Forgiveness

---Part of the recovery process I am now beginning in life asks of me to seek forgiveness from those who I have hurt or done wrong to in the past. One of the first places I wanted to come was here, to the place of my brotherhood.

I just want to say, from the deepest part of my being, that I am dearly and truly sorry if I ever hurt any of you or did wrong to you in the past in any way. This especially goes towards my brothers Scott, Mike M., and PJB. ---

Balloons???

This is the third time this has happened so I figured it was time to share. As it goes it’s Sunday night and we are eating dinner in our kitchen when all of the sudden “C” starts to holler “Balloon Balloon!!” To which my wife and I look at him and think WTF is he talking about? But this is the third time so by now we know to turn around and we will see hot air balloons floating in the sky over our back yard. Any how “C’s” enthusiasm is shared by all of us and we all race out the door and hang out in our yard to see all of them (4 to 6) pass. I suspect our neighbors think we are a little juvenile, over some thing I am sure they have seen many time before, but to us it is still very new and novel. Any hoo, here is “C” sporting the fat lip sitting on my lap watching the air parade.

Valerie Loves Me, Material Issue

update

Well, its looking like I will be thinking about starting day hospital treatment for my short comings in life. I don't know what your stances are on rehabilitation/adult day care, nor do I give a shit, but I just wanted to let you know that you may not see me for a while....I need some "me" time. I have to regroup or else I'm in biggy trouble.

Well, at least not ranting and raving as you'd like to normally see spew forth outta my ignorant ass. I put someone else in charge of finding good stories on Illegal Immigrants for now!

but I do know I lurve ya.

Right here in good ole DSM....

You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one.
--George w. Bush

Des Moines, IA
10/26/2006

It Starts and Ends With `E`

What word starts with `e` ends with `e` and only has one letter in it?

What the hell?

MONROE, Georgia (CNN) -- The police were only about 50 yards down the road when the gun-wielding white mob stopped the car and dragged the two black men out, shoving them face first into the dirt.

A local woman playing Dorothy Malcom has an unborn baby cut from her womb during the re-enactment.

The two women were next to be yanked from the burgundy Buick into the thick, sultry air of a Southern summer, one of them thrashing and flailing as she screamed and pleaded with the mob to spare her and her unborn child.

The lynch mob dragged the sharecroppers through the pine trees down a wagon trail to the Apalachee River and, on their leader's command, unleashed three torrents of gunfire.

As the four hit the ground, a man stepped from the woods and shot two streams of ketchup onto the victims for effect.

Wednesday's graphic re-enactment of Georgia's last mass lynching is the organizers' way of drawing attention to the still-unsolved murders. See and hear scenes from the re-enactment »

The investigation into the atrocities at Moore's Ford is one of scores from the civil rights era that have or could be reopened under a cold-case initiative by the FBI.

Decades-old cases can and have been solved. In 2005, former Ku Klux Klansman Edgar Ray Killen was convicted of killing three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. Earlier this year, another former Klansman, James Ford Seale, was found guilty of kidnapping and conspiracy in the 1964 deaths of two black teens in Mississippi.

Congress is considering a bill, currently stalled in the Senate, that would create a special unit in the Justice Department and provide $100 million over the next decade for the FBI to investigate these types of slayings.

Getting answers remains critical to some communities, even 40, 50 or 60 years on, local leaders say.

---Is this an over the top way for the justice system to waste money?---

Today's quote

Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right.

Isaac Asimov

Ummmm......

We thought we were protected forever from trade policy or terrorist attacks because oceans protected us.
--George w. Bush

Santiago, Chile
11/20/2004
speaking to business leaders at APEC Summit

on the clock

If you’re reading this article at the office you’re probably a lot like the average American employee — who wastes almost two hours of every workday, according to a report that came out Wednesday.

The annual survey by Salary.com — which polled 2,000 people in the U.S. across geographical, age, job level and industry lines — found that employees waste about 1.7 hours of a typical 8.5-hour day at work.

The top time busters are using the Internet, socializing with coworkers and conducting personal business.

The numbers have declined slightly since 2005, when Salary.com began doing the survey. The average time wasted per day then was more than 2 hours.

random thoughts

hey guys my wife's new computer has a camera so you will now be subjected more images like me in the morning!!! good luck

Today's quote

Having smoking and non-smoking sections in the same room is like having urinating and non-urinating sections in a swimming pool.

