Don’t you love Friday nights?  For those of us who work a typical five day work week, Friday nights are the epitome of freedom from the daily grind of work.  The whole weekend is in front of you and most of the time there is no reason to get up early on Saturdays.  Yep, Friday nights are synonymous with going out and having a great time to blow off steam.  So what did I do this past Friday night?  I was glued to the TV watching C-Span for HOURS!  Can you think of anything more exciting to do on a Friday night?  I sure can’t.  Call up the buddies, pickup some booze, invite a bunch of hot chicks over, and cut on C-Span!  WOOOOOO!!!!  Ok, so here’s what went down - there are a bunch of Congressmen, I like to refer to them as “spineless idiots”, who have been going around spouting off about how we shouldn’t be in Iraq, it’s an unjust war, we should pull the troops out, blah blah blah.  This really ignited a few days ago when  Congressman John Murtha, a representative who is a former Marine that served in Vietnam, started talking about pulling troops out of Iraq.  Now here’s the funny part - the media is trying to portray this as a guy who was all for the war but now all of the sudden had a change of heart, when the fact is, he’s been speaking out against this since at least September of 2003.  Yep, here’s the proof at http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0917-06.htm.  Friday afternoon I saw that the Republicans in Congress were going to bring this up for a vote…basically to call everyone out on the carpet - if you want the troops out, then vote on it and put it on record.  This kind of goes with that whole “I support the troops but not the war” crap…you know…people who want it both ways instead of taking a stand.  So there I am, watching hours of debate in the hallowed halls of Congress before the vote.  Of course first they had to take a vote on whether or not they should take the vote about the troops…Washington logic, huh?  Anyway the resolution was crushed, I think only about 4 or 5 people voted to pull the troops out, and now we have anyone who was coming out against the war in Congress having to clarify why they voted the way they did and it’s hysterical!  For instance, one of the guys I’m running against here in Tennessee is Harold Ford Jr., and he’s trying to do the whole “Yes I voted for the war but I wouldn’t now knowing what I know but I don’t think we should pull out but we shouldn’t be there” and it cracks me up watching these people squirm.  Look, I’ve done and said stupid things in my life, and believe it or not I have been wrong on a few occasions and I have no problem admitting any of these things…but watching someone trying to cover up and double talk and all that is hilarious to me.  I heard him on a local radio show after this vote and he’s talking a million miles an hour and I’m sure sweat was beading on his forehead and he was sounding all flustered trying to defend himself.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…moron.  In fact, his performance Friday night in front of the cameras was pretty laughable.  Jean Shmidt, a representative from Ohio, read a note of a phone call she received from a constituent.  The person who called happened to be a Marine Colonel.  Anyway, she read what the guy said which was "He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do".  Oh Ford went off!  He goes over to her raising his voice and pointing at her trying to look all big and bad and people actually had to get next to him because they thought he was going to get physical.  Real tough guy there, huh?  I’ve had it with politicians like him.  Let the military handle it you know?  Congress gives the authority to go to war, allocates the budget for the military, and after that SHUT UP!  And seriously, even if a vote had been in favor of pulling the troops out, it wouldn’t have mattered because they can’t do anything about it anyway.  I’m just sickened by anyone who wants to play politics while soldiers are engaged in a war.  In fact, I ran across a very interesting comment by Abraham Lincoln the other day that is quite interesting.  Check this out -

“Congressmen who willingly take actions in wartime that damage morale or undermine the military are saboteurs, and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged”

I couldn’t say it any better.  You see, no one really wants to speak out against John Murtha because he served his country in war...but I will.  I don't get you Congressman Murtha...you of all people should understand the damage done to our soldiers at this time by speaking out against them.  Why would you do this?  See I'm not one of those people that blindly respects others because I'm supposed to...my respect has to be earned.  I do respect those who served in war more than I can say...I think that's a pretty obvious statement with how much I talk about it...but my respect gets lost in situations like this.  You want the troops out of Iraq?  Then why in the hell didn't you vote for it, huh?

