Saturday, September 27, 2008

Today's Shirt: OBAMA - another bum asking for change

I was on AOL today (yeah, sometimes I like to waste perfectly good time) and their big, dreadful news story was that Hurricane Kyle was going to beat the Hell out of the poor state of Maine. I posted a response, not to worry. To us Maniacs, it's just another day. It would take more than a hurricane to rouse our interest or concern.

They also had a story that last night's presidential debate was an important and interesting event. I watched it. It was neither. McCain blew countless opportunities to climb ahead. Obama kept acting UNpresidential, wagging his finger and interrupting McCain several times. Reminded me of Howdy Doody and Phineas T Bluster. Or maybe Bozo and ClaraBelle. AOL pundits debated over who won. My opinion: they both lost.

The third story revolved around the energy bill Bush put before Congress. Then the Democrats tacked billions of pork onto it, signed it, and sent it back to Bush to sign it into law. So, tell me if I'm wrong...if Bush signs it, the Democrats can blame him for putting through over 25 billion in pork. And if he vetoes it, they can say he shot down the bill that allows drilling. Nice set-up. If you ask me, that is nothing short of blackmail - "You can have your drilling, but only if you let us skin the taxpayers again for more pork."

When did it become "all about party" instead of "all about America?" The only candidate that thought of America first was a guy who lost in the primaries - Huckabee. I think America would have a winning team if we had chosen Gingrich and Huckabee. Both are known for being Americans first, party pleasers second.

We should ditch PARTIES altogether, and just have platforms that deal with issues.

At the bottom of the "political" articles on AOL, people can post comments. I have been watching and reading these for several months. And it was blatantly obvious that those on the left tended to resort to foul language and name calling, while those on the right tended to be sarcastic, but at least they were civil. I had not noticed this before. The most hateful, intolerant people were, about 7 to 1, on the left.

Call me old, but I can recall when both parties knew what civility was. Liberals & conservatives could debate on the merits of their platforms. But anyone who has visited the political websites, or read those posts would see just how low the left has devolved into hatred and spite. Those on the left call for the murder of those they disagree with. They revel when a Republican gets cancer, or throw parties when a famous conservative dies. They throw things at republican speakers. I just do not see that same kind of vile action on the right.

Don't believe me? Visit the Huffington Post, the Daily Kos or Moveon.org, as examples. Then check the websites on the right - Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh etc. You will see a very distinct difference in the level of civility. It's astounding! The right-wing sites are reasonably civil. The left-wing sites are anything but. They are crude, rude, and disgusting. If my family acted like that, I would disown them.

Losing our humanity, and abandoning our moral fabric is not the direction we should be moving in. Yes, we need change. But we certainly do not need THAT kind of change!

Self-respect used to be important. And to conservatives, it still is - it is part of the definition of conservative. But a person should not have to be a conservative to value self-respect, integrity, honesty and civility. Those things should be AMERICAN values.

The difference between Republican and Democrat is becoming a real rift, mostly because the Democrat party seems to have been hijacked by the far-left nuts, because THEY have the money. Republicans may hate the platform of the Dems, but they do not hate the Dems, themselves. But the far-left Dems do seem to be hating the Republicans, on a personal level. And that is wrong. Here is an example: I was at the Deerfield Fair this week, and stopped at the Republican booth, just to see who was running in NH this time around. A person I had never met walked by, and out of the blue said, "another f-ing Repuke! Probably a ****, like Bush." I never hear any Republican say that sort of thing to Democrats.

It is a very sad thing. I hope our next leader can help heal things, but I don't think that is possible. The hatred is set deep in those people. It would be easier to get the KKK to give up their hatred of other races.

We all need to shun anyone who pushes hate as if it were crack cocaine. Whenever we hear or see such poor behaviour, we need to speak up. If we do not, we are, by our silence, condoning it, which encourages more of the same. Do not let these haters and liars get away with their tripe. This is not a matter of PARTY, or even politics. This is a matter of morality and civility. If we lose those, we lose our right to call ourselves the Children of God. We lose any right to call ourselves civilized. We lose everything of value.

