Shoveled snow for the first time in my life...

...and I don't know how you people up north do it. Of course, you probably have equipment for stuff like this, instead of the regular garden shovel that I had. Had I a regular snow shovel, this might have gone faster. But then again, the snow in the shovel was heavy enough, so I probably did good just using the garden shovel.

The snow was pretty to look at until I had to shovel it - then I was ready for it to be gone!

Tim Burton's Cheshire Cat

This is the Cheshire Cat from the upcoming Tim Burton movie, Alice in Wonderland. Just from the fact that Tim Burton directed it, you know it's not going to be like Disney's other Alice in Wonderland flick.

I just may post the pic below around my house to scare away any mice. That many teeth should put any mouse to flight!

New link to a blog

If you will notice, I have a new link to a blogger that I know. Meet Chris Manno, airline pilot and blogger, and his blog is called Jethead's Blog.

I first met the guy back when we both were "community columnists" in 2005 for our local city paper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

He's an excellent writer, and a bit crazy, but I guarantee you'll like his stuff.

If you see him piloting your flight, tell him I said "Hi!"

Sarah Palin and the "Tea Party" movement

I used both Sarah Palin and the movement referred to as the "Tea Party" movement (TPM) in my subject line, but I'm not necessarily saying that they are related to each other. Mainly, I'm keeping an eye on them because of the responses they get from the Democrats.

The Democratic Party likes to pride itself as the "Party of the little people", so given that Palin and the TPM have largely a populist appeal, they should be getting along like two peas in an iPod. Rather, the opposite seems to be true.

What I especially find troubling is the reactions from the Democrats, sometimes using childish insults like calling the Tea Party members "Tea Baggers" (if you don't get it, "tea-bagging" is a reference to a sexual act involving male body parts. You'll just have to use your imagination. I actually had to look this up!). Given that the Dems consider themselves to be the enlightened and intellectual party, it's a bit odd for them to resort to juvenile insults more suited to junior high than for the "marketplace of ideas".

It's because of this odd reaction that I have been keeping an eye on the TPM, and Sarah Palin for that matter. They are connected in some way, and I think that we are in for a treat in the coming months leading up to November when the mid-term elections occur. Well, it's a treat at least from a "political pundit's" (which is what my brother calls me) point of view.

Consider this: The Dems consider former president George W. Bush as a complete idiot, and yet somehow, this moron managed to keep tricking and fooling them into doing all kinds of things time and time again, in a sort of "Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd" kind of way. If a complete dumbass like Bush can keep pulling the wool over the eyes of the Dems, what does that suggest about the Dems' intellectual level?

And now we have Sarah Palin and the TPM seeming to be doing the same thing all over again to the Dems; and very much to their annoyance. The Dems don't seem to be connecting to the people they claim to be the party of, and they don't know why. They don't get it. They're missing something, and they don't know what it is. So they respond in the completely logical and responsible way by using name-calling and insults.

The answer is staring them in the face, and this "political pundit" finds it an endless source of entertainment watching the Dems trip all over themselves denying the obvious. I would point it out, but why should I? I need something to keep blogging about from now until November!

Don't think that I'm excusing the GOP here. A bigger bunch of cowards you'll never find. I'll discuss them more in another blog entry. I'm only starting with the Dems because I used to be such a supporter until they went nutzo on me, and I have been so let down by them ever since.

"Hope and Change"? Not so much, it seems. More same-o, I think.

More to come, folks! Sit tight and enjoy the ride!

Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated

Hey. It's been awhile, I know. Basically, I just needed a short break, and before I knew it, months passed.

But now with an election season beginning, it's time to resume my blog and my usual brilliant and insightful commentary. Politicians often say and do dumb stuff, and it's folks like me that like to point it out. Why do we keep re-electing these guys anyway?

Since I'm out of practice, I'll be a bit rusty, but I'll try to keep at it until the old form comes back. Who knows - maybe I'll even do some edtoons as well.

Stay tuned, folks. I'm back!

Independence Day Quiz

Take this quiz and see how ya do. Independence Day Quiz

I got a 26 out of about 30 questions.

Health care debate again: Democrats gone mad

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. Anyway, let's hit the ground running.

I just cannot figure the Democrats out. Why, why, why do they think that the "government option" is the ONLY solution to helping take care of the health care situation? Why are they so dead set on sticking through this - thick-or-thin, come-what-may, hell-or high-water? Why won't they weigh any other alternative, no matter how logical or reasonable?

