the pawnbroker

another boomer icon gone...

2009-08-13T14:35:00.002-04:00

les paul died today. a guitar legend and father of the electric guitar -some would even argue the father of rock and roll- his name and his influence have been ubiquitous throughout my lifetime of interest in music.

him being 94, and his death coming as the 40th anniversary of woodstock has us in reflection mode, i'm feeling even older than usual today. beats the alternative, i guess.

jtc

healthcare.gov; the post office of the medical field!

2009-08-12T12:47:00.001-04:00

you gotta give bobo credit: it's a pretty honest assessment of how efficient federally controlled healthcare would be.

i guess instead of a dead-letter file there'd be the dead-patient file. kind of problematic...you know, storage space, bad smell, etc. of course, this whole thing stinks to high heaven anyway.

still, it's a great (and accurate) analogy. i can see the advertising blitz now: "healthcare.gov...all the efficiency of the u.s. postal service with the customer service you've come to expect from amtrak..."

jtc

chris matthews hyperventilates...

2009-08-11T23:08:00.003-04:00

in his sad little attempt to play "hardball", this pathetic little fart sniffer actually provides a perfect foil for the new hampshire guy to make his case calmly and simply. matthews so desperately wanted this guy to be a foaming-at-the-mouth crazy that he decided to show him how it's done.

hi-f'n-larious. and a really great job by the interviewee in keeping his cool and stating his case.

them there new hampsterites are starting to look like my kind of yankees.

jtc

hippie, please...

2009-08-04T14:03:00.006-04:00

irritated at a bumper sticker proclaiming "health care is a human right", the munchkin wrangler loosed a tirade that included that simple phrase...

while my son pointed out that it is a shameless riff off of the old black-on-black exclamation "nigga, please", i myself thought that in marko's context, never had so much been said with so few words.

so i and others badgered him to set up a cafe-press inventory of stickers and shirts to buy for ourselves. he did, and i did. and here are the results:
i thought it particularly appropriate for my hemi 4x4 truck...

and even for my um...ample and obviously carniverous self.

thanks, marko.

jtc

no loaded guns allowed!

2009-08-03T22:38:00.002-04:00

seems an odd rule for a place where shooting is the point. but discussion at tam's centered around exactly that rule at the range she frequents. there they require bringing in unloaded/cleared firearms only...necessitating what she and shootin' buddy point out is the distinctly dangerous practice of unloading range guns as well as carry-ons in the car or parking lot, etc.

but as i said in comments there, that same logic holds for any place with such a rule. and there are many, sadly including even most gun shops, which often feature a big sign on the door; "no loaded firearms". that made a bit more sense in the days before carry permits and most guns coming in the door were for sale, trade, repair, etc...but now, with perhaps a majority of those who frequent ffl's carrying concealed, it has become an absurdity...and a decidedly dangerous rule. combined with the many places -public and private- that ban loaded firearms on the premises, it brings into focus just how often the need for permit holders to unload -or offload- their weapon in the car before they can enter these premises unnecessarily endangers everyone in the vicinity, as manipulating mags, slides, and cylinders requires much touching. and though some anti's would have you believe the very presence of guns can cause random carnage even when they're safely in their holsters, it's all that touching that can result in an n.d.

it's a big problem that many don't really think about, and there's not an easy solution...maybe the best one is to just avoid such places whenever possible.

jtc

could be worse...

2009-07-27T11:36:00.005-04:00

it was predictable that with the teevee industry making almost nothing new except "reality" shows, there would eventually be one featuring pawnbrokers; anything that is not widely understood or perceived to be somehow odd or illicit is bound to be a target, so i've been expecting it.

sure enough, a few weeks ago the so-called "history channel" started running promos for something called "pawn stars". great, right off the bat an off-color alliteration to "porn stars".

i've seen a couple of episodes now (twice they've run back-to-back episodes, apparently trying to give the show a shove out of the gate), and it's pretty bad...but not as bad as it could be.

you've got your standard cast of characters/caricatures; the crusty ol' grandpa who founded the business, his middle-aged son who is the main man now, and the son's son, a 300-lb smart-mouth who just wants to get rid of dad and granddad so he can take over and call all the shots. add a 400-lb doofus as the designated clown and a seemingly endless supply of "experts" who are apparently at the beck and call of the central characters, anxious to drop everything to run over to the shop to do appraisals and provide historical data in their specialized fields, and you've got the pawn shop version of "dog the bounty hunter", "operation repo", "deadliest catch", et al.

set in vegas, you expect a different clientele than main street, usa...but damn. it strains credulity (as if reality shows had any) to watch the steady stream of off-the-wall and high-dollar items walking in; an 18th c. hotchkiss wheeled cannon which they drag out into the desert and test fire and subsequently pay 30K for, a civil war officer's sword, a five hundred year old jousting helmet, a 20K chris craft speedboat, a big dog chopper, several scarce antique firearms, a couple of rolex watches, a '54 gretsch, a huge commercial woodworking machine (which required a forklift, a flatbed, and a crew of four to pick up for pawn), even a couple of salvador dali's...all in the first couple of episodes? and the customers are all apparently collectors, businessmen, etc.; where the hell are the housewives pawning their wedding rings to make the rent, the out-of-town gambler who spent it all and pawns his bracelet and laptop for airfare home, not to mention the paycheck to paycheck types bringing in the same flatscreen every month for a couple hundred to get by, and the steady stream of lowtones dragging in useless junk they "found"? and what about the goofballs who come in muzzle-sweeping everybody in the place with the hunting rifle they want to borrow on, and the obligatory druggie/drunk you have to (sometimes forcibly) remove from the premises? shit, if his client list was representative of "reality", maybe i wouldn't have burned out and turned out.

still, the main character has a decent way about him, and at least on camera seems pretty honest and open; most media pawnshop depictions have featured monosyllabic cretins with dirty hands and a dirtier demeanor, so as i say, it could be worse. no doubt most of the stuff is scripted, but if his daily fare is the multi-thousand $ items that are featured on the show, this is one unique pawn shop. and i'm gonna have to get ahold of his rolodex of experts who are so anxious to help him make a deal without trying to scarf the deals for themselves...

so even though this show and others like it should be called "unreality" shows, i'll probably keep watching just because it's one of the rare non-negative portrayals i've seen, and some of the stuff that makes it on camera is pretty cool.

but that name..."pawn stars". *shudder*.

jtc

the dark side of the moon...

2009-07-20T11:32:00.005-04:00

as awe-inspiring as it was, and as hard as it is to believe that it's been forty years, it could well be that the accomplishments of armstrong et al were the beginning of the end for America's space program.

consider this: the difference in the worlds of 1929 and 1969 is as if they are different worlds completely...and yet from 1969 until 2009 what real advances have been made in terms of our exploration and exploitation of the potential of the universe outside our own little ecosystem? in many ways our landing on the moon was treated as an end, rather than a beginning, to our efforts to free us from our surly, earthly bonds.

in my lifetime of awareness, only ronald reagan put forth a true vision of what is or should be possible or accomplished in our space program. his "star wars" initiative was roundly derided as expected by the usual suspects around the globe -as well as their cohorts here at home- but its perfection would have virtually ensured our defense against and control of situations that right now threaten our very existence; think iran and north korea as prime examples. he foresaw that these looneybins would eventually stumble over the key to the nuclear lock, with completely unpredictable and unmentionable consequences...star wars could have neutralized any threat before international airspace was even encroached.

and can there be any doubt that the answers to all of our energy and resources needs are there for the extraterrestrial taking? many of us mourn for ronnie, his philosophy of limiting the role of government in citizens daily lives, and the confidence and sense of purpose that he embodied. but often his vision for the future and what is next for mankind is overlooked.

as we celebrate the anniversary of the awesome accomplishment that landing on the moon absolutely was, and contemplate the warpspeed passing of four decades since, let us remember this: as we are justifiably focused on and consumed by the domestic issues and "change" that threaten our continued existence as a free republic, the answer to the greater question of the continued viability of mankind itself is, as it were, in the stars.

we just have to find a captain, a navigator...and the resolve.

jtc

under the heading of:

2009-07-20T11:25:00.001-04:00

"fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me..."

i'd say nobody could be that dumb, but we know better don't we?

jtc

it's a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into...

2009-07-10T13:09:00.004-04:00

an article on the probable next phase of the housing meltdown resulted in a pretty long string of comments; lots of crass and ignorant pricks chimed in, but there's quite a few that ring true with personal experience and hit pretty close to my own heart, so although i never jump into these frays, i made an exception in this case to make a personal point about how this whole deal has made victims even of those who did their best to do everything right...like my daughter's family.

