Touch the Hand

Before I Formed You, I Already Knew You

2008-05-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

The Prophet

Your children are not your children.They are the sons and daughters of
Life's longing for itself.They come through you but not from you, and though
they are with you, and yet they belong not to you.You may give them your love,
but not your thoughts.For they have their own thoughts.You may house their
bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.For life goes not backward, nor tarries with
yesterday.

- Kahlil Gibran

Twenty-six, Twenty-three and thirteen are their ages now. Each with a completely different personality and outlook on life. Each have carried themselves, with their goals in their hands, some finished, some still being worked on, and probably a few being looked at, as if to wonder, what was up with those?

Maturity within a child's eyes seems to illuminate out of them when this precious gift comes and becomes every mother's blessing. It is a deep bitter sweet emotion of knowing that your child has grown to another level in life that will enable them to go the distance, even without you. It is an expression of their confidence, strength, honor, and their love and passion for understanding what is right, what is wrong and carrying this forward in life, to yet lead another, when the time comes that they are given the gift of parenthood.

A gift that we can only keep for such a small amount of time. A gift that we actually have to let go of and give back to the giver. A gift that when given, placed our lives on hold, so we could install what the giver intended for us to finish installing and help create, a human being. The giver makes no mistakes by placing that gift in our hands. Each were chosen by God to exist, just as we as adults were. His choice was deliberate.

One of my favorite verses I have ever read in the bible is: Jeremiah 1:5 that,

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."

It is by our own hands that the mistakes are made, and there will be some made. I mean after all, we're only adults. We too, are only growing and learning every single day also. Hopefully we have the tools of this understanding, knowing what is right from wrong and teaching from experiencing, and experiencing from teaching. One doesn't have to actually birth a child to be a mother to a child. When any child is placed in your guidance for teaching, then there is a two fold gift here, the teaching and the experiencing.

At best, we can take what we know, striving to help them create the person, they themselves are striving to become. Becoming exactly what God intended them to become, not what we as Mother's want them to become.

We may have them for but a small amount of time, but we can't own their minds, nor can we expect them to transform over into our minds. We nourish, we lead, we protect, we teach, then we give them back to God, the giver.

May the blessing be yours on Mother's Day and always,

Passion ~

Alrighty now....

2008-04-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

After all this time, my happy self is returning. Please do welcome me.

Much respect,

passion

Good Boy

2007-08-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

----- Have you ever heard that a dog “knows” when an earthquake is about to hit?

Have you ever heard that a dog can “sense” when a tornado is stirring up, even twenty miles away?

Do you remember hearing that, before the December tsunami struck Southeast Asia , dogs started running frantically away from the seashore, at breakneck speed?

I’m a firm believer that animals — and especially dogs — have keen insights into the Truth.

And you can’t tell me that dogs can’t sense a potentially terrible disaster well in advance.

Simply said, a good ol’ hound dog just KNOWS when something isn't right . . when impending doom is upon us . . .

Volcanic Ass Publicly

2007-07-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ratcheting up her OWN war with the Pentagon, Hillary Clinton is joining with Senators Jim Webb, Evan Bayh, and Robert Byrd to demand that the Senate Committee on Armed Services hold hearings to determine the status of the Pentagon's contingency plans for withdrawal with Iraq.

The letter was sent to The Honorable Carl Levin, Chairman Committee on Armed Services and a copy sent to who else but The Honorable John McCain,
Ranking Member Committee on Armed Services.The demand could dramatically increase the public attention on the standoff between Senator Clinton and the Pentagon over Defense Department contingency plans for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

This could have the effect of putting more pressure on the Pentagon to release info to Congress about its planning for the possibility or eventuality of withdrawal -- as well as draw increased media attention to a standoff that carries obvious political benefits for Hillary in the context of Democratic Primary politics.

No kidding? So the Pentagon steps on Hillary's toes a bit. It's about time. I'm not going to sit here and use all the big words so many of you feel imperative to use in regard to this gathered around the table, collar wearing, self centered Wuff, Wuff. Her request are of a coward, using Iraq as another back stabbing, knife gutting tool for her victory walk into the White House. Much of Hillary's motivation is looking for advantage as a candidate, not serving as a responsible Senator.

Clinton's demand for information about those plans has already led to an impasse between her and the Pentagon that has drawn intense media attention. Her initial demand -- made in May -- prompted Under Secretary of Defense Eric Edelman to condemn her request as helpful to the enemy. When that became public it in turn prompted Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday to distance himself from Edelman's remarks. It seems that Edelman's letter, which was leaked to the press yesterday and prompted a media explosion, drew a sharp reply today from Clinton, who sent a letter to Gates this morning demanding that he personally account for Edelman's remarks.

Edelman wrote

"Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia."

He added that:

"such talk understandably unnerves the very same Iraqi allies we are asking to assume enormous personal risks."

The letter Hillary and her followers wrote and signed to Levin and McCain reads:

The Honorable Carl Levin
Chairman
Committee on Armed Services
United States Senate
R228
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Levin:

We write to request that the Senate Committee on Armed Services hold a hearing on Department of Defense contingency planning for the redeployment of United States military forces from Iraq. Such a hearing could solicit the views of outside experts who have experience in the redeployment of large numbers of troops as well as administration witnesses. If necessary, portions of the hearing could be held in closed session.

The importance of holding this hearing was underscored this month when Senators Warner and Lugar introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act calling for the Administration to present its redeployment plan to Congress by October 16, 2007. As they noted, the safety and security of our military forces, as well as our nation’s credibility in the region, require that any military withdrawal or redeployment from Iraq be carefully planned and executed. A poorly planned withdrawal would compound the risks to our forces, coalition partners, and the government of Iraq.

The need for the Committee to know the status of Department of Defense redeployment planning is clear, yet past efforts by individual members to obtain this information were rebuffed. Following reports that the Pentagon was not engaging in detailed planning while the Iraqi Defense Ministry was preparing its own plans in the event that the United States and its forces departed Iraq quickly, the Secretary of Defense was requested in May to provide the appropriate oversight committees in Congress with briefings on the current status of contingency planning for the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman responded to this request on Secretary Gates’ behalf on July 16. A copy of his letter and other correspondence relating to this matter are enclosed for your reference. As you will see, Under Secretary Edelman raised spurious arguments to avoid discussing contingency planning and claimed that premature discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda. His assertion that necessary congressional oversight emboldens our enemies is outrageous.

As you are aware, the roots of the many problems facing our men and women serving in Iraq were planted by the failure of this Administration to develop sound, realistic plans. We cannot afford to repeat the same mistake when our forces redeploy. Congressional oversight will help to ensure that redeployment plans properly address the numerous challenges that our troops will face, including the resources and the diplomatic support required to ensure that any redeployment is safe and orderly.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely yours,

Hillary Rodham Clinton Robert C. Byrd

Evan Bayh Jim Webb

CC: The Honorable John McCain
Ranking Member
Committee on Armed Services

Gates response before he was thorn switched by Hillary was:

“I have long been a staunch advocate of Congressional oversight, first at the CIA and now at the Defense Department. I have said on several occasions in recent months that I believe that congressional debate on Iraq has been constructive and appropriate. I had not seen Senator Clinton’s reply to Ambassador Edelman’s letter until today. I am looking into the issues she raised and will respond to them early next week.”

That statement appears to show that he's distancing himself in a big way from Edelman, a Cheney protege, as well as from Edelman's suggestion that public discussion of troop withdrawal by Congress is helpful to the enemy.

Talk about being in the dog house! Wonder how much that really cost him, not to mention in the letter below, she was really "pissed"...

The Honorable Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
The United States Department of Defense
The Pentagon
Suite 319
Washington, D.C. 20301

Dear Mr. Secretary:

On May 22, 2007, I wrote to you to request that you provide the appropriate oversight committees in Congress – including the Senate Armed Services Committee – with briefings on what current contingency plans exist for the future withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq. Alternatively, if no such plans exist, I asked for an explanation for the decision not to engage in such planning.

I am in receipt of a letter from Eric Edelman, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy who wrote that he was responding on your behalf. Under Secretary Edelman's response did not address the issues raised in my letter and instead made spurious arguments to avoid addressing contingency planning for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

As I noted in my original letter, "the seeds of many problems that continue to plague our troops and mission in Iraq were planted in the failure to adequately plan for the conflict and properly equip our men and women in uniform. Congress must be sure that we are prepared to withdraw our forces without any unnecessary danger."

Rather than offer to brief the congressional oversight committees on this critical issue, Under Secretary Edelman – writing on your behalf – instead claims that congressional oversight emboldens our enemies. Under Secretary Edelman has his priorities backward. Open and honest debate and congressional oversight strengthens our nation and supports our military. His suggestion to the contrary is outrageous and dangerous. Indeed, you acknowledged the importance of Congress in our Iraq policy at a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee in March, when you stated, "I believe that the debate here on the Hill and the issues that have been raised have been helpful in bringing pressure to bear on the Maliki government and on the Iraqis in knowing that there is a very real limit to American patience in this entire enterprise."

Redeploying out of Iraq will be difficult and requires careful planning. I continue to call on the Bush Administration to immediately provide a redeployment strategy that will keep our brave men and women safe as they leave Iraq – instead of adhering to a political strategy to attack those who rightfully question their competence and preparedness after years of mistakes and misjudgments.

Other members of this Administration have not engaged in political attacks when the prospect of withdrawal planning has been raised. At the June 7 Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, I asked General Lute "what level of planning has taken place" and "whether the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs have been briefed about the level of planning." I also asked General Lute to determine "what kind of timeline would exist if a decision for either military or political reasons were taken to begin withdrawal" and if he considered this kind of planning to be part of his responsibilities.

General Lute replied, "Thank you Senator. I do think such an adaptation, if the conditions on the ground call for it, will be part of this position."

I renew my request for a briefing, classified if necessary, on current plans for the future withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq or an explanation for the decision not to engage in such planning. I also renew my concern that our troops will be placed in unnecessary danger if the Bush Administration fails to plan for the withdrawal of U.S. Forces. Finally, I request that you describe whether Under Secretary Edelman's letter accurately characterizes your views as Secretary of Defense.

I would appreciate the courtesy of a prompt response directly from you. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Mistress Clinton and her temper tantrums, along with her "pets" by her side, sit boys, sit...are a disgrace to this nation. Further more, anyone who would try to slither into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the ethic she uses, when clearly it has been defined by more than one military leader that to leave Iraq at this moment would be devastating to the progress that has been already achieved there.

It seems to me that what she is wanting is for the United States to turn renegade, become cowards in the face of all nations, but more importantly to our own military personal who are serving not just in Iraq, but all over the world. What does this say to the families who have lost a child from this war, but who STILL believe that we as a nation have made the right decision in regard to expelling ourselves of rodents that infested human life.

Thank God every day we have young, old, middle aged men and woman who see the need to serve our country with dignity and pursuit. If everyone of "us" would go after Hillary with such passion she certainly wouldn't be fueling her bank account for this upcoming election, already having gathered 63 million dollars to do so. Just wait until this campaign appear on television with negative ads, along with her theory to promote her husband, the Fundraiser-in-Chief, to headline events and remind liberals of the "Two-for-One" package you get if the Clinton's are in the White House. For every person who thinks we need to pull out of Iraq, should have their bags packed and replace the ones coming home. There isn't a more reliable source to educate than the hands on method. It's not all about book work.

