If my nose was runnin' money

Ah, they don't write songs like this very often...
Have a great weekend.




A tip of the hat to Dragon Lady's Den

The Latest Poll on Illegal Immigration

The latest telephone poll taken by the California Governor's
office asked whether people who live in California
think illegal immigration is a serious problem.

29% of respondents answered:
"Yes, it is a serious problem."
71% of respondents answered:
"No es una problema seriosa."


-from Rick

Foggy Night at Rosenblatt.

I recall going to a ballgame in Omaha at Rosenblatt Stadium
- where the College World Series begins tomorrow-
with my Dad and his Dad. Must have been in about 1967,
we were about 6, 26 and 76 years old,
sitting in the red seats in the upper section on the 3rd base side.

Grandpa said, "Boy , it sure is foggy tonight."
Dad said,"Yeah, it sure is foggy, Daddy."
(He always said "Daddy", instead of "Dad".
I did ,too, until a neighbor kid mocked me
about it. Said it sounded 'babyish.' ).

It was a warm, hazy summer night, and the nighthawks and barn swallows were swooping around, picking off moths in the translucent shafts of light that surrounded the field.

Hmmm, Grandpa said it was foggy,
Dad said it was foggy, they must know ...

I let my imagination run a bit, and saw the fog roll in from the nearby Missouri River. The Summer haze seemed to my little eyes a roiling, thickening mist as the shafts of light started to solidify. Excitement started to build as questions filled my head. Would it get too thick to play baseball ? How will the fielders be able to catch pop-ups traveling through the mist?
What weather wisdom Grandpa had!

That's how I remember it.

About 10 years ago Dad and I were there at a ball game with my son, sitting above the 3rd base line in similar Summer weather as that time with Grandpa, and I reminded Dad about that, about Grandpa and the foggy night we had at Rosenblatt.

Dad said, "Yeah, he really had a problem with those cataracts!"

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

Dad didn't tease Grandpa back then,
didn't correct his error of perception,
his faltering eyesight, the ravages of time.

He just said, "Yeah, Daddy, it sure is," with love and respect.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.


Follow this
Link to Father's Day trackback at Angel's Blog
for some great quotes and thoughts on Father's day.

SIXTEEN WAYS TO BE A GOOD LIBERAL

E Mailed from my brother, Rick...
SIXTEEN WAYS TO BE A GOOD LIBERAL

• 1. You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion on demand.
• 2. You have to believe that business's create oppression and governments create prosperity.
• 3. You have to believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens are more of a threat than nuclear weapons technology in the hands of Iran , China and North Korea .
• 4. You have to believe that there was no art before federal funding.
• 5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical changes in the earth's climate and more affected by soccer moms driving SUV's.
• 6. You have to believe that the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of federal funding.
• 7. You have to believe that the same teacher who can't teach 4th-graders how to read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about sex.
• 8. You have to believe that hunters don't care about nature, but PETA activists do.
• 9. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.
• 10. You have to believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain parts of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good because it supports certain parts of the Constitution.
• 11. You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high.
• 12. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln.
• 13. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides are not.
• 14. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn't worked anywhere it's been tried is because the right people haven't been in charge.
• 15. You have to believe that homosexual parades displaying drag queens and transvestites should be constitutionally protected, and manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.
• 16. You have to believe that this message is a part of a vast, right-wing conspiracy.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

• oops, can't do that either!

__________________________________________________-

How about these??

17. Clamor against conservatives for stifling democracy , then

a: worship at the feet of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, and

b: allow an unelected, unaccountable oligarchy of judges to block a vote of the people in Massachusetts on the sanctity of marriage.

18. Proclaim ,as the United States Senate Majority Leader, that the President of the United States is a 'loser', that the war is lost, and the men leading the fight are " incompetent"; while the only thing close to military experience your Viet-Nam-draft-eligible-student-deferred ass has was in a "political plum " Capitol Hill Police job guarding parking lots.

.... I was just going to blog about the Rodney Atkins concert, Navy Seal parachute drop, and fireworks at the College World Series opening ceremony tonight. Thanks a lot, Rick!

Must seem like having to fill a swimming pool with a thimble

Common sense begins to reign over the passing scene ,
the
'give certain legalization - only promise security' bill fails,
and Paris Hilton returns to serve her sentence as the judge ordered.

