"Bill of No Rights"

Mitchell Kaye, a Georgia state representative from Marietta, is not the originator of the piece. The famed "Bill of No Rights" was written in 1993 by Lewis Napper, a self-described amateur philosopher and from Mississippi who ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2000 as a Libertarian.

"We the sensible people of the United States, in an
attempt to help everyone get along, restore some
semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our
nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the
blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our
great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more
time to ordain and establish some common sense
guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden,
delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold
these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of
people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so
dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."


ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big
screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to
you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing
anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be
offended. This country is based on freedom, and that
means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may
leave the room, turn the channel, express a different
opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and
probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from
harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to
be more careful, do not expect the tool manufacturer
to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and
housing. Americans are the most charitable people to
be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we
are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation
after generation of professional couch potatoes who
achieve nothing more than the creation of another
generation of professional couch potatoes. (This one
is my pet peeve...get an education and go
to work....don't expect everyone else to take care of you!)

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health
care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public
housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically
harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally
maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest
of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the
possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce
away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be
surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you
away in a place where you still won't have the right
to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All
of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly
help you along in hard times, but we expect you to
take advantage of the opportunities of education and
vocational training laid before you to make yourself
useful. (AMEN!) (AMEN, AGAIN)

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness.
Being an American means that you have the right to
PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if
you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic
laws created by those of you who were confused by the
Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We
don't care where you are from, English is our
language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came
from! (lastly....)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our
country's history or heritage. This country was
founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you
are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any
faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution.
The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our
heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it,
TOUGH!!!!

The "Bill" resonates with folks because it addresses a number of issues that have often led many of us to shake our heads in disbelief. This Bill of Rights parody strikes straight at the heart of the sense of entitlement so often displayed by those who feel the world owes them a living.

Feel Free to Share, Giving Credit Where Credit is Due.

Auntie Coosa

More on the AlGore Hoax

Scientists Debunk 'Fairy Tale' of 'Global Warming'

Here We Go Again: It's Not Global Warming

Gore Slams Global Warming Critics

Writing in Britain's Daily Mail last July 9, Dr. Bellamy charged that "the world's politicians and policy makers ... have an unshakeable faith in what has, unfortunately, become one of the central credo of the environmental movement. Humans burn fossil fuels, which release increased levels of carbon dioxide – the principal so-called greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere, causing the atmosphere to heat up.

"They say this is global warming: I say this is poppycock. Unfortunately, for the time being, it is their view that prevails.

"As a result of their ignorance, the world's economy may be about to divert billions, nay trillions of pounds, dollars and rubles into solving a problem that actually doesn't exist. The waste of economic resources is incalculable and tragic."

I told you it was all politics! This is nothing but a way for AlGore to get 'name recognition' again.

I know two overt, in-your-face lefties -- one had half a brain removed due to cancer (which is no excuse for being a leftie) and the other fried his brain with marijuana (which may be an excuse for being a leftie). Both are overly emotional and become sarcastically condescending toward those who do not share their left-sided opinions. They are also 'users' of the system and the good nature of most other people. All the other lefties I know hold their political opinions and don't shove them at others. Conversations with the other lefties are interesting and undramatic.

"AlGore and facts" is an oxymoron.

A Certain Fondness

Do you have a fond memory of an event or a person from your past?

True Story: A long time ago. Maybe fifteen or sixteen lives ago, I attended a Community College near where I lived with my parents. I was just 20 years old. I was engaged at the time, but in hindsight, realize I was not nearly mature enough to get married. The C.C. held classes in the High School building. I attended the C.C. for my sophomore year and made fairly good grades, as I recall. (Remember that I sometimes have poor recall.) Between classes, a few of us would sit around a table in the "break room" and play cards. One game was entitled "high, low, jack and the game" -- I guess it was similar to "hearts" except that you had partners and verbally announced what "tricks" your team would win when you played the game. If you didn't win those specific tricks, you lost the game.

Anyway, one of the card players was a male student with whom I developed a friendship. We'd drive to McDonald's in his Austin Healey for a Big Mac & Fries (back when a 'Big Mac' was much smaller than it is today and actually tasted like food instead of cardboard). I remember that it was definitely a "cool" car and I enjoyed riding around in it.

Well, I recently reconnected with the Austin Healey owner. My recall was fond memories. He couldn't place me.

I don't know what that means exactly. After all, I got married in June and he went on to a 4-year college and a career and marriage. We didn't even exchange addresses or connect in any other way than the C.C. What was I expecting?

What was I expecting? Now that I think of it, name recognition at least. "Oh yeah, I remember you. We used to drive to McDonalds for Big Macs." Or something.

Back then, I was a bit shy (really) and unsure of myself. If I had it to do over again, I'd have attended the C.C. for the first two years of college and then gone on to a 4-year college, gotten a degree, worked for a couple years and then thought about marriage.

So, I can understand why someone would not remember another student who was 'just' a card-playing, Big-Mac-eating friend for 2 semesters of college education.

It was interesting to read about his accomplishments and to see that politically we're in the same neighborhood.

(Otherwise, he'd have hated this blog.)
Later . . . Auntie Coosa

The Great Global Warming Hoax

I found this on another website and decided to add it to my blog.

Yale University Professor Charles Hill is one of the Yale faculty's notable polymaths. Before joining the Yale faculty as diplomat in residence and lecturer in international politics, he seems to have been everywhere and done everything. His former student Molly Worthen titled her biography of Professor Hill "The Man On Whom Nothing Was Lost."


Yesterday's (July 28) Wall Street Journal carried a letter to the editor by Professor Hill responding to a Journal editorial on global warming hokum:


"The fact that the earth's climate changes in cycles from warm to cold to warm, etc. ("Hockey Stick Hokum," editorial page, July 14) was noted in the late 18th century by Edward Gibbon in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire": "The reindeer, that useful animal, is of a constitution that supports, and even requires, the most intense cold. He is found on the rock of Spitzberg, within ten degrees of the Pole; he seems to delight in the snows of Lapland and Siberia; but at present he cannot subsist, much less multiply, in any country south of the Baltic." In the time of Caesar, Mr. Gibbon wrote, the reindeer was native to the forests of Germany and Poland, but in Gibbon's time the animal was nowhere to be seen in those parts. And between the Age of Caesar and the Age of Gibbon, the Medieval Warming Period and the "Little Ice Age" had taken place."


Charles Hill
New Haven, Conn.

The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire

The "Best of" Edward Gibbon's
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

From an e-mail to my blog

The chronology speaks for itself.
WW III Started in 1979


This is not very long, but very informative. You have to read the catalogue of events in this brief piece. Then, ask yourself how anyone can take the position that all we have to do is bring our troops home from Iraq, sit back, reset the snooze alarm, go back to sleep, and no one will ever bother us again.


In case you missed it, World War III began in November 1979... That alarm has been ringing for years


US Navy Captain Ouimette is the Executive Officer at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. Here is a copy of the speech he gave last month. It is an accurate account of why we are in so much trouble today and why this action is so necessary.


AMERICA NEEDS TO WAKE UP!


That's what we think we heard on the 11th of September 2001 (When more than 3,000 Americans were killed -AD) and maybe it was, but I think it should have been "Get Out of Bed!" In fact, I think the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more minutes of peaceful sleep since then.


It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an outright attack on American soil; it was an attack that held the world's most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on this sovereign U. S .


America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Vietnam experience and had a serious threat from the Soviet Union when then, President Carter, had to do something. He chose to conduct a clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin, but stood as a symbol of America's inability to deal with terrorism.


America's military had been decimated and down sized/right sized since the end of the Vietnam War. A poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly organized military was called on to execute a complex mission that was doomed from the start.


Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnapped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against US

In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut When it explodes, it kills 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit the Snooze Button once more.


Then just six short months later in 1983 a large truck heavily laden down with over 2500 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut and 241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more.


