Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Very Sad

I was semi-joking about the American car industry and how there might only be one standing yesterday, but this came out today. I was bummed years ago when reading the history of the American auto industry that Studebaker, Packard, Auburn and Duesenberg disappeared. You, see, I love cars and some of those were classics. Engineering, design and performance classics that could not compete with mass production at Ford. I really felt sorry for Kaiser when he proudly stated Kaiser-Willys (pre-American Motors) had millions for R&D when GM had billions. You make one mistake when that underfunded and bye-bye company. Haven't seen many Kaiser-Willys or Kaiser Nashes lately, or heard "Hey Javelin" either. Yet they were unique and had a place in history. They were placed out of business because while their products were good, they were underfunded for business development and R&D.

So here we have a situation where Chrysler is going down. Daimler has given them a cash value of zero. If GM picks them up, that is basically a life preserver. They had the best 4-wheel drive technology (which is why they bought Jeep). They still have market niche with their hemi engines (even though in the world of high gas prices, it seems out of step, says the hybrid owner). A moment of silence for a company that really had "hot" cars during the 60s and 70s and never really recovered in the emissions era. They tried to downsize and still have fun cars--the Omni GLH by Carrol Shelby comes to mind, but the product line at that time Cordova, Aspen/Volare followed by the Kcar shows what happened. The minivan genre was their idea and is so copied that they deserve a cut of the profit and theirs is still the standard of the American industry. Their marriage with Daimler never worked and they lost, in a purge, the designers who brought you the Prowler and the small retro wagon whose name escapes me now. Ah yes, the PT Cruiser. Their brand niche was changed and identity lost and not quite recovered. I mean, who can point out an Aspen, Sebring or Pacifica in traffic? The Crossfire, yes, but the others--computer sez no.

On the other hand, VW is doing well. Puegot and Renault had their credit ratings cut. As an aside, in one of the biggest blunders in auto history, Ford turned down owning VW as reparations for WWII because "no one would buy a car like that." and then they had to rush out the Falcon to compete.

rojo

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Is That Yellow Cake? For me? on my birthday?

Remember, Nukular power is safe.

The lynch pin of McCain's energy policy is safe.

rojo
I ran across this story this morning at Americablog. The same group was at the local Safeway with many, many sign in please petitions. The ranked from "No Gay Marriage", to "No Abortion" to voter registration to "Protect Children from Cruelty" to "Stop the Endangered Specie Act" to I don't remember what. There were eight sign in sheets. I know this is where I registered to vote in CA. I signed up to vote and registered to the workers dismay as a Democrat and bandied with him back and forth on the others, asking where the gun control petitions were. Yes, they tried to make me sign in as a Republican, but I refused and then refused the other ones.

There are times you need to read what you sign and know some basic rights.

rojo

Friday, October 17, 2008

Too Stupid to Breed

It takes election season for me to see how stupid many Americans are.

On the October 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bob Grant said: "[W]hat is that flag that Obama's been standing in front of that looks like an American flag, but instead of having the field of 50 stars representing the 50 states, there's a circle?" He then said: "Is the circle the 'O' for Obama? Is that what it is?" Grant later said: "[D]id you notice Obama is not content with just having several American flags, plain old American flags with the 50 states represented by 50 stars? He has the 'O' flag. And that's what that 'O' is. That's what that 'O' is. Just like he did with the plane he was using. He had the flag painted over, and the 'O' for Obama. Now, these are symptom -- these things are symptomatic of a person who would like to be a potentate -- a dictator." '

Grant did not further elaborate on what he meant by the " 'O' flag." However, conservative blogger Michelle Malkin stated on October 13 that she had "received several e-mails today from readers complaining about Barack Obama's backdrop in Toledo today. Apparently, some talk show hosts have also gone ballistic over what they think is an 'Obama flag.' " But, as Malkin noted, the flag appearing behind Obama during his October 13 speech was actually the Ohio state flag.

From Malkin's blog post:

I received several e-mails today from readers complaining about Barack Obama's backdrop in Toledo today. Apparently, some talk show hosts have also gone ballistic over what they think is an "Obama flag:"

Relax, folks.

That's not an "Obama flag."

It's the state flag of Ohio:



source--www.mediamatters.com

Any school kid who had to learn the flag, back when civics was actually taught would know the State flag of Ohio.

god help me.

