John Stossel on Glenn Beck

I've listened to Glenn Beck off & on for years now. I feel a connection to him you might catch when you read the column. And I don't mean about his being a Mormon convert, cuz I'm not. It was HIS Tea Party appearence in San Antonio, with Ted Nugent and Janine Turner - and at which a good friend was in attendance - that I was glued to on April 15.

John Stossel has been a favorite much longer, but also only intermittent, since I don't watch network tv, or really much tv at all except baseball, cooking, and DIY. So, two of my favorite guys in one column? Wow, this could be a grand day after all!

From Stossel's column:

And now he's host of his own Fox News show, which, even though it airs in the ratings desert of late afternoon, has a bigger audience than every show on the other cable news channels.

Why is he so popular? Beck says it's because he really believes what he says. I don't buy that. Rachel Maddow and Lou Dobbs believe what they say, but their audience is a fraction of Beck's. I hope he's popular because of what he says, like: "Both parties only believe in the power of the party"; "if we get out of people's way, the sky's the limit"; and the answers to our problems "never come from Washington."

Good stuff. Glad I got up for it. Y'all have a great day now, thanks for stopping by!

If it's Tuesday, it must be Thomas Sowell

And it IS Tuesday, I'm sure of it.

From Thomas Sowell's column this week:

One of the many problems of the pay-back approach is that many of the people who most deserve retribution are no longer alive. You can take symbolic revenge on people who look like them but this removes the whole moral element. If it is all right to discriminate today against individuals who have done you no harm, then why was it wrong to discriminate against you in the past? (Emphasis mine)

...

Attempts to claim that Judge Sonia Sotomayor's words were isolated remarks — a slip of the tongue "taken out of context" — have now been discredited by further information showing that she has repeatedly expressed the same ideas, in virtually the same words, at other times and in other contexts.

On a personal note: Tough day for me yesterday, woke up tired again today. This is becoming the way of my world and I'm not crazy about it. All my meds are correct, so once again, I'm going to blame the heat. There are times when it isn't just living in a city that I can barely stand, it's living in a city covered in a blanket of "hotter than Hell!" It's ten minutes till 8 - A.M! - and it's 81F. Gah!

Happy Belated Birthday, Handsome Hubby and Paco and Irobot!

They had a Flag Day celebration on your birthday I'm sorry I missed, in Great Falls, Montana.

From the Great Falls Tribune:

"In honor of the flag that has stood guard over Great Falls for the last quarter century, the Great Falls Association of Realtors organized a picnic to go along with this year's ceremony, and there also was a parade of Harley-Davidson motorcycles."

Thanks for stopping by, we're off to the Commissary now for juice and other goodies.

My Favorite Old Guy does it again!

Bob's Bites has the story...and what a story it is. Thanks, Bob, I love that picture!

If it's true that you're as young as you feel, Mark Martin oughta feel like a young gun tonight. That ol gunslinger hasn't had the young'uns after him. He got respect from the whippersnappers, including ones he's known since they were in Pampers, but no one worried about him stealing their thunder. He's old, he even semi-retired...but that means diddly when you're the one taking the checkered flag AGAIN!!!

Is he a threat to win the Cup? I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand, that's fer damn sure. He is a DRIVER!

One other quick thing - I really get interested when they start worrying about running out of gas. It adds another something that keeps me on the edge of my seat and the unpredictability makes me CRAZY!!! But in a good way.

WHAT was she thinking?

Track-A-Crat has a picture that is worth much more than a thousand words. If you want to know what kind of people take and spend your hard-earned dollars, get a load of the broad who's First Lady of the United States.

This is so embarrassing...when my daughter was 2, she had more fashion sense! She was always kinda advanced that way. Granddaughter is 20 months, she might find this 'pretty' - she has the excuse of her youth and inexperience!

What a classless, clueless bunch.

(shudder)

Internet and phone were down for a major portion of the afternoon and early evening. I'm almost sorry they came back!

But thanks, Track-A-Crat and Paco - now, if y'all will excuse me, I think I'll go bleach my eyes.

As Ohio goes, so goes the Nation?

From The Farm Gate - "the place to go to find integrated information across a variety of disciplines, including crop and animal sciences, ag economics, ag engineering and veterinary medicine" - via one of my contacts in Australia.

Not living in farm country anymore, with family in the business too distant for me to follow what they do, I don't pay lots of attention to crop and animal sciences as an everyday habit, only a glance when I read my home state newspapers online. So thanks to an Aussie, I read the blog, then the summary:

Summary:
Political initiatives may change many US livestock production practices, rather than the marketplace or science-based research. Those efforts may cause massive changes in the livestock industry, including how livestock is produced, or even result in a phase-out of US production and transfer to foreign nations.

There is NOTHING in your life or mine that the politicians of the United Nanny Socialist States will leave to your personal discretion. If you think this is only about the evil meat-production industry, you are sadly mistaken.

Truly humble people shun acclaim.

Reading those last columns left an icky taste in my mouth. Rabbi Twersky has written something that washes it right out.

I'm a member of a group that works at combating the Seven Deadly Sins - character defects - in ourselves. Rabbi Twersky's work has been of great assistance to me, and to a few others who've discovered it.