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there is no doubt that homeowners with good credit who purchased homes during the bubble will begin to walk away from mortgages that are not currently in default or even delinquent as short-fuse mortgages reach reset dates.

my daughter and her husband, who are fiercely protective of their credit rating and the honorable fulfilling of their obligations, purchased a modest home in new port richey, fl in july '05 for $171,000 with 100% financing arranged through e-loan that involved an 80% first mortgage and a second mortgage for the remaining amount...100% financing, interest only for five years, with the expectation that the increase in value would allow them to refinance into a new first mortgage for the full amount when the two notes come due 07/10. they have struggled but have maintained their payments in full and on-time because that is what they agreed to do.

in today's market, that home would probably sell for about half of the original purchase price...about $80-90,000. what are they to do? if the bank would give them a new fixed-rate mortgage for the full amount, they would no doubt accept it, continue to live in their home and make the payments on time -even though it would be a struggle- because they want to keep their commitment. but of course refinancing will require an appraisal, and the bank will no doubt want to finance just 80% of the current value, and they have no way to pay the huge difference, even if they were dumb enough to do so.

i have always advised them on their purchases and finances, and even helped them choose their current 80/20 mortgage which has a good rate and was within their ability to pay, so it is not as if they were irresponsible in buying more home or taking on more debt than they could afford. they are innocent victims of the boom and bust cycle that was orchestrated by a broken and corrupt system.

it breaks my heart to tell them they should do so, as they have done everything right, and it is so important to them, but i am advising them to place their home on the market as a short sale at the current value as an alternative to allowing the mortgages to fall into default and allowing a foreclosure. sadly, even a short sale that is accepted by the lenders will have a serious effect on their credit which is so important to them, could result in the banks asking them to pay the shortage, and no doubt will affect their ability to purchase another home in the future.

why on earth is it not possible for the banks to reduce the principle on their debt to the amount that the house would sell for today and have them continue to pay their obligation, keep their home, and retain their good credit rating? the banks would get the same amount they will get anyway in a short sale, and save the costs involved with selling and financing the home to someone else. this is a situation that is beyond any reason, and as this article points out, i'm afraid the effects of it are only beginning, as homeowners who have kept up their payments face the prospect of having no choice but to give up their homes and mortgages as the thousands of sales and mortgages done with five-year terms come home to roost.

jtc

behind the scenes...

2009-07-07T08:26:00.001-04:00

it's easy enough to see who pulls the strings in moscow; the pretty puppet goes through the moves while the plotting puppeteer makes the real plans.

but who (or what)is behind the curtain (heh), pulling the levers for the bo-bot? he makes nice and speaks flawlessly about leading by example, but what is the true vision for our ultimate defense? (hint: his recent voiceover gig and similarities to neverland notwithstanding, it ain't disney...)

could those who call the shots for the former also be architects of the grand design (or the grand disarmament) for the latter?

one might look to history (or channel adolf and ask him) about the value of the firm handshakes and earnest promises of those who would (still) rule the world.

jtc

HAPPY B-DAY USA!

2009-07-04T09:28:00.009-04:00

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YOU'RE STILL THE ONE!
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jtc

one down, two to go...

2009-07-01T10:30:00.004-04:00

wifey and i drove up to north ga. monday to close the sale of my son's former house up here. the transaction went smoothly at the attorney's office tuesday morning, and the money is now in the bank. it was a losing proposition; we paid cash in aug. '05 (and moved son up here on katrina weekend; scary!) with some of the proceeds from the sale of our business and investment properties in fla. the plan was for eric and his fiance to buy the place from us and have us finance the sale. well, we financed it all right, but problems between his fiance and him kept the actual sale from ever happening, and eric moved back to fla. last year.

we put the place on the market then with an agent last june but that was just as the financing bust was busting big, and the people who were interested in a 170k house couldn't get a mortgage without perfect credit and a huge down. so a few months ago, i put it up fsbo, offering to finance the sale for a buyer with decent credit and a decent down, at a price that reflected my not having to pay 12k in realtor fees. almost immediately we got a call from an agent who was handling the sale of a widow's house in a town an hour away, and the widow wanted to be nearer to her daughter and son-in-law. she would pay cash (awesome!), but it was contingent on closing the sale of her former home which in the new world of real estate wasn't a done deal until this past friday when her first sale closed. the agent settled for a flat 4k commission and the buyer assumed all the closing costs.

so even though we lost about 20k all told, it beats having the place sit empty and paying upkeep, plus at this point what was investment capital is now needed to pay off credit lines, etc. that we have had to use in the past year to live and help set up a new business. and thank God the real estate market in this area has remained a hell of a lot more stable than in fla...losing ten percent of our investment is bad enough, but right now homes in central fla. are selling for one-half or less of what they sold for a few years ago at the height of the bubble.

so all in all, we're happy that it's done. now we have another house near this one to sell (it's under lease-option to the original agent for the first one; the plan is for them to complete that purchase next year), plus the home in sebring, fla. where we're back to living fulltime will be sold too when (if) the market there recovers somewhat (400k paper value during the boom is at best 250 now) so that we can buy a place around ocala or gainesville.

and we couldn't have had better timing for our trip up to no. ga...fla has been insufferably hot and humid for the past two months, and here they've had a lovely cool snap that has brought the 50's and 60's overnight and far less humidity. we decided to drive another half hour up to blue ridge and rent a cabin with a view for a few nights before heading back to hades...i mean florida. and right now i'm sitting on the porch overlooking miles of mountaintops and damn near chilly from the delightfully cool breeze. my sweetie and i will head into downtown in a little while for her to browse the antique shops here in blue ridge, and then come back to the cabin to grill a few steaks and enjoy the tranquility together over a couple glasses of wine.

life ain't perfect and never is, but it could sure be worse.

jtc

opportunity knocking...

2009-06-28T17:00:00.002-04:00

annoying but effective teevee pitchman billy mays was found dead this morning...

he lives near here in the tampa area and was on a plane that blew its nose wheels on landing at tampa international yesterday roughing up a few folks including billy. he got a bump on his head and gave an interview on last night's local news, saying he was okay because "i have a hard head". not hard enough, i guess; his wife said he went to bed last night not feeling well and woke up dead this morning. man, you never know what's going to take you out.

sorry for him and his family, but on the up side, there's one more bad unreality show by the wayside. of course in this sick world, his "pitchmen" reruns will probably get huge viewership and his products will become collector's items...i can see the fleabay blurb now: "this is an actual unopened, nib container of the same oxyclean used by the famous billy mays before his tragic death...only $150!"

but from tragedy comes opportunity...a great idea for a new product; gel-cushion hat for those pesky crash landings. they'll have to get another pitchman, though. hey, is the sham-wow guy out of jail yet?

jtc

a father's day wish...

2009-06-21T16:53:00.001-04:00

last year, on the fifteenth anniversary of my dad's passing at age sixty five, i wrote a bit about him, and it seems appropriate for today as well...

"he wasn't a perfect man -or a perfect father- and he would spend some of his talks with us (my two brothers, two sisters and me) as we took our nightly turns nursing him in the final year of his life, apologizing for what he thought were his failings...i'm glad i was able to tell him this: there was never a day in my life, and believe me when i say i was an imperfect son, that i had any shadow of doubt of his love for me, or that he would give up his very life for me in an instant. that to me is the perfect definition of success as a father, and i told him that if i can just leave my own three children with that knowledge, and the love and peace and security that it imbues, then i will consider myself a success as a father too."

happy father's day, dad...i love you and think of you often, and i know that we will see each other again...some day, some how.

jtc

rat rod on flea-bay...

2009-06-17T09:02:00.005-04:00

i'd always liked the '54 chevy trucks...the sculpted and relatively homely design was the last before the straight streamline shapes that began for chevy in both trucks and cars in '55. plus, i was born the same year and i always felt a bit of ugly kinship with them.

so when i turned 50 about five years ago, i looked around for a hot rod driver that would be fun without being a show truck or trailer whore. this is what i found and it's been a blast to own and drive, but it spends most of its time in the garage, and i guess it's time to let somebody else drive and enjoy her.

i started an ebay auction last night, item number 250446134866 for anybody who wants to check it out. notice there's another similar but way more show-worthy truck that started on auction about a half hour after mine; it's worth checking out too, if you like this design.

jtc

update sat. 6/20: it's sold!

a fellow and his wife saw the truck on ebay and drove over this morning from their home near fort myers. after a thorough checkout (about two hours!) i let him beat me down a bit and drive the old girl home. i hated to see her go, but the guy had been looking for a hotrod truck for over a year and he promised to give her a good home, so i'm happy, he's happy, and my wife is especially happy to have the extra garage space back...so, win-win-win, just like a good transaction should be.

so long little truck, it's been fun; we may be the same age but i have a feeling you're going to be around long after i'm gone...and that pleases me. jtc

a visit from "the bureau"

2009-06-16T11:09:00.000-04:00

wow. thirty years as an ffl and i had exactly three on-site inspections from atf. and while i had a couple of interactions with the fdle (florida dept. of law enforcement) related to gun transactions that would allow enhanced charges against defendants in ongoing cases, i sure as hell never had, or expected to have, a visit from the f.b.i. but that's just what happened to clint last week.

one thing is sure; being a firearms dealer is different now. i sold my pawn store to clint at the end of '05 but had already dropped my ffl a year before rather than renew for another three years. that would have been my first renewal since 9/11 and what had always been a process of just sending in the renewal form and notating any changes was going to be way more involved; an on-site interview and a much more in-depth inspection of inventory and logs. not that i had anything to hide...i stayed on top of the paperwork to avoid any difficulties and i always thought that the occasional atf trace request to which i responded quickly and accurately helped to avoid more in-person visits.

but the gun business for me, aside from my personal enjoyment, was more of a necessity to be able to accept firearms as loan collateral and buy collections as part of estate purchases rather than as a full-fledged gunshop. yes, i sold quite a few new guns because i liked to keep my cases and racks full and i was the only storefront ffl in town. but i operated on a pretty thin margin to be competitive with wallyworld (they were still full-line gun retailers for most of that time), and i did prepaid special orders at cost plus $50 for any gun. this helped me keep some nice older stuff in stock because of trade-ins, and it's the vintage guns that i enjoyed the most. but eventually the concern for liability helped me make the final decision to drop my licensed status.

but this f.b.i. stuff is a new twist...clint said two agents from miami spent ten minutes in a "get-acquainted" visit, and keyed on asking him to be vigilant and contact them when he suspected anyone or anything of being "unusual", with the implication that they were looing for terrorist profiles and expecting ffl's to do the profiling for them. that's a whole 'nother level of responsibility, liability, and judgement that i for one am glad not to be a part of. i don't know how widespread this f.b.i. contact is, and i'm wondering if it is a veiled scare tactic intended to further reduce the number of licensed dealers. i'd be interested in knowing other ffl's experiences and their sense of what it's really all about.

jtc

star wars!

