I’d be shivering in my boots if I was within fifty yards of this:

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) July 3, 2009 — The heart pounding excitement of a fast elevator ride and 103rd floor views from the Sears Tower Skydeck are no secret. The story has, however, just gotten more thrilling. Now visitors can test their curiosity and courage from a new angle: step into one of four glass enclosures for the gasp-inducing, straight-to-the-sidewalk view between their shoes.

The show stopper of the Skydeck’s multi-million dollar renovation is the addition of four glass enclosures that project 4.3 feet into space. At 103 floors above street level. Three layers of half-inch glass are fused, designed to hold five tons, are described as “glass ledges.” That should be no problem since four or five persons will venture into one of the transparent booths at any given time. There’ll be as much looking down as gazing out on the four-state vista.

A slideshow of those far braver than I am is available here. Check it out as it offers spectacular pictures!

Posted in Amazing, Sears Tower | trackback url | No Comments » | |

With all the turmoil in the world today and the state of our country, I have found myself asking Jesus to cleanse my heart and soul of all unrighteousness and to let me focus on Him instead of the material things of the world.

I don’t know what the future holds for this country or for my husband and me. We don’t know if we will be wiped out financially or be able to survive until the Lord calls us Home, but we don’t worry about tomorrow because we know Who holds tomorrow and we know He hold our hands.

Michael W. Smith has one of the most beautiful renditions of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” I have ever heard and I want to share it with you.

Posted in Jesus, Worship | trackback url | 1 Comment » | |

If not for the efforts of the coalition forces in Iraq, does anyone feel the following would have ever come to fruition?

Most probably never were aware of the extensive humanitarian endeavors carried out by those with boots on the ground in Iraq. Why? Well I suppose it would not have sold newspapers or made for good commentary on the evening news.

Have you read about this?

In April 2009, American Airlines and Operation Iraqi Children partnered to transport 20 tons of supplies into Iraq. Two schools were visited in the Golden Hills area; over 700 school kits, Croc shoes, and clothing were distributed. Read more about this airlift.

The efforts by individuals and businesses to provide these children has been overwhelming. Civilians and troops alike have joined hands to provide a better life for those unable to help themselves.

Iraq celebrated this past Tuesday what is a form of independence.

Our troops vacating major cities and relinquishing control to the homeland forces is a good thing.

We were never meant to be invaders or occupiers (as some believed), only to set an entire population free from the oppressive dictatorship they had endured for centuries.

Through it all, the political decisions which may have been well placed but at times failed, the blinding heat and sandstorms, and the many negative accounts of their struggles to free a nation and turn it towards democracy, our troops and those of the coalition worked tirelessly to complete their mission.

When I see a an image such as the one below it speaks a thousand words.

It should be the hope of all in America that these children will one day remember the sacrifices of those who freed them from tyranny and allowed them their first taste of freedom.

For all the horrors which any war produces, if we just look a little deeper we can find the good.

As our own Independence Day approaches we should be thankful we continue to have men and women both here at home and across the globe who are willing to sacrifice so others might experience that which we have come to cherish.

Posted in Children, Coalition Forces, Iraq, Kindness, Military, Our Military | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Our tax dollars hard at work:

WASHINGTON — Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.

The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That’s a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.

The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as “codels,” has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.

Lawmakers say that the trips are a good use of government funds because they allow members of Congress and their staff members to learn more about the world, inspect U.S. assets abroad and forge better working relationships with each other. The travel, for example, includes official visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Journal analysis, based on information published in the Congressional Record, also shows that taxpayer-funded travel is a big and growing perk for lawmakers and their families. Some members of Congress have complained in recent months about chief executives of bailed-out banks, insurance companies and car makers who sponsored corporate trips to resorts or used corporate jets for their own travel.

Although complete travel records aren’t yet available for 2009, it appears that such costs continue to rise. The Journal analysis shows that the government has picked up the tab for travel to destinations such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Lawmakers frequently bring along spouses on congressional trips. If they take commercial flights, they have to buy tickets for spouses. If they fly on government planes — as they usually do — their spouses can fly free.

[emphasis-admin]

The country is bankrupt but congressional members along with their families and aides are traveling on the taxpayer dime so they can see the world and bond?

This must be the true definition of tax and spend.