He could give lessons to our Elected Officials, but most lessons of this kind can't be learned without a willingness to change, and Politicians in general only want US to change, not themselves.

Read it anyway, it says some wonderful things about my favorite Hero of the Bible - Moses.

Birds of a Feather

Dave Weinbaum

All you West Coasters who love Obama, get ready to say adios to your casas. Either that or learn to speak Espanola, if you haven't already. There should be an abundance of work if you stay.

Jonah Goldberg

He's not a member of anything other than the crazy caucus. Von Brunn's True North is conspiratorial anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. He's not a member of the Christian Right. In fact, he denounces Christianity — just as Hitler did — as a Jewish plot against paganism and Western vigor. Nor is he a capitalist. Again, just as Hitler did, he hails socialism as the solution to the West's problems.

Mitch Albom

I bring this up, because it happened, in Pakistan, less than a day after President Barack Obama made his ballyhooed speech to the Arab world. In that speech he called for understanding between Muslims and the West. He insisted the United States was not and had never been at war with Islam. He even began the talk with the Arabic greeting "salaam aleikum," which means "peace be upon you."

I wonder who he was talking to.

Anne Beyefsky

In fact, Obama's Egyptian hosts would have been only too familiar with Arab anti-Semitism during World War II (and beyond). After all, Obama was speaking in the country that schooled and later welcomed back Grand Mufti Haj Muhammed Amin al-Husseini as a national hero. This was the man who spent the war years in Berlin as Hitler's guest facilitating the murder of Jews.

Priorities

It's not quite 8am, it's almost 80 degrees outside...but seems to be less humid, so I'm out there with the Pixie while she entertains herself and I try to hem some jeans. Got a nice article to post later, so please come back by if you get the chance!

Dear BarryO...You scare me, too.

I swiped this from Swampie's site, because - though I read it at Snopes, too - it was the easiest way to copy & paste. If you've read it before, I apologize. I'm tired and cranky and not terribly cheerful. Anyone got a solution for muscle spasms? The ones in my shoulder and neck are about to drive me half crazy. I even swore - LOUD - at the cat yesterday. Except for the fact that she didn't curse, I sounded like my little grandma...and he DID curse, so I also sounded like her son, my dad!

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

By Lou Pritchett

Dear President Obama:

You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don’t understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and ‘class’, always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the ‘blame America’ crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer ‘wind mills’ to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use ‘extortion’ tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.

You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O’Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

Note from Snopes.com: Lou Pritchett is a former vice president of Procter & Gamble whose career at that company spanned 36 years before his retirement in 1989, and he is the author of the 1995 business book, Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat.

Mr. Pritchett confirmed that he was indeed the author of the much-circulated “open letter.” “I did write the ‘you scare me’ letter. I sent it to the NY Times but they never acknowledged or published it. However, it hit the internet and according to the ‘experts’ has had over 500,000 hits.

No 'simple serfdom' for me, thanks

I found this article last week, but have just re-read it.

From the Wall Street Journal online:

Never mind that in the past 20 years, thanks in part to the explosion of American consumption, hundreds of millions of people around the world, now with jobs to meet U.S. import demands, have eaten three meals in one day -- for the very first time in their lives. This is a War on Poverty that we are winning! Snobs would rather downsize and turn victory into defeat.

I try to keep my life "simple" - but I certainly don't advocate a return to the days of disease, malnutrition, or a severely shortened lifespan. I've lived in a rural area where indoor plumbing was NEW. I went to a country school in first grade that had electricity, and His & Hers outhouses. It's not my preference at the grand old age of 53. I prefer small-town life but recognize the convenience and blessings of living in this city. I love my cell phone, my refrigerator, central air conditioning in summer and a furnace in the winter. I've been the beneficiary of some of the medical miracles that came from the greatest Nation on Earth. I'm unwilling to give them up. I also have a small vegetable garden.

There's a balance to what I do and what I have - I have all I need, and more, to live a productive life in this society. I am content, and I am - and have - enough. If you wish for more and can produce that, good on ya. My ego can live with the fact that we're different that way.

Evidently not everyone is so blessed.

"Edgy as a soccer ball"

I haven't stayed up late enough to watch "Late Night" in many years. I DID stay up for Carson when I was younger, and even Leno once in awhile. I'm not hip enough - and never have been, I guess - to stay up that late now, hoping to partake of what the Cool Kids watch. I do, however, keep up with Lileks and the goings-on at Jasperwood. Dave's being too too cute again, I understand?

What’s amusing is how unamusing he is in the clip. How sour he seems. Compare him to his predecessors: Carson was all midwestern charm, with unreadable yet mannerly reserve; Steve Allen was almost as smart as he was certain you thought he must be, but he was cheerful; Parr was a nattering nutball covered with a rich creamy nougat of ego, but he was engaging. Letterman is empty; he’s inert; he stands for nothing except disdain for people foolish enough to stand for anything - aside from rote obesciance to all the things Decent People stand for, of course, all those shopworn assumptions passed around in the bubble.

Cool and hip, maybe I'm not. But I'm also not unkind to children, even those who have parents more well-known than I. Thanks, James, for watching the dreck (so I don't have to) and writing so well about it.

(Tip of my cap to Lileks at the Bleat. Small towns create lots of wonderful people like him)

Thomas Sowell Tuesday!

