Obama's schedule for Thursday...

what - no golf??

10:05 am || Delivers remarks at World AIDS Day event; George Washington University
10:45 am || Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
5:00 pm || Attends the National Christmas Tree Lighting


H/T White House Dossier

Tanni Haas: Making It In The Political Blogosphere. A Review...

Dr. Haas was nice enough to send this small cog in the political blogosphere an electronic copy of his newest book, "Making It In The Political Blogosphere".    I actually was quite touched that I would be selected along with such heavy weights as iOwnTheWorld, to read and comment on this book.

Big Fur Hat, at iOwnTheWorld, posted his review just hours ago and gave it 4 1/2 "big fur hats" out of a possible five.  That galvanized me into action and I quickly opened my copy.  Due to my speed reading skills, I was able to finish the book in record time.

Dr. Haas has interviewed bloggers who would be considered by most, based on their daily hits, to be the "A-listers".   Included are both conservative and liberal bloggers, weighted in favor of liberal.  I don't really think that makes a big difference, and it was interesting to read the backgrounds of different people, their thoughts on blogging, and the pitfalls many face when entering this field.

Overall, if you've not been around the blogosphere very long, the advice given by this group of disparate bloggers will bring you some insight.  An amusing aspect is the contradictory advice often given between one blogger and another.


As with all things having to do with blogging, do what you want.  It is, after all, your blog.

Would I recommend this book?  Why, yes - yes I would.  

Who is Tanni Haas, Ph.D.?

Leonard & Claire Tow Professor and Full Professor, Department of Speech Communication Arts & Sciences

The City University of New York – Brooklyn College

and from Amazon.com

Tanni Haas holds the Leonard & Claire Tow Professorship and is a Full Professor in the Department of Speech Communication Arts & Sciences at the City University of New York Brooklyn College. An avid political blog reader, he is the author of The Pursuit of Public Journalism: Theory, Practice, and Criticism (Routledge, 2007), which is due out in Chinese and Korean translation, as well as three dozen scholarly journal articles and book chapters on political blogging and other forms of citizen-based journalism.

Your Favorite Movie...

Try this test.

This amazing math quiz will predict which of 18 movies below will be voted the NUMBER ONE movie of all times in 2012.

It really works, for MOST of us anyway!

1. Pick a number from 1-9.

2. Multiply by 3.

3. Add 3.

4. Multiply by 3 again.

5. Now add the two digits of your answer together to find your predicted favorite movie in the list of 18 movies below:


Movie List:

1. Gone With the Wind
2. E.T.
3. Blazing Saddles
4. Star Wars
5. Forrest Gump
6. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
7. Jaws
8. Grease
9. The Obama Farewell Speech of 2012
10. Casablanca
11. Jurassic Park
12. Shrek
13. Pirates of the Caribbean
14. Titanic
15. Raiders of the Lost Ark
16. Home Alone
17. Mrs. Doubtfire

Now, ain't that something?

Your feel good story of the day... w/ Update

brought to you by The Lonely Conservative - and we thank her.

McDonald’s Outsmarts San Fran Nannies

I have a luncheon appointment today with a big name Swedish journalist based out of New York. He is traveling the country interviewing people about the conservative movement in the states.  He's meeting with the mayor of Coeur d' Alene and then he's taking meeeeeeeeeeee to lunch.  Heh!  Sorry mayor!


I will be doing a bit of cross-interviewing and will reveal the identity of the journalist and some things I have learned later. 


I'm sort of nervous!

Play nice while I'm gone... 

Update:  Come home to find out this post never posted because of "editing conflicts."  Interview went well and will post on it soon... 

Pathology is rampant in government run schools...

turning our children into psychopaths one day at a time.

Anyone who thinks the type of "bullying" that goes on is schools today is what we saw or experienced 50 years ago is living in a delusional world.  I've been following many, many middle school and high school kids on Facebook and I routinely interact with them at our local library.  The level of viciousness, both verbal and physical, these kids can rise to is shocking and it is nothing like even 20 years ago, let alone 50 years ago. 

From Pundette:

Fifth-grader's suicide should be a wake-up call for parents 

A 10 year-old Ilinois girl hanged herself earlier this month rather than face more taunting from classmates at her small public school. The school's policy on bullying, devised no doubt by experts, states: "Tell the bully to stop; if that doesn't work, walk away; if that doesn't work, tell a teacher." It utterly failed her. When Ashlynn Conner did tell her teachers she was accused of "tattling." And the bullying continued.  read the rest

Fahrenheit 451 heading for Kindle...

My advice?  Keep a hard copy.

Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite books.  Imagine a world where the written word is wiped out.  They haven't managed to do that yet.  It's even better.  Our government schools are turning out illiterates by the boatload.  Saves the time and mess of burning books, doncha know.

Ironic? ‘Fahrenheit 451’ Author Allows Digital Publication

Lighting of the Rockefeller Center New York Christmas tree tonight...

or is that holiday tree?

In view of that take a look at Obummer's schedule today:

Noon || Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
12:40 pm || Departs White House
1:45 pm || Arrives Scranton, Pa.
2:05 pm || Meets with a Scranton family
2:45 pm || Delivers remarks at Scranton High School
4:10 pm || Departs Scranton
4:55 pm || Arrives New York City
6:05 pm || Delivers remarks at fundraiser #1; private residence
7:30 pm || Delivers remarks at fundraiser #2; Gotham Bar and Grille
9:05 pm || Delivers remarks at fundraiser #3; Sheraton Hotel
11:10 pm || Departs New York City
12:20 am || Arrives White House

Campaigning and fund-raising.  Not just fund-raising anywhere - but............in New York City on the same day as the lighting of the Christmas tree.  His presence will snarl traffic for miles and miles.

