Sic Semper Tyrannis

He said, "I’m from Al-Dujaile".
”This is what peace looked like in Iraq at Saddam’s time."
Get a clue, read about the crime that Saddam paid for tonight, right here .

Read one victim's account.

Why was Saddam hanged tonight?

Was it to silence him before he embarasses Rumsfeld, Cheney, or Bush?
Was it the vengance of a kangaroo court influenced by revenge for the attempted murder of George H.W. Bush?
Was it a grave injustice to hang Saddam while " Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Blair and others are free"?
Get a clue, read on...
Saddam was tried on his butchery of men, women, and children of Al-Dujaile after an assassination attempt there.
I would think that the name of the town
where 143 were executed would be more widely known,
even to someone with only a casual acquaintance with the news, like me.

President Bush - after the death sentence was given to Saddam Hussein-
"Iraq has a lot of work ahead as it builds its society that delivers equal
justice and protects all its citizens. Yet history will record today's judgment
as an important achievement on the path to a free and just and unified society.
The United States is proud to stand with the Iraqi people. We will continue
to support Iraq's unity government as it works to bring peace to its great
country."

Please point anyone who expresses any
sympathy for the devil to this article.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He said, "I’m from Al-Dujaile"
I understood what he meant.

In Saddam's time we used to whisper about Al-Dujaile, we all knew that a massacre happened there, but we didn't dare to ask about the details and I never met any one from there. Now I can know all about it from my new friend and here it is, in his own words:-"Al-Dujaile is my home town, I always looked at it as god's heaven on earth, it's about 60 kilometers to the north of Baghdad, on the bank of al Ishaki river (a branch of Tigris), inhabited by few thousands, most of whom are farmers, our village is well known by its date palms and grapes, a fascinating nature that takes your breath away, its people are related by strong tribal relations that keep them as one large family.

- Date: 7/8/1982, Saddam decides to visit the village, the Ba’ath party in the region prepared the people to make a big reception, they took us out of the schools(I was 7 years old). They made us line in a row on both sides of the road to wave for him and cheer his name. It never occurred to me that it would be my last day in the childhood world. I was forced to skip that period of my life with such cruelty that I can not explain.

-17 of the finest young men in the village had decided to put an end to the tyrant's life at that day, they had the courage to face him, we didn't know about their intention.The brave men set an ambush among the palm trees, they couldn't tell which car was his, there were dozens of cars, all identical in model and color.

-The attack starts, the brave young men open fire from their simple weapons, some of the body guards get killed, others wounded, the tyrant get panicked, imagine that (Saddam is afraid) the man who enjoyed terrorizing people lives a moment of fear with all its details, he was so close to death this time.8 of the attackers were killed, the rest fled out of the country.(Woe to the sinners) who dared to make him scared, you should fear his revenge, you should learn the lesson so that it won't happen again, you should bow more and more and fear more and more, you should be scared to death so that you don't dare even to think of harming him; the shadow of god on earth.

-The answer was fast, one hour after the escape of the tyrant, we had to face his anger, I heard the sound of helicopters over our heads wreaking their vengeance upon our small village, backed later with shovels that leveled the trees with the ground, the order was clear(the terror should be great) so that the others would learn.I ran away to my home into my mothers' lap, my younger brother and sisters gathered around me, I realized something huge has happened and anticipated the eminent evil. it didn't take long for the security to get to our house, we were taken to the unknown, me, my mother(who was 4 months pregnant), my sisters Einas(5 years), Zeina(3 years)and my brother Mohammed(1 year).

-The first station in our long journey was Al-Hakimiyah prison that belongs to the intelligence, I found hundreds of my village people, old, young, men, women and children, we were 480 there. Out of whom 80 were relatives of mine.It was enough to say the word Hakimiyah for any Iraqi to be completely paralyzed(the one who gets in is a missing-the one who gets out is reborn

-this was what we used to say about this prison, the walls of which tell thousands of horror stories that you refuse to believe.I was too young to know why we were treated like that, but I sure knew the meaning of being scared to death. The sound of foot steps that stops by the door was enough for every one to freeze, as after that the door would be opened, a name of one of the men would be announced and he would be dragged to the interrogation room to return few hours later unconscious, covered by blood, wrapped in a blanket, and would be thrown on us.

The women and children had their share, and this is what saw: extraction of nails and teeth, electric shocks, whipping with lashes, using razors to tear the skin into shreds, my aunt was left hanging from the roof after her clothes had been wrapped of her in front of her brothers to force them to talk.
Do you know how much pain we suffered?
Can you imagine?
I doubt it.
We stayed at Al-Hakimiyah for one month, the space was too small for all of us to sleep, some of us had to stay on their feet so that the others could sleep.-After that we were transferred to Abu-Ghraib prison, where we met the men for the last time, after that, the 143 men separated from us and then transferred to another place, as for the rest of us, we were kept in Abu-Ghraib prison for six months, during that time, the day for my mother to deliver her baby came, she had complications and they didn't take her to the hospital until it was too late, the baby died.
my mother never if it was a boy or a girl.
In the prison, 4 people died, my grandfather(Yousif Ya'koob), my uncles wife(Noofa Hasan), the old man(Abdul Wahab Ja'far) and his wife (Sabreya), after that we were transferred to a camp in the desert, near the Iraqi-Saudi borders, 400 kilometers south-west to Baghdad(Leeah camp).

We spent four years there.
Four years in hell, we were isolated from the world, all we could do is stay alive and pray for the men whom their destiny was unknown to us.We were released in 1986, only for another journey of pain and suffering. We had to start a new life as all our properties were confiscated and we still don’t know anything about the men.The other good people in our village helped us, offered us jobs in their lands and a place to stay in. I had to work -with my little brother and sisters- to earn our living and to continue with our study. Farming is too hard a job for children of our age, but we had already passed that stage.It’s hard to explain what life is when you're a suspect with the eyes of security agents following you, stifling your breath, making your life even harder and harder, we had to give them all the pennies we could save to get some information about the missing ones, and they always promised us good news, and that our beloved ones were alive and being treated well.
we didn't believe that, but what is life without hope!?
-Sixteen years later...October/2002. I finished medical school and started to practice my job as a doctor in Baghdad. The same year, Saddam suffers a hard time, the USA and the allies tighten the circle around him, he decides to set all prisoners free, including the political. That was what he said, the fact; he released only the murderers and the thieves.Our cries lost their way trying to find our relatives among the thousands of faces, each time they reassure us that there would be another group to be released the next day, but all our efforts were in vain, we had no one but god to pray to and seek his help to show us the way.
Date: 4/9/2003, I can’t believe it, the tyrant falls, is it a dream?Does it mean no more fear, no more terror, and no more death? We jumped into the streets wreaking our vengeance on his pictures and statues that surrounded the village he raped in a dark night.The towns and villages expelled him and expelled his name……..WE WERE SAVED.
I took a deep breath, the air had the scent of freedom, nothing can be more beautiful, it’s difficult to describe, but we were overwhelmed by happiness, with only one distress: where had our beloved ones gone?
We started to search the security departments in Baghdad,
- like thousands of Iraqis- looking for a trace,
I didn’t take a long time, we found what we were looking for.
The documents of the crime, I read with tears in my eyes;
the presidency order dated: 7 /23 /1985,
signed by the tyrant, ordering the execution of 143 men from Al-Dujaile, the youngest one (Najeeb Abd Kadim) 11 years old.
Among these, 35 were relatives of mine.
God bless your souls martyrs, may you have peace in heaven,
if it wasn’t your courage and blood we wouldn’t be proud.
This is the story behind these photos, my friend.
It’s time they have a decent funeral.
We haven’t found their remains yet, but they will always remain in our hearts”

My friend surprised me saying” we don’t regret what happened, and yesterday, when the nine remaining heroes returned to Iraq, we met them with flowers, as the heroes of all the Iraqis, and we will never blame them, as they’re the ones who kept our chins up

”This is what peace looked like in Iraq at Saddam’s time.

