No Runny Eggs

As I continue my wandering through the TSA labyrinth, I have learned a few things.

First, when you file your “redress” you are given a “redress control number.” From what I’m reading, it appears that this number, if all things go well, will become my magical key to regain my flying rights. It appears that if they agree I am who I am, I won’t actually come off of their ineffectual list. Rather, I will provide my RCN to airlines when I book a ticket. They will then cross reference this RCN with the “this guys is a bastard” list and because I have a RCN, they’ll know I’m not a bastard.

In short, it looks like I have hope. The problem is that the only hope I have is placing my confidence in a federal bureaucracy!

This video from ReasonTV (H/T – Eric Odom) explains everything you need to know about Shoebox’s situation…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaHqD5OAYi0[/youtube]

I’m scanning the various websites that I regularly peruse and am beginning to wonder if I have had some kind of a Rip VanWinkle episode and have just awoken on April 1st.  The other option might be that the MSM has finally collapsed and The Onion is now writing all “news” stories.  Can any of this stuff be real?

Nelson: We should have waited on health care:Senator Nelson is in full CYA mode as he sees the public outcry increase over his support of placebocare.  Following the selling of his vote, he tried the “no, I didn’t get anything special.  Everyone will get the Medicaid support,” approach.  That didn’t stem the pitch forks and torches streaming towards his office.  Now, he’s trying a twist on the Obama approach claiming “this isn’t the health care bill you thought you knew!”  Along with, “I wish we could have focused on other things!”

Um, Senator Nelson, your vote is what caused the legislation to move forward.  If you had really thought that other things should have been focused on, the withholding of your vote could have caused that to happen.

Or, how about this:

National security adviser: Airline bomber report to ‘shock’– A simple response, “Ah, NO!”  The only thing “shocking” about what we will read in this report is that several bus loads of inept, uber politically correct politicos still have their jobs and haven’t been shipped to some Arctic outpost!  The only person in America who will be “shocked” by this report will be Janet Napolitano whose eyes will be opened for the first time, to the fact that they system DID NOT work as planned!

And finally:

TSA Agent Arrested at LAX – What’s not in the headline is that he was arrested after acting erratically and shouting:

“I am god, I’m in charge.” 

The article goes on to imply that his shouts were drug induced.  Drug induced?  Like hell!  If every TSA employee who had a god complex was arrested and fired we’d have a far smaller TSA with absolutely no decrease in air safety!

I got a copy of my passport, a copy of my driver’s license and a signed copy of some useless form bundled up and sent to the TSA today. I asked Mrs. Shoe whether on the envelope, I should address it to:

Moron – TSA

I thought it would get my envelope to the top of the stack. She didn’t think being at the top of the stack would be a good thing.

When they find their inner Denny Green and realize that “I was who I thought I was,” or something like that, will they actually send me a note and say “just kidding!” Or, will I just magically be able to use the kiosks again just like I magically ceased to have the ability to use the kiosks on Monday?

Many conservatives (including me) are encouraged by what appears to be the public’s rejection of the leftism that is being foisted upon us by a left wing president and far left leadership in the House and Senate.  Democrats should be in trouble in November.  And it is easy to infer from this that Republicans are in good shape.  Not necessarily.

The Hill reports that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has little cash on hand, and is very concerned about finances as we head into the 2010 election cycle.  The article raises a number of factors that contribute, most of which make sense and seem legitimate.  But one would think money would be flowing into GOP coffers like never before, given the prospect of a very successful mid-term election.

I think this is, in part, the result of the discontent among the GOP base.  Never before have I lived through a time when grass roots Republicans have had less faith in Republican leadership. The sentiment seems to be that in November we will exchange a bunch of irresponsible, excessive spending, corrupt Democrats for a bunch of irresponsible, excessive spending, corrupt Republicans.  That doesn’t exactly make one excited to start writing big checks to the RNC.

