Middle of My Street

Even More on the Bailout

2009-06-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Back in the begining of December I wrote about the bailout

Back then I was talking about the the top Safety Picks and how American cars didn't fare well at all.

Well a new study by J.D. Power and Associates shows that American Cars lag behind foreign cars when it comes to quality.

Lexus, Toyota Motor Corp.'s luxury line, was the top brand in J.D. Power's initial quality study, an annual survey of vehicle owners that measures mechanical and design problems in the first 90 days of ownership.

Porsche was the No. 2 brand, followed by GM's Cadillac, then Hyundai and Honda.

Only the Cadillac was in the top 5??

And I love this:

Though Chrysler's scores improved year over year, it had no brands above the industry average. It tied for one segment award, with its PT Cruiser Wagon sharing the top award in the compact activity vehicle segment with Honda's CR-V. Chrysler, however, is discontinuing the car.

So let me get this right: Chrysler only got one award and they are discontinuing that vehicle? Makes perfect sense.

Obviously, the reason that American cars don't sell as well as their foreign counterparts is not an over-abundance of dealers. People don't buy more cars because there are less dealers, they buy cars because they are good quality. So for all the rocket scientists in Washington running the car companies now here's a tip: Build a better car.

Politics of Race

2009-06-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

I got an email this morning linking me to this newsletter. It is a newsletter for the National Black Republican Association, the Civil Rights History Edition. It's pretty long but it has a lot of really good information.

After hearing over and over again how Republicans are racist and anyone who doesn't agree with Obama is racist it's a good eye opener. It's worth the read and next time you get accused of being racist because you aren't a Democrat or don't agree with Obama, or went to a tea party you can use some of this information to set them straight.
The rest of the site has a lot of good information also.

It's Called Respect

2009-06-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it is where Ms. Boxer comes from but here in the south Ma'am is said in respect. I think what makes it worse is that she cuts him off and has such a nasty, mean tone.
And for the record, he worked harder to earn his title than she did to win hers so she really should have refered to him as General. At least he said Ma'am.

Where have all the real men gone?

2009-06-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

A few days ago David Letterman made some derogatory "joke" about Gov. Sarah Palin and her daughter:

Since when is it OK to make "jokes" in such poor taste about someones daughter? The kids are supposed to be off limits right?
And lets think back to those awkward teenage years. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to have someone as famous as David Letterman say something like that about you? How mortifying.

Well here is the response:

And where is the outrage? Geared toward Gov. Palin's response:

Gov. Palin and Matt Lauer:

I can't believe that Lauer is actually standing up for Letterman. What he said was disrespectful, it doesn't matter if it was about a 14 year old or an 18 year old. Either way it is still degrading and uncalled for. And to turn the tables around and say that Gov. Palin is in bad taste for her comments in response is as bad as the original "jokes". Lauer should be ashamed of himself. I wonder if he would have the same feeling about it if it was said about one of his kids.
Matt Lauer and Shepard Smith, because Smith was also defending Letterman tonight (if I find a video for it I'll post it later, are no better than Letterman. They may not have said it but by defending him and attacking the Palins' response they are part of the problem. I can't believe we live in a world where dirty old men are allowed to say such disgusting things about a young girl (of any age) and they can get away with it. I also can't believe that there are other "men" out there that actually defend this disgusting behavior.

Support our Troops

2009-06-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

I'm getting really sick and tired of politicians and organizations playing politics with the safety of our troops.

It has already been said that releasing the so called "torture" photos would put our troops serving in combat in more danger. So why would anyone want to put these brave men and women in more danger than they are already in?
Even President Obama has said he would not release the memos because it would put them in danger.

Now Senators Graham and Lieberman want to make sure they don't get released and have added an amendment to the war spending bill to make sure they don't get released but some Senate Democrats say they will try to strip the amendment from the bill or vote against the bill. What would be their motivation to do that? Do they not care about the safety of our troops, the same ones that they send into battle?

The only point of releasing these photos is to cast the US and our military in a bad light. The people that broke the law have already been dealt with, there is no reason to release these photos now.
Please call your senators and tell them that keeping our service men and women safe is more important than partisan politics or the ACLU (funny if it wasn't for these brave men and women there would be no ACLU): (202)224-3121

Term Limits

2009-06-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here's another example why I believe there should be term limits for Congress:

Murtha responding to alleged connection to Kuchera Defense Systems.

Someone needs to remind this guy that he works for us not the other way around.
Would you get away with that at your place of employment with your employer?

When did this happen?

2009-06-03T21:46:00.001-07:00

So I ask myself, what country is he talking about exactly? I can understand that we have a separation of church and state. However, I don't get the whole we are not a Christian nation but we could be the largest Muslim nation. ??? We could be a Muslim nation? Does he live in the same America I do?

And speaking of Muslim, and bringing in the right wing extremism, why is our Commander in Chief just saddened at the senseless violence that was the murder of an Army Private for no other reason than he was in the Army but he's outraged about the heinous act of violence that was the murder of Dr. Tiller?

“I am deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence against two brave young soldiers who were doing their part to strengthen our armed forces and keep our country safe. I would like to wish Quinton Ezeagwula a speedy recovery, and to offer my condolences and prayers to William Long’s family as they mourn the loss of their son.”

I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence.

Propaganda.

More thoughts on Cuba

2009-06-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

I just got back from visiting my family in Florida this week and there was a common theme in many of our conversations: How much the current situation in our country remind them of what happened in Cuba 50 years ago.

In my last post I said how what was happening with the car dealerships reminded me of hearing about what happened with my grandmother and her beauty salon and in conversation one day she told me that listening to what has been happening reminded her about that also, same with my dad.

When I visited my grandfather, my mother’s father, he kept coming back to the similarities between what happened then and what is happening now. He kept saying that he has seen this before and that people just don’t understand what the consequences are.

While I was visiting with him we went through some old pictures including my grandparent’s wedding pictures and as we were looking over the very few pictures he had from Cuba he pointed to a man in one picture and told me that he was the man that smuggled their pictures out of Cuba, when he left through Mexico. He mailed them to my grandparents from Mexico. The pictures made it to their destination but he never did. He, very mysteriously, was murdered just before he made it to the US. He pointed to several other people in one of the wedding pictures, taken just five short years before the revolution, and told me that they were killed by the Castro government, shortly after the revolution.

I was talking to my dad about the similarities between what is going on now and what happened in Cuba and we got to talking about when they left and I said something about the scene in “The Lost City” when Andy Garcia’s character leaves Cuba and he has to leave everything behind. My dad said that was exactly what it was like; you couldn’t take anything with you at all. Not even family mementos like pictures, things that have no real value other than sentimental value. I had never realized that there were hardly any pictures of either side of my family from their days in Cuba and now I know why that is. I brought home all of my grandfather’s pictures for my mom to arrange for him and as I looked through them the other day I noticed that there were a few black and white pictures in one old album, that I know are old enough to be from Cuba, but other than that, there is nothing. Almost all the pictures pre-1967 are gone. I can’t explain why but it makes me sad to think about that. There are just a few pictures of my mom as a baby and a girl, up until she was 10, there are only a few pictures of my grandmother growing up, there are no pictures of my grandfather until the wedding pictures, he was 27.

So with all the reminiscing last week, I came home and put the lost city on my instant play list on Netflix and some suggestions popped up. One of the suggestions was Fidel. It is a documentary about Fidel and according to it he is a wonderful man and possibly the best thing that has ever happened to Cuba. I beg to differ. There was one old man, a journalist, talking about how great Fidel is from the comfort of Miami. I kept thinking: if he’s so great then why are you in Miami instead of in Cuba?

Of course there were also the American celebrities that think he’s wonderful too. Belafonte and Alice Walker think he has great qualities. But of course they live here in the United States and not in Cuba. I wonder if they would still think so highly of him if they had to live in Cuba, as everyday Cubans, in poverty.
I wonder if they would feel the same way if they had to live like these people:

All these videos are from O-jec.com. They have a lot of great videos, some are subtitled and some you don't even need to know what they are saying to realize how bad the situation is. Check them out.

Getting water in Cuba:

How about food?

There is no translation on this one but this guy interrupts an interview and he's pretty much saying that there is no food and that the people of Cuba are going hungry:

How hungry are they? Well how hungry would you have to be to eat garbage off the street?

And how about living conditions:

This lady pretty much says that tourists have this image of Cuba being so pretty and that the people don't have any need but that in fact they dont have clothes or shoes, that it's hard to get food, that kids are dying because they can't get the medicines they need:

This lady is showing how she works her old stove and then her family buys her a new stove:

Can you imagine if these celebrities that thing Castro is so great had to live like this?

And after seeing that look at these pre-revolution pictures of Havana and tell me which one you would rather live in:

What Next

2009-05-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

So far the administration has stuck it's tentacles into different areas of our private sector.
Starting with regulating CEO pay and bonuses to firing CEO's, and firing military generals with 30+ years of distinguished service for no good reason, it's become quite alarming to say the least.

Yesterday afternoon I was listening to Rush and he was reading a letter sent to American Thinker from an owner of a Dodge dealer.

When I heard Rush read:

On Thursday, May 14, 2009 I was notified that my Dodge franchise, that we purchased, will be taken away from my family on June 9, 2009 without compensation and given to another dealer at no cost to them...

THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITY

This is beyond imagination! My business is being stolen from me through NO FAULT OF OUR OWN. We did NOTHING wrong...

The first thing that came to my mind was my dad telling me about the day, in Cuba, that my grandmother went to open her beauty salon and there were government officials waiting for her to tell her that it was no longer her business. Just like private property and private businesses were seized from law abiding, hard working, Cubans 50 years ago, now it is being seized from Americans.

I don't understand how, in America, a person can lose their business the way a couple of thousand dealership owners have in the last week. I used to think this was not the type of thing that happened in our great country but I guess I was wrong. It didn't stop with capping pay and bonuses and it is not going to stop with owners losing their businesses at no fault of their own. But when will it stop? When are people going to say enough is enough and at that point is it going to be to late?

What I'm really scared of right now is that there are more people in this country that just want to get "theirs" from the government and they are not concerned with what they are losing in the process. I'm also scared that too many of these people don't even realize what they are losing and/or just don't care as long as they are going to be taken care of. I also think that too many people think they are owed something instead of taking care of themselves. Come one people, put your big kid pants on and take care of yourself and your own and quit expecting someone else to. When you depend on them they have control over you, they shouldn't have the control over us, they work for us remember?

So much to say, so little time

2009-05-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have been beyond negligent about posting. Trust me, it's not for a lack of things to say. Every day, there are things on the news that get my blood boiling and I have a million things going through my head. There has been way too much going on though.

First, my Internet connection has been iffy for the past month. Today the cable company had several trucks out here all day working at just about every house on the street. So, hopefully, whatever was going on will be fixed now.

Second, The Army Dude finally left for Korea. It's been a pretty smooth transition, probably because I've become used to him being gone all the time because of work, but it still has taken some getting used to being the only parent again.

Third, I found out my at the end of March that, as of the end of April, I would be out of a job. I told the Army Dude on election night that I'd probably be without a job by summer and sure enough. But it was a blessing in disguise because Army Dude's reaction was to get command sponsorship for us to move to Korea too. YAY! Which brings me to:

Fourth, now that I'm not working anymore I am full steam ahead, getting ready to move this summer. Right now I'm still getting the house ready for the real estate agent to come take pictures and start advertising it. We decided to just rent it because we'd love to move back here, either after Korea or when Army Dude retires in less than 5 years (YAY!).

And Fifth, school, I decided to take 3 classes again this term, because I didn't learn my lesson last summer. It's been hard to keep up at times and having bad Internet connection has not helped at all. But I have learned one very important point this term. I HATE public administration and I'll be changing my major, once again, after this term. I'm also not taking classes over the summer because that would be insane to do when I'm trying to move overseas. But come fall I'll be back and this time I'll be majoring in international relations.

So that's a quick run down of what's been taking up most of my time lately. There are some things that I really want to comment on, hopefully by the end of the week, including the release of the interrogation memos and Nancy Pelosi's apparent onset of Alzheimer's, the release of one Presidential plane picture that reminds us of just how insensitive the Obama administration is but the release of hundreds of pictures that make the military look bad, and of course, keeping with the theme, the firing of a general officer with decades of honorable service for no apparent reason other than they want change.

If by Freedom You Mean...

2009-04-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

Have you seen any of these Congressional Black Caucus Members that went to Cuba this week talk about their meeting with Fidel?
It's sick really.
I've already said that the embargo hasn't worked and we should just lift it all together so I have on problem with that part of it. What they said about the Freedom in Cuba and the praise they heaped on Fidel was just makes my blood boil.

It was quite a moment to behold," Lee said, recalling her moments with Castro.

Yes I'm sure it was, a defining moment right?

“It was almost like listening to an old friend,” said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.), adding that he found Castro’s home to be modest and Castro’s wife to be particularly hospitable.

“In my household I told Castro he is known as the ultimate survivor,” Rush said.

Like listening to an old friend? How many friends does Rush have that imprisons or murders people that dare speak out against them, that steals people's private property, that lives in luxury while the people he represents live in poverty.
Oh wait, never mind you don't have to answer that.
By the way, in my house Castor is not exactly known as "the ultimate survivor" but it's not lady like to say what he's known as here.

Here is an interview with Congress Critter Richardson on her meeting with Fidel.

Love it when she says that she saw freedom in Cuba and that she didn't see dissent. Well that may have to do with the fact that dissent is met with imprisonment at best. And by the way you are seeing what Cuba wants you to see, next time go off the beaten path and see the real Cuba, see where regular people live, what they have to eat, and what hospitals they go to. Oh and for shits and giggles ask them how much money they make in a month (Here's a hint, I couldn't get a tank full of gas).
Think of this too, if things are so great in Cuba, why do Cubans risk their lives, and die, in inner tubes for the chance of getting to the US? When was the last time thousands of Americans risked their lives in inner tubes to get to Cuba?

Once again, Bobby, I'm glad that murderous dictator could endear himself to you with his sense of humor. It's killer!

2010 Starts Now

2009-03-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

The quest to take back the Senate and House in 2010 starts now.

In the next couple of weeks there will be a couple of special elections to fill seats in the House that were left vacant because of the new Obama Administration.

The first one will be March 31. This race is for the seat (NY 20th) left vacant by Kirsten Gillibrand, who was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's Senate seat by Gov. Paterson.
Jim Tedisco is the Republican running for this seat and so far it seems promising. Show your support, give if you can, pass along his information, if you live in the 20th District make sure you go out and vote on 3/31. I know how hard it is to remember to vote in special elections (as I almost forgot to during the run off here in December) but what better way to get the buzz going for 2010 than to vote in a Republican to a seat formerly held by a Democrat.

And speaking of voting a Republican in seat formerly held by a Democrat: My friend Sarah did this great run down on Rosanna Pulido who is running for the seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel when he became Obama's Chief of Staff. This election will take place 4/7, again another important race and another opportunity to send an early message for 2010. Check it out, she has some great information and websites to check out.

With Friends Like These

2009-03-16T19:39:00.001-07:00

We already know that Michelle Obama wants to take military families under her wing and every few weeks she goes down to a military base and feels their pain for an hour or two but what good will really come out of that?

Well we already know that her husband didn't think it was important to serve his country in the early 80's, and we've heard the rumors that he wants to make vets' private insurance pay for their service related injuries.

Well the rumor is not so much a rumor anymore. And today Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion met with the Commander in Chief and Gen Shinseki (Anyone else think he's more trouble than he's worth?) among others about it.

"He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."

The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"

Thank you Commander Rehbein, General Shinseki should take notes on what you say and actually take a stand for the veterans for a change. But of course I don't expect much from the man behind the black beret debacle.
And it is absolutely outrageous that they are doing this to save several hundred million. There are earmarks in the porkulus bill that cost more than they are trying to save! How about we cut those out before we cut benefits to the vets.

In any case back to Mrs. Obama. She went to Ft. Bragg last week.

And what did she have to say?

"It hurts. It hurts," Mrs. Obama said of hearing about military families on food stamps. "These are people who are willing to send their loved ones off to, perhaps, give their lives _ the ultimate sacrifice. But yet, they're living back at home on food stamps. It's not right, and it's not where we should be as a nation."

Well, how about we take a good long look at how much we pay our military and do something about that. Go ahead, take a look. Make sure to pay particular attention to what enlisted members make.

This is what we are paying the men and women that defend our country. This is what we pay people to put their lives on the line for our country and our freedoms. This is what we pay the people that give up years of their lives and their families' lives for our country. This is what we pay people who wont be there when their children are born, wont see their first steps, wont be there for birthdays, Christmases, school recitals, graduations because they are defending our country. This is what we pay people who may never come home, who may lay down their lives so we don't have to, for our country. Is this what they deserve?

So what are congress critters getting paid this year? $174,040

I think our military deserve that kind of pay more than congress, but that's just me.

Oh and my favorite part of that article about Mrs. Obama visiting Ft. Bragg:

Sgt. 1st Class Ashlyn Lewis, 31, of Indianapolis, said it was a remarkable experience to see the first lady in the cafeteria at Fort Bragg. She said the Obamas have a lot of work ahead of them to shore up deficiencies in the military's medical system.

