Defiant Infidels

Reflections... September 11th, 2001

2011-09-11T08:46:00.000-04:00

I still often sit around on ordinary, uncelebrated evenings under fading twilight and think about that horrific day of enemy attack. There's no exterior lights out there... just you and the silhouettes of treetops and clouds above the black woods. This time of year, we are turning to cool, crisp breezes across changing leaves. The smell of fresh cut wood permeates my yard now. I have a little wooden bench out by my wood furnace that used to be my grandmothers. I repainted it to match our house trim and use it for a quiet hiatus and some thoughtful contemplation when time allows.

With a four year old that will grow up and try to live in our tomorrow, I think hard about what we as Americans should glean from the loss of our brothers and sisters on September 11th. It is a hard thing to present to an intelligent, yearning to learn, yet only-time-in-a-lifetime, truly innocent child.

This year I will endure the tragic redux without the intelligence and gentle, reassuring wisdom of my beautiful mother. Her absence gives me a keener insight to those stripped of their closest loved ones on that day, whether family or dear friend. Strangely, it is still far from anything equivalent, as my mother's eleven year cancer battle did give us morbid preparation and knowledge of the eventuality of circumstance. I gratefully got many chances for extended, passionate "good-bye" conversations... while most of the 11th victim's family and friends got absolutely nothing but cold, searing finality. No warnings, nary an inkling. Many of us have only comparatively feeble examples of what sudden, perdurable loss actually is.

I will watch the replays of video and the stories and the tears... because I should. I owe it to them. We all do. It's TEN YEARS LATER and we have the God given privilege of still living and breathing! The innocent victims were unmercifully extinguished with no choices or alternatives. Any person that can't grasp the basic mandate for respect and reverence is someone I don't want to talk to... and they don't want to talk to me, either. We coherent, respectful and grounded real Americans recall with a vivid, furrowed heart and a marker of bitter permanence.

I will dutifully relive it again, every year, and remember the hours of agony clearly. But I am hellbent on remaining crystal clear on what this meant. It should have been recognized as the most bold, face value declaration of a holy war with a cult of madmen we have ever witnessed in our country's history. It should have made us steely and wise, preparing for what we now know as their bared dedication to evil.

Our conduct, our examples and providing diligent, accurate historical accounts to our youth are more important now than ever before. With everything, including history, rapidly making the transition to digital-only event recording, the paperwork trail is becoming increasingly misty and therefore vulnerable to skewing, adulteration and revisionist rewriting.

We have diverged as Americans into a following herd of self-blinded, memory bereft, invertebrate lemmings and a sprinkling minority of rigid, caring, history laden Patriots. It has precipitated a boiling conflict beneath the crust of our population between those of us willing to accept the logical conclusion of such external aggression and those wishing to repaint it. Contrast, for example, the new directions we have gone in a post 9-11 world... Are these patterns of strength our forefathers might have responded with?

We haven't sealed our ultra-porous southern border, a proven door wide open to terrorist entry.

We have made it politically correct to relativize, rather than frankly confront, the murderous substance of Sharia/Radical Islam, while extolling the virtues of its' “cultural diversity”. (Hey! Let's build a mosque a few yards from where Islamists slaughtered our own!)

In tandem, we have squelched, belittled and labeled as 'intolerant' expressions of Christian faith. Believers are now “offensive” to non-believers... and not being offended has somehow become one of atheist's newest “rights”. (Ask a surviving American combat soldier if he was praying to Allah in the heat of battle.)

We have diminished and ignored the inherent strength in our Constitutional freedoms, instead repeatedly trying to “modernize” their current “evolved meanings”.

We over spend our economy into disaster, thereby further weakening the very pillars of our foundation. Do you think that because they hide in caves that they cannot deduce the vulnerability of such high profile presentation?

We close off our Gulf of Mexico and other domestic oil reserves to serving our own energy requirements while conditioning our people that we can magically replace fossil fuels overnight with such inefficient “alternatives” as wind, wave and solar sources. We convert our corn (what used to be food for our people and our livestock) into “alternative fuel” that produces 20% less heat energy per pound than gasoline. The huge oil rigs that once were in our Gulf of Mexico are now drilling in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It costs cubic money to move them, and when they do, they do it for five and ten year contracts... They won't be back for a long time.

We increase the size of the government nipple and willingly place more and more of our population on it every day. Remember, extension of unemployment benefits is one of the best job creators there is. (If Nancy said it, it must be true... after all, I saw it on TV.)

We accept the presence of a cult of people who are at the very least publicly silent about condemning acts of terror, who commit family “honor killings” on our own soil and preach hatred of the very America they reside within in the mosques that we politically sterilize and permit. No other country in the world would allow a confirmed following of the enemy within their own gates... but we do. Yet, “profiling” is stubbornly exempt from our “security” measures.

So... perhaps you think that none of this has much to do with the occurrence, the memories, the horror and the victims of September 11th, 2001? Well, I guess I would adamantly disagree. We are creating the conditions for a subsequent attack that will make the atrocity of ten years ago comparatively small.

We have the lessons of how September 11th happened... it was complacency, unpreparedness and liberally spread false, soothing ignorance. We have the real memories, as vivid and bloody as they truly are. We have today and the decisions that will become tomorrow.

The decisions we have made, and those we have allowed to be made, are not indicative of a people who have learned from or recognized the advancing enemy. Yes, we've gone ten years without an attack, and we are a people acting as if it can't happen anymore. Just as Al Qaeda relentlessly came back after their “failed” attempt on the World Trade Center in 1993, they will never give up with committed efforts to create a sequel.

A confrontation and observance of reality would be the most fitting manner to honor those 3000 lost souls effectively. Will America ever regain its' roots of our forefathers consciousness?

Thank You, Navy Seals...

2011-05-02T10:35:00.002-04:00

Scurvy removed...

Thanks to our military, their families and all who sacrificed their blood, time and altruistic efforts. God Bless America!

A Debt of Gratitude

2010-11-11T05:41:00.002-05:00

Veterans Day is one single date on our calendars, set aside as a reminder to offer our sincerest gratitude to those who have contended - and served - and sacrificed for this nation. It is simply one day to remind us that there is an enduring cost for independence and for liberty. Let us never forget that freedom is our privilege, and not our right. Let us always remember that freedom is a living entity, born as a gift from those who have steadfastly fought to protect us - with its survival entirely reliant upon our duty to uncompromisingly fight to protect it.

I would like to take a moment to thank my father, who proudly served this nation during the Korean Conflict aboard the USS Juneau (CLAA-119). The anti-aircraft cruiser he served upon was nicknamed the “Galloping Ghost of the Korean Coast” for her surprising appearances along the foreign shore, destroying enemy installations. The USS Juneau earned its place in history as the first US Naval vessel to fire a shot in the Korean incident. Even now as I recall my father speaking of his Navy days, I can remember a distinctive mix of pride and sentiment within his eyes, and within his aspect, as he reminisced of men with whom he served, as well as those who sadly had been lost. There were difficult stories that he chose to keep to himself - but there were other stories that he could not help but to repeat. And, as it is now likewise with all Veterans, his wartime stories have become a part of our nation's collective histories. Because of what these Veterans choose to do - and because of what their choices have allowed us to do as a nation - we have been privileged to live these lives of freedom that were gifted to us. If ever we need to fight politics and policies on the home front, in order to maintain our gift - it is truly the least that we can do, in their honor.

November the 11th will arrive each year to remind us to give thanks to those who serve. May we be prompted to do so on this day - and may each tomorrow thereafter be done without prompting.

God Bless Our Troops ~

~Miradena

Without our military, their families and their multifaceted sacrifices, there would be nothing as we now know it. To ignore their integral structure to everything we enjoy as freedom and liberty is well beyond rude indifference... I find it reprehensible.

It is ignorance to not understand the widespread tyranny, chaos, victim-hood and totalitarian nature of the bulk percentage of the world's population. We have so commonly lost the respect for the finite boundaries of our comparative Utopian Bubble. We are mired in convenience, technology and self gratification which has now permitted the rearing of entire generations of children and young 'adults' who are blissfully oblivious to the threatening realities that surround us. This condition insulates and demotivates our growing young minds to be cognizant of the enormous gifts bestowed by our watch keepers.

And the saved, salvaged and rebuilt nations of this great Earth too quickly fade from their memories the staunch defenses and human kindnesses offered to any country struggling to overcome oppression. Our military are the watchdogs of civility. They insure the dream of individual liberties being realized.

They deserve unforgotten gratitude.

But they do not require it. They doggedly keep their eyes on threats and duty dictated goals... that's it. They do what they do without any debt demanded from us, the recipients of their toils, subjection to danger and constant sacrifice.

It seems rather basic to say "Thanks" and teach our children to do the same... I am always struck by the often stunned look on a veteran's face when I just suddenly reach out, without other cause or reason, and firmly shake their hand with a heartfelt "Thank you for your service to Our Country". And I always look them straight in the eyes when I do it.

I want them to see it's not fake, and it's not posturing. I mean it.

God bless them. Every last one.

~D.I.

What Will YOU Do When It's YOUR Free Speech?

2010-09-28T13:06:00.020-04:00

Do you get "The Message"?

Do YOU understand yet?

Do you still believe it doesn't "really affect me"?

Do you see how The People are "managed"?

"MOVE BACK! I'm a State Trooper!
Do YOU wanna' be arrested and go to JAIL?"

Is this what it felt like to be a Jew hiding under the basement floor with the Gestapo scouring the upstairs looking for "dissenting scourge"?

Have you seen this on the "NEWS"?
Why haven't we heard about this before NOW?!

Pissed off yet? What are YOU actually DOING??

"...just move along... disperse... you need to move away...
there's nothing to see here... it's all over..."

Is America REALLY "all over"...??

UPDATE: Sidney Hill, a 52 year old disabled veteran, was charged with Assault 4-Cause Fear Of Injury, Disorderly Conduct-Challenge To Fight, and Criminal Trespass 2-Upon Premises.
Mr. Hill is awaiting trial.

Are the issues of gun ownership and "right to carry" also on trial?

Cleary not evident in the above video, but according to a quote in the Alaskan Frontiersman, "When security personnel discovered Hill had a handgun on him, that’s when the whole thing changed. All the supporters went away when they saw there was a gun," said Dean Phipps, spokesman for the Alaskan State Fair.

Nice try, Mr. Phipps - but a woefully inaccurate portrayal. It is clear that the concerned crowd was forced back only because of a maniacal, badge wielding police officer, (with limited Security Guard status), who threatened them with arrest if they dared to "support" Mr. Hill. And still, the crowd did not disperse.

Response by Dan Peterson, Starplex Regional Manager. "We determined that the amount of force used by our security personnel was warranted."

(406) 256-2480

dpetersen@starplexcms.com

Failed Fantasy: The Easy Button...

2010-09-24T15:52:00.008-04:00

The Lefties are frantically switching buttons! They've abandoned "Easy" and are jabbing for the "Panic" button.

Is it the blabbering sound of the deflating economy? ...the shrunken miniature that represents employment nationally? ...perhaps the bloated deficit? ...bank failures? ...withering housing values? ...the hollow dollar? ...the New Gold Rush? ...looming tax increases? ...the engorged government socialist nipple? ...the permeable membrane of our southern border? ...the thousands of illegal alien case dismissals? ...mebbe it's the bowing, apologizing, capitulating "diplomatic" sequence of chronological ass kissing perpetually displayed to our enemies by Good Ole' President Wussy?

Nah... It's just the usual whining from the children we once again mistakenly trusted with our most noble endowment, freedom and liberty, passed forward to this synthesized Generation of the Unappreciative. 'We, The People' of the Constitution's true meaning are about to revoke the privilege... de novo.

Do you wonder how long we might just "ground them" this time? ...before stupidly allowing their irrational acts of power promoting autoerotics again.

Has it hurt enough yet, Folks?

Is it far enough into the future yet before we might get back to where we were 20 months ago?

Jeesh... it must be pretty crushing for them after all those years of carefully delivered Weakness Promotion. It truly began long, long ago. Ah, the glorious, perpetual servings of socialist propaganda! What good Marxist would have ever believed that the "useful" items straight from Rules For Radicals would have proven inadequately toxic? It should have permanently stymied the brains of those damn stubbornly resourceful capitalist Patriots! (Here's offering a sincere prayer that this has vaccinated our population for evermore.)

Do you remember...? What happened to the unending stupor?

"...I won't have to worry about puttin' gas in my car, I won't have to worry about paying my mortgage, ya' know, if I have helped him, he's gonna help me..."

-Peggy Joseph

Where's the fog?

I mean, just consider what their mindset building has culminated into on our television, every minute of every day, all across America.

LiftMaster standby power garage door opener...

...because you must realize that if your power grid is down, you would have to otherwise get out in the rain to open it! And you'd have to lift it by hand!

"Uses natural frequencies to promote good health and well being".

(is it the Irenew magnetic bracelet or Obamacare?) "...only $19.95..."

They coined entire new pacifying enervation titles:

"Immediate Response Vehicle" (No planning or forethought required... just scream out "save me...".

A trendy insurance "Concierge Service"... Bloody everything has been slanted towards the immediate gratification, no hassle, minimal effort 'message'. Shun responsibility. Work of any measurable significance is always somebody else's job... because, after all...

"You deserve it!"

Well, Peggy Joseph, you and those countless millions like you DO deserve this.

"I can just drop off my car and Progressive will take care of everything?!!"

"I had no idea that guy stopped short in front of me... but my car did."

"An invisible wall of protection... we give you a feeling of protection".

"I will not be afraid of the dark".

"What that robber took from us was our peace of mind... with ADT, we got it BACK!"

"We're there, even when you're not."

"What if Mother won't let me drive?"

"And we're walking... walking..."

"How's that for 'on-demand'? ...It's hard to stop a Trane."

It is indeed hard to stop a Socialist train. But we have a lot of hands and voices screaming "HALT"!

~D.I.

The Fall of the Left

The illusory summer of recovery has officially ended.

For some Conservatives, there is a sense of renewed anticipation and vigor as we approach the first, golden days of Autumn. This is the quintessential season of change, in its truest form. And so it begins - this visceral transformation of climate and circumstance. The Harvest Moon has fulfilled its duty to shine over the autumnal sky, as if in defiance of a world now transitioning into an early darkness. Everything changeable, seems possible. Everything possible, seems plausible. The haunting winds of desperation are beginning to blow, as we are increasingly being awakened to the nonsensical sounds of the yellow-bellied, Liberal sapsuckers, aimlessly fluttering in sweeping flocks of misdirection.

The aesthetics of our political landscape have been purposely eroded. Meandering crops of fruitless candidates have been enabled to flourish for too long in fields of liberally lined manure. They proliferate as noxious, left-leaning weeds, which are now threatening to transform our scenic countryside into rolling fields of despondency. It is time to weed out these infectious organisms and pluck from our soil those pernicious Liberals who recklessly cultivated their seeds of despair and indebtedness upon this nation. Remove them from our landscape. It is time for them to reap what they have sown.

The vibrant hues of Autumn create a sense of newness, while they gently remind us that there is still comfort in our old memories.
Yellow school buses filled with the laughter of children. Sunflowers and wildflowers blanketing the roadsides. Fuzzy brown cattails decorating muddy marshes, ponds and creeks. The smoky aroma of burning leaf piles.

Autumn has indeed arrived - wrapped in her colorful splendor.
Perhaps we should rise to greet these days with the same raw enthusiasm that we felt during the days of our youth. Boldly march into this season as the proud performers in a high school band - complete with booming sounds and crashing cymbals, preparing for the names of the most promising players to be announced. Remember the kind of excitement that rallied an entire stadium, when the home team stormed the field - and an entire town of supporters rooted enthusiastically for a successful outcome. Become the most energetic of cheerleaders - shout excitedly through raised voices and megaphones - jump and clap at the sheer possibility of winning. Make the air become alive with energy and an overwhelming sense of community. This is the season of possibilities and new beginnings. This is the dawn of Autumn. It is the epitome of our incomparable spirit and it is truly a season of transformation.

As the air becomes crisp and the landscape becomes ablaze with color, may we reflect upon the simplest and most innocent memories of our country and the magical backdrop that this season has forever carved, within the aspect of our imaginations. This is the same land upon which future generations of children will continue to create new memories of America. May they continue to be afforded the same opportunities for innocence …

Vote wisely in November.

~Miradena

Vote RIGHT

2010-09-21T23:46:00.007-04:00

The decision before us is probably the most critical we will embark upon in our lifetimes. This is an excellent compilation of what should be the four most critical elements to be given consideration before choosing which candidate is worthy of your vote.

Click on the above animation to utilize the worksheet above.
Our sincere thanks for the professional effort and superb substance by Informed On Politics.

*October UPDATE*
If you click on the 'Informed On Politics' site link, you will find another post and a new tool enabling you to examine how many tax dollars all the Senators and Congressional Representatives have earmarked. It is also a PDF that you can ADD to your site. Know in November!

2010-09-11T00:49:00.003-04:00

A Moment of Silence. . .

On this, the ninth year of solemn remembrance, may we not allow ourselves to be dutifully content with the simple action of bowing our heads in a collective moment of silence. As we exhale from our silent prayers, and lift our eyes skyward to a forever changed horizon, may we seek our own avenues on which to embrace the virtues of vociferous sounds and the effectiveness of making noise. On this day of reverence, may we each pledge to raise our voices LOUDLY, strongly and with dogged determination, on behalf of those who have now been forever silenced.

To act with quiet resolve is not a viable option. Our silence has become a deafening white noise, and our reticent optimism has only allowed those who are most radical to gain a more direct stranglehold on our liberties. Sadly, without any deference to America’s emotional outcries, President Obama staunchly defended the rights of Muslims to build their Mosque/Cultural Center deep within the still healing wounds of Ground Zero. There is little more that can be done other than offering protest to what is insensitive at best - and intentional at worst.

This is not simply a state issue. New York is our nation’s unofficial beacon and has always been a glowing barometer of our strength and our resolve. By design or not, to those terrorists who wish us harm, this Mosque will become another victory pushpin in the map of their conquests.

One mastermind behind this project is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. He will no doubt be sharing his personal views with all Muslims as they pass through the doors of this Mosque. If you are not yet familiar with this particular Imam, a simple search will help you to better understand why so many Americans are so understandably outraged. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was quoted recently as saying: “We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States, has more Muslim blood on its hands than Al Quaida.” He added: “After 50 years of, in many cases, oppression of US support of authoritarian regimes that have violated human rights in the most heinous of ways how else do people get attention?”

There is indeed controversy surrounding the building of this Mosque but the controversy is not simply a matter of religious freedom.

It is a matter of common sense and sensibility.

Although many of us will choose to not discuss this subject, in order to avoid any and all inevitable or uncomfortable confrontations, there is no disputing that those individuals who killed our loved ones on September 11th, 2001 - those radical terrorists - and the evil minded barbarians who targeted Americans with hatred, intention and malice, did so - and will continue to do so - in the name of Islam.

Silence is not an option

~Miradena

__________________________________________________

It is a cold, solemn day of moments for those few of us who will force themselves to remember accurately and reflect on what our “Now” is. The reality of what happened on that seemingly bright early autumn day is overwhelmingly painful to those who consider it a duty to vividly review the atrocity that was imposed upon our nation unprovoked.

There was a brief, fleeting form of true unity in a manner never before seen amongst our living generation. It was the sort of stuff most of our population routinely emulated in challenging crisis after crisis throughout our history. We can still read of it in any unmolested, authentic volumes of our nation’s past, albeit they are mostly found now in our occasional attics, rather than our classrooms.

On September 12, 2001, we did not look doggedly to “progressives” for their toxic revisionist declarations. We did not wear a leash, nor did we relinquish our spirit to FIGHT as our fathers and mothers did for the very soil we now precariously remain upon. We did not sell our hearts and souls devotion to the consecrated wisdom of a land of FREEDOM and LIBERTY. We repelled the brainwashing of a government existing to coddle, nebulously guarantee and adulterate the honored principles that bequeathed to us this once glorious state of opportunity and strength.

On the contrary, we RALLIED rather than withered. We didn’t bow to other nation’s leaders nor apologize for the war responses that aggressive enemies thrust upon us. We functioned on fact and historical examples of time proven engagement.

As we cross the time line of memorial reference and reflect with heavy heart the murderous acts of pure savage butchery, there will be alarming numbers of the irreverent. It is nearly beyond the ability to comprehend for the few real remaining patriots. The twisted, diabolically assessments of varied capitulation to our sworn, blatant, unrepentant enemies, whether in reprehensible surrender speech or deed, is nothing shy of unforgivable. It seems the very least we could do to simply remember THE worst attack on our soil in an un-synthesized “reality”.

I say remember the meaning of this day with clarity, resolve and convey to our dead the dignity they deserve. Hold your head high in honor with your hat over your heart. Speak silence and feel no shame for your trickling tear.

May God in Heaven grant us the ability to still think logically and retrieve this Ship of Fools from the aberrant course of demise they have set us all upon.

NEVER, EVER FORGET!

~D.I.

"Rangeled, Muddy Waters"

2010-08-05T16:28:00.020-04:00

In 2007, Pelosi made her infamous pledge to drain the swamp:
"Drain the swamp means to turn this Congress into the most honest and open Congress in history. That’s my pledge — that is what I intend to do."

*update*
At her weekly press conference, Nancy Pelosi declared that the swamp has been officially drained, despite upcoming ethics trials for two longtime party members, Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel.

Waters is facing charges for requesting federal help on behalf of a bank where her husband served on the board of directors and owned stock

Rangel faces several charges including a failure to disclose assets and income, nonpayment of taxes, and improper use of a subsidized NY apartment for a campaign office

Pelosi stated:“Drain the swamp we did as this was a terrible place.
We made a tremendous difference, and I take great pride in that."

It is time for Pelosi's pride to goeth before her Fall.

Make A Wish...

2010-07-04T00:51:00.007-04:00

Suspension of Further Discussion...

2010-06-06T18:12:00.016-04:00

Four years ago, to this very day, I decided to create and write this blog. The first post followed sometime thereafter, but this was the exact day I decided. I recall it vividly, because it was a day that changed me. I watched my mother have a stroke in front of my very eyes that morning. She fought and eventually made a full recovery. Her unforeseen circumstances, their onset and her struggle all made me realize I had a voice... and some things to say. It seemed time to vent, to speak out about some of the values she and my dad had embedded into me.

It was a huge undertaking, and one that brought me many rewards of stress relief and commonality amongst good souls. It is, therefore, with more regret than I can adequately describe, that I respectfully make my last post here.

The blog will remain up for the lovely Miradena to continue to contribute her words, images and incredible videos, when, if and any time she might wish. We remain solid partners, disillusioned and watching this debacle spiral out of control. There is really nothing left to discuss, or everything to discuss, pending your view. But our direction is crystal clear... We, as a former beacon country of liberty, are going down.

I have never been more dejected about the future of our formerly great nation. We have been overrun from within... terrorist enabling, a socialist/communist "administration" solely focused upon power, the usurping of freedoms and liberties, open border policies with blatantly racist infusions, refusal to recognize/sustain the pillars of our Constitution, mockery "health care" of a stripe that continues to fail EVERYWHERE it has been employed, gargantuan debt, insidious "bailouts" of undeserving risk takers, encouragement of frivolity and worthlessness, and an astoundingly successful indoctrination march to disaster.

We will be less than the European economic example... Third World country status is our future. This puppeteer and his henchmen will continue to reduce this country to joke status.

What really amazes and depresses me is people's readiness to comply and lay down. I have been visited by census "workers" five times at my business (umm, I DON'T live there!). Yesterday, the sixth visit was a "Quality Control" enumerator. She had to "confirm" that the other five visits had actually taken place. And she wanted everything for information beyond what a census was actually supposed to be... a head count. That requires a simple number. Nothing more. Nothing. She also wanted me to volunteer personal information on my neighbors there and reassured me that "everyone" does it. Have you been threatened with fines and prosecution for failing to give the "required" information? I have been... to which I replied that I was aware that NO ONE has EVER been prosecuted or fined for lack of census "information". But it was worth a threatening try, I guess.

How many of you didn't know this? How many of you have given your name, birthdate, income amount (and host of other intrusive information for their database) to someone with a neck tag that could have easily been made in Photoshop in 12 minutes?? ...somebody you didn't know or bothered to take down THEIR name? How many of you know about the rapes, murders and break-ins that have occurred under the guise of being an "authorized government employee"? It's OPEN SEASON for criminals, even the ones outside of the "administration".

How 'bout those new monthly "job numbers" that they are trumpeting?? Ninety five percent of them are census "employees".

Productivity is down. Economy is in a freefall (and with what is already carved in stone for debt NOW... not still coming... THAT is going to be our status for many years to come).

History in our textbooks altered and/or completely eradicated. In fifty years, no one is going to remember or KNOW what happened. If they can indoctrinate the masses so effectively now, how easily will the leash and collar be applied in the Land of Tomorrow?

An unbelievable "freeze" on oil drilling, refinery building, nuclear reactor construction and more restrictions and fees on coal mining... We're all gonna power everything on wind and solar energy starting tomorrow morning! So who needs oil or coal??

I listened to a Demorat rail the other day about "stopping subsidies to those damn farmers". We're not eating up their farmland fast enough with housing developments and eminent domain takeovers I guess. Where do you think our frickin' vegetables come from, Morons?? Damn straight! Let's repress and control those "damn" hard working farmers! We don't need food or energy!

Meanwhile, we slip in another radical lefty with the Kagan nomination to our SCOTUS. One more stick in the construction to a guarantee of the permanent liberal House of Cards. Lifetime appointments, Folks... lifetime.

