J's Cafe Nette

Archive for the ‘Blogging Friends’ Category

kimsch from Schratwieser Consulting continues to be our webmaster and the other day I asked her to design some new color schemes because when I switched to Windows 7 the colors got much brighter. I also found out my computers (the old one, the new one, my husband’s and the laptop) were not displaying the colors seen by kimsch or by Sue.

I asked for something easy on the eyes and boy did we get it! Right now we are using the green theme, but we will be showing you the blue theme and the new “brown” theme in a few days just so you get to see all of them. I don’t know if I like the green or the blue more, but both are beautiful.

You will also notice our logo has been made smaller and appears in the header rather than under it on the right side now.

We hope you like the new look(s) and will comment on it.

We have also added a Twitter feature, Facebook feature and a Read Later feature for you to use.

Thanks, kimsch, for staying up so late to do this project. I didn’t expect it to be done so soon and I highly recommend her if you want a new design for an existing blog or want to start a blog with some “punch” in it.

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The Anchoress:

Received an email from Fausta that Ed Morrissey, our good friend (and Blogfather) from Hot Air has had to rush his dear First Mate to the Emergency Room, apparently due to complications with the flu.

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The Anchoress asks if Obama knows who we are and goes on to ask us what we know about him.

The forced definition of the American Presidency is sitting very uncomfortably with Barack Obama. There is nowhere to hide; there are no further personae to be invented and presented. The Jekyll and Hyde who has been singing endless encores of “This is the Moment” to America for nearly three years, has finally come upon a real moment, an authentic crossroad: he must now materialize into a defined entity with a known vector. Will that entity choose to define himself by a willingness to help a nation of free and energetic dreamers sustain the most exceptional and productive dream in history? Or will it choose to remain the poorly-marked outline of an aching, light-consuming void, delivering nothing but silence?

Until Barak Obama decides who he is, we cannot know him, and he cannot know America. And until he knows America, he cannot begin to understand the good-faith majority of us, who are longing not for a god, not for a king, but for a president worthy of our trust.

This is just a taste of what she is discussing and I encourage you to go over there, read what she has written, and ponder it.

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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.

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The Anchoress misses former President Bush. Me too.

The man was always true to his word. No double talk, no constant campaigning – just words from the heart. Whether one agreed or disagreed with his policies,you knew where he stood.

We should all expect at least that much from the leader of the free world.

Below is an excerpt from an interview Alan Colmes conducted with Bill Ayers:

On setting bombs as part of the Weather Underground:

“I don’t regret anything I did it to oppose the war. It was — I did it to oppose the war. I don’t regret it.”

“I don’t look back on those things and regret them, but I’m willing to rethink them. And there are many things which I’m going to rethink.”

Ah, the company the current administration in Washington has chosen to keep.

Taking of life or property in acts of domestic terrorism is nothing to regret..not even a cause for remorse. It must be nice to live in that world.

The more I read about this man the more I believe he should have a strong leadership role for the GOP in the Senate:

Jim DeMint’s gentlemanly air and refined tone belie a power and an urgency in his words.

The stately senator from South Carolina sees America’s unique centuries-old system of freedom dying out.

And he thinks we may have to take to the streets to save it.

“I would think it’s time to start thinking about peaceful demonstrations,” he told us last week.

Seriously?

“Seriously.

“The power of the people is there. Freedom is in the people’s hands right now, and it’s about to slip through.”

Of course, the recent “stimulus” debate is what’s fresh on DeMint’s mind. Despite DeMint’s putting 15 aides on it overnight, no one in Washington was able to read the bill, which was the most expensive in American history — as well as being perhaps the most irresponsible.

emphasis-mine

About those demonstrations..the ball is rolling.

How long the momentum lasts or the numbers involved is anyone’s guess, but if things continue in the vein of the past month, one might think it would be a long time and many Americans.

Are the tears of joy turning to a bit of anger? Gee, that didn’t take long.

While reading and posting tonight hubby was watching a special on Fats Domino.

Thought I’d close this post with one of his best.

