A Christmas Visitor

(Originally posted for Christmas 2004)

4:00 am 12/24/04

There was a knock on my front door which startled me awake. My dogs were barking which required dire threats to quieten as I answered the door.

Maybe you have heard of our weather and the unusually cold temperatures (16 F) and large amount of snow that has fallen, (18"), in the last 24 hours. I live just south of Interstate 64 in Southern Indiana and you may have seen the news about the closed Interstate and stranded motorists on the national news.

A man, about my own age, (early 50s), stood at the door. He was wearing tennis shoes, jeans, a field jacket and sock hat. His glasses were frosted and he wore no gloves.

He told me he was lost and asked where St.James Blvd was. I told him it was about a mile and a half to the West and asked him where his car was. He said he was walking.

I asked him in and sat a chair for him by the furnace vent. He was shivering uncontrollably, a faint whiff of alcohol was on his breath. I asked if I could fix him something to eat and he refused but he accepted a cup of coffee.

My wife talked to him as he warmed himself and I made some coffee, I could hear him speak as I made his coffee ready.

My son heard him and came into the living room to sit and listen, to keep an eye out just in case.

He was homeless, he had been sleeping under a bridge on the Ohio River about seven miles to the West. He decided that it was too cold and he might freeze to death if he didn't find a safe place to stay. About midnight, he left his meager possessions, just a few clothes, and headed for his sisters house on St James but he had walked past the street in the dark. He was lost and confused, probably somewhat drunk, and hypothermia can add confusion to even the sober mind.

As he spoke, I realized that he had mental problems, as do many of the homeless.

There are places that provide refuge for the indignant, I'm sure he knew it. But they won't accept anyone who is intoxicated, which I'm also sure he knew.

He drank his coffee then asked me if I would drive him to his sisters house, then he offered me two dollars. Of course I refused the money but offered to take him where he wanted to go.

I intended to take measures to see after him anyway and he seemed anxious to leave.

As I drove, he told me that his sister was out of town but he had permission to use her house in an emergency. I was worried that he was just lying for reasons of his own but I was determined to see the thing through even if I had to call the police to ensure his wellbeing through this cold weather.

As we drove up to the house there was a porch light on and smoke coming from the chimney, even though it was apparent that there was no one home. The snow around the house was undisturbed.

I asked him if he was sure he could get in, he said, "Yes, she (his sister) told me where the key is." He reached out his hand, as if for a hand shake, and when I offered mine, pulled it to his lips and kissed it saying, "God bless you".

I was profoundly embarrassed but stayed long enough to see him dig around in the snow and find a key, unlock the door and wave goodbye.

I drove home, my thoughts disturbed, by the events that had taken place.

My wife was relieved as I came in and I started preparing food (very early) for this Christmas Eve. As I cut up fruit for salad and prepared the turkey for baking, my son came up behind me and hugged me, kissing my head, and said, "Dad, you did a good thing."

Again, I was embarrassed, not by my son's hug and kiss but by his praise.

I did it because it was the right thing to do.

Then he told me that he tries to help the homeless ones that hang around his place of employment. We spoke of how little we can actually do for them and I was proud of my son for doing the right thing.

He is a good man.

As I continued to prepare food for Christmas Eve, my thoughts drifted to a couple seeking shelter in Bethlehem and the birth of the Lamb of the New Covenant, and I felt God's Peace.

May God's Peace be with you all!
Merry Christmas.


Warren

Do you still beat your wife?

The so-called CNN/YouTube Republican candidate "debate" on Wednesday night devolved into another Democrat dirty campaign opportunity.

We really can't expect any better from the likes of Anderson Cooper and CNN. (No wonder so many people call it the Clinton News Network.)

For those of you unfamiliar with the supposed format; questions were to be submitted in the YouTube Format then CNN was Supposed to pick relevant questions for the candidates from "real people". People who were impartial questioners or analysts about substantive issues.

Of those "impartial" people and analysts who represented themselves as "undecided independents":

Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr is a member of Hillary Clinton's steering committee and a gay rights activist and was flown into the "debate" at the behest of CNN.

A young woman named “Journey” questioned the candidates on abortion. On her blog ,she declares herself a John Edwards supporter. Post debate, she immediately posted a video wearing her John Edwards ‘08 T-shirt.

David Cercone of Florida asked a question seemingly on behalf of the Log Cabin Republicans. He had declared his support for Obama on an Obama ‘08 campaign blog back in July.

LeeAnn Anderson asked about lead in toys from China, (with her kids in her lap.) She is a staffer and prominent Pittsburgh union activist for the United Steelworkers, which has endorsed Edwards and is certainly no friend of the Republican Party.

Ted Faturos, who asked about ethanol subsidies, had served as an intern for Rep. Jane Harman D-Calif.

Adam Florzak, who asked about Social Security, quit his job as a welder and is working with Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) staff on the issue.

Mark Strauss, who urged Ron Paul to run as an independent, had publicly supported Gov. Bill Richardson in July.

I've noticed many Democrats see nothing wrong with this, (why am I not surprised.) But this got me to thinking.

If its OK for Democrats and CNN to make a farce of this debate, why can't we ask a few questions of the Democrat candidates?


Peggy Noonan would like to see this question asked:

(Holding up a picture), this is a human fetus. Given a few more months, it will be a baby you could hold in your arms. You all say you're 'for the children.' I would ask you to look America in the eye and tell us how you can support laws to end this life. Thank you."

I would like to ask this question:

As you know, a former President was a serial adulterer and lied under oath. He also sought to destroy the reputations of the women he abused under the cover of office and his wife was was instrumental in covering up his misdeeds, indeed had been doing so for years!

What assurances can you give me that this kind of thing will not happen, in your administration, if you are elected president?


Your turn... What question would you like to ask?

Notes from the Silent Surrender

Notes from the Silent Surrender
By Evan Coyne Maloney
26 November 2007 @ 11:21PM

In a piece entitled “The silence of the artistic lambs,” Mark Steyn writes, “Most writers and filmmakers ignore today’s epic cross-cultural war. It’s safer that way.”

[A] recent panel convened at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London [discussed] the topic “Is All Modern Art Left Wing?” The formal discussion was dreary and predictable but things turned livelier when it was opened to the floor, and the question of double standards was raised: “Courageous” artists seemed happy to mock Christianity but curiously reluctant to hurl equivalent jibes at Islam. Grayson Perry, the Turner Prize-winning transvestite artist who looks very fetching in his little Disney-princess frocks, reveals that he self-censors when it comes to Muslims because “I don’t want my throat cut.”

But that doesn’t entirely explain it, does it? Earlier this year, Channel 4 in London broadcast a documentary called Undercover Mosque in which various imams up and down the land were caught on tape urging men to beat their wives and toss homosexuals off cliffs. Viewers reported some of the statements to the local constabulary. The West Midlands police then decided to investigate not the fire-breathing clerics but the TV producers. As the coppers saw it, insofar as any “hate crime” had been perpetrated, it lay not in the urgings and injunctions of the imams but in a TV production so culturally insensitive as to reveal the imams’ views to the general public. As The Spectator’s James Forsyth put it, “The reaction of West Midlands police revealed a mindset that views the exposure of a problem as more of a problem than the problem itself.”

Exactly. Did you see the latest remake of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers? It sank without trace a couple of months back and not just because it had Nicole Kidman in the lead. The new version relocates the story from small-town America to Washington, and sees it as a metaphor for power: cue endless references to Iraq and glimpses of Bush on the TV screens. Yet Bodysnatchers isn’t about power so much as a seductive conformity. That’s what the West Midlands police were attempting to enforce with Channel 4, and what the Rotterdam police managed to enforce rather more successfully when they destroyed a mural created to express disgust at van Gogh’s murder. Chris Ripke’s painting showed an angel and bore the words “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” But his studio is next to a mosque, and the imam complained that the mural was “racist,” so the cops showed up, destroyed it, arrested the TV crew filming it, and wiped their tape. A “tolerant” society cannot tolerate any assaults on its most cherished myths.

The dogma of multiculturalism holds that all cultures are equal, except Western culture, which (unlike every other society on the planet) has a history of oppression and war is therefore worse. All religions are equal, except Christianity, which informed the beliefs of the capitalist bloodsuckers who founded America and is therefore worse. All races are equal, except Caucasians, who long ago went into business with black slave traders in Africa, and therefore they are worse. The genders, too, are equal, except for those paternalistic males, who with their testosterone and aggression have made this planet a polluted living hell, and therefore they are worse.