My theory is supported by the fact that while the RNC is struggling, there still seems to be money out there for individual Republican candidates.  In other words, grass roots Republicans will give money to people who will likely uphold the Party values and beliefs. The challenge for the GOP going forward is to get conservatives back on board.  That will not be easy, given the history of ideological betrayal.

And what happens if the GOP doesn’t take this concern seriously?  Well, all you need to know is that in a recent poll, Americans were more likely to be favorably predisposed to people holding “Tea Party” values than Democratic or Republican values.  Maybe that is why RNC Chairman Michael Steele recently came out and stated that Republicans have failed by wavering from core conservative principles.  We’ve heard that all before Mr. Steele.  Sounds good in an election year.  But you better find a few Republican elected officials who walk the talk.

I’ll start chronicling my adventure through the TSA.

Monday, after I was notified that I was a suspected terrorist, I asked the gate agent, “Is this going to happen again?” I was told nonchalantly as if this happens all the time, “Yes, probably.” She took a luggage tag and wrote on the back, “TSA.Gov,” and said, “It takes a while to get off but start here.”

I went off, found my gate and got connected to the Internet. I looked up TSA.gov and found a site with this title: The Traveler Redress Inquiry Program. Apparently, after the TSA unilaterally puts you on their list, you have the ability to plead with them to take you off. You do this by sending them copies of your passport, drivers license and other government issued IDs. Hey, don’t you think they may already have access to all of those? Don’t you think they could have figured out I am who I am BEFORE they put me on their damn list?

If I was a terrorist, I would be called “alleged” even though I had been witnessed as actually having done something. If I was a terrorist, I would be innocent until proven guilty! However, because my name somehow is an alliteration of someone elses, I’m guilty until I can prove my innocence!

Is it just me or does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?

In case you missed the travails of Shoebox’s attempts to travel the last couple days, he somehow got slapped onto one of TSA’s watch lists. Until they straighten things out, there will be a new counter on the site.

Hey hey, ho ho. Shoebox should be free to go.

I just tried getting my boarding pass for my flight back to MSP.

Guess what!?

I have to go see the gate agent again!

Help! 

Getting through airports is bad enough.  When you’re a consultant who travels for a living on the damn aluminum birds, this is more than a mere inconvenience.  Standing in line for extra HOURS for someone to look at my drivers license and call a disembodied voice somewhere in the ether, to get an “approval code” to issue me a boarding pass is absolute nonsense!

Write your Congressperson!  Have them tell the TSA to release Shoebox!

Hey, hey, ho, ho, Shoebox should be free to go!

Hey, hey, ho, ho, Shoebox should be free to go!

Hey, hey, ho, ho, Shoebox should be free to go!

Hey, hey, ho, ho, Shoebox should be free to go!

Here is an excerpt from a speech given by Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama in September 2008.  “I’ll make our government open and transparent so that anyone can ensure that our business is the people’s business. As Justice Louis Brandeis once said, sunlight is the greatest disinfectant. As President, I will make it impossible for Congressmen or lobbyists to slip pork-barrel projects or corporate welfare into laws when no one is looking because when I am president, meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public. No more secrecy.”

Today C-SPAN has asked Congress to open the health care reform negotiations taking place “behind closed doors” to the media.  It will be interesting to see the Administration reaction to this.  You will notice President Obama’s comments do not just address actions of the Administration.  He specifically refers to “. . . meetings where laws are written. . .”

In my three decades of following politics I do not remember a time when there were more shenanigans pulled by members of Congress in order to push through legislation that is resoundingly unpopular with the “folks.”  I think the least the President and his congressional allies can do is allow us to watch them give us the proverbial finger.

My flight to MKE was unremarkable in everyway. I checked in on line, went through security without a hitch, had the same crabby flight attendants and voila, landed safely in MKE. This morning is a different issue.

So I leave DR last night and head to Chicago. I’ve got meetings in Louisville today and tomorrow and thought that was the best way to make the trip.  I stayed at a hotel and headed to ORD early this AM.

