Friday, June 29, 2007

Both Sides

I know John Edwards thinks the war on terror is just a bumper sticker slogan but apparently he forgot to mention it to those behind today's attempted attacks on London. Do you think at this point of his failing campaign, again, any stunt will do? Anything at all to make some waves, catch a headline or two or 100?

Edwards can't seem to get things together anymore. It really started to unravel when the reports hit about his $400 haircuts. Then the hedge fund he did work with to 'fact find' about the causes of poverty in America and the netting of $500,000 for said fact finding. Then the think tank or foundation or whatever it is that he founded has associated itself with the Univ of N. Carolina with the intention of being a forum for studying poverty yet Edwards himself is the one who is reported to be the recipient of the money going there. Then at the debate before last night's he stated he wasn't sure what a rich person was. Note to John: look in the mirror. And finally the campaign, in connection with the Hardball show, arranges for Elizabeth to call in while Ann Coulter is the guest and harass her for alleged slights Coulter has made about her husband. What is she, his mommy? Since when did Hardball become a call-in show? When has Matthews ever been so non interrupting of a guest as he was with Edwards?

Now, say what you will about Ann Coulter. I don't care. She puts herself out there and is perfectly capable of taking care of herself from critics. But, from what I have read and heard her say, because you know I'm not Matthews audience and according to his ratings his audience is measly, her statements were taken out of context and also completely misinterpreted. Nothing new but Elizabeth Edwards is hardly the person to be chastising Coulter for not being nice. Please. Edwards slams Republicans as if we are knuckle dragging, drooling, neanderthals. She has a vicious mouth herself.

I know she is ill and I am sorry for that. I defended his and her decision to continue on the campaign trail after she was told her cancer has returned and spread when others said she should just go home and be with her kids. But, by remaining on the trail, she is subject to the same treatment as anyone else. She calls into a politically themed talking heads show, they allow her to hog all the time, Coulter is browbeat and not allowed to respond and how dare anyone say anything negative about Elizabeth Edwards? Get real.

Anyone calling for Bill Maher's head on a platter after saying if Dick Cheney had been assassinated in the attempt on his life in Afghanistan then we'd have less dead American soldiers? Yes, he was fired by ABC after his horrendously unthoughtful comment on the terrorists after 9/11 but since then he's been on HBO and has ratcheted up his hateful diatribes to new levels. His contract's been renewed.

Or Rosie O'Donnell and her display of mental illness concerning this administration, war and conspiracy theories? She left her tv contract early and now may be rewarded with her own show on another network.

Free speech works both ways. Anyone in this country is allowed to say any stupid, hurtful, obnoxious thing they want. We have soldiers in foreign lands risking their lives so that we may keep that right.

No, John Edwards, the war on terror is not just a bumper sticker slogan. No, Elizabeth Edwards, you do not get to act as if you are the moral authority on civil behavior while practicing otherwise yourself. Let's not forget the original two official campaign bloggers that were hired. Ugly, nasty talking women.

Both sides of the political aisle have their bomb throwers. The offensiveness is in the eye of the beholder.

Put that on a bumper sticker.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Message Received

The vote was just taken on the floor of the U.S. Senate on the question of cloture on the immigration reform bill. I am relieved to say that the people were heard, loud and clear on this matter and the politicians voted accordingly. The bill is dead.

Loud people, pat yourself on the back. I will raise a glass this evening to toast all those taking the time and interest in our country to do the right thing and tell our elected officials how they wanted them to proceed.

Listen, when Bernie Sanders, the socialist Senator from Vermont votes the way I want the vote to go, you know it is one messed up piece of legislation. The final vote tally shows an odd mixture on both sides of the argument. It certainly proves one argument, though. It was not a Republican or Democrat vote. It's an American vote. It's a right and wrong kind of vote. It's a listen to the people who put you into office kind of vote.

I heard lots of entertaining speeches during this long, drawn out, tortured process. I heard Republicans in favor of this bill, a part of the Masters of the Universe pushing this legislation through without going through the proper committee process, I heard a Republican president ratcheting up the rhetoric and causing unnecessary damage to his own party, I heard those bowing to pressure from lobbies like The Chamber of Commerce or La Raza, and I heard the standard name calling by those not capable to offer up anything else in the debate. Those opposing the bill were called racist, xenophobic, isolationists.

I heard those willing to stand up and be heard on behalf of this country. This is the greatest nation on the face of the earth. People are storming our borders to get in, not get out. We are a nation of laws and a nation of cultural assimilation. The melting pot. It is a privilege for foreign born people to live here, not a right. If the very first decision you make is to disregard our laws and come into the country illegally, well, you forfeit your privileges.

What does it say to all those going through the legal process, waiting years and paying fees to do it the right way? How can you say you are bringing people out of the shadows when you say they are here doing work no one else will do? And what is the justification to bring along all the extended family of the trespasser? How are we to believe the border will be secured when it hasn't been since the last amnesty bill, rammed through by Teddy the swimmer Kennedy more than 20 years ago?

Harry Reid was so desperate to get the bill to the floor for a vote, to demand the senators vote for cloture, that he rambled on about phone calls and letters received at his offices, filled with hate they were, except for the one phone call from a constituent named Tommy. He was making the whole thing up, you could tell. It also showed the complete arrogance of Reid. He listens to a lone phone call, as if we believe he actually spoke on the phone to anyone calling about the bill, instead of all the rest who were opposed to the bill?

Reid stated, after the vote, that he would re-visit the legislation in the future. Good. But next time let's do it right, shall we? Let's do it in small bites and let's put it through the proper committees, too. I live in a border state. The problems of illegal immigrants are huge here. Go to an emergency room on a Friday night as I have and see what happens. Every piece of paper from the city and the school board is in English and in Spanish. Classified ads in the newspaper for employment ask for bilingual speakers on a routine basis. And by bilingual, they mean Spanish, not German or Chinese or Japanese or French or Italian. We are a sanctuary city. We have a taxpayer funded day center for illegal immigrants looking for work to gather at each morning and wait to be picked up for a job that day by employers using them as cheap, disposable labor.

President Bush, with low poll numbers, felt emboldened enough to say he'll see the critics at the bill signing. Senator Reid, with even lower poll numbers than the president, didn't see the reason to listen to the American people, of whom only 22% wanted the legislation to push on.

Message received.

Cheers.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Loud is Good

Let me just say I watched a bit of Larry King last night to treat myself to the sight of Paul McCarthy and Ringo Starr together in Las Vegas for the Circue d'Soliel production of "Love" with the music of The Beatles. I am trying my best to figure out a way of getting there to see the show. Last night ramped up that desire. But, please, Larry King? Poor old man. He called Ringo, George, and his questions are just too stupid to bear. Do they need the money?, he asked. Do they pinch themselves over their legacy in the world of music?, he asked. It was embarrassing.

According to The Museum of Broadcast Communications, "The Fair Doctrine is an attempt to ensure that all coverage of controversial issues by a broadcast station be balanced and fair."

The Fairness Doctrine is in play again within the halls of Congress. When the free market doesn't serve the left as successfully as they want, they feel entitled to use the government. Make a law to serve their interests.

"It's time to re-institute the Fairness Doctrine", said Senate Majority Whip Dick "gulags" Durbin. "I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they're in a better position to make a decision."

The Fairness Doctrine was a regulation of the FCC, not a law. Twice the Democrat controlled Congress tried to make it law, both times saw a veto. One veto was issued by President Reagan, the other by President George H.W. Bush. The focus now is talk radio.

John Podesta, former Chief of Staff for President Clinton, has a 'progressive' think tank in D.C. and it is partially funded by George Soros. The Center for American Progress received seed money from Soros to get underway. The center manages a radio studio, too, used by liberal commentator Bill Press, formerly of CNN.

The Center for American Progress has issued a report stating steps to essentially shut down conservative talk shows on talk radio. Technically it would shut down Air America, too, as it was all liberal, or 'progressive' all the time. The Center seems to have forgotten everyone's right to freedom of speech, even for conservatives. Since Air America has been a dismal failure then it must be time to go after conservative talk radio. They want to limit the number of radio stations one company can own. They want to put into place a quota system for women and minorities to own stations. Then they want the government to "require commercial owners who fail to abide by enforceable public interest obligations to pay a fee to support public broadcasting." There you go, the left will decide what you can broadcast and they'll charge you, too. What a deal.

The history of talk radio presents a clear picture. In the middle 1980's this new venue for conservatives to voice opinions and share common thoughts caught on in popularity. It was an untapped market and sorely needed. Previous to talk radio, the airwaves were completely dominated by one side of the political aisle and never questioned. This includes all three old networks on television, PBS, NPR, all major city newspapers, Hollywood power players, the weekly 'news' magazines, and the halls of higher learning.