On March 15th, the Department of Defense suddenly suspended all buy up contracts of once fired military brass to major reloading outfits like Georgia Arms. All brass had to be completely "mutilated to department standards" before being sold as useless metal scrap. It was early speculation that .223, .308 and .50 caliber reloading brass would be damn hard to come by and over double the price. Reloaded ammunition would soon be very hard to find. It was a back door approach to their perpetual goal to disarm people, if not by getting their gun, by making ammunition unavailable and expensive when it was found. Ask a police department official what would happen to their pricing on once cheap, reloaded practice ammunition. Or ask a SWAT Team department head. And whose money actually buys this ammo for our Police Departments...? WE, the community! Ask Georgia Arms about the 60% layoff that they imposed company wide after the March 15th quiet policy change... now THAT'S helping the employment situation, Mr. Oblamblam... It was met with such an outcry that it was reversed in just three days time. But it was a very real attempt to once again control the civilian right to keep and bear arms. Tyrants seem quite concerned about that item in our Constitution... Hmmmmm...

And don't forget the "Cap and Trade" legislation that the scum lefties are still promising ahead of the November elections. Even O'Gutless has admitted that electricity bills nationwide will "necessarily" initially TRIPLE when we start trying to power our country on turnips and onions.

Whatcha' gonna do when the Iran-Israel confrontation finally boils over and Ahmadinajad shuts down the Strait of Hormuz? The world absolutely depends upon the oil that comes out of that 29 mile wide passage. It constitutes 42% of the world's ship borne supply. If it happens in the winter... and gasoline goes to $10 per gallon overnight... Who restocks the supermarket shelves? How do businesses continue to do business at all? If they do, who can afford to pay the new prices? What small, northern town will have a budget large enough to buy gas and oil for their snowplowing trucks? How do people heat their homes without oil? Ever tried, in four feet of snow, to cut and burn green wood in your wood stove inside your home (we're "polluters", you know). Oh... you don't have a wood stove? I hope you live in Florida then. I guess it will be just tough for people in the north... like dying tough.

How about when these camel humping, sub-human savages (that we are not allowed to call "terrorists" any longer) manage to get their bombs in a row and touch off a few simultaneous boomers, maybe with a bit of nuclear waste added to be thorough, in say New York, Washington, DC and/or maybe Los Angeles? Kim Jong Ill would be happy to sell some to ANY of our enemies. How do you envision the relocation of a few major cities worth of population (the ones that live) to "somewhere else" going? What do we pay for that with? More money from China? How do you think Wall Street does the next morning (if there is one)?

We have substantially become compliant, deserving IDIOTS. That's right... we DESERVE this. It HURTS... and we BEGGED for it. And it isn't fair to the few who didn't willingly jump on the self abuse train, but we're all on board anyway.

And talking about it AIN'T going to fix it! There's nothing more to say. Prior to November of 2008, we were standing on a plateau beside a cliff. We jumped off and gravity has taken over. There's no safety net (and there never was one).

You better get your ass to the voting polls in November and wake the hell up before just casually accepting the spewed BS that drivels from nearly every one of these corrupt, power seeking BASTARDS!

And PREPARE for something that isn't taught anymore... sustaining yourself and your loved ones BY YOURSELF. Otherwise, you will not have a chance in the coming calamity. This CANNOT continue indefinitely. And many of us, any of us, may not survive the eventual, sure demise of this country. But that's where we are headed, believe it or ignore it.

If you drown in this cesspool due to lack of foresight, preparation and historical grasp of what this must surely culminate in... you deserved it.

God bless the remnants of what was once the most beautiful nation on this earth. And God bless each of you.

Good luck and God's faith...

~D.I.

A Purpose Under Heaven

2010-05-31T06:13:00.034-04:00

On this Memorial Day, May 31st, 2010, we are a nation at war.
Patriots need no reminders - nor do our combat soldiers - nor do their loved ones who eagerly await their safe return. This day has somberly been set aside as a day of remembrance to those who have Fallen. It should also be remembered as a day to pray for their families, and to unapologetically cling to those reminders of the blessings that we have been given, in this nation. Some of us will choose to reflect privately on cherished photo albums or letters, the memories that our departed loved ones have left behind. And some of us will simply bow our heads and pray for our Lord's comfort. Some may choose to lay flowers at grave sites, with quiet whispers, knowing that our voices will be heard and our love, still felt. These moments have become our private reminders. Our personal traditions. The things we do out of respect to ourselves and to our loved ones, our solemn vows that they will never be forgotten. There is sincere comfort in tradition. Perhaps that is one reason why past American presidents have visited Arlington National Cemetery, each Memorial Day.

Respect and tradition can bring comfort to those who seek it.

Sadly, a solemn tradition was lost this year, when President Obama chose not to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Perhaps he decided not to visit Arlington National Cemetery because that hallowed location conflicted with his vacation plans to Chicago. Vice President Biden was, in his stead, designated to lay the wreath, while Mr. Obama enjoyed a casual barbeque, with family and friends. For this, I feel an overwhelming, albeit unofficial, need to apologize to all Veterans and their families, on behalf of the President of these United States.

I believe that this Administration, and Democrats in general, should apologize for continually disrespecting our US military. But, I realize that true Democrats will never apologize - and so I have listed my top 50 reasons why they should:
　
1. Although our nation is at war, Obama did not alter his vacation plans to visit Arlington National Cemetary, on Memorial Day.

2. Janet Napolitano, Dept of Homeland Security, issued a report stating that Veterans should be considered possible terrorists.

3. The Pentagon is creating a medal for “Courageous Restraint,” specifically to discourage soldiers from engaging with the enemy.

4. President Obama wants to unilaterally disarm the US.

5. The Obama Administration is disclosing to our enemies the exact number of weapons in the US nuclear arsenal.

6. Obama has chosen an anti-military, Supreme Court Justice nominee, Elena Kagan.

7. "Good friends" of Obama include anti-American terrorists who have actually bombed the Pentagon.

8. President Obama has shamefully bowed at the feet of numerous foreign leaders.

9. According to Obama, most children just say "Blah, Blah, Blah..." while saluting the flag, because that is "what he did."

10. Former President Clinton, was recruited by Rahm Emanuel, to “fix” a Senate election in PA.

11. For the first time, in the 56 years since the ”Medal of Honor” Heroes Ball has been held, our sitting president did not attend. Obama instead chose to attend a celebrity ball.

12. Obama canceled his trip to visit troops while he was campaigning in Germany...choosing instead to play basketball.

13. Democratic leaders, fearing too many possible Republican votes, worked against efforts to include thousands of military votes, in the 2008 elections.

14. Obama lifted a ban that disallowed photographs of fallen soldiers, days before the press accompanied him to Dover, DE for a photo-op.

15. Senator John Kerry, (D, MA), referred to Vietnam Veterans as “war criminals.”

16. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, repeatedly and falsely claimed to be a Vietnam veteran, in order to secure a seat in the Senate.

17. Democrat, Rep. Eric Massa falsely accused General Petraeus of treason.

18. While condemning President Bush, Obama claimed that the surge in Iraq would fail.

19. In February of 2009, President Obama publicly stated that American lives lost in the war on terror were “lives wasted.”

20. Democrats agree that the “first step” for success in Iraq is the need to cut funding for American troops.

21. Senator John Kerry (D, MA) insulted the intelligence of our military servicemen and women by stating, “you can either study hard or get stuck in Iraq”.

22. The Obama Administration's attempt to “fix” an election in PA is actually the 4th time that Obama has been implicated in two years time, including Senate races in NY, CO and IL.

23. According to a former FBI agent, and during the Clinton Administration, Chelsea Clinton often referred to the Secret Service and military police as “trained pigs.”

24. Slanderous Congressman John Murtha, (D, PA) falsely claimed that American soldiers were murdering Afghan citizens in cold blood.

25. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, proudly declared that “the war is lost, and the surge is not working,” even though our troops were still at war.

26. The US Navy is no longer an American force - it is now known as a "Global Force for Good".

27. Barney Frank, (D, MA), wants the US to stop building F22 fighter jets because he claims that Russia is no longer a threat to the US.

28. Senator Barbara Boxer, (D, CA) publicly reprimanded Brigadier General Walsh for referring to her as Ma'am instead of Senator, during recent Senate Hearings.

29. Senator Dick Durbin, (D, IL), accused American troops of running a Nazi death camp.

30. Anti-war activists are petitioning to ban all military from colleges and high schools in American cities.

31. Ivy League Schools continue to ban the ROTC.

32. The Federal Government refuses to protect our borders from illegal immigrants and terrorists.

33. President Obama, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Senator Carl Levin are in favor of open homosexuality in the military. They want to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell," without any insight or advice from the actual commanders of our troops.

34. Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, continually votes to slash military funding, and yet she has bilked taxpayers out of “millions of dollars,” demanding military jets for her own personal use, in shuttling her children and grandchildren across the country.

35. Obama wants to close GITMO and give captured, foreign terrorists, American rights on American soil!

36. Democrat, John Kerry, AGAIN calls American soldiers "terrorists".

37. Democrat, Former President Jimmy Carter, traveled to Syria for a "friendly" meeting with terrorist, Khaled Mashaal, the leader of Hamas.

38. Twenty eight hundred people attended a memorial service for coal miners in West Virginia, April 5, 2010. The Patriot Guard Riders, veteran motorcyclists, were banned from the service by federal officials because they were perceived as a security threat.

39. Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter (D, NH), a Member of the House Armed Service Committee, stormed out of a speech given by an 81 year old leader of an organization that honors Veterans. She did not agree with his political opinions.

40. House Democrats refused to pass a bill naming a Veteran’s Hospital after a Medal of Honor Hero. The bill was approved by the Governor, supported by the delegation of New Mexico and passed unanimously in the Senate.

41. President Obama does not like the word “victory” because he claims that victory is not our military objective in Afghanistan.

42. John Brennan, Obama’s Counterterrorism Advisor, claims that our enemies are not terrorists, nor Islamists.

43. Obama repeatedly disregards recommendations made by General McChrystal regarding military needs

44. Obama made the statement, “Whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant, military superpower.”

45. President Obama wants to charge wounded Veterans for health care by making them use their private insurance to pay for injuries related to combat duty.

46. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton falsely claimed that, while in Bosnia as First Lady, she was rushed from a military jet while under sniper fire.

47. Senator Chuck Shumer, (D, NY), stated that violence in Iraq's Anbar Province was lower "despite the surge, and not because of the surge."

48. Obama vowed to end the war within the first 16 months of his Presidency...May, 2010 marked the end of his 16th month.

49. US Troops were ordered to march in Red Square, alongside the KGB, in order to help the Kremlin celebrate their 65th anniversary of victory over the Nazis.

50. Democrats passed the “Hate Crimes Bill,” designed to protect the rights of pedophiles, but not the rights of Veterans.
　
Sincere condolences and unending gratitude to those brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. And to those who love them most dearly, as you grieve recent losses, or remember your loved ones now long passed, may you find some peace in knowing that the light of each new morning brings this nation limitless opportunities, none of which would be possible without the selflessness of your son or daughter, your wife or husband, your mother or father, your fiance, your relative or your friend. We owe them our eternal gratitude for this glorious gift of freedom and our heartfelt apologies for not taking better care of it.

~Miradena

State of McNanny

2010-05-13T11:37:00.015-04:00

Cowardly Lyin'...

2010-04-10T22:48:00.017-04:00

Dorothy:

It really was no miracle,
what happened was just this:

The Dems began to pitch...
the House, to switch!
And suddenly their hinges all became unhitched.
Just then, the Witch (to satisfy an itch)
went flying on her broomstick with her final pitch

”We have to tax the rich!”

Munchkin:

The states will start to pitch
incumbents soon will switch
and we will leave the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch!
Which is not a “healthy” situation for the Wicked Witch!
She’ll soon begin to twitch
and be reduced to just a stitch
of what was once the Wicked Witch!

Red Tide...

2010-01-20T20:38:00.009-05:00

Jingle Bill

2009-12-26T11:13:00.019-05:00

Because this is the week between Christmas Day and New Years Day, we wanted to try to add a little humor to an otherwise humorless situation. During this season of merriment, while the Democrats have forced an unwanted Healthcare plan on the American public, we eagerly await the 2010 elections and hope that the American public will make certain that our Congress will never be given the Democratic majority again. I want to thank DI for the extremely funny (and incredibly well done) image above that he helped me to create for my personal version of Jingle Bells.
It just doesn't get any more fun than this!

(Everybody sing)

Dashing through a Bill -
With unprecedented speed -
O’er Healthcare we don’t want -
And changes we don’t need.

"Socialistic care" is Pelosi’s “Christmas treat” -
But its just recycled fruitcake that nobody wants to eat!!

Cap and trade - Medicaid
High tax and Single Pay....
Our healthcare has been hijacked
And free choice has gone away !

Hey!

Share the wealth -
Ration health -
Give bureaucrats control -
So they can empty out our stockings
And carbon tax our lumps of coal!

A day or two ago - Repubs put up a fight
When Congress called a session in the middle of the night

It was filibuster-proof
They cut our coverage while we slept
Yet those private funded policies
Were perks that Congress kept!

Jingle Bill -
A single Bill
And a trillion goes away
Congress passes bad checks but the nation has to pay

Jingle Bill
A single Bill
The Dems have struck again
Oh, what fun it’ll be to vote them OUT in twenty-ten!
HAPPY 2010 !!

A Christmas Card

2009-12-25T13:51:00.010-05:00

Although many of you have already had the pleasure of hearing our friend "Z" sing on her site - DI and I wanted to make certain that this most special Christmas gift, one which she has given her readers, was able to be seen by as many people as possible. How fitting that the voice of an angel should be given to us during this most Blessed of seasons. Sometimes heaven simply shines a light on someone in order to allow them to reach others through special gifts that have been bestowed upon them by Divinity. Z is one such person who truly shines. Please take a few moments to listen to her rendition of the song, 'Mary, Did You Know,' and you will understand why we believe this to be true. On this day, and with each day to follow, may God continue to bless each one of us and each of our loved ones, as well as this great nation that we all love so dearly.
God Bless us, everyone.

Merry Christmas!

Blue Christmas...

2009-12-20T14:41:00.006-05:00

It is with a heavy heart that I sit before my keyboard and write this. My family is experiencing an indefinite, very difficult period presently. I will not discuss my personal problems here. Suffice it to say they are significant. They have drawn my attention and have demanded my responsibility.

And of course this Republic has never been crumbling faster...

Nationally, I am beyond words at this point. I am not optimistic for things getting better. If they do, I only see it after catastrophe has reared its ugly head, and surely like never before in our history. Only then... maybe... will there perhaps be enough of an impact on the American mind to realize what we have callously thrown away and try to rebuild some semblance of it.

Until that catalyst, if it ever occurs, I have chosen to hold my family close and prepare for the worst. What I do or am motivated to do at this blog is uncertain. I am incredulous at how little I feel there really is remaining to discuss constructively.

I will continue to always hold dear those amazing friends I have made here. I will read you when I have the time and inclination, whether I comment or choose not to. You are amazing, staunch patriots. You know who you are... you could not have any higher regard or respect from me. I want each of you to know this.

Sadly, while we all are still allowed to say it, I bid you each as much of a Merry Christmas as you can realize. God bless each of you.

To You Who Answered The Call

2009-11-10T19:00:00.020-05:00

The month of November holds two dates upon which this nation should focus our collective hearts and minds upon giving thanks. We celebrate Thanksgiving, a date to remember those things for which we are most grateful - family, country, freedom and God. And we observe Veterans Day, a date to remember why we are able to freely cling to those things for which we are most grateful.

Veterans Day is intended to honor ALL American veterans, both living and dead. It is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their dedicated service to their country, while Memorial Day is set aside to remember those who have fallen. In 1938, November 11th was approved as a legal holiday and "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace.” Initially, Armistice Day was intended to honor only those Veterans who served in WWI, but a campaign was launched in 1953 to change Armistice Day to “All Veterans Day.” President Eisenhower signed a Bill, Congress amended the Act in November of 1954 and Armistice Day officially became Veterans Day.

Through times of war and times of all-too-fleeting peace, our Veterans have always symbolized our nation as pillars of dignity, pride, steadfastness, honor and respect. Throughout our nation, there will be parades and ceremonies to honor those most deserving local Veterans, living and dead, who served in our armed forces. But this grateful nation can never thank them enough for their willingness to put themselves in harms way, to protect our liberties and preserve our freedom.

"To you who answered the call of your country and served in its Armed Forces to bring about the total defeat of the enemy, I extend heartfelt thanks of a grateful Nation. As one of the Nation's finest, you undertook the most severe task one can be called upon to perform. Because you demonstrated the fortitude, resourcefulness and calm judgment necessary to carry out that task, we now look to you for leadership and example in further exalting our country in peace. " Harry S. Truman, President (To those who served honorably in WWII)

It is the VETERAN, not the DEMOCRAT
who insures the health of this nation

It is the VETERAN, not the COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
who has given us the freedom to assemble

It is the VETERAN, not the ACLU
who has given us freedom of speech

It is the VETERAN, not the CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
who has fought for our right to vote

It is the VETERAN not the LAWYER
who has secured the Blessings of our Liberty

It is the VETERAN, not the SOCIALIST
who has battled for American prosperity

It is the VETERAN not the CAMPAIGNER
who fought and died for CHANGE

It is the VETERAN not the POLITICIAN
who delivers us HOPE

Let us never forget that each day there are men and women who are still being called to duty and needing to be in our prayers. Veterans Day should first and foremost be a day to remember, revere and honor all living American soldiers. But in lieu of the recent tragedy at Fort Hood and those soldiers whom we have lost in the past few weeks, I am asking you to allow me to carry your thoughts, for just 5 minutes within this video, to those soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice within just these few days leading up to this Veterans Day. Please remember those who serve - those who sacrifice - and those who are called to duty - on this day - and everyday. And as we celebrate the upcoming holiday season, may we remember to give thanks to each and every Veteran for answering that call.

In memory of: Sgt Cesar Ruiz, Cpl Cody Stanley, Pfc Brian Bates, Spc Robert Charlton, Sgt Fernando Delarosa, Sgt Luis Gonzalez, Sgt Dale Griffin, Sgt Issac Jackson, Spc Jared Stanker, Pfc Christopher Walz, Sgt Patrick Williamson, Sgt Keith Bishop, Cpl Gregory Fleury, Sgt Josue Hernandez Chavez, Capt Eric Jones, CWO Niall Lyons, Sgt Shawn McNabb, Sgt David Metzger, Capt David Mitchell, CWO Michael Montgomery, Spc Nikolas Mueller, Capt Kyle Van De Giesen, Spc Brandon Steffey, Sgt Eduviges Wolf, Pfc Devin Michel, Pfc Kimble Han, Spc Eric Lembke, Spc Kyle Coumas, Cpl David Baker, Spc Michael Dahl, Spc Anthony Green, Sgt Christopher Rudzinski, Sgt Christopher Staats, Spc Jesus Flores, Spc Daniel Lawson, Sgt Glenn Stivison, Pfc Brandon Styer, Spc Joseph Gallegos, Spc Christopher Cooper, Pfc Lukas Hopper, Spc Adrian Avila, Maj David Audo, Sgt Bradley Espinoza, Pfc Daniel Rivera and Spc Jonathon Sylvestre

Please pray for those who are fighting for our freedom -
And never forget those who have died to preserve it.

For Z...

2009-10-14T23:18:00.008-04:00

We are but human... imperfect and purely mortal. We have only Now and the memories that Now becomes. Our lives are a varied and frequently harsh mixture of challenge, toil, elation, logic, calculation, accomplishment, frustration, injustice, disparity, amazement, emotion, cruelty, shock and at times, misfortune. Under God's Watchful Eye and Guiding Hand, we scurry about wielding the time He allots.

And then He calls us Home... with a lifetime of lessons learned and contributions bestowed upon those we have touched. We sometimes, perhaps completely unaware, affect people in ways never spoken.

We do not choose the time of transition to God's Kingdom. It is not for us to choose. And so sadly it came for the dearly loved, devoted husband of "Z" of Geeez weblog. "Mr. Z" passed quietly in his sleep on Saturday, October 10th.

It is with greatest regret... and HIGHEST reverence, that we offer these simple words and images of condolence to the Lovely Lady in her grieving hours of incredibly painful, sudden loss. Our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers embrace you.

You are the Lady Slipper, dear, noble Z. Beautiful, delicate, principled, strong, stout, resolute and measured... yet eternally with such a high mark of kindness. You represent the rebirth and renewal of that which the coming day's promise brings.

You are an example to ALL those who read your words of sincerity worldwide. You love and are genuinely LOVED. Your friends, who know you in person or in reading, will ALWAYS be there for you.

God bless the eternal soul of the gentleman who too loved you so. And God bless you, Dear "Z". You're in our hearts forever.

~Defiant_Infidel

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To those of you who know our lovely friend, Z - we know that you are keeping her - and her family - in your prayers. To those of you who have not yet had the honor of knowing her, reading her words or seeing her heart - you will need to only visit her site one time to realize how many lives she has touched - and why it is so easy to love this special lady.

I was so deeply saddened upon hearing the news of the loss of her husband. Words still escape me. Therefore, I am hoping that the words to the song “Where the River Flows,“ by Kelly Morrison, will be able to say what I am simply not yet able to say with proper eloquence. My heart is truly breaking for her and for all who were Blessed to have known, and loved, and now mourn the loss of her wonderful husband. Watching, albeit from afar, the love that she and Mr. Z shared, was always an inspiration - and I know that a love such as theirs will live beyond the boundaries of our earthly existence. May God be with you, Z - as your dear one will always be with you - in your heart - in your mind - and in your soul. And anywhere the river flows.

Each time the river flows ~
An eagle flies ~
A flower grows ~
I will love you.

Each time a butterfly catches my eye ~
I’ll remember you…..

And you’ll be there ~
Inside my mind ~
Inside my soul ~
Where the river flows.

Yes, you’ll be there ~
Inside my mind ~
Inside my soul ~
Where the river flows.

The video below includes special photos taken by DI as well as several of my favorite images taken directly from Z’s site. It is my fondest hope that this might be able to bring some small joy to those who loved Mr. Z, while perhaps allowing those who didn’t know him, a small glimpse into the beauty in his life - and the beauty of his wife.

~Miradena

***Please Note***

We have closed comments on this post and ask that you kindly, respectfully convey your thoughts appropriately to Z at her own post here and/or here.

The More Things Change. . . .

2009-10-10T19:08:00.028-04:00

On June 23, 2008, I posted one of my first videos to YouTube, entitled “What Lies Beneath Obama.”

Because the content of that video seemed to resonate with some people, I decided to make several more videos, during the election year. It was the making of those videos that led me to this subsequent (and most rewarding) writing partnership with DI.

Unfortunately, my little video has now become one of the latest, statistical victims of selective censorship. Far too many conservative bloggers have already fallen prey to a concerted effort by the current administration to censor what we say and how we say it. It is common knowledge that any opinions that differ from the far Left are not permitted to be reported by the mainstream media - and likewise, anything less than stellar praise of Obama is promptly admonished - even when it is ‘long overdue’ satire, such as was seen on a recent episode of Saturday Night Live.

This whitewashing of America has begun with slow methodical movements, and those with the most unclean hands are attempting to cleanse the internet of what they deem to be unfit material. Therefore, I am reposting my most recently censored video below, (intact - with sound). Although the audio was removed by Youtube - I will be leaving the video posted on Youtube, without sound. Clearly, that soundless video no longer holds a message that is worthy of watching for its content, but it is perhaps a message noteworthy because of its lack of content.

Censored Video - No Sound

The original video, with sound, can be viewed at the end of this post.

It may also be worth noting that the song used in my now censored video is still currently being used on hundreds of other Youtube videos, all without incident. This was clearly a case of selective censorship.

No, I will not be removing any of my election videos from my Youtube channel. I will instead be redirecting anyone interested in seeing uncensored (knock wood) videos to follow a link from Youtube to our Defiant Infidels site to view them. Admittedly, the video below is now over a year old - and some of Obama’s specifically, highlighted Lies may no longer be considered timely topics. But since his patterns are still relevant and his promises will continue to be made and broken, we have to wonder what Lies are yet to be told.

What Lies Beneath Obama?

The more things Change -
The more they stay the same….

Please Join Us in Prayers...

2009-09-16T19:11:00.013-04:00

Mr. Always of Always On Watch blog has suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke. There is hope for his ~~survival~~... now recovery (See update below!), but the first 48 hours are the most critical. He is in the Intensive Care Unit presently. Latest details of his condition are being updated regularly here by The Merry Widow.

Please consider adding your heartfelt prayers for them both.

*UPDATE*
The Merry Widow has been posting updates since Tuesday, the 15th... Her latest as of 7:39 pm on 9-17 is:
"It is pretty amazing how well it's going. Since Mr. AOW didn't develope any new bleeders, he should be good to go...now starts the process of slogging back. Leaving the NICU is a huge step. A positive move!
themerrywidow"

2009-09-11T08:46:00.021-04:00

Don't Tell Me Not To Be Angry...

You were my fellow citizens. You were my brothers and sisters. You were Americans (and some of you were not). You were crimeless, blameless, guiltless. You were human.

And you were all summarily, unmercifully murdered.

Don't tell me it's a "day of service"...

It is A DAY OF REVERENT MOURNING!!!
DO YOU HEAR ME, MR. OBAMA???
...IMBECILE!!!

Don't tell me to forget...

I cannot and will not. Nor should I. Nor should you. Nor should either of us... ANY of us, EVER allow our children to. It is our most basic duty of respect to always teach and relate the true history of that tragic page turned.

Don't tell me to "move on"...

Your thinly shrouded code is designed to erase my memory. I function, I work, I live and I love. The innocent victims of cold blooded savages do not. I continue... but I will never "move on".

Don't tell me to "toughen up"...

