Saturday, July 31, 2010

The Catholic Church, blogging, and hurtful judgmental language

I was annoyed to read a recent statement made by Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala of Los Angeles at some webinar the USCCB conducted on communications.

"We are particularly concerned about blogs that engage in attacks and hurtful judgmental language. We are very troubled by blogs and other elements of media that assume the role of magisterium and judge others in the church."

First, I think such events are a complete waste of time, effort, and money. In today's world, it seems folks just can't get enough of meetings, conventions, and conferences - none of which provide anything of real value, other than a time for folks to socialize.

One of the reasons I quit blogging exclusively about "Catholic matters" was due to the constant carping on some of the Catholic sites. In most cases, the carping was completely justified and folks were only stating Catholic teaching, but the constant onslaught was really starting to affect my spiritual life. The only choice was to rely on the Serenity Prayer for guidance.

I can't do anything about bongos and banjos wailing away during a Mass. Oh sure, I can complain, which will get me absolutely nowhere (except on the pastors sh*t list.) I can't "fix" a priest who deviates from true Catholic teaching. Just as we Catholics love to accuse protestants of "church shopping", there has never been a time in the Church's history that Catholics haven't "priest shopped." Want to use birth control? Need an annulment? Keep looking and you will find a priest who will lend, perhaps tacitly, a way for you to circumvent doctrine.

When it comes to all things Church, both hubby and I have gone the route of "removing ourselves from the annoyance" since we cannot change it and are unwilling to accept it. Others in the laity have chosen a different path. That is their right, and I applaud their efforts. What I don't need is to hear a Church bishop spew "New Age" nonsense such as " hurtful judgmental language" because, well - I find that hurtful and judgmental. See how stupid that sounds?

What started this little mini-rant? My friend Robert Kumpel, a true warrior for the Church, posted a fine article Days of Whining and Neurosis, that does a fine job of summing up the problem with that silly statement made by the bishop.

As long as there are forces in the Church denying the truth, there will be Catholics speaking out against their lies. This is the age of the internet, so our bishops should not be surprised to see Catholics using it.

Robert's article is a fine read for anyone, as it addresses the issue of truth, something that is applicable to our present day politics, your church of choice, or your personal life. Take time to read his entire article. It's excellent...

As to the path each of you should take? Here are your choices...

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Now, isn't that simple?

Friday, July 30, 2010

Something to Get Your Engines Running at Full Tilt...

This is not new, but with the Arizona case headed to the 9th circuit, it's very pertinent. Do not miss the last 3 minutes!

Stacy McCain and Phyllis Schlafly

I remember not liking Phyllis Schlafly when I was much younger. It was so long ago, I can't even remember why I didn't like her. But for quite a few years I have been following her and think she's one of the sharpest ladies around.

It appears Stacy McCain agrees with moi (making him one of the sharpest guys around.)

When Phyllis Schlafly Speaks the Truth, Democrats Call It ‘Extremism’

What is up with Blogger today? It just decides to double-space and do other kookie things.

Obama demeans the office of the Presidency

Reaganite Republican brings us The Age of the Un-Serious Presidency which does a beautiful job of summing up my feelings about this poseur in the White House.

Before you head over to read his great post...

check out these two pictures. Is O-what's-his-name shrinking? He looks seriously weird in that first picture. Check out the size of his feet in comparison to his body - or for that matter, his size in comparison to the women. The second picture shows him with his famous "finger point" which is extremely rude. In my opinion he looks like any homosexual would look while hanging out with the girls. And the "ladies?" What's with the crossed legs? They look just plain trashy.

Ten Buck Friday - We have a winner for this week...

As usual, our hard working RightKlik has tons of info. I just came from Patricia's website and I'm very impressed...

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Bob Belvedere gets it so right again - and we thank him!

He also garners the quote of the day:

"For too long people in this country have refused to see what is right before their eyes: Stealth Socialism has been invading the body politic and body cultural in America for well over a century, spreading its vile cancer as it marches through all of our institutions and our brains."

Take time to read "If The Socialism Fits"

The reports of my death due to an over-zealous dental hygienist are highly over-rated...

However, death due to boring blogs is quite a possibility. I lost it with the never ending reportage of racism against Shirley Sherrod and her, possibly even more racist, husband. Shirley and her husband can be as racist as they want. It doesn't change my life one tiny bit. I find pulling weeds in my garden, reading, and cooking fantastic meals to be way more interesting.

I'm more concerned with our country which is circling the drain at a rate that would be the envy of Niagara Falls.

Please explain to me why we have elected officials being paid a salary (not to mention free health care, future pensions, and all the other perks of office), to actually sit around some room and discuss H.R. 5741, a bill requiring two years mandatory service for all people between the ages of 18 and 42. Who introduced this? Why, it was that bastion of moral integrity, Charlie Rangel, who is presently defending himself against charges of ethics violations, which, I might add, are "confidential" and - he will no doubt plea-bargain his way out of whatever it was he did that the people who pay his salary have no right to know.

