QUICK STAT:

It's been a long time in the making but it's almost ready to go. I'm talking about the trial of Kenny-Boy Lay of Enron. One more of the exes is about to cop a plea. Whatch out Kenny-Boy here Comes da Judge.

WAIT A SEC FOR LEAP INTO 2006

World time keepers stretch minute to 61 seconds

National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Get ready for a minute with 61 seconds. Scientists are delaying the start of 2006 by the first "leap second" in seven years, a timing tweak meant to make up for changes in the Earth's rotation.

Man I can use that extra second cause I got lot's to do before 2006 rolls in.

PROPOSED ISLAND NASCAR TRACK TICKS OFF SEATTLE

Doesn't it piss anyone off that International Speedway Corp.'s open-wallet approach to building a NASCAR track on Staten Island, New York while at the same time the developer wants the government to help fund a new track in Kitsap County.

ISC wants to build an 83,000-seat, $345 million track in Kitsap County, Wash., around 50 miles away from Seattle, and it's asking the state to fund half of that cost with bonds and admission fees.

The motor sports giant doesn't think Washington compares with New York, but some Northwest track critics see ISC's plan to foot the entire $500 million-$600 million bill for its proposed Staten Island track and wonder why the developer can't do the same thing in Kitsap.

ISC has committed to paying all of the $600 million for a new track on Staten Island in New York. With the sport awash in fans, Fortune 500 sponsors and television revenues, backers should find a way to pay for the track here. You did notice that $600 million for New York vs. $350 million here in Kitsap.

An earlier track proposal from ISC in Snohomish County, Wash., fell through last year, in part because the developer and the local government couldn't come to terms on financing.

Now are you saying that the folks in Snohomish are smarter than us in Kitsap County. I guess we'll know the answer to that question when we find out if it's a go or no go for State funding of this track.

LITMUS TEST FOR TROOP SUPPORT

By Elaine Helm, ehelm@kitsapsun.com - December 25, 2005

Some local veterans refuse to accept that you can be supportive of the troops if you oppose the Iraq war.

After serving 27 years in the Army during the Korean and Vietnam wars, Dave Allfrey is blunt about his feelings for Americans who say they oppose war in Iraq but still support U.S. soldiers.

"You can't dislike the war but still like the troops," said Allfrey, a Silverdale resident.

Allfrey's opinion is not uncommon among Kitsap veterans, despite efforts by many Americans - including other local veterans - to separate opposition to the war in Iraq from those fighting it.

Active-duty soldiers, reservists and National Guard troops returning from Iraq or Afghanistan haven't faced the kind of abuse Vietnam veterans experienced.

That's because the American public has been careful to distinguish between war policies and those ordered to carry them out, said Charles Moskos, a prominent military sociologist and professor emeritus at Northwestern University in Illinois.

But people like Allfrey believe sentiment against the war and a desire to end it now harm troop morale and encourage terrorist insurgents.

"If you erode the public support of the war, al-Qaida loves this," Allfrey said.

"We can disagree that maybe we shouldn't have gone there," he added, "but once we were in there - cut and dried - that's it. Everyone supports that."

This article was in the Kitsap Sun the other day and it caught my eye because it makes me wonder why as president Bush has stated that this war is ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM for the people of Iraq. Yet we can't have the same here at home?

I'm a veteran and I feel that the one thing the American people have is the power of their voice. Too often the congress let's us down by not doing the oversight that they should. As we saw in going to war with Iraq the media dropped the ball. We did not have an honest debate before going into this war.

So it takes the voice of decent from the American people to make these changes.

This argument about supporting the troops can only be true if you support the war is BOGUS and BULLSHIT.

Because someone is critical of someone or something does not mean they HATE them and don't support them. For example, if you have children and they do something wrong, you can be very critical of them but that doesn't mean you hate them.

I'm critical of this war but there is no way you can turn that into I HATE our troops or do not support them.

NOW THAT IS BULLSHIT.

NO WORDS NEEDED

PRETTY GOOD JOKE

Yogi Berra.

* "You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." . . .

WORKS FOR ME!!!

With his car up on a lift in the garage where my father worked, the owner of a 1970s Cadillac (with the extra wheel well fenders that covered a fair portion of the tires) asked that all four wheels be rotated such that the valve stems were "pointing up" (and therefore not obstructed by the fender extensions).

This was to ensure that the next time he pulled into a service station to put air into the tires, all four valve stems would be accessible without needing to move the car several times to get access.