Here's what Donald Trump thinks about it: 

The Story of Old Butch...

and a warning.

Old Butch

John was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs.

He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced.

This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters.

Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing.

Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.

John's favorite rooster, old Butch, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all!

When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover.

To John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring.

He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Saint Lawrence County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.

The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the "No Bell Piece Prize," but they also awarded him the "Pulletsurprise" as well.

Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the unsuspecting populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

Vote carefully at the next election, the bells are not always audible.

 

Finally caught him...

on film - and it took all morning.

I do believe this critter is a Yellow-shafted Flicker

click to embiggen 

More views from my window: 

Busy day in the bird world.  A gazillion million starlings, numerous finches, sparrows, and the ever amusing quail, who love to hide in plain sight by mixing in with the starlings.   The rest of the time they march in orderly fashion along the fence line.  

The March of the Quail...

It's really about abortion...

and anyone who doesn't "get it" hasn't been paying attention.

I'm not going to make this a "Catholic" issue since it affects everyone of good will.  In a recent article I published,  Battling over birth control..., a few people missed the point and thought I was bashing Catholic teaching on birth control.  The reality is, I was putting it in perspective for the rest of the world.  Peter, Datechguy, jumped in and defended me - and I thank him. 

Obama leads what is clearly the most pro-abortion administration to ever rule over the country.  And "rule" is the operative word.  Aided by people who call themselves Catholic, such as Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy Pelosi, and helped along by bishops of the Church who naively thought they could "strike a deal" with people of no character, ObamaCare was passed in the dead of night and against the will of the American people. 

Now this administration is attacking anyone not providing "free" birth control in their insurance plans.  Just as there is ample evidence that abortion was the outcome of the legalization of birth control, we now witness what happens when the Church refuses to offer abortion referrals for victims of human trafficking.

From: The Catholic League (emphasis mine)

CATHOLIC CHURCH VS. OBAMA SHOWDOWN

On December 1, the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform will hold a hearing titled, “HHS and the Catholic Church: Examining the Politicization of Grants.” At issue is the decision by the Obama administration to deny a grant that the Catholic Church routinely receives providing for relief to the victims of human trafficking; the ruling was made despite an independent review board’s finding that gave high scores to the Church’s program.

The Church was denied the grant because it refuses to offer abortion referrals. Many Catholics, including the Catholic League, believe that the politicized nature of the decision to defund the program demands a hearing, and on Thursday we will get it. Since 2006, the Church has helped more than 2,700 trafficking victims, most of whom are women and children. 

Although the issue of abortion referral is on the table, the real issue is something more sinister: the pro-abortion community, which is supporting the Obama administration’s push to mandate that private healthcare plans provide coverage for sterilization and contraceptive services, has its real sights set on mandated abortion coverage. That’s why there has been an editorial and op-ed explosion in recent weeks calling for Obama to stand up to the bishops. Everyone knows that even minimum-wage earners can afford contraceptives, so this issue hardly explains the heated rhetoric. What mandated contraceptive services accomplishes is that it greases the slide towards abortion coverage.

Those who do not ascribe to the vision of sexuality entertained by “progressives,” but are nonetheless not terribly bothered by the push for contraceptive services in healthcare plans, need to wake up and smell the odor before the “progressives” start racing for home. We’re at the top of the stretch right now, which is why this hearing is critical.

 Allow me to restate my position here.  No insurance company should be required to provide "free" birth control, which is not "free."  The cost is just passed along in the form of higher insurance costs for everyone.   And in the very near future, people of good will will be required to pay even more for their insurance because we will be handing out "free" abortions.  I think that's something even non-Catholics can agree with Catholics about.

Remember recently when Pelosi made some silly remark about Catholics having this "conscience thing" meaning as long as we followed our conscience every thing would be just hunky dory? 

As I said in my article linked above, it means a well-formed conscience, Nancy.  And who's to blame for Catholic women contracepting at the same rate as the rest of the country?  Let's take a look at what happened in the 60's when the "pill" first hit the market.  Priests, who themselves had poorly formed consciences, gave a wink and a nudge to women using birth control.

I was there.  I saw it.  And it continues today.

They sided with dissenters when Pope Paul VI wrote the encyclical letter in 1968 Humanae Vitae, which explained very carefully and beautifully why birth control was wrong.   More winks and nudges were forthcoming.  I was there. I saw it.

Anyone with a properly formed conscience would see birth control for what it really is - a dangerous trip down a very slick road.  It demeans the role of women, motherhood, marriage, and family.  It turns men into "users of women", and away from their more natural role of provider and protector.  It has fostered a world in which middle school age boys refer to girls they don't like as "f*king c*nts", as I overheard in the library just last week...the girls sitting with them were nodding in agreement.

We wouldn't be having any discussion about killing a full term baby in the womb if we had listened when people smarter than us told the truth about birth control.

More:

Stacy McCain, in one of his best articles ever, takes a look at contraception and abortion from a non-Catholic view point and does it very well - and we thank him. 

Take time to read his wonderful article (if for no other reason than I spent a whole bunch of time tracking it down.)

The Pill at 50: Unhappy Un-Birthday

Governor Christie to Obama: What are we paying you for??

good question. 

Obama calls for Attorney General Eric Holder to step down...

Ooops!  Wrong Attorney General.  My bad!