Posted in Congress, Disgraceful, Waste to the Taxpayer, Wasteful Spending | trackback url | 1 Comment » | |

It seems CBS’s Chip Reid and Hearst Newspapers’ Helen Thomas might be skating on thin ice and may get a new seat assignment in the press room for daring to question the Obama machine’s pre-selection of questions for his “Town Hall” meeting this afternoon.

In addition to favorable questions, unfavorable questions were pre-selected, giving Obama time to come up with a good-sounding answer.

I have to tell you I didn’t think they had it in them.

*Update:

CNS News interviewed Helen Thomas following the exchange with Robert Gibbs heard in the video above.

What she says may well signal the honeymoon is over for the Obama administration.

“Nixon didn’t try to do that,” Thomas said. “They couldn’t control (the media). They didn’t try.

“What the hell do they think we are, puppets?” Thomas said. “They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them.”

Thomas said she was especially concerned about the arrangement between the Obama Administration and a writer from the liberal Huffington Post Web site. The writer was invited by the White House to President Obama’s press conference last week on the understanding that he would ask Obama a question about Iran from among questions that had been sent to him by people in Iran.

“When you call the reporter the night before you know damn well what they are going to ask to control you,” Thomas said.

“I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well–for the town halls, for the press conferences,” she said. “It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.”

*Update 2:

It appears Helen Thomas and Chip Reid’s suspicions were correct, at least in this instance:

Via Power Line:

President Barack Obama wanted to put a human face on his plans to overhaul health care, and a Virginia supporter did just that Wednesday. Fighting back tears, Debby Smith, 53, told Obama of her kidney cancer and her inability to obtain health insurance or hold a job.

The president hugged her–she’s a volunteer for his political operation–and called her “exhibit A” in an unsustainable system that is too expensive and complex for millions of Americans. …

Smith, of Appalachia, Va., is a volunteer for Organizing for America, Obama’s political operation within the Democratic National Committee. She obtained her ticket through the White House.

[emphasis-admin]

More on the back story of the relationship between Ms. Smith and the Obama Administration here.

Welcome readers from the Tider Insider. Thanks for the link.

Posted in Barack Obama, Gibbs, Helen Thomas, Press | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Within the last week we have heard the news of the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and pitchman Billy Mays.

Each of these people was special to their families and friends, and the degree of their fame did not or should not have made any loved one feel less saddened or more saddened than the loved ones of the others. And that’s where I have the problem.

President John F. Kennedy died in Dallas, TX, on November 22, 1963 at approximately 1:30 CST from an assassin’s bullet(s). This was a Friday afternoon that I will not forget as long as I live. He was the leader of the Free World and had been wiped off the face of the earth in an instant.

I watched the coverage of his death and his funeral throughout the weekend. Back then television stations signed off at midnight with the playing of the National Anthem.

I watched the body come back, the swearing in ceremony of Lyndon Johnson, the arrival of the body, the body being taken to Bethesda Naval hospital for autopsy, the long driveway of the White House, the honor guard, impromptu parade at the day of his burial, the funeral mass and the burial of his body.

Kennedy died on a Friday afternoon and was buried on Monday after that. We stopped viewing constant coverage of his death at 11:00 pm on Monday night with a recap of the previous four days while we worried about his small children and our country. This was truly a death of great world significance.

Now we have 24 hour news channels and the internet, and I am so sick of turning on a television set or going to the internet to read about a man who apparently mistreated his body so much that he died while preparing for a singing and dancing show.

I’ve seen his family trying to make hay while the sun shines on the death of their loved one and have been shocked that the birth mother of two of his children is so cold as to not want to fight for her children who do not appear to biologically belong to Michael Jackson.

I had an unpleasant run-in with my German Shepherd/mix dog Saturday night whereby I stepped on her feet in the dark in a room I didn’t expect her to be and she bit my foot in a pretty serious way. I say this by way of explanation of why I had a television on so late last night and early this morning. I was unable to sleep. I put the TV from History channel to Fox News channel when the infomercials started on the History channel.

There sat Geraldo Rivera in his conspiratorial best describing which of his four death theories on Michael Jackson made the most sense. (Natural death and suicide were ruled out, but accidental overdose and murder were left open) I got physically sick to my stomach and turned off the TV.