To be honest here, it will be interesting to see who will be able to match her right out in the face of the world open cleverness and see what approach will be taken to at least keep her and "boy bill" out of the White House.

Another Method Requested, But For Real

2007-07-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

Earlier today in a chat room, I was with the "other two" Yadda Yadda's of mine and one of them ask for the recipe for shrunken heads. Laughing in which I did, because of the nature of the question and of the two who ask for it! Well, really one asked, the other loved the idea, thinking it would also go along with the of wood chippers, goat feeders, mote diggers.

But to my surprise, then sicken stomach, the recipe is for real. This made room for a pay pal account number to be given, as this went right up there on their priority list. Of course no one agreed to send any money for this procedure to be done by them, the Yadda Yadda's , where you can learn about them in The Mint Julep Shop... Please note that out of the three of us, all three are not as evil as two of them, with one being much more reserved and letting the other two handle most issues. Sometimes the reasonable one {me} has to step in and give them "that look" such as today when emailed this gesture on a method of applying "getting even" with another, especially in regard to being jaded by men.

This primer on the shrunken head preparation is unbelievable and gruesome, but also somewhat fascinating. I had to tell the Yadda Yadda's NO... saying there is still time left for reform. They think I'm far to forgiving... {grins} Like Martha Stewart and Paula Dean, these guys really have a devotion in their craft.

The skin is boiled in plain water for no more than about half an hour; this reduces the skin by about half. The trophy is then dried on a stick thrust in the ground. Then the skin is turned inside out and all the flesh is scraped off with a knife. The tsantsa is then turned right side out and the slit in the rear is sewn together with string made from the inner bark of the Kumai palm.

Now if you really must own one of these heads you can click here, and order right on line. Let me know if you did this as I may just have to remove you from my friends list. :-)

Mascara Stained Tears

2007-07-21T23:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, July 20, 2007 a woman well known for her mascara stained tears, Tammy Faye died after a long battle with cancer.

Tammy was known and judged by many, for her lavish lifestyle, her air conditioned dog house, her jewelry, false eyes lashes, cars, furs, over applied makeup and the empire PTL, Heritage USA in Charlotte, North Carolina she shared 31 years with her ex-husband Jim Baker.

Having seen her through out the years on different television programs after the fall PTL, and her failed marriage and recently just this week on Larry King, I carry my heart out there on my sleeve.

A woman who truly seem to love life and her Lord, she smiled as she spoke of her hardships, her loss, and placed this openly in the power of Gods hands. I have yet in all the years of knowing of her, hear anyone speak of her lack of faith. I remember when I was a little girl, I'd walk down the street to an elderly woman's home, named Mrs. Bell. I can't remember her first name. :-) She was very special to me, and up there in her age, around 80 or so or as best as I can remember.

As I was there doing whatever I could for her, she would have PTL Heritage USA on television. There would be singing, shouting and lots of crying. Perhaps I was a bit to young to understand, but I asked her one day,

Mrs. Bell, why do you watch that program?

She replied:

Because I love that woman and I believe that her heart is real and sincere and she loves the Lord.

One of the most appealing statements she ever made was back in 1990 on the Larry King show, when she was talking about forgiveness and how she was able to forgive all the people who had hurt her, abandoned her during the fall of PTL, and it was

Forgiveness is a choice that everyone has to make. The choice belongs to them.They either decide to forgive and live in peace or not forgive and live miserable.

She loved life to much to live with anger in her life. There was far to much she wanted to accomplish, such as returning back to television, and helping the youth. Many she did help, and focused on the cross gender. She never once approved of their behavior, yet she never once judged them, but prayed with them instead. She believed that it was within the power of God Almighty to heal her , and if not, then she was ready for heaven.

Pain and sorrow has a way of bring one to total reality, and I really believe Tammy Faye was in complete reality. Her last posting read:

Today I want you to remember: You can't go forward, looking in the rear view mirror, yesterday is gone,you cannot put a broken egg back together again so don't spend your energy trying."Today is all we have so live it fully.Tomorrow may not come, we are not promised tomorrow. PRINCESS DI thought she had many tomorrows,JOHN KENNEDY JR. thought he had many tomorrows,MARILYN MONROE thought she had many tomorrows,SONNY BONO thought he had many tomorrows,SELENA thought she had many tomorrows. So we must make today count,make today the best day of your life."

In the final days her body became frail, but her spirit soured with her smile always saying, Judge not, lest you be judged and live life to the fullest through faith in God. Do whatever it takes to ensure happiness and joy in your lives, because you are never guaranteed tomorrow.
To Tammy Faye, Rest in peace now, your finally free.

The Proofs In The Pudding

2007-07-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

An archeological team, digging in Washington DC , has uncovered 10,000 year old bones and fossil remains of what is believed to be the first Politician. Most if not all, have at one time or another, had their head up their ass.

Friends In High Places

2007-07-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

Expose America's Investigative Reports, reports that VANITY FAIR pulls back the curtain on SAIC, the largest government contractor you've never heard of. Science Applications International Corporation has a workforce of 44,000, annual revenues that reached $8 billion in 2006, and a list of current and former board members that reads like a who's who of political and military heavyweights. How is it that even though "several of SAIC's biggest projects have turned out to be colossal failures," the company always manages to get paid?

Using QuickTime you can view all of this investigative report. Click below on links. I think you will find this very interesting to see how this company was and is paid and how Vanity Fair uncovered this.

PART I
PART II
PART III

Whipping Therapy, Depression, Cured!

2007-07-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

What are the America doctors thinking? They are giving out millions of dollars a year in anti- depressant medication when all they had to do was say, " Stand in line and when I say bend over, obey!" It seems Russian scientist have found that whipping therapy cures depression and suicide crises.

Russian scientists from the city of Novosibirsk, Siberia, made a sensational report at the international conference devoted to new methods of treatment and rehabilitation in narcology. The report was called "Methods of painful impact to treat addictive behavior."

Siberian scientists believe that addiction to alcohol and narcotics, as well as depression, suicidal thoughts and psychosomatic diseases occur when an individual loses his or her interest in life. The absence of the will to live is caused with decreasing production of endorphins - the substance, which is known as the hormone of happiness. If a depressed individual receives a physical punishment, whipping that is, it will stir up endorphin receptors, activate the "production of happiness" and eventually remove depressive feelings.

Russian scientists recommend the following course of the whipping therapy: 30 sessions of 60 whips on the buttocks in every procedure. A group of drug addicts volunteered to test the new method of treatment: the results can be described as good and excellent.

Doctor of Biological Sciences, Sergei Speransky, is a very well known figure in Novosibirsk. The doctor became one of the authors of the shocking whipping therapy. The professor used the self-flagellation method to cure his own depression; he also recovered from two heart attacks with the help of physical tortures too.

"The whipping therapy becomes much more efficient when a patients receives the punishment from a person of the opposite sex. The effect is astounding: the patient starts seeing only bright colors in the surrounding world, the heartache disappears, although it will take a certain time for the buttocks to heal, of course," Sergei Speransky told the Izvestia newspaper.

The whipping therapy has not become a new discovery in the history of medicine. Tibetan monks widely used it for medical purposes too. Soviet specialists used a special method of torturing therapy at mental hospitals. They made injections of brimstone and peach oil mixture to inspire mentally unbalanced patience with a will to live. A patient would suffer from horrible pain in the body after such an injection, but he or she would change their attitude to life for the better afterwards.

"People might probably think of me as a masochist," Dr. Speransky said. "But I can assure you that I am not a classic masochist at all," he added.

The revolutionary method may take the Russian healthcare to a whole new level. The method is cheap and highly efficient, as its authors assure. Why not using something more efficient, a rack, for example?

And to think, many have been taking pills for depression when all they needed was their bottom spanked...really good... I wonder if this works well with weight loss? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Clothing Of Many Colors

2007-07-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Chinese wear clothes made of condoms. Condoms of all colors and sizes were on used for a fashion show in Beijing on Wednesday. The show featured dresses, hats and even lollipops made of nothing but condoms. Associated Press

I didn't have a clue there were so many different colors. Who knows there may be a song now written " My Condoms Of Many Colors, adding to the song Dolly Parton wrote "My Coat Of Many Colors." Sheds some light on why rubber companies may just become one of the leading sellers in the economy. :-) But I wouldn't go to the bank just yet.

2007-07-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

WHAT A MESSAGE
The year is 1907.....but the speaker knew what he was talking about.

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

2007-07-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

A Run For The Money, Now Legal

NASCAR legend Junior Johnson has a new batch of moonshine, but this time he isn’t trying to outrun the revenuers.

“Now they’re working for me, I used to work for them.”

Johnson introduced his Midnight Moon moonshine, which is produced by Piedmont Distillers in Madison, at a news conference this afternoon at Lowe’s Motor Speedway outside Charlotte.

“In your wildest dreams, you’d never think that what was so illegal is now ... a legal product,” he told reporters.

The government doesn't care what what you do as long as it is done legal and their cut comes out of it, which is the taxes made from the money selling it. I think they took it to heart when all the moonshine running took place many years ago and they weren't even offered a quart of it, little alone their small pension. I'd wager that more than not had their hidden share of it. Just stay tuned, marijuana may be next.

Piedmont Distillers has been looking to work with Johnson since the company’s inception, said Joe Michalek, company president.

“We’ve been talking to him (Johnson) for years and he finally came up and took a tour,” he said. “He fell in love with the town, the people and the distillery, and he said he would be interested in developing a new product.”

Johnson’s moonshine, which began being distributed to North Carolina ABC stores a week ago, joins the distillery’s other product, Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine, the only legal moonshines made in the only legal distillery in the Carolinas.

Midnight Moon will be available at the Eden ABC store Monday and throughout the county this coming week.

“They are complementary products,” Michalek said.

Graphics on the bottles of Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon feature his famous 1940 Ford that bore the original No. 3 -- before it was transferred to Richard Childress and later graced the car of the late, great Dale Earnhardt. Midnight Moon follows the Johnson family’s generations-old tradition of making moonshine. Every batch is born in an authentic, copper still and is hand-crafted in small batches and triple distilled.

Johnson was active in the development of the product and plans to be just as active in its promotion. In fact, he will be promoting the new beverage bearing his name at several ABC stores around Charlotte next week, Michalek said. Michalek is thrilled that Johnson is now part owner of Piedmont Distillers.

“To partner up with a legend like Junior Johnson is amazing,” he said. “He’s a legendary race car driver and owner and a legend in terms of moonshine. He brings all that history and stories.”

Like many of the other early stock car racers, Johnson was raised in the family’s whiskey business. He helped his father work the copper stills during the day and honed his driving skills by running moonshine at night. Johnson then combined his understanding of how to make a car run flat-out with his driving skills to become one of the most successful NASCAR drivers and owners in racing history. He is tied with Ned Jarrett for tenth place on the all-time victory list. For his part, Johnson says he is proud to own a part of a legal distillery.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life, and my history in the moonshine business is no secret,” he said in a release. “Back in the old days, we learned to drive cars fast because we’d go to jail if we didn’t. Now, you can buy part of a moonshine business, tell everybody where they can buy your product, and it’s all legal. It’s a different deal than it was back then.”

2007-07-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

"He Who Wrote It, Said It Best" Below is a post that was written by Joshua Micah Marshall,Talking Points Memo in regard to President Bush commuting Scooter Libby's prison sentence. Talk about hell raising pissed off underwear in the crack Democrats, Oh well, read below. He Who Wrote It, Said It Best!

