Zaphriel's Blog

Please Comment

2005-12-31T10:13:00.000-08:00

The some of the following are works in progress that are part of a series of short stories that will eventually be called the Zaphriel Chronicles.

Constructive Comments are welcome.
________________________________

The Evolution of Zaphriel (In Images)

2005-12-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Get Paid By Zaphriel
see below

Zaphriel started as an Idea. I am a big comic book fan, and like most comic book fans sometimes I come up with my own superheroes. Then I started writing a blog about 9 months ago, and I wanted to use a name that was unique so I used my first characters name, Zaphriel, an angelic name meaning "God's Spy", and I worked from there. At first I came up with this logo.

And then I used Hero Maker to come up with this image.

And South Park Character Maker for this cartoonish image.

Later I contacted a few artists, and they came up with some creative versions themselves, but not all of them followed through... this one is still in progress...

And then Kathleen was the one that finally followed through with this one. She did such a great job... I look forward to her next rendering.

If you want to take a crack at it, please feel free, I will pay up to $50 on paypal to anyone who successfully renders Zaphriel in a new and unique way. Contact Me (Zaphriel at gmail dot com) for the Image parameters.

Zaphriel - The Regret - Part 2

2005-12-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

read part 1 here.
____________

They were together now, talking in hushed tones. I don't want to get too close, I might miss something, but all I am getting from here are flashes and whispers like pollen carried on the wind, wisping every now and again in my direction. They are very excited, near bursting trying to contain it. All I can feel are flashes. Very confusing, humans sometimes are hard to understand.

Are we ready? ... When is the feast? ... Be patient. ... Father will be pleased. ... Glory will be ours ...

Those were their words but their thoughts were completely different. A mix of grand illusions, fire, despair, regret, fear. I could see pictures not of the loved ones they spoke of but of Leader figures. Men with guns. And ...

What I've been looking for, I caught a flash of a devise, a picture of one of them pressing a button – Fuzzy, like what you call a dream – not nearly as vivid, but an item of great importance. I have to concentrate now… it was the young one, the one they call Boukra but who calls himself Damis, or, as he likes to be called here, Damian. They have all taken different names here.

I must follow him. - He is now my target. Damian, I believe, is the key.

What is that? - A familiar sense. - Who else is watching? - Wann! I can feel him. That ugly shadow demon, why is he here? Who sent him, he's not smart enough to work alone. Thank the maker for making me insensible to those of the dark realm. He'll never know I am here. I will find out why he was here later, for now I must follow Damian.

Zaphriel - The Regret - Part 1

2005-12-16T02:21:00.000-08:00

I watch as they gather.

Everyday.

Always in a different place.

I get the feeling they are trying not to attract too much attention.

I find them gathering, always at the same time every night. There’s only there of them today, but it is hard to figure out what they are up to. I have my suspicions, but all I can feel are their flashes of rage, their broken memories, and their fragmented thoughts.

Desperation…

I have been watching them for a while now, maybe a few months. It’s hard to tell, I never have been very good with time.

At first I barely noticed them. I was on my normal watch, overlooking this vast city they call the city of angels, when I first felt them. It was a normal night in this conversely named city, the usual passion, anger, frustration and despair were coursing through her like the life blood of a chaos demon. Then I felt it, a flash of rage and hatred. Oh I know there is plenty of that here in this dingy mass of humanity, but this…this was different. It was strangely familiar and eerily disturbing. The hatred had a deep seeded taste to it and the rage was manic. New and intense, but with little reasoning behind it, only an unnatural calling. I hadn’t felt this type of feeling since Dublin, over fifty years ago. This was the first time I had felt this here, so I sought out the source, and I eventually found these three.

They were unassuming, non-descript, they blended well into the crowd. Were I a mere mortal, I very well may have missed them. I may not have given them a second glance. If it weren’t for their rage I may not have noticed. I might have failed again.

How did I not see it coming? How did I not feel it? How long has it been now? A few years? When those buildings fell to the flames...Surely the work of Hela herself, or her twins, chaos demons are like that... The shockwave, however, was enormous, emotionally and physically, It escaped no one’s notice. I should have seen it coming even from here. It is one of my many regrets. Not noticing something that big is pretty unnerving for a watcher. Shameful… I can never let it happen again.

More Classic Works

2005-12-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

A Lead In

2005-12-10T22:38:00.000-08:00

Just something to tide you over as I create the first chaper in the Zaphriel Chronicles. Hope you like the new site...

Here's something to ponder. Superheroes in classic art and literature.

New Button

2005-12-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a new button for Liberty Just In Case

The Changes

2005-11-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

As my last post has eluded to, there are changes coming to this blog and at least one other.

I have decided to accept a prestigious position in a local Political Action Committee. I will be part of making decisions that actually will make a difference in my local community, and because of that, as well as a higher ops tempo at work, I will have allot less time to blog.

Because of all that I have made few decisions,
1: I will be joining a fellow blogger that I respect enormously, and who's blog I feel has allot of potential.

2: Zaphriel's Blog will be changing its focus. Zaphriel will return to the realm of literature, and I will be dedicating this blog to his stories as well as the occasional political humor item.

3: I will start writing politically as myself, Matthew

So what does this all mean?
Well it means that you will see the newly designed site here soon, and be able to read short stories about Zaphriel and the Fallen. Hopefully someday my dream of putting together a collection of graphic novels about Zaphriel will come to fruition.

Also, I will start writing politically at Liberty Just In Case. Mark has agreed to take me on as a partner, and I have agreed to help him run the place. I believe it will be a fruitful partnership.

So here's to the future, and all the endeavors we all undertake being successful.

Changes are coming.

2005-11-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

One thing in life is constant, Change.

Zaphriel started off as a literary character, and soon it will be time for him to find his roots once again. Stay tuned for details.

You go Dick...

2005-11-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

All I can say is ...IT IS ABOUT TIME!

I don't always agree with the Veep, but this time he is absolutely correct. Anyone who has all of the information, and then calls for what the Democrats are calling for is full of it. Partisanship at it's worst.

Sacred Cow - Islam for Dhimmis

2005-11-20T14:14:00.000-08:00

Ohio State Beats Michigan

2005-11-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

and the world cheers...

Fresh Military Humor

2005-11-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

"Jump School"

After enlisting in the 82nd Airborne Division, I eagerly asked my Recruiter what I could expect from jump school.

"Well," he said, "it's three weeks long."

"What else," I asked.

"The first week they separate the men from the boys," he said. "The second week, they separate the men from the fools."

"And the third week?" I asked.

"The third week, the fools jump."

"Waiting In Line"

"Well," snarled the tough old sergeant to the bewildered private. "I suppose after you get discharged from the Army, you'll just be waiting for me to die so you can come and spit on my
grave."

"Not me, Sarge!" the private replied. "Once I get out of the Army, I'm never going to stand
in line again!"

"Classic Air Traffic Control Tower Conversations"

"Air Force '45, it appears your engine has...oh, disregard. I see you've already ejected."

"You're gonna have to key the mic. I can't see you when you nod your head."

"Put your compass on 'E' and get out of my airspace."

"Don't anybody maintain anything."

"Climb like your life depends on it...because it does."

Funniest Guy in a While. . . And that's saying something.

2005-11-18T22:24:00.000-08:00

This guy is the funniest guy I have seen or heard in a while (And I used to work at a comedy club)... and Tada... he's conservative... Brad Stine everybody... check him out.

And the dude even has a blog, he's very well spoken, even for a comedian.

Fun Friday - Frenchisms

2005-11-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

Relax, I'm french, I can make fun of them if I want.

"I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me."
General George S. Patton.

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion."
Norman Schwartzkopf.

"We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it."
Marge Simpson

"As far as I’m concerned, war always means failure"
Jacques Chirac, President of France

"As far as France is concerned, you’re right."
Rush Limbaugh.

"The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee."
Regis Philbin.

"The French are a smallish, monkey-looking bunch and not dressed any better, on average, than the citizens of Baltimore. True, you can sit outside in Paris and drink little cups of coffee, but why this is more stylish than sitting inside and drinking large glasses of whisky? I don’t know."
P.J O’Rourke (1989).

"You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940s who was still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn’t have the face for it."
John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona.

"You know why the French don’t want to bomb Saddam Hussein? Because he hates America, he loves mistresses and wears a beret. He is French, people!"
Conan O’Brien

"I don’t know why people are surprised that France won’t help us get Saddam out of Iraq. After all, France wouldn’t help us get Hitler out of France either"
Jay Leno.

"The last time the French asked for ‘more proof’ it came marching into Paris under a German flag."
David Letterman

Only thing worse than a Frenchman is a Frenchman who lives in Canada.
Ted Nugent.

War without France would be like … uh … World War II.

"The favorite bumper sticker in Washington now is one that says 'First Iraq, then France.'"
Tom Brokaw.

"What do you expect from a culture and a nation that exerted more of its national will fighting against DisneyWorld and Big Macs than the Nazis?"
Dennis Miller.

"It is important to remember that the French have always been there when they needed us."
Alan Kent

"They’ve taken their own precautions against al-Qa’ida. To prepare for an attack, each Frenchman is urged to keep duct tape, a white flag, and a three-day supply of mistresses in the house."
Argus Hamilton

"Somebody was telling me about the French Army rifle that was being advertised on eBay the other day – the description was, 'Never shot. Dropped once.'"
Rep. Roy Blunt (MO)

"The French will only agree to go to war when we’ve proven we’ve found truffles in Iraq."

Dennis Miller

Raise your right hand if you like the French …
raise both hands if you are French.

Q. What did the mayor of Paris say to the German Army as they entered the city in WWII?
A. Table for 100,000 m'sieur?

"Do you know how many Frenchmen it takes to defend Paris? It’s not known, it’s never been tried."

Rep. R. Blount (MO)

"Do you know it only took Germany three days to conquer France in WWII? And that’s because it was raining."

John Xereas, Manager, DC Improv.

The AP and UPI reported that the French Government announced after the London bombings that it has raised its terror alert level from Run to Hide. The only two higher levels in France are Surrender and Collaborate. The rise in the alert level was precipitated by a recent fire which destroyed France’s white flag factory, effectively disabling their military.

French Ban Fireworks at Euro Disney
(AP), Paris, March 5, 2003
The French Government announced today that it is imposing a ban on the use of fireworks at Euro Disney.

The decision comes the day after a nightly fireworks
display at the park, located just 30 miles outside of Paris, caused the soldiers at a nearby French Army garrison to surrender to a group of Czech tourists.

The previous was completely a joke, most of the material was found here.

So I make no claims about the voracity of the quotes attributions.

Besides, who cares, lighten up, it's a joke anyway.

Stop The ACLU Blogburst - Terrorism

2005-11-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

Today Jay over at Stop the ACLU has a greatblogburst article about terrorism and the ACLU. I know I haven't done a blogburst in a while, for allot of reasons, work family, and a softening of my positions, and my urge not to re-report news. However, I believe this issue is very important and need further discussion.

In conjunction with the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the ACLU has lobbied hard against Arab-profiling at airports for years. "Profiles are notoriously under-inclusive," says ACLU legislative counsel Gregory Nojeim. "Who knows who the next terrorist will appear as? It could be a grandmother. It could be a student. We just don't know."Source

The airline industry's fear of such lawsuits is based on solid historical precedent. In 1993, for instance, the ACLU joined forces with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) to sue Pan American World Airways for having detained a man of Iranian descent during the first Persian Gulf War.

So, the ACLU says political correctness trumps common sense. They block that route of securing ourselves from being blown up. What to do? Hmmm.. I've got it! Lets do random searches!

ACLU Files Suit Over Random Subway Searches.The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the New York chapter of the ACLU, has announced that they intend on filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan today. The suit claims that the random bag searches before boarding the subway system is unconstitutional.

City lawyers have noted that an al-Qaida training manual advising terrorists to avoid police checkpoints gives the city some justification for its random searches of bags entering the subway system.

Ok, so the ACLU says no profiled searches, and no random searches. What about searches across the board? Nope. Raymond James Stadium tried it, and the ACLU sued. So, where does that leave us with searches? I think we can conclude that the ACLU are against all searches. Is this because they stand by the principle of the fourth amendment? The irony and hypocrisy here is that, the NYCLU HQ has a sign warning visitors that all bags are subject to search. Apparantly their war against searches is not based on principle.

But searches are not the only that brings criticism on the ACLU on the topic of National Security.

The ACLU and CAIR have actually taken up quite a number of cases together. In 2003, the Ohio chapter of the ACLU awarded its yearly "Liberty Flame Award" to the Ohio chapter of CAIR "for contributions to
the advancement and protection of civil liberties." This same Ohio chapter, in August of this year, refused contributions from the United Way, as to not complete a required counterterrorism compliance form.

But it isn't isolated to one rouge chapter.

In October of 2004, the ACLU turned down $1.15 million in funding from two of it's most generous and loyal contributors, the Ford and Rockefeller foundations, saying new anti-terrorism restrictions demanded by the institutions make it unable to accept their funds.

"The Ford Foundation now bars recipients of its funds from engaging in any activity that "promotes violence, terrorism, bigotry, or the destruction of any state."

The Rockefeller Foundation's provisions state that recipients of its funds may not "directly or indirectly engage in, promote, or support other organizations or individuals who engage in or promote terrorist activity.

What is this all about?

Although its website proclaims that it does not receive "any government funding," it does get money from a program that allows federal employees to make charitable contributions through payroll deductions. Last year it got $470,000 from the program. (The ACLU's 2002 annual budget, the most recent available, was $102 million.)

Now it had a choice: give up the money, or sign a promise certifying that the ACLU "does not knowingly employ individuals or contribute funds to organizations found on" government watch lists of suspected supporters of terrorism.

Trouble was, the ACLU had strongly opposed the lists, saying they were often inaccurate and violated the constitutional rights of some people.

But it really hated the idea of giving up the money.Source

So what did they do? Well, at first they decided they would try to trick the government. They decided to keep the money, AND keep hiring anyone they pleased, by what Nadine Strossen called a "clever interpretation." Their solution was that if they remained ignorant of who was on the list, then they couldn't "knowingly" hire anyone on the list. Anthony D. Romero, the ACLU's executive director, tells the New York Times: "I've printed [the lists] out. I've never consulted them."

To make a long story short, when The New York Times outted them, they caved in. But they didn't cave in to the government, they just decided to forgoe the money, so they could still ignorantly hire people on the government watchlist. Isn't that nice?

However, this isn't the end. The American Civil Liberties Union and 12 other national non-profit organizations successfully challenged Office of Personnel Management's Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) requirements that all participating charities check their employees and expenditures against several government watch lists for "terrorist activities" and that organizations certify that they do not contribute funds to organizations on those lists. This is something the ACLU finds worthy of celebrating. In my opinion this is reason to be suspicious of what the ACLU does with its funds.

It isn't a far fetched idea to wonder if the ACLU uses its funds to support terrorism. The ACLU's history is tainted in this arena.

In 1985 Samuel L. Morrison, an employee of the Naval Intelligence Support Command was convicted and sentenced for stealing classified spy satellite photographs from his office, cutting off the "secret" designation and selling them to a foreign publication. The ACLU claimed that Morrison had the right to steal and sell these classified documents and the under the First Amendment.

Positions like these might be easier to understand if we look at ACLU Policy #117. They title this policy "Controlling the Intelligence Agencies". "

Limit the CIA, under the new name of the Foreign Intelligence Agency, to collecting and evaluating foreign intelligence information. Abolish all covert operations. Limit the FBI to criminal investigations by eliminating all COINTEL-PRO-type activity and all foreign and domestic intelligence investigations of groups or individuals unrelated to a specific criminal offense.

Prohibit entirely wiretaps, tapping of telecommunications and burglaries. Restrict mail openings, mail covers, inspection of bank records, and inspection of telephone records…."

The ACLU Defends the P.L.O.

"I'm afraid even the good guys on civil liberties are going to be against us on this one." Those are the words of ACLU Executive director Ira Glasser on the ACLU's decision to represent an agent of Yassir Araftat's Palestine Liberation Organization.
I wonder if his definition of "good guys" meant American citizens who care about their country and are not willing to grant sworn terrorists complete freedom within our borders. If so, he is absolutely correct. We are against that one.
"Arafat's group of ruthless murderers had set up an "information office" in Washington D.C, only a few blocks from the White House.