"Right now the biggest concern would be taking care of the vets, making sure that the people that are coming home are getting the proper medical care _ not just for the Iraqi or Afghanistan vets, but also, there are a lot of Vietnam vets who haven't been receiving the proper care," Lewis said. "I believe (the Obamas) are headed in the right direction, but it's going to be a lot of work."

I think someone should give SFC Lewis a copy of the article posted above.

And finally all I have to say to Michelle is: Put your money where your mouth is, talk is cheap. Don't just use us as a backdrop to make you look like you care when your husband is taking even more benefits away from our vets.

Sorry Mom and Dad

2009-03-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

I didn't know, until I heard it on the news this morning, that there is a provision in the Omnibus bill to ease travel and remittance restrictions to Cuba.

CUBA TRAVEL AND TRADE

Obama has made clear he favors relaxing limits on family travel and cash remittances by Cuban Americans to Cuba, although he has said the U.S. trade embargo should stay in place to press for democratic reforms.

The Cuba proposals do not lift the overall U.S. embargo on the communist-run country, but would prohibit the Treasury Department from enforcing Bush administration rules requiring payment of cash in advance for agricultural sales to Cuba.

The legislation proposes to allow Americas with immediate family in Cuba to travel there once a year instead of once every three years and broadens the definition of immediate family.

"It's being done in a haphazard way without real clarity about the implications that it all will have," said Republican opponent of the provisions, Senator Mel Martinez from Florida, which is home to thousands of Cuban exiles like himself.

So this is where I feel I may need to apologize to my parents but why stop there?
Why not just completely do away with the embargo?

As the daughter and granddaughter of Cuban immigrants, I know what I am about to say goes against everything I should probably stand for (at least as far as my parents and grandparents are concerned)but here it goes: First of all what exactly is the embargo accomplishing? When it started 40-odd years ago the intent was to isolate the Castro Regime, who at the time was allying with the USSR. They posed a national security threat and the intention was to isolate and undermine the regime and lead to its downfall. Since 1991 and the fall of the Soviet Union Cuba really poses no threat and we are the only country with an embargo against Cuba and the Castro Regime is still in power. So I ask is it really working? What exactly is it achieving?

Well, in a speech Dan Griswold of the CATO Institute had this to say:

As a foreign policy tool, the embargo actually enhances Castro's standing by giving him a handy excuse for the failures of his homegrown Caribbean socialism. He can rail for hours about the suffering the embargo inflicts on Cubans, even though the damage done by his domestic policies is far worse. If the embargo were lifted, the Cuban people would be a bit less deprived and Castro would have no one else to blame for the shortages and stagnation that will persist without real market reforms.

Think about it, if Castro is using the embargo as propaganda to show the Cuban people how evil the Americans are and how all their suffering is because of the American embargo then who will he have to blame when the embargo is lifted? Who will they blame when there is no one left to blame for their failed policies.
And it's not just the Cuban government, but other countries blame the US for the economic hardships in Cuba. They don't bother to mention that not only do other countries, Canada, the EU and Latin American countries, trade with Cuba but that Cuba does have limited trade with the US:

In 2000, Congress approved a modest opening of the embargo. The Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 allows cash-only sales to Cuba of U.S. farm products and medical supplies. The results of this opening have been quite amazing. Since 2000, total sales of farm products to Cuba have increased from virtually zero to $380 million last year. From dead last in U.S. farm export markets, Cuba ranked 25th last year out of 228 countries in total purchases of U.S. farm products. Cuba is now the fifth largest export market in Latin America for U.S. farm exports. American farmers sold more to Cuba last year than to Brazil. Our leading exports to Cuba are meat and poultry, rice, wheat, corn, and soybeans.

So I say, in the spirit of transparency, go ahead and lift the embargo and lets see what happens. If the embargo hasn't fulfilled it's purpose yet then lets see what we can do when we are allowed to go to Cuba and spread our ideas and money on that island. Lets see what we can do when the government cant blame us for their problems anymore.

I'm with Sonny

2009-02-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

When I saw this picture I thought it summed it up perfectly for me.

So let me get this straight: Last week Obama signed the porkulus bill, now he says he wants to cut the deficit in half?
OK I know I'm not as enlightened as our fearless leader but if you want to cut the deficit in half why did you just sign that monstrosity of a bill? So he wants to cut the deficit to get us back at square one?

So my next thought was, well what exactly is going to be cut, because surely it will not be any of the pork or entitlements he just signed for. So what is he going to cut. Surely the defense budget is going to take a major hit.

I do love what he said about it yesterday:

"We cannot and will not sustain deficits like these without end," the president said in opening remarks to the summit. "We are paying the price for these deficits right now."

If we confront this crisis without also confronting the deficits that helped cause it we risk sinking into another crisis down the road," the president warned. "We cannot simply spend as we please and defer the consequences to the next budget, the next administration or the next generation."

"We will reinstate the pay as you go rule," he said. "You don't spend what you don't have."

Wow! We are paying the price now and throwing some more deficit on top for good measure. And we can't spend what we don't have? So, what, is he going to wave his magic wand and his porkulus is going to be paid for??
It gets more ridiculous by the minute.

I wasn't planning on watching the speech tonight but then Army Dude sent me a link to print out an Obingo card.
I think this might make it more interesting, the only thing that would make it any more tolerable is to turn it into a drinking game. To be honest, I'm tired of being preached to.
Here's hoping that he actually tells us what he's planing on doing, how he's planning to cut the deficit at the same time that he doubles it, and how he's going to spend money we don't have.

Happy watching!

It's Called Respect

2009-02-10T20:54:00.001-08:00

After seeing clips like these:

I had little doubt about the amount of respect that Obama had for the military.

And then last week I heard about the charges being dropped against the man that planned the bombing of the USS Cole.

I was outraged when I heard about this. I guess it's because it hits so close to home. I remember see the news on AFN. At the time, the Army Dude was on his first deployment since we had gotten married. So I was a little sensitive to these things and I not only was I heartbroken for those families but I was nervous because I thought, surely, we would retaliate in some way, and what would that mean for my little family. Yeah not so much. So here we are on the verge of finally trying this terrorist and he stops it. Never mind that 17 sailors died that day and many more were injured, we need to worry about what others think about us because of the interrogations and trials. It really makes me wonder about his priorities, and how exactly he views the brave men and women that serve our country.

Here's a video of the mother of one of the sailors killed that day. She voted for Obama and now is having second thoughts:

And then last night I came across a story about Obama considering lifting the ban on media coverage of flag draped coffins arriving back in the US.

At least two Democratic senators have called on President Barack Obama to let news photographers attend ceremonies at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and other military facilities when military remains are returned to the United States. Obama told reporters Monday he was reviewing the ban.

Shortly after Obama took office, Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey also asked the White House to roll back the ban that was put in place in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush.

In a Feb. 9 letter to Obama, Lautenberg said the Pentagon should develop a new policy to allow "respectful" media coverage while protecting the privacy of the victims and their families. Generally, the remains in the caskets are not publicly identified.

"I respectfully urge you to work to bring an end to the misguided policies of the past that seek to hide the sacrifice of our soldiers and the public recognition and pride that should accompany it," Lautenberg wrote.

He said the George W. Bush administration "effectively censored images of flag-draped caskets from appearing in media coverage."

So what exactly is the point in lifting the ban? What purpose would that serve, other than invading the privacy of the families that don't want their loved ones' coffins paraded around? Well a tid bit in an old AP article is very telling:

But Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, said photos of caskets coming home from Vietnam had a tremendous impact on the way Americans came to view that war.

“As people began to see the reality of it and see the 55,000 people who were killed coming back in body bags, they became more and more upset by the war,” he said. “This is not about privacy. This is about trying to keep the country from facing the reality of war.”

I'm sorry but the death of anyone in our military should not be politicized or used as a way to turn people on the war. That is a total disgrace and shows a major lack or respect. And that is just one of the reasons that the ban should not be lifted. Now if families want to honor their fallen loved ones then they can have media coverage and all the pictures and video they want after they are in possession of the remains, there is no ban on that. But please leave the media out of the ports of entry when they come back, for the privacy and dignity of the family members that do not want anything to do with that.
I thought about it a lot last night and thought maybe I feel a little strong about it because (God forbid) it could be my family one day. The last thing I would want is my husband's coffin being flashed on TV and in print. And I definitely would not want anything to do with the media at a time like that.
I asked the Army Dude if he felt the same way or if I was just being overly sensitive and he said he agreed with me 100%. He wouldn't want his coffin photographed or filmed and he wouldn't want me or Little Dude to have to deal with that at a time like that. He also said it shows a total lack of respect.

Here's another part of the first article that really pissed me off:

The fallen troops "died for all of us — they died for the nation, they died for the cause," Begleiter said in a January interview. "It's a right for all Americans to pay their respects for those who made the sacrifice. It is not a right held exclusively for the families themselves."

Is this guy serious? No it is not his or anyone else's right to invade the privacy of a grieving family! If they want to pay their respects then send flowers, donate to fund or show up at a local funeral, but it is not in any way his or anyone else's right to invade their privacy.

Hypocrisy

2009-02-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this commercial with Ashley Judd where she tells us we need to stop Sarah Palin from supporting the areal killing of wolves in Alaska?

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this was her hypocrisy. Someone should put up a video: Stop Ashley Judd. Start with someone saying how Ashley Judd supports the killing of innocent babies. At the same time show images of an abortion, maybe some pictures of discarded babies as the narrator explains the gruesome process. Then at the end: We have to stop Ashley Judd from killing innocent babies.

The second thing that ran through my mind was this:

Love the chicken voting for Col. Sanders comment. Because everyone knows that McCain/Palin eat women.

Criminal

2009-02-02T19:55:00.001-08:00

I came across this article about health care for California prisoners

Attorney General Jerry Brown noted at a news conference last week, a "gold-plated wish list" for California's prison health care system.

His Receivership wants to spend $8 billion to build seven new hospitals, each the size of 10 Wal-Marts, which would create "a holistic environment," with "music therapy, art therapy and other recreation therapy functions," a music room, stress-reduction room, game room and "therapy kitchen," with lots of natural light and high ceilings. A gymnasium would feature a "full-size high school playing court with basketball hoops and built-in edge seating up to four rows deep. Various floor striping allows for other games, such as volleyball, etc. Other sport activities include handball courts, exercise, and (a) workout room."

"The overarching value" of Plan Kelso is to create "a health care facility that cares for prisoners as patients and not a prison that cares for health care needs as inmates." No surprise: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation estimates the annual cost of operating these facilities to be between $170,000 and $230,000 per inmate.

Remember this is one of the first states crying for a bailout. But never mind that, why would we want to spend that kind of money on criminals? Why the heck would you build hospitals like that for inmates? Why would we treat criminals better than say military and military dependents?

According to the article:

health care spending per inmate rose from $7,601 per inmate in 2005-06 to $13,778 per inmate in 2007-08 -- an 81 percent increase and far above the average of $4,600 spent on health care per Californian.

When I read that I wondered how that compared to what Tricare spends for health care for military and military dependents. I came across the FY 2006 report to congress which gives totals for FY 2005. I crunched some numbers and came up with $2500 per beneficiary for FY 2005. No surprise here, the government spends less on our health care than California spends on the health care of its inmates. But then again California spends more in its inmates than the average cost of the rest of its population. It's really a sad that more is spent on criminals than on law abiding citizens and that more money is spent on their health care than that of the military. It's beginning to seem like the ultimate in welfare entitlements to me: free room and board, free health care...

What will the future hold?

2009-02-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

For the military at least and for our country's safety.

On Friday Jennifer Griffen reported that Obama's administration asked for the defense budget to be cut by more than 10%. I'm actually not surprised and look for that number to go up. I'm interested to see what exactly is going to get cut, something should come out Monday. In the article it says that they are looking at weapons programs.

Then, today, I saw this article about "war on terror" being dropped.

a few quotes from the article:

The "War on Terror" is losing the war of words. The catchphrase burned into the American lexicon hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is fading away, slowly if not deliberately being replaced by a new administration bent on repairing the U.S. image among Muslim nations.

Since taking office less than two weeks ago, President Barack Obama has talked broadly of the "enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism." Another time it was an "ongoing struggle."

He has pledged to "go after" extremists and "win this fight." There even was an oblique reference to a "twilight struggle" as the U.S. relentlessly pursues those who threaten the country.

OK so let's not call it what it is so we can repair our image among the people that cheered on the streets when thousands of our civilians were brutaly killed.
And I love the "struggle against terrorism and extremism." It sounds so lame and weak.
What exactly does he mean by "twilight struggle" - here's the definition of twilight:

twi⋅light /ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/ [twahy-lahyt]

–noun 1. the soft, diffused light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, either from daybreak to sunrise or, more commonly, from sunset to nightfall.
2. the period in the morning or, more commonly, in the evening during which this light prevails.
3. a terminal period, esp. after full development, success, etc.: the twilight of his life.
4. a state of uncertainty, vagueness, or gloom.
–adjective 5. of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim; obscure: in the twilight hours.
6. appearing or flying at twilight; crepuscular.

So what exactly does he mean by it? I think considering the meaning, that is an odd choice of words, gives the impression that it's something we can't win, or will be the death of us.

The thinking has evolved, he said, to focus on avoiding the kind of rhetoric "which could imply that this was a struggle against a religion or a culture."

Obama has made it clear in his first days in office that he is courting the Muslim community and making what is at least a symbolic shift away from the previous administration's often more combative tone.

So what culture and religion is terror? If a specific culture and religion is implied by the word terror then whose fault is it? The people who enact the terror or the ones that that prevent and defend against it?

But like he said in his first interview as President:

And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives.

RNC Chairman

2009-01-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

Even though I was in a less than great mood this afternoon I couldn't help but smile when I found out that Michael Steele was named the new Chairman of the RNC. YAY!
I had been hoping he would win for a while now. I think he'll be good for the party. loved his speech too:

Wierd Week

2009-01-30T16:30:00.000-08:00

I just want to crawl into a cave. There have been so many things going through my head this week that have made me think: What the heck is wrong with people???

First of all, we all know that the economy is doing bad, we have seen how many people have lost their jobs, its on the news all day everyday. At work we have had to do a lot of things to cut costs and are looking at everything non-value-added thing we do. There are a few things that they have decided to keep in for the employees, such as incentive programs for hourly attendance (which I brought up for review again, this time with numbers that got my VP's attention), service awards, and so on. Well all I have heard this week is why didn't I get the attendance bonus, when are you giving me my packet for my service award...STFU!!!! Seriously people? In times like these don't you think you should be happy to still have a job? I seriously think that some people need to get their priorities straight and worry about still having a job instead of stuff that the company voluntarily gives them.

Then yesterday I was emailing my friend Sarah when, for a reason totally unknown to me, my mind went off on three different tangents at once and I started thinking of someone I know and for some reason I thought for the first time the very sad fact that she makes more than I make, at my respectable 8 to 5 job, in tips as a stripper that she does not report and receives wellfare. She doesn't just make more than me she makes more in a couple of days than I make in the whole week. So not only is she making all that money where she doesn't need wellfare but she's not even paying taxes on any of that money and she's getting benefits. WHAT?? OK wait a minute, why are we busting our butts to provide for our family when we can just cheat the system and get money from the taxpayers? I feel like I'm being had! Well actually I could never do something like that because I take pride in my job and I'm proud to tell people where I work just like I'm happy that my child loves to tell people where I work. I'd hate it if my child told strangers that when his mom goes to work she dances on a stage with a pole. Little surprise here but this person is from the same family as the friend who told me that she was mad her kids didn't vote for Obama because they needed to vote for the one that would keep them on wellfare.
How do people say things like that with a good conscience? I would never dream of saying something like that. It seems like some people expect the government to pick up where their parents left off.

Show Some Chicago Toughness

2009-01-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday, Obama was making fun of a snow day in the DC area:

After his daughters got a snow day Wednesday, President Barack Obama wants to see a little bit of "flinty, Chicago toughness" applied locally.
"When it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things," a joking Obama told reporters Wednesday morning.

"My children's school was canceled today because of what? Some ice."

But come to find out that he doesn't like the cold:

The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

How nice. This is also the same guy that said we needed to turn down our thermostats?

Just be Thankful

2009-01-27T19:04:00.000-08:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago when that United Airways plane sucked birds in it's engine and the Captain was able to land it in the Hudson. How amazing that everyone survived right? While listening to the news coverage that night and in the days following I kept thinking wow! You don't expect many, if any, survivors when a plane goes down and it was just amazing that everyone walked away. I kept wondering how I would feel if I was in that situation. How happy I would be to have survived and to be able to walk off that plane and be able to see my family again, it would be like having another chance and boy, grateful would not even begin to cover it.

Then, I forget what show I was watching, I saw someone on TV wonder out loud how long it would take for someone to file suit.

Well, according to Gary Stoller of USA Today it could be sooner than later.

So US Airway is reimbursing the price of the ticket to everyone on board and sending $5000 to cover immediate costs but some people aren't happy with that:

Joe Hart, a salesman from Charlotte who suffered a bloody nose and bruises, says he "would like to be made whole for the incident."

It's too soon after the accident to determine what emotional distress he has suffered, he says...In addition to recovering losses, Hart says he's concerned about having trouble flying. He's flown on six planes since the accident, and each flight has gotten "progressively more difficult."

He says he was tense, sweated and "felt every bit of turbulence" on a Los Angeles-to-Philadelphia flight last week, though it wasn't that turbulent a flight.

