The Politically Incorrect Year 2012 in Pictures

2012. The Politically Incorrect Year in Pictures:

Ocean moisture comes ashore in south Florida

AMA Daytona Sportbike

Cats... well... being cats

Pic of a Libyan rebel that became an internet meme

A fully-loaded Eurofighter Typhoon

An F-15 drops flare downrange in Afghanistan

Typical

The crashed "Stealth" helicopter in the OBL raid

What more likely happened

One of the last images of MotoGP racer Marco Simoncelli before he was killed

in a freak accident at Sepang, Malaysia. Godspeed, Marco. Ciao.

NotRacist.jpg

Trade Center Memorial

Mom of the Year 2012

You scared, bro?

Self-explanatory 

George Zimmerman on that fateful night after the confrontation

Night-time Sat image of North/South Korea

An Occupier is run over

WellPlayed.jpg

FutureDexter.jpg

This one needs no caption either

VP candidate Paul Ryan adjusts something

MotoGP racer Dani Pedrosa getting low

MotoGP racer Bradley Smith on his Tech III Yamaha in post-season testing

This is why you won't see Austin PD on C.O.P.S.... Ever

Better than the original face-eating pictures

Bath Salts Again

SouthwestShootingAuthorityIsAwesome.jpg

A well fed kitty is cold and wants in

A tactical kick of some kind

An A-10 Warthog practicing ground gun-runs

You mess with one, You mess with them all

MotoGP racer Ben Spies gets low in Pre-Season testing

This one speaks for itself

Night-time Sat Image of Continental U.S.A.

B-1 Lancers over New Mexico

In memory of the lives lost in Newtown, CT

2012 Subaru Legacy Test Drive

2012 Subaru Legacy

Test Drive

I really like where Subaru has been going for the last decade.  Their cars have gotten more solid feeling as the years go along. This time around, we drive and shakedown the 2012 Subaru Legacy.  Just getting in this car, you get a sense of quality around you.  On top of that, the styling of the new Legacy makes it much more attractive to me than a Accord or Camry. On top of that, you get Subaru's legendary AWD system. We'll talk more about that in a minute.

The Pros: MPG.  Despite this car being full-time AWD, it gets better fuel economy than a comparable Japanese or American 2WD sedan.  Handling is a big plus.  The suspension offers a comfortable ride daily driving, but still holds its own on a windy road. Quality of the Legacy is also worth mentioning. The whole cars gives you a solid feel and seems very well built. The price point also offers a huge leg up on the competition. It's not that the Legacy is cheaper than the competition, it's that you get much more features for the same price.

The Cons: You might have already guessed it. The flappy paddle gearbox.  When in normal 'automatic' mode, the car shifts from 1st to 2nd gear too early with light throttle input. So much so that from the revs being so low, you will get a slight vibration in the drivetrain.  This is fixed by one of two things: Either give it more pedal in 1st gear, so the transmission revs out the gear a little more, or shift it in manual mode.

Advanced Dynamics: In this next section, we examine the car performance under racing circumstances.  All traction & stability systems were disabled.  First thing I'd like to mention is the powerful upshifts you get when in manual mode. Despite this unit being a non-turbo base model, acceleration out of corners below 80mph is good.  After that, the motor is fairly winded.  

Handling:  Also, I was shocked at how much turn-in the base tires offered.  These were not Z-Rated tires. The last Subaru I shook-down was a 2010 Impreza. Sadly, I felt a lot of predictable understeer in that Impreza.  This Legacy has FAR better turn in.  Almost caught me by surprise.  Braking into the turns from high speeds the car is very stable.  Once you're to the turn, you get good feeling turning-in from the suspension.  Through the turn the suspension holds it nicely.  My single and only complaint with the suspension is it needs a strut-tower-brace.  The initial turn in is great, but there is a little feedback pushing back on you after turn in.  I feel with a roll bar or S-T-B this would be eliminated. 

Drivetrain: The car was not equipped with a variable differential, but I thought the stock setting was a pretty close to perfect balance between over and understeer.  The settings allow for confident WOT on most turns post-apex.  Keep in mind this is not a turbo version.  When downshifting the car in manual mode, you can add healthy engine braking even above 100mph.  It makes a big difference in stopping power, and I like how you can hold a gear or downshift to help braking depending on what you need.  Upshifting in manual mode gives you a nice push forward and a confident feel.  I never once got the rear-end to step out.  I was driving it hard.  Once you're above 80mph, the non-turbo 4 cylinder reaches it's kryptonite.  If I had to estimate top speed from what I saw, I'd guess 115-120mph and that's it.  I did not attempt a top-speed run.

