Closing Thoughts...

It's been a long time... Hundreds of posts, countless thousands of visitors and who knows how many hours spent.

For a number of years now, blogs have been a means by which the common person could publish their thoughts for all the world to find and read. The Internet has been commercialized and it is impossible for individuals doing this for their own reasons to compete against those writers who have banded together. Whether it's tied to a major news source (CNN, Fox, New York Times, etc.) or a new Internet-based source (TMZ, Perez Hilton, etc.) - I currently cannot compete against them nor do I want to; at least, not at this point in time.

Perhaps in the future I will release an updated website with new episodic updates but until then, I would like to leave you with the following personal affirmation of your basic and inalienable rights to live your life to the fullest extent possible.

So long and thanks for the ride!

Jerry L. McKinley

The Personal Bill of Rights

by

Jef Gazley, MS

(www.AskTheInternetTherapist.com)

1. I have numerous choices in my life beyond mere survival.
2. I have a right to discover and know my Child Within.
3. I have a right to grieve over what I didn't get that I needed, or what I got that I didn't need or want.
4. I have the right to follow my own values and standards.
5. I have a right to recognize and accept my own value system as appropriate.
6. I have a right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready, if it is unsafe, or violates my values.
7. I have a right to dignity and respect.
8. I have a reight to make decisions.
9. I have a right to determine and honor my own priorities.
10. I have a right to have my needs and wants respected by others.
11. I have a right to terminate conversations with people who make me feel put down and humiliated.
12. I have a right not to be responsible for others' behavior, actions, feelings or problems.
13. I have a right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.
14. I have a right to expect honesty from others.
15. I have a right to all of my feelings.
16. I have a right to be angry at someone I love.
17. I have a right to be uniquely me, without feeling I'm not good enough.
18. I have a right to feel scared and to say, "I'm afraid."
19. I have a right to experience and then let go of fear, guilt and shame.
20. I have a right to make decisions based on my feelings, my judgment or any reason that I choose.
21. I have a right to change my mind at any time.
22. I have a right to be happy.
23. I have a right to stability -- i.e., "roots" and stable, healthy relationships of my choice.
24. I have the right to my own personal space and time need.
25. There is no need to smile when I cry.
26. It is OK to be relaxed, playful and frivolous.
27. I have a right to be flexible and be comfortable with doing so.
28. I have the right to change and grow.
29. I have the right to be open to improve communication skills so that I may be understood.
30. I have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people.
31. I have the right to be in a non-abusive environment.
32. I can be healthier than those around me.
33. I can take care of myself, no matter what.
34. I have the right to grieve over actual or threatened losses.
35. I have the right to trust others who earn my trust.
36. I have the right to trust others and to forgive myself.
37. I have the right to give and receive unconditional love.

To Plagiarize Shakespeare...

Friends, Americans, countrymen, lend me your ears:

I come to bury Congress, not to praise them.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Congress. The noble President

Hath told you Congress was ambitious:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Congress answered it.

Here, under leave of the President and the rest –

For the President is an honorable man;

So are they all, all honorable men –

Come I to speak in Congress' funeral.

They were my friend, faithful and just to me:

But the President says they were liars;

And the President is an honorable man.

They brought many taxes upon the country,

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Congress seem greedy?

When that the poor had cried, Congress hath wept.

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet the President says they were out of touch;

And the President is an honorable man.

You all did see that on the Capital

We thrice presented them a demand for change,

Which they did thrice accept: was this ambitious?

Yet the President says they failed to change;

And, sure, he is an honorable man.

I speak not to disprove what the President spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love your representatives once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?

O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason! Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Congress,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

Sarah Palin - Exposed!

Yes, in too shocking to be true style, here's the lowdown on Governor Palin, America's favorite GILF (that's Governor I'd Like to Fraternize with; get your head out of the gutter). The most interesting statement in the article, "the combination of bold, even courageous readiness to take on a tough issue, coupled with a tendency to drift away from the nitty-gritty follow-through".

Anyway, read the article, make your own decisions based upon the evidence presented. If you don't vote, you can't complain!!

The Secret To A Good Relationship...

Is money. Surprised? Not us...

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Seriously, when are we just going to revolt and demand that our government run with the same accountability, visibility and accountability that publicly traded companies have to? The Interior Department needs to consider greater oversight if anything.

LHC Goes Online But We're Still Here!!

The Large Hadron Collider has gone online and we're all still here.

Of course, it's still months away from being ramped up to full power and therefore it is still months away from blowing us up to smithereens, destroying parallel universes or some other random cosmic act of terrorism.

Until then, I propose that we use our time wisely for other pursuits.

On The Road Again...

I have to admit... Taking Amtrak, while expensive, is a darn sight more convenient than driving. After all, you can drink a beer, get online and get to where you're going without traffic jams (driving) or random security checks (flying). Mass transit certainly has its place in my world!

Hell Hath No Fury...

This guy must be embarrassed.

Motorcycle Run (2008-08-16)

Alright, here's the deal - weather permitting. For those of you who have bikes and want to come on a fun afternoon's ride, I've mapped out a great afternoon for you!

1. From Baltimore, head north on Falls Road up to Alesia, MD.
2. From Alesia, head east on back roads to Delta, PA.
3. From Delta, head southeast on MD-623 and MD-222 to Perryville, MD.
4. From Perryville, take US-40 to MD-7 just before Belcamp, MD.
5. From Belcamp, MD take MD-7 back to Baltimore, MD.

Estimated miles: 123
Estimated time: 4 hours

Paris Hilton Strikes Back

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

No, really... This is pretty good. She memorized her lines and came up with all of it herself.