I wrote a couple of posts about Senator Ted Stevens, King of Pork—more than 3.4 billion dollars worth—and Senator Ted Stevens, convicted felon—all seven counts.
So I thought it only fair to add another chapter just in case you hadn’t kept up.
Stevens was up for re-election and as soon as the conviction was announced he flew straight back to Alaska to campaign.
He refused to resign from the Senate, said he would appeal his conviction and was reelected by a 1% margin—given to him by old (over 30) guys.
Now, I’d always heard that convicted felons had to jump through various hoops, depending on which state they lived in, if they wanted to vote.
“Alaska law states that convicted felons are barred from voting if their crime is one of “moral turpitude,” which in Alaska includes a wide swath of illegal activities.”Receiving a bribe” is listed among them…the Alaska Division of Elections announced that the senator’s crimes were, in fact, of moral turpitude but that a guilty verdict wasn’t enough to make him a convicted felon for purposes of voting.
State law does stipulate that a candidate for the Senate must be a registered voter—and thus not a felon who committed acts of moral turpitude—when he files for the office. But Stevens had not yet been found guilty when he filed.”
Makes your head spin.
There are two things I’m taking away from this.
The first is a question; if a ‘normal’ Alaskan was convicted of moral turpitude would he just continue merrily on his way?
And the second is that this is pretty graphic proof that, to a majority of voters, pork and familiarity trumps ethics any day.
Not that any of this matters. In his final days, George W. will pardon Uncle Ted just as he pardoned Scooter.
As I told you a few weeks ago, I thought I’d use Saturday to comment on relatively obscure politcal stuff that I found amusing. Not an easy task these days.
So I was cruising around the net looking and I found this,
Isn’t it funny how the word ‘politics’ is made up of the words ‘poli’ meaning ‘many’ in Latin, and ‘tics’ as in ‘bloodsucking creatures’?
Not bad.
Then I got to thinking about what you’d get if you crossed a Democrat and a Republican.
You could end up with a Demopublican (a demonstrating tavern owner [or tax collector]).
Or a Repcrat (an advocate of tranversely corded fabric).
Not nearly as good as the many bloodsucking creatures.
Rather than leave you on this beautiful Saturday with an iffy joke, I’ll leave you with another one I ran into in cyberland.
A little girl asked her father, “Daddy? Do all Fairy Tales begin with ‘Once Upon A Time’?”
He replied, “No, there is a whole series of Fairy Tales that begin with ‘If elected I promise’.”
A friend in Europe sent this and I found it hilarious. Not just because it is so applicable to the current situation here, but because, in one way or another, it is applicable to any/every country on the planet.
So-called leaders and politicians may not appreciate it, but most of the rest of us will.
There are a lot of political jokes flying around the Internet today and most of them are partisan hit pieces. But a friend sent one that I thought I’d share because it not only hits home, it’s also a good thought to take to the polls.
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One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber replies, ‘I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’ The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber goes to open his shop the next morning there is a ‘thank you’ card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.
Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, ‘I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’ The cop is happy and leaves the shop. The next morning when the barber goes to open up there is a ‘thank you’ card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.
Later that day, a college professor comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, ‘I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’ The professor is very happy and leaves the shop. The next morning when the barber opens his shop, there is a ‘thank you’ card and a dozen different books, such as ‘How to Improve Your Business’ and ‘Becoming More Successful.
Then, a Congressman comes in for a haircut, and when he goes to pay his bill the barber again replies, ‘I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’ The Congressman is very happy and leaves the shop. The next morning when the barber goes to open up, there are a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.
And there lies the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the members of our Congress.
A manager sent the following to me and asked if I agreed. I’ve seen it before and I’m sure that many of you have, too.
What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?
By equating numbers to letters you can answer these questions:
A b c d e f g h I j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty, that while Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it’s the bullshit and ass kissing that will put you over the top.
But what happens if you drop the cynicism and take a close look at the one trait that will truly put you head and shoulders above the rest.
Since technical difficulties (don’t ask) are why this post is so late, I thought I’d offer up something on technology.
There are many of us old enough to remember calling 411 information, giving a real live person a name and location and receiving the desired phone number all at no cost.
That’s right, the service was totally free.
But that was then and this is now.
Few people call 411 information these days, since the cost ranges from $1-2 dollars and (probably) up.
Enter stage left our good friends at Google.
I don’t know if the service is new, but it’s new to me—cutting-edge I’m not.
It’s for business listings only and seems to be designed primarily for cell phones, since you can enter information with the keypad.
The service uses voice recognition and connects the call for free.
It does save your requests associated with your phone number, however, it doesn’t read blocked numbers, so if you block your phone as I do it won’t track you.
I know I’ll use it. I get really sick of looking businesses up in the phonebook; and for those who are out and about it would be really useful.
I wrote a couple of 
One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber replies, ‘I cannot accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’ The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber goes to open his shop the next morning there is a ‘thank you’ card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.
There are many of us old enough to remember calling 411 information, giving a real live person a name and location and receiving the desired phone number all at no cost.
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