What part of free speech doesn't he understand?

Mayor tows car because of bumper sticker

Really.

According to the suit, Jackson Mayor Charlie Brown called 16 minutes after the Moon’s parked and demanded that the truck be towed “immediately because it had political signs.” The tow log names the “mayor” as the officer.
The Moons said they were told three separate times that the reason the mayor gave for impounded the Dodge Ram was it had a “political” sign on it.

Granted, this happened to have happened on a Monday, but still, free speech damn it!

Now, the bumper sticker supported a republican for Congress, but that shouldn't matter. (I can't say for the Atlanta area, or Jackson, in the county of Butts, but in Ohio, the only time that would create any issue is on election day, and only if the vehicle is w/i a certain number of feet of a polling location. That seems fair to me. MONDAY, October 11th was not an election day.)

What would be neat is if a lot of people would park in that lot with stickers like 'Free speech is free, damn it' or maybe a PG version. This place sells lots of political stickers, I have gotten a few from them. Here are a few from there front page:

Click the image to go to the shop page. They charge $3.99 ea for them, and they have a lot more. (They have bulk discounts too, but anyways...  I am not affiliated with that company in any way other than I am on their mailing list because I bought a few stickers a number of years ago.)

I wouldn't want to be that mayor right now.

Oh dear god, not *NIPPLES*

I think I know what my true calling in life should be, I'd love to run a non-profit that actually helps campaign against stupid stuff. Kind of like the ACLU, but not in a 'bring in the lawyers' sort of way, but rather more of a 'help you help yourself' type of group.

I came across this link today. A qoute from it, in case the link goes bad:

Westwood High track coach Tom Davis was fired last week because one of his runners decided to whip off a shirt during training on a 75-degree day. This wasn't a girl, by the way. It was a boy.

And the Westwood High athletic director, Karl Fogel, was so irate about it that Davis thought he was going to lay him out.

"I fully 100 percent was expecting to be swung at," the coach told NECN TV.

and....

The team was doing quite well this year under the second-year coach: one of the relay teams went to nationals less than two months ago and the outdoor team started off 5-0 this spring. But there was an undercurrent of tension at the school as Fogel told Davis that some members of the girls team felt uncomfortable when the boys ran without shirts. Davis even warned his team about possible punishment for not wearing a shirt.

Now, I am a reasonable person. Maybe the person didn't really get canned for that, maybe the whole story is a bad bit of journalism. But still, girls were upset because a guy was topless? Well, maybe the guy was fat, right?

The team was doing quite well this year under the second-year coach: one of the relay teams went to nationals less than two months ago and the outdoor team started off 5-0 this spring

Yes. I quoted that part again, in case you missed it. I mean, sure, I guess it might be possible that a member of a running team that is 5-0 in the Boston area and even went to Nationals could be morbidly obese. I doubt it though. 

I guess maybe they could have felt jealous, something about not being able to do the same thing themselves.

Here we have a sticky subject. First, I want to mention this link. Warning, it is rather pg-13, or R, depending on your morals. (On a rather interesting note, that website is not run by any adult industry, nor is it some random free speach group for shock value, rather it is a branch of the Raelian alien 'cult'. Somehow, their beliefs in equality brought us a group that promotes topless women. Seems fair, I guess. Some religions like their women covered from head to toe (but only the women) and these people figure if a guy doesn't have to wear a shirt, then shouldn't.

"As long as men are allowed to be topless in public, women should have the same constitutional right. Or else, men should have to wear something to hide their chests" -Rael, founder of Gotopless.org and spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement (rael.org)

Now, I have to acknowledge a problem with the other side of the argument, not a flaw in their reasoning, mind you, but a flaw all the same, in that it would be all to easy for it to domino. Right now, schools and police across the country are dealing with issues resulting from sexting, as well as a fear that every pedophile for miles would flock that place. I don't want to sound like I am advocating mobs of topless teenagers going around, but also you have to realize the reality of what could happen.


What would I do regarding the whole thing, if I had the resources? First, I would have the story checked out, make sure it is true. Then, I would press to have a 'march' on the city / school of a bunch of guys without shirts. (I don't know the law for Massachusetts, and if topless women in the group would be arrested, then again, imagine the fun if the Raelians got involved too, but not if it would mess with their tax exempt status.The ACLU though...)

If the guy really was fired because a male runner took his shirt off and made a girl uncomfortable, how long until they force girls into formless sweatshirts over super tight sports bras so prudes don't have to feel uncomfortable that there might be a pair of breast near them. How long until some smart-ass manages to force classmates into Burqas? The line in the sand has been drawn. If as a people we do not stand up and fight back now, where will be the next line.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

-Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

Disclaimers:  I am not a Raelian. I did call them a cult, but they actually do stuff, and they deserve respect for how they are, even if you don't agree with them. I am not advocating anything that may end up becoming Child porn. I had to bring up the subject, because you have to recognize that as a potential pitfall of fighting back. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. But we can't just keep standing idly by.