Hart says he has talked to a lawyer in North Carolina but hasn't decided whether to take any legal action.

"I want to see how things play out with US Airways," he says. "I'm hopeful US Airways understands the significance of the incident."

I really hope this lawyer he's talking to tells him he should be happy he's alive. I'm not a bible thumper but I do believe in God and I do believe it is a miracle that everyone survived that crash and maybe he should just take that gift and be glad he's not dead. Hey guy you just survived a plane crash! Not many people can say they walked away when the plane they were in went down! Maybe instead of wanting to get what you can out of it you should be thankful that you had a very good very competent pilot at the helm and that you walked away! But it's not just him, apparently some other passengers have contacted a law firm in New York.

Some of the passengers did understand what was really important in all of this, the fact that they came out of it with their lives:

Sanderson, a father of four, says he's thankful he could celebrate his 48th birthday on Friday and has no reason to talk to an attorney.

"US Air has been doing the right thing," he says. "Everyone is acting in a responsible way."

Fred Berretta, who suffered a small cut on his head during the crash landing, says US Airways representatives have called frequently and treated him very well. He says that a few personal mementos from his father were left behind but that the money sent by US Airways covers the value of his belongings.

Berretta, who works for a financial services company, was flown home to Charlotte after the crash on his company's jet.

"I'm a private pilot, and I'm sure I'll be flying again," he says. "But it might be a little while before I fly for pleasure again."

Amber Wells of Charlotte says she's so thankful to have survived and to be with her 9-month-old daughter, Rayley, that she hasn't had time to think about her belongings.

She says she lost $2,000 of nursing equipment and a laptop computer, as well as a checked bag and a carry-on bag.

"Everything that's gone can be replaced," says Wells, 34, a senior manager for NASCAR. "My life cannot be replaced."

Thank you very much Mrs. Wells!

First Interview

2009-01-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

So who did you think the first formal sit down interview of the Obama presidency would go to?
I would have thought maybe ABC, NBC, or CBS but definitely not al Arabiya.
I don't really know what to think about this, on the one hand I want to think well he's reaching out. Then I think the first interview?? Why would you give your first interview to a foreign network for a foreign audience? Why wouldn't you give your first interview to one of our own networks for a home audience, seeing as how you are our new president. So mostly I'm just miffed.

In case you want to read a transcript of the president's first interview as president, which was meant for the Arab world, instead of his fellow Americans,you can find it here

Now what I took away from reading it is that there may be some magic wand that he will be able to wave and fix everything that troubles the Middle East.

I found this exchange humorous:

Q How concerned are you and -- because people sense that you have a different political discourse. And I think, judging by (inaudible) and Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden and all these, you know -- a chorus --

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I noticed this. They seem nervous.

Q They seem very nervous, exactly. Now, tell me why they should be more nervous?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that when you look at the rhetoric that they've been using against me before I even took office --

Yes they do sound so nervous since Obama took office. Especially after he said that capturing Bin Laden isn't that big a deal anymore. And he hasn't done anything that will make them nervous. Everything that has been done to cripple the Al Qaeda network was done before him. Maybe he should step back and quit patting his own back before he has even done anything.

And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that. And that I think is going to be an important task.

No your job is to be our president. By the way remember what we were doing 20-30 years ago? Supplying Afghanistan (esp. the taliban) with weapons and training to combat the Russians which they then used to take control and provide a safe haven for Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda.

Geography Lesson Anyone?

2009-01-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

Because I love it when know-it-all celebrities show their true ignorance:

Clearly Jessica Alba needs to just stand there and look pretty.

And following on yesterday's unity theme, racism courtesy of Jay Z and Jeezy:

But it's the Republicans that didn't vote for Obama that are racist right? What I don't understand is why no one has come out to publicly condemn this.

Michelle Fashion - A Don't!

2009-01-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not getting what some people are seeing as Michelle Obama's supposed fashion sense.

From election night we got this black widow inspired piece. Halloween was the week before.

This is like the only thing she's ever worn that I like so I have to aknowledge it.

Where do I start, the jacket and dress combo is so old fashioned and the patern looks like something you'd find in an old lady's bedroom curtains and that's the color of the snot I was blowing all weekend and it totally didn't go with the green shoes and gloves. eww!

This looks like a cross between a college frat party toga and a tent.

And with that I'll leave you with the wise words of Rev. Joseph Lowery from the inauguration today:

We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around. When yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.

What a difference...

2009-01-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

4 years and a Democrat president elect make:

Giving Bush a Pass:

This week's inauguration story came ready with two interesting news angles: the huge cost (in contrast with the dire situation in Iraq) and the unprecedented security...And it might have been helpful in the limited media debate that did take place about the inauguration's costs to point out that if the $40 million to $50 million raised for the GOP's parties had been donated to the war effort, as some have suggested, the money would have covered only about six hours of the U.S. military's operations in Iraq. (Costs are running roughly $110,000 per minute there.)

Coronation costs:

Barack Obama's inauguration is set to cost more than £100m making it the most expensive swearing-in ceremony in US history...Barack Obama's inauguration is set to cost more than £100m making it the most expensive swearing-in ceremony in US history.

So never mind that we are in this horrible recession and people are losing their homes and so on and so on because what is about $150 million when we are talking in trillions these days?

A Little of this and a Little of That

2009-01-07T21:22:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few things that I found interesting today.

Yesterday I posted about the race baiters on GMA staging a fake racist encounter.
Well I came across this other segment on that same race baiting series:

Ugly Americans

OK so please explain something to me: What exactly is the point of planting two - bad - actors in a Parisian cafe to act like a chricature (on steroids)of the "typical stupid American tourist"? What exactly are they trying to prove? I sure don't know because none of that is real, all it is doing is puting this grossly exagerated perseption out there for people to react on and to stir the hate again. And don't you love it when the reporter comments that OMG they ordered steak tartar well done! OMG what an elitist snob! If someone doesn't know what steak tartar is and they order it well done anyone with some sense would explain to them what it is not ridicule because of it. It's another American hating fake news report.

By the way, I've been to Paris and neither I nor any of the Americans that I went with acted like that and none of the Americans I encountered there acted like that and the French people that I came into contact with at restaurants and the metro were all polite and friendly. Same goes for when we went to Normandy where there were even more Americans (none of which acted like this fake couple).

On another note: Let me play the proud parent for a second. I was going through the Little Dude's notebook today and looking at the papers he brought home from school when I came across this sealed envelope from the counselor. I thought oh no what is it (no faith!). When I opened it up it was a permission for to test him for the gifted program! YAY! I'm so proud of him. He doesn't really understand what it is and he was a little hesitant to take the test because he thought he would get in trouble if he failed or that he would have to leave his class (and he's in love with his teacher) if he passed. But after I explained what it was to him and that both his father and I took and passed the test when we were in school he got excited about it. Actually he got excited when I told him I'd let him play wii every day for a week if he passed LOL. Nothing like some motivation!

Racist Americans

2009-01-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

You have to watch this clip from Good Morning America's What would you do segment Up Close with Racism.

In short they staged the scene at a Deli in New Jersey. The guy behind the counter and the "migrant workers" are all hired by Good Morning America and in on the scene. So they pretty much set the people in the deli up, under false pretenses, to then show how nasty and racist Americans are. It is absolutely ridiculous. They have stooped to the level of staging not-news and trying to pass it off as news. Talk about a lack of integrity. These race baiters tried to instigate hateful and racist reactions and comments from unsuspecting patrons to try to prove their liberal view point. And I think it pretty much backfired on them because notice that they only showed one person that reacted the way they had hoped, the other two examples were Americans sticking up for their fake Mexicans.

Is it just me or are you sick and tired of hearing how racist we are as Americans?

What were they thinking?

2009-01-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

Senator Al Franken? Please tell me this is a bad joke. Who in their right mind would vote for that clown to be their senator? Then again they voted to keep Elmer Fudd in the House over in MA so I guess anything is possible. I get the feeling that there is something fishy going on behind the scenes there. If not then they get the garbage they voted for.

Fifty Years Later

2009-01-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the revolution that has left Cuba a decrepit, poverty stricken, crumbling country.

Here is how it is being covered:

AP writer Anita Snow tells us how Cuba celebrates revolution's 50th anniversary

When President George W. Bush leaves office, the revolution will have outlasted 10 American presidents who maintained strict U.S. sanctions aimed at overthrowing the Cuban leadership.

Yes, the communist regime has outlasted 10 presidents but the difference is that those are freely elected presidents with term limits. But it's not fair to say that they have outlasted 10 presidents. A more appropriate analogy would be that the US became a democratic country 233 years ago and we are still the same democratic country.

William Booth with the Washington Post had this to say:

President Raúl Castro and the Cuban government celebrated the 50th anniversary of their revolution Thursday night in a nostalgic but low-key event that was far removed from the triumphant displays and mass rallies of their socialist glory days, as ordinary Cubans continue to struggle daily through hard times brought on by a sputtering state-run economy and a decades-long trade and travel embargo by the United States.

Lets keep in mind that the US is the ONLY country with an embargo against Cuba. To blame the US for what is wrong with the Cuban economy is beyond disingenuous, it's a down right lie, and the Castro brothers' propaganda, and excuse, of choice as to why their people have to suffer so much.

Jeff Franks of Reuters:

The revolution's landmark anniversary comes at a time when the era of Fidel Castro, now 82 and in poor health, is winding down and uncertainty hangs over the future of the Cuba he built into an improbable world player admired for its social gains but criticized for its human rights record.

The only social gains to be admired is in the area of Education. Cuba does have a remarkable 99.8% literacy rate. But health care in Cuba is nothing like what Michael Moore makes it out to be (unless of course you are an elite government official or a medical tourist). And their housing and infrastructure is crumbling and the people are starving.

Last term I did a term paper on the effects of Communism on Cuba and I came across these sites and articles. Some of them were truly disturbing, and they all paint a picture of Cuba that Castro doesn't want the rest of the world to see.

The Cuban American National Foundation tells us about the Myth vs. Reality of Cuban health care

This article by Isabel Vincent caught my attention because she's reporting from the town my dad is from.

And for a very graphic and disturbing view of what health care in Cuba is like for the Average Cuban look no further than The Real Cuba. I have to warn you some of the pictures on this site are sad, disturbing, disgusting, somewhat explicit and downright heartbreaking but definitely worth a look to get the sense of what universal health care is really like in Cuba for the great majority of the population.

My point with all this is that as that I don't get the point in celebrating a regime that has put Cuba on a backward path. I don't see what these reporters are seeing, or maybe they aren't seeing what I'm seeing and what my parents saw.

I would rather see articles that give a glimpse at the real Cuba, no celebrate the charade the Castro brothers put out for the world.

In my research I came across a couple of articles by Larry Solomon that I think are more fitting.

From Fidel Batista! Fidel Castro Out-Thugs Fulgencio Batista

But Cuba and its U.S.-style constitution was also an economic powerhouse with potent social institutions and impressive accomplishments. A 1958 United Nations report ranked Cuba's vibrant free press eighth in the world, and first in Latin America. Despite its much smaller population, Cuba had 160 radio stations compared to the U. K.'s 62 and France's 50. It had 23 television stations compared to Mexico's 12 and Venezuela's 10. The tiny country supported 58 newspapers, fourth in Latin America behind populous Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

Cuba once installed telephones at a rapid rate. No more. It once ranked first in Latin America, fifth in the world, in television sets per capita, and also ranked high in radios, automobiles, and many other consumer goods. No more. With the population increased and the housing stock degraded, more people suffer inadequate housing today than ever before, and sanitary conditions have become a scandal through much of the country.

And from Cuba's Cruel Joke

Welcome to Cuba, 44 years into the Revolution that was to industrialize the economy, eradicate hunger and eliminate the gap between rich and poor in this island nation, previously the most prosperous in the Caribbean. Today, the once-muscular Cuban economy is in tatters and its much lauded social safety net a cruel joke. The poor, in reality, are bled to support the lifestyles of the government elite, which lives in luxury - the driveways of the Havana honchos sport Mercedes - while its populace goes hungry.

Some Cubans outside government - increasingly those who obtain patronage positions in the tourist industry, where they receive tips and other payments in U.S. dollars - manage comfortable, if meagre, existences. With dollars, they can shop in the many "dollar" shops, where they can obtain some of the consumer goods, medicines and dairy products that most Cubans, prior to the Revolution, could readily obtain.

The great majority of Cubans, however, are left to fend for themselves in a pitiless system. Most must "do business" to survive, as Cubans put it, because most cannot subsist on the typical wages - the equivalent of about 50 cents a day - that the government sets for them. The old woman at the lunch counter begged for food; other Cubans beg for old clothes or for medicine, or sell peanuts on street corners. Young men sell cigars and other goods in the burgeoning black market; young women sell their bodies in the burgeoning sex trade.

Without dollars, life is grim. People line up at dimly lit government distribution centres, ration books in hand - libretas, the government calls them - for their monthly allocation. The books, which were established in 1962 to "guarantee the equitable distribution of food without privileges for a few," entitle Cubans to 2.5 kilograms of rice, 1 kilogram of fish, 1/2 kilogram of beans, 14 eggs and sundry other basics at subsidized prices. Through the libreta, each Cuban also gets one bread roll a day. Every two months, a Cuban is entitled to one bar of hand soap and one bar of laundry soap. Fresh fruits and vegetables come infrequently; meat might come once or twice a year. Until the mid-1990s, children under seven were entitled to fresh milk, but fresh milk, like butter, cheese and other dairy products, is now off the shelves. Before the revolution, two litres of fresh milk cost 15 U.S. cents, well within the means of the poor.

Cuba's poor are also squeezed in the other necessities of life. Even in central Havana, people commonly carry water by bucket from standpipes in the street to their homes, and then lift the buckets by rope to the higher floors, because their buildings' broken water pipes go unrepaired. Those lucky enough to have working water pipes can get water at the tap - but only at certain times. In one dense urban neighbourhood that I visited, the water flowed from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., during which time families scrambled to fill pots and pans inside their homes for drinking water, and former oil drums outside their homes for washing. About the time that the water came on, the electricity went off - it, too, is rationed by daily blackouts.

In buildings where one or two families might have once lived, today live many. The inner courtyards of Cuba's residences have become miniature shanty towns, cinder block housing units or other improvisations piled on top of one another. The units - often two small rooms totalling 200 square feet - can house an extended family of seven, 10 or even 12. The rooms are often windowless or near-windowless, the ceilings low and oppressive. Among these buildings packed with people lie many identical buildings, but appropriated for government use. In the space that might house 50 or 100 people will sit one government functionary, bored and idle at a desk, the premises otherwise near-empty.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T09:13:00.000-08:00

I, for one, can't believe we are on the eve of a new year already.

Here is a funny little year in review from JibJab:

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Anyone have any good plans for ringing in the new year? We really don't either. We are supposed to go to a friend's house tonight but, truth be told, I just can't seem to get myself excited about it. Maybe I just need to get moving and get the blood flowing. Maybe do some shopping later, and I'm sure a few shots at the party will do wonders too. lol
In any case, I hope everyone has a very safe, happy, and prosperous new year.

Part of the Problem

2008-12-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

Don't ask me how C-SPAN 2 ended up on our TV but we've been listening to Greg Simon spew to students from American University for about half an hour now. And what exactly is he talking about? The merits of raising gas prices to $4 an gallon again to subsidize other things.
And why? Well one of his reasons is because the government knows how to spend our money better than we do. When it came up that people wouldn't be happy about the government raising the price he said it isn't about the individual but about the common good. OK what ever.
Then when discussing the cons someone brought up high food prices and he said that people would just have to buy local and eat what is grown locally and in season. OK so how about the people that live in the North where fruits and veggies don't grow in the winter?

Here is the video. It's really long but you can watch bits and pieces of it to get an idea of what this putz was saying.

And by the way who is Greg Simon. Well if you watched any of the video you would know by now lol. Seriously though, he used to be the chief domestic policy advisor to VP Algore and has recently been named to Obama's transition team. Sign of things to come.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Georgia!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

This is what I mean!

2008-12-24T20:48:00.000-08:00

As we wait for Santa to arrive I surfing the Internet and I came across this article about President Bush and VP Cheney sending personal letters and privately visiting the families of fallen troops and visiting with wounded troops.

For much of the past seven years, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have waged a clandestine operation inside the White House. It has involved thousands of military personnel, private presidential letters and meetings that were kept off their public calendars or sometimes left the news media in the dark.

The First Lady on why these meetings were kept private:

The first lady said that many of the meetings have been kept private because "these are such personal times when people grieve. And we grieve with them. And these are not times when you would want a camera in the room or other people around. They are very emotional, personal times.

I like this story, love how the President took the time out of his day to just sit around with these two soldiers and just talk to them and visit with them beyond what was scheduled.

Some private meetings with soldiers have been publicized at the request of the soldiers themselves. When Mr. Bush met with Spc. Max Ramsey, who lost his left leg in 2006 while serving in Iraq, and Sgt. Neil Duncan, a double-amputee injured in Afghanistan in 2005, it was Sgt. Duncan who asked for news coverage.

"I wasn't sure my buddies would believe me," Sgt. Duncan said, joking with the president. When Mr. Bush had visited him at Walter Reed, the sergeant had vowed to run again, and did so on the White House South Lawn's jogging track in July 2007.