You don't need to listen to (or read) my blather when you can read the words Thomas Sowell.

Today, he's written about doing nothing. Here's a bit:

"...thanks to the United Nations, there is a place where political leaders can go to do nothing, with a flurry of highly visible activity — and the media will cover it in detail, with a straight face, so that people will think that something is actually being done.

There may be televised statements and counter-statements — passionate debate among people wearing exotic apparel from different nations, all in an impressive, photogenic setting. U.N. resolutions may be voted upon and published to the world. It can be some of the best nothing that money can buy."

On a more pathetic note

I had an idea that I might skip putting anything flagrantly political up today. If I say that to myself again, I have to remember to not visit most of the websites I go to for news and commentary!

From JewishWorldReview,com comes this column by Richard Z. Chesnoff, formerly a senior correspondent with US News and World Report, now a columnist with the NY Daily News, and author of "Pack of Thieves: How Hitler and Europe Plundered the Jews and Committed the Greatest Theft in History."

From the column:

And why beat your breast over American involvement in the 1953 overthrow of Iran's Mossadeq regime. If Mr Obama thought he was reaching out a conciliatory hand to the Mullahs of Tehran, he missed it. The mullahs who seized power in 1979 have tried to use Mossadeq now as a martyr. But they always opposed and despised Mossadeq who was a secular nationalist. Nor was his regime "democratically elected". At the time Mossadedeq was overthrown with CIA help, he had autocratically suspended elections and ruled Iran by "emergency decree".

As David Frum put it, "for the United States to apologize to the present Iranian regime for the overthrow of Mossadeq would be a little like President Eisenhower apologizing to Josef Stalin for the murder of Trotsky."

BarryO is a real putz. A very dangerous putz.

Anniversary Plans

The Chief (retired) and I got married 22 February 1985. Went to the courthouse on a Thursday afternoon and met with a judge, she did the honours, then we drank a bottle of Asti Spumanti and spent the night at my apartment in Memphis, took him back to base at zero-dark-thirty, and didn't see him again till Monday or Tuesday. We have taken our honeymoon in increments, weekends here and there to do something fun, interesting, different. Honeymoons for people that have been living together for over 3 years seemed a waste of money and effort, in my mind. I've much preferred our way, it's never OVER, this way. I flew to San Diego from Washington for the weekend once when the ship was in. Same with a trip to Hawai'i when the ship was there picking up the Tiger Cruise passengers. Came back to Florida in 2000 & spent a few days with him in the barracks while he was re-training on P-3's, before we transferred to Hawai'i.

In 2004 we left Maryland and spent 2 nights and 3 days in San Diego, so we could see a Padres game in their new ballpark. (I also went to 3 AA meetings where I first learned the basics about living life based on the principles of the 12 Steps.)That was how we celebrated 20 years of marriage. You'll notice that the DATE is FLEXIBLE! I was a NAVY WIFE, fercryinoutloud, flexibility is a requirement. Adjust and adapt. We celebrated 6 months worth of holiday dinners in a 4-day weekend (The ship was leaving the Monday after Thanksgiving) before USS Nimitz deployed on the Med cruise that later took it to San Diego. Flexibility, adjustability, adapatability is KEY to any successful Navy marriage, and we succeeded for 22 Navy Family years.

Next February will be 25 years of wedded bliss. Holy blinkin' cow, Batman! What to do, what to do. This week, we figured out what to do. One weekend in September we're going to Damascus, Virginia. We're taking the kids and grandkid, spending one whole day and 2 nights there in a lovely little bed and breakfast in the heart of one of my favorite towns. The kids and the Chief (retired) will ride bicycles down the Virginia Creeper Trail, while I hang out with the Pixie...if I want. Which I will.

Don't know if Handsome Son-in-law has seen "autumn" or mountains in his whole life, or been on a road trip further away than Tampa. THAT is going to change, if he's gonna be part of THIS family! I think (and I really really hope) he'll enjoy it, and I know Lovely Daughter will.

I love my life. I'm so glad I get to share these things with them.

Very tired now, think I'll hit the rack so I can be on top of it tomorrow when I pick up the Pixie. Y'all have a fine evening, please come again some time!

I believe...

I BELIEVE that what comes down
can also quite possibly go up.

I BELIEVE that all bad things
come to an end.

I BELIEVE that the journey of a thousand miles
begins with a map.

I BELIEVE that the shortest distance between two points
is a leap of faith.

I BELIEVE that dreams come true
for those who put their hand to the plow
and never look back.

(H/T to American Greetings card I bought my hubby a long time ago...)

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.

Edmund Burke knew

Thomas Sowell's column compares Edmund Burke with BarryO...so much for escapist literature, Doctor Sowell.

One of Burke's fears was that "we may place our confidence in the virtue of those who have never been tried."
...

Neither eloquence nor zeal was a substitute for experience, according to Burke. He said, "eloquence may exist without a proportionate degree of wisdom." As for zeal, Burke said: "It is no excuse for presumptuous ignorance that it is directed by insolent passion."
...

BarryO is a compelling speaker when properly scripted. So are snake oil salesmen, used car dealers, and Vince with his Sham Wow. Huh. THERE'S an ironic comparison, eh?

Look At What The NRSC's Boy Did Now

Our "esteemed" (HACK!) governor really needs to join the party where he most belongs.