The battle is not over yet, the evil and cruel criminals are every where,
and they will not rest until they kidnap our dreams, but this time we’re stronger, as we are not alone.
The whole good and brave people on earth took it upon themselves to fight with us, we hate wars and all the bloodshed that comes with them, but we have no other choice.Let us all dream of a world of love and real peace.N.B.

All the copies of the documents could be found with Dr. Firas M. Yaqub firasyaqub@hotmail.com

As you prepare for 2007

Forwarded from a favorite newsletter of mine:

It is unusually delightful, challenging,
and thought provoking - usually all three.

There are 53 Mondays in 2007, 53!

Here is a reason to look forward to each one: Subscribe to The MondayMorningMemo© of Roy H. Williams, the Wizard of Ads®

Happy New Year, Terry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How are things with you? Are you ready to begin a new year?

This is the time when millions of us pause to look back with regret and forward with hope. As you prepare for 2007, here are some thoughts I hope you'll ponder:

It's Always Okay To Begin Again
"The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul." – G.K. Chesterton

Pay Attention to the Little Things
"It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living." – Terry Pratchett

"No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently." – Agnes De Mille

Know What You Want
"I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can't find anybody who can tell me what they want." – Mark Twain

Don't Think You Know It All

"The more we live by our intellect, the less we understand the meaning of life." – Leo Tolstoy

"And he goes through life, his mouth open, and his mind closed." – Oscar Wilde

Don't Be A Couch Potato
"Literacy is a very hard skill to acquire, and once acquired it brings endless heartache – for the more you read, the more you learn of life's intimidating complexity of confusion. But anyone who can learn to grunt is bright enough to watch TV… which teaches that life is simple, and happy endings come to those whose hearts are in the right place." – Spider Robinson

"If I show up at your house 10 years from now, and find nothing in your living room but Reader's Digests, nothing in your bedroom but the latest Dan Brown novel… I will chase you down to the end of your driveway and back shouting 'Where are the damn books?… Why are you living the mental equivalent of a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese life?'" - Stephen King, to the 2005 graduating class of the University of Maine

You're Going To Have Some Bad Days
"Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful." – Annette Funicello

"Life is like a train. It's bearing down on you and guess what? It's going to hit you. So you can either start running when it's far off in the distance, or you can pull up a chair, crack open a beer, and just watch it come." – Eric Forman, on That 70s Show

"My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened." – Montaigne

Have Courage
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." – Helen Keller

"Those of us who refuse to risk and grow get swallowed up by life." – Patty Hansen

Love Your Job
"Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying." – Studs Terkel

Don't Forget to Have Fun
"Do not take life too seriously – you will never get out of it alive." – Elbert Hubbard

"Life is truly a ride. We're all strapped in and no one can stop it…. I think that the most you can hope for at the end of life is that your hair's messed, you're out of breath, and you didn't throw up." – Jerry Seinfeld

"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature." – Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker

"Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin." – Grace Hansen

Remember the People Who Are Important to You
"There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved." – George Sand

"When you grow up, you have to give yourself away. Sometimes you give your life all in a moment, but mostly you have to give yourself away laboring one minute at a time." – Gaborn Val Orden

"I was fourteen years old the night my daddy died. He had holes in his shoes and a vision that he was able to convey to me even lying in an ambulance, dying, that I as a black girl could do and be anything, that race and gender are shadows, and that character, determination, attitude are the substances of life." – Marian Wright Edelman

Today Is The First Day of The Rest of Your Life
"Life is a journey, and with every step we reach a point of no return." – Gaborn Val Orden

"Many adventures await you upon the road of life. Enter these doors, and take your first step…" – from a placard above The Horn and Hound Pub

Happy New Year,

Roy H. Williams

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset." - Crowfoot, (1811-1890) a Native American warrior of the Blackfoot tribe.

Last Minute Christmas Gift

It probably wouldn't be as artistically done as the original art work, but you could make your own artwork with a little practice.

If Ron Popeil had thought of this there would be one at every yard sale.

Are you ready?

"Are you ready for Christmas?"

A common salutation in late December,
so, "Are you?"

We prepare for long anticipated family gatherings
with anticipation, sometimes with anxiety,
for some folks, with dread.
So much to buy, to plan, to do, to prepare.

Are you ready?

As we age we recall at Christmastime
lost family members and lost relationships .
Are you ready to deal with those memories
of Christmas past?

"Long past?"
" Your past, Ebeneezer."

Are you Ready?

Get ready for Christmas.
Step back from the busyness and consider whose birth we celebrate.

Consider the wonder of the Creator stepping from his proper place on the throne of the Universe to enter His creation. As one Author wrote, it is a much greater step down than it would be for a man to become an ant, or an amoeba; because men and women, insects and amoebas are all created .

The incarnation - literally "in the flesh", God becoming human-
is on the order of a Painter stepping into a two dimentional painting, or an Author entering His books as character- setting aside , for a time, His pen so that the two dimentional creations could know the three dimentional Creator.

(Imagine that for a moment.
It's a lot to wrap our little brains around.)

Similarly, Jesus Christ came so that finite beings could know the infinite God. Not just know of Him, but know Him. He came also to deal with the thing that separates the created from Creator - sin.
"Only an infinite God could bear the full penalty for all the sins of all the people"*

The wise men didn't scurry about buying each other gifts,
but they did bring gifts to the newborn King as an act of worship.
What can we learn from the gifts of the Magi,
the gold, frankinscense and myrrh?
Please click on this to read Peter marshall's commentary-
Get ready.

Merry Christmas,
Terry

Click over to Angel's blog
for a Holidays and Calories open track back:
http://www.womanhonorthyself.com/?p=2103

Peace in our time

You , You , You , You , You; Yeah ,You.

Congratulations.

You were picked TIME' s 'Person Of The Year'.
Feeling better than James Brown , aren't you?

Well, since you are hanging around
online reading this, you can.

