Obama unleashes a Barack-barrage

Sen. Obama countered Rev. Jeremiah Wright by denouncing his views and his association with his campaign period. Is this too little too late?

The Reverend Not-So-Wright?

Here are some segments from Rev. Jeremiah Wright's appearance at the National Press Club on Monday the 28th. An interesting look at a troubled mind perhaps?

Tuesday's Tech Tip: Using your Quick Launch toolbar

We're working on cleaning up your messy Windows desktops. Last week we worked on pinning stuff to the top of your Start menu.

This week we're going to work on your Quick Launch toolbar. See the red arrow in the image below (click to enlarge the image)? That's the Quick Launch toolbar.













If you don't see one on your Windows XP or Vista machine, we need to turn it on:

1. Right-click on a blank spot on your the bar.
2. Select Toolbars and then
3. Select Quick Launch.

Now you should see your Quick Launch toolbar with a bunch of icons in it. If you have a lot, you can click the little arrow at the far right end of your Quick Launch toolbar to show the rest of the icons in there. Time to clean it up.

Anything you don't use every time you use your computer should be deleted. I only need FireFox and Outlook on my home machine, so those are the icons you see in the above image. Right-click on anything you don't use very frequently and select Delete in the context-sensitive menu that pops up.

Now, is there anything you need in there that isn't? If you have a shortcut icon on your desktop that you use all the time, just click on it and drag it to your Quick Launch toolbar. Delete it from your desktop.

If there's a program somewhere in your Start menu that you want in your Quick Launch toolbar, do the the same thing. Click on the program and drag it onto your Quick Launch toolbar.

Now you can mess with the order. If you want the second item in front of the first, just click and drag it into the position you want.

At this point, you shouldn't have any program shortcuts on your desktop. Why? Last week you pinned anything you use often to the top of your Start menu. Today you put anything you use almost every time in your Quick Launch bar. Anything else you use so infrequently you can live with firing it up from your Start menu --> All Programs list.

Here's another Quick Launch tip for Vista users: See the order the icons are in? Say you want to open up the 2nd program instantly. See the Windows key on your keyboard in between the CTRL and ALT key on the left? The one that opens up your Start menu? Hold down the Windows key and tap "2". That opens up the second program in your Quick Launch toolbar instantly.

Next week: Cleaning up your Windows notifications area

Change Congress

Anyone here familiar with Change Congress? One of the founders is Lawrence Lessig, the big brain from Stanford Law who's behind Creative Commons.

Change Congress is a national movement to end corruption in America's congress. We're organizing citizens to push candidates to make four simple commitments:

1. No money from lobbyists or PACs
2. Vote to end earmarks
3. Support reform to increase Congressional transparency
4. Support publicly-financed campaigns

Check out the site, it's a great resource. There's a map on the front page that shows the amount of PAC money going to various districts (the sludgier the color the more PAC money). You'll note that our own -- the 19th District -- is one of the few light spots in the US, because of Todd Platts refusal to take PAC money. Go York!

The site also features a Citizen's Pledge and a Candidate's Pledge. Citizens and candidates can pledge to some or all of the four Change Congress principles. The site lets you track the candidates' pledges.

Link to Change Congress.

Join in on The Gary Sutton Show today, April 29, 2008

Welcome to the Voices from Main Street blog sponsored by WOW Cafe and Wingery!

It's the home opening day for the York Revolution Baseball Team today as we do our show LIVE from Sovereign Bank Stadium. We welcome you to contribute before, during, and after the show on any of the subjects we discuss or debate today.

The "Reverend Wright Tour" is not making the Obama folks too happy, and meanwhile, a new poll shows Hillary Clinton with a 50%-41% over Senator McCain in a possible general election matchup.

The Supreme Court has decided that ID cards are legal in an election. Why are Dems so against this, and Repubs so much for it?

Finally, has baseball been good for York, and were you a "doubting Thomas" who has changed your mind, or do you still see no benefit?

Don't forget to listen to the game with Darryl Henry and me tonight starting with pre-game at 6:05 on Newsradio 910 WSBA!

What is true?

What is true? Here's a simple flowchart that will help guide you in your search for truth (click to enlarge).

New poll: Where do you get your news?

There's a new poll up -- where do you get your news?

You can select multiple items.

And remember, you can always change your vote before the poll closes. Just click on "change your vote."

Poll results: How long have you listened to the show?

How long have you listened to the show?

Less than a year - 22%
1-3 years - 19%
3-7 years - 25%
8 years - 32%

Obama's honeymoon is on the rocks

Barack Obama’s honeymoon with the media may well be over.