Two months later in December 1983, another truck loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait , and America continues her slumber.


The following year, in September 1984, another van was driven into the gate of the US Embassy in Beirut and America slept.


Soon the terrorism spreads to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid.

Then in August 1985 a Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the main gate of the US Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, 22 are killed and the snooze alarm is buzzing louder and louder as US interests are continually attacked.


Fifty-nine days later in 1985 a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro is hijacked and we watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list and executed.


The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing civilian airliners when they bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of 1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in1988, killing 259.


Clinton treated these terrorist acts as crimes; in fact we are still trying to bring these people to trial. These are acts of war.


The wake up alarm is getting louder and louder.


The terrorists decide to bring the fight to America . In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.


The following month, February 1993 , a group of terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives is driven into the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are injured. Still this is a crime and not an act of war? The Snooze alarm is depressed again.


Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women.


A few months later in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroys the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over 500. The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America does not respond decisively.


They move to coordinate their attacks in a simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.. These attacks were planned with precision. They kill 224. America responds with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep.


The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000 , when a small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war, but we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep.


And of course you know the events of 11 September 2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack against US soil or in America . How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep.


In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing from every high officials in government over what they knew and what they didn't know. But if you've read the papers and paid a little attention I think you can see exactly what they knew. You don't have to be in the FBI or CIA or on the National Security Council to see the pattern that has been developing since 1979.


I think we have been in a war for the past 25 years and it will continue until we as a people decide enough is enough. America needs to "Get out of Bed" and act decisively now. America has been changed forever.. We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to keep hitting the snooze button again and again and roll over and go back to sleep.


After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto said "... it seems all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant." This is the message we need to disseminate to terrorists around the world.


This is not a political thing to be hashed over in an election year this is an AMERICAN thing. This is about our Freedom and the Freedom of our children in years to come.


If you believe in this please copy and forward it to as many people as you can especially to the young people and all those who dozed off in history class and who seem so quick to protest such a necessary military action. If you don't believe it, just skip it -- and go back to sleep.

U.S. State Department list of terrorism from 1961 to 2003.

Overseas Security Advisory Council's 2004 list of significant international terrorism. (Right click on PDF)

Chronology Of Major Terrorist Attacks Against U.S. Targets.

Chronology and names of victims of terrorism from 1968 to 2001.

Congressional Reports: Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.

For more information on chronological lists of terrorism, "google" the words "chronology of terrorism" and don't stop at the first page of links.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, brethren, be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of his power.

11 Put you on the armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. 13 Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice, 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace:

16 In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. 17 And take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). 18 By all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the spirit; and in the same watching with all instance and supplication for all the saints.

+Pace e Bene+
Auntie Coosa

More on Retirement and Thru Hiking

I got my birth certificate back from the Social Security Administration. All I have left to do is finish my State Retirement paperwork and I'm good as retired.

What I failed to realize is that retirement usually takes place AFTER one turns 62 as far as SSA is concerned and not the month OF turning 62. This means my first check is in the middle of December.

My State Retirement is based on years and months and I'm hoping it will start sooner than the end of November. I'm trying to retire at fourteen years, one month and not at 62 years of age.

It will cut a few dollars, but not enough to make up for a couple months with no income. I've got enough saved to pay the rent, and I think I'll be okay financially.

Anyone want to donate to the cause?


No? Oh well, you had your opportunity.

Backpacking plans are falling in place. I've got a friend, who grooms dogs and boards dogs and cats, who will keep my dog and the new kitten for a very reasonable price. Of course, it cost me a few dollars in wine to convince her, but with few expenses after I move out of my rental house I can afford it.

Did I mention my new kitten? He's a true tuxedo and his name is Chester. As in "he's Chester Cat" (just her cat, her being Casey, the WonderDog). She's wanted her own kitten for a long time (she loves cats). And now she'll have her own little tuxedo kitten. Very similar to this one:


Then, I have the entire Thru Hiking time to think about where I want to live. I've nearly convinced myself to stay in North Georgia since I have so many good friends here. My hiking partner wants me to consider Damascus, Virginia, where she lives. I could live in Tennessee where there is no State income tax. Lots of possibilities out there. Since I plan to Thru Hike in 2008 and 2009, I'll only need a six-month lease.

And I have plenty of time to think about which place to live is the better choice.

Anyone got any good ideas of where I could live? Make your suggestions in the comments section.

Georgia to Maine in 2007!
Auntie Coosa

Global Warming is from Politicians

It seems that global warming is a favorite dicussion topic right now. I did some research and found a long list with links to prove each item. And many of the "proofs" contradict each other.





You can click on the subject line or the photo of the earth to see the long and daunting list with links to prove their point.


Personally, I've decided it's the hot air from politicians coupled with hot bodies and hot flashes that's causing this latest round of "global warming."

Retirement with a twist

Plans have changed.

I thought that I would be moving to L-A (that's Lower Alabama for you who do not know). However, circumstances have changed and I will NOT be moving to the heat and humidity capitol of the world after all.

Current plan is to stay here until February and then store what's left of my belongings and go Thru Hiking for five or six months.

Casey the WonderDog will stay with my friend who owns "Park a Pet" grooming and boarding. Casey will be fine and will be treated as the wonder-dog she is. She likes it there and I have no doubt that she'll be happy to see me when I return.

After the Thru Hike . . . all my options are open. We'll have to see what happens.

The 'good' thing is that it gives me more time to sort and toss and give away.

The 'bad' thing is that it gives me more time to procrastinate.

I applied for my RSDI - Retirement Social Security - and learned that by retiring as of October 1, I'll be retiring at 62 years 1 month. That means I could have retired the end of August! But I'm kind of committed, now. I have to mail my last year's W-2 (which of course, I can't recall where I put) and my original birth certificate (which I put in a frame so I wouldn't lose it) to the SSA office. I'll have to call the 'main' office tomorrow to get them to fax me a copy of my W-2.

62 - and Retired with plans for a busy retirement.

Life is good.

Late Night Thoughts

I've noticed something 'weird' about myself. Not weird, really, but strange.

I was just posting to a website I frequent, and when I read my post, I realized that I have changed. Not matured, mind you, just changed. I speak my piece in a different tone. It's as if I'm indestructible because in 99 days, I'll be retired.

I can say pretty much what I believe because there's nothing anyone can do to me. Fire me? Sure, I'll draw unemployment compensation and get my State Retirement earlier than planned.

Just 'don't get me started' because I just might not stop.

Understand, if you don't know me, that I am one of the kindest and nicest people you'll meet. I have not a mean-bone in my body. Wasn't raised that way. Daddy always said to "put the best construction on everything." That means not to be mean-spirited as a reaction to people who are mean-spirited to me.

And I nearly always have followed that code. My ability to forgive is genuine and large.

My ability to shift a person from friend to acquaintance to "person" is an amazing feat in itself. Leaving them in "person" mode to their own devices and the ultimate Judgment rather than take vengence on them myself works for me.

That's about it for this late hour. I'm off to sleep.

A "red card" for aliens

No, not that kind of alien.

I read an idea online today concerning illegal aliens currently in the Country.

Have them apply for a "red card" which entitles them to work in the USA for the duration of their lives but denies them any benefits to which "green card" immigrants are entitled.

To obtain a "red card" the alien must undergo a background check and a complete physical examination. He or she must have nothing on his/her record, not even a charge of "driving while unlicensed." He or she signs a notarized statement in which he/she agrees to report to INS every two years and failing that, agrees that he/she can be incarcerated and deported for failure to comply.

Employers could freely hire "red card" aliens. They would be mandated to pay reasonable wages (vs cash under the table) and to deduct all withholding taxes. "Red card" aliens would not be entitled to any benefits (taxation without representation? not on your life, because the alien refused to come to the USA legally, he/she has no 'rights' and when applying for the "red card" agrees that if he/she wants to have the same rights as a "green card" immigrant, he/she must return to his/her home Country and enter the USA through legal proceedings). But the "red card" alien could stay in the USA all his/her life. Employers could deduct for health care and "red card" aliens could buy into 401K or IRA.

