Funny Stuff on Friday!

Many thanks to Margo's Maid for the link that still has me giggling!

In the sidebar is What Not To Crochet for some yarn-based amusement.

Don't miss the snark at Food Network Humor. Got me laughing, but I can't read the comments because some of 'em just make me wanna HURT PEOPLE. I think I owe Margo's Maid a thank you for that one, too. She has GREAT funny links on a regular basis...when I have time to waste.

The Pixie and I are off to the commissary for some essentials like apple juice and milk. Busy day, of course, as usual. Y'all have a fine morning, and thanks so much for stopping by!

What NOT to wear...er...so to speak

Via Paco and Something and Half of Something: A life of crime might be more difficult if you have obvious distinguishing marks. Lotta criminals seem to be lacking in the area of common sense, don't they? "Floridiot" is a GREAT word, but I don't believe the condition is exclusive to the Sunshine State.

Among other oddities in the land of non-compliance - postings from News of the Weird:

In May, police in Winder, Ga. (pop. 10,200), arrested a marijuana seller with a quite-low-tech delivery system. A wireless doorbell was hidden on a tree in woods alongside a house, and when the buzzer sounded, a bucket was lowered from a second-story window. The buyer put money in, the bucket was raised, and the dope would be sent back down. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution-AP, 5-29-09]

The St. Paul Pioneer-Press, located in America's ground zero for "New Age," reported the growing discontent of establishment New-Agers for fringe New-Agers. Who belongs? Pagans? Chiropractors? Channelers? Organic farmers? Pet psychics? One NA spiritual center owner: "I have customers who completely believe in fairies [but] will laugh at you if you believe in Bigfoot." (But we're told that "fairies" is not politically correct; it's "nature divas.") [NOTE: I'm told that the reporter probably heard "Nature Deva" and not "nature diva."] On the other hand, at least New-Agers don't have the baggage of believing in virgin birth, turning water into wine, and rising from the dead (much less celebrating it with bunny rabbits). Pioneer Press

[In America, you're presumed innocent . . . until the mug shot is released]
Don't know who this is, or what he's charged with, but he might possibly need to be locked up somewhere. TheSmokingGun.com

Found this in the Billings Gazette online edition:

They are NOT pets! They are not "gentle giants." Even if they're wandering through YOUR camping area! What part of "wild animal" do you not understand?
California man gored by bull bison.

And, from my home town, some pictures of the high point of the summer: Rodeo!

Great Northern Fair has something for everyone.

Busy rest of the day, late night tonight, thanks for stopping by!

Hey, Kae! Anything we can do to help?

I love Best of the Web Today from OpinionJournal.com. It was the people - the community of commenters, many of whom started blogging on their own and which I refer to fondly as Blair Nation - at Tim Blair's blog years ago that eventually set me on the path to blogging for myself.

When I saw this at BotWT, I got a bit anxious, not knowing the geographical details Down Under...so, Kae, what's the good word?

Massive quake moves New Zealand closer to Australia!

So why wouldn't they let this sleeping dog lie? Perhaps because Mr. Reyes is a dimwit.

I would not pass up this phrase as a headline. It's an overwhelming urge I refuse to resist. It's just too beautiful. Read the column, too - Jack Kelly, again at JewishWorldReview.com.

Here's another taste:

There were two problems with Ms. Feinstein's story.

The first is that the assassination plan never got off the drawing board, so there was no program on which to brief members of Congress. The second is that former CIA Director Hayden flatly denied Mr. Cheney had ordered him not to tell Congress about the plan which never got off the ground, and Mr. Panetta's boss, Admiral Dennis Blair, the Director of National Intelligence, wouldn't back up what Mr. Panetta is alleged to have said. Mr. Panetta himself has kept a discreet silence since the flap went public.

The leakers initially got the headlines they wanted, but as the facts come out, the story cannot end well for Democrats. Few Americans are outraged the CIA contemplated killing our enemies during a time of war. We're doing precisely that right now with drone missile attacks on al Qaida and Taliban leaders in Pakistan.

Swing voters are already uncomfortable about the attacks on the CIA, and -- should there be another terrorist attack on the U.S. -- the downside risk for Democrats is enormous. So why wouldn't they let this sleeping dog lie?

Perhaps because Mr. Reyes is a dimwit. Ms. Pelosi chose him for chairman over the far better qualified Rep. Jane Harman (D-Ca), who'd been the ranking Democrat when the GOP controlled Congress, because of her personal animosity to Ms. Harman. At the time of his elevation, Mr. Reyes didn't know the difference between Sunnis and Shia, an appalling failing in a member of the Intelligence Committee.

Your tax dollars, hard at work, paying the morons we elect. Sad, isn't it.

More on GMC, from John Stossel and Tony Blankley

No, not my brother...as BIG BROTHER and Uncle Sam's Bureaucracy continue to grow, as more and more of your individual rights and liberties are voted away, Government Medical Care will soon join Government Motors Crap as your ONLY choice for health care.

John Stossel at JewishWorldReview.com:
It's crazy for a group of mere mortals to try to design 15 percent of the U.S. economy. It's even crazier to do it by August.

Yet that is what some members of Congress presume to do. They intend, as the New York Times puts it, "to reinvent the nation's health care system."

Let that sink in. A handful of people who probably never even ran a small business actually think they can reinvent the health care system.

These are our Elected Officials, most of whom can't buy stamps without breaking rules, don't drive, shop for groceries, or earn a living for a family, who have never run a business - even unsuccessfully! They are the LEAST competent among us, yet have the gall to believe they can make this work? No, to tell you the truth, they don't need it to work - they just need it to pass, to give them more power and control over your lives and the lives of your children and grandchildren.

