Now, About Rush...

This nonsense regarding Rush Limbaugh's inability to take part in NFL ownership is just about the lamest crap I've heard in awhile. The crap this guy takes is just incredible, and mostly from those who don't listen to the guy with any meaningful regularity. All his opponents think they know him and what he's all about and what he really thinks. Yet, when you hear their complaints, they're based on this liberal charicature rather than on reality.

Rush is often accused of being a racist, or making racially sensitive remarks. (About par for the course for most conservatives.) Funny that no one is able to come up with a decent example of such. Sure, they like to point to the Donovan McNab incident during Rush's short-lived term on Monday Night Football. As you may recall, Rush felt that McNab was over-rated as a quarterback, that the League and network wanted to see a black quarterback as a star out or their own PC sensibilities. Some might consider this opinion racially sensitive. That might be true if it was a shot at McNab.

But it wasn't, it was a shot at the league and the networks. You'll notice that Rush said the guy was over-rated. He didn't say he sucked. He didn't say he wasn't an above average quarterback. Truly, the same could be said of any quarterback or athlete. Many think Peyton Manning is the greatest, or Tom Brady. As great as they are, does the hype match the reality? Rather subjective I think.

But Rush's statement was merely an observation on the state of race relations within the NFL and networks. Not a shot at McNab. The fact is that in all the years in which I've listened to Rush, I've never heard ANYTHING a reasonable person would call racist or racially insensitive.

I know I might get some argument on this. But bring evidence or don't waste my time. Feodor will likely drool on about what we don't understand from the black point of view. Maybe even DJ Black Adam will finally jump on board with some insight. But I find all these arguments to be weak. I don't need to be black to understand being left out, being given no respect, being abused and oppressed. I just don't understand street slang.

Rush is not a racist. Rush is a conservative. Those who accuse him don't listen to him. Those who accuse him don't have a clue and couldn't defend their accusations if a gun was put to their heads. Rush is looking into legal action. I hope he goes for it and forces his accusers to prove their allegations. What happens then will be interesting. Mainly, once they've been exposed as rhetorical bullies and the liars they are, how will that affect political correctness and the unsupportable perception of conservatives held by liberals. I'm guessing not one iota.

UPDATE: I just heard on Special Report with Bret Baier that some dude from CNN who attached racist quotes to Rush has recanted saying words to the effect that he knows Rush, likes Rush but Rush's rhetoric is extremely divisive, but that he didn't do his due diligence and apologized. Rick Sanchez is the guy's name (the show's still on and they just spoke of him again). Speaking the truth, or even what is perceived to be the truth, isn't divisive. What's divisive is liberal reaction to comments by conservatives like Rush.

Finally Home

Just arrived an hour ago. So nice to be home and done with that orientation business. Don't get me wrong. The trainers and other personnel were all very nice and professional. It's just that I didn't much care to go through it, and worse, to do so away from home and family. It's tough having to do what one has to do sometimes, but that's life.

Lot's to learn about trucking and how this company wants their people to do it. Rules and procedures galore and much testing to ensure knowledge thereof. Passed everything and am now officially an employee, though for the next two weeks or so (less if I do well enough, and I plan to do as well as possible), I'll have to work with a trainer over-the-road and impress upon him that I can do the job. Then I'll get my own truck and assignment and I'll be on my own. As I understand it, this phase is basically a guy doing a standard run with a trainee in the cab doing most of the work, with the trainer evaluating all. Finally, there is one more test at the very end of it before I get my own truck.

Once I'm on the road, with only myself to guide me (help is a phone call away), THEN I'll get to understand if I just made a huge career mistake.

Of course, I'm looking to get just enough experience to satisfy a company offering a local opportunity. Being home every night is the goal. Aside from merely being home with the family, which is where my heart is, I also have my own hobbies and interests, some of which I just can't any longer enjoy as an OTR trucker. I'm sure I'll enjoy aspects of the job, but I'll never enjoy not bowling, for instance. And I'll damn well never enjoy missing dinner with my wife and daughter.

So I'll be counting the assignments until three, then six months pass and every couple of weeks after, as I seek out that opportunity that matches my needs and desires best. Best case scenario would have the opportunity arising from within this same company, as I really don't care to switch employers at my age.

What sucks most is the fact that clowns run Washington right now. Some say we're beginning to emerge from the recession and the econmy is beginning to rebound. Of course the Obama people are taking credit. No surprise there. But the fact is that they were in the way. Still are. They need to back off and let the market take care of itself. The economy would rebound no matter what because that's how it works. Washington can only get in the way and slow or disrupt. The idea that we were on the brink was ludicrous. Yeah, it might have been rough, but rougher than now? How would the average guy notice the difference? The only action Washington should have taken and should be taking is to back off on those things it did to get in the way. Like lowering the corporate tax.

So if there's actual opportunity in the next three to six months, I'll try as I can to find a local run. Then life will truly be good, relative to my current situation. In the meantime, I'll be blogging as time allows via laptop, once I get one. Knowing I'll still get to mix it up some and also continue to show Feodor why all his education hasn't made him wise will make the road smoother.