However, a "red card" alien who returns to his/her native Country, would not be allowed back into the USA for a minimum of two years unless there were special circumstances. And INS could limit the meaning of "special circumstances." Death of a parent, spouse, or child would be three "special circumstances."

Inside every "red card" would be an embedded micro-chip. This micro-chip would be used to locate any "red card" alien who failed to report to INS every two years. Anyone who tampers with or destroys a "red card" and anyone who tries to commit fraud with a "red card" would be automatically given a 7 year jail sentence and deported after serving 2 years of the sentence. That person would be barred from ever entering the USA again.

What would this do? It would ensure that the illegal alien would receive a living wage, healthcare benefits, and that the employer could freely hire aliens without fear of reprisal from the US Government.

It would also send a message to aliens who want to come to the USA. If you come here through the "red card" program, you can work here, but you won't be receiving any US benefits when you retire or if you become disabled. There's already a program for entitlement to benefits. It's called "green card" and US citizenship through Naturalization.

Does the idea have merit?

All it takes

Edmund Burke in 'Thoughts on the Cause of Present Discontents’:

Whilst men are linked together, they easily and speedily communicate the alarm of any evil design. They are enabled to fathom it with common counsel, and to oppose it with united strength. Whereas, when they lie dispersed, without concert, order, or discipline, communication is uncertain, counsel difficult, and resistance impracticable. Where men are not acquainted with each other’s principles, nor experienced in each other’s talents, nor at all practised in their mutual habitudes and dispositions by joint efforts in business; no personal confidence, no friendship, no common interest, subsisting among them; it is evidently impossible that they can act a public part with uniformity, perseverance, or efficacy. In a connection, the most inconsiderable man, by adding to the weight of the whole, has his value, and his use; out of it, the greatest talents are wholly unserviceable to the public. No man, who is not inflamed by vain-glory into enthusiasm, can flatter himself that his single, unsupported, desultory, unsystematic endeavours, are of power to defeat the subtle designs and united cabals of ambitious citizens. When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.

To rephrase that as succintly as possible: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’

Comments welcome.

POLITICALLY INCORRECT IQ TEST

Do you remember?

In 1968, Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by
a. Superman
b. Jay Lenno
c. Harry Potter
d. Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1972, at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by
a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

During the 1980's, a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1985, the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old
American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:
a. The Smurfs
b. Davy Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1985, TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a US Navy diver trying
to rescue passengers was murdered by:
a. Captain Kidd
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Mother Teresa
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy
c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill' s
women problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take
out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the
US Pentagon, and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers.
Thousands of people were killed by:
a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 2002, the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 2002, reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
a. Bonnie and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 2004, Spain railway bombings:
a. Chicanos
b. Chiquita Banana
c. Horacio Equizel
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

In 2005, 2005 London Railway bombings:
a. The Beatles
b. The Luftwaffe
c. Youth groups
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

Nope ... I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people.

They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, Medal of Honor winners, and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone because of profiling.

Anchor Babies

Mr. President,

I would like to address the issue of Anchor Babies.

As you know, an Anchor Baby is a baby born in the USA to a non-documented illegal alien/immigrant.

Anchor Babies can decide when they turn 21 whether they wish to be citizens of their mother's Country or of the USA.

But there's no law or rule or regulation that states that an Anchor Baby has to live in the USA in those ensuing years.

The Anchor Baby can be sent home with his mother. He can be deported with his mother to live in his mother's Country until he's 21, at which time he can decide if he wants to renounce his citizenship there and embrace US citizenship.

Where'd the idea that we couldn't deport Anchor Babies originate? The Anchor Baby and his mother can be deported if she is not an INS documented alien/immigrant.

Don't you and the President of Mexico (where the majority of our Anchor Babies would be returned with their mothers) think it's about time this issue was resolved?

The USA is not doing anything "morally wrong" by deporting Anchor Babies and their mothers back to their ancestral home where the Anchor Babies can live out the years until they're 21 and can decide whether they wish to be US citizens or renounce their ancestral citizenship.

Sincerely.

Insomnia?

Check this site for a long list of blogs and links to read until you get sleepy.

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One Great Quote

I don't wonder that so many people search blindly for the 'meaning of life.' What they don't seem to understand is that life does not have meaning through mere existence or acquisition or fun. The meaning of life is inherent in the connections we make to others through honor and obligation.

Laura Schlessinger, Ph.D.

Backpacking Gear and a new Lip Balm

I found an inline filter made by
.
Click on icon and scroll down to see filters (and purifiers).

State-of-the-Art Water Filtration !
NO WAITING, NO CHEMICALS, NO PUMPING—
NO WORRIES!
Sawyer® WATER PURIFIER
(7 Log Bacteria 99.99999%, 6 Log Protozoa & Cysts 99.9999%, AND >5.5 log VIRUSES 99.9997%)

Then a backpacking friend found this:

Click on the icon for the website.

Ingredients:
Castor Oil, Castor Wax, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Beeswax, Caffeine, Organic Essential Oil of Peppermint, Organic Essential Oil of Spearmint, Green Tea Extract, Vitamin B12, Vitamin E, Rosemary Extract.
WARNING: Use responsibly. Not recommended for children, pregnant women or persons sensitive to caffeine.

Both are "gotta haves" for my Thru Hike in 2007.

An Open Letter to The President

Mr. President:

I have another idea about how to work with illegals in the USA.

1- If a business has hired illegals (knowingly or not), have the business sponsor the illegal immigrant.

2- The business must pay for a complete physical examination and time in quarantine (three months) for the illegal and his wife/mother of his children and children while the illegal and his family learns English. The business must support the illegals and provide adequate housing and food for them during this 3 month quarantine. Former military bases can be used to house the illegals during the quarantine and the business can pay for the housing. Food will be served in the dining hall and surplus commodities can be used. Military medical doctors, nurses, etc, will complete the physical exams, etc. Teachers will be paid by the military as adjunct instructors for the adults. The children will be taught on-base by State qualified Teachers who have volunteered for the positions and who are paid the same as they would receive in a public school with "cash-match" funds.

3- If a business decides 'it's not worth it' to them, then the business must contact Homeland Security and pay HALF of the deportation costs of the illegals and their families. Business which try to avoid paying for quarantine or deportation costs, will be prosecuted for 'harboring a fugitive.'

4- Any family with Anchor Babies is not shown any preference as the child has to decide his/her own citizenship as an adult (not as a child) and may choose his/her own culture if raised there rather than in the USA.

5- ANY illegal immigrant convicted of a felony or worse crime is AUTOMATICALLY deported after conviction, not after serving a sentence in a USA prison or jail. Those illegals convicted of murder or manslaughter, if not given a death sentence by judge/jury, will be photographed and their photos put on posters which will be placed along the border with a warning that if these individuals re-enter the USA they are agreeing to a death sentence for crimes committed in the USA. If the illegals then return to the USA and are caught, they are placed on death row, with NO appeals as they chose to flaunt their freedom by returning to the USA and by consent of such agreed to a death sentence for their crimes against humanity.

6- Immigrants married to US citizens will be given some priorities. They can serve their quarantine time where ever they live. They must pay for their own physical exam and verify this with Homeland Security. They will be given access to English classes and to citizenship classes. They will have a set time to become Naturalized USA citizens -- 3 to 4 years -- if they fail to become Naturalized USA citizens within 4 years, they will be charged $5000 for every year they do not become Naturalized past the 4th year. When their debt grows to $20,000, they will be deported, no questions asked. They forfeited their positions by not integrating into US citizenship.

7- After quarantine, all illegal immigrants will be given Social Security cards with a special ID showing that they are illegal immigrants and are employment authorized only if using that special SS number. Their employer must report to HS as well as Dept of Labor any income earned by the illegal immigrant. The illegal immigrant has five years to become a Naturalized USA citizen or forfeit the SS care and the SS number.