---From the transcript of today's hearing ----
"At no time,Your Honor,

At. No. Time!
did my client,
Miss Hilton ,
give up her right to be
tried as a celebrity,

and therefore

I move for an immediate
installation of the Robert Blake jury
and Judge Lance Ito
to correct this oversight."

Seriously, though, I pray she gets the help she needs.

A couple weeks out of the insane vacuum she lives in
could do her some good.

The problem is, that vacuum is internal
and she will have nothing much else for in her solitude.

As Townhall blogger , Frog writes:

I understand Paris's plight
I understand why an empty jail cell is so
frightening to Paris.
She'd have to entertain herself for a month.
Must seem like having to fill a swimming
pool with a
thimble.
It's just cruel
to put Paris in there with herself.

It's sensory deprivation.

The Paris licence plate game.

You might be rich person if . . .

John Edwards made a boatload of money.
Good for him, where he has made honest gain
and prayers sent for his family in the matter of Mrs.Edwards health.

He could have based his campaign on the limitless opportunities
there are in America to succeed.
Instead he rants about two Americas,and believes that massive taxation and welfare programs is the way to lift the poor.
What twaddle.
The hypocracy of his lifestyle makes him a laughing stock.

Clipped from the "Best of the Web" of June 6th.
Subscribe today here.

The Poor Little Rich Boy
Here is one of the funniest exchanges in Sunday's Democratic presidential debate;

Wolf Blitzer: What is a "rich person," Senator Edwards?

The Lovely and Talented John Edwards: I don't know if I know what a rich person is.

Reader Bart Harmon offers Edwards a little help

You might be rich person if . . .

• You pay 400 bucks for a haircut, and that's with the ladies' day discount.
  
• Your house has more square footage than most Central American counties.
  
• You leave a larger carbon footprint than the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
  
• Your last three jobs were medical malpractice attorney, U.S. senator and hedge fund manager.
  
• You can talk easily about two Americas because you own at least one of them.
  
• You are paid $55,000 an hour to speak about poverty, and that's your college rate.

O Beautiful, for heroes proved in liberating strife

I posted tributes to those who paid the price for freedom last May,
especially my Great Uncle, who died in The Great War.
Please find them in the May 2006 archive here.
A photo of William Staley, my Grandfather' Brother: is here.
________________________________________________
What follows is part of The Patriot's Tribute to American Armed Forces.

The Fallen, the Lieutenant and the Saints
By LtCol Mark A. Smith

On Tuesday 16 Nov 04, I had the honor of taking my command element forward to Fox Company's position for the Field Memorial Service for Corporal Brian R. Prening, F Co, 2nd Bn, 24th Marines, killed in action against enemy forces Yusufiyah, Iraq. Now, I say honor, because as tragic as the situation was, and as painful as it was, what I witnessed that day is forever and indelibly etched into both my consciousness and my soul. So, if you will allow me, I will try my utmost to communicate to you the events as they unfolded that day.

Fox Company has been forward in FOB St. Joseph for over two months now, attempting to bring stability to an area that had not had a presence of Multi-National Forces. As I have communicated to you previously, it was an absolute bastion of Radical Islamists and Terrorists, who had brutalized the citizens in unspeakable terms. Well, the WARRIORS of Fox Company have put an end to that. And, for the terrorists, many of whom are believed to have been the leaders of the insurgency in Fallujah, have been attempting to come home. Sad fact for them, Fox Company now owns their permanent zip code. So, on the day of Cpl Prenning's unfortunate death, the enemy, for the first time, chose to actually stand and fight. They did, and at the end of the day, over forty of them lie dead on the battlefield. And, over the course of the last week, throughout our zone, but especially in Fox's, we have rounded up and arrested over 120 of them. That said, and for all the fantastic work of the Battalion elements, this day was no cause for celebration, it was our time to mourn our honored dead.

