Always be aware of the low lying poop!!!

Quite a while back, I wrote a post titled “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”.  I went on to explain that these words belong to the phonetic alphabet and most military people would know the significance of WTF.  What the FUCK?  Sorry my friends, but sometimes you just have to stand on the sidelines shaking your head from side to side while scratching  your ass.  It is inevitable that at least once per day, you too will be thinking to yourself, WTF.  Driving in your car when some dumb ass passes on the shoulder.  WTF?  Standing in line at the grocery store while a mother is oblivious to her kid ransacking the candy counter.  WTF?  Waiting for a waitress to take your order and she is more interested in standing around complaining about her job.  WTF?

So I have compiled a few things that have made me say, WTF, over the last few weeks.

A REPORT BY Bill Mahrthat President Obama has been on network television MORE in his first 150 days in office than George W. Bush was in his entire final year as president.  WTF?  I’m not a fan of Bil Mahr, but when a UltraMegaLiberal like him criticizes Barry Obama…then you have to throw those letters out there.  C’mon Pres. go run the country and stop trying to be a pop star.

SPEAKING OF POP STARS!!!  How about the news about Michael Jackson?  Now don’t get me wrong…I don’t wish tragedy on any person.  I may wish jail time on some people who break laws, murder, MOLEST CHILDREN, etc… but I don’t wish death.  It was terrible that he succumbed to massive coronary failure most likely caused by drug abuse.  He was only 50 years old and I was sure that he would find himself before a judge at least one more time.

I’m just amazed at the number of people who are, all of a sudden, coming out of the woodwork to praise this guy.  He’s being dubbed a “MUSICAL GENIUS” and the greatest of all time.  NOW WAIT A MINUTE and WTF?  The greatest of all time?

I’ll hand it to him.  At eight years old, the little guy could sing.  I had the Jackson 5 album and I was a fan.  Musical Genius?  When he broke away from his dysfunctional family and went on his own, I was still a fan.  “Thriller” and “Bad” were decent albums but it wasn’t so much the music as the music videos and the choreography.  Musically they were mediocre and vocally they were above average.  GENIUS they were not.

I will not argue with his world-wide fame during the 80’s and early 90’s but then again, you can’t argue with David Hasslehoff’s world wide fame either.  I don’t see anyone rushing out to stockpile Hasslehoff’s albums that are multi-platinum in Europe.  We grew up with Michael Jackson and watched his very talented family melt down in front of our eyes.  Tito being kicked off the Victory Tour, Jermaine feuding, Janet on “The Facts of Life”, Latoya posing in Playboy and calling her family abusers.

Michael Jackson’s death is a tragedy, but let’s get a few things strait.  Popularity does not make someone a musical genius.  MY GOD…Chad Johnson (Ocho-Cinco) compared Michael Jacksons death to that of the 9/11 attacks.  Michael Jackson’s death was a tragedy but to call him one of the FIVE MOST INFLUENTIAL singers of all time?  Hell, if I had to pick a Motown Singer who was the most influential, it would be Marvin Gaye.  However, if someone can convince me of the socially redeeming qualities of “Ben” or “Beat It” then please do so.

The guy slept with children.  The guy built an amusement park for kids.  He had sleep overs with 12 year olds.  He bought the Elephant Mans bones and owned a monkey.  He straitened his hair, bleached his skin, chopped off his nose and became a recluse.  He married Lisa Marie Presley and when she found out how fucked up the guy was, he paid her, had her sign a confidentiality clause and sent her away.  He then found another woman who agreed to be the human vessel that would carry his children.  All through artificial insemination and without ever consummating their mockery of a wedding/marriage.  He dangles his baby out over a balcony from the fifth floor of a hotel.  Yet, everyone seems to give him a free pass because he had a “rough childhood” with daddy Joe.  WTF and GIMME A BREAK!!!

SUPERMODEL CALLS T.O. OUT!!!  So I guess the old television show, “The Superstars” is back and this time they have celebrities teamed up with athletes.  Terrell Owens get’s the pick of the crop by being teamed up with Supermodel Joanna Krupa.  Apparently Owens got his big feet stuck in a rope bridge and kind of gave up.  When he finally made it to the end, Krupa began her leg of the relay and almost made up all of the time that Owens had lost.