Don't interpret my tears as weakness. They are the purest drops of resolve to avenge Our tragic loss. You don't know my strength... for you have nothing from within with which to compare. You are sickeningly empty and consumed with self. Thus you run and hide from the unending pain of such a sinister stealing. I bear my pain. And I bare my pain... in recognition, acknowledgement and in an honoring, raging flame of memory.

Don't tell me "life goes on"...

It does not for Them. 'This' Earthly existence and consciousness for Them was robbed. Life's essence was torn from Their clutching hands to become the prey for a Godless immolation. They were extinguished... but for Their souls.

Don't tell me We are to blame...

This beacon nation of freedom's light has given more aid, comfort and sustenance to the world's people, from all nations, including those of the perpetrators, than all others combined. And we continue to do so to this very moment. And we will continue to do so tomorrow... as long as we have something of assisting value remaining to give.

Don't tell me the assassins had "reasons"...

We offer liberty's torch to every man, woman and child who's outstretched hand will grasp it. We demonstrate the gift and all its' hallowed empowerments to those who are blessed with its' experience... and to those who would be. We spill our blood and fight on foreign soil to unchain the oppressed from the very enemy that attacked us. If you truly believe that these murderous savages had reason beyond corrupt, totalitarian authority and self appointed autocracy, further effort of explanation is to place pearls before swine. Avail yourself of the difference between a reason... and an excuse.

Don't tell me it was an "inside job"...

Read, research, learn something... Or perhaps you could have considered simply opening your frickin' blind eyes... Moron. Find a life beyond Facebook and GreenPeace... And get away from me... nutcase.

And don't tell me not to be angry. I will always, unfailingly, enduringly be angry!

May the good and righteous Lord forever bless Their unchosen sacrifice and rest Their spirit within His loving arms.

~D.I.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I Didn’t Know You -
But I Will Always Remember You ~

In the blink of an eye, September 11th, 2001 transformed us as a nation.

Lives were forever lost. Lives were forever changed. And from that day forward, the names of 2996 people have forever been associated with “a list“ of victims who never made it home.

But beyond that list - beside each number - and behind each name is a story.

I recently spent some time reading about each of these victims - these heroes who had become such an important part of my life. It seemed strange somehow that they were still virtually unknown to me. Collectively, they had impacted my life with a tremendous force - and yet individually, I knew nothing about them.

I wanted to get to know them better.
And this is what I learned.

Hero 344
I didn’t know you -
But we had the same last name - even though we are not related.

Hero 685
I didn’t know you -
But we went to the same high school.

Hero 945
I didn’t know you -
But I recalled a time when our family was lost while driving through Staten Island. The door of your fire station was open - and we stopped to ask you for directions. Our youngest daughter ‘spotted’ your Dalmatian puppy. You waved and invited her to come over and pet him while you drew us a map. You knelt down and slid your arm around the puppy for 20 minutes while she hugged him and then you gave our daughters a tour of the station. You were warm and gracious. And I am deeply saddened that your picture was among the firefighters lost, when the Towers fell.

Hero 938
I didn’t know you -
But we drove the same kind of car.

Hero 584
I didn’t know you -
But I know someone who had an appointment to meet with you at Cantor Fitzgerald on September the 12th, 2001.

Hero 2183
I didn’t know you -
but you produced television shows such as Cheers, Frasier and Wings that filled my house with laughter. And I thank you for that.

Hero 1837
I didn’t know you -
but we shared the same birth date.

Hero 1984
I didn’t know you -
but we both have three children.

Hero 309
I didn’t know you -
but we were born at the same hospital.

Hero 2947
I didn’t know you -
But we both have big, Italian families.

Hero 1483
I didn’t know you -
but I watched you on television and admired you as a strong, combative political commentator. Your conservative voice is missed.

Hero 714
I knew you.

You are my cousin. Our parents were married in the same churches. Our grandparents are buried in the same cemeteries. We shared the same traditions. You are my family. Although life too often allows us to drift away from those we should know better - we should know better than to allow that to ever happen.

And that was the one recurring theme, throughout these tributes that I encountered. There was one message, to the fallen, written many times over.

“I wish I had gotten to know you better.”

Beyond this day - beyond the numbers - and beyond the names…
Perhaps that is a message that should live on.

~Miradena

2009-09-10T16:59:00.016-04:00

A Withered Spine...

"You lie!"

CORRECT, Rep. Joe Wilson (R., SC)!... So why apologize?

Why grow stones enough to speak out publicly (Pelosi surely did neck damage! HA!), fittingly (after our President showed his usual pattern of imbalanced disdain, disrepect even, for all dissenting opinions of his "healthcare" pretension...) only to shrink into submission and cowardly apologize for your courage to speak the truth?

Did you not expect the outcry you promptly received from shocked DemoKrats? Did you not fully expect most in your own party to throw you instantly under the bus? Why would you anticipate any other response from the spineless, compromising worms wearing your own stripes? These RINO's (Team Captain McCain) are the same fakers who still talk a brand of alleged "Conservatism" that no one genuinely of the persuasion can recognize. The only thing you did wrong, Sir, was to go jello.

Why the classic case of 'Temporary Testicles', Rep. Wilson? All you had to do was stand by your declaration. Did you do this out of emotionalism uncontrolled... or perhaps to undermine us all? It truly makes me suspicious.

Because surely any thinking man would have to realize that to call a spade a spade... and then retreat and lick boots... would only serve as fodder to feed ready-to-pounce members of the Party of Asses and lukewarm water to dilute the growing felt responsibility to respond to the Elephant's true Masters...

We, The Constituents.

Nice touchdown pass... thrown backwards, Congressman Joe.

~D.I.

....................

Hail to the Chief - with an unspoken pledge of dignity and an unfaltering respect for the office of POTUS.

However, does this pledge of our civil obedience and decorum demand the same amount of Presidential protocol when the President repeatedly makes conscious decisions to present false information to the American public? If the breaking point for the average American is a town hall meeting - where is the breaking point for congressional servants more dutifully held captive under the thumb of the left hand of a socialistically leaning administration?

While I do not condone such misplaced outbursts - I do understand what type of frustration would lead to the need to have them expressed. It is difficult to watch someone in power misleading those whom you have sworn to serve. Contrary to the mainstream media's attempt to make this "inappropriate" remark a partisan issue - and despite the Democrats salivating at the chance to shift the focus from Obama's lie to Wilson's breach of protocol - this is simply the same issue that we have been dealing with since the day that Obama was sworn into office 9 months ago.

"We are mad as hell, and we aren't going to take it anymore!"

The threads are quickly fraying. With this rush to judge Congressman Wilson, the Left did not need (nor want) to validate whether or not Obama did in fact lie. This has simply been another opportunity to shine an interrogation spotlight over our heads and punish our entire party - and any person with any oppositional opinions - for this "breach of protocol" that occurred when Congressman Wilson had the audacity to speak.

~Miradena

2009-09-07T21:51:00.031-04:00

Old Song...

OK, I concede it!

Plunging over this socialist precipice is the best (in fact the ONLY) nidorous antitoxin for our wayward, liberally apprehended nation. When history's lessons are no longer heeded, living the redux is the last alternative versus utter loss and total failure. Unfortunately, it will transact at a tremendous, outlandish cost.

I once bemoaned the absurdity of it, decried how unnecessary it was and angrily denounced the mass of apathetics that selfishly spurned the responsibility as just too engaging and demanding to stay cognizant. However, when this once glorious nation becomes so decayed that we crown a cardboard, unidimensional, narcissistic snake oil vendor whose transparently self serving power quest is worn openly on his synthetic uniform... we have earned the pain and suffering that our actions have endowed for the next several generations.

Predictably, the Great Deceiver has installed a cancerous plundering of Marxists in reinforcing circles all around him. Old enemies of capitalism, inspiration, competition and innovation are there as well as an alarming plenitude of novice apparatchiks with lesser notorieties. With them come the tools of contrivance directly from the kit of the acclaimed Joker...

Behold the "Czar" rubric! A blatantly meandering route to circumnavigate and subvert the pillars of democratic installation provided directly within the Constitution of these United States. A devious solution to the plexing "problem" confronting the would be totalitarian!

Valediction, Van Jones... racist and avowed pinko!

Accept our patent gratitude, FOX News... the ONLY true news network to document the glaring, well documented distresses in this wart's annals.

Shame on ABC, CBS, NBC and the multitude of faux "news" journals from which we have come to expect... absolutely nothing! This is surely one of your pinnacle ignominies and you so surely deserve The People running from you by the millions. Like Jones, you will incur what is just.

Deplorable, proud Communist Jones, we passionate students of liberty and history bid you the public unveiling you purchased. Of course you decry your expulsion as a "victim" of "smear and distortion". You fool no one with more than a pair of brain cells which create adjacent friction. Mark the event of his demise, fellow autocrats... you will rapidly follow his dispatchment.

The People of these consecrated United States of America... are awakening.

~D.I.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Something to sing about!

"Sunny Day - sweeping the clouds away -
on my way to where the air is sweet...."

Farewell, Czar of Green - purveyor of puffery and ballyhoo - the air does smell a little sweeter since your resignation, Van Jones. We can only hope that the imperious Obama Administration does not attempt to recycle you.

Meanwhile, back at Muppet Central, the fleece is flying...and the puppets are growing restless - but we wanted to leave Czar Jones with the following video - and the knowledge that we will plant a lovely, white flower in his memory.

~Miradena

2009-08-29T18:31:00.042-04:00

"Rage Against the Machine"

TO SEE:
Or NAZI

“Obama is the hope of the entire world.”
“Hitler was a very great man.”
(Louis Farrakhan)

What would happen if some crazy, “right wing extremist” dared to compare Adolf Hitler to Barack Obama? Is this comparison only acceptable within the parameters of a warped mind, such as Louis Farrakhan’s - or is selective demagoguery simply a matter of perspective? Who are those “un-American” rabble rousers, flaunting their badges of conservative radicalism, while proudly marching through the doors of countless town hall meetings in Every Town, USA? Do these rebel, right-wingers actually represent American pride and an enduring freedom of expression, or are they simply swarms of “angry mobs” more easily portrayed as “terrorists with swastikas” by the mainstream media? That woefully, unapologetically-biased, propaganda machine, fueled by Pelosi, Gibbs and other Liberal (foot-in) mouthpieces, who refuse to retract repeated inferences of domestic terrorism, despite evidence that the majority of vandalistic acts surrounding town hall meetings have been orchestrated by groups with oppositional, far Left agendas. Welcome to Rules for Radicals. (Lesson 101). Blame the Opposition.

It is no surprise that this form of underhanded smear tactic is just another page from a playbook written by Obama’s mentor, Sal Alinksy. And yet, those “unpatriotic,” “racist,“ “brown shirts” with “fishy” behavior have successfully rallied to become a genuine nemesis to the Liberal superhero that once was Barack Obama. Steadfast opposition has meant bad news for a hushed and hurried passing of the Healthcare Reform Bill (HR3200) but good news for a healthier, healthcare debate. While informed arguments have been the equivalent of Kryptonite to the powers of Obama, they have spawned countless discussions about subsequent power abuses by his Administration. However, a comparison of Hitler to Obama should none-the-less, never be made by the faint of heart.

Words are classified and demonized as “hate speech” at the mere insinuation that the efforts of Obama’s Administration could in any way be equated to the heinous destruction of human life and liberties once imposed by a former dictatorial regime. It is no wonder that even fleeting mentions of such a comparison have been met with immediate condemnation from groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Congress and the National Review. After all, if there were any facts to warrant a comparison such as this, there would surely be no outrage from respectable groups, with knowledge of historical events. So, exactly where is the real perspective? What could our 44th President possibly have in common with a Socialistic tyrant who meticulously worked towards unrestricted control of an entire country and total, unyielding power over its government and its people?

Oh, say can we See –
Or can we still Nazi?

Did the people of Germany ignore clear warnings when Hitler was first rising to power? Were these warnings woven amidst the cheers of the crowds as he waved his hands over the masses and promised prosperity? Hitler proclaimed that the people needed to put their trust in him because he needed them to believe that he could change Germany. He promised that he would replace an unpopular government with an elite group of his own choosing. He guaranteed economic and social reform. He promised to implement land reform. Nationalize big business. Nationalize healthcare. Provide employment for all workers - and even destroy certain businesses controlled by select capitalists. It seems as though intelligent people should have been able to recognize the dangers of such obvious, political pandering and propaganda.

Ah, but it was such an innocent progression of power. Armed with only flowery speeches, Hitler was easily able to convince the German people that he was a man of ideals and immediate action. To most Germans, he was like a Messiah who could deliver them from financial responsibility and economic ruin. He was an eloquent and gifted orator who promised them Hope. Every speech he made was laced with lies, but his words always appealed to the majority. He knew that his success was completely reliant upon gaining followers as quickly as possible. He held endless rallies and parades with the sole intention of suppressing opposing viewpoints. There was totalitarian control of entertainment, literature, newspapers, radio and public events. Remarkable celebrations made the Nazi Party seem exciting to the youth and they innocently became followers without fully understanding the movement.

There were, however, some resistors to Hitler’s changes. Protestors were ordinary citizens who fought hard to resist the Nazi movement. Unfortunately, these rebel groups were eventually forced to do whatever was demanded because Germany soon became a police state. Total police control was government mandated because the Nazis believed that the German people simply did not know what was best for them - and therefore they needed to be forced to do the right thing – for the good of the country.

Can you See?
Civilian Security Force

Hitler demanded that all people needed to work together in order to make the country stronger. He began the German Labour Front which replaced trade unions, and the government steadily took complete control over all industrial workers. The Labour Front determined which people would work - it scheduled the hours people could work - and it even restricted how much pay the people would be permitted to earn. All employment and all employers became reliant upon governmental restrictions.

Can you See?
Corporate Takeovers

Can you See?
Nationalization

With the new government, a new Gestapo was formed to investigate and eliminate “all tendencies dangerous to the State.” Spies and snitches were deployed to report anything that was done or written or spoken against the government or against Hitler. Freedom was systematically taken from all people living in Nazi Germany.

Can you See?
Report Your Neighbors

Can you See?
Internet Takeover

Hitler believed that all young people would be an integral part of his continuing success. Strong feelings of nationalism and pride were instilled in all youth, convincing them that they must be willing to do anything to help Germany. Military training was also simultaneously provided to them because the best of the Hitler Youth went on to become special members of Hitler’s police. Membership was mandatory and unavoidable.

Can you See?
Indoctrination of Youth

One of the most important elements in Hitler’s plan for National Socialism was a Socialized Health Insurance Plan. His Nationalized Healthcare Plan marked the beginning of governmental, utilitarian principles. Mercy killing began as a gradual process. Children with disabilities began being euthanized and those most elderly and sick started to disappear from hospitals. Taxes were no longer being spent to care for what were considered to be “medical burdens” and people quietly accepted this new policy because they were convinced that it was being used only as a form of “mercy.” All life and death judgments were made by government planners on consultation panels. Nazi doctors were directed to judge the quality of their patients' lives and the German people were only given healthcare depending upon whether they were productive to society. Treatment was given to patients only after weighing the value of their lives to the cost of their care.

Can you See?
ObamaCare HR 3200

Pg 354 Sec 1177
– - Government can restrict enrollment for special needs
Pg 425 Sec 1233 Lines 4-12
- - Death Care Planning Consultation/End of life panel
Pg 427 Lines 15-24
- - Government mandated program/Order for end of life plan
Pg 429 Sec 1234 Lines 10-12
- - Advanced Care Consultation/Order for end of life plan
Pg 430 Lines 11-15
- - Government can decide treatment for end of life plan

Capps Amendment - Tax dollars may subsidize abortion, and nationalize free abortions, for low-income urban neighborhoods

Once Hitler’s agenda became a reality, his totalitarian power became unstoppable. He soon eradicated all opposing parties - and all opposing viewpoints were permanently eliminated.

And the rest is history.

Can you See?
Fairness Doctrine

“Do you not yet perceive or understand?
Are your hearts hardened?
Having eyes do you not see?
Having ears do you not hear?
And do you not remember?”
(Mark 8:18, English Standard Version)

God Bless every American who is taking the time to attend town hall meetings and educate others through blogs or community events. May you continue to see - and to challenge - and to protest – and to fight for our rights - with as much vigor and fortitude as necessary to keep freedom ringing loudly in this land. We are truly one nation, under God and indivisible. It is our choice individually, and collectively, whether we will learn from history –or whether we will become destined to repeat it.

What would happen if some “crazy right wing extremist” dared to compare Adolf Hitler to Barack Obama?

We shall see

~Miradena

..........................................................

Clarity: The Antecedent to Boilover...

So how's that "hopey/changey thingy" working out for you?

The fierce minority is, and always has been, the rudder. The others are just onboard the same ship. Even many of the folks who are on the "right" side of the equation are often too overwhelmed to delve into the details and enunciate specifics to those around them. This recurrently spawns a genre, a kindred sense... of futility.

But the minority is resolute and steadfast in the onslaught of belittlement. We recognize the veracious meaning of ignorance, apathy, ad hominem attack and name calling.

WE are NOT withered, nor disheartened, nor defeated by the proliferation and spread of poisonous Leftist authority that currently has permeated OUR nation.

This is OUR beloved Republic! This glorious nation was built with the stone and mortar of FREEDOM, LIBERTY and FREE SPEECH.

I will submit to you that there is NO SUCH THING as "hate speech"... there is only FREE SPEECH. This is yet another LibSpeak fabrication transparently designed to defer The People's RIGHT to take exception to intrusive government BULLYING.

WE will NOT live quietly under the intimidation of authoritarian, totalitarian intentions of blatantly Socialistic, veiled, destined Communists!

Our blog, and that of many similarly minded Conservatives, has been hit upon by numerous Washington, DC IP's, most recently the Department of Homeland Security. How DARE these assignees surveil the very people that they were hired to defend and protect? This is precisely the type of malignant governmental conduct that Mr. Orwell's book outlined and forecast in the compilation "Nineteen Eighty Four" exactly 60 years ago.

"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."

...George Orwell

"When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon. Those who expect to reap the blessings of liberty must undergo the fatigues of supporting it."

...Thomas Paine

WE do NOT argue our VALID contentions and LEGITIMATE CONCERNS in order to deny ANYONE proper medical access. WE are NOT terrorists. WE are NOT "brown shirts". WE are NOT "the mob". WE are NOT "extremists", the "fringe", "crazy" or a "danger" to "mainstream society".

WE ARE The People!

WE are the loving parents of our beloved children, who learned and recall true history. WE WILL teach our past and its' indications/lessons with accuracy. WE REFUSE to be brainwashed by the agenda driven "Authority" and their mephitic agitprop. WE will NOT stand down or be silent. To do so would be to cede the very vertebrae of OUR Constitution and dishonor the sacrifices of those who bequeathed this NOBLE FREEDOM to ALL citizens of America. OUR voices of dissent and objection have equal place and right in the direction of OUR society.

WE do NOT require or request coddling, enablement or entitlement, nor do we accept the forced infusion of the government making OUR choices for us. WE WILL endure and persevere in our quest to preserve the ESSENCE of LIBERTY that sets us light years apart from EVERY other country on Earth.

Make no mistake... do not misinterpret OUR resolve. WE will contest every attempt to bleach this society into grayed, universal "equivalence" with the fervor of OUR God's Hand and OUR consecrated Forefathers.

"No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear."

"The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse."

"That the greatest security of the people, against the encroachments and usurpations of their superiors, is to keep the Spirit of Liberty constantly awake, is an undeniable truth."

...Sir Edmund Burke

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

...Benjamin Franklin

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."

...George Bernard Shaw

ALWAYS... Again and again, in time eternal...

God Bless America!

~D.I.

2009-08-29T11:28:00.002-04:00

"This Ain't America No Mo..."

Found at Freedom Now and Nanc's excellent "It's Curtains for You" blog. This is the same Town Meeting wherein Rep. Jim Moran (Demokraut - Commonwealth of VA) insisted upon seeing a man's ID before "allowing" him to ask a question publicly.

"Actually, school grounds have very different 1st Amendment rights than anywhere else..."

We're not imagining this sh*t, America... Pulse and immediate consciousness required!

2009-08-12T22:14:00.007-04:00

Late Evening at Beer Fest '09...

Miradena is kindly sharing Photoshop skills with me. We are finding a variation in expressing our mutual outrage with the ongoing political nightmare through imagery. It has been great fun combining thoughts and ramblings and turning them into "creations". They become little projects that are nursed along until done (in the few minutes lately that we each have to devote to such). This collaboration is our latest meandering.

Its what the spectacle could have (would have?) devolved into had a tad more time and a few extra beers been poured. Tempers would flare and squelched emotions would spill. The above is no more ridiculous than the charade that was served up to America.

"Beer Summit"

UGH! My respectfully naked posterior!

Neither of the Emperors wore clothes. There was nothing "racist" in this episode (except using the accusation as a lever to summon the clamoring town criers). The puzzlement for me comes in witnessing the millions "Bam-Boozled" by the transparent absurdity. Such an astonishing, endless plethora of fools!

It was a public smoozle, a twisted simulation... an artfully fabricated portrayal. The Sarge caved and humbly submitted himself as a pawn while the wolves danced around him and mercifully let him live.

Damn, Sarge... Did you, for even one millisecond, consider how classy it would have been to tell The Circus to shove it (in the most polite, genteel language you could muster)? In the beginning, I honestly thought you had the stones to see it through. I disappointingly cede I was wrong.

"No one apologized."

But of course not! There is no right nor wrong in LiberaLand. Everyone is a "winner". Children! Children! This is NOT a competition (...that sordid, "Old World", barbaric practice).

Let the message echo from the mountains to the seas! Dissent will be squashed! Fall into line... or be abased and excluded from the Fruits of His Wonderfulness. Do your jobs as contained by the parameters of our agenda, mere serfs.

And it well represents the entire glossy, contrived, cheap chrome trickery approach to all that has proven to be this administration's foundation cracking "changes". Image, perception and deception take precedence over fact, specificity and harsh, bitter economic reality.

The trance-like march to obedient socialism is numbing to watch.

So laugh at it. Or at least try to.

~D.I.

2009-07-02T14:18:00.037-04:00

A meme is a contagious idea that replicates like a virus. A contagious idea is the evolution of thought. Memes are memories that compete for space in order to be passed on to someone else. The term "meme" was coined in Richard Dawkin's 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. Memes are not actually viruses, they are the foundations of our lives and cultures. In fact, the mysteries of human nature often yield to a memetic explanation. For our meme, we chose eight random topics, and posted them together as a memeplex.

Welcome to Our World of Meme.

A primitive evolution of thought...

HOME

I have the good fortune of living in the home I was raised in from the age of four. It nearly escaped me (and the continuation of our family residing here) several times. I was gone for all but two years of a twenty year period from age eleven. My father lived and died here. I have traveled/lived a worldwide selection of locations, but there is nothing that fits me so precisely and comfortably as this place. It is a very real part of my strength. There are trees on our property I hunt under now and turn to see my father standing proudly. Beside him is a 9 year old boy with his first H&R 20 ga. shotgun, carefully maintained towards the ground at all times. It had an interchangeable .30-30 Winchester, break open single shot rifle barrel, too. (I had the pleasure of passing it on to a nephew as he came of age to own it.) With it, and from under another tree's branches, I took my first deer on Saturday, November 14th at 8:03 AM (approximately... heh). Dad's glistening eyes betrayed the truth behind what I thought at first was a following bout of short temper with me. A job to do properly at hand, son... pay attention! Walking these acres routinely takes me from moments of broad grins to silent tears of tight throated remembrance. Dorothy was so very right.

You’re from Jersey... what exit?
Maybe that line is only funny to transplants of the Garden State - or those of you old enough to remember the SNL days of Joe Piscapo. Of course, it isn’t true that the Jersey Turnpike is a virtual portal to every front door in the state - but whether it is the Parkway, the Expressway, or I-95, most Jerseyans identify “home” as either North Jersey (New York ) or South Jersey (Philadelphia). Central Jersey is a mystery to those who profess geographical loyalty. I am undeniably a South Jersey girl - from the top of my hoop earrings to the bottom of my platform shoes. It doesn't matter what address is listed on my driver’s license - (it’s a Jersey thing) - and it follows us as we merge into Circles and glide around Jug Handles, while going ‘down the shore’ to Ocean City or Wildwood. Within the Promised Land of Diners, strong 'cawfee' and a 24 hour breakfast menu - there is easy access to warm, soft pretzels and REAL Philly Cheesesteaks - (ordered: Wizz, Wit Onions). And for a great, family-owned, Italian Deli, check out Carmen’s, for the uncontested, absolute BEST hoagies in South Jersey. Make no mistake about it - we South Jersey girls are not big haired, stereotypical New York wannabes. We are loyal fans of hometown food and hometown sports. We have a unique style and a distinctive flavor of our own. So eh, yo - if you think that being from New Jersey means that you can fit us all neatly into one simple package - Fahgeddabout it......

DOGS
(“other pets are almost dogs”)

I have been a dog owner since as young as I can recall. Currently, "my girlz" are German Shorthaired Pointers, ages 3 years, 3 months and 10 years, 7 months. They go absolutely everywhere with me, always, except snowmobiling/motorcycling/deer/bear hunting. The young one ("Heidi") is an avid, focused bird hunter and the old girl ("Huntress") couldn't care less any more (...she doesn't have to and she knows it). They have a "house", with a cushy bed, built under a bench inside my business and regularly replaced clean 'seat sheets' on their side of the truck bench seat. The old one rides permanent shotgun whilst the youngster freeze points all bird sightings from the center console as we drive. Both super obedient with a constant eager-to-please attitude, they are loving and razor sharp. They have attention spans like none I have ever enjoyed. They are connected to me like remote operating appendages. They sense my movements, my timings, my inclinations and my attitudes. I like them more than most people and I love every second I am gifted with their loyal, endless companionship. Their incessant smiles keep me smiling.