Once you understand this, the Multicultural Pyramid of Oppression, you can begin to understand how to turn to your advantage certain circumstances that are beyond your control: such as where you were born, the type of genitalia you were born with, into what race you were born, and the religion of your parents. You see, the fewer things you have in common with The Oppressors, the more you can cast yourself as The Victim. And as The Victim, you are virtuous, so there are certain things you can get away with that others can’t: like actually oppressing people.

According to the rules of Multicultural Hierarchy, oppression can be excused if the oppressor comes from a more exotic group—to Western eyes—than the oppressed. If a documentary filmmaker were slaughtered in broad daylight for making a film about domestic violence among, say, Christian evangelists in the American south, an outcry would rightfully ring out from Hollywood denouncing the violence that’s intended to silence legitimate social commentary. But a documentary filmmaker killed for making a film about violence against women perpetrated in the name of Islam isn’t worth any comment at all from those same folks who are so rarely silent with the rest of their opinions. Identical crimes would have to be interpreted two different ways, because the only variable that matters is the corpse’s placement on the Multicultural Hierarchy relative to that of the murderer.

Consider what happens when you apply this thinking on a societal level: if we convince ourselves that all of the blame for the current state of the world should be placed at the feet of Western civilization, then why would any Westerner think that our civilization is worth fighting for? Or even worth saving? The rules of Multicultural Hierarchy require us to preemptively surrender, because any crime committed against us by a more worthy Victim is somehow deserved. And if we deserve it, then fighting against what we deserve amounts to fighting the administration of justice.

Many times in the years following the September 11th attacks, I’ve heard earnest-sounding commentators and social critics bring up “root causes” of September 11th—we are invariably the root of all causes, it would seem—and suggest that somehow, “we deserved it.”

Well, if we deserved it then—and still do now—then what business do we have defending ourselves? Who are we to stand in the way of justice?

People will rarely admit they favor surrender. But if we buy in to the politically correct thinking of multiculturalism, that’s exactly where we’ll end up.


Evan Coyne Maloney is a political commentator based in New York City. More of his work can be found on the website Brain Terminal.Com
All contents ©2001-2007 by Evan Coyne Maloney, unless otherwise noted

Mr Maloney also offers Email subscription to his newsletter at his site.

The Clintons Return

Well, just exactly what can we expect from another Clinton Presidency?

I couldn't say for sure, but the way this campaign is shaping up it would be fair to say more of the same!

More scandals, more cover-ups, more empty promises and lies, more self-serving pronouncements and photo ops.

Rush Limbaugh has said that they ought to fence off the Clinton campaign headquarters as a crime scene. I think he's right on the money.

In addition to her past scandals there are three more potential scandals ongoing.

The Norman Hsu Scandal involving political donations.

The China Town Scandal involving even more questionable money.

The Clinton Presidential Library brouhaha which if not a scandal certainly shows the Clinton penchant for cover-up and obsfucation.

The fun just never ends!

Doom if Saint Al loses carbs

All hail the Prophet Al. PPBUH (Peace Prize Be Upon Him.)

Mark Steyn has a few bones to pick.

So, the World Court is going to trump the Supreme Court?

And bush is the first out of the stalls too!
I'm calling treason on these! I guess the Constitution is on life-support, only by the grace of the bureaucrats and this administration is it still around! :spit: But it's lines are starting to be pulled! First amnesty, then SPP/NAU and LOST, now the world court?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/

FORGIVE ME, LORD

but this guy needs to meet the most brutal of deaths.

from the article:

"Allen said Stiles should surrender but "I know him to be very violent, and he's not going down without a fight.""

he needs to go down with a bullet to the groin.

i ask that everybody be on the lookout for this guy.

and then, there's this dirtbag...

JESSE JACKSON, EL STUPIDO SUPREMO!

obamanation and maternal grandparents.

just when you think jesse jackson cannot sound more like a "negro", he verbally flatulates this!

oh my word! did i say "negro"? p.c. police'll probably be after me now...

at least these imbeciles keep people like me in material. thank you, reveruns-at-the-mouth jackson - youdanegro!

ADDENDUM:

al sharptongue weighs in on the "jena 6" - closing line: "he (bell) doesn't want anything done that would disparage his name - no violence not even a negative word," sharptongue said. NO VIOLENCE! 'scuse me, al, but he's the one that beat the tar out of the WHITE victim!

JESSE! AL!

take a lesson from star parker, a proud, black woman who overcame adversity and rose above the drivel you drill into your poor, huddled masses!

h/t van helsing, moonbattery

UPDATE - NEWS FLASH!

reveruns-at-the-mouth doesn't recall making the aforementioned statement regarding bin obama - codespeak for "i can remember every bad thing you say, but dayam your hide if you can get me to admit to saying such a thing!"

FACE OF THE ANTI-WAR LEFT

such a peaceful bunch - wonder what they do when they're overcome with love?

hat/tip: moonbattery

The Secret of Gravy

Gravy and "white" sauces are easy to make once you know the "secret".

We'll start with a basic recipe and I'll explain from there.

1 tbsp. oil, (butter, margarine or fat.)

1 tbsp. white, non-rising flour.

1 cup cool liquid, (water, milk, cooking juices.)

These ingredients would make a, (very thin and bland), "white" sauce.

Place your oil in a large enough sauce pan or skillet, warm on low heat making sure not to get it hot enough to scorch your flour. It only has to be warm enough to mix with your flour easily, (add the flour now and this is the secret), stir into a smooth paste with absolutely no flour lumps, not even small ones.

Now add your liquid, turn your heat to high and continuously stir the mixture until it comes to a boil.

The thickness of the sauce is dependent on the amount of flour added to the mixture. Its necessary to experiment a little to get the thickness you prefer.

Now some recipes built from the basic mixture.

######
Warren's, sweet and sour, salad dressing, (also makes a good coleslaw dressing or dressing for German potato salad.)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound hickory smoked bacon
1 cup water
1 cup "apple cider" vinegar (necessary for flavor)
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. sugar (may substitute Splenda brand sweetener)

Makes 2 cups of a slightly brown salad dressing.
Prepare salad ingredients before hand. I prefer leaf lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet onions.

Fry bacon crispy and remove from pan, saving drippings. When bacon cools, crumble and set aside. (I usually cook all of this in one large cast Iron skillet to save on cleanup.)

When drippings cool, add flour and sugar then stir into a "smooth" paste. Add remaining ingredients, (water, vinegar and bacon crumbs), increase heat to high and stir continuously until mixture comes to a boil. Allow to set for one minute then pour mixture over salad ingredients, toss salad and serve warm.

####
Quick and easy chicken gravy.
My family likes this more than turkey gravy at Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:
3 chicken bullion cubes
3 cups canned chicken broth
3 rounded tbsp. flour (if you like thin gravy, don't round)
3 tbsp cooking oil, (shortening, butter, etc.)

Makes three cups of light yellow, somewhat salty, gravy.

Warm oil in saucepan or skillet.
Add flour and stir into "smooth" paste.
Add the rest of the ingredients, increase the heat to high and stir continuously until it comes to a boil.

Cover and turn off heat, stir before serving.

####
Warren's breakfast "milk" gravy. (I've also heard it called "sawmill gravy".)

4 tbsp bacon or sausage drippings
(You may also add sausage pieces to the gravy to make "sausage gravy".)
5 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
1 tsp coarse black pepper (or pepper to taste)

Makes 3 cups medium thick milk gravy.

Warm drippings in saucepan or skillet.
Add flour and stir into "smooth" paste.
Add the rest of the ingredients, increase the heat to high and stir continuously until it comes to a boil.

Turn off heat leave covered on stove, stir before serving

All of these recipes many be doubled or halved and I do so quite frequently. The thickness of each sauce is determined by the ratio of flour to the liquid ingredients, so with a little experimentation, you may thicken or thin them to your taste.

