RightMom

It's Time to Move!!!

2005-06-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but it's time to move!

I'm not going to post here anymore. I have my own domain, and it has been dressed up and then some.

So, go here to see what I've done (well actually what Rachel of the WebDivas have done) to decorate the new place:

http://www.rightmom.net/

September 23, 2010 - UPDATE: Um, nevermind.

I had a pretty great website and it went pretty well for a while. Rachel, of WebDivas then screwed me by not not letting me Domain name renewed. (So I lost it to someone else.)

*Sigh* It seems we end up exactly where we started. Life is a circle, or if this were the intro to the Lion King, "The Circle of Life".

Best Sci Fi Movie/TV Quotes Ever!

2005-06-26T05:52:00.000-07:00

I try from time to time to make my own lists of different things, but I always lose them. Unless it has "to do" on it, the easiest way for me to get rid of a piece of paper is to head it at the top with "Top 25......" Guaranteed gone within 24 hours.

As inspired by that insipid AFI program the other night (Top 100 Lines in Movies), I bring you my favorite quotes from: Sci Fi: Movies and TV:

In no particular order (that may come later):

Revenge is a dish best served cold (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan)
I've got a bad feeling about this...... (Every Star Wars Movie)
Fly this? (Star Wars III)
Another Happy Landing (Star Wars III)
I'm from Iowa, I just work in Space (Star Trek: )

More to come... as I said, this is an effort to organize thoughts a bit.

Buyouts In the Oil Patch, Maybe?

2005-06-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well, rumors are rampant about possible mergers and buyouts in the oil patch.

Right now, Unocal is being bid on by two possible suitors: Chevron and Cnooc, Ltd. (China's 3rd largest oil company). The word on the street is whoever comes in 2nd place for Unocal, will end up going after Marathon Oil Co.

In short, that means MRO will be taken over by either the Communist Chinese or Evil Robotic Managerial Overlords (ERMO for short).

I'm thinking the communist might be better, marginally. I mean, they do let Yao Ming off his ankle leash from time to time to make commercials and stuff. They do seem to love money more than Carl Marx, although they like the control communism brings (your web usage will be VERY tightly monitored).

So I wish all of you at Marathon, Good Luck!

Well, this guy screwed his pooch

2005-06-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

Martin Peretz, editor in chief of The New Republic, has just screwed up his life. He just wrote and published an editorial that praises President Bush. That's right, the Lefty just praised the evil President for putting appointments where his heart/mouth are and putting real diversity in the Executive Branch (like Condi Rice). He also mentioned that it wasn't just blacks getting the appointments, it was also for women and Latinos.

And if that wouldn't put him in the dog house long enough with his compadre's, he also took a few swipes at the U.N. (Darfur, Darfur anyone, Bueller?), and had good things to say about John Bolton. Namely, that he didn't trust what a CIA analyst had to say (he called it a sign of "wisdom").

To make sure he wouldn't get invited to anything anytime soon, he took a swipe at Hillary. Yes, as in the smartest women in the world and our future president, Hillary Clinton. He called her out for sitting on the Board of Directors of Walmart, and doing nothing while Walmart structured itself so it did not pay medical benefits to its labor force.

Poor guy.

I'm sure he'll manage.

A Replicator? Cool.......

2005-06-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

This does have real promise.

Some physics geeks are finally working on something that's worthwhile, besides contemplating the molecular makeup of the lint in their belly button. They are working on a replicator, much like what was used on Star Trek.

I can already begin to think of the uses, begining with keeping me out of Walmart!

Cross Link and other news

2005-06-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

I just posted on Lone Star Times on Terri Schiavo's autopsy. I didn't go into the report. Instead, I concentrated on the polarizing response this case has had.

As for a little site news, I am undergoing a site refurb. The Webdivas are taking care of it for me, and I am waiting patiently for the results (not!). I am even going to have my own Domain. (As Napoleon Dynamite would say: SWEET!)

I guess you have noticed that I haven't been posting as much lately. I've been trying to save up for the new site. Plus, I have been pretty busy with the new job and everything else.

To wrap up, sorry about the light posting, but get ready to move to my new home: www.rightmom.net!

I'll let you know when to head over to the new digs. I think you are going to love it!

Home Make-over: 23rd Century Style

2005-06-07T03:37:00.000-07:00

Well, this had a lot of promise, until I got to the part that you had to live within 35 miles of 90028.

I'm no where close, even by Clinton standards.

The Jedi: Good or Bad?

2005-06-07T02:50:00.000-07:00

One of the other bloggers on Lone Star Times, Owen Courrages , posted an article by Bob Hayes titled, The Battle Of Endor Demonstrates The Evil Nature Of The Rebellion. In it, he defends the Empire as not being as bad as it was portrayed, and that maybe the Rebellion was the wrong side to pull for.

Further down the article, he starts to enumerate why the Jedi might be a lot more evil than we give it credit for. Some of the things he mentions:

Ignoring violations of the Jedi code is fine. Doesn't matter that you know your apprentice is nailing the Queen and has gotten her in the Jedi Family Way. Don't turn him in, or insist that he make things right by resigning his Jedi status and becoming an ordinary family man, or abandoning his family for his higher calling. No, let him continue to muddle down the path to blatantly obvious moral crisis and destruction. It's more convenient that way.
Building clone armies of soul-deadened warriors is fine.
Killing people for the crime of not wanting to be in your corrupt and failing state anymore is fine.
overriding the free will of others is fine.

There's more, but I think you get the jist.

The last one is something I thought about earlier, but have not brought up.

It seemed to me that there was some animosity toward the Jedi by the general populace, especially shown in Episode II. Why would this be if the Jedi were so pure and wonderful? By the time you get to Episode IV, you see several instances of the Jedi and The Force being referred to as an old and pitiful religion. (Darth Vader almost takes out one of the command staff on the Death Star for such a snide comment.) Why?

I believe this is so for many reasons, chief among them that the Jedi were not seen often, but they were "mysterious" and if you had any dealing with them, it was probably not a happy contact (much like our contact with police today). Look at how the club patrons in Episode II kept watching Anakin and Obi Wan. They were not exactly welcoming. (Not to even mention some of the drivers that cussed out Obi Wan during the chase scene right before....But that could be attributed to "road rage".)

I think one of the main reasons would be the concern of the Jedi to be able to "read" your thoughts or emotions or be able to use a Jedi Mind suggestion. Frankly, if I knew a whole class of people could get a little personal with my thoughts, I would be a bit freaked out by the thought of them being nearby.

This brought to mind (pardon the pun) the similar dilemma in Babylon 5. In the B5 universe, the Telepaths were also identified at childhood and were made to join the Psy Corp or take drugs to suppress the telepathic ability. This was donebecausee the ordinary citizen was very leary of telepaths running around in the general population. It is interesting to note that even in the B5 universe, this brought a great deal of conflict (the Telepath War) and division.

So, what are the similarities and contrasts? Discuss amongst yourselves........

Lone Star Times Cross Post.......

2005-06-05T06:09:00.000-07:00

Amore well thought out post on Star Wars: Another Take on the Sith.......

Final Sith Thoughts: And the Moral of the Story is.......

2005-06-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

I know, all of you are getting bored with this. Sorry.

I got to see it again. I went with my brother. Actually, that was pretty special. We saw Star Wars: A New Hope together the first time back in the summer of '77. I was 15 and he was 7. (Note: Neither one of us knew what this was about. Our dad took us in Oklahoma City. There wasn't an extra seat to spare. When the now famous scroll started its trek across the screen, there was some giggling and laughter. By the time the smaller ship got swallowed up by the bigger ship, you could have heard a pin drop. At the end of the movie, I swear some people actually stood and clapped. It was so awesome! Our dad does not like Sci Fi stuff. I think the only reason he took us is because he promised to bring us to a movie and it was the only one that was not Rated "R'. There were not many kid's films in the 70's. The ones that were around were very hokey. But I digress a bit, sorry.)

For us to see the last Star Wars together kind of pulls it all together and puts us back where we began, much like this movie weaves the whole entire saga of 6 episodes.

This is a true legend/fairy tail/myth. Can you imagine any of the main characters going home and putting up dishes? Or washing clothes? Or mopping floors? Or shopping for groceries? Of course not! Characters of tales never inhabit the real world of the mundane the rest of us occupy.

These are the things I liked:

The element that struck me this time is how much I enjoyed the opening 30 minutes. This was Star Wars in its prime. Two heroes trying to save the day and did so with wit and pluck and super natural powers(via the Force). It was sooooo enjoyable. It will be sooooo missed.
I loved seeing the scene Padme tells Anakin she is pregnant.That worked so well. Anakin had about a dozen reactions, and then said it was the happiest day of his life. That was his high water mark. He was returning home a hero and a father-to-be. After that moment, his life went downhill fast; very bittersweet.
Seeing the babies, Luke and Leia, delivered to their new homes(without any dialogue), while listening to the John Williams music break into the score we know so well from A New Hope.

VERY GOOD STUFF!

A lot of people are trying to tie this movie and it's principles to current events, which is not un-common. We see in things we want to see. Something this large and grand must have some nugget of truth to it somewhere.

Well, here is mine:

Gifted people tend to think the rules are
for everyone else,
but themselves

That's right. How many times did Anakin say he "wanted to be a Jedi" or be the "most powerful Jedi" or "that isn't the Jedi way", all at the same time he was secretly married to Padme, which was against the Jedi code? He had career aspirations for a place he could never inhabit.

How many times have you witnessed at work or school that the "favorite" or the "smartest" got to get away with breaking rules that no one else could? That's what happened here.

In life, those that are the favorite, probably never pay for their flaunting of rules like Anakin did (Unfortunately for the rest of the galaxy, they paid for Anakin's flaunting of these rules.)

You will hear and read a lot about how if only Anakin had learned to "let go" and not be attached to his mother or Padme, things probably would have been different. That is true; but it was the failure of those around him to make him adhere to the rules that allowed him to keep these attachments. The Jedi enabled him to continue as he wished, not as he should have done. Because of that, the whole galaxy fell apart.

Thankfully, the whole galaxy does not pay for our mistakes; just those that love us.

Trying to pull it all together now!

2005-06-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

Where I am I trying to go with this? I guess one of the questions I see is can someone do the wrong thing for the right reasons? Anakin went to the dark side to save Padme. Was that the right thing to do?

When Luke is given the same choice (go to the dark side and save your friends), he declines it. In the end, he not only saves his friends, but his father also.

The example I think of the most is General Rommel of Germany. He was a devout Catholic, and plotted to kill Hitler. For that, Hitler gave him the following choice: commit suicide or face a court martial followed by the death penalty. If you choose suicide, you will be regaled as a hero of the state, given a state funeral and your remaining family will be well taken care of. If you don't commit suicide, you will be tried as traitor, your family will suffer in the concentration camps and the state will kill you. Rommel committed suicide. I've often wondered how God regarded that choice. Did he see it as State Execution by own hand?

More thoughts on Sith.......

2005-05-30T04:50:00.000-07:00

OK, I realize I am beginning to look a little obsessive, but oh well.....

The big question is "why did Anakin fall"?

As simple of a universe that George Lucas created in showing good vs evil and good guys vs bad guys, he did want to show that at least for Anakin, it wasn't so simple.

