If Your Gas Pedal Sticks,

Put Car In Neutral!
Stop the car.
THEN turn off the key.

Turning off the key when the accelerator sticks will also lock the steering column and shut off the power brakes.

Harbor Freight

I bought an air grease gun at Harbor Freight. I am wanting to pack some bearings for the front end of this 8n Ford tractor I got.

I could not get the gun to work. And I mean to tell you I read the directions and tried to follow them. I even went on the internets to make certain I was loading the grease cartridge in the gun the correct way.

Long story short, I'm taking it back.

But, and this is the purpose of this post, I did find this Harbor Freight buying guide.

To best capture the spirit of shopping at Harbor Freight I thought I’d offer some quotes I found while scrounging around through over 1000 individual forum posts (not threads…). If you’ve never shopped at Harbor Freight these will prepare you with the proper philosophy. If you have, you’ll probably start nodding your head. As always, I’m quoting the collected opinions of others so your mileage may vary.

“‘if your life or income depends on it, don’t buy it ay harbor freight’.”
I read these sentiments over and over. That said, there are lots of pros who buy stuff at Harbor Freight, especially consumables like gloves and blades… and for cheap tools they can lend out at jobsites with no expectation of return.

“if I use the tool enough to wear it out or break it, I use it enough to buy a better brand as a replacement.”
Some people use HF purchases to help them decide whether it makes sense to invest more money in a higher quality tool. If they use it enough to break it, then go for it. If not, then they saved the cost of the more expensive name brand. This can be pricey, but… if you buy TOO MUCH tool then you’ve wasted money also.

“tools require the usual harbor freight break in”
You will find yourself having to repair/replace/rebuild Harbor Freight tools right out of the box. For regular HF customers this is standard operating procedure. HF has an excellent return policy though, with very few to no questions asked. Also they have a life time trade in policy on hand tools.

“Overall, I try and stick to things without moving parts”
For folks who concentrate on the consumables this was a common sentiment.

“If you need a CHEAP tool that you will only use once or twice then go to Harbor Freight.”
Why pay for more tool than you really need?

And for every guy who swears against buying anything from Harbor Freight with a battery there’s at least one of these: “I really like their 14 volt series of cordless tools. It seems like the best price/performance ratio. Anytime I buy one I buy at least one extra battery. They’re cheap enough that I keep one drill with a drill bit in a keyed chuck and another with a screwdriver bit in a keyless chuck. That really speeds up assembly.”

That Wink And Little Starbursts In Your Living Room....Why Palin Has A Problem With Women

From Andrew Sullivan's blog, a reader writes about Palin

It's very simple why women don't like her as much as men. Women saw through Sarah Palin and we saw through her quickly. Men are literal and are more likely to say what they mean and mean what they say. Women are more nuanced and better able to persuade and manipulate others with their words. So it's quite natural for us to be able to look below the surface of another woman's words and grasp the intentions behind them.

Sarah Palin is the peppy cheerleader in high school all the boys thought was so sweet but the girls knew was really a vicious shrew. She's the new girl in the office who wears tight shirts and three-inch heels, is super-friendly to her male superiors, ignores the other women, and gets promoted sooner than her more capable and hard working peers. She's the outgoing PTA mom all of the other women are scared to cross because they will find themselves put on the worst committees. Only a woman knows how to give another woman a sweet smile and at the same time cut her down to size with an artfully crafted "compliment" without male observers having a clue about what just happened. It's like a dog whistle.

After her convention speech that so many pundits raved about, I talked to a few of my Republican girlfriends and they all disliked her immediately, telling me things like, "she's mean", "who does she think she is putting Obama down like that" and "I just don't like her". And these were women who, all except one, ended up voting for McCain anyway, although much less enthusiastically than they would have before his VP pick. The one who switched her vote to Obama did so solely because of Sarah Palin. It wasn't really the attack lines the McCain camp gave her to deliver that had turned my friends off. It was the relish with which she delivered them.

The Republican women I know who love Palin are a great deal like her--simplistic thinkers who are always feeling victimized themselves. I have a feeling that if the McCain camp had spent more than a weekend checking Palin out, a woman on his staff (my money would be on Nicole Wallace) would have figured out what kind of person she was and none of us would know her name right now.

Remember Rick Lowry and the "little starbursts" in your living room?

I'm sure I'm not the only male in America who, when Palin dropped her first wink, sat up a little straighter on the couch and said, "Hey, I think she just winked at me." And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing well, it was so sparkling it was almost mesmerizing. It sent little starbursts through the screen and ricocheting around the living rooms of America.

Sarah's Fans

Long column by an attorney named in Going Rogue.

David Frum says Sarah Palin has a woman problem:

If you like Palin – well go ahead. It’s a free country. But quit saying that “the people” love Sarah Palin.

They don’t. Actually, they quite dislike her. The longer they know her, the more they dislike her. And even more than they dislike her, they do not respect her. That reaction of dislike and disrespect is most concentrated among American women.

Sarah’s constituency is a relatively small cohort of conservative men. I offended a lot of these people last week by suggesting that there was some sexual dynamic at work in the enthusiasm for the politician whom Rush Limbaugh used to describe as “Governor Babe.” So let’s put it this way: Whatever impulse it is that so excites Palin supporters, it is not shared by their wives.

Dixon Eats At The Waffle House....

When asked by David Catanese how he voted on the recent pension sales tax, 30th district senatorial candidate Bob Dixon dodged the question. Catanese asked Dixon the question again, again Dixon waffled. Oh heck watch the video. Catanese queried Dixon at this morning's press conference where Dixon announced the endorsement of the city's local firemen's union.

One would think that a candidate's position on the recent sales tax election for the fire and police pension would be on upmost interest to the rank and file members of the fire department. One could logically project that a candidate's vote on such a crucial issue (well, crucial at least to the firemen's union) would be indicative of how well the candidate took to heart other issues important to the firemen. Dixon's refusal to answer looks to be a textbook example of political pandering by an elected official to gain votes.

If Dixon said he supported the police and fire pension tax, he alienates the teabaggers. If Dixon said he didn't support the police and fire pension tax, he alienates the firemen. Dixon takes the easy road, he waffles.

Compare and contrast Dixon's non answer with Michael Hoeman's response to Catanese's inquiry.

"I'm A Rough Rider Filled Up With Christ's Love."

And I thought they were talking about Teddy Roosevelt.

Where Have You Been Billy Boy, Billy Boy, Where Have You Been Charming Billy?

He may have looking for more cherry pie, but judging from his tweets, I'd say he's been to a tea party!

auctnr1 That loud sucking sound you hear is the dollar, Capitalism, freedom & liberty going down the drain!!!
7:19 PM Nov 21st from mobile web

auctnr1 Stock Tip of the Week - buy any company that manufacters Jackboots!
7:13 PM Nov 21st from mobile webThe Wikipedia entry for Jackboot:

The boots are connected to fascism, particularly Nazism, as they were issued by the Wehrmacht and SS during early phases of World War II before Germany encountered leather shortages. When goosestepping on pavement, the large columns of German soldiers marching in formation created a distinct rock-crushing sound which came to symbolize German conquest and occupation. The same style of boot had been in use with German armies in World War I and before.