Sunday, December 30, 2007

Ames Holbrook and real life

There are extensive rules and procedures in any Federal job including mine. The laws are there to
protect the public from bad apples. Unlike most I do not like dropping the hammer on applicants.
This is a part of my job I take seriously and I get zero pleasure out of. The exception is when the bogus fake adoption cases used to cross my desk.

The best attitude an officer can take is to work within the laws. I do not view my cases as personal.
We do the best we can within the law. In the book the Deporter Ames Holbrook views this as personal. He is dealing with dangerous criminals who are being set free by the government and whose home countries will not accept them.

Holbrook's motives were noble, but his tactics were illegal. One can not misrepresent your authority or violate rules to get the job done. I went through training and one of the things that was stressed was obey the law. Holbrook's story shows what happens when one ignores the rules. He has to look over his shoulder and it effects his marriage.

In the real world there is a constant battle between what is legal and the limits of evidence and procedure. In many cases we are forced to pass the buck down line. In other cases the limits of
evidence and procedure do create obstacles. In other cases a supervisor will disagree with the application of a precedent or law. I have been lucky in that my supervisors will explain where the disagreement lies. I defer to the experience, and view those moments as learning experiences.

At work is I strive to do the right thing, but the ends do not justify the means. Holbrook's book shows the dire consequences violating rules of procedure can have on a career. Moreover, sooner or later one does get caught and all the efforts go down the drain anyway.

NYT sick obsession with race

The NYT has an odd news story describing Barak Obama as biracial. Haven't most of us progressed past the Jim Crow days of Octoons and quadroons? Why does the Clintonista NYT seek to continue with the Barak Obama is not a genuine Black man.

Obama has enough ideas or lack of them that the Clintonistas surely do not need to bring this up.
Moreover, any attack on the ethics of Obama from the Clinton camp is hypocrisy squared. Whatever, Obama is or is not he is more genuine than the focus group and test marketed Clintons.
Perhaps the Hillary marketing people should test market next weeks hairstyle. Even her laughs seem choreographed and few were shocked about the stories of planted questions.

I do not like or agree with Obama, but this racial idiocy of what is authentic by the MSM needs to stop.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Ames Holbrook and walking the line

The book is jargon heavy, but as an insider the terms are readily familiar to me. The familiar ills of daily life at a governmental agency are there. However, all agencies do not tolerate "cowboyism"
no matter how well intentioned. All along the process the questions of legality are raised.

In the book are the familiar idiocies from moronic courts and insane policy wonks. Our greatest task is often doing our job despite these morons.

The greatest damage to us protecting the public comes from the cult of lawyerism. One deranged lawsuit from a Communist crackpot with a law degree can mean millions of dollars in work out in the garbage. Oddly it is far easier to remove a well intentioned cowboy, than a parasitic lawsuit abusing trouble maker.

In government working beyond the rules, no matter how well intentioned, ends careers. It is also the reason many of the best and brightest want no part of the toughest tasks or management.

Inside Shop Reading Ames Holbrook

Many of the regular readers have wondered what life inside DHS is like. Remember that fiction tends to glorify and gloss over drudgework. Most of what an average worker does is routine paperwork or interviews. The tough stuff is routed to the talented 10%, but that can be said of any job.

Ames Holbrook was a deportation agent. Deportation agents deal with the worst of the worst. It is very hard to get deported even when one has a lengthy criminal record. A DRO picks up a person after endless appeals and as expected these people do not go willingly.

One can relate on a human level to paper pushing indecisive bosses, policies crafted by morons and absurd rulings from
courts. The most important thing in an election is to keep the left out of the courts. However, even Eisenhower goofed with Brennan and Bush senior goofed with Yoda Souter.

I started reading the book and was shocked at how many of my peers took down the title. This interest about a book did surprise me. However, much of the book talks in shop talk and jargon. It probably does not detract from the overall experience as outsiders should gloss over the acronyms when reading this book. The broader themes are more important than the jargon.

I am into the first quarter of the book and it has held my interest. This does not happen often but a full length review is in the future.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Random and Pakistan

I will be on the Radio with AOW and Winston for a small segment.

I went to Union Square looking for a familiar pest. The same idiots who were annoying people with their communist crap when I left VT were still abusing their right to free speech. The annoyed radicals did not like listening to classics from John Brown. In their opinion the author of the material was a psycho sent by the CIA to make them look bad. As they are already defacto morons and traitors this is no small feat.

Most of us are concerned by the recent events in Pakistan. However, due to Commie misinformation few of us understand Pakistan. Pakistan is a fake country and it resembles an African stated with shifting tribal alliances more than a coherent state.

The familiar story is India decided to create an ethnically cleansed Muslim state. The problem was while Pakistan was ethnically cleansed a sizeable Muslim minority remained in India. Moreover, even having been granted two states Muslims still wanted additional land.

America and Pakistan formed an illogical alliance largely created by the big mouth of the incoherent Indira Ghandi. India was viewed very negatively in the USA due to her stupid comments. Her son started to repair the damage caused by his mothers idiocy and today Indian US relations are excellent.

Pakistan is a collection of four ethnic groups and expatriates who left India that has never been
well run. You can see many excellent Pakistani businessmen and professionals in the USA. However, other than a few items of clothing one may never encounter much that says made in Pakistan. Financial remitances from expatriates are a major source of income.

