Valour IT!

I forgot to mention that I am part of the MARINE team. So if our team gets the most donations, the Marines beat the Army, Navy and Air Force teams. (note: I love them all!)

If you look over at my sidebar, you can see a button for giving to Project Valour IT. It is a project of Soldiers' Angels. The purpose is to attain voice-activated laptops for injured soldiers , "it is not a matter of a short-term emotional boost, or even the sustenance gleaned from the knowledge that one is "remembered." It is a matter of assistance in reclaiming a part of one's wholeness and independence in the face of life-altering injuries, repeated surgery, painful physical therapy, and the isolation of the hospital room."

As you know, I don't have a pen pay button on my site or a tip jar or ads. I don't ask for money for myself ever. But anyone who reads my blog knows how much I love our military. They are who keep us free. So if you can give a bit to help those who sacrificed for us, I would deeply appreciate it.

Ok, here's a nightmare.....

It's not as scary as Pres. Hillary, but still......

Read some of it. It's funny. In a tragic way. Like talking to someone who seriously believes Elvis is still alive.

h/t Jeff

Former Pres. Carter speaks out against abortion...

about 30 yrs too late.

Here are the quotes from The Washington Times:

Former President Jimmy Carter yesterday condemned all abortions and chastised his party for its intolerance of candidates and nominees who oppose abortion. "I never have felt that any abortion should be committed -- I think each abortion is the result of a series of errors,"

"I've never been convinced, if you let me inject my Christianity into it, that Jesus Christ would approve abortion."

Mr. Carter said his party's congressional leadership only hurts Democrats by making a rigid pro-abortion rights stand the criterion for assessing judicial nominees.

"I have always thought it was not in the mainstream of the American public to be extremely liberal on many issues," Mr. Carter said. "I think our party's leaders -- some of them -- are overemphasizing the abortion issue."

Victor Davis Hanson just rocks.

Once again he shows us how we focus on the wrong things:

"Westerners far too rarely publicly denounce radical Islam for its sick, anti-Semitic, anti-female, anti-American, and anti-modernist rhetoric. Just imagine the liberal response if across the globe Christians had beheaded schoolgirls, taken over schoolhouses to kill students, and shot school teachers as we have witnessed radical Muslims doing these past few months.

Instead, Western parlor elites are still arguing over whether there were al Qaedists in Iraq before the removal of Saddam Hussein, whether the suspicion of WMDs was the real reason for war against the Baathists, whether Muslim minorities should be pressured to assimilate into European democratic culture, and whether constitutional governments risk becoming intolerant in their new efforts to infiltrate and disrupt radical Muslim groups in Europe and the United States. Some of this acrimony is understandable, but such in-fighting is still secondary to defeating enemies who have pledged to destroy Western liberal society. At some point this Western cannibalism becomes not so much counterproductive as serving the purposes of those who wish America to call off its struggle against radical Islam."

And he shows us solutions:

"Instead, the world—if it is to save its present liberal system of free trade, safe travel, easy and unfettered communications, and growing commitment to constitutional government—must begin seeing radical Islamism as a universal pathology rather than reactions to regional grievances, if it is ever to destroy it materially and refute it ideologically.
Yet the antidote for radical Islam, aside from the promotion of democratization and open economies, is simple. It must be militarily defeated when it emerges to wage organized violence, as in the cases of the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, Zarqawi’s terrorists in Iraq, and the various killer cliques in Palestine.

Second, any who tolerate radical Islam should be ostracized. Muslims living in the West must be condemned when they assert that the Jews caused 9/11, or that suicide bombing is a legitimate response to Israel, or that Islamic immigrants’ own unique culture gives them a pass from accustomed assimilation, or that racial and religious affinity should allow tolerance for the hatred that spews forth from madrassas and mosques — before the patience of Western liberalism is exhausted and “the rules of the game” in Tony Blair’s words “change” quite radically and we begin to see mass invitations to leave.

Third, nations that intrigue with jihadists must be identified as the enemies of civilization. We often forget that there are now left only four major nation-states in the world that either by intent or indifference allow radical Islamists to find sanctuary."

Read the whole thing.

Can we run this man for President in 08"? Because he just gets it.

I can't describe my disgust.