From the post by Carol at Not One Red Cent:

Democrats crowed that next year's budget will be propped up with $5.3 billion in federal stimulus money made available by a Democratic Congress and president. Without it, the state's $6 billion budget hole would have been far harder to fill. The current year budget is $69.5 billion, including $4 billion in stimulus money.

Instead of doing the hard work of cutting the fat out of the state budget, Crist took a drink at the federal trough. However, I have to object to the paragraph above. The money was not made available by the Democrats in Congress and the president. The money was confiscated by every working man and woman in this country. It is one thing for the Democrats to crow, it is nothing short of galling for a Republican governor to join them in the celebration.

As a Floridian let me just say, “thanks, Gov”. November 2010 can’t come soon enough.

Hmm...kinda feels like California, doesn't it...

More on the Bill of Rights

After First Amendment, of course comes the Second Amendment.

You know, when these Rights are given up in the name of "safety," it means NO safety. It means a life of slavery, lived under Tyranny. He may be cuter than King George (and I don't understand ANYTHING about the references to BarryO as hip or handsome...ick!), but the slavery is the same...and getting closer by the day.

If you don't believe me - and why would you - go check the links and commentary at Gateway Pundit about your local government-owned car dealership.

(Tip of the cap to SwampWoman, Paco, Hillbilly White Trash)

Bill of What? Rights? No, sorry, never heard of it...

From SoCal, the Land of Nuts and Fruits, comes another assault on free assembly AND freedom of religion...
Couple: County Trying To Stop Home Bible Studies

"If the county thinks they can shut down groups of 10 or 15 Christians meeting in a home, what about people who meet regularly at home for poker night? What about people who meet for Tupperware parties? What about people who are meeting to watch baseball games on a regular basis and support the Chargers?" said Broyles.

How's YOUR Bill of Rights looking today?

ACLU rides again...

Let me first state that I have no religious affiliation. I am not Christian, nor do I identify with any of the non-Christian ideologies that are found around the world. My mother took Catholic training in order to marry my father in the Church (I'm betting it was an inheritance idea), and I WAS baptized there, as was my older brother. (My best friend says since I was baptised AND I'm pro-Life, I'm actually MORE Catholic than many supposedly "practicing" Catholics) My parents sent us to (usually Methodist) Sunday school when we were kids, till we moved to Canada and were 20 miles of dirt road from the closest church. After Big Brother and I moved out and began our own adult lives, my parents converted to Judaism, and my sister was taken to Temple and sent to Sunday school at the local synagogue where they lived. I tend to lean that direction, when pushed for "religious identity." I married a non-religious Methodist, and our daughter often went to church or Sunday school with her friends. I do, however, have a firm belief in a Power Greater Than Myself. I have no dispute with religion or religious symbols being displayed in our country.

However, I DO have a peeve about American citizens who seem to be demanding NO symbolism of Christianity (in particular) on ANY public property within ANY public view. These fanatics are becoming on a par with the Taliban, in my mind, who destroyed statues of Buddha that were centuries old...because their puritanical mix of "religion" gave them that privilege, they ran the country, and Might Makes Right in their world.

Destruction in the name of God - or not-God - is as old as mankind. It makes no more sense to say our Constitution forbids ALL display of religion on 'public' property - and must be removed if it has already been created - than it does to dynamite the centuries-old Buddhas because of a recent Koranic interpretation.

Bob Tyrrell at Jewish World Review inspired my little rant here. Thanks, Bob!

I think he said it quite well enough...

AFGANISTANSHRUGGED has a new post with a rave review of the women who keep the candle in the window, to light the way Home. Got a spiffy t-shirt, too, with $5 from each sale going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Take a look.

One of these days I'll repeat here what my "Navy Wife, Retired" certificate has to say about my role in my husband's Navy career. Hubby wrote just about everything the Skipper said that day, and I was properly impressed at what they said about me...though their viewpoints are obviously skewed some.

Leader of Team Vampire says it pretty well himself.

Ocean, Sky and Khaki

Memorial Day just passed. Now that you've honoured the dead who made the supreme sacrifice, how 'bout a little love for the ones STILL making it possible for you to live in Freedom.

I consider Kae at the Bloodnut Blog (REDHEADS RULE!) to be a friend, and Nilk and Boy on a Bike are the authors of a couple of my favorite blogs. They are thoughtful and smart (and a bit smart-ass, which I admire). They love their diggers shamelessly and eternally.

Wondering what they could do to help - REALLY HELP - support their troops stationed around the world, they've come up with Ocean, Sky and Khaki, a blog dedicated to information on what to send, how to send, and how much it might cost to send little necessaries to someone so far away from the comforts of Home.

Their efforts will be appreciated, so go see if they need any of YOUR help. And don't forget, American troops need love, too, so go see what Operation Gratitude needs from you, too.

Thank you, Kae, BOAB and Nilk. You're the best.

UPDATE, posted by BOAB: We, who are living in the land of hot water and clean sheets and peace and security, should stop every now and then and give thanks and support to those that voluntarily serve in places where these things are absent.... for they serve to bring those things that we take for granted to those that do not have them. They serve to bring peace and security to where there is strife, to bring justice to where there is injustice, to provide light and clean water to where there is darkess and disease, and to bring hope to where there is despair.