As the leadership of the Company, the Battalion and the Marines of Cpl Prening's platoon gathered for the memorial, the atmosphere was sheer solemnity. The Marines of Fox were layered with the Iraqi dust that they have called home for 60 days plus. The smell of sweat that eminates from them can only be described as the smell of freedom. That combination of sweat, dirt and emotion that combines to create an aroma that is not repugnant in the least, but serves to stimulate the Warrior gene that you are among "special knights of the warriored breed."
The ceremony began with the placing of the rifle, helmet boots and dog tags of the fallen Marine, and was followed by Scripture readings, Company Commander memorial and teammate remembrances. The Marines that knew Cpl Prening best, memorialized him, through their tears and emotions, in a manner that I know would have made his family swell with pride. They were eloquent beyond imagination, and their words were a lance to the soul in their beauty and truth.
Then came his Plt Cmdr, 1stLt Mayne. Now, before I continue, I must describe 1stLt Mayne. I have been in a few scraps in my day, and truth be known, kind of enjoy that. But, 1stLt Mayne is one of those physical figures that you see and immediately think, if I can avoid a scrap with this lad, that would most probably be the preferred course of action. Additionally, since the day we arrived, 1stLt Mayne's combat accomplishments have been EXTRAORDINARY! His actions have been right in the face of the enemy, and he has stared death squarely in the eye on several occassions, and has done nothing but lead his Marines is a calm and professional manner that has absolutely confounded the enemy each and every time, and more often than not, lead to many of the enemy achieving their goal of martrydom!

But, on this day, the Lt Mayne that I saw was not the Warrior. No, the Lt Mayne I saw on this day was the Man. And, it embarasses me not one bit to say I only hope to be one tenth the Man I saw in Lt Mayne on that day. He spoke of his admiration for Cpl Prening and Cpl Prening's actions in a manner that crushed your soul and made you want to scream that you were not worthy of sharing the same room as these Warriors. He spoke of the need to channel and contain the rage and always honor Cpl Prening by only killing in righteousness and in accordance with the rules. He spoke of the "decent people of Iraq" who we are here to liberate. He spoke of all these things in a manner and among those who must do it in a way that should shame every person who has ever ascribed any attribute to our Marines, other than hero.

Having done that, he then finished with a prayer. A prayer that he stated he prays every night, and in knowing this man and the quality of his character, I suspect he prays it one hundred times a day. As he prayed the prayer of St. Ignatius aloud, I can tell you, I have never felt such overwhelming pain and peace, all at the same time. I have never been so destroyed and fullfilled, all at the same time. I have never been so torn, and so complete, all at the same time. Upon relfection, I understood how I could have such dichotomous feelings all at once. Because in that thirty second prayer, prayed aloud by a man and Marine Officer who will forever have my undying respect and admiration, I realized in the prayer of St. Ignatius, the eternal reality of our temporal struggle: GOOD VS. EVIL. And, I was standing, humbled to the bone, among the agents of GOOD.

Maybe I am wrong, but I believe in my heart and soul that everything has a time and a purpose under God. And at that time and for this purpose, God used Cpl Prening and Lt Mayne, that we would know our struggle is right, and that our will be not shaken, and that for our children and the future of our Great Nation, we will see this through until there is nothing but peace for our future generations. And, that for that struggle, there is a price paid in death, in visible scars and in invisible ones.

So, for LCpl Daniel R. Wyatt, Cpl Nathaniel T. Hammond, LCpl Shane K. O'Donnell, LCpl Branden P. Ramey, Cpl Robert P. Warns II, Cpl Peter J. Giannopoulos, Cpl Brian R. Prening, the next time you see a US Veteran, you shake his hand and say thank you. You shake his hand with the ferocity of firmness that says I love you, and I thank you for my freedom. If you get the chance, you go to a US Veterans hospital and you gently stroke the head of our wounded and broken from all wars, in a manner that says, do not be afraid, for I am here with you friend, I love you and I thank you. You do all this if you can, because everything we have, everything we are, we have and are because of their unbelievable sacrifice! And for that my friends, you and I should be eternally grateful and eternally humbled, for we have walked with the Saints!

St Ignatius' Prayer:
Lord give me the strength to serve you as you deserve;
To give, and not to count the cost;
To fight, and not to heed the wounds;
To toil, and not to seek for rest;
To labor, and not to seek reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.
May God continue to bless you and bless you abundantly,
as he does me everyday that I share this earth with your beloved.
And may he grant strength, peace and serenity to the families of our fallen heroes.

Mark A. Smith LtCol, USMCR
Commanding Officer TF 2/24

Limp Ninja Time

Havent' made time to blog this month.
Crazy days.
Birthdays, Track Meet days, Mother's Days, Soccer Daze.

The futbol season is winding down with back to back weekend tournaments for the girls, while the boy is headlong into baseball practice- the Iowa High Schools baseball season doesn't start till track is done, and goes deep into July.