The ACLU Defends "Mad Dog" of Libya, Muammar Qaddafi.

"In 1985, the ACLU learned of an alleged plan by the CIA to engineer Qaddafi's overthrow. Outraged, they put together a "strenuous" public protest against this proposed action.

In a letter fillled with self-righteous indignation, Morton Halperin, Director of the ACLU Washington office, expressed his opinion of that plan to Sen. David Durenberger, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, with copies to everyone imaginable.

And to make sure no one was left out, the ACLU also issued a press release trumpeting it's opposition to any attempt to oust Qaddafi."

The ACLU has also shown itself a willing tool of the terrorists, waging a massive anti-anti-terrorism legal campaign. This pillar of the legal Left denounced the government's requirement that men aged 16-25 holding "temporary visas" from nations with known ties to terrorism register with the INS; represented Sami al-Arian, the North American fundraiser and co-founder of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (filing a brief upholding his inalienable right to fresh briefs!); rallied on behalf of convicted al-Qaeda benefactor Maher Mofeid Hawash; urged local communities not to cooperate with federal anti-terror investigations; and opposed the FBI's monitoring Islamist mosques. As David Horowitz notes in his book Unholy Alliance, radical Center for Constitutional Rights lawyer Ron Kuby notes the "passionate…identification" most lawyers feel with their clients, such as that of convicted terror enabler Lynne Stewart for World Trade Center bomber Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. Given her aid for international Islamic terrorism, the government is right to keep a watchful eye on those who perpetually side with the enemy. Front Page Magazine

They have fought hard for the release of Abu Ghraib images depicting sickening torture of our enemies, further inflaming the propaganda war on the side of the enemy. The ACLU also submitted a 37-page report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee describing specific U.S. breaches of the political and civil rights covenant.

The report included sections on "Excessive Government Secrecy"; "Racial Profiling of the U.S. Arab, South Asian, and Muslim Communities"; "Criminalization of Political Protest"; "Increased Surveillance Powers"; and "Random Searches."

Recently the ACLU have decided to represent two detainees who claim the U.S. Military threw them into lions dens. Somebody is lion alright. They have also accused the U.S. military of outright murdering 21 detainees. They have even advised the majority of the prisoners at Gitmo that they did not have to answer questions from military interrogators.

Actions like these have enraged groups like The American Legion, and Christians for Reviving American Values, who are asking Congress to investigate the ACLU. The American Legion is already mobilizing its members to fight the ACLU over issues such as the Boyscouts. The sympathy for the enemy also has them fired up. To many of these groups, and to many Americans, the perception is that The ACLU cares more about terrorists than it does about America.

As you can see, balancing national security interests with a respect for civil liberties is not the goal of the ACLU. Its goal is the absolute pursuit of civil liberties, without regard for its consequences. Gone are the the carefully worded policies that guided Union thinking during World War II. Gone, too is any kind of talk about the enemies of the United States. It is hard to imagine a person vile enought, or a crisis serious enough, to shake the ACLU from its absolutist position during wartime. The tragedy is it is not just the nation's security that stands to lose as a result, it is the cause of liberty itself.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 115 blogs already onboard.

At the core of this issue is the application of the Bill of Rights. Do our rights apply to non-citizens? Do our rights apply to non-residents? To me the answer is clear. NO THEY DO NOT. I can tolerate our rights being extended to legal resident aliens, but that is as far as I go. Non-citizens, and criminals in my eyes do not have any claim to our rights. If you are here and up to know good, you SHOULD have an overwhelming fear of discovery. If your here and obeying our laws, and don't wish us any harm, you have NOTHING TO FEAR. Simple as that.

The E-mails I Get - America's Drug Problem

2005-11-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

To: Zaphriel
From: Davey

Subj: America's Drug Problem
______________________________

The Drug Problem in America

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, ''Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?''

I replied: I had a drug problem when I was young: was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, didnot speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.

I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields.

I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

~author unknown~

I was right

2005-11-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

see.

Libby never was the nexus of all of this.

Somehow, that was very obvious.

Doin' the Robot

2005-11-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Get your Cyborg Name Now

Monster Mash

2005-11-15T16:11:00.000-08:00

Find your inner monster here.

MMM... More Sacred Cow

2005-11-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Read what the Butcher had to say.

I was wrong

2005-11-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

This will teach me to check some things with their “original source”.

Back on September 22, I published (Mostly unedited) an e-mail that was sent to me by usually good sources. Now the article was real, but it was credited to the wrong person, Pam Foster of Pamela Foster and Associates in Atlanta, when it was actually written By Doug Patton.

Pamela Explains
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to let those of you that haven't contact me that I forwarded the "I Don't Care" to my nephew serving in Baghdad after someone forwarded it to me. I don't remember who that was, nor did I think much about it until I received long distance phone calls and lots of e-mail. Everyone has been nice except for some whacko who thinks this government planned and executed 9/11. I responded that we would take up a fund for him and we would send him to any country to live that wasn’t here! In any case, someone else let me know last week that a columnist named Doug Patton (google him) wrote the article and I notifed him of the response and what had happened when I forwarded the e-mail. I still don’t know how it got on the "NET", but I am glad. Lots of people have sent me thank yous and some have said they would send to their government representatives and more than one has told me they sent it to the President! WOW! Had no clue what I was getting started. Anyway, God Bless everyone and the USA!

So the Real article follows… Sorry, Doug. I apologize for my mistake.

Ask Me if I Care About 'Mishandling' of Koran
By Doug Patton
June 6, 2005

First, Newsweek pulled a Dan Rather on us, running a fabricated story just because they wanted it to be true. They told the world that an American guard at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center had ripped pages from a prisoner's Koran and flushed it down a toilet. As a result, innocent people died when practitioners of Islam rioted in protest in Afghanistan.

Oops, said Newsweek, it seems we can't back up our story. Oh well, it's probably true; we just can't prove it. (Isn't it convenient for Newsweek that the media now have "Deep Throat" to talk about so they can revel in their glory days and divert our attention from their criminal negligence.)

The lie heard round the world about the flushed Koran has caused convulsions in the Bush Administration and forced the Pentagon to launch an investigation of unfounded allegations contained in an unsubstantiated story. The results of said investigation are now in, and it seems there are at least five incidents of "mishandling" of the Koran at Gitmo.

Well, guess what? I don't care!
Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling, slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

I'll care when Clinton-appointed judges stop ordering my government to release photos of the abuses at Abu Ghraib, which are sure to set off the Islamic extremists just as Newsweek's lies did a few weeks ago.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don't care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and -- you guessed it -- I don't care!

Man do I hate being wrong...

Big Oil - Too Obvious

2005-11-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me, know I am very Pro Free market, and generally pro-business. Sometimes, however, companies can be way too obvious. Big oil has been doing this, and the biggest problem is, we are partially to blame. We have an appetite for oil, and they know it, and so we have played this price game for a while. Now however they have become way too obvious about it. With preemptive price hikes etc...after every minor hiccup, and then crying foul when major incidents happen, only to turn up at the end of it all with record PROFITS... not income, as you would expect from justified high prices, but PROFIT.

Profits not a bad thing, it grows companies, but when it's done through underhanded means, with little to no competition, it's wrong. It’s called gouging. And it's directly in opposition to the free market system.

Before a bunch of people start calling me a liberal, this type of thing, my conservative friends, falls under policing your own. Something we have been failing to do as of late and the overall general public is starting to notice. We must police our own if we ever wish to have any meaningful lasting change. When things like this happen it makes us all look bad.

Man we have been handing the Looney Left too many freebees as of late, and the polls show it. Something’s got to change, something’s got to give.

Veteran's Day

2005-11-11T23:58:00.000-08:00

If you enjoy your freedom

Thank
A
Vet

Their proud to have provided it for you.

Thanks to Stop the ACLU for the open trackbacks

Veteran's Day - Fast Facts

2005-11-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

The armistice that ended the fighting of World War I was
signed in Marshal Ferdinand Foch's railroad car in the
Forest of Compiegne, France, on November 11, 1918.
_________________________________

November 11 became a national US holiday in 1938.
_________________________________

In 1954, a bill was passed by Congress that officially
changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans' Day in
the US.
_________________________________

The Poppy

The poppy is a small red flower that grows wild in the
fields of Europe - where many of those who died in World
War I are buried. Poppies have long been associated with
World War I memorials through the poem, "In Flanders Fields"
by Canadian Army physician John McCrae.
_________________________________

Historic Significance

In 1968, new legislation changed the national commemoration
of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon
became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of
historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978
Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

_________________________________

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The principal observation of Veterans' Day in the US still
takes place at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Sentries
maintain a vigil at the gravesite throughout the year and,
since 1960, a flaming torch first lit in Antwerp, Belgium,
has been mounted there.

Fun Friday - Oh The Stories Kids Tell

2005-11-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

Little Johnny sees his Daddy's car passing the playground and going into the woods. Curious, he follows the car and sees Daddy and Aunt Jane kissing.

Johnny finds this so exciting and can barely contain himself as he runs home and starts to tell his mother excitedly.

"MOMMY, MOMMY, I WAS AT THE PLAYGROUND AND DADDY AND..."

Mommy tells him to slow down, but that she wants to hear the story.

So Johnny tells her. "I was at the playground and I saw Daddy's car go into the woods with Aunt Jane. I went to look and Daddy was giving Aunt Jane a big kiss, then he helped her take off her shirt, then Aunt Jane helped Daddy take his pants off, then Aunt Jane laid down on the seat, then Daddy..."

At this point, Mommy cut him off and said, "Johnny, this is such an interesting story, suppose you save the rest of it for supper time. I want to see the look
on Daddy's face when you tell it tonight."

At the dinner table, Mommy asks Johnny to tell his story. He describes the car into the woods, the undressing, laying down on the seat, and, "then Daddy and Aunt Jane did that same thing Mommy and Uncle Jeff used to do when Daddy was in the Army."

fun Friday - One for my friend JimmyB

2005-11-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Stop the ACLU for the open trackbacks

Veteran's Day - A Thank You in Pictures

2005-11-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Stop the ACLU for the open trackbacks

Combat the avian flu

2005-11-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

A post in cartoons

2005-11-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

Good

2005-11-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

All I can say to this being a very dedicated member of the military is...

GOOD

The E-Mails I Get: Helping the French

2005-11-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

To: Zaphriel
From: Davey

Subj: FW: President Bush
May Send Up To 5 Marines For French Assistance
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 6:16 AM
_____________________________________________

President
Bush has authorized the Joint Chiefs to begin drawing up a battle plan to pull
France's butts out of the fire again. Facing an apparent overwhelming force of
up to 400 pissed off teenagers Mr. Bush doubts France's ability to hold off the
little hoodlums. "Hell, if the last two world wars are any indication, I would expect France to surrender any day now", said Bush.

Joint Chiefs head, Gen. Peter Pace, warned the President that it might be necessary to send up to 5 marines to get things under control. The general admitted that 5 marines may be overkill but he wanted to get this thing under control within 24 hours of arriving on scene. He stated he was having a hard time finding even one marine to help those ungrateful bastards out for a third time but thought that he could persuade a few women marines to do the job before they went on pregnancy leave.

President Bush asked Gen. Pace to get our marines out of there as soon as possible after order was restored. He also reminded Gen. Pace to make sure the marines did not take soap, razors, or deodorant with them. The least they stand out the better.

In an unrelated matter, President Bush told reporters that he was considering a "Flu for Oil" Program to ease our country's energy problem and prevent the upcoming pandemic. Nobody had a clue as to what the heck he was talking about.

Man, Davey sends me the best e-mails. That guy's the greatest.

Paris is Burning

2005-11-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

As a matter of personal policy, I try not to post about foreign events, but I think this is relevant.

This is what happens when you show, weakness, extreme tolerance, lack of resolve, and cow tow to terrorists, while ignoring mounting situations on your domestic front.

France is currently reaping what they have sewn in the past.

And by the by, this is what happens when you stay vigilant, amazing the difference. One country is burning and spiraling into chaos, the other is still secure. The allegorical evidence speaks for itself. If we give in to the "Mother" Sheehan's of our country, who want us to stop our "unjust" war now, who wish for us to turn a blind eye, and treat these things as criminal events, then we will burn as France is burning now.

Radical Militant Islam is a scourge that needs to be treated as such. These "insurgents" and Muslim "extremists" cannot be dealt with diplomatically. This is being proven time and again. France, and now even Belgium, the very nexuses of "Tolerance", are now under attack, by the very people that their governments refused to stand up to. Karma has a strange way of balancing things.

The E-Mails I Get : Brain Cramps

2005-11-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

From: Couch
To: Zaphriel
Subj: Brain Cramps
__________________________

(On September 17, 1994, Alabama's Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995.)
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?

Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,"
--Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest.

``````````````````````````````````

"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
--Mariah Carey

````````````

"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life,"
--Brooke Shields, during an interview to become
Spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.

`````````````````````````````````````````````````

"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body,"
--Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.

`````````````````````````````````````````````

"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country,"
--Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC.

`````````````````````````````

"I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president."
--Hillary Clinton commenting on the release of subpoenaed documents.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````

"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it,"
--A congressional candidate in Texas.

````````````````````````````

"Half this game is ninety percent mental."
--Philadelphia Phillies manager, Danny Ozark

``````````````````````````````````

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
--Al Gore, Vice President

```````````````````

"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix."
--Dan Quayle

``````````

"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca

```````````

"The word "genius" isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." -
--Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.

````````````````````````````````````````````

"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people."
--Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instrutor.

`````````````````````````````````

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
--Bill Clinton, President

``````````````````

"We are ready for an unforeseen event that may or may not occur."
--Al Gore, VP

````````````````

"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas."
--Keppel Enderbery

````````````````

"Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
--Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina

````````````````````````````````````````````

"If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record."
--Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Feeling smarter yet?

News Flash : From the Land of the Obvious

2005-11-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

Have things gotten this bad?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An exclusive California beach enclave has raised
eyebrows by passing out tsunami safety brochures that warn residents, in capital
letters, that they should never try to surf one.

The pamphlets, part of
an emergency preparedness campaign, inform residents of Malibu that tsunamis
often follow large earthquakes and advise: "NEVER GO TO THE BEACH TO WATCH FOR,
OR SURF, A TSUNAMI WAVE!"

"I'm speechless," Malibu surfer Candace Brown
told the Los Angeles Times. "I think the last thing people will think about when
they feel an earthquake is surfing."

Malibu's emergency preparedness
director said he thought it would be prudent to address all possibilities.

"Some people may feel that we are stating the obvious and some people
may not," Brad Davis said. "We want to encourage people to move away from the
coast rather than toward it." -Source

Well I guess it is California, there you do have to be obvious. I know I used to live there.

H/T:Dave Barry

Another Slow News Day

2005-11-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

Man, could it get more uneventful...or have my standards actually gone up for what I call newsworthy.

Alito, unlike his predecessor is gaining support, even though he does not match the overall Democratic Litmus test (He's not a woman, nor a liberal) but it seems we will have less problems confirming him. Not that we would ever know about Miers, she never got to the hearings, I truly think that is a shame.

Scooter Libby plead not guilty. Big Surprise right. Most scapegoats do.

But other interesting things do still happen. A new Stella Award is out.

WATCH WHILE I PULL A RABBIT OUT OF THIS HAT
by Randy Cassingham

Professional magicians mystify us and entertain us. From Houdini to Henning to who knows who is up-and-coming, we marvel at their slight of hand and wonder how they did it.

Christopher Roller of Burnsville, Minnesota, wonders too. He wonders so much that he has sued two of the best-known names in magic demanding that they reveal their secrets to him: David Blaine and David Copperfield.

Roller says that if Blaine and Copperfield show him their tricks "with scientific principals [sic] that don't defy laws of physics" -- and allow him to "imitate/copy in slow motion" as they do it -- and, if in his judgment there is a "worldly" explanation for their tricks, he will drop the suits. But he's fairly confident that they cannot do the tricks with mere worldly power, because they are surely using "godly" powers to do their tricks. And that, he says, is the basis for his suits, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota this summer.