His rhetoric has turned into a double-edged sword which took him to great heights because of its regular man soaring possibilities, but has now become the kind of cryptic, almost Clintonian kinds of answers to troubling questions that leave us as a nation feeling unfulfilled.

For a man with an oratorical gift like the Senator, and one who constantly talks about clearness, and transparency, he missed a great opportunity portraying those qualities by not telling us what “earlier controversial comments” he had heard his pastor Jeremiah Wright utter. The fact that he understates the controversy of Wright’s remarks as simply a “distraction” instead of a defining moment that could help people trust him or not is an error in judgment for a man with a considerable intellect.

People walk away from that answer with a feeling that this is the same old political hack who holds an arrogance that we have seen emanating from Washington for years -- the same Washington that Barack Obama is trying to distance himself from, and the type of political hack he constantly criticizes.

Add to that the tortured oral bumbling in trying to explain how an association with William Ayres, a bombing member of the Weather Underground is nothing more than a “manufactured issue” and you have a candidate whose high-flying words have been grounded, at least for the moment.

It seems to me that what will raise his message back up is clear and plain talk about all issues, whether he thinks they are important or not. I’m Gary Sutton.

Rev. Wright attempts to set the record straight

Here are the 4 clips from his appearance on Bill Moyers' PBS TV show. What do you think of his response?





Enjoy and discuss!

The Greatest Sports and Social Trivia Question of All Time!

Okay, here's the best question ever, and it will take some work and patience to get it.

You have to have some sports knowledge, but really more awareness of social stuff and current events over the years. Anyway, if you get the whole thing right, we will provide 5 different dinner dates at WOW plus a couple of tickets to a York Revolution Game for the ultimate winner. I will drop hints if needed, but for this group, I don't think that will be needed very often. I also will tell you up front, and again I might be wrong, I don't think these answers are collectively in any one place.

So, here we go with the Greatest Sports and Social Trivia Question of All Time:

Since 1954, there have been only 5 times (Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods cannot be given as answers) where the same people, animals or teams have appeared on the covers of both Sports Illustrated and Time magazines in the same week. Name those 5 people, animals, or teams.

Guess in "fives" rather than one at a time with your answers. I'll let you know what's right and what's not along the way. Good luck, and have fun!

Either/Or! Just pick one , support it, and tell us why!

Burping in public or flatulence? Run with it, and have a little fun.

What are you doing to combat and overcome gas prices?

Carpooling, conservation, or other forms of transportation -- what are you doing and what suggestions can you make for dealing with the astronomical gas prices? Let's hear 'em right here!

Pro and con racism -- some thoughts

So much has been written about and alluded to carefully about race and racism in this presidential campaign that I think it’s time for us as human beings to remove “carefully” and insert “starkly” into this conversation.

Racism is disliking , discriminating, and hating someone simply because of their color of skin. It’s wrong, it’s ugly, it’s narrow-minded, it’s despicable, and it’s ignorant. It’s also real though many of us would deny it. The problem of racism is that it has multiple ownership with many of those proprietors of hate not realizing the stake they have made.

Think about it; if you think Barack Obama is the best candidate , but you won’t vote for him because he is a black man, then you are a racist. Yes? So let’s offer another side to this and see how it fits. Suppose you think that Barack Obama is not the most well-qualified candidate in your mind and heart, but you vote for him because he is black whether you are or not. You are also a racist. Yes? Why? Because race is the only basis for your decision.

Racism is a convenient substitute for thinking because it is easier to resort to the primal stupidity, ignorance, narrow-mindedness and hate inherent in such a feeling. Our better angels tell us that the only thing that really matters in this election, or any event where race is involved is the content of character and leadership of a man or woman. If Barack Obama becomes the Democratic presidential candidate, and ultimately president, it should be only because of his qualifications.

Unfortunately, we’re not there yet; race is too important to too many, but when we break the barrier without discussing race as a barrier, then we as the human race will have matured beyond pro and con racism, and we all will win. I’m Gary Sutton.

Who's been raising gas prices

No surprise.















(click to enlarge)

Start rollerblading to work?

Ouch.

Yep, you guessed it ... Bill's at it again!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the political waters, Pres. Clinton drops a bit more of his classic "Clintonese" on all of us. This time it was about the Obama campaign and race. Just what did the `ol Billy-Baroo have to say? Check it out below.



But WAIT, you didn't think he would actually tell anyone he said that, did you?



Ah yes, the Rosetta Stone of politics needed to decipher Clintonese still gets the job done, and we all find out what we already know. It still depends on what is ... is.

Tuesday's Tech Tip: Pin stuff to your Start menu

Let me be frank, people: I've seen your desktops and they are even more cluttered and messy than your real desktops.

