Sotomeyor,

The law has no color, no ethnic background, no personal history.

This country was founded on the premise that all men are equal, that premise has been changed by the will of the people to include all genders and races, as it should.

The law can have no preference, no "more equal than others".

The racial quotas created by the Federal Guilt mongers is counter to the literal reading of the Constitution.

We don't need ethnic experience to be just. We must all be compassionate to those in need, but not because of the color of their skin or their gender.

The First Kenyan

I have deliberately avoided commenting on the election or its supposed winner. I know the American people are the sure losers.

The debt issue that was part of the election rhetoric has been tossed aside in favor of, what appears to be payoffs for election support. The Gaffs, goofs, and B.S. are horrible. All the supposed bi partisan airs in Washington are in the toilet. I heard the comment regarding "the Constitution gives the American people the right to keep and bear arms, I believe however that we can manage that right." That only means one thing to me, how about you?

The current appointment of a Supreme Court Justice, who immediately makes chauvinist and racist statements is an indicator of his intent.

His nomination of several politicians with tax and other legal problems indicates an inability to judge acceptable candidates, or he just doesn't care.

The media, as usual, bow to the most liberal candidate, no matter what their issues. If the media can't overlook or sweep the issues under the table, then what are they hiding that will fit under the table?

I have a conviction that if you run anything through the money filter and the ego filter, then the real reason for the act will be left on one of the filters .

God Help Us All.

Allergy

I have developed a positive allergy to shoe leather.

Every time some jackass sticks a boot in my butt,

I get a positive rash and a bad attitude!

Remember,,,,,, I'm from the south, I don't do hurry up!

The china shop dwelling bovine hired to apply said leather, avoids me.

When I see him, I put him to work helping me with the heavy lifting

You just have to make your weakness your strength.

A step back in time

This is a spooky place, particularly for a nuke.

It's the only place I've been where there is one working plant, two unfinished, one shut down, two entombed and one fast flux test reactor. That's just what I can see on the ride to work.

There is a high energy laser looking for gravitational "string" evidence up the road.

The stories of things found in the desert abound, they are questionable in the extreme, just based on money. You can ride to the tops of the mountains, and find the remains of buildings. There are pull outs that go to the foundations of structures, and their attendant parking lots.

Kind of makes you wonder what really went on in the day.

Elevator tactics

I have learned something. (imagine that!)

If you are on a crowded elevator, the loud announcement "I HAVE GAS!" will get you all the room there is, and a path to the door with no hassles.

Just in case you need to know.

The South 'Gonna Rise Again!

An update from Oklahoma .

The state law passed today, 37 to 9, had a few liberals in the mix, an amendment to place the Ten Commandments on the front entrance to the state capitol. The feds in D.C., along with the ACLU, said it would be a mistake. Hey this is a conservative state, based on Christian values...!

Guess what..........We did it anyway.

We recently passed a law in the state to incarcerate all illegal immigrants, and ship them back to where they came from, unless they want to get a green card and become an American citizen. They all scattered. Hope we didn't send any of them to your state.
This was against the advice of the Federal Government, and the ACLU, they said it would be a mistake.

Guess what..........we did it anyway.

Yesterday we passed a law to include DNA samples from any and all illegals to the Oklahoma database, for criminal investigative purposes. Pelosi said it was unconstitutional.

Guess what........We did it anyway.

Several weeks ago, we passed a law, declaring Oklahoma as a Sovereign state, not under the Federal Government directives. That, for your information, makes Oklahoma and Texas the only states to do so. Guess what.........More states are likely to follow. Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, both Carolina's, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, West Virginia , just to name a few. Should Mississippi act, so will Florida . Save your confederate money, it appears the South is about to rise up once again. The federal Government has made bold steps to take away our guns. Oklahoma, a week ago, passed a law confirming people in this state have the right to bear arms and transport them in their vehicles.

I'm sure that was a set back for the Kennedys and Ms Pelosi.

Guess what..........We did it anyway.

By the way, Obama does not like any of this.

Guess what....who cares...were doing it anyway.

God knows, I hope this isn't a spoof. It's time to take the advice of Larry The Cable Guy and GITERDONE!

If we wait too long there will be nothing to save.

Herding Cats

I am a little amazed by the amount of money that is dumped on me, on a weekly basis. I'm not complaining mind you, just amazed. It, most weeks, comes to about 2500 a week after taxes. I am riding herd on a bunch of over trained, under motivated retirees, who have collectively, more knowledge regarding smart remarks, bad attitudes, and valve lore than a whole school of engineering graduates.

I will say though, they hide their light under a bushel quite well.

Most I would allow to work on a clock, some of the others I wouldn't let touch a manure spreader.

Boring, however, never enters the picture.