Over 50 members of Congress are calling for Holder to step down.  He has lied under oath and presided over Operation Gun Walker, causing the deaths of many innocent people.  


And this narcissistic corrupt president doesn't see a problem?  

What about Gonzales?

Three years of investigations by Congress, by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility, and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nora Dannehy found no criminal wrongdoing by Gonzales in connection with the U.S. Attorney firings, and no misstatements to Congress. One commentator noted, “The attack on Gonzales was in part due to his loyalty to his boss, and his effectiveness at advancing the Bush agenda. Blinded by their hatred for the man who signed off on the so called “torture memos”, liberals were looking for any way to drive a stake through his black heart.

On March 13th, well before the Justice Department and White House had provided thousands of pages of documents related to the firings, well before the testimony of DOJ and White House witnesses, well before the private interviews of DOJ and White House witnesses with Congressional staff, and well before the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility concluded no wrongdoing by Gonzales, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, and others called for Gonzales’ resignation. They did not care about the evidence or truth; they wanted Gonzales gone. As one commentator noted, Gonzales’ critics aren’t after the truth. They’re after him.  source

Read more at  The Ulsterman Report

If you read nothing else today...

read this:

Tales From the Redneck Resistance

and ponder it deeply.

Bill Whittle on Character: Starting the week off right...

and we thank him.



H/T iOwnTheWorld

This is what John Taylor Gatto, author of The Underground History of American Education, has to say in about what our modern day schools achieve.  You may read the entire book at the link above. 

Pathology As A Natural Byproduct

With these eight lessons in hand you should have less trouble seeing that the social pathologies we associate with modern children are natural byproducts of our modern system of schooling which produces:

• Children indifferent to the adult world of values and accomplishment, defying the universal human experience laid down over thousands of years that a close study of grown-ups is always the most exciting and one of the most necessary occupations of youth. Have you noticed how very few people, adults included, want to grow up anymore? Toys are the lingua franca of American society for the masses and the classes.
  
  
• Children with almost no curiosity. Children who can’t even concentrate for long on things they themselves choose to do. Children taught to channel-change by a pedagogy employing the strategy "and now for something different," but kids who also realize dimly that the same damn show is on every channel.
  
  
• Children with a poor sense of the future, of how tomorrow is linked to today. Children who live in a continuous present. Conversely, children with no sense of the past and of how the past has shaped and limited the present, shaped and limited their own choices, predetermined their values and destinies to an overwhelming degree.
  
  
• Children who lack compassion for misfortune, who laugh at weakness, who betray their friends and families, who show contempt for people whose need for help shows too plainly. Children condemned to be alone, to age with bitterness, to die in fear.
  
  
• Children who can’t stand intimacy or frankness. Children who masquerade behind personalities hastily fabricated from watching television and from other distorted gauges of human nature. Behind the masks lurk crippled souls. Aware of this, they avoid the close scrutiny intimate relationships demand because it will expose their shallowness of which they have some awareness.
  
  
• Materialistic children who assign a price to everything and who avoid spending too much time with people who promise no immediate payback—a group which often includes their own parents. Children who follow the lead of schoolteachers, grading and ranking everything: "the best," "the biggest," "the finest," "the worst." Everything simplified into simple-minded categories by the implied judgment of a cash price, deemed an infallible guide to value.
  
  
• Dependent children who grow up to be whining, treacherous, terrified, dependent adults, passive and timid in the face of new challenges. And yet this crippling condition is often hidden under a patina of bravado, anger, aggressiveness.

More Bill Whittle:

Bill Whittle: What We Believe

Part One: Small Government & Free Enterprise  here

Part Two: The Problem with Elitism  here
Part Three: Wealth Creation here 
Part Four: Natural Law here 
Part Five: Gun Rights here
Part Six: Immigration here 
Part Seven:   American Exceptionalism here
Part Eight:  A Nation of Desire here

and  

Bill Whittle: OBAMA AT HALFTIME ...
Bill Whittle: Just exactly who is Obama? 
Bill Whittle :  Eat the Rich 
Bill Whittle: How to Steal Power
Bill Whittle: The Bridge in Your Mind

Take the time to watch:

Bill Whittle Explains our Progressive Nightmare 

Something to think about...

From: Troy, at Thoughts Aloud

In a number of articles in this space, I have implied – or outright stated – that I think it is too late for the United States to recover from its current ills and that, instead, we should focus on trying to rebuild as quickly as possible after what I consider the inevitable collapse. I have often made these statements as if they were common knowledge. In all fairness to the few people who are kind enough to read what I contribute, I realize a more in-depth explanation is overdue. I will attempt that now.

It is human nature to concentrate the hardest on the current circumstance, usually at the expense of any broader or long-term view. I propose now that we take such a view – in fact, views.

I propose that, while there is plenty to complain about in the current administration and the current congress, the ills that are bringing us down are actually long-term trends. I further propose that any real recovery would, therefore, necessarily require a reversal of those trends.

First, let me cite the three trends I think most responsible for our national condition:  read the rest

My book awaits.  See you tomorrow...

 

Ever wonder what the magic patented ingredient in Certs is...

 sure you did. 

Ever see a commercial for Certs mints? If so, then you’ve probably heard of a mystery ingredient known as Retsyn®. In fact, if you pay close attention, you’ll be informed that Certs is the only brand of mint with this magical mystery ingredient. But what the heck is it?  