Or how about the government "losing" over 8 billion dollars of our dollars?

Doesn't the fact that 45.7% of the people, according to the averages of all the polls posted at Real Clear Politics, approve of the job Obama is doing "worry" you? It worries me a lot!

How about Eastern Michigan University Student Told To Endorse Being Gay Or Leave Program Loses Appeal as reported by the Blog Prof.

Or listen to what the DaTechGuy, a resident of Massachusetts, has to say about being thrown under the bus in "Massachusetts disenfranchises their voters."

Meantime, wacko union members from L.A. are busing to Phoenix to protest on behalf of people who are breaking the law to prevent them from being prosecuted for breaking the law, all of which will probably start a huge riot. Glad I don't live there anymore! Sure hope it doesn't interfere with the vacations Obama and his wife have planned.

Ooops, too late:    Judge Blocks Parts of Arizona Immigration Law
Immigrants are not required to carry papers according to the judge. Huh? I thought that according to Federal law, it was required that permanent resident aliens had to carry their green card with them at all times.

I still predict a riot...

Maggie reminds us the "big news this morning that the financial reform bill exempts the SEC from transparency. Perhaps even bigger news is that the corrupt DOJ is also exempt."

Others (by no means all) who "get it":

Carol's Closet: Time to Sober Up
The Camp of the Saints:   The Spot-On Quote Of The Week… [Updated Below]
Caught Him With a Corndog: Choosing a Lie Over Truth
The Plantation Nation: Listen Carefully. This Is NOT About Politics…

Also, from my friend Mark over at Ordered Liberty:   The link between the Tea Party movement and the Reagan Democrats
Mark has been suffering a bit of a health crisis (way worse than my trips to the dentist!) and I'm so glad he is back to blogging. His posts the past few days have been outstanding. Pay him a visit and leave a comment because that's what blogging is really all about - supporting each other in times of trial.

Along those lines Pat, at And so it goes in Shreveport, has been working overtime caring for her elderly Mom who suffered a fall. Pat's Mom might be "elderly" in body, but her mind is sharp as a tack. Having settled her Mom in a rehab facility (which she will no doubt take over in order to make sure it is run properly), Pat is headed to Natchitoches for some well-deserved rest. God bless the Pat's of the world!

LarryD nails it once again: Heresy, Humor, and St. Augustine

If you're one of the only two or three peeps that hasn't read America's Ruling Class -- And the Perils of Revolution by Angelo Codevilla, head over and read it now and make appropriate plans for your future.

Left Coast Rebel (no link on purpose) is quite excited about being published in the Daily Caller again. He would like everyone to promote him by way of twitter, their blogs, or what have you. This would be the same Left Coast Rebel who never, ever links to me, by the way. Check out his top referrers on the right side of his blog (if you bother to Google it) and you'll see my name in his top referrer column. Now, check the left side of my blog and you'll see LCR linked.

Mr. Rebel has forgotten that when he was a newbie, I promoted him endlessly. He in turn, has never even given me a link on his blogroll. It is indeed sad to see what appeared to be a nice young man become so full of himself to the point of bragging.

Ten Buck Friday Poll: July 25-30

As usual, the hardworking RightKlik has all the pertinent information - and we thank him!

Thank goodness for Reaganite Republican bringing us:
Hump-Day Humor for Reactionaries

I've already been on this computer way too long. I'm going to mow the lawn 'cause tomorrow I'm headed back to the dentist for a complete exam.
The dentist will probably recommend a certain pesky tooth be removed (which beats having a leg chopped off, I guess) Arrrgh!

While trying to wind this up, my hubby brought me a bottle labeled "Fixing Unit Cleaning Oil" and asked if I wanted it. "Uh, no dear - my unit is just fine, thank you very much."

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

I don't feel too good...

I was going to do some more linky-love after my dental appointment, but after the first two and a half hours in her chair the hygienist chirped, "Gosh, I had a cancellation and have another 40 or so minutes. We could just whip out the last few teeth on the other side and then we'll be done instead of you having to come back two more times."

Being the trooper that I am, I said, "Why, sure. Let's shoot up the other side that you just tortured two days ago and scrape some more. And, while you're at it let's whip out those x-rays I need."

Arrrrrgh!!

See you tomorrow...

Shirly Sherrod story a waste of time, a distraction, and chilling. Some important links

Let's keep this Shirley comment short...

I don't want to devote much time to this whole Shirley Sherrod thingy. When it first started showing up on what appeared to be every blog, my first reaction was, "so what." I didn't even bother to watch the video because I could care less what Shirley Sherrod said, did, or thinks. It was nothing more than a distraction and a boring one at that.

My second reaction was, "sure are lots of people losing their jobs and being vilified for things they've said." Makes one almost afraid to speak for fear of making a mistake or "offeeeeeending" someone. I support Shirley's right to be as racist as she wants as long as she does her job (and by some reports she did a pretty good job at helping white farmers.)