I have three, fabulously large Golden Retrievers who barrel clumsily down my stairs, carry food onto the carpet, cause delivery-men to run screaming, shed profusely, and clear tables with a single tail swipe. In other words, they’re Golden. I didn’t follow the Italian Pomeranian tradition. Our only tradition is naming our dogs after rogue Detectives from TV, film or literature. “Ramius and Ryan” - “Riggs and Murtaugh” - “Cagney and Lacy” - “Maddie and Addison” - “Spade” - “Marlowe” and “McClane.” And while you ponder the origin of the above names, I’ll explain the names of my most recent dogs: 1. Malone - Named after Sean Connery’s Detective Malone in the “Untouchables.“ 2. Delaney - Named after Frank Sinatra’s character Edward Delaney in the movie and novel, “The First Deadly Sin.” 3.Bean- Full name, “Sarina Bean” Named after Paul Newman’s character, Judge Roy Bean - in the movie “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.” 4. Callahan - Named after Clint Eastwood’s character - Detective Harry Callahan, from the classic “Dirty Harry” movies. I guess there is just something appealing about those good guys with bad edges. To paraphrase Mae West, "when they’re good they’re very, very good - but when they’re bad they’re better".....;)

FEARS

I try to accept reality head on. I try not to fear much of anything because I think it mostly unhealthy. But, reluctantly... admittedly, we all have them. I just intentionally, purposely, strive to keep my list short. I have a fear of crashing... usually when I am actually crashing. A bit more seriously, personally, a debilitating stroke or similar accident that I couldn't fight and recover from is highest on my list. I never want to be a burden to my family or friends. I never wish to be in a circumstance wherein I cannot pull my own weight. If God gave me such a challenging situation, my first and chief concern would be how to contrive a manner in which I could still make a useful contribution. Overcoming a physical or functional setback and returning as close as possible to whatever degree of "normal" I once was would become paramount. Nationally, (yeah, it should be a second paragraph, but 'we' imposed a one paragraph rule here... so I am cheating... sue me) I am woefully worried about the lurking fall of our Republic at the hands of the hapless, ignorant and power corrupt Orwellians. We are now in a defense, energy and economic mine field that extends as far as the horizon. And we're blindly running through it. The incredibly real prospects of how suddenly our everyday lifestyles could be forever altered is numbing. Our complacency is the monster in the closet.

Sometimes there is more to fear, than fear itself. I have my share of rational fears, but these days I choose to be more preoccupied with the irrational ones. After almost 30 years, I still get nervous when I need to drive across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, Florida. Anyone who lived in Florida, during the 80's, probably remembers the two horrible accidents in 1980 involving that bridge. There was the collision of a US Coast Guard ship, claiming 23 sailors' lives and then there was a structural collapse when a Freighter hit the bridge, and 35 people, (in vehicles), fell to their deaths. After that collapse, half of the bridge stood for years, while a new bridge was erected. That eerie reminder stood like a monument - broken at the point of impact. And even though it is now a beautiful, cabled bridge, shining above emerald water, in its architectural splendor - its brilliance doesn't stop my hands from shaking on the wheel whenever I see it in the distance. The old bridge is long gone - but my irrational fear is forever...

PET PEEVES

This is difficult, as I am smidge critical of most perceived aberrant behaviors. However, that said, I have a huge distaste for incapable whiners with a tendency for shivering trepidation under the slightest of stressful, problematic occurrences. I tend to lean towards people who are resolute and determined to overcome adversity. I like a "can do, will do" attitude. I generally surround myself with folks like that and gravitate to the self sustaining. I abhor panic, as it hopelessly clouds the mind and impairs one's ability to think... inevitably at the most critical of times. I would far rather die trying to think my way through saving my own ~~ass~~ (pardon me...) butt than cowering into submission, only to be summarily dispatched anyway. Boredom can be allowed and lived, but there is no such thing as safety. Life is rich and dangerous... deal with it. Wolf it down!

I have zero tolerance for Companies who are willing to risk alienating an entire consumer base by making veiled, political statements. As a former Marketing Manager, I am always in favor of an effective marketing campaign, as long as it is clear and concise. But I draw the line at any campaign that lures unsuspecting consumers into expressing political or religious support, without their knowledge or consent. One perfect example of a company doing what I term, “Alienation Marketing,” is LEVIS. Their new campaign called, White Knot, is intended as a veiled but deliberate statement of support against the continued passing of Proposition 8 - and in favor of gay marriage. In fact, since Memorial Day, consumers have been unwittingly making a statement in support of gay marriage by purchasing items from LEVIS stores that have been purposely and clearly adorned with a “white ribbon, tied in a knot.” If LEVIS wants to support gay marriage as a public issue - it is surely their prerogative - but I believe that they have absolutely NO right to impose that view on unwitting consumers. Why not try some giant Billboards - in the Deep South and in the Midwest! Why not come out of the closet, LEVIS?

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT

I don't do movies much as I find it nearly impossible to get much beyond the realization that all the actors are faking their roles. I loved the almost ancient, classic cult movie "On Any Sunday". I enjoy unusual, off-the-beaten-path comedy stories. I like photo art. I like reading technical manuals, design/fabrication and pushing the envelope to what other people usually regard as "extremes". Of course, those people are patently wrong, but I was recently told that I never seem to really enjoy anything unless it contains the potential of getting killed. I don't know where that comes from...? Life inevitably ends at some point for all of us and I never lament accumulating age, but rather choose to revel in the hopefully accumulating wisdom. Being 18 was tough... I don't want to go back... but understand, I don't want to exit the party yet, either.

I have a few favorite “modern day” movies, but I adore the old classics from the 1940’s and 1950’s. I don't have one specific favorite film - but my guilty pleasure is romantic comedies - in particular, anything with Katharine Hepburn. To me, she epitomized the truest combination of being a “dame” and being a “lady” - an unapologetic combination to which I have always aspired. I think she was one of the first genuinely strong female personalities to ever grace the big screen but she still had an incredible warmth that radiated through every role she played. Her comedic timing is unsurpassed and she was absolutely at her best in movies such as Bringing Up Baby with Clark Gable or The Philadelphia Story with Cary Grant. Her chemistry with Spencer Tracy was unmistakable in Adam's Rib and Woman of the Year." And so, if you haven’t seen these films yet, I do highly recommend a full-out, full day marathon, with a few buckets of buttery popcorn - and a chocolate malted. Hmm. (Food). Seems to be a recurring theme…

HOBBIES

I almost never relax... who has time for such? Seriously, I relax by writing (although with zippo "spare time" lately, you wouldn't notice), by taking pictures (scenics/night shots are my fave), shooting video and learning new, challenging items of acute interest. I'm trying to become more skilled with PhotoShop, a welcome, pleasant opportunity to escape for awhile and create "things". I like mind exercise. Hobbies? I got several hundred of them! I love to shoot, hunt, hike into remote back country, wilderness camp and I am completely obsessed with mountains. I like mind bending, shoulder stretching, space shuttle equivalent acceleration and I am an exponential horsepower freak. I feel more at ease on a motorcycle, snowmobile, tunnel boat or truck than any limousine towncar.

Ever since I was old enough to lift myself onto a piano bench - to haphazardly bang the keys - I have loved playing the piano. Now, I didn’t say I was any good - but I do love to play. Alas, I cannot read one single note of music. However, I am just stubborn enough not to allow that to stop me from playing. I often attempt to accompany songs on the radio and I eventually will learn to play them. In fact, when someone asks me how I first learned how to play the piano, I usually tell them that Billy Joel taught me - (he just doesn’t know it). I have sincere appreciation for anyone who has taken the time and demonstrated the dedication necessary to play the piano, properly. I, however, am resigned to “play by ear” or more accurately, I am resigned to “play by sheer determination.“ As much as I do enjoy the benefits of playing - it is indeed a hobby that has developed more from sheer persistence than talent.

ODD FOOD

Curry. I crave curry recipes of all types. Their regular consumption is a semi-religious/physical euphoric experience for me. Many years ago, I found this incredible character who had a similar adoration for curries that paralleled mine. He created this amazing website entitled "Death By Curry" which included types, categories and recipes for a zillion, trillion curries (perhaps more). Amazing, rich, pungently aromatic, wondrous creations of fire and spice! You know they are excellent when your first sweat begins right at the crown of your head. I am tempted to go into a long treatise about the difference between 'spicy' and 'hot', but I would need another paragraph for sure. Almost any meat, vegetable, fish or seafood can be curried... even fruits. It's all about the spices and how you savor their intense, knock you down flavors. And this true worshipper had cataloged the best. Then one day, several months later and years ago... his site suddenly disappeared. I was shattered. I am delighted to declare that this topic, and writing about it, caused me to search it again. And... Hallelujah! It has been reposted! Woo Hooooo!!

I occasionally get a bizarre food craving.
It is not really a strange food. It is just a strange combination of foods. Peanut butter.....on toast......with a pickle.... and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. So, ok - I know it sounds absolutely horrible - but it’s actually a somewhat healthy snack. It can, however, only be satisfied by an exact combination of the following four things. One. The bread has to be thick, white - and toasted. Two. The peanut butter has to be smooth - (not chunky) - so it can get all melty and drippy from the heat of the toast. Three. The pickle has to be cold and crispy - and a Kosher Dill, but never a Butter Pickle (because well, that would just be gross:). Four. The ice cream has to be Vanilla Bean - and preferably Breyers. Surely, someone out there must be able to relate…..

POLITICAL CONCERNS

Guns, personal defense, guns... and guns. There is no greater last wall of tyrannical defense nor more crucial foundation to the preservation of freedom in this country than the God given right that the Second Amendment to our Constitution guarantees every last American. Without the Second Amendment, we cannot maintain or retain any of the others. All infelonious citizens should have the legal right to carry a loaded, concealed firearm without government intrusion, paperwork or scrutiny. An armed citizen is a person capable of defense in the face of assault, empowered by his Constitution. He is not the 'time bomb' that pervasive mouth breathers would suggest and falsely portray. Candidates for anything above Dog Catcher should be scrutinized by their gun rights views and voting history first... period. They tend to ascend to higher, more powerful offices. I would somehow try to stitch onto this (Paragraph, 'Part B') that my Number 1.1 Political Priority is abolishing the legislation legalizing the murder of millions of innocent babies annually. The notion that this should be thought to be worthy of confabulation at all is reprehensive. It is disgraceful, darkside law.

I was born on the outer cusp of the Boomer generation and I cannot recall having a single family discussion about the Second Amendment. I never even saw a gun nor held one in my hand until I was 28 years old. Truthfully, I never gave one thought to owning a gun - until I needed one. But, living in these days of Liberal ‘Obamanations‘, Supreme Court appointments and the threat of increasing gun bans, I pray that we, the people of this nation, are never forced to be resigned to protect ourselves, or our loved ones, from armed assailants, with only our wits - or the stacking of tin cans by our front doors. To those of you who support the idiocy of increased gun control - I humbly ask you: What will you do if ever you are locked “safely” in your own home - and suddenly find a strange man appearing in the shadows, pointing a gun while leering into your child’s bedroom window? Will it be precisely at that moment that you will recognize that those “inconsequential” gun bans are merely restrictions forced upon law abiding citizens - with no consideration for those who do not - (and would not) - ever comply with the law? Would you suddenly wish you had a gun? Do you know what you would decide to do in that situation? Well, fortunately I had a gun - and I knew what I would decide to do before it ever had to be done. And thankfully, my children are alive today as a result of that decision. Are you willing to accept unnecessary gun restrictions - and/or take unnecessary risks for your children? - In omnia paratus

We were officially tagged with this meme from Heidianne at Big Girl Pants [Thank you, Heidianne]- and she was earlier tagged by "Z" at Golly Geeeeez. It is now our duty to continue to spread this meme to other unsuspecting bloggers. While we were tasked with "infecting" only five, we decided that the dynamic of our memeplex allows us the liberty to infect as we choose.
Our tags go to...

Please pick the topics that fit YOU! ...With our sincere hopes you will participate!

~D.I. & Dena

2009-05-25T03:35:00.013-04:00

To Those Fallen...

And To Those Who Served...
Thank You.

Thy Mother's Glass

2009-05-10T17:33:00.012-04:00

My greatest admiration, for all women who can selflessly claim the title of Mother. My deepest respect, for anyone who chooses to serve this great nation. There are not words succint enough nor encompassing enough to describe that unique individual who chooses to travel the arduous pathway of becoming a Mom in the Military. And with those above limitations stated, I am hoping that my video will be able to speak sufficiently for me.

However, I will leave you with some of my favorite quotes that resonate:

A mother is a person, who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. (Tenneva Jordan)

Sweater, (n): A garment worn by a child when his mother is feeling chilly. (Ambrose Bierce)

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That is his. (Oscar Wilde), The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895

The sweetest sounds to mortals given - are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven. (William Brown)

A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your Mother. (Author Unknown)

"Thou are thy Mother's glass and she in thee - calls back the lovely April of her prime." (William Shakespeare)

2009-04-14T14:24:00.002-04:00

A Rapidly Accelerating Downward Spiral

Do you sense it?

Do you find your throat tightening suddenly?

Do you unexpectedly starve for air?

The pressure is continuously building, pushing harder down upon the chest. It squelches the spontaneity of words and expression. It makes the mind leap and jump. Thoughts race and the movie goes into fast forward, only to fade and trail off to darkness. Let's just think about something else, right?

That is a safety measure... a relief valve. It stops the preponderance of visions of what could, what might be. But the film does seem to run further each time, allowing glimmers of what we can postulate.

It is becoming an ever growing battle between the 'planning/preparation' lobe and the 'enjoy and live' section. It intrudes upon all "normal" life now. The uncertainty, the questions, the concerns of what is to come.

For some of us, anyway. And that portion of the population seems to be getting larger. People of depth... are watching closely.

But as I walk through the grocery store aisles, I also see so many of the unaware. They chat on their cell phones and stuff their shopping carts with foodstuffs as if it actually grew directly upon the shelves they pick it from. They pull into Citgo and Petrol King stations, filling and handing over cubic wads of cash, with no grasp, concept or cares of who a man named Hugo actually is. They are entertained by "reality" TV, Brittany, Paris and American Idol. They think that cash is an entitlement, "given" by the "government" through the extended credit arm of the ATM system.

In a massive, national emergency, they are the faces of victimhood... the walking dead. They will be first a tragedy, then a liability, then a crazed, rabid, desperate threat... and finally a tragedy again.

It is as it has always been, in many ways, throughout history. Truly, we have never known what the next page would be, but most of us have lived in the same chapter. But perhaps it was because it seemed only logical, probable that a continuation of what once was routine... would be always. But it seems we are turning pages in a new, transitional chapter.

So sad it will be, if we allow the book to end. Imagine the let down a reincarnated soldier would experience. Imagine the reaction, if he was to rise from his grave and take in the view of today. What would this man say? This man, who gave up all his wordly connections... his loves, his passions, his hates... his life... for you and me. For all of us who would inherit the country he died to protect and serve. We are people he never knew, nor did he have to know. He had faith that future America would easily see the fruits of his sacrifices... freedom, liberty, the opportunities to rise or to fall individually.

But he assumed, he just instinctively took for granted, that NO ONE who was so lucky to be an American would ever allow the very premises that this union was founded upon... to unravel.

Many Conservative bloggers are now also reacting to the crunch, the negativity and the gloom. I was quite surprised to witness my own lack of enthusiasm to keep pounding the table, to try to repeatedly alert people to the erosion, the cave-in, the slippery descent... shared by many folks who I have admired and read often. I have to consider whether they have lost hope or if they are perhaps concentrating on their own personal preparedness. Maybe both?

Have we let this situation slip so far that it is irretrievable? Consider the multitude of poor to stupid decisions:

When we can't seem to close our borders, we continue to implement more tax payer provided "services" for people who are here illegally, tuition discounts for their children, free health care for undeserving illegals at real Americans' expense, we have 'leaders' of communities insisting upon creating 'sanctuary cities' where illegality is ordered to be ignored by the police (the authorities whose salaries are paid by 'We, The People')?

When we are so overun with politically correct CRAP that stifles free speech as "unfair political participation" and "hate speech"? PC'ism that precludes public recognition/declaration of the worldwide Islamic threat to everything non-Muslim? Appeasements that include foot baths, prayer areas, and covered face driver's license photos...

The after effects of unbridled credit for the masses, who promptly borrowed on bubble collateral and spent frivolously, investing in nothing solid with a future of growth?

Forcing the American public to repeatedly bail out these failed moves by implementing government rescue after rescue?

Continuing to over-print money to the point of devaluing the currency?

When 'multi-culturalism' is marketed as the only "proper"... to the point of hiding, excluding and humbly apologizing for anything that is deemed too genuinely American?

Assaulting Christian beliefs, upon which this country was declaratively founded, as if they somehow precipitated the lack of morals and values that are now the norm, rather than as they once were... the exception.

When everything that was once "right" is now declared "wrong", when "bad" becomes chic, cool and "good"...

Can anyone who takes quiet pause to consider... deny that this must eventually culminate in a vast reckoning?

Sadness is the day's name when all we have remaining is the imperative need for a button that never existed...

*I wrote this almost exactly one year ago, but never published it. Unfortunately, it dovetails with a disturbingly exact fit now... as was forecast.

2009-04-05T12:51:00.017-04:00

The Rising

The true meaning of Easter is not defined by the Crucifixion, it is Divined by the Resurrection. While most Christians are already reflecting upon our bounty of faith and the rising of Jesus Christ, perhaps the events of this week can also serve as gentle reminders for each of us to remember those special people, within our own lives, who continue to 'raise us up' each day.

"Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." Romans 15:2

There have been special people, throughout my life, who have raised me up spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. There are those people who have helped me to raise that proverbial bar within my life - and there have been people who undoubtedly have prompted me to raise my standards. I have been fortunate to have met people who have encouraged me to raise my hand, in order to be seen - to raise my voice, in order to be heard - and to raise my consciousness, in order to become more aware. I have been blessed to know people who have inspired me to laugh more loudly - and to love more deeply. And within this, the Season of Resurrection, I am reflecting upon the most special people who selflessly raise me up each day. I would like to encourage all of you to remember the special people within your own lives. Those who calm your soul, create your joy and lift your spirits.†

"You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up, to more than I can be...."

While I was thinking about the true meaning of Easter, I recalled this sweet story:

A group of four-year old children attended a Sunday School class. It was one week before Easter and the teacher wanted to know how many children truly understood the meaning of the Easter season.

She asked the children:
"Does anyone know what day we are celebrating today?"

One little girl excitedly waved her hand and said, "Yes, I know! Today is Palm Sunday!!" The teacher smiled and said, "That's right. Now, can anyone tell me what day we will be celebrating next Sunday...?"

The same little girl raised her hand and said "Yes, I know! Next Sunday is Easter Sunday." The teacher nodded her head and said, "Yes, very good! Now, does anyone know why we celebrate Easter Sunday?" The little girl quickly leapt to her feet and exclaimed, "Yes. I know! Next Sunday is Easter Sunday - and we celebrate it because Jesus rose from the grave....." As the teacher began to congratulate the little girl for understanding the true meaning of Easter - she was quickly interrupted as the little girl finished explaining....

"Jesus rose from the grave ....but if he sees his shadow - he has to go back inside for seven weeks."

May we find the true meaning of Easter by seeking a better understanding of the messages that are always evident within our hearts.

2009-03-24T14:38:00.013-04:00

A Sojourn's Ending...

We are not "here" permanently. This is but a temporary portion of our journey. It is very difficult to grasp that Andy's special, very beautiful flame was to be shared with us so briefly. May his contributions to shaping our reality and perception be kept with each of us... always.

I will see you on every mountain summit I climb henceforth, dear friend. Thank you for all the smiles, warm words and thoughts exchanged, and the privilege of knowing you while you were on this short road.

Rest forever in God's secure arms.

Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories...
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love?
If today was your last day...

*With sincerest appreciation to Miradena for so artfully assembling the following effort from many assorted, personal snowmobiling clips taken during this winter's rides (...one of Andy's most favorite passions).

2009-02-27T13:31:00.060-05:00

I Hope You Dance...

This winter has been filled with financial bailouts, economic downturns and political corruption. The icy winds of 2009 blew in a newly selected President who has been meticulously disassembling the strengths of our nation and replacing them with Socialistic impoverishment.

And so it began - this, our winter of discontent.

As we struggle to bring attention to the Elephant in the room, we remain surrounded by a party of power wielding Jack-Asses. In the midst of this doomsday environment, it has become too easy for us to lose sight of the beauty that surrounds us each day. Lament about our glasses being half empty, but find some comfort in knowing that those same glasses are also, by design, half full. And with sincere apologies to my staunchly, sugar-free blogging partner, (for my shamelessly, sugar-coated sentiment), I still contend that our ability to persevere has always been reliant upon our sheer expectation to succeed. And so, to quote a Leanne Womack song:

"I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance.

Never settle for the path of least resistance. 

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance. 

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance -

I hope you dance."

The decision to join a chorus line of metaphoric dance is limited solely by our own choices because this world has always been Blessed with an enduring rhythm. Colors slowly transitioning at sunset. Bird wings fluttering in rapid arpeggio. Raindrops pulsing with percussive patterns. Waterfalls crashing in crescendo. Magical, rhythmical sights and sounds within nature that can never be adequately defined by words because they are inherently Divine by Creation. Consequently, can there ever be any outdoor adventure more exhilarating than that which God has created as it’s natural backdrop?

Having recently braced my posterior atop the skis of a snowmobile for the first time, I think I found my personal rhythm within those picturesque settings which served as willing distractions for my novice hesitations. In fact, I instantly felt as though I had been given the keys to some secret world. A world which still exists in it’s purest form and rivals the most pristine of snow globes.

- I secretly wondered how many people had experienced this exact same beauty without ever fully understanding or appreciating the privilege of that experience.

- I secretly wondered if I would emerge unscathed.

- My daughters secretly wondered when I was going to come to my senses.

And, within this secret wonder-land, I not only emerged unscathed -
I immediately came to my senses upon arrival.

In fact, I came to all five of my senses.

Seeing -
The landscape was frosted. The sunset painted rainbows against the white snow that sparkled in brilliant, pastel shades of cotton candy. The mountains carved a path through the powdery landscape. There were ice caves and panoramic views of majestic peaks and peaceful valleys. Shadows from tall trees stretched across the fields - and track marks from our sleds were left as if they were artful brushstrokes on a waiting canvas.

Hearing -
There was an ethereal sound of exhale. The wind moaned. Branches rustled. Engines revved, hummed and strained, dependent on the level of terrain. I could hear my own breath echoing from within my helmet and the sounds of the skis chopping through icy inclinations on the trails.

Smelling -
There were smells of dampened pine and woodsy scents captured within the breezes. My gloves smelled of leather. The air smelled cold and crisp. But I will unashamedly admit that, after several hours of riding, the meaty grill smells that wafted from a quaint little diner along the trail rivaled for my attention.

Tasting -
Clear lungs and a tremendous appetite are quite the combination for making burgers taste better than anything else you have ever eaten. Although the fries were a close second ;)

Feeling -
Blessed.

To me, there is a form of contentment that is reachable only within nature - and it is the very definition of a natural high.

I want to thank DI for his patience, his support and his willingness to teach me the basics of snowmobiling. Watching him on his sled - charging bankings, spraying powder into the wind and speeding effortlessly over the terrain - was like watching wild horses running free. While conversely, I know that I exhibited all of the gracefulness of a gawky, newborn foal. Quite a contrast in capabilities! I sincerely hope that a fraction of the beauty of this adventure remains evident in the video below. I know that I may not have completely found my rhythm - but I will never regret my choice to dance.........

"I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens.

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance.

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance -

I hope you dance."

*Posted in memory of my father -

on this, what would have been, his 76th birthday...

2009-02-12T20:16:00.000-05:00

Witches of Maine...
No More!

*Due Title Credit to Blogagog*

My e-mail to the FAKE Republicans we infelicitously installed in this embarrassing state bastion of Socialism...

Senator Collins:

I encourage you to enjoy your remaining time in office as I can assure you that me and my fellow, like minded Conservative Republicans will do absolutely everything in our constituent power to VOTE YOU AND YOUR FELLOW TRAITOR, SENATOR SNOWE, OUT OF OFFICE IN THE NEXT ELECTION!

You, Snowe and Specter have once again betrayed your professed, faux "Conservative values" in supporting the outrageously detrimental spending spree proposed by the Democratic leadership and majority. YOU THREE are responsible for tipping the balance and YOU THREE will forever bear the responsibility of enslaving our children, and their children's children, in unprecedented debt.

WE WILL NOT FORGET!

WE will vote for ANY liberal Democrat who runs against EACH of you, including the equivalent of a Pelosi, Reid or Kennedy... in fact, WE WILL ACTIVELY campaign FOR THEM!

If we are going to have Senators installed who will act and vote in such a CONSISTENTLY RECKLESS and DAMAGING manner, all for purely transparent reasons of selfish personal advancement, then they should be members of the party which deserves the credit.

YOU PEOPLE ARE REVEALED and DONE!!! BELIEVE IT!!!

*Names appropriately rotated and same text also sent to O'Snowe...

2009-01-01T03:32:00.003-05:00

Dawn, 2009...

The giant things in our history. They seemed the biggest things in the Universe in their times... all that mattered... all, at that moment. Instantly, they became our plenary focus. They captured our urgent attention. They reflected our hopes, yet mirrored our fears. Those amazing, unthinkable moments in our nation's past evoked our tears, our astonishment and our disbelief.