Marshall wrote:
Andrew Sullivan's got a really quite hilarious post flagging the latest tripe from Marty Peretz about the Libby GOOJFC -- Get Out of Jail Free Card (TM). Peretz says from start to finish the case was politically motivated. And certainly he has plenty of company on the right with ridiculousness.

Says Peretz ...

the appointment of the special prosecutor, the prosecutor's own obsessions, the case itself with the doubtful and understandably doubtful but diverse memories of many witnesses, including the defendant, the especially harsh sentence pronounced by the judge, the refusal of the appellate court to continue Libby on bail - all of these were politically motivated.

This actually puts a finger on the key point in this whole drama. The case had profound political overtones. And certainly there are no end of people in the country who became deeply invested in this case who normally wouldn't get overly bent out of shape about a run-of-the-mill perjury and obstruction case -- which, at least narrowly speaking, this is.

But Libby never found his fate in one of those people's hands. Not once. There's just no getting around that point.

Go down the list.

1. Attorney General John Ashcroft. Decided a special prosecutor was needed and then recused himself from the decision because of his proximity to the probable targets of the investigation.

2. James Comey. Yes, he's the darling of the Dems now because he spilled the beans about the hospital stand-off. But Comey is, dare we say it, a REPUBLICAN. And not just any Republican but a pretty tough law-and-order type who only months earlier had been appointed Deputy Attorney General by President Bush. He had it in for Scooter? He let his partisanship get in the way?

3. Patrick Fitzgerald. Again, a darling of the Dems now for obvious reasons. But anyone who knows the guy's history knows that while this registered independent may not lean ideologically right (in the way movement whacks might recognize) he certainly doesn't lean to the left. It's no accident that his appointments have come under Republicans.

4. Judge Reggie Walton. Let's start with this: He was appointed by George W. Bush. And if that doesn't do it for you, he was appointed to previous judicial appointments by Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

A mere calling of the roll like this puts into a razor-sharp relief just how silly these claims are. At every step in the process Libby's fate was in the hands of someone who was either himself a staunch Republican or had been repeatedly appointed by staunch Republicans. The only thing is that no one ever passed him off into the hands a Bush loyalist. And that's the key. Alberto Gonzales never got the hand-off. Whatever else you can claim about this case, it's about as clear as it can be that partisan politics played no role in Libby's fate.

Now, one other point on a somewhat related matter. In a strange sort of way Rich Lowry and I now appear to agree that President Bush's commutation is without any rationale whatsoever. Needless to say, he now says it should have been a full pardon. But we're on the same wavelength to the degree that we agree that the commutation makes no sense.

Passion writes:
President Bush hasn't ruled out a full pardon. In fact, as many pardons that have been given by other presidents, Clinton for one, who pardoned many felons and how ironic could it be that the very one Scotter Libby represented, Mark Rick, Clinton pardoned also. Why shouldn't Scooter be pardoned?

As I wrote just after the news broke, there would at least be a logic, though I think a very poor one, for a pardon. You just say, it's all about politics. The whole case is illegitimate. And I the president am exercising my constitutional power to wipe the judicial slate clean. Period. I think it's a bogus argument. But it is not an illogical argument.

But President Bush says the prosecution, the prosecutor, the judge and the juries verdict are all legitimate. He doesn't second guess any of them. He just thinks Libby shouldn't go to jail, even though that's the normal punishment for the crime. There's no way of understanding this other than to conclude either that the president simply likes Scooter Libby and -- as many of us would -- doesn't want to see him have to go to prison or that Libby could provide testimony incriminating people in the White House, including the president, and that that is a risk President Bush is not willing to take.

Wipe all the chatter away and there's only one argument for what happened here.

He's our guy; we've got the power; so go f--k yourself.

That's the argument.

After all this gripping in these post, finally something sensible was written. The last two sentences hold a huge degree of truth. The next to last line, third part, holds 100% percent truth. Perhaps a nicer version would have been "get over it" But it wouldn't have been near as meaningful. Just remember, Marshall wrote it, I just agreed. :-)

USS New York

2007-07-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

USS New York

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center .

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. "It was a spirit ual moment for everybody there."

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up." "It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back."

The ship's motto? "Never Forget"

I'm A Republican!

2007-07-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

I'm a Republican. I believe that prayer should have never left the school systems, government and that the Ten Commandments should be hung in every court room in the nation. I'm a Republican. I believe that politics should be held with the highest esteem, behaved with the highest respect and that "My dog is bigger than your dog" should have died out when the commercial did.

I'm a Republican. I believe that when two people of the same sex wants to engage into a intimate relationship of sexual desire, that it goes against nature and what God teaches. I believe that a man and woman equals a couple.

I'm a Republican. I believe that if you can't bring a child into this world, protect, love, nurture and feed them, then STOP breeding them. And that the government shouldn't have to pay for this mistake. That sex education should become a requirement in all schools.

Yes,I'm a Republican. I believe that we as a nation should perform any duty, be it war or whatever to ensure our freedom and protection from outsiders. I believe that if anyone should bring harms way to our nation, that no matter what the cost, that we as a nation would use all military sources to eliminate them completely. I believe that it is time for the two finger holding up peace symbol people to go back to New York, where the Twin Towers stood and remember the thousands of people who died at the hands of terrorist. Then go and visit each ones family and children and see the pain and sorrow this has caused innocent people, our innocent people.

I'm a Republican. I believe that MORE credit is never the answer to having the material things you want or need. My grandmothers philosophy was, " If you can't pay for it, then you certainly don't need it!"

I'm a Republican. I believe that an outsider, to enter the USA and become one of us, that they must earn their right to live here, not just work here to wire their checks back to their country, tax free.

I'm a Republican. I believe that every single human being who lives within the United States should be able to sing the National Anthem, and quote the Pledge Of Allegiance in our language, English.

I'm a Republican. Born in 1960, and not having whatsoever anything to do with slavery, nor the Indians, so stop blaming me. Stand up, shake it off, like most people do and move on with life.

I am a Republican, a Southern Republican who believes that No, freedom doesn't come free, and that we should get down on our hands and knees and give God the glory for giving us such a wonderful place to live in, military men and women who serve this nation for our protection, justice, liberty and freedom.

passion

Happy 4th Of July

2007-07-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!

A Psychiatric Disorder?

2007-06-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

Addiction to video games seems to be stirring a debate: a psychiatric disorder?

The Associated Press and the Winston Salem Journal in North Carolina share this theory from professionals in regard to video games and addiction. I personally believe there is substance to this, and could very well be measured on the same scale along with computer addiction. There doesn't seem to be a age limit where it actually begins, but attacks all ages. However, this is focused directly with teenagers and younger children.

The telltale signs are ominous: teenagers holed up in their rooms, ignoring friends, family, even food and a shower, as grades fall and belligerence soars. The culprit is not alcohol or drugs. It is video games, which for certain children can be as powerfully addictive as heroin, some doctors say.

A leading council of the nation’s largest doctors’ group wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment.

Wouldn't you agree that if coverage can be applied to video games addicts, that a study should be done for computer addicts, who, some have committed suicide for whatever reason just from becoming addicted to the Internet and whatever that scenario held there for them? There is a wider step outside of the box, than just looking at video games alone. Most go hand in hand.

Under no certain conditions am I taking this situation light, because I have a twelve year old son myself, who seems to want to be playing this more than he really should. I'm just saying that there are many addictions that can be added to the list. Perhaps we should use the term Technology addiction, that would cover it all.

Please take the time to read opinions and research below. :-)

In a report prepared for the American Medical Association’s annual policy meeting starting Saturday in Chicago, the council asks the group to lobby for the disorder to be included in a widely used manual on mental illness created and published by the American Psychiatric Association.

It probably will not happen without heated debate. Makers of video games scoff at the notion that their products can cause a psychiatric disorder. Even some mental-health experts say that labeling the habit a formal addiction is going too far.

Dr. James Scully, the psychiatric association’s medical director, said that the group will consider the AMA report in the long process of revising the diagnostic manual. The next edition will be completed in 2012.
As many as 90 percent of American youngsters play video games, and as many as 15 percent of them - more than 5 million children - may be addicted, according to data quoted in the AMA council’s report.

Joyce Protopapas of Frisco, Texas, said that her son, Michael, 17, was a video addict. Over nearly two years, video and Internet games transformed him from an outgoing, academically gifted teenager into a reclusive manipulator who failed two 10th-grade classes and spent several hours day and night playing a popular online video game called World of Warcraft.

“My father was an alcoholic ... and I saw exactly the same thing” in Michael, Protopapas said.

“We battled him until October of last year,” she said.
“We went to therapists; we tried taking the game away.

“He would threaten us physically. He would curse and call us every name imaginable,” she said. “It was as if he was possessed.”

When she suggested to therapists that Michael had a video-game addiction, “nobody was familiar with it,” she said. “They all pooh-poohed it.” Last fall, the family found a therapist who “told us he was addicted, period.” They sent Michael to a therapeutic boarding school, where he has spent the past six months - at a cost of $5,000 a month that insurance will not cover, his mother said.

A support group called On-Line Gamers Anonymous has numerous postings on its Web site from gamers needing help. Liz Woolley, of Harrisburg, Pa., created the site after her son, 21, fatally shot himself in 2001 while playing an online game that she says destroyed his life.

In a February posting, a 13-year-old identified only as Ian told of playing video games for nearly 12 hours straight, said he felt suicidal and wondered if he was addicted. “I think I need help,” the boy said.

Postings also come from adults, mostly men, who say that video-game addiction cost them jobs, family lives and self-esteem.

According to the report prepared by the AMA’s Council on Science and Public Health, based on a review of scientific literature, “dependence-like behaviors are more likely in children who start playing video games at younger ages.”

Overuse most often occurs with online role-playing games involving multiple players, the report says. Blizzard Entertainment’s teenager-rated, monster-killing World of Warcraft is among the most popular. A company spokesman declined to comment on whether the games can cause addiction.

A woman in the New Haven, Conn., area who bought the game for her 15-year-old son last year, says that he got hooked on it. “Now that I look back on it, it’s like I went out and bought him his first Jack Daniel’s,” said the woman, who did not want her name used to spare her son from ridicule.

Dr. Martin Wasserman, a pediatrician who heads the Maryland State Medical Society, said that the AMA proposal will help raise awareness, and called it “the right thing to do.”

But Michael Gallagher, the president of the Entertainment Software Association, said that the trade group sides with psychiatrists “who agree that this so-called ‘video-game addiction’ is a mental disorder.”

“The American Medical Association is making premature conclusions without the
benefit of complete and thorough data,” Gallagher said.

Dr. Karen Pierce, a psychiatrist at Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital, said she sees at least two children a week who play video games excessively.

“I saw somebody this week who hasn’t been to bed, hasn’t showered ... because of video games,” Pierce said. She said she treats it as she would any addiction, and that creating a separate diagnosis is unnecessary.
Dr. Michael Brody, the head of a TV and media committee at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, agreed.

Brody praised the AMA council for bringing attention to the problem, but said that excessive video-game playing could be a symptom for other things, such as depression or social anxieties that already have their own diagnoses.

Starbucks Refuses to Donate Coffee to U.S. Troops

2007-06-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

Isn't it interesting how those on the left are always stating that they support the troops - it is just the war they oppose? At least in the case of Starbucks this seems to be false. For some time there has been speculation that Starbucks not only opposes the war, but in fact they do not support our troops either. Many think the actions of Starbucks indicates that they believe our troops are not worthy of support because they are standing on the front lines so we can sleep easy at night. My research has convinced me that this is not speculation.