Although it was a Wednesday, Mr. Bush - who had scheduled a brief run - pulled the two soldiers through the trees to the White House pool after their jog.

"The group of us just sat there for like two hours maybe and chatted. On a whim, he just took two hours out of his schedule. ... We talked about personal things, how he feels about the war, what's been hard, what it's like being the president, some of the most difficult times for him. It was very, very cool - priceless."

When I read this article all I could think about was Obama and how he scraped his trip to visit wounded troops at Landstuhl when he found out the media couldn't follow him.

Speaking of Obama, he's on vacation in Hawaii staying at some multi-million dollar place but each morning he has taken the time to Marine Corp Base Hawaii. Are they there to meet with the Marines and their families? Are they there for a morale visit? Well that depends on whose morale we are talking about. They have been going there every morning to work out. After the workouts it's back to the multi-million dollar pads. What, you didn't actually expect them to stay there did you?

Obama and wife, Michelle, made their early morning trek to Marine Corps Base Hawaii just northeast of Honolulu as they had done during the last three days. After about an hour at the base on Wednesday where he went inside a gym for a workout, he walked over to greet more than 60 people who waited for him. The president-elect shook hands while onlookers took pictures with their cell phones and digital cameras.

The only reason these people got this impromptu photo-op with him was because they happened to know he was there and waited outside for him. Had they not been there then Obama wouldn't have been bothered to meet with anyone on that base. Once again he cares more to hit the gym than visit with the brave men and women that serve on the base. So much for a cause close to their heart. What's really sad is that only about 60 people bothered to show up.

Eco-Nuts

2008-12-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

File this under the Eco-nuts gone, well, nuts. Seatle refuses to salt frozen roads

Some of the highlights:

"We're trying to create a hard-packed surface," said Alex Wiggins, chief of staff for the Seattle Department of Transportation.

So what he's saying is that they are trying to create a skating rink out of Seattle roads?

"If we were using salt, you'd see patches of bare road because salt is very effective," Wiggins said. "We decided not to utilize salt because it's not a healthy addition to Puget Sound."

Correct me if I'm wrong here but is Puget Sound not a body of salt water? He makes it sound like they are dumping radio active waste on the streets and that Puget Sound is going to turn into a barren wasteland if they clear the streets with, god forbid, salt. By the way isn't salt a naturally occurring mineral that occurs in the water and the land? And I just love how he admits that if they used salt it would clear the streets right up; salt, dangerous substance we sprinkle on our food for flavor.

Seattle also equips its plows with rubber-edged blades. That minimizes the damage to roads and manhole covers, but it doesn't scrape off the ice, Wiggins said.

That leaves many drivers, including Seattle police, pretty much on their own until nature does to the snow what the sand can't: melt it.

The city's patrol cars are rear-wheel drive. And even with tire chains, officers are avoiding hills and responding on foot, according to a West Precinct officer.

Criminals of Seattle here is your chance!

Cheryl Kuck, spokeswoman for the Portland Bureau of Transportation, said her city prepared the streets last week with the "anti-icing" spray. Once the snow started, Portland used chemical de-icers, followed by plowing with 55 plows and treating trouble spots with sand and gravel.

Although the city had plowed 29 of its 36 major routes, "nothing is clear," Kuck said late Monday afternoon. "This is a difficult and challenging situation that's going to take us a long time to recover from."

And another environmentally nutty city refuses to use salt and nothing is clear, and it's going to take a long time to recover. Of course this wouldn't have happened if they used some salt.

If I lived there I would take my box of salt and sprinkle it out in the street in front of my house, hopefully start a trend with the neighbors. We did it in Germany once to clear the sidewalk in front of our building. It works, and it's so safe you can eat it! This is just ridiculous.

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!

2008-12-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

Actually it's been looking like Christmas but at my house we are officially ready for the holiday!

For the last two nights Little Dude and I have been candy making fools. We made pumpkin fudge (sounds weird but it is really really good), and pralines (it's been really hard not to eat it all lol) and tonight he wants to make more so I'm thinking we'll make chocolate fudge.

Today I braved the mob and finished my Christmas shopping. I woke up bright and early and made my way down to the mall, which was pretty empty that early, and took advantage of the sales to buy $500 in winter coats for $100. I love getting a good deal. Then I went from wally world to wally world looking for cammo seat covers for Army Dude's truck. There was only 1 left at the first one, so I left and went to the other store and they only had 1 left too. Do they order these in odd numbers or do people only buy 1? And who the heck would buy just 1 seat cover? Weird. So this time I bought the 1 seat cover and went back across town hoping that no one felt the need to buy just one seat cover.

Speaking of Christmas shopping, Little Dude and I went to Target the other day to do some more Christmas shopping, we were walking through the books when he spots a book with Obama on the cover. He picks up the book, reads the title, looks up at me and says: "Ugh mom, the last thing I want to see when I walk through the store is a picture of Obama on a book. That is one book I will not read. I just can't believe he is going to be our president!" OK, thanks seven year old dissenter. I keep telling him that those are things that a seven year old shouldn't worry about but at the same time it brings a smile to my face.

All that we have left to do is wrap all the presents, which for me is 100x's worse than having to brave mobs at the store and the traffic jams to get there. That will come tonight, unless something better comes up like another family tournament of Mario Kart!

Just Another Reason...

2008-12-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

Why I absolutely can't stand when the Obamas claim they care about the military so much.

I complained about it a few times during the campaign, especially when he would bring it up in the debates and then there was that clip where he said he would cut funding and another where he said he thought about joining the military once but didn't think it was important. And I would cringe every time I saw Michelle having a "town hall meeting" with spouses at military bases. It always seemed to disingenuous.

But according to Michelle military families are going to be one of her "issues" as first lady:

I would be honored to be first lady. I would work daily on the issues closest to my heart: helping working women and families, particularly military families.

Fast forward to the present day and the Obamas want to move into the Blair House (guest house across the street from the White House) early because their kids start school January 5. Unfortunately for them it will not be available until January 15, which is the traditional move in date for president elects.

OK, as part of a military family all I can think is cry me a river.

But it gets better! On Friday's Good Morning America they had a segment on this story and David Wright tells us the this little nugget of information:

The White House kindly offered up temporary accommodations on a nearby military base. The Obamas politely declined.

HA! Michelle dear, by either moving to Washington on the 15th or staying on the military base you'll finally have one thing in common with a military family: Uprooting your family at a not so convenient time for you school aged children or living in military housing (although you'd be staying in a much nicer house than most other military families). But I guess you are too good for either. I really get a kick out of the fact that they declined to stay on a military base when she says that military families are an issue close to her heart. I guess we are like a charitable novelty. One of those things that sound good in theory but god forbid you have to live where they do for 10 days (horrors!). She always seemed so insincere when talking to these military spouses, bored even. She never cared about them before but all of a sudden they are dear to her heart? I always thought she was trying to repair her image after saying she was proud of her country for the first time in her adult life and that America was a downright mean country. And now I believe that even more.

So next time I hear her or Obama try to tell us that they support our military or that the military families are dear to their hearts I'm going to think about him saying he didn't think it was important to serve, that as president he'd cut defense spending and that they declined to stay on a military base when the Bush administration was trying to accommodate them in their desire to move to DC early and then I will throw up in my mouth a little.

If Only

2008-12-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

If only I could get a raise every year no matter how dismal my performance (and it was up to me to decide to vote against it).
That's exactly what congress gets to do this year.

According to the latest Rasmussen telephone survey Congress has an appalling 9% approval rating. That's embarrassing. And yet they voted themselves a raise, an extra $4700 for 2009. That comes out to a 2.8% raise next year. OK here's the deal, if you worked where I work and you had a 9% approval you'd be fired, forget the raise.

I think the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste said it best:

"Members of Congress don't deserve one additional dime of taxpayer money in 2009," said CCAGW President Tom Schatz. "While thousands of Americans are facing layoffs and downsizing, Congress should be mortified to accept a raise. They failed to pass most of their appropriations bills, the deficit is on pace to reach an unprecedented $1 trillion, and the national debt stands at $10 trillion. In addition, this Congress has been ethically challenged, plagued with corruption allegations, convictions, and sex scandals."
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) probably rues the day she so blithely promised that Democrats would 'lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history.' Instead, there has been a relentless degradation of the ethics rules. While Congress has sat in judgment of everyone from oil company executives and financial services industry executives to domestic automaker CEOs, it has failed spectacularly to police itself.

And in the spirit of the season:

"If Congressional leaders believe that the taxpayers should give pay raises to this rogue's gallery of ineptitude and venality, they ought to step away from the spiked egg nog," concluded Schatz

By the way: Did anyone catch 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl say that Elmer Fudd is the smartest guy in Congress?

Sign of the Times

2008-12-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

**NOTE CLICK PAUSE ON BOTH OF THE VIDEOS BELOW** They automatically start playing when you load the page and it's really annoying. Play when you are ready to watch and don't miss them.

This time last year there were so many yummy goodies on the table behind my desk that there wasn't room for anymore. This year we got one tin of yummy pecans (I was in pecan heven!) and that's been it. Hmmm...must be the economy.

Another sign of the times: I swear the insane are running the asylum! On sunday two cops tried to pull over a thug in a stolen SUV, which by the way they had reports that he had drugs and guns in said stolen SUV. When he wouldn't stop for them they boxed him in at which point is started raming the police cars. One of the officers had gotten out of his car to apprehend said thug who then tried to run the officer over. So the officer shot him in self defense. The people of the projects (where this upstanding young citizen tried to run from police and turned an SUV into a deadly weapon) rioted. When his family took him off life support, last night, they held a candle light vigil for the thug and then started throw bottles and rocks at the police. At one point an officer patroling in his car hear gun shots, turns out his car had been hit by a bullet. Thankfully he didn't get hit.
I read some of the comments in the newspaper's story online and it was absolutely ridiculous, people saying things like he was trying to flee they should have let him go. Yes of course because we should let all criminals do as they please. And of course it's a racial thing, damn those racial cops, nevermind that of the two cops involved in the incident, one was African American the other was Hispanic.
What I don't understand is why it is that when a known drug dealing thug who tries to run over a cop while fleeing in a stolen vehicle is shot in self defense riots break out and damned be the police; but if the officer wouldn't have shot the thug and he would have run over and killed the officer he would have been a cult hero in the projects. Where are the riots when a police officer is killed in the line of duty? Why are the no good piece of trash criminals exhalted and the people that go out there everyday and put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe treated like garbage?
Here is a history of the arrest record of this fine young citizen:

By the way all the comments to this video are along the lines of his past doesn't matter, he did so much good and you are making him look bad. No he made himself look bad.

And the outrage!

Don't you just love when this guy says they can't fight these men with their guns. That's how he talks about the deputies. Here's a thought, quit breaking the law!
It just seems so simple. Instead of inciting hate and the victim mentality why don't you teach your children to respect the law and to be good responsible citizens?
And by the way, in one of the comments I read from the news paper today it said that witnesses said he was just stoped at the stop sign when he was shot, but notice the stolen vehicle is on the grass. I guess things must be different on that side of town, you don't drive on the asphalt you drive on the lawn.

Pictures

2008-12-07T11:17:00.001-08:00

Finally! Here are some pictures from the Chambliss rally last week:

This first one is a view of the line. This is actually about halfway through the line. Here we were standing at the corner, that building in the distance is the James Brown Arena.

We got a kick out of this sign:

Gov. Perdue introduced Senator Chambliss:

Senator Chambliss and his lovely wife:

And of course, the reason everyone got up bright and early to stand in line out in the cold, Gov. Palin:

It really was great, mother's took their young daughters, high school kids went with their friends, men and women both went wild when she came out. She really has gotten people into politics that normally would not be. I would be willing to bet that most people there that morning would not have stood out in below freezing temperatures if she was not going to be there. I wold have rolled over and gone back to sleep under my nice warm blankets myself.

Random

2008-12-06T22:23:00.000-08:00

I’m supposed to be working on an assignment for the Political Theory class I’m taking, not to mention the term paper I have due in a week. I can’t think of anything that I want to write and instead I find myself watching game shows with the Little Dude on GSN. We’ve been watching GSN (which is Little Dude’s new favorite channel) for the past 2 hours and I’ve come to realize that they will turn any and every idea into a game show. I’ve also come to realize that Little Dude is an old man trapped in a little kid’s body and that anything and everything will distract me from doing my school work.
Earlier today Little Dude was in the yearly G’town Christmas parade, on the Cub Scout float. It was so much fun. There is nothing like a small town parade and this one does not disappoint. The starting point is in one of the first subdivisions when you come in to town, that’s where all the floats and bands line up, and it goes down past the fire and police department and city hall about two miles to the IGA. The participants throw candy to the crowd and if you sit in the right spot (right at the start of the parade route) you can get as much candy as you would going trick or treating with none of the effort. I have to download the pictures I took today and I’ll post some.
Speaking of pictures, Army Dude downloaded all pictures that I had trapped in my camera. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have some time to post pictures from the Saxby Chambliss rally. But first I want to finally get down to the Christmas tree farm and buy a wreath and work on these last two assignments for this term (yes really work on them). By the way I just got an email from the professor from the other class. I got an A on the final, add that to the fact that I got an A in all the assignments turned in and YAY!!! I survived that crazy lady’s class! HA!

The Latest

2008-12-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

There is a possibility that the Army Dude will be going somewhere in Korea that I can go with him. Last night we briefly talked about it but we didn't really go into details. We just talked about him possibly not finding out till he gets there and how it would be difficult for me to get everything situated here to go over there and do we really want to do that for one year. I think he's right, there would be an awful lot that I would have to do: get the house ready to rent, get our stuff packed and shipped, do something with the boat and four-wheeler, and so on. But then I thought about what a great opportunity this would be for the Little Dude to see a different part of the world (like really different not just Europe different) and I would love to get that opportunity for myself as well. Then I went back to thinking about having to leave everything here to go there for a couple of years only to come back here. And then I thought about how not many people get a chance to live there, and then I thought that this PCS (permanent change of station) is already putting a hold on expanding our family and if I go it would do so by an extra year. But it really would be an exciting opportunity. I don't know.
And speaking of our family planning. I had the Little Dude young. And when I had him we said we would not have another one until he started kindergarten. When that time came I really didn't feel like I wanted another one, I guess I wasn't ready. Now I'm ready but it's a bad time. If he does go for a year that would put me at having another baby when I'm 30. I thought for sure that I'd have a second child when I was 26 maybe 27. When I think that I had Little Dude when I was 21 it seems like such a long time and it makes me wonder if maybe I waited too long. I don't realize how long we've waited until I think about what age I had my first and what age I would have my second.

More on the bailout

2008-12-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

The Mayor of Lansing MI on the Bailout:

What he fails to mention is that the Motor Trend Car of the Year is the Cadillac CTS MSRP for a base, manual transmission CTS: $34,420. Yeah let me run out and buy one of those. And the MPG is comparable to the MPG I get from my SUV. He makes a big deal about it being an award winning car but come on I don't care what Motor Trend says, a person is going to buy what they can afford and what they want.

As far as the safety goes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety There were 72 winners of the Top Safety Pick award. Of those 72 winners 55 are foreign vehicles (some of which are made in America by the way which the mayor very conveniently left out). I also thought it was interesting that there were no American made minivans, and most of the SUV's and pick-up trucks are foreign. Typical American vehicles you'd think that the American car makers would run away with those. Another interesting fact, Chrysler didn't have any Top Safety Picks, didn't they already get a bail out and paid it back and now are asking for another one? Why is that?

Busy Little Bee

2008-12-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

That's me!

I have been super busy lately. That's why I haven't been able to post much, although, trust me, I have wanted to!

Like I said before, last week I got sick just in time for Thanksgiving and didn't start feeling better until Monday afternoon. While I was sick I slowed down on school work because I couldn't concentrate so now I have to pick up the pace. The term is almost done, today I did the final for the political geography class and now I have to finish working on the term paper for political theory which is due next weekend. We also have our town Christmas parade that little dude is going to be in again this year (we have to set up the float Friday too) and of course the SEC Championship is Saturday as well, ROLL TIDE! and next weekend is little dude's birthday. I can't believe he's going to be 7 already.
Oh and did I mention the Army Dude has a new assignment. Looks like Korea. I don't really know what to think, I'm relieved in a way that we get to stay put but then again I want to go with him. I love to travel and to experience new places and Korea would be so cool. I've had a couple of friends who have been there that liked it and one of my good friends lived there when her dad was in the Air Force and she loved it too. We've done the year separation before so we know what that's about but it wont hit me until he leaves and we don't know when that will be.

What a Jewel

2008-12-03T16:10:00.001-08:00

Senator Reid on tourists:

Who forgets to vote?

2008-12-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

What kind of people forget to vote in a run off election? People like me. After all these weeks of watching the commercials and hearing about the run off in the news and even going to the rally yesterday, today I forgot. Luckily I tuned into the news and they mentioned it yet again. So with half and hour to spare I ran out and voted.

Sunday evening, when we got back from our trip, The Army Dude checked our messages and told me I had one, it was a robo call from Michelle Obama, very funny. She said thank you for supporting her husband, then I deleted the message, obviously it wasn't meant for us because we didn't support him.