Now everyone is jumping around apologizing to poor Shirley. More time wasted and more distraction. And that's all I have on that subject. Let's move on to more important matters.

From the Combox:

Subvet had this to say about my post from yesterday:

The term "ruling class" seems to ignore the fact that John & Joan Q. Public put those fools into power.

Whether done intentionally or by reason of apathy, We The People are ultimately responsible for the way things are. We need to become more politically active, right down to the local school board level.

Being active is how the more liberally inclined amongst us got into power. THEY weren't sitting on their butts, letting the country run on AUTO.

We're either a part of the solution or a part of the problem. If there is a "ruling class" it exists solely due to our allowing it.

Well said, Sub...

I've gathered up what IMO are some important articles for you to read and think about.

The Economic Collapse has a rather detailed article that would be well worth your time to peruse. Honestly - when I first read the beginning of this article I thought for a moment I wrote it...

One Economic Chart That You Should Permanently Burn Into Your Memory

Today most Americans are completely obsessed with the silliest of things. They wonder how Lindsay Lohan is going to fare in jail and they agonize over who LeBron James is going to play basketball for. But when it comes to the things that really matter, most Americans are completely clueless. For example, while most Americans would agree that we are experiencing difficult economic times right now, most of them would also argue that our economic system is in fundamentally good shape and that things will get back to "normal" at some point. Those of us who are trying to warn America of the impending economic nightmare are dismissed as "doom and gloomers" and "conspiracy theorists". But of course, as with so many things, the passage of time will tell who was right and who was wrong. Below there is a chart that I want all of you to burn into your memory. It is a chart of total U.S. debt as a percentage of GDP from 1870 until 2009. This chart clearly and succinctly communicates the horror of the debt bubble that we are currently dealing with. When this debt bubble pops, it is going to make the Great Depression look like a Sunday picnic. read the rest

From Neithercorp Press via InfoWars. It was easier to read the reprint on InfoWars than on Neithercorp. It appears Neithercorp is using a substitute site due to hackers and the background and such made reading difficult.

Economic Meltdown: The Final Phase
by Giordano Bruno

[...] It is difficult to write about economic indicators of collapse for many reasons, but the primary issue is one of relativity. Most Americans alive today have never suffered through an extended depression and few if any have ever witnessed a full fledged meltdown of a country’s finance and infrastructure. Therefore, many people in this country have no point of reference with which to compare and contrast the events of the new millennium. The unfortunate reality is, when a society enjoys an extended period of affluence, they often become conditioned to take prosperity for granted. They become unable or unwilling to interpret warning signs of a collapse until the event is already near its end, and they have lost everything. read the rest

From Spero News:

Obama and the Warfare/Welfare State

Most people in America associate the Democratic Party with spending on welfare programs and the Republican Party with spending on warfare. Until reading Niall Ferguson’s brilliant The Ascent of Money, I never realized that welfare and warfare have gone hand in hand for over a century. The immortal German warmonger Otto von Bismarck was the first politician to introduce social insurance legislation in the 1880s.
His reasoning was not strictly humanitarian. According to Bismarck, “A man who has a pension for his old age is much easier to deal with than a man without that prospect.” read the rest

From Creative Minority Report:

When Common Sense Isn't Common

What with oil gushing and charges of tea-party racism accumulating like cuss words on Oksana Grigorieva's voice mail, it is almost easy to forget that we are witnessing the most massive expansion of governmental power in our nation's history.

Just in the past few months we have seen the government take over health-care and grant itself enormous power over the financial industry and any business associated with the financial industry (read-everything). Chances are that cap-and-trade will be passed next -- even if it takes a lame duck congress to do it. click on title for entire article

More:

American Thinker: America's Fast Track to the Third World

On Health Care:

Maggie's Notebook: Dr. Fred Shessel: Obama Lied about Rationing, Socialism
Lonely Conservative: Why Are Republicans Afraid to Criticize the First Lady?

American Thinker: Government by Diktat

Amusing Bunni (who has a brand new header thanks to her friend Obie who blogs at Woodsterman) has a rather disturbing (but important) post on Chicago run amok. I took the time to investigate many of the links and the picture presented was not pretty.

Chicago Descends into Anarchy, Abandon ALL hope who enter here

Chicago is beyond all hope and redemption. The criminal element gang bangers have declared OPEN SEASON on the Police in uniform!! They are targeting brave Police Officers, in broad daylight. They have no respect for authority or fear of being punished for their crimes. click on title to read the entire article

Life Philosophy

When I owned a beauty salon in Sedona, AZ my favorite saying was "who gives a sh*t" in response to the endless chatter of the people seated in our chairs while we attempted, against all odds, to make their hair look like the current reigning movie star (can you say Farrah?), while the reality was they didn't just want their hair to look like the star - they wanted to look like the star, and that just wasn't going to happen. No way, no how!