Anakin was not identified as a Jedi candidate until he was 10. This made him very old for training, in Jedi terms. He was very attached to his mother. Most children were identified as infants and brought into the Jedi order. This would not allow attachment to a parental figure. In Episode 2, one of the more significant conversations Anakin has with Padme, is about being a Jedi and what it entails. She starts off saying that it "must be hard to be a Jedi and not do what you want to do and go where you want to go". Anakin replies, "or be with those you love". Padme then asks him, "isn't Love forbidden"? Anakin then tells her, "Attachment is forbidden. Possessions are forbidden, but compassion is encouraged. If compassion is defined as unconditional love, then you could say that Jedi are encouraged to love".

Also in Episode 2, we see Obi Wan chiding Anakin a great deal to "watch his thoughts".

In summary, Annakin went from a kind and loving child that had a bubbly, open personality living with a mother he adored (and who adored him), to being a quiet, more stoic figure in acts and thought. He was not allowed to see his mother, or even really think about her. When he has nightmares about her, he is even to deny those (although Obi Wan is aware of them, he tells Anakin they "will pass"). As he tells Padme later, "Jedi do not have nightmares". Jedi are to meditate and practice the "arts". The times you see him smile and laugh are when he is when he is engaged in something reckless. (Such as when they are chasing the assassin that tried to kill Padme with poisonous animals, Anakin makes the speeder go straight down very fast. Obi Wan is screaming for him to stop, and Anakin is laughing and having fun. It seems to me that the only "approriate" time for him to express himself are through incidents such as this. It is probably the closest he comes to being "himself".)

On top of this, he has extraordinary "powers", even for a Jedi. He can sense the thoughts of others. I think this is why he is so clearly confused with Padme. He fell in love with her when he was 10 (he thought she was an angel). Now, when he is alone with her, he can sense her attraction to him, but she then denies it. That is confusing (and normal for kids).

This is a very volatile recipe. Going from Open to Closed is much more problematic than the other way.

He knows these actions of emotion, are not right. This further makes him conflicted.

On top of this, Anakin was supposed to be the "chosen" one; the one that was to fufill the prophecy and bring balance back to the Force. The force was out of balance, you ask? Well, yeah. (In episode 2, As Yoda put it, even the older Jedi members are getting "arrogant". In a scene near that one, Obi Wan tries to find a system that is not listed in the archives. What does the Librarian tell him?, "then it doesn't exist". She is that confident (arrogant) of the completeness of the Jedi's knowledge. (by the way, the system did exist; it was deleted from the records....) (Another sign that the Force was not quite right was that even the Jedi Masters had not detected the Sith's re-appearance. The uber Sith leader, Darth Sideous, was right there with them on a regular basis and none of them picked up on it!)

Darth Sideous had gone to a lot of trouble to work all ends against the middle. He was the instigator of the seperatist conflict; he kept the Senate chasing itself; he got the Camino cloning an Army way before the Republic was aware it needed an Army; and he talked to Anakin. In these talks, he appealed to Anakin's pride/hubris as well as his ambition and would offer "career" advice. Palpitine tells Anakin he believes he will be the most powerful Jedi ever, and in Episode 3, gives him the "in" to the Jedi Council. The Council plays right into Palpatine's hands by further mistrusting Anakin, which makes Anakin even more frustrated/angry.

The world in which Anakin and Padme now inhabit, is literally coming apart at the seams. The Senate is being undermined daily by Palpatine. The Republic is coming apart, the member systems are leaving the Republic and what is left of the Republic is at war. The Jedi are spread very thin trying to take care of all of this. Anakin is a hero, along with Obi Wan. Had it been a more peaceful or "normal" time, chances are the Council would have been more aware of Anakin's relationship with Padme, and done something about it. Instead, it is either not known or simply tolerated. Then Padme tells Anakin she is pregnant. It was a great moment. Hayden Christiansen played it great. He had about a dozen or more emotions fly across his face; but in the end, he was happy and accepting. Then he began to have nighmares that Padme would die in childbirth. This evoked the emotions he had when his mother died in his arms. He had told Padme at the time of his mother's death that he was going to be more powerful than death and keep people from dying.

This set up Palpatine perfectly to capture Anakin as a Sith. Palpatine started telling Anakin about the Sith "legend", something the Jedi did not tell him about. He mentioned to Anakin that one Sith was so powerful, that he was able to manipulate midi-chloridians to create life (much like Anakin's birth). He was also able to keep people from dying. This information resonated with Anakin.

The crisis in judgment begins when Anakin is not allowed to accompany Obi Wan to get rid of the opposition, the General Grievous. Anakin felt he should go and felt very slighted that he was not allowed to. While Obi Wan is gone, that is when Palpitine reveals to Anakin he is Darth Sideous. Anakin runs back to the Jedi Council and tells Mace Windu. Mace tells Anakin that he will go and confront Palpitine and if it turns out Anakin is right, then Anakin will be trusted.

Even though the members of the Council admit that Anakin is the ONE, they never trusted him. They saw him as dangerous. This was part of their un-doing. Had Anakin gone with Obi Wan or Mace Windu, Anakin would not have fallen. Instead, he walks in on the fight between Mace and Palpitine, and is tricked by Palpitine into believing that Mace was the culprit. Anakin saves Palpitne's neck (literally) at that moment. Afterward, Palpitine lays it all out to Anakin, join or die (because the rest of the Jedi will be hunting you down for Mace's death) and watch Padme die. Palpitine offered the knowledge of power over death, to save Padme; the price was giving in to the Dark Side.

Once Anakin pledges his allegiance to Darth Sideous and is named Darth Vader, Anakin gives in to the Anger he has felt his whole life and has barely been able to control. It had to be somewhat cathartic because for once, he was one with his feelings and they were being released.

I see Anakin as not wanting this; he wanted to be a Jedi and do the right thing. But he wanted to save Padme. (He almost was convinced by Padme to leave the lava planet and go with her to raise their child.)

The thing he didn't understand is that by giving in to the Dark Side and doing the things he did at his new Master's bidding, he played a part in Padme's death. Had he remained the way he was supposed to, Padme would not have had a reason to die of "a broken heart". The knowledge of power over death was an illusion.

Then Darth Sideous plays the ultimate card. Once Anakin gets his shiney new Darth suit, Anakin wants to know how Padme is doing. Sideous tells him that she died because he (Anakin) killed her.......

At that point, Anakin died and Vader was born. (The suit scene looked just like the Frankenstien movies.)

Time to play 20 Questions with Darth!

2005-05-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

This is a lot of fun, until the creepy "Burger King" makes an appearance (that guy scares me!)

Very disjointed, un-related, unorganized thoughts on Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

I soooooo loved this movie. I saw it with my family on Sunday, and I have literally, spent a week “unpacking” it out of my mind. I need to see it a lot more, but given the price of movies, time and space continuum with family obligations, the likelihood of that happening before it comes on DVD is about the same as Anakin leaving the Dark Side before Episode IV. Yeah, not happening.

Every time I start thinking about the movie, well, all I can say is “damn”…….

I have to admit first, I am a much bigger Star Trek fan, probably because it’s been around a lot more. (For the past 18 years, you could catch a relatively new episode every week.) But I always loved Star Wars.

This film put everything together. EVERYTHING!

First of what is the deal with characters loosing limbs?

Ep 1: Dart Maul: Cut in half by Obi Wan Kenobi (maybe that doesn’t count?)
Ep 2: Anakin: Loosing Right hand to Count Dooku (gets a shiny new one :)
Ep 3: Anakin: Looses Lt hand, both legs by Obi Wan Kenobi (gets shiny new Darth Vader suit:)
Count Dooku: Looses both hands and head against Anakin
(I’m sure there’s more, but I only saw this once……)
Ep 4: Obi Wan Kenobi: cut in half by Darth Vader: psych!
Ep 5: Luke Skywalker: Looses right hand to Darth Vader
Ep 6: Darth Vader: Looses right hand (again!) to Luke Skywalker

I’m sure there’s some psychologist that could earn a Masters or Doctorate on George Lucas having some sort of psychological pathology exhibited through all this mutilation……

Sith makes Ep 1 and 2 better.

They make sense now.

Intro: the Phantom Menace (i.e. the Sith). The Sith were thought to be extinct. Now they were present? The Jedi couldn’t believe it until they actually had a body to look at. That finally made them realize that a Sith exists and NO ONE NOTICED! (Their reliance on the Force to tell them such things, failed!)

Intro: Anakin, boy wonder. I know a lot of sci fi aficionados HATE child “wonders”. But in this universe, it happens because of the Force. Anakin was a smart, gifted child. He was bubbly and emotional. He loved his mother. But, and here’s the big BUT, he was a SLAVE. (Do you remember when he told Padme he was a slave? Padme made some comment that she thought that couldn’t be because slavery was outlawed. That hurt his feelings….. it would have hurt mine! I would have wanted to jump up and grab her and say, “Well what am I then? A figment of your imagination!”) As gifted and wonderful as this kid was in controlling events around him (via the Force), he did not control his own destiny because some one else OWNED him. I don’t know about you, but that would make me a tad bit on the BITTER side.

Intro: War without meaning. The Trade Federation starts a blockade of the peaceful world of Naboo. The Trade Federation leaders were in constant contact with some mysterious leader that would tell them what to do. That leader was “Senator” Palpitine (who then became Chancellor Palpatine, then Emperor Palpatine, .all while really being the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious!)

Intro: Political Intrigue and corruption. Where to begin? I don’t see this the way a lot of other people have been reporting that the story is a mirror as to what is going on in the Bush administration. (I think the biggest argument in these circles is Bush or Carl Rove Darth Sideous?) I don’t see it that way.

I was watching Episode 2 the other night with the commentary on. There is one scene where Mace Windu and Yoda are observing the Senate machinations. Lucas mentioned that this part of the story was formed by his understanding of history in that a Democracy eventually fails or falls. It does so through a crisis where the people are willing to give up some of their rights to preserve the safety that is being threatened. He named off as examples Rome, Greece and the Weimar Republic (Germany turning over its democratic government to Hitler.) Lucas wrote most of this during the early 70’s, way before there was any George Bush. I think several things are going on by Lucas. One is, he, like most Hollywood Liberals, hate George Bush and feel very threatened by him.(so if his summer blockbuster has some corresponding “similarities” to George Bush, what a happy coincidence.) The second thing is that we (individuals and society) read into things that we see. Is the glass half full or half empty? One reason that these sets of movies are so popular is because it “speaks” to so many people.

How do you become freer: through evil or good?

One of the major themes running through Anakin’s life is the desire to control. He was born a slave; his freedom was won by the Jedi and then he became a “Padawan” (or learner) to another more experienced Jedi (Obi Wan) and then he became a Sith Apprentice to the Sith Master (Emperior Palpitine/Darth Sidious). In every episode, Anakin/Darth Vader was always calling someone MASTER. Anytime he tried to do something his way, he got chided or belittled by superiors. In Episode 3, his desire to control his destiny and the world around him becomes very obvious at the end when he asks Padme to join him and rule the universe.

In the end, by locking in with the Dark Side, he become more of a slave, literally and figuratively (now he has to wear a suit just to survive).

I have so much more to say....... I will later!

A Good Gal on the Bench, Finally!

2005-05-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

Too bad this New York Times didn't run this before the big dust-up in the Senate.