I get to ORD 2.5 hours before my flight. I go to the kiosk to get my ticket and get a message that I must see an agent! Well, at Ohare, seeing an agent is not an easy task. They are always understaffed and never seem to figure out what their big flying days are to get additional people lined up.

After an HOUR, I got to an agent. She promptly informed me that I had been place on the flight security watch list!

Huh?

Folks, many of you met me yesterday. For those who haven’t, I’m male, middle age, as caucasian as they come. My last name is of the most serious German heritage one could want. Either this is a big screw up by UAL or something has seriously changed in the past 24 hours.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, although I did see a black helicopter at the airport this AM, but do you think the Obama administration is again finding ways to overreact so that “The One” isn’t made to look stupid again?

Stay tuned!

Update:  Saw this article in the USAtoday while on my flight….I wonder if this had anything to do with my new status?  I read another article that said the new rules went into effect at midnight…would at least explain why I was able to fly yesterday unmolested! USATODAY

I’m sure you all lay awake at night asking, “I wonder how Shoebox will keep his driveway (and that of those around the neighborhood) with all the snow?”

Answer:  A diesel tractor with an 8′ snowblower!

May you have a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

There’s so many events tomorrow, and so little time. I’ll start tomorrow evening’s festivities at Leah Vukmir’s Christmas Party over at Alioto’s (3041 N Mayfair in Milwaukee) at 5:30 pm tomorrow. I had originally hoped to make it to the Racine County GOP’s Pints and Politics Christmas Party over at Spokes Restaurant (14001 Washington Ave in Yorkville, just west of I-94) at 6:30, but I’ve got an invite to an informal AFP bloggers’ get-together over at Mama’s Italian Cuisine (7718 W Burleigh St in Milwaukee, and yes, it’s right next to Papa’s Social Club) at 7:30.

Robert Stacy McCain shows how a fisk is done by pounding overhead smash after overhead smash on the carcass formerly known as the head lizard:

Actually, it had sort of been brewing in my subconscious for a long, long time. . . .
(Ever since he went off his meds.)
Something just triggered it off, I don’t know what it was. . . .
(He ran out of commenters to ban.)
I actually fought against being classified as a right-wing blog for a long time. . . .
(He also fought being classified as a textbook case of borderline personality disorder, with less success.)

Memo to self – always try to stay on Stacy’s good side. It’s actually pretty easy to do if one is not an asshat.

I’ve remained silent (at least here) throughout the 3+ weeks of the Tiger Woods saga.  It’s not because it didn’t interest me, it did.  Not in the “did you hear he’s started the back nine” kind of way but, in the “gee, with the image that he has and the size of the scandal, will Tiger be “Tiger” after all this is done?”  It’s to that second point that I want to make my comments.

Tiger Woods announced today, that he will be leaving golf for an “indefinite” time.  His statement said that he wanted to work on repairing his marriage and

being a better husband, father, and person. 

I watch Tiger Woods play every chance I can.  I fully appreciate and marvel at the skill he has to consistently make the shots and play at the level he does.  One of the things that has fascinated me about Woods is his ability to mentally block all other things out of his thought or focus, except for the next shot.  While many golfers let a bad shot on an early hole destroy their round (hello Phil Mickelson), Tiger is able to set that bad shot aside so that it is only “that shot” and does not impact any of the remaining shots in the round.  He’s able to do the same thing with a bad lie.  How many times has Tiger hit “that amazing shot?”  Along with his skill, he hits them because of his ability to eliminate all other considerations (oh, maybe I should have used a longer iron) and focus on the successful delivery of the shot he has decided on.   If I had to describe Tiger’s unique mental ability I’d say he is able to “compartmentalize” his strokes.

I’ve had several conversations with male friends regarding Tiger.  In every conversation we eventually get to the point of discussing “What kind of a conscience do you have to serially cheat when you have a wife and two small children?”  I’ve heard numerous reasons that I’m sure most of you have heard; “he has no conscience,” “his marriage is a sham,” “his ego,” “he’s famous,” etc.  I’ve got a different theory; Tiger is able to compartmentalize.

