Let The Anger Flow. Days 44-46

Hello People. It's New Year's Eve, blah. blah, blah....Happy New Year. Here's to hoping you people are less annoying in 2015!
#44 The ObamaCare Saga. Can we please stop harping on this national nightmare! ObamaCare is the law of the land. Does it suck? Yes it does. Every time another politician grabs a microphone to proclaim that repealing ObamaCare is their top priority I think "really"? Have you heard of ISIS? Have you seen the price of food? I, personally, am a little more concerned about some lunatic trying to blow me up than I am about overpaying for healthcare right now. Are you aware that they've released 30 terrorists from Gitmo this year alone? 5 of them were let go yesterday. This, my friends in lawmaking, should be your top priority.
#45 New Year's Day. For years now, we in Kittydom have spent New Year's Day watching our captors, crumpled on the couch, moaning about how they should not have drank so much the night before. You would think that, with over 100 years of combined experience, they would have learned that lesson by now! Dumbass Goobers! We'll see if 2015 is any different. I'm not overly optimistic.
#46 New Year's Resolutions. Really? It is, of course, a human tradition to list the ways you will make yourself better in the coming year. You should all be really perfect by now. You know who loves New Year's resolutions the most? Gym owners. They get a years worth of money and only have to see most of you 3 times. You know who else loves it? Health food stores. Same reason. In spite of my opposition to this inane custom, here goes...
In 2015 I will try to....

• Remember that plastic bags are not the enemy. I do not have to kill them all, especially in the middle of the night.
• Be more tolerant of the Little Tail Puller (Grandchild). Perhaps she really doesn't mean any harm. Hey Tail Puller, they rhyme goes "catch a tiger by the toe", not a Himalayan!
• Be more accepting of morons. Some people really can't control it. I'll just assume that they dined on lead paint as a child.
• Be nicer to my fellow captors. Except Alfie. She really pisses me off.
• Not feel any guilt when I break each and every one of the aforementioned resolutions.

Happy New Year People. Hug the ones you love, thank the ones who protect you and turn up the damn heat. It's freezing in here!
Sway

The Anger Returns. Days 41-43

Hello People. I trust you all had a very Merry Christmas and are preparing to make a bunch of New Year resolutions that you have no intention of keeping. Good for you! Let's begin...
#41 Sony Pictures. Can we please stop this ridiculous praise of Sony Picture's "brave release" of their crappy movie The Interview? Has it really not occurred to anyone that Sony orchestrated this whole debacle? Look, here's what I think happened. A disgruntled former employee hacked the company and released those emails to show what kind of people were running that company. There was no mention of North Korea or that movie until well after those emails were released. Those emails were released to embarrass the top brass at Sony. What could North Korea possibly stand to gain from that? This was Sony trying to make the best of a bad situation and it worked. They made millions and managed to get millions of people, who would have never gone to see that movie, pay for it. They also managed to cut major distributors out of the mix, saving them millions more in profit sharing. The truth will come out Sony. Oh, and you suck!
#42 Cop Hating Lunatics. A group of wonderful protesters in Portland decided to spend their holiday marching and chanting "Deck the halls with rows of dead cops" Fa La La La La. and "what do we want; No cops". Can these people really be that stupid? Well, yes they can. Brace yourself people. Since there are apparently no repercussions for this behavior, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. These lunatics are planning major disruptions to New Years Eve celebrations around the country. 126 Law Enforcement Officers have been killed this year. 50 of them shot to death. That's an increase of 56% over 2013. It's insane. It's not civil unrest people. It's anarchy. Thank God for the men and women who put there lives on the line every day, 365 days a year, so you and I can feel safe. Don't they, and their families, deserve the same. It's time to step up. Speak out. Demand an end to these ridiculous and dangerous protests. I'm all for protesting injustice but that is so not what this is about. Do you think that, if these lunatics were chanting "deck the halls with rows of dead politicians", this would still be going on? Me either.
#43 End of Year Lists. If I see one more Best of/Worst of 2014 countdown I swear, I'm gonna blow! You people apparently have no clue of what is or isn't important. One of our local "News" channels decided that "peeling license plates" was the "most talked about local story" of 2014. Whaaaaat? One national "news" organization included who Honey Boo Boo's mother was dating to their list of biggest entertainment stories. Huh? Seriously, if that's the best you can do, please do something else.
Sway

Twas MY Night Before Chirstmas

And people wonder why I'm angry! Hello people. I'm taking a short break from my 100 Days of Angry to pay homage to the upcoming Holy Day; My Birthday. That's right. Jesus and I share a birthday, he just gets more attention. Any way.....

'Twas the night before Christmas, and across the whole land
All the Haters were out, with their placards in hand;
Their messages varied, but printed with care,
In hopes that the media soon would be there;

The kitties were nestled all snug in their beds,
While the Haters were screaming and banging their heads;
Kill the Cops! I can't breathe! Hands up, don't shoot!
As their kids ran about to pillage and loot.

Non believers were planning their assault on the square,
To ensure that no signs of Jesus were there.
Lose the Nativity and rename that tree
There is no Jesus, it's Xmas for me!

Where ever folks gather, the Haters must go,
To enlighten the masses on what they must know.
Stop fracking, meat kills, God hates the Gays
The planet is warming, you must change your ways!

It's okay to hang lights on your Holiday Tree
But don't hang a cross where the Haters may see.
Don't say Merry Christmas, it's gives folks a fit
It's Hanakwansmass or some other shit.

So scream, Haters, scream, I simply won't hear it.
You can't do a thing to douse my Christmas spirit.
Carry your signs and march through the streets
We'll sit by the fire with our sweet Christmas treats.

With the Lord in our hearts and peace in our soul,
We'll wait for St. Nick; you'll probably get coal.
We'll raise a glass to the Soldiers, our daughters and sons
Who won't see their families or hold their loved ones.

You'll spend the day whining and holding your sign
We'll spend it with loved ones and a nice glass of wine.
A day filled with love and laughter and cheer
That will carry us through another new year.

So, Now Whiner, Now Racist, Now Tree Hugger, Now Hater,
On Vegan, On Homophobe, On little Race Baiter.
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"You People Are Crazy, PoKitty Was Right!"

Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Sway

Angry Days 38-40

Hello People! Let me begin by saying that I did not break that silly ornament. I do not know who did. I'm no snitch. It was Po. Okay. Let the anger flow....
#38 Time Warner Cable. Once again the monopoly that is Time Warner is raising their "fees". We get our internet, phone and cable from them because, in the city of Syracuse, we really have no other viable choice. They are now adding a $2.75 per month "surcharge" for sports programming and increasing their monthly "surcharge" for "Broadcast TV" to $2.75. I'm a little confused by this since the reason I pay you to begin with is to provide said programming. I'm not getting any new channels. In fact, over the past few years, we lost numerous channel while your rates continue to raise. Now, you want to pay to extra for you to do less. Time Warner, You Suck! And, while I'm at it, STOP turning off my TV! Who the heck do you think you are? I pay for your service. I pay for electricity. If I want to leave my TV on the same channel all day that's MY business, not yours. If I want "energy saving" assistance from you, I'll ask for it. Otherwise, mind your own freaking business!
#39 Playmobil Toys. Playmobil, known for their Alpine Lodges and Train Stations, has come out with the most amazing new line of "toys". The latest depicts an armed bank robbery and a bicycle crash complete with ambulance. Wow! The company says that "children learn through play". That's awesome if you want your kids to learn how to rob a bank! The "Bank and Raid" set has a woman (congrats for the gender) disguised with large dark glasses and a gun sticking up a terrified bank teller who is handing over wads of cash (included). The other set comes with an injured cyclist being loaded into the back of an ambulance. It comes with extra bandages. These toys are marketed for ages 4-10. They also have a construction worker set that comes with it's own little beer bottles. Charming! I realize that you simply don't have to buy these things but seriously, is this what we've become?
#40 Christmas Killers. Firehouse #4 in South Utica, NY, has a sign, as part of the Christmas display that reads, "Happy Birthday Jesus. We Love You". The nerve! A group of Atheists say 'take down the sign or we'll sue'. Sue for what, Atheists? It can't be based on the wildly misinterpreted First Amendment, regarding the 'separation of Church and State'. Claiming that would make you all sound like a bunch of misinformed morons. Since the First Amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". That argument actually backs up the Fire Fighters. That whole free exercise thing... There's nothing in the Constitution that says Fire Fighters can't love Jesus or hang signs. This particular group says the sign is "exclusionary and alienating". Really? It says "we" love you. Not "you have to love him". I love pizza. If you don't, does that make me wrong? Should I denounce pizza because you don't like it? Beside, you have to love the irony of the Atheists verses Fire Fighters thing since, in the end, eternal fire may be your destiny...
Sway