What has made them so close-minded and intolerant to discussion and debate on this issue that they won't compromise one letter, despite the potential consequences to Obama's reputation as a leader and to their own re-election chances? Why is the passage of this one bill worth sacrificing their political careers and to the "edge" they hold in the House and Senate, this despite legitimate and credible doubts to the plan as they wish to enact it?

It boggles my mind, and it makes me grateful once again that I long ago decided to embrace my "independent" status after having supported Democratic candidates for so long (and I keep having to say this: Just because I no longer consider myself a Democrat does not mean that I am now a Republican. The GOP drives me nuts as well). Otherwise, I too would have been lost in their foggy-minded insanity.

I can hazard a guess, mainly because like I said, I was once one of them before I came to my senses. I believe that the Dems see the passage of this nutty GovOp (as I've been calling the "government option") as so crucial and primary to everything else is because they are of a mindset that belongs to the past: the left-wing 1960s.

I believe that this current crop of Dems, which is made up of a lot of aging baby boomers who grew up in that era, feel that this is their one last, best chance of finally implementing their dream of a (bracing myself for the potential criticism here, because there is no other way to say this but to call it) Communist-style health care system in which it's all free - paid by the obscenely wealthy overprivileged class that robs from the rest of us poor dumb slobs who wouldn't know thier anus from their belly button if the Dems weren't there to tell us.

In other words, the Dems believe they know better than us on what's best for us. And they decided that this GovOp is the best for us - despite arguments and evidence to the contrary, because this idea came into its full flower in that holiest of holy eras of the 1960s. It's a dogma, in other words - so right and correct that to try to say otherwise is blasphemy. When the rest of us unwashed rabble dare to question the GovOp dogma, we are insulting their god.

Even a mass of 50,000 or 1 million (depending on whose stats you believe, but I think it would be easy to know the difference between a group of 50,000 people and a million of them. Someone's yanking our chain here) marching on D.C. this past weekend was not enough of a sign that perhaps the GovOp is not the only alternative out there.

No, the GovOp is still the way to go for them. They favor this plan that will prove nihilistic to their re-election chances if they pass it anyway - which they are hard at work to insure that it does. Well, bully for them if they get themselves voted out in the process. I had long said that the party needed to implode from within and rebuild if it's ever going to return to its former glory. Perhaps we are finally going to witness that belief of mine coming into action.

Thing is, they are proving so short-sighted that they aren't even thinking that if they succeed in passing it and do indeed get themselves voted out in 2010 and 2012, who's to say that the new members of the House and Senate - who will most likely be a lot of Republicans - won't turn around and dump that plan right off the bat - especially if the GovOp proves to be as disastrous as some have been saying?

So then the Dems will have pushed and pushed and pushed themselves out of D.C., all for a plan that will do much more damage than what it will allegedly solve. In the process, they will have given the Democratic party a black eye that will take a very long time to heal. And a self-inflicted black eye at that. There is no other word for it than "insanity"; dumb, blind, feverish loyalty to an outdated set of values from another era. Hmm. Maybe there is something to that "natural selection" idea after all.

The truth is that there is no comparison to Hitler

Holy Sauerkraut, Batman! Pat Buchanan sounds like a Hitler apologist! Did Hitler want war?

Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party, and the rise and fall of both, is a history lesson that will be studied for a long time to come - and it will certainly be used over and over again by political activists of all stripes seeking to persuade discussions to go their way. Basically, the formula is to link your opposition to Hitler in some way or fashion, and the rest, theoretically, takes care of itself.

Much has been made lately of comparing President Obama to Hitler, and there has even been altered pictures circulating that has Obama with Hitler's toothbrush mustache. While left-wingers may cry foul over that, they are far from innocent in using Hitler for political aims. For pretty much all of President Bush's terms of office, left wingers had tried to link Hitler to Bush and the war in Iraq.

The truth is that neither president nowhere near approaches Hitler's lust for power nor his territorial ambitions - and while you may argue over how much loss of human life each has caused, their numbers nowhere nears the staggering loss of life that Hitler brought about. It's just not a valid comparison - and yet that won't stop the comparisons from being made. There is a saying that the definition of insanity is to do the same failed thing every time and expecting a different result each time. Both left and right wingers cling to the Hitler tactic because it is a lazy shorthand way of labeling the opposition instead of actually debating the issues. It's for them that "Godwin's law" was made.