Yes, the Jackson family are grieving their loved one’s sudden death, but no more than any of my family grieved the loss of their son or brother. He was better known than they but he is just as gone as they also.

It’s time to stop this circus surrounding this one death and concentrate on the cap and trade bill passed by the House last week and the upcoming health care fight we are going to have.

Iraq is soon to be without our soldiers in their cities, Iran is going through a massacre, we are engaged with a war with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Honduras has had a military takeover of its government, N. Korea is threatening to hit us with a nuclear bomb, people all over the world are starving and infected with disease, and all our networks can talk about is Michael Jackson’s death.

It’s time to put things into perspective and force that family to recede into the background without the Revs. Jackson and Sharpton holding news conferences about something they know nothing.

It’s time to lay his body to rest and let us get on with living. I care about his family. I especially care about his children, but I’m sick of all this fawning coverage of the death of a man who was no more significant to his family than Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Billy Mays were to theirs.

Posted in Give it a rest | trackback url | 3 Comments » | |

If Jeanette was available, I know she would offer a thank you to The Anchoress for the link, and a warm welcome to her readers.

We have a daily quote on our sidebar from BibleGateway.com, a site to which you might wish to pay a visit.

Hope you enjoy your stay at J’s.

Posted in Blogging Friends, Blogs, Thanks | trackback url | 1 Comment » | |

There will be light posting today as Jeanette is nursing a bum foot and I am tied up with the usual summer chores.

Until we resume regular blogging, here are a few articles/posts you might want to check out:

One full day around the world captured in pictures.

A Victor Davis Hanson must read:

The Left charged that President Bush was surrounded by wannabe Guardians who, via the work of Leo Strauss, bought into Plato’s argument. Therefore, according to their critics, they played fast and loose with the truth (Saddam’s ties with al-Qaeda, WMD in Iraq, etc.) in order to scare clueless Americans into accepting the invasion of Iraq and waging a war on terror. These “noble lies” were deemed necessary, since the authoritarian threats from the Middle East after 9/11 were, in fact, real, and the public otherwise would never have appreciated the mortal danger to our country.

No accuser, however, was ever able to demonstrate a pattern of sustained, premeditated prevarication on the part of neoconservatives. How, after all, had Platonic Straussians taken over the government from WASP or African-American realists like Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rice, and Rumsfeld? In most cases, “neo-con” ended up simply as an acceptable anti-Semitic slur to describe Jewish intellectuals who supposedly put Israel’s national security on a par with, or above, our own.

The irony is that during the Obama administration’s first six months, we have seen ample evidence of noble lies.

The United States Supreme Court will render several opinions today. The findings of the Court can be found here. Further analysis here.

Posted in Bits and Pieces | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Loving animals is one thing but this,well let’s just say it’s an accident waiting to happen.

Billy Mays, the voice of so many infomercials has died.

Condolences to the family.

This headline begs the question, who is?

Kudos to Geroge Stephanopoulos for pushing David Axelrod on the question of Obama promising no further taxes imposed upon the middle class:

Hmmm..seems to me I remember another president who uttered the words “No new taxes.” If memory serves correctly, that was enough to see him defeated in his next presidential bid.

Move over LeBron James:

Posted in Uncategorized | trackback url | No Comments » | |

I would bet that the recipients of the kindness and gratitude shown by these folks would say that words could not fully express their feelings:

If these individuals do not show the best of America, I don’t know who does.

Giving of their time to welcome home returning members of our Armed Forces is to be greatly admired.

Please read this post for a first hand account of these airport greetings (a HT is in order as this is where I first viewed the above video.)

I’ve been at the airport a couple of times when troop flights have arrived, and it’s a moving experience. Soldiers file in and the minute they enter the terminal, the troop greeters start applauding, shaking hands and hugging the troops. In the troop greeter room, soldiers are given access to snacks and free cell phones they can use to call loved ones. Although I’ve never been a formal part of the troop greeting, when I’m at the airport and soldiers are there, I have taken the opportunity to shake a hand or clap for those who serve our country.

Posted in Homecoming, Kindness, Our Military | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Fox News is constantly accused of being less than “fair and balanced.”

These numbers reveal something a bit different:

With the second quarter coming to a close, Fox News averaged about the same number of viewers as the top three other cable news networks combined. And while rivals including CNN (-22%) and MSNBC (-18%) took hits following last quarter’s inauguration-fueled boost, Fox News (-3%) remained nearly steady.