Talk radio is successful because there is a market for it. It's just that simple. Even today, after all the protesting that, no, the press and media are not liberally orientated, a viewer will still find every network Sunday morning talk show, and CNN, dominated by liberal panelists. Typically there is, for instance, three or four panelists on the Russert show or the ABC show and only one will be conservative. Last week none of the panelists were conservatives on Russert's show. I guess since one was from the Wall Street Journal, that was the token conservative. But he's not. The only conservative section of the Wall Street Journal is the editorial page. The reporting is the same as elsewhere. I subscribe to it and read it all 6 days a week.

During the recent Take Back America Conference, the leaders were high fiving each other over the success of cowing the Democrat candidates running for President from participating in the debate set up by Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus. Fox News is their sworn enemy because it is successful, twice as many viewers as CNN now, and because it shows both sides of a debate. I guess their real fatal flaw is that Fox News unabashedly supports the troops, especially in a time of war. Last I knew, soldiers came from both sides of the aisle.

As a conservative, the worse offense was committed by Senator Trent Lott last week when he declared that talk radio was in need of being 'dealt with' and causing problems. That would be because of the immigration reform debate. Too bad Lott forgot that the very talk radio shows he was turning on were the ones who so ardently supported him during the controversy over his remarks at Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party. Many liberal groups are against the immigration reform bill, too, like labor unions. A recent poll shows only 22% of Americans are in support of passage of the bill.

So, Senator Durbin needs to hear from the American people, especially those like me that watch C-SPAN and catch him on the floor of the Senate accusing American soldiers of acting as Nazis and running gulags and now wants some revenge after it got unexpected publicity on Conservative outlets. Or maybe Diane Fienstein, who on Fox News Sunday said she is looking into legislation for the Fairness Doctrine. Maybe she doesn't like the coverage of her husband's sweet deals with defense contractors while she was on the committee overseeing the appropriations.

I don't think one venue is too many for an opposing viewpoint. Sometimes loud is good.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

It's All Coming Back To Me Now

What's more fun than hearing the clips of Teddy, the swimmer, Kennedy singing in Spanish on a Spanish language radio station in L.A.? Remembering that Teddy was kicked out of Harvard University for 2 years for cheating on a Spanish final exam.

Juneteenth: On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger landed on Galveston Island with news that the war was over and slaves were free. The celebration of today's Americans commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Sometimes I read something so over the top that the statement lingers in my mind for days.

A couple of days ago I read some blogs no longer on my daily reading list. I read one commenting on a recent tragedy in Austin. During the Junteenth rally a child was hit by a car. A mob scene developed with the rally goers physically attacking the driver of the automobile and the passenger in the car. The driver was killed. The child was taken to a local hospital, treated and released. Fortunately the child's injuries were minor.

The driver wasn't committing a hit and run offense. It was an accident in a crowded situation. The driver immediately got out of the car to attend to the child before help arrived.

The driver was Hispanic. The mob was mostly black from the Juneteenth rally. Remember the L.A. riots some years ago when the motorist was pulled from his truck and beat to a pulp? Think that.

The Austin Police Department are downplaying the incident, for whatever reason.

This blogger I read states the problem is rampant hatred of Hispanics in our country. She states the incident brings to her mind thoughts of the Holocaust.

Wow. What history class did I miss? Maybe it's time for a field trip to a Holocaust museum. We have a magnificent one here in Houston that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Our museum tells the complete story of the Holocaust. I have learned facts both times I have visited. They also have exhibits of Rwanda's genocide. That would be in line with the Holocaust, historically speaking.

We might also want to remember that the Jews were murdered on the basis of their religion, not because of their country of origin. Blurring the lines doesn't move the debates forward.

No mention of this tragedy implied racial bias brought on the brutality. Does she assume black people are rounding up Hispanics and murdering them? No mention of any one's legal status in our country was brought into the report either.

It's a common alarmist comment, this Nazi stuff, isn't it? Particularly when a Republican is in the White House. Since his inauguration we have heard the constant thread of criticism that President Bush is a Nazi, conservatives are Nazis, brown shirts, marching in lockstep. All to conjure up thoughts of Nazi Germany.

As Jon Stewart of the Daily Show fame, no conservative, chastised a guest not so long ago, "No, only Hitler was Hitler".

Why claim it is all about rampant hate for Hispanics? Seems to me if the hatred was rampant, Nazi style, we would read of daily murders solely because the victim was originally from Mexico, central or South America.

I now remember why I stopped reading that blog.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Mao Is My Bag

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go". So said T.S. Eliot.

Do you think ditzy actress Cameron Dias has learned that lesson the hard way now? Seems the world traveling Dias offended her Peruvian hosts in Machu Picchu when she chose to accessorize her fact finding wardrobe with an olive colored bag decorated with the Red Star design and Mao's quote "Serve the People" painted in Chinese. Oops. Cam, there to participate in a tv show celebrating Peru's culture, a Canadian production focusing on young community leaders in the world, evidently didn't do her homework on the filming location. The Peruvians suffered massacres, assassinations and bombings at the hands of insurgent Maoists, known as the Shining Path, back in the 1980 and 1990's. It is estimated that 70,000 were killed.

One of those sorta, kinda apologies was issued on her behalf yesterday via a statement emailed to the Associated Press. "I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended. The bag was a purchase I made as a tourist in China and I did not realize the potentially hurtful nature of the slogan printed on it," she said. "I'm sorry for any people's pain and suffering and it was certainly never my intention to reopen what I now know is a painful wound in this country's history and wish for their continued healing," she said.

What a twit. Why is it so hard for public personalities to issue a true apology today? Why didn't she say, "I'm sorry, I had a mistake"? Instead it's all about if people are offended by how they took her accessory as a statement. She makes the people out to be mistaken by such a non-apology. She should have said she's sorry she's so ignorant. Traveling while stupid. She was truly surprised by the reaction of the human rights activists criticizing her.

Seems to me if she is going to travel the world with cameras to document her world culture education, she should at least read up a bit on the history of the culture she is to be observing. Seems like the point of learning about other cultures and the big ole world out there is to have her realize everything is not all about her. Her handlers should have advised her better on wardrobe.

The 'progressives' just don't get it. There is no glamour in Communism or Socialism. Both are systems of oppression and brutality for 'the people' and those very people enamoured with these governments are the ones who would be first to be persecuted. There is no freedom of expression or free speech in these governments.

The New York Times ran an article about the death of Vilma Espin, the wife of acting dictator of Cuba, Raul Castro. She's described as "an idealist socialite who fought alongside Fidel and Raul Castro in the mountains of Cuba and later, as Raul Castro's wife, became a prominent advocate of women's rights and a powerful member of the Cuban Communist Party". Wow. Cuba is not known as a place of any human rights at all and here we are to believe Espin promoted women's rights. Yeah, ok.

I have a suggestion to Cameron Dias, Danny Glover, Cindy Sheehan and all the other Che t-shirt wearing, Cuba vacationing, Chavez supporters: listen to Maria Conchita Alonzo. She's a celeb, they could relate on that level. She's a former Miss Venezuela. Her family escaped Cuba and Castro when she was a child, immigrating to Venezuela. She was the keynote speaker of the Latino Coalition 2007 Summit in D.C. earlier this year. She made headlines for criticizing Chavez for"anti-democratic practices and terrorist-encouraging rhetoric" when such a speech should have been taken for granted. I find it odd that sticking up for democracy and freedom for people is newsworthy in today's America. What does that say about her colleagues in Hollywood and the typical ugly talking celebrity?

Sunday, June 24, 2007

On Horseback

Have you heard of Texas EquuSearch? Most recently they were in the news for searching for the young pregnant mom in Ohio, now determined to be dead. They are originally from Galveston county here in Texas and the founder is Tim Miller.

Mr. Miller knows about searching for a missing loved one. He experienced the worst scenario himself, back in 1984. His daughter, Laura Miller was abducted and murdered at the age of 16.

Texas EquuSearch was started up in 2000 as a non-profit organization, supported solely by donations of members and surrounding communities. Their speciality is the ability to search wooded areas and rural settings on horseback. The volunteers are mostly experienced horse owners.

How cool is that? Searching for lost loved ones on horseback. They ask for no money from the families that ask for help. You may have heard of them during the Natalee Holloway search in Aruba. They have acquired more and more sophisticated equipment and can now do water searches using the latest technology.

Tim Miller is a soft spoken, humble man. He is a hero.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Random

Janie, over at www.soundingforth.blogspot.com, tagged me with a meme asking for seven random facts about me. It's time to do it, since I said I would.

1. I am the oldest of 3 girls. My poor father. One sibling 16 months younger, one 7 years.
2. My major course of study in college was political science and my minor was in English.
3. I graduated from high school a semester early.
4. My first car was a baby blue colored Mercury comet, shared with my sister. Daddy paid.
5. I attended college in Atlanta.
6. My husband and I met on a blind date. Arranged by his mother.
7. I have a head full of useless knowledge. I love trivia challenges.