Let me ask this: How many of you had your mind changed after you heard that "X" is just like Hitler? Were any of you a Bush supporter until left-wingers compared him to Hitler, then you switched sides? Did any of you back Obama until you saw those pics of him with a Hitler mustache? The truth is that Hitler and Stalin were monsters the likes of which had never been seen before, and hopefully won't be seen again.

To try to turn the tragic, painful lessons brought about by their murderous actions just to score cheap political points is an insult to all those who suffered and died under their respective regimes. Politics is a dirty, ugly business, and it often is reduced to childish and immature behavior just to gain some edge over their opponent.

Having said all that, this is not to say that there aren't any instances of comparing "Person X" to Hitler, just that the Hitler card has been played so much that whenever it shows up, it's mostly because of that player's intellectual laziness rather than through any valid comparison. The overuse of the Hitler and the Nazi card also has the effect of blurring or diluting the true lessons that can be learned from his actions, and that's something that should NEVER be forgotten.

I'll save that discussion for another time, because I want to be able to deal with this thoroughly.

My high school yearbook picture

Check it out; my high school yearbook pic. I had hair back then, and a bad attitude. And poor taste in fashion too, it seems. Trust me though, I was hardly alone in that.

Public option for healthcare: A delusional fantasy

Some time back on Facebook, I had called the public option for health care a delusional fantasy. I was asked by a fellow blogger to explain. I had stated that I would cover this topic on my blog so that I can go into more detail. Well, getting to that took longer than I expected, so I apologize for that. Anyways, here is why I call a public option a delusional fantasy.

It is a fantasy because to have a "free health care for all" plan will fail by the simple fact that there is simply not enough money to support such a program. We will not be able to tax the rich enough to support it, because there aren't enough rich people to tax. And if you tax them too much (which you will have to do in order to get the funds for the public option), then they will either not be rich anymore, or they will take their money and leave the country. In either instance, we will be "SoL", because then who is left to tax for what will become the motherof all money pits? Ya got it, bucko. The rest of us slobs.

Plus, if employers are given the option of paying a private HMO for its employees vs not paying anything and letting them sign up for the gov't plan, what option do you think they will take? What employer would be willing to take on the added expense of paying for a private HMO for its employees when they wouldn't have to? And what private HMO could stay in business if employers drop them in favor of gov't plans? Those private HMOs will then go out of business, thus leaving the public "option" as the sole remaining option.

The argument that the gov't is simply trying to provide "competition" for private HMOs is a false argument, because there is no way a private HMO can compete with the gov't, who doesn't have to worry about making a profit, thus it can set its own prices - including prices that would be ruinous for private HMOs. This is simple economics that even I know. Soon we will be throwing money at an organization (the gov't HMO, that is) that has no incentive or motivation (like profit) to be doing a professional - or even a good - job in providing your health care.

I call the public option "delusional" because that is exactly what it is to expect that a change from a plan run by profit-mongers - that is, private HMOs - to a plan run by power-mongers - that is, a gov't plan that will become a football in the hands of politicians and lobbyists. Why would we expect that a simple exchange of mongers will make things better? At least with the private HMOs, we can hit them where it hurts by shopping around when they start putting profits ahead of service. Not so when the public option eventually becomes the only option.

Having said all this, this does not suggest that I don't think we need health care reform. Far from it. What I DON'T support is the belief that "health care reform" is totally synonymous with "gov't plan". In fact, I would view them as polar opposites. I am fully aware that private HMOs pull a lot of funny business and I would totally support true health care reform that helped to curb their abuses. More on those alternatives in my next or upcoming blog entry.

Promotions that epic failed

Imagine being the PR exec when something like this occurs:

10 Promotional Stunts that Horribly Backfired

Public vs Private health insurance plans

A good buddy of mine discussed health care in his blog, and it brought up a question that I keep asking myself. This question is not so much directed at him and those who responded in his comments section that followed (but he is free to respond here, of course!), but rather this is me thinking out loud. That question is this:

Will a federal health insurance plan (FHIP) do any better than the private system that we have now?

First, understand that I tried very hard to keep this question from sounding like I'm some sort of anti-government kook. However, I can't shake the idea that a FHIP will become yet another political football whose coverage will vary depending upon who's in office. I also can't shake the fear that a FHIP will become the tool of political lobbyists for pharmaceutical corporations and various other associations allegedly based on "health services". In other words, I can't shake the belief that certain illnesses will get preferential coverages under a FHIP because a certain PAC happens to have powerful lobbyists working for it rather than coverage being based on actual need.