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To some it is all about image.

It’s all about creating a false impression of what America really is in order to appease others.

It’s about affixing blame and apologizing to those abroad for all of our mistakes.

If America is such a drain on the rest of the world due to our beliefs and ideals then riddle me this: why is it when others are in imminent danger or oppressed they look to the United States first in almost all instances?

Gateway Pundit quotes the Washington Post today with a most disturbing statement from this administration’s Secretary of State:

Clinton’s remarks came in response to a question about the “prejudice” in the United States against Muslims because of terrorism, a term she rejected forcefully, pointing to the history of Christians. “I am a Christian,” she said. “Through the centuries we have had many people who have done terrible things in the name of Christianity. They have perverted the religion.”

It would be difficult to quibble with the fact that all religions have had their moments in which they have committed egregious acts in the name of their faith, however, taken in the context of this forum, the Secretary of State appears to wish to apologize for those in America who have “persecuted” Muslims.

She leaves the distinct impression with her statement that Christianity is perverted on a large scale. Does she truly believe this to be the case or once again it is convenient rhetoric to soothe those who feel wronged by America?

In our short existence, this country has given more than any other. We give money, in generous amounts, when necessary. Countless times we have sent aid with the assistance of peaceful organizations [many of them Christian based] when needed and, yes, we have shed blood many times so others may live free.

Perhaps its time the current administration stress the strengths and
goodness of the country they were elected to serve. That is, if they believe it themselves.

[As an afterthought, here's something to ponder.

Does the Secretary of State think by her remarks she could change the thinking of those who committed acts of terrorism here and abroad during her husband's two terms?

How about those who killed the 3000 plus on 9-11 or maybe these fellows could be swayed to believe we and other free nations are willing to atone for all our sins.

If she does then I think she is sorrily mistaken.]

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kimsch, the designer of this blog and a blogger in her own right, has posted video from Wednesday’s National Prayer Service for President Obama.

You owe it to yourself to watch the video regardless of politics, as it is the best rendition of Amazing Grace I have ever heard sung. It’s very powerful.

In the past week my husband and I have had to deal with something that troubled me and it was only today when he had surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his scalp that I realized how afraid I had been all week since we got the biopsy results.

Just hearing the word “cancer” strikes fear in most people’s very being and, even when told it is highly curable if caught early, you keep thinking of if caught early.

You wonder if it was caught early, and being on the head makes you worry that it may metastasize.

While trying to find the video of Dr. Wintley Phipps so I could give the reference to kimsch so she could see the story behind the song, I found Dr. Phipps singing It is well with my soul, and I realized it is now well with my soul.

The writer of the hymn lost his children in a boat sinking in the Atlantic, and as he crossed the same area on his way to meet his grieving wife, he wrote this beautiful song that is sung at so many Protestant funerals.

I give you Dr. Phipps and his version of It is well with my soul. May it give you the peace that passes all understanding, especially if you are going through a tough time right now.

What a powerful God is the Great I Am. He is indeed Good.

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The Anchoress posted a wonderful tribute to President Bush and has followed up with many, many links worthwhile following.

Here at ~J’s~ we had considered a review of the President’s two terms but with all that has been written, (very well I might add) it would seem repetitive.

We thought we might take a bit of a different approach and begin by asking if former First Lady Barbara Bush ever gave thought to the lyrics of this song when George W. was born:

“And them that don’t know him won’t like him
And them that do sometimes won’t know how to take him.

He ain’t wrong, he’s just different
But his pride won’t let him do things to make you think he’s right.”

Now it’s certain Mrs. Bush had no idea that her son would one day become President of the United States.

If she had she might have discouraged him from first becoming the Governor of the Lone Star State in hopes to spare him the “cowboy” image with which he was branded.

Rush Limbaugh once wrote this:

It used to tick me off when the Muslim detractors in the Middle East, or the socialist detractors in Europe, Hollywood and others called our President a cowboy, but the more I think about it, the more glad I am that he is.