Is the term "comprehensive" health care misleading? Read Tony Blankley's column, and you will be properly educated on the MEANINGS AND MISLEADINGS of what you hear about GMC:

Comprehensive, as the dictionary defines it, means "including all or everything." It is very similar in meaning to the definition of total, which the dictionary defines as "complete, thorough." If something includes everything, it is complete.

Of course, it is not surprising that NPR uses the White House talking-point word "comprehensive" rather than its synonym "total," because total health care coverage easily might sound like totalitarian health care coverage. And by the way, the dictionary defines totalitarian as "having and exercising complete political power and control." Note that pesky word complete — a synonym for comprehensive — in the definition of totalitarian.

"an ideological reorientation of American government"

Rich Lowry at JewishWorldReview.com:

ObamaCare might not work as advertised, but it will tip more people into government care and create the predicate for rationing and price controls.

There's another GMC coming...and it ain't a car company.

Be VERY afraid.

No more picture

I had a picture posted here that I received in my email - had to do with our upcoming descent into GMC (Government Medical Care). It was FUNNY. Posted quite nice, excellent likeness. But when I came back, picture was replaced by the numerical designation. When checked Google, the only reference was this blog, so I've taken it down till I can get a better copy or till something as funny comes along...though that ain't gonna be easy!

Changing and washing sheets, cleaning the bathroom, and cleaning up wet spots left by a cute lil blond Pixie has been my day so far. My Chief's taking his CDL test today, no idea when he'll be home, so I may have a Coke and something to eat while the Pixie naps, instead of doing up the dishes like I should. Sinus headache is hanging on, it's near 2 weeks now. Bleh.

Thanks for stopping by, y'all have a fine day from here on out, eh?

PS - the Pixie's Great Uncle's initials are GMC, but we don't hold that against him.

Tuesday with Thomas Sowell

Hmm...intelligent talk about 'reforming' medical care in the United States. How refreshing! Well, unless you're an all-government, all the time type guy.

Thomas Sowell's column:

None of the people who are trying to rush government-run medical care through Congress before we have time to think about it are pointing to Medicare, Medicaid or veterans' hospitals as shining examples of how wonderful we can expect government medical care to be when it becomes "universal."

As for those uninsured Americans we keep hearing about, there is remarkably little interest in why they don't have insurance. It cannot be poverty, for the poor can automatically get Medicaid.

In fact, we already know that there are people with substantial incomes who choose to spend those incomes on other things, especially if they are young and in good health. If necessary, they can always go to a hospital emergency room and receive treatment there, whether or not they have insurance.

Here, the advocates of government-run medical care say that we all end up paying, one way or another, for the free medical care that hospitals are forced by law to provide in their emergency rooms. But unless you think that any situation you don't like is a reason to give politicians a blank check for "change," the relevant question becomes whether the alternative is either less expensive or of better quality. Nothing is cheaper just because part of the price is paid in higher taxes.

Afterthought: Let's inject a bit of reality here. NO CongressWeasel that supports this legislation is doing it for the good of the Country. They're doing it because they get some kind of PERSONAL benefit from taking YOUR choices and rights away from you, under the guise of "helping."

I know about VA hospitals. I know about Medicaid. I'm going to learn about Medicare one of these days, a prospect I don't look forward to. NONE of these entities is efficient or cost-effective, not to mention SANE.

CongressWeasel's got a different reason for this legislation than the words coming out of their mouths. More of your rights and choices will go right down the terlet, as Archie used to say. To "help" your great Nation? A man who really helped a lot of people in the world once said, "This perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one permeates human affairs from top to bottom."

Weasels. Top to bottom.

The REAL Moon Walk

We lived in southern Alberta, Canada, 20 miles from the closest grocery store, 18 miles of which was dirt road. The television was on a shelf in the corner of the living/dining room. It was black and white, and there were knobs on it, no remote control in those days.

I am still in awe.

Pixie's Great Uncle used to wake me to watch every launch with him. Those of you here close to the Space Coast may not understand, but they were DAMN early for kids living in the Mountain Time Zone. Thankfully, the Walk itself was a bit later in the day.

Do YOU remember?

Mitch Albom: We yawned as we took our places around the dining tables. Someone handed out Popsicles. Then, as we licked the icy treats, our tongues turning purple or raspberry, we watched a big black-and-white TV set. The reception wasn't great in the woods of summer camp. And since the picture was coming from the moon, it was particularly fuzzy.

Still, we heard a tinny voice say "…one giant leap for mankind" and when the shadowy spaceman seemed settled on ground, we all clapped, because it felt like that's what we should do, clap for something great.

Walter Cronkite Has Blood on His Hands

AMERICAN blood. He died with American and Vietnamese blood - not to mention the other countries the U.N. sent to Southeast Asia - still dripping from his fingers. If you don't believe me, read this blog post at American Thinker, written by Matt Peterson. From "reporter" to activist "journalist," Uncle Walter took a fall from which real journalism may never recover.

Thanks, Matt.

Walter Cronkite Has Blood on His Hands


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"Oldest man," Brit Henry Allingham dies

From the Great Falls Tribune. The Oldest Man in the World may now be Walter Breuning, a Montana man. The story is mostly about the man Allingham was. There are so few left now...the era is not 'passing' - it HAS passed.

Personal finance is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge.

I love Dave Ramsey. Listen to him almost every day. I don't work his plan all the time, but I have enough variant on it that I pay cash for everything, and we don't carry any debt as a family, either, except for the mortgage. I've got to reconfigure and renew working it again, though - been backsliding and not paying attention, and it's cost me bit of my savings to be as undisciplined as I've been this month. Actually, more like six weeks. And my lil truck needs tires, so my wastefulness is a bit painful right now.