How's that? Roller argues, with apparent seriousness, that if the magicians' powers are godly, then they stole that power from him. Um, how's THAT? "I am deity," he says, "a messenger of god." And since the magicians are using, in Roller's opinion, godly powers to perform tricks, that's coming through his special channel to god (er, I guess that would be some god higher than himself) -- and they don't have his permission to do that. Thus, he says, he deserves 10 percent of their earnings because their magical ability was taken from him. "I am the guy responsible for his powers," he says, not specifying which magician he's referring to.

So is Roller saying Blaine and Copperfield somehow saw him perform tricks somewhere, and stole them? Nope: Roller says he's not a magician himself, and does not perform. "I am a programmer and a writer," he admits. "I have my own Internet software I sell."

But he's serious about the lawsuits. "I would not go to federal court just to pull somebody's leg," he insists. No, but he would go to federal court to pull someone's wallet: the suit against Blaine, for instance, asks for "over $2,000,000" because somehow, "David Blaine has been using my godly powers to perform his magic."

Apparently Copperfield has made more money from Roller's god-powers. A lot more: Roller wants $50 million from him. In the Copperfield suit, which is similarly brief, Roller notes--- well, let me simply quote it in its entirety:

David Copperfield has been using my godly powers to perform his magic. This is a labor dispute in accordance with Minn Statute179.06 for past/future commission compensation.

[My web site] explains my life and my journey to godliness. I believe David Copperfield has been using my godly powers to perform his magic.

We've all seen clips of UFO videos. They dance around in the sky at the speed of thought. So we know that godly powers can coexist on planet Earth. Godly powers means using thought to control actions/results, usually defying explanation and laws of physics. I believe magicians have also been granted godly powers by me somehow, but they have been keeping it a secret and keeping the credits from me.

If David has godly powers, then he must be using my powers. That, or I need detailed explanation (in person) of how he does his tricks, performed/explained in the courtroom (complete confidentiality), and I will leave him alone if I'm wrong - i.e. tricks/illusions are done conventionally. I've politely asked David, via email, to show me how his tricks are done, with no response.

If godly, I want back-pay compensation - 10% past/future career earnings. Estimating 10% of past career earnings of over $50,000,000.

That's the entire lawsuit. (Can you tell he wrote it himself without the aid of an attorney?) It cost Roller "like $250" to file it in Federal court, but at least he didn't do it until he "politely asked" "David" to reveal his trade secrets to a complete stranger, and didn't get a reply. If Roller is so godly and Blaine and Copperfield are using his powers to perform magic, then how come he doesn't already know how to do the tricks? Unfortunately, there's no room for common sense in his argument.

Some of Copperfield's lawyers' response to the court is worthy of quotation too:

Seeing as how Roller has never worked for Copperfield in any capacity anywhere ever and has no relation to Copperfield whatsoever, he has no claim currently nor could he ever have any employment or labor claim against Copperfield. Plaintiff's Complaint is best described as a claim for usurpation of Godly powers, which as this Court is aware, is beyond the jurisdiction of this Court or any court of this earth.

(Keep going: it gets even better.)

Defendant respectfully urges the Court to visit Plaintiff's website.... Therein Plaintiff makes the following claims including:

* Plaintiff is running for President of the United States in 2008 with Bill Gates as his running mate.
* Plaintiff claims he is Jesus Christ.
* Plaintiff claims he is God.
* Plaintiff claims that [NBC news host] Katie Couric and [singer] Celine Dion are his wives and are going to have his children.
* Plaintiff claims there is a movie coming out soon about his life that stars Tom Hanks.
* Plaintiff claims he has killed all of his enemies.
* Plaintiff claims he will father 1,000,000 babies.

While most people would simply call Roller a nutball and roll their eyes, that Just Won't Do in a court of law. Rather, they just point out a few facts and let the judge come to his own conclusion. But the formal response is indeed the time and place to ask the judge to dismiss the suit, and they do: "Accordingly," Copperfield's response concludes, "dismissal with prejudice is warranted." ("With prejudice" means Roller would be enjoined from refiling the suit again, even if he amends it.)

In federal courts, there is a procedural rule about frivolous lawsuits and motions -- Rule 11. When that rule is invoked, the judge can award damages against the frivolous action. No doubt wanting to get the suit over with as soon as possible, Copperfield's attorneys have not asked for such damages, but there's a clear warning to Roller in the response:

Without waiving its right to later do so, it should be noted that Defendant has not brought a Rule 11 motion at this time despite ample grounds to do so. Obviously, to the extent Plaintiff were to continue to pursue his "claim" herein, Defendant may be forced to seek sanctions under Rule 11 in order to deter Plaintiff from the repetition of such conduct.

(The five-page response is interesting reading in its entirety; see the link to Source #3 below to read it on the TSA web site.)

Yes, on the one hand the whole thing is funny, but on the other hand it's also awfully sad. The victims of the suits are reasonably rich men, and they can afford to hire good attorneys to fight back. But what if the defendant were, say, YOU? Then YOU would have to hire an attorney (or two, like Copperfield) to fight back, and you may not be a rich celebrity with the money to do that. You might have to take out a second mortgage on your house to afford it, and take time off work to brief the attorney on what's going on so he can protect you. Copperfield's attorney didn't demand "Rule 11" compensation to pay the magician back for the money spent fighting this junk, but why should that be necessary? When cases are this ridiculous, it should simply happen anyway in a sort of court- ordered magic trick. And Presto! Maybe that would have stopped Roller from filing the second suit ...or maybe even the first one.

Visit the True Stella Awards - http://www.stellaawards.com/

Boy I love my special interest E-mails, they spice up those slow news days.

I'm Back

2005-11-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Boy was this an eventful week. It always seems that everything happens when I am on a trip, or away from the computer.

Miers is out, Alito's at bat. Wow, should we really be happy about this? I will have to see more to judge this.

Scooter's been indicted, did he really do it? Is he the only one responcible? Time, and a Jury will have to tell on that one. If he's guilty I say, hang'em high, but I doubt the guilty party ever will pay for what they have done.

Lot's or turmoil, and chinks in the armor. Boy do I have allot of catching up to do.

This is True - October Edition

2005-10-31T21:14:00.000-08:00

TOP OF THE NEWS: An unnamed newspaper carrier in Jacksonville, Fla., was confronted by a man who said the carrier had forgotten to deliver his newspaper. When the 56-year-old carrier asked the man for his address to check his list, the man responded by pulling a gun. "Give me a paper," he demanded at gunpoint. The carrier handed over a paper, then called police. Officers found Christopher M. Cooper, 26, hiding in a cooler at a gas station, a gun in his car, and marijuana in his pocket. He was charged with armed robbery of the 50-cent paper, and drug possession. (Jacksonville Times-Union) ...Actually, the more interesting edition of the paper was the next day's, which contained this story.

DRIVEN: "He had no idea he had been involved in an accident," said St. Petersburg, Fla., police officer Mike Jockers. But indeed Ralph Parker, 93, had hit a pedestrian on a busy street at about 45 mph. The 52-year- old man smashed half-way through Parker's windshield -- and stayed there as Parker kept driving. He drove, apparently unaware of the body, until he got to a bridge's toll plaza, three miles away. The toll taker thought the body on the car was a Halloween prank until Parker stopped to pay the toll -- and the body slid the rest of the way through the windshield. When police asked Parker where the dead body in his car came from, he said it must have "fallen out of the sky." Police took Parker's license from him (it doesn't expire for five more years) and will ask the motor vehicle department to conduct a competency hearing toward revoking it permanently. (St. Petersburg Times) ...One down, tens of thousands left to go.

DEAD MEAT: Diane Johnson, 74, of Ormond Beach, Fla., was pretty shocked by what she found in a pork loin she got at a local supermarket: a bullet. A spokesman for Publix grocery stores said the chain is perplexed: they scan their meat with a metal detector before it goes on the shelf. And he couldn't explain how a bullet would get into grocery meat in the first place. But the store doesn't have to brace for a lawsuit: "I don't plan to sue anyone because no one got hurt," Johnson said, noting she was quite satisfied with the $10 refund from the store -- and a replacement roast. "I hope there's no bullets in it," she said. (AP) ...No lawsuit? Well there you have it: Florida really IS a strange place!

PAY ATTENTION! Cliffton Hassam, 16, was in class at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Fla., when the little box on his belt started beeping. Substitute teacher Richard Maline demanded that Hassam hand it over, but Hassam refused. So Maline grabbed it and yanked. It wasn't a cell phone or pager, as Maline apparently figured, but rather an insulin pump; the beeping was to alert Hassam, a diabetic, that his blood sugar was at a dangerous level. Hassam got the device back and hooked up before he suffered ill effects, and Maline was fired by the school. "When we train our substitutes, that's one of the items we cover," a school spokesman said. "We specifically train our substitutes on this particular device." (Orlando Sentinel) ...Yeah, but did you give him a quiz afterward to ensure he had met the "learning objectives"?

Copyright www.thisistrue.com

An Angel's Wisdom

2005-10-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

As I prepare for a small hiatus here, I have been trying to think of a post that I could put together that would be relevant throughout the time that I am gone, since it will define this blog for at least a week. In doing so I had to ask myself, what type of blog is this? At first I would say it was a politically slanted personal account of my history. Back when it was called "Birth of a Neo-con" I was attempting to tell what I thought was a unique story. A story of a poor boy that grew up in a heavily Democratic family, and who eventually became a conservative and generally successful family man.

But way too quickly in my own concise style, I told that story, and most of the several sub stories around it. Then is simply evolved into a Political blog. But that grew tiresome during the Mother Sheehan affair, so I started to get more diversified and personal again. I introduces Fun Friday, and the occasional SOS Saturday. So now, I guess to answer my own question, this web log is simply a reflection of me. No longer a statement of a character, but the expression of the man behind the mask. A look into Matthew Comprix's life, through the eyes of an unforgettable character. (Someone once asked me in a chat room, "Are you the Zaphriel of Zaphriel's Blog?" and before I could answer they said, "Of course, like that's a common name."). So Zaphriel you all call me, and I like it, as it is much more memorable than Matthew.

So in the spirit of this being a blog about me, I think I shall impart the one solid bit of wisdom I have come across during my adventure through life. This was not given to me by any Psychologist, or Doctor, nor is it taught as far as I know. I warn you also that I am NOT A DOCTOR or mental health professional of any kind. This is just street knowledge I have picked up along the way, and so far I have found it to be iron clad.

MEN ARE STUPID,
AND WOMEN ARE CRAZY!!!

This very fact saved my marriage over 3 years ago. Now before you go haywire, let me explain. This truth is universal only as it is perceived by the opposite sex. Men, know that every woman thinks you are stupid, you are a veritable idiot, a man-child. You may be a brilliant physicist, but as far as knowing what she wants or needs you are absolutely clueless. Look at things that way, and her every action is now explainable. But this truth cuts both ways,

Ladies. Know that your man is stupid, and accept that he will always be stupid. Sorry, you are not going to be able to change him in any meaningful way. Trying will only lead to failure and frustration. Acceptance and compensation work much better. You know he's stupid, so why do you think he can figure out what you are feeling? Doesn't he see the signs? NO, he doesn't, not because he doesn't care, but because he is generally incapable. So rather than wait for him to figure it out, tell him…directly, don't beat around the bush, it doesn't work. Are you mad? Tell him. Can he fix it? Tell him. Do you want him to actually go away? Tell him.

Double edged sword here guys, being stupid is not an excuse, only an explanation. Effort is required on your part. However keep in mind that she is CRAZY. The usual laws of the universe do not apply, her laws more resemble quantum physics than Newtonian law. Doing the same thing two different times will not always produce the same result. Everything she does, EVERYTHING SHE DOES, has a feeling attached to it. And depending on many variables, these feelings about certain things will change from time to time. Accept it and compensate for it. If she has a problem, ask her directly if she wants you to solve it. Don't assume that because she wanted help before that she wants it now, ASK HER. If she bites your head off, don't assume it's what you just did that caused it, ASK HER. Or hide…

And ladies, remember when you think he's being stupid by asking all the time, remember, from his point of view, YOU ARE CRAZY. Remember he is stupid; you need to tell him what is going on.

How did this save my marriage you ask, well I will tell the long version of that at a later time, but suffice it to say that My wife and I both came to the conclusion that I was stupid, and she was crazy, and we both accepted those facts, and compensated for them. I realize I am not the root of all of her problems, and so does she, and vice versa. We communicate allot more, mostly me asking her if I did something, or if I can do something. I also no longer assume that she is mad at me, so I don't act like I did something wrong, and then make her wonder what I did.

So I hope this little tidbit of knowledge helps someone out there. It might help you if your having trouble, try it, if it works great, if not, you were gonna break up anyway right?

Please leave me you comments relating any related wisdom you may have discovered. I wanna know. Or just tell me what you think of my little pearl of wisdom. So far it has worked for me, but I truly want to know your opinions, and maybe start a discussion about this. So Please LEAVE COMMENTS.

Sacred Cow Burgers...MMM.MMM!

2005-10-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Oh and for the record, and N.Z Bears poll, "I am neutral on the Miers nomination.", just thought you might want to know.

Fun Friday - Oh the e-mails I get

2005-10-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

To: Zaphriel
From: Davey
________________________________________________

A jumbo jet is coming into Tampa Airport on its final approach. The pilot comes on the intercom, "This is your Captain. We're on our final descent into Tampa. I want to thank you for flying with us today, and I hope you enjoy your stay in Tampa Bay."

He forgets to switch off the intercom. Now the whole plane can hear his onversation from the cockpit.
The copilot says to the pilot, "Well, skipper, watcha gonna do in Tampa?" Well, says the skipper, "first I'm gonna check into the hotel and take a big crap Then I'm gonna take that new stewardess with the huge boobs out for dinner. I'm gonna wine and dine her, take her back to my room, and put it to her big time all night."

Everyone on the plane hears this and immediately begins looking up and down the aisle trying to get a look at the new stewardess.

Meanwhile, the new stewardess is at the very back of the plane. She's so embarrassed that she starts to run toward the cockpit to turn the intercom off. Halfway down the aisle, she trips over an old lady's bag and down she goes.
The old lady leans over and says:"No need to hurry, dear. He's gotta take a s#!t first."

Superman Lives...

2005-10-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

So I just finished watching my favorite show on TV... Smallville, and right after the show Annette O'tooledelivered a brief message to inform us of one of the neatest gimmicks since the Yellow LiveStrong band.

Help support the Christopher Reeve Foundation for Paralysis Research, and get something in return. Some cool Superman Tags - Dog tags with the world famous S symbol emblazoned on them. They could make a great gift too, who wouldn't want one? Besides this goes right in line with my philosophy of supporting good private charities instead of having the government do it for me. When you find a good one, you have to keep it going. Plus it doesn't hurt, with me being a big comic book fan, that it is Comic related.

Go Forward.

The Balance of Power - Unions

2005-10-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

Jimmy B of The Conservative UAW Guy did a great job hosting this weeks Balance of Power post. He did a great essay about conservatism, and unionism. Very passionate, and well laid out, it is a great read.

The Drop-off & The Re-start

2005-10-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

As the day I have been waiting for approaches near and my dear Wookie starts her final preparations to return to "Normal" life, a life I know first hand that will never be "normal" again, my time for all things non-family is growing tight. Besides cleaning the house so it doesn't look like livestock have been living here for the past six months, I am also wrapping up the most recent class of Imagery graduates at my work. You see, they go to the school that my wife is currently at, and then they come to me. I am simultaneously concluding their training, and tying up details for the next class, which will include my wife as one of the students. I want things to be fully online for her, but at the same time there are ethics rules that preclude me from being her instructor (the whole sleeping with the teacher thing.) so I must also train up and refresh some of my co-workers to take my place in my portions of the course.

All of that combined is stressful, not to mention, my wife and I must once again readjust to each other, that is always the hardest part of long deployments. However this time it is she that has done the big changing. She is the one that just finished one of the hardest technical schools in the entire Air Force, changing the entire dynamic of our life. Her experience at this school has been almost completely different from mine, but the result is the same, once one goes through this school, you never look at anything the same again. Because of the training you look at buildings and think, "How do I bring this down? Where is the weak point?", you no longer see airplanes, you see "747's, or BAe Hawk's" etc... When you see two people fighting you analyze their styles, and try to glean the causes of their current conflict.

Point being, she is now a whole lot more like me, and I after having to take care of the cherub for an extended period of time, am more like her. Hopefully that means we are closer together and not just re-crossing paths as we sail into the night.

