“ TITS & ASS “
(Man‘s ‘Achilles’ Heels?)

Tits and Ass - Tits and ass
Males sure love - Tits and ass
Makes most men - Start to drool
Many guys - Act the fool

Each their own - I do say
Sexy things - With to play
Not enough? - Yours at home?
Next the eyes - Start to roam

Before long - Legs walk, too
Not to wife - But to ‘new’
Bouncing boobs - Jiggling butts
(If GIRLS did - Would be ‘SLUTS’)

When are caught - Wife, “GOODBYE!“
Men then ask - “Why, oh why?”
Did they chase - Ass and tits?
Marriage gone - Blown to bits

Kids at home - View it all
(See Mom weep - See Mom bawl)
GONE is dad - Won’t be there
Left them with - Eyes, blank stare

All this for - One, quick thrill
(Swallow hard - Bitter pill)
Understand - Humans ‘yearn’
If TOO much - ‘SUNSHINE’ burns!

TallPockets - 2008

Audit: Iraq contracts never finished

Investigators: U.S. government has falsely described projects as complete

The Associated Press
updated 5:53 a.m. ET, Mon., April. 28, 2008

WASHINGTON - Millions of dollars of lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts were never finished because of excessive delays, poor performance or other factors, including failed projects that are being falsely described by the U.S. government as complete, federal investigators say.

The audit released Sunday by Stuart Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, provides the latest snapshot of an uneven reconstruction effort that has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $100 billion. It also comes as several lawmakers have said they want the Iraqis to pick up more of the cost of reconstruction.

The special IG's review of 47,321 reconstruction projects worth billions of dollars found that at least 855 contracts were terminated by U.S. officials before their completion, primarily because of unforeseen factors such as violence and excessive costs. About 112 of those agreements were ended specifically because of the contractors' actual or anticipated poor performance.

In addition, the audit said many reconstruction projects were being described as complete or otherwise successful when they were not. In one case, the U.S. Agency for International Development contracted with Bechtel Corp. in 2004 to construct a $50 million children's hospital in Basra, only to "essentially terminate" the project in 2006 because of monthslong delays.

But rather than terminate the project, U.S. officials modified the contract to change the scope of the work. As a result, a U.S. database of Iraq reconstruction contracts shows the project as complete "when in fact the hospital was only 35 percent complete when work was stopped," said investigators in describing the practice of "descoping" as frequent.

"Descoping is an appropriate process but does mask problem projects to the extent they occur," the audit states.

Responding, USAID in the report said it disagreed that its descoping of the hospital project was "effectively a contract termination," but that it had changed the work because of escalating costs and security problems. Mark Tokola, the director of the Iraq transition assistance office, also responded that the database the IG's office reviewed of Iraq reconstruction contracts was incomplete.

Follow-up reviews planned
Bowen's office said its review was preliminary and that it planned follow-up reviews to investigate descoping more closely. Investigators said they were also looking into whether contractors whose projects were terminated by the U.S. government due to inadequate performance might have been awarded new contracts later despite their poor records.

Investigators said the database they reviewed lacked full data on projects such as those done by USAID, the State Department, and those completed before 2006. But they said the figures cited in the report offered a baseline in terms of unfinished Iraq reconstruction contracts.

"Adding contract terminations from these (other) sources would certainly raise the number of terminated projects," the report states.

The audit comes amid renewed focus in recent months on potential abuse in contracting government-wide, such as Iraq reconstruction. Last year, congressional investigators said as much as $10 billion — or one in six dollars — charged by U.S. contractors for Iraq reconstruction were questionable or unsupported, and warned that significantly more taxpayer money was at risk.

In the future, loans not grants?
In recent weeks, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has been working with Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, on legislation that would restrict future reconstruction dollars to loans instead of grants; require that Baghdad pay for fuel used by American troops and take over U.S. payments to predominantly Sunni fighters in the Awakening movement.

Danielle Brian, executive director of the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight, said the latest audit report points to significant U.S. taxpayer waste in current reconstruction efforts.