It all starts with a box..........

(THOSE ARE THE LITTLE POSTAL FORMS YOU HAVE TO FILL OUT IN AUSTRALIA...PRETTY SURE THEY'RE ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THOSE I FILLED OUT WHEN SENDING PACKAGES TO MY CHIEF)
(UPDATE! CUSTOMS FORMS, THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE! HAD TO RE-READ KAE'S
POSTS, BUT I FOUND IT. I HAD A DOZEN AT A TIME.)

"...words do not change realities."

Thomas Sowell. Need I say more?

"Barack Obama's repeated claim that a Supreme Court justice should have "empathy" with various groups has raised red flags that we ignore at our peril— and at the peril of our children and grandchildren.

"Empathy" for particular groups can be reconciled with "equal justice under law"— the motto over the entrance to the Supreme Court— only with smooth words. But not in reality. President Obama used those smooth words in introducing Judge Sotomayor but words do not change realities."

Again, BarryO uses the words people think they want to hear, but with no sign the appropriate action will follow the words. The words are soothing, therefore whatever he does is ok.

I think I'm gonna be sick.

"For those who believe in the rule of law, Barack Obama used the words "rule of law" in introducing his nominee. For those who take his words as gospel, even when his own actions are directly the opposite of his words, that may be enough to let him put this dangerous woman on the Supreme Court."

Rich Lowry has more on the subject.

"No president had ever nominated a Hispanic woman. Nor had a recent president — or his nominee — expressed less genuine interest in the traditional craft of judging."

Great. Regular American ME always thought INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION, manifested in previous rulings in lower courts, with few of them overturned by said Supreme Court, was the best qualification for a seat on The Highest Court in the Land. Little did I realize that empathy for certain ethnic and racial and other special interest groups was the best qualifier.

Sheesh. What a maroon.

A VERY DANGEROUS maroon, but a maroon all the same.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Lovely Daughter and Handsome Son-In-Law, parents of My Beautiful Pixie, celebrate two years of marriage today. Anyone who's been married - and stayed that way for more than a few weeks - knows it's an every day, all day commitment to something that's not easy even in the best of times...but has rewards beyond measure that only come when we make it through the rough times...together.

I am proud of my kids - they bring joy to my life in ways they have only begun to imagine.

Congratulations, Kait & Chris Brown. Thank you for being my Family!

UPDATE: The Browns got off work early and came to pick up their beautiful child together. I gave them the little gift I purchased, and I think it was a hit. Every time they come to help with dinner or prep something here for cooking, they rave about my Cutco Petite Chef knife. The balance and size are PERFECT for people our size, so I got them one. They left shortly afterward, talking about being excited about cooking. Must've been a decent gift, eh?

Play Ball!

My Padres came from being down 7-1 at Arizona yesterday to beat the Diamondbacks! Amazing! That's ten wins in a row for the Padres, with a beautiful 9-0 homestand. No, they're not going to catch the Dodgers without some help (like the Dodgers falling apart), but they're still the most fun team for me to watch.

Another game that looked like a sure thing was the Rays being over the Indians. But NOTHING is sure in baseball till the last out of the last inning, as the Tribe rallied for a seven-run ninth inning.

Someone else had a big come-back win yesterday, but I'll be darned if I can find the story. I had fasting blood work done this morning and it's way past time to EAT and HAVE COFFEE, so if I find it after that, I'll add it here.

No rain this morning, a lovely damp day outside, expecting the Pixie soon. Go, MAKE it a good day, and thanks for stopping by!

To those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us...

“Let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions
that we understand what they died for.
Let our actions say to them...‘I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’
Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their valor,
and borne by their memory,
let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.”
—Ronald Reagan

(Thanks for the picture, Paco)

BlogBirth Days!

Margo's Maid's Shadowlands' BlogBirthDay was earlier this week. Kae's Bloodnut Blog has been giving us the benefit of her red-headed wit and wisdom since a year ago today (or tomorrow, depending on which time zone you're in). Paco Enterprises is hosting a bash Memorial Day for Paco's anniversary day.

I am honored to be among them.

Dick Cheney is the MAN!

Did you hear his speech? I didn't - but I've read the transcript at The Weekly Standard. This man has my unending gratitude and support for just about any damn thing he decides to do. Including running for Sexiest Man Alive.

From the transcript:

For me, one of the defining experiences was the morning of 9/11 itself. As you might recall, I was in my office in that first hour, when radar caught sight of an airliner heading toward the White House at 500 miles an hour. That was Flight 77, the one that ended up hitting the Pentagon. With the plane still inbound, Secret Service agents came into my office and said we had to leave, now. A few moments later I found myself in a fortified White House command post somewhere down below.

There in the bunker came the reports and images that so many Americans remember from that day – word of the crash in Pennsylvania, the final phone calls from hijacked planes, the final horror for those who jumped to their death to escape burning alive. In the years since, I’ve heard occasional speculation that I’m a different man after 9/11. I wouldn’t say that. But I’ll freely admit that watching a coordinated, devastating attack on our country from an underground bunker at the White House can affect how you view your responsibilities.