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Overall I was extremely impressed on the progression of the Legacy, and minus a few tweaks, I really don't see much room for improvement.  Subaru has managed to balance it's rally-bred AWD system with a comfortable feel for daily driving.  A good warranty on top of this, and it's not hard to figure out why Subaru is on the comeback in North America.  Now if they would just bring the boxer diesel over here!!!  Hey, I can dream, right?

Perceived Reality vs. Actual Reality

Ok, it seems there is a war going on against truth these days. People have become serious about creating mis-information and counter-speech.  Both, by definition are used to confuse, distract, and cloud the judgement of people like you and me everyday.  The why is a long story for another day, so what I'm going address is the fact that it IS indeed happening.

The thin line between what's real and what is hopes and dreams becomes harder to find everyday to the untrained eye.  The media has an agenda, the government has an agenda.  The truth matters, the truth has power associated with it.  When you're on the side of truth, you have almost a home-field advantage.  So now, I'm going to clear the air and make it crystal clear for anyone willing to hear it.

Perceived reality is simply what people think is likely to happen, or happening.  As a police officer is dispatched to a domestic violence call involving weapons, any officer will tell you a slew of things start going through their head... Is the female being attacked by her lover who has a weapon?  Is the female the armed party and trying to defend herself?  Will you be walking into a man-trap when you get there?  As humans we will process these thoughts, and using the limited information at hand we will try to perceive what is actually taking place.  Any law enforcement officer will tell you reality is often stranger than fiction.  Fiction is what becomes of perceived reality once you encounter the actual reality of a situation.

In this, I'm going to debunk the biggest issue that has a completely different perceived reality vs. the actual reality that occurs.

Since Glenn Beck had his first 9-12 project meet, the Obama administration started throwing around the terms "domestic terrorist" and "right wing extremist".  A video that has been released by the government shows a Caucasian male parking a car bomb. After a cutscene, you see a Caucasian female with a briefcase bomb.  Ok, there is purposeful subtext here.  Don't miss it, or through naivety discard it as coincidence.  It's things like this that help us come to perceive reality.

There have been quite a few instances like this taking place.  Another one is that guns are bad, and all of Mexico's guns are going across our border to them.  Mexican President Calderon just put up a billboard pointed at the US that says "No More Weapons."  (Found here).

So now you're getting the picture in your head, you hear Attorney General Holder come out and say he supports re-instating the 'assault weapons ban.'  Guns are bad....  You hear cartels have guns bought from the US, and everyone knows how dangerous the cartels are...  There's a very big anti-gun sentiment in the air, now someone just seeing someone else with a gun in a city usually ends up in a 911 call.

You start getting the picture in your head that the right wingers are dangerous. Right wing extremists are allowing guns to be sold to just anybody, including Mexican drug cartels.

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However, if you're paying attention, you also noticed a few other things which have demonstrated the actual reality.  Everyday we get new information, and lately that info has been quite at odds with the perceived narrative coming out of Washington.

They caught another non-US citizen caught trying to blow himself up in Washington. (Found here).

Oh, and it's not the right wingers "allowing" guns to be sold to supply Mexican drug cartels, it's actually our own Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms that is "allowing" assault weapons to be sold to verified cartel buyers. (Found here).

Knee-jerking people asleep in the sea of perceived reality see Tommy Jordan shoot his dis-respectful daughters laptop and call the police in fear he is going to kill her. (Found here).

When in actual reality, it's not Tommy Jordan killing his daughter with his gun for having an interracial relationship.  It's actually a muslim, and he's doing it with whatever he could get his hands on. (Found here).

The actual reality is that the "right wing extremists" and tea party members love this country.  They don't want to go blow somebody up.  They are not buying assault weapons for any purpose other than self-defense and hunting reasons.  They don't want to kill their children, they want to raise them correctly.  Not someone else's definition of correct, the actual version of correct.  Once you learn to look for the actual reality, you'd be a fool to miss it.  The left in America has no tolerance.  American born Libertarian's actually are the tolerant people the left pose as.