I like having one (or several) less thing to worry about. Lord knows I can find SO MUCH to fret about, without adding car payments or credit card balances into the mix!

Thanks, Dave, I'm back on the path.

I got nuthin'

It's Thursday after the book study I attend and I'm pretty tired, but I have a request. If you read one of my posts, would you please attempt a comment? I got word it was impossible for some people to add a comment, and though I do write mostly for me, I'd LOVE some feedback. I reconfigured the comment thingy, it's now a pop-up instead of embedded, so I need you to add a little note to see if it's working. If the durn thing still won't work, shoot me an email so I know, ok? Thanks for your consideration and your continued reading!

One other thing - if you post anonymously because you can't or don't want to sign in to whatever your choices may be, please sign your comment so I can tell who you are. Not as quick at deciphering as I used to be, y'know.

Pressing business?

I'd like a new ironing board. A GOOD (read: expensive) one, with a preference for the old wooden one my mum has. I like the fact that the one I own now hangs on the back of the office door, as it dispenses with the annoying chore of getting it out and setting it up, not to mention a PLACE to store the damn thing. But it needs a new cover and pad VERY badly. So, I'm doing a bit of shopping and waffling...

THIS, however, is NOT what I'm planning to do with it, so even a cheap one would do!

(Thanks to Margo's Maid at The Shadowlands for the link to a fun site!)

UPDATE! In the black small spot in my heart where Revenge lives, I enjoy THIS ONE!

"Free, cheap abortion is a policy of social defense."

Do you think Planned Parenthood is a program to help educate and inform women and girls about making babies, not making babies, the functions of their bodies, and other realities girls should learn from their doctors and parents but just can't for some reason?

Do you think Roe v Wade was about "women's rights" about what happens to their own bodies?

For many years, I thought exactly that way. My 'thoughts,' such as they were, were based on a complete lack of honest information about these topics. I believed what I heard in The Media, mostly without question. As I matured, as I learned more, the truth became clear to me. I have moved from being an uninformed 'women's rights' advocate, to being a fairly well-informed Constitution-centered pro-life advocate.

Jonah Goldberg gives us the REAL deal, as he writes about one of the Supremes, a WOMAN who gets to make these decisions for all the rest of us...

Non-government changes

I began this "stage" of my life at the young age of 45. The symptoms began to manifest the summer before we transferred to Hawai'i, but didn't arrive full-blown till September - I remember the FIRST DAY of extreme discomfort...and put it off to moving stress and "climate change" from SoCal hot and dry to tropical balmy and damp. After about 7 weeks of mood swings and lack of sleep, I went to see a doc at Kaneohe. She did the blood test, but gave me Prempro anyway...and within 20 minutes of taking the first dose, I could tell the difference. What would have been a severe hot flash became a THREAT of a hot flash (I was having flashes every 41 minutes, like clockwork - day AND night), and 12 hours later, I wasn't having even those. So I slept for the first time in weeks. I didn't spend hours crying about nothing.

They will pry my HRT from my fingers if they want it back. I ain't givin' it up.

But Celia Rivenbark has a much funnier take than mine!

Thomas Tuesday is here!

Oh, c'mon, you surely knew this was coming, didn't you? Thomas Sowell is a Hero of mine, not because of his accomplishments, but because of his humility and his quiet dignity. His writing makes me think he's quite "comfortable in his own skin," as I've heard it stated. He thinks his basketball skills left much to be desired, but he should've seen 4'2" me play in a tournament in high school (because there were only 5 regulars that showed up...and my 'best friend' fouled out). Don't believe I ever played again, unless forced to in P.E.

From Mr. Sowell's column at JewishWorldReview.com:

When I was in school, I was so awful in basketball that the class coach wouldn't even let me try out for softball, at which I was actually pretty good.
...
Most discussions of "disparities" and "inequities" are a prelude to coming up with some "solution" that the government can impose, winning politicians some votes in the process. How could the disparity between Michael Jordan and me be solved?

We could change the rules of basketball, in order to try to equalize the outcomes.
...
But, conceivably at least, we might change the rules some more to make the results come out less lopsided, in order to create "social justice."

The problem with trying to equalize is that you can usually only equalize downward.

...

If you are going to have these lower physical requirements be the same for both women and men, that means that you are not only going to have women who are not capable of carrying someone out of a burning building, you are also going to have men who are likewise incapable of carrying someone to safety.

Most activities do not exist for the sake of equality. They exist to serve their own purposes — and those purposes are undermined, sometimes fatally, when equality becomes the goal.

Just pics

Not inspired, not creative. So check out my Pixie a few days back,
when it was VERY hot outside...

Mark Martin is still nifty at FIFTY!

My Favorite Old Guy does it AGAIN! Hot damn and congratulations, Mark, thanks for cheering up my Saturday!

From Fanhouse.com -

"I'm going to feel like hell tomorrow because I ain't going to sleep much tonight,'' Martin said on Saturday night. "When I'm pumped up driving fast race cars, I certainly don't feel 50.''

He's far from the sunset of his career and proved it under the lights on the 1.5-mile track.

From Chicago Tribune online -

The close-cropped stubble on his head contains as much salt as pepper, and the wrinkles run across Mark Martin's face like long-ago dried-up riverbeds. And for a while, twilight racing had a far less poetic meaning, semi-retirement leaving him with a loose grip on the track.

So it was with unmistakable giddiness that a man a half-century old took to the radio early in the LifeLock.com 400 on Saturday, his Chevrolet efficiently chopping through traffic and turning the Chicagoland Speedway's 1.5-mile tri-oval into a veritable senior circuit.