Can’t they all be friends?[sarc-off]

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wisc.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) engaged in a late afternoon shouting match on the House floor after Obey reportedly rebuffed Waters on a $1 million earmark request, aides and witnesses said.

Here’s something you won’t see (at least I hope not) when visiting your local zoo:

From my email box, a walk down memory lane:

Have a great weekend all!

Posted in Uncategorized | trackback url | 1 Comment » | |

Music icon Michael Jackson, whose fame spanned from his childhood with the legendary Jackson 5 to a superstar solo career that earned him the nickname ‘King of Pop,’ died Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital, a source close to the family told FOX News. He was 50.

While his later years brought much turmoil to his life, no one can deny the contributions Michael Jackson made to the world of music.

As the death of Elvis Presley had a profound impact on one generation of music fans, the passing of Michael Jackson will do the same for another.

Rest In Peace Michael.

Michael in his early years,

and in 2001 performing with his brothers:

Posted in Death and Dying, Michael Jackson, Music | trackback url | 1 Comment » | |

Farrah Fawcett 1947-2009

Farrah Fawcett, the beautiful blonde actress best-known for her one season in Charlie’s Angels, has lost her valiant battle with cancer at the age of 62.

Farrah seemed to have made her peace with God and I think now she is really an angel in heaven.

I pray for her son Redmond, her father, Ryan O’Neal, and her friends and other loved ones. May she rest in peace.

Posted in Death and Dying, Obituaries | trackback url | 1 Comment » | |

Infidelity in any marriage must be a most painful experience, and unfortunately, one which we hear of all too often these days.

It does not only occur in politically connected families but unfortunately for them, (be they democrat or republican), their lives are laid out for all to see. Such is the case at the moment for the Sanford family.

We have been reminded in the past, and I believe correctly, that these matters are personal in nature and families deserve privacy as they work through their difficulties.

Governor Sanford has shamed himself by his conduct. He has put his wife and children in a position which they do not deserve.

The voters of South Carolina have been betrayed, not by the affair, but in the trust they placed in Mr. Sanford.

Mrs. Sanford appears to have made what must have been heart wrenching decisions over the past months and she is to be admired for her courage.

As for the future, who knows what it holds for the Sanford family. For now, we should all hope that these past weeks and months do not leave a mark on the children which they will carry for a lifetime. Think about all they will see on television or have read or will read within the coming weeks.

Adultery is wrong by all counts but most of us can say we have seen this before be it among family, or friends. Did we judge them harshly or did we find a way to forgive?
Would we ask if they are registered Republicans or Democrats and only then decide if the sin is applicable? Would we publicly humiliate a loved one or a friend (even if they were involved in politics), or would we fight vigorously to defend their privacy?

The story speaks for itself and Governor Sanford is already paying a huge price, but it has nothing to do with being a Republican or the leader of the State of South Carolina.

No, he is at the moment a man without his family, and that to me, is the ultimate punishment.

Posted in Cheating Spouses, Governor Sanford | trackback url | 1 Comment » | |

On Wednesday, as I understand it, any viewer of ABC network shows will be hearing a lot about national health care, with the climax coming at prime time with a show from the White House discussing Obama’s plans for health care and how to cover those not covered by insurance now. No dissenting advertisements or questions will be allowed.

I was going to provide lots of links to show you different comments in newspapers about the debate that is now going on in Congress, but I know our readers are savvy enough to have informed themselves on this important issue, so I decided to leave my notes and links out and speak from my heart.

The Obama administration and the democrat Congress has been on a spending binge unlike anything this country has ever seen before. We have all seen reports that Obama has pushed for bills and signed legislation that has already spent more money in his few months in office than the GW Bush entire presidency. Spending was out of control during the Bush presidency also and Congress wasn’t very responsible with your money.

Now we read that the uncompleted bill written by Sen. Edward Kennedy, and being shepherded through the Senate by Chris Dodd, is going to cost 1 trillion dollars (with a “t” ) and will only cover about 1/3 of the estimated 48 million Americans without insurance. Do the math and you will see it will cost at least 3 trillion dollars to cover everyone.