For TIME wasn't talking about 'you ' the farmer, grocer, clerk, salesman, etc.
Who merely: goes to work; is active in his faith; works hard- to pay taxes, support a family, raise good kids and doesn't burn hours up doing stuff like:

" ... make a movie starring (your) pet iguana,... mash up 50 Cent's vocals with Queen's instrumentals or blog about (your) state of mind or the state of the nation or the steak-frites at the new bistro down the street?
Who has that time and that energy and that passion? "

TIME's 'Person Of The Year' does , of course.
You know, You -
%The 20 year old narcissistic girl who 'has been known to drink and blog'
* The The Washington Whistle-Blogger who exposed Mark Foley.
#The 22 year old Pakistani Photographer
%The 22 Year old 'Social Networker'
-The 35 Year old" Wordsmith at War"
* Sen. Allen's " 'accidental' assassin"
#the 'Un-Emerils' of CrashTestKitchen.com
+The 54 year old 'world's most prolific and influential book reviewer'
#The Chinese satirist
%-The Madonna Of MySpace
#The Laurel and Hardy of MySpace
#The French Cow Town Rapper
+The Wikipedia-phile
+The Korean Housewife/Matt Drudge or ,
@The 'World-weary'; 21 year old outfoxing Microsoft

*I guess TIME couldn't just throw a bone to the two guys
on this list who helped pull down the GOP in Congress,
but they found a way to honor them.

# The artistic folks are there to give the arts and croissant crowd something to chat about at the next cocktail party.

% The cute chicks are included because, well, duh.

@ The 21 year old inventor is there because he is chopping at the capitalist success story that is Microsoft.

- the Mil-Blogger's inclusion tosses a bone to "The American Soldier"-Two time winner of the honor.

+The work of chroniclers like these fortell doom for TIME Magazine.

Why buy that cow when you can milk the internet for information for nearly free?

Do they add value to the information they present? Not so much.

Does their worldview taint their reportage? Hmmmm...

Let's say , "Thanks."

Xerox is sponsoring a neat little web site with a
simple idea and big heart.
It's easy to send a message of gratidude to our troops who
stand Freedom's watch while we are enjoying or
preparing to enjoy the Holidays.

Thanks, Xerox for Lets Say Thanks .com

Great moments in Child Care - 1

-It was just another Wednesday at the
"Sir William Golding Pre-School"



From a photo on Cookie's Gab and Grub.

Well, he IS less stiff than Al Gore...

Linked From "The Conspiracy to keep you Poor And Stupid"

The 2006 midterm election is over and Democrats have swept into both houses of Congress. We’ve got a Republican in the White House and Democrats in Congress, and yet, nobody really foresees real change in Washington. The time has come to find a third way. Some argue we should draft politicians to help change Washington.

After Vietnam, the last thing America really needs is another draft.

For years we’ve been looking above ground to find our candidates,

and for years they’ve been disappointing.

The time has come to start looking beneath the surface.

The time has come to exhume Barry Goldwater for President in 2008!

This website is dedicated that cause.

... typing in syncopated rhythm.

Tap-a taaap..tapata tap ...
Tap a tap taptatata
Man! It's Christmas

Saw Jimmie Bratcher tonight at church-
Great Christmas Music- if you like blues guitar.
I do.

His band was there too -WOW!
I 'm listening to the Album:
"Man! It's Christmas" and typing in syncopated rhythm.

Check out the sound at http://www.jimmiebratcher.com/
scroll down to the Listen Live tab to hear the album
and go to the Free Stuff
tab on top to get some downloads

He had a friend, Jennifer Green
( http://www.jenngreen.com/ ) join with him on
"I'll Be Home For Christmas" - her husband is in the
Air Force and will not be home till January from Iraq.

Great voice. Great song. Poignant moment.

Prayers for all who, for duty's sake, won't be Home,
and for those who are missing them this year.

Let's win this war and bring them home.

Merry Christmas .

The Lazy Half S Ranch: Glenn Beck's "X-Mas" Tour ???#links

The Lazy Half S Ranch: Glenn Beck's "X-Mas" Tour ???#links http://www.womanhonorthyself.com/?p=2002

Glenn Beck's "X-Mas" Tour ???

My Brother ,Rick took my Dad, Brother Joel and me ( I? , whatever...) to Glenn Beck's Christmas Show last night in Omaha. Great time, funny stories, touching moments and very much "PC"-free.

Go see it if it is within driving distance of your town. Glenn spoke of the many things that Christmas is: Family, food, snow, etc, but zeroed in on what makes Christmas stand out among holidays- Redemption.

It isn't just about the birth of the baby , but the death of the Man.

It was funny to leave the Music Hall and see "X-mas" on the marquee !

~#~~~#~~~#~~~#~~~#~~~#~~~#~

12-8-06- How about that!!

Rick's picture of the marquee was selected as the picture of the day at Glenn Beck's website

Click the link and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

~#~~~#~~~#~~~#~~~#~~~#~~~#~

Open Trackback at Angel's blog

Happy Friggin Winter from the ACLU Solstice Barn

Copyright 1997-2006All Rights Reserved. WorldNetDaily.com Inc

In tongue-in-cheek deference to the American Civil Liberties Union, students at the University of Texas displayed an "ACLU Solstice Barn" on campus, featuring politically correct figures.

"We've got Gary and Joseph instead of Mary and Joseph in order to symbolize ACLU support for homosexual marriage, and of course there isn't a Jesus in the manger," said Tony McDonald, chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas branch on the Austin campus.
The group, whose plans WND had reported earlier, installed the "crèche" on the West Mall of the campus for display yesterday and today. McDonald told WND today the reaction by students to the display was overwhelmingly positive.
"Even some liberals got the humor in it and conceded certain positions the ACLU takes are out of touch with the mainstream of Americans," he said.
One visitor turned out to be the ACLU's top official in Texas, who, according to McDonald, "had to admit that it was humorous."
McDonald said quite a number of students aren't even aware of the ACLU, and members of his group that manned the display throughout the day had to explain the acronym.
The three Wise Men in the display were Lenin, Marx and Stalin, McDonald told WND, because ACLU founder Roger Baldwin, while director of the organization, was a backer of Soviet-style communism.
As director of the ACLU in 1934, Baldwin wrote an article entitled "Freedom in the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R." in which he said "the Soviet Union has already created liberties far greater than exist elsewhere in the world." He later moderated his views but maintained a commitment to socialism.
The scene also featured a "terrorist shepherd" and an angel with Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi's face, using a photograph of the soon-to-be speaker of the House from San Francisco
"The ACLU and other left-wing extremist groups are working diligently to destroy Americans' rights to the free expression of religion," said the Young Conservatives' Executive Director Joseph Wyly.
Wyly pointed to the city of Chicago's decision this week to ban advertisements for "The Nativity Story" movie from a local Christmas festival, fearing they might offend non-Christians.
"It's just more evidence that there is a war on Christmas being waged by the far-left in this country," he said.

Long Time Gone

I promised some photos from the soccer trip November 10-11.
I'd much rather see deer here than on the highway.
We ran into a snowstorm East of DesMoines on our way to Minneapolis and caught a few good pictures.

Cheech ,what a month. I'm as tired as that flatbed trailer.

Been busy confuguring Mary's notebook computer and wireless LAN.
Gee, that sounded like I have a clue, doesn't it?

Too many late hours at work, and late hours at home trying to get
her business programs working on this thing.
On the plus side, we have cable broadband.

Snowy trip Nov. 10th

Plenty of parking for my truck in Des Moines.

Minneapolis Blurring

Rachel did a great job navigating us through Minneapolis at rush hour.
Thanks, Mapquest for taking us through there!