2009-06-12T14:30:00.001-04:00

apparently, the invasion from outer space has begun...

our little german friend may be exagerrating a bit, though...that pebble-sized meteorite "sent him flying"? unpossible, as any gunnie knows. of course reflex action might have caused him to send himself flying; i guess i'd be jumping around too, wondering who the hell was shooting at me! just a warning shot from the klingons maybe?

jtc

degradation of dialogue...

2009-06-11T18:50:00.002-04:00

on that at least, huffin' po's michael rowe got it right.

so somehow, the octogenarian loonybird (whose weapon of choice to take up the fuhrer's cause of killing all the jews was a .22 rifle) was goaded and guided in his cause by coulter, o'reilly, limbaugh, and...palin? yeah, that's a fine and thoughtful dialogue you got goin' there, mikey.

and nbc's evening news just led its bit on the museum shooter by saying..."he might have been driven by an obsession with guns as well as bigotry..." well, an obsession with .22 rifles anyway...

jtc

happy happy birthday, baby...

2009-06-09T08:31:00.002-04:00

my girl turns 55 today, two-and-a-half months ahead of me. and she still gets carded when buying wine at the grocery store...no kidding. we were both seventeen when we married, and if i do say so myself, i was a cute little feller back then. little did she (or i) know, that soon my hair would start streaking gray and be nearly all silver by the time we were in our thirties. and we won't mention that the cuteness seems to have, um...lessened over the years.

not her though. she is the most beautiful, young-looking, blue-eyed blonde around. and the beauty goes way more than skin deep. she and i had our differences over the years as you might expect being together since high school; we even separated for a time in our mid-twenties. but through thick and thin (and there was a fair amount of thin), not only did she stick with me, but her strength, love for her family, and awe-inspiring determination and capacity for hard work is what got us through the tough times. the morning after her birthday she headed to tampa to attend 7 year old granddaughter Grace's dance recital; that's them in the pic..how's that for resemblance, and how can that old girl be fifty five freakin' years old?

while i usually get my jollies every year for the few months that she is a year older than me by informing restaurant waiters, cashiers, and total strangers of the fact, and watching them look from me to her back to me with an expression of doubt and disbelief, i won't be doing that this year...because, you know, she's officially a senior citizen now and deserving of a little more respect;o)

happy birthday, my girl. you know and i know that i would be lost (maybe even dead) without you. i love you and i promise to do my best to be worthy of you, provide for you and take care of you in your -ahem- golden years.

me

modern priorities...

2009-06-06T10:13:00.001-04:00

today is the 65th anniversary of the all-out allied invasion that turned the tide of ww11 and quite possibly won the war. so when the google artist who commemorates significant events with a creative redesign of their name put his talent to work for today, you'd expect what, landing craft, parachutes, a background filled with planes, and surf tinged in red?

well, no...see today is also the 25th anniversary of tetris, the iconic and addictive little time-waster that we all know and love/hate. so of course the google logo today is a conglomeration of little squares.

the priorities of the modern world...which probably would not exist as we know it had it not been for the awesome effort and sacrifices made on june 6, 1944. i for one will be thinking of a 65th anniversary today, and i may never play tetris again.

google is a powerful and amazingly useful tool, and its operators are business and creative genius...but they haven't got a clue.

jtc

the (new) china syndrome

2009-06-05T08:36:00.002-04:00

are you just dying to drive the new chinese vehicles that are in our near future? good, 'cause you probably will.

jtc

jon stewart: not totally sucky (this time)

2009-06-04T12:24:00.003-04:00

i'm not jon stewart's biggest fan to say the least. but last night's edition had an hilarious and spot-on mocking rant on the bobo administration's foray into the car and insurance industries...segueing into a not-totally negative and pretty damn funny bit with john gad on the relative investment virtues of ar-15's vs. ak-47's.

sadly, what i thought would be the highlight of the show (and the original reason i tuned in) was an interview with one of my favorite writer/humorists, p.j. orourke. but p.j. disappointed mightily, in a very lame promo of his new book. the book is about one of my other favorite subjects, classic American cars, and i haven't read it so i will assume (and hope) that it is up to p.j.'s normal excellent standard. but the interview was truly pathetic. oh well, you can't have everything.

jtc

sotomayor: good for gun biz!

2009-06-01T14:15:00.001-04:00

gotta print up some more posters for the gun shop walls...we'll put hers, "salesman of the month"right under barry's, "salesman of the year".

keep it up, bobo!

jtc

i remember you...

2009-05-24T18:20:00.002-04:00

and on a day that has become known more for heralding the beginning of summer than for honoring our ultimate heroes, i thank you.

because of you, my family and i live lives of peace, prosperity and freedom...and in spite of everything else that goes on in the world, your sacrifice has earned my undying gratitude.

may God keep your souls safe and warm forever.

jtc

quid pro quo

2009-05-18T22:52:00.002-04:00

in recognition of and repayment for the fawning adoration bestowed upon obama by the late and shameless "journalist" tim russert, joe biden is dispatched to stand in for tim as commencement speaker at wake forest university and to extend the year-long eulogy of him.

they probably figured even biden couldn't screw this up. and i'm sure it reinforces in ol' joe's mind (and everyone else's) just what a critically important cog he is in the bobo machine.

jtc

the ceo of "the state" has spoken...

2009-05-18T18:34:00.001-04:00

and just like that, your next new vehicle will require a stop every few hundred miles to drain off the excess fuel.

next up: comprehensive unlimited medical care for all, with those greedy medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies limited to a maximum annual charge of $100 per person.

then we'll address all this war stuff going on in the world; if we send them a few gazillion in bailouts and ask them nicely to be good, i'm sure all those bad guys with bad attitudes will love us and join in a nice round of kumbaya...

jtc

i just couldn't resist...

2009-05-14T16:42:00.002-04:00

what can i say? i'm a sucker for a good deal, especially if it's a good deal on a good gun. the officer's enhanced colt that clint bought as part of a nice package from a collector (see the rest in my last post) just kept calling my name...i don't really know why, it won't be my carry gun and it's surely not the ideal target plinker with it's short grip and an appetite for dollar-a-shot ammo. still...it's purty ain't it? clint's 14-day hold period expires tomorrow, and it is a good deal; inner and outer boxes, both mags, all the papers including blank warranty, and it looks to have been used very little if at all. so i guess this one's coming home with me.

jtc

some days it was fun to be the pawnbroker...

2009-05-03T16:45:00.005-04:00

after thirty years, most of the activity in the pawn shop had become routine, boring, and sometimes downright annoying...which is why i sold out to clint and semi-retired a few years ago.

but when clint called friday to ask if he could delay his regular weekly payment to me until next week because he needed all available funds for a gun collection he was buying, it reminded me that there could be some really fun days.

a middle-aged fellow from the small town south of us needed to liquidate his collection to help his daughter take advantage of a great buy on a house, but didn't have time to go the private-sale or gunbroker route, preferring the immediacy and liability waiver of selling to an ffl...so clint bought: a stainless colt officer's model .45, a model 21 s&w target pistol, an s&w mo. 60 .357, a glock 30, a ruger mo. 1 in .300 mag., a winchester 94 in .444, and a couple of ruger single-action big bores...i haven't seen them yet, but clint says most are lnib, and his total investment? $2600.

i got over wanting to keep the cream from nice buys like this years ago, but i'd be sorely tempted to hang onto a few of these...clint's cashflow situation is such that most of them will go on gunbroker as soon as his two-week hold period expires; should be a turnover of around double for him.

i'm going to stop by his shop tomorrow and take a few pics, and i'll post some of them here...kind of dangerous, though; my son would like that glock mini .45 to go with his .40, and the colt will probably be calling my name. but...must...resist...

jtc

update: well, my son had to take a look at the g30, so he went to clint's to take the pics for me. the ruger 1 and the m94 .444 were not on display and clint was tied up with customers, so no pics of those, and the s&w mo.21 is presold and locked away, but here's the rest (not great pics, they're through the glass as clint has them in the showcase until they make their debut on gunbroker just in case a local buyer pops up.

r.i.p. jack kemp

2009-05-02T22:35:00.002-04:00

regardless of your opinion of his politics, his is an amazing life story...

and speaking of amazing, am i the only one who is in awe of newmedia's ability to react to news? just as the legacies are reporting kemp's death as a breaking story, wiki already has his biography updated to his death today. no wonder oldmedia is so quickly waddling down the path of the dodo...

jtc

finally!

2009-05-01T08:57:00.000-04:00

a chance for the "o" to inflict some lasting harm.

jtc

mayday, mayday, mayday...

2009-05-01T08:54:00.000-04:00

that just seems so appropriate right about now.

jtc

consequences

2009-04-29T14:19:00.002-04:00

presidential worshipper...i mean reporter, chuck todd says:

"...conservatives and liberals alike can agree on one thing after 100 days of President Barack Obama: This guy is going to be consequential."

roger that, chuck.

sadly, our kids and grandkids, probably our greatgrandkids, will be the ones who will have to pay those consequences.

jtc

short for vilem and tomas?