Homeland Insecurity

This mess has been pending for some time. Many have felt that the unsecred border problem was not only letting in Mexican and Central American illegals, BUT was an open invitation to terrorists too..
And look where we are, our concerns are verified, but notice the downplay of the ones that were never caught?
When are our elected officials going to do what the elected want? "Nevermore, quoth the Raven, Nevermore." We have been signed, sealed and delivered to our enemies...emphasis mine.
HOMELAND INSECURITY

Iraqi terrorists caught along Mexico border

American intelligence chief confirms 'people are alive' as a result of capture
Posted: August 23, 20074:04 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

President Bush's top intelligence aide has confirmed that Iraqi terrorists have been captured coming into the United States from Mexico.
The confirmation comes from National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell, who talked about the situation in an interview with the El Paso Times recently.
"Coming up through the Mexican border is a path," McConnell said. "Now, are they doing it in great numbers? No, because we're finding them and we're identifying them and we've got watch lists and we're keeping them at bay."
How? With a fence? With added border security? With support for our border guards? Or with SPP, NAU, NAFTA Superhighway? Sure, Wilbur, I've got some swamp land to go with that!
But, he said, "There are numerous situations where people are alive today because we caught them (terrorists)."
Intelligence officials say the numbers and details of such situations are classified, but McConnell pointed as an example to Mahmoud Youssef Kourani, who entered the United States through Tijuana, Mexico, in 2001, and later pleaded guilty to helping raise money for Hezbollah, which has been designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.
The goal, McConnell said, is for terrorists to gain admittance to the United States, and then produce "mass casualties."
"You've got committed leadership. You've got a place to train. They've got trainers, and they've got recruits," McConnell told the newspaper. "The key now is getting recruits in. So if your key is getting recruits in, how would you do that?"
McConnell's office did reveal some numbers, during fiscal 2006, there were 14 Iraqi nationals caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally, while so far in 2007, that number is 16.
How much are you willing to bet that those are the stupid ones?
"Now some we caught, some we didn't," McConnell told the newspaper. "The ones that get in – what are they going to do? They're going to write home. So it's not rocket science; word will move around."
Derrrrr...
Also revealed was that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted 60 Iraqis crossing the nation's southwestern border in 2006 who were seeking asylum in the U.S., while that number so far in 2007 is 178.
The Times report said a U.S. intelligence analyst said there's been evidence that human smugglers, or coyotes, are telling Iraqis to ask for amnesty if they are caught.
The typical scenario is this: Forged documents are used to get an Iraqi into a country in South or Central America. Since travel from country to country is allowed without vises in many locations there, they work their way north to the U.S. border.
McConnell told the newspaper the numbers are classified, but there have been a relatively small number of people with known links to terrorist groups who have been caught at that point.
I want to know how many are suspected, does anyone REALLY care, AND WHERE IS OUR PROMISED FENCE? Hmmm?
Kourani, for example, apparently paid a Mexican Consulate official in Lebanon $3,000 for a Mexican visa and then was smuggled into the United States in the trunk of a car.
Mexico is corrupt people, CORRUPT, without morals, without care except getting more, more, more! And we are supposed to be SUCH good friends? With friends like that...
He was sentenced to more than four years in prison after admitting he helped raise funds for Hezbollah.
When the newspaper asked U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, about the situation, he said, "It's not something we would talk about."
"We have had intelligence about al-Qaida identifying Latin America as a potential or prospective area where they could come through, but frankly, I'm surprised that the director would make definitive statements like that because, even if it were true, you wouldn't want to publicize that," Reyes told the Times.
Judges 10
[6] And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.
[7] And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
[8] And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
[9] Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.[10] And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
[11] And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
[12] The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
[13] Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
[14] Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
If G*D did this to HIS covenant people, why should we expect any different?
McConnell was senior vice president with Booz Allen Hamilton, focusing on intelligence and national security, before being appointed to his current post by Bush in February.
He previously was the director of the National Security Agency and served as a member of the Director of Central Intelligence senior leadership team before then.
Other links;
worldnetdaily.com
worldnetdaily.com
worldnetdaily.com
signonsandiego.com
azstarnet.com

SAY IT, ANNIE!

is there anyone out there who has done more for conservatism and little black dresses than our miss annie?

nyet. i didn't think so.

from this most excellent article:

"Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described anti-amnesty Americans as being satisfied with nothing less than "the death penalty" for illegal aliens and recently warned of "some unhappy consequences" unless illegal aliens were granted amnesty. Yes, that Michael Chertoff – the guy in charge of keeping us safe from foreign invasions.

So it was curious when we were treated this week to a weeping Mexican woman on TV, claiming the U.S. government was tearing her from her infant son and saying she knew the American people would be outraged if she were deported. (I note that her message might have been more effective in English.)

Admittedly, I'd just as soon have Homeland Security focusing on illegal immigrants like the one who shot four promising college kids execution style in Newark, killing three of them, possibly after sexually molesting two of them. Heck, I wouldn't have minded if they had deported Jose Carranza even before his girlfriend accused him of raping her 5-year-old daughter.

Or Ruben Hernandez-Juarez, an illegal alien charged with sexually molesting a 6-year-old boy in Martin County, Fla.

Or Alejandro Bautista, an illegal alien in Cook County, Ill., who was convicted for sexually molesting two teenage boys."

and this:

"Arellano is part of the advance wave of left-wing, Third World colonization of America. Democrats claim there are "two Americas." If they have their way, there will be two Latin Americas.

Liberals know they're losing the demographic war. Christians have lots of children and adopt lots of children; liberals abort children and encourage the gay lifestyle in anyone with a flair for color.

They can't keep up.

Population expert Nick Eberstadt recently speculated in the Washington Post that a principal reason for America's high fertility rate compared to Europe's is its religiosity. Well, that leaves liberals out."

keep up the fine work, ann - you say all the things the rest of u.s. are thinking - and certainly cannot be denied!

You Can't Protect Something You Never Had!

In 1971, as a new soldier, I was assigned duty in the 1st Infantry Division. The "Big Red One", had returned stateside from Vietnam as part of a de-escalation and for many solders who had served their tour in Vietnam, it became their next duty station.

I never heard so much bullshit in my life, the same stories with different players, over and over again, You could roll your eyes all you wanted but there was an unspoken rule; it was considered bad form to call bullshit on another soldiers war stories.

There were three I heard most often:

Taking Viet Cong up in helicopters and pitching them out if they didn't talk.

Dropping 100 pound sacks of rice on a villager and killing him by getting him to "catch" the bag of rice.

The Vietnamese barber that worked on a, (air base, naval base, Marine base, Army base), that was actually a Viet Cong spy, who was killed trying to infiltrate and blow up the base the night after they had given, (said, teller of story), a shave with a straight razor that same day.

Now, I really must tell you, that last story gave me a chill, (every time I heard it). Almost as much as the time my girl friend made me take her home from lovers lane after we heard on the radio that an insane killer with one arm escaped from the State Hospital. I really freaked out when I found the hook stuck in the car door!

OK, so I didn't believe the last story. It was only because of all the accounts of the other two stories that I heard from those that had either did it, saw it or knew someone that had. I mean its ridiculous! How many Vietnamese/Viet Cong/Spy's were there and how did they keep from being buried under hundreds of thousands of their Viet Cong comrades and millions of tons of rice that were throw from helicopters?

Anyway, over the years and even as a young man, I developed what I call a BS filter. A very good one, the Lord knows I heard enough of it from my relatives growing up.

At the beginning of August, "The New Republic" published at story by a "Scott Thomas" (Scott Thomas Beauchamp), that contained three pieces of obvious BS recounting tales meant to show how "war dehumanizes people". In other words, more anti-war propaganda.

The stories recounted:

A woman whose face was disfigured by an IED, either an ally of the US or a contractor, who was taunted in a mess hall because of her disfigurement, and then fled the mess hall in tears.

Soldiers who were digging up the remains of children in what was clearly represented as a Saddam era, mass grave, and one soldier takes the skull cap of a child, (with hair and rotting flesh still attached), and wears it as a cap under his helmet the whole day.

A driver of a Bradley fighting vehicle, (very much like the APCs they replaced and I used to drive), who constantly is swerving to run down dogs, vendors stands, etc.

The New Republic's Editors, have released several statements backing PVT Beauchamp's fairytale even though Beauchamp has stated that the first incident with the woman happened in Kuwait before he was stationed in Iraq, (I am firmly of the opinion that none of them happened!) I know BS when I hear it.

The New Republic seeks to protect its journalistic integrity.

Don't worry boys, you never had any!

Go Here for a rundown of the Scott Beauchamp story.

BIBLE SAVES SOLDIER!

of course it was not this one in particular, but "PFC Brendan Schweigart was helping to retrieve a tank in Iraq when he felt as if he had been hit with a sledge hammer.

It was deadly fire from an enemy sniper."

for the rest of the story.

we purchased these little bibles for our children a few years ago and they've been so proud to carry them and read the pages loose from the binding and they've since graduated to larger study bibles wanting to preserve these special bibles the military carries.

proof: the WORD OF G-D still saves!

WHERE MAY YOU CARRY UR CCW?

found this little tidbit of important information at alabama mt. man's site.

if you're wondering where you can carry, check it out.

Spirit of America (SoA) monthly update.