But through these tumultuous moments in our country's past, it has been the shining aspiration in time's distance that has made us clench our teeth and fight to forge our next tomorrow. By the tragedies and triumphs, generations before and including us have marked the times in our own little droplets of personal life. We recall where we were, what we were doing... and who we were with. As our lives advance, we more frequently lament those persons from our individual chronology having left us. Do we react by being implored to better mark time? Or do we become complacent and just return to letting it pass?

Despite these seeming boulders, this Grand Republic has always prevailed.

I'm not suggesting that this country has emerged victorious over all adversaries heretofore because of some dogged karma that simply always survives. It is no accident, nor is it any guarantee. It is the sumptuous, unforgettable taste of liberty. It's what its' sweetness has impelled good men and women to do, again and again, doing their part to make sure that the sun rises over a Free America the next morning.

Ponder that... let it check your peaks and valleys.

Conservatives are justifiably abhorred regarding things right now and their long term impact of the future. We damn well should be, too, and I am uninterested to listen to those from the opposing side whining for the missing squelch button. We listened to your groundless bitching, mindless threats and unsubstantiated conjecture about all things Bush for eight frickin' years. The New Socialists SUCK... we can and will say so. You will also have to tolerate one helluva lot less rhetoric and a whole bunch more unfortunate references to facts, figures and unpleasant historical reminders from us than you might be used to during the coming reign of the Messiah. (Or, you could just leave...)

You want New Year's Resolutions? How about repelling and resisting apathy, while not condemning ourselves if we temporarily become overwhelmed and fall victim to its' temptation? It's been me. It's been most of "us" at some time or another. It is a reaction that logically follows watching the population as a majority be totally illogical. Stay aware. Stay fair with those of opposing views who can present themselves with supporting reason rather than personal attack, but debate vigorously. Keep and defend our principles of tradition... those core values are the very foundation upon which this America was solidly built. Know and trumpet our stalwart Constitution... it is our very fabric. We don't quit. We don't surrender.

We're Americans, first and always. Those who don't love and embrace freedom, inevitably oppose it either from feared loss of an imaginary security blanket... or from a drooling lust to control all others.

Happy New Year. I encourage and invite you to enjoy Miradena's splendid, creative toils to celebrate our newest year's beginnings. As always, she has outdone herself yet again.

Please pass the torch...

~D.I.

2008-11-28T20:27:00.007-05:00

The Endless Hangover

Part I "The Morning After..."

{D.I.} Thirty years plus of "Progressive ProperSpeak" vocabulary to shape and mold public opinion, redefine "standards" of conduct, acceptance and nonacceptance... the fringe liberals finally have hit their mark and swooned the whole tribe. The misnomered "Fairness Doctrine" and other Free Speech squelching measures will maintain promise of this language of indoctrination to continue and flourish. The unending goal is to make liberalism the new Normal, while rendering Conservatism 'old style', antiquated and pure evil.

"Bad = Good, Good = Bad"

We face four to eight years of the most radical, sweeping "changes" that Mr. Bowie could have possibly envisioned. In fact, we may not be able to truly see what is coming realistically enough yet to even approach being properly alarmed. And now, it's just too late to stop the train.

Nice work, "Conservatives"...

We allowed our principles of true Conservatism to be eroded to something that became "Lefty Light"... and we tried to pass John McCain off as a "real Conservative". We ran that against the purest of Liberal. And, as usual, people chose the pure strength rather than the murky, watered version of milk toast. The election was over on January 29th of this year, Folks.

Nice work, Charlie Crist and the Florida Crackheads...

We never gave ourselves a chance. We attached ourselves to a fake. We chameleoned into calling him adequate when he was NOT. Recognizing this, he in turn chose a jewel and then wrapped her in a blanket and smothered her luminance. She was bound to steal the show and overshadow you (*Hint: she's a REAL Conservative)... but you still would have been President when she came through for you by offsetting your errant record and deeds. But you couldn't handle the reality, so you squelched her sparkle.

Nice work, John... please go away now. Quit jamming me...

The majority that voted were the disconnected and uninformed... not analytical, no history knowledge, no conceptual knowledge, no economic knowledge, uncaring, shallow pools of the unthinking, uninvolved except in the gala of the month (and themselves)... just hollow rebel rouser's caught up in the entertainment of the moment... yet delivering and leaving us with a permanent stain. They have partied, "voted" and now return to their state of incoherence as usual.

Thanks for the gift, Airheads... like blowing up a nuclear "dirty bomb" and getting it on all of us.

*****

{M.D.} Yes, D.I., the tragic outcome of this election was indeed as far reaching and potentially damaging as a dirty bomb.

Perhaps true Conservatives should have recognized their fault (by default) in the outcome of this election. We should all be frantically trying to wipe the fallout dust from the shoulders of our collective consciences. We simply cannot accept any Socialist stains on the American flag. ”Out Damn Spot!” It is up to us to recognize that our own lack of diligence allowed Obama's weapon of constitutional destruction to be detonated - and it has set the stage for a significantly negative impact upon America's enduring freedom.

It has become painfully clear that the shock and awe of this explosion went unnoticed by more than half of the population of this nation. Assembled with elements of ignorance and apathy, this incendiary device was created by design to be an assault on our values, while causing irreparable damage to our liberties.

November 4th, 2008 marked a new malevolent reference point to the “shot heard ‘round the world.”

Too many once steadfast conservatives have embraced a sobering complacency that will ultimately become known as constitutional suicide, caused by a self inflicted wound to the head of the Republican Party...

*****

{D.I.} All too true, Dena... and stunningly sad. But it's not lost, and never is as long as we live and breathe. This nation faced larger, more despicable enemies to originally become established! We are, however, in for a magnified, lopsided and concentrated battle of much tougher proportions than the one we just forfeited by default. We relegated ourselves to this position.

I think stout Conservatives will rise to decry the wheres and hows of why we stumbled. The course of this nation will now turn to a drunken inebriated period of wild, ransacking spending. For some time now, many on the right have posited the possible need to fall flat on our faces, in order to recognize gravity and rediscover the ground floor.

We are about to test... and live... that theory.

In the meantime, we should be good and thinking chess players. We need to examine each of the areas of the coming administration's fantasies and campaign sing songs... and how they will directly impact this country's tomorrows.

2008-11-23T11:15:00.037-05:00

Happy 75th Birthday, Mom !
~ It's My Turn ~

“My first desire for knowledge and earliest passion for reading were awakened by my mother.”- Charles Dickens

The year that you (and DI's Mom) were born:

The first drive in theatre opened in Camden, NJ
Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge
The Average Cost of a new house was $5,750.00
Average annual wages were just $1,550.00
A loaf of white bread was only 7 cents
A pound of ground beef was 11 cents
A gallon of gasoline was 10 cents

Two weeks before her 75th birthday, my mother - (a lifelong Democrat) - marked a genuine milestone in her life. She voted Republican for the very first time in a Presidential election. Yes indeed, rather than simply following some misguided form of party loyalty, (heavily propagated in guilt) - she chose to carefully weigh all of the most important election issues and she recognized that there was a real and present danger associated with the Democratic “selected” candidate.

Judging by the hundreds of email ‘forwards’ that I received from Mom during the latter days of the campaign, she not only chose to vote according to her newly formed (and well informed) opinions, she attempted to share those opinions with anyone who would listen.
Way to go, mom!

And so, on this her 75th birthday, I would like to reflect upon some things that were happening during the year of her birth. This brief moment of reflection serves as a timely reminder to me that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It is my belief that time is never given to us with absolute certainty. We merely borrow time as it continually pulsates in a cyclical pattern that we are destined to either learn from - or repeat.

Seventy-five years ago - the year was 1933.
FDR was inaugurated for the first of his unprecedented three terms. in response to a public outcry for change, he announced the implementation of a brand new, New Deal. And so began a deliberate effort to revamp our financial system and strengthen our government through numerous, veiled, Socialistic programs.
(Welcome, Change)

“We have nothing to fear but fear itself” ~ (FDR)

The year was 1933:
America was experiencing the worst year of the depression. A staggering 25.2% Americans were unemployed. The United States banking system was propped up by the United States government, (US Banking Act of 1933), in an effort to stop people from panicking and frantically withdrawing their money from banks. (Welcome, financial bailouts and government assistance programs.)

That same year, Congress agreed to the Home Owners Refinancing Act, as a part of the larger NEW DEAL. (Welcome to mortgage restructuring, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac)

The year was 1933:
Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany and he subsequently proved that one rogue leader can indeed alter an entire nation. Immediately after being given power, Hitler promptly banned all other political parties, turning Germany into a One Party State. The year continued with a downward spiral. He opened the first concentration camp at Dachau and the Gestapo was established in Germany. Meanwhile, the Hitler Youth stormed Berlin offices of German Youth Associations, (nearly six million German children). Staff members were told to continue working but they were informed that all operations would be under the authority of the Hitler Youth. (Welcome to an armed, Citizen Militia)

In 1933, German President Von Hindenburg officially limited freedom of the press and totally abolished free expression of opinion.
Not possible in America? (Welcome, Fairness Doctrine)

Yes, it was seventy-five years ago -
A baby girl was born to two Italian immigrants in America. Her parents came to this country (legally) on a ship filled with hundreds of other immigrants, all searching for a better life and the American dream. Because they were of Italian decent, they were forced to overcome a latent (and sometimes blatant) prejudice. But they learned the English language (without the help of government programs), they built a business (without the help of government programs), they raised a family (without the help of government programs) and they happily became acclimated to our cultures and traditions, while never forgetting their own. As immigrants, their deep and abiding love for this nation was a result of an appreciation for all opportunities that America offered to them. They proudly became American citizens by every form of that definition. This country was strengthened by their pledge of allegiance and never weakened by selfish expectations or demands.

We have been blessed with seventy-five additional years of American pride and fortitude. May God continue to bless our future. It is my sincerest prayer that my grandchildren will still be able to recognize the glory of this nation, if ever they choose to reflect upon the year 2008, seventy-five years from now.

Where will America be in 2083 ?

2008-11-11T03:58:00.005-05:00

Often Shameful Paucity
for Those of the Highest Nobility...

About ten months ago, I was leaving the lobby area of our small local Post Office when I noticed an older gentleman with a limp about to enter the first exterior door. I hurried my way through the interior door so I could open and hold the door for this man. I then retreated to the interior door and repeated the simple courtesy. He thanked me audibly and I promptly assured him he was most welcome. I then continued my exit outside to the parking area.

By the grace of God, it's small town, rural America here. There was only one other vehicle in the lot, which I had to pass on my way back to my truck and eagerly awaiting wiggle tailed wooves. Here in Maine, we have a state required license plate on both ends of each vehicle, and it is illegal to remove the front one to display any other type of plate, decorative, novelty or whatever. As I passed by what I realized was surely the old man's sedan, I half noticed that his front plate was not that of the state issued mandate. At first, I didn't really scrutinize it, but then took another glance and realized what I was seeing... a state of Maine issued, official "Purple Heart" license plate.

I felt my late father's hand of respect firmly squeezing my shoulder as my feet hauled to a sudden stop. I wheeled on one foot and headed back to the Post Office lobby.

Now there is a certain part of me that simply hates to do what I knew I had embarked upon. I find it absolutely required, but I know that I cannot do it with a steady voice or a dry eye. Never. To be painfully honest, I cannot even type this without getting shaky. But it is my personal version of compulsory civilian appreciation and duty. It's how my parents raised me... and it always stirs my... deepest passion.

After getting through the exterior door, I managed to just get to the interior door and open it ahead of the withered skeleton of the man heading back out after completing his business.

He looked up at me with a wrinkled grin and said, "Well, young man, I guess you're the designated doorman for this facility today?"

I replied, "Sir, it is a high honor to hold this door for a Purple Heart warrior of these United States" and with that, I earnestly thanked him and firmly, but gently, reached out and shook his hand. He shook my hand with surprising authority and I was beginning to react with embarrassment because I knew my eyes were welling up. Then I saw his eyes were already spilling his own tears.

We continued together through the exterior door and he told me how rare it was that anyone even noticed his Purple Heart plate. He had considered just removing them and requesting "normal" state items, but his wife wouldn't stand for that. I opened his driver's side door and before getting into his car and driving off, he told me that it meant "a lot" to him that someone actually cared, much less said so, thanked him and exchanged a handshake. I told him that I owed the very opportunity to live in freedom to his dedicated acts of valor and those of innumerable veterans just like him.

We didn't exchange names then, or since, although I see him from time to time, always with a smile, a greeting and that firm, now familiar, handshake. We don't need to know each other's names. After all, he defended all of us and never had to know anyone's name.

Veteran's Day is one of the most important, sacred remembrances of the annual calendar. It is a marked notation of our society's moral declivity to witness that it is generally no longer held in such obeisance. Many of us (both writers of this blog staunchly included) do still take serious, lauding interlude to consider the gargantuan endowments of our defenders... past,present and future. They routinely convey selfless contributions to all Americans... who they do not and will not ever personally know. To the patriotic civvies of this ethos, to act otherwise ordinarily is wildly beyond comprehension.

We simply MUST remember. We sincerely absorb the gravity and revere their commitments. We react instinctively, choking to grasp sparsely sufficient air into our lungs. We halt in wonderment at the enormity of their consideration for the freedom, liberty and independence that they undauntingly, unflinchingly protect for all.

They are the wardens of the truest prerogative. They secure it for every one of the citizens of these incredible United States... the people who thank them and the people who spit on them... and all degrees of varied homage in between. They guard Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Independents, Conservatives and liberals without ever checking our stripes. They require nothing from we the benefactors, excepting our richest enjoyment of the fruits of their sacrifices. We are permitted to ignore, to disregard completely or even to disparage their courageous acts of aegis. And that disgusting portion of our freedom to do as we individually choose, however morally and ethically repugnant, is also protected by these same gallant knights.

These brave, gritty, resolute men and women have stepped up for generations. They fought for, built and established the beacon of liberty that is this towering country. They have protected it ever since with undying love and dedication. They have walked away from family, future and comfort to preserve that of their countrymen. How utterly unforgivable could it be for us to forget, evade, neglect and overlook what they have freely granted us?

We have but two simple obligations of response:

We must honor them and their families with a regard that is proper and fitting for their sacrifices.

And we must never allow their accomplishments to be eroded, rendering their spilled blood ineffective and given in vain.

Freedom costs dearly... Live it. Love it. And always remember to take a few simple moments of your time to guilelessly thank our veteran heroes for it. May God richly bless their souls, one and all.

We sent the following e-mail to Our Readers just yesterday:

Date: Monday, November 10, 2008, 4:14 PM

Hi There!

We are doing a combination post to honor our veterans on the annual day of remembrance tomorrow, November 11, 2008. Dena is preparing a video to accompany some thoughts I am assembling. We would like to invite you to send a picture of your family member or friend, who has or is proudly serving our great nation, for inclusion in the video tribute. Dena has offered this as a rather last minute thought, but has agreed to include any of your images received by midnight tonight, Eastern Time. The post will go up, in its' entirety, tomorrow morning. There is no implied requirement to include anything... merely an offer if it is to your liking. You are cordially invited to join us in celebration of all of our generations of truest heroes.

Blessings to you,

Defiant_Infidel

The response was impressive. Many sent in pictures of their friends and loved ones within hours, despite the very short notice. I interpret that to indicate how emphatically you agree with our wishes to pay our veterans, ALL our veterans, the HIGHEST RESPECT.

Miradena has included all the submitted loved ones and friends, who have proudly served all of us, in her following tribute video. I am positively sure you will enjoy it. Thanks, Dena!

God Bless America and our truly heroic veterans!

2008-10-22T09:47:00.001-04:00

WYSIWYG...

"What You See Is What You Get". It is the ultimately appropriate computer age acronym to represent the specter of a catastrophic looming presidency that is purely B. Hussein Obama... So the huge question becomes, "Do enough people still have critical vision to see what we will ALL get?"

We are, at long awaited time, finally entering the home stretch to the Presidential Finish Line. Interestingly, OBama and swarm want us to ignore 'that man behind the curtain' whilst hurling "Racist" imputations at anyone who would stoop so low as to exercise their First Amendment rights and entreat a querie or two about his misty, shadowed past.

Perhaps, just maybe, I might supplicate your consideration of a few items?

The economy is on the skids thanks to ludicrous, insane Give-Away Loan programs arranged and politically sustained by the Champions of the Free Ride... Behold, for example, the Frank/Dodd FHA Refinance Plan. We are to ignore and forget this despite, for example, Mr. Frank, an ardent OBama supporter, having a gay lover who held a high position at Fannie Mae.

WASHINGTON — Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank’s efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.

So did Frank’s partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions.

Now that Fannie Mae is at the epicenter of a financial meltdown that threatens the U.S. economy, some are raising new questions about Frank's relationship with Herb Moses, who was Fannie’s assistant director for product initiatives. Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie.

Predictably, "the blame" is laid at Mr. Bushy's feet and deemed "a continuation of faulty policy" referencing the possibility of a McCain occupied Oval Office. (Thank you, Left Media and your influence over the hapless minions. Secondary thanks goes to John Boy himself for his totally inept, damn near non-existent efforts to clearly state the facts and refute the Obambam Bullsh*t Machine. Even on October 19th, he is telling FOX News Sunday how his opponent is a great guy and he is ready to accept it if he loses...)

Anybody getting just a smidge chapped about this, yet?

Out of the last turn and down the under three week straightaway... we seem to be just trailing? ...trailing a lot? ...not trailing? Do we really know? Hell NO, we don't know! We, the audience, focus is blurry and uncertain, due to an unreliable vision provided by our corrupt, agenda centered Leftist media... and the "pollsters". We are told what to think and when to think it, with popularly served opinions sourced from those disseminators. They can and have historically spread and flowered into the most radical of distortion. It is no longer the "People's Decision". It has become the game of the "People's Persuasion". (May I remind you right here that we were told to expect both a President Gore and then later a President Kerry, too?)

Money, rhetoric, distortion, spin, game chants, artful word parries/deceptions, greed, power questing, self servitude... all these are the components of what has become a bile that has replaced what once represented the People's free choice... long ago, in a different, seemingly lost age. Today it is wielded with the instant capability of 24 hour worldwide "news coverage" on television and Internet (which wouldn't be a bad thing necessarily, if it were truly neutral opinioned news!). The fact that the repetitive, forceful hammering of the "poll numbers" and their dismal McCain's-gonna'-lose predictions also hold the promise of causing many to simply stay home on election day with "Why bother?" depression should not be overlooked, either. Each is a real and contributing particle to an intentional poisoning.

But hey! ...Ignore that ACORN voter fraud history and $800,000 OBambam campaign contribution (just like you would for John McCain... or like you would for Sarah Palin)! It's ONLY federal crime level illegal and won't affect things much anyway, right? What a few million extra votes, eh?

So what if he began his political career with terrorist (and DON'T try to feed me that "former-terrorist" qualifier!) Ayers and distributed millions for him and his undermining causes to the corrupt Chicago political gristmill?

From an interview between Terrorist Bill Ayers and David Horowitz...

Dressed in bib overalls with golden curls rolling below his ears, Ayers reviewed his activities as a terrorist for my tape recorder. When he was done, he broke into a broad, Jack Horner grin and summed up his experience: "Guilty as hell. Free as a bird. America is a great country."

"Kill all the rich people, break up their cars and apartments, bring the revolution home…that’s where it’s really at."

You wouldn't hold McCain and Palin to the same non-existent degree of accountability there, either... right?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...

In my view, it comes down to relatively simple terms, sides... and the people on them.

It is a battle of those who feel needy and those who answer the challenge of their own needs. The leftist agenda political advances of the past thirty years or so have spawned a disturbingly high number of people with the "special me" mentality. The left has sold the notion, false as it truly is, that our citizenry somehow has a "right" to being coddled, protected, shielded and held. (Dignity and self fulfilled goals are "old fashioned" and now obsolete.) They promote and endorse an anger wrapped around this central theme. It is a mind's view which frees the manipulated, the verily indoctrinated, from any deep thought, economic reality... or any true attachment to reality at all. It is the equivalent of the raucous crowd's sagacity during a third century style Roman heathen festival of gladiator confrontations. There is little exuberance based in logic or fact, but only that of the mass movement and the crowd's cajoling.

This colossal farce is successful because we do not face the same individual, day to day challenges of the common man back in the days of our nation being settled and solidly established. Once, men and women were self reliant, self sustaining and expected no one to "save them". Whining and foot stomping was noticed by no others... they were far too occupied ensuring their own family's survival. People helped themselves and one another by the goodness in their hearts, not by mandating the intrusive government's Golden Pocket dispersal, lined with stolen fruits picked by all working hands.

And how about that income redistribution plan that B.O. finally fessed to in responding to Joe the other day, eh?

He's also going to let the Bush Tax Cuts expire, then lower "95% of the citizen's taxes". Does this sound like a Used Car Lot Weekend Sale, wherein they raise prices significantly on wrecked repaints during the week and then extol single digit percent discounts inviting you down to buy up the "deals"? Well, it's going to be "forced attendance" at the Barack Used Car Show and everybody is buying, Folks! ...Because he's damn sure got a serious trillion dollar spending plan!

Life, liberty, freedom and especially... happiness... are now purveyed as "guaranteed". Under this arcane wizardry, the Magician can label almost anything as a perceived "right"! The "right" to employment (worthy of the job... or not), the "right" to health care (government sanctioned, atrociously/impossibly overpriced and patently failing... or not), the "right" to others wealth (whether earned by your labors... or not) and surely, predictably, the "right" to sit on your lazy butt, bemoan your sad circumstance and declare your deserved sustenance from everyone else's responsible behavior. Therefore, in this doctrine, it follows quite naturally as someone doing you "wrong" when all of these items don't automatically arrive on your doorstep every morning... "for free".

Frankly, it reminds me of a prostitute who once said, "Nobody gets nothing for nothing".

For frosting, we have the fact that all our world enemies have endorsed B. H. Obama, too... from Hamas to Ahmadinejhad to Chavez to Castro. Wonder why they would do that, don't you?

[emphasis mine]

"Not present, or at least not singing the National Anthem at the rally was Londonderry senior Zach Bencal.

Bencal, who sings the anthem for a number of school events and is actively involved in local community theatre, had been contacted by the Obama campaign to sing the anthem. He agreed to do so, then was told later in the evening the anthem had been scratched from the program. Bencal said he was told by the campaign the decision was a simple programming change to make room for another speaker.

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," Bencal said.

Sandra Abrevaya, communications director for the Obama campaign's Manchester office, confirmed the choice had simply been a last-minute scratch from the rally's program, which included the Pledge of Allegiance.

"We regret the miscommunication with Zach about today's event but we are pleased that several other New Hampshire residents were able to speak at today's event, where thousands of voters in both parties gathered to hear Sen. Obama discuss his plan to bring the change we need to Washington."

It's a very disturbing testimonial to the presence of mind and true regard for their country, when "supporters" of the Obama charade and pageantry don't notice or care (much less protest) the absence of our Pledge of Allegiance and our National Anthem. This is just an incredibly sad death knell... It makes me want to drink in some REAL truth.

God bless us...

~D.I.

2008-10-22T00:10:00.000-04:00

I Have a REAL Mom...

You are pure, beaming beauty, without compromise.

You are staunch love, without conditions.

You are uplifting creativity, requiring no materials.

You are the gentlest sensitivity.

You are the well of kindness.

You steward goodness, and it flows from you to all encircling.

You are empathy, without regret, apology or shame.

You are defensive anger, when safeguarding your flock.

You are unflappable conviction, devoid of cracks in your armor.

You are faith, with no moment so desperate to cause release of your grasp.

You are humility, maintaining quiet peace and refusing lime light.

You are discipline to elevate principle, even when it pains you to insist on nothing less. (And that's what a REAL Mom does...)

You embody forgiveness, despite severity of offense, yet your tenets mandate just penalty.

You are grace under pressure, with angelic focus.

You are courage in the jaws of disaster, and you relentlessly emerge to victory.

You showed me how to fight, when right, with a strength born within.
(And that's what a REAL Mom does...)

You showed me how to look beyond the horizon, while eternally being my loudest cheerleader.

You showed me thoroughness and detail... that no job was done without true completion.

You showed me to sow patience... again and again and again.

You are THE example of nobility's child, with strength, purpose and silent acceptance. (And that's what a REAL Mom does...)

Thank you for proudly being MY Mom, despite my numerous failings and shortfalls. I assure you that pride in YOU, is reflected in the mirror that is ME.

Happy 75th Birthday,
Incredible Mom!!!

Don't lament the number... it is a badge of accomplishment. Just be keenly aware that it is a well deserved gift for you... and to ALL of us that LOVE you so dearly! You will always be the Greatest Mom to me!

(And just in case you can't quite be sure who wrote this for you, or you think that I might be getting a bit too squishy to recognize...)

It's ME...
your "animal" son!

Party it up, Mom! This will get you started and prove that the above was no forgery... Don't let the beginning put you to sleep... the rest sure won't. ;)

2008-10-20T12:47:00.001-04:00

Can Faith Ever Be Hijacked?

There are few subjects that will ignite a conversation faster than the entrance of religion or politics. In fact, the only thing that could be more combustible than discussing either one of these subjects, is combining the two of them into one conversation..

The most personal aspect of religion is the reason why this subject has never been a topic for the faint of heart. However, the changes that will inevitably take place in this country, with the wrong leadership, are also not a subject for the faint of heart. Perhaps we need to discuss these things and examine these things that were once off-limits. I believe that a palpable sense of urgency has caused many of us to reconsider our hard and fast rule not to discuss certain subjects in polite company.

It is all about faith.

Barack Obama once claimed that the faith of this nation has been hijacked.