"This is easy, bud," Martin told crew chief Alan Gustafson.

He spoke far, far too soon, as double-file restart dueling extinguished his well-earned lead and then returned it to him, all in the final 50 laps.

"Rick Hendrick, he wouldn't quit," Martin said of the team owner who coaxed him back to full-time driving this year. "I was persuaded to do it. And I can't believe what an idiot I would have been. I had no idea it could be this much fun. The whole thing has been beyond my dreams."

• "He's been in his prime for 30 years now."
- Tony Stewart on Mark Martin

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

From the Weekly Standard blog, a post by Jamie Fly:

During President Obama’s almost six months in office, support for two key aspects of his national security policy has been greater on the right than on the left. This fact has been curiously underreported.

On Afghanistan, conservatives were quicker than their counterparts on the left to praise and defend President Obama’s decision to send an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan. On Iraq, they hailed his willingness to go back on a campaign pledge and modify his timeline for troop withdrawals from sixteen to nineteen months.

On the left, Obama’s policies were greeted with concern about Afghanistan becoming “Obama’s Vietnam” and the formation of a “Get out of Afghanistan” caucus made up of the remnants of the “Get out of Iraq” caucus. Key Democrats have threatened to impose benchmarks and limit funding for the war in Afghanistan if progress is not made within a year.

Despite this support from Republicans who want to ensure that the United States does not desert Iraq or Afghanistan before the job is done, recent comments by Obama administration officials indicate that the administration’s approach may not continue to be so worthy of praise.

Read the rest.

Busy! Linkages to fill the time.

Here are some links to some things I found interesting, as I'll be mostly offline till we conclude the business with the computer. I don't even have cutesy amusing little remarks to go with 'em, just the link and maybe a line from the story. You understand, my brain doesn't always work real well first time around...and you don't need my commentary, anyway, do you? If you want good commentary, go visit Paco Enterprises or the Grouchy Conservative Pundits - they always have a point of view or one of the commenter's got a point of view that'll either amuse you or piss you off. And that's a GOOD thing. Y'all have a fine day, y'hear? Thanks for stopping by!

Bert Prelutsky -
The question that’s been preying on my mind is who is best suited to study those strange beings known as liberals. It strikes me that they’d be fit subjects for psychiatrists, who might be in a position to figure out why they revere the people they do -- people such as Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Al Gore and Ted Kennedy -- men who haven’t a single notable accomplishment to their name, aside from either winning elections or eliminating them altogether.

Cal Thomas -

Before buying a car, a shopper might be expected to ask people who own the same brand how they like theirs, or at least consult Consumer Reports. Before we buy the biggest transformation of health care in history and its consequences, shouldn't we first look at countries where government makes most health care decisions to see how things are working for them?

Larry Elder -

President Obama and the Democratic Party's congressional supermajority represent nothing less than a grave and gathering threat to that which made America great — free enterprise, competition, allowing people to keep as much of their own money as possible, and the assumption that people know better how and on what to spend their money than does government.

Bob Tyrrell -

With the government suddenly looming so large in the life of every American, it is time for us to consider what is a singularly American possession: individual liberty. The Founding Fathers created a government that was uniquely solicitous about individual liberty. With the federal government so deeply involved in our health care, our banking, our manufacturing and the many targets of its $787 billion stimulus program, it is time to think about your liberty vis-a-vis the government bureaucrats who are about to minister to you.

Jonah Goldberg -

In July of 2007, Obama said that he would order U.S. forces out of Iraq as quickly as possible, even if he knew it would lead to an Iraqi genocide. This makes Obama the first president in modern memory to have suggested that causing a genocide would be in America's national interest.

"If it looks bad, it is bad."

Please take the time to read this article on Spiritual Survival , from Rabbi Yonason Goldson.

Nostalgia, familiarity, and wishful thinking often assert themselves so powerfully that they overshadow knowledge and common sense. We become so focused on what we expect or what we want that we can make decisions with no rational justification — sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

Wednesday? How'd it get to be Wednesday?

I didn't post yesterday, and almost missed today. Internet service is dodgy at best, and I can't stay on long...and I have dozens of things to do that really are more pressing than posting links to the columns written by a man I think may be smarter than the entire population of Capitol Hill put together. Including the ones I kinda like.

Since I missed it yesterday, my link to Thomas Sowell, Part I, is his column at Townhall.com. The second part is today's column from JewishWorldReview.com. I used to read Townhall all the time, no idea why I don't still do so...well, yes, I do know - I have a ton of other things to get done and a Pixie to potty train. This stuff don't do itself, y'know?

There's been a lot of rain 'round these parts today...and yesterday...and even Monday. I like that it's not 110 in the shade, the cloud cover keeps it almost bearable, temperature-wise...but I think my hair must be getting curlier as I age, is that possible? I don't really wanna turn into Raggedy Ann or Shirley Temple. Really. And I don't like to futz with my hair, it's partly why I cut it off last year. May have to cut it again to keep it in line but I was hoping to make it to August...

One more quick thing...our plan to not become independently wealthy has had some serious assistance recently and is succeeding beyond our wildest dreams. The computer needs an overhaul and some new additions, as I mentioned previously. And I gotta have new tires on my ol truck so it doesn't qualify as a death machine. I don't wanna spend money on such an old wreck, about half of what I could sell it for, I think, but I don't have any other options that don't include being in debt. Which is like garlic to a vampire in this household. And we're going to help out Lovely Daughter so she can take a college course. Between them, she and her hubby make too much money to get financial assistance. Ain't that a kick in the head? Lower middle class who work for everything they have gets crapped on, while the "poverty-stricken" who drive snazzy new SUV's & have their nails done every week on welfare money get to attend school on my dime, too.

