D Day

This is the anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Europe in the attempt to save the Free World from the domination of Nazi evil. The Allies had little chance of success those first hours and the waters ran red with the blood of the men who landed on those beaches that day, And yet, they persevered.

It is my thought that we may yet have to fight another War of Liberation in the not-so-distant future, against an evil just as bloodthirsty and tyrannical.

Did I say 'we?' Yes, I did. I'm not convinced we'll be able to keep the war from this continent this time. We've done a pretty fair job so far, but I see no promise that the lines of security will hold in the future. Not with people like that scum in Little Rock just biding their time and our elected officials and their toadies treating invaders better than citizens.

This date has a special meaning for me, on an even more personal level. The Sixth of June, 1997 was the first day of my life as a member in good standing of The Original 12-Step Program. There was no guarantee on that day that I'd survive to see many more, due to some pretty serious injuries that may or may not have mended themselves. My BAC was the highest I've ever heard - and I've heard lots. My liver was lacerated, my spleen was bruised, and I had concussion, a cracked vertebra and a bunch of broken ribs. There was also extensive road rash, some of which I'll get back to. I spent 8 days in hospital, then 10 weeks supposedly on bed rest. Homemakers don't do "bed rest" very well, so I fudged on the standing, lifting, cleaning, bending, and (lastly) driving because I HAD to.

About 35 days into that recovery, I attended my first 12 Step meeting. And I've been going regularly, no matter where I am, ever since. Got my head straight, got my soul right, and got on with living a pretty damn good life. Some of it has been easy peasy, and some of it has been a slog. But as long as I'm breathing, I've got a way to deal with anything that comes down the pike, from crapola politicians and pathetic excuses for presidents to attacks on my Country, to natural disasters made worse by stupid human bureaucracy, to the deaths of friends and family, to pain that reminds me how much I used to love to fight. Every day, when I shave my legs, I see the 'tattoo' where the threads from my Levi's embedded themselves in my knee that night.,.and I remember what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now. Unlike June 5, 1997, I have a Program, a design for living, which works under any and all circumstances.

When I first got Sober, the internet was a side-show, an interesting creation that might be fun for some. We'd had a pc since 1990 and we bought our first new one in '97 or '98. When I left SoCal, I kept in touch with my AA family with email and online meetings. It was terrific then and it's better now. I still use it to stay in touch with sponsors, sponsees, and AA friends all over the world.

Neither of these creations which have saved and enriched my life would be possible if it weren't for this being the United States of America, where individual liberty, freedom of assembly, freedom of worship, and an unyielding belief in creating and improving our own lives has taken a hold I never thought would die. The benefits have been felt around the globe since the beginning.

It can die. The Free World has been saved by the sacrificial blood of our brothers in arms more than once. NOT by the rhetoric of pantywaist politicians who will say anything for a vote or an increase in poll numbers. Pretty words will not save this Nation from enslavement by those who care little for pretty words. I hope we don't let it die without a whimper, much less without a fight.

So, as I celebrate my 12th AAnniversary, free from the tyranny that once ruled me, I ask that you remember those who laid down their lives, those who dedicated their lives and those who still fight a war that never ends - the fight for the Liberty and Freedom that is at the heart of every Honourable Man and Woman.

UPDATE: Tim Blair has an example of why I haven't watched network television in about 15 years...what a pathetic piece of work Brokaw is!

Fisk Friday?

Saint takes apart BarryO's oh-isn't-Islam-grand speech, with a link to a spectacular fisking of said speech.

Paco has a link to a great post on the LACK of respect for the Rule of Law by our esteemed (cough) Present Administration.

Three Beers Later lists some things BarryO declined to include in his speech in Egypt. You know, other contributions the followers of Mohammed have made to "civilisation."

More comment on that speech by The Other McCain.

Some great things to read today, a break in the rain for awhile, gotta shower and get moving to pick up my Pixie, so may be back later and thanks for stopping by!

UPDATE: Love the cartoon posted by Lemuel at Hillbilly White Trash, too. I must be in a snarky mood today. Fatigue does that to me...

UPDATE2: This has been at Tim Blair's for a day or so - hey, I'm slow, so sue me - and it is PRICELESS! The comments are well worth your time, too. What would give YOU better value than this 6-pack/ $15???

Thank Goodness it's Thursday's Round-up...

...because I'm about as tired as they come. And I had an easy day yesterday! Emotional, but easy. Hubby worked a good shift yesterday, then filled in for another driver when there was an accident while they waited for the replacement, and his bus broke down. He spent HOURS, sitting in the bus, twiddling his thumbs, being hot and damp (that bus leaks), waiting on a tow or at least a ride back to the yard. When I left for a meeting, he wasn't home, and by the time I got home around 7:30, he was sound asleep in bed. Fifteen hour days will do that to ya, especially when 6pm is your regular bedtime.

Tow trucks were at a premium all day - and likely today, too - because when it rains in Florida, idiot drivers seem to just pour out of the sky. You'd think it was SNOW, these people get so stupid!

I've added a link to Thomas Sowell's 3-part (so far) column in an update to Tuesday's post, if you want to access it from there. Excellent reading.

Paco has graced us with his own take on BarryO's "foreign" policy - a 'must-read."