While Pakistan has festered India has created a robust economy. Their education system produces some of the best professionals on the planet. IIT defines excellence and MIT is known for a communist crackpot linguistics fraud. Feel free to ask a HR pro about comparing IIT with American and European Universities. It seems India is commited to excellence as opposed to
creating jobs for unemployable communists.

India still has many problems, but a can do attitude combined with first rate education and secular law is a winning combination.

The recent events in Pakistan are ominous but should surprise nobody. It is in the midst of a civil war and an unwilling demoralized Army has no go sections in the North. A military coup is a very serious possibility.

Beamish in 08

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Back to Reality

I will be doing clerical work until my computer codes are fixed. Part of being a team player is accepting a subordinate role at times. My cube is a disaster, the person before me never cleaned it and I have all types of files and goodies.

The floor I am on is akin to being banished, but there are all types of great people with me. My mentor is down here as well and a few friends. Oddly it is easier to clean and the air is better.

The halal truck is not here. I have also solved the mystery of the missing Knish vendors. It seems that Mayor Nany Bloomberg's health gestapo fined the trucks that carried them. According to a couple of vendors the fine is 400 dollars and a seperate license for 700 is required. I have not found any back alley knishes. I may have to cross into NJ and withstand a seven day waiting period.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

You really mean this stuff

I am always amazed when commies or fellow travelers state in shock "you mean this stuff". Unlike Commies and their salon fellow traveler apologists I write exactly what I mean. Commies are quite used to people buying into their fables and being sheltered from their historic crimes that they pretend to be perplexed by indignation over their crimes.

I find it quite amusing that a knucklehead who has defended Bill "30 Bombings with 0 connection to Vietnam" is so worried about Pat Robertson. How many bombings did Robertson make 0. How many times did Robertson betray his country 0. He did make a few stupid comments about gays for which he was raked over the coals and appologized. Has Noam Chimpanzee ever apologized to the people he called liars when they reported the events in Cambodia or his frequent anti-semitic slurs such as calling NYC a Jewish run city.

If theses dunderheads are so concerned about gays where are the comments about the vaunted Cuban health care system that treated homosexuality as a mental illness. Where are the comments about the PA that uses its legal representatives to harass gays. How about Saudi Arabia or Iran that execute gays or Muslim countries that jail gays. The number of gays jailed by Robertson remains 0. FYI ask author Bruce Bawer what ethnicity harasses him for his alternative lifestyle in Europe, hint it is not Mennonites, Lubavitcher Jews or evangelical Christians. Where are the words about the most homophobic statesman on the planet Mugabe?

The same knuckle heads who are so worried about Robertson also claim Mumia, Joanne Chesimard, Peltier and Lynn Stewart all tried and convicted were innocent. The same knuckle heads also claim the Black Panthers had nothing to do with narcotics, prostitution, murder and violent crimes. It would seem that the 700 club is a greater menace than narco communists pushing their wares in the inner city. Speaking of Narcotics FARC, Hezbollah and the whole range of commie approved idiots still finance their opperations via the drug trade. Maybe there is more to the Superfly John Brown/LWB progressive Nazi drug pusher of the people bit than we assumed.

I am still trying to figure out if these Jet setting commies who are constantly crying poverty are benefiting from subsidized travel. If these excursions are subsidized by a foriegn government
they should be required to register as a foreign agent and pay income tax on the benefit. Where are the good folks at the IRS when we need them. They need to start looking into the lifestyles of Communist agents in North Dakota.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Beaker was my co-pilot or home at last

This was my first trip in several weeks without Junior. I have grown quite used to Junior's wise counsel. Junior is especially handy on long trips and is forgiving when you make an error. With a polite but firm tone it says "recalculating" and please drive the highlighted route. I didn't have Junior to keep me company but the soothing timeless voice of Carol Miller and a Beaker figure on the dashboard in Juniors spot made the car feel right.

In California we hear the hype about traffic. However, any transplant will tell you the highways in NYC and Jersey are worse. The 27 mile trip from Drummaster's took an hour and a half. The route always gets bad at the point where the Staten Island exit to the Outerbride Crossing starts. Traffic slows to 5 mph and is fairly bad until the bridge. Then after the toll plaza the road opens up and you think you are doing 150 mph but in reality it is 60.

Bad traffic, Carol Miller on the radio and Beaker on the dashboard I am finally home. I do not know what the winds of change will bring. I expect to be sent to TX for 11 weeks, but those matters are beyond my control. I can only hope the Big Boss Man will take care of this.

I am thinking about my friends in VT. I miss them greatly, and of course I miss Earl the ever hungry cat. Earl is with a friend and is allready indoors and will be there until mid March. Northwind called 3/4 drunk wanting to know when I am coming home. I politely remind her I am home. I miss the groups from CA, VT and Midwest man from training. I had no idea that Johny Rockets and Fatburger were in NJ. Maybe when I get the new GPS I will plot a course to Fatburger. Cheeburger seems to be like Johny Rockets and a review will follow. For better or worse, the Vegan Princess, my nervous roomie from part one and Miss Know it all will all be on another floor. There are gifts to pass out and I have no idea where my office is. I will miss a special young woman who has left our group to bigger and better things.