8- Immigrants will be prohibited from receiving any Social Security benefits or Supplemental Security Income benefits until 5 years after they have become Naturalized citizens, although they will be mandated to pay SS taxes, etc. If the immigrant's SS number shows zero income, the five years starts the first year there is income on the SS number.

9- Immigrants will not be given any State or Federal Medicaid to pay for births in the USA. Anchor Babies will not be eligible for Medicaid until they are over 1 year old. Hospitals will bill Homeland Security for half of the medical costs associated with child birth and the illegal immigrant will be responsible for paying half. If he/she fails to pay, then he/she is deported, no questions asked. Anchor Babies first year medical expenses will be billed to the illegal immigrants and to Homeland Security. HS will pay half, the illegal immigrant will be responsible for half. Congress will reimburse Homeland Security on a case by case basis.

10- Of course, if an illegal immigrant comes to the USA and becomes a Naturalized citizen, then he/she will be eligible for all the benefits of USA citizens.

I work for the State of Georgia and I give Medicaid to pay for Anchor Babies and for those Anchor Babies the first year of their lives. If the USA made it more difficult for the pregnant woman to receive benefits in the USA, most of those babies would be born in their parents' Countries.

I feel compassion for illegal immigrants who want to live the "good life" that the USA represents in media. But what we fail to show is that the "good life" belongs to those who earn it. As a Nation, we could be encouraging the other American Countries to support their population with their own economic reforms rather than 'dumping' their uneducated and unemployed population on the USA. We cannot afford to be the 'babysitter' to the rest of the Americas and the world.

I also feel anger at illegal immigrants for not "following the rules." As USAmericans, we're taught that those who follow the rules are the most successful. But what we teach: honesty, truthfulness, integrity, openness; is not what those in authority and media practice. And you know this is true.

We are a Nation of Laws. We must insist that everyone "follow the rules" so that we do not fall into chaos and end up in totalitarianism. If this means apologizing and changing the focus and intent of immigration legislation from the White House, from Congress, from the Federal Judiciary, from Governors, from State Legislatures, and from State Judiciaries, then so be it!

No man or woman or child is above the law. No man. No woman. No child. Laws are made to protect and provide for everyone who follows the rules. Those who break the rules are lawbreakers. Lawbreakers forfeit their rights by breaking the laws/rules.

If a person wishes to come to the USA lawfully and legally, that person is following the laws and should be protected by those laws and provided for by those laws. If a person chooses to arrive in the USA illegally and unlawfully, that person is breaking the laws and should be prosecuted by those laws and punished by those laws.

Mr President, we cannot have it both ways. We are either a Nation of Laws or we are in Chaos headed toward Totalitarianism. And you sir, are the one leading the parade. Which direction the USA travels is ultimately up to you.

I know there are flaws in my 1-10 above, but my comments are the truth. We're either a Nation of Laws or we're headed to perdition in a handbasket.

Which it will be is up to the President, Congress, the Supreme Court, our Governors, our State Legislators and our State Judiciary.

And ultimately up to YOU. Go here and tell them all what YOU think.

An Open Letter to My Pets

Received this in an email and thought I'd share.

An Open Letter to My Pets:
Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years....canine or feline attendance is not mandatory.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's behind. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture (that's why they call it "fur"niture).
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less.
2. Don't ask for money all the time.
3. Are easier to train.
4. Usually come when called.
5. Never drive your car.
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends.
7. Don't smoke or drink.
8. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions.
9. Don't wear your clothes.
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college,
and last, but not least.....
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children!

Things that make you think a little

There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq in January. In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war-torn country of Iraq.

When some claim that President Bush shouldn't have started this war, state the following:

a. FDR led us into World War II.
b. Germany never attacked us; Japan did.
From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost ... an average of 112,500 per year.
c. Truman finished that war and started one in Korea.
North Korea never attacked us..
From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost ... an average of 18,334 per year.
d John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962.
Vietnam never attacked us.
e. Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire.
From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost ..an average of 5,800 per year.
f. Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent.
Bosnia never attacked us.
He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three
times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on
multiple occasions.
g. In the years since terrorists attacked us , President Bush
has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled
al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran, and, North
Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who
slaughtered 300,000 of his own people

The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking. But it took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation..

We've been looking for evidence for chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.


It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida!!!!

Our Commander-In-Chief is doing a GREAT JOB! The Military morale is high!

The biased media hopes we are too ignorant to realize the facts.

We Remember, therefore, We Never Forget

Behind this photo is a link to a webpage which I encourage you to watch in its entirety.

We cannot afford to forget; for, to forget is to repeat and we cannot allow a repetition. We must not allow it ever to occur again.

"This is the United States of America! Things like this don't happen here!"

But it did and we must assure that it never does again!

Whatever the cost, the price of freedom must be paid by a people who wish to remain free. Even if it means fighting on foreign soil. For to allow a war, a battle, to breach our own shores will be the demise of our great experiment in democracy.

Liberty and Justice exact a heavy toll. Are you willing to close ranks? Are you willing to pay the supreme sacrifice for Liberty and Justice for All?

WebCams of Interest

Some good webcams to check out:
Katahdin
Smoky Cam
East Coast Cams
Midwest Cams
West Coast Cams

Where IS the outrage?

Frosty Wooldridge
February 27, 2006
NewsWithViews.com

-- click on the link in the title to read the entire article.

We’re being colonized with over nine million illegal alien Mexicans crashing our schools, medical systems, language, culture, parks, tax and welfare systems. One look at the headlines of major newspapers across the country echoes and mirrors the Rocky Mountain News. Where is the outrage?

It stupefies me beyond comprehension that Americans sit back and watch this invasion of their country without any outrage. Worse, without any response! More than that--without a concern for their own kids’ future! Even more horrific, the line of immigrants from Mexico (and the world) shows no sign of stopping, as the number of Mexicans grows from their current 106 million to 200 million in this century.

Bush, Congress and governors of all 50 states—not only watch it happen—they actively aid and abet it. Arlan Specter of Pennsylvania wants to add another one to two million legal immigrants annually. Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy want to give amnesty to 20 million illegals and add more in a guest worker program. Utah’s Chris Cannon welcomes millions of Mexicans as he encourages their takeover of our country. His sidekick Senator Orrin Hatch mirrors that sentiment. Representative Joe Baca of California actively promotes the takeover of California by Mexico as he endorses “Reconquista of Aztlan.” As Mark Twain said, "Suppose you were an idiot; and suppose you were a member of Congress; but then, I repeat myself." Twain got it right, but where is the outrage?

Why I blog -- and where my passions lead me

Why I blog. I've never really journaled for any length of time. I might start a journal and then after a few days or months, get busy doing something else, and just not get around to completing my journal. I've found many nearly empty notebooks with a few pages filled with whatever was going on at the time and then 95% blank pages.

But blogging is a little different. The audience is both 'me' and anyone who stumbles in here or follows a link and ends up here. Because I am a woman of a thousand interests, one post may be at political odds with another (or not) and another post may go off on a tangent or a rant.

The neat thing is that these are my thoughts. I am posting them for family mostly, but friends, too, who wonder how I think and what I think of. I have actually had personal notes from people who tell me that they have enjoyed my blog. And I do jump around.

I do a bit of surfing on the internet and find some of the most interesting things. And because I find them interesting, I post them here for others who may also find them interesting.

Right now, my favorite is the tiny baby-foot pushing against his Mama's tummy. I have that as my screen saver and I almost always reach up and touch the screen where the baby-foot is. It's just so sweet. I can see a billboard with that image and the words "stamp out abortion" or maybe "stamping out abortion." How anyone could justify for any reason killing the owner of a little foot that one day might push against his Mama's tummy (maybe looking for that egress to freedom?), is beyond my ability to understand. And yet, in places here in the USofA, people do just that to babies just that size. It's called partial birth abortion and it's got to be the sickest most vile and disgusting act of violence a "medical professional" can perform on a helpless child. Because, you see that foot? That's a baby's foot. It's not a 'piece of tissue' and it's not some 'thing' to be thrown in the garbage like some gutted animal.

