Ready... Fire! Aim...

That was the corporate motto at a place I used to work. Planning? Never heard of it…

But now that we’ve taken aim, here are a few wild shots.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Heard on my local (?) news out of ABQ…there are three slaughterhouses in the US that process horse meat. The meat is mostly for the overseas market (Europe and Japan) where it sells for $15.00 per pound. Congress had previously prohibited the expenditure of federal funds for USDA or FDA inspection of horse meat, but passed a law (today? last week? unknown…) that allows the slaughter houses to pay for the inspections themselves. The meat could not be exported or sold overseas without government inspection, so this is the compromise that was reached to keep the horse farms in business. According to this news cast, over 95,000 horses are slaughtered annually. I’m not nearly a PeTA person, not even close, but eating horses hits me the same way that eating dogs does…negatively and very emotionally. Pretty weird, eh?

They Shoot Pucks, Don’t They? While 98% of American males who are into TV sports (and not a few women, too, I imagine) watched a snoozer of an NCAA bassetball final (Florida killed UCLA, it was never close), I watched a pretty good hockey game…Chicago played The Hated Avalanche, in Denver. The game was always close (tied at the end of the first and second periods); Chicago gained a 3-2 lead with less than six minutes left in the third. Chicago took a penalty with two minutes left, the Avs pull their goalie for a six-on-four power play, and they convert. Tie game, with about a minute left. The Avs scored again with 12 seconds left in the game to win it, 4-3. Good game, great finish, the wrong team won.

So, why did I watch a team I love to hate? Well, I’m such a Wings fan I was hoping for in-game updates, of which there were exactly zero, as in zilch, none. Mucho disappointamundo. Still, the Wings beat Calgary in a shoot-out, tying the NHL record for most road wins in a season in the process. And they’re still the best team in the league and nearly a lock to win the President’s Trophy. That’s all well and good, but Show Me The Cup!

They Shoot Terrorists, Don’t They? Not in the US, but we give ‘em the needle. And this guy is one step closer… Come to think of it, I think the firing squad would be entirely appropriate for terrorists. The first couple of shots should be in the knees, and then work up…slowly. Or, not. Let ‘em bleed to death.

Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Done.