Angry Days 35-37

Hello People. I'm angry! That is why my 100 Days of Angry continues. This box is too small. Get bigger feet. I cannot nap in a box this small! Anyway...
#35  The path to nowhere. I respect and appreciate business owners who promptly plow the sidewalks outside of their business after a snow storm. It's good business. I also understand that it is not incumbent upon you to plow your neighbor's walk. However, when you plow your walk, stopping at your property line, and do not create an egress to the road, you force me into the very snowbank I was trying to avoid. I can either tromp through the 3 foot snowbank into the road or turn around and walk back to where I came from. Neither option is very appealing! So, thank you for clearing your walk. Now, please take the additional 2 minutes to complete the job.
#36  'Only Drivers'.  This is a term I use to describe people who believe they are the only ones on the road.  Dear Only Drive: You are NOT the only person on the road EVER. So brush off your damn car, pick a freaking lane and slow down! When it snows, the 'Only Driver' is the one speeding down the middle of the road creating a personal blizzard behind them. It is never okay to drive down the middle of the road people. Even if you can't see the lines, you know they are there. Show a little respect for everyone else and pick a lane. It takes less than 5 minutes to brush off your vehicle. This is time well spent since, after you do it, you can actually see out of your windows. This prevents you from changing lanes in front of other people and running them off the road. Along those same lines, just brushing off your windows and nothing else is equally as annoying. I call this the "Brazilian Brush". That's when you brush of the sides and leave that big strip down the middle. (Thank you to all of you who got that). In case you are unaware, that snow blows off your vehicle onto the windshield of the innocent person behind you! It's rude and dangerous. You people piss me off!
#37  Illegal Parking. Do you know why cities institute alternating parking regulations? It's so emergency vehicles and SNOWPLOWS can get down narrow city streets. We live on a narrow city street. Do you know what happens when you are too lazy to move your car? Our street doesn't get plowed. So, everyone on the entire block has to suffer because YOU were too lazy to move your car. You Suck! Put down the cheese puffs for 5 minutes and follow the law. I'm sure Wheel of Fortune will still be on when you get back.
Sway

Angry Days 32-34

Hello People! Every day, in every way, people continue to piss me off! As my 100 Days of Angry continue, I'd like to take a moment to thank so many of you who make this easier each day.
#32 Showboating. Carolina Panther's Cam Newton with his Superman pose; 49er's Colin Kaepernick kissing his "guns"; Cleveland's Johnny Manziel with his little "show me the money" jesture. Do you know what all of these quarterbacks have in common, beside immaturity? They all suck. Show a little class boys. How you can proudly "pose" when your team is 4-8-1 is beyond me. Ever see Peyton Manning or Tom Brady do a little "hey, look at me" touchdown dance? Maybe while you're home watching them in the playoffs you can ponder that question.
#33 Human gnats. They simply won't go away. These people know no bounds. There are the celebrity Gnats like Tori Spelling, Lindsey Lohan, Any Kardashian or Monica Lewinsky. There are athletic Gnats like A Rod, Jose Canseco and Manny Ramizez. And, your everyday, average Joe Gnats that only annoy one or two people at a time. The captor has one of those. A lunatic she fired about 8 years ago still sends her letters eight years later! Talk about a human Gnat! Can't tell you what's in those letters because she just throws them out. My point is, people should come with an expiration date, like milk, so they know when they're done. You're starting to smell, time to be tossed. I'm not saying anything bad should happen. Go live a happy, hopefully productive life. Just go away now. Go Away.
#34 Eaten Alive. We discussed this "entertainment spectacular" when it was first announced. A moron was going to be eaten alive by a giant snake. A Green Anaconda, to be accurate. I haven't seen the numbers on how many of you were sucked into watching this but, you're all nuts. PETA is protesting over abuse of the snake, viewers are outraged that the snake didn't eat the moron and the Discovery Channel is defending the whole debacle! What is wrong with you people? Half of you are more concerned about the snake than the moron and the other half are outraged that the moron didn't get eaten. Please people, I'm begging you, turn off the TV and get a hobby. You clearly have way too much time on your hands.
Sway

Angry Days 29-31

Hello People! As I continue with my 100 days of things that piss me off, I can't help but wonder how this world has survived this long. You people are all nuts! Anyway, let's begin...
#29 Changing Christmas Carols. Do you know what's great about Christmas songs? You learn them as a child and, when you hear them as you grow, they make you happy. They make you want to sing along. Well people, we can't sing along if you don't sing it the way it was meant to be sung! Listen up popular music people, I know that you're "artists" and you want to make a song "your own". But Christmas carols are not yours. Their ours, and we want them sung the way we remember them! If you want your own Christmas song try writing one.
#30 The National Science Foundation. This government funded, non-profit organization, was created to "promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; to secure the national defense". They have an annual budget of $7.2 billion. In 2012, an audit turned up $2.1 billion in wasted spending. Among their "studies" was to research why certain NCAA teams dominate March Madness every year and how quickly parents react to trendy baby names. You can't make this stuff up. This years audit found $150 million in "questionable" construction projects. Among their "scientific studies" this time around; To discover if people who post pictures on the internet from the same places, at the same time, are usually friends and to find out if people who use on-line dating services are racist. They also spent $25,000 on a Holiday party, $3000 on an alcohol-fueled Board of Directors dinner, $3000 on tee shirts and $1000 a month (every month) on premium coffee. WTF! Your tax dollars in action!
#31 Making a Mockery of Foreign Affairs. The lame duck Senate has just approved two more of the President's appointees for Ambassadorships. Noah Mamet has been appointed Ambassador to Argentina and Colleen Bell has been confirmed as Ambassador to Hungary. Now, I realize that no one really cares about Ambassadors but, seriously, the world is a complicated and dangerous place right now and our Ambassadors are our representatives abroad. Mr. Mamet, during his confirmation hearing admitted that he had never even been to Argentina and he doesn't even speak Spanish! Ms. Bell, during her confirmation hearing, was asked about the United States' strategic interests in Hungary. She couldn't name a single one! It's no surprise. Her background doesn't exactly scream foreign affairs. The highlight of her resume is being the producer of the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. When asked about her qualifications, the White House said, 'she is a very intelligent woman who knows how to make friends'. Oh, well then, carry on.
Sway