EEE-lectric!

The girls had a blast shuffling their feet on the astroturf and zapping each other and their coaches with static shocks. They won the tournament with a 1-0-1 record. A long trip for only 2 games, but it was nice for the kids to win.

Because every princess needs a castle...

...We had to find a
White Castle for slyders on our way home, after a quick spin through
Mall of America with teammate Shelby and her sis, Jaimie, and folks.

To the victor goes the Slyder...

... God gives the increase...

Picture : the last tomato and last basket of potatoes we harvested in early October

Thanks , God, for harvest.

We plant and tend, and the ground brings forth food.
Simple, yet amazing.

When I was younger, we went to Grandpa and Grandma' s for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Grandma had a big Hobart mixer, like a Kitchen-aid on steroids, in which she whipped 20 pounds of potatoes for the great gathering. What a machine, and what a feast!
Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandpa and Grandma. I don't recall a lot of details - except for what I've seen in the pictures, but that mixer on the floor stand sticks in my memory .

My late Grandma Ruth was a master gardener, she grew all kinds of flowers and vegatables for most of her 80+ years-
but never lost the wonder of harvest.

I remember her telling me about a huge pumpkin , or squash of some kind that she grew,
"It came right up out of the ground, from a little seed, right up out of the ground !"

I wasn't impressed. Being 18 or 19 at the time, I knew everything :-)

This year we planted about 5 pounds of potatoes, and harvested 40 or so pounds.
Provision such as this really is a commonplace miracle.
Expected, yes, but no less miraculous than the provision
Plimouth Plantation recieved .
For the produce of our garden-
humble tomatoes, basil, rosemary, and potatoes- came from the same Provider, the same 'Providence' that brought a nation up out of the survivors of the Mayflower.

Half of them died that first winter, half.
Imagine the press conference,

"Governor Bradford, what is your exit strategy?"
"The Mayflower is still anchored in the bay,
when are you going to bring them home?"

Governor Bradford might have answered as he wrote in his "History of Plimouth Plantation"

[We have] a great hope and inward zeal of laying some good
foundation...for the propagating and advancing the Gospel of the kingdom of
Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea, though [we] should be but
even as stepping-stones unto others for the performing of so great a work."

sidebar:
What comes first,
the calling to accomplish acts of incredible faith,
or the faith to carry out the calling?

They had a calling stronger than the hardship,
God was leading them to lay the foundation of a new nation,
one that he brought

-right up out of the ground.

Happy Thanksgiving Day
-Terry

So that neither the planter nor the waterer is of any importance.
God who gives the increase is all in all. I Corinthians 3:7 -Weymouth

On Angel's blog, track over there for more Thanksgiving thoughts!

Victory!

Travelled to the Twin Cities, through a bit of snow,
for Rachel to play in a soccer Tournament Saturday.
Their team won a game tied a game and thus won the tournament.

Photos to follow when I get them downloaded.

Beside that, Mrs.Lincoln, how was the play?

I had a fine birthday yesterday,
great weather, one of the nicest Nov 7th in memory.

Work went well, had a nice supper at home.
Hugs and kisses from the kids,
a nice eCard from Mom , eMail greetings and salutations,
and a card from my brother with an invitation
to go to the Glenn Beck Christmas Show with Dad and two of my brothers
in December- cool .

A good birthday,
well,
other than
that whole 'losing GOP control of Congress' thing!

Beside that and the lost sleep,
I feel better now,
as the weirdest song I've ever heard said:
"I feel better than James Brown,
How do you feel?"

Scott Ott has a funny Top Ten,

Here's required reading from Donald Luskin
for the electorally despondent.

Larry Kudlow says," Republicans may have lost
but the conservative ascendancy is still alive and well.",
as many Dem gains are "Blue Dog Dems" .

We can get through this.

And as we turn the page (er, Mr. Foley, that's just a figure of speech),
what measure can we take of the 109th Congress to look at the 110th
results in 2008 ?

OK, let's see...

-4.4% unemployment, that is,95.6% employment, the glass is nearly full.

-Record Home Ownership.

-Record Black Home Ownership.

- only 2% of Americans make minimum wage
most of them high school students
(versus 10% 15 years ago, if I heard that right on Hugh Hewitt)

-No major terrorist attacks on our soil in 5+ years.

-Record Dow Jones Industrials Index.
----------------
Well.
Go ahead now,
Make it better for us, Nancy and Harry.

See you in two years.

Doug Powers' helpful Voting Tips for this election...

After the 2000 debacle in Florida, Boward County officials properly prepared residents for the next election .
Doug Powers' helpful Voting Tips for this election.
includs:
–Need relief from the stress? On Election Day, wear a pro-Republican t-shirt with six or seven “I voted” stickers on it and mill around the nearest Democrat office. This one’s always good for a laugh.

"This is what peace looked like in Iraq at Saddam’s time".

Saddam was tried on his butchery of men , women, and children of Al-Dujaile after an assassination attempt there.
I would think that the name of the town
where 143 were executed would be more widely known,
even to someone with only a casual acquaintance with the news , like me.

President Bush:

"Iraq has a lot of work ahead as it builds its society that delivers equal
justice and protects all its citizens. Yet history will record today's judgment
as an important achievement on the path to a free and just and unified society.
The United States is proud to stand with the Iraqi people. We will continue
to support Iraq's unity government as it works to bring peace to its great
country."

Please point anyone who expresses any
sympathy for the devil to this article.

PS
Vote early and often tomorrow!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

War and Peace
http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2003/12/war-and-peace.html

Whenever I tried to forget all about the past and focus on the future,
I hear a story that brings the past right in front of my eyes. What happened was so brutal and hard to forget.
We should make the world realize that, not to gain some pity or compassion,
but to make sure that it will not happen again anywhere in the world.I can't keep the story in my heart, for I can't bear the pain all by myself and I wish the whole world could share it with me. This story is dedicated to all those who oppose what's happening in Iraq, that's to say; the Arab and Muslim world and the (peace activists) in the hope that it will make them pause for a while and reconsider their (noble stand).
This is one example that may help them imagine the (peace) we lived in.I met him in a photo copy office owned by a friend. My friend introduced him to me, his name is Firas Mahmood Ya'koob, a junior resident in Al-Karkh hospital for surgery in Baghdad, a shy young man, holding some photos of men, women, and children. He wanted to make copies of them soI knew there was a story behind them. I couldn't help asking him about it, he said "I’m from Al-Dujaile".

I understood what he meant.

In Saddam's time we used to whisper about Al-Dujaile, we all knew that a massacre happened there, but we didn't dare to ask about the details and I never met any one from there. Now I can know all about it from my new friend and here it is, in his own words:-"Al-Dujaile is my home town, I always looked at it as god's heaven on earth, it's about 60 kilometers to the north of Baghdad, on the bank of al Ishaki river (a branch of Tigris), inhabited by few thousands, most of whom are farmers, our village is well known by its date palms and grapes, a fascinating nature that takes your breath away, its people are related by strong tribal relations that keep them as one large family.