Think about that for a while. Let that sink into your head and heart. A baby is a helpless individual who must be protected if we, as a culture and as human beings, are to exist as 'whole' persons. If we kill our babies, we become less human with each inhumane act. Those who participate in the death of innocent victims slowly lose the sensitivity to relate to other people in a kind and loving way. They slowly turn into unfeeling animals -- no, less than animals even. They exist but do not live. They cannot truly love because they have emptied their love of life each time they kill an innocent child. It's not tissue. It is the "product of procreation" -- and we call those products "babies."

Trail Days

Got back from Trail Days in Damascus, VA yesterday. Got in late, then had many emails to read. Had a great time. Next year, I'll be Thru Hiking. Made this year's Trail Days even more special.

Talked to the Damascus Police for a while about Trail Days among other things. They did a great job and I heard no complaints from any of the hikers.

Enjoyed visiting with many friends. Failed to make the Damascus Library Book Sale for the first time in 'ever' -- but I don't need to add anything to my clutter right now.

Ordered new boots -- waterproof. Different footprint and manufacturer than I have been wearing and I think they'll be a good improvement. I pick them up the first of June.

My Tevas arrived today from Campmor. These are the Terra Fi 2. Met someone who was hiking with the Teva Wraptors and was impressed. The Terra Fi 2 is impressive too. Good arch support. Spider outsole. Can't wait to get them on the Trail.

Don't need any new gear for my pack, but ordered the bailed pot that I want from Tin Man and he's going to fix me up -- coozie and all -- and he may join the throng of hikers and start out with us. (Us being my Damascus, VA, friend.)

Speaking of "pack" which I did, I overheard one sales person say that this year's biggest sale item at Trail Days was new packs. Person said that last year it was tents and hammocks, this year it was packs.

Good Trail Days -- The Parade was more subdued than last year. It seems as if there was more maturity in the hikers this year. One shopkeeper said there were fewer tourists than last year. She said that there were a lot of people from nearby towns but few from very far away, other than hikers or their familes.

Expected excitement didn't occur. My method of dealing with any excitement was approved by the Damascus Police and although I may look 'short and fat' to some, proper training can never be discounted. Mr Miyagi didn't have the 'look' either.

Of course, this guy does.
And then, there's me.

HapKiDo: The Way of Harmonious Energy

Hapkido was founded in the mid twentieth century by Choi, Young Sool. The story of Choi's early life is the stuff of legend.

As it goes, he was abducted by a Japanese business man to be a house boy in the early 1900's. Korea was under occupation by Imperialist Japan at the time, and this practice was rather common. Choi was not at all happy with his new situation and created a lot of fuss.

It was too much for his captor and so Choi was turned out into the street. Soon afterwards he was taken in by monks that cared for him until he was a young man. As he matured, and still at a young age, he became the servant of the Takeda house. Here he received his martial training in 'Daito-ryu Aiki jujutsu' a grappling and joint locking art.

As the story goes, the Japanese army was drafting martial artists to fight during World War II, and Takeda had Choi hospitalized for some minor surgery so that he could not be conscripted. After the war was over and the Japanese defeated, Choi was repatriated to Korea. It was difficult for him, as he did not speak his native language. Even so Choi gained a reputation for being able to handle the street toughs that roamed the neighborhoods of post-war Korea.

At some point after his return to Korea, Choi joined forces with a taekyon instructor that had a dojang in the back of his family's brewery, and founded the unique martial art that we now know as hapkido. Choi lived a long life and died in 1986. He left behind many students in Korea as well as here in the United States, and indeed all over the world. He did not, however, leave an organized grouping of techniques, and so consequently there are many different 'styles' of hapkido. The tradition of hapkido has been passed down orally and also organized by former students of Grandmaster Choi. Jung Hwan Park, Han Jae Ji, and He Young Kim have passed on rich hapkido tradition as direct links to the founder. Many others, westerners and easterners alike, have contributed to the spread of hapkido across the globe.

A Chicken of a Memory

My grandmother and grandfather had a chicken yard inside the city limits of Montgomery, Alabama. My grandmother used to go out into the chicken roost and say "one of you isn't laying, let's see, is it YOU? No, not you. Is it YOU? No, not you. Then it must be YOU and she'd grab the chicken and bring it outside the fenced chicken yard and with a twist of her wrist, break the neck. Then, if I was around, she'd let the headbobbing chicken loose and I'd run around trying to catch it. Then she'd grab it and hang it upside down from a wire my grandfather had strung. We'd go inside to boil a huge 'cauldron' of water while the blood ran out of the chicken through the neck. When the water was roiling, she'd turn off the stove, go get the chicken, lay the chicken on spread out paper, take the pot off the stove and then dunk the chicken into the boiling water to loosen the feathers. She'd pluck nearly all the feathers off, dunking the chicken in the water every now and then to loosen more feathers. THEN, she'd lay the chicken in the sink, roll up the newspapers and get my grandfather to take them out to the trashcan and the pot of water outside to pour the water out. I'd get on a chair that I'd pushed over to the sink and stand beside her (on her left side) and watch her finish getting the "pin feathers" off the carcass and then slit the belly and pull the innards out. And I always remember that she ALWAYS got a handful of "eggs" (pre-shelled yellow balls) out of every chicken she ever chose for our dinner. Everyone was laying, she just used that as an excuse to kill a chicken for our dinner.

Another day closer to retirement

Bunch of things have been on my mind today.

My biggest question is: where in Alabama will I retire? My son-in-law has five or six irons in the fire and just may have to stop and choose one or two and let the others go. I get all excited about the beach and they tell me the mountains. I make the paradigm shift to thinking about mountains and they change direction to another place near a lake. I'm getting too old for all these paradigm shifts, I want to retire and never have to move again.

But then I have to finish sorting and donating items to the Domestic Abuse Shelter Thrift Store. I quit making lists for tax purposes. I don't have enough stuff to add up to the IRS deductible. I have a lot of stuff, but it's not going to add up to a deductible.

Then there's the logistics of actually picking up and moving. I hope to have very few items that are too bulky to fit into my car or into a small moving truck. If my daughter moves closer to me, I can make some 'runs' to their home with a packed full car. If they stay near the beach, it's a seven hour 'run' and I'm not up to making more than already planned. I just would like to know.

I'm excited about retiring and I think a bit apprehensive, too. The great unknown.

I'm excited about hiking the Appalachian Trail. And not apprehensive at all. I've gotten advice from women who've hiked it more than once. I'm ready for the AT. We'll see if the AT is ready for me.

This is awesome

Thoughts as I get myself geared up to Thru Hike the Appalachian Trail

First, the decision to start on March 18, 2007 was totally and completely my idea and not anyone else. My original start date was April 1 or 2. When it turned out that one of my friends couldn’t hike this year and was postponing her hike until 2007, I asked her if she wanted to start hiking the same date I start. She said yes and had no date set but didn’t want to start in April. So I backed up my start date a week and then backed it up some more. I don’t want to start hiking on a Saturday as that’s the day of the week that the hoards and masses usually choose. I didn’t want to be caught up in a slew of hikers racing to achieve a spot to set up camp. Then I decided to honor my Dad by starting my hike on his 83rd birthday. And that’s how the start date of March 18, 2007 came to be.

Second, gear changes. I’m torn between my Integral Designs Salathe’ bivy and my (as yet un-seal-seamed) silbivy. There are good reasons to take either one and I’m now shifting back to the 5x8 siltarp and the silbivy. I’m buying one more pair of shorts which I’ll wear with my Hawaiian shirt to sleep in and for town use. I don’t have my boots or hiking shoes or whatever I wear to hike in yet. There’s plenty of time, so I’ll keep my options open.