I strongly disagree. Undoubtedly, some of us may waver in our faith - and some of us will have fleeting doubts from time to time - but the very definition of faith is to have a firm and unyielding obligation to a true belief. My definition of faith is a personal, devout knowledge and appreciation for my God - and I alone control my faith. It is a conviction that no one can hijack. Ironically, Obama’s accusation came on the heels of his proclamation that, “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation...”

There may be some connection to Obama’s belief system or his lack of belief system that brings him to his own conclusions about faith. Perhaps he has been influenced by his choice of church, his stance on infanticide, his choice of mentors or a combination of these things. Sadly, there has been repetitive, blatant demagoguery from Obama - proving only that he still has very little understanding of those of us who “cling to religion” as a basis for our faith.

~Miradena

2008-10-06T23:08:00.013-04:00

Dear Mike...

One year tonight... a void in my world that will never again be filled.

I didn't know I should have stopped to visit you, even though the house was dark when I went by... I almost did. I thought you weren't home yet. I didn't know you were just leaving...

I don't understand. And I never will. But I am forced to accept your decision. We all are. The bitch was never worth that, Sir. You took from all of us who truly loved you... to end your pain.

I wish you had instead chosen to come talk with me. I was always there for you (as you were for me)... you can't deny that. And I will tell you sincerely that it was so easy... some of the best conversations I have ever been privileged to have... were with you. I wish I knew why you chose to stay mute... this one, most important time.

I apologize for not being able to attend the official 'Good Bye'. It was the kindest thing I could do for your family and friends... not to be there. They didn't deserve to witness the wrath that she did... that I still carry with me... for her... forever. So even then, she ducked responsibility one last time. But it is a long road with no turns... I pray I live long enough to see her straighten one out.

Thanks... SO MUCH... for the stories, the adventures, the politics, the wholesome values, the goodness, the hard work, the incessant laughs and smiles... the absolutely great times always flavored with your amazing mind. You left a mark in my soul that you apparently never realized... and I know I am only one of many. I will forever savor and cherish the memories of your excellence.

...and I will always miss you.

May God rest your good heart in His arms forever. I'll see ya' someday... when I too come home.

2008-10-06T01:00:00.010-04:00

"Say It Ain't So, Joe"

2008-09-11T21:54:00.012-04:00

Will You Remember?

There are shadows that lead us -
and there are shadows that follow us closely behind.
They can be clearly visible on the brightest of days although some seem to be completely hidden in the darkness. Perception is the key to discovering them. Reflection is the key to understanding them. But we should never be content to think that our shadows can ever be truly gone simply because we no longer are perceptive enough to notice them or reflective enough to care.

I know that I will always carry with me the shadows of 9-11.
With every step I take, the shadowed memories cloud my footsteps like silhouettes of a burden too large and a sadness too great. They are a part of me. My gentle reminders never to forget.

Some of the photos in the video below were taken within a few months of September 11th, 2001. The dust had barely settled on Ground Zero and there was still a dizzying nervousness reflected in the faces of people wandering the streets, desperately searching for answers that would never come. Closure that would never be possible. Makeshift memorials lined the streets and a papered wall with thousands of posters of “missing” faces was a solemn reminder that many of the missing would never be found by their loved ones. A truly unfathomable reality. I slowly searched a posted list of names, sliding my fingertip down the printed pages until I found the name of my cousin. I paused. Holding my hand over his name, I said a prayer. And then I stepped back into my waiting shadow to reflect on the depth of that one moment. The importance of that one day. The horror of that one tragedy that would forever change us as a nation.

We have lost the innocence of our days prior to September 11th.
And the memory of that innocence has now become a shadow.
In the darkness or in the light -

We Can Never Forget.

Miradena

2008-09-11T06:45:00.001-04:00

Remember...
With Defiance!

And so we arrive, yet again, at the dreaded annual day of reflection on that most horrific of domestic attacks in our nation's history. It is so fresh in the memory, it doesn't seem like it can possibly be seven years... but it is.

I was standing in my business, when one of my on premises tenants frantically began beating upon my locked door. When I opened it and looked into her eyes, I instantly knew something was really, really wrong.

"They attacked us..." was all she could stammer, through tearful, reddened eyes as she grabbed my hand and dragged me through the door to her bottom floor apartment. When we reached there, the room was filled with her friends and family members. They were all embracing each other, crying and staring transfixed at the unbelievable scene that was unfolding live on the television before us. We stood there together, all of us in utter disbelief, and watched with collective gasps and screams as the second plane impacted the south World Trade Center tower. Then more and more came... the Pentagon hit, the crash in Pennsylvania, the astonishing collapse of both the Twin Towers... We didn't leave that room to try to individually grasp the horrors until well after noon. And, of course, we are still trying.

This year, I pause to consider the aggregate overwhelming sadness, the tattered emotions and the struggle to realize the immensity of what those rotten, despicable bastards did to us. A reality so strong that our minds recoiled to try to deal with it... and the uncertainty that followed.

Do you remember?

...the tears.

...the bewilderment.

...the lost and wandering.

...waiting for the next shoe to fall.

...the hopelessness of the survivors of the initial impacts.

...those who pondered their own coming deaths.

...those who never saw it coming.

...the last, desperate cell phone conversations to loved ones.

Some got to say choked, pleading goodbyes... many did not. Which do you think was more impossible to accept? The loved ones who were left with no last contacts from their friends and family members... or the one's who received them?

Do you remember the empty, eerie skies, completely bereft of jet noise and exhaust stripes after the last airborne commercial flights were finally grounded?

Do you remember your anger? ...OUR anger? Have you yet relinquished it?

I recall reading an article in a local newspaper, here in the land of incessant liberalism, wherein an aspiring young "reporter" made a great effort to get his readers to forget the horrors of that tragic day and just "move on". I almost wrote him about it, but decided not to give him the limelight he so obviously sought.

I fully endorse the noble, so perfectly AMERICAN effort to be stalwart and rebuild a fitting symbol (or symbols) of remembrance. That is our undying spirit of persistence that gave birth to this great nation... and since has sustained her.

But don't tell me to forget and "move on". We are all God's children and due forgiveness for our sins... until we arrive at the mud cave thresholds of those savages that wreaked this havoc upon our people. For them, I only pray for a deserved, total defeat... complete, final and unyielding. Let loose the fateful lightning... until it is done. We must endure, persevere and triumph over this unprecedented evil.

For those who have wandered back into their darkened shells of mental protection and hiding, who render only disrespect, complacency, contempt for contemplation of this catastrophe and criticism of patriotism as a sequent... you shame me. You shame your brethren. Dissuading the discussion from the true facts of what befell us, of what was, and is now gone forever... must surely be the pinnacle of insolence. May God find some form of forgiveness that befits you. I cannot locate it in my heart, and I will always have anger and sadness. The cause of goodness and justice cannot be defeated.

Ignoring the realities of terrorism, where it came from, what its' goals are, its' implacableness and tenacity... are sure fired recipes for more to come, and on a much more ominous, apocalyptic scale.

In all third world countries, there is a common thread amongst each nation's populations. Despite the oppression, poverty and (to us) unimaginable lack of hope, future and promise, the people of these God forsaken places continue in their duties with a dogged determination, never lamenting their individual circumstance. I have come to call it a "quiet acceptance". It is noble, effective in overcoming the odds and commonplace. It is both tolerant of what is unchangeable and excluding of ineffective whining. What would it take for our people to learn this?

We are too pampered and privileged to appreciate what we have. So it follows that so many could just as easily dismiss what is required to keep it.

With regard to the Socialist left, who only briefly stood as Americans in solidarity against our true enemies after that baneful attack, I will strive to adopt that same quiet acceptance of their ridiculous alleged "positions" regarding the dire threats still ahead of us. They attempt to obfuscate, but are truly only minor, noisy obstacles. They are insignificant and will not detour the advance of freedom and liberty. We cannot let them.

I choose to instead look ahead to the rebuilding of the proud symbols of freedom that those soulless animals brought down. I will now focus less on the gore, and more intensely upon the lessons. I want our children to be taught the real history of what happened, without the blame-America liberal rewriting. We must avenge those innocents that were murdered, and in doing so never let them die in vain! Rather, their sacrifices must be reminders of what we have achieved and how critical it is to retain and protect it.

May God bless America, protecting and preserving their souls, and their families, forever.

2008-08-31T18:36:00.004-04:00

A Wistful Notion... Lives?

You know, it is the kind of scenario many Conservatives have played tag with in their minds, perhaps plainly uttered to a close, comfortable friend. We sometimes think about it, or talk about it... probably both. We have to, as solid "Righties"... it is a dream we have always fostered and try to keep alive.

Why can't we have a "normal" leader with the real peoples' values and guiding boundaries? Aren't there any of "us" out "there" who would be in an inclination, a mind's point of view; ...a leaning to be in politics for the honest betterment of those you are hired to represent and serve? Not just because it was the best particular business choice, but because they believed in presenting a political leader that sought to preserve the essential foundations of this country, its' Constitution and core purposes for being formed! Is this just a fantasy from the 40's or 50's... or is it possible that there might be someone possessing the spirit that formed this Republic with a duty bound sense of true "country first"? Somebody that could be admired for reflecting upon the majority of its' people, the value items we really do pray survive in this nation for all time forward... and "we" do pray for that every day.

Does that make you suck air into your lungs in little, short, involuntary gasps and get a bit misty eyed that those days never seem to quite be possible any longer? When is the last time you felt like the leader of the nation had that kind of... oh... integrity? (I well know who I think of... and few of us agreed with everything he did, but damn near none of us had pangs of heart, soul or character worry. We did not doubt his motivations or intentions.)

So is Sarah Palin that individual we Conservatives thought seemingly lost in the mud of today's political leveraging? Maybe... but possibly not (as with anyone new to the stage). Words count, but they should be backed up with a history of congruent actions. She should be examined in a fair light. She comes across as sincere, eloquent and battle hardened... and it seems so much of it is a natural, genuine extension of her experiences in family and in her life. We have the same abilities to look into this candidate and see what she appears to stand for, and stand against. We have the same opportunities to interpret this propositus and develop a personal view of where she stands vs. our own positions, too. And we sure have been deceived plenty of times before. How many will do this fair and equitable searching into this person's background? How many, on both sides of the aisle, will instead assert knee jerk judgments?

Some always want to administer the 'Trust - No Trust Test'. I don't trust much in these political pastures. There is so much posturing and acting prevalent. I believe in the 'Earned Credibility Test(s)'. She should get no less. But I must admit, I very much like what I see thus far. And I recognize similar enthusiasm and, yes, "hope" amongst my Conservative friends that she is the genuine article.

She was born Sarah Louise Heath on February 11th, 1964 in Sand Point, Idaho.

Later in 1964, the infant arrived with her parents in Skagway, Alaska, where they were to teach school. She was raised a Fundamentalist Protestant. She was raised around guns, taught proper handling and learned to hunt and fish. She attended Wasilla High School and headed the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She was point guard and Captain of the High School basketball team, wherein she first wore the nickname of "Sarah Barracuda" for her aggressive play. She always was leader of the before game team prayers.

Yeah, they prayed beforehand. She led. Feel threatened by that? Better stop reading... there's more of those Conservative beliefs coming up ahead.

She attended college at the University of Idaho in Moscow emerging with a B.S. in Journalism and Communications and minoring in Political Science. I must say that her training in Journalism and her Conservative roots would assumably provoke a very disappointed view of what passes for proclaimed "journalism" in today's media. I anticipate she will soon be receiving a commodious salvo representing that 'distortionist artwork' from our Leftist adversaries... while parading as impartial, untarnished pundits. May she and her loving family be granted the strength to resist the ruthless picking of the unrelenting vultures.

She has always been anti-abortion, pro life... and states it clearly... consistently. She too, has lived her words. She has five beautiful children, with her husband Todd Palin (her high school sweetheart) who married 20 years ago on the very day she was selected by McCain to run for Vice President of the United States. Three girls... Piper, Willow and Bristol, and two sons Track and Trig. Track, who is 19, is enlisted in the Army and slated to depart for duty in Iraq on September 11th. Gov. Palin references that flesh and blood gift to this nation's security with not just her words, but with a mix of unmistakable pride and motherly concern on her face, too. Trig was born with prenatally verified Down Syndrome and has been lovingly welcomed into this world by his entire family. For Sarah Palin, there was no other option... only life. Todd and Sarah manage their lives and time with their children the very same way other parents who have careers do it... they involve them and they trade duties as timing and circumstance demand. They do it without flinching and make them the proud center of their family structure, just the same as other good, traditional households. Just like Americans. There is every reason for admiration in the gallant family example they exemplify for all of us. And there sure as hell is no shame! It will be interesting to see how others will attempt to portray this aspect.

A two term Wasilla City Council member, she was mayor of Wasilla from 1992 until 1996, when she ran and defeated incumbent Republican Frank Murkowski for the governor's office. As governor, she has been very much in touch with state's rights issues, cut property taxes by 40%, cut her own salary and promoted dramatically smaller, more efficient government.

Her Alaska approval ratings are incredible... and telling. How about 90% citizen approval in 2007... and a tad over 80% according to a survey done June 28, 2008!

Here's another good sign, IMHO...

"If you took a poll of reporters and legislators I expect her approval rating would be down in the teens or twenties."

Gregg Erickson, Columnist and Reporter, Anchorage Daily News

I tend to think that is an excellent sign, considering those who are rendering their opinions. I would worry a lot more if they liked her! She has quite a history of routing out government scandals, favoritism, back door dealing, championing reform, cutting government expense and size (much like the once hopeful, and appropriately highly touted, Bobby Jindal).

She believes in "the right to keep and bear arms". An NRA member life, she stresses the "bear arms" part and has supported both concealed and open carry laws. She believes in the death penalty for heinous crimes, traditional marriage, not supporting gay marriage or special rights for gay couples. She has made the harder, controversial decisions too. Like promoting a natural gas pipeline over the oil pipeline that was highly pressured to be endorsed. Like placing a $150 per head bounty on the killing of overpopulating wolves via aerial hunting. Like refusing to put polar bears on the endangered species list despite the refuted and unsubstantiated claims that they are on the decline. She doesn't believe in promoting a "nanny state", supports individual responsibility, and is an excellent speaker when conveying her vision. She weighs real facts, popular or unpopular, and makes honest decisions. Then she stands by them. Isn't that just a bit old fashioned... and to me, hugely attractive.

What if... just what if... all the grilling that will surely, intensively, in many cases unfairly follow... finds her to be largely what her record and her words claim her to be? What if this person is the strong Conservative that will tap McCain on the shoulder and unashamedly, unapologetically, clearly remind him of his declarative "promises" at Saddleback Forum?

Trust her? It's tempting to me and others maybe. Ronnie used to say trust and verify. Perhaps, in this case, it may turn out the other way around. But the snooty donkeys that are already braying up a chorus of "inexperience" charges against this stunningly accomplished, values driven individual are the very same ones that last week sang the refrain that B.OBamBam's genuine inexperience didn't matter. Is that "Weather Vane Classification", reminiscent of classic Bubba, or what?

And her pastor hasn't been on the tube screaming "Goddamn America". And I bet she doesn't have even one former terrorist buddy that used to blow up buildings in America.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. She's a girl, too. A pretty one. Perhaps that can be held against her, eh?

But what kind of people would stoop to those depths and tactics, ...hmmmmmm?

***PLEASE READ the following excellent Woman's Perspective from my partner, Dena! Her take is very interesting... and from an alternate point of view.

***UPDATE, SEPT. 6th...

Dena has her new Palin video up on YT... Check it!

2008-08-31T18:25:00.023-04:00

Let’s Get The Party Started !

Rumors of a Republican Party demise were highly exaggerated. Unfortunately, there were several months of political party somberness, excitement waned and people started leaving.
But this party was far from over.

The eternal flame of conservative contention was never fully extinguished. It flickered lightly with diminished brilliance until it was suddenly re-ignited and instantly reinvigorated by the spark of Sarah Palin. And with her nomination, this party has become a phenomenal surprise party, complete with the excitement and anticipation that accompanies united purposes and tremendous possibilities.

When Governor Palin accepted the invitation to become an integral member of this party - she stepped immediately into the conservative heart of this nation. Consequently, the reaction of the DNC was not such a big surprise. Following her entrance onto a national stage, there was swift and immediate backlash, rivaling only the most basic level of elementary school, bullying banter. There are indeed jackals in the den of Democratic iniquity who have already begun a concerted effort to wage a hypocritical and blatantly sexist campaign against her. The Liberals are trying incredibly hard to crash our party because, despite millions of dollars and a shamefully biased media, they have not been able to convince America that they can do anything other than chant and cheer the word ‘change’. They are therefore becoming increasingly bitter as they are forced to cling to the last straw of an ill-conceived concept that the Liberal party somehow garnered a superior value system. Many of the comments about Governor Palin have been unforgivably petty and inappropriately insulting. The Democrats would like you to believe that they are the real party of change. Unfortunately, they lack any real substance to promote change and their ambition cannot reach beyond the reputation of the one man who was selected to recite the word. Therefore, in their collective minds, it cannot be possible that the Republican party could have the audacity to inject a shot of real change into this election.

So herein lies the predicament of the DNC.

How can they safely attack a woman whose value system lies at the very core of middle America? She does not cling to her religion - she has a supreme faith in God. She does not cling to her guns - she respects every aspect of our Constitution, including the intrinsic beauty of the Second Amendment. She is not bitter about America - she is grateful for every opportunity and every challenge that this nation has provided for her. She is the quintessential, anti-Liberal. A person in direct contrast to the Democratic mantra of blaming America for every financial, criminal and environmental woe that exists in the world.

She is a candidate of reform. She believes in holding politicians accountable for their actions or lack thereof. Her focus has been on affecting positive changes without altering the values upon which America was founded over 230 years ago. Unfortunately, if the first response of Liberal leaders is an accurate barometer of things to come, the Democrats will predictably try to undermine her attributes.

They cannot compete intellectually with this kind of politician.
And they want you to be afraid of this kind of change.

Governor Palin has a solid reputation for being someone who expresses her opinions with candidness, openness and honesty. This kind of truthfulness is as foreign a concept to Liberals as saluting our flag or supporting our troops. They just don’t get it.

The only tactic they are left with is a fear tactic. Yes, the Democrats are going to try to scare you. Who is Sarah Palin? She has a funny name. She doesn’t look like all of the other Presidents on the dollar bills.

And did I mention she’s a woman?

When responding to comments on my videos, I very often use the phrase “Keep fighting the good fight,” as part of my closing signature. I have given that phrase a lot of thought this week. What exactly is the good fight? What separates our basic fights from our good fights? In my mind, the good fights are the best fights. The battles not only for the greater good - but for the greatest good. Contrarily, we are forced to fight everyday for some of our most basic goals. But those ‘good fights’ - the most special fights - are always about something bigger than ourselves.

It is clear that Governor Palin understands this notion and so do many other Americans who have fought and continue to fight the good fights, despite a preponderance of limited support or any outward appreciation for their efforts. These fighters are most often the people who know that the world can and does exist beyond their own needs. This world is always going to be a world full of uncertainty and there will always be special needs in it that require us to reach beyond what we thought was possible in order to prove that our best aspirations are indeed achievable.

By virtue of history, every woman in America has been handed the legacy of every other woman who fought the good fights before her. It is our duty as well as our privilege to keep fighting those good fights and to always recognize that a momentary lapse of guard or any general allowance of sexism could impede on the rights of all women and diminish the substantial progress that has been made. The illusion of any acceptable level of sexist commentary will make our future resilience as fragile as the glass ceiling that we have fought so hard to shatter.

During the next few months the resilience of our party will also be tested. When John Mccain proudly announced his choice for Vice President, there was instantaneous but veiled, gender-bashing. Several months ago, Barack Obama began his subtle attacks against Hillary, muttering momentous lines that compared her actions to Annie Oakley, with guns-a-blazing. Unfortunately, his veiled references have already progressed to more severe comments questioning whether a successful female Governor should even be working outside the home when she is the mother of five children. It is truly difficult for me to wrap my brain around the antiquated, blatant sexist individuals who can produce such asinine conjecture. But these people do exist and it is up to us to expose them before they can do any irreparable harm.

Indeed, Democrats are already referring to Sarah Palin as “just a hockey mom, a soccer mom, a PTA mom and a beauty queen” They are mocking her perceived lack of experience and mentioning only that she was the “former mayor of a tiny little town.” They are foregoing her years as a very successful, highly respected, reform based Governor, opting to shift the focus onto the smallest elements on her resume, in an effort to create fear in voters. And while I cannot speak for anyone else, it is those little things on her resume that resonate so deeply with me and cause me to have absolutely no fear of this lady. She willingly and proudly divulges her entire resume as well as her entire personal history.

There are no hidden periods of time in foreign countries. No name changes. No radical affiliations. No socialist agenda is hidden beneath the auspice of becoming a “community organizer”. I am certain that she can and will produce a birth certificate, embossed with a legitimate seal from one of our most splendid 50 states. She can and she will provide beyond a shadow of a doubt, proof that her citizenship is as genuine as her desire to serve this nation.

And I would like to challenge the Democratic Presidential candidate to do the same.

It is disheartening to know that some women are claiming that Governor Palin is merely a “token” female running for a high office without the qualifications of Hillary or the experience of Condoleezza Rice. And because of the unknown variables, the content of this candidate’s character is of premium importance. Just as it is with Barack Obama.

And to this I say, with unequivocal certainty - I genuinely trust and I sincerely like Sarah Palin with as much conviction and certainty as I dislike Barack Obama.

I am however saddened by people of my gender who cannot see past their own insecurities and realize that this is exactly the kind of woman we need in the White House. She is not jaded. She is unabashedly gritty and refreshingly full of grace. She is the eternal “every woman” that we all have known - or we all have been - or we all aspire to become. And I want to believe that somewhere in the depths of my soul, I have at least at one time shown the same perseverance and ability to fight with as much dignity and fortitude whenever I have been confronted with professional or personal challenges.

I feel as though I can personally relate to Sarah Palin on many different levels. Speaking as the adoptive mother of several special needs children - I know what it is like to face personal challenges and to become motivated by a love so deep and consuming that it eventually feels as if it has created its own entity. I also know that there are times when our best efforts can become limited by factors we cannot control. It is at those times that our character is truly defined. When the feeling of helplessness becomes overwhelming, we can arm ourselves with the knowledge that sometimes our best effort is simply the best we can do. We do eventually learn to accept some of the things that we cannot change but we should always continue our fight to change the things that we can. And as long as we are wise enough to understand the difference, we should be fully content with the knowledge that we have truly done our very best.

For any true fighter, quitting is never an option. I have great respect for any person who makes the conscious decision to fight for the greater good. These are the people who are continually making sacrifices along the way and being reluctant to admit that those sacrifices are anything more special or any different than the next person would do. Efforts which are motivated by love are not so much efforts as they are privileges. There is a definable sense of spirit that motivates us. If we can keep moving when we feel like stopping - and we can keep focused when we are feeling overwhelmed - we are indeed capable of fighting the good fights. And it is in this respect that Governor Palin embodies the spirit of all women.

This may be the same kind of spirit that motivated Cindy McCain to adopt a child from Bangladesh or to spearhead an international organization to help children.

It may be the same spirit that resides in mothers who home school their children in order to put their children’s needs before their own.

This spirit can motivate every woman to advance to a higher professional or educational level in order to better provide for her family. It is found in women who need to work two jobs in order to make ends meet or the women who balance work schedules in order to take care of elderly parents.

It is this same spirit that can be found in many of the women who refuse to concede to a physical illness because there are just too many things that need to get done - and they know that they need to do them

It is woven into the words of the dedicated writers who commit the time and energy to blog about personal experiences on the remote chance that it might shed a semblance of light to another person who may be searching for that particular wisdom or insight.

No, Governor Palin cannot and should not separate her job from her family because at the most basic of levels, her desire to keep her children safe begins with the safety of this nation.

So nay-sayers be damned. I am angered that in 2008, we are still bowing to the suggestion that a woman should not take a position of power because it will somehow interfere with her responsibilities to her children. Aside from the fact that this idea will propel women’s rights back 90 years, I am outraged that this type of mindset still exists in a supposedly progressive society. If Sara Palin was a man, her family obligations would never enter into the arena of polite conversation. If she were a man, no one would be questioning her ability to balance a career and a family.

Barack Obama is the father of two small children and he has successfully used his children to humanize and endear himself to the American public. Does his role as a father somehow impede his ability to run for office or perform his professional duties? He has absolutely no experience, and yet he has the audacity to question the qualifications of someone who is aspiring to be elevated to a lesser position than he desires. The Vice Presidency is designed as a learning position, an ingenue position to the Presidency. Governor Palin will learn first-hand every single day from a man who is supremely qualified to lead her - and only after adequate experience is gained, will she explore any aspirations to become President. I would much rather be a passenger in a cart where the horse is expected to lead than to sit idly by as the cart attempts to lead the horse. The person lacking the most experience should not be the person holding the reigns.

In many ways, Sarah Palin is the perfect poster-politician for America. She is a fighter. She is a realist. She has the intelligence to comprehend that there is something to be gained from the wisdom of “every woman” who came before her - and she has the clarity of mind to realize that she is an inspiration to every woman who will follow.

And with her newly appointed leadership role, we can disregard the crumpled wrappers of candy-coated conservatism that once lined the floor. There is no new flavor of political posturing on the horizon for this party. We will not yield to a lesser brand of conservatism - but those of us who understand the importance of this election need to do more than simply attend this party.

Truthfully, the people who felt that most avid sense of disappointment within our party inadvertently became the same people who chose to quietly retreat, never making the connection that their own lack of diligence might have contributed to the party’s atrophy. We cannot afford to wait for someone else to motivate us. This is our time, this is our moment and this is our good fight. Governor Palin has officially turned the lights on and exposed the dispirited faces of those who have chosen to remain stagnant in their missions.