You know what?  While I’m at it, I might as well keep going on about what a complete dork I am sometimes.  After my riveting Friday night of C-Span and Congressional debates that lasted until about 11:00 that night, Sunday I spent three hours putting up Christmas decorations.  Oh and this wasn’t just some spur of the moment decision either…like I was sitting there Sunday going “wow…it’s almost Thanksgiving…I think I’ll put some decorations up”…this was a PLANNED activity.  And I had been looking forward to it all week.  Normally on Sundays people are over cooking out and watching hours of football…but this past weekend people had Titan’s tickets or other stuff so it was just me throwing temper tantrums as Atlanta lost by three points.  One day I’d like to make an audio recording of myself while watching an Atlanta game because I sure do come up with some wonderfully creative profanities.  So after the game, I dragged the stuff out of the closet and spent three hours putting everything up.  In fact, I even bough a bunch of those lights that look like they’re on a cargo net that drape over bushes…so the front of my house is pretty well lit.  The tree is up…everything.  I don’t know exactly what it is, but Christmas decorations and this time of year brings out the kid in me.  But then again, what doesn’t, you know?  I mean look at my collection of horror movies, video games, and movie posters that adorn my walls and I start to wonder what brings out the adult in me…hahahahaha.  Now what really ticks me off is the way Christmas is treated now, like it’s a crime to post the word “Christmas” somewhere.  A few weeks ago, a woman was on the Wal-Mart website and noticed that the word “Christmas” appeared nowhere…instead the word “Holiday” was used.  So she wrote Wal-Mart and received this explanation about appealing to people of other faiths and blah blah blah.  Anyway, after some pressure and news of this, Wal-Mart decided to change their tune.  So what’s the big deal?  Two things  - 1) The tradition of this country has been to celebrate Christmas, not “Holiday”, and 2) Wal-Mart has NO problem raking in the cash for the Christmas shopping season yet doesn’t want to call it the Christmas season.  I mean, if it wasn’t for Christmas then there wouldn’t really be this big shopping period would there?  Nope.  But I guess I can understand why people would be all offended with Christmas.  I mean it’s the day that people acknowledge the birth of Jesus Christ who started that evil religion about love and forgiveness.  I guess I could see how someone who had their religion started by a guy who slaughtered a bunch of people and had a wife as young as like 8 and then spread their religion though war and conquest and now is used to justify beheadings and beating their wives being all offended by this.  Or I guess I could also see how Michael Newdow, that moron out in California who sued over the Pledge of Allegiance containing “under God” and is now suing to have “In God We Trust” removed from our money being all offended because the idea of a Christmas tree and presents is just CRAMMING Christianity down his throat, right?  Man, if you get really offended because someone posts the word “Christmas” then you have some serious issues.  If you get that bothered by someone saying “Merry Christmas”, then you must have been a pampered little spoiled brat growing up…or you could be someone who has an agenda to get rid of any traces of Christianity in this country…one or the other.  Seriously, if someone said “Happy Hanukkah” to me, I’d probably just be like “thanks dude, but I’m not Jewish”.  I’m NOT going to run around screaming “HOW DARE YOU TRY TO FORCE YOUR RELIGION ON ME!!!!”.  And honestly, when you get right down to it, Santa and reindeer and Frosty the Snowman really don’t have a heck of a lot to do with Christianity anyway.  Oh, and I saw at Lowe’s they’re selling “Holiday Trees”.  Holiday Trees???  Let me ask you this - what holiday besides Christmas has a tree as one of its symbols?  I mean Arbor Day is in September, so that couldn’t be it.  It just ticks me off that all these stores who have ZERO problem taking everyone’s money and thrive off the Christmas shopping season don’t want to “offend” anyone by using the word “Christmas”.  Whatever….