The way the bill is being written, it will force private insurance companies out of business and everyone will have to have the government plan. We would have our health care at the mercy of those who have given us the Post Office and Amtrak.
I don’t feel warm and fuzzy about those prospects. All it will do is create a larger bureaucracy and not filter down to the people who need it.

I sometimes read a blog from France that has many socialists on it. They all think having nationalized health care is the best thing since sliced bread, yet they all talk of the fact none of them can get a job that pays more than minimum wage. I don’t know if this is typical of France, but listening to them, it seems to be so.

They still pay for care, but at a reduced rate.

Two weeks ago I went back to my home state of Maine and saw first hand a mini version of nationalized health care.

As some of you know I am 1/2 Indian and I was back at the reservation tending to some family issues.

While it is true one family member was able to get a dental appointment because she was only there for a short time and another patient was called to see if he or she would re-schedule so this person could get care, I find this kind of thing to be the exception and not the rule.

I have a family member who has injured her back and uses Indian Health Services (IHS) for her medical care. She was told she needed an MRI but first she had to take a muscle relaxant and vicodin. Since she doesn’t take drugs she had the prescriptions filled so she could get to the next step, but has refused to use the meds.

She can’t get the MRI she needs to diagnose her problem because there is no money in the budget available for the procedure. Funding is based on head count and care is rationed to very few.

Another person I know had a full knee replacement, but had to wait for five years before they approved him for needed surgery, instead giving him drugs to control pain.

Another had a car run into her in her yard and needs back surgery. After three years and a favor done to the clinic she was approved to have her surgery.

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. This is just a microscopic look at what it would be nationwide. Programs will be poorly administered and unless you know someone who knows someone you will wait for needed procedures as simple as an MRI to diagnose your condition.

While it is admirable to want to provide health care to all who do not have it, it is a mistake to try to do it under the umbrella of the United States government.

Everything in this administration has been an emergency from the TARP bill, to the stimulus that isn’t working, to buying car companies and bailing out banks that this time I hope the little boy has cried wolf one time too many.

Polls are showing Obama’s approval ratings are down and it is because of the huge spending spree we can’t afford and the fact the economy is not performing as advertised.

After five months in office it seems the American public is getting tired of hearing Bush blamed for everything and holding Obama responsible for the worsening economy. Had he left it alone and let business do its job we wouldn’t still be as deeply in recession as we are now. He has already said publicly we are broke. We are out of money.

I don’t know about Obama, but if I run out of money I quit spending. Most people run their homes like that. He has bitten off more than he can chew and now it seems to be choking him.

Even Democrats cannot agree on a plan for health care, with Dodd saying he doesn’t care about bipartisianship but only getting a bill passed and Baucus saying we cannot afford what has been proposed.

It is still a fact that if someone in the United States is sick and doesn’t have insurance the hospitals will treat them and pass the cost on to those who are insured by way of higher insurance premiums. No one is denied life-saving care and I have seen many immigrants in our local emergency room there because they have a bad cold or whatever would normally be done in a doctor’s office. They are treated.

Immunization shots are given by any county health department in the country, so preventive medicine is taken care of for those who cannot afford it.

We’ve heard how socialized medicine works in Canada and the US, with Canadians able to pay coming to the United States to get their brain tumors treated or their heart conditions fixed because by the time they could see a doctor in Canada they would have been way past the time that any medical help would do any good.

People in UK can’t even get life-saving prescriptions. Is that what we want? Do we want our older people who are still able to function and contribute to society to be denied health care because they are near the end of their lives and the money could better be spent on José who isn’t even a citizen of this country?

I’ve seen this debacle first-hand and I know what a mess it would be if this is passed in any form. This is why I oppose nationalized health care. We need to let our congressmen and senators know where we stand, not that my congressman will listen as he is Pelosi’s man on finance and walks in lock-step to anything she wants. I do have republican senators who are more than willing to listen and more than likely will vote against this upcoming boondoggle.

Watch out for the pitch. They want to get it under a trillion dollars so it sounds more appealing. Kind of like the pitchmen on TV who advertise you can get a wonderful product for just $19.99. It’s the psychological barrier of mentioning a trillion dollars so they want to trim a few million or billion to make it more palatable. Nine hundred ninety-nine billion, nine hundred ninety-nine million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand and ninety-nine cents is not enough to make it acceptable to me.

Posted in Nationalized Health Care | trackback url | 2 Comments » | |

The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon has died in a Los Angeles hospital at age 86.