Cluttered? Messy? I've given it some more thought and cluttered and messy isn't sufficiently accurate. I'm going to use words like apalling and landfill-like.

We're going to spend some of these Tuesday's Tech Tips on cleaning up your Windows XP and Vista desktops.

We're gonna start with, well, your Start menu. That's what the red arrow is pointing at in the image below (you can click on it to enlarge).













Take a second to look at that desktop. What don't you see on it? How about:

1. Install programs for stuff I already installed
2. Desktop shortcuts for programs
3. Files that I don't actually need immediate access to

For now, let's focus on programs you use frequently. If you look at the top of the Start menu in the above image, you'll see four such programs above the horizontal line -- Firefox, Outlook, iTunes and TomTom Home.

They are pinned to the top of my Start menu. They are always above that line. Let's clean that up your pinned items on your Start menu.

1. Open your Start menu
2. Right-click on the icon of any program you don't use or only use rarely
3. A context-sensitive menu opens. Click on "Unpin from Start menu"

Do this for any program currently pinned that you don't use or don't use often. Now we need to pin any programs that you do use often.

1. Open your Start menu.
2. Go to "All Programs" and right click on any program you use frequently.
3. A context-sensitive menu opens. Click on "Pin to Start menu".

Now your Start menu has pinned programs that you use often and that's it. Delete the shortcuts for these programs from your desktop (click on the shortcut icon on your desktop and click the "Delete" button or manually drag it into your trashcan).

That's it. In future Tech Tips I'll show you how to use your quick launch bar (the little area to the right of the Start button), how to clean up your notification area (the area to the far right that has the little clock in it) and how to continue cleaning up your desktop.

Today (and tonight!): What are your thoughts on this Primary Election Day 2008?

The Gary Sutton Show will be on location this morning from 9-12 noon at Jackson School (polling place) at 177 East Jackson Street.

Tonight from 8-11p.m., the Gary will have a special "Election Night Show" from "Celebrations" at Sam and Tony's Restaurant. This will be a call-in show and will include guests and "Man-on-the-Street" interviews throughout the evening.

Reflect on the day and share your comments with us here on the WOW Blog.

Consider this before you vote!

As you go to the polls to vote in the primary, I want you to consider the words of French philosopher Frederic Bastiat when he defined the main fault of politicians in our society.

He described this fault as legal plunder and told us we can easily see it as citizens when, “the law takes from some persons what belongs to them and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong.”

In other words, the law benefits one citizen or a group at the expense of of another citizen or group of same by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime.

With that definition in mind, then, you have three choices tomorrow and again on Tuesday November 5th. You must choose one of three ways to deal with the legal plundering that has changed this country and the idea of individual rights radically over the years. Here are the three ways to settle legal plunder. You must accept one of these:

1. The few plunder the many. (That’s happening now!)

2. Everybody plunders everybody. (That’s happening because we think Number one is ok.)

3. Nobody plunders anybody. (That is not happening at all, but it sure seems like the way it should be, right?)

As you consider your choices today, think about who is closest to number 3, and you might find a good candidate who understands what liberty and freedom should be in the United States. I’m Gary Sutton.

Musings from a non-progressive person about politics, illegal invasions, and how the government enables.

You might be interested in the following information which seems to have become unimportant to many Americans.

Musings from a Silly Non-Progressive American on CHANGE! Is this what we want when we talk change? Oh, by the way, weren't all 3 major SENATORS part of this change that we have heard so much about during the campaign?

CHANGE- Part 1
In just one year. Remember the election in 2006? CHANGE HAS ALREADY HAPPENED -- Because a little over one year ago:

1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;

2) Regular gasoline sold for a $2.19 average per gallon;

3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%.

CHANGE - Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we have seen:

1) Consumer confidence plummet;

2) The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.50 average a gallon;

3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);

4) American households have seen $2.3 trillion in equity value evaporate (stock and mutual fund losses);

5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2 trillion dollars;

6) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.

America voted for change in 2006, and we got it! Remember it's Congress that makes law not the President. He has to work with what's handed to him.

CHANGE Part 2:

Taxes -- whether Democrat or a Republican you will find these statistics enlightening and amazing.

www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html

GOOD OL' DAYS Taxes under Clinton 1999

Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750

vs THOSE UNFAIR TAXES under Bush 2008
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

CHANGE - Both democratic candidates will return to the higher tax rates. It is amazing how many people that fall into the categories above think Bush is screwing them and Bill Clinton was the greatest President ever. If Obama or Hillary are elected, they both say they will repeal the Bush tax cuts and a good portion of the people that fall into the categories above can't wait for it to happen. CHANGE is all that matters (and all they will have left). This is sort of like the movie The Sting with Paul Newman; you scam somebody out of their money and they don't even know what happened....until it is TOO LATE....