True Friendship (Loyalty & Respect)

I know most of my posts on this blog have been about politics or money.

This blog post has a much higher meaning to me, and hopefully it should to you too.

What I'm about to share with you is a personal story. 100% true, nothing exaggerated or embellished. I am 28, and my friend was in his 80's when we first met.

I moved into my current home almost two years ago.  It's a quiet home nestled in the Texas Hill Country very close to a big beautiful lake.  Before we moved in I was looking forward to the scenery and living in the country, after we moved in I found myself looking forward to something else.

A next door neighbor of mine was taken to the hospital right before we moved in.  She was a senior citizen with lots of friends around the neighborhood, unfortunately I never was able to meet her.  She spent about a week at the hospital before passing on.

She left her son at her house all by himself.  For the first few days after her passing I watched out my front window as her son sat on her front porch, waiting for her to come back.  Day in and day out he would sit out there quietly all by himself.  It seemed with time he got more sad, his head once held high was now hanging lower.  I'm not a psychologist but I knew he was in a bad place.

I made a decision. I decided I would try to get to know him.  I met up with another friend I met from the neighborhood and we walked over to his house.  He didn't want anything to do with us at first, I guess you could say he was older and stubborn.  He just didn't want to show himself to a complete stranger.  I understood that, and didn't ever hold it against him.  Our first meeting was quick, I introduced myself and then we went our separate ways.

This house where he lived bordered the woods. Literally nothing but woods and wild animals behind his house.  After our first meeting I got permission to come back and keep his property safe for him.  My house was only two houses away so whenever I had a free second or two I would go over there and check on him and the property.

Before very long I found myself looking forward to going over there to see him.  He was very wise and solemn in his older age.  Once we became friends I honestly can't say I remember one time he wasn't happy to see me, and vis-versa.  He had all kinds of wildlife coming on his property harassing him and his adopted female cat.  I got permission to set up traps right on his fenceline.  What started out as one trap multiplied into multiple traps and a 24 hour live surveillance camera on his property so I could run over there if any predators came in the yard.

As a friend, I would make it a habit to bring left-overs over there to him.  I knew he wasn't eating as well as before, and I wanted to do my part for him.  I know in my heart that he never looked forward to the food as much as he looked forward to seeing me.  Sometimes we would just sit out in the yard as the sun was setting just enjoying each others company.  I can't say that I've experience that kind of trust and friendship with many people over the course of my life.  Deep down he knew I had his back in all situations, and he had mine.  It was a un-discussed feeling that I could feel all the way through me.

He never did me wrong, I never did him wrong.  One time he was in the yard and had gotten attacked by a big fox.  I saw him walking up, one side of his face almost twice the size of the other.  He protested, but I got him in my car and drove straight the the emergency room.  He didn't want to go, but I knew to be a true friend to him, it was my duty.  When we got back I made him stay at my house that night.  I awoke to him looking at me, with one of those looks that said 'You're a true friend'.

That day something changed.  He started spending more and more time at my house.  Plenty of days I would come out in the morning to him sitting in the chair on my porch saying 'hey boy what're you doing'?  He would always look me in the eye during our exchanges.  I learned a lot about respect from him.  We learned a lot about each other.

I knew he was getting up there in age, and my mind always had a tendency to assume the worst when I wouldn't see him outside.  I would holler for him, and every damn time he would come out to say hi to me.

I'll say this, I really wonder if I'll ever have another friend like that.  We just had a mutual understanding of each other that I can't put into words.  We wanted the best for each other, and we both knew it.  We knew that we could have lived without each other, but together the parts of us added up to more than just the sum of the parts.  We were a team.  We were a real team.

On the morning of January 18th, 2012 I came outside to find him on my front porch like usual, but he wasn't breathing.  He had passed, and I wasn't there when it happened.  I wasn't there for him like I should have been.  Maybe it's just human nature, but I feel I let him down somehow.  Nothing I've been told in comfort has helped me.

It's now a few days later, but I'm still crying as I type this.  I lost something great, and the world lost someone great.  What I'll never forget is how two creatures can come together to make both happier and both better.