My mind weighs heavy with nervousness and excitement as the days tick by. Eight more days until I see my Wookie again. Eight more days until we start the journey of our life again, on the ship that is our family that has been moored to the dock for the past 6 months. So if I don't write a whole lot over the next few weeks, now you know why.

Creepy

2005-10-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

Relax everybody, it's not real, but just a well made fake... I hope...

Freaking Idiots

2005-10-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Somehow when I heard these idiots were going to rally, I just knew something like this was going to happen.

Violence at Ohio Neo-Nazi March

TOLEDO, Ohio — A crowd that gathered to protest a white supremacists' march Saturday turned violent, throwing baseball-sized rocks at police and vandalizing vehicles.

Six people were arrested and police, fire and media vehicles were damaged, Police Chief Mike Navarre said.

At least two dozen members of the Roanoke, Va.-based National Socialist Movement , which calls itself "America's Nazi Party," gathered at a city park to march under police protection. Organizers said they were demonstrating against black gangs that were harassing white residents. - source

For those of you that are uneducated let me highlight something for you "National Socialist Movement", Nazi's are not Conservative, they are an extreme group that is so far gone they have crossed back over the line to SOCIALISM. These guys are Racist Ssocialists (as were the original Nazis), NOT CONSERVATIVES. So to the next guy who calles me or my friends "Nazi's", or tries to say the ACLU is not leftist because they have defended Nazis, just remember these guys.

Sports Update

2005-10-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Man does this look fun to watch!
I wonder what the tailgaiting is like?

H/T: Dave Barry

Another test

2005-10-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

You Are A: Pony!

Who doesn't love a pony? You are one of these miniature horses, renown for your beauty and desired by many. Full of grace, you are a beautiful and very special animal, full of strength and majesty.

You were almost a: Duck or a Bear Cub
You are least like a: Chipmunk or a Groundhog The Cute Animals Quiz

Thanks Jo

Fun Friday - Fishin' and Golfin' Jokes

2005-10-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

"Reasons Why Fishing Is Better Than Sex..."

** You don't have to hide your Fishing magazines..

** It is perfectly acceptable to pay a professional to Fish with you once in a while.

** The Ten Commandments don't say anything about Fishing.

** If your partner takes pictures or videotapes of you Fishing, you don't have to worry about them showing up on the Internet if you become famous.

** Your Fishing partner doesn't get upset about people you fished with long ago.

** It's perfectly respectable to Fish with a total stranger.

** When you see a really good Fisherperson, you don't have feel guilty about imagining the two of you Fishing together.

** If your regular Fishing partner isn't available, he/she won't object if you Fish with someone else.

** Nobody will ever tell you that you will go blind if you Fish by yourself.

** When dealing with a Fishing pro, you never have to wonder if they are really an undercover cop.

** You can have a Fishing calendar on your wall at the office, tell Fishing jokes, and invite coworkers to Fish with you without getting sued for harassment.

** There are no Fishing-transmitted diseases.

** If you want to watch Fishing on television, you don't have to subscribe to the Playboy channel.

** Nobody expects you to Fish with the same partner for the rest of your life

** Nobody expects you to give up Fishing if your partner loses interest in it.

** Your Fishing partner will never say, "Not again? We just Fished last week! Is Fishing all you ever think about?"

"Summer Love"

Last summer Ed met a woman while on vacation and fell head over heels in love with her.

On the last night of his vacation, the two of them went to dinner and had a serious talk about how they would continue the relationship.

Ed began by saying to his new lady friend that she meant so much to him, "It's only fair to warn
you that I'm a complete and utter golf nut. I eat, sleep and breath golf....so if that's a problem,
you'd better say so right now."

"Well, since we're being honest with each other, here goes," she replied. "I'm a hooker."

"I see," replied Ed, and was quiet for a moment.

Then he added, "You know, it's probably because you're not keeping your wrists straight when you tee off."

Fun Friday - Fun with Light

2005-10-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Experiment with light.

The Real Stella Awards

2005-10-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know what a Stella Awards were inspired by Stella Liebeck. In 1992, Stella, then 79, spilled a cup of McDonald's coffee onto her lap, burning herself. A New Mexico jury awarded her $2.9 million in damages, but that's not the whole story. Ever since, the name "Stella Award" has been applied to any wild, outrageous, or ridiculous lawsuits -- including bogus cases!

But then Randy Cassingham decided to look for True Stella Awards, and because truth is often more outlandish than fiction, he was not disappointed. Because of his research he wrote a book or two, and started a website called The True Stella Awards. On that site you can subscribe to a mailing list that tells the story of a true Stella Award every time he writes one. The following is one of those stories.

HER GENEROSITY IS OVERWHELMING

by Randy Cassingham

On October 14, 2004, Barbara Connors, 75, of Medfield, Mass., was riding in a car driven by her son-in-law, Alan Hauser, 70, when they got into an accident in Old Saybrook, Conn. Their car left the road, jumped the sidewalk, went through a fence, and flew 15 feet through the air and splashed into the Connecticut River. Hauser swam to the surface and was rescued by the crew of a nearby boat, but Connors went under with the car, sinking 10 feet below the surface.

There were plenty of witnesses to the crash, and several quickly called 911 to report it. "It was the [fastest] response I've ever seen," said one. "They were here in a heartbeat." Because she was underwater, and the river's current increased the danger, rescuers had to don special gear. Even with the time it took them to drive there and do that, Connors was pulled to the surface within 15 to 20 minutes of the accident. Still, it was too late: she had no pulse. Paramedics started CPR and revived her at the scene.

Rescuers were "very pleased with the rescue effort by all the agencies involved, as well as the citizens who helped us," said police officer Michael Spera, who was on the scene. Connors was raced to the hospital in critical condition -- and thanks to everyone's quick action, she survived.

The next month, a ceremony was held to honor the rescuers. Connors' daughter said her mother couldn't attend, but wanted to thank everyone for their "very generous outpouring of generosity and support" in saving her life. Connors was in town to visit her daughter when the accident occurred.

That was then, this is now: Connors has sued not just her son-in-law, who was driving the car, but also the rescuers, alleging they "took too long" to rescue her. The suit, filed in Superior Court at New London, Conn., was filed by attorney Robert Reardon Jr. It claims the town is responsible for not installing "appropriate guardrails to stop a vehicle from going into the water" and for failing to "provide funds for the equipment needed by police divers."

In addition, the suit names the town building inspector, its director of public works, a building official, a planner, and the Parks and Recreation Commission, for "failing to maintain a safe environment at Saybrook Point." It also names town police chief Edmund Mosca for "failing to provide adequate staff and diving equipment." The suit says that Connors was previously able to live on her own, but after the accident she has to be cared for in a nursing home. Presumably those rsponsible for saving her life should pay for that.

For their "very generous outpouring of generosity and support," the town and rescuers are sued? Yeah, that makes sense. Rescue work, especially in water, is incredibly dangerous, and a great many rescuers, most notably in small towns, are volunteers. What sort of public policy signal is society sending when we allow them to be put them through hell after they do a GOOD job?
STELLA AWARDS is a project of "This is True" -- http://www.thisistrue.com -- and is published by ThisisTrue.Inc, PO Box 666, Ridgway CO 81432 USA.

Ok so I like these awards for a few reasons. I get a chuckle at how stupid people are, and it really illustrates how badly lawsuit abuse needs the nations attention. This costs all of us money, every time a court has to hear these cases, court fees do not usually cover all of the costs, we the tax payers front the rest of the bill. Not to mention if these idiots win by some fluke of legal maneuvering or technicality, it sets a president that absolves society of any personal responsibility. Tort reform is a must, as well society should not tolerate these things, it hurts us all, especially when the courts are tied up with this stuff, when one of us has a legitimate complaint that needs it's attention.

Stop The ACLU Blogburst - Religious Freedom

2005-10-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

The following is the Thirsday Blogburst done by Jay at Stop the ACLU. I agree with allot that is being said, and have little to add, so I am reprinting his blogburst.

It happens somewhere in America almost everyday. Some small school, city counsel or County Courthouse gets sued. Perhaps your town has a historical monument to honor the dead from WWII that just so happens to be shaped like a cross. Or maybe your child's school will be having a winter break instead of Christmas this year. Whatever it is, don't fool yourself...it could happen to your town. And what will happen when it does? What will happen when the ACLU comes into your backyard? Will your town stand up for its religious liberties, or fold? The ACLU will go full force and has plenty of money to back it up. Does your town have the funds to defend itself? The ACLU has the backing of huge liberal groups, funded to the tee. How does your town stack up?

Don't think it couldn't happen to you. Right now, there are those out there watching it happen to them. What can you do? If the ACLU wins, guess who pays for it? That's right, you do.

I found the following at ReclaimAmerica.Org

U.S. Representative John Hostettler has introduced legislation which seeks to prevent the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from collecting millions of dollars in court awards when they seek to remove symbols of the Christian faith from society.

The Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 (H.R . 2679) would prevent secular organizations from collecting attorney fees after suing communities to remove memorial crosses, Ten Commandments displays, or any other vestige of the Christian faith. The legislation reads, "The remedies with respect to a claim under this section where the deprivation consists of a violation of a prohibition in the Constitution against the establishment of religion shall be limited to injunctive relief."

I found this at

ACLU Generates Revenue in Courtroom Campaign

$156,960 Nebraska

The ACLU was awarded $156,960 after a judge overturned an amendment to the Nebraska Constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The amendment was approved by 70 percent of Nebraska voters.

$790,000 = San Diego

The ACLU was given $790,000 after suing to nullify a lease between the city of San Diego and the Boy Scouts of America. A federal judge sided with the ACLU, ruling that the Boy Scouts are a religious organization because they require kids to pledge an oath to God and promise to live a "morally straight"

$150,000 = Barrow County (Ga.)

The ACLU was awarded $150,000 after suing to remove a display of the Ten Commandments from the Barrow County Courthouse.

$615,500 = Florida Supreme Court

The Florida Supreme Court established the Florida Bar Foundation and then commissioned the foundation to provide $615,500 to the ACLU of Florida between the years of 1990 and 1997.

$121,500 = Kentucky

The ACLU was awarded $121,500 after suing to remove a monument outside of the Kentucky Capitol building.

$277,000 = Kentucky

The ACLU was awarded a whopping $277,000 after suing to overturn a state law against abortion in 1994.

$299,500 = Kentucky

In 2001, the ACLU was awarded more than $299,500 after suing to overturn abortion regulations in Kentucky.

$50,000 = Tennessee

A Tennessee County was forced to pay the ACLU $50,000 after losing a legal battle to preserve a display of the Ten Commandments.

$37,037 = Loudoun County (Va.)

The ACLU was awarded $37,037 after winning a lawsuit to prevent a Loudoun County (Va.) from installing pornography filters on public library computers.

$175,000 = Alabama

Following the lawsuit, involving former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building, state taxpayers were forced to pay nearly $550,000 in attorney fees and court costs. Of that, $175,000 went to the ACLU.

$63,000 = California

Taxpayers were forced to give the ACLU a whopping $63,000 after their lawsuit to remove a World War One Memorial Cross from the Mojave National Preserve.

$74,462 = Habersham County (Ga.)

The ACLU received $74,462 from Georgia taxpayers after suing to remove a Ten Commandments display from the Habersham County (Ga.) Courthouse.

$25,000 = Pulaski County (Ark.)

The ACLU was awarded $25,000 after suing an Arkansas county for telling the child's parents that the 14-year-old boy was living an openly gay lifestyle in school.

$135,000 = Cobb County (Ga.)

The ACLU is scheduled to receive $135,000 from Cobb County taxpayers, after suing the county to remove warning stickers from the district biology books. The stickers simply read, "Evolution is a theory, not a fact."

$75,000 = Pasco (Wash.)

The city of Pasco, Washington was forced to pay the ACLU $75,000 after they lost a lawsuit to remove the painting of a naked woman from the Pasco City Hall.

$52,000 = Seattle (Wash.)

Residents in Seattle, Washington, were ordered to pay $52,000 to the ACLU — for defending a student's "right" to mock the assistant principal in a sexual online parodies … sodomizing Homer Simpson and appearing in Viagra commercials.

$6,000,000 = American taxpayers

The ACLU, along with other pro-abortion organizations, have shared in court awards estimated to be worth roughly six million dollars following the Supreme Court's decision in which they declared the Nebraska partial birth abortion ban unconstitutional. Reportedly, these lawsuits affected thirty states.

$18,000 = London (Ohio)

After suing London, Ohio, for allowing their football coach to host a voluntary prayer for athletes, the ACLU was awarded $18,000 in attorney fees.

$110,000 = Multnomah County (Oregon)

Incredibly, Multnomah County taxpayers were asked to pay a whopping $110,000 after the ACLU sued them for allowing the Boy Scouts of America to recruit on public school campuses.

$111,000 = Operation Rescue

Operation Rescue was ordered to pay the ACLU $111,000 after losing a lawsuit in which the ACLU sought to prevent the organization from picketing near abortion clinics.

$230,000">San Diego (California)

San Diego residents were forced to pay $230,000 in legal costs in an effort to defend the Mount Soledad Cross (a memorial to the Korean War) from an ACLU lawsuit. The Korean War Memorial had been established in 1952.

Don't let it happen to your town, or if it is going to happen...don't pay for it. Reclaiming America has put together a petition that already has over 100,000 signatures. We also have a petition asking for the same thing, to stop taxpayer funding of the ACLU in Establishment Clause cases. You can sign both petitions here. Help us curb the secularization of America.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please register at Our Portal. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 115 blogs already onboard.

Religious freedom is for all of us. Atheism in it's own way is a religion too, and it is being forced on all of us. I would rather a country that allowed all forms of peaceful religion be allowed in the public lexicon than to live in a country devoid of it. Believe me, to those of you who are not Christian, mark my words, once they are done eliminating Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Wicca, et al.. are next, and probably in that order. Help us fight for complete religious freedom, join the fight by publicly and vocally opposing the ACLU, and it's anit-democracy, anti-american, judicial activist march. Join the Blogburst and Sign the petitions, you can help, YOU NEED TO HELP.

Are They Copying Me?

2005-10-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ok so I raised this issue this week at The Balance of Power, and I have talked about this before.

Victims Versus Victimhood

Tuesday,
October 11, 2005
By Wendy McElroy

Weeks after Hurricane Katrina, the
anguish of its victims is still painful to see. Even people hardened by years of
war and the sharp divisions within our culture, reach into their hearts and
pocketbooks at the sight of it.

Meanwhile, the claim of victimhood has
also emerged: the allegation that blacks were discriminated against in aid
efforts. But that accusation has generally met with weary dismissal.

The
difference in response has made me wonder about the distinction between a victim
and victimhood, and whether the latter may be on the political decline. ... -source

Understanding this subject I think is essential to understanding our overall problems in our society and their solutions is also . We have some hard work ahead of us people, but if we want these problems to go away, we need to buckle down and do it. Take responsibility for ourselves, and work for it. That is what made us the greatest nation in the world, and it is what will keep us there. Turning our backs on ourselves will only lead to our destruction.

This whole problem is rather quite simple and infinitely complicated at the same time. ALL we need to do is look to ourselves and our community for our own strength and stop asking for a handout but rather demanding a hand-up and finding our own opportunities. Those types of things will never be truly handed to you.

The Balance of Power - Poverty

2005-10-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I opened up a doozie on this one. Over at The Balance of Power I wrote a post loosly related to one I wrote last month. I hope the discussion doesn't get too heated.

Over the past month on my blog, I wrote an article that outlined the corruption and greed that occurred both before and after the Hurricanes in Louisianna. The point I arrived at later wasn't so much the corruption, but the underlying dependence on the government. As one of the several comments pointed out, there is corruption everywhere, to that I say true, sort of. But that statement in itself adds to my argument. Why would someone want to be reliant on something that we know to be corrupt? I also heard the argument about "the poor have no "chance" or "opportunity" to be anything but poor, to that I also had to recount my story, for those who are not familiar the short of it is, I grew up poor, and through hard work in my adulthood, I am no longer poor, so I know it is not an insurmountable obstacle. Along the way I also heard other excuses, all of which were just that, excuses.
I apologize for the meandering but my point is, why is it that we have set up in our society, a series of excuses set up like dominoes. It appears to me that we try really hard to keep these dominoes up rather than have one fall down only to reveal that we never needed the dominoes in the first place. Why do we perpetuate the myth that once you are poor you must stay poor? ...