Robert has the answer for you over at Untitled Minimalism

Chad Mitchell Trio

since hubby is talking to Chad on the phone right now, I thought I'd give you a peek of how they look and sound now (for all two of you who even remember the Chad Mitchell Trio.) 

 Chad leaving the group in 1965 paved the way for an unknown by the name of John Denver to become a part of the group which went by the Mitchell Trio. 

My hubby had great fun going with the group a number of years ago as their guitarist when they played a huge folk benefit show at the famed 92nd Street Y in New York. 

A confession...

I'm going to Walmart.

Yes, that Walmart.  You know, the company that personifies corporate greed, abuser of employees, killer of small businesses, and harborers of strange looking people. 

I want this lamp...

I will be dropping a trail of corn kernels to ensure my safe return.  Wish me luck...

Whoa - a huge-ass storm is blowing in.  High winds and rain.  Maybe everyone will leave Walmart and skitter off home.  I can hope.

Kimberly Webb Joyner...

died last night in her sleep from unknown causes.  

Wife of James Joyner, founder of Outside the Beltway, she is mother of two young daughters.  Kimberly was 41 years old.  I can't even imagine the pain he must be feeling.

May the Lord bless and keep her and bring comfort to her family...

The Union Leader endorses Newt...

so what.

Folks, this is the sort of thinking that landed the Obamanation in office.  Mindless drones who bought into hope and change.  Racists who voted for Obama because he was black.  It's "historic" doncha know!

So now we're supposed to think, "Wow, if the Union Leader likes Newt, I guess I do too."  Wrong.

Allow me to say once again:

Trust but Verify

From the Union Leader:

This newspaper endorses Newt Gingrich in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary.

America is at a crucial crossroads. It is not going to be enough to merely replace Barack Obama next year. We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing.

He did so with the Contract with America. He did it in bringing in the first Republican House in 40 years and by forging balanced budgets and even a surplus despite the political challenge of dealing with a Democratic President. A lot of candidates say they're going to improve Washington. Newt Gingrich has actually done that, and in this race he offers the best shot of doing it again. read the rest

There's the usual huge number of people discussing this at Memeorandum

You have to be insane to do this...

or really, really stupid.

Commenter Threatens to Kill Teresamerica

click to embiggen: 

If there are conservative bloggers out there doing such things, I haven't bumped into one yet.  I'm had my own issues with crazy trolls, but certainly never one that threatened to kill me (no matter how appealing that might have been for them.) While the Disqus comment system allows me to black list certain IP (internet provider) numbers, having a statcounter is very good tool for recovering IP's. 

Several times in the past I've had to contact an ISP (internet service provider) about one of their subscribers.  In both cases the ISP dropped the subscriber almost immediately.  In another case I was getting a gazillion (I'm not exaggerating) hits per second.  While increased traffic is nice, to witness your site going from moderately popular to something that would make Drudge jealous was a bit alarming.   I contacted the ISP in question who contacted the subscriber.  It seems he was running a spider that had gone haywire.  I received a very nice email and an apology from the person in question. 

It's Sunday...

for you enjoyment.

Brought to you by The New Hot Five  - and we thank them.

The New Hot 5, American-based jazz band plays for a herd of cows in Autrans, France. The unedited footage is now uploaded on our channel in two parts. If you want to hear more, check out our other videos of concerts for humans.

A Friday night feel-good moment...

meet Oskar, the blind kitteh.

Oskar, despite his disability, was adopted into a forever home last July.  This is a recent picture of the precious Oskar. 

And with his new BFF Klaus

Comment about the following video from the kind people who adopted Oskar:

Some of you asked for more Oskar videos, so here we go..... I took this video the day after we adopted him. Since he is completely blind (born without formed eyeballs) we gave him some balls with bells inside. As you can tell, he can "see" them by using his ears! He is such a happy and inspiring cat -- we are blessed to have him with us.

Music provided by SMITH's CLOUD from Lincoln, Nebraska. The tracked is called A CHANGE OF DAYS.

http://www.facebook.com/smithscloudmusic

Righteous rant on reality...

sobering

brought to you by my friend, Blue - and we thank him

Reality...

Battling over birth control...

While wandering around over at Memeorandum, I spied this opinion piece from the New York Times about the heartless nonsense of Catholic bishops not wanting to cover birth control in any insurance coverage provided for their employees.

Two other publications weighed in - The Washington Post and the Washington Monthly.  I had to take a peek at the comments on the second two because the Times article had none. To be expected, they were vile and viciously anti-Catholic.

Let's talk turkey here, since it is the day after Thanksgiving.  This issue really has nothing to do with Catholics, unless you're an economic dummy.  What it does have to do with is mandates.  Government mandates, to be exact. 

Listen carefully now.  Nothing is free.  Every time the government mandates more of something that someone has to provide for "free", someone else is paying for it - and that would be me and you. 

Most Catholics gave up their bitching rights long ago as they contracept at the same rate as the rest of the world.  And the bishops?  They really thought by backing ObamaCare and asking for conscience clauses they would be protected.  How naive can a bunch of guys be?  Never mind.  I seem to be full of stupid questions today. 

So never mind the Church, the bishops, or anything else except the primary issue here which would be:  I don't want to pay for your contraception.  I also don't want to pay for Viagra or any other "life style" drug for anyone, for any reason.  Read my lips - buy your own! Capice? 

For all you people leaving uninformed comments on the above mentioned articles demanding "free" birth control for everyone, think about it when your 71 year old mother doesn't get her aneurysm fixed because it would be a waste of money because of her "advanced" age.  At least you'll be able to rest easy in the knowledge that mom's birth control was "free."