I said that little phrase so often in the back room that my co-workers had a charm made that actually said "who gives a sh*t." Really! I still have it and will post a picture of it some day. Anyhoo, I wore this on a chain that placed the sort of hieroglyphic appearing charm at eye level of the victim in the chair. NOT ONCE did anyone ever stop their endless chatter long enough to read "who gives a sh*t." And that sums up my philosophy of life.

The following post from The Plantation Nation says is well...

Conclusion: Most People Are Flat Out Dumb As A Doornail

There are so many other links that I don't have time for right now. I must head out and get a bit of work done before my two hours of torture at the dentist. Can you say "root plane?"

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I'm Tired of Rascism - Let's Talk About Your Personal Survival

It's impossible to go anywhere on the blogosphere without running into someone talking about racism. Anyone who doesn't believe this is manufactured and fed by this administration is just not paying attention. "Divide and Conquer" is apparently the motto of the current crop of puppets in the White House, and of all their communist friends.

Meantime, we've hung our hopes for a better future on the November elections. The elections are important, but it's only a beginning. We are saddled with a federal government that is so completely out of control and so debt ridden, it will take decades to restore it to some form of sanity.

I read an interesting article at The Economic Collapse that, while very good, didn't go far enough. It starts out by making this assertion:

For decades, most Americans have enjoyed an extremely high standard of living. In fact, most of us have been "enjoying the high life" and "living the dream" for so long that we have assumed that it is just always going to be that way.

This is certainly true, but the question is, "how have we been "living the high life?" For most people, this higher standard of living has been acquired through debt, in the same way our government is "financing" the destruction of our country. People built their dream homes (can you say McMansion?) and saddled themselves with mortgages way beyond their means. Add on the SUV that cost $35,000.00 with a monthly payment of $600.00 - $900.00, a few credit cards for non-essentials like $500.00 shoes, and you have a prescription for disaster.

But now a rapidly growing percentage of Americans is getting the chance to experience some very serious economic pain. Today, over 40 million Americans are on food stamps and over 20 million U.S. children are living in poverty. Tens of millions of Americans are unemployed, and personal bankruptcies and foreclosures continue to set all-time records. For many people, all of this economic turmoil was completely unexpected.

Of course it was unexpected. In just the last 60 years, I have witnessed a 180 degree shift in the way people conduct their lives. The welfare state has exploded, the number of children born to unmarried mothers keeps climbing (a leading indicator of children living in poverty), education is dumbed down to the point where high school graduates can't read or write, and easy credit has made us all slaves.

A recent Pew Research survey found that 55 percent of the U.S. labor force has experienced either unemployment, a pay decrease, a reduction in hours or an involuntary move to part-time work since the recession began.
55 percent?
That is incredible.
That means that over half of all American workers have been unemployed or have been forced to take a reduction in pay since the recession started.

That is incredible and as the recent "bank reform" kicks in, ObamaCare slowly unfolds, along with the very real possibility of Cap and Trade being rammed through, it will get much worse.

As the economic situation continues to deteriorate, record numbers of Americans are going bankrupt and are losing their homes. In fact, banks repossessed a record number of U.S. homes during the second quarter of 2010.

The majority of the homes in foreclosure in my area are the ones falling into the "McMansion" category. One of the higher priced golf course communities is located next to where we used to live. On our nightly stroll, we "toured" the mostly ugly homes as they were being built. The average price tag was $400K and up to over a million. Now they can't sell these behemoths for $200K.

The article continues by casting out a glimmer of hope:

A lot of this frustration is coming out as anger towards the government. People are waking up and are starting to realize that the American ruling class has been doing an incredibly bad job of running things. The American people are hungry for a real change. In fact, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 23% of voters nationwide believe that the U.S. government has the consent of the governed.

Well, that's a very good start. The problem lies in those fatal words, "The American people are hungry for a real change." It seems to me that "change" is what accelerated this problem to begin with. The change we should be looking for is the change within ourselves; which, when you come right down to it, is the only change you can really effect. If you're waiting or hoping for someone else to "fix" this mess, you have a long, long wait.

After the glimmer of hope we get this:

But will we start to see some real changes in the years ahead?
Unfortunately, that is quite doubtful. The reality is that the American ruling class has a stranglehold on both political parties, and they are not going to release their grip easily.
Meanwhile, our leaders continue to perpetuate the same failed policies that got us into this mess in the first place. But unless some fundamental changes are made soon, the economic pain that Americans are experiencing is going to continue to get even worse.

Well, now - that's depressing. But it doesn't have to be. I'm a fan of Dave Ramsey and his no-nonsense philosophies of money management. When you listen to his program, particularly on Fridays when the callers who recently became debt-free call in, you can see who the future winners will be; the people who are "not servants to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7)

If you're in debt, rectify the situation as quickly as possible. Credit cards? Cut them up and live within your means. Lost your job? You may have to settle for two part-time jobs. Just think - if you weren't saddled with huge debt, such things wouldn't be that big of a problem. And, most importantly, learn to "pray as if everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you" (St. Augustine)

House Painting Continues

I'll be back with some linky-love. Yesterday's dentist appointment morphed into 2 1/2 hours of torture (which will be repeated tomorrow and for another two appointments after that) leaving my schedule a bit behind. We should wind up the house painting this morning...