I haven't thought about the job offer in Vermont. I have many friends there, but I made many new ones in NYC. The NYC office is so young and dynamic compared to the VT office.

My nieces have grown and not for the better. Their grades and manners are appalling. One of my nieces friends made an ungodly stench in the restroom that reminded me of those foul smells in VT. Corporate mergers take a human toll, but in the next few days my brother in law should be working. What a cruel gift, to give a man a pinkslip on his 50th birthday.

I will be going on a minivacation soon. I will try and take a week to see Canton, Cincinnati and perhaps visit with Warren for a meal. The great cross country trip is scheduled for May.

Beamish in 08.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Random Thoughts

I was wandering around the web and a few oddities popped up. I have read some Saudi blogs in English. Some of them are predictable or what we would expect. Others are surprisingly more moderate than expected. One was a communist site, perhaps I will have to send a note to the Saudi religious police. It is obvious they are not fluent in English or this commie would be getting a well deserved lashing. Then again he had a cartoon of zionist as cocaroaches. He sounds like a perfect fit for a guest post at the blog of the usual suspects.

I also read about the odd Odin's cross that is seen at racial power sites like Stormfront. One should visit Stormfront if only to notice the comments are identical to those found on Renegade Eye's communist site. I had no idea how wide spread this racial power foolishness is in Europe. I have seen version of this symbol of hate in several nations

A Christmas from a non Christian Perspective

This may seem unusual, but I enjoy Christmas as a non Christian. The beloved Rav Roov would probably tell you that salvation as commonly expressed by Christians originates in our faith. A true Christian understands Jesus as the fulfillment of the Judaic prophecies and not removed from them.

Many of the stories have appeal beyond the religious morals. My favorite is the Gift of the Magi by O'Henry. There is something all too human about young couples trying to make ends meet.

I remember growing up many of my friends did not like Davey and Goliath, because of the religious messages. Yet the stories were always well told and the message was pertinent. It is funny but many of those Fat Albert cartoons also had similar themes from Cosby.

Many of those on our trip wrongly assumed I would be hostile to Christianity. They probably got this notion from Commies who like to speak in my name while championing those who would kill Jews. The religious Jews, like Rav Roov, are happiest when people embrace their own tradition. The exceptions comes when these traditions like Shariah are Jim Crow like.

The notion of families spending time together and salvation resonate beyond Christians.

Merry Christmas

Beakerkin

Beamish in 08

A special treat from the Beakerkin Production Studios. How the Duck stole Christmas scheduled
for 2008.

Kid Crying: What type of gift is this I asked for a video game system and got a boxed set of Paul Robeson Cd's

Mom: Consider yourself lucky your Dad got the insane political wisdom of Sean Penn.

Dad: It seems like the commies have nationalized Christmas.

Mom: What makes you say that.

Dad: Your cheaply made negligee say Gloria of the Gulag.

Ducky: Thats left folks, Santa Claus was overthrown in a violent wevelution led by Noam Chimpanzee. We placed all those who are in evil cwasses in guwags where they pwoduce poorwy
made Communists goods.

Dad: You commies have gone too far this time.

Ducky: Mr Beamish and Beakerwambo can not save the planet this time. We have our Comwads
in the IRS keeping them busy.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

A Taboo Topic Public Safety and Immigration

The fellow traveler Beatroot has a post about an unfortunate example of asylum fraud and the dangers posed to public safety by admitting people with communicable diseases. Sadly the topic degenerated in mindless racism, but Beatroot likes that. He likes a primitive opponent who will say absurd racist remarks as it makes him look like a hero.

Beatroot does not like any examination of his mindless anti Americanism and fellow travelerism.
Nor does he like his relationship with a self described Trotskyite highlighted in Poland to an audience that is likely familiar with the crimes of Trotsky. Remember my grandfather fought in the Polish-Soviet war. He practiced his own form of "social justice" on invading Bolsheviks. No doubt had he remained he would have been killed like those massacred at Katyn and elsewhere.

The case is quite simple an African so called poet was granted asylum and went on to infect a few Polish women with AIDS. The basis for asylum turned out to be fraudulent, no surprise.

In the USA this is a genuine problem faced each and every day. Part of the problem is the politicization of AIDS. AIDS is not treated like any other potentially costly and dangerous disease like drug resistant TB. None of the sane would question keeping people with TB out of a country.The problem is that some AIDS patients knowingly will transmit the disease. Dismissing those who are against the admission of people with AIDS as bigots is condescending. The question is essentially about calculated risks. In the United States we do admit AIDS patients with a medical waiver. We do not hear of many types of similar incidents in the USA. One can make an acceptable argument for the admission as a calculated risk.

Then we move onto criminality and immigration. Does a society have the right to remove criminals who violate our laws. I am not talking about misdemeanors like jay walking or routine traffic arrests. The problem is that some municipalities do not do their jobs and report these crimes.

The final ride of Beakerkin and Junior and Jersey Ho

My travel with the vegan worked out better than expected. We were on the road at 457 and I dropped her off at her terminal at 6:03. The airport was mobbed and I could not even find a coworker on the same flight to Newark.