CHANGE PART 3:

You think the war in Iraq is costing us too much? Read this:

Boy, am I confused. They say it is the Iraq war and the war on terror that is bankrupting us; I find that to be RIDICULOUS. I hope that you will carefully consider the following 14 reasons as to why they don't make sense.I have included the URL's for verification of all the following facts.

1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year by state governments. Verify at http://tinyurl.com/zob77

2. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens. Verify at http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html

3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens. Verify at http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html

4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English! Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html

5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

7, 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare & social services by the American taxpayers. Verify at http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html

9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US. Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html

11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern border. Verify at Homeland Security Report: http://tinyurl.com/t9sht

12. The National Policy Institute, 'estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period.' Verify at http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf

13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. Verify at http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm

14. 'The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States .' Verify at http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml

The total cost is a whopping $ 338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR; which is NOT SPARE CHANGE.

When disaster strikes

There has been some irresponsible talk that would lead a reader to believe that there are greater threats to your well-being than Olav.

Yet what do we see when disaster strikes?

Judge yourself after seeing this troubling photographic evidence (click to enlarge):















Concerned? You should be.

Welcome, Irish readers!

Welcome, Irish visitors to our blog! My experience with Ireland is limited to a couple of hours in Shannon's airport (reputedly the birthplace of Irish Coffee).

You know the public announcements person who reads stuff in the airport like "Delta 305 is arriving from Philadelphia"? Well, Shannon Airport had a woman with the sexiest voice you ever heard reading those announcements. I bet if I found her she'd have a mustache and weigh 400 pounds or something equally horrifying, but, man, what a voice.

I'd love to get back and see Ireland, the ancestral homeland of the O'Vidyarthi Clan (from way southern Ireland).

I did a little research and learned from Dave Barry that

A typical Irish town consists of several buildings, one of which is always a bar, called a "pub." Next to this there will typically be another pub, which is adjacent to several more pubs. Your larger towns may also have a place that sells food, but this is not critical.

Yeah, I need to visit there.

April 17: Today's show

Jump in a discuss today's show! Just click on the word "comments" below to join the discussion.

What's on deck? All kinds of topics, but right now it's last night's debate and the middle class.

Speaking of the middle class, check out this post from a couple weeks ago to see how the Congressional Research Service tried to define the middle class.

New poll: How long have you listened to the show?

Last week, Gary's show hit the eight year anniversary. How long have you been listening to the show?

For the record (if April 10 is the correct birthdate), the Main Street of America shares its birthday with such luminaries as John Madden, Omar Sharif, Mandy Moore and famed thespian Steven Seagal.

There will be 9 candles on the show's cake next year. Those 9 candles produce 9 BTUs,
or 2,268 calories of heat (that's only 2.2680 food Calories!). You can boil 1.03 ounces of water with that many candles.

And that's one to grow on. Yo, Joe!

Poll results: Did Obama's speech do it for you?

Poll results: Did Obama's speech do it for you? (on the Rev. Wright brouhaha).

Yes - 40%
No - 46%
Haven't decided - 12%

Wild, Wacky, Wierd Wednesday!

Those 4 W's are in full effect today as the Gary Sutton Show tackles many subjects including: Why people are tired of "Change" in this election run, a ridiculous plastic bag tax, a U.S. Supreme Court case (from a Louisiana case) on whether or not it is "cruel and unusual pubnishment" for someone to get the death penalty for raping children.
Feel free to call in at 1-800-357-0910 or make a post here on the blog to dive headfirst into the action.

An archetype of violence in mythology

I was reading about Joseph Campbell and the notion of recurring archetypes in mythology. It's pretty interesting stuff!

I spent some time researching some old myths and one particular archetype -- an archetype of violence -- kept popping up.

Yeah. It's Olav. (Click to enlarge)















I can't say I'm surprised. I am concerned, though. As the evidence of the Olav threat mounts, our do-nothing government continues to studiously ignore the threat. What will it take for a genuine plan to defend us from Olav?

And will the invisible hand of the International Hallway Monitor Cabal continue to lie to people about the Olav Threat?

Excuse me, sir, is this the Delta House?

Sure ... come on in!

On today's Gary Sutton Show there will be discussion for all. Jimmy Carter's visit to Hamas, the Race for the Presidency, and more! Feel free to call in at 1-800-357-0910 and dive headfirst into the action.

Tuesday's Tech Tip: Talk to a human

Are you tired of calling toll-free numbers for assistance and then fighting your way through hundreds of prompts? Wanna talk to a human instead of a droid?

Use GetHuman.com.