That was your preview, now go on and read the rest of the article and the responces from the rest of the group, then you'll get your chance... Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Thanks be to Stop the ACLU for the Open Trackbacks.

Sounds Like A Broken Record...

2005-10-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, things really do get stuck in a hurry. I have been surfing a bit this morning to get some inspiration for a post. I have the day off, being a federal employee, and I thought I would get a jump on the week. Sure… The one thing I did observe is that even the big guys get stuck too, so they post what is expected of them. Maybe it's my fault for being reasonable, but I think once I have said what I want on a subject I generally try to move on. The Harriette Miers subject, in my book, is old news. The President nominated her, there's no big problems with her, and yet (seemingly because it's a slow news day unless you live in Kashmir) people still keep TRYING to find something wrong with her. Sometimes, people, things are exactly as they appear. She is a good moderate candidate, who will serve the Constitution and the United States well. Nuff said, let it go, it's over, get her confirmed and lets move on. (Geez, sometimes this blog stuff is just down right irritating.)

I really hate trying to find things to write about, but sometimes you stuck with what everybody else is talking about. Some even try to revive even older news. Maybe that's just the nature of Political Punditry in the Blogosphere. Slow news days, make for repetitive news days.

To my regular reader (all 5 of you) you may have noticed I have been markedly less political lately, if you wonder why, well there are three reasons. (1) Slow news as bitched about above. (2) It's football season people, the world stops for football, doesn't it? (3) Wookie is due home in about 2.5 weeks, and this house looks like a Man and a 6 year old have been living in it for 6 months without Mommy (which is wholly the case). So I have to get it into a more Mommy friendly condition.

Well enough moping, I got work to do.

Football Roundup (My Winners)

2005-10-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Man what a great Game, GO BROWNIES.

Browns 20, Bears 10

CLEVELAND (AP) - In a matter of seconds, Trent Dilfer passed a career milestone and turned another dull Sunday into a rare, exciting home win for the Cleveland Browns.

Dilfer connected with wide receiver Antonio Bryant for two touchdowns in a 38-second span late in the fourth quarter as Cleveland rallied to a 20-10 victory over the sputtering Chicago Bears.

With the Browns (2-2) trailing 10-6, Dilfer, making his 100th career start, hit Bryant for a 33-yard TD with 3:02 left. The scoring strike was also the 33-year-old Dilfer's 100th career TD pass, and five plays later, he got No. 101.

After Bears rookie quarterback Kyle Orton's fumble was recovered by Chris Crocker, Dilfer found Bryant on the same route in the left corner, this time a 28-yard TD that put the Browns up by 10 points with 2:24 remaining.

For nearly 57 minutes, the Browns, who were without rookie wide receiver Braylon Edwards, appeared headed toward another tough loss at home. Cleveland is just 15-35 at Browns Stadium since returning to the league as an expansion team in 1999.

For being a rebuilding year, and even with the injuries so far, the Browns don't look half bad, but maybe that's because I look at the world through brown and orange colored glasses.

Muppet Quiz

2005-10-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Man I haven't taken one of these quiz jobbies in a very long time.

You are Sam the Eagle.
You are patriotic and devoted. And extremely anal.

HOBBIES:
Patriotism, Being appalled at what everyone else is
doing.
FAVORITE MUSIC:
The National Anthem of America

FAVORITE MOVIE:
"An American In....America"

LAST BOOK READ:
"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,
Eagles are from America"

QUOTE:
"Please stop that now! It's un-American!"

What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Hat tip: Anarchangel

Even More Cartoons

2005-10-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

More Cartoons

2005-10-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks for noticing Jo

Fun Friday - E-Mail of the day II

2005-10-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

From: Fritter
To: Zaphriel
Subject: New Words for 2005
_________________________________________________

Essential additions for the workplace and beyond:

BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps all over everything, and then leaves.

ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing the boss' butt rather than working hard.

SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.

CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.

PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.

MOUSE POTATO: The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.

SITCOMs: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What yuppies turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.

SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because the magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying but you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The Anna Nichole show or the Bachelor is a prime example.

PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the heck out of an electronic device to get it to work again.

ADMINISPHERE: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the ADMINISPHERE are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.

404: Someone who's clueless. From the World Wide Web error message "404 Not Found" (meaning that the requested document, like the person's brain, could not be located).

GENERICA: Features of the North American landscape that is exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, subdivisions.

OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake.

WOOFYS: Well Off Older Folks.

CROP DUSTING: Surreptitious flatulence while passing thru a cube farm, or any other public place, then enjoying the sounds of dismay and disgust (this often leads to PRAIRIE DOGGING).

And lest we forget:

ANAL GLAUCOMA: Used as an excuse for not showing up for work. Translation "I just couldn't see my ass coming in to work today."

Fun Friday - E-Mail of the day

2005-10-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

From: Fritter
To: Zaphriel
Subject: Ponderisms
_________________________________________________

* I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

* Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

* Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

* The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

* Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

* There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

* Life is sexually transmitted.

* The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

* Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

* Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

* Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

* Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

* All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

* In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

* Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

* How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

* Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

* Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt."

* Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

* If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

* Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?

* Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?

* Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

* If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that Acme crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

* If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

* If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

* If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

* Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

* Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

* Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

* Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

* Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

* Do you ever wonder why you gave me your email address?!!!!

Fun Friday - Hot Dog

2005-10-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

A little girl asked her mom, "Mom, may I take the dog for a walk around the block?"

Mom replies, "No, because she is in heat."

"What's that mean?" asked the child.

"Go ask your father. I think he's in the garage."

The little girl goes to the garage and says, "Dad, may I take Belle for a walk around the block? I asked Mom, but she said the dog was in heat, and to come to you."

Dad said, "Bring Belle over here." He took a rag, soaked it with gasoline, and scrubbed the dog's backside with it to disguise the

scent, and said "OK, you can go now, but keep Belle on the leash and only go one time round the block."

The little girl left, and returned a few minutes later with no dog on the leash. Surprised, Dad asked, "Where's Belle?"

The little girl said, "She ran out of gas about halfway down the block, so another dog is pushing her home."

Fun Friday - How to Write Good

2005-10-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

For us bloggers, here are several very important but often forgotten rules of English:

•Avoid alliteration. Always.

•Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

•Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)

•Employ the vernacular.

•Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

•Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

•It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

•Contractions aren't necessary.

•Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

•One should never generalize.

•Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

•Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

•Don't be redundant. Don't more use words than necessary. It's highly superfluous.

•Be more or less specific.

•Understatement is always best.

•Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

•One-word sentences? Eliminate.

•Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

•The passive voice is to be avoided.

•Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

•Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

•Who needs rhetorical questions?

American Legion Will Fight the Release Of Abu Ghraib Photos

2005-10-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

Finally someone standing up for us.

Commander Thomas Bock of the American Legion says that the ACLU does not stand for American values, but the American Legion does. They think the release of the additional Abu Ghraib photos will unleash untold violence. And I agree with him. Another point to add here is what do photos of foreign terrorists in prison have to do with our Constitution or Bill of Rights? Last I checked those document's power does not extend beyond our borders nor does it apply to non-citizen's (especially not enemies of our country), so why is the ACLU involved anyway? Could it be that they actually have a hidden agenda that has nothing to do with American Civil Liberties?

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, national commander of the Legion, Thomas L. Bock, said Gonzales should lead the way in overturning Hellerstein’s “extremely dangerous” ruling, adding it could produce additional dangers for American troops still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan by further enraging Iraqis.

“This ruling is deplorable,” Bock said. “It will only serve to rally the insurgents into a frenzied crescendo of violence against our servicemen and women, indeed against all Americans living and working overseas.”

Bock said he would lead the 2.7-million member organization in a fight against Hellerstein’s ruling and would “make the journey” with Gonzales “all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.”

In his ruling, Hellerstein said he merely was upholding American ideals.

“Our nation does not surrender to blackmail, and fear of blackmail is not a legally sufficient argument to prevent us from performing a statutory command,” he wrote. “Indeed, the freedoms that we champion are as important to our success in Iraq and Afghanistan as the guns and missiles with which our troops are armed.”

Bock disagreed, suggesting it would, instead, pose a danger to those fighting to establish similar principles of freedom and democracy in war-torn Iraq.

“This decision will put teachers, lawyers, ministers, and workers of charitable organizations who are helping the Iraqis and the Afghans rebuild their societies into the crosshairs of terrorist killers,” said Bock.

“Four U.S. missionaries died in a drive-by shooting in the northern city of Mosul a few months back; two were women. These killers have demonstrated time and time again they can and will target innocent foreigners in a heartbeat. Given the expected widespread publication of these photos, no American would be safe,” he said. - source

Now before anyone goes off half cocked, first off get over your indignant selves. Those responsible for the idiocy at Abu Ghraib have already been convicted and brought to justice. I do not condone their behavior, but I also don't think that any more U.S. Servicemen need to suffer for the actions of a few. The release of these photos does not serve justice, it only serves to defame and endanger the U.S., it's Military Personnel, and it's citizenry.

I think we all need to join the American Legion (those of us who can) and and add to their 2.7 million members so we can help them make some noise. It's about time someone with pull actually stood up to the lunacy of the ACLU.

Hat Tip to Stop the ACLU for this one.

A Post in Cartoons

2005-10-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Right to die.

2005-10-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

Currently in front of the Supreme Court is a case that challenges Oregon's Right to Die laws. This one for me is tough; it's another one of those situations where my political self and moral self come to blows.

High Court Clashes Over Assisted Suicide

WASHINGTON (AP) - New Chief Justice John Roberts stepped forward Wednesday as an aggressive defender of federal authority to block doctor-assisted suicide, as the Supreme Court clashed over an Oregon law that lets doctors help terminally ill patients end their lives.

The justices will decide if the federal government, not states, has the final say on the life-or-death issue.

It was a wrenching debate for a court touched personally by illness. Roberts replaced William H. Rehnquist, who died a month ago after battling cancer for nearly a year. Three justices have had cancer and a fourth has a spouse who counsels children with untreatable cancer.

The outcome is hard to predict, in part because of the uncertain status of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who seemed ready to support Oregon's law. Her replacement may be confirmed before the ruling is handed down, possibly months from now. - sourc e

As I have stated before, we should always in cases like this, err on the side of freedom. A person's choice to die, or commit suicide, is between them and their god in my book. Morally I know suicide is wrong, it is wrong for me and I know the effect is has on family (both my Grandfather and closest cousin committed suicide, one because of a medical mistake the other because he was a troubled teen.) But the decision here still lies with the individual, and has ramifications that the individual will have to face either here on earth, because the attempt failed, or in reckoning with their maker.

But even then that is not the issue here as I see it. This one is a plain as day, States Rights issue. Do the states have the right to independently regulate Drug Prescriptions, Medical Care or anything else not covered in the Constitution or Bill of Rights. Well if you follow the Constitution to tit very letter, (which we all know we don't really) then the answer here is YES.

This one for me is cut and dry, the states HAVE the right to decide for themselves that laws that they should have and how to enforce them. Simple (Maybe overly simple and that is where people will find folly).

Stop The ACLU Blogburst - Private Organizations.

2005-10-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

I continually wonder why an organization that insists it is non-partisan and only interested in the rights granted all of us in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, should concern themselves so much with issues that are plainly partisan and have no mention in the Constitution.

Why would The ACLU have any concern about the activities of a Private Organization, who's activities are plainly protected by the constitution. This to me seems to be a conundrum. Until you look at the whole picture.

The private organization here is the Boy Scouts of America. An organization of Boys that encourages Love of Country, Love of God, Good Citizenship, Patriotism, and Responsibility. All of it's members are there voluntarily, and being a private organization, has no requirement of fairness in admissions. So what does the ACLU find so scary about this. Well they use the flimsy excuse that by using federal lands for their activities from time to time, that they then should be regulated. But I see that as a very thin venire. I think, given the ACLU's founding concepts and lengthy history, they are afraid of one thing, boys growing up to be god fearing, moral, upstanding citizen patriots. That is directly opposed to their goal of societal degradation and the eventual implementation of communism. This seems rather cut and dry, and the whole opposition to the Boys Scouts at every turn, including the attempt to pressure them to admit, gays, atheists and girls, is simply not their role according to their stated objectives. No-ones civil rights are being violated here. There are no constitutional issues with the BSA. It is a private organization that has not obligation to allow an open membership, and there are plenty of private organizations that those other groups involved may join. Everyone involved is there of their own volition.

In this case I say to the ACLU, know your role, and shut your mouth, your not needed here. Try concentrating on Civil Rights abuses that really exist like the consistent deterioration of the Second Amendment, or fairness in employment violations. Leave our private institutions alone.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please register at Our Portal. You will be added to our maling list and blogroll. Over 115 blogs already onboard.

I joined.

2005-10-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

I was surprised to see over the last few days a very un-conservative reaction from conservatives to the president's most recent SCOTUS Justice nomination. It puzzled me. And frankly it looked allot like the type of knee-jerk reaction you see from the ACLU every time a boy scout repeats his pledge. I think we all need to just chill out a little and look at thing with a calmer head.

Because Knee-jerk Reactions are for Liberals.

Hat tip to Stop the ACLU and special thanks to Patrick Ruffini

Introspection

2005-10-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

This weeks post at the Balance of Power is a continuation of a post I wrote last week called Irritated and Dissatisfied. It was a long and winding post that touched on allot of this that have been bothering me lately, but it focused mostly on how displeased and dismayed I am with both parties as of late. I would encourage anyone who wants to know more about that discussion, and see what the other members of the BoP had to say, and to do so without haste, it is a great discussion.

That post flowed from a bit of introspection and universal examination I have been doing lately both in my professional career, and in the political specter. This led me to a couple of things; that post and a slight redefinition and reorganization of my political activities.
I once told a close friend of mine that there are two ME's if you will, one that holds my personal beliefs and one that holds my political beliefs. He asked me, "How can that be, aren't they the same thing?" Oddly that answer to that is, NO.

I know what is best for me, and my wife and I decide what is best for our family, where the ambiguity comes in is, what is best for the country, as a whole? That question is much harder to answer, and as far as my Political Beliefs are concerned, I would much rather err on the side of freedom than anything else.

For example, I am a Christian. Do I think that all Americans should be Christians? Maybe. Would I want Christian beliefs to be enforced, simply because the majority of Americans are Christian? Absolutely not. Why? Because Majorities are very fleeting things, and someday Christians may not be in the Majority. I don't know about you, but I don't want Islamic Law forced upon me, or Satanic Law, or even Judaic Law. Therefore we should not be forcing it upon them. Now before this is misconstrued, I want to make it clear, freedom cuts both ways, I also do not want my right to express or practice my religion impeded in any way. The concept is freedom of Religion, not freedom from it. If your atheist and you get offended, tough, you have no existing right not to be offended. I defend your right to speak up about it (as I have a right to call you a moron for it), but don't try to take my right to express it away.

Being a Christian, I don't believe in abortion, I think it's wrong, even if I was a woman; I would still be sickened by it. But the fact is it is legal, has been for a while. History has shown time and time again that prohibiting a previously legal act only drives it underground. (Anyone ever hear of prohibition?) More people will die in the endeavor as people still seek easy solutions to hard problems. An abortion, I know second hand, is something that any woman who has it performed, will live with the rest of her life. She will have to face those consequences with herself and her maker.

Because of these observations, like Israel, I am willing politically to compromise and allow these things to remain, unopposed by me. But I will say this, I will continue to watch, and every time I see some politician or judge try to impinge freedom or common sense, I will continue to speak up. Like wise I encourage everyone who reads this article to perform your own introspective and see for yourself, "Is what I am advocating good for the country? Or is it simply something that I personally believe that doesn't necessarily benefit the country." We should all be mindful of our actions and the overall effect of what those actions. We should be mindful of what we ask for, and be prepared for the full ramifications of those requests coming to fruition.

Headline Of The Day So Far...

2005-10-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Right Here.

It's a must read.

Who said that?

2005-10-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

The following is a speech made by somebody surprising...

(F)ellow citizens, we observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom - symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning – signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe - the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage – and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

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

This much we pledge - and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do - for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom - and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

...

Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.

We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course - both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.

So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms - and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.

Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.

Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of
Isaiah - to "undo the heavy burdens -. and to let the oppressed go free."