Monday, July 19, 2010

Next Week's Ten Bucks Friday Poll is Up...

By way of the Mind-Numbed Robot I discovered Lilac Sunday who has posted her email to Rush Limbaugh. I was planning an email to him myself and Lilac has provided a nice little outline. Robo very nicely provided email addresses to other conservative peeps as well as Rush. Since Robo called me a "screamer" (hey, hey - watch those dirty thoughts!!), I paid him back by stealing his links. Thanks, Robo!

ElRushbo@eibnet.com

http://www.hannity.com/contact

marklevin.show@citcomm.com

http://boortz.com/more/email_boortz.html

info@amatotalk.com

hugh@hughhewitt.com

As usual RightKlik (bless his precious little heart) has posted all the info on the different nominees for this week - and we thank him.

Much as I would like to hang out and comment on today's news, I must finish painting my house and visit the dentist this afternoon. It's a Martha kind of day (the comments on that post were wonderful and I think we should continue the discussion.)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Mary and Martha. What God Really Wants...

Today's Gospel reading is one of my favorites (Luke 10:38-42) has Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus while Martha bustles about the kitchen.

If you're hoping for some deep examination of the scripture, you'll have to go elsewhere. I think the whole thing is pretty simple, but oh so hard to do. I am Martha and would have wanted to rip off Mary's head.

And, guess what? Guys are not exempt from the Mary/Martha syndrome.

Christ in the house of Mary and Martha
Johannes Vermeer

Saturday, July 17, 2010

I Won! I Won! I Won! I Won!!! And so did Red. We Got Something Shiny

Entered a little contest at Mind-Numbed Robot, who has posted two of the most wonderful and entertaining linky-love posts, ever! They are both works of art and deserve your attention (links at end of post.)

However, it does bring to the forefront the possibility that Robo needs a bit of a hobby - or maybe a few gaskets or pistons to hang out with. If I suggested he needs to "get a life" it would seem just too, too Frankensteinian, or something.

Anyhoo - I demanded something shiny as a prize and Robo has come through with a shared prize for Red at Caught Him With a Corndog, and moi (even though he said prizes are generally not handed out and accused me of screaming for a prize which I'll forgive him for because what I really did was whine and he should know the difference between a scream and a whine meaning maybe he needs his carburetor cleaned or crankshaft oiled, or something.) Why shared? Well, Red jumped in, stole my answer, admitted freely to cheating (doncha just love that?), and so I decided as #1 winner we should each get a shiny prize. It was the devout Catholic sort of thing to do. The Pope is proud!

Why shiny? All adult sufferers of ADD love shiny objects. Also, strings, feathers, and tiny wandering insects. I'm the ADD'er, not Red, who last I heard completed tasks in an orderly fashion, unlike moi who flits from thing to thing and once in awhile actually completes something - quite by accident, I'm sure. Robo couldn't find a shiny insect, so instead we received this marvelous example of magical shiny jewelry - and we thank him. Red and I are working out the custody arrangement right now.

The Robo-Bling

Bringing innovation and talent to the blogosphere:

Robo-Love Experiment #1

Robo-Love Experiment #2

Friday, July 16, 2010

Abbey-Roads: Wind beneath their wings...

Terry, over at Abbey-Roads, always manages to say what I merely think about saying, or say in private at the dining room table - and I thank him. Maybe I should attempt a bit more honesty with some of my posts.

Generally, when it involves a celebrity, I remain silent. I don't think the goings-on of the likes of Mel Gibson is of any importance considering all the horrific stuff happening in our country and in my Church. However, when Christopher Hitchens announced his illness, the rush to offer prayers for him (even if he's an atheist), was overwhelming. Nothing wrong with that, as Terry says, but I sort of cringe when others are always running around offering prayers, especially when not requested.

Abbey-Roads: Wind beneath their wings...
Thoughts on praying for Christopher Hitchens and Mel Gibson and Mildred Puce.

More at Western Confucian: No Prayer Requests for Christopher Hitchens Here

Nancy Pelosi and Planned Parenthood

And while I'm here let me state that Nancy Pelosi receiving an award from Planned Parenthood for approving of full term babies being stabbed in the back of the neck and having their brains sucked out until their little heads collapse is revolting.

Where are our Bishops?? Why is this woman not publicly reprimanded? She brings scandalous behavior to new heights and that is a very grave sin. To possibly lead others to sin through your behavior is extremely serious. I'm not sure what catechism some of our bishops are using, but when I hear one of them say, "we can't make denial of communion a political issue", I totally agree. It isn't a political issue - it's a spiritual issue, and they are failing to do their duty. Shame on them!

Zo Examines black Loyalty to Democrats, Word Verification, and Ten Buck Friday

I apologize for having to add word verification to the comment section. The recent attacks by what appears to be a spybot (investigation ongoing), has made this necessary.