When T.O. tried to give a high-five, Krupa basically called him a quitter and questioned his efforts.  The team was eliminated from the competition based on their poor score.  HOWEVER, as fate would have it…One of the other teams had to drop out due to an injury which means that Krupa and T.O. will be returning to the competition.  Search these two on YOUTUBE and you will join me in saying WTF?

What is going on around here lately?  Kwai Chang Kane, also known as David Carridine had made somewhat of a comeback over the past few years.  He was Bill in the Quintin Tarentino trilogy “Kill Bill”.  He had also gotten some bit roles in a few movies that brought him back into the Hollywood light…not the Lime Light…but D-Cell battery powered flashlight light.

So he goes on vacation in Thailand, checks into his hotel room and orders some room service.  Then the guy drinks alone, ties something to his penis, puts a belt around his neck and starts petting the monkey while looking at a poster of Farrah Fawcett.  Then…something goes terribly wrong and he dies.   WTF!!!!???  No really.  WTF? 

Then Ed Mcmahon who never tied his penis up passes away.  You just kinda had to love Ed who had no real talent at all.  He sat on a couch next to Johnny Carson for years, then he became a spokesman for Publishers Clearinghouse followed by a gig as the host of Star Search.

Then we lose Farrah Fawcet.  I’ll tell you what, if Farrah had a nickle for every time some adolescent kid jerked off to her poster, she would have been able to have an entire body transplant.  To this day, that 1977 poster of her in a one piece swimsuit is the number one selling poster of all time.  Not a great actress, not a great talent, but boy was she ever every school boy’s fantasy in the 1970’s.  Her death was overshadowed of course by the most influential singer of all time who may have been masturbating to a poster of Ed Mcmahon.  WTF?

Then this morning, I wake up to find out that pitchman Billy Mayes has died.  He bumped his head on a rough airplane landing and complained about the bump.  Next thing you know the guy’s gone.  Who’s next…the Sham-WOW guy?  WTF?

Now you’ve heard me talk about the lack of parenting and boundary-less kids these days.  Well, in Beaumont Texas a 4-year old little boy is just a taste of what I’ve been saying.  This little fella decided to wake up at 3:00 in the morning.  He unlocked and left his home and crossed a multi-lane road.  Then he headed for the toy store and wouldn’t you know it…he found an open door.  So what did he do?  Well he started playing with the toys of course.  Now how did a 4-year old get out of his house without his parents knowing.  How did he make it across a busy road without someone stopping to help him.  How did he get inside a store at 3am without someone saying…WTF?

The rules of war date back for centuries.  Call it gamesmanship on the battlefield.  The rules have been written and amended several times over and debated for years and years.  Many countries and their leaders have agreed to and signed documents referring to these “Rules of War” but just because they’ve agreed to them doesn’t mean they always follow them.

Starting with the Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC) date back to the Old Testament of the Bible and are spoken of in the Book of Deuteronomy which calls for limits to the amount of collateral and environmental damage that an army may inflict onto its enemy.    Then in the 7th century Abu Bakr instructed his Muslim army that they should abide by Ten Rules of War.  These rules were clear and concise.

Do not commit Treachery or deviate from righteousness.  Do not mutilate dead bodies.  Do not kill children or women nor an old man.  Don’t harm trees and crops. Don’t burn down city’s and villages. Don’t kill livestock.

The Nuremberg War Trials define not only what is prohibited in times of war but also what is accepted treatment of prisoners.  Most significantly it addressed crimes against humanity and gave birth to many treaties including The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Charter of the United Nations, The Genocide Convention, United Nations Convention against Torture and of course, the Geneva Conventions.

The rules of war cover hundreds of issues regarding domestic and international conflict.  Wars should be limited to achieving Political goals that started the war and should avoid unnecessary destruction.  Wars should be brought to an end as quickly as possible.  People and property that do not contribute to the war effort should be protected against destruction.  The war and its purpose should be fully stated and understood.  Non-Combatants and civilians shall not be held nor tortured.