- Date: 7/8/1982, Saddam decides to visit the village, the Ba’ath party in the region prepared the people to make a big reception, they took us out of the schools(I was 7 years old). They made us line in a row on both sides of the road to wave for him and cheer his name. It never occurred to me that it would be my last day in the childhood world. I was forced to skip that period of my life with such cruelty that I can not explain.

-17 of the finest young men in the village had decided to put an end to the tyrant's life at that day, they had the courage to face him, we didn't know about their intention.The brave men set an ambush among the palm trees, they couldn't tell which car was his, there were dozens of cars, all identical in model and color.

-The attack starts, the brave young men open fire from their simple weapons, some of the body guards get killed, others wounded, the tyrant get panicked, imagine that (Saddam is afraid) the man who enjoyed terrorizing people lives a moment of fear with all its details, he was so close to death this time.8 of the attackers were killed, the rest fled out of the country.(Woe to the sinners) who dared to make him scared, you should fear his revenge, you should learn the lesson so that it won't happen again, you should bow more and more and fear more and more, you should be scared to death so that you don't dare even to think of harming him; the shadow of god on earth.

-The answer was fast, one hour after the escape of the tyrant, we had to face his anger, I heard the sound of helicopters over our heads wreaking their vengeance upon our small village, backed later with shovels that leveled the trees with the ground, the order was clear(the terror should be great) so that the others would learn.I ran away to my home into my mothers' lap, my younger brother and sisters gathered around me, I realized something huge has happened and anticipated the eminent evil. it didn't take long for the security to get to our house, we were taken to the unknown, me, my mother(who was 4 months pregnant), my sisters Einas(5 years), Zeina(3 years)and my brother Mohammed(1 year).

-The first station in our long journey was Al-Hakimiyah prison that belongs to the intelligence, I found hundreds of my village people, old, young, men, women and children, we were 480 there. Out of whom 80 were relatives of mine.It was enough to say the word Hakimiyah for any Iraqi to be completely paralyzed(the one who gets in is a missing-the one who gets out is reborn

-this was what we used to say about this prison, the walls of which tell thousands of horror stories that you refuse to believe.I was too young to know why we were treated like that, but I sure knew the meaning of being scared to death. The sound of foot steps that stops by the door was enough for every one to freeze, as after that the door would be opened, a name of one of the men would be announced and he would be dragged to the interrogation room to return few hours later unconscious, covered by blood, wrapped in a blanket, and would be thrown on us.

The women and children had their share, and this is what saw: extraction of nails and teeth, electric shocks, whipping with lashes, using razors to tear the skin into shreds, my aunt was left hanging from the roof after her clothes had been wrapped of her in front of her brothers to force them to talk.
Do you know how much pain we suffered?
Can you imagine?
I doubt it.
We stayed at Al-Hakimiyah for one month, the space was too small for all of us to sleep, some of us had to stay on their feet so that the others could sleep.-After that we were transferred to Abu-Ghraib prison, where we met the men for the last time, after that, the 143 men separated from us and then transferred to another place, as for the rest of us, we were kept in Abu-Ghraib prison for six months, during that time, the day for my mother to deliver her baby came, she had complications and they didn't take her to the hospital until it was too late, the baby died.
my mother never if it was a boy or a girl.
In the prison, 4 people died, my grandfather(Yousif Ya'koob), my uncles wife(Noofa Hasan), the old man(Abdul Wahab Ja'far) and his wife (Sabreya), after that we were transferred to a camp in the desert, near the Iraqi-Saudi borders, 400 kilometers south-west to Baghdad(Leeah camp).

We spent four years there.
Four years in hell, we were isolated from the world, all we could do is stay alive and pray for the men whom their destiny was unknown to us.We were released in 1986, only for another journey of pain and suffering. We had to start a new life as all our properties were confiscated and we still don’t know anything about the men.The other good people in our village helped us, offered us jobs in their lands and a place to stay in. I had to work -with my little brother and sisters- to earn our living and to continue with our study. Farming is too hard a job for children of our age, but we had already passed that stage.It’s hard to explain what life is when you're a suspect with the eyes of security agents following you, stifling your breath, making your life even harder and harder, we had to give them all the pennies we could save to get some information about the missing ones, and they always promised us good news, and that our beloved ones were alive and being treated well.
we didn't believe that, but what is life without hope!?
-Sixteen years later...October/2002. I finished medical school and started to practice my job as a doctor in Baghdad. The same year, Saddam suffers a hard time, the USA and the allies tighten the circle around him, he decides to set all prisoners free, including the political. That was what he said, the fact; he released only the murderers and the thieves.Our cries lost their way trying to find our relatives among the thousands of faces, each time they reassure us that there would be another group to be released the next day, but all our efforts were in vain, we had no one but god to pray to and seek his help to show us the way.
Date: 4/9/2003, I can’t believe it, the tyrant falls, is it a dream?Does it mean no more fear, no more terror, and no more death? We jumped into the streets wreaking our vengeance on his pictures and statues that surrounded the village he raped in a dark night.The towns and villages expelled him and expelled his name……..WE WERE SAVED.
I took a deep breath, the air had the scent of freedom, nothing can be more beautiful, it’s difficult to describe, but we were overwhelmed by happiness, with only one distress: where had our beloved ones gone?
We started to search the security departments in Baghdad,
- like thousands of Iraqis- looking for a trace,
I didn’t take a long time, we found what we were looking for.
The documents of the crime, I read with tears in my eyes;
the presidency order dated: 7 /23 /1985,
signed by the tyrant, ordering the execution of 143 men from Al-Dujaile, the youngest one (Najeeb Abd Kadim) 11 years old.
Among these, 35 were relatives of mine.
God bless your souls martyrs, may you have peace in heaven,
if it wasn’t your courage and blood we wouldn’t be proud.
This is the story behind these photos, my friend.
It’s time they have a decent funeral.
We haven’t found their remains yet, but they will always remain in our hearts”

My friend surprised me saying” we don’t regret what happened, and yesterday, when the nine remaining heroes returned to Iraq, we met them with flowers, as the heroes of all the Iraqis, and we will never blame them, as they’re the ones who kept our chins up

”This is what peace looked like in Iraq at Saddam’s time.

The battle is not over yet, the evil and cruel criminals are every where,
and they will not rest until they kidnap our dreams, but this time we’re stronger, as we are not alone.
The whole good and brave people on earth took it upon themselves to fight with us, we hate wars and all the bloodshed that comes with them, but we have no other choice.Let us all dream of a world of love and real peace.N.B. All the copies of the documents could be found with Dr. Firas M. Yaqub firasyaqub@hotmail.com

Saddam Plans His Appeal...

But seriously, (With a tip of the hat to Mary Katharine Ham)

Here is a post from Iraq the day Saddam was captured:

The big brother in a small hole

What joy it is to see a tyrant pulled down.

You can feel the author's elation.

And please read:

What Peace looked like when Saddam was in charge:

A man tells of his 4 years in prison, beginning at age 7, and his life afterwards.

His village,Al-Dujaile, was retaliated against for an assassination attempt on Saddam in 1982.

Now Saddam will die. Sic Semper Tyrannis.