I told a tech today, one that I actually like, that sometimes when you just keep pushing all the buttons, you find the one that sets the bomb off. Food for thought if nothing else. Another, that I am starting to really like, is a professional "grumpy old bastard", except that he hasn't managed to get under my skin yet, and he is obviously going for the reaction. He always speaks softly to me and will do most anything I ask. What else do you need? I am always in the field with them, something that some of the other supervisors don't do. Those other supervisors didn't get asked back and couldn't figure out why.

We have some new tech's that are young enough to make a name for them selves as "hands" if I ever get to pick my crew, or at least some of them, I am going to snag as many as I can. Then watch the grease fly.

I suppose my worth to the job comes from my knowledge of power plants and industrial safety. The other part is error prevention tools.

If I can I think I will try to get a slot at the Crane Valve School, and then work a dirt burner with them. More knowledge and more experience would be good on the resume.

Work

I have one of those jobs, currently, that you never want to get good at. That would be because, then everyone wants you to have it every time.

It amounts to dragging a Cadillac through a keyhole. Actually its a series of valve components that weigh as much as a small Cadillac, that need to be guided through a space smaller than a door in your living room, with a giggling gaggle of goobers galumphing along in, and out of the line of fire.

These things don't say excuse me, or sorry, they just crush you like the cockroach you are, provided you let them get loose.

Note to self: Duck!

Desert Hazards

One of the things I find it hard to get used to here is the ubiquitous tumble weed. Many times you will see them huddled out of the wind in any lee, or huddled against a fence trying to be still. You may see one, or a hundred, rolling across the sage in a race to the horizon. They never make it, they wear away until they are too small to catch the wind, or disintegrate under your wheels. When the wind shifts all the hiding places become launching pads, and the piles become herds racing off to nowhere.

They do attack motorcycles. I was going to work this evening and saw a huge aggressive ball of sharp sticks about ten feet in the air fly toward my truck. He missed, but not by much. I can only imagine what it would do to me on my bike. Thank God for leathers. I’m sure I’ll have the rest of the question answered eventually.

Back at work....or what ever...

I should apologize to all and sundry for my lack of posting, or maybe not, because it's not for others, but for myself that storys are written.

The LOML and I are living a dream. We are checking out state after state to find where we would like to live. We are in Washington now, good weather, good food, fishing, hiking and all sorts of outdoor activities. A fun place.

We lived through Minnesota and Iowa. Coldest place I have ever lived. All you tough types, try riding your scooter to work with out a heated suit in 14F weather. Trust me a snow flake in the eye at 55mph hurts. A doe deer four feet in front of your head light looks like a moose, and your butt will eat cotton like a combine.

I have empirical evidence.

We had quite the trip here to Wa. Got snowed on twice. The love of my life was looking for a snow storm of disasterous proportions, up to the time it happened. Then the question was"For heavens sake it's APRIL already, does it never stop?"

Yes, Virginia, it does stop, but not when you expect.

My question is a little more general, if you are in the desert, as we are, why does it rain so much? It seems I can only ride one or two days a week due to a rain storm.

On the road again

Don’t pay the ransom, I’ve escaped!

It’s been a tough quarter, January was spent getting the home and the survival facility ready for the spring outage season. We loaded up and sailed on the twenty first, landed on the twenty third and started on the twenty sixth.

Lessons learned :
At twenty five below, diesel fuel turns to yogurt, and will not flow through injectors.
At twenty five below, when it finally starts, it sounds like someone is inside using a hammer to get out.
The transmission sounds like a twisted ball of rubber bands until it warms up.
Snow will not make a snow ball.
My mustache collects ice, lots, quickly.
Your first breath outside will freeze all your nose hairs together.

That was the first stop.

We worked seven, ten hour nights, for twenty one straight. All the pain of a night shift with none of the mitigating factors if it was on days. Blech!
I was presented with several work orders that no had ever done before, that’s positive I think. These particular valves had never had maintenance done on them. I also got my hands on some big valves types that I had never worked on before, good training.

The second stop is just getting started.

I spent two weeks in supervisor training, and am now a valve supervisor for general valve and air operated valves. Woo Hoo! We are working six, twelve hour days, with every Sunday off. It’s a union plant and Sunday is double time.

The trip to the first plant was a worrisome thing. We were running ahead of a major storm. It eventually hammered western Kentucky, but we were off the road by then.
I wasn’t seriously worried about the trip to the second job, it’s only three hundred and sixty miles, what could go wrong?

That was stupid.

I am usually addicted to the Weather Channel for one reason or another, wind or wave of ice.
Therefore, I was more that a little upset when we were caught on the road with a trifecta of winter slop.

First worry, the road is getting white, no problem, slow down. Next problem, the wind shield is icing, no cure for that.

Deal breaker, the idiots on the Interstate with me are still doing sixty!

There is no honor or courage in being stupid, and when you are risking being taken out by a random moron, it’s time to get out of the way.

We got a room and waited for morning. There was three inches of new powder on the parking lot when I went out to clear the wind shield, the DOT crews had done their usual wonderful job and magically produced a clear road by morning.