You'll find an alphabetical list of companies, their phone number and instructions on how to get a human on the line.

The instructions for Belkin Tech Support, for example, says: "At prompt press 2263; press 1 at each prompt thereafter."

Link to GetHuman.com

Are YOU a bitter Pennsylvanian?

Obama's remarks about PA's working class voters

Last week, presidential candidate Barack Obama raised the ire of many a voter in PA when he said that, "working-class voters are bitter over their circumstances and cling to guns, religion, and anti-immigrant attitudes as a result." Below is a video of his remarks about this given in Steelton this past weekend.

The Tax Eve Show (also Mrs. Sutton's birthday)

Throw down today from 9 to noon!

Today (4/14), in addition to being Tax Eve, is also Mrs. Sutton's birthday, the number of which I will obviously not divulge here because I want to remain monastery-free. I mention this not because my wife deserves the attention, though I love her very much, but rather because of the various anniversaries on which her birthday fall.

This did cause some alarm for me before we married when I realized that this is the date that the Titanic struck the iceberg (again no comparison between my wife and self) and the date on which Abraham Lincoln was shot. You can only imagine my dismay. However, I was able to rationalize it out in true Clintonian fashion by coming to grips with the fact that the finality of both acts did not occur until April 15th.

Oh yeah, we have Terry Madonna on the show this morning to comment on last night's presidential forum in Grantham , PA at Messiah College. One of the biggest buzzes is about Obama's gaffe concerning us gun-toting, anti-immigrant, god-fearing types here in the rural wilds of PA.

Speaking of immigration,why aren't the candidates talking about it more? Mayor Lou Barletta joins me at 9:30 to offer his insights. If the president wouldn't attend the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing, wouldn't it make sense to just cancel the Olympics as far as U.S. involvement? Where do you stand? This, too, will be a matter of discussion today.

Finally, former President Jimmy Carter is going to Syria to meet with the senior leadership of Hamas. Carter has been counseled that meeting with the "foreign terrorist organization" was not in the interest of U.S. foreign policy. We'll get Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy Frank Gaffney's evaluation of the action and trip by the former president. Full menu today, and lots to comment on as well. Have a great one, and don't forget to read my post on the beginning of all problems which is obviously "walking on the right side of the hall." Enjoy! GS

The basis for all evil--Olav be damned!

Armageddon is coming and here's how I know it:

People not walking on the right as they pass you. This evil menace is a growing problem in this country -- and, potentially, the world community.

Walking on the right when you pass another creates order from chaos. Form from the Void. Sure, here at WSBA we are sometimes accused of being on the right. But think about it. You’re walking down a hallway on the right because that was how you were taught by your family and re-enforced by society. It worked in the hallways of the school, on the sidewalks, at the mall, walking down the aisles at church. It's a simple standard that makes life easier for all of us.

Everyone was happy and working together. No longer. Let's say I’m walking down the hallway on the right and you come walking down the left side. How do we resolve this problem these days?

First of all, we have to stop at some point and decide on the rules -- yours or mine. This obviously will determine conservative and liberal. We'll use the conservative label for people of believe in the established custom and liberal for those who want to change it. Clearly, passing people in hallways is the birthplace of these terms.

Now we now move into the win-lose mentality, because one of us is going to have to lose our sense that we were walking down the hallway correctly and succumb to the other. If one of us is white and one is black, we may well have a racism or reverse-racism situation where one of us has to be submissive to the other’s views.

Oh, it gets worse. We decide that the other person who is passing on the left was not raised correctly. Resentment and despair builds! Why doesn't that person pass on the right, as our forefathers intended?

Now what? If we're lucky, we just do the little shuffling dance in these situations. If we're unlucky, well, who knows how bad it can get? A stare down, a battle of words, or even a fight. And God help us if one or both persons are gang members, like those Red Hat Society ladies.

Suppose some bureaucracy gets upset over the fact that we can’t decide on the rule, so they make a new set of rules which leads to a decision that we’ll have to have an identity card that says we can’t walk in the same place at the same time, or different days will require walking on different sides of the hallway, or that we will have one way hallways which will be required as a regulation for every public and private building and will be funded at taxpayer expense to make sure it is compatible for all.

Halls in buildings where we are having problems will require a special walking fee (tax) which will be collected at the hallway toll booth and whose profits will go to educating children on the dangers of walking in hostile hallways without a friend.

A third lane will be created called an HOW lane which stands for High Occupancy Walkers which may alleviate the fact that we will ever have to pass each other.

Another problem that has now also been identified in this right-left confrontation has been those who sneak by us on the right and sneak by us on the left. This inconveniences us, and tears down the value of our walk by making sneaking the same as what we are doing -- which is just playing by the rules in society.