It's Black Friday...

so what!

While I'm in favor of capitalism, the spectacle that ensues on the day after Thanksgiving has become more than a bit weird.  Pepper spraying someone to get a cheap plastic little waffle maker - little being the operative word here, is outside my ability to comprehend.

One video going around gives us privy to some woman's big behind with her ugly polyester pants sliding down exposing her inner plumber.  And she needs a waffle maker?  I actually feel a bit sorry for her.  Does she realize that the entire world is watching?  My advice?  Buy longer tops. 

And the occupests decided they wanted to disrupt all this shopping going on today.  Why?  Those are the 99%, aren't they?  They're supposedly helping the economy, aren't they?  What person would be stupid enough to think they could get between a black Friday shopper and a waffle maker?  Silly question.

Stacy McCain unleashed his biting wit and sizable writing skills (I'm eaten up with jealousy as I struggle with then/than and commas) to expound on the silly question I just asked. 

#Occupy Black Friday?

Among the many things we should be thankful for this Thanksgiving, despite our current economic woes, is the free enterprise system. But guess who doesn’t like capitalism?


We know Occupiers are stupid, but the fathomless depth of their ignorance simply amazes me: How do you demonize “corporations” but exempt from your criticism the shoppers whose purchases supply revenue to those businesses? read the rest - it's priceless

Anyhoo, Mary Ann Krietzer, over at Les Femmes, asked the question:  Do You Shop on Black Friday?

My answer to her?  (Glad you asked) 

Adrienne said:

ONE time we did it and only because my hubby thought it would be a good idea.

It was years ago at our local Target. Understand that in North Idaho people still behave fairly well.

Anyhoo, they had a CD player that seemed like a good deal (turned out it wasn't that hot of a deal.)

So hubby says the day before, "We should drop by the store in the morning and perhaps purchase one."

I looked at him in amazement and said, "I don't think you understand how it works. We'll have to be there at 4am, stand in line, and hope you can snag one before they run out."

So he gamely got out of bed at 3am and we headed off to the store. He almost had a stroke when he saw the peeps lined up all the way around the outside of the store.

We hopped in line and when the doors opened we were lucky enough to have a store person direct us to the new pallet being brought in way over in a corner opposite the electronics. I snagged the last one just as some poor women was dithering (no dithering allowed), we paid, and left.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I find the whole spectacle a bit nauseating. It reminds me of how a pride of lions acts after a recent kill. Actually - I think the lions behave better.

But you see, I'm old enough to remember when ladies got dressed up to go downtown shopping, stores were closed on Sunday (blue laws), and people generally behaved a bit better. 

Matthew Archbold, over at Creative Minority Report, has some good advice, "I just stayed in the toy aisle."

Father Longenecker struck a thoughtful comparison - and we thank him.

Black Friday and Good Friday

And MOTUS (bless her hard-working heart) brings us: 

Post Turkey Day Wrap Sheet

Thanksgiving...

a day for:

Parades:

Food:

 Family:

Football:



and giving thanks...

Have a wonderful day

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving...

and I'm thankful my guru could fix our computers.  It was ugly...

and

so is this:

Bunkerville:   Mark Levin – A Neurosurgeon calls in about Death Panels, HHS

Tomorrow the emergency pet clinics will be very busy with sick doggies.  You're not doing your pet any favors by giving him Thanksgiving Day "treats."

An Important List of 10 Things to NEVER feed Your Dog

1. Bones
2. Chocolate
3. Milk and Cheese
4. Onions and Garlic
5. Raisins and Grapes
6. Avacados
7. Apple Cores
8. Yeast Dough
9. Caffeine
10. Bacon (or any high amounts of fat)
11. Macadamia Nuts
12. Corn on the Cob

From Wags 2 Whiskers Veterinary Hospital: 

click to embiggen: 

 

I have a serious computer virus...

or trojan - or something.

The fake AV Protection 2011 is the newest and absolutely most annoying and dangerous little thingy going around. I am honored to have been chosen to receive this vile and distructive "whatever"  into my precious computer.

Trust me - this thing is ugly...

I've turned off my computer and have an emergency call into my guru.  After reading the removal steps,  I don't trust myself to deal with it.

Blogging will be light.

Newt Gingrich sums up Occupy Wall Street...

and we thank him.

This is from today's Thanksgiving forum.  It was pretty appalling to read the constant anti-Christian tweets rolling down the left side of the screen.  I don't hate or belittle atheists but the loony left sees no problem with making scathing and ridiculous statements about Christians.  What's up with that?

Does this make me important?..

I think so.

'Cause I just learned Big Fur Hat, over at iOwnTheWorld,  received a copy of the recently released book by Tanni Haas, “Making it in the Political Blogosphere.”


I wandered over to my gmail account and lo and behold - I GOT A COPY, TOO!!  So I now know I'm almost as important as Big Fur Hat. I could never be as important as Big Fur Hat because, well - he has a big fur hat and I don't.  Someone want to send me a big fur hat??

Dear Adrienne,

I am writing to let you know that my book, “Making it in the Political Blogosphere,” has just been released by Lutterworth Press. For your information, I have attached an electronic version of it.

The book features profiles of and interviews with 20 of world’s top political bloggers. These include (in alphabetical order) Rogers Cadenhead, Steve Clemons, Juan Cole, Cheryl Contee, Tyler Cowen, Kevin Drum, Eric Garris, Nick Gillespie, Taegan Goddard, Jane Hamsher, John Hawkins, Jim Hoft, Arianna Huffington, Thomas Lifson, Andrew Malcolm, Eric Olsen, Heather Parton, Lew Rockwell, Ben Smith, and Mathew Yglesias.