I met Ms. Owen over 16 years ago. She wouldn't know me from Adam. But I remember her. She had just made partner at Andrews & Kurth. I was one of the many paralegals working on the massive "take or pay" litigations going hot and heavy in the late 80's.

She was absolutely brilliant.

As will happen in high stakes litigation, a conundrum arose on how to get around an issue that was coming up in a hearing. It was looking like this one hearing could scuttle the whole litigation, in the bad way for our client. It was agreed by the more senior litigators, to seek Ms. Owen's help. She came through. I did not attend the hearing, but I understood that the tact Ms. Owen suggested, was presented to the Judge by the partner in charge of the litigation. It saved the day for our client.

I'm glad she allowed her name to remain on this list for 4 years. Most people would have thrown in the towel and gone home much sooner. (Not to even speak of the public humiliation and examination she has had to endure from the press and other politicians.) But she deserved to be on the bench by her credentials alone.

Absolutely brilliant.

That's all I really remember of her, which is vastly more than what she could recall about me.........

A Few Thoughts about John Paul THE GREAT.

2005-04-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

I have so many emotions concerning the death of Pope John Paul II. I am sad he is gone; happy he no longer suffers; sure he is in heaven with our Lord and Saints having a terrific time and apprehensive about the future.

Now that he is gone and buried, the sniping has begun.

I am reading that even though he may have been one of the catalysts for bringing down Communism, he was still a failure as a Pope. The usual reasons are cited: the decline in numbers of the priest hood, not allowing female priests, his stand against abortion and artificial birth control and the priest pedophilia scandal.

I think these critics miss the point.

Pope John Paul II was not a failure; WE failed him.

Pope John Paul II gave us everything we needed to live a more Godly life; a life that follows what God wants us to do on earth in order to go to heaven: faith, love and charity. He not only Preached it and wrote about it throughout his life, he most importantly, LIVED IT. He provided an earthly example of what we can do to follow God's will. He did so even though he was an orphan, under the boot of Nazism and then Communism. He provided an example on how to go through life with fewer choices and opportunities than we have, and he did it under the threat of imprisonment and death.

We failed because we did not follow.

He told us NOT TO BE AFRAID, yet we were. We, the Laity, know he was right. We may not like it, therefore, disagree with him and wish for change. But the truth be told, he is right. He warned us of the "culture of death", now it is here. He told us to pray more, but instead, we spend more time and money on other concerns away from God. That is our own fault, not his.

Many were called by God to follow him and serve him in the religious vocations. But they ignored it because they are more comfortable in the world. That is not John Paul's fault, that is their own fault.

The Priests failed him. Many engaged in horrible illicit sexual actions with children instead of being obedient to the will of God. Priest that were aware of this and did nothing to stop it are guilty too of not following God's word to confront and stop sin wherever it is found. That is not John Paul's fault, that is their own fault.

The Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals that knew about these scandal and did nothing to stop it and even engaged in conspiracy to silence it, are in my opinion, even more sinful. They had the responsibility as "management" to make sure that those below them acted properly in God's word, and they failed. Man will always sin. That is our flesh that fails us. Those single trespasses can be forgiven. But to decide as a group to allow sin to flourish within the church of God is beyond understanding. Again, these "men of God" failed Pope John Paul because they knew better, the Pope did not fail them.

The more I know about the Pope, the more amazed I am of this great person. Between his intellect and well rounded personality, he could have been the richest, most powerful man on earth. Instead, he was the Pope and died with nothing. (His will did not have any possessions that could be distributed to anyone.) But instead, Karol listened to our Lord and followed HIS will. He did something that 99% of us will not do.

So in the end, the Pope did not fail, we failed him, and ultimately, we failed God.

Rest in Peace dear Karol. You deserve it.

A Magic Moment, In a time of Sorrow

2005-04-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

In this time of sorrow, a truly magic moment occurred.

My son and I were getting ready to go through the daily grind. We went outside to get into the car. It was a beautiful day. Bright, not too warm or cold.

My son stopped halfway to the car. I started fussing at him; "come on, come on, we have to go, get moving, we are late," I told him. He still stood there, which really aggravated me because he was not listening to me. Before I could really fuss at him, he told me, "mom, the birds are singing! they are singing to God".

I stopped in my tracks and listened. I had not heard the birds, and he was right, they were singing very loud.

I asked him, "what are they saying"?

He told me that they were singing the following: "Hi God! we love you Jesus! We are so happy you are there!"

Then it struck me, how simple and sweet and true.

WE should pray that more often.

Needless to say, I was no longer aggravated.

It was a much better day.

Oh Captain, My Captain!

2005-03-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

The Houston Chronicle had a big article on the Renaissance man that is, William Shatner. After the article, is this quiz covering his career. It is 10 questions, with two bonus questions.

Guess what I scored.

Oh Captain, My Captain (10)

I need to "get a life".

And now, a little diversion......

2005-03-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

I know the world is going to hell in a handbasket..... But I can't resist this web site.

Don't go here if you don't want to see lots of spoiler filled pictures from the Star Wars: Return of the Sith.

I'm amazed it's on here! I'm sure it's not legal. But it is terrific!!

What is it like to die of Thirst?

2005-03-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

I just posted this on Lone Star Times.

Horrible, just horrible. We prosecute people who treat dogs like this.........

Saving Terri

2005-03-17T20:15:00.000-08:00

I posted this on Lone Star Times and thought I would post it here too:

I know a lot of you have heard enough about this subject, but a really big deadline, literally, is looming on Friday.

Teri Schiavo will have her feeding tube disconnected on Friday at the direction of her husband and the courts. No matter how you feel about the whole situation, whether she should live or die, if her feeding tube stays disconnected, she will die a really hideous death from starvation and dehydration eventually. We don’t allow our death row inmates, guilty of abominable crimes, to die like that since it would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. We prosecute people for starving their pets.

There are two pieces of legislation that are in play to try and help Terri. First of all, the Florida Legislature is trying to pass a bill, similar to the one that passed and was signed into law last year by Gov. Jeb Bush, but was struck down by the courts. This bill is an effort to take care of the issues the court had with the law so that it can stand and Terri will not be disconnected from her food.

The Federal bill in play would allow an Advocate for the disabled person, to step forward and represent the person that can’t “speak” for themselves. I posted an article about it last week here.(Note: passed in the House last night)

I wanted to address some concerns and comments that I have received on this issue of literally life and death.

How can someone, a stranger, speak for someone that can’t speak for themselves? This already occurs daily in child abuse cases. Prior to this life I lead of marriage, children and jobs, I was a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). (I was an unpaid volunteer, and was happy to help.) My job was to determine what was in the best interest of the child ONLY. I was not supposed to make a judgment based on mom or dad or grandma or what the Social Worker wanted. They had their own agendas. My Agenda was to make sure the child was safe and had the best care possible in the situation and I did so by examining the child’s circumstances. I actually had a case where the child could not talk because the child was 2 weeks old. But my responsibility was to make sure that child came to no further harm. I didn’t make a lot of people happy with my “call” on the situation, but I sleep well at night. Terri Schiavo deserves at least that. One person in this whole mess that can fight for her wishes: not mom, dad or husband.

I have also heard from people that believe Terri should be “let go” because they would “never want to live that way”. I understand that because I would never want to live that way either. But you have to be careful about definitive statements like that because you may fall under its’ judgment. Sunday, I watched a fantastic movie, S aving Millie. It was about Mort Kondracke and his wife Millie, and her valiant fight against a very aggressive form of Parkinson’s disease. One exchange really caught my ear. Millie was close to hysteria because a doctor suspected she had the dreaded disease. Millie tells Mort that she has had patients (she was a psychologist) that had Parkinson’s and she knew how horrible their physical health degenerates. She told him that she could never live that way. But in the end, she does.

I have a cousin who was born with cerebral palsy. She is my mother’s age. Looking at her, you can’t help but feel sorry for her. She can’t talk, walk or feed herself. I asked her one day if she was glad she was here, alive. She told me “yes”, in her way of communicating. (I admit that was rather rude of me, but I was in college at the time and thought I knew everything, including that she hated living.) For her, while she can’t do what WE do, she is HERE. The alternative would be, not here. She has a wonderful life full of family and friends and pets that care for her and she cares about them. She has days she is depressed, but doesn’t everyone.
Things happen, plans are smashed, and life carries on in directions you never plan for or would ever wish upon anyone. But, there is good that can be derived from these unfortunate events. It’s a matter of looking for it.

My point is this: if you don’t want to live a certain way, make sure you have a Living Will executed and on file with your doctor and the rest of your family.

As for Terri Schiavo, she should have someone that represents HER and only HER. There are too many unresolved and unexplored issues, let alone unexplored medical tests and diagnosis. She should not have someone that is invested in the fight with a certain Agenda representing her (such as her husband who is her Legal Guardian). The Federal law would allow the independant representation.

By the way, I couldn’t help but think about Terri during the movie on Sunday. Mort promised Millie that if she really wanted to die, he would not allow a feeding tube to be put in, he would bring her to hospice, and make sure she was in no pain. Then he broke down and cried and begged her not to do it because he loved her so much……. A very far cry from Michael Schiavo.

Millie opted for the feeding tube until she died this past year.

P.S.: If Terri Schiavo is to die and die she must in accordance with the courts and her husband, then give her the same lethal injection we give death row inmates instead of starving her to death. (I am not advocating for her death, far from it. I just don’t want her to endure the brutality of what her husband and courts are ordering her to endure. Make the death humane if she MUST die.)

My Sentiments Exactly!

2005-03-10T11:34:00.000-08:00

Give God some credit in aligning the planets!

There will be no B5 Movie! ARRGGgggggg!

2005-02-27T20:05:00.000-08:00

Trekweb confirmed that J. Michael Straczynski has posted a message that the B5 movie project has been cancelled.

This is not good. I was looking forward to such a project. Hopefully, some day, we will get to see B5 on the big screen. (As long as it's a good project. I would rather see nothing if it's crap.)

Save Enterprise Music Video

2005-02-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

Now I have seen it all! Here's a music video to save Enterprise from cancellation.

Scenes from Enterprise set to the theme music with messages pleading for the series' survival.......

Very cool. Too bad it so futile.

Dawn of the Newest 'Ol Fogie......

2005-02-27T15:48:00.000-08:00

It's official: I am an 'Ol Fogie.

Today I went to Hollywood Video to rent the newly released Miami Vice Season 1 DVD set.

I looked for it on the shelf, but didn't see it. I figured I would ask about it. It could've been rented out, in a different area, you never know.

I asked the kid up front if they had the Miami Vice DVD to rent. He asked, "Miami Vice? Just, "Miami Vice"? There's nothing else to the title?"

"No, just Miami Vice", I told him.

The girl working up front goes, "I never heard of it. What is it?"

I explained to her it was an "80's series.

She then says, "Oh, I think I remember it! It's a dance show, right?"

By this time, the dude looking in the computer confirms that it is not available to rent.

Now keep in mind, they rent X-Files, King of the Hill, Simpson's and even PeeWee's Playhouse. But no Miami Vice.

They were totally clueless.

The series that defined the idea that melding Music Videos and shows were not only possible, but Good! So much of what they watch and consume from a performance standpoint, originated here.

And they are clueless.

I am a total Old Fart and I didn't know it until today.

I need a Bartles and Jaymes wine cooler.

Vox Blogoli 2.2: Where's the Rope??