It’s bad enough that we have to deal with Mr. or Ms. Lefty over here who has stopped us — oh no, now we have someone else trying to push their way past us. Sounds like it’s time for the hallway border guard who if they catch these people not obeying any rules at all, sends them back to their starting point at the other end of the hall. Problem is, they’ll be sneaking by us again before we even know it.

By the way, according to government hall-walking statistics, there are approximately 12-20 million illegal hall-walkers in this country today. They have closed down at least 12 massive buildings because of their overwhelming stream past law-abiding walkers.

Obviously, when two of us are at a standstill in the hallway, and we’re both intent on winning at the expense of the other, yet we are not violent, we now have gridlock. That means neither of us will get to our place of work, and we’ll just do nothing but stand and face each other down while the real work awaits.

But wait, a Blue-Ribbon Commission is appointed to study the problem of hall-walkers, and all of the reasons we got to this point. Along with Congress, they will arrive at a date by which walkers must withdraw from the confrontation, stand off, and civil war they are experiencing when they meet on the right and left sides of the hall.

Perhaps, former Senator Lee Hamilton, and former President Jimmy Carter will be chosen to head this Blue-Ribbon Panel, which will then have right-side walkers screaming favoritism and politics because these guys most certainly will favor the left-side walkers.

You’ll also hear cries from people who say that in Europe, they also walk on the left, so why don’t we look at that instead of just unilaterally deciding that the right side of the hall is the only place we can walk. None of our global friends are walking on the right, so how can we be so pompous as to think that the right side walkers have cornered the market on how to walk the hallways?

This is much ado about nothing, you say. Okay. How far away can driving on the left-side of the road on a highway be? Think about the chaos , death and destruction that it will cause just because you wanted to drive where you felt like it.

This brings us full-circle to the beginning, where I have decided to stay in my office, and my home, and sneak out only after everyone has left or gone to bed. Yeah, you’ve got it — isolationism. I don’t know if it will work, but at least I can duck the problem of having to have my view of the world changed by left-side walkers.

Can Armageddon be far?

Welcome, visitors from Denmark!

Welcome to the blog, visitors from Denmark!

Denmark is Norway's neighbor and is thus locked in a terrible arms race over their coats of arms. Denmark's coat of arms features not one lion, but three lions with little crowns.

While this is enough to ensure peace via the theory of Mutally Assured Destruction, U.N. weapons inspectors suspect that Denmark is currently working on ax technology -- an outcome that will surely disrupt the balance of power in Scandinavia.

Denmark is also known as the setting for William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. This previously unknown play was later made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger's portrayal of the Danish prince.

A soldier's response to being called part of a cult

This was the letter I read on the show from Major Joe DeCree in response to Jacqueitch's blog post on Wednesday of this past week. I hope it means something to you. It did to me. GS

I was not able to listen to the guest spot that he responded to but I heard your reading of his blog and I then read his post to make sure that I got it right. I read his blog comments and I am sitting at my desk shaking.

I at first got angry, of course. Such talk is outlandish and even dangerous. How dare that man who clearly aspires to little make light of a brave Navy SEAL who yesterday was awarded a posthumous medal of honor when he blew himself up to save his buddies.

Cultists do not die for their fellows. They certainly are not concerned with saving their fellows. How dare Jacque Itch diminish that man. I find such a man who would say those things as a man without honor. It's one thing to think of something in a moment of anger it is quite another to take the time to craft a lengthy message which is delivered anonymously and in cowardly fashion on a blog read by hundreds. Jacque Itch is such a man it would seem.

Jacque Itch, if you are out there you are a man without honor and I hope never to make your acquaintance. You cannot apologize enough for your statements. I can give nothing else you say credence perhaps in perpetuity.

The second feeling I experienced after reading that was overwhelming despair. I made the military my life. I read the Constitution regularly because I swore an oath to uphold it. I re-read my oath of office frequently for the same reason. I missed my families birthdays. I missed my anniversary every year because I married in June and the Army is always in the field in June. I missed a few Christmases. I missed retirement parties, I do not know my brother's children because I was always gone. I missed my oldest daughter's last 3 years of high school because I was overseas for almost that entire period. The deployments nearly cost me my marriage. And , oh yeah, I got shot at -- a lot.

Why did I and thousands like me go through all of that? I did it for the Republic. I did it for my brother's children, I did it for my own children. I even did it for Jacque Itch. I did it so that we get to be what we want.

I did not care about Usama bin Laden. I knew I would never see him in the flesh so any personal attachment to that man is pointless. I did it for my men who under 8 years of the Clinton's went from a proud fighting force to buying the diesel fuel for military vehicles with their own money so we could make training exercises. Doesn't sound much like a cultist to me.