A legacy is leaving the world a better place than you found it.  A legacy is changing something or someone for the better.  Many of us notice the fact that one bad thing can create a chain of negative events that are echoes of the original deed.  Well I am here to remind you that one good thing, one choice of doing the right thing if you will, can and does create a long string of positive events.

Today or tomorrow, do something positive.  Remember to pay it forward.

Most of all, never forget that sometimes you find the best of friends in the most uncommon of places.

I love you Egypt, and I will never forget you.  I've got Egypt's son with me now, and because of who Egypt was and what he stood for, his son will die an old happy cat in a warm bed.  Because of someone's decision to bring home a bengal mix cat that needed a home, I now know how to treat others that one day may earn the title "True Friend."

Part II

I was originally going to end this post here, but I want to include some pictures and a few words about who Egypt was, and what he stood for. Below are some pictures of me with him.

Me and Egypt

Egypt always ran his property with his brother. I never got to know his brother, by all accounts he disappeared a short time before I moved in.  I can only assume the worst as I have photographed large coyotes nearby with my game camera.  

Egypt was smart though, I mean really smart.  Much like a behaviorist he could read people and situations correctly. It's probably what kept him safe on a piece of property that was visited by all kinds of wildlife at night.

He loved being outside, he loved the Texas Hill Country, and more than all, he loved his friends.  It needs to be said, he had more desirable human traits than most humans.  He was definitely the needle in the haystack, he was the one in a million.

The truth is we rarely will know a life-long friend upon first sight.  If you ever find yourself searching for happiness, consider the following.  I can assure you that there is a pet out there in a bad situation or in a shelter that needs your help, and in return will give you the friendship, loyalty, and respect you might be looking for. It might not be the puppy or kitten you have pictured in your head, but they're out there.  Remember patience breeds understanding, and understanding breeds friendship. It's not too late right now, but at some point it will be.

Why Ron Paul can beat Obama

Ok, I've been hearing this phrase that "Only Romney can beat Obama" and I'd like to address it.  More specifically, I'd like to address why it is wrong.

Think back to the 2008 election. Barack Obama was a self admitted former muslim "turned" Christian. He had basically no job experience besides community organizing and voting 'present' for a few years in the Senate. He was running against a former armed services veteran and prisoner of war.

Since then we have seen two different awakenings. First, we've seen the awakening into his past.  Andrew Breitbart and Glenn Beck have put the spotlight right on who Obama is, and where he came from.  Beck helped expose the liberal bias toward cover and concealment that both the administration and media had implemented in Obama's past. Beck exposed Jeremiah Wright, Obama's loyalty to S.E.I.U. and A.C.O.R.N.

Second, we have seen an awakening into Obama's policies.  Many pundits have addressed Obama's socialistic tendencies. At this point, it's pretty hard to think of Obama as a free-market loving Capitalist. I think it's safe to say most Americans recognize Obama's failed economic policies (T.A.R.P.), Healthcare, Wall Street regulation, etc.

A fellow blogger Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) has found a pattern. He calls it the pendulum theory. He uses President Carter as an example.  Carter was basically Obama, and Carter's four years of utter failure got us eight years of Reagan. The pendulum swings one way, and when it doesn't work, it swings back.

So lets entertain a little thought experiment.  I also think it's safe to say most Americans have a functional awareness to Ron Paul's policies. He's basically the anti-Obama.  Where Obama thinks regulation and government authority fixes everything, Paul actually does believe in the free market principles this nation was founded on.

So, with Lee Stranahan's theory in mind also, consider this. For the second time, Obama could be running against Dr. Ron Paul. Dr. Paul is also an armed services veteran, much like John McCain was.

I contend that there is a 0% chance Obama would beat another armed services veteran in 2012. Before, he had a new face. People like newness. Well, when newness gets old and policies fail, real change happens. Dr. Ron Paul could absolutely win against Obama, I have no doubt in my mind. Between the pendulum effect, and  the American awakening that has taken place, Obama would not beat another armed services veteran.

I've never heard more Americans refer to themselves as Libertarian than I have in the last four years. Mitt Romney is a big government progressive and plenty of people realize that too. Romney can't even tell you the difference between his healthcare and Obamacare, because there is no difference besides state v. federal.

I firmly believe the only chance to return our country to its founding values is with Dr. Ron Paul. No matter what a pundit says, Ron Paul can beat Barack Obama in 2012.