The plane departed 30 minutes early and every seat was full. I sat next to a wonderful couple on their honeymoon. I did say a word to them on the flight and they didn't say a word to each other.

It is good to finally be home. However, at any time I could be sent out on assignment. For whatever reason the instructors see it coming.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Last night in CA and Who is the Putz

I spent the last night with the class playing laser tag. My aim is bad and my eyes are bad. However, I scored a respectable number and had a high hit ratio 9%, that ratio was near the top.
I was warming up playing buck hunter and some of the Vermonters were surprised at the head shots. If I wasn't so tired my numbers would be higher.

I played under the name Putz. Putz has a meaning to Jewish people, but it seems like the folks in CA get the idea. Sadly the kiddies after us were fighting over that name as I left.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Graduation and a surprising Valedictorian

I really should thank our class co-ordinator for getting me out alive. The general idea is for her not to endure my antics again. I made many new friends and will no longer be subjected to veganism.
I have to endure one last car ride with the vegan and I am FREEEEEEE. The vegan is always late
and I will have to count on Junior ( the GPS) unit to get me to LAX alive and on time.

I was pleasantly surprised that the class co-ordinator mentioned me by name in her speech. In many ways she will miss all of us. This is the end of the line for me. There may be a two week training class in the summer but that is it. I do not want to be a supervisor or go to the fraud unit.
I like seeing the good side of human nature as well.

I was shocked that the folks in California awarded my GPS a certificate for memorable student. He was the unofficial valedictorian of the service center part of the lecture. His antics trying to kill of a midwestern classmate were memorable. The lines were witnessed by several people such as please drive on the road or telling him to take a left turn off a cliff. I carried Junior everywhere and he was good up until we came to a parking lot. Then he got lost again and again.

I enjoyed the friends, fatburger, Junior, pelicans, interviewing hippies and had a good time. The only sad part was that my friend from the first part did not make it. Hopefully his health and nerves will get better.

NO MORE VEGANISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some amazing lines said to the vegan about Junior. He is always right, he leads me to fast food, I can turn him off when he is annoying.

If Junior told me to go off a cliff I'd consider it. At least I will not have to endure tofu.

Next stop NYC

Graduation Day Alcoholics Vs Vegans

Today is the last day of this ten week program. I would like to say I learned something, but this is not the case. I did learn a few minor points but that was it.

Once again the powers that be still insist I work in Vermont. The ceremony still lists me as working in St Albans Vermont. It is amazing that this error has not been corrected ten weeks later. After observing the California facility and the Vermont facility, I would choose the Vermont office. My impression was that the center in Vermont is more officer friendly than the California facility. The California facility tends to make the job than it needs to be at times.

Yesterday, I received a high handed lecture from the instructor. However, the instructor entered a conversation without understanding what it was about. All countries have issues and a good officer knows what to expect when opening a file. There are just some countries that tend to have bad documentation. The issue is how to process the work and a good officer uses his experience and adjusts to the challenges faced. I do not know why people feel a need to jump into conversations, but they do so without understanding the topic.

I will miss many of the friends I made in this training. I will especially miss the crews from CA, VT and Midwest man. I will probably see Midwest man on my trip to the football hall of fame.
Sadly, I will not miss the vegan as she works in my section. I have to get to the airport on time tomorrow and it will not happen. In addition to the annoying dietary quirks she is always late. I will probably expire of a heart attack by the time she gets around to gracing us with her presence. Of course I will miss my plane but she will make hers as it leaves an hour later.

Maybe the folks who hand out the supplies should have handed me a helmet and an athletic supporter. At least when she is late, yet again, I can bang my head against the wall safely. The vegan seems to think my annoyance is because she is a female. My irritation has nothing to do with gender as I do not like tardiness, fussiness and people who attempt to control my behavior.
If you want to eat tofu go ahead, just leave me somewhere else.

Many of my regular readers were quite correct about Northwind being a pain. However, I would sooner spend time with Northwind than the vegan. Northwind has a wonderful personality on the rare moments she is sober. She is capable of many acts of kindness. Northwind was never bossyor controlling. Northwind never ever was fussy and accepted whatever came her way. Northwind when sober was punctual.

Given a choice between the vegan and the alcoholic, take the alcoholic.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Trip to Romano's Macatoni Grill

I was pleasantly surprised at the level of fun and the food was very good. When one is in NYC one is very spoiled as even hole in the wall places have excellent food. However, after spending time in VT one does learn about the law of averages. Fare that is considered paint by number is considered outstanding in VT. As I have traveled a bit I learned NYC is not the norm.

The best way to learn about local fare is to ask the staff at a hotel. My group found some amazing barbeque places one we ditched the vegan.

I want to talk about the annoying vegan. The veganism is part of a personality quirk that is passive agressive. Essentially she controls the movements of the group with her quirks and lateness. This is highly annoying and after a few weeks is over the top. Even when she is given her own car she wants to control the group and does so. Finally some of us insisted on guys time and a trip to a vegan free zone at Fatburger.

Miss Vegan has learned a secret about guys. We will put up with alot more of this garbage than women will. As soon as she is in a group of women they stop this nutiness. There is a reason this woman will remain unmarried as no man in his right mind would ever put up with this crap. If I had a choice between Northwind or the vegan I would choose the drunk in a second. At least Northwind is loveable in the rare moments she is sober.