HotKarz in Winter

Today's Shirt: Paddle faster - I hear banjo music

Over the slow winter months, we are going to try and keep things moving here at HotKarz. Naturally, I will keep this blog going, though I may not be making quite as many entries. But there will be other things to enjoy, such as:

1) We already have someone who plans on a car project, and wants to have a Projects page, where he can post pix and info on his latest "build". We encourage others to also request a Projects page for their own. No need to do anything except email me the pix and info - HotKarz will do the rest

2) I have several hundred pix I have never posted. Some are local pix, but many are not - it is unlikely you have seen many of these righteous vehicles. I will try to put up a different gallery each week.

3) HotKarz will be having a contest. Over the summer I have taken pix of small portions of vehicles. Each week I will post one, and y'all can send in your guess as to the MAKE/MODEL and YEAR of the vehicle the part represents. The first correct guess will win a prize.

4) We would also like to be a central location for you to make plans with others to get together once in awhile during the winter. Anyone can post onto this blog, and invite others to join them for coffee, for example. Include your email address so others can let you know they will participate, so you can all iron out your plans. HotKarz will sponsor one such gathering, in a location that is central to most, such as Freeport ME. Keep checking during the winter to find out where and when.

Aside from all of the above, HotKarz will try to come up with some other ideas, as well, to help keep interest alive. We welcome any suggestions - there are no dummies among you, so I expect some feedback on this (^.^)

I look forward to seeing many of you at either Stratham Hill show, or New Gloucester later this month. I think the last gathering is York on the 19th - not sure if we can make that, but will try.

We still have some HotKarz T's left - catch us early at the Stratham show if you want one (or more). These are nice shirts, and once they are gone, that's it.

See y'all later! Hope you have a nice weekend (despite the weather).

Friday, September 26, 2008

New Feature

While they last: With each blog update I will attempt to provide y'all with "Today's Shirt". I'm sure you all see those T-shirts with funny sayings. So, I am scouring the Internet for those shirts, and will try to post a new one each time I add to the blog.

TODAY'S SHIRT: Sometimes I wonder, "Why is that frisbee getting bigger?" And then it hits me...

The REAL cause

As I write this, it is estimated that nearly 200 million women around the world are experiencing menopause.

All those "hot flashes". Is it any wonder we are threatened with global warming?

An article in TIME magazine stated that every 4 seconds a women gives birth. I think they should find that women and give her a new hobby.

Jim said he uses baby oil to treat the rubber cushions around the windows of a vehicle, and the seating cushion for a convertible. Dale asked, "How hard should you squeeze the baby to get the oil?" Jim followed with, "If it gets brown, you have squeezed too hard."

Well, gotta go - it's raining and I have a lot of nothing to do, and don't want to fall behind on it.

Amazing

For 8 years all we have heard from the left is how bad Bush is. Everything he does is absolutely wrong. He is evil - the devil, incarnate.

Today, those same left-wingers are saying how great Bush's bailout plan is, and how he is suddenly right! And real conservatives who are against the Bush bailout plan are somehow the unpatriotic ones.

I find this truly amazing. Bush has the lowest approval rating in history. Yet, when the folks DON'T get behind him, the left-wing nuts are suddenly shocked.

But what really amazes me is how so many ordinary folks can be so easily duped into believing we need this bailout plan. Lest we forget, the same people who laid the groundwork for this mess, and the same people who made billions from it are the same people we seem to be entrusting to fix it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a severe case of hiring the fox to watch the henhouse???

The bailout plan is inherently wrong on several levels, but what irks me the most is how it would position the richest companies who helped create this scenario to profit from it to the tune of billions. If this bailout goes through, for example, JP Morgan would be in a position to buy Wamu for about 2 billion - that's pennies on the dollar. And when the mess is over, and WaMu securities go back to their true value, JP Morgan will have pocketed over 100 billion - all at taxpayer expense.

