J's Cafe Nette

Archive for December 26th, 2008

Hi all!

Just wanted to wish everyone the best during the Holidays.

Sorry I did not get a Christmas post up but my modem has been on the fritz (hopefully replaced sometime tomorrow afternoon).

I hope this connection lasts until I publish this and just in case the problem is on-going, my you all have a happy, healthy New Year!

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If I were to name the blogger who did this, she would be so embarrassed and mortified that she probably wouldn’t call me her friend anymore, so she must remain anonymous in this post.

I tried to tell the story on her blog but she deleted it as she said she will get her reward in Heaven. Indeed she will.

During the past month I found out there were 48 children in my youngest grandson’s school who would not have any Christmas if people didn’t donate to help them.

I found this out through my daughter as the school was trying to keep this quiet and the teachers and other employees of the school were trying to do this by themselves.

On our grandson’s seventh birthday one month before Christmas his Dad had to take the goodies to the school for snack time. While there he told the office staff he had just cleaned out the coat closet and asked if any children could use coats. The answer was a resounding yes, and when he went back he took seven jackets that were in perfect condition, just too small for their children. They were given away that day.

The staff went to a store that was closing and loaded up on jackets for $3.00 apiece for all the other children. This came from their pockets.

Then we found out about the 48 needy children.

I called the school and spoke to the lady who was co-ordinating the effort and she emailed the name, sizes, wish for a toy etc. for a little first grade girl.

I was asked to get her toy, underwear, socks and shoes. When we checked the stores for a doll that swims we found exactly one left at Target and bought it after asking the man to hold it because it was for a needy child.

I mentioned on the other person’s blog that there were 48 needy children and how could I not help one of them. She had posted she was finished Christmas shopping and was tired of it.

She put a bold note inside my post and said she would like to help, and asked if there were an address.

When I read the note I emailed her and told her I would find out if all the children were taken or not, but if they were my daughter is a teacher in middle school and they had siblings of students who needed things also.

She replied that would be fine, and in response to my query as to whether she preferred a boy or a girl she said it didn’t matter.

I emailed my daughter, who emailed the first name of a little girl and her sizes. She’s a four year old who takes a size 3T. The other blogger remarked she was just a peanut, and asked if she could send the package to me and have us get them to the schools. No problem.

First came the toy from Amazon.com. A few days later came a large box with at least five and maybe more packages already wrapped with a tag that simply said for and the girl’s name.

She had bought her a jacket, an outfit and other things I don’t remember now. She said she had not bought for a girl in a long time because she has boys and enjoyed it.

These came from another state and she didn’t have to do this.

Somewhere in this bedroom community of Charlotte, NC, is a very happy little four year old girl, and siblings as those children were taken care of too.

Christmas Eve after church we took our granddaughter home and my daughter had a card from the school her son attends, thanking us for what we did.

No thanks necessary. The reward of knowing a little child has had a good Christmas is all the thanks we need.

Thank you, Blogging friend. I am proud to call you my friend.

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President Bush rescinded a pardon he had granted before Christmas because he later found out the extent of the crimes committed by the former prisoner.

The criminal’s father had contributed money to a lot of Republican people so he could get the pardon for his son, but political contributions are not vetted in the pardoning process.

When the president heard stories about the criminal he held the pardon until the Justice Department reviewed it and then rescinded the pardon.

The man will now have to carry his record with him until or unless some other president pardons him. Highly unlikely and just desserts for someone who scammed the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

President Bush on Wednesday retracted one of the 19 presidential pardons he granted just before the Christmas holiday.

The White House announced that Isaac Toussie, a Brooklyn developer convicted of fraud and making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, should not be granted clemency.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said the new decision was “based on information that has subsequently come to light,” including on the extent and nature of Toussie’s prior criminal offenses. She also said that neither the White House counsel’s office nor the president had been aware of a political contribution by Toussie’s father that “might create an appearance of impropriety.”

“Given that, this was the prudent thing to do,” she said.

The new information came out in news reports, Perino said. The counsel’s office generally doesn’t include vetting of political contributions in its reviews on such matters, as that would be “highly inappropriate on many levels,” she said. The White House decision on Toussie had come without a recommendation from the pardon attorney, Ronald L. Rodgers, as Toussie’s request for a pardon came less than five years after completion of his sentence, so that eliminated another step in the review process.

Perino said she is not aware of any other instance of a pardon reversal, in the Bush administration or others.

Now if he would just pardon the border patrol agents, Ramos and Compean before his term is up it would be sweet.

Somehow I doubt he will do that though because he likes the US Attorney in that area and because the so-called crime involved a Mexican who was carrying drugs across the border. He seems inclined to do what Mexico wants him to do.

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