2005-02-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

From Hugh Hewitt Central:

Vox Blogoli 2.2: Does the Senate GOP Go McClellan
or Grant if Harry Reid "Goes Gingrich?"

"The Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, has said that if the
Republicans made good on their threat and ruled filibusters out of order, he
would see to it that Senate business came to a halt."

I am a big believer in the old adage of giving someone enough rope so they may hang themselves. It has been suggested that the overwhelming negativity from the Democrat side of the aisle in the Senate especially, has been an attempt to channel Newt. Unfortunately, they forgot that part of the Gingrich strategy was to bring out new ideas. So far, all we have heard is “no, no, no, wrong, wrong, wrong” with no alternatives to right these negatives. In other words, they are channeling half of Newt.

If Senators Schumer, Byrd, Kennedy and maybe Clinton, do filibuster and shut down the government, every Republican leader should be demanding lights, camera and yell “action”! This would do more to tick off Middle America than they can imagine. The only people a Filibuster would make happy are the far-left nutcases that think the lefty leadership has been too nice and cooperative (think Michael Moore.)

I am very different from most Republicans. I hope everyday that some lefty opens their mouth. I hope they exercise their free speech rights. A trifecta dream would be Ward Churchill, Kennedy and Byrd talking about the same subject during the same news cycle. That’s worth a bag of popcorn!

The problem is, the Congress of the U.S is beginning to act like the beaurocrates that inhabit the rest of the government; they believe they are going to stay there forever and the elected officials from the Executive Branch are “Christmas Help”. This is a very snobby perspective, but perhaps a realistic one. Anyone elected to Congress will probably be re-elected. Their motive is to “get along” with everyone else because the Presidency will change every 4-8 years. They have no motivation to radically change things; the status quo works best for them.

The person in this mix that is the Radical and has the motivation to change is the President. One of the first things he said after the re-election in November is that now he has “political capital” and he plans to spend it.

I hope one of those rather large budget items for the political capital is getting Federal Judges confirmed. If not, he has squandered his capital.

If the President does spend his Capital on Judges, I hope the Senate Republican Leadership has enough guts to follow him.

P.S. Isn't it against Employment Law to discriminate against a person based on Religion? If Judicial candidates cannot meet the "religious litmis" test that keeps pro-life candidates from the bench, isn't this against the law? Just asking.......

What a Way to Go!

2005-02-23T04:19:00.000-08:00

I don't normally make it a habit to read Obituaries. But this one jumped out at me: Jane Mulholland Finch,

born July 14, 1925 in Esmond, S.D. died Friday February 18. 2005 from complications after a Hang Gliding accident in the Swiss Alps.

Did you catch that? 79 year old Granny died from a Hang Gliding accident. How many grannies go like that? But the next sentence is what makes this priceless:

Jane and celebrity husband Howard Finch fell deeply in love and married in 1956. They traveled the world together conceiving 4 children in such exotic locales as a gondola and the SS France.

Ok, it starts out well. She falls in love with a celebrity and they get married. Did you get the "conceiving" part? They didn't have children in exotic locales. they made them........ Isn't that a little bit too much information?

After that intro, the rest of the obit was fairly pedestrian: African Safari, trekking the Himalayas, gourmet cook, reader, skier, 3 languages, blah, blah, blah....

I'm just thankful they put the cause of death in there, so many are omitted.

I just wish I knew who "celebrity" Howard Finch was. 15 minutes of Googling doesn't really show.

There is an online Guest Book, and from the comments there, she seemed to be as incredible as her obit suggests. One lady thanks her for teaching her Tae Kwan Do.... There is a nice picture of her water skiing.

All and all, it looks like Jane had a pretty exciting life. Rest in peace.

President's Day

2005-02-21T05:33:00.000-08:00

Happy President's Day!!!

This year, my new employer treats this as a holiday. Yeah. Really.

(Last week one of my team members mentioned she was not going to be at work on Monday. I wished her a great day. Then another coworker told me the same thing. Then my new boss said he was going to be at home on Monday. I mentioned to one of the coworkers that it sounded like I was going to be the only one at work on Monday. She said, "yeah you would be since it is a company holiday......" Imagine my look of suprised stupidity!!)

In honor of Presidents Day, here's a link to a quiz:

What President Are You?

I'm George Washington!!

Have a GREAT DAY!!!

UPdate & LST Cross Post

2005-02-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while, sorry.

I got a new job!!! It's with a great company. I am doing the same thing I did before and they have an entire department and they are paying me better! Things could not have turned out better if I had ordered it up from the Big Guy (I have a feeling he had a LOT to do with this!!!)

In the meantime, I have had to get used to the whole rat race thing all over again.....

That means less time for blogging.

I did make a LST post. The first one since the major redisign of the site.

Mommy, Where do Obese Kids Come From?

The new redesign means that I can get feedback. Which is great!

Anyway, things are getting back to "normal"..... I'm all crazy again!!

More Rich Goody Geeky Stuff

2005-02-04T18:44:00.000-08:00

At the risk of appearing that I might be turning this blog into a SciFi blog, I found more info on two of my favorite shows: Babylon 5 and Free Enterprise.

First of all, an interview with Robert Burnett, Director and Writer of Free Enterprise. The release of the new, Special Edition/extended version/director's cut is slated for release around the end of May. The interview is full of tidbits that only a fanboy/fangal could love! He addresses why the DVD is hard to get (duh!) and the status of the sequel (he's writing it and should be finished in the next couple of weeks)!!!! (It was tentatively titled, "My Big Fat Geek Wedding".)

I loved this movie and just wished it had come out sooner (like when I was young). I would have been a lot more comfortable in my own "geek skin".......

FYI.... not suitable for young children. It is rated "R" for a reason.

J. Michael Straczynsk, producer, writer and creator of Babylon 5 has communicated via moderated news group that the B5 movie, THE MEMORY OF THE SHADOWS, is in a critical stage, in terms of being fully produced and made. Here's hoping..........

All Good Things, Must Come to an End.

2005-02-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. Star Trek Enterprise, has been cancelled.

That is such a shame because this iteration, has been outstanding. Much better than Voyager. To some degree, better than The Next Generation (especially, the first 1-4 seasons.) My personal favorite is Deep Space 9.

Scott Bakula, Captian Archer in Enterprise, has been a real leader on and off the screen. He has been to just about any talk show that would have him to try and drum up interest.

As with all the Star Trek shows, this one was really beginning to hit it's stride. I think viewers have declined because of "viewer fatigue" with the Star Trek franchise. Remember, it's been going strong since The Next Generation hit back in 1989 (or so). That's not bad.

The final episode is to air on Friday, May 13 and is being written now.

At least there is the new Battlestar Galactica on the SciFi channel.

If you would have told me 25 years ago that Star Trek was revived and played continuoustly for 16+ year in series and/or Movie format, the newest Star Wars movies were weak, and the best TV sci fi was a new Battlestar Galactica series, I would have thought you lost your mind! But that, is what has happened.

It just goes to show you, anything is possible.

P.S. A new extended version of Free Enterprise will be realeased in a double DVD version with new extra goodies soon. Yes!! Not everything is bad.

Chills... Chills......

2005-02-02T23:54:00.000-08:00

I'm still watching the State of the Union speech...... I am tearing up watching the Iraqi women, Sophia, stand there while the highest levels of the U.S. government applaud her in a standing ovation. She is showing her "blue finger" salute of voting power while morphing it into a "V" for victory. Absolutely fabulous!

OK, now I am bawling! The President just intoduced Sgt. Norwood's parents. It seems Sgt Norwood was killed during Falluja. They are there to represent military families. While standing there, during the standing ovation (much deserved), Sophia and Mrs. Norwood embrace.

What a country!!

What's going on?

2005-02-02T23:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's 1:00 a.m. I can't sleep just yet. I can't decide if it's the brain that got ramped up and can't let go or the Diet Coke. Maybe both?

I'm watching the State of the Union speech. According to the reports, President Bush did well. I hate watching these speeches live...... I love the members of Congress holding up "blue" fingers, I am assuming, to signify solidarity with Iraqi voters. Very powerful message. Bravo! Well Done!

I had to complete some online training modules for the company I am supposed to work for, prior to working for them. They weren't exactly walks in the park. You had to pay attention and take a quiz. That means, you have to concentrate. That takes longer than just "clicking though". Well, I passed the quizzes. Hopefully, they will call tomorrow and tell me Monday will be fine to start, as originally anticipated.

Very mixed feeling about it all. I've been not working since the end of September. I haven't finished everything I wanted to accomplish. The house still needs work. But breaking your foot will put a damper on things.

My foot is better, but not completely healed. The Dr. Told me to wear shoes and take off "the boot". My foot may never heal, but as long as it's not painful, big deal.

This was the longest period of time that I have not worked since I was 18. I will miss some of the things that I have grown accustomed to. For instance, I won't be able to get to the Salvation Army Store on Wednesdays for 1/2 price clothing day. I won't be able to spend the day with my "old friend" that recently moved into the area. Being able to run around Houston with her has been a total treat! The problem for both of us is that we have so little time on the weekends. That time MUST be spent with our family. We were able to go do things together without kids and husbands.

I've also been able to devote time to my other guilty pleasures, Sci Fi shows. I am so bummed that I will not be able to watch the series end to Seven Days. The same for Deep Space 9 (although I saw that). I love watching those shows. It's hard to do so, especially on the "big" TV because the kids are more into Sponge Bob than the fate of the universe. I have hope for my little guy, he seems somewhat interested in space things; maybe I have a viewing buddy in the making. I could have sworn I had one with my middle girl. I'll never forget the time we went to NASA open house. She was 3 and her face was PLASTERED on the shuttle bus. (She probably looked hysterical to any person out side the bus :) She was very intently looking at the people outside. I finally asked her what she was looking for. She wanted to know "where were the aliens"! I told here there were no aliens. Then I realized what was going on. I had explained to her earlier that NASA is where the people that work in space, work when they are NOT in space. She saw those space shows mom watched; Babylon 5, Star Trek (pick your iteration), she just KNEW aliens existed there. Who knows, maybe she's right.

Cue "creepy music"....

The truth is out there...............

Iraq Votes: A Day in History

2005-01-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well, they did it!

I am soooooo proud of this country and the Iraqi people! Yeah, things weren't perfect. Name me any time in history that is. As long as humans are imperfect, history and historical events will be also.

But today is a good day. A day to be savored.

Tomorrow, some numnut will probably explode a bomb. Pray that the bomber dies, and no one else.......

More thoughts on this day via my Lone Star Times posting.

Have a great day!!!

Voting...... A Courageous Act

2005-01-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

I think as American's, we forget how revolutionary voting really is.

Here is a reminder. (click on the picture)

If you watch this and don't get a lump in your throat, you are stone dead or a terrorist.

Lone Star Times Cross Posts.......

2005-01-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

Here are some more posts I have made at Lone Star Times:

Reflections on MLK Day: Showing Kids how far we have come
Sour Grapes and Rice
Liberals: "We Support our Troops" NOT!!!
Example 1,325,667: How far has the Mainstream Media fallen?
Friday Nights are for Sci Fi Geeks!

If you like Sci Fi, take the phone off the hook!

2005-01-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

"Geekfest" begins tonight officially at 7:00.

Star Trek: Enterprise 7:00 on Channel UPN Channel 20 (Warner Cable Ch 4)
Battlestar Galactica 8:00 on the Sci Fi Channel (Warner Cable Ch 60)

For more inoformation, see my Lone Star Times post.