2009-04-22T23:19:00.001-04:00

here's a sweet love story...

but why the heck did they name these czech twins bill and tom?

jtc

facing a whole herd of elephants...

2009-04-21T12:24:00.002-04:00

i had read this story, but hadn't seen or heard from the guy himself.

wow. his business was similar to my son's and mine...thank God we're not in l.a.

jtc

via xavier

and atlas shrugs again...

2009-04-19T19:11:00.002-04:00

yer preachin' to the choir there, pugs.

jtc

HE LIVES!

2009-04-12T16:33:00.000-04:00

and that's all i need to know.

jtc

i have no words...

2009-04-11T13:27:00.001-04:00

the ignorance and naivete demonstrated here just takes my breath away.

"Former ATF agent Gerald Nunziato pointed out that if Samaha had wanted to, he could have caused a lot of damage with the guns he purchased."

true enough. but i could do a lot more damage with my hemi 4x4 truck by plowing into a crowd...if i wanted to. man, how did the feds let that genius slip away?

h/t to say uncle

jtc

taking recycling to a whole 'nother level...

2009-04-08T11:50:00.002-04:00

via jason in comments at the munchkin wrangler...

"As an aside to the sudaphed comment, we here in your former town of residence in the southeast learnt something last week! Evidently the body only processes about 40% of the meth that dopers ingest. The other 60% comes out in the urine stream. Dealers are now, literally, accepting PISS as a form of partial payment for meth. They then take this meth laden piss, and evidently, ala waterworld… distill the meth out of the piss, and resell it…"

and i thought smoking drano and rat poison was as bad as it gets. damn.

jtc

i've done some shooting at this range

2009-04-08T11:38:00.000-04:00

but i'm glad as hell i wasn't there sunday to see this.

jtc

finally, a little culture...

2009-04-05T21:01:00.003-04:00

man, i was so tired of being rep'ed to the royalty by bush, with his lack of deference and proper kowtowing to the bluehairs of the old world...

now for the refinement and smooooth manners of the One. a dvd collection for the prime minister, and an ipod loaded with show tunes for the queen...and the she-beast manhandles (heh) the old girl.

now that's the class that we've been yearning for...our standing in the world is restored.

jtc

welcome home again, discovery...

2009-03-28T20:22:00.002-04:00

thirteen days and five million miles after blasting off, discovery and her crew glided back into fla today, with the usual giant thud of a sonic boom that always catches me by surprise even when i knew it was coming.

call it a flying greyhound bus, a garbage scow, or whatever...but it still amazes me that this thing can ride piggyback into space, function like a giant mobile workshop/travel trailer, and fly back home with pinpoint precision.

only a few more missions to come for these awesome machines, hard to believe they've been flying with almost no configuration changes for nearly three decades...i hope their retirement won't spell the end of our space program.

welcome home.

jtc

wow...

2009-03-28T14:14:00.002-04:00

sham guy pinched for pummeling prostitute...

damn, dude; you gotta let the "makeup guy" do his thing before the "camera guy" does his.

apparently it's been decided...

2009-03-24T08:33:00.003-04:00

that this free-market capitalism thing just ain't working out...

i guess we've been doing it wrong the past couple of centuries.

jtc

race day in sebring...

2009-03-21T20:53:00.002-04:00

the twelve hours of sebring race is under way here, about an hour and a half to go...i just took ozzie the dachshund for a walk and with the stiff easterly breeze i could hear the racers going through the gears even though the track is a good ten miles from my home. those grand prix prototype cars along with the normal contingent of ferraris, porsches, and corvettes running in their respective classes are deafening when you're at the track, but at this distance it sounds a bit like an angry gaggle of crotchrockets.

i haven't been out to the race in a few years; for one thing since i semi-retired we've been spending most of our time up at the north georgia place and haven't been in town for the mid-march madness, but also i don't see all my old buds with the sheriff's office that used to toss me hundred-dollar supertickets which made it feasible for me to drive out and check out the craziness for a few hours on raceday. most race fans know that sebring is serious business for the teams and the sponsors; several indy-500 winners are driving this year along with all the big names in lemans-style roadracing and the usual batch of celebrities-cum-racers, but for the fans, it's all about the party which lasts for a solid week with camping, drinking, cruising, and flashing being the main attractions. that's not my cup of tea (anymore), but it's still a trip to take it all in once in a while.

and even if you don't go out to the track, the event is unescapable in this little town, as all the restaurants, hotels, and the main highway are loaded with racers and fans...you'll never see more ferraris, porsches, audis, vettes, and other exotic vehicles driven by rich wannabes in such a concentrated place than at sebring during race week...quite a change from the normal winter crowd of snowbird q-tips driving forty mph in the left-hand lane in their caddys and towncars, and a pretty cool change of pace.

well, i'm going to watch the final laps on speed-tv; they're covering the race flag to flag, and for an old fart it's a hell of a lot more comfortable. the audi turbo-diesel has had a lock on the overall for several years (although porsche shocked them last year), but in the last few races, the peugeot has given them a run. and this year everyone was surprised when acura's brand new entry won the pole with one of those indy champs as the anchor driver. should be an interesting finish.

jtc

update: race just ended at 10:30 p.m., and surprise! audi wins again...those krauts can build a hotrod; ho hum.

now lemmee get dis straight...

2009-03-10T18:46:00.002-04:00

you puts de lime in de coconut...sorry, i can't write that first line without my pea brain adding the second.

what i meant was, let me get straight just how it is a capitalist economy works: apparently the stock market zoomed up 380 today based largely on the head of citibank saying they're showing a profit for the first quarter...and all it took was taking a few bil from sam, burning through that, and coming back and saying, hey listen, why don't you just buy into this great biz, you know, gimmee another decade's worth of national output, and we'll give you this here certificate saying you own a third of the joint -wink,wink-.

then we'll get the head of the big printing press to say that "we won't allow the big banks to fail..." so, hell, we can't go wrong. we'll just keep on keepin' on and those taxpayer patsies will keep us propped up; what could possibly go wrong?

what...the...fluck is going on? lenin must be grinnin'.

well, back to the music...you puts de lime in de coconut and drink 'em bot' toget'er,
you puts de lime in de coconut den you feel better...

nah, i'm gonna have to have something a little stronger than that.

jtc

war in the mountains and desert...

2009-03-09T11:26:00.002-04:00

and i don't mean afghanistan or iraq.

this is just f'n stupid. the only reason for the existence of this shit is the ignorant, misguided, and self-serving "war on drugs"...a misnomer if there ever was one for what in reality is the "war for drugs".

so let's throw a few billion at it...yeah, that'll work; who the hell do they think is going to wind up with that money, those supplies, and all that training? actually, they know who will and say so right in the story:

"The violence that most concerns U.S. authorities is the rivalry between Gulf cartel thugs known as Los Zetas — many of them former military and police officers trained in counternarcotics tactics in the United States — and Los Negros, the Sinaloa cartel’s narco-military brigade."

so let's just train up some reinforcements for when their "internecine" wars have depleted their supplies, right?

and while we're at it, let's go ahead and throw the blame for all that firepower on the right of Americans to own the means to protect themselves from these thugs as they "extend their network from inner U.S. cities to suburban and rural areas.”

decriminalize the possession and use of personal amounts of this shit, and this entire "problem" dries up and blows away...and all those "overlords" can then just get in line to swim the rio grande like proper wetbacks should. and that two billion bucks? that would build a helluva wall, wouldn't it?

jtc

a year done come and gone...

2009-03-08T11:23:00.001-04:00

yesterday was a year since i decided to blather a bit here as well as in comments on some of my preferred blogstops. i'm not very prolific, and i don't really write for others to read (good thing since few do), but it's nice to have a place to throw down a few thoughts now and then and have them saved; for what possible purpose i have no idea.

it's been a pretty shitty year in a lot of ways that are worldly, but personally i can't complain too much. my son sold his business in north georgia and started a new one back here in fla which i'm helping him get off the ground, so we're spending most of our time here and not in the ga mountains that i greatly prefer; we're selling both of the houses up there (great timing for that, eh?) but we'll still spend time in that area in the summer to escape the stifle here.

i'm old enough that most of the bad decisions being made on a national and global scale right now won't have a huge effect on me, unless of course one of the kettle of krazies on the world stage decide that it's their "time". but it's hard to have much confidence in the future for my kids and grandkids...i guess my parents must have had similar thoughts during my youth in the tumultuous 60's and early 70's; we can only hope and pray that these difficult times, too, will pass.

i doubt i'll do much posting in the coming year; i'll have to be pretty active in eric's business, and we hope to sell both the ga. houses and maybe even the fla. house this year and find a small acreage place around ocala/gainesville so the kids and grandkids can get to us conveniently, and us to them. but i'll still drop my two cents now and then here and in the few places i like to follow. bless us all as we meander through this phase of life in what is still the greatest nation in the world.

jtc

hey, it's the thrifty thing to do...

2009-03-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

if you're in the midst of an argument with some dink over right to carry, and all the obvious reasoning just doesn't take, tell him you just want to save him some money...

jtc

in the tank for obama!

2009-03-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

who knew this is what they meant?

jtc

"hold the eulogies..."

