XM Radio

Well, after months of dithering about it, I finally broke down and ordered an XM Radio. I did find a great deal that I would like to share.

In my Redskins season ticket invoice, there was a flyer from XM Radion for 20% off of the hardware. I went to the website and ordered a Delphi Roady 2 XM Satellite Radio with the home bundle for $69. I found it on
Amazon.com for $139. They had other models available too. The catch is you have to buy three months of subscription for $29.97. Well, I was going to buy that anyway.

So, here's the way to do it. The link is http://xmradio.com/partners and the login code is SKINSXM05 The offer expires 3/31/05. I hope you find it useful.

Coasties being unfair?

Here's a good one. There is a ferry that runs between Catalina Island and Long Beach, California. As part of the post-911 security efforts, the Coast Guard occasionally puts officers on board to make sure no one tries to hi jack the ship. Well, some people aren't happy about it. Here's the best part;

Another woman, a CalState Fullerton student, said she was on her way to school when she was detained.

"I got on the boat ... and some Coast Guard (officers) asked me for my driver's license," she recalled.

The student -- afraid to show her face on camera -- said she was detained for nearly a month and then deported because she was here illegally.

Oh my goodness! She was an illegal alien and got caught. What on earth were those Coasties thinking?

Coast Guard News Roundup

Coast Guard cutter patrols Lake Huron
Crew part of Homeland Security effort
Michigan - (02/11/05)--When you think of Michigan's Great Lakes you think of summers filled with boating or hours spent on warm, sandy beaches.

Report: Trio found in Olaf's wake
(CNN) -- New Zealand and U.S. planes scouring the South Pacific near Samoa have found three people floating in the sea after "super cyclone" Olaf battered the area, rescue services say.

Coast Guard rescues three from Santa Barbara Island
SAN DIEGO - Coast Guard crews from San Diego Saturday helped rescue three people after the 29-foot sailboat they were on ran aground on Santa Barbara Island, officials said.

Coast Guard Rescues 3 Men Near Laguna Vista, Texas
HOUSTON - Three men were plucked from the Gulf of Mexico near Laguna Vista Texas, Tuesday at 7:50 p.m., by a Coast Guard rescue crew from Station South Padre Island (SPI), Texas.

Coast Guard rescues fishermen off N.C. coast
Three fishermen were rescued Saturday morning after their 72-foot boat began taking on water about 18 miles south of Oregon Inlet, the Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard rescues downed pilot from marsh near Savannah
(SAVANNAH) - A pilot from North Carolina is recovering from minor injuries after he ditched his small plane in a marsh in Georgia Sunday.

Coast Guard Rescues Boaters
Two men and a teenager are saved from the Laguna Madre by an alert resident and the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard rescues stranded kayaker near Yaquina Head
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew from the Newport air facility spotted an overturned kayak while on a routine patrol at about 2:30 Sunday afternoon.

A LIFE-AND-DEATH STRUGGLE: Coast Guard team rescues 2 fishermen stranded on ice
Cell phone call from Lake St. Clair tells a desperate story
An evening of ice fishing turned into a life-and-death struggle with the elements Tuesday on Mitchell's Bay in Lake St. Clair, as stranded anglers waited for a Coast Guard helicopter piloted by LTJG Paul LaRoche and LCDR Joe Carroll to hoist them to safety.

Dems and Social Security

Opinion Journal has a great article on why the Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to keep Social Security the way it is. It's written by former Delaware governor Pete DuPont. Here's a taste;

When you increase an individual's wealth, he becomes less dependent on government, and his attitude towards government changes. Socialists can't allow that, for it erodes their fundamental principle that social justice can only be achieved when important segments of the economy are under government control.

You can also see this in the way that each side refers to tax cuts. Those on the left say that the government can't afford to give that money away. The right see it as not taking somebody's hard earned money from them in the first place. In other words, the Democrats think that they have more right to your paycheck than you do.

Carry Me Back to Old Virginia!

Hallelujah! The Coast Guard, in it's infinite wisdom, has agreed to end our exile in Maryland and send us back to Virginia! My bride and I are just so happy about this. Our daughter will be born in Virginia. She's not due to arrive until the middle of May and I report the beginning of April. So much to do! Sell the house, find a house, move and so on!

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Pete, what is the name of that Realtor you were telling me about?

Mr. Behan, when can I join the Old Dominion Blog Alliance?

NHL Reform

A Large Regular thinks back to the XFL and wishes that McMahon of the WWF had taken on the NHL instead. Chris has some interesting ideas. I like this one the best;

Players would get 25% of the revenue off sales of their jerseys. This gives the players incentive to become fan favorites whether they be high scorers, goons or lunch bucket players who win the fans' love with their hard work.

I'm not too sure about this one though;

- Eliminate the rule prohibiting two line passes. Imagine if the NFL tried to outlaw passes over 20-yards? That's basically what the two-line pass rule in hockey does.

I think that would compel weak defenses to just smack the puck out of the zone like when they are penalty killing. Or is icing a different penalty than a two line pass?

Redskins Tickets

I am a Redskins season ticket holder. Yes, it's been tough the past few years but that's not what this post is about. I get my invoice for the tickets today and it says that the only methods accepted are cash, check, money order or MasterCard. Now I don't have the cash sitting around for two seats and a parking pass and I only have a Visa Card. Originally, they were only going to accept the Redskins MasterCard for payment but according to the Washington Post, they dropped that restriction.

I decided to call the ticket office to make sure. I asked the supervisor why I could use a Visa or American Express in the stadium to buy a $7 beer but I couldn't use it to buy the ticket in the first place. He aswered that it "was a decision they made." I told him that I didn't have a MasterCard and I didn't want to pay cash. He told me that they were considering allowing people to "stretch out the payments over a 30 or 60 day period." 30 or 60 days? That's not much help.

I could just threaten to not buy the tickets this year but they don't care. The waiting list for tickets is at least long enough to fill the stadium twice. What's a fan to do?

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I linked this to the Beltway Traffic Jam in hopes of letting my plight be known! Help me Beltway Denziens!

I said that?

Being able to search archives is such a neat thing:

Last night, Senate minority leader Harry Reid likened the president’s proposal to allow Americans to divert a portion of payroll taxes into personal security investment accounts to "gambling." But in 1999, the Nevada Democrat proposed something very similar on our own "FOX News Sunday" saying, "Most of us have no problem with taking a small amount of the Social Security proceeds and putting it into the private sector."

I always wondered how politicians can get away with such things. I guess they just shrug and say, "I changed my mind."

SOTU Address summed up

I watched the State of the Union address last night. It was good. But none of the words had as much effect as this scene.

Janet Norwood, right, of Pfugerville, Texas whose son was killed in Iraq last year, hugs Safia Taleb al-Suhail, leader of the Iraqi Women's Political Council, during the State of the Union address.

Note what is in Mrs. Norwood's hand. Those are her son's dogtags.

Update your bookmarks

Tim Blair has a new address. Update accordingly.