And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.

...

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are - but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" - a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shank from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

Who said it and when?

Shrewd Move

2005-10-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Just when I think the President has Returned to Stupid, he pulls off another very shrewd move.

High Court Nominee Has Never Been a Judge

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court on Monday, turning to a lawyer who has never been a judge to replace Sandra Day O'Connor and help reshape the nation's judiciary.

"She has devoted her life to the rule of law and the cause of justice," Bush said as his first Supreme Court pick, Chief Justice John Roberts, took the bench for the first time just a few blocks from the White House.

...

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid was complimentary, issuing a statement that said he likes Miers and adding "the Supreme Court would benefit from the addition of a justice who has real experience as a practicing lawyer." - source

Very shrewd on a few fronts, no judicial record to tear apart. The Minority Leader already publicly endorsed her. She's older so the "legacy threat" that the dems are so worried about doesn't exist. Not to mention she's loyal and conservative, and for all the shallow people out there she ia a WOMAN (which of course makes Barbara Boxer real happy). I actually look forward to the confirmation hearing just to see how creative the Dems have to get to find something wrong with this nominee

I Pledge Allegiance...

2005-10-02T22:14:00.000-07:00

A Post in Cartoons

A long and winding post...

2005-10-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

Irritated and Dissatisfied.

I have been feeling very disgruntled lately (was I ever gruntled?) and it has causes me to be both introspective and outwardly explorative. Ever since Katrina and the events (both related and unrelated) that occurred around that time, I have felt uneasy. My instincts have been screaming, “Something is wrong here”.

There have been some obvious reasons for this, but most of them I can see and would normally ease my tension a bit. However I have still been very pensive. I’m watching as the country I love becomes more and more divided. A natural tragedy, or any tragedy for that matter usually tends to pull us together, but somehow amidst the fervent Anti-Military protests, and concerted efforts to drive a wedge between people in this country, we are spreading further and further apart.

When did we become a blame first society? When did it become OK to blame America first? When did personal responsibility become passé? Or better yet, why?

There is a trend I have been noticing lately, over the past few years, that I find somewhat disturbing. I personally know of former Hippies, fine classic liberals that have become so disenfranchised by the Democratic Party that they simply redefined themselves, and allied their loyalties to their former adversaries. Their views didn’t change that much mind you, but the people they so formerly aligned themselves with continued to drift, or rather sail full steam, away from the moderate left to the loony communist fringe. When and why did this both become not just acceptable, but even mildly popular?

Why now, when we need it the least does it seem that this type of lunacy is gaining momentum? How does a single woman using a thin veil of grief get so much attention, when she is outnumbered several times over by similarly grieving mothers who feel exactly opposite?

After a bit of reflection, I have come up with a few things to consider. First, one blaring item that I see is that the Far left is being well financed, and well orchestrated, better I think than the much-vilified Karl Rove could have.

Second, I think in times of crisis, people want to place the blame as far from themselves as possible, it comforts them. In this case, doing so meant placing the blame furthest from its source, which the aforementioned orchestrators took complete advantage of by manipulating a willing cohort in the MSM.

Third, and this one is going to sting a little, the party that supposedly caters to a conservative base, has lost sight of what that base wants from it’s government.

Conservatives are generally for a smaller government that spends less. This has not been happening for a myriad of reasons, many out of the control of those being blamed for it.

Conservatives tend to be for Law and Order. The recent indictments and investigations, whether true or false in their focus, are eroding confidence in the party. I personally am most disturbed by this one. If any of these allegations are true, shame on them, and please step aside for the good of not just the party, but also the country. If these allegations are false I say the exact same to those who would allege these things for political gain.

Does no-one see the unity and strength of this country as being more important than partisan politics, or are these individuals so confident in our superiority that they think that they cannot possibly permanently damage the country by getting their own way at any cost. Worse, do they even care?

Forth and this is most crucial, Conservatives tend to be Pro-Troop and Pro-Victory, and I myself have been frustrated at the lackadaisical attitude that both our country’s very vocal minority and our leadership has had towards these conflicts. Unlike the loony left, I have often wondered behind closed doors why we have not committed MORE troops, materials, and effort towards victory? Why have we been allowing the PC police and public opinion run this war? Any war that is run by public opinion, or by political forces is doomed to fail. Failure here my friend, given the current situation, is a very real possibility, if things don’t change soon. Does this mean we should just give up? HELL NO. Much like marital coitus, pulling out prematurely just leaves you with a bigger mess. Such action is counter-productive and absolutely defeats the purpose.

I am disturbed by these questions. Why have the leftists become so loony? Why has the Republican Party somewhat lost sight of true conservatism? And most of all, why have the only two viable parties available lost touch with the reality that the rest of us live in? Why are so many people willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater?

These are all questions that should disturb all of you, lefty and righty alike.

Tell me am I the only one here? Is it just me? Or am I loosing sleep for no reason?

No really it's true...

2005-09-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Weekly True is True Column

Copyright www.thisistrue.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
GLIDE SLOPE: Witnesses say a man at a popular diving area at a lake near
Diana, N.Y., didn't use the usual spot to dive into the water, but
rather a much higher spot. It was also farther from the water. When
Alexander Chappell, 21, jumped he hit the rocks at the edge of the
lake. He was killed. Chappell was a senior in mechanical engineering at
Clarkson University. (AP) ...Declared a major, studied the course
material -- what's the difference?

CHARISMATIC, STIGMATIC -- WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? Parents are upset with a
priest at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Corn Hill, Texas, after he
called about 15 children up to the altar during mass. The lesson: how
Jesus suffered during crucifixion. His method: pricking the children's
hands with a pin. "What I was trying to teach them is that suffering is
a part of life," said Fr. Arthur Michalka, 78. One parent says the
wounds, made with an unsterilized pin, drew blood from her child, but
the priest says that's not true. "I did not intend it to go very deep,"
he said. "I didn't think it was that big a deal." (Austin American-
Statesman) ...Watch out for next week's participatory lesson, "Casting
the first stone."

SIMPLIFY THE DECISION: Tennessee State Driving Examiner Laurie Holden was
just finishing up giving a driving test to Osman Salah, 25, of
Nashville, and was trying to decide whether to give him a passing or a
failing grade. As they pulled into the Rutherford County Driver License
Station in Murfreesboro, she told him "to stop as we pulled up to the
building," she remembers, and "the next thing I knew it was raining
bricks all around us." Salah had crashed into the building, injuring
two people inside waiting in line. She gave him a failing grade.
(Nashville Tennessean) ...Since you have to injure at least five to
pass.

BLOWHARD: When Kim Horn, 42, showed up in Mason, Mich., saying she was a
refugee from Hurricane Katrina and had lost all of her belongings, area
residents responded in force. They provided a free house, completely
furnished with donated items, including a TV and DVD player and even a
bicycle for her 6-year-old daughter. But when an article about the
donations ran in the local newspaper, people who knew Horn had arrived
in town well before the hurricane hit blew the whistle. Horn was
arrested and charged with felony larceny under false pretenses and
faces up to five years in prison. (Lansing State Journal) ...Either
way, she gets housing at someone else's expense.

DUCT TAPE BEWARE! "Terror Leader in Iraq Declares War on Tape" -- AP
headline

DID YOU FIND an error? See http://www.thisistrue.com/errata.html

Fun Friday - Fun With Pictures.

2005-09-30T00:02:00.000-07:00

Time to have a little fun, now before anyone gets all upset over any of this, Get Over Yourself, and laugh a little but will ya.

OK so we have a real male basher at work, and she sent me this e-mail, I found it to be somewhat funny...here goes.

If Women ruled the world

And taupe cars, and chartruse cars, and lavander cars...

Oh come on ladies, you never did this?

Complete with guiding pathway lights.

Now is this really necessary?

Useful, Versitile and Functional.

Look no ugly gutters.

Now that's not right!!!

Kids say funny stuff

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
( 1 ) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. -- Alan, age 10

(2) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with. -- Kirsten, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
(1) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then. -- Camille, age 10
( 2 ) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married. -- Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

( 1 ) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. -- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

( 1 ) Both don't want any more kids. -- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

( 1 ) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. -- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

(2) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. (How'd he know that?) --Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
(1) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns. -- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
( 1 ) When they're rich. -- Pam, age 7

( 2 ) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that. -- Curt, age 7

( 3 ) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do. -- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

( 1 ) It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. -- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
( 1 ) There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? -- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is.....

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
(1) Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck. -- Ricky, age 10

More Picture Fun - Find Your School Photo

Hang'em High

2005-09-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is the most dispicable of non-violent crimes.

Pentagon Analyst Charged With Spying to Plead Guilty

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Pentagon analyst charged with providing classified information to an Israeli official and members of a pro-Israeli lobbying group will plead guilty, according to the U.S. District Court clerk's office.

Lawrence A. Franklin (search), 58, of Kearneysville, W.Va., was indicted in June on charges of leaking classified materials - including information about potential attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq - to two members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (search) and an Israeli official.

Edward Adams, a spokesman for U.S. District Court Clerk in Alexandria, said a hearing to accept Franklin's guilty plea has been scheduled for Wednesday. However, the charges to which he would enter the plea were not disclosed. Franklin was indicted on five charges.

Detailed information about plea agreements is not typically filed in court until the plea is officially entered. - source

Some of you may ask, what wrong with giving information to our "friends" in Israel? Well let me explain something, countries don't have friends, no matter how close the ties (remember England, our closest ally, was once our worst enemy, and France was once our greatest ally). Countries have interests, and in this case the information given to Israel was not in our best interest. Espionage is espionage, no matter who you give the classified info to.
For this traitor I say "HANG'EM HIGH".
But of course in this new kinder gentler society we never will.

At Long Last...

2005-09-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

The future workhorse of the military, to be used by every branch, is being approved.

Pentagon Approves Osprey Production

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to begin full-rate production of the V-22 Osprey, the hybrid helicopter-airplane that the Marine Corps considers vital to the future of its air fleet.

The Osprey program has been threatened since 23 Marines died in a pair of crashes during testing in 2000.

The go-ahead to start full-scale production was approved by the Defense Acquisition Board. - source

Although it's beginnings were rocky (what test program isn't), it promises to be a more effective and versitile workhorse to replace the Chinook, Sea Knight, and the C-130. Can I hear a big Hoooah for progress.

Finally...

2005-09-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

But the real fight I hear is yet to come. My President Bush choose well on his next appointment.

Roberts Confirmed to be Supreme Court Justice

WASHINGTON — John Glover Roberts Jr., has been confirmed as the 17th chief justice of the United States.

The Senate voted 78 to 22 in favor of sending Roberts to be the top judge of the land Thursday as President Bush' first vote for a Supreme Court justice in 11 years. - source

Anyone wish to guess who will be next? Please leave comments.

It's About Time...

2005-09-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

Reason finally prevails, and the loonie America hating "Blame America First" crowd looses.

Freedom Museum Axed From WTC Site Plan

NEW YORK — Gov. George Pataki (search) dropped a proposed freedom museum from the World Trade Center (search) redevelopment plan Wednesday, saying the project had aroused "too much opposition, too much controversy."

The decision followed months of acrimony over the International Freedom Center (search), with furious Sept. 11 families and politicians saying that the museum would overshadow and take space from a separate memorial devoted to the 2,749 dead and would dishonor them by fostering debate about the attacks and other world events. - source

So at least someone has been listening and the sight will once again decome what it always should have been, a monument honoring those who died that terrible day.

Thank God.

I am Pro-Victory

2005-09-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Are you?

From the North American Patriot Site

Jay Tea, at Wizbang has come up with a fabulous idea...

[..] with the argument over the war on terror, 'our" side has a bit of a dilemma. The other side has staked out "anti-war" as their rallying cray, leaving us to be called "pro-war." That's not entirely accurate, at least in my case, and rather damning. So I reject that.

So, what should "we" call ourselves? That's a tough one. [..]

And then it hit me. Let the other side be "anti-war." If they choose not to recognize that the war started a long time ago, and we've only recently started fighting back, that's their stupidity. We have more important things to worry about than their whining and kvetching.

We're pro-VICTORY.

I couldn't agree more. In this spirit, I have spent a little time fashioning a small symbol that can be placed on the website of any like-minded bloggers, who would like their support for the war defined on their own terms.

I have been looking for something like this for quite a while, Thanks to Jay, I have now found it.

I am proud to be Pro-Victory.

In More Colorful News

2005-09-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Treasury Set to Unveil Redesigned $10 Bill

WASHINGTON — Get ready for some more color in your
wallet.

The $10 bill is set to become the latest currency denomination
to be jazzed up with a splash of colors to complement the greenback's
traditional green.

It's all part of the government's effort to stay
ahead of counterfeiters and the ever-more sophisticated devices at their
disposal to make fake money.

Treasury Secretary John Snow and officials
from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing — the agency that prints all U.S.
currency — were to be on hand Wednesday for the unveiling of the newly
redesigned $10 note during a ceremony on Ellis Island in New York harbor.

The $10 bill becomes the third denomination to get a color makeover
following the $20 bill in 2003 and the $50 bill last year.

About time we caught up with the rest of the world. I wonder however how long it will take the first counterfitters to premier their new fakes...hmmm.

Pictures available here.

Color Shifting Ink

Watermark

Security Thread

Portrait and Vignette

Microprinting

Low-Vision Feature

Federal Reserve Indicators

Don't Kill the Baby to Get Rid of the Wolf.

2005-09-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Larger Role for Military?

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military, built for man-made battles, could end up leading fights against Mother Nature.

In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita — and the federal government's sluggish response to the first — President Bush is raising the possibility of putting the Pentagon in charge of search-and-rescue efforts for catastrophic natural disasters.

Such a precedent-setting shift would require not only some change in law but a greater degree of consensus. Congress is divided over the prospect of troops massed in U.S. cities and increasing the power of the federal government at the expense of
the states.

This is Bad Mojo people, you don't want the federal government in control of affairs that the state should be responcible for. It is a slippery slope that will lead to no state being able to conduct their own business without the prior approval of the federal government. Is that what we really want in order for the state to not be responcible for our states own actions? Take responcibility for what we should and keep the feds out of our business.

Without Delay, Let's Move On.

2005-09-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay Indicted

WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom DeLay said he would temporarily step down as House majority leader on Wednesday after he and two political associates were charged by a Texas grand jury with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme.

"I have notified the Speaker that I will temporarily step aside from my position as majority leader pursuant to rules of the House Republican Conference and the actions of the Travis County District Attorney today," the embattled Texas Republican said in a statement.

According to GOP rules in the House, DeLay must step down from his position as House majority leader, at least temporarily.

Let's try permanently, OK, you've caused enough trouble there Mr. ~~Obstruction~~ DeLay. Fall on the sword so we can all move on will you. As conservatives we are supposed to be for law and order, we cannot tolerate criminals within our ranks.

Update:
I made a grievous error in judgment; it appears there is more than meets the eye in this story. I will however stand by my original commentary if Rep. DeLay is found guilty of these charges.

As with everything, one must look at the entire issue before making knee jerk statements. I apologize. I was wrong to make such a judgment without all sides of the story being heard. I am simply not in the mood to tolerate cover-ups, criminal actions, and corruption from my elected representatives.

At least there is a good light in this tunnel, at least temporarily Congressman Blunt (R-MO) and Congressman Drier (R-CA) will fill in, and they are great choices. Mr. Drier was my representative when I lived in California, and I found him to be quite competent.

Predictable Results

2005-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

McCain, Cindy Sheehan Meet

With predictable results…

"He tried to tell us what George Bush would have said," Sheehan, who protested at the president's Texas home over the summer, told reporters. "I don't believe he believes what he was telling me." -source

What is she psychic now? Of course she doesn’t believe what he says, he wasn’t telling her what she wanted to hear.

McCain, R-Ariz., also seemed disappointed in the meeting, which he said had been misrepresented as including some of his constituents. Only one person in her small delegation has ties to the state, and that person no longer lives there.
The two exchanged views about the war, and McCain described the conversation
as "a rehash" of opinions already well known. He said he might not have met with
Sheehan had he known none of his constituents was in the group. -source

I think that says it all. McCain is smart enough to predict the results of such a meeting.

Update:
As further proof of her Insanity, John Gibson points out, in his My Word column, more of Mother Sheehans antics.