I'm glad to help my kids when I can, though, because it's not something I thought would ever happen. Ever. Makes me feel good, and useful, to be able to help.

Life Is Good.

And don't you forget it!

Karma

A few years back, My Chief (retired) bought a copy of Windows, while deployed for Uncle Sam's Yacht Club and Flying Circus, for ten bucks. It has served us well, and Gates never seemed to miss the money we weren't sending him. However, the time has come when more of some certain things are needed on the computer, and nothing can be loaded without a Windows update...which we can't get, because it's a pirate. Tomorrow, my loving husband is going out to buy us a 'new' computer with a registerable and updatable operating system. Won't that be nice???

Posting and reading and commenting may, once again - for a different reason - be spotty at best and severely delayed at worst. I'll still be checking in now and again, but this'll mean I can concentrate on hanging out with the Pixie, so it's certainly not a BAD thing. She is a lot of fun, and cuter'n Hell, too.

Have a FABulous day..or two!

Busy with the Pixie

Happy Monday! My BEEootiful Pixie is 21 months old today. *sigh* We're a bit distracted, so posting, commenting, and even my newspaper reading will be minimal, to say the least. Grandpa gets home shortly, but have errands to run then, if the weather holds.

We're distracted because we've begun the - hopefully short - process of potty training. So far, the potty has gotten wet one time! Perfectly normal, perfectly expected...perfectly awesome.

As American as...

...small Western towns...

...hot dogs...

... Lady Liberty,...

baseball, baseball, baseball, and

FIREWORKS, FIREWORKS, FIREWORKS!

Happy Birthday, America! May you have many many more!

UPDATE: Whoa, I almost forgot the parade!

UPDATE2: And parade pictures! And more parade pictures from a different town (and these are just too cute)!

Independence Day Quotes

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
~George Bernard Shaw

Many politicians are in the habit of laying it down as a self-evident proposition that no people ought to be free till they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of the fool in the old story who resolved not to go into the water till he had learned to swim.
~Thomas Macaulay

I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery.
~Author Unknown

We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls.
~Robert J. McCracken

Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.
~Albert Camus

Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.
~Louis D. Brandeis

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
~Erma Bombeck

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.
~Dick Cheney

It's Independence Day!

Here are some things I came across while looking for something inspirational or uplifting - or amusing - to share on Independence Day. I didn't have a lot of time for it, I'm kinda new at this, y'know? I'm off to a meeting real soon, then have a bit of corn on the cob to prepare for the deep freeze, and I plan to make potato salad for our dinner later. Got some chicken breasts marinating in Korean bbq sauce, which will go nicely with the corn and potato salad, I think. Maybe some sliced cucumbers & tomatoes as a nice fresh side. Good food and baseball today, with racing under the lights at Daytona as a nice end to the day. Man...I got a great life. Now, let's see what we've got here...


Like other heroes of our founding generation including Paul Revere the silversmith, William Dawes the tanner, and Joseph Warren the doctor, Adams never thought of organizing as a full-time occupation; he just lent a hand where he thought it was needed.

Please read the rest at American Spectator.

There's also An Enlisted Man's Point of View by George H. Wittman that will give...yep, a completely different point of view from what the DemSM (Thanks for that, Andrea) will tell you on any given evening news.

Here's a bit from that article:
It might be a good idea for President Obama and his civilian advisors to spend a few weeks with the Army and Marines to get some idea of what really motivates the U.S. military. Apparently General Jim Jones, USMC Ret., the national security advisor, has forgotten what he once knew.

This column from the online version of the Wall Street Journal is from Memorial Day, but remembering Heroes is a good thing in ALL seasons.

You may think Our Elected Officials speak in gibberish - and I wouldn't argue the point - but it seems Thomas Jefferson's friend wrote him a letter in cipher that has only recently been decoded.

And last, from William J. Bennett and John Cribb, an article on one of the greatest writings of all time, in my humble opinion. I used to know it by heart, but with age and damage, most parts have gone to the recycle bin of my brain. It is still a beautiful and inspirational piece to me.

I wish you all the finest Independence Day imaginable. Be safe, and take care of each other, y'hear? Thanks for stopping by!

Governor Palin stepping down

From the Office of the Governor of Alaska:

“People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska,” said Governor Palin. “Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine.” Standing outside her home in Wasilla, Alaska, Governor Palin reflected upon some of the administration’s accomplishments for Alaska as she approaches her final year in office. “I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is not the easiest path,” said Governor Palin after the announcement. “Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional ‘Lame Duck’ status in this particular climate would just be another dose of ‘politics as usual,’ something I campaigned against and will always oppose. It is my duty to always protect our great state. With that in mind, my family and I determined that it is best to make a difference this summer, and I am willing to change things, so that this administration, with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future, can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success. I look forward to helping others – to fight for our state and our country, and campaign for those who believe in smaller government, free enterprise, strong national security, support for our troops, and energy independence.” The transfer of power will occur following the Governor’s picnic in Fairbanks on July 26. At that point in time, Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will be sworn in and Lieutenant General Craig Campbell will assume his role as Lieutenant Governor. Governor Palin will spend July 4th in Juneau.

Breitbart: Yes, that's it for now, and I don't have time to search for more, going out to dinner with some ladies...

from FoxNews.com

If you've made prayer part of your life, please petition your Higher Power on behalf of one of our own Soldiers.

From FoxNews.com:

An Afghan police official said the soldier went missing during the day Tuesday in the Mullakheil area of eastern Paktika province. Gen. Nabi Mullakheil said there is an American base in the area.