Racism & Slurs: Real Examples

2005-01-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

I've grown so accustomed to hearing "you are a racist" over literally, nothing, that it takes your breath away when you read THE REAL THING........

Why aren't these people being sought out for "Hate" crimes?

When I read about Armstrong Williams' betrayal taking money for opinions, I had several thoughts:

Hey, what a capitalist! (wish I could get money for my opinions; I would be rich!!!)
Too bad he did it as he did, seems fishy and betrays trust
What a shame that such a fine columnist is going to be so marginalized from now on; no one will ever trust him again as writing his own/real opinion.

I did not understand the other part of the equation. Now I do. That is, all "conservative" or "Republican" minorities are thought to be taking some kind of "payoff" for their opinions; "on the take" somehow. It is the only possible explaination as to why the different thinking "brothers" are different. Armstrong Williams has now proved the suspicion to be true.

Thanks Michelle for explaining this in very graphic terms..... It's not your fault. I wish I could send you a can of mental disinfectent so you could somehow, "sanitize" your thoughts. It would be difficult not to dwell on some of this bilge. You need some peace and quiet (especially with small children).......

Battlestar Galactica vs Battlestar Galactica

2005-01-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, unemployment (along with a broken foot) has it's benefits.

While I am sitting here at the computer working on sending out resumes and answering email, I usually indulge in Spike TV's weekday lineup: , 7 Days at 9:00 (a show that I liked, but missed a lot) 2 eps of DS9 and 2 eps of STTNG. Friday, guess what came on? "Trial and Tribulations"! SWEEEEET! That afternoon, I watched the Trouble with Tribbles on DVD. Even sweeeeter!

But today, I am taking in original Battlestar Galactica. The new series begins this Friday night (with a re-run of the 2 part pilot episode on Tuesday and Wednesday night!).

You know, after watching this some, I think making Starbuck a girl was not much of a stretch. Both of them had great hair (Dirk Benedick had longer hair.) I just watch "old" Starbuck get in touch with his feminine side in order to get into the uniform of another officer..... Hell, I think the new Starbuck is tougher than the old..... (Please understand, I had a massive crush on Dirk Benedict. I even used to watch the A Team just to see him. Which, by the way, Barclay (see STTNG) was in.....)

Baltar? Why???? Here he is telling two Centurion guards to "exterminate" all humans. What did he plan for himself? He would be the last human being. No mate? No children? What good is money if you can't spend it and "flaunt" it? (Note: I just heard that the deal was that Baltar's people were to survive, and the people "subjugated" under Baltar..... The Cylon said "how can you trust someone that wants to see his whole race exterminated?" My point exactly. Even the Cylons got it.....)

I also didn't realize how good it was to listen to the opening score, in it's full glory trying to emulate John Williams. Stu Phillips did a pretty good job......

Lorne Greene. I loved him in this part. Not muchi different acting from Bonanza, but that's what make him so great in this role. If you found your niche, why screw it up? Again, lots of similarities between him and Olmos.

Oh well, the first couple of episodes are pretty good, but then it goes down hill.....

I am looking forward to seeing the Battlestar Galactica. According to posters from the UK at Ain't it Cool, the new episodes were even better than the pilot. Now that is a winning combination! How often have you watch a great Pilot only to see it get mutilated by the follow up episodes.....

We'll see if the UK posters and the USA watchers agree!

Target: Charitable Donations

2005-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hugh Hewitt has written extensively on Target's decision to banish Salvation Army from their storefronts during Christmas.

To recap, Target says their "attorneys" had advised them to not allow solicitation at their stores, because this would lead to some activities that Target does not desire.....

Many people were outraged at this, and decided not to buy from Target this Christmas season.

Target said that they anticipated this reaction, and planned accordingly.

Did this have any financial impact on Target? According to Hewitt, yes.

Today in my newspaper, The Houston Chronicle, there was a very nice circular that highlights, in a subtle way (as subtle as a full color, tri-fold advertisement will allow you to be), their charitable contributions.

On the front, are nine very nice pictures of people doing variable everyday things over the following caption:

Every day Target gives back
to the community in countless ways.
At every moment
lives are touched.
Possibilities are discovered.
Hope is found.

There's a few people we'd like you to meet.

Inside are pictures highlighting Target's goodness and mercy. I'm sure they are very nice, good corporate neighbors. But you have to ask, why did they feel the need to spend as they did, on such an advertisement to show they are good and kind? I'm sure the Chronicle is not the only newspaper in the nation to have this advertisement.

All this money, all this effort..... they should have cut a check to the Salvation Army (the same size as the what the advert cost) instead of the advert. I think it would have made many of us if not happy, at least OK with Target......

Lone Star Times Cross Posts.......

2005-01-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

I've posted more to the Lone Star Times:

Tsunami Aftermath: First Hand Accounts
Do you believe in mistakes?
What are Diplomats Really Like? (With a front page mention here)
Blogs: They can change things, even in directions you may not expect

Mistakes.....

2005-01-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

I posted a story on Lone Star Times about a mistake that saved a Marine's life titled "Do you believe in Mistakes?" posted here. David Benzion, the Managing Editor of Lone Star Times, posted essentially the same story (same origins, Blackfive), except the entire email is quoted. He also added that Dan Patrick intervied the mother mentioned in the story, Becky Williams. (Another big difference in my story: I didn't mention the word "tampons" in the title which did not make it quite so sensational......)

I would like to add a couple of updates of my own.

My brother, a volunteer EMT with Cy-Fair, (and a "Paid" Firefighter with the Port of Houston) keeps pads in the emergency kit because they are very effective with bleeding situations.... (or at least they used to)

Also, I was telling my best friend, who is a nurse, about this. She told me about a time that she used tampons on a plane flight back from Jamaica to stop a very severe nose bleed on another passenger (the guy had a little too much coca recreation, if you know what I mean).

Both of them wondered why the feminine hygiene makers are not packaging their products as medical "bandages" since their products are so effective. But as my friend the nurse put it, maybe it's best they don't. The Pentagon could buy tampons a lot cheaper as they are than if they were packaged as something else.

Torture.... The real story

2005-01-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

Here's an excellent and lengthy article on torture technique's the U.S. has been using.

The other day on Hannity, a liberal was going on and on about how we couldn't use torture. The caller said that if we needed information from a prisoner, we should tell him that he should give up the info because we are a good nation, and his cause would never win.

Right......

But the Kandahar prisoners were not playing by the army rule book. They divulged nothing. Prisoners overcame the [traditional] model almost effortlessly, writes Chris Mackey in The Interrogators, his gripping account of his interrogation service in Afghanistan. The prisoners confounded their captors not with clever cover stories but with simple refusal to cooperate. They offered lame stories, pretended not to remember even the most basic of details, and then waited for consequences that never really came.
Some of the al-Qaida fighters had received resistance training, which taught that Americans were strictly limited in how they could question prisoners. Failure to cooperate, the al-Qaida manuals revealed, carried no penalties and certainly no risk of torture a sign, gloated the manuals, of American weakness.
Even if a prisoner had not previously studied American detention policies before arriving at Kandahar, he soon figured them out. It became very clear very early on to the detainees that the Americans were just going to have them sit there, recalls interrogator Joe Martin (a pseudonym). They realized: The Americans will give us our Holy Book, they'll draw lines on the floor showing us where to
pray, we'll get three meals a day with fresh fruit, do Jazzercise with the guards, . . . we can wait them out.
Even more challenging was that these detainees bore little resemblance to traditional prisoners of war. The army's interrogation manual presumed adversaries who were essentially the mirror image
of their captors, motivated by emotions that all soldiers share.

It is hard to understand just how different the war on terror is compared to any other conflict we have been involved in fighting. I am very sympathetic to the idea of outlawing all torture. However, a rational discussion should be held. Frankly, While torture is distasteful, I think psychological "torture" is just fine.

I don't think we should be like the torturers we are trying to rid the world of (like Saddam Hussein). But at the same time, we need to fight this war. There is a lot of room between torture and simple questioning with out any pressing.

A Geography Lesson Works!

2005-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

My mom, a retired teacher, commented the other day that she could not understand why more Westerners did not recall their geography lessons on earthquakes and Tsunamis.

Well, one did.

Well done Tilly. Well done.

Update: Link to new Posts on Lone Star Times

2004-12-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

I have posted a few more articles on Lone Star Times:

I hope you take a look!

Perspective During Christmas in 2004

2004-12-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Real life can rarely measure up to unreal expectations.

That is what happens year after year during Christmas. We try every year (especially the moms) to make this the *Perfect* Christmas. We mostly fail in this quest in unrealistic expectations.

The result is that after Christmas, we all feel a little let down.

I know this year was a bit of a let down because I BROKE my FOOT! I didn't just break a bone and snap an tendon in my foot, it was my RIGHT foot. Now I can't drive!!

ARRRGGGGhhhhhh!

But you know, at least I'm not here.

If you are feeling let down in any way, think about the suffering in the Pacific Rim..... At least we are not there. WE are BLESSED!!!

Christmas In Terms We Can Relate To

2004-12-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

This is an awesome column , titled One child, a sacrifice and a new beginning for all written by Tim Chavez of the Tennessean. He takes if from an email he received, which was based on a book written by Matthew Kelly. But still, I did not think a column like this would come from a Mainstream Media source.

"It happened that a great virus swept the world over the course of a year. Everyone, regardless of where they lived or how much they possessed, was getting sick. And dying."......

Very powerful and very relevant for today's world.

This did hit me very hard because I have only one son. I cannot imagine signing the release as this father did.....

Please read it all!

War on Terror: What are we fighting for?

2004-12-23T05:02:00.000-08:00

Back in May, Krauthammer wrote an outstanding article linking the war on terror with sexual liberation for women. I thought he was correct, as usual.

He observes:

For the jihadists, at stake in the war against the infidels is the control of women. Western freedom means the end of women's mastery by men, and the end of dictatorial clerical control over all aspects of sexuality -- in dress, behavior, education, the arts.

He also wrote:

It is no accident that jihadists around the world are overwhelmingly male. It is very rare to find a woman suicide bomber. And when you do, like the young woman who blew herself up in Gaza killing four others last January, it turns out that she herself was a victim of sexual subjugation -- a wife accused of adultery, marked for death, who decided to die a martyr rather than a pariah. But die she must.

This article was written to explain why the Abu Graib scandal was such a big deal in the Arab world. But his observations have much more resonance than just explaining a scandal.

I have explained to anyone that will listen, that the war on terror is all about keeping my girls out of burkas and all of my kids alive and not being killed for rejecting conversion to Islam. This may seem like a very extreme reaction, but if you listen to Osama bin Laden, he wants everyone to be Muslim (he calls it the "Worldwide Caliphate"). As history has shown, when Islam conquers a land, the people must submit to the Koran or die. That is history.

For those that deny that history will repeat, that Islam has become much more warm, fuzzy and reasonable, see this post in the Lone Star Times titled "Absolute Savagery". It shows a women being buried up to her waist so that she can be stoned to death for adultery!!!

While I am no great apologist for adultery, I don't believe being stoned to death is even close to being reasonable. Far from it. Adultery, in my mind, should have no governmental response or involvement (except maybe as a fact in a divorce proceeding). You should also understand that in the Muslim world, a women can be convicted of adultery for being raped. The guy usually gets off with his life intact. If you want to know more about this kind of religious "justice", please see the Faith Freedom website for much more info (guaranteed to make your stomach ache).