Yesterday we went to see Sarah Palin at the Saxby Chambliss rally. When we got there the line to get in was down to the corner, by the time we parked and got it line it was wrapped around the corner and half way down the block and there was a steady stream of people getting in line behind us. We didn't get too close because the floor was standing room only and I still wasn't feeling too great so we sat. Decent seats but I was just glad to be there. She was great, the energy in the place when she came out was great. She was the only one to get a standing ovation and she spoke longer than everyone else put together. I have some pictures but I haven't had a chance to download them. As soon as I do I'll put some up.

When we got home we decided to take a little nap and I was sleeping really good when the phone rings. When I answer it's Obama's voice urging me to vote for Jim Martin. What?? I got woken up for that!? Another robo call this time Obama of all people? It was actually rather creepy.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of things to be grateful for: Being able to celebrate with my family, all of us are here and healthy, my job, my friends, and this years especially: Nyquil!!!
One of the worst days of the year to be sick is Thanksgiving. I slept most of the trip to mom's house and most of the afternoon after getting here and in a few minutes I'm going to take another shot of nyquil and go back to bed. But tomorrow is another day and hopefully I'll feel better then. And now nyquil is calling.

Brenden Foster

2008-11-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about Brenden Foster. He's the little boy that had Lukemia whose final wish was to help the homeless.

That is so touching and so sad. When I first read about Brenden earlier today all I could think about was my own little dude, who is a year younger than Brenden was when he was first diagnosed with Lukemia, and really make me gratefull for everything in my life and for every moment that I'm with him (yes even when he is driving me insance). I can't imagine how trying and how hard this has been for his family. My heart goes out to them. He was so selfless in his final days, he knew what really mattered.

So Excited

2008-11-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

Gov. Palin is coming to Georgia!

I am so excited. I signed up for the event here in Augusta on the Saxby Chambliss website and we are ready to go. I actually had already asked for the day off to run errands and go to appointments and the rally is at 8:30 am and my first appointment is at 9:45 so bright and early I'm going to call and try to get it pushed back a little. I can't miss this! I told the Army Dude about it and he said he was coming with me. He likes Gov. Palin. I think he has a crush on her, shhhh.
So bright and early Monday morning we are going to be making our way downtown to the James Brown Arena. I'm wearing my shirt. and I'm taking pictures and I'll probably act like I'm at a rock concert lol.

Speaking of Senator Chambliss: all you Georgia Voters, please don't forget to vote. Early voting is taking place this week and the polls open Tuesday. I can't imagine what a Democrat super majority would mean to the country. Imagine the same party having all the power in Washington and not just control of all branches but a super majority in the Senate at that.

By the way, do a yahoo search for images of Gov. Palin and then do one from Google and tell me there isn't a difference in the types of pictures that come up. I was appalled by what I saw from yahoo.

Gitmo

2008-11-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

Obama has said over and over that he plans to close Guantanamo Bay and move the prisoners. He's even said that he wants them tried in open civilian courts.
Here is a little clip on closing Gitmo and moving the prisoners and what it would mean to give these terrorists civilian trials:

But what did his nominee for AG say about the Gitmo detainees?
(back in 2002)

I wonder if he still believes this or if he has conveniently changed his position to match that of his new boss.

Real(?) Housewives

2008-11-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

I got hooked on Real Housewives of Orange County a couple of years ago. It's fun to watch and see what those ladies are up to and how wonderfully spoiled their kids are. It was just fun.
Then came Real Housewives of New York. Not as fun as the original but it was OK. This time around it was fun to watch how self absorbed the ladies were and give commentary about what I think the maid is thinking when one of the ladies keeps barking orders at her (get it yourself B**!!!).
Now they came out with Real Houswives of Atlanta. When I first heard about it I thought OK now this is going to be good, this is going to be like the original but choc full of southern belles showing them what the south is about. Yeah not so much. It's a bunch of northern transplants that think they are the best things since, well actually there was never anything better than them. The season is now over and Bravo had a marathon going Saturday night. I watched a few episodes before it finally got to unbearable to watch anymore. It was painful really. I really hope that, if they do decide to revisit the ATL that they find people that are really from here instead of these clowns. I have never seen a group of people that were so stuck on themselves. There was the self proclaimed "power couple" they were awesome, or so they thought. There was the one divorcing her football player husband who is demanding a 7 figure settlement because she wants to keep the same standard of living and fabulousness, because she is "it" in her own mind. There was the wife of the basketball player who needs a full staff including estate manager and chef and maids and such to do everything for her because she's so busy doing nothing that she can't do anything for herself. And the single mother who plopped down 18k on her 11-year-old's birthday (WTH?) no doubt funded my her married sugar daddy. The last character was actually real. She seamed like the poorest of the bunch and she tried but you can take the girl out of the ghetto but you can't take the ghetto out of the girl. She was my favorite one though.
That show was a HOT MESS!

Who forgot to pay the heat?

2008-11-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

It is so cold! This morning we set a new record low for the day with 18. Wow! It was 18 degrees when the little dude was born too, in December, in Germany, and it was snowing. I don't expect that in Georgia. This has been the coldest November since we've lived here. This November is even colder than last December! Where is Al Gore and his global warming when I'm freezing here?

This cold weather makes me think about Christmas, and my favorite Christmas movie, A Christmas Story. I've been thinking about that movie a lot since the Army Dude said he was going to have Santa bring little dude a red rider BB gun for Christmas. HA!

Funny Videos

2008-11-21T22:14:00.000-08:00

I thought this video was funny. It's one of those man on the street deals where they ask people current event questions:

The video on this one isn't great but the sound is good and it's classic:

And staying on the automaker bailout theme:

Standard practice for security reasons?

This Week's Developments

2008-11-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

Can I just say TGIFF (Thank God it's finally Friday!)? It's been on hell of a week.
It started Monday, I still wasn't feeling well about five people asked me if I was pregnant, too many cars in front of every CVS on the way home so I didn't stop. Tuesday, still felt sick, went to a sushi place for lunch with some girls from work and the overpowering smell of raw fish smacked me when I walked in and I thought I was going to lose whatever I had eaten the day before. Someone else asked me if I was pregnant, stopped at Walmart got a test, wasn't.
Wednesday two of my good friends got laid off (I'm so sad about this).
Thursday, still don't feel well, passed my Karate test, received red belt (YAY!) felt so bad I almost didn't make it through and things started to go downhill after throwing one of my male classmates three times, luckily that was with about 10 minutes left in the test. The Army dude wasn't feeling well so he left school early and stopped by the studio on the way home to watch the rest of my test which was a nice surprise, and then he says he's impressed with how well I'm doing because he didn't think I had it in me when I started. Gee buddy thanks for the vote of confidence!
And today it's finally Friday and we found out that the Army Dude is no longer on assignment for Colorado (WOOO HOOOO!!!!). And I find out that, according to my political theory text book, I am a right-wing extremist. Apparently, anyone that isn't in step with Al Gore on the environment, is against the government raising our taxes and miss using what they are already taking from us, is for the Second Amendment and thinks Socialism and Liberalism is suspicious or bad is a right-wing extremist. And by the way if you are a right-wing extremists are also racist OK... that's news to me... I have a whole laundry list of complaints about this book, there are a lot of margin notes where I have written "Is this guy serious?" "What the hell?" "This never happened!" and so on. But that is another post all together. But at least we aren't going to Colorado! And knock on wood that we don't end up somewhere worse!

By the way the Army Dude had a good idea for bailing out The Big 3. Since OPEC makes so much money off of us driving around in our SUV's and such and because without The Big 3 and their gas guzzlers OPEC would stand to lose money, OPEC should bail the car makers out. With all the money that we have sent to these "friends" of ours they can bail out our car companies and send that money back our way. It's a win win situation, Our tax money doesn't bail them out, they get their money, and OPEC keeps them in business to make more cars that will need more gas. What's not to love? Army Dude in 2012

They want my help?

2008-11-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

When I checked my work email this morning I had an email from GM, an urgent message to its suppliers:

Because our futures are linked, I want you to know that General Motors is doing everything possible to deal with the impact the financial crisis is having on the domestic auto industry. Yet despite our successful efforts to restructure, reduce costs and enhance liquidity, we are facing an uphill battle with the current administration and Congress in securing a bridge loan.

That's why we need your help now. Simply put, we need you to join us to let Congress know that a bridge loan to help U.S. automakers also helps strengthen the U.S. economy and preserve millions of American jobs.

Despite what you may be hearing, we are not asking Congress for a bailout but rather a loan that will be repaid.

The consequences of the domestic auto industry collapsing would far exceed the $25 billion loan needed to bridge the current crisis. According to a recent study by the Center for Automotive Research:

• One in 10 American jobs depends on U.S. automakers
• Nearly 3 million jobs are at immediate risk
• U.S. personal income could be reduced by $150 billion
• The tax revenue lost over 3 years would be more than $156 billion

Discussions are now underway in Washington, D.C., concerning loans to support U.S. carmakers. I am asking you to support this vital effort by contacting your representatives.

Please take a few minutes to call your representatives by dialing 1-866-471-5332. Just state your name and address, and your message will reach your legislators. You can review a script that will help you state your support at gmfactsandfiction.com. Under the "Mobilize Now" section, click on "I'm a Supplier." If you would rather e-mail your representatives, use the link "I'm a Concerned American."

Please share this information with friends and family using the link on the site.

Thank you for helping keep our economy viable.

Yeah, I don't think so. What exactly is throwing money at the problem going to resolve?

I like Mitt Romney's ideas much more.

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.

First, their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors like BMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers.

Second, management as is must go. New faces should be recruited from unrelated industries — from companies widely respected for excellence in marketing, innovation, creativity and labor relations.

Read the whole article.

And today I found myself doing something I don't do too often anymore. I agreed with Shep Smith:

Dodd Interview

2008-11-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

Senator Chris Dodd is one of the clowns that's in the middle of this financial meltdown we are having. He is the chairman of the Senate Banking Commitie. He is also the Congressman that has received the most campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and apparently got a sweetheart loan from Country Wide (remember them in this mess?)

So here is conservative talk show host Tom Scott interviewing him:

Link:

The station that Mr. Scott works for has decided no to air this which prompted Mr. Scott to leave.

As I was Saying

2008-11-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

So what exactly is wrong with the automakers? According to the president of the UAW it's the economy:

"The focus has to be on the economy as a whole as opposed to a UAW contract," Gettelfinger told reporters

"We have made dramatic, dramatic changes and the UAW was applauded for that," he said.

Instead, Gettelfinger blamed the problems the auto industry is suffering from on things beyond its control — the housing slump, the credit crunch that has made financing a vehicle tough and the 1.2 million jobs that have been lost in the past year.

"We're here not because of what the auto industry has done," he said. "We're here because of what has happened to the economy."

That's right it's nothing that the auto industry has done because they really haven't done anything to become more competitive.

According to Forbes the top 10 most reliable and least reliable cars of 2008, none of the most reliable was an American car:

The best-performing cars, according to our rankings, are all made by these two car makers, with Toyota claiming six spots and Honda four in the top 10.

How about the 10 least reliable cars?

It therefore shouldn't come as any surprise that when the performance of cars is examined according to their predicted reliability, recalls and rate of depreciation, Chrysler vehicles dominate the list of the poorest performers, with seven of the 10 models on our list. All the vehicles have multiple recalls, ranging from airbags to door latches, along with mediocre resale values and bottom-level reliability scores for market-research groups.

Maybe he's right. Maybe it's not the labor costs that are driving the Big 3 to the poor house, but I wouldn't blame the economy either, I'd blame making a crappy product.

Because the Army Hates Me

2008-11-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

We are going to Colorado. I don't even know what to think abou it. I don't even want to think about it because everytime I do I start to cry. Back in June he found out that he was on assignment to go to Colorado but he told me not to think about it or get worked up about it because it would probably change and he would try to change it. Then he got a date, which was this past Monday. Because he was in school we thought they would delete those orders. Today he found out that the date has been changed to the spring. I have spent the rest of the day crying, sleeping, crying, staring blankly, and crying.

Didn't they see it coming?

2008-11-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

Talk of the bailout plan for the Big 3 has been in the news for almost a week now and I've been wanting to say something about it since the first time I heard about it so here it is:

They got $25 billion back in September for R&D and now they want another $50 billion on federal loans. Half of that would go to retooling their factories because the geniuses running these companies thought that the SUV craze would last forever even amid the rise of gas prices and the increasing sales of more efficient foreign cars. There has been talk about building more fuel efficient vehicles for years and year and yet they continued to make these gas guzzlers and didn't bother with fuel efficiency and hybrids. That's besides the point though. Let them retool, save jobs pay us back our tax money with interest.
The big problem is the other half of that $50 billion. It's going to pay for union benefits. Us tax payers are going to pay for union benefits. According to Bloomberg:

United Auto Workers says it wants $25 billion to help fund the union- run retiree health-care trusts being started in 2010.

Why should we pay for this? Because they can't afford it. Common sense would then ask why would they have this health care plan if they can't afford it. If they can't afford to pay for it maybe they should adopt one that they can instead of using our tax money to pay for it. In a perfect world I guess...
Can you imagine if the EFCA passes and it becomes easier for unions to take over? How many businesses are we going to have to bail out because they can't afford union demands and how many are just going to close down because the government doesn't see them fit for saving. Common sense tells me that this is just not the best idea.

Moving on. Camille Paglia has this to say about Sarah Palin:

How dare Palin not embrace abortion as the ultimate civilized ideal of modern culture? How tacky that she speaks in a vivacious regional accent indistinguishable from that of Western Canada! How risible that she graduated from the University of Idaho and not one of those plush, pampered commodes of received opinion whose graduates, in their rush to believe the worst about her, have demonstrated that, when it comes to sifting evidence, they don't know their asses from their elbows.

Liberal Democrats are going to wake up from their sadomasochistic, anti-Palin orgy with a very big hangover. The evil genie released during this sorry episode will not so easily go back into its bottle. A shocking level of irrational emotionalism and at times infantile rage was exposed at the heart of current Democratic ideology -- contradicting Democratic core principles of compassion, tolerance and independent thought. One would have to look back to the Eisenhower 1950s for parallels to this grotesque lock-step parade of bourgeois provincialism, shallow groupthink and blind prejudice.

I like Sarah Palin, and I've heartily enjoyed her arrival on the national stage. As a career classroom teacher, I can see how smart she is -- and quite frankly, I think the people who don't see it are the stupid ones, wrapped in the fuzzy mummy-gauze of their own worn-out partisan dogma. So she doesn't speak the King's English -- big whoop! There is a powerful clarity of consciousness in her eyes. She uses language with the jumps, breaks and rippling momentum of a be-bop saxophonist. I stand on what I said (as a staunch pro-choice advocate) in my last two columns -- that Palin as a pro-life wife, mother and ambitious professional represents the next big shift in feminism. Pro-life women will save feminism by expanding it, particularly into the more traditional Third World.

Read the whole article it's really good.

And now I'm going to study. The book I'm reading tonight is infuriatingly biased but that is a post for another day.

What's wrong with society?

2008-11-10T21:06:00.001-08:00

Apparently, according to Jim Moran, it's that we let the wealthy keep their wealth and don't redistribute it:

Digging for the Truth

2008-11-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by now you have all heard about those rumors that Gov. Palin didn't know that Africa is a continent and the like.

Here's a clip of Carl Cameron telling it to Shepard Smith:

Come one Shep, did you REALLY think that she didn't know that Africa is a continent? Did you seriously believe that? Because I find it hard to believe that you would actually believed a rumor as absurd as that.

And considering that it was such an absurd rumor and the the "source" was unnamed I didn't give it any credence at all. Nothing but hearsay. But it spread like wild fire through the MSM and soon every "news" show had something to say about Gov. Palin not knowing that Africa was a continent or what countries were in NAFTA.

Apparently this "leaker" was a hoax. It was supposedly leaked by M. Thomas Eisenstadt

HOAX WARNING RE "M. THOMAS EISENSTADT" AND THE "HARDING INSTITUTE FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY"

"M. Thomas Eisenstadt" is a pseudonym used to describe someone who claims to be a "Senior Fellow at the Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy in Washington, D.C.[1] A "bio" note claims that "Eisenstadt" is the "founder and president of the campaign consulting firm The Eisenstadt Group and was an advisor to the Rudolph Giuliani presidential campaign in 2007-2008."[2]

According to the "bio" note, "Eisenstadt" was described by the Wall Street Journal as "one of the foremost commentators on issues of U.S. policy towards the Middle East and is one of the bright lights of the neoconservative movement."[2] He cites National Journal’s The Hotline as referring to himself as “a rising GOP pundit” and “a clear-spoken advocate for Rudy Giuliani.”[2]

In June 2008 blogger William K. Wolfum concluded that "M. Thomas Eisenstadt (who originally started a blog named www.michaeleisenstadt.com and was referred to as "Michael") was a hoax. As was his "think tank" called "The Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy" (which seems to be a joke, being that Warren G. Harding is widely considered to be one of the worst Presidents in U.S. history)."[3] After being outed, the "biographical" note was changed to "Martin Eisenstadt."[2]

I also looked up a list of Senator McCain's campaign staff and I pulled up several and M. Thomas Eisenstadt's name was not on any of them.

So what did Smith have to say about this new little nugget of information? Nothing. They were quick to put out the bad information about her but nothing about it all being a lie. I would expect Smith to research this kind of garbage before he puts it out there and act like it's just amazingly true on TV but that would have been my expectation earlier this year or last year. Not anymore. It doesn't surprise me that he would allow that kind of garbage to be put out unquestioned and I'm also not surprised that he didn't say anything about it being a lie. Very disappointing. As I said before he used to be my favorite but I just can't take him seriously or trust him like I used to.