I don't know how old Junior is, but Boy On A Bike, Senior and Mrs. BoaB are teaching him some valuable lessons.

And last, but not least, El Campeador has video about my favorite Supreme Court Justice, who happens to be a very cool guy. Anyone who flings the "out-of-touch-with-America" blather about this man is just plain full of it. And maybe a little out of touch themselves? No, I'm not linking to that, you can find it, I know you can...if you want to read such drivel.

I think I'll have a bit of breakfast before the Pixie gets here, so y'all have a FINE day and thanks for stopping by!

No longer "Survival of the Fittest"

John Stossel's column reminds me of an incident. A few years back I was in a motorcycle wreck and had to be taken by ambulance to a local hospital. This was in San Diego County, California. After 8 days of treatment and care - and obviously I DID survive, though from what I hear that wasn't a foregone conclusion for a couple days - I was released. Our Major Medical took care of most of the hospital and doctor bills, but some charges weren't covered, such as the cost of the AMBULANCE and EMT crew. Got a bill. A LARGE bill, considering they'd had to resuscitate me at least once. I'd never seen an AMBULANCE bill before - I don't make a habit of using that service, thank goodness - but I paid it off a little at a time. I never begrudged the county for charging for the service. Mine was not an attack or an accident, it was a drunken wreck that could easily have been avoided by sensible action on my part. A few years before that, I'd needed the services of LifeFlight in Flagler County, Florida. I did NOT get charged for that, though I can see where it would be reasonable to do so - because it was my own idiocy that caused the problem, not the taxpayers of Flagler County.

From the column:

Give me a break. Why should other people chip in to pay for people who get themselves into trouble and need rescuing? They should take responsibility for the costs they impose on others.

As Herbert Spencer wisely said, "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."

By the way, I've had need of ambulance service only three times in my life, and the most recent time I was stone cold sober, which made it a MUCH better experience for all concerned. If your calling has been to work as an EMT or trauma nurse, THIS survivor of her own idiocy says THANK YOU!

If I post Thomas Sowell, it must be Tuesday

If you've read any of my posts, almost from the beginning, you know I have great respect and admiration for Thomas Sowell. He is well-educated, intelligent and witty, but never writes "above my paygrade." How MY beliefs can possibly match anything of his still amazes me...but I'm glad we have so much in common inside, when we have so little in common on the outside.

His latest column is, not surprisingly, about Judge Sotomayor. And it is a beaut.

Racism has never done this country any good, and it needs to be fought against, not put under new management for different groups.
...

Apparently the famous "empathy" that President Obama says a judge should have does not apply to white males in Judge Sotomayor's court.
...

The very idea that a judge's "life experiences" should influence judicial decisions is as absurd as it is dangerous.

It is dangerous because citizens are supposed to obey the law, which means they must know what the law is in advance — and nobody can know in advance what the "life experiences" of whatever judge they might appear before will happen to be.

...

The real question is whether the Republican Senators have the guts to alert the public to the dangers of putting this kind of judge on the highest court in the land, so that they will at least have some chance of stopping the next one that comes along.

I'm extra tired today, no idea why, but this may be all I put here today. Hope your day is beautiful, and thanks for stopping by!

UPDATE! (Yes, I know it's Wednesday, why do you ask?)
Part Two of Thomas Sowell's thoughts on the Sotomayor nomination is HERE.

UPDATE! (Because a man this bright needs more than one column - more than 2, even - to explain things to someone like ME!)
Thomas Sowell column, Part Three is HERE.

Busy Monday

We're pretty busy here at Pixie Place, with the little blond one keeping Grandma on her toes and out of this chair. In the meantime, bereft as I'm sure you are with the lack of MY OPINION, here's Mark Steyn, Mitch Albom, Michael Barone. Also, an article which is, according to the sub-head - "must reading for those concerned with confronting contemporary evil and its perpetrators" written by Rabbi Yitzchok Alderstein. I found all these columns at JewishWorldReview.com but you know that's not their only source.

Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by!

Oh, to look at life through the eyes of a 4-year-old

Dave Barry's daughter and her friend are BOTH from Miami!

Because what's really important isn't what's different about us...it's what we have in common...

Breaking news from Kansas

An email from my brother in Wichita:

Dr. George Tiller, noted late term abortion provider was shot and killed this morning on his way to church. Check out the Wichita Eagle/ www.kansas.com and either www.kwch.com or www.ksn.com. And standby for the hysteria from the drive-by media.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving scumbag. In my OPINION, that is!

UPDATE:

Let me be a bit more clear on this. I did not and do not advocate the murder of any man for any reason, including his morally abhorrent behaviors toward women. This guy knew what he was doing, and in doing so he accepted the consequences and possibility of OTHER consequences of his actions. I will not cheer the killer, but I WILL NOT mourn the loss of such a twisted pathetic creature as Mr. Tiller.

Hmm...now that I think about it, BOTH of these men would have accepted that there might be serious and unpleasant consequences to their actions and CHOSE to go forward anyway, in their belief they were the 'right' thing to do.

UPDATE2:

The always-busy-and-on-top-of-things RSMcCain at The Other McCain is covering the story very well this evening.