A friend recently sent me an email about the efforts of a Marine Corps League detachment in Ohio that was raising items to include in care packages that they were going to send to our troops over seas. This is a 501(3)(c) charitable organization made up of former Marines. As part of their effort to collect donations they approached an Starbucks outlet and were told that Starbucks would not donate coffee for their care packages because they do not support the war. Pretty amazing, especially given the below incident.

Sgt Howard C. Wright,1st Force Recon Co 1st Plt PLT RTO wrote a letter to all of his email buddies telling them how Starbucks wouldn't support the troops in Iraq, only to retract it five months later. Text of Sgt. Wright's Email:

Dear Readers,

Almost 5 months ago I sent an e-mail to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong thing that needs to be cleared up. I heard by word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn't support the war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn't do my research properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports men and women in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many copies of their company's policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick and wrong letter that I sent out to you.

I'm sure Starbucks did contact Sgt. Wright. Here are parts of Starbucks' response by David Campbell,Customer Relations regarding supporting out troops:

Starbucks has the deepest respect and admiration for U.S. military personnel. We are extremely grateful to the men and women who serve stateside or overseas. We sincerely appreciate that they are willing to risk their lives to protect Americans and our values of freedom and democracy. While Starbucks as a company cannot directly donate to military personnel, many of our partners (employees) show their support by donating coffee.

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify Starbucks policy regarding charitable contributions. We are able to donate to nonprofit organizations that are designated as public charities under Section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code...The U.S. military or individual military personnel do not qualify as a public charity.

However, on an individual level, many Starbucks partners have collected and shipped numerous pounds of Starbucks coffee overseas. Starbucks partners receive one pound of free coffee each week as an employee benefit...Many of our partners have elected to send their weekly mark-out of coffee to members of the military or military families, and related organizations.

First, Mr. Campbell is wrong. There is no law prohibiting Starbucks, or anyone else from donating things to the military - it happens all the time. what Mr. Campbell means is that Starbucks does not get to deduct their donation for tax purposes. In other words, it seems that Starbucks wont donate coffee to our troops because they cannot deduct the donation from their taxes. A rather Machiavellian view if you ask me. See Legalzoom.com for the law.

We should all thank the Starbucks employees who donate to our troops, but tell me how can Starbucks take credit for the good deeds of their employees? More importantly, how can Starbucks imply, like Mr. Campbell did, that the only reason they do not donate to our troops is that they only donate to 501(3)(c) charities...and then turn around and refuse to donate to the Marine Corps League detachment that is just such a charity? Also, if Starbucks is so appreciative of the sacrifices of our troops, then why did the people at the store state that they would not donate coffee because they do not support war? No one asked them to support the war - only to support our troops by donating some coffee to a 501(3)(c) charity. A strange way to show one's support. In fact, based on what I have learned, I do not believe they are supporting our troops at all, and honestly wonder if they are even appreciative of their sacrifices.

I have drank my last cup of Starbucks coffee until they can demonstrate, with more than a press release, that they support our troops.

Calling ALL Bloggers, Jack McClellan Is Back!

2007-06-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

While reading one of my favorite blogs, Mike at the Lamplighter has yet another posting about Jack McClellan who had a site up Entitled “Seattle - Tacoma - Everett girl love,” the site offers a listing of events in the Seattle-Tacoma, Washington area where Girl Lovers (referred on the site as GLs) may find large groups of little girls (referred on the site as LGs) to view and photograph. He is an admitted pedophile who told reporters that he feels he is doing nothing illegal and that he gets "a kind of a high" from being around young girls.

Stephen McCaskill added in the Crime Scene Blog how this sicko of a human being goes to public events and takes pictures of children with his favorite being young girls and posts them on his web page, refusing to take them down. That is unless someone who actually knows the children and resends him a confirmation pic and then he very well may not take them down. His words states below as:

The photos of children on this site are legal, non-voyeuristic images taken in public places, and I am under no legal obligation to remove them if you demand that I do so. However, I may honor such requests if you can convince me that you do indeed know the girl (probably by sending me a confirmation pic), and are not an anti-pedophile crusader unrelated to her. I am not likely to remove girls in performance poses (such as on a stage or in a parade), and I’ve endeavored to obscure the facial identities of girls in non-performance poses — so the number of children I’d agree to remove or edit is probably very low.

Of course he wants pics and probably has a wall full of them... I'd wager he sits there every waking hour with a jar of vaseline, when he's not out there snapping more pics. Recently he was able to find a new web host - Epifora based in Canada - that is hosting his new and improved how to molest children site. Please take the time to read both blogs, Mikes and Stephens and take a stand in sending out the message that this man is on the move, has packed his bags and is heading for California, and he needs to be shut down permanently! Enclosed in this blog as well as in Lamplighter are telephone numbers to call, email addresses to write to. We all need to take a stand and stop this guy right now...

The contact information for Epifora is:
abuse@epifora.com

Phone (514) 913-0968

Address:
Epifora, Inc.
6595 St-Hubert
P.O. Box 59054
Montreal, Quebec
H2S 3P5
Canada

Contact information for Steadfast Networks is:
Abuse Department:
Email - abuse@steadfast.net
Fax - 312-602-2688

For further information please click the links.

A Small Ban Of Terrorist? WTH Hillary?

2007-06-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a Democratic debate we had Sunday as the eight Democratic presidential candidates faced off in New Hampshire. There seemed to be new strategy in the air. John Edwards forcefully challenged front-runners Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama over whether they had demonstrated leadership on key issues.

Of course Hillary insisted Democrats should focus their policy critiques on Republicans, especially President Bush. She understands there are differences among her running candidates, but dissed them off with this comment, one John Edwards brought to the podium again. She states:

"The differences among us are minor.The differences between us and Republicans are major and we don't want anybody in America to be confused."

Obama who seemed terribly nervous in the first debate was more gathered this round, who gave a smoother delivery this time and a more detailed grasp of policy issues.It must have been the triggered eye rolls or looks Mistress Hillary can give, not to mention the fits... Come to think of it, it very well may be a conspiracy, that when all have their say and the democratic people vote, it will be the three stooges, Clinton, Obama, and then, yes... wagging his tail behind and following proudly the "OTHER" Clinton.

So, this left Edwards to catch up with the polls and try to bring forth a new strategy that would place him up to their level. What more efficient means to do this, than to bring forth to the table the truth about issues and differences between them. So he threw out there the sharpest elbows, accusing them of being passive and cautious on urgent issues, like Iraq , health care and gay rights. I think before this is all over with, we will see exactly more of their hidden agenda, as all they have at this moment is to bash President Bush and to vote against our Military and the funding of them in Iraq. I mean what other excruciating damage could they possibly vote against than to refuse OUR Military funding? I'm ABSOLUTELY sure the United Nations , the whole world, must be very proud of our Senator's in Washington who would vote against their own Military. Hey... what a way to give morale, right?

There was differences between Obama and Edwards as well:

His rivals, Edwards said,"did not say anything about how they were going to vote, they were among the last people to vote," Edwards said.
"I think all of us have a responsibility to lead on these issues."

"There are differences between us, and I think Democratic voters deserve to know the differences between us," he said
"You're about four and a half years late on leadership on this issue,"Obama said.

Now is that calling the kettle black or what? But my all concern hit like a bullet when Clinton used this statement to define how she really understands terrorism. This is scary folks that this woman who is one of OUR senators within the United States approach toward 911 is labeled. Not only did she compare Edwards over his contention, that the war on terror is little more than a "bumper sticker" slogan she stated :
"I am a senator from New York. I have lived with the aftermath of 9/11, and I have seen firsthand the terrible damage that can be inflicted on our country by a small band of terrorists," she said.

A small band of terrorists? WTH is she talking about? A small band? That must be why Osama Bin Laden can't be found, right? That must be why the Bin Laden and his gang "hidden"who clearly sent us a message when Hussein was executed for all of his animalistic torturous crimes, not verbatim, but still the same message, that the USA will pay, who yet still remain in many countries around the globe. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

However, after saying the above, these words are verbatim, taken from a video tape on January 20, 2006 in which Bin Laden clearly states:

The war against America and its allies will not be confined to Iraq, the voice on the tape said,adding that Iraq has become a magnet for attracting and training talented fighters. It's only a matter of time, the voice said, referring to attacks. They are in the planning stages, and you will see them in the heart of your land as soon as the planning is complete.

Perhaps all should go back through my blogs and see what these small ban of terrorist have done to our nation and others. I've repeatedly said and will continue to say that WE AS A NATION, can't afford to let a woman run this country, especially one with a hidden agenda, and one who visions the attacks on 911 as just a small ban of terrorist! WTFU people!

Red Cross Scam

2007-06-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Mike at the Lamplighter sent me an email in regard to a scam targeting the spouses of our troops in Iraq. People call the spouse of a person serving in Iraq and tell them they are from the Red Cross. They then tell them that their loved one has been injured and flown to Germany, and they need info to fill out some forms before they can help - like SSN and date of birth. This has got to be stopped! I see this as up there with some of the worst crimes one can commit. Stealing off of the same people who are fighting for not only their lives and others freedom, but ours as well. Here is the link you may read and I urge all to take a stand in helping to stop these thugs.

Mr. Duke Sir?

2007-06-02T16:14:00.001-07:00

Have I told you, your still my hero Sir? :-)

Misinterpret, I Don't Think So !

2007-06-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

Folks, the cake needed a topper and we now have it. It seems John Edwards misunderstood the question when asked if he was For or Against going to war in Iraq.

Former Senator John Edwards, a Democratic presidential candidate, told an interviewer on Wednesday that he had read the classified October 2002
National Intelligence Estimate before voting to authorize force in Iraq,
but his campaign retracted the statement yesterday. A spokesman for Mr. Edwards said the candidate had "simply misunderstood the question" and noted that Mr. Edwards had read only a declassified version of the intelligence report.
You mean to tell me we had a Senator that had no clue what the intelligence report said, yet voted? What else was left to understand. All of congress had been sitting there since September 11th having discussions from A to Z! No, he fully understood what he was voting for, as did Hillary. She only made her excuse sound a bit more believing. Can I for one believe that Edwards was forced to vote against what he believed in because to do anything other than vote 'For," would help guarantee his win for the seating of vice- president? Well, yes I can see where given some power as vice-president would make him vote against his own morals. According to his running-mate John Kerry that's exactly what happened.
That fall, as a vote loomed on the resolution giving Bush authority to go to war, Edwards convened a circle of advisers in his family room in Washington to discuss his decision. He was skeptical, even exercised about the idea of voting yes. Elizabeth was a forceful no. She didn't trust anything the Bush administration was saying. But the consensus view from both the foreign policy experts and the political operatives was that even though Edwards was on the Intelligence Committee, he was too junior in the Senate; he didn't have the credibility to vote against the resolution. To my continuing regret, I said he had to be for it. As I listened to this, I watched Edward's face; he didn't like where he was being pushed to go.
Scott at Election Blog- The Stump, speaks loud in regard to this. He states;
I find it hard to believe that a candidate of Edwards experience with a background as a lawyer "misunderstood" the question. It's evident he read the NIE and voted based not on what was contained in the document but for political expediency according to 2004 running-mate John Kerry.
As I said, he voted not with his heart but with the political portion of his brain. He looked at the blow back and decided to vote for it to increase his chances of becoming vice president.
For his campaign aides to say he "misunderstood" the question is wrong. He knew the threat, he knew that it was the next logical step in the War on Terror and he knew what the consequences may have been in the short-term. I believe him when he says he's against the war because he's always been against the war. I'd have respected him more if he'd said it from the beginning and voted no. Instead he voted as he thought he'd had to, not how he'd wanted to.
I ask, is this the kind of man you would want in the Oval Office? A man who makes decisions not out of conviction but to score political points? How would the former senator handle a crisis being of this mindset? Short answer: not well. Edwards will be out by next April if not sooner and it will come down to a two-way race between Clinton and Barack Obama.
The American people got to know Edwards in 2004 and have now seen him even more in the last several months. They may personally like him and feel for what his wife is going through, but they don't want him as the president.
It would seem as if Scott titled his blog correctly, "John Edwards Stumbles Again" Being from the "Tarheel" state, Edwards certainly understands the southern slang when I say " Bless His Heart"

Now, For The Women And Children

2007-06-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

The pictures below are but few in regard to how the women and children were murdered and battered under the reign of Saddam Hussein. They are graphic but need to be seen to be a reminder as to why not only do we fight for our freedom and protection from evil and terrorism but also for other mankind.