2009-02-22T09:50:00.011-05:00

yeah, i don't blame you, teddy...it must be hard listening to all those gilded accolades knowing that at any moment mary jo's folks might show up to offer their version of your uh...heroism.

besides, there'll be a nice "eulogy" waiting for you in the hereafter; of course it'll probably be more like a "roast"...heh.

oh, and have a real happy 77th birthday today...ms. kopechne would have been 69 come july, but thanks to you she was granted the wistful wish of so many; to be forever 29...i guess folks should be careful of what they wish for, eh? but i can't help but wonder, as all your friends and comrades sing your praises, what would have been the life story of the only child of joseph and gwen kopechne if, you know, you had been man enough to try to save her and not just your sorry, sorry self?

politics is politics; a man can choose to be an admirer and disciple of jefferson or lenin, but you're either a man or you're not. you? not. you were and are a heartless, spineless, cowardly bastard...but then you know that, don't you, teddy?

jtc

djia -1000 in 10 days...

2009-02-20T22:21:00.001-05:00

are you stimulated yet?

jtc

that's the way ya do it, see? just pucker up and...

2009-02-13T08:19:00.001-05:00

like i said, this old girl (and bo himself of course), are gonna ride this thing all the way home!

it's easy! just go to a bo revival, keep your hand in the air, cry when he calls on you, and swoon when he lays hands (and lips!) on you...and all your dreams come true. man, he's potentate, messiah, and the wiz all rolled up in one big tootsie roll wrapper!

jtc

hell, turns out i was the one doing it all wrong...

2009-02-12T13:22:00.001-05:00

well, sonuvabitch! if i'da known this i never would have used up my cash to pay off the mortgage on my florida house and a make big down payment on the mountain place so as to, you know, prevent foreclosure!

who knew the cool thing to do was borrow 110% of value (which equates to more like 150% of value now), and agree to a mortgage that "resets" to a rate and payment equal to more than i made per month?

my question now is, when do i need to stop making payments to time it just right so that father "o" will pay off the balance for me? gosh, he's a lot wealthier and more generous than i would have thought a career lowlevel politician and "organizer" could be...what a guy!

jtc

ya'll are doing it wrong!

2009-02-10T18:37:00.003-05:00

tam has a post hilariously mocking some pathetic sheeple...i mean people...who just can't go on living 'cause they can't get barryo to give 'em the time of day...but they need to watch how one old florida girl did it...change your strategy, ya'll! let bo get some airtime out of the deal and it'll all be okay...

---------------------------------------------------------------------

those folks are just going about it all wrong...just caught the local teevee news wherein the focus was on bo making an appearance in the fort myers, fl neighborhood called lehigh acres, about an hour from us here in sebring.

lehigh got some national focus because it's a vast lowland (swamp) area that was semi-developed during the sixties fla land boom but sat dormant until the recent fever that swept the nation had thousands of houses being built for folks with no money and no job; and surprise, now a shitload of them are in foreclosure...so a great venue for the one to get some airtime for himself.

and to really capitalize on the limelight, ol' barry went around the room calling on some folks to relate their tales of woe, saving one old girl for last who said she was homeless, but "we need more than just a park to pitch a tent in, we need our own kitchens and our own bedrooms in our own homes" (no mention of how she planned to pay for it, but it was pretty obvious that she thought bo should just "provide" it).

so, anyway, she finishes her whiney spiel, and he ends his little meeting by going out to her in the crowd, hugging her, and telling her "we're going to see what we can do for you". ain't he just the sweetest angelic thang?

as the news story closed, the reporter said after the cameras were off and barry had gotten his exposure, the lady was crowded with people falling all over themselves to find out how they can "help" her.

so those worshippers you linked to just need to take her as a guide; wait for the cameras, hold up your hand for an hour or so, and cry on cue...that's how to get barry to lay hands on 'em, and get some great freebies to boot.

now the national news is coming on, using a snip of this same meeting in their preview...let's watch and see their take. this old girl (and bo himself of course), are gonna ride this thing all the way home!

jtc

BREAKING NEWS:

2009-02-04T15:25:00.002-05:00

Obama administration says it will cancel 77 drilling leases near Utah parks...

well, it might be news to some, but it sure ain't no surprise. 'cause how in the hell are we gonna get people to support wind-up cars, windmills, and zee greeen technology with two dollah gas?

gotta cancel drilling and kill exploration (especially in alaska where it'll piss off the governor there) so we can jack up that oil price and justify all of our admirable causes, yes?

bonus! robert redford offers his expert opinion...snicker.

jtc

R.I.P.

2009-01-28T20:20:00.002-05:00

Challenger and her precious cargo...

pic from tam's

jtc

rule five: "you can't fix stupid"*

2009-01-21T19:45:00.003-05:00

when four rules just ain't enough...

how can you be this dumb and still make it through eight frickin' decades? why tempt fate? leave the firearms alone...even when they're "not loaded".

jtc

*apologies to ron white.

looking forward with "hope"...

2009-01-20T00:03:00.000-05:00

anybody who's ever even casually glanced at this blog knows that the "o" was not my first choice to be the new elected leader of the free world...in fact in my view he ranks near, if not at, the very bottom of the very long list of erstwhile candidates.

that being said, he is indeed the new elected leader of the free world, meaning he is my president too. and once i am able to stifle the autoresponse of regurgitation that is the normal reaction to being forcefed something extremely unpalatable, i'm going to do my best to support him and his policies as they relate to our relationship with the rest of the world...because we are all Americans, and united we stand.

but i do fervently hope, and even somewhat believe, that the realities of the office and the world will bring a necessary and cautious deliberation to the euphoric mantra and mission of "change" that was the centerpiece of his campaign. indeed, that has already begun, as witnessed by the recent disclaimers as to the difficult road ahead and the need for patience and controlled "expectations" as we move forward into the new reality, here in the brave new world.

congratulations, Mr. President, may God bless you, your administration, and most especially, the United States of America.

jtc

in honor of dr. king...

2009-01-19T13:22:00.003-05:00

i'm not a fan of mlk day being a national holiday. it devalues the honor that is implied by setting aside such a day to honor and observe far more significant milestones in our history...

but i'll say this: listening to his speeches now, with the retrospect and maturity gained as this country worked through the turmoil and did the right thing in respecting the rights of all citizens, makes me realize that this peaceable man was far more deserving of the honor of being the first black man to hold our highest office than the "one" who will be crowned tomorrow.

not that either of them possess(ed) the experience and capabilities required to be the leader of the free world...just that of the two, mlk would be far and away the better, less divisive, and probably far more effective choice.

r.i.p., martin luther king jr....let's hope your vision and methods will live within the hearts and minds of those who follow.

jtc

support greenpeace...

2009-01-18T13:42:00.002-05:00

make that green piece

a little sad...but funny!

via xavier.

jtc

on a side note...

2009-01-18T10:53:00.002-05:00

i turned comments back on this a.m.; i turned 'em off a month ago when a cautionary (okay maybe it was a little dickish) comment i made at the breda fallacy turned into an allout (but fun!) internecine 100-comment flamewar with the defenders of her honor, some of which accused me of trying to drive comments to my own blog...and since i don't give a shit about that stuff, i turned 'em off...but now they're back on, so if you feel the urge to say something pithy, or pissy for that matter, go for it.

jtc

"ya followin' me, camera guy?"

2009-01-18T10:10:00.004-05:00

i can see it now, that annoying twerp on the shamwow ads doing his schtick for the brand-new, brought to you by the letters g-o-v and d-u-m-b doing a hustle for a twofer...

turn in that old gas-guzzler now and get $4500 of otherpeoplesmoney! throw an old gun or two in the trunk and we'll double it! but hurry, 'cause we can't do this all day!

man, i can see the twinkle in the eyes of all the buyherepayhere used car dealers as they contemplate emptying out that back lot full of $200 clunkers at four and a half large apiece...kinda like i had in mine when a nearby county did $150 wallyworld vouchers for anything even resembling a firearm no questions asked. that box full of junk that i thought i wouldn't sell to my worst enemy? well, i was wrong, and i did. then i bought four brand-new 10/22's at sam's place for about what they cost me wholesale.

hmm, i need to buddy up with old fred down at the scrap yard; those dinosaurs that come chugging in that he pays a few hun for, i'm gonna offer hime five each for all he can get for me.

man, who the fuck is running this monkeyhouse anyway?

jtc

the pop culture prez...

2009-01-18T00:39:00.002-05:00

well, there you have it, finally an honest explanation of why a person with no experience or credibility at all will in two days ascend to the highest office in the world...hollywood said it could and should be, the media said "hell, yeah", and the sheeple said "duh, okay".

jtc

back in fla...

2009-01-07T22:51:00.002-05:00

quickie trip up to north ga. to check on things and make a deal with the realty agent to lease-purchase my son's house for herself with a side deal to sell our own place that is close by with the fee for that and some handyman work by her husband to count as their down payment to buy the son's place...clear as mud, right?

a little complicated and "creative", but a win-win if it works out okay, and right now who the hell needs three houses? so eleven hours going up due to lousy traffic, and nine hours coming back four days later pulling a trailer full of stuff wifey wanted from the georgia place...not much fun, but overall a pretty productive trip.

sometimes, you just do what you gotta do...

jtc

there but for the Grace of God, go i...

2009-01-05T14:39:00.005-05:00

the nature of my business for thirty years gave me a better than even chance of facing the same situation that this gentle man did...i am thankful every day that i did not. but if i had, or if i ever do, i could only ask and hope that i handle it and deal with it as well as he did. may God have mercy on his conscience, on the souls of the two dead men, and on the hearts of their loved ones.

jtc

get it while the gettin's good!