For more, on a MUCH more personal level, see AFGHANISTANSHRUGGED.

On character

I've had a bit of a lesson in gossip and tale-telling this week. We all know, don't we, that anything we say can be twisted by someone else and turned into something ugly, even when what was said was what we thought of as merely informational. Many of the people I know should be politicians, because they're VERY GOOD at it.

Rabbi Twerski's lesson this morning seems applicable in my situation. Thanks for the reminder, Rabbi!

If you wish to know the true mettle of a person, look at his disciples. The true nature of a person is revealed in those whom he taught. Their character, their behavior and their belief reflect that of the teacher.

Before accepting anyone as authoritative on how one should live, check into how he has lived his life.

Happy Independence Day, Canada!

I tried to put this on the previous post, but Canada's day deserves a post of its own, in my opinion...and it's my blog, so that's whatcha get.

Happy Independence Day, Canada!

On July 1, 1867, with passage of the British North America Act, the Dominion of Canada was officially established as a self-governing entity within the British Empire. Two years later, Canada acquired the vast possessions of the Hudson's Bay Company, and within a decade the provinces of Manitoba and Prince Edward Island had joined the Canadian federation. In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, making mass settlement across the vast territory of Canada possible.

My own time in Canada (1968-1971) was spent in and around the town of Bow Island, Alberta. I love the prairies to this day, and miss them more than I can say, whether on the Canadian side of the border or not.

The Pixie and I are off to shop for groceries now, before the temperature hits 90 and before any thunderstorm that may dampen things a bit more. Y'all have a FINE day, and thanks so much for stopping by.

No Graduation Cliche Here

I have no memory of my own high school graduation speech or speeches - I know who I sat next to, and we were all a bit high at the time. I tripped up the step when it was my turn, but I was such a non-entity I'm probably the only one who remembers it. I think the principal was the "main" speaker, and I'd have to dig out the yearbook to tell you who else took the podium. I'm sure it was the expected "make a difference and BE different/ go forth and save the world that awaits you" plea that so many are.

Rabbi Avi Shafran experienced something really different from the oratory at his daughter's graduation ceremony. He's written about this experience at JewishWorldReview.com and it might be worth a few minutes of your time. There are things we really ought to preserve from the teachings of our parents and grandparents. The religion that instructs, comforts, and sustains us is one, but it certainly isn't the only one. The tenets of our Constitution are worth preserving, too, I'd say. It's going to be work, but I believe it's a worthy cause.

Thomas Tuesday!

I am not ashamed to admit I really like Tuesday mornings. Thomas Sowell's column, even when not written on a cheerful topic, seems to be a good way for me to start the day. Today, GCP beat me to the punch, so to speak, but I'm posting the link from JewishWorldReview anyway. You can, of course, find a different link at GrouchyConservativePundits.com, should you prefer. They're a fun bunch over there, take no crap from anyone, and have a level of sarcastic wit AND intelligence I admire and aspire to.

From the column:

The great haste with which the latest government expansion into medical care is being rushed through Congress suggests that the politicians don't want us to stop and think. That makes sense, from their point of view, but not from ours.

UPDATE!
From the Sowell column today on another of Sotomayor's decisions being reversed:

Qualifications are not simply a question of how long you have been doing something, but how well you have done it. Judge Sotomayor has certainly been on the federal bench long enough, but is being reversed four out of six times a sign of a job well done?

Would longevity be equated with qualifications anywhere else? Some sergeants have been in the army longer than some generals but nobody thinks that is a reason to make those sergeants generals.

Performance matters. And Judge Sotomayor's performance provides no reason for putting her on the Supreme Court.

Oh, brother.

Anyone see a withdrawal of this nomination in the near future?

Nah, me neither.

"I mulch therefore I am" and other fun ideas

I wonder if James Lileks cares that when I read his column, it cheers me up from the crapola that is covered by nearly everyone else? Need a mood-altering COLUMN and a cup of coffee? Enjoy!

The line that started my mood-improvement this morning:

I mulch therefore I am. Well, not true; I don’t mulch. I put down mulch. And by “put down” I mean I swear at every bag in the most humiliating, derisive fashion.

Next on my mood-improvement list is Dave Barry. What can I say about his column that you won't think of yourself? Nothing.

There's a place in California, called the We Care Spa, which bills itself as "a holistic fasting retreat," and which charges guests up to $3,484 A WEEK. Yes! To starve!

I haven't been to a high school reunion, and really have no plans to attend one in the future. I wasn't important there, I wasn't 'connected,' and I certainly wasn't popular. I was closer to being a stoner than a nerd...but I wasn't even very good at that, because I usually followed the few rules my parents set down for me. And I love the idea of letting someone pay me for THEM not eating, but I have a tiny little ethical problem with it...I think.

One more on Jacko

This will be the final link from me about Michael Jackson - because, in so many ways, it's just too pathetic to continue on about.

Mitch Albom at JewishWorldReview.com:

"...let's be honest. Celebrating Jackson more in death than in life doesn't honor him. If anything, calling him Wacko Jacko, chronicling his surgically enhanced face and making him a national joke, then weeping for TV cameras about how much we'll miss him makes us seem, for the moment, even stranger than him."

All Conditions Are Temporary

A man I've known for just about six years put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger last week. In April, another man I'd known for four years took himself out with a shotgun. These are only the latest in a line of people I've known who decided that life ain't worth living.

