rather totally sink the ship of state, that was headed down when George slithered out of town, rather than continue to fund the gov't they wrecked. The plan?  Totally wreck the economy and people might forget who did the damage.  The main problem?  Not everyone is a mindless sheep who watches and believes FOX.  Should be interesting, as these jerks do whatever they think it takes, to get back in power in 2012.

did a great job yesterday, for Piper's 2nd birthday party.  She was SO cute, as usual, but was a little overwhelmed at first by all the people at the party.  Lots of other cute little kids there, too, as the grownups enjoyed a couple of new kegs that Nate just tapped, as well as some homemade wine/sangria.  Oh yeah, there was also some BBQ'd chicken, burgers and brats, with all the fixings;  A great day in the mountains, as the temp dropped from the 90's in the flatlands, to the 70's, as we drove the 27 miles to Piper's house.  Always a good time getting together with all the family and friends.  This afternoon is a 'surf and turf' dinner with the neighbors, featuring my elk and some fillets that Dave just brought back from a Wisconsin fishing trip. Then. tomorrow is a BBQ, here, on the 4th, with the kids.  Life is good, in the 'good old summertime.' (Pic of from Piper's last visit, here)

that Bill O'Reilly, according to a poll, is the most trusted man on TV news. Oh REALLY?  And who did this important poll?  Well, that would be Suffolk University. What? You haven't heard of them either.  Who cares, if you're FOXNews, the bullshit capitol of the world, you broadcast what you want the sheep to hear, and the sheep love to hear crap like that.  This just in, thanks, lady. The poll gave 5 choices for liberal news sources, plus all the mainstream, and listed one con network, FOX, which got 28%of the total. Typical FOX bullshit. See it here, http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-new-york/bill-o-reilly-boasts-fox-news-most-trusted-channel-according-to-poll-really

The NBA just joined the NFL in a lockout, and it looks like the both seasons could be cancelled. Hard to say, but a very real possibility. Oh yeah, and payroll checks for the LA Dodgers bounced today.  How are all the unemployed people supposed to entertain themselves...

The State of Minnesota officially shut down today, cuz they are bankrupt and the Dems and Repubs can't agree on a solution. Much like W left a sinking ship of state, Tim Pawlenty (R) left a huge mess in MN, and now the shit has hit the fan. Thousands of state workers laid off, state parks closed, etc.  Will be interesting to see it play out as we approach the Aug 2 deadline for the debt vote in Wash DC. Gotta love them politicians... The shutdown means thousands of layoffs, a standstill for road projects and padlocked state parks just ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. The effects were already being felt hours ahead of the deadline, as people rushed Thursday to get driver's and fishing licenses, and park officials began warning campers to pack their gear and leave. See more of the effects, here, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/minnesota-shutdown-2011_n_888363.html?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl2%7Csec3_lnk2%7C217669

I like to say, 'I told you so', when I can, and although it's a little too early, I'm getting ready.  When the story broke about Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the IMF (internat'l money funf) raping a maid in NYC, I called 'bullshit', in my blog (May 30) cuz I had been reading about him and the IMF, wanting to change the world reserve currency from the dollar to an basket of internat'l funds. It would be catastrophic for the US, but very logical for the rest of the world.  As I wrote in my blog, this whole rape story stunk, and was an obvious set-up.  When you think of the hundreds of billions of dolllars involved, anything is possible.  People laughed at me about another 'conspiracy theory'.  Now they are dropping charges after authorities find that she is a perpetual liar and she has had over a hundred thousand dollars deposited in different accounts. This is a hotel maid.  Like I said before, the same type of people who would kill JFK and...