In Case You Missed It:

Van Irion is this weeks Ten Buck Friday winner.

More info here

and:

ObamaCare Class Action
Van Irion: Why I am a Republican
Irion on the issues

Have young people in the house? Have them watch this with you and get a bit of "real" history, not the clap-trap they're fed in a government run school.

H/T The Plantation Nation

I'm off to glue the liner on my new pond. Tomorrow is Farmer's Market Day in Coeur d'Alene. We have one of the nicest Farmer's market, evah! Beautiful park setting, huge pine trees, music, and wonderful vendors.

O-What's-His-Name and his wife are off enjoying their weekend in Maine (while I'm sure ruining the whole weekend for others.) There's nothing I can do right now to stop this aberration that is taking place in Washington, so I plan to enjoy my weekend also.

The Devastation Drugs Have Brought to Our World

We've been robbed of so much talent...

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Ten Buck Friday - We have a winner for this week...

Van Irion
Republican for Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District

Remember: All donations of whatever amount you can comfortably manage is made directly on the winner's website.

Early voting in the GOP primary starts in Tennessee today, and the election is on August 5. Van Irion needs your help for expensive advertising, so please rally behind our weekly TBF winner and give generously on this Ten Buck Friday:
Van Irion's donation page
Indicate on the form that it is a Ten Buck Friday donation...

From his website:

Why I Call Myself a Constitutionalist

My core philosophy is that our founders got it right more than 200 years ago when they established the Constitution to protect our God given rights by limiting government. They understood that “government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.” (Thomas Paine) Unfortunately, the Federal government has repeatedly involved itself in issues in which it has no Constitutional authority and has become intolerable. While claiming this or the other act will “solve the problem”, they have done the opposite and complicated the issues. By bailing out failing companies, they reward unethical and unwise behavior while punishing the innocent and prolonging economic recovery. By setting up “one program fits all” standards for our children, they are leaving more students “left behind” than ever before. By over regulating the health care system, they have increased inflation adjusted health care costs 4x in just the last 40 years. These are just a few examples of government being the problem, not the solution.

Decades of history tell us that increasing government involvement, and therefore taxes, strangles the economy, yet both sides of the aisle continue to offer another “program” to save us from the “crisis of the day.” NO, that is not the answer. The answer is to get the government out of the way and let Americans do what we do best! The history of America shows that capitalism and liberty created the greatest standard of living of any nation in earth’s history. In order to recover our economy and our jobs, we must go back to what made us great – individual liberty and capitalism.

This election will be a historic opportunity to retake our government from the career politicians and power brokers who believe they know better how we should live our lives than we do. If you agree that Washington is doing a good job running your life, I am not your candidate. If, however, you want an advocate in Washington saying NO to every unconstitutional bill that is proposed, then I am your candidate. If you want an advocate in Washington that will articulate what the Constitution says and why it must be followed, both morally and economically, then I am your candidate. If you want an advocate in Washington that will fight day and night to dismantle the monster that our Federal government has become, then I am your candidate.

I am passionate about liberty. I am passionate about our country and its future. I am passionate about restoring Constitutional limits on government. This is who I am, who I have always been, and who I will continue to be in Washington.

Van is a Christian, married 14 years, has two young daughters and lives in Dandridge, TN in the 3rd District. He is a patent and constitutional attorney with his own law firm, Law Office of Van R Irion PLLC. His practice includes patents, business transactions, contract disputes, civil litigation, and constitutional law. He is veteran of Operation Desert Shield, serving in the US Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller. He has a Biochemistry degree from the University of California and a Law Degree from McGeorge School of Law. He formerly founded a biotech company to research treatments for stroke and acute injury and served for many years as a volunteer fire fighter and EMT. Van currently is currently seeking to serve the public again as the U.S. Congressman for Tennessee’s 3rd District.
Irion is pronounced “ear-ee-on”

In Case you Missed It:

Important Goals and Guidelines for Ten Buck Friday

More Government Intrusion Into Our Lives. I Will Not Be Participating...

Is Body Mass Index a good way to measure obesity and what business does the government have demanding that information of the citizens of this country?

Wonder how our Surgeon General will measure up...

Or the person who wants to take away your ice cream...

To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, then multiply the results by a conversion factor of 703. For someone who is 5 feet 5 inches tall (65 inches) and weighs 150 pounds, the calculation would look like this: [150 ÷ (65)²] x 703 = 24.96

Further, BMI does not take into account age, gender, or muscle mass. Nor does it distinguish between lean body mass and fat mass. As a result, some people, such as heavily muscled athletes, may have a high BMI even though they don't have a high percentage of body fat. In others, such as elderly people, BMI may appear normal even though muscle has been lost with aging. source

Obesity Rating for Every American Must Be Included in Stimulus-Mandated Electronic Health Records, Says HHS

(CNSNews.com) – New federal regulations issued this week stipulate that the electronic health records--that all Americans are supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the stimulus law that President Barack Obama signed last year--must record not only the traditional measures of height and weight, but also the Body Mass Index: a measure of obesity.