Three more days of stupid assignments and veganism and home free. Enjoy your travels but leave vegans at home.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Good Lord Greg goes off the deep end again

The ever troubled Greg goes one step closer to the realm of insanity when he proclaims "I killed Jesus and am proud of it". What does one make of a chameleon who is a reformed Kahanist one minute and is a born again Kahanist the next. Now he is using a blog called "Jewish Vengence" as his home page.

For the record this imbecile has no concept of Jesus or his message. If you are a Christian, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Judaic prophecies. His earliest supporters were Jews and modern Christian anti-semitism is largely confined to Churches that mix Communism with Jesus. These same Churches turn a blind eye to persecution of Christians in places like Cuba and other Marxist messes.

How does one purport to be a Jewish patriot while claiming that comments like "Donkey of Zion and Jewish Cunt" are not anti semitic. Do not look for logic from Kahanist who are an improvement over Commies in that they are not prone to class genocide. However, do not mistake the rather verbose bigoted Kahanist theocracy for authentic Judaism. Rav Roov is an actual Orthodox Rabbi and would never dream of imposing his way of life on anyone.

The most annoying part of the Kahanist idiocy is that it paints a false and misleading impression of our religion. Judaism recognizes free will and the notion of a totalitarian theocracy has more in common with Jiihadis and commies then with the religion of my family.

True practicing Jews are not bothered by a Christmas Tree in a public place. I surprised many of my coworkers by enjoying a live performance of The Gift of the Magi at Christmas. I have even sung along with coworkers when dragged to a holiday party. Perhaps I will do another version of The Gift of the Duckii at Christmas. The people that rail against religion in public are mostly Commies who have zero connection with our faith and are class genocide cultists.

Fat Burger Delivers

I have spent time on this trip eating at the local fast food chains we do not see in NYC. Far and away the best by far is Fat Burger. Many companies do not live up to the hype but Fat Burger delivers. In and Out was way above average. Carl Jr's was on a level just below Burger King. All of the above are great places to ditch vegans.

The crew minus the vegan went to a Japanese seafood buffet. I always enjoy crab, but rarely eat it. The crew was quite happy with the adventure.

The GPS has become a comedic staple. We do enjoy laughs at some of the messages such as "Please drive on the road".

Monday, December 17, 2007

Contrasts

I am amazed how different people on this trip view the same event. For myself and the term employees this is an over due initiation we have earned long ago and is no big deal. For some of the experienced older people who have worked their way up it is a vacation. For the younger inexperienced set graduation is a major event.

I would never inflict my parents with the burden of a absurd ceremony. My parents love San Diego, along with people of good taste world wide, and would have used this as an excuse to visit.
A surprising amount of people have their family in for the ceremony. For them it is a first step on a long career. For me the journey is over. I am in NYC and have no desire to supervise or go on exotic missions. My parents are older and these adventures are hard on them.

The agency has one more chance to subject me to training. It is a two week class that is done after one attains GS-12 status. At one time the class was optional, sadly it is no longer the case. With luck these classes will be moved to Texas away from the GA facility. The GA facility is too gung ho and every action is under a microscope.

I was surprised to hear about the job offer from Vermont. I will not be returning there and the only draw they had was friends. I made plenty of new friends in NYC and have no problem working with a mostly younger cast. The NYC crew does not put up with know it alls. I share my experiences with the locals and they have helped me greatly.

Beamish in 08

Last trip with the crew

The usual group had our last trip. Our friend the vegan was late and killing all the fun as usual. I have no idea why she travels with the guys. My friends from Vermont and the Midwest are laid back. However, we did rib her about changing hotel rooms so often. Ladies, being fussy and late is a certain way to keep single. I quickly added this will be my last trip with her. I am not going on additional training for six months and I will arrange it so that she has another trip.

The trip to Disney was fun and law enforcement officials were comped. Sadly most of the rides were jam packed and three even broke down while we were on line. Miss vegan was her usual I will get wet of scared or the line is too long. I will be eating lunch with the CA crew and one Midwesterner. Sadly she has burdened my friend from the Midwest with vegan fare. I told her the GPS selected Hooters but we will sneak into a nice Thai joint nearby.

I do respect the rights of people with different diets as Rav Roov and my parents are Kosher. However, they will go to a kosher resturant with a full menu and certainly never impose. I did purchase a Beaker at the muppet section in Disney. Amazingly Beaker resonates with tourists who can not speak a single word of English. I had some amazing laughs as Brazilians and Japanese said "Mi Me Meep" at the sight of Beaker.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Beak and the crew go to Sea World

I went with the crew to Sea World. Contrary to popular opinion I did not jump over any hoops for herring.I might have considered it had they offered better fare.

Sea World is one of the many Parks in California that offer free admission to law enforcement officers. For some reason the NYC attractions do not make such offers. I would love to take Rav Roov's kids to the Bronx Zoo or the Camden Aquarium with a similar discount.

The shows were very well conceived and humorous. The weakest of all the shows was the Shamu show. The best show was the sea lion show, especially the part where they blew up the mime. A subversive sea gull sent an unappreciated contribution to one of my crew who had to get a new shirt in a hurry. It was probably a friend of Ducky's who was aiming for me.