I'll take a look-see and let you all know what I think.

and 

Thanks, Dr. Haas for making me feel relevant.

 

Thanksgiving Forum on live...

right now (3:30 PT)

Participating are Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry. Oooops - and Herman Cain.

Reading the lefties tweets tells you exactly how they feel about Christians.  It's not pretty.  Mock God at your own peril.

Citizen Link for live coverage

Forum has ended...

Should you own a gun?

maybe, maybe not.

From American Thinker:

Should I Own a Gun? by John Fricke

Best comment on the article:

Spyderman 2 days ago

John, I am a long-time NRA member and avid varmint hunter and precision rifle fan. My advice to you is that if you must first ask yourself if you are psychologically prepared to defend your life with a gun and if you are willing to do the research to find out if you want to take the risk of possible legal action against you if you kill someone, even though he/she is/was in the act of wanting to take your life.

There are many so-called "red-necks" or "gun nuts" who love the macho aspect of owning a huge pistol or other fancy weapon, and brag about their prowess with a gun, including their justifying their gun ownership by touting it as necessary to save their lives; however, they are in a very large group who don't know the downside of successfully saving ones own life by using a gun.

We have veterans who have been faced with lifelong guilt for killing soldiers from an opposing force, and a similar fate could well await a gun owner. Unless you are the type of person who has some sort of mental shell to withstand the possibility of such guilt, don't buy a weapon for self-defense. If you do happen to decide to purchase a firearm, by all means sign up for one of the many self-defense classes so that you can know when and when not to use a weapon, self-defense alternatives, legal aspects that could befall you if you took someone else's life, and so forth. Join the NRA. They can also be a great help.

As for the pickup truck rednecks, some are good people and some are immature idiots. Personally, I hunt alone and have only a handful of friends with whom I would trust to know how to handle a weapon. I have a small but good selection of hunting rifles, plus a few pistols. I hardly ever use the pistols because I just am not interested in pistolry. Rifles are a different story. One more thing: if you decide to purchase a weapon, don't go crazy and buy a weapon that would shoot through a perpetrator, through the walls in your house, then through the neighbor's wall. Not a good idea!. I prefer a .45 ACP with hollow points or a shotgun. Nothing wrong with a revolver, either, as long as the caliber is meant for home defense.

Learn about all this stuff before you even jump in and make a weapon purchase.

Enough politics already...

let's make bacon.

I make bacon in the oven.  It's simple and doesn't tend to stink up the house like pan frying tends to do.

How to:

Line a cookie sheet that has edges with foil

Pretty dang easy so far.  Make a little pouring spout on one corner for pouring off grease.

Put bacon in pan.  Notice my side has a whole bunch of fresh cracked pepper.  Still pretty easy.

Put pan in cold oven and turn temperature to 400 degrees.  It takes about 15 minutes or so to completely cook (thicker bacon will take longer and may need to be flipped once.)  I'm cooking up a bunch of cheaper bacon (Big Buy) that was in the markdown bin at the grocery store for .69 cents for a one pound package so I'm expecting to have a bit more grease.  Use the little funnel you made in the corner to pour grease into a cute little jar for cooking other things. 

Watch carefully.  Oven temps vary and your bacon can go from nicely cooked to burnt to a crisp very quickly.  Some may have to be removed before others.  

I always cook the whole package and the extras are parceled out into zip lock bags for the freezer. 

 
Breakfast is served...

Devout "Catholic" and abortion lover Pelosi misrepresents Catholic teaching...

again still almost always.

Blogger buddy, Subvet, reminded me of Nancy Pelosi saying:

Catholic health-care providers in particular have long said they’d have to go out of business without the conscience protections that Pelosi says amount to letting hospitals “say to a woman, ‘I’m sorry you could die’ if you don’t get an abortion.” Those who dispute that characterization “may not like the language,’’ she said, “but the truth is what I said. I’m a devout Catholic and I honor my faith and love it . . . but they have this conscience thing’’ that she insists put women at physical risk, although Catholic providers strongly disagree.  source

I covered most of what she said in this post:  Nancy Pelosi spewing nonsense... w/ Update

In the above statement, I think she may be saying she's following her conscience when making her decisions about abortion and that makes it A-ok.  Not exactly, Nancy.  The Catholic Church holds that your conscience must be your guide.  However, the Church is careful to instruct us that our consciences must be "well-formed." 

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1783 Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.  

1786 Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.  

1787 Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decision difficult. But he must always seriously seek what is right and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine law.

1788 To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and the signs of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice of competent people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.

1789 Some rules apply in every case:
- One may never do evil so that good may result from it;
- the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."⁵⁶
- charity always proceeds by way of respect for one's neighbor and his conscience: "Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ."⁵⁷ Therefore "it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble."⁵⁸

IV. ERRONEOUS JUDGMENT
 
1790 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.

1791 This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case when a man "takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin."⁵⁹ In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits.

1792 Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one's passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct.

1793 If - on the contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not responsible for his erroneous judgment, the evil committed by the person cannot be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to correct the errors of moral conscience. 

And what's with that "devout" schtick she's always spouting?  I don't have any idea of what a devout Catholic is.  I do, however, know what it's not - and it's not Nancy Pelosi.  She is a disgrace to the teachings of the Catholic Church and her positions on important subjects like abortion have undoubtedly led many people astray.  That is a very serious sin!  


