up the mtn again

Father loved Vegas and would have sided with Vegas on this one.
I am certain of it.  Not as a serious issue, but as an aside.
I will ask him in my dreams if you want.
Art Kelly would have called him an idiot.
Shawn is silent but I know what he is thinking.
He is thinking that Lawrence is clueless about anything
beyond the borders of Douglas County.  (Just kidding! lol!)
However, I do leave to go up the mountain in a few minutes.
I will miss the Sat game and the Who on Sunday.
(I know Shawn loves the Who as much as gambling in Vegas.)
I will tape them both and be back Mon morning.
I will be out of cell phone range unless I go for a long
walk out to the road, much like the cabin, but a little farther.
I go for walks at night that take about an hour, and it is scary
in those woods until I get to the highway.
So, I may check my phone late Fri, Sat and Sunday.
I have enough wood for the fireplace and there is a frig
for food.  I simply hook up my laptop to my two giant
wireless speakers, sit in a chair, read, and watch the waterfall
over the river that runs under the cabin, much like Estes.
Peace out.

Jayhawks II

I hope it finally stops snowing in Lawrence
and that the games are no longer close,
or Bret is going to have a heart attack.
He is the Vegas gambler that O was
criticizing, wasting money that could
go to better priorities for his family.
I am too.  So is Shawn.
When the President not only singles out Vegas,
but singles out Bret, I think it is
noteworthy, don’t you, if not very funny.
It has to be the best joke on the Kelly family
by a President in history.

Jayhawks

R the hawks still playing to their opponents,
and what is up with the bad passes.
As you know, I am predicting a loss in TX.
It is okay, though.   It will be forgotten.
I am going up the mountain for a few days.
C u next week. I come back on Monday morning.

Art Kelly is rolling over in his grave

The original great Art Kelly gambled nearly every day of his life,
from Vegas to Portland.  Bill Kelly certainly enjoyed it.
Shawn and Bret love it.  I suspect Jake will have an affinity
for it and may influence Dexter.  The history of Vegas in the Kelly
family for gambling (and entertainment) is so rich and colorful
that the fact that O even commented on it has to inspire a reaction,
or else you are deaf dumb and blind.   I was just thinking of Art Kelly this week.
I want to get him a tombstone with Mabel.  He lived by the Irish
tradition, which is the man with the most debt when he dies wins.

to repeat

R u seriously going to tell me it is not the most
ironic twist on the Kelly family fascination with Vegas
that you could ever imagined in your wildest dreams.

I wish Father was alive to see this

Kev wrote:

This is a non issue,

 The idea of the President of the United States attacking gambling in Vegas
 with Bret himself going there to gamble and Shawn moving there in part to gamble and the Kelly family
 going there for years to spend money is the most relevant, ironic, funny and serious
 issue I can think of for us, unless O had also singled out South Padres and Estes Park for something .
 I don’t know what planet you guys are on,
 but have you looked in the mirror lately.
 R u seriously going to tell me it is not the most
 ironic twist on the Kelly family fascination with Vegas
 that you could ever imagined in your wildest dreams.
 The President of the USA picking on one of the greatest
 all time hobbies of the Kelly family, particularly for Shawn and Bret.
 God, I wish father was alive to witness your total
 lack of soul and fervor.
 The most Bret can do is repeat the word bullshit
 while Kevin keeps defending O.
 There is no more ironic twist on Shawn and the entire Kelly
 family than this issue, and you guys play it with distaste
 and disinterest.  I think you guys need to lighten up,
 look in the mirror, take some pills and laugh your heads off.
 I hope for God’s sake that you can laugh at yourself,
 especially when you throw money away in Vegas
 with Shawn on ur next visit.  Man, you guys
 are sour pussies who need to wear diapers so that
 you don’t pee in your pants.  You guys are simply
 humorless and boorosh.  You don’t even see the incredible
 irony, hypocrisy and history.  Your own history.
 Instead, Bret viciously critiques the Vegas politicians, news outlets and residents,
 while cursing like a virtual maniac.  I think the snow has gotten to Bret.
 As for Bill Kelly, I think he would have responded simply and forcefully:
 ”That was a stupid thing for Obama to say.”