I have just about decided to leave behind my ‘thin blue sleeping pad’ and use my pack under my legs and feet and my “uber micro” under my torso. I’ll have to check it out to see if it works when we have our shake down hike in October. I’m thinking I’d like to hike Standing Indian Mountain and Albert Mountain for our shakedown hike or maybe Hot Springs to Erwin, but we’ll make a decision as the time grows closer.

Third, technology on the Trail. I know I don’t want to use the pocketmail. I will probably just pen and paper my journal. Why, you may ask, since it’s obvious I type well. Well, here’s my thinking: pocketmail is just one more chain to the “other” world (this one, not the one I’m going to enter on my Thru Hike). I want to leave most of that behind when I hike. Oh, yes, I’ll have a camera and probably a 2 gig card and I’ll have a little cellphone to call my support person and my family, but there’s only one use for a pocketmail – you can’t draw with it and you can’t use it for emergencies (like ordering pizza or making reservations at one of the Huts in the Whites) and you can’t capture the moment or I guess we can now say ‘digitize the moment” with a pocketmail. I’m giving it away: it already has a new home. I want to write and draw and jot down words or phrases that I can later play with to write a poem or a piece of prose for my trail journal. I can do that discretely with a pen or colored pencils and paper. But to have to pull out a pocketmail and go through the motions – it’s just not “me.”

Fourth, hiking with someone versus hiking solo. Just because my friend and I will start on the same day at the same time doesn’t mean we’re hiking with each other. We are two solo hikers who are hiking at the same, in the same direction. Hiking “with” someone, means that the hikers take on some responsibility for the other. It means that each hiker is there to make sure that the other doesn’t get lost, sets up camp in a dry spot out of the rain, has enough to eat, has enough treated or filtered water, etc, etc. As friends, I’m sure we’ll make sure neither gets lost (unless we both get lost at the same time) and one of us may comment to the other about the depression that will puddle with water in the rain and offer some food if it appears that the other has run low and maybe even haul up extra water for the other to treat or filter. BUT neither of us is “responsible” for the other. We are each responsible for ourselves. Each can set up camp independently of the other. Each could be hiking alone but chooses to have the company of the other at the end of the day. There is a difference between being responsible for someone else and being responsible solely for yourself. We choose to be only responsible for ourselves but to enjoy each other’s company at the end of the day.

Thru Hiking Preparations

I packed my pack today in an attempt to decide how 'big' it is for measurements for a rain cover. I think I'm taking too much 'stuff' because when I packed it 'full' it was very full.

I planned to use a silbivy until I read a review of the Salathe' bivy written in 1998 . . . by me. I'm taking the Salathe' as my primary shelter. It's 31 ounces. Heavier than my hiking partner's BetaMid. And I still need a small tarp over the egress.

(Egress, you know, the white birds with legs that bend backwards.) (Or is that Egret?)


This means I have to spend time reconfiguring the remainder of my gear in my Muse.


Which means I'll take the pack with me to Trail Days and let my friend who is planning on making a raincover for my pack make her own measurements.

Only mine will be in orange.


G'nite for now.

Random Thoughts

If you've been following the news . . . it's just too distressing to stress over. When there's nothing left to do, pray.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Found a really interesting poem by Henry Van Dyke.

Doors of Daring

The mountains that enfold the vale
With walls of granite, steep and high,
Invite the fearless foot to scale
Their stairway toward the sky.

The restless, deep, dividing sea
That flows and foams from shore to shore,
Calls to its sunburned chivalry,
"Push out, set sail, explore!"

And all the bars at which we fret,
That seem to prison and control,
Are but the doors of daring, set
Ajar before the soul.

Say not, "Too poor," but freely give;
Sigh not, "Too weak," but boldly try,
You never can begin to live
Until you dare to die.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Van Dyke also wrote "Ode to Joy"

Hymn of Joy

(To the music of Beethoven's ninth symphony)

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,
Praising Thee their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Centre of unbroken praise:
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Blooming meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain,
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean-depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, --
All who live in love are Thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the Joy Divine.

Mortals join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father-love is reigning o'er us,
Brother-love binds man to man.
Ever singing march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music lifts us sunward
In the triumph song of life.

(Hard to read that without singing it, isn't it?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a nearly 'perfect' poem for a hiker also by Van Dyke.

Life

Let me but live my life from year to year,
With forward face and unreluctant soul;
Not hurrying to, nor turning from the goal;
Not mourning for the things that disappear
In the dim past, nor holding back in fear
From what the future veils; but with a whole
And happy heart, that pays its toll
To Youth and Age, and travels on with cheer.

So let the way wind up the hill or down,
O'er rough or smooth, the journey will be joy:
Still seeking what I sought when but a boy,
New friendship, high adventure, and a crown,
My heart will keep the courage of the quest,
And hope the road's last turn will be the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of my favorite poets (even if he wasn't born in the South).

Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And of course this poem by Robert Frost, so often quoted by hikers.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have lots to do before I sleep.
+Pace e Bene+

Had to share this photo

This is of Damascus, Va, "the" Trail Town on the Appalachian Trail.

Trail Days is celebrated here the weekend after Mother's Day every year, which means unless hikers are in Damascus in the fall, they miss scenes like this.

More photos on the website, so click on the title and enjoy.

Later,
Auntie Coosa
GA>ME 2007

Back to Thru Hike Preparations

Funny thing happened to me on the way to housecleaning -- I turned on the computer and started reading some Trail Journals. What I ended up doing is looking at hikers' lists of gear. No one that I found was planning to use a silbivy.

What I did find was hikers carrying heavy packs, stoves, and other gear, but wearing shoes for lightweight backpacking. A heavy pack with a lightweight tent. Similar oxymoronic combinations.

My gear with guestimations of weight:
House/Bedroom
5x8 siltarp @ 6.5 ounces
silbivy @ 6.5 ounces
mylar blanket as ground cloth @ 1 ounce
Uber Micro sleeping pad @ 3 ounces
closed cell pad @ 10 ounces (for colder months)
MH Tallac short sleeping bag @ 36 ounces
coolmax (winter) liner @ 9 ounces
Kitchen
alcohol stove (Etowah Outfitters) @ 2.5 ounces
bottle for alcohol (empty) @ 2 ounces (full) @ 10 ounces
esbit tabs (6) @ 3 ounces
iced tea spoon @ .5 ounce
Aqua Mira (water treatment)
2 20 ounce bottled water bottles (full)
MSR 2 ltr WaterBladder @ 4 ounces (empty)
Platypus 70 ounce Hosier & Bladder @ 3.5 ounces (empty)
Open Country Non-Stick Pot @ 7.5 ounces
wind screen @ 1 ounce
pocket knife @ .25 ounce
red&white checked bandana @ 1 ounce
lighter @ 1 ounce
Clothes Closet
Midweight Thermies (top&bottom) (to sleep in) @ 12 ounces
2 pr wool socks @ 3 ounces
2 pr silk liners @ 1 ounce
fleece socks @ 1.5 ounces (to sleep in)
waterproof mittens @ 3 ounces
liner gloves @ 1 ounce
Marmot DryClime @ 14 ounces
fleece zip-pullover @ 14 ounces
Maybe a second set of shorts/shirt (I'll be wearing one) @ 14 ounces
brain freeze cap @ 1 ounce
neck gaiter @ 2 ounces
Maybe a fleece balaclava @ 3.5 ounces (to start with)
First aid kit @ 4.5 ounces
Personal items @ 3.5 ounces
Pack
Mountainsmith Muse @ 33 ounces (unclipped, will soon reduce its weight with a pair of scissors)

There's more but this is enough for a start.

Hispanic Leaders Speak Out

Augustin Cebada ( Brown Berets): "Go back to Boston! Go back to Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims! Get out! We are the future. You are old and tired. Go on. We have beaten you. Leave like beaten rats. You old white people. It is your duty to die . . . Through love of having children, we are going to take over.