“Dear Blog Community,

Welcome to the first Spirit of America (SoA) monthly update. A new outreach program designed to keep the blogger community informed of the projects that we engage in. We are a non-profit organization dedicated to helping our troops make a difference in the war torn countries of Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. Spirit of America facilitates the donation of humanitarian supplies that our troops distribute to civilians in those strategic regions of the world. This assistance is vital towards the creation of jobs and the restoration of public services like education and medical care. Thank you to the blogger community for your support.

Sincerely,
Spirit of America”

This Month’s Topics:

• Help us reach out to our Military
• A Special Iraqi School Project
• Quick Response to Afghan Farmers Request
• Women’s Burn Unit & Maternity
• Join our Mailing List, pass it on

REACHING OUT
For our first blogger update we would like to ask for your help in order to reach out to our military personnel serving in Spirit of America’s theatre of operations (especially in Ramadi where our forces have had some huge successes recently).

Many front line troops are not aware of the services that we provide to help them assist civilians living in those critical regions that they serve in. We can help facilitate their outreach to these civilians. Such humanitarian aid is vital to advance the cause of freedom, democracy and peace.

Quite often our military personnel have requests for goods like school and medical supplies, sewing machines, hand tools, watches, water barrels, clothing, soccer gear and toys. Since 2001 we have successfully completed many of these supply projects and urge our servicemen and women to contact us to see if we can help them make a difference.

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SPECIAL IRAQI SCHOOL PROJECT
Would you say that four years is a long time? It’s a fair chunk of change, but it’s hardly an extreme amount of time unless it is spent under extreme circumstances. In the case of Staff Sergeant (SSG) Steven Gardner you can say that he has experienced more in the last four years than most people have in their entire lifetimes.

SSG Gardner has served his country in war torn Iraq since April 2003!!! For almost the entire conflict that has reshaped our times he has been deployed in many different provinces of the country. Throughout this time SSG Gardner witnessed how a brutal insurgency has victimized the Iraqi people.

In order to give the Iraqis an alternative message of hope SoA is undertaking a special project with SSG Gardner to help a local school in the northern Iraqi city of Habur Gate. This endeavor is being conducted in the true spirit of our service men and women. It is something that is not fully appreciated by the general public. Consider the fact that last year 807 schools serving 322,800 students nationwide were completed using American funding and supervised by our military forces. In addition projects like “The America-Iraq School Partners Program” and many others have been completed by SoA to bolster what our troops have accomplished. Despite all of that hard work, this new project is made special by some very unique circumstances.

While many of the military personnel that work on humanitarian relief projects with SoA are very enthusiastic about these efforts, few can say that they have been serving continuously in Iraq for so long. As much as we are concerned about how our soldiers and their families will have to endure extended tours as much as 15 months long, SSG Gardner won’t be going home to his family until 2008. That will make his tour of duty five years long!!! And as if that isn’t enough, he wants to contribute even more to the people of Iraq.




“All of this started because of what I have seen and been through. I want to leave here knowing I came, I fought and I made a difference in someone’s life here. This area is safe or reasonably so. The people are good.”

“The kids are great and the teaching staff try and make do with what they have but with funds and materials not available, they can only do so much. The school is set-up so that the kids attend from middle school through high school. The blackboards are a wreck. No fans or cooling systems in the classrooms. No computers. No sports equipment. There are no sports uniforms (they take a lot of pride in soccer). No art supplies to speak of. Basically, they need an overhaul.”

There can be no better example of the quality of our men and women serving in Iraq than SSG Gardner. SoA is proud to support such an American patriot and friend to the Iraqi people. He doesn’t ask for glory or any form of undue attention, he only desires to help those in need.

Please visit our project page to learn more.

QUICK RESPONSE TO AFGHAN FARMERS REQUEST
WOW!!! Due to your overwhelming show of support, this project is already well underway. Here is the Sergeant Major’s response when told that we had raised $13k in the first five hours:

“I didn’t expect the project to be such a big hit. I am really pleasantly surprised that the project has raised so much already!”




SoA is also working to find the zargol type of saffron which prospers in Iraq. If you have information on where these bulbs can be found or would like to donate saffron bulbs for these farmers, please send an email to us with the subject: Saffron Bulbs for Afghanistan.

The Sergeant Major says:

“The amount of heroin that is produced from this country (about 90% of total world’s production) is unbelievable. Poppy fields stretch for miles. The Taliban use poppy grown in Afghanistan to generate funding for their activities...

...This region is where saffron originally came from, before cultivation spread to Europe. Right now Afghanistan’s neighbor in the west, Iran, grows the largest quantities of saffron, that it exports globally as the world’s most expensive spice by weight...

...I think that if it were more available, saffron would be grown here in greater quantities, taking cash away from the Taliban.”

Please visit our project page to learn more.

WOMEN’S BURN UNIT & MATERNITY
After the rule of the Taliban and decades of war, Afghanistan’s healthcare system has been neglected. Equipment is in short supply and hospitals are in disrepair. Army Colonel Wendell Hickman in cooperation with attorney Melinda Lord seeks your help in improving conditions for at least one community - Herat, Afghanistan.

Nearly two-thirds of the Afghan population is without access to basic health-care facilities. Women and children are especially affected as Afghanistan has one of the word’s highest maternal and child mortality rates. Some studies estimate that an Afghan woman dies giving birth every 30 minutes. In addition, women are often burn victims either at the hands of angry relatives or self-inflicted as a protest against harsh circumstances.

The 400-bed Herat Hospital is the only non-military hospital in this entire province in Western Afghanistan. Supply needs are critical for the Burn Unit where cream, bandages and IV saline are the only solace available for patients, some of whom are tragic victims of the difficult intentional burnings.

Your support of this project will enable SoA to contribute critical supplies to the Herat Burn Center, Gozahra Clinic and similiar facilities throughout Western Afghanistan. In addition to the items listed above which SoA will provide with your help, we will partner with Orchard International in shipping an ocean container of supplies donated specifically for Herat Hospital including incubators, baby warmers, and vitamins.



A very sparse Delivery Room in Herat

You can visit our project page to learn more.

PLEASE ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Our recent drive for signups to our mailing list only netted about 65 new subscribers. We are hoping that by reaching out to bloggers that we jump start this effort. There’s no risk to pass it on to family and friends, we never share your email address. It’s also very easy for you, at any time, to unsubscribe on our site.

Bloggers please contact us if you wish to publish these monthly updates on your blog or volunteer your time in any way. We are looking for a volunteer Web Technology Director, volunteer Administrative staff and volunteer writers. If you would like to post this article on your blog please contact us by clicking on the email link below. We will email you the text and html so you can just copy it into a new post on your blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read our project update. The War on Terror is beginning to pick up steam and our country has finally been able to get out the word due to the contributions of the blogger community. Bloggers like Michael Yon, Bill Roggio and Michael Totten are bringing America’s side of the story directly to the people. In the past when we won important victories like the capture of Saddam Hussein, the conclusion of successful elections, the recapture of Fallujah and many others - the significance was lost on the general public because of the lack of awareness about what is really going on.

That ignorance has led some Americans to remain unaware that our troops do more than just kill the enemy. They spend much of their time building relationships with Iraqi communities, assisting them to defend themselves, coordinating reconstruction projects and distributing humanitarian aid.

Now that we have found our voice it is time to step up our efforts. The blogger community has done a great job so lets keep up the good work. We have a long way to go.

Email Us

All the best,
The Spirit of America Team
http://www.spiritofamerica.net/

BLOGGER REFLECTION AWARD

i've been tagged. oh, yes i have. beak, the farmer, eyes, and rob are the culprits and when you're ganged up on, you've got to fight back!

...and, thank you to them for their kind words...i think...although i'm sure my nasty reputation is now at stake!

rules of the tag:

1. Copy this post (meaning the rules).

2. Reflect on five bloggers and write a least a paragraph about each one.

3. Make sure you link this post so others can read it and the rules.

4. Go leave your chosen bloggers a comment and let them know they’ve been given the award.

5. Put the award icon on your site. i didn't like theirs so chose one i liked. just another great thing about being me!

"This award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy . . . of knowing them and being blessed by them.”

now, for the five i intend to NOT tag (that and most of my favorite bloggers have already been hit with this one - including my partner here, warren):

1. steve as he is one of the most passionate bloggers this side of jeff bargholz i've come to know - EVERYTHING pists him off!

2. russet shadows - WHAT A WRITER! he is pure brilliance and has a tongue slaying way with words - one of the best moonbat fighter pilots out there.