The rules of war call for combatants to identify themselves by distinct uniforms and to avoid bringing armed conflict into civilian populated areas.  This is contrary to the way that Al Queda and terrorist militants fight their battles.  Most often, these combatants will hide within the population, never revealing the fact that they are soldiers against the west.  Road side bombings, car bombings, suicide/homicide bombers in areas frequented by innocent civilians are the standard operating procedures in this war against terror.

So let’s recap a little bit:  Many Middle Eastern countries have declared the western world as  infidels.  Some have declared Jihad against the western world and our way of life.  Then, on a smaller note, large groups of terror cells which reside within the boarders of some Middle Eastern countries have called for the death of all non-Muslim Americans.  We refuse to recognize the fact that so many of the worlds population do not like us Americans very much.  Eventually common sense prevails…RIGHT? 

So to put that in perspective let’s just say that the United States did not declare war against Canada or Mexico.  However, there were small army’s within our boarders that infiltrated those countries and caused death and destruction.  Then returned to the United States for refuge while demanding the protection against any reprisal.

Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq stated, over 140 westerners have been kidnapped by Muslim Militants in the Philippines alone.  In January of this year, three Red Cross workers (Swiss, Italian and Filipino) were kidnapped by a group tied to Abu Sayyaf.  This is of course, against the rules of war and the Geneva Convention.  However, this does not stop the kidnapping, it does not stop the rape, the starvation, the beating and the torture of non-combatant, innocent civilians in the war against terror.

A missionary priest, a Chinese businessman’s 10 year old daughter, a Sri Lanken peace advocate, an NBC news crew who coordinated an interview with members of Abu Sayyaf, a six year old British girl, a British Missionary, the crew of an Indonesian barge and the list goes on and on and on.  Sometimes the innocent tourists are not kidnapped.  In January, 2002 an American tourist was shot and killed by a gunman while hiking on the slopes of Mount Pinatubo.  A similar incident happened in late 2001 when a group of U.S. sailors on leave were fired upon by a group claiming ties to Al Quida and the Abu Sayyaf Group.  So can you tell me if you have heard about ANY of these atrocities?

I bring up the Philippines because of my tie to the country.  I lived there for four years during my Navy Career.  I met my wife there, had my first child there and own land with a house.  While stationed there, the U.S. military presence kept most of the Muslims (about 20% of the population) and militants in the southern most island of Mindanao.  However, since the closure of the U.S. military bases, the Muslim population has migrated north.

A rich recruiting ground for Al Queda, the Philippines is a very poor country.  Many of the population live well below the U.S. poverty level with very few opportunities to better their situation.  Add in the lack of education, employment and medical care…poor Filipinos often jump at the opportunity to improve their situation by pledging allegiance to Abu Sayyad and Al Queda.  Eventually common sense prevails…RIGHT? 

Daniel Pearl, an American Journalist was kidnapped and beheaded, live on the Internet.  He was in Pakistan covering the war and was what the Geneva Convention would call “an innocent”.  He was unarmed correspondent working for CNN and had no ties to any military…BUT…he was also Jewish.

For the past 40 years, the United States has maintained a military prison on the Island of Cuba.  Guantanamo Bay is home to detainees from around the world.  Many are Cubans who attempted to gain entry into the U.S. illegally as well as other refugees from around the world who have ignored our immigration laws.  Then there is Camp X-Ray on Guantanamo Bay which houses confirmed and suspected terrorists or those who have ties to known terrorist cells.

Fueled by the extremely liberal media in the United States, Guantanamo Bay has been criticized often.  In fact, President Obama made a campaign promise to CLOSE Guantanamo Bay while disregarding any clear and concise plan beyond locking the gates.  What exactly are we going to do with the prisoners/detainees that are currently being held at GITMO?  Apparently we are going to absorb them into our prison system in the U.S.  Eventually common sense prevails…RIGHT? 