Angry Days Continue. 26-28

Hello People. I am back from my brief Holiday Hiatus and as angry as ever! Let's get right to it...
#26 Pumpkin flavoring. What is up with all of this pumpkin flavoring? It's everywhere. Coffee, doughnuts, bagels, muffins, bread, ice cream, enough already. Pumpkins are disgusting. Nobody actually eats pumpkins. Even the pumpkin pie filling is mostly squash, not pumpkin. And what's with the "limited time" nonsense? It's not like you're using actual pumpkins. If the flavor is so popular, why not offer it year round? Is artificial pumpkin flavoring seasonal? I stopped for a muffin the other morning and the only option they had left was pumpkin. Why? Because it sucks!
#27 The St. Louis Rams. After working with police for a week to ensure that protesters in St. Louis wouldn't disrupt Sunday's Rams/Raiders game or interfere with their fans, a handful of Rams players decided to thank the police by coming out of the tunnel with their hands in the air in the "Don't shoot" position. Really classy! If ignorance is bliss, these guys must be downright euphoric. They were, of course, showing solidarity with those protesting the Ferguson Grand Jury's decision not to indict Darren Wilson on the new charge of "being a white police officer doing his job". Needless to say, the St. Louis police were not amused. They called on the NFL to discipline the players. That's not going to happen, because, unlike the NBA, the NFL claims to support freedom of speech. Yes, that was a Donald Sterling reference. Deal with it.
#28 Over-Hyping Everything. For the past week, here in Syracuse, all the buzz was about a "Major Concert Announcement" at the Carrier Dome. It was in the paper, on both radio and TV news, blanketing social media; a "Major" concert announcement. They held a press conference. Everyone was there waiting, panting, breathless. Guess what! Billy Joel is coming in March, for the 7th time! Seriously? In other news...The 80's called, they want their excitement back.
Sway

Angry Days 23-25

Hello People. You're making me nuts. You know that, right?
#23 The death of Journalism. Every time I think today's "journalists" have sunk as far as they can go, one steps up to prove me wrong. On Tuesday House Republicans selected their Standing Committee Chairs for the 114th Congress. Here's how Daniel Newhauser of the National Journal decided to cover that story:

November 18, 2014 House Republicans have selected white men to chair all but one of their standing committees next year.

The secretive Republican Steering Committee announced its recommendations late Tuesday after an all-day meeting to pick the heads of 17 committees, with all of those slots going to white men. Rep. Candice Miller, who was previously reappointed by Speaker John Boehner to lead the House Administration Committee, will remain the only woman to wield a gavel.

Mr. Newhauser, not only are you NOT a journalist, you're a jackass. You piss me off!

#24 JetBlue Airways Corp. has decided to improve it's lagging profit margin by making air travel even more unpleasant! They will be cutting the "leg room" between seats to about 33 inches, so they can squeeze in more seats and, if you fly coach, they'll be charging you to check your bags. Now, I know other airlines have done the same but, call me crazy, I'm not a CEO, if your goal is to attract more customers wouldn't it make more sense to offer more for less instead of less for more? 

#25 We all know that the Federal Government has a hard time managing it's (our) money but this is just ridiculous. So far this year, Medicare has shelled out $45 Billion dollars in erroneous "Fee for Services" payments. That's an error rate of nearly 13% for just one program! The Feds have doled out more than $100 Billion in "improper" payments a year for the past five years! It boggles the mind. 

Sway

Angry Days 20-22

Hello People. Today, as I continue to celebrate my 100 days of anger, I'd like to begin with a shout out to my friends and family in the Buffalo area. Man, do your lives suck or what! I have to say, if you want that Golden Snowball Award so badly, just take it. Geez, even you have to admit that this is a bit excessive. It's starting to look like you're just showing off. So, I'll give it to you. You are the snow capitol of the world. You can stop now. Okay! Let's continue.
#20 The President, tomorrow night, will announce how he plans to single-handedly fix our Nation's "immigration problem". That's not what pisses me off. It comes as no surprise. What does piss me off is that the President of the United States of America announced his upcoming announcement ON FACEBOOK! Are you kidding me? Who are you? Kim Kardashian? Facebook? Really?
#21 Arsenic in rice. We've known for sometime that rice contains arsenic. Many foods do. Without getting too technical, there are two types of arsenic; organic and inorganic, with the inorganic being the nastier of the two. Regular exposure to arsenic increases your chances of getting lung, bladder or skin cancer, heart disease or Type 2 diabetes. Here's what pisses me off. Consumer Reports, in it's latest study, says brown rice has 80% more of the nasty inorganic arsenic than white rice does. But, they go on to say that brown rice has more nutrients in it, so you should keep eating it. What? Talk about a mixed message. If you're going to release a "study", don't you think it should have a point?#22 LeBron James caught all kinds of heat this week after saying he would not let his boys play football until  they're older. He says there are plenty of less dangerous sports they can play right now. Sportscasters called his opinion irresponsible. They said he was misinformed. They called him a hypocrite because, he, himself, played football in high school. People, could we PLEASE stop telling other people how to raise their children. If Mr. James doesn't want his 10-year old to play football, that's his business. Why try to shame him for worrying about the safety of his children just because you don't agree? Can't we all just get along?
Sway

Angry Days 16-19

Hello People. Every day, in every way, people find a way to piss me off. That is why I began my quest to to share 100 days of angry. Let's continue, shall we?
#16 The Syracuse "news" paper, the Post Standard. First, they announce that they will only be delivering their little rag 3 days a week. Then they raise the price. NOW, they slip a little notification in the Sunday paper (page A4) informing us, their "loyal PS subscriber" that they will be putting out a very special Thanksgiving edition that, even though we didn't ask for it and, even though we never get a paper on Thursday, they will be delivering it to us and charging us $2.00. They go on to say that it won't change our bill. Oh no. They'll just eliminate one paper that we did order to make up the difference! Are you freaking kidding me? On what planet do you get to take my money for one thing and replace it with something YOU think I need? I don't want your freaking ad laden holiday edition. I want the freaking ad laden piece of crap I paid for! You really piss me off!
#17 The saga of Jon Gruber continues. You know Mr. Gruber, he's the "architect" of Obamacare who proudly announced that counted on the "stupidity" of the American voter to get it passed. First Nancy Pelosi proclaimed that she didn't even know who the guy was, until various videos of her praising him surfaced. Oh, that guy. Now, the President claimed Mr. Gruber was never even on the staff. Really, Mr. President? Can you then explain to me why we, the taxpayers, paid Mr. Gruber $400 Thousand dollars? Could you also explain why you put Mr. Gruber in one of your Obamacare ads explaining why this cluster f*@k was such a great idea? I didn't think so.
#18 Selective outrage. There is a growing backlash against actress Alyssa Milano for posting selfies of herself breastfeeding her baby. Oh, the humanity! How could she show such an outrageous display of motherhood? Shame on her, right? The fact that, just last week, pictures of Kim Kardashian's bare ass were everywhere, including the evening news, is irrelevant. Apparently that was "art". People, there are so many things in this world to get outraged over. Trust me, a mother breastfeeding her child is not one of them.
Here's a bonus one for you. #19 A handful of students at Syracuse University have been staging a "sit-in" at the school to protest perceived injustices. The University met with the students, heard their "demands" and made reasonable concessions. But, the 40 or so students, say they will continue their sit-in until all of their "needs" are met. Their needs, supplied to the University, were 43 pages long! Among them, they want Columbus Day changed on the University calendar to "Indigenous People Day".  Ok. Enough is enough. What you "need" aside from a dictionary, is to get up off your lazy asses and get back to class!
Sway

Sweet Vindication! I told You So!

Hello People. As my sister PoKitty has been saying and as I, myself, reiterated just the other day, Stupidity IS Contagious! Dr. Robert Yolken and colleagues at John Hopkins University has discovered a "Stupidity Virus"! The virus, ATCV-1, can impair thought, learning and memory, making those infected dumber. I KNEW IT! Imagine this. Researchers found the virus by accident, while looking for something else. They tested 92 healthy adults and 44% had the virus. Those infected scored 10% less on cognitive tests. That confirms my belief that half the people in this world are just plain stupid! Here's the kicker. "Scientists" believe the virus is contagious! Stupid is spreading. 44% of the control group was infected so, if you don't think you're stupid, take a hard look at the person next to you. Yup. Odds are that one of you has the stupid! This really brings so many things into perspective, doesn't it?
While I'm tooting my own horn, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said today that there would be "glitches" and "down time" when re-enrollment into Obamacare launches on Saturday. Gee, who could have seen that coming? Luckily, even the government doesn't expect that many people to sign up. HHS has revised the revisions of their revised numbers and now say about 9.1 million people will enroll. LOL. Wasn't the original projection 25 million? I think it was. Amazingly, when Apple launched the iPhone 6, their website handled hundreds of millions hits from around the world without incident. I'm just saying. Anyway, with all of this nonsense going on, and taking into consideration the aforementioned "Stupidity Virus", statements made by economist Jon Gruber, the chief architect of Obamacare, are going viral. Gruber said (and I quote) "The stupidity of the American voter" made it important for him and the Democrats to hide Obamacare's true costs from the public. "That was really, really critical for the thing to pass", Gruber said. I guess that says it all people. Once again, you heard it here first. We are clearly ATCV-1 Virus free!
Po & Sway

Angry Days 13-15!