US-led investigators have located nine trenches in Hatra containing hundreds of bodies believed to be Kurds killed during the repression of the 1980s. The skeletons of unborn babies and toddlers clutching toys. The victims are believed to be Kurds killed in 1987-88, their bodies bulldozed into the graves after being summarily shot dead. One trench contains only women and children while another contains only men. The body of one woman was found still clutching a baby. The infant had been shot in the back of the head and the woman in the face.

On the borders of Kurdistan

On the borders
Where throats are
Choked with good-byes
And eagerness is
Suspended in the eyes
And people asked
When.. where are we ? why..?!

Here a child dies..
There a baby lies, and
Another face-down cries:

My wound is hurting
My breath is hurting
My stomach is hurting,
Mother: Am I to die ?
And my white pigeon ?!
Are we going to die ?

In tears she said:
There beyond the border posts..
Only days: we won't die
For us, God will try..

Again, the child cries:

Will my pigeon die ?
Mother: I love her..
She is my life
Because I love,
She does not deserve to die
I love her...

All broke in tears

Dear.. your pigeon died
When the planes pried

And she broke in tears
My white pigeon was gassed ?!
My Kurdish pigeon died

Mother.. my hair is falling
why ? Am I do die ?

Some water please..
W-a-t-e-r ...

And you dare speculate as to why we are there? Shame on you all.

America, Just Another Reminder

2007-06-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

And to think we have a Presidential candidate John Edwards who would dare say,

protest the war at Memorial Day Parades and gatherings, take photos and then he will place those photos on his website. 'Buy a bunch of poster-board and markers,' the website says. “At a picnic or with family and friends, make signs that say ‘SUPPORT THE TROOPS - END THE WAR.’ Bring them to your local Memorial Day parade. Then take a digital photo of yourself and your family or friends holding up the poster and tell us about it. We’ll include it in a 'Democracy Photo Album' on our site
To be frank here, I'm ashamed he is from North Carolina and this behavior is a small price to pay should this nation elect such a person as he is. "Memorial Day is a solemn occasion to remember the service and sacrifice of more than 1 million American servicemen and -women who gave their lives to create our nation, to save our union, and to help free the world from tyranny.
Have We Forgotten this day below? Just a reminder that nothing comes free in this world that we don't protect and make sure it never happens again.

By the way, the American Eagle cries not only for what was done to our nation on September 11, 2001, it cries also for men who will never understand what freedom really means. Men such as John Edwards.

American People, Have You Forgotten?

2007-05-31T16:34:00.000-07:00

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
Martin Luther King Jr., Speech in Detroit, June 23, 1963

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

John F. Kennedy

"Whites" With A Cross To Bear?

2007-05-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

Early this morning the news caught my eye in regard to comments that Ophra Winfrey made at Howard University with 2,200 soon-to-be graduates of the nation's most prestigious black university.

A woman who now holds a holds honorary doctorate in humanities, Oprah Winfrey rose from poverty and a troubled youth to become the most powerful and influential woman in television and, according to Forbes Magazine, the world's most highly paid entertainer.

As she stood in front of 30,000 people, Oprah gave encouragement to all graduates saying:
My integrity is not for sale, and neither is yours," Winfrey said at graduation ceremonies Saturday for Howard University, recalling times when she was under pressure to change course or avoid topics to boost ratings or appease advertisers. "Do not be a slave to any form of selling out. I stand here as a symbol of what is possible when you believe in the dream of your own life," Winfrey said. "Don't be afraid. All you need to do is know who you are.

She was exceptional with that and I was beginning to hear the compassion within her words as she spoke however she went a step further with this to become what I feel was an insensitive,unnecessary remark.

Winfrey said that while growing up her grandmother, a servant in 1950s Mississippi, hoped that Winfrey would "get some good white folks" to work for.

"I regret that she didn't live past 1963 and see that I did get some really good white folks — working for me,"

I want to believe that she was sincere in saying that she really does have good "white" people working for her and that this comment was foolish, insensitive, yet meant as a compliment.

Also the question surfaces " Isn't it a delight that when you become so big that your allowed to kill two birds with one stone?" I must admit that she is one of the cleverest women I know. She is able to compliment the "white" people, yet never let them forget.

Asking a question today of a dear blogger friend of mine, I ask " Would thinking that someone was predigest against white people mean that I could be predigest against them for thinking they were predigest?

Thank goodness there is some logical friends in my life. The reply was "Racism is racism and if you see it in someone of color does not mean that you are racist, but that they are."

I'm glad I'm just 46 and never experienced those days, yet at times I feel like we as the white generation of this age and time, will always have a cross to bear because of past history.

The Secret Iraq Documents

2007-05-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a false story going around based on poor research by a professor that is slamming our efforts in Iraq. To read further, please check out Lamplighter for details.

Calling The Kettle Black

2007-05-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Former President Carter says President Bush administration is "the worst in history" in international relations, taking aim at the White House's policy of pre-emptive war and its Middle East diplomacy.

The criticism from Carter, which a biographer says is unprecedented for the 39th president, also took aim at Bush's environmental policies and the administration's "quite disturbing" faith-based initiative funding.

"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history,"Carter told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in a story that appeared in the newspaper's Saturday editions. "The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan' and others, has been the most disturbing to me."

Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo confirmed his comments to The Associated Press on Saturday and declined to elaborate. He spoke while promoting his new audiobook series,"Sunday Mornings in Plains," a collection of weekly Bible lessons from his hometown of Plains,Ga.

"Apparently, Sunday mornings in Plains for former President Carter includes hurling reckless accusations at your fellow man," said Amber Wilkerson, Republican National Committee spokeswoman. She said it was hard to take Carter seriously because he also "challenged Ronald Reagan's strategy for the Cold War."

Carter came down hard on the Iraq'war. "We now have endorsed the concept of pre-emptive war where we go to war with another nation militarily, even though our own security is not directly threatened, if we want to change the regime there or if we fear that some time in the future our security might be endangered," he said. "But that's been a radical departure from all previous administration policies."

Carter, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, criticized Bush for having "zero peace talks" in Israel. Carter also said the administration "abandoned or directly refuted" every negotiated nuclear arms agreement, as well as environmental efforts by other presidents. Carter also offered a harsh assessment for the White House's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which helped religious charities receive $2.15 billion in federal grants in fiscal year 2005 alone.

"The policy from the White House has been to allocate funds to religious institutions, even those that channel those funds exclusively to their own particular group of believers in a particular religion," Carter said. "As a traditional Baptist, I've always believed in separation of church and state and honored that premise when I was president, and so have all other presidents, I might say, except this one."

Douglas Brinkley, a Tulane University presidential historian and Carter biographer, described Carter's comments as unprecedented. "This is the most forceful denunciation President Carter has ever made about an American president," Brinkley said. "When you call somebody the worst president, that's volatile. Those are fighting words."

Carter also lashed out Saturday at British prime minister Tony Blair. Asked how he would judge Blair's support of Bush, the former president said: "Abominable. Loyal. Blind. Apparently subservient."

"And I think the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world," Carter told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Ummmmmm... calling the kettle black? Judge and remember for yourselves.

Presidential Politics: Scandal, Conflict, and Crisis

As Carter watched the defeat of Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern in 1972, he knew he would have to market himself as a different type of Democrat to have a shot at the White House in 1976. He was completely unknown on the national stage. In the aftermath of Nixon’s Watergate scandal, however, this became an advantage. It also helped Carter that the disgraced Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew were replaced on the republican ticket by Gerald Ford, a political insider with no charisma and an uncanny knack for falling down stairs on camera. Despite an ill-advised interview in Playboy magazine, which plummeted his rating in the polls, Carter squeaked out a narrow victory.

Carter’s newcomer status soon showed itself in his inability to make deals with Congress. Sensing his shallow public support, Congress shot down key portions of his consumer protection bill. Carter was determined to free the nation from dependency on foreign oil by encouraging alternate energy sources and deregulating domestic oil pricing. But the creation of a pricing cartel by OPEC, the oil producing countries organization, sent oil prices soaring, caused rampant inflation, and a serious recession. Carter was also deeply troubled by public scandals involving his family, including a mysterious $250,000 payment by the government of Libya to Carter’s brother Billy.

Foreign affairs during the Carter administration were equally troublesome. Critics thrashed both Carter’s plans to relinquish control of the Panama Canal and his response to Soviet aggression in Afghanistan by pulling out of the Olympics and ending the sale of wheat to the Russians. His recognition of communist China, which expanded on Nixon’s China policy, and his negotiation of new arms control agreements with the Soviets, were both criticized by conservatives in the Republican Party.

However, the serious crisis of Carter’s presidency involved Iran. When the Ayatollah Khomeini seized power there, the U.S. offered sanctuary to the ailing Shah, angering the new Iranian government, which then encouraged student militants to storm the American embassy and take over fifty Americans hostage. Carter’s ineffectual handling of the much-televised hostage crisis, and the disastrous failed attempt to rescue them in 1980, doomed his presidency, even though he negotiated their release shortly before leaving office.

Washington Times, Young And Abe

2007-05-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

Frank Gaffney,Washington Times columnist and prominent neocon opened his Wednesday column with a forceful quote attributed to President Abraham Lincoln:

"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged."

This quote is no doubt news to Lincoln scholars. However, it has appeared in the Washington Times and Insight Magazine as well as being cited thousands of times on the Internet. It was even used last year at a DC press conference by Congressman Jack Murtha’s Republican opponent, Diana Irey.

Alas the historians are correct - the quote is fake. It first appeared in the pages of Insight magazine when J. Michael Waller opened his 12/23/03 article, “Democrats Usher in An Age of Treason,” with those words. He later explained in an email to Factcheck.org:

The supposed quote in question is not a quote at all, and I never intended it to be construed as one. It was my lead sentence in the article that a copy editor mistakenly turned into a quote by incorrectly inserting quotation marks.

The Washington Times did finally pull the Gaffney column from its site, but not before Republican Congressman Don Young of Alaska cited the quote on the House floor.