Our “liberal media” will inundate us with facts about water-boarding, sleep deprivation, loud music, humiliation and physical torture of prisoners being held as terror suspects.  Yet they will not talk about the horrific conditions of some U.S. prisons.  Rape, forced sodomy, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, gang warfare, etc… are rampant in our penal system and our media will portray one treatment as more humane than the other.  There is a big difference between rehabilitating prisoners and penalizing their crimes.  Prisons are not always meant to be a country club with cable television, racquetball courts, weight rooms and three square meals per day.  Some prisons are actually meant to punish criminals for their inability to conform to societal norms.

So many Americans will continually cry real tears for murderers, rapists, kidnappers and violent criminals.  We live in an alternate reality that tells us one thing and then preaches another.  Hell…Oprah Winfrey will stare into the television camera and talk about a husband who slapped his wife as a criminal in the worse sense.  “Once a wife abuser…ALWAYS a wife abuser.  He will never CHANGE!!!”  Then Oprah will dedicate an entire show to the mistreatment of militant Muslims who want nothing more than to kill every infidel (one who does not follow Islamic laws).  She will plead for opening lines of communication and diplomacy.  She will stand behind a terror suspect and champion his release while nearly calling for the execution of a man who uses poor judgement in an emotional relationship.  AND SO MANY AMERICANS BUY INTO THIS???  Eventually common sense prevails…RIGHT? 

That means that Al Queda will now have yet another recruiting ground for their cause.  Introduce militant Muslims into a prison system that is full of people with very little hope or direction.  Allow these militant Muslims the opportunity to spread their false propaganda and their message of salvation and redemption.  Open the doors to the new breed of militant Muslim…the home grown terrorist.

That brings me to our new President…our Commander and Chief.  Barrack Obama is spending more time threatening charges against U.S. soldiers assigned to prison duty on Guantanamo Bay than he is trying to bring known terrorists to justice.  He is not thinking many things through and is more concerned about his own personal approval rating.  He currently finds himself at a 64% approval rating among U.S. citizens…lest we forget that George W. Bush had an 82% approval rating when he invaded Afghanastan.  We fickle Americans wanted revenge and payback…but now we want to hold hands and sing Kumbaya!!!  Eventually common sense prevails…RIGHT? 

Obama was in Egypt a few weeks ago and he was ever the diplomat.  No longer is our “war on terror” referred to in those terms.  We are now engaged in an “overseas contingency operation”.  Well how about that…We’re not at war anymore and we no longer call roadside bombers “terrorists”.

According to sources, Obama is trying to soften relations with the Middle East and the Muslim world.  By calling those who have been killing innocent civilians and our peace keepers “terrorists”…is not in keeping with the spirit of cooperation.  Obama wants the relations between the west and the Middle East to be a touchy-feely relationship.  He wants us to be friends.  Well HELL, I’m all for that…but first, they have to stop wanting me to be dead if I’m going to be friends.  Eventually common sense prevails…RIGHT? 

Our “liberal media” is continuing their love affair withBarrack “Barry” Obama and that is a big part of the problem.  The media has a responsibility to remain neutral and honest.  They should not pick and choose which truth to report nor should they give Obama any room when dealing with the safety and well being of Americans.  Stop being so wishy-washy and call that stinky pile of pig shit exactly what it is.

Just last week an American born Muslim named Carlos Bledsoe (Abdulhakim Muhammad is his Muslim name) opened fire on some soldiers in Arkansas.  Killed in this cowardly attack was a 24 year old Private named William Long.  However, unless you caught it on your local news station, FOX News or Rush Limbaugh, you didn’t hear about it.  Why?  Because CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, HNN, MSNBC and all of the liberal media outlets decided that it was NOT NEWS WORTHY!!!  I myself found it to be a huge and compelling story.  I wanted to know more about Carlos and why he turned against our soldiers.

Now on the other hand…the liberal media LOVES to do stories on anyone who commits a crime against the liberal way of thinking.  I think that we can all agree that abortion is an issue that is towards the top of the liberal agenda.  The “freedom of choice” they call it yet I’m sure the unborn child would choose a little differently.