Hello People. I thought that looking for things that piss me off for 100 days in a row would be difficult. I was wrong. You people make it easy.
#13 Andre Robinson. This 21-year old jackass from Brooklyn proudly posted a video of himself kicking a stray cat, like a football, over a fence and laughing about it with his friends. Police tracked him down and arrested him for animal cruelty. This punk, with 8 prior arrests including one for a knife-point robbery, is arguing that if the video was of him kicking a person he wouldn't have been arrested. Well Andre, a person could have kicked you back or, God willing, kicked your ass. That poor little kitten was defenseless. Not so funny now, is it, you *@&#^% little puke!
#14 People whining about retail workers having to work on Thanksgiving. Here's a news flash. Thousands of jobs require that you work holidays, including my captor's. Media, health care, hospitality, transportation, public safety, entertainment, the list goes on and on. You, retail worker, are not special. Trust me. Here's another news flash. The turkey is just as good on Wednesday or Friday. Try to wrap your head around this, Thanksgiving is a day when family gathers together to enjoy a big meal and count their blessings. The 4th Thursday in November was chosen by Franklin Roosevelt in 1941. It has no other historical meaning. My point is, if your family can't arrange dinner during the 16 hours you wont be working on Thursday, you can be equally as thankful on Wednesday or Friday, or Saturday or Sunday. May I suggest the first thing you give thanks for is the fact that you have a job and a family.
#15 HealthCare.Gov.  Reports say that federal health officials and government contractors are "scrambling to make contingency plans" in case the Health Care web site crashes during open enrollment like it did last year. Call me crazy but, what the hell have you people been doing for the last 11 months? What is the problem here? You had two years to set the damn thing up to begin with. That was an unmitigated disaster. Now, what? You sat around for 10 months hoping it wouldn't happen again? So, with less than a week before the big day you're "scrambling" for a back up plan? It's like the lazy leading the stupid. You people really piss me off!
Sway

Angry Days 10-12

Hello People. Who says these are not toys? They're awesome! Anyway, allow me to continue my list of 100 days of pissed off.
#10 The lowest common denominator! On December 7th, the History Channel will air a special called "Eaten Alive". A man, in a special protective suit, will be eaten alive by an anaconda, while filming the entire "experience". This is so wrong, on so many levels, I barely know where to begin. This is obviously an elaborate production to draw in viewers, and it will. But, what kind of person watches such a thing? Do you really want a following of people who plop down on their couch, with a bowl of popcorn, to watch a human being eaten alive by a snake? EATEN ALIVE BY A SNAKE! What the hell is wrong with you people? This is what happens when you cancel Honey BooBoo. What's next? I don't even want to know. You piss me off!
#11 "Bodyshaming". Protests are breaking out over a Victoria's Secret campaign called "The Perfect Body" which, as you can imagine, featured 8 beautiful, and ridiculously skinny, models. Protesters, of course, say the ads, meant to sell underwear, "promote unhealthy and unrealistic standards of beauty".  First, stop using the term "bodyshaming". It's goofy. Second, Victoria's Secret is a company that sells sexy undergarments. I'm pretty sure that a picture of fat people in their underwear wouldn't accomplish that goal. Third, if your self image is so fragile, why are you flipping through a Victoria's Secret catalog? Why don't you pick up a book or a newspaper instead. Many people believe "smart" is sexy and you can still eat doughnuts.
#12 Voters in two states and Washington, DC, approved bills to legalize recreational marijuana on Tuesday. I don't really care one way or the other however, do we really want recreational weed in Washington? Don't we have enough problems? Can't you just picture the great Senator Strip mall, I mean Schumer, jamming his face onto a news camera with a buzz? I can. We've already has a group of Senators request a study on why lesbians are fat. What studies do you think they'll come up with when they're stoned, instead of just drunk? It simply boggles the mind.
Sway

Angry Days 7-9. I'm Just Getting Started

Hello People. As you know, in response to the nauseating onslaught of 100 Days of Happiness and 100 Days of Thankfulness posts smothering social media, I have launched my 100 Days of Pissed Off! Let's start with #7. My last post was entitled "Angry Days 4-7". It only went to #6. Thank you soooo much to all of you who took the time to point that out!
#7 All of you who took the time to point out that I screwed up. Don't do it again. You pissed me off!
#8 Election Night results. I'm not talking about the actual results, although some of them did piss me off. No, I'm talking about the coverage of said results. Picture it: The far too pretty Election Night anchors sit before the camera with the giant timer on the screen behind them counting down, three, two, one..."The polls in New York have just closed and we are prepared to declare that Andrew Cuomo has been re-elected to a second term".  Really? Without a single vote being counted. You couldn't wait, say, three minutes to at least pretend to care how people actually voted? Now, I realize that it was a forgone conclusion that Cuomo was going to win but, if we're not even going to wait for one precinct, out of over 15,000, to actually report before declaring a winner, what's the point? I hear people, especially young people, say they didn't bother to vote because their vote doesn't mean anything. Gee, I wonder where they got that idea? Does this ring a bell with anyone?

#9 The phrase "Lone Wolf". Lunatics are running around this Country, and others, attacking police and soldiers and beheading innocent people. In each case the killer has openly identified himself as a member of or a sympathizer with an Islamic terrorist group. Yet, in each case we label these terrorists as "Lone Wolves". Exactly how many "lone wolves" does it take to make a "pack"? When are we going to stop hiding behind political correctness and call a duck a duck? If a group of individuals commit the same crimes for the same reason, they are not "lone". They are the same. They are a pack of wolves and, by ignoring them, their pack continues to grow. If it walks like a terrorist and talks like a terrorist......Don't call them lone wolves. It pisses me off! And, I'll bet the wolves are too happy about it either.
Sway

Angry Days 4-7!

Hello People. Welcome back to my world of 100 days of Pissed Off! I hope 100 days is enough to clear my plate.
#4 The Washington Redskins "controversy". A couple thousand people turned out in Minnesota to protest the "Redskins" nickname yesterday. This is the dumbest protest on Earth today. Did you know that Annenberg Public Policy Center found that 90% of Native Americans surveyed did NOT find the term "Redskin" offensive. Did you know that 62 high schools in the US have the Redskins nickname and, three of the schools are Native American Schools? With that said, I have a few other statistics for you. The unemployment rate among Native Americans is 11% compared to 6.7% national average. 25% of Native Americans live in poverty compared to the 16% national average. Native Americans have the highest suicide rate among ethnic groups. These are facts. Why, then, I ask you, are these knuckleheads protesting a nickname? If they truly cared about their people there are far more important issues to focus on! So, knock it off, you're pissing me off!
#5 Food packaging. Have you noticed how much heavier food packaging is getting? I pulled the "absorbent pad" off the bottom of some chicken on Saturday and it weighed nearly a pound! Bigger boxes and bags with less and less product inside, water added, bone-in verses bone out prices. Hey Manufacturers, why don't you spend more time improving the quality of your product and less time looking for ways to rip us off! You piss me off!
#6 Political robo-calls. Are you kidding me! You call me, in my home, and play a recording of what you're about? I already know what you're about. You're about narcissism! You clearly don't care what I think. What if I had a question? You want my vote, you just don't want to talk to me about it? Too busy, are you? Thank goodness I'm not too busy to answer the phone. If you're too busy to talk, don't call me. You piss me off!
Sway

Angry Cat Returns!