3. my fern who stands upright against the tyrannies facing ours and other great nations - he is focused, yet flexible. and, he is truly one of the best blogfriends in the www. one other thing that makes him sooooooo wonderful is when i've been out of line a time or four, he scolds me in private...oh boo...thank the Lord - i'd hate to get whupped by him in public!

4. beamish, THE master of slice and dice - if he cannot do it - it cannot be done! his way with words is only exceeded by the manner with which he delivers them - you DO NOT want to be at the end of his rapier wit sword!

5. and last, but certainly not least, cube - resident geeky mathmetician and furball supplier (see her catblog fridays) - there is something for everyone at cube's - her short, but sweet posts have me roaring on an almost daily basis.

thank you to everyone who thought of me when dishing out this tag. now stop with all the mush! right now!

Blogger Reflection Award

I've been tagged by TMW, here are the rules: (excuse me if I don't follow them very well)
1. Copy this post (meaning the rules).
2. Reflect on five bloggers and write a least a paragraph about each one.
3. Make sure you link this post so others can read it and the rules.
4. Go leave your chosen bloggers a comment and let them know they’ve been given the award.
5. Put the award icon on your site.

"This award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy . . . of knowing them and being blessed by them."

Beakerkin,
I met Beak at Bad Eagle and we hit if off right away. He is one of the funnest people I know but to really get a taste of his humor you have to listen to him do a radio broadcast. Beak has been my best friend on the web since we battled 167, his sockpuppets and his toad, craigy b. We kicked butt!

Mr Beamish,
Beamish, (Cuz) has a nasty streak that I admire and he pisses all the right people off! I had always thought that leftism was a mental disease but I was surprised to learn that they actually were compelled to show everyone they were morons.

My three sisters,

Always on Watch,
Although she came to this game late, she has more than made up for it with her determination and research. A world class blogger more than equal to the task.

Nanc,
A well defined sense of right and wrong with the protective instincts of a momma grizzly. One of the wisest decisions I've ever made was to ask her to be my blogging partner.

The Merry Widow,
A Godly woman and a warrior for the Lord. A member of my team and a heart of gold.

I love my sisters and if you give me a hard time, watch out when the long knifes come out!

:^)


I have to add Elmer's Brother and Farmer John.

EB is always there when you need a backup.

Farmer makes my brain swell and itch.

¡A mis hermanos y hermanas!

OKAY, SO SOMETIMES HE'S

he's a little verbose...



but, some of the time he gets his point across in one or two swift words. can any of us deny that dennis has a way with words?

we love dennis at our house - and now you can enjoy his rants anytime of the day or night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This day in history:

1923 : Dillinger joins the Navy in an attempt to avoid prosecution
1940 : Bugs Bunny's debut
1953 : Armistice ends the Korean War
19XX : Nanc was born

I hope you appreciate the trouble I went through!

My neighbors cat sure didn't. ;^)

YOU HEARD IT HERE 2ND

ward churchill, phony cigarstore indian, has finally had his comeuppance.

in an 8-1 vote, he was relieved of his tenure, "The move came after academic committees found in 2006 that Churchill was guilty of academic misconduct, including plagiarism."

although it only took the board a little over an hour to come to their decision, it was heard, ""It's been a long hard day," said Hayes. "Not an easy decision for the board."

jeesh - i have a more difficult time deciding which pair of black shoes to wear...

read the rest of the story.

thank the Great Spirit the board saw fit to release this phony man from his position to further poison the minds of our young people.

one can see from the proud look on his che loving face, he's no native of anyplace other than the hell he came from.

NOTE: native american indians DO NOT have a jawline/chin like that of this indian wannabe. may he find a job cleaning nuclear reactors in north korea...at least he'd be appreciated for his arsekissing-the-enemy-behind talents.

MY BABY BOY

will be sixteen years old next week!

i could not be more excited.

tomorrow, after work, i'll be taking our two and one of their overnight guests to take the written part of their driver's test in order for them to either obtain their student driver licenses - NONE of them did very well on the written samplers so i expect a short day.

nancson came to me last night and was telling me of one of his "concubines" who he stated is "a christian, mama" and started babbling on about how they often go to one of the ONLY drive-in theaters left in the nation!

she, two of her girlfriends and one male friend, has asked MY BABY BOY to go with them to the DRIVE-IN!

that's not even the heart of the matter - apparently, one of her parents takes them all every other week or so in order for it to be a chaperoned event. okay, here's where it gets good - nancson PLEADED with ME to go with them!

it's his first, freakin' semi-date and he wants me to go with them!

DEAR LORD! i can easily think of five hundred other things i'd rather do than go on my son's first semi-date with him!

i said, "do i have to?" he responded, "i'd love for you to go and get to know my friends." me, "why?" him, "mama, you know why..."

nope, still don't. what is it with children these days?

this could easily turn into an "oh boo" moment at any moment...

"oh boo" moment 2007.19.7

i don't know about you, but these moments are happening with such frequency that i am barely able to keep track of them.

yesterday afternoon, while cleaning the garage, nancson came out to the garage and somewhat angrily asked me, "mom, does anyone in your blogging group call you "butterball"?" he's very protective of me.

wellllllll, i said, "not to my face! why?"

"mom, some man just called asking for "butterball", and i said there was nobody here by that name. i hope it wasn't one of your friends."

a little while later as i was entering the house, he squealed, "MOMMMMMMM! the guy called back and asked for "butterball"! if he calls again, i'm going to say NO, sorry "butterball" is very busy right now, but i might have another girl in the back you could talk to! how about cupcake - you want to talk to cupcake?"

and he proceeded to ramble and mumble on about what he would say if the guy called back, some of it not pretty.

that said, i reminded him there is a "butterball" turkey plant nearby and he probably had the wrong number.

...oh boo...

"OH BOO" MOMENT 2007.8.7

this is a twofold "oh boo" moment. please be patient as i explain this seemingly unrelated tale.

okay, so we return from my mountain and all outdoor vegetation is in dire need of some tlc. i'm NOT the tee-ell-cee-er of the family, nancpop is. for those of you who have come to know and love him, please do not be disappointed in him at the outcome of this story.

first i discover some of our tomatoes have been housing tomato hornworms! OH, STINKING BOO!

two or three of these on a tomato plant can decimate the plant within a couple of days - they are voracious eaters and relentless in their pursuit of YOURS AND MY tomato plants.

it is a well-known gardener's secret that if you plant dill alongside your tomato plants, it will aid in keeping these pesky creatures away. well my dill is planted quite a distance from the 'maters.

pop hunted down every last hornworm and mashed them to smithereens - finding them is difficult because they blend in so well. while he's hunting and mashing, i'm picking fresh dill to scatter about the base of the tomato plants in an effort to hinder their relatives from coming around these parts.

when the battle was over, we sat down to have a cold one and visit. i reached over and grabbed a sprig of dill and put it in my mouth to just chew on - love it!

nancpop, in all seriousness, asks, "hmmmm, i wonder if i could put some of that dill in my next batch of bread?"

i replied, "well of course you can!"

with a straight face, he responds, "hmmmm, dill dough."

...oh boo...

Somewhat Less than Human

Sometimes a person hesitates to repeat or report certain things because of basic decency. But our MSM has low balled our enemy time and again, failing to report factual events and repeating obvious propaganda to "advance the story line".

There is no concrete evidence at this time to prove beyond doubt that all of these events actually happened. But for those of us without BDS and understanding of what is actually happening in the Middle East, we cannot dismiss them out of hand.

Michael Yon reports from Iraq:
[...]

"In one grave, soldiers recovered the heads of decapitated children, some with still partially recognizable remnants of flesh and hair. When I left the village, the digging was still ongoing, but I had seen and heard enough for the update I published the next day.
[...]
During a meeting, an Iraqi official in the room—who asked to remain anonymous—provided a narrative of how al Qaeda took control of Baqubah and much of Diyala Province. The paragraph that generated controversy follows:

The official reported that on a couple of occasions in Baqubah, al Qaeda invited to lunch families they wanted to convert to their way of thinking. In each instance, the family had a boy, he said, who was about 11 years old. As LT David Wallach interpreted the man’s words, I saw Wallach go blank and silent. He stopped interpreting for a moment. I asked Wallach, “What did he say?” Wallach said that at these luncheons, the families were sat down to eat. And then their boy was brought in with his mouth stuffed. The boy had been baked. Al Qaeda served the boy to his family.

Every syllable I wrote about this reported incident was in that paragraph, which offers no opinion about the veracity of his words.