During floor debate on the Iraq war yesterday, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) used the fake quote and attributed to Abraham Lincoln as advocating the hanging of lawmakers who undermine military morale during wartime

After he left the House floor yesterday, Young found out that -- whoops -- he mistakenly put words in Abe's mouth. His spokeswoman, Meredith Kenny, stated:

"Now that he's been informed these are not the actual words of Lincoln, he will discontinue attributing the words to Lincoln. However, he continues to totally agree with the message of the statement," Kenny said. "Americans, especially America's elected leaders, should not take actions during a time of war that damage the morale of our soldiers and military -- and that is exactly what this nonbinding resolution does."

And no, Kenny said, Young was "not advocating the hanging of Democrats."

Now we could just let this drop here, but I propose we adopt the Democrats theory first put forth during the Dan Rather scandal over the fake documents - it may be fake, but it is accurate.

JAY LENO..." HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD"

2007-05-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

Just by chance I happened to stumble across a question Jay Leno asked on The Tonight Show after reading a poll that was in Newsweek on "Unhappy Americans." It is well worth the post here. Some say Jay said all of this, some say not, but regardless it needed to be said. Just perhaps it will feed the soul and gratitude will be achieved.

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes , an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have , and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful Ass every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the MEDIA. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.

With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Jay Leno

Finally,someone/ones with enough guts to stand up and say shut the hell up and get grateful...

Disastrous Consequences

2007-05-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

CAMBRIDGE, England - Iraq's president, worried about growing opposition in Congress to funding for the war, said Friday he believes U.S. and British troops will need to stay in Iraq for one or two more years to help stem the bloodshed.

Jalal Talabani told students at the University of Cambridge that all of Iraq was safer because of Saddam Hussein's ouster and that many people were living "normal" lives.

"I think within one or two years, we will be able to recruit our forces and prepare our armed forces and tell goodbye to our friends," he said.

Talabani's visit comes as the Baghdad government is growing concerned about rapidly deteriorating support for the war in the United States and Britain. The government has dispatched senior officials to Washington this week to warn U.S. lawmakers that pulling out troops would have disastrous consequences

On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a draft bill that would fund the war only through July. The bill is unlikely to survive in the Senate, but it indicates the war's unpopularity among U.S. lawmakers and their frustration with the lack of progress in the Iraqi parliament

It's a limit Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned would be disastrous. He also warned that his evaluation of force levels in Iraq in September will not lead to a rapid troop withdrawal, and that at least some U.S. forces are likely to be in Iraq for a protracted period of time.

He said he didn't know if it will take 25,000 troops or another number, but it would probably include intelligence officers, logistical support and air power, and they would be needed to maintain stability in the war-wracked country.

"The evaluation in September will not lead to a precipitous decision or actions, but would point us in a new direction ... either because the surge is working, or because the evaluation is that it's not," said Gates. Earlier Wednesday he told senators he would consider reducing U.S. troop levels in Iraq in the fall if the Iraqi government begins to make progress.

We are concerned," Talabani said. "We hope that Congress will review this decision and help the American army to stay until the Iraqi army will be able to replace them and to protect the security of Iraq."

He offered assurances that Iraq's leaders were doing everything they could on the political front to pursue reconciliation among divided ethnic and religious factions.

Recent Update On Bill
Doug Mills, New York Times
Just a short while ago, President Bush made good on his promise, and vetoed the war spending bill that included a timeline for troop withdrawal passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress last month. He made his action public in a short announcement, saying the Democrats had approved a plan that set a “rigid and artificial” deadline that “would impose impossible conditions for our commanders and troops in combat.”

“I recognize that many Democrats saw this bill as an opportunity to make a political statement about their opposition to the war,” he said. “They sent their message,” but now, he warned, Congress should begin working on a new bill so that troops can get necessary funds. A meeting with Congressional leaders from both parties is scheduled for tomorrow at the White House. Benchmarks for the Iraqi government appear to be a likely starting point for negotiations.“The need to act is urgent,” he said.

Mr. Bush also defended his troop buildup, saying that sectarian murders in Iraq have decreased “substantially” since January. He added that the suicide attacks still occurring are “largely the work of Al Qaeda, the enemy that everyone agrees we should be fighting.

Mr. Mills, it's President Bush, not Mr. Bush. Was this an editors error or your lack of respect. A title is always expected, regardless of ones on demeanor.

Can A Good Muslim Be A Good American?

2007-05-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

Can a good Muslim be a good American? I have asked many of these questions myself and here are some answers received back.

Theologically - no. Because his allegiance is to
Allah, the moon god of Arabia.

Religiously - no. Because no other religion is
accepted by his Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)

Sculptural - no. Because his allegiance is to the
five pillars of Islam and the Quran (Koran).

Geographically - no. Because his allegiance is to
Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.

Socially - no. Because his allegiance to Islam
forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.

Politically - no. Because he must submit to the
mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of
Israel and destruction of America, the great Satan.

Domestically - no. Because he is instructed to marry four women
and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34).

Intellectually - no. Because he cannot accept the American
Constitution since it is based on Biblical
principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Philosophically - no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and
the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and __expression.

Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is
either dictatorial or autocratic.

Spiritually - no. Because when we declare "one nation under God,"
the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah
is NEVER referred to as heavenly father, nor is he ever
called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names.

Therefore after much study and
deliberation....perhaps we should
be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country.

They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and 'good' Americans.

Murdered Because Of Being White

2007-05-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

Dozens of New Charges in Double Murder Case Announced
Posted: 5:05 PM Feb 1, 2007. Last Updated: 11:40 AM Feb 8, 2007.
Reporter: Whitney Daniel, WVLT Staff

Knoxville (WVLT) - The District Attorney General of Knox
County announced the list of charges facing now five suspects in the double murder of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom.

The District Attorney General Randy Nichols is not saying whether or not he will seek the death penalty, but he does say the State will seek conviction for all charges filed in a 24-page indictment from the Knox County Grand Jury.

Lemaricus Davidson, 25, faces a total of 46 charges. Davidson was indicted on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, 2 counts premeditated murder of Christian and Newsom, 2 counts especially aggravated robberies from Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom, and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.

Letalvis Cobbins, 24, faces a total of 46 charges. Cobbins was indicted on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape,
robbery kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, 2 counts premeditated murder of Christian and Newsom, 2 counts especially aggravated robberies from Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom, and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.

George Thomas, 24, faces a total of 46 charges. Thomas was indicted on 16 counts of Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, 2 counts premeditated murder of Christian and Newsom, 2 counts especially aggravated robberies from Christian and Newsom, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christian and Newsom, 20 counts aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom, and 2 counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.

Just last night, police in Lebanon, Kentucky, arrested 18-year-old Vanessa Coleman. She faces 40 Tennessee state charges. Coleman was indicted on 12 counts Felony Murder growing out of rape, robbery kidnapping and theft of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom, 1 count Premeditated Murder of Christian only, 1 count Especially Aggravated Robbery of Newsom only, 4 counts especially aggravated kidnapping of Christia n and Newsom, 20 counts of aggravated rape of Christian and Newsom and 2 Counts of theft from Christian and Newsom.

Eric Boyd, 24, also arrested in connection with the fatal carjacking, only faces federal charges as an accessory after the fact. He was not indicted by Knox county grand jury.

Felony Murder carries a possibility of death, life without the possibility of parole and life with parole. Especially Aggravated Robbery is a Class A felony that carries a possibility of 15 to 60 years in prison. Aggravated Rape is a Class A felony that carries a possibility of 15 to 60 years of prison.

At a news conference Thursday, Nichols commended the
cooperative efforts between several departments and credits that cooperation for the fast pace this case is moving through the court system.

Nichols says he hopes to move the case to trial on the first day it's set.

The four are expected to make their first court appearance within ten to fifteen days.

This is certainly a case garnering a lot of public interest, Nichols recognizes that and says he expects all kinds of requests filed in this case, including a change of venue in order to receive a fair trial. But he says he does hope 12 Knox County jurors will be able to determine the guilt or innocence of these suspects.

The animals pictured above side by side; car-jacked, then raped Christopher Newsom, cut off his penis, then set him on fire and fatally shot him several times while they forced his girlfriend, Channon Christian, to watch. An even more cruel fate awaited her!

Channon Christian, was beaten and gang-raped in many ways for four days by all of them, while they took turns urinating on her. Then they cut off her breast and put chemicals in her mouth ... and then murdered her.

Where be the Revs Al and Jesse? Are they providing counsel and help to the families of the victims?

Of course not - the victims were white

Why hasn't this received National coverage by the news media like the Duke "rape" case?

Oh, that's right - the victims were white

Why hasn't the NAACP, ACLU, New York Times etc., called for an investigation?

Must be cause the victims were white

Why hasn't the FBI been called in to investigate this as a hate crime?

Oh, that's right - the victims were white."

So, if a white news radio jock uses the phrase "Nappy headed", it gets 2 weeks of constant news coverage.

If two white people are tortured, raped, and murdered by a group of black people, it barely gets a blip in the news.

What's wrong with this picture folks?

You Worry Me

2007-04-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

Recently I posted a commentary allegedly written by American Airlines pilot Captain John Maniscalco titled "You Worry Me." My reserch turned up that he may not be the one who wrote it, but whoever wrote this, hit the hearts of many Americans.

It asks Arab Moslems in the United States whether they will demonstrate that they want to bless and protect America and distinguish themselves from those who want to destroy America. The writer says the lack of visible support for America from among Arab Moslems worries him.

Even with being passed around a while, This is the most profound, most insightful message to Muslims I've seen. I think it should be read on Fox, sent to the President, and forwarded to any other form of media to express what so many of us feel toward the Muslim.

YOU WORRY ME!
By American Airlines Pilot - Captain John Maniscalco

"I've been trying to say this since 9-11 but you worry me.I wish you
didn't.I wish when I walked down the streets of this country that I love,that your color and culture still blended with the beautiful human landscape we enjoy in this country.But you don't blend in anymore.I notice you, and it worries me.

I notice you because I can't help it anymore. People from your homelands,professing to be Muslims, have been attacking and killing my fellow citizens and our friends for more than 20 years now. I don't fully understand their grievances and hate but I know that nothing can justify the inhumanity of their attacks.

On September 11, nineteen ARAB-MUSLIMS hijacked four jetliners in my country. They cut the throats of women in front of children and brutally stabbed to death others. They took control of those planes and crashed them into buildings killing thousands of proud fathers, loving sons, wise grandparents, elegant daughters, best friends, favorite coaches, fearless public servants, and children's mothers.

The Palestinians Celebrated, The Iraqis were overjoyed as was most of the Arab world. So I notice you now. I don't want to be worried. I don't want to be consumed by the same rage and hate and prejudice that has destroyed the soul of these terrorists. But I need your help. As a rational American, trying to protect my country and family in an irrational and unsafe world, I must know how to tell the difference between you, and the Arab/Muslim terrorist.

How do I differentiate between the true Arab/Muslim-Americans and the Arab/Muslims in our communities who are attending our schools, enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter these same good neighbors and children? The events of September 11th changed the answer. It is not my responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of its religions, with ALL of its
different citizens, with all of its faults. It is time for every Arab/Muslim in this country to determine it for me.

I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know whether or not you love America . Do you pledge allegiance to its flag? Do you proudly display it in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation,that He will protect and prosper it? Or do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one of your"Jihads"? Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation affords?A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country? Are you willing to preserve this freedom by paying the ultimate sacrifice? Do you love America ? If this is your commitment,then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it.

Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking as a community and as a religion to protect the United States of America Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent because I worry about who you regard as innocent. No more benign overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about what is unprovoked to you. I am not interested in any more
sympathy.I am only interested in action. What will you do for America, our great country at this time of crisis, at this time of war?