In Wichita Kansas, there was an Abortion Doctor named George Tiller who specialized in late term abortions.  It doesn’t matter that I think the man was a savage and a murderer.  He developed his own methods to terminate late term pregnancy’s and called his procedure MOLD based on the drugs/components used in the abortion:  Misoprostol, Oxytocin, Laminaria and Digoxin. 

Tiller’s abortion process took 3 to 4 days.  On day one, he injects the fetus’ heart with Digoxin, killing the baby and claiming that there is no pain.  He then inserts think sticks of seaweed into the woman’s into the womans cervix which causes it to expand.  Several days later, the woman fully dialates and Tiller would deliver the dead baby while the mother is given drugs to ease her pain.  HOW HUMANE to reduce the pain of the mother.

Tiller seemed to be oblivious to the dangers of what he was doing.  His clinic was bombed in 1986.  Then in 1993 he was shot in both arms by Shelly Shannon who was sentenced to 11 years and then an additional 20 years.  Do you think that if people were trying to kill you, MAYBE you should change your profession or re-think it?  Eventually common sense prevails…RIGHT? 

On May 31st of this year, Tiller was shot in the head at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita.  His killer, Scott Roeder, was tracked down about three hours after the shooting near Kansas City.

While I am pro life and do not agree with what Tiller did for a living, I am against the cold-blooded murder of anyone.  I do find a difference between the murder of innocent babies and the murder of a man who murders babies for a living…Yet Tiller did not deserve to be shot down.

I bring up the murder of Dr. Tiller for one reason and one reason only.  Our liberal media.  While there was no coverage of the murder of a United States Soldier on home soil in Arkansas…the coverage of an abortion doctor was covered for three strait days.  According to the Pew Research Group, the murder of George Tiller received 90% MORE coverage than that of Private William Long by an American Muslim.

Seems that murder Scott Roeder wanted Dr. George Tiller to stop killing innocent babies and our media decided that we should all know about this.  However, murderer Carlos Bledsoe wanted Private William Long to stop defending our country against militant Muslims but this was not newsworthy.  C’mon now!!!!  Eventually common sense prevails…RIGHT?

I know that I’ve touched on this subject in the past, but the timing felt right.  When our teams make it to a championship game, what is in it for us?  What does it really mean to a team, a fan or a city/state when their team brings home the prize?  How are we better people when another banner is raised to the rafters or a championship pennant flown in center field?  How do we get to the point that it matters so much to us?

Some people live their lives vicariously through their sports teams.  Maybe you were a star quarterback in high school who just never got over the hump.  Maybe you could throw a 85 mph split finger fast ball for a strike any time you wanted.  Perhaps you grew to the height of 6′7″ or 6′9″ without the aid of a controlled substance.  By chance, you were born and raised in northern Ontario or Alberta where the only thing to do was to lace up the skates and slap a rubber disk around a makeshift hockey rink.

I think that first and foremost, we associate ourselves with the team that plays in or near our hometown.  We grow up watching the local broadcasts, the sports page of the local newspaper and the home team swag at the flea market.  Our teams represent our youth and we, in turn, represent our teams.  Secondly, we get to know our players.  Where they were born, where they went to college, the role they play on the team.  Finally there is the rivalries that are formed between your team and all others.

Two of the biggest rivalries that sticks out in my lifetime and in my mind are the Michigan vs. Ohio State and the Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche.  There is no reason to elaborate on the Wolverines and Buckeyes since that rivalry is known throughout college football.  Are there bigger games during the year?  Absolutely depending on where you grew up, but if you live in the state of Michigan and Ohio, there is no bigger college football game all year long.  Well, unless you are a Michigan State Spartan fan…then the UofM vs. MSU game is bigger for them.

The Red Wing/Avalanche rivalry started in the late 1990’s and was, at first, based only on their tough fought playoff series year after year.  Then during game 6 of the 1996 playoff series, Claude Lemieux of the Avalanche cross checked Kris Draper of the Red Wings into the side boards face first.  The hit caused a concussion, broken nose, broken jaw and broken cheek bone.  This sparked a rivalry that stretched over the next 6-7 seasons but has since died over the past several years.

Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Penguins have two of the most popular and electrifying players in the world while the Red Wings have the best all-around team in hockey.  Detroit has the home ice advantage and the home team has won every game of the series…but don’t let this fool you.  This is game SEVEN.  There is no hockey tomorrow and there is no reason to save yourself for a game 8 because there isn’t one.  Leave it on the ice fellas.

Now back to my question…Does it really matter?  What does it really mean? 

Well, for the most part in situations like this, I would say that it really doesn’t matter.  The true fan in me only asks that my team does their best.  The frustrated, former athlete in me knows that any competition with the exception of tic-tac-toe, and rock-paper-scissors (lots of ties)  has a winner and a loser.  I always try to keep things in perspective when it comes to my fanatic behavior.  I want a fair game called evenly on both sides.  I want fierce competition played at a high level of skill.  I want the game decided by the players and nothing else.

However, there is a different twist on this game for me.  I have moved away from my old comfortable spot and gained an alternative perspective this year.

It would be impossible for anyone NOT TO KNOW the problems and issues that face the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan over the past year.  We had to face scandal brought on by our former Mayor and City Council.  We’ve seen two of our biggest employers file for bankruptcy.  We’ve watched the exodus of citizens from our state.  We have suffered record numbers in unemployment and still wait as the fallout settles…hoping to avoid the dust ourselves.

I have lived through nine championships with our professional teams.  All of our professional franchises have won a championship in my lifetime with the exception of the Lions.  I’ve seen what it does to the people of Detroit and how we latch on to the emotions of that pinnacle moment.  This game means a lot to our city and state.  We’ve been beaten down, cheated, lied to and kicked in the stomach by people we trusted.  We’ve watched our family and friends loose homes, possessions and dreams.  We’ve said goodbye to neighbors how have reluctantly packed up their earthly possessions to chase other dreams in other places.

I realize that Detroit and Michigan do not hold a monopoly on the condition of our economy and nation.  I also realize that people and families and businesses have suffered all over our country.

Losing tonight’s game is in no way a dagger or a kill shot.  Losing tonight’s game will not ruin the resolve of our people.  Losing or winning tonight’s game will not bring  jobs back to Detroit and Michigan.

I’m just saying that Detroit has been hit harder than anywhere else and we need something to lift us up.  Detroit needs to line the streets with fans and on-lookers this year.  We need to celebrate something after a year of heartache and pain.  Losing tonight’s game is not an option.  Just win baby!!!

Long before the likes of Barry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Diana Ross and The Jackson Five latched on to our City’s Moniker…the city of Detroit was known as Motown.  That’s an AKA for “The Motor City”.  The automobile capital of the world.  Long before William Demming traveled to Tokyo to teach the Japanese how to mass produce cars, a huge billboard hovered above the mass of freeways in downtown Detroit, illuminating the number of cars built in the city for the year.

No, Detroit wasn’t the first city to build an automobile.  However, it was Henry Ford who perfected the assembly line and the mass production of cars for the world.  It was a beautiful thing and it brought workers from all over the country and eventually the world.  If you want to make cars, you have to go where they make them and that was Detroit.

Then came the UAW and automobile salesmen.  Not long after that came the dealer incentives and employee discounts.  Let’s not forget the “bait and switch” advertisements, the *asterisk and the fine print.  In addition, I would be doing a disservice if I fail to mention the “Owner Loyalty” clause that every American Auto Dealership seems to have.

I travel quite a bit for my job.  I’ve been to California a few times, Arizona, Toronto, etc… and I am always surprised and astounded at the number of foreign made automobiles on the road.  In many areas, foreign cars outnumber North American made vehicles while on the contrary…During my military days and travel around the globe, I rarely saw any American made autos on the road.

MY NEW CAR SHOPPING ADVENTURE

Let me start by saying that a new car is not a NEED for me but more of a “want”.  My wife is not working and we have two cars in the driveway as it is, but I started leisurely shopping around.  Hell, everyone was telling me what great deals were available, I decided to take advantage of them.