The Republican Party needs its best fighters to win this fight - and quitting is not an option.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden want us to believe that they are a new breed of Democrats who are capable of building a bridge of unity across America. In reality, the current Democratic ticket is determined to build a bridge to nowhere. Luckily, Sarah Palin knows how to handle bridges to nowhere. Thanks - but no thanks.

The Republican Party is alive and well. We are ready to fight the good fight -and we are determined to bring our conservative base back home.

If we need a bridge -
We can build it.

2008-08-15T14:29:00.000-04:00

The Struggle for Balance

It resides within each of us. It is fluid, changing... often difficult to follow and discern.

There are, however, river banks that loosely contain it. Sometimes our liquid overflows them and temporarily hides the essential containment forms. But ebbing of the runoff always eventually redefines their original placement.

There are twists, turns, drops, back flows, direction reversals, and direction returns.

This is life. We reflect on it in so many forms... sometimes common, familiar and tangible... sometimes elusively introspective, effusively ethereal and with the deepest emotion. We show it differently, hiding some (many?) parts from the eyes and ears of others. For many, image and presentation weigh heavily in that decision. Some are reluctant to reveal their individual searches for reason. They are concerned of being scrutinized as "weak" or some other derogatory interpretation. But the struggle for balance is truly representative of our struggle to live out our lives. Some confront it, some ignore it... and many run from it.

I believe that the deeper the mind's strength, the greater the myriad of recognized avenues... thus the larger the potential confusion... indecision... conflict. The greater the magnitude of perceived beauty, of resolute horror, of encountered souls (and those bereft)... the more weighty the intersection's choices become. Perhaps it is a blessing, an antidote... for those who can only (or choose only) to keep their delving shallow.

And so it is with the decision to participate in the process, any and each, political or otherwise. We can opt to remain passive, silent, absorbed in only the micro world... the "Me" world of present popularity and lauding.

Or we can seek to learn, speak and/or participate, experiencing the brunt force of the complexities. The preeminence of communication resources, the all minutes news, the "sources", the pundits, the agenda driven glory seekers, the opinionists, the appeasers, the pacifists, the hooded aggressors, the brazen enemies and every single transmitted voice... can be daunting. It can place you in the stainless steel basket on the 'spin cycle', entangled in your own clothes and trying to momentarily project your head above lid level, counter-rotating in brief half arcs to try to get a glimpse of that which almost remains stationary and grounded.

Blogging, today's potential extension to the very bedroom of every John and Jane Smith can be a personal wire for all... for any. It produces yet another chorus to the din of opinion's conjecture and speculation. And that effort is among one of several pursuits to which I herein make reference.

The inevitable question would be "Why?", when it yields no financial gain, yet from so many "serious" participants it extracts huge allotments of time, research and response attention. For those with the under crust passion to persevere relentlessly, it devours time from family, from work, and from play. And it is self consuming, personally intrusive, and often troubling... frustrating. It can seem alternatively huge and then instantaneously trivial... merely petty. But those who don't write, frequently don't grasp the cathartic potion.

I want to tell you... they don't have to for the effort to be valuable! It has rewards for you personally and it may bring benefits to folks you never see, know, or hear comment. If you can, I will implore you to consider the silent consumership...

Some seek fame and traffic of the many, and will shamelessly prostitute their painfully obvious quest for worshipers. Guiltless, blatant, self serving attention whores. To me, they are all too common, easily identified by an experienced focus... and completely, totally unworthy of my time... even to the point of bothering much to express that... With them, I let my absence speak for me.

The marked, determined 'Do-gooders' (a name I use here to mock the commentary of the 'fakers'... and they don't deserve capitalization) are my real 'Pleasers'. Those who would risk their registered, vehement disagreement as the equivalent of "hatred". For tradition is regression in NowSpeak. 'Tis now more noble in the Media's Majority Court to promote that of proclaimed, revisionist "value" than to earn by substantive action. "Too orthodox, too traditional" chant the chiding. Good has become gray, as too has evil, such that now all is ash. Is unfeigned honor a ghost of days past?

No. Not dead yet. Not amongst the stubborn warriors of fact's impassioned chase! They ride, and ride again, unflinchingly, squarely confronting every incoming storm. To watch them fight swells my heart and emboldens my determination to do my very small part right beside them.

The temptation to simply surrender with a sigh and refrain the mantra of "too far gone, can't be fixed, bigger than we can any longer influence"... can it be resisted? How strong is the spirit in your soul? Were you taught and trained from your youth or were you "set free" to find yourself without guidance' good impetus?

Competition has morphed into conformity, which breeds compliance, and eventual surrender. Too many gifts spoil the child. He learns to easily expect to accept... to only receive. Such is the coequal to the creeping socialistic servings now offered to the bleating adult masses. "They" become the nurturing, expected hand that feeds "We"... the special, the deserving, the coddled 'safe' ones.

Dare speak a voice ascribing past principle, and you shall be exposed to the light of scrutiny and ridicule! The paraded 'majority' speaks loudly through its' many mouthpieces, seeking to shrink those rebel songsters and push them back to reclusive harbors. Our progressive nobles translate their rewritten virtues to peddle as groceries to the superseding 'World Community'... and then hold them up high to again chastise our denounced national wanderings. Self flagellation is the sport of choice and favor in our United States of Rome. Be ashamed! Be so ashamed! Flood the room of viewing with the scent of elitist snobbery and the incremental conversion chamber is complete, producing lemming clones who follow and suckle on command.

No need for individual thought or invective. Vituperation, castigation are only permissible ploys for the encroaching rulers, not for the few remaining with spine.

"Hush, you dissenters! Wither! Submit! It's 'our manners' or 'your radicalism', have you not heard of Our offered Two Choices? Be reasonable, be quiet, be still... Legislation will 'give' us the 'equality of utterance' that Amendment One never provided!"

"See there! Another Gift of Queen Nancy! Behold her Fair Care Doctrine! Wet your tongues and lips... her feet require bathing! 'Tis it not the very least We should do? She has such walking remaining... We need only pave her road with ourselves."

Dear Friends... WE of true bony spine... MUST not, CAN not... WILL not... EVER give up our pledge to uphold the foundation that was placed for US... many generations ago. Our perceived difficulties in our struggle to triumph over evil so often are light lifting when compared to the gallant, incredible sacrifices of those who marched before us. To fail is to dishonor what they gave. Remind yourself of your due resolve. TEACH it to your children. SPEAK it to your friends and acquaintances. LEAN on the soldiers who boldly share your fight... and stay ready to provide your shoulder when they too require it... for they will. That is just as important a duty in your own struggle as any other.

BE a REAL American... and NEVER, EVER surrender.

2008-08-14T13:26:00.007-04:00

Wowsa! Look What She's Done NOW!!

If you have become as curious (like many others now), you have likely seen all the anti-Bam Bam videos my new blogging partner has methodically, carefully, expertly assembled. In my mind, small as it may be, they have all been targeted, pertinent examples of each of the parts that comprise the attempted cult persona that is B. Hussein Obama.

So what she has most recently completed truly gathers up the pieces that preceded it, and has yielded a mathematical product of large proportions. If this video had been created first, it is my humble opinion that it would have left the 'other' pieces of the puzzle under attended. If the other videos had followed this, they would have been diminished and lost some of their individual impact.

Thus, the partner I know I have justifiably, PROUDLY added here, illustrates for you not just her ability to perceive and so eloquently convey her alerting messages of true excellence... but to do so with the presence of essential sequence.

Dena, you ROCK!

*UPDATE, 10PM, 8-15*

Watch the heads turning... and turning

Humor... the Survival Tonic

2008-08-09T13:30:00.008-04:00

A koala was sitting in a gum tree... smoking a joint.

A little lizard walked past, looked up and said,

"Hey Koala! ...What are you doing?"

The koala said,

"Smoking a joint, come on up and have some!"

So the little lizard climbed up and sat next to the koala,
where they proceeded to enjoy several joints.

After a while the little lizard said that his mouth was "dry".
He decided he was going to get a drink from the river.

When he finally got down there, the little lizard was so stoned that he accidentally leaned too far over and tumbled right into the river.

A huge crocodile saw this and swam over to the little lizard and, feeling sorry for him, helped him to the river's edge.

Then he asked the little lizard,
"What's the matter with you? How did it happen?"

The little lizard explained to the crocodile that he had been
sitting smoking a joint with the koala in the gum tree.

"Got too stoned and then fell into the river while taking a drink!"

A koala?! Smoking a joint??!! The crocodile decided that he had to check this out and headed off into the rain forest, finding the tree where the happy koala
was sitting finishing yet another joint.

The crocodile looked up and said,
"Hey you!"

The smiley koala strained to slowly look down and focus...

"Shiiiiiiiiiiit, Duuuuuude...
How much water did you drink?!

2008-08-01T19:41:00.000-04:00

Recess for Pond Scum

2008-08-01T15:50:00.008-04:00

No Flag, No Country
NObama!

There was a time, not so long ago, that red blooded Americans would stand up and scream if anyone who sought our nation's highest office rejected her symbol of freedom, liberty and those who gave their lives to guarantee it for us. Indeed, there was a time when the mere suggestion that anyone would attempt this pursuit and not recite our Pledge of Allegiance, salute and honor our flag, revere our Constitution and respect our forefathers would bring about looks of amazement, if not disparaging laughter.

Could there be any act more publicly despicable, more arrogant and nauseating than to replace the symbol of our United States of America flag with his campaign's ghetto street "art"? How excruciatingly repugnant!

Yet, where is the outrage? Does anyone remember dignity, appreciation or dare I say... patriotism?

Where has my America gone?

I can't comprehend the mindless lemmings who would sooner follow his vacant promises of a utopia without foundation or building blocks. He needs nothing concrete whatsoever, expressed or implied, to attract adoring, self indulgent minions. The difference between him and McCain is ~~so stark, so obvious, so real~~... ummmm... correction! ...perhaps so subliminal and small... that you could literally trip over it. Maybe that's it...

Has the whole damn population consumed an overdose of LSD?

2008-07-28T10:16:00.006-04:00

Conservative Passion

What began as my casual stroll through the world of politics has suddenly turned into a more determined walk. And with that walk came a passion that I hope will be as evident in these first steps as it is intended to be at the height of this journey. Passion thrives in a world filled with inspiration and people who inspire. It is motivated not by a specific destination but by an unrepentant longing to explore.

Step One. Finding where passion is hidden and how it can be harnessed. For me, this is the first of many uncertain steps. I hope that I will always have a sincere passion for many things, because it is the ebb and flow of these things that most guide me. Whether or not the passion can be adequately harnessed, remains to be seen.

Years ago, my embarking on any political journey such as this would have seemed, at best, unlikely. But the ebb brought with it change and with the flow came an acceptance to that change. Core values, belief structures and momentary lapses of judgment combined with transitions, confessions and a story yet to be told. And it is my story, forever incomplete and changing, claiming no specific contribution to the world of literature. It is instead meant to serve only as a preamble to my personal constitution.

Once upon a time, in the Land of Liberal, began a journey. Lured by the promise of endless peace and shining seas - golden ponds and majestic forests, I remained happily ignorant of any world or ideals beyond the Land of Liberal. I reveled in the knowledge that the most caring and compassionate people chose to reside in this elite community. It was my staunch belief that Christian values were best served in this wondrous land of warrant-less compromise. And it was in those early years, that I was most compelled to demand that anyone in need of assistance should be receiving assistance. And so, as the hierarchy writhed and demanded more money for food, shelter, education and health care, it seemed almost self-serving to not make personal sacrifices or sweeping demands of our government. I was strangely beholden to these people who spoke in grand words laced with poetic prowess and rhythmic expressions, but I never looked beyond the rhyme to seek the reason for their rhetoric. My world, at that time, equated to having as much (or as little) insight as a child with difficulty understanding why parents cannot simply write more checks when there are more expenses. But fortunately for me, I have been able to leave most of my youthful naivety in the past, where it serves as a gentle reminder to always have patience for those with opposing views. Self-reflection breeds the best form of empathy.

Yes, I do understand the road on which a liberal travels, because I have also walked that road. The best motivator for change is revelation. I fortunately married someone who has never been afraid to question authority. Conversely, my youth left me with an inherent need to respect my elders (most of whom dwelled with me, happily in the Land of Liberal). With marriage came new exposure to that New Land of Conservative Thought. While accepting my former station as a Liberal, my new husband believed that this was a minor obstacle for me, one which I would easily hurdle through my willing exposure to contrasting opinions. Of course, there were quiet sounds of discourse, occasional sighs of disbelief and that oh-so-frequent hanging of his head. But he allowed me to forge my own path. Admittedly difficult, since I had been thoroughly programmed to mentally deflect any sounds of talk radio or rational thought. Occasionally, I would overhear momentary insightfulness from the car radio during random road trips. It was this slow progression which drew me closer to that ever-looming light of conservatism. Eventually that light cut a deliberate pathway through the darkness, and this flag waving Liberal became a wavering Conservative, on the brink of discovery.

Enter the FOX.
I had heard tall tales of other people who loved God and respected American values. This news directly contrasted the negative spin on which the Liberal base had found its focus. Their constant negativity, warped sense of entitlement, exploitation of pain and stifling of individual thought, created the perfect dependency for those of us who were held mentally captive in the Land of Liberal.

As with any addiction, denial overshadowed reality.
But the first step to recovery is admitting that there is a problem.
"Hi, my name is Liberal, and I have been a Conservative for 3650 days."

Thank you FOX for providing assistance to those of us who unwittingly overdosed on Liberal consumption. Your support has helped me to maintain my conservative sobriety.

And with the FOX came the hunt.
That faint taint of Kool-aid remained for several years following my release from captivity. I choose to call that period of time my 20's - even though it lingered well into my 30's. (A reluctant confession).

However, it was during my third decade that I embraced conservatism, fully. And I quietly reveled at my own enlightenment.

But then I turned 40.
And - with my 40's, came an overwhelming need to recruit.

Through political videos or through the written word - this has been an interesting discovery of an unexpected passion. I will clumsily take these first steps toward a more determined walk. And as I struggle for balance, I hope in all sincerity that the pursuit of this passion will lead me with grace, to my next unexpected discovery.

2008-07-17T11:18:00.007-04:00

Repulsed and Outraged...

If you have any moral fiber, any true human decency... you should be dutifully compelled to read every, single word of this, this, this and this...

How much longer before the IDF wipes this scourge forever from the face of this Earth? What will it require to spur the FINAL action so deserved?

Heartfelt thanks to "Angel", her commenter "Wingless" and "Linda" for their continued fight to display these savage animals for what they are. May these horrendous murderers' just demise begin their eternal rotting in Hell.

It can't begin soon enough.

2008-07-16T13:25:00.008-04:00

Regarding The "Gut Feeling"...

I have them... I guess we all do. Most of the time, I check them out mentally to establish for myself their true source and examine their potential validity. I am frequently... "skeptical", in a word.

So I had this encounter several days back over at my friend Gayle's excellent blog. She posted a moving, bold video regarding the threat of an Obama Presidency. I was struck, both because of its' content and its' finished sheen. I like videography and have dabbled with it just enough to understand how much effort goes into trying to do a seamless, top shelf job (and recognizing that I am a hopeless amateur). This thing was decidedly good.

Gayle had e-mailed the source, telling her that she had posted the vid at her site and how much she appreciated it. The authoress stopped by Gayle's blog, read the preponderance of approving comments and duly commented herself, kindly thanking those for their remarks. Her words were articulate and humble. I felt an eyebrow spontaneously rise.

Gayle inquired as to why she did not blog. There was a replying expression of interest and curiosity. There went that eyebrow again.

I went to YouTube and searched out her account page. I saw several other videos she has made, a very short time account history with YouTube and a striking "bio" she had added there. Both eyebrows were now at attention.

Any of us who blog can likely recall the somewhat daunting emotion that accompanied our first efforts following a decision to try out the medium. It sure seemed to me to be probably a lot more complicated and involved than I was ready to attempt, but I had a political voice inside that was crying out.

Here in this lady, I seemed to see a very strong, capable voice. She was already quickly making quite a "disturbance" on YouTube with liberals howling and snapping out their drive-by personal attacks. Quite an effervescent splash going on over there!

Here's where my "gut feeling" took off.

I have a blog. I have great, thinking readers (although not many... but that is just fine... quality is not common nor found in great numbers). It would be pretty easy to offer her some "keys"... if she were interested. The video creations are already a huge task... Could I encourage her to use her writing voice also and perhaps make the entry to blogging a bit easier, in light of her already noble contributions?

Yes, I could. It might be quite a risky, bold, maybe even "dangerous" extension of my hand... but I could do it. I don't focus on me personally here much, but I have been known to do dangerous things before! It might be a disaster. It might be something I soon regret. It might be all sorts of things...

But I wouldn't know if I didn't go there and find out. And I had a little voice telling me to throw caution to the wind this time.

So, I have.

I have placed no restrictions on her, no limitations. I told her to write her mind and to write for her. I welcome her video compilations but still have emphasized my interest to read her words. I will carry on just as I always did... writing when I have something I want to say, no fluff, and silent when I have nothing to offer. If I disagree with her, I will say so respectfully and clearly, just like I have at any other blog. I could care less if my site "traffic" ebbs or flows. I only want the high caliber of commenters I have slowly accumulated over the past couple of years. Nothing has changed for me. It is still quality, not quantity.

Welcome to "Dena". Please... sing as you see fit.

*UPDATE*

Here follows Dena's reply and first entry:

"I am humbled by your warm welcome and I sincerely hope that I am able to do it justice.

In all likelihood, there will be moments when someone quietly wonders what I am doing here - and of this I have no doubt, because at this moment - the person quietly wondering, is me. As time passes, I can only hope that I can dissuade any doubts that you may have about me and by virtue of your acceptance - alleviate some of my own. I have often wondered where I could go to find an outlet which could properly electrify my jumbled thoughts ranging haphazardly from social injustice to mundane trivia.

Where does someone go to find that elusive connection or that feeling of Home?

Ideally, I would like to say that I simply clicked my heels together three times and landed on this moment. But, the truth is that I sincerely believe in the biblical verse which promises that for everything there is a Season - and a time for every purpose under Heaven. And in all fairness, I should give due credit for this cosmic revelation to my rather hazy recollection of the Byrds version of the classic song - Turn, Turn, Turn.

You will no doubt see that my depth of character often resembles a pendulum rapidly swinging - aligning almost evenly with daunting excerpts from literary giants such as Kafka on one side - to the nonsensical, oft overlooked insightfulness of Bugs Bunny on the other. What I learned from my cartoon world is remarkably similar to that which I have learned while aspiring to achieve acceptable levels of higher education.

"Anyone who cannot come to terms with his life while he is alive needs one hand to ward off a little his despair over his fate - but with his other hand he can note down what he sees among the ruins." - Franz Kafka.

"Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive" - Bugs Bunny.

It is all clearly just a matter of semantics.

I realize that I am simply a willing fool who wandered into a literary forest without so much as a compass to guide me. Choosing to rely instead upon the sound of my own echo to forge a path. But in this strange new world of mind and matter, I am hoping that our minds will occasionally meet to form a new crossroad where our possible differences will matter less - or not at all.

There's no place like Home.

And so it begins..... "

2008-07-15T18:58:00.004-04:00

"We Can't Drill Our Way...
Blah, Blah, Blah..."

Reid, Pelosi, Dodd, Kennedy, Schumer, the camo-donkeys (Collins and Snowe... *spit*) and the rest of the donkey-parrot hybrids, et al, continue to bray out the same old, droning mantra. But refusal to grasp the rather elemental concept of speculation does not change the rules by which the speculators operate. Even if you say it will. Period.

Now see if this adds up... or maybe I should say, take the bait and I'll see ya' in the comments!

I know, I know... how come this stuff doesn't just become the color you guys declare it to be?! Are ya' listening yet?

2008-07-13T23:17:00.009-04:00

God Bless Tony Snow
1955-2008

Last evening, I sadly watched the first sunset on this world now bereft of Mr. Tony Snow's fleeting, God given presence. I took the above picture and quietly said heartfelt prayers for his family to find the required strength to bear their tremendous loss. As much as we will miss him, he lived his life as an example to all mankind. Rest gently in the arms of angels, Sir!

Kind thanks to Dena for a fitting, deserved tribute to a giant who knew what the word "gentleman" really meant. I particularly like how she has let his very few words uttered here... say it all.

*UPDATE*

I just found an article that Mr. Snow wrote very shortly after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2005. Here is an amazing, golden quote from it:

" Fear is a waste of time. The worst that can happen is that we'll die — which happens to everybody, anyway. Until the Grim Reaper comes knocking, we're alive. "

"Alive"... yes, indeed... and his message is that we should live like it! ...every single day.

My mother is in her ninth year of survival of Leio Meio Sarcoma, the rarest and most deadly form of sarcoma type cancers (there are about 500). She is literally a case history survival record by which other oncologists are studying. Mr. Snow's insight, bravery and beautiful, reasoned approach to his fight should provide lessons for all of us, sick or otherwise. He has been a noted inspiration for my family since he was diagnosed.

2008-07-13T10:51:00.005-04:00

On "Taxing the Rich"...

The following responding quote is sourced from the deep mind of "Old Soldier" over at Gayle's excellent Dragon Lady blog. Not only is it one of the very best, succinct explanations of the perils and pitfalls of the socialistic policy of "taxing the rich", it underscores the vast informational exchange that occurs through blogging. I would be remiss to ignore an opportunity to further share his wisdom, so I will do so now. He is responding to another commenter's words which were...

"Regarding Senator McCain's tax policy, his move to keep the Tax cuts for the wealthiest americans don't add up and if you do the math, his tax policies cost the american people over 1 trillion dollars compared to Senator Obama's policies which average about 880 milion [sic]. Therefore given the current state of the economy, how can we rely on Senator McCain?"

Old Soldier replies:

"...to better understand your position, I would first have to ask why you believe higher tax rates for ‘the rich’ is fair? Is it because: ”they can afford it,” or “poor people cannot afford to pay higher taxes?” If you believe it is ‘fair’ to tax ‘the rich’ at every increasingly higher rates, then you truly do not believe in equality and fairness, you believe more in socialism; from each according to his abilities… If you believe the poor cannot afford to pay higher taxes, you’re right, but the poor do not pay income taxes. Under “Earned Income Credit” they actually receive a refund for income tax withholding that they never paid. Most GOPers refer to this as wealth redistribution; because those who do pay taxes are essentially subsidizing poverty.

‘Tax cuts for the rich’ is merely a straw man that liberal politicians love to employ to rally the poor around the Democratic Party. The idea that the Democrats ‘care about’ or actually ‘fight for the little guy’ is not supported by history. Tax cuts for tax-paying citizens generates spendable funds which in turn are spent buying goods and services, or invested in small businesses by adding employees. The ‘trickle-down’ effect benefits our economy far more than letting the government [inefficiently] control more tax income. Indigo Red provided a very clear example of the ‘trickle-down’ effect.

I have yet to see a plausible explanation as to why the McCain tax cut extension (not new tax cuts) would cost Americans “trillions of dollars.” Undoubtedly, the Obama tax increases will cost Americans in lost jobs, lower income, etc. JFK, RR, and now GWB have proven that tax cuts stimulate the economy, which, in turn, results in more taxes paid in to the government. It is hard to argue with historically recorded outcomes, yet some folks will do so with [political] impunity.

”…how can we rely on Senator McCain?”

McCain has a long history that exemplifies his morals and ethics and includes actions that reinforce those values. Obama’s qualifications to lead America are embarrassingly little when compared to McCain. So, obviously, my question is, how can we rely on Senator Obama who has no such history. All we have by which to ‘measure’ Obama is his rhetoric; and that is dependent upon his audience rather than his values.

...support the candidate of your choice, but please know for what that candidate actually stands.

Very, very well done... and without being condescending to boot!

The only thing I can add to that is pertaining to the original commenter's reference to "the current state of the economy". Contrary to what the media would like for the American people to believe, we are not in a recession (so far anyway). I am backlogged some ten months in my business and the businesses I work with are similarly swamped. I will submit that without the Bush tax cuts and the robust economy that we still retain to this moment, we would long ago have been sunk by the repeated waves that have come over our bow. Just consider the stunningly widespread impact of fuel prices more than doubling in the last 17 months, yet we still have not seen true negative economic activity or production. It is fragile and near the tipping point, with many factors like Iran poised to change this quickly, but we have thus far moved forward and persevered economically. I am convinced that without the stimulation that the tax cuts provided, we would not have been able to resist the huge negative tides and continue forward progress.

Great job, Old Soldier!

2008-07-11T11:24:00.005-04:00

I'm Not Todd Shaw...

But I play like him over here in the Liberal Land of the Northeast. My snow is gone (Waaaaaah...) and worse yet, we get these imported blasts of "interior country weather" that blow in from the southeast and southwest. I just hate them, too. I have actually lived in many places where the humidity and temperature constantly hover just below a million, but I finally wised up and came home over seventeen years ago. Most of the summertime, it is reasonable temps (70's) and nice, dry air (40% humidity or so). Ah, yes... summer in Maine.

But then we get those never-brief-enough periods of a few days wherein you can close your eyes and imagine yourself standing on those baking, elevated strips of I-10 pavement that run directly above the swamps of Louisiana... Ugh! No offense, my friend Blogi, but I am unfit to have conversation with when it gets like that. I just want to sit naked in a cold river with a tygon "lifeline" tube in my mouth, connected to a well pressurized, temporarily full beer keg. Wake me when it snows, please.

Or alternatively, I may choose to relieve myself as Mr. Shaw has done here.