The next time you see a Muslim cleric prattling on about how "equal" the sexes are in Islam, think about this poor woman........ And question exactly what they mean about being "equal".

I thank God everyday that I was born in a free America, and my children were born here too. I can't even begin to imagine my fate if I were born elsewhere.....

Update..... Finally!

2004-12-23T04:20:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long pause. I've been very busy!!

In case you don't know, I lost my job in late September. This is the first time in my life I have actually gotten unemployment. I'm taking the opportunity to tie up some loose ends, beginning with decluttering and cleaning out my home! (as well as looking for that new job!!)

I found this site, and it has been very helpful: The Flylady

If you are having a hard time in being organized at home, this is a great big help.

In the meantime, I have been reconnecting with my family. It has been quite an eye opener how much I didn't realize was going on. This is a very needed wakeup call for me. I have also been able to reconnect with some long lost friends.. One of which, actually moved into the area recently. She has been a tremendous help to me.

I have also been blogging with the new site, Lone Star Times. It is affiliated with a local talk radio station, 700 KSEV.

Here are the related posts:

Hopefully, as I pull my life back together, I will be able to post more often. I am really glad things worked out as they did. It has been a gift, really. Not everyone gets an opportunity to get their life in order prior to major tragedy striking.

I have been very fortunate.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

Pray for the Family Bush!!!!

2004-11-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

I consider myself a "Practical optimist". What this means is even though I mostly look at things from the bright side of life, I am practical enough to understand the limitations of my beliefs..... Hey, I want "world peace" but know that there are so many competing agenda's that the likelihood of it happening is slim to none.... so I keep praying for it and understand that a lot of times the Marines have to get out there to do their part to help make it happen.

I do have my paranoid moments. I pray very regularly for Presidident Bush (both of them). So many people want him DEAD (both foreign and domestic, IMHO).

My Husband, Dad and Brother all had the same thought, did this thwart an assassination attempt? I don't trust anyone, other than our own Secret Service to look after President Bush.

Then this happens this morning. Speaking locally, the weather was horrible this morning. But Jet Streams are extremely safe. They practically fly themselves. I hope it is the weather. But this is very "coincidental". I hope our security investigators are looking at this VERY CAREFULLY......

This is a very scary time in history. I keep thinking about another Republican wartime President...... I'm sure the one's tasked with the President's safety do also.

Blue vs Red..... Who would "win"

2004-11-10T05:32:00.000-08:00

Wow! The Blue state people are feeling REALLY Blue! I thought talks of succession were only for wild rednecks! Well, it looks like that conventional wisdom is on it's ear again. See for yourself what Geraldine Ferraro said to Sean Hannity on Nov. 6:

"You know what? Just let me make one point. You were talking about the map before. If indeed all those blue states all got together and seceded from the union, think what would be left for those red states, nothing. There would be no educational system. You would have nothing. What would be left to you? I mean, where is all of this talent in this country? It's on both sides, the Northeast corridor."

Wow Geraldine! Take a Tylenol and relax.... the fever will subside soon.

But let's get real for a moment. Yesterday, Rush started a list of all the east/west coast "talent" and their birthplaces. Want to guess where most of them came from? Hmmm.... Red States perhaps?

Well, I have something for them to consider. It's a bit ugly, but I will bring it up anyway. Where do you get your energy? Like your gas and heating oil? During the '70's, there was a saying here in the south, "turn up the thermostat and freeze a Yankee". If you think you hate paying $2.00/gal. for gas, just wait until "Jesusland" get's ahold of it before you do.......

Look, I know what it's like to be on the losing end of the election. I have talked with friends about the prospect of succession and breaking apart the U.S. But I have a few things to point out:

1. As a Southerner, I know Succession is not what it is cracked up to be, especially when a great part of the remaining Union doesn't want it and is willing to fight to preserve it. Very bad. Very, Very bad. Very Very Ugly.

2. I have thought about breaking the Union completely. Think about these "countries":

The Northeast
The South
Parts of the Midwest
The West
Southern Florida
The Southwest
California, Washington & Oregon

It could be worked out in a civilized manner so that national debt could be divvied out via population. Immigration would/could be allowed between "countries". If wanted, various treaties for defense and security could be worked out. This is all doable.

But I also believe that inside a 100 years, we would ALL be back to together again, and probably in a more harmonious "state". In some ways, breaking apart would preserve the Union. But I'm an optimist at heart.

Or, we could try to work out our problems NOW. Try and get along with each other NOW. It would save a lot of work and heartache.

OKay Kid, Don't Get Cocky!!

2004-11-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

It's been close to a week now. The fallout from the election is still sorting itself out. Right now, I'm being told by media elites that I voted for Bush because of "values", which is a code word for "I hate Gays..." Wrong. By the way, these are the same media elites that didn't know anyone that voted for Bush, so why do they think they know me??? I voted for Bush for this one reason alone: The Foreign Policy Rorschach Test. EVERYTHING else afterward is detail. Details are workable. But, if you don't have a country in which to sort out these details, the whole point is moot.......

I think these Media Elites should be getting out a bit. They accused Bush of being un-curious because he never traveled outside the US prior to his election as President. Well I have a little advice for them. Aren't you a little curious about the interior of "Flyover Country"? Instead of going to Europe for vacation this year, use that money to travel extensively to "Jesusland". You know, open your minds a little, actually take in the sights instead of relying on "news" reports. By the way, this "Jesusland" graphic originated from Der Spiegel, a very large, influential German newspaper. Kinda like calling the kettle black.........

After thoughts on a historical day.....

2004-11-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

What a great week!

Democracy in action..... Bush is re-elected....... Plurality and electoral college wins.

All Good. All Good.

But mostly, no litigating this country to death!!! No Constitutional Crisis!!!

More disjointed thoughts on Bush's Winner Speech:

He looked so tired.... It looked like Laura was literally holding him up on the stage
Did he make a reference to the Matrix? Carl Rove, The Architect.... That would make Bush= Neo; Laura= Trinity. But who is Morpheous and The Oracle??

More thought later.... My computer is spazzing out and I have to post on other computers or when my computer is feeling frisky.

Election Season:In a room with pre-schoolers....... and how to make it better!

2004-10-31T05:36:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been in a room with pre-schoolers? It's soooo difficult.

Pre-schoolers are ALL after each other. Every kid in there is pointing their sticky little finger at another kid: he's mean! She won't share! They won't play nice with me! It's horrible and will drive any sane person INSANE!

Well, that to me was this election season. Except to me, it's lasted since the last election in 2000 (with a little good behavior for time off around 9/11. But not for long.)

So now we are back to square one. Back to the future.

Both sides are waiting for the night of Tuesday. Depending on the votes, we will have an outright winner or we will watch the beginning of the end of this Republic litigated in the courts.

"He's mean! He wouldn't let me vote! Your vote doesn't count because the postal date is wrong!

Why can Afghanistan get through an election with minimal cheating and we can't?

Our voting methods are developed by bureaucrats that have one eye towards gaming the system for their party's benefit. It is porous, and prone to scandal. I thought the 2000 debacle would teach us that we needed a new way to vote. I thought someone would crawl outside the present box and do something that would make it right. Our American civilization cannot work without voting that is BELIEVED to be RIGHT. If America has no confidence in the system, we are lost..... It will only be a matter of time before our system falls apart into anarchy.

So to be changed, we have to go one way or another.

We have to be super simple, like the 3rd world, or super high tech.

The super simple would be very easy to do today. We basically keep it like it is, but require a fingerprint on the voting roll book when you go to vote. By the way, the ink used, should be permanent ink that won't come off for at least 24 hours. That's what they did in Afghanistan to make sure there was no double dipping. That ink was worn like a badge of honor. If a Taliban terrorist would have caught you with that ink stain, there are reports that you would have been killed (especially the women).

The other way is the super high tech way. I believe the way to vote is via ATM machines. It is a proven technology that BANKS have perfected for over 20 years. Banks do not loose money. They know where every fraction of a penny is located. These machines MUST have the confidence of the people that they will work and be dependable. The banking system rests on that confidence. So this is how I think it should work:

You register to vote
An ATM Voter card is sent to you
A PIN number is sent separately (Just like a "regular" ATM card)
You call in and "activate" the card.
When it is time to vote, you can use any ATM machine or special ATM machines brought in to you district
You put in your card, tap in your PIN
All the candidates and issues that you need to vote on, appear on the screen
You vote
A screen pops up asking for confirmation of your choices
When you are done, a "receipt" pops out for you to keep, to confirm your voting choices

The ATM method can have a national "800" number to help with problems such as needing a PIN reset for forgotten numbers, as well as reassurance that your "vote" registered. If your confirmation slip show a discrepancy on how you thought you voted, the 800 number people can void the transaction, and you can do it over.

Both systems virtually eliminate multi votes. Maybe both systems should be combined? Even if you vote via ATM, your thumb must be dyed.

I pray that on Wednesday morning, we have a President Elect, without the "help" of lawyers. I also hope we look into better voting systems, before the confidence in it collapses, and we become a new 3rd world nation.

He's BAaaack!

2004-10-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well, he's back...... back from the dead; back from hell, where he should be now. That fun loving fascist in a headdress is back.

I mentioned him as probably dead in Tora Bora this morning's post, then he comes back in a tape to prove us wrong...... As with most arrogant, megalomaniacs bent on world domination, he had some lovely pearls of wisdom for America. Chief among them, condemnation of George W. Bush, via the talking points from the Michael Moore wing of the Moonbat Democrats. He taunted Bush for not leaving the children's class when the attack on the Twin Towers had started and suggested that Bush stole the Florida election. Nice. I'm sure that Michael Moore is glowing with pride at this moment. Really. His "documentary" couldn't have been more successful. The imprimatur of UBL just sealed it.

What did candidate Kerry have to say about this turn of events? Well first, he spit out the pre-canned statement that he has been saving for this special occasion, in case it arrived. It actually wasn't bad. But then he had to keep talking..... And that wasn't very good. He used this occasion to tell voters that if he were president, he would have been more effective, and insinuated that hew would have already finished off UBL. Really? I can't imagine that John Kerry has ever really finished any job he started. He left Vietnam early (he had 3 purple hearts you know). He then went on to protest the very same war and become a nationally recognized leader in the movement. He left 5 months after acquiring the leadership role, even though the war was still in full swing. Have you noticed he doesn't talk about his Senate career? That's 20 years on the resume. Trust me, if I were interviewing for a job and the last one had lasted for 20 years, I better be ready to talk about some sort of accomplishments. He hasn't. He keeps going back to Vietnam. Didn't we as a country MoveOn from that....... In many ways, he hasn't done his job there because he hasn't attended that many sessions and committee meetings. It's hard to accomplish something when you aren't there.

But I digress......

Now, the UBL Devil has returned. What is his next move? I don't know what it is, but there are a lot of very dedicated, very smart and talented people out there working hard to find out and foil his plans. I can't help but pray for them, and hope you do the same. Whatever UBL’s plans are, they are evil and involve death to innocent Americans.

And there will be other Americans that will think we deserve it...........

Commander In Chief

2004-10-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween. Want to get scared? Say this three times:

John Kerry, Commander in Chief

Not scared? Doesn't matter? Well, to quote Yoda, "You should be. You Should be!"