Note, too, that there are only about 100 million actual taxpayers in America. The bailout bill is roughly 700 billion dollars. Do the math - that means every taxpayer would suddenly be on the stick for another $7,000 in real debt.

And there is no guarantee the bailout plan would even work.

I agree with Newt Gingrich on this issue - give those failed companies 3-5 years "grace", to clean up their own messes. Give them some assistance in doing so. Drop the Capital Gains tax rate to zero for that period, to encourage people to invest in them. And watch (regulate) them closely, just as a court would when someone files bankruptcy. Let them bail themselves out. And if any taxpayer money is used, the taxpayer should receive an equitable amount of stock in those companies.

If we are to be forced to invest in these companies, then they should be forced to issue us stock, so we can share in the re-growth.

Just my opinion, folks. But I am real tired of listening to whiney people who cannot see beyond their partisan noses. People who place party above country. People who put politics before national security. People like those who would have us believe Bush is evil, but now they want us to fall in line with the Bush Bailout plan, simply because it would benefit the wealthiest, and those on the left.

Since when was it the obligation of ordinary folks to protect the wealthy who built their fortunes on our backs? Since when did it become fashionable to help them keep their boots on our throats?

These clowns made billions off us. We paid to make them rich. Now they are in trouble, and expect us to pay to get them out.

I say it is high time THEY started paying. We have already paid far too much.

And if the economy tanks? So what! Economic cycles are just that - cycles. And every cycle must hit bottom sooner or later. Perhaps it is time to stop postponing it, and making it worse. Let's get it over with, so we can get back to work and rebuild.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Place

A reader wrote: "In one of the letters a while back a guy seemed to imply that only a 1st place trophy means anything, and I would like to say the 4th place trophy my daughter came home with means a ton to our family, considering what was there (4 Monte Carlos and an Eldorado). "

I think some clarification is in order concerning "place".

Every trophy is a 1st Place trophy. The reason I say this is based on a simple fact - in order to win any trophy, some people had to vote for you. And they do not vote for "position" - each person votes for the vehicle they believe is #1. They do not vote for #2, #3 etc. Only #1.

So, when you win a trophy, some people voted your vehicle to be Numero Uno - #1. So every trophy is a 1st place. The only difference between 3rd place and 1st place is the number of folks that thought the 1st place winner was first. But ALL winners were thought to be first by some voters.

So, the next time you walk into the winner's circle to pick up a 2nd place, 3rd place, or even a 4th place award, walk with pride - your vehicle is obviously #1 to some folks.

Last evening we went to Two Trails Diner for the final cruise of the evening, and were rewarded with an unscheduled surprise visit by Chip n' Dale (Bob Sanborn, Dale Chasse). Great having you two clowns join us. But there was a sadness in the air as the cruise came to a close for yet another year, with thoughts of, "Let's all get together for coffee or somethin' over the winter." I agree - friendships should not have to be put on hold.

So, HotKarz will make a stab at getting folks together about once a month, to sit, spin the bull, have some java and keep the friendships unfettered by cold weather.

Meanwhile, there are still a few shows left, so keep the chrome shining...

Monday, September 22, 2008

HotKarz T's

HotKarz has just ordered a limited supply of HotKarz t-shirts (see design here). They are expected to be in just prior to the Stratham Hill (NH) show on October 5th.

There have been a lot of you who have asked about shirts, so we do not expect this supply to last very long (we just ordered 100 today, and 14 have already been reserved). So, they are being offered on a first-come basis.

Weather permitting, we plan on being at Rock n' Roll Diner (Scarborough) on Tuesday eve, and Two Trails Diner (Standish) on Wednesday eve. Anyone wishing to reserve and pay for shirts may do so at any of those locations.

Any shirts still left (if any) will be available on a first-come basis at the Stratham Hill show on October 5th.

All shirts are just $10.00. These are the heavy Hanes "Beefy" t-shirts, not the thin stuff. Sizes are S, M, L, XL and 2XL. All quantities are limited, so get your order in as soon as you can.