World's Strongest Dad

For Angel's NYC Marathon Open Trackback

Ever seen the Triathlon team of Dick and Rick Hoyt?
Dick pulls his paralyzed son in a raft for two miles,
pushes his wheel chair for 26.2 Mi.
then pedals him another 100+ miles. Why?
because Rick typed, after their first race" "Dad,
when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"

Truly the World's Strongest Dad.

Strongest Dad in the World

Rick ReillySports Illustrated Issue date: June 20, 2005, p.88

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for
their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2
miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a
wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled
him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars -- all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing
and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling
look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much
-- except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years
ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him
brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."
But the Hoyts weren't buying it.

They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if
there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told.
"There's nothing going on in his brain."
"Tell him a joke," Dick countered.
They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.
Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the
school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do
that."
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran
more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried.
"Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."
That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it
felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"
And that sentence changed Dick's life.

He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got
into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston
Marathon.

"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't
quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few
years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they
found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon
so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 -- only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

"No question about it,"
Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick,
retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be
together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking
race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair
and I push him once."

One of my favorite videos is here: Clips of Team Hoyt edited to the Nicole C Mullin song - "My Redeemer Lives".

One day we all will cross Life's finish line. If we enter Heaven, our arms will be raised in triumph and joy unspeakable. But, it won't be because of our own good deeds, only through what Christ has done for us. The above mentioned video illustrates beautifully where we are spiritually- without Him we can do nothing...

Something for fun

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/poster.php

She Does The Best 'Claude Rains' Impression

Have you seen me?
Call 1-800-MilkBox

Pelosi appearrances have been as rare lately as "Santorum for Senate" yard signs in front of Al-Qaida hide-out caves.

Gingrich and the GOP wrested the House from Democrat control in 1994 on vision and goals that were spelled out to Americans.
Clearly the Dems don't care about winning the Congress on agenda or ideas, they just want power. I hope their strategy backfires.


From Drudge Report:

The last
photo of vanishing Pelosi on the wires was from an October 21 fundraiser.And
since Pelosi appeared on the controversial October 22 broadcast of 60 MINUTES,
national TV hits have all but been nonexistent.
[Pelosi did appear on CNBC's On the Money on 10/24 and on ABC on 10/26, as
THINK PROGRESS points out. But the sightings have dramatically dwindled.]

Former Speaker of the House, Republican Newt Gingrich believes he knows one
reason why the congresswoman has largely dropped out of public sight ever since
60 MINUTES.

"It seems clear that some Americans have glimpsed a future with her third
in line for the presidency, and they don't like what they see," says Gingrich.
"She has become largely invisible as a result."
A source close to the congresswoman explains she has been busy behind
the scenes.
Pelosi made a brief public appearance with Bill Clinton this week in
San Francisco.After providing a long schedule of her weekend events, a Pelosi
aide added that her favorite stop was the taping of a World Wrestling
Entertainment podcast on the importance of young people voting, the WHITE HOUSE BULLETIN reports.

Halloween with JFK, and JFK.

"..Ya know, Education.
If you make the most of it and study hard,
you do your homework and make an effort to be smart,
um, you,you can do well. If you don't,
you get stuck in Iraq."

When I heard this this morning,
I thought it might be a garbled attempt
at slamming the President with
what Christopher Hitchens calls
"the joke that stupid people laugh at",
that is, "Bush is so stupid...
(insert Herman Munster guffawing)."

And so, after a couple of press releases, Kerry
now claims this to be the case.
However; the Senator's history of troop bashing,
accusing American soldiers of torture and abuse in
the Vietnam war and in Iraq make his comment yet
another insult to soldiers. This time, of their
mental ability, education and effort.

Keep right on talking, 'Herman'.
Keep encouraging the terrorists
who must delight in your demoralizing attacks on our troops,
as they plan and carry out their deadly attacks.
How they must wish you sat in the White House!
Keep right on reminding Americans that your party cannot be trusted
with the defense of the nation.

Ironically, another Massachusetts Senator JFK was quoted on the
cover of the Veteran's day edition of the American Legion magazine today.

This country does not forget God or the soldier, upon both we now depend.
President John F. Kennedy- 1962

President John F. Kennedy in remarks to members
of the First Armored Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia,
November 26, 1962:
(The First Armored Division had been deployed during the Cuban crisis.)

"Many years ago, according to the story,
there was found in a sentry box in Gibraltar a poem which said:
God and the soldier, all men adore
In time of danger and not before
When the danger is passed and all things righted,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted.
This country does not forget God or the soldier.
Upon both we now depend. Thank you."

Because Sen.JFKerry denies the danger of leaving Iraq prematurely,
he disparages the defenders of freedom.
He believes the 'danger is passed',
and feels free to 'slight the soldier'.

Choose wisely next Tuesday.
Read "He said “WhaT”?!"
http://www.womanhonorthyself.com/?p=1728

Rally Time - 14 days

Tired of this?
Ready to counter-march?
You can-November 7th

May 1st, the"Day Without Immigrants" was a day
of marches and protests by people who ignore the laws
of the US, and their supporters.
I support immigration,
I oppose unchecked borders that are open to criminals and terrorists.

In Latin American countries,
disaffected masses rally in the streets to protest against
governments that are slow to deal with their grievances.

In the United States of America,
"We the people" effect change at the ballot box .

On November 7th, remember May Day,
and re-elect the Congressmen and Senators who passed the
border fence . It's a start.

to the tune of "My Way"

There were six of us hanging on in Yahoo's Survival Football game,
in which you picked a team each week to win, but you could only
pick that team once.
I expected the Vikings to lose another road game , this time to Seattle.
OOps.

Here is my swan song
With apologies to Sinatra...

Wrong Way

And now the end is here
the Vikings dropped the final curtain
My friend,
I'll say it clear
I'll state my case,
of which I'm certain
At the time,
I made the pick,
My confidence
Could fill a freighter.
Who ever would have thunk,
“Should pick the Raiders.” ?!

Regrets?
I have just one,
But that one, still hurts to mention
I picked a winning team
for six whole weeks with no exception.
I planned to win this game,
With careful steps along the highway,
But now, I fouled it up, I picked the wrong way.

For what is a man, playing for fun?
If not a win, then he is gone.
What will I say, how do I feel
I’ll compose a song, heart felt and real….
Now I log on ,
we ALL are gone!!
We picked the wrong way

(instrumental)

The record shows,
We ALL were hosed.
We picked the Wroo-oo-oo-ng
W-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-y!!

Alleged Health, Inc.??

What a relief.
What a frustration.
What a fortnight.

My Bride went to the doctor's office about an
allergic rash, hives, that is , on her legs.

One false electrolyte result in the blood test,
(which was found to be normal the next day)
led to a 'false positive' EKG test in the office
(one funny zig that was supposed to zag but was fine on a stress test)
then
a 'false positive' ultrasound occurred at the stress test,
so we were kept in a state of anxiety for a week.
Until the heart catheterization and angiogram PROVED
that her sweet 46 year old heart had perfect coronary arteries.



What frustration
-that Three, THREE 'false positives' led to a 'necessary' heart cath and
angiogram so my Bride would not be classified as a heart patient.
- for Mary to go through a test with great potential risk
when the cardiologist said,"I don't understand why you are seeing me."
-to live in anxiety over problems that didn't exist.
-to have to pay yet unknown co-pays for these tests.
-to lose $400 - $500 in overtime pay to be with Mary
at these tests on my days off instead of working those days off.