If cowboy means that we have slept safely in our beds the last seven years due to steadfastness in the face of fury then George Bush was every bit a cowboy.

If “cowboy” defines a man who occasionally wore his heart on his sleeve when dealing with those in times of trauma and trouble then President Bush should wear the title as a badge of honor.

Look at some of the other definitions Rush lays out in his piece:

1. They were never looking for trouble.

2. But when trouble came, they faced it with courage.

3. They were always on the side of right.

4. They defended good people against bad people.

5. They had high morals.

6. They had good manners.

7. They were honest.

8. They spoke their minds and they spoke the truth, regardless of what people thought or “political correctness,” which no one had ever heard of back then.

Each and every one defines this good man who has served his country with honor for the past eight years.

President Bush will be missed, not by everyone, but by those who have stood by him through thick and thin.

Those who accepted his mistakes as ones of a mortal (and while we might have disagreed we understood there is no perfection) and those who believe him when he relays he always did what he felt was right for this country.

President Bush will relinquish the big chair on Tuesday and head home to his beloved Texas.

May he and Mrs. Bush live the balance of their years in peace and surrounded by those they love most.

Just one little word of advice..please, never, ever give up the hat!

~J~ adds: Thank you for this wonderful tribute to a fine man who was hated for no real reason. He did his best and his best wasn’t good enough for some. History will be kind to him.

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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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I stole this from The Anchoress because it was the first time I had heard this hymn and I thought it was beautiful and peaceful, as well as reverent.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

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As any regular visitor can see, we have changed the look of our site. It basically gives us more behind-the-scenes help, but one thing you can do immediately is finally get the text to go larger or smaller. Look to the right of posts and you will see a “text size” option. Use the drop-down list to set it to your preference.

This is in the post areas only and not the sidebar area. You can go as large as 30 point type or as small as 8 or 10 point type.

We hope you like this new feature, and hope the design is pleasant to the eye.

Our thanks to Kim from S C Themes for our design work.

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Obama-mania is in full swing, and between catching up on reading and trying to decipher the real from the fiction, my head is virtually swimming.

Frankly, I don’t give a whit if the Senator visited the wounded troops in Germany as in my mind it is his loss not theirs.

There is nothing new about the DOD regulations in regards to campaigns so I really don’t understand why there was any doubt in the Obama campaign’s mind as to who may attend and how these visits are conducted.

While he may have made a few “important” contacts while touring Europe, the Senator will find relationships may change drastically should he be elected President. Then again, should he be fortunate enough not to be a war time leader, personality and charisma may just carry the day.

In any event, the Senator is not the Commander in Chief at this moment and this whirlwind trip will no doubt be long forgotten by the time November rolls around.

That said, The Anchoress points us to a few pictures (one posted below) which are characteristic of our current President. He has no need for photo-ops this late in his Presidency and yet takes the time to spend a few minutes with these children prior to leaving Illinois:

(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

I already miss the genuineness of this President. It is something we see far too little of these days and while there are those who would strongly disagree with that assessment, I’m one hundred percent with The Anchoress when she writes:

I still like President Bush. And I don’t actually give a crap what anyone thinks about that.

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Andrea Mitchell interviews General Petraeus.

The General wastes no time in making his positions crystal clear..now only if the media would listen.

While the Democrats attempt to jockey for position to take credit for us “winning” in Iraq, (we all know it had to be that pressure they put on the President), their steady drumbeat of words fall on deaf ears with me.

This is the party whose leader told us the war was lost. Remember Mrs. Clinton’s “willing suspension of disbelief” of General Petraeus’s report to the Armed Services Committee?

How about the disgraceful actions and words of Congressman John Murtha?

We should not forget the continuous threats on the Left to cut funding for the war, knowing full well the American people would not tolerate our troops being left in further jeopardy.

As for the media, well they have done their level best to turn public opinion against the war and the President perhaps not realizing there are those of us who resent their constant negativity and lack of support and recognition for the successes achieved.