Hello People. Po is taking a break. I'm sure you remember me. My breathtaking beauty is hard to forget. Do you like my Halloween costume? I am the Light at the End of the Tunnel. Bite me Gumpy Cat! I am Angry Cat and I will whip your wimpy little butt! I have been following many of you on Farcebook with your 100 days of happiness, 100 days of thankfulness and 100 days of inspiration. Pardon me while I hack up a hairball. I am hereby launching my official 100 days of Pissed Off! Now, since I don't have 100 consecutive days to waste on you people, I'll be doing mine in blocks.
#1 Stupid people piss me off. Everyone is so worried about this Ebola thing. There is no cure for stupid and it's spread like wildfire! Don't kid yourself into thinking it's not contagious. It is. Just review the aforementioned Facebook and you'll see what I mean. Case on point: A Farcebook meme quoting Senator Bernie Sanders stated that the US had more low paying jobs than any other major country on earth. They, of course, blame Walmart. Sanders was quoting an idiotic report based on a "study" by an international economic group. That group (OECD) listed the US as #1 for low paying jobs, followed by Ireland, Canada and the United Kingdom. What the story doesn't say is why. One reason that comes to mind is that the population of Ireland is 4.6 million compared to 319 million in the United States. Canada has 35 million people and the UK has about 63 million. The median income in Ireland is $22,000, compared to $38,000 in the US. Apples to oranges people. Apples to oranges. My point is (yes, I have a point) that particular meme had about 2000 "shares" and even more "likes". There you have it. Stupid spreading right before your eyes. It only takes one moron to bring down the IQ of the masses.
#2 Turn the freakin heat up! I don't know, nor do I care who this Nation Greed is, I'm freezing my fur off! The money you save in heating costs you will be shelling out for bandages. Trust me!
#3 Strangers knocking on my door begging for candy. Buy your own damn candy! Do you know how much chocolate costs? Beside, Michelle Obama says you're all fat. You shouldn't be eating candy anyway. Now, be gone with you, and don't smash my pumpkins! People who smash my pumpkins really piss me off.
Sway

Say What, Now?

Hello My Dear Friends! After yesterday's spectacular Buffalo Bills win over the, shall we say, sad New York Jets, I was stunned to read about 8-year old Elijah Burrell. Elijah was playing in his first season of Peewee Football. His team, the Lawrenceville Black Knights, were winning 32-0 in the 4th quarter when Elijah intercepted a pass and ran it in for a touchdown! The first touchdown of his little life. It's one of the most exciting plays in football, the Pick-6, but there was no joy for Elijah or his team. Why? Because the touchdown put his team up 38-0, violating the league's 33 point "mercy rule". Not only was Elijah's touchdown eliminated, his team was fined $500 and his coach was suspended! Of all the stupid *$%^&# things I've ever heard, this is by far the most insane. Apparently in Georgia it's okay to beat a team 32-0 but 33-0 is a crime. It's not like the team scored on purpose. It wasn't a planned play. Apparently, little Elijah, in the heat of the moment, was expected to intercept the ball and kneel down so as not to embarrass the other team. How on earth is an 8-year old supposed to know that? Well, lesson learned. Wussification complete!
Former FLOTUS, Senator & Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was speaking to a group in support of Massachusetts Gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley when she dropped this head-scratching little gem:, "Don't let anybody tell you that, you know, it's corporations and businesses that create jobs". Really, Mrs. Clinton? I'm pretty sure it is but you would know better than me.
Okay. Political commercials are nothing but crap, however, a few that are running around here are just plain goofy. Why are you telling me that a man running for State Attorney General is opposed to a woman's right to choose? What does that have to do with anything? The last time I checked, the State Attorney General didn't vote on Federal issues. I realize that many political groups believe that all women vote entirely with their vagina at all times, but seriously, can we even pretend to stick to the facts. There's an ad that runs every 2 minutes in Syracuse with a cranky old woman telling us that Republicans in Washington are waiting for John Katko to get elected to Congress so they can eliminate Medicare. LOL! Once again, the last time I checked, Republicans already control Congress. Why would they need John Katko to pull off their nefarious plot? Is he some type of Svengali? Another ad, by the same lame incumbent, has a woman warning us that, if John Katko is elected, he will allow insurance companies to charge women 10 TIMES MORE than men for health insurance! Oh My! That's an awful lot of power for a first year Congressman. I'm pretty sure that isn't true but, once again, what do I know.
Po

Money Well Spent, Right?

Hello My Dear Friends! It seems like you can't turn on the television or radio without being bombarded by political ads telling us how much better things will be if you vote for this guy, or vote against that guy. It is, of course, all a bunch of bullcheese. So, while you're listening to incumbent lawmakers tell you what a great job they've been doing, I'd like you to stop and think about this. A newly released report from the GAO tells us that, over the past 3 years, the Government has spent $3.1 Billion dollars on "administrative leave" costs. That would be you and me paying for government workers to stay home. Now, the bulk of these employees are not staying home because they're ill. No. They're staying home because they've misbehaved. The government says they are sent home while investigations into misconduct are done. 57,000 employees were home for one to three months. 263 workers were off for the entire three years of the study. Those 263 workers, alone, collected $31 million bucks! Our tax dollars in action! Does that make you mad? Well, sit back and ponder this: Jakob Denzinger was a guard at Auschwitz. He slipped into America, set up camp in Akron, Ohio, and was living the American Dream until 1989. That's when the Nazi hunters found him. Before he could be tried, he hopped a plane back to Germany, where he lives pretty well, compliments of you and me. Yup. Denzinger continues to collect Social Security, to the tune of $1500 a month. He's not alone. At least 38 of 66 Nazis tossed out of our country continued to collect their full Social Security benefits. Apparently being a Nazi war criminal does not exclude you from collecting US Government benefits! The government, not surprisingly, refuses to give the exact numbers but it's clearly in the millions of dollars. You just can't make this stuff up!
Po

An Epidemic of Absurdity

Hello My Dear Friends! While the media continues it's panic inducing coverage of the Ebola outbreak, the political finger pointing is flourishing. I, as much as anyone, hate to ruin a good story with actual facts but.....Let's start with the most obvious. Ebola is NOT an epidemic. not by a long shot. The definition of an epidemic is 15 infections per 100,000 people per week. There are just over a billion people in West Africa. If Ebola were an actual epidemic, that would mean that 150,000 people per week would be infected. To date, less than 10,000 people have been confirmed with the disease. Sadly, 4500 of those people have died. My point is, it's an "outbreak" not an epidemic. It IS very serious. It is NOT a serious threat to you or me. On average, 36,000 people die from the Flu, in this country, each year, Please don't lose sleep over either statistic. What you should lose sleep over are the people in charge of protecting us. Now, with that said, in this season of pre-election do-do slinging, I've heard many politicians claim that Republican spending cuts to the CDC are the reason they were "unprepared" for this threat. LOL! The CDC has an annual budget of $10 Billion dollars. The National Institutes of Health get about $30 Billion a year. While they attempt to blame their utter incompetence on funding cuts, consider this:
Last year the NIH spent $3.2 million on a study focused exclusively on getting monkeys drunk. To date, the CDC has spent $15 Billion dollars to "convince Americans to make healthy choices".  The NIH gave $90 million to China to study a parasite common to China, not America. The CDC has spent $2.87 million dollars on a study of "Why Lesbians Are Fat". They based that study on their belief that "three-quarters of lesbians are obese". That study is on-going so, stay tuned.  They spent $22 million on an agriculture study that was identical to one conducted by the Department of Agriculture "just to be sure". Shall I continue?
$1.5 million on four obscure sex studies including "mood arousal and risk taking", "sexual habits of older men" and "San Francisco's Asian prostitute population".
$7.6 million of the "Disease of Guns".
$676,000 on how sex workers spread STDs.
$423,000 examining the "barriers to correct condom use"
$181,000 How cocaine enhances Japanese Quail
My Friends, these are the people charged with protecting us. These are the same people who accidentally mailed active anthrax and stored bubonic plague in an unlocked closet. These are the same people who accidentally mixed a deadly strain of the Bird Flu with an innocuous flu strain and mailed it to an unsuspecting outside lab. So, yes, let's blame this latest fiasco on funding cuts.