Ross Parker

Is this a good idea?

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN Associated Press Writer
NEW HAVEN, Conn. Jul 24, 2007 (AP)

This city is becoming the first in the nation to offer identification cards to illegal immigrants, trying to bring them out of the shadows even as many municipalities crack down on them.

Beginning Tuesday, New Haven will offer the ID cards to all of its 125,000 residents, including some 10,000 to 12,000 illegal immigrants.

The cards will allow immigrants to open bank accounts and use other services that may be unavailable without driver's licenses or state-issued IDs. If they can open bank accounts, immigrants will be less likely to carry large amounts of cash, a practice that makes them easy targets for robbers.

City officials say the cards will also encourage immigrants who are crime victims or witnesses to cooperate with police.

"The simple straightforward purpose here is to build a stronger community," Mayor John DeStefano said Monday. "You can't police a community of people who won't talk to our cops."

Opponents say the cards will encourage more illegal immigration.

---Yeah, I couldnt pass it up, it was on one of my news pages....do you think it is a good idea to give ID cards to illegals? I think this is yet just another way for an illegal immigrant to take advantage of what this country has to offer. I know people that cant even open bank accounts because of their bad credit history and here we are letting an illegal immigrant open one without a problem. You all know how I feel.---

Joke time.

	A Navy man and an Army man are driving opposite directions on a curvy mountain road. The army man hits a patch of sand, swerves, and nails the Navy man's truck. They both exit their cars with no injuries, but their vehicles are ruined. Now, the rivalry between Army and Navy is well known, so needless to say a heated argument followed. Then suddenly the Navy man changed heart and said, "Hold on, this is dumb. It was an accident. Let's put this rivalry behind us." The Army man agreed this was a good idea. So the Navy man offered, "Why don't we celebrate our new friendship over a fifth of vodka? I have a bottle in the truck." The Army man thought this was an excellent idea. So the Navy man, being a gentleman, offered the Army man the first drink, and told the Army man to drink as much as he wanted. Soon half the bottle was gone and he offered the bottle back to the Navy man who said, "Thanks, but I'll wait till after the cops get here!"

Today's quote

I don't always know what I'm talking about but I know I'm right.

Muhammad Ali

---I Love this quote.

What have you guys been up to? Nothing all too special on my end. Its hot here which sucks. I will be heading to Chicago In November now, hopefully everyone will be around but we have months to plan something. Ill be there the 4th-9th.---

Funny one....

My trip to Asia begins here in Japan for an important reason. It begins here because for a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times. From that alliance has come an era of peace in the Pacific.
--George w. Bush

Tokyo
02/18/2002
someone apparently forgot about a little something called World War II

Todays Quote.

We hate some persons because we do not know them; and we will not know them because we hate them.
- Charles Caleb Colton

ABINGDON, Va. — Purdue Pharma L.P., the maker of OxyContin, and three of its executives were ordered to pay a $634.5 million fine on Friday for misleading the public about the painkiller's risk of addiction.

U.S. District Judge James Jones levied the fine on Purdue, its top lawyer and former president and former chief medical officer after a hearing that lasted about four-and-a-half hours. The hearing included statements by numerous people who said their lives were changed forever by the addiction potential of OxyContin, a trade name for a long-acting form of the painkiller oxycodone.

Designed to be swallowed whole and digested over 12 hours, the pills can produce a heroin-like high if crushed and then swallowed, snorted or injected.

From 1996 to 2001, the number of oxycodone-related deaths nationwide increased fivefold while the annual number of OxyContin prescriptions increased nearly 20-fold, according to a report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In 2002, the DEA said the drug caused 146 deaths and contributed to another 318.