Richard Alatorre, Los Angeles City Council. "They're afraid we're going to take over the governmental institutions and other institutions. They're right. We will take them over . . . We are here to stay."

Excelsior, the national newspaper of Mexico, "The American Southwest seems to be slowly returning to the jurisdiction of Mexico without firing a single shot."

Professor Jose Angel Gutierrez, University of Texas; "We have an aging white America. They are not making babies. They are dying. The explosion is in our population . . I love it. They are shitting in their pants with fear. I love it."

Art Torres, Chairman of the California Democratic Party, "Remember 187--proposition to deny taxpayer funds for services to non-citizens--was the last gasp of white America in California."

Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor, "We are politicizing every single one of these new citizens that are becoming citizens of this country . . . I gotta tell you that a lot of people are saying, "I'm going to go out there and vote because I want to pay them back."

Mario Obledo, California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations and California State Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under Governor Jerry Brown, also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, "California is going to be a Hispanic state. Anyone who doesn't like it should leave."

Jose Pescador Osuna, Mexican Consul General , "We are practicing 'La Reconquista' in California."

Professor Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University; "We need to avoid a white backlash by using codes understood by Latinos . . . "

Are these just the words of a few extremists? Consider that we could fill up many pages with such quotes. Also, consider that these are mainstream Mexican leaders.

THE U.S. VS MEXICO:
On February 15, 1998, the U.S. and Mexican soccer teams met at the Los
Angeles Coliseum. The crowd was overwhelmingly pro-Mexican even though most lived in this country. They booed during the National Anthem and U.S. flags were held upside down. As the match progressed, supporters of the U.S. team were insulted, pelted with projectiles, punched and spat upon. Beer and trash were thrown at the U.S. players before and after the match. The coach of the U.S. team, Steve Sampson said, "This was the most painful experience I have ever had in this profession."

Did you know that immigrants from Mexico and other non-European countries can come to this country and get preferences in jobs, education, and government contracts? It's called affirmative action or racial privilege. The Emperor of Japan or the President of Mexico could migrate here and immediately be eligible for special rights unavailable for Americans of European descent.

Recently, a vote was taken in the U.S. Congress to end this practice. It was defeated. Every single Democratic senator except Ernest Hollings voted to maintain special privileges for Hispanic, Asian and African immigrants. They were joined by thirteen Republicans. Bill Clinton and Al Gore have repeatedly stated that they believe that massive immigration from countries like Mexico is good. They have also backed special privileges for these immigrants.

Corporate America has signed on to the idea that minorities and third world immigrants should get special, privileged status.

Some examples are Exxon, Texaco, Merrill Lynch, Boeing, Paine Weber, Starbucks and many more.

DID YOU KNOW?:
Did you know that Mexico regularly intercedes on the side of the defense in criminal cases involving Mexican nationals? Did you know that Mexico has NEVER extradited a Mexican national accused of murder in the U.S. in spite of agreements to do so? According to the L.A. Times, Orange County, California is home to 275 gangs with 17,000 members; 98% of which are Mexican and Asian. How's your county doing?

According to a New York Times article dated May 19, 1994, 20 years after the great influx of legal immigrants from Southeast Asia, 30% are still on welfare compared to 8% of households nationwide. A Wall Street Journal editorial dated December 5, 1994 quotes law enforcement officials as stating that Asian mobsters are the "greatest criminal challenge the country faces." Not bad for a group that is still under 5% of the population.

Is education important to you? Here are the words of a teacher who spent over 20 years in the Los Angeles School system.

"Imagine teachers in classes containing 30-40 students of widely varying attention spans and motivation, many of whom aren't fluent in English. Educators seek learning materials likely to reach the majority of students and that means fewer words and math problems and more pictures and multicultural references."

WHEN I WAS YOUNG:
When I was young, I remember hearing about the immigrants that came through Ellis Island. They wanted to learn English. They wanted to breath free. They wanted to become Americans. Now too many immigrants came here with demands. NOW they demand to be taught in their own language. They demand special privileges--affirmative action. They demand ethnic studies that glorify their culture.

Al Berry
2705 Laurel Oak Drive
Plant City, Fl 33566
H: 813-752-4921
C: 813-763-2220

A Rant on Illegal Immigration

by KO in San Diego

According to CATO policy reports, Mexico has received billions from the US and other countries to "stabilize its economy." Meanwhile, illegal Mexicans solicit American jobs to send billions back to Mexico.

"Illegals are law abiding, peaceable and willing to yield," say advocates. Isn't "law-abiding-illegal-immigrant" an oxymoron?) Okay, for the sake of wild argument, let's say hundreds are. But, millions elude border patrol agents; then flood cities, flashing fictitious names, birth certificates and social security numbers to secure disability, housing, health, and welfare benefits.

Peaceable? "Viva La Raza!" is a war chant.

Willing to yield? As Filipinos, Germans, Jordanians, Russians, Spanish and Vietnamese apply for residency and work towards citizenship, angry Latinos demand special treatment.

Ironically, protesters should march into Mexico and demand social justice. "We wanna work!" shouted a protestor, as she waived a Mexican flag. "Who cleans your toilets?" "Who picks your strawberries?" "We come to escape poverty!"

Spare us the subterfuge and rhetoric! First, Americans and legal immigrants need work. And low risk prisoners (like fire camps use prisoners) can work. Secondly, I clean my own darned toilets. Third, if you resent picking fruit, learn another trade. Fourth, millions of Americans, including disabled and elderly, live in poverty and squalor. Likewise, Americans, including war veterans, are eating trash and sleeping in gutters. So ditch the destitute illegal immigrant diatribe. And how dare pro-illegal immigration protesters display Nazi symbols, as if anti-social behavior and self-serving tantrums are related to the diabolical slaughter of Jews.

Wake up America! Illegal immigration isn't a civil right. And asking people to obey the law isn't akin to an ethnic cleansing. All in all, these mass marches are a pervasive display of anti-social, histrionic and narcissistic behavior. For example, protesters expect congress to amend immigration law to accommodate lawlessness. Amazingly, police issue warrants, hunt and arrest Americans. Furthermore, American families are torn apart when family members go to jail. Thousands of illegal individuals commit felony fraud using fake names to secure welfare benefits. Yet, as they walk freely, driving uninsured vehicles, loitering, urinating in public, carrying fake documents and riding stolen bicycles--police cruise by. Applying analogous logic, if illegals get amnesty, then Americans guilty of fraud, misdemeanor burglary, theft and fraud should expect pardons.

Americans should call their Senators daily and demand all single, unmarried illegal adult females and males be apprehended and immediately deported.
Here's the immigration tip line: 1-866-347-2423.

Married illegals with children should call: 1-800-375-5283. This number explains how to legally emigrate. Moreover, flush the race card. It's illogical. Though I suppose if Mexico were Sweden, we'd hear: "Swedes cut your weeds!" and "Pale Pride!"

Meanwhile, disconnected Democrats think another amnesty bill will push people who repeatedly evade law to follow law. Fine, I say tell all the illegals to move to Massachusetts and move in with El Fib, the Teddy Bear. Don't be fooled. Illegal immigration is the antithesis of law and order.

Oh, and please don't bore Americans with the Asian flu. Shoot, we have illegals with TB and malaria working in restaurants and dental offices all over the USA.

And there's not a blonde among them

This could be Urban Legend. All I know is, it sounds plausible to me.

A Washington, DC airport ticket agent offers some examples of why our country is in trouble!

1. I had a New York Senator ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window.

2. I got a call from a candidate's staffer, who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, then she interrupted me with, "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts," Without trying to make her look stupid, I calmly explained, "Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa," Her response - click.

3. A senior Vermont Congressman called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that's not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, "Don't lie to me, I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state!"

4. I got a call from a lawmaker's wife who asked, "Is it possible to see England from Canada?" I said, "No." She said, "But they look so close on the map."