2009-01-03T19:52:00.002-05:00

just a few miles up i-575 from our north georgia place is the little town of jasper...now jasper is a nice small town with some good history...civil war stuff, the nelson rifle was made nearby, and the marble quarries produce the bulk of marble used in the country...including almost all of the monuments at arlington. but jasper still doesn't have a wal-mart, thank goodness, there are still a few bastions of innocence left (of course there is one within twenty miles both north and south). and there has been growth...especially new neighborhoods full of commuters that work in atl, and commercial growth along 575 (actually it's 515 since 575 ends right about at our place and becomes sr 515 aka sonny perdue parkway...).

and included in that growth is a place called the bargain barn. now the bargain barn has a long history here, but they took the leap and built a new place on the highway after a big fire wiped out the old one. and this place is big...as big as a football field on the ground floor and another football field on the second floor. if you want outdoor sports stuff, forget dick's or bass pro or gander or anyplace else, because the bargain barn has 'em beat. every outdoor garment there is, every boot and shoe, an archery department that includes the most bows i've ever seen in one place, along with all the accessories and guys and gals who know their shit selling them. fishing stuff? aisles and aisles of it. the biggest case knife department you can imagine, like a self contained case store...and other top blades as well. ah, then we work our way upstairs to the hunting and gun departments. a whole area of tree stands fully assembled for tryout, gun safes of every brand, size, and weight. an "optics" department second to none including every leupold made, and dummy guns to try them out on.

and then the guns...ah, yes. five full time guys working the counters. every browning rifle and shotgun is in stock. racks of remingtons, berettas, rugers, and stacks of backstock in view in the back room. ten cases of handguns, though the counter guy told me their inventory level is the lowest he's seen it in the ten years he's worked there, they're still loaded with glocks, springfields, kimber, naa, taurus, charter, and the best stock i've recently seen of smith and wesson, including most of the j's. and they haven't inflated their prices to take advantage of the obama sales boom. standard glock models for 499, naa's for 200, charters for 200, even the smiths were low compared to anywhere i've seen recently. and they were running a sale, 5% off on all guns, 10% on ammo and gear.
and busy? if there's a recession it ain't here...the parking lot holds 200 and i had a hard time finding a spot. let's hope these guys can keep getting inventory because they do as good a job as any place i've seen of stocking it, displaying it, demo'ing it, with personable, knowledgable people selling it. bravo, bargain barn!

i didn't buy anything but i sure had a fun hour there. then when i left i pulled into the waffle house for a bite of lunch; it's next door to a race trac c-store that usually has the cheapest gas around here...and i couldn't believe the sign...1.259 for regular, haven't seen that in a long damn time. reg. was 1.65 when i left sebring, fl yesterday, and i saw it for 1.49 on the highway inside ga. where the tax is lower, but a buck and a quarter? lady at the waffle house counter said they had a real old-fashioned gas war going in town; a new chain store opened up the road and they're fighting it out on gas and 12-packs of cokes...two for four fifty...that's less than nineteens cents apiece.

i wonder what the law is about loading up a truck with barrels full of gasoline and taking it back to fla? no, i wouldn't do it but it's tempting, 'cause you know that shit ain't gonna last. now if this would've happened in the summer, i could have pulled the motorhome out of mothballs and took that alaska trip i've been putting off. it holds 65 gallons and gets about 8 mpg...a little oppressive at four bucks a gallon and you're spending $250 every 500 miles for gas alone. but of course that was the plan, wasn't it? just wait for june, cheap gas will just be a memory, but it's fun while it lasts.

jtc

six days on the road but i'ma gonna make it home tonight...

2009-01-02T23:43:00.004-05:00

well, it was eleven hours, not six days. but for the trip from sebring fl to north ga that usually takes me eight hours when i'm flyin' low and catchin' the breaks, it sure as hell seemed like days.

i had to come up to meet the realtor who has my son's house listed for sale and hasn't sold it, but now she wants the place for herself if i'll finance it or do a lease option...i'm trying to come up with a plan that will be win-win for that. so anyway, i thought by leaving fla today instead of on the weekend i would miss the traffic headed back nawth after the holidays, and i figured there'd be a lot more southbound than north; we've already got most of the q-tip population from ohio, mich, and indy in central fla. but instead, the northbound fla turnpike and long stretches of i-75 were multi-lane parking lots moving like molasses while south flowed free as water. and pulling my trailer so's i can take some stuff back to wifey from the other house up here kept me about ten mph under the norm when traffic did open up a bit.

anyway, i finally made it in one piece, and the plan is to make a deal with the realtor to do some spruce-up work on this house and have her act as seller's agent with the fees to apply to a down payment for her to buy my son's place...it's a good deal for her since she won't have to come up with cash, and if it means both places get sold it'll save me a ton of outgo for two houses that we don't use now that my son has moved back to fla...like i said, win-win if it works out, we'll see.

i shouldn't bitch about the trip i guess...i left seventy five degrees and it's only in the forties here, whereas tam is headed from the thirties into the teens and possible ice in her little rear wheel drive krauterskate; at least maybe her traffic will be lighter than mine was...anyway, eleven hours on the road is rough on an old fart, so it's off to bed.

jtc

here's to a fine '09...

2009-01-01T00:07:00.004-05:00

well, they dropped the ball in nyc, the neighbors scared the shit out of the dogs with fireworks, and i kissed and made a toast with my sweetie at the stroke of midnight to welcome a new year and say goodbye and good riddance to the old one.

i've heard people say the next year couldn't be any worse than the last one, but all we have to do is look around the world to realize that in spite of a grinding war, financial meltdown, political polarity, and all manner of crises, we've still got it better than everybody else in the world, and most important, we have the ability to determine for ourselves whether '09 will be better than '08.

and my only resolution (i gave up on getting prettier, younger, or thinner years ago) is to do my best for me and mine to make it so; here's wishing all the best for all of you as well.

jtc

the "o" fficial cola of hopeychangey?

2008-12-31T21:02:00.004-05:00

via instapundit...is it copyright infringement? marketing savvy? or just coincidence?

well, my money is on the marketing; but who's really copying who? the boys at pepsi are no doubt trying to hook their wagon to the new superstar...for one thing, there's a big new chicago headquarters and it stands to reason they would try to make the tie-in to the hometown boy. but pepsi's slogans have for decades tried to appeal to the new, young generation. and the old pepsi logo looks eerily similar and could just as well have inspired the hopeychangey "o". well, regardless of who's ripping off who...it's one more reason for me to dislike that syrupy-sweet, flat-tasting imitation coca cola.

because it wouldn't be the first time that pepsi embraced exclusionary elitism to promote their brand. years ago i read the story of the corporate recruiters who come to college campuses to try to attract fresh meat into the company fold. and one of the main selling points of the pepsi people was to disparage coca cola as being old and stupid and slow...because you know, they're (shudder) a southern company based in atlanta. now pepsi on the other hand, they said, is based in hip and cosmopolitan new york...way cooler, way smarter, and so much more with it than those clingy, ignernt, porch-sittin' southern folk.

yeah, it does sound familiar...and looks familiar too. fuck pepsi, and the "o", and the logo they rode in on. i'm gonna go get me a coke.

jtc

response becomes reminisce becomes rant...

2008-12-28T16:51:00.006-05:00

the munchkin wrangler references (and soundly disputes) a "study" that concludes: “sexual content on tv is linked to teen pregnancy rates”. well, me being me, i started to offer a comment of agreeance...then i sorta went all tangential...

well, i can put the lie to that little study with my own personal little anecdotal history. there surely wasn’t any “sexual content” on tv in my little town in the 60’s and 70’s; we got snowy reception of abc and nbc only, and cable was just a rumor when my sweetie and i were missing the onscreen “features” in lieu of our own at the local drive-in…backseat rendezvous which eventually and predictably resulted in my daughter’s debut when we were both just 17.

hard to put the blame on something that didn’t exist, and we weren’t the only ones…several of our classmates made babies that year and the next, though we might be the only ones still together after 37 years; it’s not an easy or advisable path, that’s for sure. but it wasn't hbo, and it wasn’t ignorance either; this was the height of the counterculture age of “making love not war” which resulted in some fairly blunt and practical sex-ed courses in school, and most of us had pretty straight talk from the parental units at home on the possibilities and consequences. still, it was before aids had reared its ugly head and condoms were used not as much for std prevention as for their decidedly imperfect role of baby prevention, and there were those- ahem- whose preference for bareback sometimes outweighed the potential for parenthood in the heat of the moment, but who decided to accept responsibility and embrace the role of parent once it was, uh, thrust upon us.

but none of this is to say that popular entertainment for our young is anything to champion…the internet, videos, movies, “music”, and yes, television to which our young are exposed and addicted, has absolutely had its negative effects on their concept of what is good and decent and worthy as related to attitudes and actions towards others and even themselves; nudity and sex and love have been degraded and defiled and dulled to the point of eclipsing the beauty, tenderness, sacredness...and personal responsibility...that human relations are based on.

censorship at the hands of parents is an excellent tool; we limit the choices of those who are not yet mature enough to make wise decisions…but in the hands of gov, censorship and restriction of anything; entertainment, drugs, guns, and any other victimless pursuit or pleasure, is fallacy…even counterproductive as evidenced by the reduction in unwanted pregnancies, addictions, and other aberrant behaviors in societies which leave such choices up to adult individuals. that is one of the strongest arguments for "little l” libertarianism, and one which has been and probably will continue to be ignored as peripheral or antithetical to common thought and more importantly to those who would wield it, political control.

jtc

merry Christmas to all...