The fight to save the next generation

We live in a world where schools have 'zero tolerance' rules, ones that go far beyond their intent, and the damage they can cause is beyond reason.

zero tolerance policies

What if....

Look at the history of our Country. We were raised to know about the labor strikes, of the Women's Suffrage movement, of bra burning, even if that last item may have been staged. Our Nation is founded on revolting.  It is time for our generation to show the younger generation what it means to be an American Citizen. To take back our power and secure it for the next generation, but showing them first hand the real power of the First Amendment, mainly:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It is time to act, before our kids think that Zero-Tolerance rules are normal. Kindergartners should not be banned from going to Military Academy one day because they played Cops and Robbers at lunch.

The solution is simple. Of course it has risk, one that may have a cost, but we have to ask ourselves, are our childrens' futures worth it?

 What if, on a certain date, maybe on Constitution Day, Monday September 17th, 2012, we could send ALL our children to school with a shirt emblazoned with images of our soldiers, images showing rifles, or Olympic marksmen, or Skeet shooting rifles, or anything of that vein. (Not assult rifles or bazookas or handguns, mind you. The more 'innocent' of the spectrum, because we need to fight against the abuse of Zero Tolerence, not the penalties against those who actually do bring weapons to school. Empty Squirt guns are not weapons.)

The shirts should also have on them the bolded text above from the First Amendment. If they were to expel every one of those students, would they still get State Funding? Could the class action suit that would follow crush any district not willing to use common sense? Is it our last chance to save the next generation? It might just be.

The Zodiac did not change!

Over the last week, there has been much talk about the Zodiac being adjusted, with a 13th sign added in. If you want to look into that new system, fine, but be it known that the Zodiac hasn't changed. Not at all. Has the alignment of the stars changed? yeah. does it matter? NO. No it does not. Your horoscope is not affected.

Lets split that last sentence into two camps. The first is for those who don't believe in the Zodiac anyways. For them, it doesn't matter if they change it, they don't care to begin with. Now, we have the other camp, the ones who believe in the Zodiac. Maybe not all believe their future is in the stars, but to generalize traits based on when a person is born is no less rational than calling all 'gingers' crazy and evil, or left-handers to be eccentric and artistic, or even the system in Japan that I won't even pretend to understand where blood type is a big deal to them. (I know a number of red heads, and yeah, I have seen the temper on some of them, but that doesn't mean all the ones I know are ticking time bombs. I am left handed, which can be a pain in the ass at times, and if that makes lefties seem crazy, well, you try having scissors that won't cut paper unless you put them in the hand you don't use.)

Now, if you believe that the horoscope works, then you might be worried. But remember, if it worked when you were 10, or even last month, why would it be screwed up now? The answer to that lays in where the power of the Zodiac comes from.

This is a simple concept really, and we see the fabric of it in Hinduism. Here we have the idea of Maya, the great illusion. I included a link to a book on Amazon that explains this in another, complimentary, way. We believe the rules of our world because we agree with them, and know them. We believe you open doors to walk through, that we need to be at a certain level of warmth to be comfortable, and so on. That the Zodiac works is hidden here. It works because the world mind, the Maya (not to be confused with the Mayan people of South America) shows it working.

What does this really mean though? It means that until the world agrees the new system will usurp the old (and there is resistance) your Horoscope is no different than had the news story ever gained such a widespread following. You will be a Aries, or a Leo, or whatever you were until the day you die. Your kids, they may have a choice, but either one they pick will still give them accurate (or as accurate as any horoscope ever is) information. If that is hard for you to accept at first, think of this. What do you consider yourself? Perhaps you think you are an American, but few ever really say American as their heritage. You still hear people talk of being German or Chinese, even if their families have been in the US for 5 generations. Often, even the family that was German wasn't even there for more than a generation, or even sometimes the families left that region when it was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Such is the nature of the Maya.

(c) 2011 Nicholas Alexander. Forwarding and reposting fully permitted, as long as credit is retained.

I need a job

Ruthie's interview didn't go so well, and she didn't get the job she had hoped for. She did get a quasi-job though, something dancing the line of being a volenteer and having a job. (Like working for a few months without pay, then getting a small check, then working a few more months without pay, then another small check)

What this means is that for the frist time in about 5 years, I need to find a job.

I applied at a local place that might have some seasonal openings, just a gut feeling there. I don't want to mention where, a little paranoid actually, I feel like saying where I applied before finding a job is bad luck. (My wife knows, and I dare say she is the only one that knows where I applied.)