Even worse, Carl Cameron has been traveling with this campaign for how long now? You would think he knows pretty much everyone in that staff by the end. So explain to me then how Greta Van Susteren (by the way catch her interview with Gov. Palin, it was good) could talk to someone and find out that it was all false, that the Gov. never said that Africa was a country. Greta could get that information so easily and yet Carl couldn't do that? I don't buy that for a minute. That was nothing but laziness and sensationalism. Shame on both Cameron and Smith and right on to Greta.

Weighing the Options

2008-11-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago The Army Dude and I were talking about our next move. We had said before that we would like to go somewhere in the North East or Mid Atlantic. But my friend Sarah brought up Alaska and that set the wheels turning. Back when we lived in Germany a friend of mine and her family moved to Alaska and I talked to her when she was there and she went on and on about how much she liked it. In fact everyone I know that has been stationed there has loved it. I really wanted to go to Alaska then and was really pushing The Army Dude on it (not that he has any say anyway). Once we got to Georgia I fell in love with the area and got used to the heat and thoughts of Alaska vanished from my mind faster than a snowflake in our part of GA.
I told The Army Dude, who was not at all interested in Alaska last time, and he actually thought that was a good idea. He went on and on about the hunting and fishing there and said if we were going to Alaska he wanted to buy a 4-wheeler to take hunting in the summer. Today he bought one. YAY! Those of you that know me and know how I don't like the cold, or the snow, are wondering what the hell am I thinking. I know it sounds weird, especially coming from someone that didn't want to go to Colorado because it was too far and too cold (by the way we are still scheduled to be there Monday!). Alaska is different, it would be like a totally different experience. I know we would not live there were it not for the military and I would love to be able to have the chance to live there if even for 3 years. Now we just have to see if the Army is as enthusiastic about sending us there as we are to go.

What are people thinking?

2008-11-05T17:49:00.001-08:00

With everything that has happened with our economy and Barney Frank (Elmer Fudd) in the middle of it all please tell me how the hell that man gets reelected?!?

What the heck:

House 4 County Results 208 of 208 Precincts Reporting

Party Candidate V% Votes
D Barney Frank* 68% 202,255
R Earl Sholley 25% 75,319

I don't understand people. I think this was the biggest shock for me off all the results last night, even more so than Murtha getting the "racist redneck" vote up in PA.
All I can think is that people get what they deserve. And when you reelect this clown, by such a large margin at that, then you get what you deserve. And now that they will have their chosen one as President who exactly are they going to blame now?

She had it all wrong...

2008-11-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted this clip from the Ellen Degeneres show where she goes off on Sarah Palin wanting to change The Constitution to ban gay marriage. OK at that time I pointed out the obvious that the one was against gay marriage also but that's beside the point.

Here is the clip:

So Prop 8 passed in California yesterday which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
So it looks like Ellen maybe should have spent less time bashing Gov. Palin about how she would supposedly change the constitution (apparently where Ellen comes from VP's can do this) and spent more time actually campaigning and telling her fellow Californians her story and why she feels passionately about it. Gov. Palin was not her enemy when it came to gay marriage, her neighbors were.

Final Thoughts

2008-11-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of years almost, and especially since the beginning of this year, I have been following the elections. I watched coverage of all the primaries, watched all the debates on both sides, watched both of the conventions. At times it felt all consuming and I thought that's it I'm done with it only to turn back to the news after a few minutes. I've had FNC on so much in the last year that their logo is burned into my plasma screen right there on the bottom left!

I have figured for a while that McCain was probably going to lose. I still held out hope that something would happen to put him over the top but nothing ever did. I do, however, think it is a testament that even after being outspent as he was and after having dealt with the bias in the media for the past few months that the race ended as close as it did (as I write this it's 51% 48% in the popular vote).
And let me just say that I am very proud to live in the Great State of Georgia where the margin by which McCain won was so big.

But in any case, I have to say that even though I'm disappointed with the outcome of the election I also keep reminding myself that it's not the end of the world. Civilization is not going to cease to exist. Tomorrow, the sun will come up again and we'll wake up and start our day over like we did this morning and yesterday morning and countless other weekday mornings and go about our day. And even though I'm going to have to hear President Obama yell at me every time he gives a speech for at least the next 4 years, life will go on.

My mom always tells me that I seem to have a knack for landing on my feet or for at least making it all seem so easy, as far as life goes. I got married when I was 18 and moved away with The Army Dude and started our life. When I was 19 I left my job and everything that was familiar on this side of The Pond and moved to Germany. We started over there and started our family and 3 years later we settled back in Georgia and bought a house. Each time we have up rooted and started over and each time we bettered our situation. It was never easy but we always just made the best of everything. We never expected anything from anyone every time I had to give up the latest well paying job to start over somewhere else, not even pity. Tonight I'm telling myself the same thing, we just have to make the best of it.

The Army Dude and I have been half joking about claiming a bunch of exemptions on our taxes next year so we don't pay anything from our checks and then just pay all the money back at the end of the year. We weren't really serious about it, or at least I wasn't, until tonight. My friend, the same one that thinks Sarah Palin is stupid because of what they say on the view, called to gloat earlier. She mentioned how mad she was about her daughters not voting today for the person that will keep their entitlements going. Wow, just wow. After we hung up I kept thinking about it and the more I thought about it the madder I got. I started thinking that right now there is money that I earn every day that I never see because it goes out in taxes. This is money that I earn that goes out and helps pay for things like these entitlements. Now I get up every day at 6:30 to go to work, I work from 8-5 Monday through Friday. After work I come home, do our extra curricular activities, feed my family, take care of my home and study for school. I usually don't go to bed till at least 2:00 am just to start over again in 4 and half hours. In other words I work my butt off, why should this money come out of my check every week to pay for entitlements for these people that think it's a right (and that they need to vote for the person that will keep it going)? And that's when I thought no more. I will gladly write the check at the end of the year and pay my taxes in full but it is not going to come out of my check every week before I can even see it after I worked for it. I guess that feeling comes from my mom, who always told me that the only person I should ever depend on is myself and that I never should expect anyone else to take care of me, that was my own responsibility.

And with that. I'm going to spend some time with The Army Dude and then go to bed.

It's officially out of my hands

2008-11-04T16:15:00.001-08:00

That's what I told my mom after I cast my vote this evening.

I spent the day envisioning long lines in the cold rain but was very pleased to find that there were like 7 people in front of me. We were in and out of there in about 20 minutes. Of course I had already seen the ballot and knew how I was going to vote so there was not much thought once I went up to the machine. My experience at my polling place was fantastic, very friendly workers and no problems.
And most important no thugs!

Check these videos out:

I am happy to report that none of that nonsense was taking place here. I think people down here in Georgia are either more civilized or know better. I bet it's a bit of both.

I have to run to Karate now. I was going to skip out on it today and just stay home and obsess about the results but I think it would do me some good to step away for a little while. I'll be back later with more thoughts.

But before I leave I'm very happy to say that McCain is winning. It's 8 to 3 but it's something and it means I leave the house with a smile on my face.

One more thing

2008-11-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a clip from some woman in Miami. She must be watching the same "news" coverage of the elections as my friend that thinks Gov. Palin is stupid:

LOL WAIT A MINUTE!!!!! Obama is paying for gas and mortgages!!! Now THAT'S a game changer!

E-Day

2008-11-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

That's Election day and it'll officially be election day in about an hour and a half.

I'm going to go stand in line as soon as I get off of work tomorrow and the more I think about it the more I wish I would have voted early. I know who I'm going to vote for so what was I waiting for?

Someone told me something Friday night that made me think about where people get their information from. This is someone that, back when I actually liked Obama (horrors!), told me they couldn't stand him and that he would be the worst thing that could happen for this country. This same person told me they would not vote for McCain because he'd put that stupid woman in the White House. ??? So I asked said person why she thought Sarah Palin was stupid and she said "Don't you see what they say about her on The View and Regis and Kelly?" OK seriously? How about doing some research on the matter instead of believing what they say on a show where they also say that slavery is legal under the Constitution. So I tell her that you can't take what they say on those shows as fact because it's opinion and she says, "I've heard her talk in that stupid way she does talking about we have to drill she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about." This is the same person that when gas was $5 a gallon in September and none of the gas stations had gas she was bitching about needing to drill. Kool-Aid drinker.
This same person wants me to take her to the polls. HA!
But it really does go to show you that what those idiots say on the View and other dope shows like those sways people. Granted it's people that obviously can't think for themselves but how many people are like that? Hopefully not enough.

Did anyone watch Chris Matthews on Hardball. I didn't either, but I came across this clip of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. He totally one-up's Chris.

He can't do anything but agree with Gov. Barbour. I wonder if Barbour gave him a tingle...nah.

And have you heard the RNC's latest robocall? It's pretty good actually:

On to other things:

Yesterday we went all the way to Atlanta to enjoy some yummy Cuban food. I had been craving it all weekend. My mom told us about a new restaurant in Alpharetta called Mojito's Grill. Let me just say it was worth the 2 hour drive! That's the best Cuban food I've had since I left Miami. I had the chicken steak, which is my favorite Cuban restaurant meal, and it was fantastic. I ate so much I thought I was going to be sick and then when we told our waiter that we had driven from the other side of the state, he gave us free dessert. I chose Tres Leche, my personal favorite, and it was fabulous! There was no way I was going to make the drive all the way back home after eating all that. I was surprised I made it to the car! They get two very enthusiastic thumbs up! We also took advantage of being on that side of the state and went to visit mom for a little while.
I must say I was surprised at how many Obama signs and stickers we saw when we came into Atlanta and when we first got off the interstate. Maybe we are just sheltered here but we noticed that as we started getting into the better areas, and the suburbs they became very few and far between and it started to look like our area, about 1 obama sign for every 10 McCain signs. I don't get how some polls are saying that GA is so close now. Not from where I sit.

And with that let me remind everyone who cares to read this how important it is to vote tomorrow, if you haven't already done so.

It's over...

2008-11-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

for this year at least. I'm talking about Halloween, not the election. Even though I'm not that hopeful about Tuesday I'm still trying to keep my head up.

Halloween was great though. I wore my witch hat at work and even the CEO got a kick out of it (I was embarrassed when he came down though).

I came home and had to do a mad dash to get things and myself ready for the party between answering the door for trick-or-treaters. Loved the kid's costumes, they looked so cute!
The trick-or-treaters loved the decorations. The Army Dude said that he was hearing people when he was down the street talking about our house and telling other people they had to go down to our house and see it.
And of course the party was great, we all had a great time and even some of the grownups that didn't dress up last year did this year, everyone got into the spirit. I'm already thinking about next year, even though we don't even know if we are going to be here.

But today has been a day of recovery. It's not that we partied so hard, it's more that the prep was so much leading up to it that today I didn't want to do anything but relax, and it was great.

And now we are watching the Texas - Texas Tech game and Texas Tech just won which hopefully means that Alabama will be 1 now. We are happy, Army Dude more than me ;op

Little Tidbit of Information

2008-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

I really hope that the great people of Massachusettes have the where-with-all to not vote Barney Frank (Elmer Fudd) back for another term. I really don't know how anyone can take that man seriously (for starters) and how, after all the mess that he persided over, they can let him stay in and ruin us even more.
I'm sure you have heard by now where he said that we need to cut military spending by 25%:

After the November election, Democrats will push for a second economic stimulus package that includes money for the states' stalled infrastructure projects, along with help paying for healthcare expenses, food stamps and extended unemployment benefits, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said Thursday.

In a meeting with the editorial board of The Standard-Times, Rep. Frank, D-Mass., also called for a 25 percent cut in military spending, saying the Pentagon has to start choosing from its many weapons programs, and that upper-income taxpayers are going to see an increase in what they are asked to pay.

The military cuts also mean getting out of Iraq sooner, he said.

"The people of Iraq want us out, and we want to stay over their objection," he said. "It's extraordinary." The Maliki government in Iraq "can't sell (the withdrawal deal with the U.S.) because it sounds like we're going to stay too long."

"I was teasing (U.S. Rep.) Jack Murtha (a key supporter of military budgets) and I said to him, 'For the first time, somebody else has got a bill that's almost as big as yours.' We don't need all these fancy new weapons. I think there needs to be additional review."

How can anyone believe it is a good idea to cut military spending when we face the kinds of threats that we do now? How can anyone believe it is a good idea to cut military spending when our troops are in harms way on two fronts? Does he really believe that by cutting military spending by 25% that would make us get out of Iraq sooner? And if it does it wouldn't be on our terms, it would be a quick withdrawal because we dont have the money to be there and I think this would be even worse than Obama's misguided withdrawal date.
And how can he say that the Pentagon needs to pick between it's weapon's programs? Don't we want them to look into as many systems as they can to find the one that will best defend our troops in combat and us here at home?
He thinks "we don't need all these fancy new weapons"? Is he serious? What does he want our guys to go out with some revolutionary era bayonetts or something? Or better yet some rocks and sling shots? Or maybe spears. Our troops need to stay on top of the technology. They need to have the best of what is available to them so that they can get their job done and come home safe. How can we, in good consience, send them into harm's way with nothing but the best we can afford them? These very brave men and women go into harms way so that low-life POS's like Elmer Fudd there can sit back and try to cut their funding.
As part of a military family, I take it as an offense that this cartoon character of a person would even suggest this.
If they do cut spending by 25% and the military is forced to abandon some of their weapon's programs then maybe we should consider using Elmer Fudd as a human shield when we go into combat, our guys can just stand behind him with their slingshots at the ready.
By the way it's not just weapon's systems that the military budget supports. That includes all the morale and welfare money and pay.

By the way. I'm also getting really sick and tired of Obama and his camp saying that Bush only cut taxes for the rich. The Army Dude and I were talking about this the other day and I made the comment that I believed we paid lower taxes since Bush than we did before and he said we did. So I looked it up and sure enough. Bush didn't just cut taxes on the rich, he cut taxes for just about everyone. In 2000 we were in the 28% bracket in 2008 we are in the 25%. Let me tell you we are FAR from rich, so I don't buy the claim that only the rich have been helped. In fact, the lowest percentage in 2000 was 15%. Bush cut that down and now in 2008 it's 10%. that's 5%. Of course you don't hear about that part when they are shoving their talking points down our throats.

And finally. This is just sick. I debated if I should show the picture and I am because I want people to see just how hateful and nasty people can be:

It is just sick. And it's not a hate crime by the way. But the police dept. said that if it was an effigy of Obama hanging then it would have to be looked into to see it's a hate crime, because they are evaluated on a case by case basis. All hell would break lose and then it would be a hate crime. That is beyond hateful and if it would be consider hate for one then it should for another.

Granma America

2008-10-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday I posted the clip of the Joe Biden interview. How dare this Florida anchor ask such tough questions!?
Not surprisingly the interview that was supposed to take place later with the Senator's wife was canceled and then the Obama campaign put out a statement that pretty much says that the station will not be able to interview the ticket until at least the election. Wow! That's really telling actually. If you go off the campaign script they'll just freeze you out.
Isn't that what happens in countries like, oh I don't know, Cuba?
What do you think the American State News service will be named?

I must say that Shep Smith has redeemed himself, ever so slightly LOL, today. Not only did he have "Joe the Plumber" on Studio B this afternoon (and didn't openly mock him like he has done) but he actually had some pretty harsh words about the Obama campaign cutting off access to that Orlando station for asking tough questions.

Here is the latest audio clip of Obama's to surface. This one comes from a 2001 interview. He was already talking about redistribution back then. It's got Fox and Friends commentary:

And of course the Obama campaign response to this little nugget of information was to attack none other than Fox News. Never mind that he said it or that Fox wasn't the one that broke the story but how dare they at Fox broadcast anything that does not show the one in the best of lights?
Here is a clip of Megyn Kelly giving Bill Burton a piece of her mind. It's so typical.
It's a little bit long but it's really worth the watch:

I must say that I was not a big fan of Megyn Kelly but in the last couple of months she has really impressed me.
But someone needs to tell them at Fox to watch out because they'll be the first ones to have their access cut off if Obama is coronated.

When the Tables Turn

2008-10-25T10:32:00.001-07:00

So what happens when the tables turn and Joe Biden is the one asked the hard questions?

He gets pissed and acts like a jerk with the reporter. Wow, can you imagine if he had to sit through the interviews that Sarah Palin has had to. Or if Sarah Palin had behaved this way for an interview?
And how does the campaign respond? By denying access to the Senator's wife who was supposed to have an interview with the same station later, according to Hal Boedeker.

I especially loved the part when he said that whoever was elected president Obama "and/or" McCain, would be tested? And/or? OK Senator.

Updated to add: I found this article from another journalist that thinks the media bias is ridiculous. It's a little long but really worth reading.

Jeri Thompson

2008-10-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Fred Thompson's beautiful wife, Jeri, was on Hannity and Colmes last night talking about Team Sarah when Alan brings up Sarah Palin's clothes. Typical that they attack her for something superficial. But Jeri is awesome! She hit right back at him and set him straight. Watch the clip, she's really good. And sign up at Team Sarah.

Don't Tax Me Signs

2008-10-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

My honey showed me his sign last night and sent me the link. You can go to JohnMcCain.com to make your own sign.