Special Thanks to both Tugboat Captain and Geoffrey for comments and insights regarding life on the road. I appreciate it greatly.

Don't Make A Mess While I'm Gone.

I may not have another opportunity, so I will take this moment to say that I'll be out of town for at least a week, as I go up north to engage in the various orientation necessities of what might be my new job. I don't know how much me-time I'll have and to what extent I'll be able to check the blogs and emails. This process will be a week, and should I not totally screw up, I'll then go on the road with an instructor. Whether or not I get to come home first, I don't yet know, though I'm told going right out isn't the norm, which means I'll probably have to go right out. Then, being on the road with the instructor is normally about two weeks, though if I impress it'll be less, if I don't, it could be a bit longer. Assuming I'm acceptable, I would then go home and then report to a terminal in Gary, IN to get a truck and an assignment. At that point I'm officially a road warrior, putting in enough time to be considered experienced enough for a local gig, which is what I wanted in the first place. The company I'll be with handles enough different types of shipping that I could very well find a local gig with them, with less experience than others would demand. That is my hope.

So, while I'm gone, be sure to clean up after yourselves, and I'll try to check via cell phone, if it's not too much of a pain in the ass to do so. Fight nice.

World Opinion

I've always had a problem with the concept that George W. Bush damaged our standing in the world with his foreign policies. First, that what the world thinks of us should be of such great importance I find rather shallow and childish. Our primary concern should only be that we do what we feel is right, just as that concern should be the prime directive of each individual. "The World" isn't always the best moral guide in the first place.

But as this piece lays out, there are a number of issues that add up to our standing in the world.

It also points out something that I've always suspected to be true, that negative opinion is often a matter of personal politics, philosophy and/or ideology. Lefties like Obama see us as arrogant and imperialistic. He thinks we need to go about apologizing and doing so especially to our enemies, as if they are our enemies solely because of actions we've taken in the past, as opposed to their own self-interested view of how the world should be. Lefties the world over agree, but not all in the world are lefties. Not all in the world are irrational, non-thinking boobs. So while foreign soul-mates of our own US liberals pee themselves over who and what the United States of America is in their fevered minds, their opinions of us have no value and are not worthy of consideration in the crafting of our foreign policy.

I'd rather we stand alone friendless doing what is right, rather than sell our souls to satisfy those who's real interest is in what benefits themselves. I've got no problem with those countries who act in their own self interest. They owe that to their citizens. There's a lot wrong with those who think we shouldn't do the same because of how it might appear to other nations.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Just saw on Yahoo this evening that the president called Kanye West a jackass for his antics at the MTV Awards. Kudos to Barry for that astute assessment of West. Here's hoping Barry doesn't apologize.

I almost forgot. Easy to do with this little story since I don't watch MTV. But I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the graciousness of Beyonce Knowles who shared her time in the limelight with Taylor Swift, the victim of West's jackassery. West could learn a ton about class from Ms. Knowles.

Who'da thunk it?

This piece seems to contradict accepted liberal thinking regarding illegal immigration. The old line about illegals only doing the jobs Americans won't do seems to have been exposed as the steaming pile conservatives said it was. A couple of notable points:

1) As legal immigrants and native-born Americans have moved in to fill positions made available after ICE raids, wages for those positions have risen. Obviously, employers can pay crap when employees are too afraid of deportation to complain.

2) Attention is being paid to conditions that resulted in higher on the job death rates for illegals. Obviously, employers can ignore/overlook dangerous conditions when employees are too afraid of deportation to complain.

A possible downside is union organizing. These days, one can't overlook the possibility of unions working to improve conditions and pay morphing into the usual back-breaking wage hikes that has burdened the auto industry and others. Such pressures can also result in creative ways to eliminate the problem, which, said another way, is to eliminate the need for workers, such as through automation. This will put workers out of work again, but would keep product prices down. But for the immediate future, the bottom line is that the argument against open borders and "comprehensive immigration reform" can now be tossed. Americans ARE willing to do those jobs, especially in this economy.

For DJ Only

This is another dedicated thread for the benefit of one DJ Black Adam who is frequent visitor at Neil's blog. Just as with the thread for Dan only, which he seems to have abandoned, I would ask that no one comment here except for DJ and myself. At this writing, I don't know if he'll take me up on my invitation, and if he doesn't I would find that regrettable.

The point of this venture is a bit different in that we don't disagree on a basic point, which is, that racism is deplorable and we'd all be far better off if it didn't exist. But in this case, it seems that somehow I am lacking in my opposition or understanding of the nature, depth or total degree of it's existence. Naturally, I disagree and partly do because I don't see that it has permeated our modern era (in the USA)quite the way DJ believes it has and still does. Hopefully he will explain this thoroughly so that one of us, if not both of us, winds up more enlightened, at least to each other's POV.

I want to say lastly that I do not dislike DJ. While at first I thought he might be another looney-tune lefty, I've found he is more than that and generally expresses himself quite well. Unfortunately, we've neither of us explained ourselves to the other very well on this point and I truly hope he avails himself of this opportunity. We'll see.