You know what I hate?  Commercials…I really do.  Outside of an ad for a cool movie or videogame, they annoy me to no end.  Now I don’t watch a whole lot of TV even though it’s always on.  Basically it’s football, Seinfeld reruns, and a couple of other odds and ends…my TV is generally used for games or movies.  Anyway, I really hate commercials, and it’s because of a 3 hour football game I am subjected to many more than I care to be.  My most hated have to be these “e” commercials.  You know how to make everything “cutting edge” technology-wise, it has to have an “e” in front of it?  I HATE it.  It’s always these movers and shakers in the world of corporate businesses going on and on about their state of the art e-servers, how they get their stuff via e-shipping, how they handle all their investments using e-brokers…ARGH!  They all walk around with their wireless cell phone headsets and try to look all important while they’re making these gigantic e-business decisions.  People may think I’m a loser or childish or immature because of the things I’m interested in, but I will take that any day of the week over being an e-mover & shaker.  I’m also SICK of all the cell phone ads and how everyone is just sooo “connected” nowadays.  For instance, the one that really annoys me this one with some girl who is a free-thinker walking down the street with her headphones on with some pseudo pop-angry Avril Lavigne sounding stuff blasting.  The whole ad she’s walking in front of windows showing her reflection, or shadows on the ground…and the reflection and shadows all show this young free spirit dancing without a care in the world celebrating her being a free thinker who isn’t bound to the rules of society.  Then a phone rings and she switches from the music to the phone to talk…ends the convo…cuts the music back on and the reflection is back to the wild and impetuous youth that yearns to be free in her heart.  I really don’t know what bothers me so much about it…maybe it’s that whole “all-in-one” thing…how phones and music players and microwave ovens or whatever else have to be all in one unit…and if you have something like that your life is just filled with untapped freedom.  I really hate cell phones so maybe that’s got something to do with it.  I mean I like the unlimited long distance at night and weekends and stuff…but the fact with a cell phone you’re always expected to answer it bugs me.  For instance, when I’m listening to music like I am now…Judas Priest “Unleashed in the East”…I can’t hear my phone because it’s in another room and it doesn’t bother me at all.  In fact at night if I’m watching a movie or something and the phone rings…I just let it go.  I used to know this one guy who would get annoyed beyond belief if I wouldn’t answer my cell phone.  He’d be like “why won’t you answer it???  It’s not like you don’t have it on you!”….whatever.  So yeah, I don’t think you’ll be seeing me bopping down the road with an all in one phone and whatever else anytime soon.  But my most hated are the ads for shows like “Cold Case” and “CSI: whatever”.  They have the music trying to make it all dramatic…and every week is either “must see”, “can’t miss”, “the most shocking”…all that crap.  And the ads all end the same way with selected cast members looking intently at the camera like their trying to figure something out as the camera pans around.  I hate those.  Oh wait…I forgot one.  There’s a new McDonald’s commercial where Johnny Reality (you know, non-descript t-shirt, shaggy hair that needs to be washed, a five o’clock shadow…but he’s just keeping it real) is on the side of a highway eating McDonald’s food off the hood of his car with his girlfriend.  Now how many times have you ever pulled off to the side of a highway and decided to have a friggin picnic off the hood of your car???  He’s just keeping it real dude!  And there’s another McDonald’s commercial with some suburban housewife listing out all these exciting things she does on a daily basis while trying to talk seductively…even mentions having a pool boy over and she doesn’t even have a pool.  Then it shows her eating a McGriddle and having McDonald’s coffee lounging around on her couch to imply that every morning eating one of those is just like a dreamworld full of all sorts of fantasies.  Exactly how long does it take to eat one of those…5 minutes or so?  Yet they portray it like she’s lounging around for HOURS as she nibbles on the thing.  And here’s something else…if you didn’t have to be anywhere…would you get up at the crack of dawn everyday to go get a McGriddle and coffee to bring back home???  I didn’t think so.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving...please travel safely...and get ready because in a couple of weeks are the Rum & Coke Buzz year end awards.  Oh yeah...THE event of the year...I don't care what anyone says.