Mr. Abdul Jabar had lived near the al Hamari village. He had more details about what happened there, and he was willing to go on the record. The reported incidents, wretching though they were and are, were reported “as is.”
When context is other people’s children

As I write these words just a few miles from the graves I saw, the resulting controversy about whether what the man said was true, or whether his words should have been written if the writer couldn’t verify them, seems precious. There is no imaginary line of credulity that al Qaeda might cross should it go from beheading children to baking them.

"


Please read the whole report.

I've been taged!

Players list 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, players then tags 8 people by posting their names and makes sure they know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at the tagee’s blog.

Sorry, but I won't be tagging anyone. The reason for that is that I'm at the bottom of the pyramid. Everyone I know has already participated.

But here goes:

8. I wear colored jockey shorts.

7. I was a lay minister in the Catholic church and asked to consider the Deaconate.

6. For some reason, dogs love me.

5. Pepperoni pizza is my favorite fruit.

4. I've driven one of these, over 65 mph on the Autobahn. (It was a hoot!)

3. The first computer I programed looked like this. The computer, itself, weighed 175 lbs, plus a couple of hundred more pounds more for the "portable" 3kw generator that ran it. (220 volt 3 phase). It had a laughably small memory even compared to a pocket calculator.

It was a solid state device, (transistors and crystal diodes, no vacuum tubes). The machine had a stored-program and was used for automatic computing and visual displaying of firing data (gun orders) for Field Artillery weapons and free firing missiles like the Nike-Hercules. There was no CRT, (monitor), the visual display consisted of 16 nixi-tubes which were neon bulbs with a figure 8 shaped filament that worked similar to the LCD display of a modern calculator. At the time I used it, it was the first truly "portable" computer. Other computers that could handle ballistic computation were the size of a room and weighed several tons.

One day, my commanding officer told me, "You're getting a FADAC." I didn't know what the hell a FADAC was. FADAC is the acronym for "Field Artillery Digital Automatic Computer". At the time, we were figuring firing data with slide rules and computational tables similar to trigonomic tables, functions and logarithms.

I figured that someone would give me some training, no such luck. When the FADAC arrived, I was given an operation manual and a cursory "good luck!" My commanding officer told me that, I "would" have the FADAC up and running by the end of the week.

There was a slight problem.

FADACs, were programed with a dual use program and the Army, in its infinite wisdom, had seen fit to send this FADAC to an 8"-203mm firing battery with a program for 155mm and 105mm Howitzers.

"No problem", said the CO, "Just call ordinance and they will reprogram the computer". With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I called ordinance. Ordinance informed me, yes, it was their responsibility to reprogram the computer, yes, they had the correct program on punched paper tape, no they wouldn't program the computer because they didn't have anyone that had ever did it before.

Outranked, I knew that I couldn't get ordinance to do anything they didn't want to do, back to the CO. The CO called Ordinance and got kicked upstairs to someone that outranked him. Ordinance wouldn't program the FADAC "but" they would loan us the necessary equipment and we could do it ourselves and they would tell us how to do it.

Notice that "no one knew how" but they could tell "us" how to do it! ("Us", consisted of me).

Back to the manuals!

Short story long, I did it!

I also found out that we had to check the firing data from the computer the same way we had figured it before we got the FADAC. I also found out hat we could figure the firing data faster, by hand and slide rule, quicker than we could punch it into the FADAC.

What that meant, in effect, we had another 400 lbs of almost useless equipment to lug around.

My CO decided to volunteer my services as a computer programmer to our sister units. It seems that our sister 155mm Howitzer units received their FADACs with a program to figure firing solutions for 8"-203mm Howitzers and Nike-Hercules missiles.

Now they use little hand-held, programmable, scientific calculators that are far more of a computer than FADAC could ever hope to be.

2. I haven't had a car payment since 1972 when I paid off my 1970 Gremlin.

1. I'm dyslexic.

Those that Pledged their Lives, Fortunes and Sacred Honor

From a speech delivered by Rush Limbaugh's Father.

Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact.

· Francis Lewis, New York delegate saw his home plundered -- and his estates in what is now Harlem -- completely destroyed by British Soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners through the efforts of Congress, she died from the effects of her abuse.

· William Floyd, another New York delegate, was able to escape with his wife and children across Long Island Sound to Connecticut, where they lived as refugees without income for seven years. When they came home they found a devastated ruin.

· Philips Livingstone had all his great holdings in New York confiscated and his family driven out of their home. Livingstone died in 1778 still working in Congress for the cause.

· Louis Morris, the fourth New York delegate, saw all his timber, crops, and livestock taken. For seven years he was barred from his home and family.

· John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.

· Dr. John Witherspoon, signer, was president of the College of New Jersey, later called Princeton. The British occupied the town of Princeton, and billeted troops in the college. They trampled and burned the finest college library in the country.

· Judge Richard Stockton, another New Jersey delegate signer, had rushed back to his estate in an effort to evacuate his wife and children. The family found refuge with friends, but a Tory sympathizer betrayed them. Judge Stockton was pulled from bed in the night and brutally beaten by the arresting soldiers. Thrown into a common jail, he was deliberately starved. Congress finally arranged for Stockton's parole, but his health was ruined. The judge was released as an invalid, when he could no longer harm the British cause. He returned home to find his estate looted and did not live to see the triumph of the Revolution. His family was forced to live off charity.

· Robert Morris, merchant prince of Philadelphia, delegate and signer, met Washington's appeals and pleas for money year after year. He made and raised arms and provisions which made it possible for Washington to cross the Delaware at Trenton. In the process he lost 150 ships at sea, bleeding his own fortune and credit almost dry.

· George Clymer, Pennsylvania signer, escaped with his family from their home, but their property was completely destroyed by the British in the Germantown and Brandywine campaigns.

· Dr. Benjamin Rush, also from Pennsylvania, was forced to flee to Maryland. As a heroic surgeon with the army, Rush had several narrow escapes.

· John Martin, a Tory in his views previous to the debate, lived in a strongly loyalist area of Pennsylvania. When he came out for independence, most of his neighbors and even some of his relatives ostracized him. He was a sensitive and troubled man, and many believed this action killed him. When he died in 1777, his last words to his tormentors were: "Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it [the signing] to have been the most glorious service that I have ever rendered to my country."

· William Ellery, Rhode Island delegate, saw his property and home burned to the ground.

· Thomas Lynch, Jr., South Carolina delegate, had his health broken from privation and exposures while serving as a company commander in the military. His doctors ordered him to seek a cure in the West Indies and on the voyage, he and his young bride were drowned at sea.

· Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, and Thomas Heyward, Jr., the other three South Carolina signers, were taken by the British in the siege of Charleston. They were carried as prisoners of war to St. Augustine, Florida, where they were singled out for indignities. They were exchanged at the end of the war, the British in the meantime having completely devastated their large landholdings and estates.

· Thomas Nelson, signer of Virginia, was at the front in command of the Virginia military forces. With British General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, fire from 70 heavy American guns began to destroy Yorktown piece by piece. Lord Cornwallis and his staff moved their headquarters into Nelson's palatial home. While American cannonballs were making a shambles of the town, the house of Governor Nelson remained untouched. Nelson turned in rage to the American gunners and asked, "Why do you spare my home?" They replied, "Sir, out of respect to you." Nelson cried, "Give me the cannon!" and fired on his magnificent home himself, smashing it to bits. But Nelson's sacrifice was not quite over. He had raised $2 million for the Revolutionary cause by pledging his own estates. When the loans came due, a newer peacetime Congress refused to honor them, and Nelson's property was forfeited. He was never reimbursed. He died, impoverished, a few years later at the age of 50.


And, finally, there is the New Jersey signer, Abraham Clark.

He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to that infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York Harbor known as the hell ship Jersey, where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clarks were treated with a special brutality because of their father. One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight, with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons' lives if he would recant and come out for the King and Parliament. The utter despair in this man's heart, the anguish in his very soul, must reach out to each one of us down through 200 years with his answer: "No."

The 56 signers of the Declaration Of Independence proved by their every deed that they made no idle boast when they composed the most magnificent curtain line in history. "And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Happy Fourth of July to you all!

NAME TEN OTHER COUNTRIES

you can do this to your nation's flag without fear of retribution.

God bless this nation and God bless u.s. all as we deal with the idiocy of the left, today and everyday.

we the people thank You daily for the freedoms we all share and take for granted.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYBODY!

...whether you appreciate this great country or not.

AAAAAHHHOOOOOO!

tonight may be the best night of the year for moonbat hunting...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

You lovebirds, you!

Warren and Wifey!

Sex habits of giant pandas

I get it, but don't ask about the Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show!