 

Allen West calls out the media...

stop being afraid of this president.  Call him out!




H/T Moonbattery

Rand Paul on the governments busy body nature...

watch Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, sound really stupid.

Question:  How many times do you have to flush your low-flow toilet? 

Occupests Live from NY...

they won't be happy until someone is killed.


If this video feed won't run go HERE

Yay!  It's running...

Chet Atkins

June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001

Known as Mr. Guitar and The Country Gentleman, Chet was, indeed, both.  

The French Revolution...

and a big honking book.

There are so many things to be outraged about (and everyone else is doing a great job of keeping us up to date), that I really have nothing to say.

Except:

Who let Jerry Sandusky actually do an interview?  Couldn't his lawyers stop him from putting a noose around his neck?  We live in a culture that is so in love with its own voice that it is incapable of keeping its mouth shut.  Good grief - even the HuffandPuff was a bit aghast:

Jerry Sandusky Interview With Bob Costas Could Haunt Him At Trial


In his new book, Mark Kelly blasts John Boehner for not visiting his wife, Gabrielle Giffords.  Really?  If everyone that Giffords was associated with herded themselves into the hospital to visit, she'd never have a chance to get well.  The Digital Hairshirt puts a much finer point on the subject - and we thank her.

STFU, Mark Kelly, you didn't send me a Christmas card last year . . .

Next:

How many people will this offend??

From Weasel Zippers: 

South Carolina Cancer Center Gives Santa Claus The Boot: “We Don’t Want To Offend” Anyone…  Sad!!

 On to the big honking book:

I've read many good books on the French Revolution, but I've never read this one: 

 

I picked it up at the library yesterday.  It's close to 1000 page long which sort of set my ADD brain abuzz.  There would be no skipping around in this behemoth (typical of ADD'ers) so I almost put it back on the shelf.  Then I whipped out my calculator and figured out how many pages I had to read per day in order to finish it in a month.  Chopping off the notes and references in the back, and ignoring the epilogue brought the page count down to about 850.    I divided that by 30 ( the length of days it's borrowed) and that meant I would have to read 28 pages per day.  But, wait!  I can renew it bringing the days up to 60.  I didn't even have to get that calculator back out to realize I could read 14 pages per day and finish in 60 days.  That seemed more reasonable, since I need time for checking out things on the internet and note taking. 

Life is good...

And I just ordered this from Amazon:

Say hello to my new follower...

you'll like her.

When a new follower shows up in that cute little box on the sidebar, I usually click on the picture to see if they have a blog.  I figure if they're smart  nice enough to actually follow me, I owe them the courtesy of finding out who they are and if they have a blog.

Imagine my surprise at one of my newest followers, Kincsem, who blogs at Memoirs of the Attention Deficit. 

She's pretty, likes guns, is a trauma nurse in an emergency room, has some insightful comments about nursing school (been there, done that, and can sympathize with what she says), patients in the ER, and Facebook  

Kincsem

Now the only problem is she seems to have a life and really doesn't update her blog often enough.  Maybe we can all rush over there and demand more posts. 

Want to see more?  Of course you do.  Her Flicker page

Governor Perry - Let's gut Washington...

sounds good to me. 
 
Text of Gov. Perry’s Uproot and Overhaul Washington Speech

From the governors site.  My comments in blue.

Thank you. It is great to be here at Schebler in Bettendorf, Iowa.

I want to say a special thanks to Jim Anderson, your president, for opening your facility to us, and letting us meet the hardworking men and women of this plant. And I am especially delighted to be joined by the governor of a nearby Midwestern state, Kansas governor Sam Brownback.

Governor Brownback not only has the perspective of a leader in America’s heartland, but was a United States Senator, where he had an up-close view of just how broken Washington is, and has witnessed Washington’s encroachment on the 10^th Amendment from both perspectives. He shares my desire for fundamental reform in Washington, and I am delighted to be joined by him today here in Iowa.
The issue this election is not whether Washington is broken, but how we go about fixing it. There are two approaches, and even my own party is split.

There are some who want to tinker with the status quo. They want to work within the current system to achieve marginal change. Then there are those who believe, as I do, that Washington is too broken to be fixed by tinkering on the margins.  Yes!  No more tinkering.  It's time to start over.  You can't "fix" something that is based on faulty premises and, in some cases, is blatantly unconstitutional

I do not believe Washington needs a new coat of paint, it needs a complete overhaul. We need to uproot, tear down and rebuild Washington, D.C. and our federal institutions.

We should apply the wisdom of Solomon to Washington. Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, says, “there is a time to plant and a time to uproot, there is a time to tear down and a time to build.”

It is time to tear down the monuments to bureaucratic failure, and in their place build a smaller, more efficient federal government that puts the American People first.

The Washington Insiders won’t address Beltway decay, they won’t try a totally new way, because they like things as they are.  And why the hell not?  They're getting fat and sassy on our dime

The lobbyists make their living on protecting corporate loopholes, and securing earmarks for the special interests they represent.  Can you say Solyndra?

The status quo is good to the Washington Insiders. It’s good to the overpaid bureaucrats. It’s good for the power-players who can trade favors to build fiefdoms of influence.

While the rest of America remains mired in the ruin caused by Washington’s out-of–touch, big government economic policies, Washington is doing fine.