Meanwhile, the only shows we see for this weekend are the N.E. School of MetalWork (Oxy) show in Hooksett, NH and the Bektash Shriner's Show at the WalMart in Concord NH, both shows on Saturday. I suspect some folks will instead choose to hit the Swap Meet in Amherst NH. As for us, we will be doing the fairs, I suspect.

See ya!

A Message From Ken

I have just received the following from Ken Matthews, the fellow who organized the Two Trails Cruisers show:

"Bill - Thank you for your review of the Two Trails/WalMart car show, I assure you and all of your readers we are listening to all comments and will do everything we can to make improvements as noted. If I can borrow your blog page for a few minutes,

"I would like to take this opportunity to personally offer my heart felt THANKS to all of the volunteers that worked with me to produce the TTC/WalMart car show this past Saturday at the Windham, Maine WalMart. It is truly a great feeling to know that so many people would donate a Saturday (and some were there Friday night) to help at our car show. Everyone did their part perfectly and we have heard many positive comments from the participants and spectators.

"The following are the volunteers that worked the show who all deserve our thanks: STAN PAGE, CHERYL PAGE, MARGARET HUTCHINS, RON HAYES, LARRY SHANKS, STEVE FLYNN, JANET MATTHEWS, TAMMY MATTHEWS, LOIS ROY, WILLIAM ROY, STEVE THOMPSON, PAUL MERRILL, NICHOLAS BABBIDGE, PATRICK LEVESQUE, RICHARD LEVESQUE, JAMES PEACOCK, SANDRA KIERSTEAD, JEANENE BETTERS, DAVID KIERSTED, MARY BENNER, RAYMOND BENNER, and committee members ELVIRA RIDLON, WES RIDLON, ROBERT HATCH.
I hope I did not miss anyone.

"I also want to say "THANK YOU" to the co-managers of the Windham WalMart store, Tina Hafford and Mark Jones for their generosity and hospitality, your support made this all possible. I need to also thank the sponsors for their contributions that made it possible for us to present over 100 trophies in the various classes.

"In closing I want to say how much I enjoyed watching and observing everyone having a good time, the old saying is; "If you build it, they will come". We DID, and they DID.

Thank You All,

Ken Matthews
Chairman, TTC car show"

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Changing the Subject

Well, the Supreme Court, by a slim margin of 5-4, earlier this year found that we, the people, have a right to bear arms. What I find surprising is that the four liberal justices somehow fail to find anything in the Constitution that guarantees that right.

Hm-m-m. Exact wording of the 2nd Amendent states "...the right of the people to bear arms shall not be abridged." Correct me if I am wrong (I'm not), but it sounds to me like the Constitution clearly states that the right of the people - you and me - to bear arms shall not be abridged.

In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons." He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."

Actually, there is evidence that the Framers made that choice - when they specifically worded the 2nd Amendment that clearly states "The right of the people to bear arms shall not be abridged." They did not again want citizens to be at the mercy of ANYONE - not even our own government. Apparently Justice Stevens has not read the Constitution. Either that, or like many liberals, has chosen to ignore it, or wants to give it new meanings that simply do not exist in reality.

Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate dissent in which he said, "In my view, there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas."

DUH! Justice Breyer is even dumber than Stevens. Seems to me that crime-ridden areas are EXACTLY the place where people need to be able to defend themselves. And there IS an "untouchable constitutional right" - it's called the 2nd Amendment. It states "the right of the people", not "the right of the people EXCEPT those who live in unsafe places where people are in greatest need of self-defense." Is this guy an idiot, or what? If an area is 100% safe, then guns are not necessary. Crime-ridden areas are exactly the place where people need to be able to defend themselves. How did such a dummy ever get appointed to be the judge of anything? I don't think he is qualified to judge a bikini contest - or a car show!

Why is it that liberals have so much difficulty when it comes to understanding clearly stated rights? What is so hard to fathom about "the right of the people to bear arms shall not be abridged"? Do they think the Constitution is actually a secret code that means the opposite of what it says?

