Margaret Thatcher rolls over in her grave

Barack Obama on Margaret Thatcher: “Michelle and I will carry on the work to which she dedicated her life."

Are you kidding me? I’ve been fairly quiet with political rants lately but this was too outrageous of a comparison not to. What an insult to Margaret Thatcher, this man has no sense of shame or dignity left. Comparing himself to Thatcher would be like Nancy Pelosi comparing herself to Ronald Reagan.

Obama is so in love with himself and such a shameless spin doctor. Instead of honoring her with some simple thoughtful words he takes the opportunity to boost himself after the death of one of the greatest Conservatives that ever lived. Do us the favor of honoring the Presidency by showing some class and respect just once and try not to make it all about "ME."

Each day I'm more thoroughly disgusted with this man and here's another reason in a very long line. Does he think all of us are idiots that don’t know anything about history or politics? I’m so ashamed and disgusted with Obama and all but a handful of the politicians that are now “supposedly” representing us in DC. It’s the slimmest, most selfish group of ignorant and power hungry men and women ever collected together in one place since the fall of the Roman Empire. And each day they’re doing their worst to take us to the same place. I’m done here…

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes: Book Review

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I haven’t been through many books about the Vietnam War. It’s tough sledding to relive it because it tore our nation apart. Upon finishing the book this morning I’m feeling so sad and moved by it it’s difficult for me to write a review worthy of its greatness and it was a great book. It took almost 2 weeks to get through it and I’m left feeling sort of numb and drained by the experience. 

I liked Karl Marlantes’s “What it’s like to go to War” so much I had to put this one on the book shelf whether it was difficult to or not. It's a fictional account of the War but Marlantes brings his experiences as a veteran of the Vietnam War to life in this book.

There are the terrible battle stories, the horrors of seeing fellow Marines get put through a meat grinder but it’s much more than that. Marlantes gives a lot of time to the mundane, the sublime, the politics, the racism and the emotional bonding that takes place between groups of men that experience the ultimate in horrors.

The story of the men who administered the war makes you think they were all a bunch of insane idiots trying to advance their military careers no matter what price the grunts had to pay for it. And the grunts do pay for it in a big way, in this story you learn they do more than once for the same piece of ground no less.

In hindsight after finishing the book it’s hard to judge any of the leadership of the military involved in the war because they didn’t get the kind of support from the government or the citizens at home. So it lead to confused sporadic bloody battles in impossible fighting conditions in the jungle were they killed many NVA troops and won some individual battles but in the end lost the war because of the media and meddling politicians in DC that didn’t support nor understand what was going on in Vietnam.

Still the story of the men in this book will move you, infuriate you, disgust you, amaze you, shock you and leave you with that awful feeling of how so many young men lost their lives in one of the worst Wars and causes in American history. Still the bravery, the nobility, the humility, the pride and the humanity of the men of this war must never be forgotten because they like all veterans of foreign wars deserve respect. Some would argue they deserve more respect. Take the journey it's worth it but be warned it’s not for the faint of heart.

Bronson Pinchot narrated this audiobook and he did an outstanding job of it just like he did with Marlantes’ other book. He’s one of the best in the business, he held me with a death grip throughout.

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Murder In Brentwood by Mark Fuhram: Book Review

Murder In Brentwood by Mark Fuhrman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was 35 in 1995 and followed the OJ trail throughout. It was obvious from the beginning of the trail that Johnny Cochran knew OJ was guilty before the trail began so the only way to get his client off was by making the case about race, wild conspiracy theories, Cops planting evidence, lies and innuendo. He also used the LAPD’s mishandling of evidence as way to convince jurors that the crime scenes were contaminated and as such cast reasonable doubt. Sadly it worked. The end result was Mark Fuhrman became a scapegoat and he was the one convicted of a crime and his life forever altered after the trail.

The mountain of physical evidence, circumstantial evidence and even eye witness testimony (which wasn’t used in the trail) was more than enough to convict OJ. It overwhelming proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he alone committed the 2 homicides.

I read the racist comments the Defense used against Fuhrman in the trail. They were horrible and offensive but if people knew what context they were made in they’d come away with a completely different view of him. I thought so then and I’m more completely convinced now that Fuhrman was one of the best Detectives the LAPD ever had. Was he arrogant? Yes. Was it possible he was a racist? Maybe but the fact is his views on race were completely irrelevant to the guilt or innocence of OJ. The LA DA made a motion to deny the racist comments on the Fuhrman tapes as inadmissible and irrelevant because under the law they actually were but Judge Lance Ito allowed it. I’m not going to write any spoilers here but after you read this book you’ll have a completely different view of Ito and his reasons for allowing the tapes in as evidence.

In hindsight Marsha Clark, the LAPD, the Crime Scene investigators all made mistakes in the prosecution of the OJ case. One must remember that not long before the OJ murders the Rodney King episode was still fresh on the minds of everyone in LA. The DA's office knew the world would be watching their every move in court and the King verdict was like a noose around their collective necks. The trail should never have been televised. Everyone involved on both sides became instant media celebrities and the DA’s office lost control of the trail as a result. The procedural tactics and the outcome of the trail most certainly altered the verdict by televising it.

The OJ trail is old news but I really enjoyed hearing Fuhrman’s side of the story. He’s not blameless in the outcome but his role was small by comparison and after you read what he has to say you’ll agree.