There ya go. I am supposed to tag seven people, but I'll just invite whoever wants to participate to jump right in. It's summer and seems lots of folks are taking breaks and blogging lightly.

The heat is on.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Lipstick on a Pig

I'm able to take the opportunity to send along kudos to a Democrat this morning and that is a pleasant surprise. I know it's a political calculation on the Senator's part, being from a fairly purple state and all, but I'll plunge ahead with a leap of faith.

Senator Claire McCaskill from Missouri has spoken. She says she will vote against cloture on the Amnesty bill disguised as immigration reform. Good for her. Usually her face sends me reaching for the channel clicker as she doesn't come off very well when questioned in interviews. She doesn't think quickly on her feet, in my opinion. She comes off rather thick, as the Brits say. And don't get me started over the pandering with Michael J. Fox and stem cell research so that she could win her seat. Christopher Reeves will stand and walk again, remember that outlandish claim by the Dems supporting Hollywood's insistance on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research? Just say anything for a vote.

Congress has an approval rating at 14% now. An all time low in the polls. Even President Bush's numbers are better than that. And, you know, he's the devil.

We observe creepy voiced Harry Reid being led over the side of the cliff by allowing Chuckie Schumer to set the agenda and insist it's all about picking up additional seats in 2008. Reid continues to speak inappropriately for someone in a leadership position: the President is a liar remark made to school kids in Nevada, the war is lost, Republicans are obstructing legislation (THAT one so rich I can't believe it, after the past years of the Dems using obstruction as their only solution to anything), Republicans are only beholden to special interests (again so rich , as his 3 sons and one son in law are all lobbyists and have aided him on the very profitable land deals he's made in Nevada) and so forth.

Nancy Pelosi, aka Grandma Mimi, is having difficulties of her own. Remember her promise to clean the swamp? Well, instead of dealing with earmark reform, she has renamed them. She is demanding that adult children be allowed to travel with their congressional parent on the taxpayer's dime if the congress person's spouse isn't available to travel. There's the demand for the larger jet for her and all her family and staff to travel on back and forth to California. The claim that the congress will work full weeks is long gone, with a schedule for 2007 containing 20 weeks off and weeks of working Tuesday thru Thursday.

To be sure, the abuses are on both sides of the aisle. The Republicans were in control of Congress long enough for them to pick up the bad habits established by the 40 plus year dominance of the Democrats before the Republican revolution. A big difference, however, is when the Republicans came into power in 1994, Newt Gingrich had a ten point plan and accomplished the agenda in fairly short order. Changes were made in those first years and held. Grandma Mimi mimicked this with her own first 100 hours plan. So far the only accomplishment is raising the minimum wage.

The problem lies in the fact that for the Dems to take back Congress, they had to overreach on the promises and pledges. The American voter, starving for a change of course in D.C. bought into the whole routine and now they are waking up and putting facts together. Pelosi is not the sharpest intellect in D.C. She is kinda scary with all the plastic surgery, but that's just a personal observance for me. Her Armani suits are lovely. Yet she has overplayed her role. She feels entitled to do foreign policy diplomacy, traveling to countries like Syria, misrepresenting Israel's positions to its neighbors, and posing, smiling with murdering dictators. No, not George Bush. Real murdering dictators. A congressman from the midwest is now proposing legislation restricting in writing her ability to covort with the sworn killers of Americans and if she violates it, she'll be charged with violations worthy of the Logan Act. We have a State Department, thanks Grandma.

So, kudos to Senator McCaskill, for now. She has made the right decision for her country regardless of the true reasoning behind it. Standing up to Teddy, the swimmer, Kennedy and his history of pushing immigration reform every 21 years, beginning in 1965, has brought us to the mess we're in now. Kennedy is consistently shown to be on the wrong side of history and this time is no different.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Summer is Here

Happy First Day of Summer. And, yes, it's hot enough for me. I'll hear that question in passing about a bazillion times before summer's passed.

I saw Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees fame on tv the other day. He was being asked what he thought of "I'm a Believer" being in the running for the Hillary campaign theme song. He was definitely underwhelmed by that thought. He said "Believer" is a love song and had nothing to do with anything political. He suggested another song title and it was not a polite suggestion. Not a fan of her highness. The whole theme song concoction is lame. Just like her 'let's chat' campaign announcement. I don't care how much her Hollywood pals put her into warm and fuzzy staging, it doesn't fly with her.

And, she picked a song sung by a Canadian.

Yesterday, after President Bush's announcement that he will veto the embryonic stem cell legislation, Hillary said as President she will lift the ban. Problem with her promise is, of course, that there is no ban on embryonic stem cell research. Her husband, Slick Willie, put the ban on it though. President Bush lifted it. He said all along, however, that he will not support federal dollars going to it. There is lots of that research being done, with no fruitful results unfortunately, but it is done in the private sector, as it should be done.

The energy bill didn't get much steam under it in the Senate. Why? Well, it was all about adding taxes and taking tax breaks away from the evil Big Oil. All about goodies for special interest groups lobbying for alternative fuel sources. Evidently the other special interest groups are more in line with the Dems instead of the oil lobby. But don't ask Teddy, the swimmer, Kennedy or John Kerry to allow the wind mills to be put offshore in the waters surrounding their estates. No, no, don't obstruct any of their lovely views.

Refinery capacity increases were knocked out of consideration. No new plans for oil drilling or production. The bill was never about solutions, or even any ideas, just taxes.

A company that was to establish the first large wind farm off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico has scrapped the project. Too expensive, not cost efficient at all. They will continue with plans for inland projects, though.

As Dogbert of the Dilbert comic strip said yesterday: "You can't save the earth unless you're willing to make other people sacrifice". It's always other people.

A new poll verifies previous poll results that 9 out of 10 journalists working within the media contribute money to Democrats. Shocking, I know. Good to see a little light shone on that, though. Bias, what bias?

BBC has been cited by its own researchers for being too biased against the war on terror, especially the war in Iraq, too accepting of current fads in popular thought, too accepting on the idea of global warming, too enthralled with celebrities and their opinions and too unwilling to get out of their own little comfort zones. Wow. Did you realize the BBC is taxpayer funded? Yep. It's like NPR or PBS. No bias there, either.

Do you think taxpayer funded conservative points of view would survive for any time at all? They think if they deny bias then it doesn't exist. Repeating false statements doesn't make them true, no matter how many times the statements are repeated.

According to WWLTV.com, Ellenese Brooks-Simms, the former Orleans Parish School Board President, has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from a local businessman to promote and approve software education programs in the parish schools. The accepted bribes amount to $140,000 and the unnamed businessman received a contract worth $900,000 for the program. Both of them used several bank accounts to mask the transactions.

The unnamed businessman? According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, sources claim it is Mose Jefferson, brother of Congressman William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson now under indictment for bribery in relationship to Nigerian business dealings.

He ain't heavy, he's his brother.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Choices

Life is full of choices, isn't it? Every day, from start to finish, we all make choices in the form of decisions made and actions taken, conscious or not. Sometimes the choices made are difficult, take a little pondering. Sometimes the choice is an easy one and leaps out at you with very little thought.

Yesterday, for lunch, my husband found a little place serving Vietnamese food. He tried it and enjoyed it, mostly because tripe was on the menu. To me, that is a disgusting choice of food. He, on the other hand, enjoys it from time to time. As a frequent world traveler, it behooves him to be an adventurous eater.

My husband is a person who has never met a stranger in his life. He enjoys striking up a conversation with whomever is sitting next to him, anyone within polite conversing range. Yesterday at this little lunch place he was seated next to a table of three men. Turns out one of the men was a soldier, about to be re-deployed to Afghanistan. When it was time to pay the bill for the table, my husband voiced a desire to buy the soldier his lunch. He politely thanked him and refused the offer. His friends had it taken care of, in one bill for the table combined. He was surprised my husband wanted to buy a stranger's lunch. My husband told the soldier it was the very least he could do for someone traveling across the globe for his family, a second time. The very least.

Good choice.

Some news continues of the travels of failed former president, Jimma Carter. Seems he's been in Ireland, trolling for funds for his foundation. He scored an agreement from the Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs to provide $600,000 euros over the next three years to support "election monitoring and democratic reform." To secure the financial windfall, Carter was happy to bash our country abroad, again. While still at war, Carter resorted to the bad choice of claiming the U.S. has lost its leadership in human rights post 9/11. This from the man who brought about our current predicament in the war on terror by his poor choices while in the oval office.

He bashed the Bush administration who is showing support for Fatah in Palestine over Hamas. He supports Hamas. This is a difficult choice for our country but the lesser of two evils. That is what some difficult decisions amount to in life. Sometimes it is the lesser of two evils.

Carter, as usual, chose wrong. Again.