The obesity-rating regulation states that every American's electronic health record must: “Calculate body mass index. Automatically calculate and display body mass index (BMI) based on a patient’s height and weight.” read the rest

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Hump Day Humor and I Can Sure Use Some. How about you? Plus Bacon Spam and Sauerkraut Hot Dogs. Life is Good!

A Hot Dog Kind of Day

Today started off in a rather normal fashion. Until I checked my bank account before heading outside to start my chores. I discovered an unauthorized debit to my account for SIX HUNDRED AND SIX DOLLARS and some odd cents. It was from some cell phone company in the UK. I called the bank and they started the "dispute of charge" paperwork for me to sign, shut off my debit card, and told me to head over and sign the papers.

Having accomplished that task I checked my statcounter upon returning home. In the course of about 30 minutes I had an additional four thousand hits. Since I am not exactly at the level of The Other McCain or Instapundit, further investigation revealed that it was all coming from the same IP address at the rate of about 8 or so per second. I looked up the ISP and called them in Illinois and asked what the heck was going on. They checked the IP address but, of course, would not give me info. Their tech guy suggested I add a captcha to my messages (which I hated having to do) because he was worried it was a spybot.

He asked me to send as much info as I could and he would confer with his higher ups and would check further into what was occurring. "Well", says I, "if it is a spybot being run through your ISP company what are you going to do." He assured me the user would be toast.

I headed off to the statcounter forum to see if anyone else had such a thing going of and, BANG - the power went off. WTH??? Fine! It is now pushing 4:00pm and I have accomplished nothing. NOTHING!!

It is now almost 8:00pm and I keep reminding myself of what my hubby always says when I complain about a really bad day:

"Dear, this is not a really bad day. A really bad day would be getting your legs cut off or some such thing. This is just life."

Well, fine then! I'm going to go have a hot dog with sauerkraut, sweet relish, and mustard and count my blessings.

OR...................................

I could have another fried Spam w/Bacon sandwich. Slice it thin, fry it crisp, sour dough white bread, lots-o-mayo, and heaped high with fresh from the garden butter lettuce.

I almost forgot Hump Day Humor at The Reaganite Republican. Silly me!!

And while you're out and about, check out the best linky-love I've ever seen at the Mind Numbed Robot. Remind Robo that he owes me a prize - a shiny prize!

Peter Ferrara Hits a Home Run at The American Spectator

I have a house that is crying out for paint (I love to paint and if were to visit me, I would strongly suggest you keep moving or you will be painted), and a garden to be weeded, plus 12 other things on my daily list (most of which won't get done, but the thought is nice.)

I leave you with a few choice articles to read:

This would be an excellent article for you to print out and use for talking points.

From the American Spectator:

He's Playing You

From Prison Planet:

American Idolatry Intensifies as Nation Sinks in to Depression

Important Goals and Guidelines for Ten Buck Friday

Nationalize every House Senate race in 2012

Right Klik has been hard at work bringing order to Ten Buck Friday with his talent for organizing. He has posted some goals and guidelines and emphasized the impact we can make in our country - and we thank him.

I might add that by visiting the supporters of Ten Buck Friday we can become acquainted with other blogs we may not have known about. Since I live in Idaho, which is a conservative state, and is absent so much of the drama other states have (we'll skip talking about Larry Craig, thank you very much), this is a great chance for me to reach out and help in other state races.

From Right Klik:

Hundreds of conservatives, including about 60 bloggers, are providing their ever-growing support for TBF. The idea started in May with one blogger, Conscientiously Conservative, and it has gone viral over the past few weeks.

As TBF has grown, the need for guidelines and organization has grown as well. We'll get to those issues later in this post, but first I want to review the basic idea of "Ten Buck Fridays." It's important to read the rest

Information on the candidates here

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tell Me This is a Joke...

Thousands of people are attending beach concerts put on by BP while oil continues to gush into the Gulf and thousands of oil workers are out of work. Bread and circuses for the small people.

BP May Fund More Free Beach Concerts to Help Alabama

Gulf Shores, Ala. (AP) - A series of free beach concerts may be in the works on the Alabama coast, courtesy of BP.

A free Jimmy Buffett concert Sunday drew thousands to the beach in Gulf Shores.

Officials say they hope to line up a string of big-name performers through the fall with funding from BP, whose oil spill has hurt tourism on the Gulf of Mexico coast. more

I hope the Obamas enjoy their mini-vacation in Maine...

What is an Electronic Cigarette?

The Electronic Cigarette or electric cigarette or e-cigarette is a relatively simple piece of technology that creates vapor by slightly heating a mixture of proplyene glycol, glycerin, water, flavoring and nicotine (nicotine free e-liquid is available) until it vaporizes. This vapor acts much like tobacco smoke, allowing long time smokers an alternative that can be inhaled and exhaled like traditional smoking without causing any odor or other unpleasantness.