I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets. I want to hear you chanting "Allah Bless America " I want to see young Arab/Muslim men enlisting in the military. I want to see a commitment of money, time, and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole. The FBI has a list of over 400 people they want to talk to regarding the WTC attack. Many of these people live and socialize in Muslim communities. You know them. You know where they are. Hand
them over to us, now! But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action. Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even tighter. You have disappeared from the streets.You have posted armed security guards at your facilities.You have threatened lawsuits. You have screamed for protection from reprisals.

The very few Arab/Muslim representatives that HAVE appeared in the media were defensive and equivocating.They seemed more concerned with making sure that the United States proves who was responsible before taking action. They seemed more concerned with protecting their fellow Muslims from violence directed towards them in the United States and abroad than they did with supporting our country and denouncing "leaders" like Khadafi, Hussein, Farrakhan, and Arafat.

If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all people then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements from popular Muslim leaders to back it up. What good is it if the teachings in the Koran are good and pure and true when your "leaders" are teaching fanatical interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance?It matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if large numbers of the worlds Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion.

A form that has been demonstrated to us over and over again. A form whose structure is built upon a foundation of violence, death, and suicide. A form whose members are recruited from the prisons around the world.A form whose members (some as young as five years old) are seen day after day, week in and week out, year after year, marching in the streets around the world, burning effigies of our presidents, burning the American flag, shooting weapons into the air. A form whose members convert from a peaceful religion, only to take up arms against the great United States of America, the country of their birth. A form whose rules are so twisted,that their traveling members refuse to show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name of Islam.

Do you and your fellow Muslims hate us because our women proudly show their faces in public rather than cover up like a shameful whore? Do you and your fellow Muslims hate us because we drink wine with dinner, or celebrate Christmas? Do you and you fellow Muslims hate us because we have befriended Israel , the ONLY FRIENDLY CIVILIZED SOCIETY in the Muslim/Arab area, that thinks and acts like most Americans.

And if you and your fellow Muslims hate us, then why in the world are you even here? Are you here to take our money? Are you here to undermine our peace and stability? Are you here to destroy us? If so, I want you to leave. I want you to go back to your desert sandpit where women are treated like rats and dogs. I want you to take your religion, your friends, and your family back to your Islamic extremists, and STAY THERE!

We will NEVER give in to your influence, your retarded mentality, your twisted, violent, intolerant religion.We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that matter, to take away that which is so precious to us: Our rights under the greatest constitution in the world. I want to know where every Arab Muslin in this country stands and I think it is my right and the right of every truecitizen of this country to demand it. A right paid for by the blood of thousands of my brothers and sisters who died protecting the very constitution that is protecting you and your family. I am pleading with you to let me know.I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American. But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance and it is up to YOU, to show ME,
where YOU stand." "Until then .. you worry me"

As I posted this in a journal,I received a comment someone named j0nblaz on AOL who had no profile other than their name. The comment included three links of letters written from Minister Louis Farrakhan {who is the head of the Nation of Islam.} Farrakhan is seen as a leader by many African-Americans both inside and outside the Nation of Islam to President Bush in 2001, 2002 and 2003 prophesying the War on Terror; Iraq; the Middle East and the Peace Process; Homeland Security;the Patriot Act; the upcoming election and the Black Agenda.

December 1, 2001
http://www.noi.org/statements/transcript_011201.htm

October 30, 2002
http://www.noi.org/statements/transcript_021030.htm

May 3, 2003 Press Conference: Guidance for America in a Time of Trouble:
http://www.finalcall.com/pressconference/
Comment from j0nblaz - 1/22/07 3:28 PM

Soldier Surprises His Son

2007-04-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

In a small town in Washington State, a small son and his dad are reunited after he had been deployed to Iraq for over 6 months. Welcome home Hanson Bill Halls. A heart touching video.

Immigration By The Numbers

2007-04-22T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is the celebrated demonstration that Roy Beck, Executive DirectorNumbersUSA.com has been giving to scores of audiences across the nation, as well as on many TV programs, including C-SPAN. Using colorful, eye-catching props, he entertains and shocks audiences with the population consequences of current U.S.immigration policies. Thousands of people across the country are finding that there is no easier way to communicate their concerns about immigration to friends, relatives and fellow citizens than by showing them Roy's video.

The favorite part for many is the "gumballs" demonstration that illustrates the unethical nature of our immigration policy which drains the smartest,most energetic people from Third-World societies which desperately need their leadership.Taped before a college audience,the feature presentation is only 16 minutes.It is ideal for use in programs of luncheon organizations, church study groups,college and high school classes,and simply at home among friends and relatives.This video is packed with the facts and analyses that make moral and practical sense of a complex and highly contentious issue

Between The Legs Of A Woman

2007-04-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Fitting title if I say so myself. {Snickering}

Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday that if she is elected president, she would make her husband a roaming ambassador to the world, using his skills to repair the nation's tattered image abroad.

Now, let me see if I understand this correctly, or perhaps remind Hillary that her husband was impeached after an affair with a White House intern, not to mention that his speaking fees brings millions of dollars to his pocket. Interesting quote she gave in the same breath...

Rich people didn't make American great," Clinton said. "It was the middle class who made this country great."

"I can't think of a better cheerleader for America than Bill Clinton , can you?" the Democratic senator from New York asked a crowd jammed into a junior high school gymnasium. "He has said he would do anything I asked him to do. I would put him to work."

Yes Hillary, you could, but would his office be right beside of yours so you can peek in and make sure the roaming ambassador wasn't after all, roaming?

"I'm very lucky that my husband has been so experienced in all of these areas,"

Yes my dear, he seems to be experienced in many trades.

AOL News

Rutgers Women’s Basketball Squad To Hillary: We’re Pretty Busy Right Now; Catch You Next Time Around Maybe?

2007-04-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

While browsing tonight I came across this blog consisting of Imus, Nappy headed basketball hos and Hillary. Thanks to The GTL™ who wrote this article.

That’s right, Don Imus’ so wrongly-described “Nappy headed hos” have had enough of the politicking, which Democratic frontrunner for President in 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton, clearly planned to do more of when she visited Rutgers yesterday to meet with the coach and, as she had hoped, with the players as well.
But, as fate would have it; shortly after her arrival at the campus, the players were nowhere to be seen. Had they not been informed her “royal highness”, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was in the building and was requesting their audience? Where were they?

Rutgers team skips Clinton meeting
BY GLENN THRUSH

“Many of the players were in study hall from eight to noon and some had finals,” explained a Rutgers source who said the players were “tired” of all the attention. “These young women need to do their classes, and wrap their spring semester.” …” - Newsday

While it may take “a village” for somebody to get elected to the Oval Office, it could also be said it takes “a women’s basketball team” to make that road a bit tougher. The Clinton campaign will be hoping this embarrassing incident stays off the radar screen and they’d better hope it does (no thanks to me, of course), because it certainly paints the picture of an opportunist being exposed as one via unanimous vote by the victims she had hoped to use as a “prop” for her own benefit — days and DAYS after the fact.

What have we learned here, ‘Hill? Perhaps the amazing young ladies of the Rutgers roundball squad didn’t appreciate being blown off by you for so long as you slowly and deliberately worked your way down the list in your order of importance? Oops.

Yep, it doesn’t look too good at all when the offended Rutgers ladies collectively went out of their way to meet with Don Imus, then went just as far out of their way to dodge Senator Clinton.

The Blogosphere “Buzz” (courtesy of MemeOrandum): NewsBusters (Right); Captain’s Quarters (Right); Cadillac Tight
The Gun Toting Liberal™

And John F Kennedy said...........

2007-04-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman rebuked Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on Friday, saying he strongly disagreed with Reid's assessment that the Iraq war is "lost.""This is exactly the wrong time to question our strategy in Iraq," said Lieberman, "or that our new strategy has failed."Reid Thursday triggered an avalanche of Republican protest when he said that "the secretary of state, secretary of defense and -- you have to make your own decisions as to what the president knows -- [know] this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything…"Friday, after Lieberman made his remarks, Reid struck again."The longer we continue down the President's path," the majority leader told colleagues in a Senate floor speech, "the further we will be from success. "He also pointed out that Democrats generally agree with him.

Well, maybe NOT all Democratic leaders believed as Reid does?

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." John F. Kennedy

Peter Rabbit, Now A Thief

2007-04-08T04:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Easter Sunday folks. Not only is this day for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, it also reflects many traditions that have been in place for hundreds of years. One, being the Easter Bunny.

Please bear with me as my southern voice becomes a tad trifled as I explain to you why I feel like a Rhode Island public school system and a state legislator clearly have far to much time on their hands, with one calling Peter Rabbit a bad influence on children. Yes, you read the words right.

A Rhode Island public school has decided the Easter bunny is too Christian and renamed him Peter Rabbit, and a state legislator is so hopping mad he has introduced an "Easter Bunny Act" to save the bunny's good name.

Excuse me Sir? Too Christian? Imagine all the issues within each state and those needing to be solved and all the issues within every school system and those needing to be solved. Instead, what we have are two state paid employees who have gone beyond their understanding of what their actual job specifications really are. Obviously, they need to reevaluate their positions and apply themselves to what they were hired to do in the first place.

State Rep. Richard Singleton may have been trying to be nobel by proposing a bill nicknamed "Easter Bunny Act", but when he opened his mouth in this article with a joke about Peter Rabbit, he pulled up all the carrots and cabbages in the veggie patch.

Just for the record, Peter Rabbit was like all other underage rabbits. He went on a journey to learn and grow within himself, just as every child will do. To learn and be taught right from wrong. Thus, why children and adults relate, adore and love him. First, it was to take prayer out of school, now the Easter Bunny? My suggestions would be to find the child once again within yourselves. Yes, it is there, hidden deep within. Take time to read the book and understand the values of the lessons learned there and leave the Easter bunny alone.

It seems that Rhode Island State Rep. Richard Singleton told "Good Morning America Weekend Edition."

"Like many Rhode Islanders I'm quite frustrated … by people trying to change traditions that we've held in this country for 150 years, like the Easter bunny."

The Easter bunny was scheduled to make an appearance at a craft fair on Saturday at Tiverton Middle School in Tiverton, R.I. But the district's schools Superintendent William Rearick told event organizers to change the bunny's name to Peter Rabbit in "an attempt to be conscious of other people's backgrounds and traditions."
Singleton struck back this week by proposing a bill, nicknamed the "Easter Bunny Act," to stop all local municipalities from changing the name of popular religious and secular symbols like the Easter bunny.
"The underlying theme here is serious," he said. "I don't think a superintendent of schools should have the authority to change something we've held so deeply for 150 years."
Singleton, however, said the perceived religious symbolism versus its actual religious significance is why it shouldn't be banned.
"The Easter bunny is not a religious symbol," he said. "Why it's being banned doesn't make sense."
Singleton said the bill is meant to protect all traditional and religious symbols for example, if someone wanted to change "the name of the menorah to the candelabra."
The politician isn't positive that Peter Rabbit would have been the right replacement anyway.
"By the way, Peter Rabbit stole cabbages and that's not a good role model for our kids," he joked.
http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/school-renames-easter-bunny-peter-rabbit/20070407201309990002?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Roman Catholic, Abortion and Politics

2007-04-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

From the National Briefs Journal Wire Reports: Giuliani standing firm on his abortion position

Rudolph W. Giuliani, campaigning in South Carolina, said that as
president he would not try to make abortion illegal.