The Tonight Show was never as good for me after Carson and McMahon left. They gave me many hours of laughter and I miss the show. Now they are both gone.

Rest in peace, Ed McMahon.

Posted in Death and Dying, Ed McMahon | trackback url | 1 Comment » | |

Paul Tripp wrote in Psalm 73: The Destiny Hermenuetic[1]:

…Human beings do not live life based on the facts of their existence, but based on their interpretations of the facts…

…everyone pushes life through the sieve of the personal worldview that they have built for themselves. This worldview is authoritative and life shaping. It does not determine what we see so much as it determines how we see it.

This interpretive function is called hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. You carry around with you your own personal life hermeneutic; that is, your particular way of making sense out of life. Now let me take this one step further. Your hermeneutic is what gives sense to your behavior. Everything you do and say has underlying meaning and purpose when understood from the vantage point of your worldview.

Tripp later says:  Asaph’s problem was a defective hermeneutic.

That’s what we all have, isn’t it?  But where do we get a new hermeneutic through which to understand life?  To understand God?

Where do we go for those words of eternal life?[2]

We find, not just interpretation, but truth in the person of Jesus Christ.  He is the One to whom we go for truth; truth that will be a rock on which to build our lives, so that when those storms and floods of life come, the house of our life will stand.  In no area of understanding is truth more important than the truth of seeing and knowing God as He is.

The Bible speaks of God the Father, yet fewer truths are more difficult to believe and be at rest in because, while for some, calling God our Father is a wonderful thing, for many of us it is a struggle and brings with it painful memories of our earthly father. (more…

Posted in Christianity, Fathers, Fathers Day, God, Jesus | trackback url | No Comments » | |

At some weddings you see some guests lose interest in the bride and groom’s first dance in short order.

It would probably be a safe bet that did not happen at this wedding:
(Bear with the beginning, the “fun” starts before the minute mark)

Enjoy!

Posted in Dance, Fun, Funny, Weddings | trackback url | No Comments » | |

In the mood for a good laugh?

Read this headline.

It worked, didn’t it?

HT:Lucianne

Posted in Health Care, Media, Media Bias | trackback url | No Comments » | |

If you have chosen to read what is quoted below, you may wish to read the rest.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let’s just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I’m busy. I’m busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don’t want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we’re morons.

*Update:
Stephen Green offers his thoughts on the direction our country appears to be headed at the moment.

The final sentence of his post tells the whole story.

Those stories will begin with: “Once upon a time there was a land called America.”

Posted in America, Common Sense, Politicians, Politics | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Life lessons worth following.
[Received in an email]

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one
is up to you and no one else

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

Just thought I’d add a bit of music which is apropos:

Posted in Aging, Knowledge, Music, Philosophy | trackback url | No Comments » | |

We had all better keep a close eye on Congress as it formulates the new health care bill:

The CBO director wrote in his blog that according to CBO’s “preliminary assessment, enacting the proposal would result in a net increase in federal budget deficits of about $1.0 trillion over the 2010-2019 period. When fully implemented, about 39 million individuals would obtain coverage through the new insurance exchanges. At the same time, the number of people who had coverage through an employer would decline by about 15 million (or roughly 10 percent), and coverage from other sources would fall by about 8 million, so the net decrease in the number of people uninsured would be about 16 million or 17 million.”

“Democrats keep saying that if you like the care you have you can keep it, but the facts about their bill don’t support that statement,” Sen. Mike Enzi, the ranking Republican on the Senate HELP Committee. “CBO makes it clear – the Democrats’ plan will force millions of Americans to lose the care they have now. Anyone who says that if you like the care you have, you can keep it under this bill doesn’t have their facts straight.”

If in fact this was an assassination attempt on former President Carter, then all Americans should be pleased it was unsuccessful.

All politics aside, no innocent person should ever suffer or die at the hands of terrorists.

Via Brietbart and Fox News:

Hyprocisy on display:

In 2002 Vermont Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy, then as now the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was a vocal opponent of Bush Third Circuit Court nominee D. Brooks Smith because of Smith’s former membership in an all-male fishing club in Pennsylvania.