To make certain our nation country never again faced such a day of horror, we developed a comprehensive strategy, beginning with far greater homeland security to make the United States a harder target. But since wars cannot be won on the defensive, we moved decisively against the terrorists in their hideouts and sanctuaries, and committed to using every asset to take down their networks. We decided, as well, to confront the regimes that sponsored terrorists, and to go after those who provide sanctuary, funding, and weapons to enemies of the United States. We turned special attention to regimes that had the capacity to build weapons of mass destruction, and might transfer such weapons to terrorists.

This is a MAN. I bet BarryO and his band of merry boys and girls leave puddles on the floor at the thought of Dick Cheney. No wishy-washy meandering, no dithering, no umm-err-ing, no doublespeak. A Real, Self-confident, Good-in-his-own-skin MAN. *sigh*

Mary Katherine Ham seems to agree:

"In rereading his speech, it's in this sentence:

Today, I’m an even freer man. Your kind invitation brings me here as a private citizen – a career in politics behind me, no elections to win or lose, and no favor to seek.

Hmmm, the very thing that brings our hero (Obama) to his knees is what makes Cheney ever more powerful by the day. Mwahahahahaha. It's almost as if he were taking this super-villain thing seriously. Be afraid, Barack. Be very afraid."

Gotta love it!

Also, a selection of Cheneykus from Jim Treacher, whom I first encountered at Tim Blair's place a few years back.

Remember, lefties
I'm not running for office
Your polls make me laugh

***

Hello, Jon Stewart
You cried on September 12
But haven't since: Why?

***

I'm bald and morose
I don't look good in swim trunks
Eight years, no attacks

***

Every time I sneer
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed faints
Try that one, Barack

***

The talent level in these blogs makes me happy to have made this my hobby! I LOVE that last one listed here, just LOVE it!

Don't Mess With Texas - even on campus, I hope

Got My Chief (ret.) home sick today, so don't know how much time I'll spend at the computer. He's sleeping MOST of the time, but the fever broke around 3:30, so we'll see if he gets hungry later. I'm taking the Pixie to the commissary to get a few things, too. And it's raining - yeah, that's a newsflash, eh?

I did find this article, though, you might want to check out. Texas seems to be fast-tracking a concealed-carry ON CAMPUS law. Way to go, TEXAS!

I just signed up for a free membership to the NRA, via a link from Merlin, my friend in Colorado. He's sent me another link I'll try to remember to post tomorrow which is fitting for Memorial Day weekend, I think. Oh, nevermind, here it is now - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Organization. Thank you for both of those, Merlin.

Ok, off to the rest of the day, thanks for stopping by!

Marco Rubio!

More links at Paco Enterprises & The Other McCain -- He doesn't have the name recognition of our 'esteemed' Governor, but I sure like what I hear here:

Scobey, Montana

One of the places I lived when I was young was Scobey, Montana. It's in the FAR northeastern corner of Montana, near the Saskatchewan and North Dakota borders. I spent all of 6th grade there. My dad worked for the phone company, my mum taught 4th grade at the school. I was in Girl Scouts, for the only time in my life (spent a year in Brownies in Malta, Montana).

A couple summers ago, I flew to Denver, rented a car, and spent a couple weeks wandering in places I had never driven - because I was too young to drive when we lived there. I found my way to Scobey, which is still a very small town on a very big prairie where the wind blows...all the time. I stopped in to talk with the woman at Bev's Sewing Center. Beverly Lund is a friendly, talented woman. She helped refresh some of the memories I had and we have continued an online friendship, too. I recently ordered some fabric from her to do a project I've had on my list for quite some time (arrival of the Pixie set things back a bit, but we're getting there).

Anyway, the point of this post is to alert you to the new links in my blogroll. One is for flannels4baby.com, where you can buy baby-print flannels and quilting cotton and other supplies at VERY reasonable prices. Read the testimonials if you don't believe me! The other link is for Donovan Slippers, a footwear item made in Scobey, Montana that is going to be my favorite piece of footwear once I get around to ordering some. Bev has a blog, too, where she takes readers through the steps of making a quilt - is that cool, or what!

Thanks for your time and hard work, Bev, and the news you send from a place I will never forget.

UPDATE...but more of a revision, I suppose...
The year we lived in Scobey, it snowed a couple of feet - on the first of May!

I'm it - with thanks to Paco, of course!

Paco has seen fit to tag me for "eight random things about myself." I try NOT to spend a lot of time thinking about myself, so this has taken a little while, Paco - I hope you enjoy it!

1. I was born in Montana on the anniversary of the day Montana became a state. I think it's the most beautiful state in the Union, and not because of the mountains. I'm a prairie cat, y'see, and wide open spaces covered in sky are my idea of heaven.

2. I attended first grade at Bowdoin School outside Malta, Montana. It was a one-room school, with one teacher, Mrs. Beyer. She and I lived in town & she drove me to school every day. I adored her. She'd had my grandfather as a teacher when SHE was in school. She started with 8 of us at the beginning of the year, till another family moved to a farm down the road, which gave us 10 students at the end of the year. The Stiles kids sometimes rode their horse to school & would take me for rides at recess & lunch. I went to see the place a couple years ago & it made my heart ache at the horrid condition it was in. It was the best year of all my school years.

