A bat chain refers to the chain that hangs down from a signal post on a train line. The signal device that was pulled down was called a bat and different bats had different colors to signal the train driver as to the condition of the track ahead, or whether the train could proceed, etc.
The bat chain puller was the person who set the signals for the approaching train according to track status reports received by telegraph.
This position, of course, has been eliminated with the advent of better communication and electronic controls.
So why is this term used to describe worthless, never-in-a-million-years does he/she have a chance to get the nomination type of formerly "G"OP candidates ? Perhaps a better term would be mud slingers that cause the vote to be split, but are not SERIOUS possibilities for consideration. When you don't have anyone worthy of consideration, the formerly "G"OP will spend a fortune to make the other side look bad instead of themselves look good. Narrowing that gap from a landslide to a close election, is IMHO, the best that they can do unless they pull a rabbit out of their hat!
So a Saudi Prince has call on OPEC to lower oil prices so they don't lose their cash-cow too quickly. He is afraid that we will quickly lose the need for his oil and he hasn't got enough of our money yet! I thought this would happen. They get as much as they can by artificially ratcheting the prices up- and then artificially ratchet them down before we change our dependencies!
"Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not the
color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end"
- Jerry Seinfeld
color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end"
- Jerry Seinfeld
"How come you're late?" the bartender asks the blonde waitress as
she walks in the door.
"It was awful," she explains. "I was walking down Elm street and
there was this terrible accident. A man was lying in the middle
of the street; he was thrown from his car. His leg was broken,
his skull was fractured, and there was blood everywhere. Thank
God I took that first-aid course; all my training came back to me
in a minute."
"What did you do?" asks the bartender.
"I sat down and put my head between my knees to keep from
fainting!"
she walks in the door.
"It was awful," she explains. "I was walking down Elm street and
there was this terrible accident. A man was lying in the middle
of the street; he was thrown from his car. His leg was broken,
his skull was fractured, and there was blood everywhere. Thank
God I took that first-aid course; all my training came back to me
in a minute."
"What did you do?" asks the bartender.
"I sat down and put my head between my knees to keep from
fainting!"
Arnie gets roasted on Late Night...
"It's a great honor to be selected as the 'Celebrity Apprentice.' It's like being chosen as a Schwarzenegger maid." –David Letterman
"A new study found that cleaning your house can increase stress. Yeah, but so can hiring someone else to do it for you — just ask Maria Shriver." –Jimmy Fallon
"Turns out that Maria Shriver could end up with 100,000,000 dollars from her divorce from Arnold. She deserves it. She was a devoted wife and mother to at least 40 percent of his children." –Jimmy Fallon
"The rumor is that Maria Shriver is the one who leaked the story of Arnold’s love child to the press. Evidently she got the idea of leaking things secretly from Arnold." –Conan O'Brien
"Arnold Schwarzenegger might have to give Maria Shriver 100,000,000 dollars in a divorce settlement. When asked for a comment Arnold said, "But I have families to support." –Conan O'Brien
"You can use genealogy to trace your ancestors now. In 100 years, scientists will be able to tell that three quarters of all Americans are descended directly from Arnold Schwarzenegger." –Craig Ferguson
"There are rumors Arnold Schwarzenegger may have had a second child with another woman. I can't believe Arnold would cheat on his mistress like that." –Jimmy Fallon
"The average couple fights about sex 87 times a year. And even more if the maid is pregnant. Arnold’s maid has hired a lawyer, so I guess it’s her turn to screw him." –Jay Leno
"New video has surfaced of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1991 saying the housekeeper does a 'great job.' One clue might have been that he then added, 'And she's also a great housekeeper.'" –Conan O'Brien
"It's not an exaggeration to say that Oprah has touched millions of women around the world, but unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger, she didn't leave them pregnant." –Craig Ferguson
"The Obama campaign is selling t-shirts with his long-form birth certificate and 'Made in the U.S.A.' Arnold Schwarzenegger is selling t-shirts that say 'Maid in the bedroom, made in the kitchen …'" –Jay Leno
"It's been reported that Arnold Schwarzenegger was paying the maid 1200 dollars a week. It gets uglier. He bought the woman a house in Bakersfield, and he was having sex with the lady who cleans that house too." –Jay Leno
"Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he's putting his career on hold to concentrate on personal matters. Either that or he's putting Korea on hold. It's hard to understand him. He told his talent agency to hold all his projects while he cleans up his personal mess. That's what happens when you impregnate your maid. There's no one to clean up messes for you." –Jimmy Kimmel
"You know what's going to happen. Arnold will check into a sex addiction clinic, and next season the maid will go on 'Dancing with the Stars.'" –Jay Leno
"One of Sarah Palin's supporters is about to release a documentary about her called 'The Undefeated.' That's like a documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger called 'The Faithful.'" –Jimmy Fallon
"Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have put their former mansion on the market for $23.5 million. It's not that clean though, because they had a maid but she was always busy doing other stuff." –Jimmy Fallon
"Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he's putting his career on hold to concentrate on personal matters. Either that or he's putting Korea on hold. It's hard to understand him. He told his talent agency to hold all his projects while he cleans up his personal mess. That's what happens when you impregnate your maid. There's no one to clean up messes for you." –Jimmy Kimmel
"You know what's going to happen. Arnold will check into a sex addiction clinic, and next season the maid will go on 'Dancing with the Stars.'" –Jay Leno
"One of Sarah Palin's supporters is about to release a documentary about her called 'The Undefeated.' That's like a documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger called 'The Faithful.'" –Jimmy Fallon
"Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have put their former mansion on the market for $23.5 million. It's not that clean though, because they had a maid but she was always busy doing other stuff." –Jimmy Fallon
Muslim action in Venice
Because there are no mosques in Venice, the Government has allowed the Italian Muslims to pray in the streets. So far 543 have drowned. 