Granted, there will be a "shake-out" period for any FHIP that happens to get off the ground, but can we afford to wait until such a shake-out is complete? And any medical or pharmaceutical PAC would want the "shake-out" period to last as long as possible so that they can keep taking advantage of the uncertainty to work in as much influence into the final plan as they can. I can't shake the feeling that a FHIP is going to be a gigantic financial boondoggle that will do more to hurt health care than help, because we are depending upon politicians to not resort to type by using a FHIP to help their re-election chances rather than to help the people for whom it was intended: the currently uninsured. Can any of you honestly trust politicians to not think of themselves first before the constituencies that they serve - especially with something that is going to be so personal and primal to our lives as our health and health care?

There are some other things I can add, but now is a good time to stop and get some feedback before I continue. However, I will say that it really would give politicians' word more sway if they made themselves subject to the very same FHIP that they expect us to take up (see my previous blog entry). If it's going to be mandatory for us to take it, then it should be the same for them. As foreign a concept as this might be for them, if they would lead by example, then it would speak volumes more of their faith in a FHIP than exempting themselves from taking up such a plan while requiring us to take it up.

Mr President, sign up for your own health care plan!

I was sent this article about the Democratic Party not being required to sign up for the health care plan that will be expected of us to sign up for if it passes. As I often see in many Internet chats: WTF?

I say that they should set the example and require that this mandatory sign-up also include themselves. If it's good enough for them, then it should be good enough for the rest of us. Otherwise, they're setting themselves up to look like a bunch of friggin' hypocrites.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "Gasp! A politician lied! That's never happened before!" Still, if they want us to swallow this bitter medicine, then it will down easier if they share our pain.

Sotomayor's limits on "empathy" now known

Only yesterday I had asked about the limits of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's "empathy" - specifically, whether it extended beyond Justice Ruth Ginsburg's level of empathy. Ginsburg apparently believes that there are a class of people out there that "we don't want so many of", which means of course that she believes there are a class of "undesirables".

Does Sotomayor likewise believe in "undesirables"? I held out hope that her talk of "empathy" was more than just talk, but when the chips were down and the opportunity presented itself for her to publicly demonstrate her level of "empathy", she fell flatter than her "wise Latina" quip. She refused to answer directly on her views of the abortion issue.

If she's pro-choice, then why not state so? It's not like the GOP could do anything to stop her ever reaching the Supreme Court. But if she's pro-life - ah, there's a potential hitch, because if there were anything that could derail this "lock" and get the Democrats to vote against her, it's a public admission from Sotomayor that she's actually pro-life.

No, wait. Wait.

If Sotomayor were truly empathetic, then she would be empathetic no matter the political cost to her. That's what being liberal means, right? Supporting the "little guy" - damn the consequences? Ginsburg betrayed this hallowed liberal ideal by her admission that she believes in a class of undesirables, but it's still not too late for Sotomayor. C'mon, Sonia, do it. Do it for the little guy. Damn "The Man", Sonia - Damn "The Man"!

How far does Sotomayor's empathy go?

Much has been made by the right about Judge Sonia Sotomayor's "empathy" standard when it comes to her judgments. It's not so much that that I'm questioning, but rather, how far does it extend? Will she extend her empathy to the still-unidentified group of people that her possible future colleague Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had stated that we "don't want to have too many of (quote is from last page)"? Who are those undesirables that Ginsburg refers to, anyway? Is it perhaps related to this?

If Sotomayor is willing to extend her empathy to this group of people, then I might actually be able to support her entry into the Supreme Court.

My take on Sarah Palin's resignation

Okay, I've been asked enough times about my take on Sarah Palin's resignation that I should probably go ahead and give it: I say more power to her.

The left wingers are terrified of her. Why do I say that? Damn, man - the election was so last year, and yet the lefties can't stop checking on her and trashing her when they get the chance. David Letterman's stupid human trick of a Palin joke succeeded in only giving him a temporary ratings boost, but his joke on Palin's 14-year-old daughter was beyond moronic. And yet, he's only the most recent example of the left not being able to turn away from Palin.