3. I spent over a week in hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada when I was 13, while they ran every test they could think of (EXCEPT a pregnancy test, I think). I was about 3 1/2 feet tall and I weighed in at 55 lbs. And had been that same size since I was 8 or 9, but now my skin looked almost mummified, the hair on my back was 2" long, and the hair on my head was the texture of straw AND it was falling out. I was also cold & tired all the time. Diagnosis was hypothyroidism and I've been taking medication for it ever since. I grew 6 inches in the first 8 months after I was released. But I still never made it to being 5 feet tall.

4. I can make gravy. GOOD gravy. The secrets, I have learned over the years, are that if you use flour you must 'cook' it so the flour taste goes away AND it takes TIME to make decent gravy.

5. I thread needles and deal cards left-handed.

6. I don't like music or movies much. Some of them speak to me at certain times, but mostly I'm kinda *meh* about the whole "art" scene. I couldn't act my way out of a wet paper bag and I have little or no musical ability. I listen to talk and sports-talk when I listen to the radio, and I watch almost no television unless it's cooking, gardening, D-I-Y or sports.

7. I tried to go to school to learn interior design, but couldn't seem to make it a priority (divorce and fear were further up on the list), so ended up dropping out. Now I do my own interior design with far fewer 'rules' than the classes would've had me learn.

8. To keep with Paco's theme, I do enjoy detective fiction a LOT, and wanted to be a private eye a long time ago. But not so much Miss Marple, more like Hercule Poirot (without the mustache) when I was feeling mellow or Mike Hammer when I wanted to fight. Lovely Daughter used to accuse me of spying or being psychic because of things I'd know about what goes on in my house when I'm not here...because I seem to pick up on little clues and notice things are added, rearranged or missing. Being Detective Mom was much tougher on my heart than being Grandma Daycare.

There you are, Paco. And of course, once I start thinking of things about me, NOW I can come up with probably another 8 or 10...but I won' t bore any of my several readers with more just yet! I will, however, tag SwampWoman, Kae, and Rodrigo!

Cool and rainy here in NEFL, think I'll make barley vegetable soup for My Chief (ret.). Thanks for stopping by!

Shadowlands is ONE!

Go visit Margo's Maid in the Shadowlands - you won't regret it. Being one of the mainstays of Blair Nation, the commentary is witty and original...even if it IS borderline slanderous! Love it, Margos, thanks for an interesting year!

And, like the slowpoke I've always been, I'm finally getting around to linking her here. Sheesh.

And in the news from Montana...

...we find this little thing from Helena...I'd be on the lookout for a silver-haired gent wearing a white linen suit...

In the biggest news from Montana since the Unabomber and Ted Turner, it seems I may already be part of War Between The States: Part II - States' Rights. It's an AP article in the SanFran Chronicle...which puzzles me in the first place, but what-the-heck. You can read the text of the bill here, after scrolling through the preachifying.

Bit of a soggy morning here in NEFL, and with hubby home for the day, I may not get back on here much, so y'all go make it a good day, and thanks for stopping by!

Operation Gratitude

Operation Gratitude can use your vote here. I put a link on my Facebook page, no idea how it'll work here, but with Richard at Three Beers Later AND the CEO of Paco Enterprises aboard, you'll be in good company. It's the LEAST you can do, isn't it?

UPDATE: I don't want Andrea to talk snark about me, so I'm voting for Operation Gratitude again first thing in the morning!

Typical "Do as I say, not as I do"

BarryO is a hypocrite. Biden makes things up (or borrows things someone else already said, or plants his foot FIRMLY in his mouth). Pelosi is a liar, too. Are ya proud of Your Elected Officials, America? These upstanding citizens seem to be running your country like they run their own lives, but they SAY the right things (usually, at least in public - most of the time, anyway, right, Joe?), so it's ok with you, right?

A New York Daily News op-ed has this:

A close examination of their finances shows that the Obamas were living off lines of credit along with other income for several years until 2005, when Obama's book royalties came through and Michelle received her 260% pay raise at the University of Chicago. This was also the year Obama started serving in the U.S. Senate. . . .

In April 1999, they purchased a Chicago condo and obtained a mortgage for $159,250. In May 1999, they took out a line of credit for $20,750. Then, in 2002, they refinanced the condo with a $210,000 mortgage, which means they took out about $50,000 in equity. Finally, in 2004, they took out another line of credit for $100,000 on top of the mortgage.

Tax returns for 2004 reveal $14,395 in mortgage deductions. If we assume an effective interest rate of 6%, then they owed about $240,000 on a home they purchased for about $159,250.

This means they spent perhaps $80,000 beyond their income from 1999 to 2004.

James Taranto at Best of the Web Today:

Everyone knows by now what happened: Pelosi was encouraging the Angry Left as it demanded retribution against Bush administration officials for their efforts to protect America from terrorist attacks in the wake of 9/11. Now that she has been exposed as complicit in those efforts, she is reaping the whirlwind of hatred that she helped stir up. And she is going to war with the CIA--a war in which even someone with much more intelligence than Nancy Pelosi would be vastly outmatched.

Hey, Blair Nation - I'll make more popcorn, eh?