President Bush has remained steadfast in his claim that when Iraq was stable and their government was certain they could maintain the peace, we would leave. His recent conversations with Prime Minister Maliki are the beginning of that process, not some artificial time line the Democrats would prefer our troops and Iraq follow.

Wars are not won or lost by presidential nominees (especially those whose positions change like the wind) or those in Congress, many of whom have never set foot in today’s hostile environments.

No indeed, they are won by men and women like these:

Something a bit different this week, in keeping with our the war was won theme. This is a video produced by the Third Infantry Division (aka Task Force Marne and MND-C) the surge division in Iraq.

and, those who have stepped up to defend their own country as it struggles (as our nation did) to form a democracy:

Then there are times when the change hits you across the forehead like a 2×4. Yesterday I found inspiration in the tears of joy on hundreds of faces at the graduation for the Iraqi Military Academy at Rustimiyah as 252 young men graduated from the one year course of instruction and were commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants in the Iraqi Army and Air Force.

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This time I’ve been tagged by Laura Lee Donoho from The Wide Awake Cafe.

Here’s the meme:

The Meme

The rules:

1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.

2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.

4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?

Five years ago I was a surgical patient three times. Once for thyroid surgery, once for cartilage removal on my left knee (second operation on same knee), once for a total hysterectomy.

In between surgeries I was caring for two of my grandchildren; one of whom was a kindergartner and the other was an active one and one-half year old.

I watched as the “baby” learned to walk, notice birds, discovered “bufflies”, fluffy dandelions and crunchy leaves. I listened as he sang “Jesus Loves Me” and other Sunday School songs he was learning at Sunday School.

I sometimes dropped off his sister and always picked her up after school, in addition to volunteering to help in her classroom.

We went to Texas that year and visited with our son, daughter in law and other two grandchildren.

I had one of my last visits with my father.

What are five things on your to-do list for today?

Me? Plan things in advance? Surely you jest! Anyone who knows me knows I do whatever and whenever but it is almost never planned.

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1. Diet Ginger Ale

2. Fruit

3. Goldfish snack crackers sharp cheese flavor.

4. Chocolate candy, but I can’t have much as I’m a diabetic.

5. Sour cream chocolate pound cake, infrequently.

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

1. Faint

2. Give to our church and Christian missionaries at least 1/4.

3. Give 1/4 to all our family members to be sure they are set for life.

4. Go around and do random acts of kindness.

5. Laugh, because it’s never going to happen!

What are five of your bad habits?

1. Nail biting.

2. Procrastinating.

3. Staying up too late.

4. Slow to anger but hard to get over it.

5. Too much Internet and TV.

What are five places where you have lived?

1. Old Town, Maine

2. Minot A.F.B., North Dakota

3. Hopewell, Virginia

4. Fayetteville, NC

5. Rock Hill SC

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1. Started to work at the telephone company right out of high school and retired from there. Although I held different positions, I had just one employer other than a high school summer job in an Indian novelty store.

Five people I tag:

1. The Anchoress

2. Kimsch at Musing Minds

3. Sister Toldjah

4. Venomous Kate from Electric Venom

5. Sue at J’s Cafe Nette Hee hee hee!

Okay ~J~..rather than another whole post I’ll just tag along with you!

What were you doing five years ago?
Enjoying every minute of the birth of our first grandchild.
Working locally on the President’s re-election bid.
Helping nurse my Dad back to health after heart surgery.
Watching a child near and dear to my heart gain their college education.
Babysitting every chance I had.

What are five things on your to-do list for today?

Gardening. Actually, done.
Wax floors.
Grocery shop (ugh)
Read my favorite blogs
Watch while my daughter power washes our patio..and a fine job she did!

What are five snacks you enjoy?

Provolone cheese on wheat crackers
Peanut butter with fruit
Rice Pudding
Pretzels
Apple Cake

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

Not run for political office
Give to as many children’s and military charities as possible
Add another bathroom to my house (yes I would stay right here)
Make certain my children and grandchildren were well accommodated for
Support religious organizations which in turn help the worlds needy

What are five of your bad habits?