If Kerry becomes President, he becomes the Commander in Chief. His entire campaign has revolved around saying he isn't George Bush. That means critisizing Bush for having allies to do the heavy lifting in Afghanistan. Oh, you didn't hear that? Didn't you hear how Kerry has gone on and on about Bush "outsourcing" the fighting in Tora Bora? That's because we had the Northern Alliance fight with us. One historical note; no other civilization has been able to defeat the Afhganis. The British had their hind ends handed to them and the Soviet Union couldn't "pacify" them either. (Side note: no one has been able to pacify the Pashtun tribe. Still haven't been able to. They make up the "Tribal Area" of Pakistan. But at least the Pashtuns are in Pakistan and not Afghanistan.) It was a brilliant move to work like this given what we DIDN'T have in place. By the way, how do we know if Osama bin Laden did escape Tora Bora? He may be buried in the bottom of a bombed cave. Kinda hard to get out press releases threatening the great infidels when you are DEAD!

Krauthammer has a great article outlining the great victory of Afghanistan and the triumph of the elections. Haven't heard much about it have you? Why would the Main Stream Media and Kerry say nice things about Bush? Please. You haven't figured that out yet?

All campaign Kerry has droned on and on about the mistakes of "this President". Well, in doing so, he has been criticizing the military's performance.

Let's take, for example, the Al Qaqaa example that the New York Times reported. Kerry has gone on and on about how Bush screwed this up. What? Since when does the Commander in Chief make decisions about securing facilities? When does the CIC go out and secure facilities? The Commander in Chief trusts the decision-making ability of his troops to do the right thing. And they did.
This is just the most recent example.

Now imagine if Kerry does win. He will now be the Commander in Chief to the very same troops he has insulted either knowingly or unknowingly. At a time in our history, that we REALLY need good competent troops.

Now for a more personal example. I had a chance to go to West Point in the second female class. I declined to do so, in part, because of the negative reputation of soldiers. It is a decision that I now, largely regret. Now I realize that being associated with some of the greatest people in the world, our American Soldiers, would be an honor, not a disgrace. Who was largely responsible for this negative reputation? That would be John Kerry. You know, his testimony in Congress where he likened American Soldiers to be the inheritors of the war tactics of Ghingas Khan.

To paraphrase that soldier testifying in congress, "how do you ask a soldier to fight for your mistake?”

Life Just Came Crashing In.........

2004-10-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

A lot of us go through our lives in our regular, hurried manner. This election is very heated and very difficult to keep paying attention to. I am tired of hearing Kerry go on and on about Bush and his incompetence. What he doesn't realize is that the things he is criticizing Bush for, he is de facto, criticizing the troops all the way up and down the command structure.

Bill Gertz, once again, has a blockbuster report on the Al Quaquaa munitions "dump":

Russia moved the munitions
Russia did this BEFORE the Americans invaded Iraq
Russians shredded documentation evidence of the WMD program
The removal included not only the high explosive material the IEAE had identified, but WMD

Yeah, that's right, the same WMD that Bush LIED about....... The same WMD that made Iraq the wrong war, wrong time, wrong place that Kerry drones on and on about. Oh, by the way, Foxnews has an aerial photo showing tractor-trailer trucks next to the dump BEFORE the war. Thank God for Foxnews!

Also today in the "good news" category, the authorities have reportedly authenticated the most recent Al Quida tape. Azzam the American warns the U.S. that the "streets will run red with blood" and that 9/11 was only the beginning. Foxnews has part of the video on its site. Again, thank God for Foxnews!

Well, I just got off the phone with my brother. He is a fire fighter for the Port of Houston. Without trying to be too melodramatic, he is very apprehensive. He will be on duty on Friday and Monday before the election. He asked me tonight to promise him that if anything happens while he is on duty, to forget about contacting him or waiting for him and instead to grab my family and his, and get out of Houston. I promised that I would not leave town without his wife and daughter.

Pretty heavy conversation on a Thursday night. Makes things, like an election, focus a little more.

Kerry would think of this as an "inconvenience". Trust me, this kind of conversation is a hell of an inconvenience...........

PS Disclaimer: My brother does not have any special information from the Port of Houston and/or Homeland Security. He just reads the news and listens to the radio like I do. Given the attack on Spain on the eve of their election, he and I are apprehensive about the coming days. We can't do a thing about it, but be careful and prepared and PRAY!!

The Foreign Policy Rorschach Test

2004-10-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Kerry: Inconvenience

Bush: Act of War

Why Vote for Bush?

2004-10-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

It is a question that needs answers and meaning and done so very quickly......

For me it is simple. Bush will execute the war on terror. Kerry will do so as a response.... He views terror as an "inconvenience"....

Here's a great article written by a young women with dual citizenship (Great Britain/US) who will be voting for Bush. She runs in those circles that admitting such a thing, would constitute "betrayal" by the rest of the class.

She speaks elegantly and from the heart.

She starts the article set in a high class/high dollar party with the social/economic elite of New York:

When the metrosexual chap standing next to me confides that urban sophisticates prefer Kerry because "you have to have a low IQ to appreciate Bush", I know I am making the right decision.

Then she gets to the heart of the matter:

My decision is based on a straightforward proposition: I do not want the global jihadists and women-hating fundamentalists to be celebrating Bush's defeat. They do not deserve to win, even if Bush deserves to lose, a position I am not quite willing to concede.

Then she states what I think so many Democrats find so scary:

On foreign policy, Bush is the idealist and Kerry the conservative, afraid to disturb the status quo.

The Democrats view themselves as revolutionaries. See Civil Rights, War on Vietnam, Vietnam protests. Unfortunately, they have not found further revolutions to espouse. They rest on their laurels. In a lot of ways, they are the conservatives: they want to "conserve" what they have done and progress no further.

What has decided this more than anything is the timing of the terrorists. IF 9/11 happened on 9/11/94 or 9/11/96, the Republican/conservatives would STILL be going on about the heroism and skill of President Clinton, along with their brethren Democrats. Yes, really.

President Clinton was a lot of things, but having his own opinion was not one of them. He did whatever the polls dictated. If 9/11 happened on his watch, we would be celebrating the new democracies of Afghanistan, Iraq, IRAN and Syria....... He would have done it because he would have had the backing of both Democrats AND Republicans.

The problem with many is that the War on Terror landed on Bush's watch. It is the timing of inconvenience to Democrats that irk them so much. Bush is a revolutionary and they are not on that side....... And they hate him for that!!!!

A Child of "Fair Game"

2004-10-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

It has taken a few days, but the calculated mention by Kerry of Vice President Cheney's daughter during the Presidential debate, has received attention.

Mary Cheney was mentioned by name by Vice Presidential Candidate, John Edwards during his debate with Cheney, as well as Kerry.

Mention of someone by name twice in one week by the same campaign; not a coincidence.....

It was a blatant attempt to stir up Bush's base against him. At least in the mind of the Democratic operatives, the Republican/Conservative/Christian fundamentalist logic would be:

Mary Cheney is a Lesbian
Lesbians are bad
Lesbians hate God
Dick Cheney is Mary's Dad
Dick Cheney is bad and hates God
Dick Cheney is Bush's Vice President
OH NO: Can't vote for Bush because of that Evil Dick Cheney!

What Democrats don't understand is that Republicans love their families, first and foremost.

Maybe a few people might have such flawed biased logic like this and vote for Kerry or stay home. But I don't think many exist.

I think it has struck a lot of people the wrong way because this was a low blow.

After the debate, Mary Beth Cahill commented to Fox News that Mary Cheney was "fair game". Oh really, the discrete Ms Cheney is to be hunted down and used against her father? Yeah, that's fair if you are fighting with Darth Vadar!

I won't even mention the arm chair psychology being espoused by John and Elizabeth Edwards..... I wonder how they would have felt if Bush said something that would tie legislation that Kerry voted against with any particular situation within their family? (Note: That would make me very peeved with Bush as well.)

But I digress.....

The thing I wonder is how is Mary Cheney doing? I hope she is surrounded by lots of loving friends and family now. She needs to be. If I were being used against my father or mother, it would absolutely destroy me! That's what I think is so cheap about this. Mary Cheney, by all accounts, loves her father and he loves her. How devastating this must be to be placed in the middle.

No wonder no one will want to run for office!!!

P.S. Mary, we all love you! You have done nothing but support and love your parents. You have been a very classy example that any child should be proud to emulate!!!! Keep your chin up!!!!!!

Krauthammer Hammers Away

2004-10-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, Edwards did his best impression of Jimmy Swaggart, and promised that the lame would walk again, if only his buddy Kerry became President.

Krauthammer has an excellent column on this. He addresses the political demagoguery and the medicine behind it. But he also has a personal side to this. I didn't know this, but Krauthammer is a paraplegic. He apparently had some sort of accident while he was in medical school.

He also addresses some of the background into the current research on stim cells. He can do so with authority because he also sits on the President's Council on Bioethics.

Read. Learn. Enjoy.

This is a good one, Mom is Right on this one!

Is There a Republic in our Future?

2004-10-15T04:14:00.000-07:00

The thin veneer of our society runs on assumption:

People generally obey laws
There will be food and supplies when you need them, at the store
News reporters would not lie

We are so spoiled. We run through our lives in a frenzy doing one remarkable thing after another, without realizing it. Everything from the most mundane, like turning on a light, to the expected, stopping at stop signs, is remarkable because of technology and/or civility.

The problem is, we don't appreciate how fragile these systems are in reality. Electricity out? How many things don't work. A robbery, the cops will turn out.

We assume so much in this society, much to our detriment.

I can understand after the 2000 election, wanting to be sure that there are no irregularities in the voting process that could disrupt the system we enjoy.

But to wreck the system in order to win, is disgraceful!!!!

I have said for a very long time now that I hope whoever wins, wins big. Our Republic can't take much more of this kind of turmoil. It erodes the quiet confidence that we depend on to make our society work. If the confidence is gone, our country will be too.

Noted: "The Note" and the Gang of 500

2004-10-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

In history, there is always a time, usually identified in hindsight, that is labeled as "historic", "important" and/or revolutionary In today's vernacular, that would be the "tipping point".

We are living in so much history, it is hard to recognize it as it happens.

Who would thought:

5 years ago, George W Bush would be a President of the United States
4 years ago, George W would win the electoral College and lose the popular vote
3 years ago, that 9/11 would not consume every waking thought and action of every American
2 years ago, that successful elections in Afghanistan would be held
1 year ago, that Iraq is governing itself and elections are a few months away

Right now, the next thing that will be part of the "who would have thunk it" moment will be the reorganization of the MSM or Mainstream Media. (Ex: ABC, CBS, NBC, New York Times, Los Angels Times.... I think you get the picture).

I don't think I have to go through the litany of failures and frauds perpertrated by these institutions. They are legion. And that's just what we are aware of at this point....

I feel like we are now approaching the "tipping point".

Once the election is held, I believe there will be some sorting out that will need to be done. It may come because the shareholders demand it. But, the electorate should demand it!

We depend on information to make choices in this democracy. We need the right and truthful information, not what is thought to be right or what we need to know. Let us decide that. If the information is given to us in a skewed way so we make skewed choices, that is a SCANDAL!!

Who appointed these people to be god? What gives them this right to choose for me?