"The report paints a depressing picture of money being poured into failed Iraq reconstruction projects — contractors are killed, projects are blown up just before being completed, or the contractor just stops doing the work," she said.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24346992/

“Gone Too Soon”
(The Casualties Of War)

Earthly trip - Sun and moon
Killed in war - Gone too soon
Fought brave fights - Distant lands
Left us with - Praying hands

Loved ones must - Onward go
Dad or Mom - Kids won’t know
For they rest - Beneath ground
Laughs and Hugs - Never found

Hearts broken - Tears rain down
Smiles once there - Only frown
Wedding bliss - Special day
No parent - ‘’Give away’’

Even worse - Greater strife
Wounded souls - Maimed for life
Try to fix - Broken parts
Body limbs - Minds and hearts

Some won’t know - Who they are
Mirror look - Won’t see scar
Will just know - What they see
Not the who - Used to be

Add to this - Innocent
Folks close by - Life’s blood spent
Gone too soon - Shooting stars
Casualties - Of all wars

TallPockets - 2008

“Sniper Fire”
(Ode to Hillary Clinton)

Sniper! Sniper! - Oh please, beware
Sniper! Sniper! - From everywhere
Bullets flying - Must duck and run
Or else won’t see - Another sun

Get off that plane - And flee for life!
If you get shot - An EX ‘First Wife’
Grab your daughter - By her small hand
Or you just might - See “Promised Land”

Whew! That was close - Almost bought farm
Thank GOD that you - Were brought no harm
Next time they send - You to ‘War Zone’
Call ‘E.T. first - And then “Phone Home”

One ‘tarmac’ short of a FULL runway yours,

TallPockets - 2008

APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!

(My eyes adored ME)

Dear citizens of America:

I’ve been watching all the recent National caucuses and primaries of BOTH sides of the political spectrum. One thing really bothers me.

As I view all the hoopla that surrounds each candidate as they venture forth to become our next president, I can’t help but notice, SADLY, how they ALL get on that ‘stage’, speak to all the potential voters and seem to light up brighter than a tree full of Christmas lights whenever they hear the adulation of their supporters.

Why does this bother ME so much? Because it is simply MY belief that ANYONE running for president should be given APPLAUSE and ADULATION only AFTER they’ve been president for some time and actually SOLVED some of the country’s most pressing, current problems.

As they stand on their stages, arms thrust into the air, fists and fingers pumping, smiling into that RED t.v. camera light like a well trained dog by Pavlov, it saddens this old man that it seems MORE about THEM then about AMERICA.

It often seems, to me, like we’re back in high school trying to elect our HOMECOMING king and queen.

Beauty is essential. So is ‘likeability’. So is how you dress and look. As well as how many ‘friends’ you can drum up for your support. In this case, especially those with MONEY.

You can’t be too ‘soft’ or ‘too tough’. You HAVE to be JUST right. Like a STEPFORD candidate.

PLEASE, give me a break, dear citizens. Do YOU know ANYONE THAT perfect? I’ve never met ONE like that in my short lifetime. Do YOU have the PERFECT spouse?

When I choose a BANKER, I don’t choose the best dressed or best looking one. I try to choose the one who will make the MOST of my MONEY.

When my septic tank needs pumped out (because my toilet is belching more often than I do after eating a HOME cooked meal of mine), I want the BEST person for the JOB. I DON’T want the NICEST or the BEST LOOKING person. Make sense, folks? It sure does to ME.

For those who so ‘believe’, I think JESUS could come to earth to run for the presidential office and even HE would be critiqued by all the MEDIA and PUNDITS.

Even worse, WE the people, buy into all this stuff almost as easily as we purchase the National Enquirer Magazine types and watch all those ‘ENTERTAINMENT’ (?) television shows abounding with the daily travails of the likes of Britney, Lindsay, Paris, etc.

When we hire people for BUSINESS jobs, MOST companies I worked for, always wanted the BEST person for the job. Not the best looking person or the best dressed one. Or the one who had the biggest, personal bank account. They wanted someone who could BEST DO the job they were being hired for and add to the company’s bottom line prosperity for the benefit of ALL the employees.

* Here’s what I would tell MY supporters as I ran for the presidency: *

“Dear citizens of America. PLEASE, while I enjoy your support, I do NOT want your ADULATION at this point. This is NOT the time for a big PARTY. For ME or for ANYONE. Go back to your homes and cities. Contact your friends, neighbors, those you associate with at work or at church or any other place. WE have ALOT of WORK to do, folks.