I’m not naive about newspaper ads and the prices on cars.  I know that it is one of those ploys to drag people away from their every day activities, maybe through curiosity, to check out the “too good to be true” pricing.  I can’t believe to tell you how many $17,000 - $22,000 vehicles that actually end up costing $24,000 - 27,000 and it is always my fault for not understanding how things work.

So I did some homework and tried to determine just how much it costs to build an average automobile.  Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, we are talking about a 4-door, 6-cylender with an automatic transmission.  The original engineering of the vehicle along with the design is the most costly part.  Add in employee wages and material overhead and you have the cost of new vehicle development.  SURE…it may cost $5,000 to cast the first mold for a new model car part, but after that mold has been created the parts end up costing pennies when purchased by the thousand.

Now we have to add on UAW fees for employee insurance, medical, retirement and union administration.  Throw in a few extra dollars for unemployment insurance and profit sharing bonuses.  Keep in mind that even when the company is not making money and profits are down, the consumer must still throw another ten dollars into the price of the vehicle for the executive severance program.  All things said, a standard 4-door family sedan may cost between $8 - $12 thousand dollars to manufacture.  Add in the cost of shipping the vehicle to the dealership and your state sales tax and we would be paying about $12 - $15 thousand dollars for a new car if we didn’t have to deal with automobile salesmen.

So the vehicle gets to the dealership and they paste that ever dreaded sticker on the window with the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).  Now if you don’t already know this…just look at that MSRP and give it a double barreled FUCK YOU!!!  What you want to see is the Dealer Invoice to find out how much the dealership actually paid for the vehicle.  Then you want to find out all of the manufacturers rebates.  Many dealers will make  you think that the manufacturers rebates go to the dealership.  SURE…if they have taken them off of the price of the vehicle. 

What most dealerships will do is start at the MSRP instead of the Dealer Invoice which is several thousand dollars LESS than the MSRP.  Then they will try to get the buyer to believe that he’s making no money at all on the car because the rebates cost him money.  Well boooo-fucking-hoooo.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not in the market of buying a car to make an automobile salesman rich.  I’m out to get the best deal I can.

Rule of thumb…find a dealership who will allow you to see the Dealer Invoice on the vehicle.  Subtract all manufacturers rebates from that invoice.  Then add in sales tax, title and destination charge and  offer the dealer 5% above that final cost.  Also keep in mind that when you finance through the automaker, they make even MORE money off of you and the dealership gets their share.

So if you live in the Detroit area and are familiar with a certain General Motors Dealership on Gratiot Avenue just north of 15 Mile Road.  I would have to recommend that you stay away from them.  They are bad news.  I spoke to three different salesmen there and each one of them had a different price, story and excuse.  One told me that their advertised special was on used cars only and when I talked to the used car guy he told me that the special was only good for new cars.  Wouldn’t you know it…by the time I went back to the new car guy and asked him about it?  He told me that the special ended at 9:00pm the night before.  “Damn sorry about that…but can I show you a few more cars?”  Then when I have the audacity to call the guy out on his blatant LIE…the fucker hangs up the phone on me!!!  Can you fucking BELIEVE IT???  The company is about to announce bankruptcy and their sales people are slamming down phones in prospective buyers ears!!!

So I’m turning over a new leaf.  It is obvious that the American Automakers (MOTOWN) doesn’t really care if I buy their products or not.  I will continue to “consider” their products when I’m shopping, but if the best deal for me is a fucking KIA…then Korean International Automobile it is for me.  If the best vehicle is a Honda than KO-NICHI-FUCKING-WA!!!

The Pig is in a foul mood!!!

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again…”Sometimes life just gets in the way.”  As much as I enjoy blogging and throwing the poop around, there are times when priorities get in the way.  Blogging is a luxury for me.  There was a time where I could sit at my desk at work and really work on a blog for 3-4 hours.  Those days are far behind me, but that’s not why I’m here.  I’m just proving to some that I am not sitting on a street corner in downtown Detroit with a FORTY wrapped in a brown paper bag.