I *heart* Dick Cheney

Haven't had much time to post or even read things I'd want to post this week. My Chief (ret.) has made it to Damascus, Virginia for Trail Days . He should be home early Sunday morning. Our friend Billy got off the trail Monday (Tuesday?) with a bit of a tummy problem, so Duffy's last couple days were hiked alone...or at least as alone as you can get during the high point of the season on the Appalachian Trail! If you'd like to read more about it, here's the link to Duffy's online journal. You can start with the prep hikes or look in the drop-down menu for the first journal entry on the trail on the 5th of May.

Now, back to Dick Cheney. I love the man. He's from Wyoming, home of My Favorite Cousin and Her Excellent Husband. His voice does something to my knees that...well, nevermind... I like his politics, I like his sense of humour, and I like his attitude.

Rich Lowry at JewishWorldReview:

Hmm — an executive order protecting secrecy in a sensitive matter involving national security. Who does that remind you of? If it's not enough to make Cheney smile, it should get a well-earned smirk out of him.

On the same topic, from Jonah Goldberg:

In short, these people can't be won over, at least not without apologizing for a lot more than George W. Bush. Admitting a few mistakes or releasing a few photos won't convince them we've turned over a new leaf, because their hatred of America stems from a hatred of modernity itself.

Meanwhile, giving the Jihadists propaganda tools to help them say "see, we were right" won't curtail recruitment, it will fuel it. At least that's what Obama's most senior military advisors reportedly told him.

It's good news that President Obama is open to such arguments. It remains to be seen whether he's actually persuaded by them.

Wesley Pruden has this to say about Fancy Nancy:

The speaker has told so many versions of what she knew about what was going on at Guantanamo, and when she knew it, that all we know now is that she can't keep her stories straight.

I don't hold my breath that this administration will do ANYTHING for the good of the Country. It'd be nice if they really DID the "public servant" thing in their work, but - based on past experience - I'd say the chances are (to quote my ol' dad) Fair to Horsesh#t.

Lemme know if that chance goes up, eh?

Don't politicians ever learn? Why should they?

"After virtually every disaster created by Beltway politicians you can hear the sound of feet scurrying for cover in Washington, see fingers pointing in every direction away from Washington, and watch all sorts of scapegoats hauled up before Congressional committees to be denounced on television for the disasters created by members of the committee who are lecturing them."

Thomas Sowell has a new book, called "The Housing Boom and Bust." His column is at JewishWorldReview.

Jokes that won't get told...

...in 'polite company' for the next few years, anyway. Thanks to Paco, whose link sent me to Doug Powers at WorldNetDaily.

My personal favorite: "If you're wondering why the president is in a good mood, it's because he's glad to be finished with his annual physical

. During his colonoscopy doctors removed two benign polyps and the White House Press Corps."

How's yer mum?

I'm a mother and I didn't see Lovely Daughter at all yesterday - but remember, we had lunch Friday, so I don't feel left out or ignored. I kinda wished I could see my mum, but hoped she got the multi-colored roses I ordered. I went to a meeting, then tried to finish up painting & tidy up for the Pixie's return this morning - there's been a LOT of stuff on the floor that could be trouble in those cute little hands.

The little family went for a visit at his mother's house...or at least that was the plan when we spoke. The Pixie had a bit of...umm..."tummy trouble that requires many diaper changes" so they may have stayed home. I'll find out later.

Handsome Hubby called around 3:30 or so - the hikers were at a hostel, Billy feeling Montezuma's revenge, hoping against hope to get back on the trail today, will see how he feels. Billy wouldn't let Duffy carry his pack, luckily it was a much easier day to hike, but Billy was crashed in a bunk when Duffy called me. I hope they get back out today, I hope Billy feels better soon. Sick on the Appalachian Trail? Not an experience I want.

Around 6 I had cleaned up enough to see about taking a break, got a coke & looked up my mum's number. No answer. Left a message. Lame.

Went back to whatever I was doing, and around 9 the phone rang as I was finishing up for the day. It was my mum. She'd been over to my cousin's house for dinner and an afternoon with that crew. I'm so glad she moved back to Montana, she sounds great. Her own little apartment (little - it's about the same sq.ft. as my little house), to come and go as she pleases. She's involved at the senior center, something she refused to do in Colorado. She got cataract surgery & can drive without glasses. She drives herself to visit other people in the state. ALL over the state. And she goes shopping in the bigger towns by herself, for herself. I think maybe she's finally happy. I miss her. I miss Montana.

*sigh* Oh yeah, she got the flowers, too, and says they're very pretty. *sigh again*

Well, Pixie's here, gotta run! Thanks for stopping by!

UPDATE: No visit to the other M-I-L, Pixie was going through diapers too fast.

An Irishman walks into a bar...

...in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finished all three, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender says to him, 'You know, a pint goes flat after I draw it; it would taste better if you bought one at a time.'

The Irishman replies, 'Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in America, the other in Australia, and I'm here in Dublin. When we all left home, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days we all drank together.' The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there.

The Irishman becomes a regular in the bar and always drinks the same way: he orders three pints and drinks the three pints by taking drinks from each of them in turn.

One day, he comes in and orders two pints. All the other regulars in the bar notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, 'I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your great loss.' The Irishman looks confused for a moment, then a light dawns in his eye and he laughs. 'Oh, no, ' he says, 'Everyone is fine. I've just quit drinking.'

Heard it before, but swiped it this time from missred, with thanks.