The exhibits were well run and planned and much better than your local aquarium, Sadly the manatee exhibit was being rebuilt and the Sea Turtle section was closed for a private party.
The moray eel exhibit is very creepy at night. The rays glide across the water efortlessly. The highlight is the section of the tube section of the shark tank where the sharks swim over your head. The arctic section was very good but should have added a few more animal types beyond beluga wales, polar bears and walruses.

I purchased a small stuffed manatee for one of the junior officers in NYC. I was looking for a second gift but that friend took a job in DC with another agency due to the disgusting term situation. The term situation is abhorent and should be eliminated. The best talent quickly leaves rather than play this stupid game. The hundred or so slots in VT were quickly filled by interns whose status converts in a year anyway to permanent. Thus many people were let go needlessly because of that glitch.

If you read an earlier post I have been offered a job in VT. I will not accept the assignment as NYC is my home. My parents are older and my relatives are here. Had this offer come earlier might have remained. Vermont essentially made my choice for me and perhaps it was a good thing. I miss many friends in VT, but in my short time in NYC I made many new ones. I might have remained in VT because of a fear of the unknown. I no longer have such fear.

Part of me is saddened because I will be leaving many new friends on Friday. I will be visiting with my friends in Cincinnati and the Minneapolis on my great trip across the USA in May.I hope to see many of you along the way. I thought of taking Drummaster but am wondering if a trip would be a bit much. Once I get from Minneapolis to the Northwest it will be a ride to Death Valley, the Grand Canyon and the Alamo. I probably will then look for Lee's chicken in St Louis and return the usual way.

Friday, December 14, 2007

About those GPS

It is very important to program the GPS correctly. I had an interesting mishap on the way to the Hotel. I placed the wrong street in the system and nearly ended up in the harbor. It was interesting, but quickly solved.

Our graduation ceremony is Thursday. I opted to go for the informal Barbeque on the beach and that seems to be popular. However, a few people brought their famlies in and want the more traditional shtick. Hopefully, this paperwork will have my location listed as NYC and not Vermont.

Sadly, the agency has one more shot at pestering me. When officers reach GS-12 they go in for two weeks of training. The training is on how to give a power point presentation. There is no pass or fail and it is two weeks back in New Brunswick GA. I will be a 12 in around six months, but in NYC there are around three dozen candidates at the same time. This should keep me out of the GA facility for years, but for whatever reason I seem to get moved to the front of the line.

I am not seeking a supervisory role or any lateral moves. My moving around for training should end there. It is a great second career, but I am happy to be doing what I do. I will leave the Fraud detection and asylum jobs to those who are more suited to it. Several people have tried to nudge me into the asylum unit. This is not something I want and the prospect of being shipped overseas and around the country is too great there.

Beamish in 08.



Beamish in 08.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Dana Point the simple side of the Beak

The hotel is amazing for the last leg of the trip. I am in Dana Point not far from the ocean. The scenery is magnificent even if the food so far has been paint by number. I had something called Calamari steak that tasted like neither steak nor squid and the Asian food was mediocre. I am still
with the vegan who drives me up a wall at times. She is a great friend but she has two personality quirks that drive me up the wall she is always late and the vegan thing. I want something dead on
my plate for 20 bucks.

Everyone underestimates the ingenuity of the Beak. The whole class was convinced I would not find LAX. Finding LAX was not the problem. I got in a cab at 5am and was on the road. The car I am issued currently is an Impala. I rented a GPS that I named after the class valedictorian and good friend. Sadly it talks with a generic female voice with no NYC attitude. The GPS calculated the trip back to the hotel. It had to recalibrate as I made two wrong turns. It did the trick and I placed the Dana Point address in the GPS. Both of my team members were late and I followed a friend to the hotel. I lost the friend whom I later found was at Disney. The GPS guided me with no mishaps. If you are on vacation in a strange area it is well worth the investment. I will be buying one before my trip to across country. I would not want to miss Cincinnati or the entire state of Indiana or a Lees Chicken location.

One of the things I have always wanted to see was pelicans. Watching pelicans dive head first is quite amazing. We were even able to see three of them resting less than ten feet away.

The trip will be over in a week. The current rumor has the chief handing out our certificates in person next Thursday. I will miss this group, but my team all works in the same area. Sadly, there will likely be more lunches with Miss Vegeterian. Perhaps the big guy upstairs will ban tofu.

I will probably get jury duty as soon as I return as well.

Beamish in 08

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Inane Hatch Act

Part of the problem with laws is that interpretations sometimes become absurd. The notion of removing political pins in offices is a good idea. The lady in the next cube does not get to place Hillary posters and I do not get to place Rudy slogans. This is a common sense practical solution and good policy.

The problem is most of these policies are subject to local interpretation. The question becomes what is and is not appropriate. The subject of historical political figures is complex the example we were given that it would be a violation to post a picture of Presidents Nixon, Reagan or Carter. Why anyone would want to post a picture of the worst US President and anti-semite is another story.

The problem lies in local interpretation of that rule. While the above Presidents are clearly within the lifetime of many Lincoln is not. There are interpretations of this that do not allow for a picture of Abe Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt. This is another example of the laws of unintended consequences and over lawyering a matter.