"OH BOO" MOMENT #2007-06/25

there is much talking on a 2,000 mile-plus trip...or not.

as for me, i like to do puzzles - anything from crosswords to sudoku.

every once in awhile i'll pay attention to what everyone else is doing. this was going to be one of those days.

as we were plugging along at 70+, nancson asked nancpop, "so, what's the big deal about axle grease?"

pop replied in kind, "why, it's good for EVERYTHING!"

nancson asking, "like what, pop?"

nancpop responds, " oh, critter bites, hair conditioner, pet shampoo, waterproofing your shoes..."

nancpop then proceeded to name fifteen or twenty excellent uses for axle grease - NONE having to do with greasing axles!

i couldn't take it anymore and blared out to pop, "YOU have lost what's left of your mind!"

pop - ever the smooth, romantic, loverboy-type, responded, "NAH! that would make us equals..."

...oh boo...

I'm sorry...

...but I am rapidly losing patience with all this "religion of peace" bovine biowaste!
It is NOT a religion, it is a socio-political system that encourages the worst and lowest behavior. It wears a religious mask, but there is no salvation, except if you kill a bunch of "other" people. It has little to no concern about the welfare of others, even of their own people. The majority of mohammadin ruled countries are 2 tier societies with the majority of people living in 3rd world conditions with no incentive to improve their lot!
It sucks the life, creativity and joy out of people. It crushes love and beauty.
It wallows in blood and death.
It is anti-life and anti-G*D!
It is the Highway to Hell...

www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56262

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56259

http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8PSLSLO0&show_article=1

http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/18/eveningnews/main2946007.shtml

"OH BOO" MOMENT 422.673

...an addendum...

today, after church and lunch - nancpop, the all powerful, was in the kitchen sweeping up some mess he'd made - when i passed by and gave him the over the glasses, one eye cocked, librarian look (oh, trust me - it's hot!).

he gazed into my not cocked eye and said, "funny - who'd've (he who speaks in three-word contractions) thought you could use one of these as a broom?!?"

...oh boo...

Hasta cuando (Until when)

Don't let the left glorify a nightmare!

FJ says:

I found the original piece of "romantic" propaganda that "inspired" this music video, a love paean to Che Guevearra entitled "Until forever, my commander". This video asks the question, "until when????" and calls the "commander" a deceptive fraud!

Chavez supporters have attempted to color the student protests as a nefarious plot and coup against Chavez's socialist government. To counter that perception, before marching, university student paint the palms of their hands white and carry banners that read "We are students, not coup makers!" to signify the sacredness of civil rights and their glorious cause.

Support the student "white hand movement".



Visit Julia @ The end of Venezuela as I know it

The immigration bill is dead. (for now)

WASHINGTON (AP) - A broad immigration bill to legalize millions of people in the U.S. unlawfully failed a crucial test vote in the Senate Thursday, a stunning setback that could spell its defeat for the year.

The vote was 45-50 against limiting debate on the bill, 15 short of the 60 that the bill's supporters needed to prevail. Most Republicans voted to block Democrats' efforts to bring the bill to a final vote.

[...]

Why We Ain't Buyin'

What in the hell is wrong with you people in Washington?

Its as plain as the veined tomato on Teddy Kennedy's face. The American people don't want your stinking amnesty bill!

You have no intention of enforcing any of its security provisions, strengthening the border, or fining a single illegal emigrant for breaking the law!

We know what you will do, the day after that bill is signed into law, you will start whittling away at the enforcement provisions, refuse to fund provisions for border security and 12 to 20 illegal aliens will become legal overnight!

You say that something must be done now, that the country cannot tolerate 12 million illegals in this country breaking the law, I agree. But the solution isn't to wave your magic wand and make them legal!

That's like saying that we cannot tolerate 12 million murders and pass a law to give amnesty to all of the murderers in the country.

Drop this POS Bill or pay the consequences. You serve at our pleasure and you'd best remember it!

A list of companies...

...you might steer clear of, as an investor OR in the case of Hyundai, don't buy their cars. Greed is a strong factor here, why reward it?

Twenty Four Most-Active Iranian International Business Partners

Hundreds of companies do business with Iran with American investment dollars and, based upon publicly available information, the following are among the most active of the Tehran regime’s international business partners:

Alcatel SA: French telecommunications giant Alcatel, has signed numerous multi-million dollar contracts deals with Iran as well as Sudan over the past five years. Alcatel supplies Iran with most of its telecommunications facilities, high-speed Internet service and communication devices and infrastructure for offshore oil and gas platforms. [16]

Bow Valley Energy Ltd.: Canada’s Bow Valley Energy holds 15 percent of a $300 million deal with Iran to develop the Balal field off the Persian Gulf since 1999. [17]

BNP Paribas: BNP Paribas is the only French bank to have remained in Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. BNP Paribas mainly focuses on trade finance with Iran’s oil and gas industry which is controlled by the regime’s clerical elite and feared Revolutionary Guards Corp. [18]

China National Petroleum Corp.: China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has announced it will invest $3.6 billion dollars to develop Block 14 of Iran’s South Pars gas field this year. CNPC is currently negotiating a $16 billion deal with Iran to develop its North Pars gas field and build liquefied natural gas infrastructures. [19]

ENI Spa: Italy’s biggest energy company, Eni Spa has numerous oil and gas contracts with Iran. In 2001, Eni Spa signed a $900 million contract to develop Iran’s’ southwest Dharkovin oil field. The company holds large stakes in multiple Iranian energy projects including a South Pars contract valued at almost $4 billion. [20]

Gazprom: Russian energy giant Gazprom has been heavily involved in developing the South Pars gas field, estimated to contain 7 percent of the world’ reserves, since 1997. In 2006 Gazprom announced it would consider setting up joint oil and gas projects with Iran’s state energy companies. [21]

Hyundai: South Korea’s Hyundai supports Iran by supplying it with energy-related construction and development help, manufacturing components and ship maintenance. Among its other mega-deals with Iran, Hyundai recently signed a $1 billion contract along with Daewoo to build oil tankers for the regime. [22]

INPEX: The Japanese market accounts for 22 percent of Iran’s oil exports which account for 85 percent of Japan’s total oil imports. The Tokyo-based INPEX, which is part-owned by the Japanese government, has billions of dollars invested in many Iranian oil projects including the Soroosh, Nowrooz and Azadegan oil fields. [23]

LG Engineering and Construction Co.: In 2002, South Korea’s LG Engineering and Construction Co. signed a $1.6 billion deal for a gas processing plant project in the South Pars gas fields. The company has a 45.3 stake in the deal that allows it to claim $700 million of the total project cost. [24]

Lukoil: Russia’s Lukoil collaborates with the National Iranian Oil Company on various exploration projects. Lukoil holds large stakes in oil projects in Anaran, Moghan, Western Changuleh and other areas in Iran. In 2000, Lukoil acquired Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc. and has gas stations across the United States. [25]

Norsk Hydro: Norsk Hydro is Norway’s second largest energy company and is partially owned by the Norwegian government. Norsk Hydro has massive investments in Iranian oil projects including a $107 million contract signed with Iran last year. [26]

OMV: Austria's OMV is central Europe's leading energy company. It has several oil exploration investments in Iran’s Mehr block. In addition, OMV is the driving force behind the Nabucco pipeline project which will transport gas from Iran's Caspian Sea directly to Europe when completed in 2011. The other companies involved in the project are: Botas (Turkey), Bulgargaz (Bulgaria), MOL (Hungary) and Transgaz (Romania). [27]

ONGC: India’s Oil and Natural gas Company (ONGC) signed a $40 billion deal with Iran in 2005 to import millions of tons of liquid gas. ONGC is involved in many lucrative exploration projects in Iran and is on the verge of signing a deal in the South Pars oilfields valued at over $100 million. [28]

Petrobras: The Brazilian government control 60 percent of the Rio de Janeiro-based Petrobras Oil Company and has a final say in its investment decisions. Petrobras intends to sign a $ 470 million contract with Iran in mid-2007. Earlier contracts with Iran included a 2004 deal worth $34 million to drill in the Caspian Sea. [29]
Petronas: Malaysia’s Petronas enjoys lucrative business with Iran. Among other deals Petronas signed a $2 billion contract, along with Total and Gazprom, to develop Iran’s South Pars gas fields. [30]

Royal Dutch Shell: In 1999, The Dutch-British energy giant, Royal Dutch Shell spent over $800 to develop two Iranian offshore oil fields. Royal Dutch Shell together with Spain’s Repsol recently signed an agreement that could result in a $10 billion contract to develop sections 13 and 14 of Iran’s South Pars gas field. [31]