Hamas is a terrorist organization, as is Fatah. Hamas, however, boldly continues to state that the party will never, never recognize Israel and will continue to hold the destruction of Israel as its mission. The U.S. is left to offer help to Fatah, and President Abbas, in order to help protect Israel. The choice was helped along, certainly, as stories of the brutality of the Hamas thugs filtered out in the media. The thugs were, among other actions, forcing boys as young as 12 to the roof of a multi-story building with bound hands and taped mouths and pushing them to death. They are not troubled by killing their own fellow Palestinians. It's all about their blood thirsty quest for taking over the territory and then destroying Israel, with the help of their partners in Syria and Iran.

The choice becomes quite easy if Israel is threatened next.

I listened to two different experts in foreign affairs last night. Both said basically the same thing. One was a former terrorist now living in the U.S. and writing about the issue of peace in the region. The other was an Israeli diplomat. The conclusion both came to in these separate interviews was the same. Sometimes the enemy of freedom must be killed. As with the new offensive in Iraq, the enemy must be killed, no longer just pushed out of the area of conflict. Just killed. It's harsh to our ears, I know, but it is war and we must fight to win. Anything less is a waste of blood and treasure. We must let the soldiers do their job. Get out of their way and let them go. All the politically correct waging of war is costing too many lives.

Michael Yon has a new post up on his site. Still embedded in Iraq, he knew of the current new campaign in Iraq to kill al-Queda in the outlying areas of Baghdad before it began. He was given a heads up, if you will. He chose to honor his professional and personal commitment to the soldiers and not report on the mission until it was already underway. His kind of integrity is a welcome change of pace from those in the media bound and determined to support our defeat in Iraq. He is convinced from previous missions in Iraq that General Petraeus is the man for the mission. He points out the Defense Department's previous errors and missed opportunities and how Petraeus should have been in charge a long time ago. He thinks Petraeus can still be successful there, even with all the cards stacked against him both there and at home. It's a fascinating read. Go check it out.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Helpful Helpers

It's tough getting good staff these days, isn't it? Angelina Jolie blaming her representatives for denying some of the members of the press access to her wonderful self while she promotes a story of a journalist who died for freedom of the press, but no one said she was educated. And, I'm quite sure she never expected to be criticized for her vanity and arrogance. Senator Webb blaming his aide for the gun incident at the Capitol, finally coming clean that of course it was his gun, after he let the aide sit in jail over the incident. After he remained silent as to his ownership of the gun. There's a stand up kind of guy.

The problem comes into play with people in the spotlight, doing good deeds, when they start to feel entitled. Entitled to more. More perks, if you will. Elected officials become arrogant, expecting monetary gain, world travel and special treatment. They forget they work for us, the taxpayer. Once out of power, there are book deals, corporate boards on which to sit, lobbying firms enticing you with sweet employment packages.

Celebrities forget the very people they criticize may have purchased tickets to their movies which made them incredibly wealthy and free to live the good life. Do they really think only those on one side of the political aisle buy tickets to movies?

President Clinton, starting off retirement from public office as a man in debt, not even owning his own home, and now is worth about $50 million. Before they were officially out of the White House, Hillary had the commitment of an $8 million book deal and Bill's promise to put her into the Senate, then the White House herself. So far so good. She feels entitled to all of it because Bill has been a public servant all of his professional life. That means, of course, living off taxpayers but never mind. She even became a partner at the law firm in Little Rock because of his career. Her claim of intellectual superiority? Not so much. Like everything else of these two people, all hype. Or, as is said in Texas, all hat no cattle.

Hillary's current outrage against 'big business', like big oil? Well, seems she and Bill have lots of millions worth of stock in companies like WalMart, oil, and pharmaceuticals. Yeah, we're shocked. WalMart, on whose board she sat for many years, collecting payment for her service to them, is now attacked by the likes of her as an unfit employer. The oil companies she now insists do not deserve tax breaks to continue operating? Lots of money made of them by these two. And I wonder how Hillary's socialized medicine works into her drug stocks?

Barack Obama, showing his rookie status again, claims he won't do negative campaigning because he's all about a new tone in Washington. Then a commercial is released where he refers to Hillary as the senator from India because of her campaign contributions. Oops. A little negative, not to mention racist and is now on the outs with Indian voters.

He blames his staff for the commercial.

It's just hard to get good help these days.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Water, Water Everywhere

Every single day for the past week has brought afternoon and early evening thunderstorms. We've had intense thunder, hail, lightning, streets flooding, the whole enchilada. We have a continuance of this pattern to look forward to again this week.

Yes, I am on sinus medication.

We stayed in for Father's Day due to the nastiness outdoors. I grilled steaks and the day was very quiet.

The son began a summer school class this morning. It's a concentrated class, which means he sits there from 8:00 to 1:00 and finishes the course in 2 weeks time. It's the second semester pre-cal course. Poor kid got my math genes. His father is a math and science genius so he doesn't relate to us at all about this.

Next month he makes up a Chemistry class. Don't go there.

The immigration reform bill will be back in play in the upcoming days. It's been interesting watching and listening to those on both sides. Late last week Senator Trent Lott, D-MS, decided to be the conservative basher du jour. He decided to bash talk radio and it's listeners. He claims talk radio is running the country. Would that it were true. Too bad he's forgotten the same talk radio hosts he is busy criticizing now are the same who passionately defended him when he made his politically incorrect, albeit innocent, remark during the birthday gathering of Strom Thurmond. More importantly, too bad he's forgotten for whom he works.

Conservatives are not against immigration. Conservatives are against illegal immigration. It's not a difficult concept to grasp. Follow the laws all ready in place. Close and secure the borders, both north and south. Distribute tamper proof id cards for all those entering this country.

Simply know who is here.

The argument I don't understand is the one stating we have to let the illegal immigrants come out of the shadows. Well, I don't know about where you live, but here everyone is quite free to roam in the sunlight.

This massive legislation is just wrong. It was developed in secret by a self-appointed group of Senators headed up by Teddy, the swimmer, Kennedy. That alone is a big enough red flag for me. The committee process was abandoned. Amendments on the Senate floor were curtailed, especially by the Republican minority.

It's just wrong.

The fines will not be paid. The touch back provision requiring them to go back to the home country for a year is a joke. The paperwork for those applying the legal way is so backed up that a massive onset of more paperwork will further muck up the system. It would be better to simply do nothing than to enact all that is in this legislation. We should take it a step at a time.

One foot in front of the other. Slow and steady.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Cake and Justice

Yesterday, my birthday not wedding anniversary!, was a good day. Chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream frosting and the old fashioned kind of roses, one pink one blue, and piping for decoration. Yellow piping. It's delicious and I intend to eat more tonight. I can hear my arteries slamming shut.

This afternoon I went to lunch with my dear childhood friend. Her treat. I ate the comfort food I cherish best, fried Gulf shrimp. Complimentary bread pudding for the birthday girl from the restaurant.

Does life get any better, in the culinary way?

Tomorrow, Father's Day, we will take the husband out for the steak of his choice. I hope we can all decide on a movie to go to see. I'm voting for the new Nancy Drew movie, my childhood hero, but I am meeting much resistance. Guys.

I was watching as the decision to disbar Mike Nifong, of Duke Lacrosse players fame, came down. I think that's the least he deserves. He's been proven to be the very worst of politicians. He was using his venue, the criminal justice system, as his campaign strategy.

Who isn't impressed with the young men now forever tagged with the notoriety of this case? They have shown themselves to be well-spoken, intelligent and graceful under fire. Their parents have done a fine job with them.

So, where's the apology from the President of Duke University? Where's the apology from the 88 Duke professors who took out the full page ad in the newspaper to declare the young men guilty before they even had a day in court? There's the downside to the liberal takeover of today's college campuses in full view. Blame the students. Why? Because they were white, because they were athletic, because they were from successful families? Was the woman automatically innocent because she was black, because she was a poor, single mother stripping for a living? Why was she the immediate sympathetic victim? Her partner in stripping immediately came out saying the alleged victim was lying about it all.

But it was a political season for the DA and he was to milk it within the black community. A Democrat, he was counting on the black community to help him in a narrowly contested political campaign. His opponent, a popular woman lawyer, was neck and neck with Nifong in the polls right up to the election. Nifong used race, class, and gender wedges and won the election.

And, what does that say about the black community? Blindly vote for a Democrat no matter what? Let the party continue to take you for granted and use you for votes?

And when is enough enough with charlatans like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? Both run down to stir the pot. Jackson declares he'll pay for the stripper's college education. The New Black Panther party goes there and yells death threats to the students, trying to incite violence. How does any of this move the racial problems in this country forward?

I know better than to wait for those apologies to run in a newspaper.

Friday, June 15, 2007

June 15, 2007



Bonne Anniversaire a moi.


Cake for everyone.