---It is ABOUT TIME some of the SOBs have to pay out for ruining so many lives. This is a nasty, nasty drug that is seriously addictive. Ive seen quite a few lives changed by it, all for the worse. I even know someone personally who lost her kids because of this drug. Its friggin nasty. To be honest with you, it has the same euphoric feeling as heroin if crushed and snorted. It can take you to some real high places, but when it brings you back you are in hell wanting more. Its very addictive and I think the company failed over the years to mention just how addictive it really is. My heart has a soft spot of junkies at times, you dont know w hy they get high, it could be to just escape something terrible that has happened to them. What gets me mad is when you hear about all these movie or rock stars that become junkies when they have all the money in the world and could avoid such situations. My heart goes out to the gutter junkie but not a man like Curt Cobain who had it all and pissed it away. Everyday is a struggle for me. My parents have to lock up their prescription pain killers from me in order for me to stay safe. The mind of a junkhead is an amazing thing. To me each day is one day at a time.... ---

funny quote

Having one child makes you a parent; having two you are a referee.

David Frost

Hey Offmen… Thanks!

The other day I was thinking about something I had learned from Pat M, and that thought lead me to think there was possibly a little some thing from all of you to be thankful for. So I thought about it for some time and jotted things down when they came to me. In the end I found there were a lot of good memories and for those I am most thankful.

Patrick M, Thank you for your great deal of patience in teaching me the game of chess.

John T M, Thanks for teaching me to never be afraid to cut my own hair, and also how to eat with chop-sticks.

Frank, I think I speak for most all Offmen in saying thanks for introducing us to Big Black.

Ian K, I was unable to think of any thing I learned from you but, your job at Metro did make for some great part time employment for a few of us(wow those are memories!)

Mark, That even my worst dribble here on the OMI blog can be responded to in a most eloquent and thoughtful manor. Your words inspire me to be more academic when creating posts, or comments (I obviously have a long way to go).

Michael S, Where do I begin? All those little suggestions you made about my study habits and I ignored back in the day, now make them self’s so useful.

Martin, I learned that you are more that just a really nice guy. In fact, you are as exceptionally intelligent as your lovely wife (possibly even more so, because you are an Offmen).

Mike T, Thank you so very much for introducing me to the music that would forever change my life (Thanks Mike with out you I might still be stuck listening to Van Halen while secretly holding a hidden affection for The Pet Shop Boys).

Tom J, Thanks for showing me that even my small bit of Irish heritage should never be take lightly.

Joe S, I learned that my hair clippers really did in fact get very hot after long periods of use, and that I should take the complaints of those who’s Mohawks I am shaving seriously. Sorry about burning your scalp buddy!

Pi Baker, From you I learned that I don’t know all of the old Offmen as well as I thought I did. I know we met once… but I have no face with the name.

Steve B, I learned during a memorable 2 hour car ride from Phoenix to Flag Staff that I know nothing about the Vampire role playing game scene, and that you carry the most amazing volume of info of any Offmen on fantasy roll playing and D&D.

dad-e~O, That even in this day there are people who can write about politics in an objective and friendly manor. A very noble ability for one of which I am jelous.

CreamyGnocchi, What I learned from you will stay between you and I.

Phil M, I learned that your brother John and I were just a pair of dufus mechanics compared to your ability to understand the drum brakes on my old Dodge Charger. Oh and also that thing about the sock as well.

John K, Alright truth be told I can’t think of any thing I have learned from you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. Some day we will figure out your computer issues and get you to participate in our fun on the old OMI blog.

Mike Mc, What I learned from you although no big secret, still it best remains left alone back in that corn field in front of the OMI camp site.

Scott L, From you I have learned that my mind is not what it used to be… who the hell were you any ways?

Bob L, From you I learned that honesty and integrity will always prevail… even if it takes a while. It took a long time for you to be fully indoctrinated into the fold, but I always believed in you and was thrilled when it finally happened (although my Idea to involve hot sauce in your induction ceremony was likely a big mistake).

Christian B, From you I learned that the lyrics to any old song could be rewritten and turned into an entirely new one all about John T Miller…and also hold the distinction of some how remaining recognizable.

Rick R, From you I learned that even when your dog Dolly (a large Rottweiler) growled at me it was just her way just saying hello and I like you.

Jason, You taught me that we are all prejudiced. It was a tough pill to swallow back in the day, but I think I finally get it.

Eric, I have learned from you that friendship can endure more than one could imagine. I am quite thankful we are still friends to this day.

Randy G, You taught me how to safely release my anger and rage on inanimate objects destine for the compactor.

Boom Boom, John Lee Hooker

Todays Quote.

Communism is like prohibition, it's a good idea but it won't work.

Will Rogers