Both these men had lovely wives and children/ grandchildren, good jobs, really nice cars, loyal friends...and a "drinking problem." Both men had spent some time in a 12 Step program and had experienced relief from the bondage they had to John Barleycorn. Due to personal circumstances, they quit attending so many 12 Step meetings and found excuses to call "old friends." They stopped taking calls from people who were Sober and cared for them so much. They finally quit going to meetings altogether. Then, in a fit of what-the-hell, they took another drink. And nothing bad happened, so they took another. And s'more.

We'll bury the second one some time this week. Because the Demons are not forever banished just because we don't drink. They come back again if we are not on guard. Then, if we continue down the road to destruction, we leave behind some of those Demons for our wives, our children, our grandchildren and our friends to mull over and consider. When it comes right down to it, if I believe it's a choice between drink and shotgun, I'll drink. My friends can help me get Sober again -- they can't bring me back from the Dead.

I'm going to a meeting now. Thanks for stopping by, I'll post something more interesting later tonight or tomorrow. Y'all take care, y'hear?

Icon, Idol...pfft. I'll mourn the passing of a REAL Man.

I don't mourn the passing of "superstars" or celebutards. Jonah Goldberg says it so much better than I...which is why they pay him, not me. From the column at NRO...

...I know he was not someone responsible parents should applaud, healthy children emulate, nor society celebrate.

And while we’re at it, his relatively early death wasn’t “tragic.” He was one of the richest people in the world. He spent his money on perpetual childhood and he was perpetually with children not his own.

Meanwhile, in the last ten days, we’ve seen or heard of remarkable people who’ve given their lives for freedom in Iran. We’ve heard of innocents killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the last decade, America has lost thousands of heroes in noble causes and thousands of innocent bystanders who were denied the simple joys of life through no fault of their own. Those deaths are tragic, and we're hard pressed to think of more than a handful of names to put with the long line of the dead. If anything, Michael Jackson’s life, not his death, was tragic.

Lori Borgman at JewishWorldReview.com writes about her father-in-law. THIS was a man I could love and admire, had I known him.

The old suitcase he used to carry on visits to our house now sits in our front hall. The cell phone we gave him for his 95th birthday rests on the kitchen counter.

He was the oldest of four parents and yet he lived the longest. They are all gone now. A door on well-oiled hinges has swung shut with a resounding thud. Another generation has passed.

UPDATE: Another man I know took the 'easy' way out today. That's 2 in 2 months.

Like almost all teenagers, he lies...for no good reason

In another excellent column, Bert Prelutsky calls BarryO the man who would be G-d. That IS what teenagers want, though this column idea and Barone's (in my previous post) may seem to be coming at Mr. Hip from two different directions.

Teenagers of today want a couple things that these columns point out so well. They want to do whatever Mom and Dad say they aren't allowed to do. They want to do whatever they damn well please, whenever they damn well please. They want Power - the power to hurt Mom and Dad (teachers, bosses) for being such idiots and embarrassments to the coolness they believe they possess.

For instance, when he jammed through the trillion-dollar pork pie, he claimed it was so urgently needed, he couldn’t spare the legislators even 48 hours to plow through the 1,100 pages. However, once they passed the bill, Obama waited four days before flying off to Denver to sign it.

These attitudes are temporary and not as strong in children who have been raised with discipline and respect for their elders, for the property of others, and for their Country. Lovely Daughter has passed through the stage and is a fine young wife, mother, and employee today. I'm not taking credit for that, but it's how I was raised so it's how she was raised.

BarryO and company have never grown up, they have remained ill-mannered contrary little brats...with the Power to force our children and grandchildren into servitude.

A second lie that recently went unquestioned by the media was Obama’s claim that he had only given President Sarkozy short shrift when he was in France because it was essential that he get back to the Oval Office and make those tough decisions that only he can make. And, sure enough, it turned out that within an hour of his return to Washington, he was on the golf course, making one of those gut-wrenching executive decisions -- deciding whether to use a putter or a sand wedge from the edge of a bunker.

Ever wonder what it would be like to have your teenager in the Oval Office?

According to Michael Barone, that's exactly what we've got. BarryO the Prez is a prime example of a bratty adolescent who - with his little posse of you're-no-the-boss-of-me's - does the opposite of what his parents say just because he can.

A regime of tyrants dedicated to hatred of America, Britain and Israel is not going to be persuaded to abandon a central goal by even the most dazzling display of adolescent charm

A contrary, pimple-faced boy who thinks he's hip, slick and cool, but really knows just enough to be dangerous. And might just burn the family house down with his arrogance, all the while whining about how mean and hateful and wrong the parents have been.

As president, he has singled out missile defense for cuts, even in the face of missile launches by North Korea and evidence of continuing missile development by Iran. Bush abrogated the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and pushed ahead on missile defense, so it must be bad even if there's no U.S.-Soviet balance of terror to destabilize anymore.

The toughest time for me as a parent was when Lovely Daughter was a teenager. For her, as with MOST people, it's a stage she passed through. For BarryO and Company, I'm afraid it may be a lifestyle. And it's our house that's in danger of burning.

These moves show an adolescent determination to renounce the policies of those who came before, no matter what. As parents know, it takes time for an adolescent to grow up.

Have YOU ever herded cats, or nailed jello to a tree?

BarryO is going to corral the unwieldy, unworkable, uncontrollable financial system. Do I need a bomb shelter for this?

John Stossel gives his take on the "sweeping overhaul of the financial regulatory system," which was announced recently by BarryO. Oh. Boy. If those words don't scare the living Hell out of you, you don't have any nerves left.

A couple of quotes from the column:

"...when regulators set out to redesign an economy, they display not wisdom but a "pretense of knowledge."

"The decentralized, competitive market full of free people is hands-down preferable to a centralized body of clueless bureaucrats who can hold a gun to our heads."

I have a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my gut.

Again.

