Random Thoughts on a Wednesday

Government Waste

You know, this just sunk in. The last thing outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld did before leaving office was go on a farewell tour of Iraq.

How much did that little excursion cost the taxpayers? Why did he go? Was he hoping to learn something significant that would suddenly get him un-fired? Why do we stand by and let the government throw our money around like this?

The first thing incoming Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did when he was picked to replace Rumsfeld was to go to Iraq for a few days. Why? What was he going to learn in two days that he couldn't learn from talking to other people who'd already been there? Why didn't he go there and actually spend a couple weeks there, talking to the military leaders? What was the point of a two-day trip?

It's wasteful. Poor planning. Those little trips cost a bunch of money! We get so used to hearing that so-and-so is just returning from a three-day "surprise" visit to Iraq and so-and-so is on his way to Iraq to meet with whats-his-butt that we don't even pay attention any more. If our government wants to take control away from our military and micromanage the war, well then, they need to move to Iraq and STAY THERE. Enough of this commuting at taxpayer expense.

By the way, didn't we learn in Vietnam that it's better to let the military fight the war (like they're trained to do) than to let the government (who's not trained in warfare) get involved? Give the generals an objective, give them the men and supplies they need, and then get the hell out of the way.


My Beloved Packers

Well, it looks like the 7-8 Green Bay Packers can still make the playoffs this year. All they have to do is beat the 13-2 Chicago Bears next week. In Chicago. Hoo boy.

At first glance it's easy to write the poor Packers off. The Bears have been playing tough all season (the only team with a record as good as theirs is AFC leader San Diego Chargers), whilst the Packers have been, well, not so good. But...

Chicago head coach Lovie Smith pulled his ace young-gun quarterback out of the game last week and replaced him with the backup. Hmmm... And the Bears have strayed from their league-leading offensive strategy the past few games, too. Hmmm... So the Bears are showing signs of weakness. That's good for Green Bay!

In my mind, it'd actually be good for Chicago to let the Packers win this weekend. They could take this opportunity to rest some of their starters and get their people healthy again before the playoffs. And, if the Packers win, well, to be honest, the Packers would be the weakest team in the playoffs this year, which would give the Bears a better chance at winning the Big Kahuna.

And, if this would indeed be Brett Favre's last year, wouldn't it be nice to let him retire after getting into the playoffs one more time?

Wishful thinking from a fan...


Odd Things to Do to your Stomach

Blog-buddy Steakbellie, ranked 39th in the world in competitive eating, is gonna be in the Wing Bowl again this year. If he wins the whole thing, he could get two cars out of the deal! I have to admit, though, that I don't understand exactly how this is considered a spectator sport, but they sold all 20,000 tickets to the Wing Bowl in less than a single day -- that's over twice as many people as live in my entire hometown showing up to see a bunch of guys eat chicken wings for half an hour.

I'm happy for Steakbellie. He's been looking forward to this for an entire year, training, speculating, scheming and plotting. He ate a two-foot long sandwich, a half gallon of lemonade, and a bag of chips in about three and a half minutes to qualify... So, in 36 more days when you see a blurb on the news about the Wing Bowl you'll know what they're talking about.


I Guess I'm Grunchy

I got home from work last night and was immediately accosted. "Vy are you so grumpy, you big grouch?"

"I'm not grouchy," I replied, kissing my beloved Viennese Snowflake on her delicate nose. "I'm happy."

"You are not happy," she said. "You've been a big grumpusaurus for days. Vy?"

You know, I think it all boils down to weather. I put my bike in storage a month ago, so I'm going on 30 days without riding my motorcycle, but it still hasn't snowed! It's not exactly nice outside, but it's not bad, either... I could have ridden my bike yesterday, for example, if I didn't have to work. It seems like I never get to be outside during the winter unless I'm shoveling snow. And it's always dark. Dark and cold and I have to stay indoors.

I think that's why I'm grouchy.