Letting the water run while brushing my teeth
Allowing little time for sleep
The Internet
Too much Snapple (love the stuff)
Not answering letters or emails quickly..hey, that’s what the telephone is for.

What are five places where you have lived?

Honolulu, Hawaii
Fort Knox, Kentucky
Washington, DC
Rancocas, New Jersey
Warminster, Pennsylvania

What are five jobs you’ve had?

Customer Service Rep for Sears Roebuck (high school)
Nursing Assistant
Executive Secretary to the Head of the Dental Hygiene School at Temple University
Non-paying – Volunteer at children’s day camps working primarily in arts and crafts
Best ever-all the work I have been privileged to do with children for many years

As for tags, I’ll leave those at ~J’s~ original five.

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The Anchoress does it again.

You can be concerned about a path America is taking, but you cannot decide America “deserves” bad things. You can shudder at a million babies being aborted a year, but you also must take heart that there is an energetic faith-based opposition to abortion and euthanasia that is making real inroads into the heart of society. You don’t like the way the country is going, you work to change it and you pray…you do not sit there deciding, “well, I’m upset with the way America’s going, so I think God wants me to sit this election out because the country deserves a few years of pain.”

It almost sounds like, “I don’t have the candidate I want, so I will spitefully sit it out, and use belief in a just and vengeful God as my excuse and my justification. And boy, after that, America will learn to take my concerns and my votes more seriously! Go get ‘em God!”

Simply said with a flair which time after time cuts right to the chase.

I have only to add, “thank you.”

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If you’re a regular on this site you will notice we have changed the look of our site again. We have three themes to use at any given time, but this theme is by far the one I like the most.

The gold and soft yellow show a happiness and optimistic outlook on life. It’s cozy and I hope you like it as much as Sue and I do.

Kim from Schratwieser Consulting, as usual, has designed this template.

I want to sing her praises as I can sometimes be a very demanding client, but she very calmly does the impossible every time.

If you ever want a site designed I highly recommend her for your site. You won’t be disappointed and she’s not as expensive as some of the larger design firms.

Enjoy this theme because I have a feeling it’s going to be up a long, long time. At least until she shows me something I like better.

Thanks, Kim. ><=d>

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Before the immigration blow-up at Polipundit I loved to read Jayson Javitz, as he seems so well informed about politics and tells it the way it is.

Today he has a column up at Wizbang that is a must read.

Here’s the introduction:

First things first: If you would have told me six months ago — hell, one month ago — that Clinton would be fighting for her political life against Obama, I would have said: “I’ll have what your smoking.”

“There’s no way,” I would have continued, “that the most ruthless politician since ‘Landslide’ Lyndon Johnson would allow a newbie Senator to end her presidential obsessions.”

Well, despite losing New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts *and* California(!), Obama has the same coin flip chance as Clinton to obtain the Democrat nomination. Which raises two questions: 1. How did this happen? 2. What are Obama’s chances in the Nov. general election?

Read the rest as it isn’t very long and it makes so much sense. I still love you, Jayson, even if you did put me on probation.

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I received an email from Guss today telling me he gave it his best shot, but blogging is not for him. He says he’s neglecting his dogs and work that needs to be done at the house and has cleared all his posts off his site.

I have asked kimsch to change the theme to Js Cafe Nette so we will have a different theme to put up every now and then.

I’m disappointed that he decided it wasn’t for him but I understand and support his decision.

I would also like to congratulate kimsch on her third blogiversary, which was Friday. Congratulations, Kim!

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Yesterday my very good blogging friend The Anchoress read about the death of our precious Silky and wrote a post called All Dogs Go to Heaven, asking pet lovers to come over and commiserate.

You all have been wonderful in your comments and some of you are suffering the recent loss of a beloved pet.

I received private emails from the Anchoress and I value them as I value any she sends me. She is one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of communicating with.

In honor of all who have lost their beloved pets I offer you this poem:

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….

Author unknown…

I’m like Truman who says dogs don’t have souls and I’m also like him and the Anchoress who believe our pets will be with us in Heaven.