Aware that his position might not help him in winning the support of some conservative voters, Giuliani said that if someone were inclined to vote against him solely because of his position on abortion, then so be it.

"I think abortion is wrong," he said. "But
ultimately, I think it is a woman's right,
a woman's choice. And government
should not interfere with it by imposing
criminal penalties on people."

Giuliani, a Roman Catholic who once
considered joining the priesthood,
has wrestled with the abortion question
for years, often expressing his personal
opposition. But he has also long
supported keeping abortion legal.

The comments came as South Carolina
legislators pushed legislation that would
require women seeking abortions to
first view ultrasound images of their
fetus.If the bill is approved, the
state would be the first to have such a
requirement.
http://www.journalnow.com/

What could possibly come from imposing criminal penalties on a woman who has chosen this direction? Do the legislators in South Carolina or within any state honestly believe this would stop people from having unprotected sex? My opinion is no. Would the penalty be Surgical Sterilization "Mississippi Appendectomy" the slang I believe used back then? However, that approach could possibly benefit many by having this done instead of having habitual abortions and the tax payer having to cover irresponsible behavior by both sexes.

We are in the year of 2007, not in the dark ages where most women used the method of birth control by the size, shape and color of the moon, or another method, the calendar. With our updated methods in birth control today such as NuvaRing {vaginal contraceptive ring} ,Ortho Evra {the patch} Depo-Provera {shot}, birth control pills, not to mention the old fashion condom,{not a solid guarantee} there are no reasons that I can comprehend for anyone becoming pregnant.

Simply stated, I don't believe in abortions. However, nor do I believe in bringing an unwanted child into this world that one can't afford to feed, clothe, or protect. An old personal saying comes to mind, "If you can't feed them, please don't breed then" What is the solution for this? I have no idea. I see no positive outcome should states impose penalties, unless they reinforce the chasity belt. Now, there is a thought.

Who Are We Really Kidding?

2007-04-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Many times I have been asked what my opinion is in regard to the upcoming election, what direction I will go, and whom I shall cast my vote for. Alas, I haven't a clue. However, I have been a solid Republican for 46 years, was born a Republican and there is no doubt I will die one. However, having said that I firmly believe that the nation needs a two party system. Therefore, I'm terribly concerned with the path the Democratic party has chosen - to again field presidential candidates that are neither qualified nor desired. Why are they endangering their party, and our system, by repeating the mistakes of the past?

There was Geraldine Ferraro. A Democratic politician and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. She is best known as the first, and only, woman to represent a major U.S. political party as a candidate for Vice President. Ferraro and running mate Walter Mondale were defeated in a landslide by incumbent President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush in the 1984 election. The reason? Their platform was out of touch with the American people.

Jackson and Sharpton ran for president to show that black men could run for president. They ran just to ensure that issues dear to the African-American community became part of the dialogue. A noble goal, and one that was accomplished. But again, neither are qualified for the office they sought and their platform was again out of touch with the American people.

A question that comes to mind would be, are we really ready for a woman president or a African-American president? My answer, in all honesty, is no. The majority of the American people have not accepted this idea. You can say what you will, think what you want, but it is what it is. I know of very few who would vote for an African-American or a woman. Hopefully in the near future the electorate will accept the idea and elect a person not based on race or gender, but on qualifications. Unfortunately, that point has not yet arrived. However, instead of recognizing this, the Democrats are hell bent on once again being on the wrong end of a landslide by fielding candidates with platforms far from mainstream America and ignoring the realities.

First we have Hillary, who clearly has a hidden agenda and an axe to grind. If for nothing else, she has a point to prove, that she can run the White House without cigars and smoke. She has shown her true colors when she stooped low enough to write a book about her two timing husband who never inhaled. Of more import, if we elect Hillary, we get Bill. Carpetbagging is also a trade mark of Hillary - she had never resided in New York nor directly participated in the state's politics prior to the senate race. Hillary voted in favor of the Iraq Resolution, which authorized the use of military force against Iraq, and stated in 2005 that an immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake, yet now she opposes all. I cannot trust one, nor should the nation, with these credentials.

Next is Mr. Obama. Well educated and articulate. However what is his experience? A first term senator. Seems to be the northern version of John Edwards, and that did not work well.

I think it is imperative that we all reach deep within ourselves and think about what could happen to our nation if either one of these two candidates make it to the White House. Hillary lacks integrity, Obama experience. Add to this the fact that a large portion of the population still votes on race and gender lines, and you have the makings for a disaster. The weakening of one party to such a degree is as bad as electing either of these candidates.

The Globel Warming Stack

2007-04-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

Good evening to all,

Excitedly, I have decided for the moment to partake in this Global Warming, where we all are going to catch on fire in a few years, hoping we haven't woken up and landed ourselves in hell because we listened to yet another lefty AlGore. Here are some strong opinions by who other than good ole boy, Righty Rush Limbaugh. Yes, I said" Rush.......... Baby...... come here and tell the truth."

Rush talks today about the The Large Warming Stacks. Below are the facts and link. For your pleasure there is also music, ("Ball of Fire" Global Warming Update Theme Song.) That's right, folks, this is the Rush Limbaugh program. This is Algore, singing "Ball of Fire." Paul Shanklin with the vocals. "Come on, pull up a chair! Here, have a drink, and see what you think?

passion ~

The truths as Rush believes it to be:

1- A large Global Warming Stack today that grows on its own. {No fertilizer needed folks.}

2- The Supreme Court has just weighed in. "A federal judge has cited Al Gore's movie in a legal ruling about manmade global warming. { We now have a federal judge who can see out the windows of the court room and see dripping water? Wow, he must be left handed also.}

3- Al Gore is lobbying for the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. { Morons can lobby for this title? No wonder prisoners can be nominated for this also, who by the way, are still put to death.}

4- My lawyers and I are still consulting over whether to file an official complaint of tampering charges against Algore because I, too, am nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but I'm not out there shamelessly campaigning for it like Gore is.
{LOL, that's because his talk isn't his walk. Now, now Rush, how could we turn your program on and listen to that you'd lobbied for this title and kissed a judges rump too. No sweetie, then you'd be like THEM... God forbid! Be still a bit, here, have a drink, and keep the microphone hot, all in good time.}

5- Algore is not a scientist! He admits that he's not a scientist. { well duh! }

6- For those of you skeptical about the role of man in climate change, you haven't grown concerned about the media's fascination with this issue and the propaganda that's being spread by Dr. Algore (because that's what he'll be if he wins the Nobel Peace Prize).{ My last Dr's visit was with a gynecologist... Imagine that! } ...tsk tsk tsk...

7-Environmental groups wanted to try to say that funding these projects overseas was adversely affecting weather in the United States and as such they should be stopped.{ So are all the major companies that move their businesses overseas also. Maybe all the pollution has something to do with warming, and instead of it effecting the US, the rest will just melt away and leave us alone.}

8- Global Warming Could Melt the Himalayas.{I love to travel, but now, no longer have to worry about going there.}

9-Global warming could cause more hunger in Africa and melt most Himalayan glaciers by the 2030s. } We have Angelina and Brad Jollie Pitt, or is it Angelina Jollie Pitt and Brad, oh well, they do a fine job with Africa...}

10- All this is a recipe to get people to sit idly by, bend over, grab the ankles and accept tax increases as the price for forgiveness and salvation for committing these sins against the planet.{ Does this mean we have been kissing our asses all this time?}

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_040207/content/01125111.guest.html

Micro to Macro - Global Warming, Environmentalists, and Reality

2007-04-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

From the micro to the macro, from plankton in the oceans to polar bears in the far north and seals in the far south, global warming has begun changing life on Earth, international scientists will report next Friday.

"Changes in climate are now affecting physical and biological systems on every continent," says a draft obtained by The Associated Press of a report on warming's impacts, to be issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the authoritative U.N. network of 2,000 scientists and more than 100 governments.

In February the panel declared it "very likely" most global warming has been caused by manmade emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Animal and plant life in the Arctic and Antarctic is undergoing substantial change, scientists say. Rising sea levels elsewhere are damaging coastal wetlands. Warmer waters are bleaching and killing coral reefs, pushing marine species toward the poles, reducing fish populations in African lakes, research finds.

"Hundreds of species have already changed their ranges, and ecosystems are being disrupted," said University of Michigan ecologist Rosina Bierbaum, former head of the U.S. IPCC delegation. "It is clear that a number of species are going to be lost."

Now with reading this, I have found it very interesting that Al Gore has taken a huge step in warning us about all the global warmth, yet he who preaches the loudest,doesn't live by the creed. The proof is always in the pudding people. See below.

The Story of Two Houses

LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHICH BELONGS TO AN ENVIRONMENTALIST.

HOUSE # 1:

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern "snow belt," either. It's in the South.

HOUSE # 2:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every "green" feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system.

Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE # 1 (the 20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE # 2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas. Also known as "the Texas White House," it is the private residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

So whose house is gentler on the environment? Yet another story you WON'T hear on CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC or read about in the New York Times or the Washington Post. Indeed, for Mr. Gore, it's truly "an inconvenient truth."

Four Leaf Clovers

2007-03-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

Good evening to you. It is such a beautiful day here. Cool yet sunny. I was walking in my yard and saw some clover growing so I stopped, sat down and tried my hardest to find a four leaf one. I instantly thought of many things. The more I looked the more I needed to be looking. My mind went into a hundred directions during that few moments of my searching. I finally said " God, do you not want me to find one?" As I got up, I noticed another patch of clover just a small distance away from the first one. God spoke to me and He said" Not always is there magic, nor luck the first time you try. Never give up, it will come."

I didn't find the four leaf clover today, but one day I will. Maybe it is really there, but just covered up at the moment. When I do, I will instantly remember...

Have a great evening all...

passion ~

In Irish tradition the Shamrock or Three-leaf Clover represents the Holy Trinity: one leaf for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit. When a Shamrock is found with the fourth leaf, it represents God's Grace.
History of the four leaf clover:

The four leaf clover is a universally accepted symbol of good luck with its origin ages old. According to legend, Eve carried a four leaf clover from the Garden of Eden.

"The clovers also occupied a position in the cultural life of early peoples. White clover (T. repens L.) in particular was held in high esteem by the early Celts of Wales as a charm against evil spirits." Clover Science and Technology". N.L. Taylor, 1985.

Druids held the 4 leaf clover in high esteem and considered them a sign of luck. In 1620, Sir John Melton wrote: "If a man walking in the fields find any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after find some good thing.

The mystique of the four leaf clover continues today, since finding a real four leaf clover is still a rare occurrence and omen of good luck.

The Curious Bear

2007-03-31T00:45:00.001-07:00

This is a photo of a Polar Bear curiously inspecting one of our submarines as it surfaces threw the ice pack in the Arctic. It is a gift to a dear friend and represents her curiosity and desire to understand new things! Enjoy Passion

A Lady In Waiting

2007-03-31T00:45:00.000-07:00

Flaming June was a lovely lady who was painted while she was sleeping, or was she? Many have speculated that she was dead waiting for her lover by the sea. She is one of my favorite prints.

Up And Running

2007-03-31T00:25:00.000-07:00

My new blog is now up and running, with the help of Lamplighter. I'll be posting my thoughts and ideas here and hope you all enjoy my part of the information highway. http://www.lamplighternews.blogspot.com

It works

2007-03-30T22:59:00.001-07:00

Yippee

It works

2007-03-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

and they are correct see