I don't know why I stress so much over finding a place for dinner. She would be happy just sitting anywhere with me. That's great, but I'd like for it be a unique and fun experience for her. All I want is to see a big ole smile on her face.

So....here are my thoughts so far. I need to make a res tonight!! This is for Friday or Saturday, whatever works best.

La Tee Da (still really want to try it...too cold for the patio?)
Left Bank (assuming I can even get a res)
Hutch's (loved it when we went there last time)
O'Connells
Tabree

What do you think? Help Jason to not stress.

With strong moral leadership like this, we can be assured Virginia has a bright future.



Seriously, I'm so happy I left the GOP

Several changes have been proposed to the AZ law. I've read very few articles, and heard from very few people who understand (or even want to understand?) what the law actually says. No Barry, you can't get hauled off from the ice cream shop. It is only 16 pages - not one of those 2,400 page abominations. Proposed changes linked below:



I also have a PDF of the original law if anyone wants a copy.

I have my problems with this so-called solution. It's misguided to the core. A law that doesn't distinguish between the good people who contribute to our country and the violent criminals who cause various problems is just not going to work. The former group will not help us get rid of the latter group, and realistically the former group isn't going anywhere.

I sympathize with Arizona in that due to Federal negligence over the course of time they have been unfairly put in a position that leads to this kind of desperate action. Breaking their response down into base accusations of racism and bigotry shows incredibly cynical, lazy thinking. They have real problems that have to be resolved. The opposite (roughly, don't get too literal on me on that) position, a sanctuary city policy, is something a lot of people look at and question. I would argue that position also fails to make the distinction between workers and criminals.

I'll give you one fairly well known example of how a sanctuary city policy ends up working for a city's citizens. In San Francisco, when an MS-13 member who had previously committed violent crimes as a teenager goes on to gun down a father and two children (look up Edwin Ramos) I think the policy fails. To be fair, Gavin Newsom later amended the policy, but the policy was short sighted to begin with. Remember, the people we want to bring into the fold can (and probably have) been mistaken for rival gang members as well.

Did anyone bother to boycott San Francisco?

I hate to put it this way, but US citizens should not be considered collateral damage by the government. I also don't think it's fair to the illegals, most of whom are here to escape shitty situations elsewhere, or to just provide for their families, to be considered collateral damage by the Arizona government. It is in everyone's interest for government to take a stand that distinguishes between the good and the bad, and punishes the bad. I have zero problem with an Edwin Ramos begin deported. He may get life in jail - but was justice served? Should we be pleased? No, I don't think so.

It is long past time for the Feds to start taking this thing seriously. We have to have control of our border and it is within our rights to control who is coming in. As far as I'm concerned the good folks who want to contribute to our economy should not have to live in fear of being arrested or deported. As I said before, they are not going anywhere. Arguments about mass deportation are null and void. Control the border, control immigration, separate the good from the criminals, and work like hell to get the criminals ejected.

I would offer the non-criminals two options. All of them would have to pay some kind of token fine. All of them would have to learn English. Some people just come here to work and then bring their dollars over the border to support their families. I would get them documented (thoroughly) and allow them to do so. People who want to become US citizens can do so as well, but they would have to get back in the queue, however long that takes, and perform some kind of national service. It doesn't have to be the army or anything. We can be imaginative. I'd like it to be something positive that contributes to local communities and will erase any doubt in anyone's mind about the God's honest truth, which is that they want to live and work among us. I am going to forgive their illegal entry, and if that makes me a flaming lib then so be it.

What's really sad is that it didn't have to come to this - I think George W. Bush put forward a measure in good faith. I think this is one area where his religion guiding his decision making was a good thing. Whether it was perfect or not is debatable I suppose, but he got creamed from both sides for what he did. We have to start somewhere reasonable. There are a bunch of other tangential discussions, unionization and so forth, that can be discussed later.

It is time to stop with the hyperbole, to start breaking bread again and not worry about who gets credit. I don't care how someone who earns citizenship votes. Every human being, healthy, lame, white, black, rich, poor, young, old has an inherent degree of human dignity that can never be erased from our core values as Americans. Every human being has value. We can stay who we are and control our borders at the same time. We have to.

New York State wasn't just content to let me pay my taxes last year, they harassed me claiming I had never paid. Six months later they finally sent me a letter acknowledging what I'd already known, that I paid my mother fucking taxes long ago. I hate tax season. Between them and the federales I can't wait to see how much my middle class ass has to redistribute to the freeloaders. I always end up paying.

Woman to be sentenced for fabricating a gang rape claim, that sent an innocent man to jail for four long years:



I know what some people are going to say. "Collateral Damage" or something to that effect. Well, too bad for the guy, uh, we feel poorly for him and all, uh, but uh...we can't punish her. Personally, I think she should get four years, same as him, alone in a cell. It of course wouldn't be equitable, as he was innocent and she was not, but it would be some kind of justice. There has to be a deterrent that prevents this from happening. This is why I don't go out....some women are plain nutso....

Orthorexia:



I think if you shun anything but raw cauliflower and broccoli, yeah there probably is something wrong with you. I promise you don't have to worry about me having this disorder. I'm going to drink and smoke and eat fried food, because life is shit if you restrict yourself to cardboard.

I asked a friend about La Tee Da this past Sunday because I wanted to go there sometime solo to scope it out. Anyway, he says to me "Yeah Jay they have a picture of Obama on the wall. Can you believe it?"

WTFBomb? Imagine me staring straight ahead, blinking rapidly.

I suppose I just don't get it. This seems to be a movement and it's getting creepier by the second. I wonder how many other establishments in Buffalo have succumbed to this unfortunate trend? Normally this would be when I use really salty, pointed language to describe how I'm feeling but you're lucky. I'm turning over a new leaf.

So, no it won't stop me from eating there. I still want to try it as I hear the food is really good. But I can't promise my mouth will behave when it's done. And I'd rather take someone someplace non-political.

Is it too late to change my mind?

Almost nothing frays my nerves more than planning out somewhere to take someone, especially if you don't know the city.

Am I picking a cool enough venue?
What if it's in the wrong neighborhood?
What if a similar place is better?
What if I fall flat on my face?

I've got a million tabs open in Firefox. I'm wearing myself out second guessing myself. Thoughts like this wear you down more and more until you feel......nothing. Because I care a lot and a guy's got only so much feeling in him. And I know I'm trying my best so I have nothing to be ashamed of.

So, here is the address. Put it in your GPS, meet me there, and I'll be waiting for you.

I was too tied up on the phone to pay attention anyway. From what I've read, it was the same ol' in different packaging. Anyway I already know the state of the union, we're fucked. Big Time.