After all, if God knows it will make us even happier He’ll have our loving pets by our side for all eternity.

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I had this in my stack of stuff to post, but the Anchoress beat me to it and did it much better than I would have.

According to IBD it was George Soros who funded all those anti-American rallies last year that drove the right wing nuts crazy, and they fell into his trap.

Here’s part of what the Anchoress has to say:

Didn’t the mainstream media report that 2006’s vast immigration rallies across the country began as a spontaneous uprising of 2 million angry Mexican-flag waving illegal immigrants demanding U.S. citizenship in Los Angeles, egged on only by a local Spanish-language radio announcer?

Turns out that wasn’t what happened, either. Soros’ OSI had money-muscle there, too, through its $17 million Justice Fund. The fund lists 19 projects in 2006. One was vaguely described involvement in the immigration rallies. Another project funded illegal immigrant activist groups for subsequent court cases.

So what looked like a wildfire grassroots movement really was a manipulation from OSI’s glassy Manhattan offices. The public had no way of knowing until the release of OSI’s 2006 annual report….

…It can’t feel good to realize you have been played by George Soros and pals, and while you were being played, you weakened your president, lost a good deal of power in Congress (not that your party was using it, but still…) and drew inflexible battle lines flanked by impossible demands and pipe dreams, while – in the end – nothing actually changed. Played by George Soros, your party became divided, some of you literally became one-issue haters of everything and everyone who did not join in your daily chant; “illegal is illegal.” And being played by George Soros, you’ve managed to make a fast-growing segment of the voting populace suspicious of conservatives on the eve of an election wherein literally every vote and every voter is going to count. And fraud may well be rampant.

I have been loath to write about the ‘08 election because the campaigns began too soon. But it is not too early to say that I cannot recall a more urgent or important election in my lifetime. The ‘08 election is going to be the one that determines whether the America you love will be recognizable in twenty years. I know I’m not alone in thinking so.

Now, go read the entire post and see how we’ve been played like a fine violin by George Soros and the various scummy organizations he funds.

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Another ER visit for the Anchoress’ father in law and the mother in law isn’t doing so well either, although the Anchoress says things are looking up.

If you’re so inclined please pray for these fine folks.

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With Dan Rather’s announcement that he is suing CBS and Viacom over his dismissal from CBS, new life has been given to the Rathergate TANG report.

Mary Mapes has been writing at Huffington Post (I don’t read it) and I found this one piece of her quote to be quite interesting:

What was different in our case was the brand new and bruising power of the conservative blogosphere, particularly the extremists among them. They formed a tightly knit community of keyboard assault artists who saw themselves as avenging angels of the right, determined to root out and decimate anything they believed to be disruptive to their worldview.

Thanks to Captain Ed Morrissey for checking HuffPo and reporting on it. That’s where I got this quote.

I found the quote to be interesting because I have noticed something in the blogosphere.

The conservative or right wing bloggers (use your favorite term) have their blogs set up to have comments and trackbacks and are willing to share their information as long as they get credit for the original post.

It is hard to find a liberal or left-wing blog (use your favorite term) that allows trackbacks, although they do have plenty of comments. The difference is they delete any opposing views from their comments and almost always require the reader to subscribe and wait for a password to make a comment.

It’s something that has really dawned on me in the past week while helping Guss learn how to do trackbacks on his blog. There are no trackback codes to many of the liberal blogs and information is not shared easily.

To have Mary Mapes say the conservative blogosphere blew this story apart is indeed a compliment to the bloggers on the right, even if she didn’t mean it to be one.

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Kimsch from Musing Minds is having some gastrointestinal distress that has been going on for over a week now.

The doctors are stumped and I know from talking to her she has been in a lot of pain and discomfort.

I ask you to pray for her if you feel so inclined, that the Lord will put His healing hand on her and restore her health.

Kimsch is a very good friend who has done the design of this blog and I care for her very much on a personal level too.

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The Anchoress is asking for prayers for her in-laws.