Today, Leahy is silent on the membership of Obama Supreme Court nominee and sitting Second Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor in the Belizean Grove, an elite, all-female club. In a recent story, Politico.com described the Belizean Grove “as the female answer to the Bohemian Grove — a secretive all-male club whose members have included former U.S. presidents and top business leaders — the Belizean Grove has about 125 members, including Army generals, Wall Street executives and former ambassadors.”

The Right and Left would better serve themselves [and us] by questioning these nominees based on their judicial record.

What is detailed above and at the link is exactly why personal matters concerning those selected to sit on the bench (unless they are offensive to the Constitution), should be left out of the equation.

We can all pretty much bet that any White House occupant will choose those who favor their political bent to fill a vacancy in the court system, and that is their right. Elections do have consequences. HT:Lucianne

A postman makes a strange discovery while in the course of his daily rounds.

Posted in Bits and Pieces | trackback url | No Comments » | |

The following are links to sites which are either providing updates or offer compelling video or photographs in relation to events in Iran:

Gateway Pundit where you will find many, many recent updates.

Power Line. Offered here is a compilation of videos accompanied by commentary.

The Daily Mail UK.
Abundant photographs replete with copy.

Sites above also offer links which will lead you to further information.

Posted in Uncategorized | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Getting a feel for the electorate in recent months is difficult, to say the least.

While it might reassure some who read the latest by Dick Morris, others may find it wishful thinking:

At last, there is convincing evidence that Obama’s poll numbers may be descending to earth. While his approval remains high — and his personal favorability is even higher — the underlying numbers suggest that a decline may be in the offing. Even as he stands on his pedestal, the numbers under his feet are crumbling.

While it appears we will extend more and more rights to terrorists, General Petraeus leaves no doubt on one very vital issue:

General Petraeus responded (firmly) that this is not a concern, “this is the FBI doing what the FBI does”. But our forces DO NOT READ MIRANDA RIGHTS to detainees .

Why is it that it seems that those who would do this country great harm [given the opportunity] are being afforded more and more guarantees under our Constitution while Americans are experiencing more and more of their rights being usurped by our own government?

The devil is in the details:

June 12 (Bloomberg) — Health-care overhaul legislation being drafted by House Democrats will include $600 billion in tax increases and $400 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel said.

At this rate that talk of taxing only the rich will begin to encompass us all.

After all, we must all be rich simply due to the fact that we have a government which is so willing to take such good care of us.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguin players and fans.

Hockey was done proud by the terrific seven game series the Pens and Red Wings completed Friday evening.

Enjoy the cup Pittsburgh, you earned it!

David Letterman receives a well deserved talkin’ to by none other than Johnny Carson.

[all emphasis in quoted areas-mine]

Posted in Bits and Pieces | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Ed Morrissey wants your opinion on adopting a new National Anthem.

It didn’t take me long to cast my vote.

There seems to be quite enough change happening in America at the moment!

Posted in America, American Symbols, National Anthem, Patriotism | trackback url | No Comments » | |

He seems to have liked the idea of Congress being involved in the firing of an Inspector General when he was a Senator, however, now that Mr. Obama inhabits the White House and his friends are being investigated, well it appears to be a different story.

Byron York:

There are a number of unanswered questions today about President Obama’s abrupt decision to fire the inspector general of the AmeriCorps program, Gerald Walpin. Obama sent letters to House and Senate leaders yesterday informing them that he was firing Walpin, effective 30 days from the date of the letters.

“It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as Inspectors General,” the president wrote. “That is no longer the case with regard to this Inspector General.”

The 30 day requirement is important because last year Congress passed the Inspectors General Reform Act, which was designed to strengthen protections for IGs, who have the responsibility of investigating allegations of waste, fraud and abuse within federal agencies, against interference by political appointees or the White House. Part of the Act was a requirement that the president give Congress 30 days’ notice before dismissing an IG. One of the co-sponsors of the Act was then-Sen. Barack Obama.

The Act also requires the president to outline the cause for his decision to remove an IG. Beyond saying that he did not have the “fullest confidence” in Walpin, Obama gave no reason for his action.

There are two big questions about the president’s actions. One, why did he decide to fire Walpin? And two, did he abide by the law that he himself co-sponsored?

[emphasis-admin]

Haven’t we been through years of harping about investigations into the firing of US Attorneys which is a perfectly legitimate path for any President to take?