I Needed something silly to laugh at, and found a couple of funnies.
Barats and Baretta are a couple of Gonzaga kids who did some stand-up comedy, and put a few things on You Tube.
Last year, their Mother's Day video was featured there and made them very popular- NBC even gave them a contract to develop a series pilot or two.

Some of their stuff is over the edge, but these are clean.
The following is priceless, and so familiar to parents of more than one child.

Happy Mother's Day - Have patience, Mom.


This next one looks like it could be Kipling Dynamite's daydream;
"I'm training to be a cage fighter."
Limp Ninja Time!
The Ninja Rap..

FOXNews.com - Endangered Rabbits Returned to Wild, Quickly Eaten - Science News | Current Articles

What a total waste of taxpayer dollars, saving rabbits.They will probably find them nesting in a K Mart sign, as they did Spotted Owls after costly preservation methods.

Stay tuned for the next article from Ephrata,WA , in which Fish and Wildlife staff are amazed at the increase in the coyote, hawk, and owl population in the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area, as they enjoy the million dollar rabbit feast.

Perhaps they should introduce them to Australia?

"Throw another shrimpy rabbit on the barbie!" :-)

EPHRATA, Wash. —

Most of a group of 20 endangered rabbits that were reintroduced to the wild with great fanfare last month have been killed by predators, state officials said.

Only four of the rabbits released on March 13 remained at the Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area as of Tuesday, said David Hays, pygmy rabbit coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Hays said two males were removed earlier this month and will be returned at the end of April. The other 14 rabbits are believed to have fallen victim to predators, mainly coyotes, but also hawks and owls, Hays said.

• Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Natural Science Center.

The rabbits, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, eat sagebrush and are the only rabbits in the United States that dig their own burrows.

The Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area, about 10 miles north of Ephrata, is considered the last native home of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit. The rabbit was listed as a state endangered species in 1993 and federally protected in 2003.

The 3,700-acre release site has been watched daily by Fish and Wildlife staff. Several of the rabbits were fitted with GPS monitors. Of the four rabbits remaining at the site, three are females who could be pregnant, officials said.

Hays said the rapid decline in population does not doom the multimillion-dollar project to return the near-extinct rabbit to its natural environment. More rabbits will be released in the area, and experts are looking for ways to reduce predation.

"We're taking it week by week. This is valuable learning time," he said.

Source: FOXNews.com - Endangered Rabbits Returned to Wild, Quickly Eaten - Science News Current Articles

He Is Alive

It is said that Christianity is a crutch for the weak.
In reality, all of us are spiritual paralytics,
and need so much more than a crutch,
we need a stretcher.
Without Jesus Christ, we can do nothing.
With God, all things are possible.

This video of Team Hoyt is a symbol of the role of our own strength and ability to get us across Heaven's finish line.
Zero. Nada. Zip.
Our role is to trust Him.

He will never let you down.
He Is Alive.
Happy Easter,
Terry

Good Friday, Indeed.

A Favorite song of mine:

lyrics - bill and gloria ga ...

It is Finished - by Leonard Ravenhill

 

... Just three words - IT IS FINISHED.

The Greatest Words Ever Uttered
By the Greatest Man That Ever Lived.

In these three words I see the consummation of all the Old Testament truth and the germination of all New Testament truth.

Source: It is Finished - Leonard Ravenhill

Range war: At the Tin Star Ranch

Not really as dramatic as all that,
"J. Noble Daggett" is on the case...

Things are coming to a head with our neighbor
and a boundary dispute we have had since shortly after we purchased the place in 1999.

In 1986 or so the prior owner fenced the entire alley
that seperated the properties.
In mid 1999, The city gave up the alley half to us, half to the neighbor.
We still have the whole alley fenced into our yard, and our garage is on a couple feet of it as well.
The realtor and mortgage lender smiled and nodded that all was in order at closing.

'Twern't so.

A handshake could have settled this 8 years ago, in fact it had, I thought.

The neighbor's boyfriend- now husband - told me about the boundary trouble and said they would trade title to the 8 foot strip for a new fence, as the old one might be a hazard to their toddler. We bought the fencing- $400 dollars worth on clearance. She blew up the deal, it was "MY LAND , NOT HIS!!!" , she exclaimed. The fencing sits , unused, a monument to the quality of unwritten agreements-they are only worth the paper they are written on..