TGIF

Hello My Dear Friends! Just to be clear, when I say TGIF it means 'Thank God I'm Feline'. I could give a rats tail what day it is. Today I say TGIF because you people are crazy! I know it's Friday and I should be writing things like, do you think clouds look down on us and say 'hey, that one's shaped like an idiot'? But, instead, let's discuss actual idiots. First, there was a second night of "unrest" in Saint Louis after an off duty officer shot and killed an 18-year old. Here's the thing. The officer says he was returning fire after the teen fired three shots at him. The victim's mother, who was not there, says her son did not have a gun; he had a sandwich. Apparently it was a Glock & Cheese sandwich because investigators found a 9 mm handgun and three spent shell next to the victim. No remnants of a sandwich were recovered.
Next, there was the genius on the plane to the Dominican Republic who decided to stand up and announce that he had Ebola. He thought it was funny. Others did not. Imagine that. People, stop screwing around on airplanes. "Joking" that you have a bomb, an infectious disease or a burning need to meet Allah is really not funny to sober people. If you really need to be the center of attention on an airplane, try buying everyone a sandwich. Just not a Glock & Cheese. That never turns out well.
Finally, a school district in Lincoln, Nebraska, has instructed teachers to stop referring to students as "boys" and "girls". They were told that acceptable terms would be "campers", "readers" or "purple penguins". Yes, purple penguins. These "gender inclusive" terms will somehow make lessons more effective. I know, right? You really can't make this stuff up. Why not just call them all Pat or Chris or Terry? Another term they're discussing is "hen". That's the "gender inclusive" term Swedish teachers refer to students. The problem with that is that, in Sweden, the term for 'he' is 'han' and the word for 'she' is 'hon' so "hen" was a simply a vowel change. Here in the States "hen" is a female chicken (or other game birds) and, in most circles, not something you call people. So we're left with the aforementioned choices. This is the kind of educational nonsense that's going to spread like wildfire. So, when your little darling comes home with a friend (I think you can still say friend) and says this is my purple penguin Buffy, you don't have to search their room for drugs! You can just give them both a carrot and send them on their way.
Po

Mid-Week Musings

Hello My Dear Friends! Happy Wednesday. Let me start by saying God Bless Terry Pegula and his family! Our beloved Bills will remain in Buffalo where they belong. Take that Jon Bon Satan! Anyway, Energy drink icon Red Bull has agreed to pay $13 million dollars to settle a false advertising lawsuit. The class action suit was filed over the company's claim that "Red Bull gives you wings". Apparently is does not. When all is said and done, the wingless plaintiffs will get about $10 bucks apiece but the lawyers will be flying high. With that in mind, I'm starting a class action suit against Disneyland. They claim to be the "happiest place on earth". I've been to Disneyland and, quite frankly, I was a lot happier in Key West. Cha-Ching!
The Federal Government says security agents will begin screening passengers from west African countries for Ebola at the 5 biggest international airports. Awesome. I haven't felt this safe since they started requiring that you put your 3.4 ounce bottle of shampoo in a clear, one quart plastic bag before bringing it onto the plane! Problem solved. Unless, of course, infected people fly to a non-African country before flying to the US, but that will never happen, so, as I said, problem solved.
Finally, Walmart announced that, as of January 1st, it will be dropping health benefits for part time workers who work under 30 hours a week. They blame skyrocketing health care costs. They join Target, Home Depot and over 300 other companies who say they will shift health coverage for part time workers to "public exchanges". Who could have ever seen that coming? Oh, that's right, anyone with an IQ over 60.
Po

And The Survey Says...

Hello My Dear Friends! Every day we hear about a new "study" that offers insight into who we are as a people. A few recent "studies" have caught my attention, not just for their conclusions but for their existence. Let's start with a reading study. A recent study (conducted by a Michigan State University researcher) says that girls, between the ages of 18 and 24, who read all 3 'Fifty Shades of Gray' novels are 65% more likely to be binge drinkers and 68% more likely to have multiple sex partners than girls in that same age group who were smart enough not to read that tripe. I know, right? A reasonable person, of average intelligence, would conclude that they got that study backward. They should have concluded that only binge drinking, party girls would waste their time reading all 3 of those books. Next, we see a recent "study" (by a Duke University professor) that dared to answer the question of why people hate to stand in line. You needed to study that? Really? Their groundbreaking conclusion...Boredom. Wow!
Two unrelated issues. First, an article I read today says more and more Americans are afraid of contracting Ebola. I know Ebola is a serious thing but really, you have a better chance of dying from the Flu, so wash your hands and don't hang out with West Africans.Finally, school districts in Washington State are phasing out swings. SWINGS! It seems insurance companies are pressuring school districts to do away with Jungle Gyms and Swing Sets because children are getting hurt on them. Really? Why not just require that all students be wrapped in Bubble Wrap before entering a playground. Yesterday, at our house, the baby slipped on a crayon. I guess the captors should have thrown away all of the crayons instead of just picking them up off the floor. If we do away with everything that has the potential to cause injury, what's left? Any type of ball could injure someone. Can't play Hide & Seek or Tag anymore. All of that running around is dangerous.  A sandbox? Nope. Sand in the eye could damage the retina. It's nuts. How did we ever survive?
Po

Stupid Begets Stupid

Hello My Dear Friends! I've spent a great deal of time lately observing the humans that you allow to roam freely. I have come to the conclusion that just about everyone under 30 is a dumbass. Don't laugh. My opinion of those of you over 30 isn't much better. Imagine my surprise the other day when, having a political discussion with a young human, I was informed that Barak Obama, just like John Kennedy with Vietnam, was just trying to end a war that the Republicans started. When I informed him that Kennedy was actually the one who sent US Troops to Vietnam he proudly corrected me by saying, "No way dude, that was Nixon". Wow. I walked away terrified by the fact that, that young man, was raising a child. It got me to thinking that this generation, possibly the dumbest in recorded history, is raising the generation that will be caring for us in our waning years! I know, right? Now you're terrified too. I really don't blame this generation (entirely) for their dumbassery (yes, I am making up words, but they're good ones!) Dumbassery: (dumb-ASS-er-y) noun; the state of being a dumbass. Anyway, this is a generation that was raised to believe that Wikipedia was actually a dictionary filled with facts. They believe that, if they read it on Facebook, it must be true. They are lied to daily about just about everything. They've had no credible media to turn to for the truth and it isn't going to get any better. They've received "participation trophies" and believed it was an accomplishment! They're being taught that adding 349 + 175 and coming up with 524 isn't right. They should add the hundreds, tens and ones (300+100, 40+70, 9+5) to come hopefully up with 524. It's "reform" math where the process is more important than the outcome. I'm not making that up. Ask a teacher! They don't use punctuation, spelling is "a plus" and they're no longer being taught cursive writing! Therefore, My Dear Friends, it is up to us! We are the last defense in the war on dumbassery! We need to start setting the record straight one dumbass at a time. Get on board Grandmas and Grandpas. Dumbassery can skip a generation but not without your help! Don't wallow in the knowledge that you've actually raised a dumbass. Take action now! Pull out those old flash cards. Get a scrabble game. Teach your grand kids to write their names! Show them how a checkbook works, just in case. Bake some cookies. Teach them to cook. And, while you're at it, teach them the National Anthem. It couldn't hurt! In closing, My Dear Friends, only YOU can break the cycle of dumbassery. I know you're up for the task! Have at it!
Po