If Congress passed a law in regard to the Inspectors General which a President signed and he does an end around on the issue, should that not create a firestorm in the press and public? It would seem each and every person involved in the firing of Mr. Walpin should be hauled in to face a congressional committee and grilled as though they were common criminals.

Here’s a brief summary by Mr. York of exactly what took place in regard to this firing:

Bottom line: The AmeriCorps IG accuses prominent Obama supporter of misusing AmeriCorps grant money. Prominent Obama supporter has to pay back more than $400,000 of that grant money. Obama fires AmeriCorps IG.

Sounds about par for the course.

Much more here where Michelle Obama is mentioned as a possible link to this firing. [HT for the above link to Ace Of Spades.]

Posted in Barack Obama, Inspectors General | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Posting may be a little light over the next few days as Jeanette is tending to some family business, and I have many nagging commitments which unfortunately take precedence over keeping abreast of the latest news and blogging.

Today having been one of those hectic days when you wish you just could have stayed in bed and forgotten it all sent me in search of something serene to occupy a few minutes of quiet time.

Not only did the work of this artist fit the bill, but the music was most soothing.

Enjoy!

Posted in Relaxation, The Arts | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Yes, laws are laws.

Certainly illegal immigration is a problem we continue to deal with in America.

However, read this and tell me it makes any sense whatsoever.

CUMMING, Ga. — A family is fighting an immigration mix-up that may force them to send their 11-year-old daughter back to Poland.

The Forsyth County girl, whose father is a U.S. citizen, could be deported if she doesn’t leave the country by July.

Ewelina Bledniak hasn’t been in Poland since she was 2 years old, but now immigration officers are ordering her to return and wait a year before she can come home.

“I was really sad because I’m going to have to leave so much,” said Ewelina.

The 11-year-old, who goes to school in Forsyth County, is seen as an illegal immigrant by the feds.

“She has to leave (the) country before July 23, if not, she’ll be deported. If she stays here and they deport her, she will not get back here for 10 years,” said Agnes Bledniak, Ewelina’s mother.

Where in the world are Georgia Senators Chambliss and Isakson? Is there nothing they can do to assist this family?

I discovered this story via a link at JammieWearingFool where I wish I had the answer to the question with which he opens his post.

For now the best I can offer is I just do not know.

Posted in Family, Illegal Immigration, Immigration | trackback url | No Comments » | |

The shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has claimed the life of security guard, Stephen T. Johns.

WASHINGTON – A security guard shot in an exchange of gunfire Wednesday at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has died of his injuries.

Museum officials identified the guard as 39-year-old Stephen T. Johns of Temple Hills, Md. Johns, a special police officer, was a six-year veteran of the museum. In an e-mail to the Associated Press, director Sara Bloomfield says he “died heroically in the line of duty.”

*Glenn Reynolds linked to this article which defines the importance of the Holocaust Museum for those who suffered horrific consequences of Nazi wrath.

Posted in Death and Dying, Holocaust Memorial Museum | trackback url | No Comments » | |

Freedom of Speech. Those in America believe in it. We fight hard against those who challenge that right.

However, there are times when a line is crossed.

Such is the case in David Letterman’s remarks the other evening regarding Sarah Palin and her daughters.

David Letterman attacked Sarah Palin on his show last night in his Top 10 List.
Real Clear Politics reported: While reading his top ten list Monday night, “Late Show” host David Letterman said Gov. Sarah Palin bought makeup from Bloomingdale’s to update her “slutty flight attendant” look.

The list included Palin buying crack and keying cars.

While you may consider this “old news” already (after all, we live in an age where news travels at the speed of light), it might be worth your while to take a gander at this post by The Anchoress and follow her link to James Lileks.

The Anchoress:

If you have missed it, the old rule that you don’t go after a politicians kids (which has been strongly, and correctly, in place under all Democrat presidents, and was even sometimes practiced about the Bush-twins) does not apply to Sarah Palin, and has never applied to Sarah Palin.

Here is the ultimate question.

If Sarah Palin and her daughters were prominent Democrats, would this treatment by Letterman be deemed acceptable? No doubt he would have been ridiculed by others in the media and forced to apologize at the very least if history tells a correct story.

Double standards remain hard at work.

Posted in Behavior, Disgraceful, Double Standards, Sarah Palin | trackback url | No Comments » | |