"Lawyer Daggett" said the realtor and mortgage man did a sloppy job, but a mess like that was usually settled for a couple of hundred dollars, and that his office could arrange the paperwork when an agreement was reached.
"City Planner" told me the permit is proper for the garage- they won't order its demolition.
He further told me that boundary problems like this were commonly settled for a couple hundred dollars,

but our friend is thinking in the thousands.
Think again, friend.

Fence has been up for 20+ years, we have lived here 8+ years.

Had to involve the lawyer this week, now it may get expensive for us both.

This week she left a phone mail threat to move the fence,
don't know what she will do to the garage .
Well, I do know- she will do nothing,
or face tresspass charges according to our "Lawyer Daggett's" letter to her.

The prior owners of these properties should have cleaned this issue up.
We are stuck with their mess.
I am not entirely unsympathetic to her point of view,
but each of us bought our properties thinking
that the fence was the true boundary.
After all these years- it is,
and will soon be codified hopefully by sale-by
court order if necessary.

Hopefully we can reach an out of court settlement to make it so.
Prayers appreciated.
Thanks.

It looks like. . . like something out of Star Wars.

There was a plain old blue collection box stolen last week in our town.

These R2D2 boxes must be under armed guard.

They look pretty cool.

I'm such a geek.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

March 22, 2007
R2 Did Too
USPS/Star Wars promotion hits light speed

Jedi Knights, Imperial Storm Troopers and Princess Leia gather round their favorite droid.

Baltimore, MD, customer Joanne Covington knew there was something familiar about the R2-D2 wrap. "This mailbox is different. It looks like a computer . . . like something out of Star Wars," she said.

Alexis Gilbert joins two Storm Troopers at an R2-D2 collection box in San Diego. The Gilbert family heard about the collection boxes on the radio and, as huge fans, stopped by to take a photo and mail a letter — the first letter mailed the morning of the installation.

In Salt Lake City, the R2-D2 box is an eye-popping, customer-stopping experience.

Pointing, pausing and posing is how they get noisy in Boise.

Columbus District Acting Human Resources Specialist Kirby Leathers portrayed Lord Darth Vader outside the Columbus Statehouse during a promotion of the R2-D2 collection boxes.

Source: USPS News Link

Behind The Green Door

Ahhh, Spring.
Time to ponder the season's planting,
in the Lazy Half S Ranch's spacious 15 x 35 foot garden .

Still too wet here to till, too cold for most seeds,
too early to plant , but not too soon to plan.

Tomatoes, Basil, Lettuce, of course.
Perhaps Green Beans - been 2 years without them.

At least the weeds are planted.

I came across an article about gardening in war time:
Planting Hope
Gardening in times of war. BY JANE GARMEY

It's about gardens and landscaping done by warriors and affected civilians
from WW1 onward. read the book:
Defiant Gardens by Kenneth Helpland

"Kenneth Helphand's fascination with what he now calls "defiant gardens" began with this undated World War I photograph of soldiers in the French trenches flanked by their planting beds. Notice the use of twigs as ornamental borders delineating each soldier's plot. Helphand had this picture on his bookshelf for several years before deciding to pursue the meaning of gardens in such extreme circumstances, beyond their obvious use for food."

An article with great pictures is here .
~~my wartime 'garden' ~~
During Desert Storm, we had an area between the hospital sections behind the OR where sink wastewater runoff caused grass to sprout.
An unintentional garden, yet the little patch of grass was the only green in the nearby landscape, and a welcome sight- so much so that we made a way to access the area from our OR section, sort of a 'Green Room'.
The seeds of our thread bare lawn were there,
they just needed the coaxing of our liquid largesse to come alive.

A foretaste of what we referred to as 'greenout' - the overwhelming greenscape of home when we came home in late June of 1991.

Sure, and ye know why the Irish ne'er took over the world...

From To The Point News -
A recommended news and commentary source
_______________________________________________________
"The Irish Genie"

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Which calls for sharing with you once again
To The Point's favorite Irish joke.
~
An Irishman was walking along a beach in County Cork one
day and noticed an encrusted bottle washed up on the sand.
Wondering what might be inside he broke it off at the neck
and out popped an Irish Genie.

"Oh, me man, I hah been in tha bottle for a hundred years,
and you be settin' me free!" he exclaimed.
"For that, I'll be givin' you two wishes!"

"Two wishes? Anything I want?" the man asked incredulously.

"Anythin' - just name it," the genie replied.

"Well, what I'll be wantin'," said the man, "is a glass of good Irish ale
- but a very special glass, so that no matter how much I drink
it will always be full of good Irish ale."