The Pendulum of Life

Hello My Dear Friends! It's been my experience, and yours too I suspect, that ideas, attitudes and beliefs in this Country swing, like a pendulum, from left to right every decade or so. The swing usually begins when the hypocrisy of the current winds blow a little too hard. Like when hundreds of diplomats, activists and "experts" all take private jets to a conference on Global Warming. I'm sure you've noticed that the current swing is clearly to the left. On the left you generally find more government control, less personal freedom and, as a result, less personal responsibility. For instance, Forbes columnist Bill Frezza was fired after publishing an on-line column stating "Drunk female guests are the gravest threat to fraternities". His argument, for the most part, was that some girls show up at frat parties drunk, get even drunker at the party and bad things happen. Yada, yada, yada. However misguided Mr. Frezza's opinion was, (and it was offensive), it was his opinion. As a professional columnist, his job is to write his opinion. He was fired for doing his job. It happens every day now. We no longer have a right to our opinion unless that opinion is in line with the sensitivity police. Cross the line and you could lose everything. Just ask Donald Sterling. Elsewhere, an Albany-area school district banned the wearing of tee shirts that were handed out by National Guard recruiters because the shirts depicted the silhouette of a soldier holding a gun in front of the American Flag. The dress code prohibits the wearing of anything with the images of a gun. It happens every day now. Wearing something depicting a weapon, pointing your fingers in the shape of a gun, toy guns as small as a quarter, biting a pop tart into the shape of a gun, these are all reasons that students as young as 5 have been suspended from school. Scofflaws, like "occupy Wall Street" and looters, like in Freguson, Missouri, are portrayed as downtrodden victims of an unfair world, while American heroes, Veterans, are dying while waiting for medical care; while former U.S. Marine Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi is left to rot in a Mexican prison. It happens every day now. The thing about pendulums is, the farther you push them in one direction, the faster and farther they swing in the other. I can't help but wonder if today's pushers are prepared for the swoosh of the pending swing. I guess we'll all find out soon enough.
Po

Pabst RED Ribbon

Hello My Dear Friends! You know there is nothing more American than Red, White & Blue. This week a symbol of low budget America has jumped ship. The symbol of which I speak is PBR. That's right, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. The 170 year old Milwaukee brewery has been sold to Moscow-based Oasis Beverages. That's right. The flagship beer of Hipsters and poor people across the Country is now Commie Beer! In the past decade or so Anheuser-Busch goes to Belgium based InBev, Coors merges with Molson and becomes Canadian and a South African company buys Miller Brewing Co. What is the international obsession with crappy beer? I realize the Russians are no strangers to crappy beer. Believe me, I've tasted Baltika. It sucks.  First Twinkies and Ding Dongs move to Mexico and now this! It's the beginning of the end people. They're making it impossible to be xenophobic and obese! Thank goodness Peeps and Cheetos are still all American. It's funny, really, that we say "as American as Baseball..." when all of the Rawlings Baseballs used by Major League Baseball are made in Costa Rica. When you think about Americana you think of Radio Flyer Red Wagons (made in China since 2004); Barbie Dolls (Hong Kong); Etch A Sketch (China). Remember Huffy Bikes? China. It's a shame, really. Even that evil little troll Jon Bon Jovi tried to move our beloved Buffalo Bills to Canada! (All hail Terry Pegula). Anyway, my Dear Friends, another piece of Americana leaves the Motherland. It's just another brick in the wall. (London).
Po

Random Thoughts

Hello My Dear Friends! On Friday a Veteran, suffering from PTSD, jumped the fence at the White House, ran across the lawn and walked into the North Portico doors. That's where the First Family lives. Luckily it was a Friday, so the President and his family were already on vacation! Have you ever seen an over zealous fan run out on to a baseball field? They are always tackled before they reach any of the players. The President doesn't need the Secret Service, He needs Stadium Security. Those guys don't mess around!
A teacher in a Washington, D.C. public school gave her middle school students a homework assignment; 'Compare George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler'. LOL! A few parents were a little ticked off when they learned of this. School officials said it was not part of the standard curriculum and that the teacher used poor judgement. Gee, you think? The teacher apologized for her "poor judgement" and was forgiven. Do you think the outcome would have been the same if that same teacher asked students to compare Barak Obama to Adolf Hitler? Neither do I.
Three Afghan Army Soldiers, in Cape Cod for a "training exercise" disappeared during a trip to the mall in Hyannis, Now, I'm not sure which army training exercise actually takes place in a mall but, one would think whatever it is, it would have been more enlightening to do it on Black Friday. Anyway, it seems the missing officers were found in Niagara Falls! Yup. They were headed to Canada. That's not the funny part. This is the first time these annual training exercises have been help on US soil since 2006. The Commander of the Joint Base Cape Cod said hosting the event was "a valuable opportunity for the Massachusetts National Guard and is personally rewarding". Dude! Your National Guard lost three soldiers! You might want to revisit the definition of "Guard".
Finally, you may be interested to know that, last week, 2 US F-22 fighter jets intercepted 6 Russian Military planes 55 nautical miles off the coast of Alaska. They included two refueling tankers, 2 Mig-31 fighter jets and 2 Bear long-range bombers. Apparently the Government didn't think we needed to know that. NORAD confirms that several hours after that, 2 Canadian CF-18 fighter jets intercepted 2 long-range Russian Bear Bombers 40 nautical miles off the Canadian coastline. The Russian planes, in both cases, turned back after the jets were scrambled. There were no confrontations. Maybe we should call out the Massachusetts National Guard or the Secret Service to protect us. Oh, wait.....
Po

Let's Pick Our Poison

Hello My Dear Friends! I've heard your pleas and I'm here to help. 'PoKitty', you say, 'who should we trust in the Middle East'? First, let me say, it's "whom" should we trust, not "who". Anyway, the latest news tells use that our Government has decided to "back" the "moderate" Syrian rebels in our battle against ISIS. Is this the right move? LOL! I guess that depends which side you're actually on. My Friends, the Middle East is not as complicated as those in charge would have you believe. Even though there are countless factions at war in the region, there are really only two sides. There are the Sunnis and the Shias. They've been at war since the death of their Prophet Muhammad some 1400 years ago. The main difference between the two sides is more political than spiritual. Simply put, Sunni Muslims follow the elected Muslim leader where Shia Muslims follow Imams, who they believe have been anointed by the Prophet himself. The Kurds are Sunnis. They have always been our allies. Their army, the Peshmerga, has been battling ISIS to protect their land in Northern Iraq which they consider Kurdistan. The "moderate Syrian rebels" are Shias. They have never been our allies. The President's plan would require the Kurds and the Syrian rebels to fight together against their common enemy ISIS. This, for several reasons, will never happen. First, it assumes that the Kurds actually care what happens to Bagdad. They do not. Second, it assumes they will fight along side their enemies. They will not. All the Kurds care about is protecting their little piece of the world. Our plan to "back" the Syrian rebels is a slap in the face to the Kurds as it means that we are, in fact, backing the Shias, their enemy. Now, you ask, how do we know which Syrian rebels to train and arm? Well, I suspect it will be the ones that have been on the US payroll for over a year. WHAT? Yup. We have been paying the salaries of thousands of Syrian rebels who turned against Bashar Assad over a year ago. Tens of millions of dollars. The funny thing is, many of those rebels have ties to al Qaeda but we're paying them anyway. So, since they're already on the payroll, we may as well train and arm them. It's not like they're going to turn on us, right? I mean, if we can't trust al Qaeda to protect us whom can we trust. We're also going to re-train and re-arm the Iraqi army. These would be the guys who turned tail and ran when ISIS approached. That's why they have to be re-armed. They turned over all of the arms we already gave them to the enemy so they could run faster. It's very difficult to teach courage but I guess we'll try again. This, My Dear Friends, is our current "Foreign Policy". I don't know about you, but it certainly makes me feel safe.
Po

