Surly's Soap Box

For the true story of Dick Cheney's heart irregularity, start here.

I think he inadvertently tossed a quarter into a Salvation Army bucket, and his heart started to grow!

(this is humor, by the way)

Extreme Exploitation Make Over: Home Edition is quite possibly one of the saddest shows on TV these days. ABC dumps huge amounts of money building a home for some hurting people (not bad in it's self), but they make it a media spectical. It drives me nuts! I guess it wouldn't be as sexy to build a couple dozen homes for homeless mothers or remodeling a couple dozen handicapped persons homes to make them accessible.

So a bunch of upscale contractors and home furnishing stores get their products placed. What do they do when nobody is watching? These people probably have employees that have heart wrenching circumstances that are worthy on television coverage, at least by ABC's standards. So they get to feel good about themselves for a couple days, impress some stock holders, and go back to business as usual. Or hopefully, better business because of the advertising they received.

What does it tell the people who don't get chosen? That their lives aren't tragic enough for prime time TV?

It sends a message that help comes in the form of a trip to Disney World and new goodies. That's the message of 9/11: Suffer tragedy and the receive a pay out.

You know, this really bothers me. 9 trillion. What's going on here? Why is the government so set on spending money like a drunken sailor? If I spent the way government did, someone would have forcibly taken away my credit cards and possibly locked me up.

Something is wrong here. Very wrong. There isn't a good defense for this.

I recently attended Kilt Night at Keegan's Irish Pub (Last Saturday of each month).

Stopping for gas, the guy behind the behind the counter asks "The Question":

"What do you wear under that?"
"Depends."
"Depends on what?"
"That's it, Depends!"

Lot's of laughter.

Last night (Reformation Day), I wore a kilt to an Halloween event at a church up in Forrest Lake, we stopped off at a gas station for some soda, and the young gal asked me if I was dressed up for Halloween.

"Is it Halloween?" I asked?

I got a blank stare, followed by a nervous laugh.


Leave 'em wondering.