Thoughts On A Sunday

It's the unofficial last weekend of summer, it being Labor Day Weekend.

BeezleBub is laboring, working at the farm yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Deb and I spent a good part of the day yesterday shopping, making our every other weekly supply run to one of the local discount clubs for our bulk items and the supermarket for the rest of our victuals.

Some of our purchases at the discount club included a 30-lb bag of Nasty Dry Crap™ (kibble) for the feline members of the family, a 5-gallon tub of shortening, a half-pallet of toilet paper and paper towels for Deb's business, three 40-lb buckets of kitty litter (we now have six cats living here at The Manse, something I know Bagheera will soon be commenting upon), a couple of 2-lb cans of cashews, a few bags of beef jerky for BeezleBub, and a number of other sundries.

The weather has been conducive to boating, and we will make use of it, trying to avoid the large numbers of weekenders out on the lake trying to get their last bit of boating in before their summer ends for the year. (At least we'll still be boating for another couple of months after most of the summerfolk have gone.)

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The amount of vitriol flowing from the left-wing blogs and forums about the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate is stunning. After reading a number of the posts at the Daily Kos, the Democratic Underground, and Huffpo, I have come to realize that many of those on the left are insane. For being “progressives”, many of the posters offered the most sexist and intolerant diatribes I've ever read. These people are anything but progressive. They are troglodytes, filled with such hatred of anyone that should disagree with their view of the world.

These people are just plain sick.

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McCain is proving his campaign slogan - Country First - is more than just words, making changes to the Republican Convention plans to deal with the impact of Hurricane Gustav along the Gulf Coast. Much of the pomp and ceremonies, and many of the speeches, have been cut back or canceled altogether. Instead efforts will focus on getting help to those needing it after the storm passes.

It's possible Michael Moore's words are prophetic, but not in the fashion he meant as McCain's efforts could possible ensure his victory in November.

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Unlike Hurricane Katrina, both Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal are making maximum efforts to ensure the safety of the residents of New Orleans and the rest of Loisisana's Gulf Coast. Mandatory evacuation of New Orleans has been ordered by the mayor, and Governor Jindal requested assistance from the federal government up front, not making the mistake his predecessor made.

Former Governor Blanco belatedly requested assistance from the feds, so help was delayed until she prodded to do so by the Bush administration. Apparently she didn't realize the feds couldn't just step in, so requests for aid were delayed for days, lengthening the time before it would arrive.

Governor Jindal has already activated the Louisiana National guard and had them deploy to New Orleans and the rest of the coast.

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Speaking of Gustav, I find this nauseating.

So much for the Democrats being the party that cares about people.

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One question many have been asking about Hurricane Gustav is the effects on New Orleans should it hit the city head on. If the city is again devastated as it was after Katrina, many evacuees have said they will not return. Others are saying they aren't returning regardless. With people not returning will New Orleans ever return to what it was, or will large sections of the city become and remain ghost towns?

It remains to be seen.

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Want to see the reaction of Hillary Clinton supporters to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate? Just go to the Hillary Clinton Forum and read the pages and pages of posts.

I don't know if the responses seen on the forum are truly indicative of feelings and thoughts of Hillary's supporters, but they are eyeopening.

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Is it any surprise that summer businesses in tourist areas were adversely affected by the price of gas and other factors, such as bad weather we've seen here in New Hampshire?

Business has been down all summer, with much lower boat traffic on the lakes, vacancies at resorts, and unrented cottages on the lakes and islands. Gas sales at marinas are down 45% from last year, which was down 10% from the previous year.

While the lower lake traffic has dismayed businesses, many boaters like me have found it delightful, with boating conditions far more pleasant than we usually see on weekends. Even so, not many of us have made it out nearly as much as we would have liked due to a cycle of afternoon/early evening thunderstorms that lasted for weeks.

All we can do is hope the good weather we've been experiencing the past week and a half will stick around for a few more weeks as we plan to keep boating until sometime in late October.

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NOW has come out against Sarah Palin. No surprise there. After all she's a self made woman that happens to be pro-life, and “because, you know, all women care about is abortion. That's it. Only abortion. Nothing else.”

Sheesh.

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It has been mentioned that Governor Palin is the Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard, like every governor of the states is CINC of their respective National Guard units. But what few realize is Alaska's National Guard is different from every other, which is why the governor of Alaska, as CINC, has far more duties than governors of other states. Blackfive explains why that difference makes Sarah Palin far more qualified to be Vice President (or President) than Biden (or Obama) when it comes to military matters.

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The annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon started this evening, opening with the national anthem sung by the Cactus Cuties.



The MDA holds a special place in our heart as Deb's brother was stricken with MD and passed away when he was only 8 years old.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the summerfolk are trying to squeeze a week's worth of vacation into a long weekend, the farm stands are having their busiest weekend of the season, and where summer is slowly slipping away.