It's a Mystery Wrapped in an Enigma

Hello My Dear Friends! Every time I say "this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard", someone has to step up and prove me wrong! WTF people. Let's start with the annual fight over Texas school books. As you know, Texas is the largest purchaser of text books in the nation thus, what they decide on as content usually makes it way into text books around the Country. That is how students end up believing that Pilgrims are simply "travelers" and September 11, 2001 was something we had coming. Anyway, one of the many debates this time around is over global warming. It seems the publisher dared to suggest that, although it is widely accepted that the earth is warming, not everyone agrees on why. Apparently that isn't true and, according to one "scholar" it does a "disservice to students to suggest that the behavior of man is not to blame". LOL! What? Another "scholar" said that "mentions of Christianity should be removed from history books" so that students get a "factually accurate" picture of history. What? You do know why the "travelers" left England, right? Let the battle rage on. I'm sure the final product will be wonderfully accurate.
Let's talk about the insanity going on in the Middle East. As you know the President said the battle against ISIS will not include American combat "boots on the ground". He the sent another 400 "military advisers" to the region. Apparently they're not wearing boots. I don't really think, at this point, we should be splitting hairs over footwear, but here we are. We are, however, sending 3000 boot wearing soldiers to West Africa to fight Ebola! Excuse me? Ebola is a virus that has killed about 2400 people. ISIS is a terrorist network that has killed about 5500 people! Am I missing something here? Soldiers should be fighting terrorists. Doctors should be fighting Ebola, right? Has Ebola vowed to destroy America? Has Ebola beheaded any Americans? Could we please get our priorities straight. Yes, we have to help contain and eliminate the Ebola virus. It is very serious. But, it is NOT what our military is for. Here's an idea. Let's round up all of those Texas scholars, throw in the geniuses from the CDC who mailed out the anthrax in a ziplock bag, team them up with Congress and send all of them to West Africa to battle Ebola. Heck, there are at least 20 doctors in Congress. They'd be a lot more useful than soldiers and, those other folks appear to have a lot of free time on their hands. Off you go now. save the world.
Po

Your Bad Choices Affect Others!

Hello My Dear Friends. As you can plainly see, someone else's bad decision has adversely affected my life. 10 weeks ago I was a beautiful, purebred Chocolate Point Himalayan. Today, after I was accosted and shaved by a crazed Captor, I now have a beautiful white head, a brown face and a GRAY body. I look ridiculous. I remain in seclusion. My point is, the Captor made a bad choice that affected ME! I must now live out my days looking like a Mutt. This happens far too often. Gubmint leaders decided to let thousands of illegal immigrant children into the US and now thousands of  US children are battling a "rare" respiratory virus. Gee, I wonder where that came from? Former Baltimore Raven Ray Rice punched his woman in the face (twice), knocking her out. He's been suspended indefinitely from the NFL. Clearly a bad choice on his part, since he did it on camera. Now, because of Rice's bad choice, all other NFL players will have to make sure there are no cameras around before they smack their women around. Right Ray McDonald (49ers); Quincy Enunwa (Jets); Greg Hardy (Panthers); A.J. Jefferson (Vikings); Robert Reynolds (Titans); Dez Bryant (Cowboys); Rod Smith (Broncos). That's just the past few years and only those arrested for domestic violence. I'm sure the list of those not arrested is far longer. At least the NFL is taking this one "seriously". Enough about that. Tonight the Prez will be addressing the Nation on his "strategy" on battling ISIS. It's a Prime Time address which means it's serious. Presidents only interrupt prime time TV programming when they have something urgent to say. I suspect, after announcing to the world last week that he had no plan, correcting that blunder would seem urgent. Generally, when the Prez discusses his "foreign policy" he spends most of the time listing all of the things he will not do. In the words of Queen frontman Freddy Mercury, from the legendary Bohemian Rhapsody, "Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango"? (That means "dance clown, dance"). We'll have to wait until 9pm to learn the "master plan". Let's hope it's not a bad choice.
Po

Do My Ears Deceive Me?

Hello My Dear Friends! As you may have realized by now, the world according to Me can be very different than the world according to others. The good news is that I am generally right. The President says that we, with them help others, will diminish ISIS to a "manageable problem". Mr. President, with all due respect, you "manage" your weight; you ELIMINATE your enemies. Grow a set, will you! Enough is enough! Contrary to what you seem to believe, golf balls are not the most important balls a man can have. Okay. Now, with all eyes on ISIS, are you aware that Libya has reported that they have 11 commercial airplanes that are unaccounted for? It's true. When rebel groups overran Tripoli, including the airport, they made off with 11 planes that have not been seen since. That's a little terrifying, don't you think? The good news is, with our post 9/11 technology, those planes would never make it to the United States. The bad news is, most of Europe doesn't have such technology. You'd think we'd be hearing a bit more about this, wouldn't you? I guess Justin Bieber's latest arrest is more important. So, as I write this, hundreds, maybe thousands, of fast food workers walked off the job to demand a pay increase to $15 an hour. Good luck with that. That would work out to about $31,000 a year to flip burgers. Consider, if you will, that the average Bank Teller begins at about $24,000 a year. A Soldier in the US Army, reaching the rank of Private First Class (E3) with a minimum of 6 years experience can expect to earn $24,400 a year. The average Police Officer begins at $28,000 a year. Anyone silly enough to want to work in radio can expect their first job to pay about $23,500. I think you know where I'm going with this. Obviously the above salaries vary by state and such, but the point is the same. $15 an hour to work in fast food is ridiculous. I understand that you can not raise a family on $8 an hour but, guess what, that's not McDonald's fault. That's your fault! I know, shocking right? Did I actually just say that people should take responsibility for their own future! Yes I did. Perhaps, before you start a family, you should think about how you're going to support them. What!! If it is your lofty goal in life to work at Burger King, that's your right. Good for you. If it is your goal in life to buy a home and raise a family, then maybe you should aim a little higher than the King! I know it's a crazy concept but it just might work! Why not get an education, work hard and earn your future instead of sitting on your butt in Times Square with a sign that says "Gimme More".
Po

Once Again, You're Missing the Point!

Hello My Dear Friends! Can I just tell you that it isn't easy being the smartest Cat in the world. Seriously. Sometimes it's just plain exhausting. I realize that, since the disintegration of the media, it is very difficult for the average human to get the full story on any topic. But, seriously people, sometimes I think you're not even trying. Let's examine the merger story de jour. Burger King is purchasing Tim Hortons in what is generally called a "tax inversion strategy". What that means is that American owned Burger King buys Canadian owned Tim Hortons and becomes one big Canadian company. This effectively lowers the company's tax rate to about 26%, down from the oppressive US business tax rate of nearly 40%.  This is a practice widely criticized by the President, even going as far at one point, as calling it "un-American". Fine. The fascinating part of this story, the part no one seems to be talking about, is that Berkshire Hathaway is putting up $3 billion (or nearly one quarter) of the purchase price! Berkshire Hathaway is, of course Warren Buffet, the man who stood side by side with the President, denouncing this very practice. The same Warren Buffet who, while campaigning for the President, indignantly declared that he was paying a lower tax rate than his secretary, and that wealthy Americans had to step up and pay their share! Freaking hypocrite! Here's my point, the point I believe the media is missing. It's not that Burger King is buying Tim Hortons and moving to Canada. It's that, in spite of all of the rhetoric, campaigning and promises about tax reform, the wealthy in this Country can still do whatever they want to avoid paying their taxes while you and I struggle to pick up the slack. That's the point people. That's the point! Did you know that, in 2012, J.C.Penney posted revenues of $12.99 billion dollars and I paid more in taxes than they did? It's true. Not only did J.C.Penney NOT pay any taxes in 2012, they got a $551 million dollar tax credit. A REFUND! They're not alone. AMR corporation (American Airlines) had $24.86 billion in revenue in 2012. They paid NO taxes and got a $569 million tax credit. How about Verizon? $115.85 billion in revenue; $660 million tax credit. My personal favorite, Caesars Entertainment Corp. You may be familiar with their casinos. revenues of $8.59 billion and granted a tax credit of $871 million. People wonder how we're ever going to pay down this Country's $17.7 Trillion dollar debt. Gee, I wonder where we could find the money?
Po