We’re told that a person’s greatest strength is also their greatest weakness.  I believe this is especially true for Tiger.  While Tiger’s ability to compartmentalize his strokes gives him the gift of being the world’s greatest golfer, the same ability to compartmentalize is what I believe has done Tiger in in his personal life.  I believe that while all of the other factors people offer play a role in Tiger’s failing, it is his ability to separate his rational thinking about his wife from that of the other women he has been with.  His ability to compartmentalize is also how he is able to keep the guilt he feels (I have no doubt he has some) separated and controlled so that it doesn’t overtake him and keep him from cheating again.  It’s this point in my theory that brings me to a cross roads of deciding whether Tiger will ever be “Tiger” again.

For Tiger to succeed at his marriage, he will have to learn how to uncompartmentalize his relationships.  If he doesn’t, he will never develop the emotional tie with his wife that will cause him to give up philandering.  If he does that, does that also mean that he will lose the ability to compartmentalize other issues?  Will he still be able to separate himself mentally from a bad shot or maintain focus on a chosen shot and not allow other options to cloud his ability to execute his chosen shot?

While I don’t like this answer, I don’t think it will be possible for Tiger to save his marriage and maintain the skill level he has had in golf.  If he is successful with his marriage and returns to golf, I believe the golf world will refer to Tiger as “remember when?”  However, if he maintains his golf skill, I’m afraid that means he will not uncompartmentalize his personal life and that will mean the end of his marriage.  I hope I’m wrong, I hope Tiger can do both.  If not, I hope he chooses his marriage.

As I said earlier, Tiger announced that he will be leaving golf for an indeterminate time.  In his announcement, he gave an apology for his actions:

“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children,” Woods said. “I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try.”

I’ve always believed Tiger to be a quality individual.  Obviously, the recent revelations shows my lack of ability to correctly judge people.  Tiger’s apology is the kind of apology that we should see more often.  Note that Tiger didn’t apologize “if you were offended.”  Note also that he calls it what it is, “infidelity.”  Finally, note that he doesn’t talk about his wife’s failings or the pressure of being on tour or any other nonsense.  Tiger takes responsibility and takes blame for HIS actions and no one’s else.  Tiger could teach a number of political figures how to write an apology.

Obviously writing an apology is easy.  The hard part is showing that you actually mean it and that it is not just words provided by a quality publicist.  The only way we will know whether Tiger actually feels remorse will be in watching his future actions.  If Tiger works to approach his marriage with the same forthrightness that he has in his apology, we may be referring to Mr. and Mrs. Tiger Woods for a long time to come.  I hope this time I’m right.

The health care legislation making its way through Congress is a classic illustration of why “it is better that we not know how laws and sausages are made.”  After a trip through the House, the Senate, and most likely a conference committee, nobody will truly understand what is being passed.  Does it REALLY contain a public option?  Does it provide public funding for abortions?  Those issues, among hundreds of others, will not be fully understood.

But in the end, the price tag will sink this program.  People of all political stripes acknowledge that spending is out of control beyond all comprehension.  You can fool the “folks” with fancy language about abortion and the public option.  But everyone understands that Washington is spending money to the point of putting America’s future at risk.  Come November 2010, the public will judge those politicians who have ignored the call for fiscal sanity. Self-interested politicians (pardon the redundancy) will take note and act accordingly over the coming weeks.

Direct from Fred the social director:

Our Cheddarsphere Christmas this year party will be on Sunday, January the 3rd, from 2pm until whenever at Papa’s Social Club, 7718 W. Burleigh Milwaukee .

Just like last year we’ll be collecting predictions from the attendees for the coming year. (Hopefully we’ll do better than last year!)