I am beginning to think that there needs to be a citizenship to allow voters to vote. Maybe voting should be seen as a privilege instead of a right. I would prefer the latter when you realize the slippery slope the former choice opens up, but allow me a moment of disgust. Just like yesterday I saw a video claiming Obama was raised in a Unitarian Universalist Church making him a communist Wiccan using black magic to mesmerize the crowd in his speeches. I will post that later.

time for work.

rojo

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

What? No Rapture? Damn!

Here we hoped that Christ Dude had come back to perform more miracles and battle the Anti-Christ in a match that would put Mixed martial Arts to shame. maybe even a cage or ladder match. But sadly, no. No Apocalypse, No Rapture. Nothing.

Just human error.

rojo

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Election Thoughts

I watched some of the debate. Enough to see Grampy say "That One" and variations of "He did it." You could hear his disdain for the junior senator. There are times I could see him in my head at family reunions leering at younger women, drinking and saying pull my finger. It may be me, but I swear you could almost hear the n word in his brain. I was waiting for him to break into "Get off my lawn!" He did come across as a curmudgeon.

That said, he got his ass handed to him in what was supposed to be his forum, with a sycophant as a moderator (Oh, he was better then Gwen Awful, but has anyone seen the real Tom Brokaw lately). Town Hall meetings are very different if they don't vet the town first and only allow regressives in. OMG, he sounded like an old fart last night. He reminded me of great-grandmother giving me $2 one night after I was married and telling me to take my wife out on the town. She was well over 90 at the time and $2 for her was a lot of money. I cherished it, but in 1976 that wouldn't even buy popcorn at a theater. Time had passed her by.

Face it. He was the best candidate for the Republicans in 2000 and Bush kicked his ass and he has been waiting since then to come back out on a reunion tour. Except he had to sell his soul to keep whatever chops he had left. It is sad to see someone so past his prime still go to the Crossroads and make a deal with the devil to keep his chops, but his body won't do it anymore. No offense, but even guitar and banjo heroes normally aren't as nimble at 70 or 80 (see Earl Scruggs) as they were at 50.

So how dirty will they get??? to win? I swear, Sarah Palin's (aka Governor Gidget) boy bringing back Osama from Iraq himself may not help at this time.

and if either Grampy or Vampy do not tell their crowds that calling a Senator a terrorist or saying "Kill him." is absolutely inappropriate and not fitting, if not downright repulsive to the American ideal in their whistle stops, they are contributing to the problem. Fomenting hate to win is a last ditch campaign strategy and at best gets you an office where people will expect you to be a pugnacious, mean son of a bitch and anything less is not good enough. At worst, fomenting hate gets people killed. That is truly unacceptable.

rojo

Monday, October 06, 2008

About Time Someone Talked About It!

Since Sarah Palin has been calling Obama the radical's best friend, Obama is fighting back. At noon today, he will have a full 13 minute video available on the Keating Five scandal showing how McCain, the reformer, really is doing some of the same things that led to the Savings and Loan bailout. About time some of this shit hit the fan. 

rojo

Friday, October 03, 2008

Hee!

"Ever mindful of the danger that George Bush will lead us down the road to socialism, we will be monitoring this closely," Barnie Frank told the House today after the rescue heist vote.

rojo

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Joe Biden was talking too much about McCain. I know it is his job. He was very specific and knows his shit. I have confidence that he could make a knowledgeable, sensible decision. And when he choked about maybe his sons not making it was great.

Sarah Palin came out and looked good and chipper. Then she opened her mouth. She refused to answer questions that were asked but told everyone what she wanted them to hear. Sorry, the rules of a debate are to answer the effin" question asked.

What is your Achilles Heel? Why it is that I am a hockey mom and like soccer moms and joe six pack we work together to find solutions and blah, blah, blah. Okay, your achilles heel is you don't listen and twitter on endlessly with the social skills you learned by fluttering eyebrows and having joe six pack's penis do his thinking for him.

Just answer the god-damned question. and let's move the Israeli embassy. and as VP I want more power.

Why the hell did not the moderator slap her silly and say answer the damned question. drill baby drill and many more answers to catenations that were not relevant to the question? So it tells me she has no discipline, thinks she is great and does not need to listen and really, really reminds of someone who has been pampered her whole life like a star athlete. I mean why play by rules if I can flutter my eyes or wink and get what I want.

Christ, save me from assholes like this.

rojo