Juniper Springs kayak trip - Pictures

fern garden







the water is so clear and cool







peaceful

The "Obama Effect?"

Caroline B. Glick's column:

THE REAL OBAMA effect on world affairs relates to the US media's unprecedented willingness to abandon the basic responsibilities of a free press in favor of acting as propagandists for the president. From Cooper - who pretends that Obama's unreciprocated open hand to the mullahs is what empowered the protesters - to Newsweek editor Evan Thomas who referred to Obama earlier this month as a "sort of God," without a hint of irony, the US media have mobilized to serve the needs of the president.

Media whores for the government. Our Founding Fathers surely weep for us.

What they fail to consider is that by genuflecting to tyrants, Obama has made the US an international laughingstock. Far from sharing their adulation of Obama and his cool demeanor, most of the nations of the world believe that the US has abandoned its leadership role.

There's a Tea Party here on 2 July. I have a previous commitment (2 of 'em, actually) so not sure I can make it, but I may design a shirt to wear WHEREVER I may be. Suggestions for wording are greatly appreciated, if you'd put them in a comment? Thanks!

Welcome, once again, to Thomas Tuesday

Thomas Sowell, of course. From his column, which I read at JewishWorldReview.com:

A Gallup poll last week showed that far more Americans describe themselves as "conservatives" than as "liberals." Yet Republicans have been clobbered by the Democrats in both the 2008 elections and the 2006 elections.
...
...when you have the high cards and still keep taking a beating, then you need to re-think how you are playing the game.
...
Perhaps people who are busy gushing over the Obama cult today might do well to stop and think about what it would mean for their grand-daughters to live under sharia law.
...
Ronald Reagan won two elections in a landslide by being Ronald Reagan — and, most important of all — explaining to a broad electorate how what he advocated would be best for them and for the country. Newt Gingrich likewise led a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives by explaining how the Republican agenda would benefit a wide range of people.

Neither of them won by pretending to be Democrats.

Or communists. But I risk redundancy there, don't I.

UPDATE! Sowell's column on Wednesday is on education. Here's a bit I like:

"..the time comes to leave the classroom and go out into the real world."

I've known quite a few 'professional students' in my life. No one is more self-absorbed than a 40 year old who's going to get her third or fourth degree but has never held a full-time job and still talks, acts, thinks and dresses like the 19-year-old Freshman she once was. No one is as boring as the guy who tells you how much he knows...about everything...all the time.

Real world experience is sorely lacking, both in government and in the nicer neighborhoods. But college degrees? LOTS of those.

Did I mention I really like this guy?

And not just his cute self, of course, I like the way his mind works. Now, Stossel has his own blog, and I may be able to tear myself away from it for normal human interaction...in a couple hours.

I've also been to check out Grouchy Conservative Pundits - even though I'm only marginally conservative, I like they way those folks write. One of the Global Moderators is our friend SwampWoman, and one of the newbie registrants is an old buddy of mine from SoCal. Wow!

My blogroll continues to grow...
UPDATE! Another new one! On Paco's recommendation, go say howdy to Dan Collins at Piece of Work In Progress.

Here in NEFL, it's Hot as Hell with the blowers on, as my dad used to say - even at 8pm it was nearly +100F. Blech. Not sure when to expect relief - but hope it's in time for my birthday! Lovely Daughter, Handsome Son-in-law and BEEootiful Pixie came over to have Father's Day burgers & dogs with Daddy/ Grandpa. I let the other grownups do the outdoor part, I stayed inside with the Pixie and we arranged pickles, beans, and other assorted condiments in the comfort of the air conditioning. Oh, and we watched some Tigger & Pooh, while we waited for the ball game to come on. As the terrible writers at my school paper used to say, MUCH too often, "A good time was had by all." Pfft.

One more load of laundry to fold, then I'm off to bed. Thanks for stopping by!

I don’t have much patience for deliberate lies dressed up in a “science” costume.

SwampWoman, at A1A South, posted a brilliant, thoughtful, and slightly? scathing fisking of the "climate change" report issued by the White House last week. It is, quite simply, priceless. I'm sure glad the woman is on my side! You gotta go read the whole thing, but here's some of my favorite parts:

These f***ing clowns can’t predict what temperature it will be on Monday of next week, so why in the hell should they be considered some kind of experts on what temperature it will be after they’re dead? The temperature trend is DOWN, you morons!
...
Sounds like there wasn’t any evidence before and lots and lots of data falsification has been going on because they know that the Democrats aren’t actually going to check the facts. Hell, they won’t even bother to read the paper. They’ll just have somebody give them a synopsis using one syllable words. I’m shocked, shocked I tell you, that somebody whose job title is “coordinator of global change science” would find evidence of impacts from climate change. For the sarcasm challenged, yes, that is sarcasm dripping off the keyboard and pooling on the floor in a large, glowing puddle.

Gotta love her!

Gah!

Spent many hours with no internet and no house phone. Generally no phone isn't a problem because I have a cell phone, with a handly little spot to store all the phone numbers I need or want or have to use. Well, MY cell phone spent the week in Kansas City, and the house phone went down, and not having contact with the outside pretty much ruined my day...for 2 days! Nice young man showed up yesterday & replaced the box the phone & computer plug into, all the lights are now properly lined up & the right ones are blinking. I'm hoping to be back on track today, but no promises on that score.

Woke up tired again.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day, there's a bunch of us going to go for a paddle at Juniper Springs. The swimming hole is closed for renovation, but the kayak/canoe launch is new & improved & I can hardly wait! Depending on how the rest of today goes, I may be back with a couple easy posts. Y'all have a great day & thanks for stopping by!

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.