Adult libations optional.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

A Salute to Old Glory

Happy Flag Day. "What the flag means to me" was the name of an essay for school children in Wisconsin in 1885. That was the beginning of a movement to declare a day for celebrating our national symbol of freedom, our American flag. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson declared it a national day of observance. Why was June 14 chosen? On June 14, 1777 Congress determined how the American flag would look, that's why.

We fly Old Glory everyday, out in front of our house. I've done it since 9/11/01, when our world changed. I have an American flag that was flown over an American military base in Afghanistan and it is folded and being kept for our son to have to remember our military response. A certificate commemorating it is signed by the military members who sent it to us. It is priceless.

Sometimes a little worse for the wear and tear, our flag has withstood much. It has even suffered the indignity of hateful sorts burning it in protest. Some of us have felt the impact of the flag being a site for sore eyes in a foreign land. The haters usually don't have much experience of world travel or they would appreciate what the American flag truly represents.

Lately I've pondered some of the differences of opinions about the freedoms afforded to Americans. Some declare with certainty that our freedoms, our 'rights', have diminished during this time in history. I don't fall victim to this line of thought. I think necessary steps have been taken while preserving our status as the most free of nations. I expect no less.

Yesterday I saw a reporter from a large liberal newspaper in the northeast discussing her thoughts on Gitmo and the recent ruling of the 4th Circuit Court on the scaling back of Executive decisions made concerning detainees. The one ruling on the person of suspicion being held in South Carolina was the topic briefly. This person, it was ruled, must be charged or released. I think this ruling will be overturned on appeal as the other two such rulings have been, but the 'reporter' didn't bother to include that line of thought in her answers to questions. She obviously is of the opinion that detaining enemies of our country, those who plot to kill us, is too extreme. I was struck by her lack of understanding of the dangers faced by our country. No, she hadn't even been to Gitmo yet she didn't hesitate to call for its closing and to criticize its operations. Nevermind that hundreds of news organizations from around the world that have gone there and determined it is run with decency and humanitarian standards. Nevermind that the International Red Cross visits regularly and determined it is operating properly for human rights.

This reporter was smug and snide in her remarks and did not present herself in a good light. The very American soldiers that she criticized, yes, the soldiers, not the Administration alone, that continue to serve and allow her the freedom to criticize them, don't have the luxury of sitting in an air conditioned tv studio and bloviating on how the country should be run.

Does she stop and show a little respect on Flag Day, I wonder?

I've pondered a contrast in generations of Hollywood elites recently. A father/daughter of Hollywood, Jon Voight and Angelina Jolie, are a case to study. The father totally gets the struggles facing our country and the dangers of the post 9/11 world. He supports the war on terror. He is not afraid to speak up.

The daughter, however, is of another way of thinking. She is of the opinion her freedoms outweigh the freedoms of others. She's special. She flies around the globe, buying children from different countries for her own little rainbow coalition to prove how wonderful she is, yet, when given a project like the Danny Pearl story, she shows her true colors. You may remember Pearl was beheaded at the hands of Islamofacists in Pakistan while researching the story of the Shoe Bomber for the Wall Street Journal. His wife, a beautiful French woman of mixed ethnic heritage, wrote a book about her husband and their life together as journalists out in the world. Jolie plays the wife, Mariana, and focuses on the love story aspect of their life together.

However, at the premiere, she demanded Fox News not be allowed to be in attendance and that the other journalists and entertainment writers sign contracts to only ask about the movie, not her personal life. Sign contracts. No said to the entertainment writer for the most watched cable news network. What's she afraid of? Her precious Brad Pitt was there as executive producer and didn't voice opposition to such tyranny. I understand the AP and others just took a pass. Good for them, for a change.

I would guess from such arrogant behavior, Jolie is a supporter of the Fairness Doctrine which would put an end to the freedom of talk radio. If the left can't get its way, well, they'll just shut it down. There's your freedom of speech at work.

I'm guessing there is no American flag raised at her house.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Sticks and Stones

Over the weekend, one of the few remaining good guys on the left side of the aisle uttered a bit of honest thought and sent the rest of his party into full blown hissy fit. Senator Joe Lieberman, now with an I after his name instead of the previous D, said if all else fails the option of bombing Iran should be used. Talk about a bombshell being uttered.

The usual suspects responded with righteous indignation, hoping to jump into the fray. And now on a popular left leaning blog, Wesley Clark responds by calling Lieberman a 'chickenhawk'. Wow. How's that for a mature response? Who wrote that line for him? It's so 2004.

Retired General Wesley Clark went to work for CNN after his time in the military was over. He was persuaded by the kids there that he was a real player in the world of politics and he should run for president. So, he did. Clark is nothing if not a true egomaniac. He changed over to the Democrat party and hit the first primary states. He got nowhere fast and we know the rest.

So, now that it's time for a new presidential election season, Clark wants to audition of a job in the next administration. I'm guessing Secretary of Defense as he did with Kerry, but maybe Secretary of State. Colin Powell he's not.

Clark thinks we forget his only claim to fame is as part of Clinton's grand adventure into Kosovo. It should be noted we were successfully working with the Russian troops there, they as in a peacekeeping role. Clark almost single handedly jump started the Cold War all over again when he directed British military to intervene when the Russians began to occupy the airport to safeguard the area and use it as a base of operations. Fortunately the British General spoke up and Clark's unbelievably poor judgement was averted. Clark strutted around and barked orders while telling everyone within earshot how tough and in charge he was. As I've said before, if someone has to tell you...

About a month later, Clark was relieved of his NATO Commander position and retired. Since then, through his public speeches and punditry, we learn of his disdain of Jews and how he will pander to anyone he believes will advance his political ambitions.

Including calling a man of unquestionable integrity, Joe Lieberman, a chickenhawk.

Did I mention he is now funded by George Soros? Yes. And he's a military 'expert' on Fox News now, too.

The powers that be in Tehran confirm that four U.S.-Iranian dual citizens are being detained. A California businessman is under investigation for national security violations in Tehran. He disappeared from Tehran's international airport on May 8 en route to returning to the U.S., where he has lived since the 1970's.

Haleh Esfandiari is being held after trying to return from a visit with her 93 year old mother. She is a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, D.C.

A social scientist, Kian Tajbakhsh and Parnaz Azima, a correspondent for Radio Farda are also held. Radio Farda is funded by the U.S.

So, that's two men and two women so far. One of the men is an employee of George Soros and there as a peace activist. Frankly, I'm more concerned about the others. Soros is a bad man and those who associate themselves with his operations and philosophy are no friend of democracy.

Another American, Robert Levinson, is believed to be held hostage in Iran. He is a former FBI agent and has been missing since March 8 from a business trip. The State Department has made five requests for information on his case and they feign ignorance of his disappearance.

Maybe Clark could ask Jimma Carter for some guidance about foreign policy with Iran.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Zero Sum Gain

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." A mere 20 years ago today that those words were spoken in a speech delivered by President Ronald Reagan at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Remember how shocked the critics were that the President would have such nerve as to speak honestly?

Today a President with big ideas on freedom around the world is hounded by the media and the hateful left as a warmonger and a liar and an idiot. No more national unity on the big stuff. Just politics. Lots of petty, small minds out there. Twenty years ago seems like light years away from today. The haters have their freedom. Screw the others. They can fend for themselves. Except for Darfur. Because George Clooney and Angelina Jolie say so.

I heard an expression earlier today - 'zero sum gain'. The theory that one side must lose for the other to win. It was spoken by Christine Todd Whitman, the former governor of New Jersey and the EPA Secretary during the first of President George W's administrations. She is currently working within an organization, co-led by an original founder of Greenpeace, and they are starting the discussion on the use of nuclear energy for future needs of our country. Like France and Japan.

The subject of the current consensus of the G8 nations on agreements concerning global warming was a topic discussed with her. She spoke of the wisdom of the Senate vote during Clinton's administration as they voted unanimously to take a pass on the Kyoto agreement. The European countries that took it on are all failing to meet the requirements and deadlines, as was predicted. Plus the new agreements will now include standards for China and India and other leaders in global pollution. Kyoto conveniently excluded them.

Did you know the state of Vermont is producing 70% of their energy needs using nuclear technology? Me neither. I thought that was really interesting. Being such a radically liberal state I think that is an interesting development for the environmentalists living there.

It's good the Senate is finally trying to get legislation passed on the President's energy policy. He first submitted an energy policy in 2002 yet no passage of anything noteworthy. Since global warming is the current crisis du jour, maybe everyone will pull together and do something good for a change. Maybe they'll put the country's best interests ahead of who gets credit for what. That would be a pleasant change of pace.