Poof! There it was in his hand. The Irishman drank and drank and drank,
and twenty minutes later, he hadn't made a dent.
The glass was still overflowing with wonderful Irish ale.

But by now the genie was getting impatient.

"Listen me man" he announced. "I'm grateful for you settin' me free,
but I was in that bottle for a long time and I've things to do.
So you'll be makin' your second wish now."

The Irishman thought for a moment, looked at the glass in his hand,
and declared, "You know, I think I'll have another one of these!"
_____________________________________________

...Sure, and now ye know why the Irish
ne'er took over the world...
Also ,
Check out my reminiscences from
St Patrick's Day in Saudi Arabia .

Yahoo! St. Patrick's Day Greetings

This just looks WRONG.....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Off Off Off Off Off Off

Need a remote like this ?

What do you call the kid positioned
near the TV to change channels??
---Amish remote control. :-)

If you grew up in the 60's and '70s
you probably WERE that kid.

I like the gadgets, but I don't carry a cell phone, yet.
My wife does, and that's enough expense.
The cell phone, broadband internet, and Cable TV
costs about $150 a month.
Cheaper than a lot of folks spend on them , I suppose.

Necessities?
They are increasingly seen as necessary these days.
Long past delighting in the utility and convenience of cell phones,
many of their owners rely on them as status symbols.
I was talking to a young 20-something guy at the Cricket cell phone store Sunday. Even he shakes his head at the money people drop on ringtones and screensaver pix for their phones.

I don't need Fergielicious , photography, or Family Guy wallpaper.
Just want to make a phone call occasionally.

There are still a few pay phones around for me.

I wonder if the kids think I'm Amish??

Some day I'll figure out how to blog trackbacks, until then,
Hat tip to Angel at : http://www.womanhonorthyself.com/?p=2769
Always fine reading there.

Green Meat??

Brit Hume:

"Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Diet Change Beats Car Switch

The folks at PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, are calling out Al Gore, saying if he really wants to fight global warming, he should become a vegetarian.

PETA has sent Gore a letter saying giving up meat is the quickest and most effective way to combat climate change because the meat industry is one of the most significant sources of environmental damage.

PETA claims, "raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined." And, it says, researchers have determined that switching to a vegan diet is more effective against global warming than switching from a standard American car to a Toyota Prius hybrid.

Glenn Beck had a blast with this story today.
If you believe so strongly in man made global warming that you advocate an end to internal combustion engines (well , not YOURS, of course, just other peoples cars and SUV's). Then you must skip the Sierra Club's BBQ , and subsist on soy to lower your "Carbon Footprint"
Glenn is looking for photos of self-righteous "green" celebrities eating meat.

Found one!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cnn Archives MUST have video of this: Al Gore grilling burgers !
photo at: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9807/02/barbeque/
July 2, 1998

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Al Gore came well prepared for this "grilling" before reporters. He carried a spatula and meat thermometer. Then he flipped a few burgers Thursday while reminding people to cook meat carefully at their Independence Day barbecues.

"Don't let avoidable foodborne illness endanger life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Gore said, paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence.....

.......Guided by Bessie Berry, head of the toll-free Meat and Poultry Hotline, Gore and Glickman used a pair of thermometers to check the "doneness" of thick burgers, bulging sausages, chicken breasts and pork chops. Afterward, they served platters of burgers in buns to four tables of diners.
The meat-rich meal was served two hours after the government released an update of its Healthy Eating Index that showed only 12 percent of Americans had a diet that could be considered good. Most Americans need to eat more fruits, vegetables and milk and to consume less meat and sodium.

Aware of the frequent recommendations to eat less meat, Gore replied to a question about nutrition:

"You didn't see the asterisk. The Fourth of July being a time to grill out."

"Grill out and chill out," he concluded to whoops from the hand-selected audience of government and meat industry officials. Safe Summer Grilling
Also:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/topics/gb.htm
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Image%20Directory/gore2.jpg
Caption: (L to R) Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, Meat and Poultry Hotline Manager Bessie Berry, and Vice President Al Gore presented tips to promote safe handling and grilling of meat and poultry during the summer.

Well, I'm not as dumb as I look...

... but then , who is?
Try this little test:

You Are a Smart American

You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed. Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.

Are You a Dumb American?