Both are suffering from medical problems, but her father-in-law has been taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. This is, naturally, difficult on his wife and the entire family.

Please pray for God’s Will to be done and, if it is His Will, to heal the father-in-law. Pray that the surgeon’s hands will be guided by those of God Himself as the surgeon operates on this man.

Thank you.

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I want to take this opportunity to thank Sue from the bottom of my heart for the hard work she has put into this blog this week.

I didn’t announce it, but I’ve been away this week and she has carried the entire load in an exemplary manner all by herself, even with all her other commitments.

Sue, I love you and I owe you big time.

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Guss has his inventory in place, the chairs are comfy, and the lights are on!

Coffee’s good too!

Go visit. Guss’ Coffee House
 
(gussescoffeehouse.com)

There’s a link in our sidebar as well.

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Few across the web can begin a post with the words, “at the end of the world only two things will survive, cockroaches and Cher,” and somehow incorporate politics, health, personal woes and entertainment successfully.

The Anchoress manages to do just that in her latest post with the flair which all of us who are faithful readers have come to know.

Hop on over, have a visit and enjoy.

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Yesterday, Guss surprised all of us by saying he was going to stay away from blogging on this blog until after the election due to the tit for tat that has been going on.

We are in the process of setting up a separate blog for Guss that will be his alone to manage.

The URL for the new blog will be http://gussescoffeehouse.com, but we have to wait up to 72 hours for the name to be usable in order for anything to be uploaded to Word Press and get his theme up and running.

We will be linking to that blog from here as it will be our sister (brother?) blog.

Guss is very excited about it and says he will probably be asking if there are any Independents or moderates from ether side who would like to blog with him.

If you know of any, you can contact me at j@jscafenette.com and I’ll pass the information along to him. He still needs to set up an alternate email address so everyone doesn’t have his personal email and know his real name.

I’ll be putting up a post as soon as Kim from Musing Minds and Schratwieser Consulting has the site ready to go live.

We are still going to be under the same principles and Guss will probably operate under the same rules we do although you will probably see a few cuss words over there.

We look forward to this new endeavor and hope you will all go visit him and make comments as soon as he is up and running.

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This post is from a friend of Js new blog. Truman invokes a lot of thought. I’ve put his link at the end of this post. Please visit and give him your support.

The first time I met Greg Stier, I thought he was energetic, full of passion for teenagers, and the type of person I wished I was. The green goblin of envy grew strong in me. If only I could talk like him! If only I had his passion and drive! Then I really listened to him speak, and realized I didn’t need to be Greg Steir. I already had some of what he had: a desire that the teens that I knew would not slip and fall when they went to college, just as I had.

That was in 2003, and I’ve been plugging in to Greg’s Dare2Share organization ever since. Dare2Share is a parachurch group that teaches high school kids how to share their faith and hold on to their faith after they leave home for college or wherever. It’s a beautiful ministry, especially considering that more than 50% of kids “lose” their faith after leaving home. Some never had it, some let it wane, some get snatched by the Evil One, some stay silent while in the lion’s den, and some flourish—just like the Lord Himself describes in Matthew 13.

It’s so critically important for today’s Christian youth to hear the gospel message and learn how to share it—especially considering the sobering reality that many churches today don’t even preach the gospel message! Many churches are more concerned with the moment, more concerned with feeling good in the here and now and forcing Christ to conform to this culture than preaching His good news. It is tragic that some denominations are changing the word of God to fit their comforts on this world instead of preaching Christ crucified for our sins.

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Here is something to ponder from the Right Wing Nut House.

For those who actually understand what the term means, there is no reasonable ground for objecting to the term “imperial” to describe America’s role in the world. Even our Foreign Policy Community elites have begun acknowledging that we are acting as an empire and are openly debating the best forms of imperial management. And the seemingly endless string of military interventions over the last several decades under a whole slew of “justifications” leaves no doubt that we see ourselves as world rulers who violate sovereignty and use military force at will, whenever—as Drezner himself said—we perceive that it promotes our interests to do so. That is what an empire does, by definition.

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