What a relief
- to know that she has no heart problems
in what the(truly) kind doctors, nurses and techs
said was the 'gold standard' of cardiac tests...

Thank God.

Why Daily Kos, Olbermann, et al are who they are.

"Obviously, fruit loops do not know they are fruit loops.
Neither do they know that the other things
floating around in the milk alongside them,
are also fruit loops. "
- Silver Farr

Quiz: Spot the free nation.

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I hope she believes that till she's through school, anyway.

At supper, Mary and I were chatting with the girls- 4th and 6th graders - about their friends, who they hang out with, what they talk about, etc. It was a nice time, and their older brother was at high school for a Homecoming Week bonfire,
so the girls could talk freely, without MSD-
(Male Sibling Disdain)
Mary asked our 6th grader, "What about the 'cute' boys?"

Rachel scowled,"There aren't any.
The boys are at our school are either ugly or immature!"
Mary and I laughed, I told Rachel that all of us are that way,
and some of us are both.
She can think that till she's through school .

Winning streak

What a great streak I'm on!
First place in 'College Pick'em',
watched the neighborhood High School
thump their crosstown rivals 17-7 tonight,
now This!

It's good to be da king,
even if only for a day.

Not Really.

I heard a pompous rant by MSNBC's sportscaster turned political pontificater
Keith Olbermann, on Hugh Hewett's show yesterday,
apparently Chris Muir did also,
and as usual,
Damon hits the nail squarely on the head.

I'd sure rather read this than Doonesbury "
in the local Daily FishWrap-BirdCageLiner.



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KING, Cong.

If you are a plain spoken midwesterner (D) then you're
"Good 'ol Give-'em-hell-Harry Truman."
If you are a plain spoken midwesterner (R) then you're
"Brash, 'some say-' Offensive, Controversial."

He wasn't my first choice in the primary 4 years ago, but I sure like him now
and have voted for him ever since.

He is strong on borders and immigration, a straight shooter.

Iowa lawmaker's brashness earns notice
By HENRY C. JACKSON, Associated Press WriterTue Sep 26, 10:30 AM ET
He's described torture at Abu Ghraib as "hazing," argued that living in Iraq is safer than in Washington and dismissed President Bush's guest worker immigration program as amnesty.
Two-term Republican Rep. Steve King (news, bio, voting record) doesn't shy from controversy, and his perspective has earned him praise from conservatives — and disdain from those who consider him outlandish.
"He says so many idiotic things. I just see him as a wacko," says Suzanne Ryan, one of King's constituents in his rural, western Iowa congressional district.
Still, King remains popular, and his penchant for brash, and some say offensive, sound bites has helped the 57-year-old construction company owner become something of a national spokesman for his party's far-right wing.
"At the FRC (Family Research Council), he's a good friend to the family," says Tom McCluskey, the vice president for government affairs of the conservative group. "Steve King is right out front. He's one of the most articulate and one of the most willing to speak up."

Among King's notable comments:
_He argued that the media exaggerated the story of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
_After compiling what he called an accurate civilian violent death rate for Iraq, he said living there was safer than in some U.S. cities, including New Orleans and Detroit.
"I have a feel for the rhythm of this place called Washington, D.C., and my wife lives here with me," he said on the floor of the House. "I can tell you, she is in far greater risk being a civilian in Washington, D.C., than an average civilian in Iraq."
_He called Bush and Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., an amnesty coalition and said "amnesty mercenaries of the Senate" should have a "big, bright, scarlet letter 'A' branded on their robes."

King also led a rebellion of 80 House Republicans who opposed renewal of the Voting Rights Act because of a provision that required state and local governments to print ballots in foreign languages or provide interpreters.

Some see King's rhetoric and hardline views as bombast, but his methods have opened new avenues for his political ambitions, which may include a run against four-term Sen. Tom Harkin (news, bio, voting record) in 2008. King also has raised the profile of his district, a sprawling farming region with only two sizable cities — Council Bluffs and Sioux City.
"He is a showman," says Teresa Wolf, a Democrat from Sioux City who doesn't plan to vote for King this fall. "He wants attention and he delivers messages in such outlandish terms that it gets him a lot of publicity. Which is apparently what the man wants."
In an interview, King owns up to wanting attention.

"I sometimes use flowery language to make a point," he says. "It's usually a way to start debate."
But he quarrels with the notion that he is flippant, that he doesn't think before he speaks.
"That wasn't an off-the-cuff remark," he says of his comments on Abu Ghraib, the Baghdad prison where abuse of prisoners by U.S. soldiers led to an international scandal. "I looked up the word 'hazing' before I spoke."

In his district there are many, like Madeline Meyer, who think King is just what the country needs.

"He's got a true feel for issues that don't work well in the national media," says Meyer, a self-described 60-something from Odebolt, a sleepy town just a few miles from King's home in Kiron.
She supports King's efforts on immigration and establishing English as a national language, calling him an adept politician with a particular feel for voter concerns. "He gets along with everybody," she says. "He listens."
Others don't share this sanguine view.

On the Internet, at least one Web site — http://www.kingwatch.org — is dedicated to bashing King. The site is run by an anonymous group that claims to comprise residents in Iowa's 5th Congressional District.

King's opponent in November's election, Democrat Joyce Schulte, likewise has a hard time being diplomatic when she talks about him.
"I don't know if I have enough words in the English dictionary for this," she says. "It's unbelievable how he wastes the job."

King tends to ignore the critics and stands by what he says, even the crisp one-liners that make liberal groups howl.

A notable exception came earlier this year when King apologized to 86-year-old White House correspondent Helen Thomas. King had told a group of Republican Party activists days after the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, "There probably are not 72 virgins in the hell he's at. And if there are, they probably all look like Helen Thomas."

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Prepare

The president prayed fervently at the conclusion of his U.N. speech.
He prayed,

"Oh, almighty God, all men and women are your creatures and you have
ordained their guidance and salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirst for
justice, the
perfect human being promised to all by you, and makers among
his followers and
among those who strive for his return and his cause."

Does the ACLU come unhinged ?
Do the Dems protest on behalf of the irreligious ??
Do the media cluck cluck about the overtly religious tone of the President???

Of course not, as it was President Ahmadinejad of Iran who prayed this.
But what is the striving? For whose return?

Blogger Bob Owens reports that President Ahmadinejad and the ruling Mullahs are part of a sect of Islam, the Hojjatieh, that is so radical that it was banned by the Ayatollah Khomeni in1983. They believe it is their responsibility to force God's hand- through chaos and bloodshed- to bring the return of 12th Shiite Imam, who they believe will reign in peace.

Mr Owens writes: "Because of the belief of the Hojjatieh that they can,
with human hands,
bring about Apocalypse, the significance of tomorrow's
date sets up in their eyes a divine opportunity that the rest of the world would
be wise to treat with all due seriousness. Considering the magnitude of the
threat, I would be quite unamazed if the long-range F-15I
"Ra'am" and F-16I
"Soufa" and other aircraft of the Israeli Air Force were not now sitting in
their hangers fully-fueled under heavy guard, wings heavy with the weight of the
most terrible weapons known to man, as Dolphin-class submarines and their
American counterparts patrol the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean
with their own cataclysmic payloads."