Throughout the last 60 years it has been liberal justices who have found the term "separation of church and state" in the Constitution when, in fact, there is no mention of that in the document. And they found a constitutional right to deprive people the right to pray in school, in spite of the 1st amendment that clearly states that government may NOT interfere in the practice of religion. Yet the liberal justices did interfere, big time. In fact, liberal judges are actively trying to prevent the spread of Christianity.

And then those liberal justices found a new meaning to "eminent domain." While the Constitution states clearly that eminent domain can only occur if there is a need to have the land for PUBLIC USE, the liberal justices instead rewrote the Constitution to have it say PUBLIC BENEFIT. Apparently, these uneducated dunces believe that USE and BENEFIT mean the same thing. They do not. And they also believe they have the right to rewrite the Constitution. They do not.

And now the liberal justices would have rewritten the 2nd Amendment had it not been they were out-numbered by sane, intelligent conservative justices.

So, when you go to the polls in November, stop and think - in the next 4-8 years, chances are excellent that at least one justice will retire or pass away. The President will nominate a new justice, which Congress will approve. Before you cast your ballot, ask yourself if you want the Supreme Court to go back to being liberal, stripping us of even more rights.

If you do want our rights infringed, vote liberal. But if that is not what you want, then you need to cast your vote AGAINST liberal politicians. America cannot afford a Supreme Court that thinks it has the right to make the legislature irrelevant, and with it, the will of the people.

We, the People, are NOT irrelevant!

Hi, Cheryl

Today started out as a chilly ride to Durham for the Yankee Cruisers car show.

That's about it.

Bye!

Seriously, though, this show has been a very good show in the past, so it came as no surprise that it is still a very good show. There was a little glitch with the classes early on, but they got worked out OK, and quickly.

Dan "The Music Man" was there, providing oldies, but the songs were few and far between because of all the door prize announcements. There were a LOT of door prizes.

The weather was grand, and held until the awards, when a few sprinkles came down. But not enough to dampen any spirits.

There were so many great cars, it was difficult choosing the best in most of the classes. But we managed to get through it just fine.

This show went so smoothly that it's hard to say much about it - it almost appeared to be on auto-pilot, though I know there was a lot of work behind it.

Ron & Joanne's 1951 Willys took 1st in Special Interest, which has become a bit of a habit. But we all got a chuckle out of his trophy, which was sponsored by "Pete's Junk Yard". The secret is out now, Ron - we know where you get your cars! (^.-)

I did find something a bit comical, though. In yesterday's Two Trails show, Big Jim Peacock put his "Ol' Blue" in Custom Trucks, and some folks complained that it should be in Street Rods. So today, since Jim is pretty easy going, he put Ol'Blue in Street Rods - and some folks complained that it should have been in Custom Trucks. Jim must feel like Bill O'Reilly, getting it from both sides :o) Fact is, at least according to the actual definitions, his truck is both, and is legit in either class. But perhaps they should come up with a class called "Custom Street Rod 1938 Trucks That Are Blue and Come From Dresden", and maybe no one would complain if he entered there. (smile:o)

Seriously though, I understand the problems inherent with classes, and often write about them. But let's face it - some vehicles legitimately fit into two or more classes. The best we can do is try to place our vehicles in the most appropriate class, but where that may be more than one choice, so be it - just pick one, relax and enjoy the day.

Seldon did not win either of the 50/50's, but only because he wasn't there. He's probably out buying another car with all the $$$ he won yesterday.

I could be wrong, but it did seem that Dick Levesque got a wee bit jealous when Jim Peacock offered to let me sit on his knee.

I fell in love today. She was the sweetest, prettiest little thing. Her name was Rambler Ambassador, and she was just primo! Strange how time changes how we see things. Back in those days, I disliked the Rambler - thought it was boxy and ugly - not sporty enough. And now I would pass on the sporty ride in favor of that Rambler. Maybe it's because it is now distinctive, and increasingly rare.

Back to the Durham show, Yankee Cruisers certainly did not let us down. They never do! And for that we owe them a big, collective "Thank You".