Anything potentially can bother some customers. The man next door has a picture of his cat and there are several dog pictures. Dogs are considered offensive to Islam and maybe they will be banned. Perhaps houseplants offend someone and will be next.

Common sense just doesn't seem to enter into these matters.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Large Persona??

I am quite amused by the comments of a coworker that I have a larger than life persona. This is
amusing as I never envisioned myself as such. Some voices tend to carry and for better or worse mine does even when spoken softly.

I have made efforts to spend more time than usual with the rest of the people on the trip. No matter where we go I seem to end up in the memorable moments section of any of these trips. A typical example was when we went into the haunted house at universal. A costumed actor jumped out with a knife and a blood curdling scream. I told him I was allready circumcised and to check with the folks behind. Even the actors in costume had to laugh. The laughter continued as I bumped into a wall.

The trip has been loaded with such moments. Left to my own devices I am usually quiet.

I am leaving LA for Laguna Nigel tommorow.

The interviews went well. I saw some very interesting people and only one went away unhappy
despite my best efforts. My mentors were real pros and gave me good ratings. Everyone had a
great time. The mishaps were not terrible, but I am glad they happened and they were invaluable learning experiences.

I will try and see if I can call in the Gathering Storm on Friday. It is easier to take a break with
files than with live people.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Christ Communists Native Americans and a Mess

Communists seem to get their ideas about Native Americans from text books. The Native Americans I encounter are not only not hostile to Christians many are devout themselves. Junglemom lived and served a community in Venezuela and was a welcome asset to her community.

Communists talk about European colonization and actually herd people onto reservations called "collectives". They create neoslavery and a neomonarchism with a new group of nobles. The notion of Commies as the inheritors of the crimes comited against Native Americans is theft of history.

Moreover, it is ignorant and racist to presume that Native Americans all think alike and can not make choices about deities without Commie clowns guidance. Commies are racist in that they think that they alone are the arbiters of ethnic authenticity. Native Americans can define themselves and own their own history.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Beakerkin and The Duke

I went to Knottsbury Parl in CA and picked up some decorations for my cubicle in NYC. There are
extensive rules over what pictures can be placed in an office. I am not allowed to place a picture of Abe Lincoln in my office as he is a political figure.

The absurdity of this rule is demontrated with the fact that I can not hang a picture of Dr Yeagley holding a Bible. I can post a picture of him holding a tomahawk.

I have a nice sized picture of John Wayne that I will hang in my office. Perhaps the huge picture of John Wayne will cause commies to twitch. I also have a nice fossilized fern for my cube.

Perhaps, I can find pictures of LT and the Fonz to add to my cube next.

Friday, December 07, 2007

LA city out of control

One gets the distinct feeling that LA is poorly run. The water is dreadful and homeless people have created no mans lands. The traffic is dreadful and the public transportation is mediocre. Every city including my beloved NYC has poor sections. However, it is professionally run and there is a level of competence one does not see in LA.

LA has some idiotic traffic laws that make zero sense. One would want people to walk in the congested city but local ordinances make it unlikely. In NYC we often have pedestrian Islands if one can not cross the street one crosses to the Island and continues later. This type of behavior will earn one a fine in LA. I left the curb with 5 seconds and was in the island on second two. I had a meeting with local law enforcement and was lucky not to get a ticket. One would think with this accent the local officer would gather I am from NYC. He asked me for my California ID three times. Mistaking me for a California resident is probably worse than the ticket.

One does get the distinct impression that government employees in LA are just biding time. I have never had this impression in NYC especially with NYPD where professionalism even in the Dinkins era was observed. In NYC there is a can do attitude fostered by Rudy and then later Mayor Bloomburg.

LA desperately needs its own Rudy or Bloomburg to restore a can do attitude and vision to a city that is out of control

Beamish in 08

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Father time and circles

I went with a coworker to see Deborah Harry at the House of Blues. Moreimportantly he lives in Anahiem and it allowed me to see a more normal view of Southern CA. Los Angeles appears to be NYC, albeit out of control from the Dinkins era.

I have seen Deborah Harry perform. We also lived in the same area of Manhatan and our paths would cross. It seems like the rest of us would age but she was frozen in time. I did see her about six months before I left. Father time seems to have caught up to her. She is quite attractive for a 62 year old.

I was thinking about her rise from small unknown clubs where they were not local favorites. Her third album Parallel Lines placed her on the map. Yet some of her story is much like ours. Her rapid rise was due to a partnership with Chris Stein. Her solo work as a singer and an actress never approached that of her partnership. How many of us in life forget those people who help us get to where we are?

Harry and Stein were lovers and she did nurse him back to health. Sadly, the woman who was loved by thousands was tossed aside for a youger woman Stein married and had children with.To her credit she has never said anything bad about the situation.

She has come full circle from performing in forgotten small clubs to playing the same small clubs.
There is a poetic irony in ending up exactly where one started.