Cindy got in some trouble with her own anti-war folks this past weekend when she complained about TV coverage of the hurricanes. She wanted some face time for her anti-war protest.

Here's what she said on a liberal Web site Saturday afternoon about 3:30 ET when Rita was just 12 hours on shore and peoples homes were smashed and water logged:

" ... It is a little wind and a little rain ... It is bad but there are other things going on in this country today ... and in the world!" - source

Someone remind me again how altruistic this woman is?

Hippies on Parade (and in Jail)

2005-09-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

Damn Dirty Hippies

Sheehan Arrested During Anti-War Protest

WASHINGTON (AP) - Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who became a leader of the anti-war movement after her son died in Iraq, was arrested Monday along with hundreds of others protesting outside the White House.

Sheehan, carrying a photo of her son in his Army uniform, rallied with other protesters in a park across the street from the White House and then marched to the gate of the executive mansion to request a meeting with President Bush.

The protesters later sat down on the pedestrian walkway in front of the White House - knowing they would be arrested - and began singing and chanting "Stop the war now!"

Police warned them three times that they were breaking the law by failing to move along, then began making arrests. One man climbed over the White House fence and was quickly subdued by Secret Service agents.- source

Was this really surprising to anyone? Could it be that somewhere deep down "Mother" Sheehan is trying to resurrect her misspent youth, and recapture the glory of the Vietnam protest? Actually I don't think it's very deep, since she wears it on her sleeve (I bet she wishes she had been a hippie). It is a funny bit of mimicry that her handlers have produced here, trying with all their might to make it look as if there truly is a movement that in any way resembles the huge war protests from the Vietnam era. Scripted, bought, and sold on the evening news. Man does she know how to put on a show, even if everyone sees through the transparent venire.

Well anyways, speaking of loonies, do you have something to say about them? Do you dislike the ACLU and have some good essays on it? Why not submit them to the Carnival of True Civil Liberties. It's a new carnival sponsored by Stop the ACLU, and promises to feature great posts about the fight to regain our true civil liberties and reform those who would take them away in the name of "Civil Liberties" as they interpret them.

Update:
Put this in your pipe and smoke it ya dirty hippies.
Hat tip to The Neocon Blogge r

Linked at Stop The ACLU open trackback.

Hurricane Exposes Evacuation Problems

2005-09-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, ya think?

The 14-hour lines of traffic fleeing Houston - complete with cars that ran out of gas - show that four years after the Sept. 11 attacks, it is difficult to evacuate a major metropolitan area.

Experts say the consequences could be far more deadly in the event of a radiological or other terrorist strike.

"The nightmare that we all have is that, God forbid, there's a terrorist attack of some kind on a major American city that requires evacuation without warning," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.

"We need to be better prepared," Lieberman, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said on CNN's "Late Edition." –source

To this I say a big, DUH. The problem is here, that I get the feeling that this is a furtherance of the Blame Bush campaign that I grow very weary of.

It seems to me that almost all of the local Homeland Security offices have been sitting on their thumbs for the last 4 years trying to figure out what they need to figure out. Well here it is folks, plain as day. Every Major city in the U.S. needs to have a workable evacuation plan, and emergency response plan in place, reviewed and validated by qualified personnel. These kind of kluster-f**ks can't continue to happen lest we look like primates fornicating with footballs to the rest of the world. We as a society cannot continue to tolerate this from our local governments.

This is not the federal governments fault, it's the fault of all of us, every single one of us, because we are not holding our local governments accountable. Local governments, you know the people we pay the least amount of attention to, have the most control over, and who have the biggest effect upon our lives, The township men, city council, majors, governors and the like, yeah those guys. Pay attention people, because if you think this stuff is isolated to Houston or New Orleans, you're gravely mistaken.

Pay attention to your local governments so they don't follow the model of New Orleans.

No. 8 Ohio St. 31, No. 21 Iowa 6

2005-09-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

(AP) Ohio State tailback Antonio Pittman (25) runs against Iowa defense Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005 at the...
Full Image

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A.J. Hawk and the Ohio State defense stuffed Iowa's running game, and kept Hawkeyes quarterback Drew Tate on the run all day.

Troy Smith threw two touchdown passes to Anthony Gonzalez and ran for two scores to support a dominant defensive performance by the eighth-ranked Buckeyes in a 31-6 victory over No. 21 Iowa on Saturday.

"The key was when they started out trying to run the ball and we were able to stop them," Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said. "Once that happened, that gave us some flexibility to turn those guys loose.

"We put our ears back. We've got some guys who can go."

A Letter of Apology

2005-09-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

The following is a letter written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman, US Marine Corps, Retired. It is aimed squarely at Militant and Vocal Muslims that are demanding we apolgise for being American, being in Arabia, and just generally being. Given that scope I whole-heartedly agree.

"For good and ill", the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre..

I humbly offer my opinion here:
I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.).

I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after
9/11. I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs
I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth. I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools, mosques, and government-controlled media.

I am sorry that Yassar Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian "cause." I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

I am sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for all their problems.

I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our society, like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).

I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the "food for oil" money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered. I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers upon their death.

I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will receive 72 virgins in "paradise."

I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate targets.

I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making. I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group. I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state. I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah. I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient "Holy Site." I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving two jets into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - one of our Holy Sites. I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc....etc! I am sorry Michael Moore is an American; he could feed a medium sized village in Africa.

America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that is what we do.
We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on.
That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we were like - so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. Sure , it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated?

Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans

If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long wait!
You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins.
Chuck Pitman Lieutenant General US Marine Corps (Retired)
Semper Fi

But we are the Evil Occupiers, right.

Greed and Corruption - A way of life in N.O.

2005-09-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

This just makes my heartache, the corruption, and the opportunists. I know, or at least I think I know, this is not the majority, but more and more all we are seeing on the news are the people who would take advantage of the situations that arise. People looting, Cops looting, Federal Monies missing, unaccounted for, not for survival, but out of greed.

GREED and CORRUPTION. I am sick of it.

THEY DANCED WITH WHO BRUNG THEM - Neal Boortz
During the past week I read story after story about how so many of New Orleans'
middle and upper income residents were able to flee the city as Katrina
approached, but the poor were left to fend for themselves. The difference
here wasn't money. The difference here was attitude. It was the
self-sufficient vs. the dependent. The evil rich and middle-income residents
fled New Orleans because they are used to accepting the responsibility for
their own welfare and safety. The poor stayed behind because they're mired
in the sludge of generation after generation of dependency on government.
The accomplished class knows that they bear the responsibility for meeting
their own needs and providing for their safety. The poor by-and-large bear
no such responsibility.
To them, it's the government's job. Instead of taking responsibility for their
own safety --- they just sat there, waiting for government to come and save
them.

…

JUST THE SAME ...
IT'S ALL BUSH'S FAULT

Now here's something you probably didn't know about Louisiana and Hurricane
Katrina. At the very time Katrina was bearing down on New Orleans, there were
several top-level officials in the very department of Louisiana government that
prepares for emergencies such as Katrina sitting around and waiting for their
trial. Trial, you say? Trial for what? Let's try corruption and throw in a
bit of fraud.

It seems that these Louisiana officials either misspent or misplaced or ...
worse ...
about 60 million federal taxpayer bucks. Here are some details ...

In March of this year -- that's about five months before Katrina -- FEMA was
asking for the return of $30.4 million that the federal government had sent
to Louisiana for emergency planning and preparedness. Most of this money was
sent to some state office called the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security
and Emergency Preparedness. Wait .. it gets worse. According to the Los
Angeles Times, much of that money was sent to Louisiana under some federal
program called the Click here: Hazard Mitigation Grant program. That is a
program that is, in part, supposed to help states improve flood control
facilities. Flood? Did someone say flood?

Hazard mitigation would have been a great idea in New Orleans, don't you think? Especially that "improve flood control facilities" part, but nobody seems to know where the money went! OK ... let's follow the trail of $15.4 million
dollars that was spent by the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and
Emergency Preparedness. The $15.4 million was part of a $40.5 million grant of
your money that was sent to Louisiana for the Hazard Mitigation Program. You
know ... flood control and all that. Oops! Hold on a second here. My bad.
It seems we can't follow that $15.4 million.. You see, the Louisiana officials
say that they awarded that money to subcontractors for 19 major hazard
mitigation programs, but they just can't seem to find any receipts to
account of 97% of the funds. Ninety-seven percent of $15.4 million, my
friends. No receipts. That's $14.94 million .. gone, and nobody can trace
it.

Do any of you think that something good might have been done with
some of this money? Lives saved? Flooding prevented? If you're thinking
that, remember ... we're talking Hurricane Katrina here, and we all know
that every bad thing that happened in Hurricane Katrina was ---

All together now ---- Bush's Fault! - source

Corruption, being part of the atmosphere down there, paired with the Take Care of ME attitude,was and continues to be a recipe for disaster. A disaster that was preventable, and now we are all going to bear the cost as we rebuild New Orleans. Why? Because they never took care of themselves, nor ever took personal responsibility for what they did. The powerful got rich, the poor stayed poor, mostly by their own choice, and when disaster struck, gangs from outside the city took advantage and robbed jewelry stores, cause that made sense. Instead of pulling together and scraping your way out.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE ARE DEPENDANT ON THE GOVERNMENT.

We should all Try being dependant on ourselves for once.

Cross Posted at the Gun Toting Liberal and Conservative Angst
thanks be toOutside the Beltway, Basil’s delicious breakfast, Mudville Gazette, BRight and Early, Euphoric Reality, Cafe Oregano,The Political Teen, Jo’s Cafe, Cao’s Blog and Stop The ACLU

Fun Friday - Even More Military Humor

2005-09-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

Combat for Dummies

Advice and instructions taken from actual military sources. Some of these guys must have had a sense of humor

"Aim towards the enemy."
--Instruction printed on U.S. Rocket Launcher

"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend."
--U.S. Marine Corps

"Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground."
--USAF Ammo Troop

"If the enemy is in range, so are you."
--Infantry Journal

"A slipping gear could let your m203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit."
--Army's magazine of prevention maintenance

"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."
--U.S. Air Force manual

"Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo."
--Infantry Journal

"Tracers work both ways."
--U.S. Army Ordnance

"Five-second fuses only last three seconds."
--Infantry Journal

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."
--David Hackworth

"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush."
--Infantry Journal

"No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection."
--Joe Gay

"Any ship can be a minesweeper....once."
--Anon

"Never tell the platoon sergeant you have nothing to do."
--Unknown Marine Recruit

"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you."
--Infantry Journal

"If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him."
--USAF Ammo Troop

Aviation Funnies
Funny but true accounts from real aviators.

While taxiing at London's Gatwick Airport, the crew of a US Air flight departing for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United 727.

An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew, screaming:

"US Air 2771, where the hell are you going?! I told you to turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!"

Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour, and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?"

"Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded.

Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind. Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick was definitely running high.

Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone,

asking: "Wasn't I married to you once?"

=================================================

I read a story a long time ago about a pilot who would say to the tower in Biloxi "Guess who?" After this happened a few times, someone turned off the runway lights and said "Biloxi; guess where?"

======================================

Chicago control tower: Lufthansa 727, you are cleared to take off please take off.

Captain of Lufthansa 727: My manifest does not agree with my passenger count; I will not depart until it does.

Another pilot from an American airline: Have you checked your ovens?

Lufthansa pilot: I refuse to take off until I receive an apology from the person who just called in.

Another airline pilot: This is Captain Smith from American Smith Airlines - I apologize.

The German pilot took off.

===================================================

Departure Control .."Freighter 808, Traffic your 2 o'clock passing to your 9, a thousand below, He's a Shorts 300
Freighter 808 ...."Yeah we got your Shorts out here"

===============================================

Before NAS Dallas was closed, the following occurred after several jet fighters had flown past the tower after receiving permission to "boom" the tower. The pilot of an Army single engine trainer (a Cessna) decided he wanted to play and called the tower:

Army trainer: Dallas tower, Army Tango three fife niner, request permission to boom the tower.

Dallas tower (somewhat incredulous): Army Tango three fife niner, if you can boom the tower, permission granted.

Curious, the tower crew watched as the Army trainer slowly approached the tower. Finally, the Army Cessna was abeam the tower and the pilot picked up his microphone.

Army trainer: BOOM! BOOM!

===============================================

An F-15 pulled up alongside a C-141 up in the flight levels and managed to contact the cargo plane on the radio. After chatting a while, the fighter pilot said, "Hey, watch this!", and proceeded to do a barrel roll around the C-141.

The C-141 pilot was duly impressed, and called back, "That's nothing. Watch this..."

After two minutes of stright and level flight, the fighter pilot couldn't stand it, and said, "OK, what did you do?".

The C-141 pilot said, "I just got up, walked back to the restroom and took a piss, stretched my legs for a while, then got a cup of coffee."

=============================================

I have a friend that used to fly out of PDK near Atlanta in the "olden days".

He knew the tower contoller personally, and one night he called him up on approach and said, "Charlie, this is N_____. Clear the field, I'm coming in on one engine."

On final approach, the tower said, "Damn you Clarence, you've only got one engine!".

Another Perspective

2005-09-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know the actual date of this letter, but judging by the contents it is rather recent and I think it is worth reprinting...

'Insensitive' Atlanta Lady Put's Terrorism into Perspective

The lady who wrote this letter is Pam Foster of Pamela Foster and
Associates in Atlanta. She's been in business since 1980 doing interior design
and home planning. She recently wrote a letter to a family member serving in Iraq.
Read it.

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS?

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling, slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

I'll care when Clinton-appointed judges stop ordering my government to release photos of the abuses at Abu Ghraib, which are sure to set off the Islamic extremists just as Newsweek's lies did a few weeks ago.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and -- you guessed it -- I don't care!"

Reminder, I did not write this letter, I am simply reprinting it from this source. Hope you enjoyed it.

Real Military Moms

2005-09-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

The following is a letter I received from Move America Forward. These, my friends, are the Moms we should be listening to, not the whack job the MSM wants to hold up as a hero.

Hello to all of you wonderful people out there who have stood strongly and resolutely behind our troops.

This is Deborah Johns writing to you, the proud mother of a U.S. Recon Marine who has already served 2 tours of duty in Iraq and will soon return for a 3rd tour.

Last month I led, in conjunction with Move America Forward, the "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" caravan to Crawford, Texas. We had over 3,500 supporters of the men and women of our military, and it was an event that made me feel so proud to be an American. That caravan began in California and stopped in close to 2-dozen cities. So many of you came out to greet us at each stop, and your kind words, hugs, and support gave me the strength to carry on through the long, grueling days on the road.

I'm sending you this short note from aboard the tour bus that is spearheading the national "We Support the Troops & Their Mission" bus tour. We've just left Salt Lake City in route for Cheyenne, Wyoming after having made stops in San Francisco, Vacaville, Sacramento, Reno and Elko. Our final destination is Washington, D.C. for a giant pro-troop rally on Sunday, September 25th that we are hoping will draw thousands of supporters.

I wanted each of you to know why it is that I have again agreed to such an arduous road trip. Being the mother of 3 beautiful boys, its not easy to give up weeks of your life in order to face hostile questioning from the news media, and long, sleepless days.

However, my eldest son, William, has endured far greater discomforts in Iraq. He just re-enlisted with the Marines, having done so he said because he felt like he owed it to the Iraqi people to 'finish the job' in that country.

William and his fellow Marines believe strongly they are doing the right thing in Iraq. I worry about him every day that he has been over there; what mother wouldn't worry that every knock at the door isn't one telling them the worst news that they could possibly hear?

But, I understand the decision made to serve his country and the risks that it entails. And I am so very proud of him for his bravery, strength and decency. They are the characteristics I see in all of the Marines and soldiers I have had the pleasure to meet.

Sometimes the worst possible outcome can occur. Joseph Williams knows this all too well. He is here on the pro-troop bus tour with me. His son, Michael, died in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and it is clear that Joseph still is dealing with the pain of this tragic loss.

Yet, Joseph understands that his son's death will only be in vain if we allow the misguided and misdirected individuals like Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore to dictate American policy.

Our nation was attacked by radical Islamic terrorists. They hate America. They hate our allies. They hate our way of life and our values. They constantly change their demands (upon which they promise to end their bloody, violent, and murderous ways - empty promises made only to influence those weak kneed individuals who will cave to their demands), making it clear that if we do not all embrace their twisted world view then they will continue to target us for death.