2008-12-24T17:25:00.003-05:00

**********************************************************
and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2009.
**********************************************************

nothin' but the truth...

2008-12-21T10:39:00.004-05:00

wow...today's day-by-day editorial episode is just amazing; truer words were never spoken, um, i mean written...well you know what i mean.

jtc

thirty seven years...where did they go?

2008-12-18T09:11:00.008-05:00

as i mentioned in the biff burger reminisce in my last post, today marks thirty seven years since my terrified little 17 year old ass joined together under the watchful eyes of God with the most awesome 5 foot nothing package of georgia dynamite He ever created. the baptist church where we sometimes went just to have an excuse for a sunday morning date was right next door to the old-line hardware store where i pulled down the huge sum of two bucks an hour for the first year we were married...and the other guys and gals at the store abandoned their posts for a few minutes when we came out of the church to shower us with rice. then it was off to the holiday inn for a one-night honeymoon, and back to our tiny one bedroom upstairs apartment which we had decorated for Christmas with lights on the wall in the shape of a tree. happy but scary times, with a baby girl on the way and a '61 vw bug that my pregnant girl had to help me push-start so we could go to the baby doctor...but i'd go back and do it all again without a second's hesitation.

how in the world could she be the same age as me, have the capacity for hard work beyond someone twice her size (me), a dedication and devotion to her children and grandchildren that amazes me every day, plus put up with my crap all these years and still look twenty years younger? i am one lucky s.o.b., and i thank my lucky stars for her every day.

happy anniversary, babe...looking forward to number thirty eight.

jtc

biff burger...

2008-12-13T18:29:00.007-05:00

came across a story on the old biff burger chain today, and it brought memories flooding back...

friday night was date night in our little town of pahokee, fl on the shore of lake okeechobee...my girl and i were 16 and would go to the local drive-in theater in nearby belle glade (think burt reynolds as gator mccluskey, though i'm afraid we didn't see much of the movies ;), then it was back to pahokee to hit the biff burger for a shake and a sack of fries to munch on as we joined the cruise circuit convoy through downtown, up to the levee overlooking the lake, and back again in a continuous meandering circle in my mom's nearly-new 1969 plymouth fury III...

that was 1970, and with a baby on the way we were married the following year at age 17 (like i said we didn't see much of the movies), had two girls by age 20 and a boy ten years later...next week on december 18th we will celebrate our 37th anniversary, have four grandkids and a good life in sebring, fl only about sixty miles from pahokee, and a mountain place in north georgia.

pahokee is (was) an agricultural town in western palm beach county; the sugar cane business is dying off, and along with it pahokee and belle glade; the biff burger closed along with most other businesses in pahokee long ago, and though the belle glade location lasted longer, it too is now history...and what a history it is to us...the glades drive-in theater and the biff burger are some of our brightest and fondest memories; we will never forget them.

little did we know that we on those date nights were some of the last that would enjoy the pleasures and freedoms of two of this nation's most melancholy memories and cherished institutions...drive in movies and burger joints. i'm sorry they're not around for our kids and grandkids to enjoy...and remember.

jtc

on hiatus...

2008-12-04T08:54:00.004-05:00

well it's back to work, for a while at least, as my son and i enact step three of my little obama recovery plan (see previous post).

doing the blog thing (a little posting of my own, but mostly cruising and commenting at others' places that i like) eats up time that i need to put to more productive, if not more enjoyable and educational, use. i have to say that i have been amazed at the knowledgeable, intelligent, creative, and often hilarious discourse at the blogsites i have frequented the last several months; thanks for that.

so ya'll play nice, and as frosty said as he melted away, "i'll be back again someday.."

jtc

hey kids! learn how to have fun and profit from "the obama recovery"

2008-11-29T10:09:00.005-05:00

the talking heads at the msnbc financial desk are telling us the three things we should invest in to profit as obama "fixes" the economy...yeah, those would be the same heads who totally missed (or worse, consorted to conceal) the falling domino effect as the various components of that economy fell hard and fast after being ballyhooed and cheered on to dizzying and unsustainable heights by...them.

me, i'll take a different tack; herewith, my own three-pronged plan:

1. guns and gun stuff. the widely reported boom in gun sales is really nothing new...something similar happened in '94 when the clinton ban enriched gun dealers nationwide by inflating the value of what had been common and not much in demand (a lot of 10 new-in-cosmolene norinco sks rifles was $690 wholesale in '92, you know what they are now); i was the serendipitous beneficiary of a lot of that...it was the most profitable period in my thirty years as an ffl...but it's different this time; the anti's learned some lessons, and disingenuous denials aside, there will certainly be a concerted if serruptitious effort to remove and ban hardware and supplies from the access of civilian Americans, backed up with legislation and a stacked deck of judiciary to make sure that those who would resist can be squashed for their impertinence. so after having divested most of my personal firearms inventory over the last eight years, i'm buying again...any and every decent firearm that i can buy "right", cases of ammunition, and though i never got into reloading, i'm also stocking supplies and dies for that...mostly because they don't want me to, but also just in case. and what better way to protect your assets and have some fun?

2. hard money. like guns, gold and silver are universal currency. because the values have skyrocketed over the last few years, much of what i had accumulated and kept when i sold my pawn store a few years ago in the way of gold and silver coins, bars, and heavy gold jewelry (heavy-link high-karat gold chains have for centuries been the favored mode of exchange in parts of the world where the politics are, shall we say, unpredictable) have been liquidated for profit. but now i'm buying again.

3. the pawn and estate brokering business. having spent thirty years behind the counter i was about fried and ready for some r&r when i sold out to clint in late '05, and i really still have little stomach for resuming the traditional-type pawn business. but my son, now 24 and back in fla with us, has sold his business in georgia and taken jewelry repair/goldsmithing school to develop a trade that will always be in demand...and with a major "redistribution" in the offing, people who have accumulated luxury items like jewelry, high-end watches, exotic cars and other unessential trappings of nouveau wealth, are going to be selling them off and/or using them as collateral to fund their expenses for the foreseeable future. so we're opening a nice little custom jewelry shop where eric can do his creative thing and do repairs and restorations, and i've kept my state pawn and estate broker's license active enabling us to do selective loans and purchases of expensive, but expendable luxury items.

not quite the path advised in the msnbc story, is it? yeah, well, that's exactly the point. let the "o" and his minions invest in his brave new "green" world, sink what remains of their cash into his "securities", and buy stock in the government-beholden "companies" that will do the fake make-work as the socialist regime re-enacts the wpa under their new, new deal...good luck with that.

ya'll go your way, i'll go mine.

jtc

thanks giving

2008-11-27T10:50:00.002-05:00

the same simple lines from the blessing we said as children applies just as well today...no matter what.

Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you, God, for everything.

where were you forty five years ago today?

2008-11-22T19:56:00.009-05:00

it's one of those iconic occurences that freeze us in time.

on this day in 1963 the young and charismatic president john f. kennedy was assassinated...and many say this nation's innocence was murdered along with him.

one thing is undeniably true; if you are old enough to remember that day, you no doubt have a sickening sense of deja vu when you think of it...

myself, i was a nine year old playing football in the schoolyard of our little stucco schoolhouse on the shore of lake okeechobee , waiting for the bus to take us home three miles out u.s. 98 among the sugar cane fields, when the word spread that the president had been shot; we didn't know until walter cronkite told us that evening in fuzzy black-and-white that he had died.

we kids didn't really know much about the politics of the day of course, but thinking of it now still brings an odd snapshot image back to me of that sunny play yard and a sense that the happy and carefree childhood that we were enjoying one moment was gone the next.

would history have taken a different course if kennedy had not been killed that day? would the events that were hurtling us deeper into a war in some tiny God forsaken place that none of us had heard of, but quite a few of us would soon find ourselves in -with some of us never to return- have been altered under his guidance? the powder keg of unrest, the uprising on our campuses, racial war and rioting in the streets...would it have been the same if jfk had remained at the helm of our ship of state?

my own sense is that history holds him in a frozen reverence that would not have been possible had he lived and found himself forced to deal with those issues of the era; the world was in upheaval and exploding all around us, perhaps speeded along by the shooting, but inevitable anyway...it would have been more than the legacy of any president, no matter how powerfully inspirational, could endure.

but we will never know.

jtc

the empowerment of cassie...

2008-11-17T09:45:00.006-05:00

xavier has a new protege...the need for cassie to go into areas where potential aggressors lurk had her justifiably concerned...i think that apprehension will soon evaporate, and the areas where she works...and the world...will be the better for it. this was my comment on xavier's story:

she is very fortunate to have you as a friend and mentor...

an aside, though...there are no "menacing locations", just places where menacing thugs are likely to congregate and take advantage of the unprotected.

but thanks to you and others like you, cassie's armed and capable presence there along with a growing army of similarly determined and inclined free and fearless citizens are our best hope to reclaim those areas from the evil, opportunistic lowlifes there, and in the process free the good people who are no doubt the majority there to live their lives fearlessly as well.

ain't equalized freedom great? protect the right of xavier to teach and cassie to be empowered, and ultimately save the world...what a concept, and more critical now than ever.

and keep up the good work, xavier...you are an inspiration.

jtc

and so it begins...

2008-11-15T22:58:00.002-05:00

didn't take the leftist msm cartoonists long to show their fear of the possibility of palin in '12...that oughta tell ya something.

jtc

thank you...