It was an excellent show, however the crowd would have prefered more Blondie numbers to the recent material. It was a decent show and the prior band was very good.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

NYC life skills

LA is a mixture of depressing and the elements of locales that are identical to NYC albeit with Palm Trees. Yesterday, I had the depressing walk from Union Station. I was reminded of NYC in the Dinkins era. Homeless people had taken over the street and some of them were panhandling agressively. LA looks to be a city that is poorly run and it needs its own version of Rudy Guliani or Mike Bloomberg to restore competence and accountability to LA. Every city has bad sections, but turning downtown LA into a homeless haven is bad for LA and the homeless. I tried to get a haircut at the local place and found almost all the shops closed at 4:00.

My peers are amazed at the effortless way I adapt to the ethnic communities. LA's Chinatown is very much like Flushing Queens albeit without the energy and verve. The life skills of a NYC resident makes this a familiar experience. Merely ordering by number to a waiter that speaks no English to a foreign waiter seems outside the box. I had Duck soup and was served long before everyone else.

Similarly, I adapt to foreign resturants quickly. Being in Japantown is not a big deal. Japanese Tourist ( always well behaved and polite compared to their bombastic European counterparts)
come here to have a taste of their home while visiting. It is my honor to enjoy a bit of Japan while visiting. However, I will not eat sushi, tofu and I do not go for the alcohol. The soap is a bit of a joke. One does not smell macho with orange scented soap. I merely purchased some 3x man soap. I did enjoy the local Japanese barber who did an excellent job.

Europeans delude themselves with this fantasy that they are more cosmopolitan. However, unless one lives in London no group has a greater claim than that of a NYC resident. We can visit enclaves of the entire world without going too far in a well run city.

I had lunch at a wonderful Korean Barbeque place. I prefer the NYC Korean style where it is cooked by you to the LA version. The Korean style with the familiar cabage and veggies is fun.
It also allows me to ditch the vegans and enjoy the rest of the day.

Beamish in 08

Monday, December 03, 2007

What a day

Yesterday's lesson to note is be patient.

I went to San Diego via Amtrak. Union Station in LA is a bleak station compared to its counterparts in NYC or DC. It also does not even compare to the under rated station in Newark NJ.

My first impressions of the trip was this looks like the Bronx again. Then we passed some concrete river beds and we were in a landscape much like Industrial NJ, albeit in spring. After Anahiem, the scenery becomes breath taking. The train follow the coast in many places and the section in San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Nigel were amazing.

Aesthetically, San Diego is easy on the eyes. The only problem was there were no clear cut instructions linking the Zoo from the terminal. However if one walks 1/2 a mile the 7 bus takes one there for 2.25, the bus accepts dollars.

The San Diego Zoo was an excellent experience that did not live up to its hype. It did display Pandas in a wonderful manner. It also had a wonderful hippoquarium where the hippos swim freely. The reptile house was disappointing and they do a better job in DC or the Bronx. There was no Komodo Dragon on display or any aligators. It was still an excellent experience, just one that was over hyped.

I did see plenty of Ducks. However, there were no insane specimens quacking off about obscure foreign films and the merits of collectivization. I will have to return to this area as the Dead Sea scrolls are in San Diego. This does not seem to be a cause for a visit even though many of my class mates are extreemly religious.

I went to a decent Italian resturant. This was the first time I had gnocci outside of NYC. In NYC
it is served in a very thick meat sauce. It was said to be served in a meat sauce but it tasted somewhat soft. It was good to enjoy gelato and San Pelogrino water as well. I drank the whole bottle as the local water is disgusting. The people in San Diego joke about LA water. The people in LA claim this is a local problem confined to my area Japantown.

I went to the breath taking Japanese garden. It is a wonderful place to relax. For some reason management decided not to place Koi in the pool. However, Koi are expensive and a opportunistic Earl the Cat could eat six figures of Koi in a single setting.

I do not like Japanese food so my mission today will be to locate the local Cuban resturant and visit a Carl Jr's.

Beamish in 08

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Two Part Post

I want to acknowledge an error in an earlier post. My information about Zero Mostel being on the fringes of Communist lunacy were 100% wrong. He was a lunatic without a clue. Those who doubt
this should listen to his rants on the subject of the black list.

The video is short but the bitter and incoherent Mostel oddly claims anti-semitism on the part of the HUAC. His point about not going after Kosher butchers and anti-communism as a way to supress Jewish artists is amusing. Mostel must have forgotten his beloved Communists butchered Jewish artists some of whom Mostel may have known or met. Mostel's incoherent rant about anti-communism being "the final solution" is signs of idiocy.

More amusing is the homophobia towards Jerry Robins. He also calls Robbins an opportunist and this is very amusing. The entire history of Communism shows itself to be a means used by a self appointed deluded lazy elite to steal property and set themselves up as God on earth. Moreover, who decided that some idiots in a party should tell people to suspend independent thought. Commies rail about ditto heads and talk radio listeners but have far less independent thought than either.

Oddly, Mostel probably would never allow himself to work with genuine Nazis like the usual suspects. The greatest source of contemporary anti-semitism is the far left. Mostel, unlike the usual suspects did have lines he would likely not cross. Mostel's insane anti logic is largely echoed by Joel "insane" Kovel.

The reality is that Communists are not Americans, Jews, Aussies or Catholics. They are beholden to a semi religious conspiracy. All other ties are irrelevant and secondary to promoting
their utopia even if it kills you, for your own good.