Obama hits Vegas yet again! VII

No, I was not bent out of shape. I see all of your points, Bret.
Sorry for sounding like I was upset.
I joked about it with my own KU wagers in Vegas, and you did not laugh.
I joked about it with your own gambling in Vegas, and you did not laugh.
How much silliness can I inject into an argument with
you thinking I am bent out of shape?  It was relevant to us, Bret,
as a group, because it is a huge issue where Shawn lives,
and I was representing Vegas.  The fact that Shawn lives with that
issue every minute in the news in Vegas and with his fellow teachers
makes it a big issue for us and a fun issue to discuss.
I am sure if it had been about Lawrence, you would have gleefully participated.
I was doing it for Shawn.
Besides, who has time to discuss the complexities of Afghanistan or global warming?
By the way, Powell just reversed on Don’t Ask, but I still hate his guts.
He was not a leader when leadership counted.

Obama hits Vegas yet again! VI

I feel really really bad.
You see, when I was in Vegas, I did not listen to our great leader.
I made some bets on KS.
Close to 100 dollars at 4 to 1 and 3 to 1.
Forgive me, O.  Forgive me, Bret and Kevin.
For I have sinned.  In Sin City. 

Obama hits Vegas yet again! V

Can u imagine if O had told Americans to no longer buy tickets for the Kansas Lottery.
My god, there would be an uproar.  The entire state of KS would turn on him.
How dare he single out KS.  That would be the mantra.
Of course, others would say it is a good point.  People should not be gambling.
I know it is not a direct analogy, but it is meant as an illustration of how
stupid it is to single out one city or state by a President in terms of a value judgment

about how people should spend their money.

Why not Atlantic City?  Why not the KS lottery?
My God, if O had picked on KS, Kevin himself would be shocked and disgusted.
Why single out KS would be the mantra!!!!
You can give advice as a President on how to spend money without
selecting one city, a city that may enter into the next election, a city
with very high unemployment.  That is really what this is about.
Nothing else Bret or Kevin can say or do nullifies that fact.
It is not good politics for Nevada for the next election.
Period, end of story.
I am almost hoping O does lose Nevada to prove my point.

Obama hits Vegas yet again! IV

Both Bret and Kevin lack the ability and willingness to put themselves in someone else’s shoes.   If they were an unemployed family in Vegas, or a businessman close to failure, and the Pres made another discouraging remark about Vegas, they might very well take it poorly.
 That is all I was doing, putting myself in someone else’s shoes.  That is all I asked then to do.  Instead, they can only be defensive.
 Instead, Bret talks about pandering politicians and demagogues, which is a valid point, but still ignores the unemployed worker who no longer makes beds at Circus Circus.  Kevin keeps sending emails about not underestimating Obama, which is my own point but not relevant to that same unemployed worker.
 Worse, Kevin and Bret are hypocrites, because they have both blown money in Vegas more than once.
  Kevin said “struggling families don’t go to Vegas,” completely forgetting the struggling families IN Vegas.
 That is how out of touch they are.
  I don’t expect much empathy from Lawrence residents who live in a small cocoon and can’t empathize or see the world from someone else’s perspective.
   Listen to Kevin: “He was talking about making spending decisions based on needs and priorities, and that it would be foolish for a family struggling to pay bills to go to Vegas to gamle. Simple. Basic. True.”
  First, it is different when a President singles out a specific city, compared to Bret and Kevin sitting in their comfortable chairs in Lawrence typing an email to three or four people about how people should spend their money.   What the Pres says and does can affect the economy of a city.  He singled out Vegas.  He didn’t just tell people how to prioritize their money.  He singled out one city, a city that is hurting.  Come on guys, admit it.  It was a bad call.
  K and B completely ignore the fact that when people come to Vegas to gamble, it helps the economy of Vegas, affecting the real lives of real people, so yes they might be offended, and in the long run, it may hurt O in Nevada or other Dems.  It was a bad political move no matter how much Kevin thinks it was a valid point.
  No, to Kevin and Bret, this is about defending THEIR values, Lawrence values.  They don’t have gambling in Lawrence because that is a bad thing.
(I am not trashing Lawrence by the way.  I hope you are not offended.  I am just talking about the way people in Lawrence live and think.)
  Since Bret and Kevin agree with Obama, I think Shawn should tell them that from now on, there will be no gambling when they come to town.  Sorry, Bret, but your gambling days are over.  You heard it from the Pres.