A few years ago I read his book entitled “Murder in Greenwich” which involved the murder case of Martha Moxley. I’ve been following this particular case for years and Fuhrman in his small way helped finally bring some justice to the Moxley family. The case had similarities to the OJ trail; it took 27 years to finally uncovered the truth about what happened to Moxley. Moxley finally received justice but unfortunately for Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman it never came.

Fuhrman was and still is a flawed individual but the biggest mistake he ever made was getting involved in the OJ case to begin with. I highly recommend both books. If you’re a true crime buff like me they’re MUST reads.  

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Jeff’s W-Y-O Bubba Bean & Beef Chile

I found this recipe a long time ago and altered it to my specifications and thought I'd share. It’s great Chile and easy to make. Since I'm a Wyoming Bubba I like simple and easy as opposed to hard.

* 2 pounds of ground beef

* 1 large red onion, chopped

* 4 teaspoons of minced garlic
* 2 teaspoons of olive oil to saute onion and garlic

* 2 small jalapeno peppers or more for heat, seeded and minced

* 1 large red bell pepper finely chopped 

* 2 celery sticks, finely chopped

* 1 teaspoon oregano

* 1 teaspoon ground cumin

* 3 Tablespoons chili powder

* 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1  teaspoon black pepper

* 6  (16 oz.) cans of kidney beans, leave liquid

* 2 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

* 1 (29 oz.) can pureed tomatoes

First put 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small sauce pan at medium heat to saute onion and garlic, then set aside.

In a separate pot brown 2 pounds of hamburger. You may drain the fat off the hamburger if you want but I leave it in because it gives it flavor.

Next dump in the sauteed onion, garlic and all the rest of the ingredients into the hamburger and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for an hour covered. (The other option it you can watch it is put it on the lowest heat setting possible without a lid and let it slow cook for about 3 hours which is my choice.)

It’ll serve 8 total; Cowboys or Cowgirls.

Footnote: If you’d like to, “Cowboy-Up” your Chile experience pre-bake some russet potatoes before you make the Chile. Buy a bag of shredded Mexican Cheese, a container of sour cream, bacon bits, a bag of Frito's Chile Cheese Chips and slice up some avocado. Cut the tater in half, pour Chili over it, then a little sour cream and some avocado over the Chile, then sprinkle the shredded cheese and bacon bits and lastly put a hand full of chips on the top and then,“YOU”RE OFF TO THE RODEO!”

PS: For many the Chile experience can’t be enjoyed unless it’s accompanied by a good Mexican Beer. Here are my recommendations.

 My Top 3 Mexican Beer’s:

* Pacifico

* Dos Equis 

* DarkNegra Modelo

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole: Book Review

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In my search for classics one of the books that kept coming up on many readers must read list was A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. The title derives from the epigraph by Jonathan Swift: "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."

Honestly after looking at the cover of this book and reading a short review of it I kept putting it off because it seemed like it was to egocentrically driven for me but now I’m grateful I give it a try.

The main character Ignatius J. Reilly was a hilariously funny nut case who really believes he is a genius and that everyone is against him. He was a very interesting mix of a human being to say the least. He’s over educated; a confirmed Momma’s Boy, suffers from paranoia, depression and hates almost everybody and everything. But from his hatred comes some of the most witty, original and brilliantly conceived dialogue and sarcasm I think I’ve ever heard. He’s so incredibility insulting, negative and judgmental you wouldn’t think he would be an appealing character but soon enough you begin to empathize with him.

Burma Jones had some great lines too and may have been the only person in the book who really understood what everything was about. The narrator Barrett Whitener did an amazing job with his voice in a Cajun dialect but he was just over the top funny with his voice characterization of Ignatius. I laughed out loud many times; it was a great escape with what some might say is a pointless unbelievable story. Sadly I don’t think it’s unbelievable at all and I’m almost certain that every person and situation is actually quite plausible in the real world.

It’s one of the books that is so odd and entertaining that once you start it you can’t stop. It begins with some goofy hard to believe stories about the characters in the beginning that seem to make no sense but in the end it all comes together. It’s a brilliant piece of literature and you haven’t read it you must.

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Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos & Letters by Richard Hack: Book Review

Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos & Letters by Richard Hack

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Hughes was a amazing man, a genius, a workaholic, had an incredible knack for business and was a real ladies man until OCD took a hold of him and sent him into seclusion then madness.

The movie The Aviator while an entertaining movie doesn't really portray just how successful and driven he was before he became ill. 2 things really set off his decline one was getting VD which caused his OCD about germs and disease and the other was the horrible plane crash that nearly killed him.

While Hughes was a tortured genius, I've always admired what kind of risk taker he was and how hard he worked to become such a success in business. I love learning more about the details of his early life. This is great book and I highly recommend it to people who want the real story of his life.

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Anthem by Ayn Rand: Book Review

Anthem by Ayn Rand

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I read The Fountainhead in High School, Atlas Shrugged 3 years ago and just finished Anthem last night. Ayn Rand was a genius no question about it.

For those that don't know the book reveals the possibilities of tyranny that are brought about by collectivism. If you see the terrors of a collective society and central social planning happening around you and wish to fight against the tides of an equalized society, you will surely identify with the main character. Rand was a prophet in her own right, and this book does nothing but further prove that.

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