5. An aide for a cabinet member once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had only a
1-hour layover in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, "I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between gates to save time."

6. An Illinois Congresswoman called last week. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 am and got to Chicago at 8:33 am. I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she couldn't understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went fast, and she bought that.

7. A New York lawmaker called and asked, "Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?" I said, "No, why do you ask?" She replied, "Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I'm overweight. I think that's very rude!" After putting her on hold, for a minute, while I looked into it (I was laughing) I came back, and explained the city code for Fresno, CA is
(FAT), and the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.

8. A Senator's aide called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California, and then take the train to Hawaii?"

9. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman who asked, "How do I know which plane to get on?" I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, "I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these planes have numbers on them."

10. A lady Senator called and said, "I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola, Florida. Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?" I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola, Fl. on a commuter plane. She said, "Yeah, whatever, Smarty!"

11. A senior Senator from Massachusetts called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him that he needed a visa. "Oh, no I don't. I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!"

12. A New Mexico Congresswoman called to make reservations, "I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York." I was at a loss for words. Finally, I said, "Are you sure that's the name of the town?" "Yes, what flights do you have?" replied the lady. After some searching, I came back with, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a Rhino anywhere." The lady retorted, "Oh, don't be silly! Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!" So I scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, "You don't mean Buffalo, do you?" The reply? "Whatever! I knew it was a big animal".

Now you know why Government is in the shape that it's in!

Start Date & Vacuum Cleaners

Sunday, 15 April 2006
A week ago, my future hiking partner, Screaming Mimi, and I decided that our Start Date for our 2007 Thru Hike would be 18 March. It’s also a Sunday (though not an Easter, as is today) and we can attend Mass, go out to eat and then be chauffered to Springer Mountain parking lot on Forest Service Road 42 in Gilmer County (I think). The friends dropping us off include my mail-drop support, her husband and another good friend. My cousin will come over to the house where we’re staying to say her goodbyes.

And then our adventure begins. I’m reading an older Trail Journals (at the website with that name). I’m pre-living my hike. Some of the journalists write better than others or write in a style that I find easier to read than others. I hope that when I’m journaling, I can do the same.

One of the things I’ll be doing while hiking is working on a series of books. I’m developing characters right now and I already have some situations I’ll include. Each book of the three or five (depending on my outline) will explore a deeper side of one of the main characters. Or maybe two whose stories intertwine. I’ve already decided on my opening and closing for the series. The middle part won’t be that hard. Developing the characters on paper first will enable me to flesh them out in each novel. I’m looking forward to that aspect of my hike and my retirement.

Yesterday I learned that I may not be moving to Lower Alabama after all. I may be moving to Piedmont, Alabama. My daughter and family may be moving there and I will be moving there, too. No need to move to Gulf Shores if the family is not there.

It’s taken me a day to make the paradigm shift from beach to mountains, but I’m okay with it now. My health plan has more doctors and hospitals to choose from up in the Piedmont area.

While cleaning a few days ago, my very old Hoover started smoking. I cut it off and removed some litter from around the band that runs the brush. Today I used it again. After replacing the bag. Well, the rubber that holds the bag had disintegrated and the band I used didn’t hold tight. And I had more white smoke. I stopped the vacuum, saw the mess where the bag should have been, got fine dirt all over myself since there was no bag to contain it. But the white smoke made me decide it’s time to toss the vacuum. I’ll take it to the transfer station one day this week. They’ll charge me fifty cents to take it off my hands. So now all I have is an old old Electrolux vacuum cleaner that my parents had demoted to basement duty but I claimed when they were moving into their retirement community. I think it will work for the few months I’ll be here. It just won’t get the dirt up as well from the carpeting. I can always use a broom and sweep first and then vacuum.

If I end up in a bungalow in Piedmont, I’m hoping my son-in-law will lay tile instead of carpet. Sweeping and wet-moping beat vacuuming any day of the week.

A year from today I will be on the Appalachian Trail somewhere north of the Smoky Mountains. I can hardly wait.

Immigration, Anchor Babies, Deporting Illegals

What follows is a letter I have sent to my 2 US Senators, my US Congressman, my Georgia Representative and two Georgia Senators.

I believe that I have single-thoughtedly, resolved two issues by suggesting that the illegal parent(s) of anchor babies be deported (they have broken the law; they are not above the law) and that their Anchor Babies (US citizens all) be placed for adoption into the homes of US Citizens.

This sounds like a win/win situation to immigration and adoption. Feel free to email your representatives.

I am conflicted about immigration, however, I propose that someone do some research on the cost of placing Anchor Babies up for adoption by US citizens when the parent(s) are deported.

I think the cost of placing babies and children for adoption would be far less than the cost of supporting entire illegal lawbreaking immigrants until those children turn 21 years old and can sponsor their parent(s) citizenship.

Has anyone proposed this? Even if it's not feasible, would this not be something to broadcast to see what kind of reception it would bring from the illegal lawbreaking immigrant segment of our society?

We have many many parents willing to adopt and we don't have the children available for adoption.

I think this idea has potential for some heated and honest discussion among the public.

Thank you

Pass it on, bloggers and friends, pass it on. The idea should engender some strong sentiments among Americans as well as illegals.

Keep the Anchor Babies. Place them for Adoption. Deport the illegal parents. Couldn't having illegal-lawbreaking parents be a form of 'child abuse?'

I've been delinquent

I guess I need to blog when I think of it instead of putting it off. Lots going on right now.

I have a bet - kind of -- that I can get my house cleaned up before Easter. Think I need to get on the ball? I guess so.

Right now, I've got a sinus infection and a lump in my tongue. The tongue is a muscle. It rarely gets lumps in the middle. Lumps and other carcinius (new word?) lumps are on the sides, bottom and occasionally top. But in the middle, no. It could be related to the Thyroid. It could be because I haven't been to confession in a long time or the fact that I have said a few 'bad words' lately. Maybe it's because I haven't been stopping to pray often enough. I pray, I just don't often stop to pray. Pray without ceasing yes, maybe I need to cease and pray.

TMI? My blog, my "I."

Okay, here's where we are with the political scene.
I'm totally confused about our President. Something just doesn't compute with his actions and statements of late. Trust him? Like a used-car salesman. (When I lived in Montgomery, AL, many many years ago, I got it into my head that I needed to buy a used car instead of a new one. I would go to the auto dealerships and look at used cars after I'd been greeted by a salesman. Then I'd pull the latch and inspect the engine from the top. THEN, I'd lay down and scoot under the car and look at the engine from the bottom. When I stood up again, I could NEVER find the salesman. Wonder why . . . not.)

My feelings about President Bush and Vice President Cheney is that they're the used-car salesmen who have left the car lot.

Does anyone know who's running the USofA? IS anyone running this Country?

It's obvious that neither the Senate nor the House has a hand on the wheel of the ship of State. It's obvious that the Supreme Court hasn't a clue, either.

Let's look at our elected officials as a group. Do we really get what we deserve? Are YOU proud of your elected officials in DeeCee? I'm from Georgia right now and thankfully not in Cynthia McKinney's district. Ms Denise Majette won when she ran against her and then for some strange reason thought she was ready for the Senate. She would have represented Georgia MUCH better had she continued in the House. If you have questions, just google Cynthia McKinney for more information. Ms McKinney is a disgrace to the office and to women of color and women in general. But then I'll leave that to you to decide on your own.

My Federal Officials are busy reading my emails. I forward information to them and I write opinioned emails to them for which I get either a personal email in return or a letter or an "office" email. All of which means that someone is reading my emails. Wonder if Ms McKinney can get off her personal agenda long enough to know what her constituants really think. She may not even care, for all I know.

Get active politically. Your voice does count.

The Islamist Challenge to the U.S. Constitution - Middle East Quarterly - Spring 2006

The Islamist Challenge to the U.S. Constitution - Middle East Quarterly - Spring 2006