Scientists are still in flux about the causes of global warming, to be sure. Contrary to what Hollywood thinks, Al Gore is no expert. His 'research' is no more valid than that of others in the discussion. And he confesses to using exaggeration as a selling point of his thoughts. This is why the left fringes are not taken seriously. Laurie David is a nut. Her husband is divorcing her now. She was interviewed in a magazine I read recently and bragged about chasing down drivers of SUVs and screaming at them for driving the vehicle. So much for rational behavior. And the stunt on Karl Rove with Sheryl Crow in D.C. at the dinner? All about newspaper ink. Sheryl Crow has opted out of their friendship, I read. Laurie David is jealous that Crow is the more popular with the press of the two. Gee, I wonder why. You don't think Laurie David is using the issue for fawning press, do you?

These same people continue to live large, fly on personal jets, own huge mansions sucking up power and then tell all the regular, little people to make the sacrifices. That's why most people don't take them seriously. It's always about what is the popular cause of the day.

And, for the record, President Bush's ranch in Crawford Texas won hands down over Gore's big house in Tennessee for environment friendly design and implementation of an environmental friendly lifestyle.

When someone like Al Gore has to tell you how wonderful he is, he's probably not. Christine Todd Whitman was skewered by the left after the 9/11 rescue workers began showing signs of illness from air quality immediately after the attack. She pointed out that she tried to insist the workers wear filter masks. Some refused.

Al Gore has made another personal fortune as an 'expert' on the environment. Funny how that happens. President Bush can be blamed for scads of decisions and policy mistakes over the course of the past 6 years. Personally destroying the environment isn't one of them.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Monday's Musings

What is that playing off to my right, over on the coffee table, you ask? It's the husband's smallest computer, his tablet style, which is playing the live feed of the astronauts spacewalk to do their work. It's the NASA channel's feed and goes from showing the work, up close and personal with audio, and back to the control center here in Houston.

Geeks make the best husbands. He's gone off to bed and left it running for me. I think it is so stinkin' cool, I can't stand it. The things we can witness now thanks to advances in technology blows my mind.

So, who's the most unflappable man on the planet? Today's nod goes to Karzai in Afghanistan. He was giving a speech and the Taliban thought they'd launch a few rockets his way. They whiz by him, about 200 yards away and he tells the audience, no just sit back down. And he continues. Just another day at the office.

So, who's got lower poll numbers than President Bush, Dick Cheney, and Scooter Libbey? That would be Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The guy with the creepy voice. Even Dennis Miller mentioned his voice while he was ripping Harry a new one over the weekend during his pundit bit. So, my opinion of his mealy mouth is vindicated.

Turns out the American people aren't quite as gullible as Harry thought them to be. It's karma, dude. As long as Harry is taking marching orders from the likes of Chuckie Schumer (NY) and Dick "Gulags" Durbin (IL), well, that's what'll happen. He allowed them to convince him to shut down the illegal immigration reform work, not even bothering to do the work in the committees before bringing it to the Senate floor to ram it through, then Harry actually blamed President Bush for failing to get the legislation through. That's quite a feat.

Today, Harry showed his usual sense of the pulse of the American people. Not. He actually allowed Chuckie Schumer to introduce a non-binding resolution to give a vote of no confidence to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Poor Harry is a bit confused. He forgot we're the country that began by breaking away from the Parliamentary system in England.

So, there's Harry's leadership in a nutshell. Non-binding. The resolution didn't even get enough votes to go to the floor for a vote. Losers. In fact Grandma Mimi's poll numbers are in line with Harry's, too.

"This is all about partisan politics. Nobody is being fooled." That's what Senator Trent Lott said during his time on the floor, giving his opinion of the resolution. I guess cheap, ineffective non-binding resolutions are more urgent than working out the problem of the 14 million illegal immigrants in this country, the open borders, the energy policy (which was scheduled after the resolution) or any number of pressing issues facing our country. You know, all the issues the Dems pledged to magically solve once they were back in control of Congress.

Yeah, and how's that anti-corruption pledge going?

Karma, dude.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Woke Up This Morning, Got Yourself A Gun

Did you watch the final episode of The Sopranos tonight? We did. I have to say it reinforced my decision to stop watching about two seasons ago. Tonight's episode left me thinking, meh. No big deal. The guys liked it, though. They've continued to be fans all along.

Yesterday brought a big ceremony to honor the newest guided missile destroyer to the fleet - the USS Kidd was in port at Galveston. It is named for the Admiral of the USS Arizona, attacked at Pearl Harbor. The completion of the destroyer was delayed about a year, due to damages suffered during Hurricane Katrina.

A group of women began meeting once a month at Lakewood United Methodist Church here in Houston with the purpose of quilting about seven years ago. You may have seen the church on tv sometime. It is a huge place, one of those megachurches you see stories about. The pastor, Joel Osteen, took over the church leadership from his father who started the church. It has grown leaps and bounds and is now located in a former athletic arena. Osteen is the best selling author of one book on faith and has a couple more on the way to being released.

This program at the church, one of tons of programs available, is called Prayers and Squares and it is known as a quilting ministry. They've made nearly 2,500 prayer quilts for sick babies, adults and those need. The women use an assembly line method with 35 to 40 sewing machines set up and ready for use when the quilting volunteers arrive.

Each quilt is sent off with a note, a prayer enclosed, and the church's name. The notes state: "We have prayed for you and asked God to protect and comfort you. May you feel His nearness and the loving presence of His peace.

The quilts are made of 100 percent cotton fabric and most of it is donated to the project. Since March, Prayers and Squares has made 165 quilts for wounded soldiers in Texas hospitals, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"I understand why we are there, and I support our troops and our president, but these injured soldiers need our help. If we can give them one little thing...if we can put our arms around them and love them...that's what these prayer quilts are doing. And it's what God wants us to do." So said one quilter who feels the project is her calling.

Lakewood is an Evangelical Christian church. Remember when a certain loud-mouth bully on a network morning chat show stated that Evangelical Christians were just as dangerous as Islamofacists? I don't know. When I think of Islamofacists I don't have a vision of a quilt in my mind.

Maybe it's just me.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

The Excitement is Killing Me

This has been one of those funky days where it's been hard for me to get motivated about much of anything. Went to the grocery store this afternoon on the hunt for steaks and let me tell you it was 95 degrees out there today. Heaven help me.

That's been it today. The excitement is electric, right? At least the guys got some things done today. And they took a swim before dinner.

Last night the husband and I watched the space shuttle Atlantis take off on the NASA channel. It was a nice coincidence that he was able to come home a little early and enjoy it while unwinding and sipping a cold beer before dinner. It was a really great experience. I felt a little of the old excitement as it lifted off, plus the channel was showing some really great shots of the launch. Something fun that NASA does for its employees is to open up an auditorium with a huge movie screen in it and the families of the employees get to go watch it from NASA, too. Then when the launch is over, they all stand and applaud like the control room does. It's fun to watch.

I think with all the problems NASA has experienced this year, this launch will be a morale booster. I hope so, I want the program to get bigger and better, not downsize.

A strange story in the newspaper yesterday caught my attention. Seems a 10 year old Yorkie terrier was stolen during a home burglary. The owner's computer and jewelry were taken from her house. The back door and gate were left open so she is hoping the dog, Joey, ran away instead of being snatched.

The twist is that the victim of the theft is the Citizens For Animal Protection's community outreach director. Joey is a stand-in spokesdog for the shelter. All three pounds of him. The article said that the only witnesses to the crime were Moonbeam and Mr. Magoo, the two cats who share the house with Joey and the owner.

They're not talking.

There's a cash reward for Joey.

Friday, June 08, 2007

No Gracias

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." - Howard Beale. From the movie, "Network", 1976

The immigration reform bill was kicked to the curb last night and may resurface a little further into this legislative session. Good riddance to bad rubbish. How did we get here?

It all began when a small group of senators began meeting in secret with lobbyists, the Chamber of Commerce, La Raza (being funded by George Soros), and others with their own selfish interests overruling the best interests for our country. Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama half-jokingly refers to these senators as The Masters of the Universe. Apropos.

There was such arrogance exercised in this agreement that the senators never even brought it before the Judicial Committee, or any other committee for that matter. At least when the 'reform' occurred in the 80's the legislation was taken to Judicial first.

The Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid, stated in his creepy sounding voice that he was only willing to spend two weeks on this legislation. Two weeks. And the Senate's idea of a work week is different from the regular folks' work week. That is mind boggling considering the scope and depth of this legislation. Also, the Republican amendments to be considered were limited.

Seven Republicans voted for the legislation. Twelve Democrats voted against it. Therefore, the bantering that it was those nasty Republicans that downed this bill is inaccurate. It was bi-partisan. Bi-partisan. The term we are suppose to embrace and work towards.

This secret reform bill was formed much like Hillary's health care reform debacle in the 1990's with much the same result. Legislation that is developed in secret and then rammed through by arrogant, "we know best for you and you'll take it whether you like it or not", is always met with refusal by the American people, once it comes to light.

The final clincher was felt when President Bush last week decided to chastise fellow Republicans by referring to them as racist and alarmists if they didn't go along with the program. How dare he. This is the same line of thought that brought us the Dubai port deal and Harriet Miers for nomination to the Supreme Court, for heavens sake.