But today Jacque Itch set me straight. I spent 22 years being an automaton. I spent 22 years not trying to teach young men and women how to be better than what they were, but simply brainwashing more automatons. I did not defend the Republic. I instead apparently wasted my life and lived a lie. Words fail me, I cannot describe what I am feeling right now I only hope never to feel it again. Screw you, Jacque Itch.

-- Maj. Joe DeCree, US Army (Ret.)

What's On Your Mind Friday

Join in during the show today, Friday, April 11th from 9 to Noon.

Think about the answer to this question; What is the basis for all of the problems we see in the country and world today? I have traveled to the Mount for the answer, and will expound on it. Hey, but you can add to it on the show because it's your day to be the producer.

Anything on your mind is important no matter what we are discussing or when we're talking about it.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot; former presidential candidate, former Massachusetts governor, present supporter of Senator John McCain for president, and possible vice presidential candidate, Mitt Romney will join me for a 16-minute one on one interview on The Gary Sutton Show.

Will he accept the vice-presidential offer if asked? We ask him the question, and you can hear the answer, and comment on the "softness" or "hardness" of the interview here.

We welcome all blog commenters , old and new to join in, and then stop by WOW Cafe and Wingery for lunch or dinner anytime to say 'hi'. (What a cheap way to get a shameless plug in for Jay.) Anyway, enjoy the show! GS

Welcome, Swedes and Brazilians!

A quick peek at the analytic software tells us we have visitors from Sweden and Brazil. Welcome!

Internationally, Swedish meatballs are synonymous with the Swedish cuisine. In this age of DIY videos, we are pleased to share the following instructional video for you to make your own meatballs. The video features a well-known Swedish chef.



Of course, the Brazilians are well-known for their love of urinal soccer, known as futebol de urinol -- not to be confused with American urinal football made popular by the NUFL).

Futebol de urinol has a major effect on Brazilian culture. It is often the favorite pastime of youngsters that can be found playing it on the streets.

World Cup tournaments are a social phenomenon, and it is not unusual for people to skip work to watch the national team play, and in some cases the very workplace will set up apparatus for its employees to watch the event together.

Thursday, April 10th Show Post

General Petraeus finished up his testimony on The Hill yesterday. Now where do we go with the Iraq War, and will any of the presidential candidates do anything different? The President goes before the nation at 11:30 to talk about Iraq. We'll have it for you on the show if there is time.

Is the president right to say he is going to the Olympics and Opening Ceremonies, while the Speaker, and Senator Clinton calls for a boycott of the ceremony?

More reactions to Jacque's blog will be on the show today including one from a lifelong soldier that will move you. We'll follow up on the Obama delegate who resigned because of calling two kids in a tree "monkeys." We'll continue to tell you why continued dialog on race cannot happen until the playing field of discussion is fair for all voices.

We'll share another e-mail about the 9/11 conspiracy theorists who think it was all planned by the bad guys (U.S.) That's us, and you can feel free to react as I will. Just a few of the items you can blog into today!

Don't forget to stop by WOW Cafe and Wingery, and take your computer along because of their free wi-fi. If you are not a "wing" man or woman, then you will find a great assortment of wonderful delicacies to check out, like fajitas, catfish and wraps. Enjoy the show today!

GS

Oh, no.

Oh, no. Oh, no no no. This apocalyptic vision from the future is even more fearsome when we see just who is standing in front of the sentient tank powered by a small black hole.

Click to enlarge (if you dare).



















Can we do nothing to stop this apocalyptic future from occurring?!

Wanna get involved?

It's easy, because if you can't call, you can type! Drop Gary a show comment here and you'll each him even faster than by e-mail. Gary monitors the blog constantly during the show, so this is a great way for you to be a part of the action and let YOUR voice be heard, even if you are unable to call in.

It's Tuesday, April 8th--Wanna get involved in the show?

Let's see, we've got General Petraeus in town today along with Ambassador Crocker with an update on the Iraq War. The Olympic Torch relay is taken a beating? Should our president sit out the opening ceremonies. Joey Vento wins his "English Only" case for Geno's Steaks in Philly. Come on in and post up a storm. GS

The April 7th Show is Open for discussion during 9 to 12 noon.

Each day, (unless I forget to open it up here) we will have this "chat room-type" post for you to comment on the topics we bring up on the show. Today, Congressman Todd Platts is my guest, so if you have questions or comments for him, post them here, and we will refer to them frequently. we also encourage any responsible comments and questions each day here on the blog to be shared throughout the show.

Welcome, Hungarians!

Welcome to Voices from Main Street, Hungarians!