I'm waiting for mine to get to my email inbox and then I'm putting it up in my front window right next to the Army Dude's. Hmm I like that name for him!

Watching too much CNN

2008-10-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Ellen on Sarah Palin being against gay marriage:

Sarah Palin and Joe Biden on gay marriage during the VP Debate:

So Biden and Obama both have the same view as Sarah Palin when it comes to gay marriage (they are all against defining it as marriage but not opposed to civil unions) but Ellen only has a problem with Sarah Palin's stance.
By the way Ellen, that law in Alaska was signed by Gov. Palin.

I just had to get that out because I have heard it from some friends and on TV and then today I saw that Ellen said that. They all have the same stance but you're only going to call out one nominee? OK.... Makes me think that these people don't know what they are voting for.

Another example. Matt Damon, man of genius:

I'm under the impression that the idiotic comment he makes about Sarah Palin believing in dinosaurs roaming the earth 10,000 years ago has to do with her religious beliefs. Because apparently if you believe in the Bible you must also believe that dinosaurs roamed the earth 10,000 years ago??? OK that in itself is dumb enough.
But sorry Matt, Gov. Palin is not as dumb as you would hope (or as you, for that matter). She does believe that the theory of evolution should be taught at school so obviously she doesn't believe that dinosaurs roamed the earth 10,000 years ago. Oh and by the way, that list to ban books, bogus:

And on the issue of band books, check out about.com's section on Urban Legends. She supposedly gave the librarian that list in 1996, before the Harry Potter books that are listed were even published. Nice try anyway.

Is it Friday yet?

2008-10-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

All of us at the office came to the concensus this afternoon that it felt like Friday. Actually, that we wished it was Friday. Almost there!

So my little brother voted in his first election and of course he voted for McCain. I'm so proud!! I guess there is hope for him, I've always joked that he was "the one" in the family (you know there's one in every family) because he was the only FSU fan in a house of Hurricanes but I guess there is hope for him yet!

To all the Sarah Palin fans, visit Team Sarah and sign up.

And because I thought the Random Rant clip was so good, here is why he's voting for McCain/Palin:

Random Rant

2008-10-22T21:12:00.001-07:00

My honey sent me this video today. It's really good. This is what I'm talking about!

Who Watches this Garbage

2008-10-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

The hags on the view strike again. But this time they had Bill O'Reilly on and he held his own against these wind bags:

Part 1

and Part 2

I love how O'Reilly picks on the way they acted when McCain came in, especially Joy and Babawawa. Of course Joy had to put a jab in against Fox News. That is so old already! And Sherri bringing up that Obama is crying that Fox News isn't toeing his line. Fox News is the only News Outlet that is not worshiping at the shrine of Obama, so what get over it!
And what is up with Barbara making a big deal about the way Bill treated Elmer Fudd when he was on a few weeks back? He deserved it and more for what he did but she and that insufferable Joy were all up in arms over it. They really need to take a look at what is going on.
I think it would do them good to read Orson Scott Card's article Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn on the Lights? I highly recommend this article, everyone should read it.

And while we are watching clips here is John Murtha sticking his other foot in his mouth when he tried to clear up his racist comment:

By the way, I'm now listening to Hannity and Colmes playing on my TV and they are talking about Murtha's "redneck" comment and Alan Colmes is trying to rationalize it. He's just asked the guy running against him if maybe in the past there were rednecks in that area so it's actually true. Is he serious? OK I will be the first to admit that my husband is a redneck, his neck couldn't be any more red. LOL and no he's not voting for Obama but not because he's a racist (because he's not) he's not voting for him because he doesn't like his policies, especially when it comes to the military and especially the whole pull out of Iraq in 16 months. He believes that by giving them a date when most of our guys (and gals) are out of there we are giving the terrorists a date. They will know that all they have to do is lay low until said date and then unleash when our military is at it's weakest there and then what? Do we start over from where we were pre-surge, and lose more lives? It would be like taking two steps forward and then ten steps back.
But I digress. I am so sick of these politicians labeling people that are not supporting the chosen one as racist, redneck (like it's a bad thing!), intolerant. (By the way Pennsylvanians you are now racist, gun-toting, bible thumping, intolerant rednecks). I've posted some articles before and you can do a search and find thousands of articles, most claiming that John McCain and Sarah Palin are racist for a variety of reason, they winked, he said socialist, she said terrorist and on and on. Well I think Joe Biden said it perfectly when he said they protest too much:

And while he is talking about walking like a duck and talking like a duck and all that then how about Ayers, Wright, Rezko and the rest?
I thought this little clip was good at highlighting that:

Sure Joe let's bring that up.

It's Here...

2008-10-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

My Halloween costume that is! And it is so cute! Now I'm really excited about Halloween, there is nothing like getting the costume to get me in the mood for real. Tonight we'll be bringing down the decorations (of which we have more than Christmas decorations) and I'll start decorating tomorrow evening. I can't wait!
About this costume, it's short, really short. It gives me a lot of motivation to work out like crazy for the next week and a half. I'm also trying to decide what shoes I should wear with it, T-strap heels or knee high boots? That is the question of the year! LOL and it's a critical decision, these things really matter. LOL

On to more serious matters. I got so mad while I was reading my Political Theory book today. I knew from the get go that it was going to be a really biased book and it has not disappointed. It is just ridiculous what it says about conservatives (and how conservatives invaded and occupied Iraq in 2001, yes that's right 2001!) and how Libertarians are the extreme of the right and that they want to go back to giving the wealthy all their wealth and power so that they can once again oppress the poor. What??? Seriously? That's not what Libertarians stand for, they just want government out of our business and that's really not such a bad thing. I think this person needs to have his head examined. Needless to say I got a lot of reading done but I was fuming the whole time LOL.

A Couple of Clips

2008-10-20T19:25:00.001-07:00

Here is a funny one. Notice what the guy calls Biden when he's introduced LOL:

And speaking of Biden, listen to what he had to say:

He guarantees there is going to be a crisis within the first 6 months of an Obama presidency? If there isn't a better reason to vote for McCain then I don't know what. Like I've been saying for month, we aren't going to need any of the crap Obama promises us if we are blown to bits. And now his runing mate is promising us a crisis within 6 months? That's just scary. Actually I don't think I want to have to wait the 6 months, vote McCain and we probably won't get blown up.

Coming Out of the Haze

2008-10-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

I've spent the weekend, except for a couple of hours here and there, in another drug induced haze. I got my last wisdom tooth pulled on Friday (it only took 4 years and 9 months since the first) and since then I've been in and out of it. It actually still hurts now and in a little while I'm going to take another pill and go back to bed. I don't know why it's been harder to get over this one.

One of the times that I was lucid was to take little man to a birthday party. Since when do parents just drop their kids off at birthday parties and take off? When I was growing up mom would take me to some one's birthday party and up until I was like in middle school, she would stay along with the other parents that brought their kids. But here were kids ranging in age from 6 to 8 and half the parents just dropped their kids off and didn't come back till the party was over. How rude! That's never happened at one of little man's parties and that's probably a good thing because I would straight up tell the parents that this is a birthday party not a baby sitting service.

While I've been out of it I had the TV on and I heard little snippets here and there. First of all The New York Times should be ashamed, publishing such a nasty story about Cindy McCain. Could you imagine the outrage had that article been about Michelle Obama? The double standard is just sickening. And of course Collin Powell endorsed Obama which did not surprise me at all. What he said to the press afterwards made no sense to me. Even in my haze I thought it was just bizarre, I don't know if he's really paying attention to the campaigns because McCain never called Obama a terrorist and Obama and his supporters have been every bit as negative. Anyway my honey said something about that. He said that Powell went in front of the UN and congress telling of why we had to go to war and now he's backing the person that says we shouldn't have been there and that wants to cut and run. What does that mean?

Anyway, I'm going back to bed now. I have to actually get up and go to work tomorrow so I'm going to enjoy the last few hours :o)

Take that Foot Out of Your Mouth

2008-10-16T19:50:00.001-07:00

So people of PA aren't just bitter gun toting, bible thumpers, according to Murtha they are also racist. OK. Nice. He represents these people??
Why is it the dems that keep bringing up the issue of race, from the nominee on down.

This clip is absolutely classic!

How can these people trash Sarah Palin and call her dumb and an idiot when this guy can't even count to 4?

And I found this parody which is totally worth the watch, it's really funny:

And today I felt the need to send an email to Shep Smith again. To let him know what a moron he can be sometimes. He did some idiotic little bit making light (and fun) of "Joe the Plumber" and at the end he says that Joe isn't really a plumber cause he works for someone who is and that Joe isn't even his real name. So I had to point out the fact that just because he works for someone that's a plumber doesn't mean he's not a plumber himself and that Joe is his middle name so what sense does it make for a man who goes by his middle name to point out that another man that goes by his middle name doesn't go by his "real name". I used to think Shep was the cat's meow but lately I can't stand to watch him. Seems like since the economic crisis started he's been nothing but doom and gloom and he's gone downhill from there. to be honest I haven't even watched him in a couple of weeks because I just can't stomach him anymore. The only reason he was on tonight is because I flipped the news on out of habit. And that came on within 5 minutes. How typical. I used to think he was fair at reporting the news but now he sticks in his two cents more and more and he's starting to sound like all the others. When he used to say he doesn't have a horse in this race I believed him but lately, I don't believe that anymore.

I also made sure to point out that like the rest of the MSM he is completely missing the point of the exchange and that is Obama's socialist plan of "spreading the wealth around". That's a perfectly valid point that should be the focus and not these attacks on Joe. It's typical, they've been doing it for how long now, here is someone that came out and publicly pointed out what Obama was doing and what do they do? They attack him and try to discredit him. But the fact still remains that Obama wants to "spread the wealth around". Of course now he says that he was misunderstood. Yes of course he was, that's what he told him that's what he explained to him but yet he was misunderstood. I don't buy that for a minute.

One more thing

2008-10-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Remember when Obama said that parents need to turn off the video games. Well guess where THE ONE is running ads now? In video games!

CREEPY!!!! Not to mention hypocritical.

Final Debate..random

2008-10-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

And I am watching with one eye open!

OK I'm liking the first question, actually asking why their economic plan is better than the other's. (Obama looks like a child being schooled when McCain talks). McCain is finally explaining himself better about his economic plan and keeping people in their homes. Obama brings up wanting to end tax cuts for companies sending jobs overseas. This would be the perfect time for McCain to bring up that raising their taxes would cause them to ship more jobs overseas and lose more jobs.
Yes! McCain brought up the Joe the plumber!

And Obama makes another snide comment about him watching McCain ads. Nope it came out of your mouth dude. And he's back on his tired old tax cut for 95% of Americans. Mac, you need to bring up that poor people don't employ people. Oh and by the way Obama Joe wasn't happy with your answer!

WOOOOO HOOOOO McCain brings up the spread the wealth around comment!!!! OMG Where has this McCain been the last couple of months! And he's bringing up taxing the companies that are going to create the jobs. That's right Mac remind them that these businesses he wants to raise taxes on are the ones that create jobs.

More blah blah blah from Obama, more talking points. I love how he says we all have to live within our means. You are right there! We do have to live within our means and the rich shouldn't have to give their money away so other people can live above thiers.
You know what I hate? How Obama snickers when McCain busts him out on his pork barrel spending. And I hate when he tries to say that ear marks aren't a big deal.
McCain needs to point out that he's not Bush and different ideas.
And there goes Obama snickering again as McCain is talking, he's so arrogant.
Awwww Obama brought up Fox News again! 8 more years, quit saying that!

OOOOOH here comes the Bill Ayers moment! This is good! Awesome McCain is calling them out on being called a racist!! You go boy!! And pointing out that Obama has spent more money on negative campaigns! And that he lied about public financing!

HEY OBAMA Isn't repudiating Lewis, and worse yet he says that the public doesn't care about their hurt feelings. What an ass!! And America can't afford 4 more years of being called racists!

OOOOOHHHH McCain called him out for not repudiating Lewis and now he's still not, he's talking around it and play it down! I am so glad McCain is totally calling him out on it and defending his supporters!! And Obama can do nothing but stutter! OK so Obama had to change the subject because he had no comeback there.
And now he's bringing up Acorn! AWESOME!

I think that someone needs to remind Obama that the people he associates with says a lot about him. Also, if he's going to say that something that someone did when he was 8 has no bearing on him then that goes for good things too, not just bad. And he's playing down ACORN, he is only involved with them because he represented them once. Forget that his campaign gave them $800,000.

OK about the VP's, McCain needs to say that he doesn't need his VP to have the foreign policy experience, or all the experience for this matter, in the ticket because he has that himself. LOL

WHO CARES IF SARAH PALIN IS QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT!!! SHE'S NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!!!! Is Obama qualified?
LMBO McCain should have said that Biden is more qualified than Obama! HAHA

So Obama wants to drill now? And use or lose drill sites? Is that really such a good idea?
Yes Obama we did invent the auto industry and then the unions killed it. Have fun with the EFCA!

And now he's being schooled on free trade again. Oh and great bringing up schooling people for new jobs, he needs to pound on that more, bring up Obama's idea of jobs - road workers, that is great!
Oh he's bringing up labor bosses, now is the time for McCain to bring up EFCA. He HAS to bring it up, it would be great!

Obama, seems to me like he wants to seem like the person that brings the world together to sing Kumbaya with the people that are going to try to blow us up as soon as we get in our sleeping bags!

Obama just said that his health care plan is going to cost in the short term. Really? Cause in case you haven't noticed we don't really have money. Oh yeah and McCain knows about the VA because that's where he would get his health care, not where Obama does. Cause Obama didn't think that joining the military was important.
All McCain has to say now is say, remember all the stories about the shortfalls of military health care? Is that what you want?

YES! I am so glad that he's saying that roe v. wade is not what he would base his decision for nominees to the Supreme Court. Good answer! But what's up with Bob bringing up the fact that he wants to overturn roe v. wade, good for Mac for saying it should be up to the states and shutting him up. What was up with that little berating of him? Obama will not provide a litmus test BUT.... yeah he would. You know what I agree with McCain, that's not important when it comes to nominating justices, there are a lot of things out there that are more important out there that affect me more than that.

Oh here we got Obama wants to make college affordable now. SHUT UP!!!! There are so many people out there who work their way through. and by the way military service is not community service, it's much more than that, it's giving your whole life over to defending your country, not going down to the hospital for 100 hours a year for $4000 by the way that would be $40 an hour, that's a really good living, hmmm...but I digress, I'm sick of him comparing military service to community service, the difference is night and day, it doesn't even compare, it shouldn't even be mentioned in the same scope.

By the way we do need reform in our education system because if we spend the most money on education then why are we so behind in reading and math and all that? There is clearly something wrong there. LOL I love when McCain says, because there aren't enough vouchers we shouldn't do it even though it's working "Got it" LOL that was awesome. Obama has that attitude about a lot of things though.

OMG in his closing remarks Obama keeps on linking McCain to Bush. I am so sick of him comparing them, more of the same blah blah blah, shut up!

All in all this was the best debate. I just wish that McCain would have been this lively in the other two debates.

Joe the Plumber

2008-10-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Remember the plumber that told Obama how his tax plan would affect him (to which Obama responded with his spread the wealth around nugget?) Well he was on Neil Cavuto's show yesterday.

Here is what he had to say:

You know what I think is funny? Other than Fox News Newsbusters and Tammy Bruce's site, I have not seen anything about this. Way to ignore it MSM!

And speaking of Fox News. Here's what Obama has to say about the channel:

“I am convinced that if there were no Fox News, I might be two or three points higher in the polls,” Obama told me. “If I were watching Fox News, I wouldn't vote for me, right? Because the way I’m portrayed 24/7 is as a freak! I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?

“I guess the point I’m making,” he went on, “is that there is an entire industry now, an entire apparatus, designed to perpetuate this cultural schism, and it’s powerful. People want to know that you’re fighting for them, that you get them. And I actually think I do. But you know, if people are just seeing me in sound bites, they’re not going to discover that. That’s why I say that some of that may have to happen after the election, when they get to know you.”

Nice. There is more in the article. Go ahead and read it, it's more of the same old same old, racial, white men don't vote for him because he's different...he's a black guy from Hawaii. It's all there, straight from the horse's mouth.
Could you imagine if tables were turned and the MSM was treating him the way they treat McCain and Palin? And he's complaining about one channel, which by the way Hillary thought was fair and balanced:

OK, don't throw tomatoes at me but I'm wishing Hillary would have won the primary. If McCain loses the election, I would have rather her be the one in the White House than Obama. (Horrors! I can't believe I am actually admitting this!)

That's not the job I want! and other stuff...

2008-10-15T16:15:00.004-07:00

Did you hear about what Biden said at a Rally in Ohio today? You can read the whole story here, but here are some highlights:

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Wednesday that Barack Obama's plan to rebuild the nation's crumbing roads and bridges would help reverse the loss of 240,000 jobs in Ohio during the Bush years.

Biden told an audience in this economically distressed battleground state that the Democratic presidential candidate's public works projects would create 2 million jobs nationwide, including 76,000 new jobs for the middle class in Ohio.

LOL OK if I lose my job I don't want to work building roads. By the way I don't know about your part of the country but where I live, when you pass these road projects it's about 90% Mexicans working out there. Let's face it it's hard work out in the elements with speeding traffic whizing by and little pay to boot. Not very desirable.