That brings us to this little demi-god.... Mark Halpern. He is the Political Director of ABC News. That's right, the POLITICAL DIRECTOR of ABC News. Now, this may be an unfortunate title, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, but do any of you question why does a NEWS ORGANIZATION have a Political Director? Aren't they supposed to be unbiased? Truthful? Honest? Do all the other MSM outlets have a Political Director? Again, I digress.....

As the Political Director, he posts on the Political section of the ABC website something called "The Note" which is considered very good in telling you a whole lot about what's going on out there in politics. Interesting. But he addresses the "Gang of 500" from time to time. Who are they? Don't really know. Supposedly, it is satire. Another answer is that the Gang of 500 is the Washington Press Corp. (Side Note: if it is the Washington Press Corp, is it for ABC only and/or the entire Press Corp for every outlet? If it is the latter, then would that come under anti-trust violations? Entities are not suppose to communicate goals and intentions to each other with the intention to coordinate.) Call me suspicious, but I think we should know, even if it is joke......

Today, I learned a little more about Mr. Halpern. It is just as I suspected as a member of the great unwashed flyover country: he is an elitist snob that came into his position via his pedigree.

Even if he isn't, that's what it looks like......

My good Catholic mother used to tell me:

Don't just avoid the sin, but avoid the appearance of sin

That little ditty will keep you clean EVERY time!

Lileks for Senator

2004-10-14T04:56:00.000-07:00

I mentioned yesterday that Lileks should be running for President instead of Lurch.

I felt that he had, at least, an explanation of what stem cells could do to make everyone walk using Jedi technology. At least he didn't sound like:

a) A Jimmy Swagart impersonator
b) A skilled trial lawyer "softening up" the jury for a large monetary award

But I digress.

It looks like Lileks is being drafted for Senator. So I was a couple of offices off. It shows to some of us (I'm sure a great many of us) that Mr. Lileks is very smart, sharp and cool under pressure. He can express himself. This country needs him.

Go Lileks! We need someone with real imagination in the Senate!! I would look forward to watching you Bleat and Screed away, even if the senator were empty!!!

The Late Great Britian

2004-10-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

I know, a lot of previous articles miles long on how The Continent, is going downhill fast.....

But this article got my attention..... Are these people suffering from mass delusions???

I am a person of faith. But sometimes, I regard myself too much. While I believe in the evil one's existance, I don't linger on it. Sometimes, that kind of thinking will allow you to forget that it is there.

The kind of incidents in this article remind me of pre-WWII Nazis. I don't banter that word around much. I'm tired of being called a Nazi and tired of the other side calling everything short of their orthodoxy, a Nazi. But where is Europe going??? where will this end up? especially with large Muslim populations?? For the first time in a while, I am getting if not outright scared, at the very least, alarmed...... As the writer took great pains to show, this is not Bush's fault. It was there long before then, festering. 9/11 and the war on terror has brought it out from the shadows.

Bush has the worst timing (not his fault), but because of inheritance:
Recession
Terrorist Attacks (9/11)
Anti- Americanism

These were all there prior to his administration, but he gets the blame, of course. Well, at least if Bush loses, Kerry will fix this, right????

The Apostle

2004-10-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

Those not in the legal field wonder why "trial lawyer" is such a nasty term. If they were paying attention, they got a good lesson yesterday on why. Our favorite trial lawyer, John Edwards, did his best Jimmy Swagart impression with this nice little quote about a Kerry presidency:

People like Chris Reeve will get out of their wheelchairs and walk again with stem cell research."

I bet he is pissed this morning that he didn't get any money from that jury, I mean crowd.

I like how Lileks intepreted this for us:

I could talk about John Edwards’ comments on stem-cell research, but really it’s very simple. Stem cells will be injected into the bloodstream, where they will act like Star Wars Midichloridans, and help the quadrapalegic to use the Force and stand erect.

Why isn't HE running for president? His expaination makes much more sense. Isn't "Jedi" now considered a religious designation in Great Britian?

Music is Fun!!

2004-07-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like moving pictures set to music in This Land.

(Note: It may take a while to load, but it is worth it!)

If you don't find this funny, you are hopelessly humor challenged and brittle. I recommend watching Zoolander, The Water Boy and/or Happy Gilmore. The Comedy Channel may help.

Hurry before you change into Al Franken or Michael Moore.....

No Matter What, Bush is a Loser!

2004-07-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

When you are hated, no good deed goes unpunished.....

The Burgler Story

2004-07-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Sandy Berger got caught with “inadvertent” materials “inadvertently” in his pants and, um, believe it or not, his socks. Usually, items found in a male politician’s pants are usually associated with an Intern, not confidential classified documents from the National Archives.

What was the guy smoking/thinking? You think the Librarians at your local Library are an uptight and an anal retentive bunch? The National Archive Librarians will have them beat in triplicate.

Seriously, I have a friend that had to go to the National Archive for research purposes. You had to make an appointment ahead of time. Tell them what you want. Once you got there, you were basically strip searched at the door. The only thing you could write with is pencils. You had to swear not to bend, fold, mutilate and/or change any document, lest you find yourself on the receiving end of a Federal Issue.

So Berger thinks these National Archive Professonals, paid to look for the smallest detail, would not notice him taking off with documents? Again, what is he smoking?

Why Do I Love Lance Armstrong??

2004-07-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Armstrong ready for 'epic' finish

Why do I Love this story?

Lance is American
Specifically, a Texan
Cancer Survivor
Beating the French at a French sport
5 Time winner and in the hunt for the 6th Time which would be a record

But mainly I love this sportswriter’s grasp of history:

“Armstrong punched the accelerator with his trademark high-cadence rhythm, and the favorites fell away like the French defending Paris”.

Why can’t they put reporters like this in the newsroom?

Ronstadt Causes a Rucas

2004-07-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry to cloud your enjoyment, but I don’t like to buy your records either…..

With Apologies to Bob Dole: Where’s the Outrage!!!

2004-07-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

We keep being told how America is fatally flawed in character because We allowed slavery at one time in our history. Never mind that We, as a country, fought a war over it and hundreds of thousands died. Never mind that We passed laws outlawing the vestiges of the system found in Jim Crow laws and institutionalized discrimination and segregation.

All of that is history. The only thing we can be responsible for today is what is going on today.

I think we can all agree that slavery is repugnant. I would like to see what would constitute a “decent person” that would believe otherwise. Hell’s Bells folks, we as a people, find it morally repugnant to even utter the word beginning with the letter “N”.

But where are the critics of America when slavery is going on TODAY??!!!

Where is the outrage! Slavery. Real Slavery. Not a metaphorical sense, of “I’m a slave to my art” kind of thing. I mean the kind that is morally repugnant and reprehensible that offends the most basic sense of morality. Systematic, state sponsored, it’s OK to own these people. I repeat:

WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE???!!!!!!

But none dare utter the word “Genocide”, lest there be lawful induced obligations by UN Treaties, to actually stop it ……….

While we argue the fine points of International Law and the governing definitions, people are being slaughtered by the thousands! Leave it to Mark Steyn to put it in perspective.

Racism may also be part of this horror. But not like you think….

By the way, those that argue that we are NOT there because NO oil is involved are wrong.
Do you smell something distinctively French? Oui!

Guess what company owns Oil concessions in the Sudan? Guess where the problem with “rebels” occurs. Oui and Oui.....

That’s a big Oui Monsieur!

Thanks Instapundit!

The other big oil winner is China. This is in Chinese, but the graphic showing the pipeline is worth a thousand words:

Didn’t we say NEVER AGAIN after the holocaust?
Didn’t we say NEVER AGAIN after Rwanda?

Well, don’t look at your watches too hard, but NEVER AGAIN just arrived, again.

At least some get it.

Extra Reading on this shameful situation:
http://www.darfurinfo.org/
http://blog.rajanr.com/?itemid=238
http://www.csi-int.ch/
In Sudan, childhoods of slavery.

Who is John Kerry?

2004-07-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

As you are well aware, we have arrived at that painful intersection on the calendar, the election cycle.

As the Chinese curse says, "May you live in interesting times" In case you haven't noticed, we are! It is very exciting and nerve wracking to wake up everyday to see what further developments await us.

The idealist in me is excited by the hand that history has dealt us. While really horrible things have happened and could still happen (and probably will happen), we, as a people, have been given an extraordinary opportunity to bring freedom to oppressed people of the world. This is unprecedented in history. We can be remembered as the Americans who are not conquering people, but liberators.

Or we can be remembered as Fickle. Soft. Unnerved. Weak. Decadent.

In case you are not aware, the Democratic candidate, John Kerry, served in Vietnam. While it is generally conceded that he did so honorably, he returned to the U.S. and became a war protester. He became the president of an organization known as Vietnam Veterans Against the War (V VAW). While I believe that the 1st Amendment protecting free speech is expansive and absolute, I find the activities of this group in a time of war to be fairly radical. I am willing to concede that this was a very turbulent time in our history, and most people have put the protests and activities in context and generally forget what occurred. This would not have one grain of significance today except for the fact that Kerry wants to be the Commander in Chief..

I found this website and feel it is important and that it needs to be brought to the attention of as many people as possible.

Winter Soilder

This website shows what Kerry did as a protestor and member of V VAW. It is very enlightening.

For instance, Kerry wrote a book called "The New Soldier". This book is out of print and is difficult to find. It is a book that Kerry does not want you to know about. The book is on the website. You can read it and look at the pictures. (I don't know if it is the entire book or not.) http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/index.php?topic=NewSoldier

The website also has:
timelines
quotes
Kerry testimony before congress complete FBI Files on V VAW

While this is all fairly good stuff, it is somewhat pedestrian. What has me going is this picture.

It is a picture of Kerry meeting with the Communist leaders of North Vietnam in 1993. Again, fairly pedestrian stuff. What has me going is WHERE it is hanging:

The War Remnants Museum

(formerly the "War Crimes Museum")

in Saigon Picture taken May 2004

That's right, the North Vietnam Communists have "honored" Kerry as a contributor to the victory the communist achieved. In all fairness, the North Vietnam Communists believe the war protestors gave them the upper hand and made victory possible. But then again, there are no other war protestors running for Commander in Chief this year…….

I can't encourage you enough to go look at the picture and the background on the museum in which it was found.

It is so important to be educated and up on not only current events, but background. We know who Bush is now. He brought us through some very dark times. He's not perfect, but name me a candidate that is! Who is Kerry? 20 or so years in the Senate and nothing to show for it? A Rich guy for the "little guy"? A North Vietnamese war hero? Is this the Manchurian Candidate? Do we want him to "lead" the war on terror? Will we be safe waiting for permission slips from the U.N. (specifically France, Germany and Russia) before we go after our enemies? Hey, at least he has great hair!

Our votes this coming November will be critical to our future. To paraphrase Prime Miniser Margaret Thatcher from the first Gulf War to the first George Bush, Don't go wobbly on our troops, and our future. We are facing an extremely evil enemy. We will be fighting it for many years. If we (as a people) go wobbly we will prove Osama Bin Laden's tactics right; Americans have no resolve to follow through. Hit America, then ride out the wrath. They'll go home. Think Black Hawk Down. Bin Laden trained those troops in Somalia. Turning around now and changing tactics will only prolong the war (if we survive it).

Right Mom Starts!

2004-07-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

Now, repeat after me:

"Right Mom"!!