Hungary is known for it's many inventors. László Bíró invented the ballpoint pen, Ernő Rubik invented the Rubik's cube, and of course, Imre Krypton Electric Bulb invented the krypton electric bulb.

Sadly, Hungary has no monkeys. I'm giving them a pass, however, because they managed to cast off Soviet shackles and transform themselves into a republic with a market economy without fragmenting into a million warring villages, engaging in genocide or creating a kleptocracy. No mean feat.

An Olav sighting

As you know, Norway's coat of arms features an ax-wielding, cheroot smoking, little-crown-wearing lion. I choose to believe the lion's name is Olav, by the way.

Wiki says nothing about whether or not the lion rides around in a futuristic, sentient battle tank powered by a small black hole, so I'm forced to assume that he does.

Today I stumbled across this photographic evidence.

Click the picture to enlarge it and view it in all its horrifying glory.















I knew it.

It's 3:00 am, and what do you want to know about your president?

Personally, I hope he or she is sleeping, but this constant misuse and reuse is too good to pass up for such a creative bunch of bloggers. Let your wit and wisdom flow forth. GS

Lighten Up and Fill in the Headline!

It's time for a moment of pure frivolity here on the WOW Blog. For a free lunch or dinner at WOW, fill in the correct answers to recent headlines. Oh yeah, have fun!

HOLE IN THE HEADLINE

* "Missing NY ___ Found At Ohio Strip Club!"
* "Marksmen Fed Up With Shooting ____s!"
* "____ Rings Fall Foul Of Airport Check!"
* "Vicar Offers Stress Relief In ____!"
* "Official Web Site Hacked Over ____ Ban!"
* "Farmer Finds Mystery ____ Junk!"
* "____ Stolen From Norway Aquarium!"
* "Finnish ____ In Trouble Over Text Msgs To Dancer!"
* "Steven Seagull Returns To Motel For ____!"
* "Cook Accused Of ____ing On Fan's Burger!"
* "Woman, 77, Saves Mail Carrier From ____!"
* "Man Writes Check On 2-Ply ____ Paper!"

Bee stings and poverty

Drake Bennett writes in The Boston Globe that

Compared with the middle class or the wealthy, the poor are disproportionately likely to drop out of school, to have children while in their teens, to abuse drugs, to commit crimes, to not save when extra money comes their way, to not work.

Why is this? The answer traditionally depends on your personal philosophy. Bennett continues:

Social conservatives have tended to argue that poor people lack the smarts or willpower to make the right choices.

Social liberals have countered by blaming racial prejudice and the crippling conditions of the ghetto for denying the poor any choice in their fate.

Neoconservatives have argued that antipoverty programs themselves are to blame for essentially bribing people to stay poor.

Charles Karelis, a philosopher and former president of Colgate University has a different answer. He believes that all these traditional answers are off the mark. Here's where the bees come in:

A person with one bee sting is highly motivated to get it treated. But a person with multiple bee stings does not have much incentive to get one sting treated, because the others will still throb.

The more of a painful or undesirable thing one has (i.e. the poorer one is) the less likely one is to do anything about any one problem.

Poverty is less a matter of having few goods than having lots of problems ...

[P]eople stop thinking in terms of goods and start thinking in terms of problems, and that shift has enormous consequences.

Now, it's interesting reading, but let's not get carried away -- the Globe article does highlight some criticisms of the bee sting theory.

Link to The Sting of Poverty (from the Boston Globe)

Welcome to the blog, Albanians!

Welcome to the blog, Albanians! Many readers may remember Albania for a bizarre espionage incident in 1990. An exchange student named Adil Hoxha was sent to Springfield to obtain plans for the local nuclear power plant.

A plant employee from the host family unwittingly took Hoxha on a tour of the power plant and thought nothing of the many photographs Hoxha took of sensitive material. Hoxha was eventually caught by the FBI and was exchanged for an American spy caught in Albania.

Bonus Tech Tip: Betamax to HD-DVD Converter

Now that HD-DVD lost the high-def format war, those of you with Betamax tapes are two generations behind in obsolete recordable media.

The wonderful Betamax to HD-DVD Converter allows you to stay up-to-date in obsolete technology.

Betamax and HD-DVD are like a match literally made in heaven (you know, that place you go when you die?), and now you can get a slice for yourself. Featuring simple one-touch record between either format, your media has never felt less obsolete.

Link to Thinkgeek's Betamax to HD-DVD Converter

Tech Tip: Broken LCD screen

April Fool's Day, eh?

Here's an easy trick you can do to someone. Download the broken LCD screen image from this website and set it as your victim's background.

They'll still see their taskbar and any open windows, so they'll figure it out pretty quickly (or should).