That actually comes from when we were house shopping last year. The first house that seemed appear like it might work seemed to suddenly go awry after my mom found out we were looking. We waited to give her information about where we live now until it was too late for her to muck it up, just in case.


I'll wait a few days to see how it goes, I have faith in how events will unfold. If not, I'll look further. I will not go back to fast food though. I have my reasons, but fast food is off limits.  I want something near Piqua, of course, and there is a balance in that I have some management experience, a college degree, and haven't had a job due to being a stay at home dad for the last 5 years. The last amount I got paid used to be decent, but is now just about a buck over minimum wage. (Dang that has creaped up since '05).

I don't know what to expect the next few months, but I have faith that it will all play out for the best.

race results

'Smurf Killer' on race day.

2010 Ohio Tour de Donut
taken from the online version posted this morning.
(Division: Men under 50)

Time: 2:49:08
donuts: 5

Time bonus: 25 Min
Time adjusted: 2:24:08

overall unadjusted rank: 317 out of 499  (36.47%)
overall adjusted rank: 289 out of 499    (42.08%)
division unadjusted rank: 156 out of 207 (10.22%)
division adjusted rank: 155 out of 207  (10.42%)

I think my goal of getting in the top 100 was a bit overambitious. I do know a few spots where I could have pushed harder, or eaten just 1 more donut. I weigh over 230 pounds, and was riding a hybrid bike (a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike) Room for improvement has a few avenues to explore.

On a related note, I got a hoodie with the tour logo on front, and on the back it says 'I rode 30 miles and gained 8 pounds' which I found funny, and while not quite the truth, there is a grain of truth behind it (beyond the whole 30 miles of riding.)

blue tires

I decided that the best solution for now was to upgrade my bike, for a number of reasons, due to the race in a few weeks. Granted, it is more of a tour than a race, but that isn't important. I wanted to get a touring bike, and a friend made an offer to possibly buy a bike from him. It was a road bike, but it would fill the need. The other option was to build one from the ground up. I found a decent touring frame on Nashbar  and compiled a parts list for a dream bike. The total looked to be over $800, but I figured I could do it in steps.

Then I thought about it, and thought maybe I could just get new rims. Nashbar and most online places were right out for that purpose, due to cost, so I figured that would require going to the local bike shop. Schmitty's had told me that I could probably go down to a 35c from the 40/42c I had on the bike, but that didn't seem like much of a step. I got to thinking, the Schwinn has 622x20 rims, and the range doesn't usually start that much above that diameter. So this afternoon while waiting for the bus to pick up Mark, I called Nashbar and asked what size tires I could get, and they said that 700x23c should work. A bit of looking online using my phone, and I figured 700x25c would be better.

After getting Mark home from the bus stop, I looked at Nashbar for tires. I found a few that looked promising, but I got confused when it refered to folding tires and the types of beads. So I called Parkers, and found out that he would only be open till 6 and then be gone till Tuesday. (He does electric wheelchairs at a local festival.) I go over, and find out the bead type wasn't important, and we begin to look at tyres. (dammit, I like the British spelling.)

Now, when I walked in asking about if a 700x25 would really fit a 622x20 rim, he got a bit confused, and told me that I couldn't put a 700 on a 26x1.5 wheel. I won't fault him on that one though, since Arty specializes in Mountain Bikes. He looked up a chart, made a sound of almost surprise, and said picked up a phone and called a number and asked them the same question. He found that a 23 would work, but I had heard better things about using 25s.

He only had 1 in stock in that size, a Continental. Granted, I could have ordered the second one, or gone with the 23s, but he remembered that he had colored ones for a few bucks less. Now, I didn't expect what he meant by colored. I figured a line around the tyre or something. Nope. They were colored all the way. (And serial numbered. Tomorrow I will record the tyres serial numbers.) I had the option of red, blue, and yellow. I went with blue, partly because it clashed the least with the bike, partly that blue is my favorite color, and partly because Mark liked that option the best.

well, they match the car

I did a test ride on them, and even though I was wearing sandals, and not wearing a helmet so I didn't push hard, I still was averaging 10 mph without really trying. It was like a whole new bike.  This may not be a true touring bike, but it might just be close enough. I'll put it through its paces this weekend, but I feel ready for the Tour de Donut. I feel like being in the top 100 is just a bit more realistic of a goal now. (My favorite part is that they actually use Schrader valves, so I don't need adapters or to adjust my main bike pump.)

Granted, I had to adjust my speedometer when I got home,  but that wasn't too hard. (I used my phone's gps to get the data from the test ride) I have the old tubes and tires if I need them, and if anyone asks, I'll just say "I don't brake for Smurfs."