Why are the lefties frightened of Palin to the point that they have adopted obsessive/compulsive habits over her? It's because they know - either consciously or subconsciously - of the potential populist power she has. They know if that if she ever got her act together, she can be a genuine threat to their way of doing things. And on top of that, she's very attractive - a "MILF"("Mother I'd Like to F**k"), according to some of the cruder slang terms out there. The lefties act very much like a 4th grade boy who find himself attracted to a girl in his class, but he doesn't know what to make of his feelings, so he hits her.

So far Palin seems to be her own worst enemy, which the lefties can't help but delight in whenever she seems to stumble in the public arena - but their reactions speak volumes of their not-so-secret fear of her. Their reactions are their worst enemy - it is because of the way they react to their fears that Palin is still in the limelight. How many other losing vice presidential candidates do you know of who still get this much attention more than 6 months after the election? Ain't that ironic that she's still in the limelight because of the left's obsession with her?

But let's not forget the right-wingers here. The right wingers blame her for John McCain's loss to Barack Obama, which is stupid beyond belief. What happened was that they mishandled Palin. They had a game-changer in her and didn't know what to do with her. I say a game-changer because to this day the left is STILL keeping tabs on her. Anyway, rather than blame themselves for their own bungling, they blame her instead.

Palin also represents a contrast to how the GOP wants to do things nowadays. Nowadays they are trying to be more "centrist", while Palin does not. Ultimately, I feel that the GOP is a bunch of cowards because of their constant failure to back up what is alleged to be their beliefs. Does the left worry about whether or not they should back up their beliefs? Hell no. At least the left has the courage to state what they believe in - no matter how stupid and wrongheaded it may be.

That actually leads to a question I always wondered: Which is worse - to be right yet cowardly in defending those views, or to be wrong and yet brave enough to stand up for those views? Well, anyway, Palin at least has the courage of her convictions that many in the GOP do not. So she scares the right as well.

And now we have the instance of Palin on her own now - unmoored to an office and its responsibilities. This makes Palin a rogue element - or perhaps a loose cannon. In either case, both the left and the right are watching her very carefully to see what she does next, which is anyone's guess. Perhaps that's how she wants it - them wondering what she plans to do next.

And you know what? A part of me hopes that she gets her act together. I have to admit that the potential she has stirs the mind of what kind of impact she could have once she has an idea of what she wants to do. I also hope that she runs as an independent in 2012. Oh, would that be most fascinating! A Palin, organized and a potent political force, running as an independent. I can't help but feel that such a scenario could only be endlessly entertaining for people like me.

Palin in 2012!

Final chapter of the Benny Baloney story

Okay folks - here is the final chapter of the Benny Baloney story, and it's a long one because I wanted to wrap it up during the week. I hope you enjoyed the story

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Only now am I beginning to notice that Red's conk to my noggin not only left a knot, it also broke skin. I feel blood trickling down, and my head is starting to pound like a jackhammer. I've had hangovers that made me feel worse, though. I follow Red up the metal staircase, but I wish it weren't so damned long. I finally reach Red just in time to hear her curse a blue streak.

“Just found out that you went to the observation deck, I see.” I tell Red. “Might as well give it up, toots. There's no other way out.” Red looks one way, then another as her breath gets more shallow. Then she stops and looks straight at me, declaring, “I’m not going back to prison”. Before I can react, she suddenly disappears over the railing just before I pass out from the pain in my head.

"BENNY!" Betty yells in my face. "You awake? C'mon, wake up!" I suddenly jolt up to a sitting position only to feel my head pound like thunder. I fall back to what I discover is Trixie's lap. "Howyadoin' boss?" Trixie inquires from above me and upside down. "I wish I had been doing something fun that was worth having this headache." I reply just as Betty hands me an icebag.

As I apply the icebag to the knot on my head, I tell Betty, “So fill me in, kiddo." "From the looks of it, you chased Red up to this observation deck, and apparently she jumped over the railing to escape. You tried to stop her, but passed out.” “Oh. Oh yeah, that’s right.” I respond as it all starts coming back to me. I then look her way and ask, “Did you find Red?”

Betty's face becomes crestfallen. "No Benny, we did not. The cops are still looking for her. There's only the river below us, and we're high up enough that diving from such a height would have knocked her out. The cops just now sent divers to the river bottom." I get myself to my feet, despite the dizziness and the ache in my head. "There's still some things we can check out, Betty. Follow me."