You have got to read this post at Mudville about how the New York Times "edits" or misquotes American GIs. This example is beyond the pale, mainly because the soldier is no longer with us.

"... the Times took these words from US Marine Corporal Jeffrey B. Starr:

"Obviously if you are reading this then I have died in Iraq. I kind of predicted this, that is why I'm writing this in November. A third time just seemed like I'm pushing my chances. I don't regret going, everybody dies but few get to do it for something as important as freedom. It may seem confusing why we are in Iraq, it's not to me. I'm here helping these people, so that they can live the way we live. Not have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators. To do what they want with their lives. To me that is why I died. Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark."

And edited them down to this:

Sifting through Corporal Starr's laptop computer after his death, his father found a letter to be delivered to the marine's girlfriend. "I kind of predicted this," Corporal Starr wrote of his own death. "A third time just seemed like I'm pushing my chances."

Right. Let's just edit out all references to his patriotism and his belief and understanding of his mission, and make it seem that that he just saw it as a numbers game.

The New York Times makes me sick, sick, sick. Print all the anti-war rants you wish, just don't use and lie about our fallen soldiers to do it.

Scumbags.

UPDATE: From Media Blog-- "The mother of Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr was on "The O'Reilly Factor" tonight. She said that in addition to quoting only the most negative parts of a letter Starr wrote to his girlfriend to be read in case he was killed, the Times made some factual errors, such as his date of death and how he died. She said the story overall did not portray her son accurately. The Times, which has already tried to defend the story's portrayal of Starr, will now have to look at whether it got basic facts right."

The Political Teen has the video from the O'Reilly show. (link at bottom of post)

One just has to love
European Underwater Hockey.

This picture is just screaming to be captioned.

It's always been a rule of mine.....

to never shop while nude or drunk. But those crazy brits.....

Now, after reading the link. Be honest. Have you ever done either or both???

I figure most of those brits look like this anyway.... Heh.

Let's Investigate.

In a quick followup to the post below. The whole showboating of having the Senate in closed session by the Democrats was all about questioning intelligence that President Bush used in the run-up to the war in Iraq. But if we do more investigating than we already have done, then lets really go through the whole thing. A commenter named Phinn over at Ace had some good ideas on where to start:

"We can talk all about the unanimous opinion of all the world's intelligence services, including our own government going back at least one or two administrations.

We can talk about the production capacity to manufacture chemical and biological weapons that we found.

We can talk about the caravan of trucks on the eve of the invasion that streamed out of Iraq and into Syria that has still not been accounted for or explained.

We can talk about how, when collecting information on the possible attempt by Iraq to buy uranium, one of the members of the Mickey Mouse Section of the CIA sent her husband, a well-established preening idiot, to go drink tea with African officials rather than do a real investigation."

Have you wondered where Hillary is....

with this "Bush lied" crowd? It's interesting. Hillary is the Democrats best chance at the White House in '08. It will certainly be a bloody fight if anyone tries to take away the nomination from her. But there is this loud roar from the Democrat side saying that the intelligent information regarding Saddam was manipulated by the Bush administration. But the thing is, their number one chance at the White House felt very differently:

In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.
- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

The intelligence which the president shared with us was in line with what we saw in the White House"
-- - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2003

via Ace

Here are a host of quotes from prominent Democratic leaders that they probably don't want you remembering.

The the most telling one? Well, it's by the guy who will probably give Hillary her bloody fight for the nomination..John Kerry.

[Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ..." Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003.

There is even a quote on that link of Bill Clinton as President asking for military action because of Saddam's WMD program.

So the question is this. If Bush lied, then didn't Both Clintons and Kerry and the rest lie as well?

I heard Arianna Huffington asked this question on the radio yesterday and she said, "But they didn't go to war." How strange. You mean it's only a lie if you go to war? If we hadn't gone, then it becomes the truth?

What a game the Democrats play.

At least the Democrats admit.....

that the closed Senate session was all a game.

"My phones have been ringing off the hook" at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Schumer said. "It has played far better than we had thought."

via NRO

Judges Gone Wild.

Ace says it better than I could:

The Ninth Circus Strikes Again

"While exposing children of tender years to the Pledge of Allegiance is a traumatic and searing experience of gob-smacking heartache, apparently soliciting parental consent for a "survey of early trauma" without mentioning that it asks first graders (as well as third and fifth graders) about their sexual habits is just peachy A-OK doubleplusgood!"