A True American Hero By Joseph L. Galloway

I came across this story read it at the link below,
and check out the great reporting at Michael Yon Online Magazine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A True American Hero
By Joseph L. Galloway

McClatchy Newspapers

In a few days - 41 years after the events of a long-ago November - a white-haired retired guy named Bruce Crandall will receive the nation’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, from President George W. Bush.

He’s always been a hero to the men of the 1st Battalion 7th U.S. Cavalry who counted on Crandall and his wingman, Ed (Too Tall to Fly) Freeman, when the chips were down in a fire-swept clearing called Landing Zone X-Ray in the remote Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam’s Central Highlands....

Do read the rest of this at: Michael Yon Online Magazine:

Let the veepstakes begin By Herman Cain

Clipped from:

Let the veepstakes begin
By Herman Cain
Monday, February 26, 2007

Since the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination began, roughly, on Inauguration Day 2005, it is not too early to speculate on who might be the leading candidates for the eventual nominees’ vice presidential pick.  

The media’s attention is focused for now on the three-way dust-up between Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), liberal Hollywood mogul and former Clinton supporter David Geffen and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL). The media cannot avoid a story filled with Hollywood drama and the politics of sex and race. Geffen, who hosted a megastar fundraiser for Obama, told the New York Times, “Everybody in politics lies, but (the Clintons) do it with such ease, it’s troubling.”  

By comparison, the Republican nomination race is as exciting as MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Like Olbermann’s show, no one is watching. ...

...One thing is for sure. If Hillary wins her party’s nomination, her vice president won’t be David Geffen.

Copyright © 2006 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.
Read the entire column HERE

My Guess? Here goes

..Throwing darts here, but if one of these are correct, then I knew it all along !
Here are some good GOP picks.

Giuliani- V. Hillary / VP John Ashcroft

Giuliani V. Obama/ VP J.C. Watts
, Michael Steele, or Herman Cain.
Romney / Gingrich

McCain/ Romney or Cain

McCain / Cain has a nice ring to it.
Or at least an echo.
Geographically, and politically balanced.

Them Dems: You wrote : "If Clinton or Obama eventually becomes president, their vice-president will serve his term in a virtual witness protection program." Absolutly right.

Obama / Gov. Granholm of MI- a Cal-Berkley / Harvard Lawyer, a pretty, young Hillary
- with political accomplishments
- without an impeached husband.
Could be problematic when the press notices that she is prettier than Barak.

Hillary / Obama - Could REALLY need his help to win if she hasn't destroyed him completely but she would return the Veep's power and influence to John Nance Garner levels!

Too soon to tell with Hillary, her choice will be sooooo poll and focus group driven that it will be decided at the convention. By Bill.

Bolton To Baghdad

I met Jeff Bolton when he was a talk show newbie on Omaha's KFAB. He is a terrific guy, a strong supporter of our troops, Jeff has gone all over the world to tell their stories. His KLIF morning show is going to Baghdad for the next two weeks- beginning Monday.

Please join me and pray for Jeff , his team, and their families as they bring the story back to us.

Catch the show on streaming audio here M-F 5am - 9am Central, and pass this along.


KLIF wrote:


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Our very own Mayor of Commonsenseville, Jeff Bolton, will broadcast his show live from Iraq for two weeks beginning this Monday, February 26th. In 2003, Jeff was the first talk show host in America to do his show from Iraq and Afghanistan and he returns to Iraq now as more than 20,000 brave American soldiers begin a final surge to bring stability to the embattled country. Don’t miss a minute starting Monday morning, February 26th, from 5:00am till 9:00am only on Stimulating Talk 570 KLIF. Interact with Jeff while he is there: Email him and the team here.

Trackposted to Woman Honor Thyself, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Shhhh... The Surge is Working - Townhall.com