My husband and I have been life-long smokers. We have tried everything (patches, gum, lozenges, and meds) to quit. The only thing we hadn't tried was hypnotism. Nothing worked. Nothing. Until now...

We have been using e-cigs for close to 8 weeks. Never once have we desired a "real" cigarette. As a matter of fact the thought of a really smelly and messy cigarette is rather repulsive. Our current level of nicotine is "low" which is about 2mg and we both find ourselves using our e-cig less and less. The FDA (those bastions of crappy consumer protection), are in a complete snit over e-cigs and have made it illegal to advertise them as a help in smoking cessation. They would much prefer you spend gobs of money on patches and gum that have a dismal record of success. Or better yet - how about "real" cigarettes with a gazillion dollars of tax being added to the cost and the ability to kill you.

If you are a smoker, I urge you to investigate e-cigs. The company below has given me outstanding service and their prices are about the best I've found. We are using the Vapor King but one of their other models might suit your needs better so check out the entire site.

Oh yeah - did I mention the hundreds and hundreds of dollars we've saved over the past weeks? We just put an additional $500.00 into savings.

Click the ad for more info:

Caught Him With a Corndog Wins Award

It's not quite the same as an Oscar or an Emmy. Actually, it may be better. Red, over at Caught Him With a Corndog, brings us the best new word for the day:

Unveiling:

Crackercide - the killing of crackers or white babies.

Read it in Context:

Tortillas Outnumber Saltines in California

St. Louis Tea Party Responds to NAACP - We Will Not Be Silenced!

Do you have days when you feel like you've crawled down a hole with Alice? Our world becomes "curiouser and curiouser"...

Gateway Pundit has the details.

We Will Not Be Silenced! St. Louis Tea Party Passes Resolution Condemning NAACP Racism

Monday, July 12, 2010

How much did it cost us to send Michelle Obama to Florida to eat ice cream?

I don't know the exact figure for firing up one of those big 'ol jets, pack up a bunch of secret service agents, and probably send another transport plane with her limo, but I know it's not pocket change. Her mission? To tell people they should vacation in the gulf region because, after all, not all the beaches are gloppy messes.

Well then - tell me why her and her dead-beat husband will be vacationing in Maine. Anyone? And while you're explaining that, how about telling me why they need another vacation? How many vacations will the out-of-work oil workers be taking this year?

Yep - here's our Michelle...

mouth open - check
angry eyebrows - check
a thumbs up 'cause that's what all adult women of class do - check
arms hanging out - check
really ugly wig - check
tacky huge hoop earrings - check
half an arm full of bangle bracelets - check

All those that didn't vote for my husband, please raise your hands so I can publicly humiliate you by reminding you that "we won"...

Hmmmm - her mission is to save our fat behinds by restricting what we should be able to eat. And yet, in every picture of her and Obama they are stuffing some greasy or sugary food into their mouths. People of real class would never allow themselves to be routinely photographed in such piggish postures. No more ice cream for thee and me. We must save it for Michelle.

Michelle enjoying ice cream at The Pink Pelican Ice Cream Bar, soon to be renamed "The Pink Pelicans are Now Black But the Ice Cream is Still Good Bar."

Michelle Obama - Race-Baiter and All-Around Hateful Person w/ Updates

This woman is a despicable race-baiter. She wonders why a black kid has a 70% better chance of going to prison than a white kid? Is she really that stupid? If she really cared about black people she would tell the black women to quit having illegitimate children. She'd tell the black men to start acting like men. She'd tell the black kids to stay in school. She'd tell the black boys to pull up their pants and quit listening to gangsta rap, and the black girls to quit being welfare whores. That's what she'd do if she really cared.

Like her husband, all she cares about is dividing this nation and fomenting a race war.

H/T Dan Riehl and Breitbart TV

From Riehl World View:
Michelle Obama Pimps Racial Politics, As NAACP Considers Tea Party Resolution

Update:

A great post from the republican Mother: Demoralization of Everyday Life - Race
and
another from And So It Goes In Shreveport: Shocker: NAACP Condemns Tea Party as Racist

Update 2:

Michelle Obama's Mirror's Blog: Lady M Wanders the Food Desert

and would someone tell me what that ugly rag is that Mrs. O is wearing. Please...

Ten Buck Friday Nominees. Vote for your favorite...

A big thank you to Conscientiously Conservative for "founding" Ten Buck Friday.

Here's the poll for this weeks nominees. RightKlik has provided information on each of the candidates plus some fun facts.

Are you a participating blog in Ten Buck Friday? If not, I urge you to become one. It's as easy as declaring it done and posting info on your blog. If you're not sure how to do it just ask any of the participants and they will be happy to help. If you ask moi - you'll get lots and lots of info on how to cut and paste and flagrantly steal from other sites (all of whom have been very forgiving.) If you ask the smarter folks like Maggie's Notebook , Fuzzy Logic, or Caught Him With a Corndog I'm sure they will take you beyond "cut, paste, and steal" - and we thank them!

Here's a list of participating blogs and links to their sites: