The Stout Republican

The Left hates your free speech, as can only be evidenced by attending a conservative function on a college campus. Their Free Speech is used to shout over your Free Speech.

As an aside…I love to see fights at anti-war protest rallies, it warms my heart.

Transparency? HA!

All you have to do is get them to say “Hope and Change” to believe it…but being a thinking man, it takes more than the political 3 word equivalent of “I love you” to get me to drop my pants.

“The fact that sales at Starbucks are going down, while sales at McDonald’s are going up, shows that people are adjusting to economic adversity by cutting back their spending. Only in Congress do people adjust to economic adversity and growing deficits by spending more money.” – Thomas Sowell

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It’s been a hard weekend.

My dog Quentin has been having some urinary problems that last week or so, so I may have been a bit curt with people lately (Practical Radical) both on my life, and the web site.

For the last week he’s been having difficulty urinating on his walks…which had us concerned, however, we’d dealt with urinary track issues with him in the past, and a specialized diet cleared it up. So we tried new food, but it just got worse…and after peeing on the couch once, the bed twice, and the constant walks without success, we decided to take him in to the vet. It ended up being very different than the crystals that we had originally thought (which can be cleared up with diet) caused his peeing problem.

He had about 50 stones that ended up forming in his bladder because an infection somewhere in his body that couldn’t be found, disrupted his pH balance. Immediate surgery was required, and he was scheduled for the next morning. The surgery was Sunday…and I was a wreck most of Saturday.

The risk with pugs (who have delicate respiratory system to begin with) involves how they react under anesthesia…some take it well, some don’t. Long story short…Quentin did fine. They gave him major abdominal surgery Sunday morning…and then told us we couldn’t visit him until Moday.

So today at lunch the wife and I were there to visit the little guy.

As of this afternoon, he’s eating, and he peed on his own without the catheter…I’m starting to relax.

We get to take him home tomorrow.

UPDATE: He’s back in the hospital. He’s not recovering so well…thoughts and prayers appreciated, even though he’s just a puppy.

UPDATE 2: He’s doing a bit better, the swelling is down, but he’s got the shakes and he’s in a lot of pain. There’s still lbood in his urine, which is our biggest concern, which is why he needs the 24-7 monitoring…if he get’s a temperature spike or bright red blood in his urine, then it’s back to the hospital. He’s not eating or drinking, so we’re having to feed him a blended cocktail of food via syringe/baster…at least our “Magic Bullet” is actually useful now.

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How is dissent the highest form of patriotism?

Seems more childish and contrarian for the sake of being difficult…like a kid refusing to eat brussel sprouts.

How about this:

“Dissent. Because I’m too lazy to offer rational alternatives that require real articulation.”

Addendum: “Plus hippie chicks are notoriously easy. Women lib means some low rent poontang in the name of owning one’s sexuality! Pwned!!”

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I can now rant via iPhone, while off site for work! Spelling errors coming soon…

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Talk show political affiliation implied by omission.

The ABC7 I-Team has the inside story of what lead up to the arrest of popular talk-radio host, Bernie Ward, on federal child pornography charges. It’s an investigation you’ll see Only On 7. We warn you that some of the information is graphic.

Bernie Ward got indicted in December and got fired from his job at KGO Radio, effective at the end of last year. Now, police reports just obtained by the I-Team tell us who blew the whistle on Ward, and how he came to send the woman child porn, by his own admission.

Now this isn’t a slur saying that liberals do this…they don’t. It’s a person by person issue, not a party by party. It’s just amazing how if the person is conservative, then conservative is within the first two sentences.

…I’m just sayin’

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So, the weekend I got back from CES, we had a plumbing issue, a big plumbing issue.

It’s my home, so now it’s my cost. Let me tell you…Home Owners Association Insurance is very different than Home Owners insurance.

Sunday night a couple of weeks ago, the shower didn’t drain. My wife hollered from out of the bathroom as I hunched in front of the computer, “Hey, did the bath drain for you?”

“Yes.” I replied, and walked into the bathroom. The tub of course was full, but around the toilet, you could see a slow steady growing puddle of water. At about that time there’s a holler from downstairs. I rush down the staircase to see a waterfall of liquid coming from the hole around one of my lighting fixtures onto the couch. Panic ensues. I run over to wake up my neighbor (who is a contractor) while my wife and roommate put various trashcan’s under the various leaks, which are now working themselves along the drywall seam in the ceiling. Joy of Joys. The neighbor comes over, groggy and tired (this is at 11:00 pm) and tells us the drywall is pretty much done, start hammering holes to allow the leak to drain, and not spread. Sigh…see picture.

Late night plumber to evacuate clog: $560.00

Day off of work to tear down drywall: 8 Vacation Hours

Future Cost of Labor: $1000

Knowing Your Skills are restricted to Data Manipulation: Useless

So now what? Stress and your friends telling you, “Welcome to home ownership.” Yes, I get it…but did it have to happen in month three?

The “dehumidifier people told me that it would cost $600. My neighbor told me it would cost $100 to do it ourselves…and so we did. It’s not hard to dehumidify, it’s hard to find room for a dehumidifier in a 2-door Honda Accord Coupe.

Long story short…friend of friends who know how to take care of this stuff cleaned up the mess in about a week, and at about 1/4th the cost of a general contractor, and with better results than my last “certified” contractor. My roof is fixed (yet to be painted, and a segment of crown-molding is missing) and it looks better than it did before.

Much thanks to the neighbor and his coworkers for taking evening off to patch my house, while I paced back and forth feeling useless. I really wanted a savings account…I really did. Oh well.

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I was in Vegas the last week for the International Consumer Electronic Show…

Pictures, fun and frivolity to follow.

As a teaser for JC…looks like Blu Ray is going to win the format war…and i just got a HD-DVD player. Shucks.

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We need your help.

Holden is one of my best friends’ pug. My wife and I are pug people, so we have a special place in our heart for dogs, and specifically…the pug.

Right now Holden is in critical care at the Doggie Hospital. The assumption is that he ate something that poisoned his system, and he (to simplify) pretty much had total organ failure. His heart is in bad shape, and he’s being fed through a tube right now.

Josh (his owner and my friend) isn’t a man of means (being an artist), and the bills are going to be upward of $8,000 estimated, regardless of whether or not Holden makes it. Right now the odds are 50/50. Josh and his fiance need all the help they can get. I know I don’t have a huge readership, but even if you can throw down $5…it eases the burden just a little. I’m calling you out dog people.

Paypal Link Deleted

Please help.

UPDATE (9:00 AM): At about 8:30 AM this morning, Holden was euthanized. His heart wasn’t able to keep up with him through the night, and the vet said if they were to keep him alive, he’d be in a vegetative state. It’s rough…I’m still keeping the donation drive open, because the bills still exist. My thanks to everyone who has helped so far. Thank you.

UPDATE (2:00 PM): Josh wanted to thank everyone for their help, but he has requested at this point that no more donations be made. He appreciates everything sent already, and will apply it to the outstanding balance, but since Holden passed, he has chosen to pay the remaining amount himself. Again, thank you to everyone who gave…you’re out there, you know who you are, and you have no idea how much it helped. You people are awesome and you have Josh’s and my Eternal gratitude.

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“Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.” – Sartre

Does that mean I don’t have to unpack any more boxes because it’s all useless anyways…

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Founder of the Weather Channel says global warming is a scam…I think this has to be validated by NBC’s “Green is Universal” (nice plug of their own company there). Anyone think that maybe this pursuing of “Green” is perchance just a great marketing ploy…like a bobble-head doll; the novelty is wearing off.

Rendition bombs. Valley of Elah bombs. Lions For Lambs bombs. BOMBS. It’s because we’re too stupid to get it.

Iraq going well? Democrats everywhere upset because we’re winning…it makes them look bad politically and the United States look like winners. They must be losing sleep…the United States being successful in a military action, damn…that blows.

The classic “George Bush is stupid” line, must now officially be followed by “and still he outwitted the Democrat geniuses in two elections, and conspired to bring down the twin towers without getting caught.”

Some people will comment on every article you write, and somehow tie it in to George Bush, the Christian Right, and Oil…but not even say congratulations on buying your first house. Contrarian junkies.

Christopher Hitchens is brilliant. Ramesh Ponnuru is brilliant. Reconcile that bitches.

Here’s a thinker. If evolution is real…how do we address homosexuality? Not that I’m knocking homosexuals…but it seems pretty against the fabric of evolutionary progress to be a genetic thing. Wouldn’t genetics have weaned that trait out considering there aren’t children in the equation? Does that officially mean it’s a choice? Where do ass-less chaps come into the equation?

Hellgate: London rocks as a game. It has some issues (team finding, story variation), but its gameplay and pace are f-in awesome. Also great: Call of Duty 4, and waiting for Assassin’s Creed…

I still haven’t decided which Republican candidate to support, each have their faults…and their strengths. But how hard would it be to be a Democrat right now, good Lord. You have a Hillary, an Obama, and an Edwards. Hillary can’t be honest. Obama can’t be smart or passionate and seems to flub every time he opens his proselytizing, Neo-Lib mouth. Edwards…well…nice hair.

Cat’s still not as cool as dogs.

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