2008-11-10T22:20:00.004-05:00

to every veteran, past, present, and future...for your service, for your sacrifice, for saving the world then as now...from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

the fat lady done sung...

2008-11-05T09:29:00.003-05:00

and i really hate that tune.

i feel sick.

jtc

well, this is it...

2008-11-04T09:17:00.003-05:00

get out there and vote, ya'll!

'cause like ol' yogi said "i loves picinic baskets!"...wait, wrong yogi.

oh, here it is..."it ain't over till it's over"...yeah, that's it...VOTE!

jtc

what it's really all about...

2008-11-02T20:36:00.006-05:00

in the midst of a lively political exchange over at the munchkin wrangler, marko's blog system automatically placed a comment of mine in the moderation queu because i had insterted two links to posts at view from the porch.
when i questioned that, marko later answered that he had been busy feeding and preparing his children for bed...which brought focus anew to what all the chattering is really all about; our children (and in my case grandchildren).

here's three of mine (my oldest daughters two "kids" are not shown; they're teenagers for crying out loud!).

evan...

grace...

ozzy...

and evan and ozzy.

who'da thunk it?

2008-10-31T23:31:00.002-04:00

nader the zombie slayer?

jtc

110% voter participation...

2008-10-31T10:28:00.006-04:00

voter registration smashes all records...

well, sure...when you count dead folks, felons, pets, and illegal aliens it ain't so hard...

jtc

wasting away again...

2008-10-28T23:11:00.002-04:00

in obamaville.

just saw on the late news that jimmy buffet will give a free concert in nearby tampa's ford amphitheater that is really an undisguised and unapologetic mega-rally for bo...it's the "last chance for change rally and concert" on sunday 11/2.

just another icon of my boomer generation in the tank for the obamessiah.

well, i guess the "o" is the 21st century maharishi m. yogi or l.r. hubbard...those privileged self-haters just have to have some magical someone or something to give their empty existence meaning.

adios, jimmy...i'll never waste away another three minutes listening to you again.

jtc

poll lock

2008-10-28T21:44:00.002-04:00

no, not archie bunker's nickname for his son in law or the hard-working folks of poland...

what we're talkin' about here is the avalanche of polls being run by various and sundry vested interests to divine the leanings of likely voters. you've got yer msm'ers over at nbc/wsj and the ap, then you've got yer private "commissioned" polls run at the behest of unions and other "neutral" groups...yeah, right.

what they've all got in common is this: polls cost money to run and guess who's got the money in this here ratrace? yes, that would be the people of the "o", whether funded directly or just in the tank for the desired outcome, the polls are overwhelmingly slanted in their presentation, verbiage, and reported results.

and that's just a manifestation of one of our favorite refrains here at the pawnbroker's place...that perception is fairly easily shaped, and once shaped quickly morphs into reality. repeat enough times that the margin is overwhelming and that the "issues that are important" are weighed even more overwhelmingly in favor of the "client" and marginalize the issues where the client trails, and it might render that pesky election thing moot.

yep, there's a poll lock, all right...the whole shebang is all locked up and there's really no need for you bitter clingers to bother...that shit works, and they know it works; don't let it work on you and maybe, just maybe...the one poll that really counts, the one where you walk into that booth one week from today, will be the one where we the people hold the key to the lock.

jtc

could the o-man win...

2008-10-28T15:10:00.001-04:00

...but lose?

hell, yeah he could...but nbc's new tim russert says it won't happen.

jtc

i knew i liked this news chick...

2008-10-27T20:52:00.001-04:00

barbara west is a news anchor at orlando's channel 9, which is the abc affiliate for my sebring area. just watch ol' biden squirm...maybe they should get her to moderate one of those debates? well, not if the o campaign has anything to say about it...and of course they do.

jtc

lemme get this straight...

2008-10-26T09:58:00.003-04:00

that nbc/wsj poll from a few days back screams in headlines and the first two thirds of the story that bo has opened up a ten point lead, that he has won over independents, white women, suburbanites, that voters have reached a "comfort level" for him as president, and that palin is mccain's biggest drag since she is "unqualified to be president" (no mention that obama is even less qualified, and he's the top of the ticket!)...but:

"In the survey, Obama also holds commanding leads on the issues — especially economic ones. He has a 39-point advantage over McCain in handling health care (59 to 20 percent), a 21-point edge on improving the economy (49 to 28), a 21-point lead on the mortgage and housing crisis (45 to 24), a 17-point edge on dealing with the Wall Street crisis (42 to 25), a 14-point lead on taxes (48 to 34) and a 12-point advantage on energy and the cost of gas (44 to 32)." those are the issues?

"McCain, meanwhile, holds advantages on which candidate would do a better job in catching Osama bin Laden (39 to 19 percent) and handling the situation in Iraq (45 to 40)." handling the situation...you mean leading a nation at war?

"McCain also narrowly leads in having strong leadership qualities needed to be president (40 to 36 percent). But Obama has the edge in offering hope and optimism (53 to 23), improving America’s standing in the world (51 to 31) and having the right temperament to be president (50 to 30)." ah, hope and optimism...and certainly we want our standing in the world -aka pacifism- to be approved by the other pacifists.

"One other key advantage for Democrats is the enthusiasm gap. Fifty-two percent of Obama voters in the poll say they’re excited to be voting for the Democratic presidential nominee." oh, i'm so 'cited! chant with me...hopeychangey, hopeychangey...

well, good to know that the focus is on the important issues...over which potus has no control or constitutional power! and, oh yeah, mccain has the leadership qualities to be prez and would do a better job is administering a nation at war...but that's beside the point, right?

and besides, the o offers hope, optimism, and the sheeple are excited to vote for him! w...t...f is wrong with people?

jtc

well, looky here...

2008-10-22T17:22:00.002-04:00

i wouldn't get my hopes up, but the ap refutes the nbc/wsj poll...

update on last post...

2008-10-21T21:22:00.002-04:00

it's now 60% of sheeple for the o...

and any of you that saw the nbc reporters revel in their numbers and marginalize the issues where mccain leads-iraq and trustworthiness; the only issues really within presidential purview-will realize as i do that the outcome is a foregone conclusion...or should i say foregone collusion?

jtc

he said it, i didn't...

2008-10-16T09:47:00.004-04:00

bo protesting biased media coverage:

"I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?"

i wish i could answer "no damn body!"...but if that "other" biased news coverage is to be believed, about 55% of the sheeple want somebody exactly like that...

neither rain, nor snow, nor serpents' bite...

2008-10-12T09:54:00.003-04:00

...can stay this mail carrier from his appointed rounds...

my mail-dudette won't even walk up the front driveway (she honks).

jtc

but those ballistic descents are a bitch...

2008-10-12T09:49:00.002-04:00

with way too much money and a lot of faith in the power of the "reset" button, billionaire game designer is the first second-generation American spaceman...lucky bastard.

jtc

same difference...

2008-10-11T11:23:00.004-04:00

i knew this whole house-of-cards market collapse sounded familiar...it's just like this...

bunch of frat kids throwing around kazillions of opm and livin' large, with no understanding or concern about the consequences, and gov to back them up...sweet deal till it all comes crashing down.

jtc

from tiny acorns...

2008-10-10T21:38:00.002-04:00

mighty "o's" grow...

"zomg, they stole the election!"

well, wink-wink msm, this time it's okay, yes?

jtc

armageddon?

2008-10-10T09:55:00.007-04:00

we think we know what biblical armageddon might be like, based on various and sundry literal and/or twisted "interpretations"...though i personally like dan aykroyd's dramatic shakespearesque recitation in ghost busters.

but just as we have no proof that the existence of supernatural intelligence and design is at all like mainstream religion teaches, so do we have no idea what event or series of events could lead to the demise of life as we have known it for the last few hundred years.

is the financial tsunami that is washing over the world a harbinger of the breaking down of the gentlemen's accord of relative peace and codependent existence?

recent intellectual discussions of the morphing of perception into reality unnecessarily complicates what really happens...if enough individual entities begin to perceive (believe) that something is so, critical mass will guarantee a self-fulfilling reality.

so if the worldwide barter system that is based almost entirely at its source on American dollars breaks down because those dollars and the assets behind them are no longer perceived to be the highest-valued collateral on earth? then the reality could become that all bets are off and it's every man (woman, and child) for himself.

will the end of times be orchestrated by a deity through miraculous events, or will it be misengineered by ourselves into a renewed reality of a subsistence existence of man? in either case, the ones who will begin anew are not the ones who are running around doing the chicken-little dance babbling "zomg, we're all gonna die", but the ones who are prepared both to face Judgement and to survive what we may be doing to ourselves right now...whatever the hell that is.

jtc

the ten least wanted...

2008-10-08T20:28:00.005-04:00

nobody wants these losers anymore...

but i doubt they give a flying f..k.

some say these top-level financial geniuses deserve such obscene riches because they are rare talents demanding top dollar...yeah, they did a fine job.

they should be judged and sentenced not by a jury of their peers (they are peerless, remember? rare and valuable), but by a jury of the investors in the stocks and funds they pillaged.

oh, that's right...they aren't charged with any crime; but if they are anywhere near approaching the savvy savants they were paid to be, then they knowingly pumped zillions of other people's dollars into a market bubble doomed to explode, taking their clients life savings with it...except the nice chunk they kept for themselves...and the only price to pay is a little public derision and maybe a senate hearing just for show; not a bad trade for a million bucks a month for three or so years.

jtc