The Packers will be facing the Cardinals on the big screens. (Hopefully the game will matter in some way)

Since it was so popular last year, we’ll be doing a white elephant gift exchange this again. Participation is optional, buy a gift valued at no more than $5, wrap it and bring it with you to the party. Everyone who brings a gift will throw their name in a hat and then you draw and pick a gift at random. (Gift exchange to commence at halftime of the Packer game)

Just like every year this is a NON PARTISAN CHRISTMAS PARTY, all are welcome, blog authors and blog readers, those who comment and those who hide in the weeds.

Bloggers, please do what you do best, spread the word.

If you will be attending PLEASE leave a comment (at Fred’s place; comments are off here) so we can give the bar an idea of how many people will be coming along.

Word on the street is Milwaukee County Executive (and candidate for governor) Scott Walker will be there. The other candidates for governor have also been invited.

Also, Shoebox may make an appearance.

Q. What’s the difference between a sailor and Tiger?

A. Tiger thinks “all the world’s ports” is too limiting

This is the Emergency Blogging System. It has been activated because Steve doesn’t want to sound like a broken record after last year’s December Drinking Right/Snowpocalypse.

This is your 24-hour warning to make sure you make it to Papa’s Social Club (7718 W Burleigh in Milwaukee) for the December Drinking Right, to commence promptly at 7 pm 12/8/2009. We don’t care if it’s snowing; alcohol makes a great anti-freeze.

This has been an activation of the Emergency Blogging System. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled posts.

(H/T – Ace)

It has become a long-standing joke embarrassment that Google refuses to acknowledge certain historical dates important to Americans. Today is no exception. I’ll let the screencaps of the current home pages of Google, Yahoo, and Bing speak for themselves (at least for the most part; do click the images for the full-sized versions):

Note the complete lack of mention of the significance of the day on Google, and only a single reference to the events of that day (the sinking of the USS Arizona) on Yahoo. What you can’t see on Bing’s screencap are the interactive links:

• Over the USS Arizona Memorial is a question on what day President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said would live in infamy, which takes one to a “Bingified” copy of a Wikipedia article on the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• In the harbor to the right of the Memorial is a question on how one can best pay respects to those who died there in 1941, which takes one to a Bing search for “USS Arizona Memorial”.
• In the harbor to the right of the USS Missouri is an offer for help on locating Pearl Harbor, which takes one to a Bing map showing where the southeast corner of Pearl Harbor is (about a mile south of the USS Arizona Memorial).
• On the USS Missouri is an invitiation to take a break from war news by viewing “beach pictures” from the area (really a Bing images search of Oahu, the island’s name).

While Bing doesn’t quite get the entire execution right, I do have to give them an A for effort. The rest – an EPIC FAIL!

Revisions/extensions (5:11 pm 12/7/2009) – Welcome Ed Driscoll readers. I guess it helps to have a memorable Tweet – “Say what you will about Bill Gates and Microsoft — they know what day it is and what country they hail from.”

Dear Readers,

Mrs. Shoebox and I along with Thing1, Thing2 and Grandpa and Grandma Shoebox, are heading across the great Midwest to spend this holiday with the extended Shoebox family.

Along with the start of the annual increase of my caloric intake, I’ll be spending some time reflecting this weekend.

There are many things for me to be thankful for:

1. I have a Savior who loves me and through His death has provided me reconciliation with my Heavenly Father.
2. I have a wife who loves me as I am and in spite of my many shortcomings.
3. I have two sons who are funny, bright, energetic and quickly headed to becoming young men
4. While we face challenges, we still live in the greatest country on the planet.  I’m going to work hard in the next year to help keep it that way.

Finally, I’m thankful for you, our reader. 

As the airlines say “I know you have choices.”  I appreciate that you spend part of your time reading this site and are interested in the things we have to say.  I’m always appreciate of the comments, supportive or not so much, I read them all.  While I’ve met none of you, I’ve gained a number of friendships from my posting on this site.  I look forward to making even more friends in the next year.

Have a great holiday!  Enjoy your family and friends.  I know I will!

Shoebox