"But we already searched Red's hideout, Benny." says Betty as we enter the room. "No Betty, you didn't." I scan the room. "What do you mean?" "Because you didn't find anything. There's a reason it's called a hideout." I point to a spot on the floor. "Here" "Just scratches, Benny." "But note the pattern, Betty - back and forth." I shove the desk aside and start feeling the floor.

My fingers finally find a notch and I get enough of a fingerhold to lift the false floor up. "Bingo." "A secret vault!" Betty exclaims. A quick examination of the contents reveals a treasure trove of incriminating evidence. "We got goods here to finger other mob bosses, business leaders, and politicians. Even if Red surfaces again, her empire is dead." We gather up the rest of the vault's contents.

Trixie notices us coming out with armloads of documents "Whatchat got dere, Boss?" "This is how we’re getting’ paid for this case even if we didn't nab Red." When the police lieutenant shows up, we hand him the goods. “Thank you, detectives. You’ve done this city a huge favor.” “All in a day’s work, officer.” I manage to reply, despite the soreness on my forehead. I'm gettin' too old for this.

"Yes, Officer. Thanks for lettin' us know. Goodbye." I haven't even hung up the phone yet before Betty’s asking "What'd he say?" "They ain't found Red yet. They'll keep looking and will let us know if anything turns up." "Drat! It's been 2 days, Benny! Where could she be?" I light up a cig as I say, "All the more reason I shoulda stopped her when I had the chance."

"C'mon, Benny - don't beat yourself up over this. You had a concussion, you know!" "Kid, it was just a conk on the noggin. I coulda shook it off." "Ben, we got all that stuff on her anyway, so we got something done." "Yeah Betts, we did. But not everything I had hoped to do. Ya know I hate unfinished business." "Why'd she do it, Benny? Why'd she leap over that railing? I don't get it."

“Hard to say, kiddo. Before she jumped, she said she wasn’t going back to prison – that’s our only clue. But she had to know that water was below – I don’t see her as the suicidal type.” I take a couple of drags on my cig as I scan the city skyline outside my window. “I have a sneaky suspicion, Betty, that we ain’t seen the last of Rhode Island Red.”

(The End)

I am grateful that Sarah Palin resigned

I am grateful that Sarah Palin resigned, because the news finally stopped talking about Michael Jackson. Don't get me wrong - I share the sadness of Jackson's early death and I hope for the best for his children. But enough is enough already; report on Jackson when there is something to report! The 24/7 coverage was ridiculous especially since there's other more important things to cover in the meantime.

And yes, I think Palin is setting herself up for 2012.

By the way, Happy 4th of July. :-D

Chucky's little sister?

Why this doll hasn't been made into a horror movie villain by now, I'll never know.

Chapter 4

Here is this week's installments of my current Benny Baloney PI story. Next week will be the finale.

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Rule #1 for Goon Psychology 101: When the lights go out, goons get spooked and start firing. Me, Betty and Trixie immediately hit the floor as the gun battle begins. With bullets whizzing over us, we crawl to the one door that has light shining at the bottom of it. We hear one goon fall, then another as Red yells, "QUIT SHOOTING, YOU IDIOTS!' as she swats at them.

We all manage to scamper outside into the alley, just in time to hear the police sirens in the distance. "Sounds like the boys are almost here," I whisper to Trixie and Betty. I hand Betty the gun I nabbed off one of the mooks while crawling past him. "Here. Take this, go meet the cops, and lead them down to Red's hideout. I'm going back in to nab Red." Betty nods her head and darts off, followed by Trixie.

Sneaking back into Red's hideout turned out to be a piece o' cake, 'cause Red is busy yelling at her goons. "We lost our ticket outta here, you morons! Now the cops are about to be crawling all over the place! Upstairs - NOW!" I then hear the scamperings of little goon feet charging up the stairs, so I tiptoe my way back to the room where I was before. Then I see stars, and I ain't talkin' Hollywood.

I manage to keep myself from going completely out despite being pistol-whipped by Red. I still have trouble keeping up as she darts down the alleyway and towards the river. However, she runs into a dead-end, and she knows it,'cause she wheels around to face me and pulls out her gun. "Not another step, detective!"

"You have no bullets, Red. Otherwise you would have shot me back there when you had the chance." Red grunts "Ngh! You and your deductive reasoning!" She then hurls her gun at me, which I easily sidestep, but it was meant to be a distraction anyway for her to slip away to a set of stairs that I didn't see from my angle. Given that she is wearing high heels, she makes good time as she clanks up the metal steps.

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