DETROIT SUCKS!!!!!  If you are a hockey fan and happen to turn into the Detroit Red Wings - Chicago Black Hawks playoff game tonight, you will most likely hear that chant.  Apparently the chant started before the series ever did and now Chicago fans are buying up tee-shirts and posters with the “Detroit Sucks” theme.  Now that is a lot of class isn’t it?

What I find most amusing about this whole “Detroit Sucks” movement in Chicago is the fact that the Red Wings are up in the series two games to none, the Red Wings are defending Stanley Cup Champs and most noteworthy…this is the first playoff appearance for the Blackhawks in seven years.  The last time they won a Stanley Cup was in 1961 and have won three Cups in their history.

The Red Wings on the other hand have the second most Stanley Cups in NHL history behind the Montreal Canadians.  Detroit has won four championships in the past 11 seasons and have been to the playoffs for 18 strait seasons and has won more games over the past 20 years than any other team.  

I could almost understand it if the Red Wing fans had a similar chant going on during the first two games in Detroit.  Fortunately, that is not the style of Detroit sports fans.  We love to cheer for our team and we heckle and boo the opposing team.  We love to scream at the referee and give raspberries to any player who leaves us to play elsewhere.  But to chant “Chicago Sucks”???  Not our style.  Chicago hockey fans chanting ”Detroit Sucks” would be like Detroit Lions fans chanting “Pittsburgh and New England SUCK!!!”

I guess if being the best team in the sport for the past two decades SUCKS…It is GOOD TO SUCK!!!

Speaking of the Detroit Lions:  I can’t believe they drafted a quarterback.  I can’t believe they took a Tight End with the second pick in the first round.  I can’t believe they didn’t address their glaring holes at the linebacker position.

I know…Only time will tell.  I just want you all to watch along with me.  In three years time, you tell me if Matthew Stafford is a better player than Aaron Curry, Andre Smith or any other player who was taken in the first 10 picks.

My prediction for the Lions season:  2-14 and first overall pick in next years draft.  The Irony is that next years draft is DEEP in quarterbacks and the Lions could have taken one then.

The NBA…YAWN!!!  I have not watched one NBA playoff game this year and DAMN it feels good.  I can’t stand the product anymore.   It’s a damn shame though.  My favorite sport to watch on TV used to be the NBA.  Then the rules of the game became subjective.  It was around the time that Michael Jordan was getting his ass whipped by physical teams in the East.  Teams like the Celtics, Knicks, Pistons and 76ers made Jordan pay for taking his 5 steps in the lane on his way to a Hollywood dunk.

Then NBA then instituted the “Jordan Rules”.  These unwritten rules basically said that the only way to stop the hard foul was to call the touch foul.  In fact, if a defender passed wind in Sir Michael’s presence while he was handling the ball…FOUL!!!  Yet this was not enough.  The Bulls kept losing to more physical teams.  So the rules were instituted for the entire starting five on the Bulls.

These rules have been passed on from team to team.  Shaq and Kobe benefited from these rules in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.  Dwayne Wade was baby Jordan in 2006.  Last year, there was no way in hell that any team OTHER than the Boston Celtics was going to win that Championship.  Now we see King James as the newly anointed keeper of the rules.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I believe that Jordan, Kobe, Wade, and Lebron are unbelievable players.  I just don’t think that the rules should change for them simply because of their ability to draw attendance.  Until the NBA starts calling all games by their own rules, I’m done with it.

Oh, by the way.  I know that the Cavs are down 0-1 but don’t worry.  This is Lebron’s year.  That way the Cleveland fans will forgive him when the NBA office helps moving him to the New York Knicks.  I’m pretty sure it’s in the script.

Facebook:  Yes, I have gone down the Social Networking path.  My daughter basically double dog dared me to join Facebook so she could better keep in touch with me.  I actually enjoy it.  I’ve been able to reconnect with a few of my high school friends, a few former Navy buddies and some ex-workmates.  Besides that, I’ve become addicted to MAFIA WARS.  Sure, it’s a silly first person game…but I’m still addicted.  So any of you MOFO’s on Facebook, search for Flying Pig and add me to your friends list…then come join my Mafia!!! 

Until next time….