I heard a report of such readiness today, that the United States Navy is to
deploy submarines and minesweepers to the Persian Gulf by 1 October. The proper
response to this madman is to prepare to defeat him. The press has been largly silent about the motivations of the Mullocracy of Iran, preferring to blame President Bush or Israel for terrorism, as Mr Owens reports here:

"To admit the dangers of the intertwining of Iranian nuclear weapons
development with a radical and apocalyptic eschatology is to admit that
President George W. Bush is correct in his determination to prevent Iran from
developing the ability to effect a religious nuclear war. It is to admit that
there are far greater dangers to our freedoms than terrorist surveillance
programs and chilled members of al Qaeda.

To admit that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad means precisely what he says, and has said time and again, is to admit to larger dangers that neither the press nor the Democratic party they overwhelming support can admit.

To admit to the truth—to show what Iran and
its leader represent as a threat to the world—is to shatter a carefully crafted
illusion they have formulated that most of the problems of the world originate
at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
When faced with revealing a truth that would
create cognitive dissonance, the media has made the subconscious decision to
simply excise, and then ignore, the facts that undercut their "larger truth."
They’d rather risk lives than admit the possibility that President Bush's
concerns about a nuclear-armed Iran are precisely on target.
They aren't scared about the possibility of millions of people dying.

They are far more fearful that the President is right, and that the world they've created for themselves is all too wrong."

What are we heading toward?

Time to get out the vote, and time for some fervent prayer of our own...

Friday Night Lights

Went to my Freshman son's High School football game with him tonight.
Well, not HIS game but the Varsity game.
Well, not WITH him, as he was running around socializing with his buddies, though he did deign to sit with his old Dad for a while in the third quarter, and even went on a coffee run for me .

Still fun, the teams fought a 30 - 40 mile an hour wind that brought rolling dust clouds off the South parking lot that even overcame the greasy smoke from the concession stand grill ( doesn't any body ever clean that thing?)
It's neat to watch the kids being kids, lots of them there from elementary aged on up.
The PeeWee league in the neighbor hood has two teams that wear the High Schools colors, and the boys get in free when they wear their jerseys.
The Junoir High boys 8th Grade team was honored at halftime by lining up on the track, and waving to the crowd as their names were read.

The band played on through the wind and dust,
and only one flag was dropped by the flag corps-
No one injured, thankfully.
But, who let that guy in the flag corps?
Strange world.

The fourth quarter was either delayed or cancelled due to nearby lightning, though nothing severe reached the stadium . Steve and I bailed out of there to beat the crowd.

Neat slice of America.
The Home Team lost, but played hard.
Lots of proud parents were there , watching and videotaping their kids
in the band, or the game, or cheerleading, or dancing.

The 'Nobel' solution to melancholy

Kary Mullis quote From today's MondayMorningMemo©of Roy H. Williams, the Wizard of Ads®:

Kary Mullis said to a tuxedoed auditorium
full of dignitaries when he accepted his Nobel Prize:

"There is a general place in your brain,

I think,reserved for

'melancholy of relationships past.'
It grows and prospers as life progresses,
forcing you finally,
against your grain,

to listen to country music."

After 9/11 I found myself listening to a lot of CMT , there were lots of music videos full of faith, family , and patriotism. In a few months , that emphasis faded, as the war in Afghanistan shifted from a quick victory to slow skirmishes and the long task of rebuilding .

Darryl Worley traveled with the USO to Afghanistan in December of 2002 and wrote this call to remember 9/11.

Remember the pain,

remember the sorrow,

but above all,

remember the resolve of those first troubling days

-to fight this war until we win.

.

.

"Have You Forgotten" by Darryl Worley Hear it here.

I hear people sayin'. We Don't need this war

But I say there's some things worth fightin' for.

What about our freedom and this piece of ground?

We didn't get to keep em' by backing down.

They say we don't realize the mess we're gettin in

Before you start your preachin' let me ask you this my friend.

.

Chorus Have you forgotten

how it felt that day,

To see your homeland under fire

And her people blown away

Have you forgotten when those towers fell

We had neighbors still inside goin through a livin hell

And you say we shouldn't worry about Bin Laden

Have you forgotten?

.

They took all the footage off my TV

Said it's too disturbin for you and me

It'll just breed anger is what the experts say

If it was up to me I'd show it every day

Some say this country's just out lookin' for a fight

Well after 9-11 man I'd have to say that's right.

.

Chorus Have you forgotten how it felt that day

To see your homeland under fire

And her people blown away

Have you forgotten when those towers fell

We had neighbors still inside goin through a livin hell

And we vowed to get the ones behind Bin Laden

Have you forgotten?

.

I've been there with the soldiers

Who've gone away to war

And you can bet that they remember

just what they're fighting for

.

Have you forgotten

All the people killed

Yes some went down like heroes

In that Pennsylvania field

Have you forgotten

About our Pentagon

All the loved ones that we lost

And those left to carry on.

Don't you tell me not to worry 'bout Bin Laden

.

Have you forgotten?

.

Have you forgotten?

.

Have you forgotten?!

9/11

We will remember.
The fallen, the heroes, the killers.
We will remember.
By blog, ballot, border, and bullet,
we will do our all, that
September 11th may be the last
great attack on our shores.
-TJH

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We will not tire,
We will not falter, and
We will not fail.
-President George W. Bush

Crikey, we don't want any "bright sparks" or sappy singing

I was saddened at news Steve Irwin's death.
I enjoyed his boundless enthusiasm, and his show was like an ADD version of
"Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" -- None of that Marlin Perkins' "While I stand safely downstream, ..." business.
Steve had a daring attitude and a passion for learning and teaching.
I'll miss him. The cheap humor is easy to come by and I can think of a few jokes,
but they would come at the expense of his parents and wife and young kids... I don't have the heart for it.

The outpouring of grief has been likened by the British press to the display that followed Princess Diana's untimely death. There have been detractors, including one actress dingbat who snarled, "The animal world has finally taken its revenge on Irwin".
Ed. Note - Germaine Greer , I found, is more of a withered flower child and
shock authoress than an actress
I loved the last line of this opinion piece.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cultural studies lecturer Dr Karen Brooks said even though there was nothing in common between Irwin and Princess Diana, the reaction to their deaths had strong parallels.

"In Britain, they're calling Steve's death our Diana," the University of the Sunshine Coast academic and media commentator said.

"There's a sense in which the outpouring of grief and the shock has been very similar."

The Irwin family seem nonplussed at all the fuss over Steve, a man described by his grieving father Bob as just an ordinary bloke.

The Irwins have already turned down an offer of a state funeral.

Diana, killed in a Paris road crash in 1997, was farewelled at a Westminster Abbey service which featured Elton John performing a Diana-ised version of Candle In The Wind.

There's been talk of a memorial service at
Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium for Steve Irwin,
but hopefully no bright spark
will suggest enlisting Sir Elton
to sing "Crocodile Rock" if that event goes ahead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amen.