How good of a General are you?

This is an interesting test of your generalship abilities. See if you can do better than Robert E Lee did at the Battle of Gettysburg

I decisively won the battle by the way. I guess this proves that every general can have a bad day.


Hat Tip - "Thirty Three Things Nov 26th on the Evangelical Outpost

Grump's Christmas Moosic

If you haven't already noticed, there is now music on this blog. Turn your speakers on. Grumpamoose's Christmas Favorites is at the bottom of the center column. And he is taking requests. If you have a favorite song, and know the url where he can get it, please leave it in comments.

A Month of Thanksgiving Days 19, 20, and 21

I see that I have been remiss in not keeping up with the Thanksgiving posts. So I guess I have some catching up to do

These past three days, I have been thankful for:
well written television programs
falling colorful leaves
the smell of cookies baking
the smell of turkey roasting
the taste of a bowl of Genghis Grill
My uncle's love of music.
and
restful naps

A Month of Thanksgiving Day 18

I am thankful that I had a good weekend, celebrating my wife's birthday on Saturday. I am also very thankful that I was able to get most of the things I needed car-repair wise taken care of.

A Month of Thanksgiving Day 16

Today I have one dog leaning on me, one laying on the floor next to me, one more laying on the other couch trying to stay alert, and the fourth diddy bopping around like the imp that he is. Life is good

A Month of Thanksgiving - Day 14

Today I am thankful that I was able to get home in less than 5 hours. There was a major fatality accident involving a fuel tanker truck, that closed one of the main north/south freeways for several hours, and as a result all the northbound side roads, many of which were built before the population exploded in this part of the region, were way way overcrowded.

A Month of Thanksgiving - Day 13

Today I got my paycheck f(or which I am thankful since it included my long overdue commission check) but what I am most thankful for today is the bracing crispness of fall that has finally arrived in Texas

A Month of Thanksgiving - Day 12

Today I was sick with some kind of stomach ailment, that kept me up for a few hours last night. So I was able to Skype with a friend in Russia. I am thankful for the chance to do so, because he updated me a bit on what he has been up to since we were there in early October.

Mystery Topic Challenge #4

If I were President for a day, with the power to do anything, I would interview and test all 435 members of Congress on their level of understanding and appreciation for the limits on Federal government authority and power. Those that test at less than 90 % will be dismissed from the Congress and ineligible to hold Federal office until they test above 95% on 10 separate tests.

Those that test less than 50% are jailed, and those that test less than 20% are summarily executed as tyrant wannabes.

With the 4 members still standing, I will create a committee to review the entire US Code, and repeal all laws that violate the Constitution. All programs, departments, and agencies that do not meet the powers granted to the Federal government will be immediately disbanded, all agency buildings not needed for valid constitutional Federal use will be sold to either various state governments, or private sector, and proceeds deposited in the Treasury to repay all debts incurred by the disbanded government.

As an example, Dept of Education - gone. Dept of Health and Human services - Bye bye. National Endowments for the Arts, Public Broadcasting Corporation, NPR - adios. Alaskan Bridges to nowhere - auf wiedersehen. Congress will take back the power over the economy now exercised by an unaccountable Federal Reserve Bank.

My next step would be to convene a web conference of all 50 governors, to explain that although the Federal government does not have the constitutional power to run the disbanded departments and programs, there is nothing in the US Constitution that prevents the states from doing so, assuming they want to tax their own citizens for those things. At the end of the first web conference, all 50 governors would email a list with their nominees, 2 people for each congressional vacancy, for their states.

I would followup with all the nominees in a second web conference, with me and the 4 incumbent legislators. We would interview them, then I will appoint temporary replacements for the 431 House and Senate vacancies, choosing the candidate with the best grasp of the Constitution from the Governor's nominee lists.

After calling the new Congress into session later that day, I would work with them to pass 2 amendments the Constitution to outlaw pork barrel spending, and add a mechanism to quickly remove from office any Federal office holder that attempts to circumvent the Constitutional limits henceforth. Powers granted to the President and the Congress can only be added to by further amending the Constitution in the manner listed in the Constitution.

After these amendments are passed by 2/3 of both Houses of Congress, I would forward the text to the states.

The next to last thing I would do would be to ask Congress for a bill to reconfigure the federal budget to one better fitting the proper Constitutional limits to federal power. This bill would allow for previously nderfunded constitutional agencies to be fully funded, and the remainder of unnecessary tax revenues would be refunded to the tax payers. This bill would not go into effect until the Constitutional amendments were ratified by 2/3 of the States.

On my last act of the day, I would issue two executive orders stating that all surplus federal employees that have their jobs eliminated can apply for any open positions in the remaining departments, including the Department of Defense. This executive order called for all remaining department managers and Cabinet Secretaries to provide assistance to all former Federal employees as possible, and to provide referrals to any State government programs that perform a similar function to the illegitimate former Federal one.
The second executive order mandated that all remaining federal employees will have to go through a thorough customer service re-training to understand that they serve the citizens, who are in effect their customers. All federal employees will be required to master good customer service techniques, and undergo periodic customer service refresher training.

Then I woke up.

A Month of Thanksgiving Day 11

Today, although it only did so for a few minutes on my way to work this morning, I am thankful for the rain today.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have enjoyed the slap of the windshield wipers, and the smell of rain in the air. There are few things more enjoyable than sitting on the porch, and watching the rain come down. Unless the rain is also bringing tornados - then it is not so much fun.