Ask them to get involved in OUR country in order to make it even BETTER than it presently is. Ask them to VOTE for someone they feel will actually LISTEN to them and REPRESENT them and not their own ‘political’ folks once they do become your next, elected president. One who will FIX current problems no matter who they have to work with for or against to do such. That which they were ELECTED to do!

I invite everyone to come to the White House ONE YEAR AFTER I am elected as YOUR president. At that point in time, IF you feel like I DESERVE such, THEN give me your APPLAUSE!

For, until I DO something that deserves your adulation, I think it would be improper for you to give ME or to give ANY prospective president such.”

From MY simpleton perspective, I want a president who really doesn’t WANT to be president. By that I mean they would be FINE with the JOB but that it’s NOT an EGO driven desire to BE president. Instead, it is one that is PURELY a desire to make this country the BEST it can be and ALL credit be given to AMERICA and not to any president.

Folks, I can’t imagine being president and going out to big crowds and having people CHEER me for just DOING MY JOB. After all, if elected, it IS what I would have been HIRED to do!

In all my years of working for companies, I NEVER ONCE entered the building to an adoring, applauding throng of workers in the parking lot for doing MY job. One I was PAID to do. And, I never would have expected such behaviors given my way and would have shunned them IF do done (I DID accept such on a couple occasions just prior to LEAVING a long held job, based on my accomplishments over that period of time).

How many now working have grouped, en masse, to CHEER and APPLAUD YOUR current BOSS? Even the GOOD ones? Methinks not many, if at all.

How many of you, applying for a new job, have been greeted by a THRONG of supporters at that venue BEFORE you even got the prospective job? Again, methinks not many, if at all. For sound reasons. You have not as yet EARNED such applause as you have not DONE anything for said employer as yet.

Therefore, I ask, What is SO different about these few folks who run for the office of OUR PRESIDENCY?

WHY do they EXPECT to be ADORED before they even GET the job they are applying for?

Even more, WHY do WE, The People, ADORE them so before we even SEE their later, actual RESULTS?

Being PRESIDENT in this day and age is an all time consuming job. HALF the folks will most probably DISLIKE you from the start. It is a 24/7 venture. They will leave the office either four or eight years later looking TWICE their entering, chronological age since their beginning service date.

They will give up valuable family time with their loved ones. No one in their CORRECT frame of mind should WANT to do such ONLY for EGO gratification or HISTORY books reading material.

I am looking for a president who does not WANT to be there any longer than is NECESSARY. One who does NOT want to have their egos stroked on a consistent basis. One who doesn’t have to look PERFECT every day. I want to see MY president NOT shaved here or there or NOT with a perfect hairstyle. Like WE ORDINARY folks look at times in our professions.

I also hear much about some candidates being “TOO ANGRY”.

Folks, I have to tell you, I WANT MY president to BE angry, every so often. As WHEN:

Whenever they see CORRUPTION all around.

When they see HUNDREDS of BILLIONS of dollars being WASTED that taxpaying Americans worked HARD for.

When they watch UN-QUALIFIED political friends become appointed to Cabinet and other such jobs. To the victors go the spoils is TRUE, sadly, but at LEAST put QUALIFIED folks into positions so when a crisis actually occurs, things GET DONE!

When they see politicians vote along PARTY lines ALL the time and NEVER solve the PEOPLE’s issues within America.

You remember, dear citizens, those ’minor’ little things called ISSUES that ALL were SENT to Congress to SOLVE together on THE PEOPLE’s behalf!

To use a final analogy:

I want MY president to be similar to that of a local FARMER in my area. One who is about to clean out the OVERGROWN pile of manure from the barn. It’s a DIRTY job and NOT a FUN one, that’s for sure.

However, it is a MUST do job. Any farmer will tell you that they want to get it done right in the LEAST amount of time so they can return to the NICER things in life and to have a more efficient and profitable farm business.

Given the current state of affairs, politically, I simply feel DEEPLY, that we NEED such a president at this time in our history. One who is NOT afraid to roll up their proverbial sleeves, grab a shovel, ask CONGRESS to grab shovels and ask the PEOPLE to grab shovels. And, to ask ALL the above to STOP making the manure pile SO BIG, SO FAST

With that, I end this little RANT of mine.

I also PUBLICLY state for the record, MY manure DOES stink.

YOURS?

TallPockets - 2008