Siemens AG: Siemens AG helped build Iran’s nuclear reactor in Bushehr but officially stopped working on the site after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Siemens AG is currently active in Iranian telecommunications, high-tech, automotive and power industries. Siemens also trades with other rogue states including Sudan and Syria. [32]

Statoil ASA: Norway's biggest oil and gas company Statoil ASA has multiple high profile investments in Iran. Most of its efforts are concentrated in the South Pars gas field where it holds high percentages in various exploration and development projects. Norway prosecuted Statoil in 2004 when the company was convicted on corruption charges for trying to sway Iranian officials, including former President Hashemi Rafsanjani’s son, in a $15.2 million deal in 2002. [33]

Stolt-Nielsen SA: UK-based Stolt-Nielsen SA is one of the world’s top liquid transporters, the company does business with Iran through its subsidiary Stolt-Offshore. The US Treasury began investigating the company in 2002 for trading with Iran and falsifying documents. In 2006 Stolt-Nielsen was indicted for price fixing and rigging bids. [34]

Technip Coflexip: French based Technip Coflexip builds much of Iran’s petrochemical engineering plants and provides other technical infrastructure related to the regime’s oil and gas industry. Among its many lucrative deals with Iran, Technip Coflexip built a massive ‘steam cracker’ petrochemical plant in the Persian Gulf for $186 million. [35]

Total SA: The giant French energy company Total SA has been active in Iran since 1995. Total has multiple oil exploration and development contracts with the regime including a 2006 deal valued at $1.6 billion. Total’s CEO Christophe de Margerie and two of the company’s chief executives are currently under investigation by the French authorities over corruption allegations linked to a 1997 gas project in Iran and the Iraqi oil-for-food program. [36]

In addition, the following companies are reportedly in the process of negotiating deals with Iran:
Essar Oil: India’s Essar Oil reached a deal with Iran in 2006 for oil and gas exploration and production as well as contracts to build the regime steel plants, power plants, and an oil refinery. The deal, worth billions of dollars, is still waiting approval as both sides continue to negotiate. [37]

China National Offshore Oil Corp: China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran in 2006 to develop the Northern Pars gas field and build liquefied natural gas installations. The two sides are expected to sign the $16 billion deal by the end of 2007. [38]

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp: In 2004, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) won a bid to buy 10 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas every year for 25 years, but the contract hasn’t been signed yet. The deal is estimated to be worth about $100 million when approved. In 2006, Sinopec signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran to develop the

Garmsar block. The deal, that has so far not been implemented, is valued between $20-38 million. [39]


Footnotes
[16] Cornwell, Susan and Pelofsky, Jeremy, "Senators cast wary eye on Lucent-Alcatel deal," The Boston Globe, April 4, 2006
http://www.boston.com/
Alcatel SA website http://www1.alcatel-lucent.com/
[17] "Calgary Oil company may face US sanctions," CBC News, April 5, 1999 http://www.cbc.ca/money/
[18] "Iran Lures BNP, HSBC for Loans; U.S. Banks Barred," Bloomberg, December 23, 2004, http://www.bloomberg.com/
[19] "US Cautions China over reported multibillion gas deal with Iran," International Herald Tribune, January 9, 2007 http://www.iht.com/
"China's CNPC Close to MoU on $3.6B Iran LNG project," www.gulfoilandgas.com, January 12, 2007
[20] "Italian oil deal with Iran," The New York Times, July 1, 2001 http://query.nytimes.com/
"Iran signs major gulf gas deal," BBC, July 27, 2000 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/854663.stm
[21] Gazprom website http://www.gazprom.com/eng/articles/article8523.shtml
"Gazprom, Iran mull joint oil and gas projects," RIA Novosti, June 26, 2006 http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060626/50015959.html

[22] "Hyundai, Daewoo to share $1 billion Iran Tanker order," Bloomberg, May 9, 2005 http://www.bloomberg.com/
"Hyundai motor says wins $227 million Iran car order," Reuters, September 3, 2006 http://today.reuters.com/news/
[23] INPEX Website http://www.inpex.co.jp/
Linzer, Dafna and Faiola, Anthony, "Japan wary of plan for sanctions against Iran," The Washington Post, June 13, 2006, http://www.washingtonpost.com/
[24] "$1.6bln gas deal," Pravda, September 16, 2002, http://newsfromrussia.com/comp/2002/09/16/36679.html
[25] "Lukoil and Hydro Confirm Oil Discovery in Western Iran," www.OilVoice.com, May 17, 2005, http://www.oilvoice.com/
"Lukoil seeks to join Iran in Caspian oilfields," Reuters via Yahoo News, October 23, 2005, http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/061023/3/448u9.html
Getty Petrolium Website http://www.getty.com/LUKOILRebrand.html
[26] "Iran Signs $107M E&D Oil Contract with Norwegian Oil Co," www.gulfoilandgas.com, September 18, 2006
Norsk Hydro Website http://www.hydro.com/
[27] "OMV in Iran: Memorandum of understanding on increased co-operation," www.gulfoilandgas.com , January, 27, 2004
Nabucco Website http://www.nabucco-pipeline.com/
[28] ONGC Website
http://www.ongcvidesh.com/op_iran.asp
"India and Iran in gas export deal, BBC, January 7, 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4155597.stm
[29] Radowitz, Bernd, "Petrobras to Invest $470M in Iran's Caspian Sea," Dow Jones Newswires via www.rigzone.com, March 6, 2007 http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=42182
Daraghi, Borzou, "Middle East: Iran: Petrobras to drill In Caspian," The New York Times, July 7, 2004 http://query.nytimes.com/
[30] "Iran forms joint LNG firm with Total and Petronas," Reuters via Forbes, February 25, 2004 http://www.forbes.com/
Richardson, Michael, "Malaysia's State Oil Company Is Going Global: Petronas Expands Its Reach," International Herald Tribune, August 22, 1996 http://www.iht.com/articles/1996/08/22/kloil.t.php
[31] Bohlen, Celestine, "Shell, Repsol, Total, Defy U.S. to Seek Iran Deals," Bloomberg, February 23, 2007 http://www.bloomberg.com/
"Shell secures Iranian oil deal," BBC, November 14, 1999, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_economy/519688.stm
[32] Heath, Michael and Meyer Henry, "Russia Denies Ultimatum to Iran over Nuclear Fuel," Bloomberg, March 20, 2007 http://www.bloomberg.com/
"Iran signs 450 million dollar deal with Germany’s Siemens," Islamic Republic News Agency, November 14, 2006 http://www.irna.com/
Siemens AG website http://www.siemens.ir/en/Siemens%20in%20Iran.html
[33] "US resolves probe against oil company that bribed Iranian official," US Department of Justice, October 3, 2006 http://66.102.9.104/
Timmons, Heather, "Norway: oil contract investigation," The New York Times, September 13, 2003 http://query.nytimes.com/
[34] "Treasury department probes shipping company," The Associated Press via Fox News, November 22, 2002 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,71232,00.html
"Stolt-Nielsen indicted for tanker shipping price fixing," The Associated Press via International Herald Tribune, September 6, 2006 http://www.iht.com/
[35] Gertz, Bill, "French firm probed in move of pumps to Iran," The Washington Times, http://www.washtimes.com/
"NPC to build world's largest steam cracker in Iran," www.gasandoil.com , October 15, 2002 http://www.gasandoil.com/GOC/company/cnm24280.htm
[36] Sethuraman, Dinakar, "Iran May Extend Investment Deadline for Total in LNG Project," Bloomberg, April 9, 2007 http://quote.bloomberg.com/
Souchard, Pierre-Antoine, "Total's CEO Quizzed in Iran Probe," The Associated Press via Yahoo News, March 21, 2007
http://in.us.biz.yahoo.com/ap/070321/france_total.html?.v=1
[37] Essar Oil Website http://www.essar.com/oil&gas/news/may04_2004.htm
"Essar, Iran in Talks to Develop Azadegan," The Tehran Times via www.gulfoilandgas.com, March 16, 2007 http://www.gulfoilandgas.com/
[38] Jones, Sally "Iran and China's CNOOC Sign $16 Billion Gas Deal," Dow Jones Newswires via www.rigzone.com December 20, 2006 http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=39363
"Iran, China in Talks Over North Pars Gas Field," www.gulfoilandgas.com, January 11, 2006 http://www.gulfoilandgas.com/
[39] Goodman, Peter, "China Rushes toward Oil Pact with Iran," The Washington Post, February 18, 2006 http://www.washingtonpost.com/
"China's Sinopec signs a deal to develop oil block in Iran – report," AFX via Forbes, June 20,