No mas. The conservatives in this country have finally had enough and are shouting back loud and clear. Level headed Democrats are, too. It's a formidable coalition when it all comes together. We are no longer willing to sit back and let George Soros set his socialist agenda, financed with his substantial fortune, without a fight. Let Soros take his agenda back to Europe. Oh yeah, they don't want him there, either. Move on, George, we're on to you.

Power to the people.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Down the Drain

As I monitored C-SPAN yesterday with the immigration reform debacle, at times it was simply too irritating to continue. What with Harry Reid whining on the Senate floor that they would have to work late last night and today to get the pending amendments disposed with, and horror of horrors, they may actually have to work on Friday, too, you would think they were unpaid volunteers. I think with the more than generous compensation package awarded to these people, they would be too embarrassed to behave as slackers. He insisted on putting cloture up for a vote, originally slated for yesterday before the loyal opposition found their collective backbones and demanded to be heard through at least some of their amendments before Reid rammed the most extensive legislation in decades through the Senate, without benefit of committee hearings prior to coming to the floor for a vote. Need I remind you it was Teddy, the swimmer, Kennedy who began this push to change the demographics of America in 1965 as he was being upstaged by his older brother the president and his other older brother, the Attorney General, on civil rights? How's his grand ideas worked out so far?

One of the programs I watched from my taped assortment during a break from the illegal immigration irritation was a program on C-SPAN about the recent PBS series, America at the Crossroads, a themed series concerning the world post 9/11 and the world of Islam. Why would PBS want to silence moderate voices of Islam? That is the question.

As background, the series was a $20 million project of PBS consisting of 12 one hour documentaries on Islam today. Research and development grants were awarded to 35 out of 440 proposals submitted. Of the 35, 12 were chosen to be aired. However, only 11 of the 12 were actually aired. One was rejected and not shown with the rest of the series.

One documentary was blacklisted after submission. Yes, blacklisted in 2007, just like the bad old days in Hollywood. The name of the documentary is "Islam vs. Islamists" and it was made by three partners, one of whom is Frank Gaffney. Gaffney filled the role of co-executive producer. He was not involved in the writing of the narrative. It was his first film making venture. Gaffney is often criticized by the left as being one who pushes a conservative agenda. That's interesting since he is a Democrat. Since he founded the Center for Security Policy in 1988, an agency that strives for bi-partisan consensus on national security, it is assumed he must be a conservative. Talk about a fish out of water at PBS.

After rising to the level of selection as one of the 35 documentaries issued a development grant, there was a four month delay in the partners receiving the promised grant. That is when the discovery of the blacklisting occurred. The proposal was encountering opposition from some who wanted to edit and change it. Then the finished product was labeled as 'failing to meet their (PBS) standards', according to Gaffney. It was not aired. Again, because Gaffney and his partners would not allow their work to be edited and changed.

I'm sure it is just a coincidence that Gaffney's project was the only documentary, as it turns out, to be a true forum for the moderate voice of Islam. By balancing the radical agenda of the Islamofacists with moderate, professional Muslims like doctors, journalists and politicians, a more true picture is captured. This documentary shows the agenda of the Islamists as the political agenda striving to a totalitarian dominance of the free world. Islamists are much like the Nazi thugs in brown shirts pre-World War II. The Islamists are developing parallel societies with Sharia code as the governing force in European countries and we've all ready seen the problems with Islamic extremists in countries like France and England. Networks are establishing in America with the same goals in mind. In Sharia code, it is a violation of Islam to participate in democratic politics. Moderates are pronounced as non-Muslims and are issued death threats.

Gaffney hopes to one day have the freedom to show his documentary to the American public. At present time it is out of his hands. PBS spent $675,000 of taxpayer monies on this project and has no plans to air it. They have tossed him a small bone recently, however, as it all comes into the sunshine of the public light. They now have told him PBS may show it on 'off' hours, other than prime time programming. You know, like in the middle of the night. And certainly the documentary will not receive any publicity from them. The very liberal elitists at PBS are the exact same Americans the Islamists would kill first.

$675,000 of taxpayer money down the drain because of popular elitist thought. PBS may want to think all we have to do is try to be friends with the radical Muslim population and they will not harm us. How naive. What were we doing on 9/11, other than going to work, taking our children to school, going about our day?

Frank Gaffney began public service in 1975 by working for Scoop Jackson, a Democrat. Still a Democrat, he moved into the Reagan administration. Richard Perle, a Democrat at the time, is a former boss. Now Perle is assailed as a 'neoCon' and Gaffney suspects his previous professional association with him may have been the cause of the blacklisting. Who knows. PBS has no courage to be honest and open minded to the ways of the world. It's their way or the highway, which is also how the left characterizes the governing of President Bush.

The person who axed the showing of the documentary is Sharon Rockefeller, wife of Senator Jay Rockefeller. She is the President and CEO of WETA, D.C.'s PBS station behind the project.

Gaffney has a website: www.freethefilm.net and will keep it updated with any news on when the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, created by the Federal Government, which owns the distribution rights to the film, will allow it to be aired. Gaffney and his partners own the film but not the distribution rights.

Why would PBS want to silence moderate voices of Islam?

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Are We There Yet?

To bring a smile to your face and lighten your load a bit today, I will send you over to a website sure to tickle your funny bone. Do you like cats and silly spelling? Here's a winner for you: www.icanhascheezburger.com . My son, who inherited his parents' slightly warped senses of humor, sent me there some time ago and then in yesterday's newspaper an article about these sites spoke to their popularity. There are many variations of this site out there. Enjoy.

I watched bits of the Republican presidential debate last night. It was a snore and just too irritating to have 10 politicians standing on a stage being told to answer questions in 30 second or one minute sound bites. What's the point? That's what campaign commercials are for, if you ask me.

The dinosaur media was all atwitter that the candidates were distancing themselves from President Bush. Not that they care, you understand. Well, if the president is polling in the low 30's, not running for re-election, his vice-president not running for the office, and has a war not going well, what would you expect the candidates to do? At least they weren't pandering like Hillary and calling it 'Bush's war' when some had voted for it. The best line was from McCain who called Hillary out on her comment by stating he didn't call Bosnia 'Clinton's war' during that administration, or Somalia either.

Hillary never bothered to take the time to read the intelligence reports made available to Congress before the war vote. She was 'briefed' by staff, she admits. She strongly was in favor of the action. So was her husband and his administration, they just didn't want the political hit of it. That's what happens when you have no convictions based on core beliefs.

They're just politicians.

The Republicans, you'll notice, were on CNN last night. They weren't afraid to go on CNN even though conservatives in general, Republicans in particular, are shown outright hostility by such 'progressive' reporters as those on CNN and the alphabet networks. The interviewers would rather prove themselves liberal in thought than professional in their work.

Dollar Bill Jefferson (yes, that's his long time nickname in New Orleans) still holds office in Congress. Hmmm. He's been indicted. Oh, wait, he's a Democrat. And the Congressional Black Caucus still supports him, so Grandma Mimi doesn't want any fights with them, her biggest supporters. He's not in any type of committee assignments that will help his district, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, but I guess it doesn't matter. Mayor Naquin still supports Jefferson, too, so there you go.

Majority Leader Reid on the floor of the Senate yesterday was defending the Democrats and their record in this session. Why? Because, although Reid claims not to read polls, as they all do, those polls are showing the Dems lower in popularity than Bush. The last one showed Congress, led by the Dems, at 29%. Hmmm.

The Dems are finding it not so easy to govern with the numbers so close in Congress. All they've done since the Bush administration began in 2001 was to complain, whine and ratchet up the discourse with personal attacks. They failed over and over again to present any real new ideas or solutions to the problems of the day. It's come back to haunt them. And Grandma Mimi? Have you listened to her during question and answer sessions when she's without a written script? Not the brightest bulb in the fixture. And Harry Reid? Who can listen to that mush mouth voice of any length of time? It's creepy.

I encourage you to visit Michael Yon's website for his latest dispatch. He's begun a series and part 1 is up now, of 4. He's been out with combat soldiers in Iraq, the Brits. He's been with the Queen's Royal Lancers whose motto is 'Death or Glory'. His photos are amazing. His writing is brilliant, as always. He's on my blog roll if you need help getting there.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Today's Ponderings

A full page ad in the Wall Street Journal yesterday put a smile on my face. The ad's sponsor was the Duke Lacrosse Booster Club, with a mailing address in OKC Oklahoma. The ad was congratulating the team for their championship win and also for their 100% graduation statistic, as well as the accumulative GPA of the team. It was high.

Good for them. The Booster Club, I mean.