Biden said McCain and his vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, don't understand the plight of struggling Ohioans, and he decried the fact that the median income of a middle class family in the state has dropped $2,000 in the last eight years

Well, according the the US Census Bureau the median income in Ohio in 1999 was $40,956, and the average median income for the years 2006-2007 was $48,151. And according to the department of labor the average yearly pay for road workers: $30,118.40. So according to this every point he made here is false. And by THE ONE's plan median income really would go down.

He compared a tax rebate from the stimulus package to a check that Alaska residents receive each year from the state government, a stipend from the proceeds of the state's more than $30 billion oil-rich investment account.

"If a $1000 rebate is good enough for them in Alaska, it sure as heck good enough for the people of southern Ohio," he said.

OK I think Gov. Palin needs to go ahead and thank him for this. That's right she did such a good job in Alaska that her people got this surplus back. Wow imagine that, instead of pouring all that money into the system she was able to give it back to the people.
Senator Biden is RIGHT the people of Ohio should get a $1000 rebate from the government. EVERYONE in America deserves to get $1000 back from the government every year. Gov. Palin has already proven she could do it for her state, she needs to show Washington how to do it for everyone! That's the type of person that we need as VP and with McCain's attitude towards pork, we could get somewhere here.

He also criticized Republican candidate John McCain's idea for the federal government to spend $300 billion to buy distressed mortgages at full face value and renegotiate them at a reduced price.

OK let me start by saying that I don't think this is the greatest idea ever but it's better than Obama's plan of a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures. So after the 90-days then what? Oh yeah, that's right, those people that couldn't afford their houses before, still can't afford them after 90 days and they get foreclosed. Nice try though.

By the way...

2008-10-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Speaking of going to school. I got my grades for last term and I had straight A's again. So I am now officially on the Dean's List. YAY! I am so excited! Not bad for working full time and going to school full time and doing all the extra curricular family activities. But there is no rest for the weary, second term started yesterday.

Self Sufficiency

2008-10-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

This one speaks for itself...

And that is the definition of socialism.

And there is this totally slanted piece but what more can you expect from Andrea Mitchell?

The part that gets me is the college student crying to Obama. OK let me pull out the world's smallest violin here. I am all about people going to college, but since when is it a right? How many people in this country have busted their ass to put themselves through school? How many people have taken out student loans or worked their butts off in school to get scholarships and plugged along and did what they had to do. I'm sorry that this girl didn't get scholarships to pay for her tuition and I'm sorry that she thinks she's above going to a school that doesn't charge so much that even after grants she's $24,000 in debt for what two years at the most (she says she's 19) and I'm also sorry that she didn't have a college fund set up. But plenty of people have been in the same situation as her and plenty of people have put their big girl panties on and dealt with it. And speaking as someone who has delayed going to school because I couldn't afford to pay for it and who now works full time and goes to school full time so I can afford to keep going, I don't care for her sob story. Go cry someone else a river. Show some character and help yourself instead of expecting the government and everyone else (who has already helped themselves) help you. You can start by getting a job, sure it's not as much fun to have to work while you are at school and yeah it really does make it harder but there are hundreds of thousands of people that have done it.

Self sufficiency, try it!

Who are you calling hateful?

2008-10-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the shirts four Obama supporters were sporting this weekend?

Here is a story on them and some interesting information from Tammy Bruce

But that is nothing compared to this. It is so vile that I didn't want to put the image on my blog but you can click over and see it for yourself. It is beyond hateful and I want to know where the outrage is over this. The same outrage that we saw over the link between Obama and Ayers and all the other questionable associations he's had, to put it mildly.

Man on the Street

2008-10-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a clip from Howard Stern. I believe it's the October 1, 2008 show. They had Sal go on the streets of Harlem and asked Obama supporters if they agreed with McCain policies. Of course they didn't know they were McCain's stances and they agreed. It's pretty funny take a listen:

Employee Free Choice Act

2008-10-13T17:41:00.001-07:00

How many of you have heard of the Employee Free Choice Act? I heard the name once, can't even remember when, and then it was brought up to my attention by a lawyer. She said to look it up and what I found scared me.

Basically right now to unionize, before a private vote, there has to be a card check in which 30% of employees sign the card. Get 30% then there is a secret vote and if there is 50% +1 votes in favor of unionizing then it happens and the company and union negotiate terms of a contract until both sides come to a mutual agreement.

Under the EFCA the private vote will be done away with. It would be enough just to get 50% +1 during a card check campaign. What does that mean? That means that people could be harassed by their company and by the organizers, they will not have the opportunity to vote in private. How many people will really vote the way they want if they will be voting in public, open to scrutiny from not only their employers but also their fellow employees and reps. from a labor union. It will be taking the choice away from the employees.

Second, if they get the 50% +1 then the company has 120 days to agree to an initial contract before going to binding arbitration, the results of which neither the company or the employees will be able to appeal and will be valid for 2 years.
So again how exactly is it fair to let a third party decide what the terms of the contract that the company and employees have to abide by. They don't have a vested interest in either side.

Personally I feel that this can change business as we know it. I fear that it's going to financially ruin many companies, not only make it to where they can hire less people because of how much money they have to pay in comp and bens. but since they have to make up these loses somewhere prices will go up.

This is just a very general overview as I see it. For more information check out The Heritage Foundation.
It's really long but you can skim trough it and get a lot of very good information on this piece of legislation.

And who is for this?

Well, from the Obama campaign's position on the economy:

Labor

Obama and Biden will strengthen the ability of workers to organize unions. He will fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act...* Ensure Freedom to Unionize: Obama and Biden believe that workers should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Obama cosponsored and is strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize. He will continue to fight for EFCA's passage and sign it into law.

From the Obama Campaign position on fighting poverty:

Ensure Freedom to Unionize

Barack Obama believes that workers should have the freedom to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Although an estimated 60 million Americans would join a union if given the opportunity, companies too often evade employment laws and deny workers the opportunity to organize and advocate for their rights. Obama is a cosponsor and strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to make the unionization process more transparent and increase penalties on companies that violate employee rights. He voted in favor of the legislation this year and will continue to fight for its passage. Obama also will fight to make the card check process more common and less difficult.

By the way this legislation would increase the penalties for unfair labor practices committed by employers during organizing but not for unions.

Statement of Senator Barack Obama on the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007:

Passing this legislation will mark the most meaningful action in years to restore the right of workers to organize for fair treatment, but we must go further and also pass the Employee Free Choice Act. Workers should be free to choose whether they want to join a union without fear of intimidation, coercion, or threats to their livelihoods. This bipartisan effort would make the process of organizing less vulnerable to employer violations by requiring card-check recognition and increasing penalties on employers that violate the law.

And he thinks that they will not be coerced in an open vote? Really?

This all comes off as hostile to free enterprise and like government interference with private companies. This is going to make us even less competitive in the world markets (Hello, Detroit and the American auto makers who are closing plants left and right, heavily unionized!) and most likely kill more jobs.

No it is not that simple!

Two More Down...

2008-10-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

And a lot more to go LOL. I just officially finished my last American Lit. class and not a moment too soon. I have the biggest headache now. That class had that affect on me. Friday I took the proctored final and he had stuff in there that he previously said was not going to be covered in the final so of course I didn't pay much attention to those selections. Grrr.... So now I'm just hoping for the best. I'm really worried about my grade in that class now so we'll see. I know I got an A in my other class. We'll see.

I also ordered my Halloween costume for this year and here it is:

Except for the boots, I'm not doing the thigh high boots, I'll probably do strapy sandals haven't decided yet. And I've decided that we'll most likely do like a trick or treat after party but now my husband is mad that he'll be at work that night, but it's the only night we have and he doesn't like Halloween anyway. Plus I told him that he's taken a day off to go to some one's goodbye dinner he can take a night off if he really wants to be here for the party. Like he never does anything fun when I'm at work.

Creepy 2

2008-10-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I went out with some friends and got home rather late. When I got back and got comfy I sat in the dark living room to check my email before turning in for the night. Everyone else in the house was asleep even the dogs. so it was nice and quiet and the only light was the light of screen. Then something caught my eye and I looked up and saw a dark shadow move through the living room from the couch I was sitting on to the chair and ottoman that I felt move the other day. And it wasn't like a shadow on the wall thing either it was like a dark spot. Weird but it didn't freak me out either.

Anyway, I got yet another article from Rasmussen similar to the one I posted yesterday. Once again it's a good read, shorter than the last too. Check it out.

One More Thing

2008-10-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

I have an op-ed piece from Rasmussen Reports that I got this morning. It has to do with what I was saying yesterday about Obama supporters suppressing people that speak out against him. It's a good read, check it out.

Today I'm having a total lazy day. I plan on working on some school work and watching a lot of college football and then later tonight I'm going to watch my friend's band play. But first I think I might take a little nap.

Sign of things to come?

2008-10-10T16:51:00.001-07:00

Have you heard about some Obama supporters were going to target those that ran negative ads about Obama? Read about it at World Net Daily. It's interesting. Apparently it's not just happening in Missouri but in PA also.

On that note, I would like to know why it is that the Liberal Media keeps accusing those not voting for their golden child as racist? I am so sick and tired of seeing these idiotic accusations. But who is really racist? Have you seen Scarface's comments?

And of course we remember Obamas words:

Creepy

2008-10-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the Halloween season, I had another creepy occurrence in my house last night.

After I got the little man to sleep, let the dogs out so they'd leave me alone, I settled into my over sized chair and propped my feet up on the ottoman and got to studying for my American Lit test today. I had all radios, TVs everything off because I didn't want any distractions.

About an hour into my studying I feel one of the dogs plop down on the floor in front of the ottoman and push it back against the chair, there had been about a 4 inch gap between the two. I leaned over to look and then remembered I was the only one in the room and both dogs were still outside. It was kind of like the time I went to the guest room to sleep because the snore fest going on in my room was too much and a few minutes later I felt Sarge jump on the bed but when I turned over to look there was no one there. It happens here.

I didn't make a big deal about it and got back to my reading and a little while later something caught my attention, I looked up over the rim of my glasses and saw someone run from my bedroom and across the foyer and into the dining room. I thought it might have been little man so I went to see what good excuse he had to still be awake at almost midnight but he was asleep in his bed on the other side of the house. Needless to say I was a little spooked by that one and I thought back a couple of weeks ago when I opened the bathroom door to find a person crouched next to the Clifford baby petting him, about two feet from the door. At first I didn't realize what I was seeing and I did a double take and when I looked again Clifford was alone. It looked like maybe it was a boy about 2 or 3 years older than my son.

Creepy!!! I was telling one of my coworkers this morning about what had happened last night and she said I surely have to have my Halloween Party this year. I'm going to see what I can pull off.

Obama part of a Socialist Party?

2008-10-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

I came across this piece of information earlier and thought it was interesting: Obama's Membership in Socialist Party
And from Suitably Flip

This is interesting. I wonder if the Media will be reporting on this or if it will be dismissed as another racist smear.

McCain's Last Answer

2008-10-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

While Obama was talking about our country needing fundamental changes and that we need to change our country (For the record I love my country even with all it's short comings.) This is what McCain gave as an answer to the final question last night.
I thought it was worth posting:

McCain: Well, thank you, Tom. And I think what I don't know is what all of us don't know, and that's what's going to happen both here at home and abroad.

The challenges that we face are unprecedented. Americans are hurting tonight in a way they have not in our generation.

There are challenges around the world that are new and different and there will be different -- we will be talking about countries sometime in the future that we hardly know where they are on the map, some Americans.

So what I don't know is what the unexpected will be. But I have spent my whole life serving this country. I grew up in a family where my father was gone most of the time because he was at sea and doing our country's business. My mother basically raised our family.

I know what it's like in dark times. I know what it's like to have to fight to keep one's hope going through difficult times. I know what it's like to rely on others for support and courage and love in tough times.

I know what it's like to have your comrades reach out to you and your neighbors and your fellow citizens and pick you up and put you back in the fight.

That's what America's all about. I believe in this country. I believe in its future. I believe in its greatness. It's been my great honor to serve it for many, many years.

And I'm asking the American people to give me another opportunity and I'll rest on my record, but I'll also tell you, when times are tough, we need a steady hand at the tiller and the great honor of my life was to always put my country first.

I just wish he could be a bit more passionate the rest of the time. I'm just saying.

Debate 2 Very Very Random

2008-10-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of giving my thoughts as the debate was going on.

Is it just me or were the first two questions pretty much the same?
And I loved how Obama had no idea who he would appoint as Secretary of the Treasury LOL. Imagine that, They made a big deal about Sarah Palin not saying where she got her news but he doesn't even know who he'd appoint and just went off subject.

Ooooh cheap shot from Obama. He has to correct McCain "not surprisingly"

So when Obama says we are going to make sure that people stay in their homes and can pay their bills does that mean we are going to pay it for them? What exactly does Obama mean by that?

Ok when answering the first question Obama said that he was going to make sure that we had road and bridge projects so that Americans can keep their jobs and be employed. Ummmm. When exactly was the last time Obama drove by road construction? Because around here most of the workers on these road and bridge projects are Mexican. LOL

Question 3: I'd like to know how much the budget has increased in the last 2 years since the Dems took over the Congress. Blaming everything on the Republicans.

What exactly is your energy plan Obama? What exactly is he cutting for all this spending?
What is at the top of Obama's priority list: Energy, good one! We don't have gas! What are you going to do about that? How are we going to be free of Mid Eastern Oil? HOW?? Health care, yeah yeah it's broken, what are you going to do. Education? What are we going to do about Education?

Hey Obama a big corporation employees me and tens of thousands of others, if you hike their taxes they'll have less money and cut back on jobs!

McCain is talking about ear marks but I just don't think he hammers it home enough. He lost so many opportunities, he was way too passive. He really needs to be more forceful about what is wrong with obama's plan and how his plan is better. he also needs to point out how the dems are the ones that got us in this mess with their backing of freddie and fannie going back to the last administration. He really needs to get more animated about what he has to say.

So what does 9/11 have to do with spending? Obama is going to tie it up for us. But I'm confused, what does what President Bush said after 9/11 have to do with now and the future? Military families and the troops compared to the Peace Corp? come again, how exactly?? I'm confused again

Share the burden? Of course people that make more money live high on the hog, they make more money! They did what they had to do to make it. I wish someone would point out how he's talking socialism! Come on McCain call him out on it! Forget that it's not fair for poor people to bear the burden, how is it fair that successful people have to give up more of their money?
And when Obama says that 95% of people will get a tax cut does that also mean the people that don't pay taxes now? You are just going to throw more money their way? They are the ones using the entitlement programs that we pay with our tax money and they don't pay taxes (cause they get it all back) and are you going to throw more money their way?

LOL McCain brought up Herbert Hoover, remember the Hoover camps? yeah, I wasn't around then either but that would be pretty dramatic. McCain nails Obama on tax increases on small business LOL that is so true! Those people that own small businesses pay their business expenses from their income and on top of that they are going to be taxed more.

OK Obama is going around his rear end to get to his point. Actually I don't think he has any real points, other than talking points.
So when he says that drilling is not the answer then what are we going to do until we come up with the alternative. Come to GA for a week and see how we have to scout out gas stations that have gas, and then say drilling is not the answer. What is the answer for NOW then? I'm getting pretty tired of having to stop when I find gas somewhere just in case I can't find any later when I really need it.
Thank you McCain for saying that drilling is vital! Vital to build the bridge! YES!

LMBO Health care: Obama says you can purchase the health care they enjoy as fed. employees. I wonder if their health care is anything like the health care I get as a military dependent because if it is then I don't want it. What a joke. The waits for appointments and to get prescriptions filled is just ridiculous! having to go to the ER because you can't get in to see your doctor when you are sick for like a week or having like a hundred different doctors and your primary care physician changing without notice, on a whim. I wonder if that's the health care they would be able to buy. Oh and if it is I hope they aren't paying less than I'm paying for it now.

Let's get on with this show. Thank you Senator McCain for pointing out how our country is good and we have defended other nations even with all our warts. And he was right about the surge. If we give them a set timetable for withdrawal does he Obama not think that the terrorists are just going to sit back and wait till we are leaving? And then as there are less and less troops there it will get ugly, our guys will be at a great disadvantage. But as long as we are getting out of there who cares. And if Obama brings up the past and what's done again I'm going to scream. We know you didn't want to go in there. Fine we get it but the truth of the matter is that we are there and now we have to deal with it the right way. Not just arbitrarily pull out because you don't believe we should be there or because it's the popular thing to say on your side of the aisle. You need to think not only of the lives and safety of our soldiers and citizens but also of the Iraqi people that will be left with a vacuum of power for any nutcase to seize control. Think Afghanistan after we wiped our hands of them when the Russians were sent packing. Yeah remember Bin Laden and the Taliban? Where and how do you think they took hold?

I wanted to finish this with McCain's last answer because I thought that was so telling. Where Obama was talking down our country McCain was saying how he thought our country was great and that he had hope for our country. When the transcripts come up I'll post it.
By the way did anyone else notice that anytime Obama said anything good about our country he immediately followed it with a but? Doesn't' that negate the statement? lol

All in all I must say this debate was super boring, we've heard everything before, all those questions have been asked. Whoever picked the questions to be asked should have done a better job, pick more specific questions or something. It was pretty lame.