America is the only nation in the world with the power, the resolve and the commitment to freedom & liberty to effectively stand up to these thugs.

Why those in the anti-military crowd do not understand this I cannot tell you.

I wonder why it is that they are so determined to turn this generation into a clone of the Vietnam Era. Do they want our nation to return to a time where our soldiers were spit upon? Do they want to return to a time when American policy was appeasement of those who targeted our citizens and our nation?

Well, we cannot let them prevail.

And that probably best explains why Joseph Williams and I are on this bus right now.

But we are only 2 voices of a nation of almost 300 million people.

We need your help.

We need you to show up at the rally stops of this bus tour. You can find where we will be and when at the Move America Forward website:

http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org

And we need to get the word out to as many people as possible.

Move America Forward has produced a TV ad that tells people about the tour and the need to stand up for our troops. These TV Ads can reach over 50 million people if they get the funding they need to broadcast these television commercials.

And that's what we need right now - to make sure that the silent majority in this nation who stand behind our troops are heard from. Since the mainstream media won't give us the wall-to-wall coverage that they give to the anti-war/anti-military people, we must pay for our message to get out over the airwaves, through TV ads.

We have only 24 more hours to send additional payments to the TV networks to get these ads aired.

Please make a contribution to this TV ad campaign, you can do so online:

http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org/Contribution

Thank you for reading my note. I do hope to see you all at our stops from here to Washington, D.C.

And please, continue to keep our troops in your prayers. It gives me and William both great strength.

May God Bless you and your families.

Warmest Regards,

Deborah Johns
Northern California Marine Moms

I join Move America Forward in their sentiment, what we need now is support and healing not divisiveness and back biting from anti-war anti-military nut jobs. If you can, join up at one of their rallies, especially the big one in D.C.

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

2005-09-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Man, I meant t' have this post up all day, but I left some critical stuff elsewhere, that I had t' go retrieve, so better late than never.

There has been a cause that as o' late has been gettin' scant attention. T' cause be sillyness, with Katrina, and t' Wars around t' world, and all t' other political and news worthy items, we have forgotten t' be silly. Well I say Forget NO More.

Today, as few o' you may know be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. A day that be celebrated by a few conoseurs t' world over, that urgently needs our attention.

How do you celebrate this most hallowed o' days you ask? Well I will tell you, all you really have t' do be talk like a pirate, or in this case type like one. It be also additionally encouraged t' dress up like one. If your a minimalist an eyepatch or pegleg added t' your regular attire will do.

Pull out your old Jolly Rogers you have layin' around, or play poker with a Parrot Pirate.

Play with your treasure or put on an old pirate mask.

Throw a party just because, or do nothing at all but just feel piratey.

But most o' all have fun with it, that be o' course t' whole point. Be silly every once in a while, it's better than watchin' t' news all t' time.

Avast!! There be an Urgent Update.

End of an Era

2005-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

In the wake of the cold war, and in a time of immense turmoil events have been proceeding. In the background of our consciousness, we have silently and slowly been bringing to an end the most powerful squadron in the world.

Today the last Peacekeeper ICBM (better known as the MX Missile) will be deactivated, taking with it more than a quarter of the U.S. land based nuclear weapons arsenal capability (dropping us from 600 warheads on alert to 450 still active). This one squadron held more warheads than the entire remainder of the wing it was attached to (That's three flights of Minuteman III's).

It is in my book a bittersweet day, as I used to work on these beauties. It was quite a feeling to maintain the most powerful weapon on earth, and to pray it never would be used.

Somehow I feel a little bit of loss today. May we be proven right that we never really needed them, or at least no longer need them.

Football Roundup (The Ones I Care About)

2005-09-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

Browns 26, Packers 24

That just about says it all, the browns won, they looked good enough to beat a disheveled, disorganized and frustrated Green Bay Packers. I gotta say this one looked as if it was a gimme, all the lines called it close, with Cleveland at a disadvantage, but despite the score, it really never was close, Cleveland just got tired. I actually felt sorry for Brett Favre, for such a great career, he doesn't deserve to go out like this, but that's what happens when you go one year too long.

In other news, my bucks looked great yesterday.

No. 9 Ohio State 27, San Diego State 6

After one bad play, No. 9 Ohio State showed no sign of a Texas hangover.
With Santonio Holmes' punt returns setting up two touchdown runs by Troy Smith, and the defense swarming from the second play on, the Buckeyes rolled over San Diego State 27-6 on Saturday.

"After the first play of the game, our defense dominated," said coach Jim Tressel, whose team was coming off a 25-22 loss to No. 2 Texas. "After we were startled a little bit ... our defense decided no more of that and shut them down." - source

Awesome, there is hope yet, even in their one loss to Texas, they really didn't look bad at all, but given the screwed up way the BCS calculates things, Ohio State may never have a chance at the title...time shall tell.

SOS Saturday - Reno National Championship Air Races

2005-09-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

A great start to a great day, the cherub shows off her pride in Mommy. She was sooo excited to see the demo squads (The Canadian Armed Forces Snowbirds & The United States Air Force Thunderbirds). We got them both this year.

The Snowbirds started us off this year with a great performance, what they lack in aggressiveness and shear sound they more than make up for in precision and numbers. There were nine in the air for the show, as opposed to the standard six.

You can see that in what they call the big diamond formation they are very close together and even interwoven, it was not an illusion, they were that close together. It was very impressive. I highly enjoyed their entire performance, even though they took a few digs at the Thunderbirds from time to time, (Joking about maintenance problems and crew rotations) but unless you had been following recent events real close you wouldn't have caught it.

They were very respectful and very professional though. I was impressed with their salute to both our nations troops, were they pointed out how busy both neighbors have been, and just how involved Canada really is in the War on Terror, and elsewhere.

As always anything to do with Aviation or the Military was there. There were lots of static displays to look at and plenty of opportunities to see thing up close that you would never normally see.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a helicopter geek, it's a hazard of the profession, but I just love helicopters as opposed to say tanks or something. This was the first time I have been able to be up close to an Apache, so I took advantage of it and took copious amounts of imagery to commemorate the event. Told you I was a geek.

And what would an air show be without the wondrously loud Thunderbirds...Man those guys can really get your blood pumping.

Of course the Air Force was out in force so to speak, with the big recruiting van, the "Air Force" Truck, a few simulators and allot of statics. Nothing like an Air Show to boost the numbers.

Speaking of recruiting, you gotta get them young, so my future pilot got to look at all the airplanes and cockpits she could stand, and oddly for a girl, loved every minute of it.

Of course it was, "get a picture of me next to this, Dad", and "get a picture of me next to that, Dad." and "Dad, can I take some pictures?"

I love looking at all the planes up close there is just such an indescribable feeling being close to such power and beauty.

I love Air Shows and Air races, they make your sense of wonder and awe come back.

And if your a pilot (or a little girl, see below) it lets you show off just a little.

Lately, I don't know if anyone noticed, but my motivation has been way down, and this event was just what I needed, a shot in the arm so to speak, and at just the right time. Man I love air shows.

Oh and by the way, there were also Air Races which in themselves are allot of fun to watch, but alas, I ran out of batteries and videotape before we saw any of those...darn, maybe next year.

Fun Friday - More Military Humor

2005-09-16T00:43:00.000-07:00

My favorite Military Truism...

Military comparisons of the word "sucks"

An Army grunt stands in the rain with a 15 kg. pack on his back,
5 kg. weapon in hand, after having marched 15 km, and says, "This sucks."

An Army Airborne Ranger stands waist deep in the rain with a 25 kg. pack on his back,
weapon in hand, after having jumped from an airplane and marched 30 km,
and says with a smile, "This sucks just fine!"

A Special Forces soldier lies in the mud, 40 kg pack on his back,
weapon in hand, after swimming 10 km to shore, crawling through a swamp and
marching 40 km at night past the enemy positions,
says with a grin, while biting the head of a snake "This really sucks, I wish it could suck more....."

An Air Force Pilot flying over the battlefield, the rain is pouring down,
looks down at the soldiers below and says: "Sure sucks down there!"

An Air Force Sergeant sits in an easy chair in his air conditioned,
carpeted room and says to his friend, "Man.. Cable's out! This sucks!"

RANK RECOGNITION MADE EASY

General

Faster than a speeding bullet.
More powerful than a locomotive.
Leaps tall buildings in a single bound.
Walks on water.
Lunches with God, but must pick up tab.

Colonel

Almost as fast as a speeding bullet.
More powerful than a shunting engine on a steep incline.
Leaps short buildings with a single bound.
Walks on water if sea is calm.
Talks to God.

Lieutenant-Colonel

Faster than an energetically thrown rock.
Almost as powerful as a speeding bullet.
Leaps short buildings with a running start in favorable winds.
Walks on water of indoor swimming pools if lifeguard is present.
May be granted audience with God if special request is approved at least three working days in advance.

Major

Can fire a speeding bullet with tolerable accuracy.
Loses tug-of-war against anything mechanical.
Makes impressively high marks when trying to leap tall buildings.
Swims well.
Is occasionally addressed by God, in passing.

Captain

Can sometimes handle firearm without shooting self.
Is run over by trains.
Barely clears outhouse.
Dog paddles.
Mumbles to self.

Lieutenant

Is dangerous to self and comrades if armed and unsupervised.
Recognizes trains two out of three times.
Runs into tall buildings.
Can stay afloat if properly instructed in the use of life jacket and water wings.
Talks to walls.

2nd Lieutenant

Can be trusted with either gun or ammunition but never both.
Must have train ticket pinned to jacket and mittens tied to sleeves.
Falls over doorsteps while trying to enter tall buildings.
Plays in Mud puddles.
Stutters.

Officer Cadet

Under no circumstances to be issued with gun or ammunition, and must even be closely supervised when handling sharp pieces of paper - staples are right out.
Says: "Look at choo choo!"
Not allowed inside buildings of any size.
Makes good boat anchor.
Mere existence makes God shudder.

Chief Master Sergeant

Catches hyper sonic armour piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot depleted uranium long rod penetrates in his teeth and eats them.
Kicks bullet trains off their tracks.
Uproots tall buildings and walk under them.
Freezes water with a single glance; parts it with trifling gesture.

Is God.

Airman
Supplies the bullets and the guns to all authorized personnel. Trains all said personnel in the proper care and firing of said guns.
Maintains both the train and the track, loads, unloads, fuels, and drives the train.
Obtains all supplies for and required equipment to build the buildings. Builds the Buildings and operates all the machines necessary to build and maintain the buildings. Also posts and provides security for all said buildings and equipment.
Maintains the boat and the docking facility and also purifies and distributes the water.

God couldn't do anything without him.

Pompous Circumstances...

Having just moved into his new office, a pompous, new colonel was
sitting at his desk when an airman knocked on the door.
Conscious of his new position, the colonel quickly picked up the phone,
told the airman to enter, then said into the phone,
"Yes, General, I'll be seeing him this afternoon and I'll pass along your message.
In the meantime, thank you for your good wishes, sir."

Feeling as though he had sufficiently impressed the young enlisted man,
he asked, "What do you want?"

"Nothing important, sir," the airman replied, "I'm just here to hook up your telephone."

Attention Special Notice

2005-09-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Ahoy, Get Ye Prepared!!!

Thar Be Only Three Days T' Go

I Be Goin' T' Go Buy Me Eye Patch Today.

Stop The ACLU Blogburst - I Pledge Alligience

2005-09-15T00:31:00.000-07:00

here's The Post, written by jay, but I could not have done a better job so here goes...

Just yesterday a lefty judge ruled the pledge of alligience unconstitutional. It's pretty simple, either we are a nation under God, or a nation without God. I'm not sure the far left know how dangerous it is that they are trying to take God out of our history, and how fragile our moral fabric has become. It wasn't that long ago the out of control judicial branch ruled in favor of the federal government to take away our private property. There is no doubt the judicial branch has too much power that goes unchecked. It's time Congress step up and put a stop to the judicial tyranny and legislation from the bench. Rehnquist said it should be an impeachable offense. I completely agree.

Part of the process of exposing the radical agenda of the ACLU is to expose some of the deceptive tactics that it uses. One of those methods is often referred to as "spinning". One example of this is to take a quote from someone, take it out of context, and claim that it means something completely different than it's original intent. That is the case in one lie that the ACLU uses in many cases....
The Separation Of Church And State Myth
Not that many people could quote you the first ammendment, but many would tell you that it refers to separation of church and state. That is a common misconception, and is absolutely not true. The words "separation of Church and State" are not in the first ammendment. What the first ammendment does say is,"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."This falehood comes up almost every time religion and politics touch, and usually by the ACLU. Most recently it has come up with the issue of the ten commandments case.
So where did this myth come from?
It all started with a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to Danburry Baptist Association in 1802. The focus is on a portion of the letter where Jefferson states, "...I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state..." Jefferson wrote this letter to the Danburry Baptist Association to assure them in their concerns that the government would not establish a national denomination.
One of the most significant in a series of cases heard by the Supreme Court on the establishment of religion clause of the First Amendment was Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962). It was in this case that the phrase "Wall of separation of Church and State" became the cry of the far-left, and anti-Christian movement.
Intent of The Founding Fathers
So, was the original intent of our founding fathers to keep religion completely out of the government? Well, I will let them speak for themselves.
If Jefferson believed that the government should keep its hands out of religion completely, then why, while President of the United States, and the first elected president of the Washington, D.C. public school board, did he place the Bible and the Isaac Watt's hymnal into the public school system as required reading?Source
"Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man towards God."Quote(Gouverneur Morris, 1792, Notes on the Form of a Constitution for France.)
Founding father who physically wrote the Constitution, and most active member of Constitutional Convention, spoke 173 times on the floor.Source
"Why...should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. The reverence for the sacred book that is thus early impressed last long; and, probably, if not impressed in infancy, never takes hold of the mind."Quote
(Fisher Ames, The Works of Fisher Ames, 1809.) Founding father who on September 20, 1789 helped provide the wording for the First Amendment. Source
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars.... The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and cherish them.... Let it simply be asked, 'Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert?' ...And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
(George Washington, 1796, Farewell Address.)Quote
These are just a few quotes showing how the founding fathers recognized religion's place in the founding of our government. The First Amendment was meant to ensure the churches protection from government interference. Not vice versa.
"There was a secular study done by the American Political Science Review on the political documents of the founding era, which was 1760-1805.
This study found that 94% of the documents that went into the founding era were based on the Bible, and of that 34% of the contents were direct quotations from the Bible.
88% of students nationwide are educated in the public school system.
The Bible was the foundation and blueprint for our Constitution, Declaration of Independence, educational system, and our entire history until the last 20 to 30 years".Source
As a matter of fact, Congress funded the printing of the first English language Bible printed in America. It came to be known as the "Bible of the American Revolution".
So to downplay the significance of Christian influence in our nation's founding, is to rewrite history in a false light. The founding fathers never intended for the secularization of the government that groups like the ACLU are advancing now. They wanted freedom to express religion. That is why it is the very first ammendment in the constitution.
Who Has Endowed You With Your Rights?
It is a very important question, because whoever gives you the rights also has the power to take them away. Is it the state or God? Here is what the Declaration of Independence has to say about it:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Source
If you believe that your rights come from the state or society and not God, it brings up the question that George Washington asked...
"..Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert?' ...And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
(George Washington, 1796, Farewell Address.)
Or the one that Jefferson himself asked...""Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?"
(Thomas Jefferson,Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781.)
And in summary, I will ask the same question. If you completely remove God from having any role in our government, you have handed your rights over to the State. The founders unanimously agreed that our rights were endowed to us by a Creator. They all signed the famous declaration that stated so. So, their intent should be obvious. It will be a scary day for those in the majority who believe in a deity, if the State tries to assume that role. Especially when it comes to our civil rights. And the secular direction that America is being pushed in is leading us far away from the original intent of our founding fathers. When the Courts have assumed the role of stripping us of our first ammendment rights to express religion, they are playing God! And the fact that this is already beginning to happen, is a legitimate thing for us to fear.
It's time we stand up and make our voices known.

This was a production of stop the ACLU blogburst. Over 100 blogs already onboard. If you would like to join us please just go to our portal, and register. You will be added to our mailing list, and we will send you the information you will need.

For sites already on board, See Here.