Shhhh... The Surge is Working
By Patrick Ruffini
Saturday, February 24, 2007

A gloomy haze has settled over the nation's prosecution of the War on Terror as of late. It seems like we can only watch helplessly as Nancy Pelosi and Jack Murtha size up new angles of attack for undermining the war effort. The media is chomping at the bit the tell the story of an America, bruised and humbled and exhausted, heading for the exits in Iraq.
But something interesting is happening on the way to the "new direction." Early indications are that the troop surge into Baghdad is working. It hasn't been reported on widely, but murders in Baghdad are down 70%, attacks are down 80%, Mahdi Army chief Moqtada al-Sadr has reportedly made off for Iran, and many Baghdadis who had fled the violence now feel it's safe enough to return. The strategy that Congress is busy denouncing is proving to be our best hope for victory.
In Iraq, there's a sense that change is in the air -- literally. Omar of Iraq the Model spots a B-1 Bomber in the skies of Baghdad for the first time since the end of the major combat. On the ground, Omar writes that the signs that Iraqis are getting serious about security are more palbable. With the help of Compstat-like technology, security forces are cracking down at checkpoints (even ambulances are getting stopped) and getting nimbler about locating them strategically so the terrorists don't know what to expect.
This turnaround in Baghdad is confirmed at home by the media's near-deafening silence. If it seems like you've heard less about how Iraq is spiraling into civil war in the weeks since the surge was announced, this is why. Even some discordant voices in the media are starting to wonder what's happening. Time magazine worries that it's "Quiet in Baghdad. Too quiet." That's right -- a dramatic reduction in violence is actually bad news.
It's too early to claim victory just yet; the operation is just two weeks old. But U.S. troops have been able to accomplish all of this with just one more brigade in-country, with four more on the way by May. These encouraging early returns show the potential for success when we apply concentrated military force to the security problem. When the Army and Marine Corps are on offense, carrying out combat operations and clearing out insurgent strongholds, we win. When we lay back, carrying out routine patrols and playing Baghdad beat cop, we lose.
The key to success is staying power. The always incisive Daffyd ab-Hugh has a good read on this dynamic. Counterinsurgency in Iraq has often been compared to a game of whack-a-mole -- secure an area, only to have the insurgents pop up somewhere else. But if we slammed a mallet into the hole, and kept it there, then picked up a new one... and did the same?

This is a new game called Seal-a-Hole , and it has a very different dynamic from Whack-a-Mole: the normal game is one of futility; the game continues until the player gets tired and quits or he runs out of money. But Seal-a-Hole actually has a victory point: when all the holes are sealed, the game is over -- and the player, America, has won.
Even though Seal-a-Hole is not futile, it nevertheless requires a great deal of patience; there are many, many holes, and each hole has a mole who must be whacked. Some of the holes, such as Sadr City, are very big and will require many mallets to properly seal. But if we have the courage and fortitude of our American forebears, we will seal those holes... and we will win.

On the political front, the White House also seems to have dislodged a major roadblock to victory: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's reluctance to allow U.S. troops to take the fight to Sadr and his militias. Returning American troops have expressed their frustration at having to walk on eggshells when it came to came to entering Shi'ite areas, a backbone of support for the government. Thankfully, the rules of engagement are changing. American troops are now freer to take on all comers, and the results are clear in both Sunni and Shi'ite areas.
In the coming days and weeks, these rules of engagement will face their ultimate test with the decision to enter Sadr City, the Mahdi Army's key stronghold. And enter we must. Those intent on turning Iraq into a breeding ground for al-Qaeda won't be convinced of our seriousness until we confront the key sources of violence on both sides of the sectarian divide.
When things don't go well in Iraq, we see the endless B-roll of chaos and carnage. When things are on the upswing, we tend to hear more about Anna Nicole Smith. The media will never acknowledge victories in Iraq, so we'll have to settle for an absence of bad coverage. But even in this relative lull in Iraq, it's important to understand and appreciate the short-term victories so we can create more of them. And finish the job.

Patrick Ruffini is an online strategist dedicated to helping Republicans and conservatives achieve dominance in a networked era. He has seen American politics from every vantagepoint — as a campaign staffer, activist, and analyst.

Source: Townhall.com - Printer Friendly

A New Direction... Away From Victory...

Arrgh...
I had written an elegant post to go with this- until Windows Explorer burped.
Oh well. Here it is in a nutshell:

Please read Wartime 'Agitation' . Here's a clip:

"As Mr. Waller observed, there clearly is a distinction to be drawn between constructive disagreement about the conflict in Iraq and giving aid and comfort to the enemy. The former can be compatible with a genuine commitment to the troops and to their success, as well as their safety. It would, however, require the dissenters to propose other strategies for victory -- not simply the use of code-words for defeat, like "redeployment" and "regional diplomacy."

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Let's remember why we fight . Let's fight to win.

Set aside the stories of Anna Nicole Smith's boobs* for a while and remember our troops, write your Congressman , ask him to oppose the terrorists mission for a change .

*(not her mammaries, the fawning, enabling, money grubbing vultures gathered over her corpse to fight for her $ millions- they are the real boobs here.)