For those of you that might think this is somehow "faked" and can't be done, you are absolutely wrong. It is how snowmobiles routinely cross the inevitable stretches of open water in the late Spring sledding season. It does, however, require some skillful technique and constant forward motion, just like when flying an airplane. No parking until you reach dry land or it will be an embarrassing "glug, glug" sequence of sounds as your sled and your honor rapidly disappear out of sight. But fun without risk and challenge is probably... ummmm... not as much fun. HA!

So, smoldering, piping hot where you call home today? Enjoy if you can, something different from my blog besides my usual misery and doom. I think the sentiments, the vid quality and even the music very nicely convey my views here, but then again...

"Where is my mind?"

2008-07-10T13:42:00.003-04:00

Ready to Hurl?

"It is allowed to marry a girl at the age of one, if sex is postponed. The Prophet Muhammad, whose model we follow, married 'Aisha when she was six, and had sex with her when she was nine..."

Dr. Ahmad Al-Mub'i, a Saudi "Marriage Officiant"

Gosh, these folks are good old regular people, just like us, after all! Make sure you see the video of this enlightening "discussion".

***Thanks to Angel for bringing this to attention.

2008-07-09T10:14:00.006-04:00

Message to Ahmadinejad...

Ummmm... Might be a wise move to review recent neighborhood history.

2008-07-08T14:37:00.003-04:00

A "Georgia Man"...
Yeah, Sure...

Leave it to the Leftstream Media, this time AP, to re-gift this animal as a resident of one of our United States! How did I know that this scumbag was another one of those "peaceful" Muzzies before I even watched the disgusting video? The best part is the sweet little familial wave he gives at the end to those from his household whom he hasn't yet murdered.

DEPORT every last one of them! (OK, in fairness and the liberal spirit of "cultural" tolerance, we should probably allow those Muzzies to stay who are screaming from the rooftops in defense of the dead daughter... Where are they again?)

2008-07-08T13:04:00.000-04:00

It IS Coming...

Some of my friends are also landlords, but on a much larger scale than myself. They are facing losses much larger than I am, as they simply cannot raise their rental fees enough to cover the rising cost of winter heating this year. People's wages have not increased on a par with fuel costs. Tenants are leaving their rentals and moving in with family or friends to combine incomes and try to survive... for the moment. I have only three rentals and sets of tenants. One set has just left, thus I am about to sample the "market" and find out what is out there at this time. What I am hearing from other, bigger landlords is very, very bad. Many have units that have been empty for months.

I have learned to be very picky... I have a five page application form that requests everything from your SSN to your credit and criminal history. I tell them right up front that if they leave one space blank, they can just drop it into the nearest "round file" and save me the effort. I didn't include "unnecessary" information requests. I "interview" no less than twenty sets of prospects per open unit, and I would rather leave a rental empty and continue to search than install a nightmare. Yes... experienced, that's me. One of my most noteworthy horror shows still has 14 years time to serve in the Federal Penitentiary.

Consequently, I generally have tenants that stay with me for several years, live and pursue an honorable life and create little to no problems. I also have an excellent speaking relationship with them. It is business, for sure, but I include a human element and make every effort to be a good landlord, delivering the same "fair shake" that they, like me, have been determined to be seeking. It is a tried and proven methodology for me. That is necessary because it is also a sideline to my primary form of self employment.

So I sat each down a few days back as they paid their monthly due, and we had a serious heart to heart discussion. I explained that I have full oil tanks for heating this winter, but that the quantity I now store is insufficient to go the whole winter. In fact, I typically average 1000 to 1200 gallons consumption per season. Historically, I always pre-buy my oil, paying cash in the month of July. Two years ago, it cost $1.81 per gallon for #2 fuel oil. Last year, it was $2.61 per gallon. I raised rent exactly enough to break even on this expense last year, and carefully showed them the math so they would be on the same page. I make every effort to be fair and be conscientious of their limited incomes.

This year, I cannot pre-buy one drop of oil... NO oil comapny thus far is offering any "package deals" to date. (...and I have no place else to store what I could buy now.) I understand and certainly don't fault the suppliers for that. How could they do anything else? The forecast SUCKS! The Demorats (including our two illustrious failure Senators, Snowe and Collins) still refuse to drop drill bits in our offshore waters, ANWR, Colorado and numerous other confirmed resource locations. Predictably, the speculators continue to expect the price of oil go up based on a relatively fragile, but somewhat constant, supply vs. an ever upward spiraling of demand. It is a logical and excellent bet that the price will continue to increase given current circumstances. What speculator would not invest in that good bet?

Today's "low" price is $4.51 per gallon and ranges all the way up to $4.93. Tomorrow will be based upon what is going to happen. How much more unstable can things become? Perhaps the answer is "a LOT more".

John Bolton has recently stated that Israel "will have to" attack Iran due to estimates of it completing and possessing nukes sometime in 2009. Iran has recently taken delivery of Russian TOR-MI missiles. None of these concerns are fresh or new, but they have come to startling maturity. Iran has also made statements that if Israel hits them, they will "close" the Strait of Hormuz, only 21 miles wide at its' narrowest point, and strangle the route exiting the Persian Gulf for an estimated 27% of the world's oil exportation.

A lot of this information is not new. For example, you may wish to read this eye opening article from Newsmax that dates back more than two years. Here is a critical paragraph:

"Revolutionary Guards missile units have identified "more than 100 targets, including Saudi oil production and oil export centers," the defector said. "They have more than 45 to 50 Shahab-3 and Shahab-4 missiles ready for shooting" against those targets and against Israel, he added."

When I sat down with my tenants individually a few days back, I explained that I knew they could not afford a hike in rent that would save me from losing money due to higher fuel costs. My alternative is to throw them out after they reject the higher rent, and seek new tenants that can. If I don't find replacements before winter, (people tend to stay put once the snow starts and not move unless they have zero choices otherwise) where am I then? How much money does that apartment generate with no one in it? Do I want to be forced into selecting questionable tenants? Do I just drain the water from the pipes and leave them empty and cold? (Insurance companies raise rates for long term empty apartments when they get wind of it. Taxes are still due, and they went up +48% two years ago!)

The short answer is that you either raise rent equivalent to what they can afford or you may have to skip raising it at all. Most of the bigger landlords that I know are choosing to lose the money due to increased expense and try to survive. They are already losing tenants vs. their capacity and trying not to lose any more.

Do you see the fragility that is forming?

What is your estimate or "best guess" about how high the cost of a barrel of oil will become if Iran even moderately interferes with oil traffic in the S.O.H.? Mine is $200 or more. This is based upon the impact historically of much lesser constricting, percentage-wise, changes in oil supply vs. demand. We have never seen anything approaching a +25% loss of oil supply, worldwide.

I believe the repercussions of an attack on Iran could double the price of gasoline at the pump in a matter of days, not weeks. That would paralyze society, especially if it occurs during the winter. It would virtually stop delivery of food to grocery shelves. What small town, with a budget that is already commonly in the red, plows its' highways after a big snowstorm with gasoline and diesel expenses of that magnitude? How does business function and continue? What happens to communications, electrical grids, police and fire resources? How long might it go on without relief? How desperate do cold, hungry people quickly become? Where do they go? What happens if banks close and people have no access to their moneys? No cell phone service or ATM's?

Mr. Bolton has stated that Israel will wait until after the election in November, because "they don't wish to influence the outcome". Here, I absolutely part company with his opinion.

Reasoning? I think Israel certainly DOES wish to influence the outcome of the election... and not in a direction that would place Obama in charge. Yes, there are many misty eyed mush brains who support him, but I do not believe that they comprise the bulk of his voting block right now. I also think that faced with a nation wide disaster of the degree that I suggest above, even before winter, that the American population will reject his transparent, vague assurances of a rosy future in numbers great enough to give the victory to McCain. We are Israel's strongest, longest ally... period. They NEED us to be reliably at their side and strong in what they are about to confront. That ain't spelled 'O-b-a-m-a', folks... and they know that.

Iran has an estimated 40 to 50 nuke sites that we and Israel have identified. They are deeply embedded in the ground and heavily fortified. There well may be more that we don't know about yet. These facts exemplify the fact that we are already drastically tardy in confronting this eminent threat. But that does not remove that threat, it only hastens the speed at which we must finally take action. And yes, it may already be too late to be effective, but that does not justify continuing to bury our heads in the sand (or the orifice which the liberals most commonly occupy).

We may well find unusual allies, albeit perhaps silent, in some of the neighboring Arab countries. You don't think so? Who of them bemoaned Israel's strike last September at the Syrian nuke facility that our old buddy Kim Jong Illness helped them build? No one... not a one. They well understand the maniacal threat in Iran as it is directly in their own back yards!

It is not a pretty picture... but it hasn't been for a long, long while now. The procrastination to act and the endless re-characterizing of Iran's "intentions" has only exacerbated the coming showdown. If an attack by Israel goes poorly, with massive (promised, remember...) Iranian retaliation on Israel and key oil supply locations in Saudi, etc., it could quickly escalate to Israel being forced to use the nuclear card.

I implore those of you I have come to so highly respect and admire... Prepare.

Store extra gasoline in several five gallon cans. Date and rotate them out every month, putting the oldest one in your vehicle of choice and refilling to return to secure storage.

Buy a generator (or two). I suggest small, low watt models with low fuel consumption ratings. Target running the absolute essentials to live. For me, that is two large freezers and a very small, low draw heat circulation pump for my external wood fired boiler.

Store as much fresh, drinkable water as you can. We have a well with an electric pump that is large and high amperage draw... too much to be practically run with a generator. But effective, hand operated pumps can still be purchased.

Extra propane containers for an outside grill can offer a very efficient source of simple, essential cooking.

Buy and store canned goods in a dry, cool location. Lots of them. We bought a large cache initially, and then built it up a bit at a time each week with our normal food shopping.

A reliable radio, preferably two, with battery capability and plenty of charged (but re-chargeable, for any time that you can recharge them with household or generator current) batteries.

Improve your door and window locks... You well may have to keep people OUT.

Guns. A minimum of three, with as much ammunition as you can accumulate. A pump shotgun, with buckshot at the ready, is an exceptional tool for inside the home defense. A concealable handgun with defense grade ammunition of .38 caliber or larger. And don't forget the simple .22 caliber rimfire rifle! It is relatively quiet, accurate, cheap to buy ammunition for and excellent for doing proper execution on a variety of small game.

CASH on hand. Enough to allow you to buy super high priced fuel or anything else you might absolutely NEED to live on your own. The banks may very well be closed for biz for an undetermined period of time.

Now when you get finished calling me a "survivalist", a "paranoid" or any other number of derogatory labels, I invite you to honestly ask yourself how inconvenient these simple steps might be if NOTHING I am alluding to takes place. I will risk amusing you and provoking your laughter. I guarantee you I will not laugh at you if you choose to remain unprepared and I am correct about our near future. I also, sadly, will not be able to help you.

Your canned goods won't spoil. Your water will remain drinkable. Your cash will not rot. Your generator will still sit there at the ready, but not be run. Your guns will do the same. Are you really too busy to take these very simple steps to be prepared if things get swiftly bad? Would you rather sit around miserably hungry, cold and at the mercy of the elements and watch your family suffer to an otherwise possibly avoidable end?

My wife is from the Philippines and witnessed the fall of Marcos, the chaos and turmoil that followed, Martial Law imposition, closed banks, and marauding mobs of hungry, destitute people. Los Angeles residents lived through, firsthand, how quickly their elite society came tumbling into the streets after the Rodney King verdict. They experienced what it was like to be abandoned by the police who refused to enter their neighborhoods to protect them. If Mr. Bolton is correct and the Israeli attack comes in the early part of winter, the complications could make the LA riots look like an afternoon on the playground.

I have thought about writing this for a long time now. I regret that I have come to the point where I feel it necessary. Skyrocketing fuel costs supplied by sworn enemies cannot continue to go unresolved and ignored. Radical "change", far divorced from that which Mr. Obama would attempt to cajole you with... is coming. Heed the warnings and prepare. The happy songs and hand holdings are not viable defense. Neither are tears or apathy... that's how we got here. Act and utilize the closing window of time.

2008-07-04T04:16:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, America!

I pledge to...

Never Forget the sacrifices, the lives, the tears and the abandoned personal dreams by the soldiers who defended Our Country.

Never Forget the permanently wounded, bereaved family members those brave souls left behind.

Never Forget my individual duty to uphold, speak out about and remind others of these incredible gifts of freedom conveyed to all Americans.

Never Forget to instruct our children in the true heroic history of Our Forefathers.

Never Forget to honor these precious blessings on Our Country's significant days of remembrance including Patriot's Day, Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, this hallowed Independence Day, and Labor Day.

Never Contribute to the apathy that continues to attempt to erode what we have.

Always be thankful.

Always be respectful.

Always be indebted to and humbled by our military personnels sense of duty.

Honestly, since January 29th, when McCain stole our party's nomination, I have been disillusioned and found it nearly impossible to write here. I felt, and to some degree still feel, that much of what this country once represented has been lost... or is about to be.

While that may still prove to be true, I now look in the mirror and realize that by not contributing to the din of objection to his stances that myself and other true Conservatives find so objectionable, I am myself being apathetic. When others still, to this very second, walk battlefields still defending us... my apathy and emotions of futility are quite simply... unacceptable.

Brave men and women continue to lay their lives on the line, as so many have gallantly done before them, yet I have seen fit to be almost silent and overwhelmed. Good that so many do not retreat into virtual submission as I have done these last months. I am ashamed.

How many more and enormous difficulties have these soldiers unflinchingly faced?

Therefore, I will return to my meager contribution to the rising noise of opposition. I despise McCain, but I will fight the imperial, elitist socialism of Obama and all his power seeking, evading cronies. We have overcome much greater evils in our long, triumphant history. Who the hell is this impostor of Chicago to assume that he can overrun and quiet our voices? And who the hell am I to allow his bluster, media control and mindless minions to intimidate and squelch my fuel to oppose him loudly?

I also wish to give due credit to those who made me look in that mirror and relocate my ambition. It is all of you... my fellow Conservative bloggers whom I revere with regard you will likely never fully grasp. You are each Warriors. You undauntingly speak and risk enduring criticisms. You do it repeatedly, consistently and without fail. You inspire me and remove me from an island of isolation I would otherwise perhaps withdraw to. Just so you know... I read your words, absorb and appreciate much more than you may realize... often without deserved comment.

So... I had this *idea*. Accolades, where they are so very due! Why not? And what better day to begin than America's Birthday?

How many of you experience the same feelings of withdrawal and ineffectiveness? How often do you ask yourself "Why bother?" or "Does it REALLY ever make any difference?"

We each have, almost without exception, a "Bloglist" or "Blogroll". Mine is assembled to show others who I read and enjoy, perhaps enticing them to experience those individual talents themselves. They all have their unique approaches, styles, talents and items of importance to which they choose to direct attention. But to me, they are so very good, they deserve more than a simple title in a sidebar and a hypertext link. They earn special, one-at-a-time recognition!

Therefore, on this sacred Birthday of America, 2008, I choose to begin my periodic "Wordsmith Warrior" designation.

In it, I will attempt to place one unique and deserving blogger into the spotlight of those who might kindly visit here. I want to offer some endorsement and support for those who make such magnificent, giant efforts to keep the good principled fight.

Anyone on my bloglist is there for special reasons. I don't just add at random or for favor... ever. You can bet your butt if you're on it, you have made a big dent on my radar screen.

But now I must select the first "Warrior".

Who? There should be no question.

She is the staunchest, most consistent, caring, truthful, dedicated and loving Conservative blogger I have ever been privileged to know. All my dearest friends quite consistently open her page first when they sit down to read the daily wisdoms. She is humble, intellectual and unbending in her commitment to NEVER quit the fight. Her personal life never is allowed to become so large that there is not room in her day for her country.

God Bless and preserve you "Angel" of "Woman Honor Thyself" blog! You are the epitome of faith, service and unswerving determination. YOU inspire. YOU motivate. YOU are my mirror. Thank you for all you do to lead us and set the textbook example. I salute you, you could not be more worthy and you are my first...

"...the blessings, the liberty, the freedom! I just SO , SO LOVE this beautiful country!"

Angel, July 4th, 2008

May God allow us to recognize the precious people, places and duty bound acts that make this country so imperviously strong. May He give us the strength to persevere. May He grant us the tolerance to understand the misdirection of so many. And may God Bless this unconquerable nation to always provide the light of Freedom to mankind on all shores.

Forever may we live strong...

2008-06-30T19:19:00.007-04:00

Real Life...
Do You Kid Yourself, Too?

OK, she obviously passed on the choice to become trained and prepared to defend herself and the lives of her "babies". I already know the excuses the leftist mindset offers up for not possessing the defensive firearm tool in our daily travels. The idea that brutal aggression cannot be reliably repelled by staunch, practiced and rehearsed gun defense is misty, foolish BS... and facts/history repeatedly support this. Those that live in Fantasyland, however, prefer not to be enlightened by bothersome cases of reality.

But perhaps you can tell me what would cause a woman to get out of her locked vehicle and abandon her "babies" to some repugnant scum, leaving the keys in the ignition to carpet his escape with her own flesh and blood? Would it not occur, to a thinking individual, to start the engine, engage the transmission and drive away from the scene, preferably after rolling up the window and trapping the sadistic vermin's fingers solidly?

This very upsetting actual account not only perfectly exhibits the fundamental fallacies of "safety" and the unarmed condition, but it also portrays a picture of selfishness and the irrationality of the panicked condition.

The question becomes: What will you choose to glean from this... or continue to ignore?

***Trackbacked
via Angel at "Woman Honor Thyself" blog.

2008-06-27T13:22:00.004-04:00

Conservative Primer
on Democratic Translation...

I just stumbled across this over at Rosemary's place while woofing down my lunch. I'm not sure why I laughed so heartily that I nearly forced my lunch out my nose... this could not be more truthful. Helluva find, Rosemary!

Many (most?) of the constituency is buffaloed. But if those that aren't remain silent, it will appear as though we are ALL buffaloed. Make sure you watch it through to the final "Graduate Lesson".

A well deserved bow to Rosemary and to Representative Thaddeus McCotter(R-11th District of Michigan), Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee! You ROCK!

2008-06-26T11:31:00.023-04:00

Sane Action from the People
Who Gave Citizen Rights
to GITMO Prisoners!

Go figure. Who'd a thunk it? Imagine this: A rational, lucid policy decision from the Supreme Court regarding the ever clear language in our Second Amendment!

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

District of Columbia v. Heller, #07-290, has finally become the death knell of the Washington DC 32 year ban on handgun possession. Supreme Court justices Scalia, Roberts, Alito, Kennedy and Thomas have prevailed in the 5-4 decision with the usual ardent leftwingers Ginsburg, Souter, Breyer and Stevens leading up the surrender side. Now, with the legal precedent finally, firmly settled it is onward to challenge the dictatorships of New York City, San Francisco and that sultry little Obama haven of Chicago... YaHOO!

It truly warms my heart to hear Comrade Dianne Feinstein (Ass-Kalifourneah) bemoan, in her so familiar alarmist whining,

"I believe the people of this great country will be less safe because of it"

And therein lies a poignantly perfect example of the mindset that gives us similar feel-good, criminally ineffectual "bans" in the first place. The utter myth, the totally conceptually false precept of "safety".

The article describing this morning's landmark decision is littered with further blatant falsehoods and inaccuracies like this gem:

"Other laws keep felons from buying guns and provide for an instant background check."

The "law" forbidding such does NOT simply make it so. If it did, all evil could be harnessed and ceased by mere decree. Crime would not occur. Bad, twisted, evil perpetrators would have been forbade out of existence. It does, though, very nicely exemplify the typical leftwing approach to everything...
'Declare it and it shall be'.

More rubbish for your appetite?

Scalia said nothing in Thursday's ruling should "cast doubt on long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings."

Yeah, schools where our innocent children attend, unprotected, every single day. Isn't it kind of, mmmmm... funny how police show up, with GUNS, when a crime or incident is reported? They show up with even more numerous, more capable GUNS and a whole lot more marksmen when a criminal is holed up armed, too. Now wouldn't logic (foreign language to the inhabitants of Camp Left) dictate that these GUNS, which are denounced as unnecessary and dangerous in common citizen hands, are ineffective and downright hazardous in police hands, too? The criminal already has one of these dangerous creations... Isn't a whole bunch of policemen showing up with more of the evil units dramatically elevating the peril to all? Thus, the police should come to the rescue with nothing but words and hollow threats. Yeah, that's it! Just show up and bull horn the directive at a thunderous dB, proclaiming the jig is up!

Hey, why not? It works in England... doesn't it? The police are unarmed there. And besides, they have some very official and intimidating looking uniforms. ("STOP, I say... or I shall say STOP again...")

Want some more force fed rhetorical BS? How 'bout this item?

"...are aware of the problem of handgun violence in this country" and believe the Constitution "leaves the District of Columbia a variety of tools for combating that problem, including some measures regulating handguns."

The "problem" is that there are MANY bad people in this world and there always will be. (Lefties don't grasp the last part especially.) It doesn't have the slightest thing to do with handguns or any other type of firearms. It is the criminal element ONLY. They are "special" and, unlike the rest of us, they don't see any imperative to work or sustain themselves legally, but rather feel invited, entitled actually, to take the fruits and/or lives of good moral folks. Bad people are going to do bad things.

Incarcerate them... hell yes! But first, People, you have to have the FORCE to STOP them.

Police, God bless them and their lofty, honorable goals, cannot and will not always be there in time to save the good guys. In fact, most of the time, they simply get there too late. They don't have a crystal ball and they are not clairvoyant. They arrive to talk to witnesses, if they exist and are willing to talk, measure the crime scene and make chalk outlines around the dead bodies. If you walk around unaware, unarmed and unwilling to take responsibility for your own survival in one of these situations, you are just kidding yourself that you are "safe". You're playing the odds. When you're wrong and unfortunate, those odds, whether they were long or short, will not change how dead you or your cherished family members are. Hiding from truth is not an effective defensive posture.

Here's the frosting on the article's cake:

"The Washington government says no one would be prosecuted for a gun law violation in cases of self-defense."

That sounds like selective prosecution of a standing law to me. So who chooses? And what kind of standard is that? Sounds to me like, "We'll allow you to break the law and possess a firearm IF we determine that you were REALLY trying to defend yourself, BUT we will still prosecute you if we find you in possession of a firearm and you didn't happen to have your life being threatened at the time."

Should we just be OK with that kind of incredulous horse hockey?

My beautiful, intelligent and golden wife has many times told me that law abiding people in the Philippines (her native land) have, and always have had, guns despite the fact that private ownership is "banned" there. They know it is their last strength and protection. In fact, it is their only one. How sad that they must consciously make the decision to break the law in order to protect themselves. It is no less sad for people in DC, NYC, Chicago or San Francisco. In fact, in a land of freedom with a 2nd Amendment, it is the truest of tragedies.

Don't "like" guns? While that usually means you are totally ignorant of them, I say "FINE, don't own them!" But don't remove other law abiding citizen's RIGHT to keep and bear arms due to your personal insecurity and incertitude.

Besides, you well may find yourself thanking an armed, capable citizen for saving your own butt someday. THAT is something that seems to get through the lead skulls of even the most nebulous of the "Me" generation.

2008-06-03T12:49:00.005-04:00

A (Re-) Post for ALL
The Jews I Love...

If you don't stand with Israel, just leave. Get the hell off my blog space and stop fouling the room with your stench!

A deep and duly deserved bow to my fellow warrior "Linda" at Something... and Half of Something. That wonderful lady has uncovered one of the very best videos I have ever turned my attention to. Period.

Yes, I know that posting a video of someone else's creation and effort has nothing to do with an original post creation (and now I have done that twice in a row). But this blog has never, and never will, be about me. Rather, it is about my views, Conservatism, principles and justice... and I can't recall a vehicle that conveyed my views in this vein better than what follows. Thank you, Linda... Thank you so very much for sharing this with all of us.

If this man's magnificent declaration of support between Christians and Jews doesn't stir your soul, you are empty.

Sleepwalking Liberals...

2008-05-30T12:47:00.002-04:00

Why, when there is a plain speaking realist of historical genius such as Newt, are we relegated to a November choice between a race baiting liberal of nebulous platitudes and a bonafide liberal in a fake Conservative costume?

2008-05-25T08:02:00.033-04:00

Thank You...

Sometimes, the very simplest words are the most eloquent, the most appropriate.

How would one otherwise properly address the incomprehensible gifts of sacrifice, commitment and steadfast determination that comes from the American soldier?

Surely, the greatest understanding of what these mean comes from the eyes, the minds and the lips of our hallowed veterans...

Our veterans deliver more than just their stated duties. The give us hope, inspiration and determination. They tell it like it is, despite the leftist illusions that permeate our media (and so many of our population's sheep)...

Realistically, the idiots that criticize their efforts, past generations and present, to unwaveringly defend this great nation and the principles upon which it was founded are small, petty opposition compared to what they have faced...

And what they continue to righteously face...

These brave men and women who proudly serve ALL of us KNOW the truth! They are driven, guided and moved by reality. They are undaunted by the proliferation of cowards who seek and know only their own personal agendas for their own personal power, political advancement and glorification. In the mind of a dedicated soldier, the self absorbed, asshat politician is barely a blip on their radar screen. Their laundry list of mocked "concerns" and incessant complaints instantly relegate them to the only category that they are worthy of... insignificance.

On this blessed Memorial Day 2008, please honor, respect and remember our fallen defenders...

Take to the fallen a flower to declare the beauty of their selflessness...

Honor their soul's salvation with pure prayer...

Shake an unknown veteran's hand in a crowd...

Simply say "Thank you"... and don't be afraid to let them see that your eyes honestly mean your words...

Savor our freedom and liberty. Forever may it reign supreme. God bless our veterans, alive and fallen... We, the Free, by your unselfish hand, are eternally indebted.