Of all the despicable events of the whole mess of the young Duke students accused, falsely, of raping the stripper, the ad taken out by the 70 plus professors denouncing them as if guilty until proven innocent was the most egregious to me. How dare they. The control of the out of touch, ivory tower sitting, socialist leaning professors on today's campuses of higher learning is quite disturbing to parents of future college students, like me. Where is their ad to apologize for the error of their ways, for supporting a stripper over their own students? The students whose parents, by the way, pay their salaries. If they didn't want to publicly show support of the students, the proper course of action would be to remain silent.

Just because a person has the right of free speech doesn't mean it has to be used. Especially in such a biased, hurtful, ignorant way. Shame on them. Aren't they suppose to be teachers?

The ad was a breath of fresh air.

Tonight's debate with the Republican presidential candidates will probably be a snore, but I will watch. I'm turned off with most of them, except Rudy and Mitt. I don't think Mitt could beat Hillary, though, especially with Hillary's help from the media. The spectacular show of nerve by Mike Wallace asking the Romneys if they had premarital sex was an all time media low. Did he ask any Democrats that question? No, just the Morman. The Morman who goes out of his way to say he is running for president, not head of the Morman religion. Maybe Wallace would like to ask Harry Reid, the Senate Majority leader from Nevada that question. He's a Morman, too, but no one questions him on religion.

I've watched some of the Senate proceedings on the immigration bill today. What a mess. I'd prefer they do nothing at all rather than pass this travesty. Reid is trying his best to push it all through without allowing the minority to put up their amendments for votes, you know, just what he and Grandma Mimi said they wouldn't do to the minority when they took over the Congress. Not to mention the true costs of all this wasn't taken through the committee process as other major legislation normally is taken.

And, finally, the travesty that is the sentencing of Scooter Libbey today to 30 months in jail. Such a farce. The only one from the White House this Fitzpatrick could get and he wants Libbey thrown under the jail for memory lapse he labels as lies to a grand jury. Nice. Let's hope Fitzpatrick's memory remains sharp as he goes on with his life.

Time for the pardon, Mr. President. Libbey's spent enough money and time on this boondoggle. Plame and Wilson have moved to Santa Fe and living large on the whole mess. Quite the pair there.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Winners and Losers

No, I did not watch the debate last night on CNN with the Democrat presidential candidates. I knew the clips on the news today would be enough for me to get the flavor of it. From what I've heard, it was Edwards chiding Obama and Clinton on Iraq votes. Reasonable on his part. The last vote for funding was a chicken session for those two with Obama voting first and Clinton copying his vote. Yes, that's leadership. Clinton style.

I decided as the war on terror has unfolded, despite the fact that Edwards is dangerously blind to anything but his poll numbers, it is not just a bumper sticker term. The far left has hijacked the Democrat party and it is a rush to defeat in Iraq for them. They want it to be Bush's war. Problem is, though, that the war with Iraq, after the first Gulf War, began with the Clinton administration. Time after time our jets were being shot at over the no-fly zone. U.N. resolution after resolution was broken. Clinton kicked the problem down the road and after 9/11 woke everyone up to the threats to us from around the world, Iraq became his problem. All of the politicians with a brain in their head voted to take action in Iraq. Speech after speech, from Clinton, to Allbright, to the new administration under Bush spoke to the chemical and weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. To go back now and say it's all Bush's war is just not factual. To say the intelligence was cherry picked or cooked to go with the opinion with the administration is flat wrong. Even the 9/11 Commission's final report, the gold standard used by the Democrats whenever they want to criticize this administration, states that was not the case.

Today's Democrat party has returned to the party of McGovern.

I don't know how Hillary will get back to the center of the left to win the national election. She's just another far left talking candidate to remain viable in the primaries. Her husband didn't do that so I'm not sure she's getting the best advice. I don't care, mind you, just an observation. And for her to talk about how Bill will be her worldwide goodwill ambassador, well, it just sounds desperate to me.

Maybe it's just me.

So, I'll never vote for a Democrat again the rest of my life. It's a decision I've made. They have shown themselves to be unacceptably weak on the war on terror. The war on terror is the most important issue for us as a country, as my thinking goes. Call it whatever you want to call it. The threats continue to present themselves. The arrests over the weekend which shut down the plot to disrupt the fuel line to JFK from New Jersey is the latest episode. Last week it was the Fort Dix stooges. And the surveillance and informants used were what made the difference. The very aspects of the Patriot Act that the Democrats have put us on notice that they intend to eliminate.

The war in Iraq, a part of the war on terror, has been mismanaged since the mission was successful the first days of the war. Remember we were welcomed as heroes. The tanks first into Baghdad, in record time, brought soldiers who were welcomed with cheering Iraqis and those expressing gratitude. Iraqis in Michigan and throughout the U.S. cheered and waved American flags along with the Iraqi flag. The statue of Saddam was brought down. Unfortunately, not enough troops were used and the war was planned using less troops, more technology, which didn't work out too well.

For all the things that have gone wrong, the steadfast determination of this administration to go on the offensive is the key to winning the safety of our country. The Islamofacists have told us over and over what the goal is for them.

My decision to wash my hands of the Democrats is a shame, really. The very first campaign I worked on, devoting my time and energy to, not just financial contributions, was for a woman running for mayor in Lafayette. A Democrat. She was a Democrat like the ones I grew up with in Louisiana, formerly called 'yellow dogs'. I am a lifelong Republican, make no mistake, but I am of the old school. I'm socially liberal and fiscally conservative. National security is extremely important to me. I take our place in the world very seriously. I used to find common ground with some Democrats.

Our mayor is a Democrat, even though our mayoral office is supposed to be non-partisan. He was a deputy Energy Security in the Clinton administration. I didn't vote for him the first time around but I did last time. Why? His leadership during Katrina, which turned around to bite us in the ass, and because he does some quality of life projects I appreciate.

When he runs for governor next time around, he won't have my vote.

It's a new world out there.



As a side note: One of my daily reads, Rightwing Nuthouse, is doing donation drive. Rick Moran is a talented, thoughtful writer and is deserving of the chance to continue his dream. His site is on my blogroll. Go visit.

Friday, June 01, 2007

Week's End

Well, it's Friday. Week's end. For the beginning of summer it's been a little hectic for my taste.

Last night I watched an interview with Nancy Reagan about the new book out of President Reagan's diaries. Remember all the bad press Nancy received when she was First Lady? Funny how the passage of time shows a bit more of the person. Her two children didn't turn out to be much to talk about but her marriage to the President was something to admire. I love that he is now shown to be the prolific writer that he was, after all those calling him dumb, a B actor, and all the nasty slings in the press. You would have thought he was the devil himself.

He brought about the end of the Cold War. Not bad.

He also restored dignity to the White House after the fiasco of the Carter years. Which of them looks better in hindsight?

I'm looking forward to reading the book.

It's Hurricane Season, y'all. I notice my name is on the list of hurricane names this year. Lovely.

I begin preparing the pantry for a hurricane emergency in March. That way I don't have to purchase everything all at once. I know the drill. I set aside a section for items that can be eaten without the benefit of cooking. I begin to stockpile bottled water. I keep on top of prescriptions so that I can get by for a couple of weeks, if necessary. I put some cash aside in case of extended power outages - the ATM's won't work. Our generator has containers of gasoline ready for use. I stock extra pet food and supplies. Etc, etc, etc.

I never expect anyone to take care of us except us.

I noted Mayor Ray Naquin's first State of the City speech yesterday since Katrina. Still a piece of work, that guy. Now he demands all debts be forgiven and at least another billion dollars. Of course, the plans for re-building are still not agreed upon, the city is still a trash dump, few schools and fewer medical facilities are open, and they're all still yelling for the hand outs. Here's an idea, how about getting out there and doing some work? Look to your neighboring state of Mississippi for some inspiration, if needed.

And another Katrina 'victim' living here was arrested on murder charges yesterday.

You're welcome.

The wife of the TB terrorist now cries that 'the government' wouldn't send a plane for their trip back to the U.S. for his treatment, so they had to fly commercial. Are you kidding me? He ran like a shaved weasel. He could have arranged private travel via charter jet to get back. He's a young man of privilege. He knew for months he had the disease from globe trotting. He was counseled not to go. When the diagnosis came back with dire results, of course the country he was in demanded quarantine. Then the border guard let him in at the Canadian border even though he was on a list of no admittance.

Don't get me started. He was not entitled to our government bailing his sorry butt out of his travel arrangements. Spoiled brat. The new wife, too. What, when they married she didn't know he was ill? The more I hear of this story the angrier I get at them.

Tomorrow I'm going to buy potting soil from a lovely garden center I support. It's run by adults with functional disabilities. I always find cool stuff there that is made by their community. These adults live in a rural area just outside city limits with a working farm, school, and art center where pottery and goods are made to support themselves. They also have a tea room with some residents serving as waitstaff. The garden center is a separate facility, not far from my house.

I have a new plant and some flowers to try to survive my not green thumb.