In fact, the Washington metro area is now the most affluent metropolitan area in the country. That’s because all the lobbyists, contractors and over-paid czars and bureaucrats haven’t suffered one bit in the worst economy in 70 years. While Main Street’s windows have been boarded up, the cash continues to flow to Wall Street financiers and Beltway profiteers.  And these arrogant elitists sit around in some fern bar at happy hour telling each other how smart they are

Let me ask you a question: if you found out the house you built had crumbling walls, faulty wiring, and a leaky roof, would you call in the original incompetent builder to fix it? 

And if it was fundamentally flawed, would you add on to the same faulty structure, or would you tear it down, and re-build again with a totally new crew?

Our country’s foundation – the American people and the United States Constitution – is still strong.
It’s what the politicians and bureaucrats have built upon that foundation, on the backs of American taxpayers, that must be replaced and rebuilt.

Those who got us into this mess will not get us out. Those who increased the debt $4 trillion in three years cannot be trusted to bring in a new era of fiscal austerity. Those who made the economic crisis worse do not have the capacity to make it better.

In recent weeks our president has taken to pointing the finger of blame instead of taking responsibility. He has called us soft and lazy, and he has said Americans lack ambition and imagination.

Mr. President, Americans aren’t soft or lazy, and Americans do not lack ambition of imagination, Washington has failed us.

We need new leadership. We need a new builder. We need a Washington Outsider.

Unique to the Republican field, I have never been an establishment figure, have never served in Congress or part of an Administration, and have never been a paid lobbyist. My career has been that of a Washington Outsider.

Here is my plan to fix our three broken branches of government.

Part one of my plan is to reform the federal judiciary by ending life terms for unelected federal judges. Too many federal judges rule with impunity from the bench, and those who legislate from the bench should not be entitled to lifetime abuse of their judicial authority. 

Under my plan, future appointees to the federal bench will not receive a lifetime appointment.

Part two involves deconstructing the permanent political class in the legislative branch. Congress is out of touch because Congressmen are overpaid, over-staffed and away from home too much. Americans have had enough.

It’s time to create a part-time Congress where their pay is cut in half, their office budgets are cut in half, and their time in Washington is cut in half.  Good luck with that

And if they do not submit a budget that balances by 2020, as my plan calls for, we should cut their pay in half again.  How about we hang them instead?  That would build a fire under them

And when I take office, we will work to freeze congressional and agency salaries until the budget is balanced.

We have a lot of well-intentioned members of Congress. But they have become creatures of Washington. They get paid more than three times the average American Family, and they have doubled their own budgets in the last decade.

They are completely detached from the people, who are struggling to get by, and can’t vote to raise their own pay.  Right on

Some have even abused the public’s trust, trading on inside information to pad their stock portfolios. Congress has proven it can’t be trusted to watch our money, and now its clear they can’t be trusted with theirs’.  Ya think???

Any Congressman or Senator that uses their insider knowledge to profit in the stock market ought to be sent to jail – period.  Or hung

And my plan makes that clear. But in reality, they shouldn’t wait until we have a new president, they ought to pass a law right now that criminalizes Insider Trading in Congress, no ifs, ands or buts.

We send members of Congress to look out for America, not enrich themselves. But too often, they are taken captive by the Washington culture.

That’s why we need a part-time Congress. I say send them home to live under the laws they pass among the people they represent.  I think it was originally intended to be this way

Further, we must change the spending culture in Congress.

No more bailouts of bankers, no more earmarks for pet projects, and no more spending beyond our means.  What a concept.  How about zero-based budgeting?

I will bring spending down to 18 percent of GDP, the average amount of the last 50 years. And I will fight in every corner of this country for a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution.

And two more points on spending: no longer will we prop up failed entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were at the heart of the economic collapse because of mortgage financing policies that gave false confidence to homebuyers who have now defaulted or are under water.  Hey, loony left.  It wasn't Bush's fault!!

We will privatize Fannie and Freddie so politicians can no longer politicize them, and taxpayers will no longer be fleeced by them.

And lastly, we will put a permanent stop to federal funding of Planned Parenthood because our tax dollars should never be used in taking an innocent, unborn life.  YES!!!

The third part of my plan involves the dismantling and rebuilding of the permanent bureaucracy.
We will eliminate agencies that perform redundant functions. I will get rid of the Commerce Department, the Department of Education, and the Department of Energy.  He remembered all three - good for him

We will downsize and re-task the EPA so it no longer torments job creators or gives an official stamp to phony science.  The EPA is one of the biggest job destroyers in this country, but they don't give a crap because their salaries just keep on rolling in.

We will end the TSA’s harassment of law-abiding travelers and return transportation security to the private sector.  Great.  Maybe I'll be able to get on plane again.  The way it is now, I won't fly.

And we will restructure the behemoth that has become the Department of Homeland Security.

We will perform a full audit of the Federal Government, and there will be no sacred cows, including wasteful spending at the Department of Defense, where every dollar we spend should support our warfighters around the world.  I thought Odumbo was going to do this?  Oh, that's right - it interfered with his golf game

We will put a moratorium on every pending federal regulation, and order a full audit of the last five years of new regulations, repealing those that are not affordable, effective or that kill jobs.  Let's start by getting our light bulbs back

And we will say to every bureaucrat except our military and law enforcement: no salary increases until the federal budget is balanced. And because a president must lead by example, we should cut his salary in half until the budget is balanced.

Washington is so broken, Americans will accept nothing less than a complete overhaul of the way business is done in America.

Americans know there is a season for everything under the sun. And this is the season for tearing down and rebuilding again, for uprooting the broken branches of government in Washington, and building a new government that is smaller and more humble, so America can be stronger and freer again.

Hmmmmmmm, nothing about ObamaCare