The unbelievable quote in the court decision is this:

"We agree, and hold that there is no fundamental right of parents to be the exclusive provider of information regarding sexual matters to their children, either independent of their right to direct the upbringing and education of their children or encompassed by it."

Stunned and sickened are the only words that can describe how I feel about this. This, my dear friends, is the reason it is so important to have judges appointed by common sense Republicans who understand that parents are the ones who decide what is best for their own children.

What have Republicans done for minorities?

The following was said by a commenter in the post below:

"As a Republican, I feel the only way we're going to build an honest and permanent majority in this great nation is by reaching out to all people. First on our list should be addressing problems created by racism, inequality in education and distrust in our nation which are long overdue. If we can take this on, we can destroy the Left's last remaining bastion of strength.

If it sounds like I have some experience here, it's because while I am white, my wife is black. It's difficult to extol the virtues of our chosen party to her family, to say the least. When I'm asked "What have Republicans done for minorities in the United States?" I have no good answers. In fact, I come up pretty empty handed."

Well I can answer that question for you. And it is this. The question is the wrong question. Because the government isn't there to help any particular group based on skin color. I mean, think about it. Isn't that an insult to the black community to ask what a party can do for them as if whites don't need to have that question asked?

If a question is to be asked it also isn't "What have the Democrats done for you?" If anything, it should be "What have the Democrats DONE to you?

I grew up in the middle of the civil rights movement in Mississppi. I graduated from a formerly all black high school. I saw first hand the growth of the welfare state that practically destroyed the black family. The root of poverty in this country, black or white, is clearly children born into families with no father present. Nothing will change if that doesn't change. And there isn't a damn thing the government can do about THAT.

The Democrats had good intentions in the 60's. They did not forsee the vicious cycle of poverty that would become generational because of welfare. They did not see that handing out checks to unwed mothers would discourage marriage and make the man unecessary. But that is what happened and that is the root cause of the problems in the inner city.

As Bill Cosby pointed out, the problems that need to be addressed in the black community are ones that must be addressed by they themselves. But just to make it clear. No President has given more money to education for the inner city than Bush has. His "No Child Left Behind Act" was directly targeting the poor communities exactly where he felt the government could do the best, in education. He increased funding for the head start program, another educational program targeted for the poor. And heaven knows he could not have done more for the victims of Katrina.

While I understand Bush's desire for better education for the poor, he too makes the mistake in thinking that money is the answer. We have been throwing money into education for decades and have seen little improvement. It is clear that children who have stable loving homes get a good education. Not because the school is new looking or the books are not old. But because parents are home to make them study, examples are set, rules are in place, and disipline is taught.

Looking for the government to solve the problems of minorities is exactly where the problems started in the first place and it is high time black Democrats realized this.

Next time a relative asks you that question tell them that the Republicans have done for the black community the same as they have done for the white community and the rest of ethnic groups. We don't see people as groups, we just see them as people. And for all of us Republicans have fought the heavy burden of being overtaxed. They fight against beaucracy and red tape for the small business. They fight for the right to life of all unborn children. They fight against social engineering that the Democrats wish to have (gay marriage). They fight against overregulation that strangles entrepreneurialship. For the most part Republicans fight for the exact thing that the black community needs the most...economic freedom. They provide tax incentives for business. It was the Republican's idea to provide "empowerment zones" for poor communites in order for people to own their own home instead of relying on the government. They fought for years for welfare reform in order to get people to work instead of relying on the government.

The bottom line is that the only government programs that truly promote change in the poor communites are the ones that provide economic freedoms, not the social programs that just provide a bandaid to a wound that must be addressed by the community themselves.

I don't want you to think that I don't feel that racism plays into the distrust that the black community feels. I know racism exists. But it is difficult to be bothered by a racist when one's life is full of opportunity and success, both personal and professionally. I feel the distrust is based on propaganda promoted by Democrats in order to keep blacks away from the Republican party. And it has worked. Laws are on the books against discrimination. That is what the government CAN do. The rest is simply up to us.

I am sure you have seen this. It is all over the blogosphere. I was late getting to it because of being so busy today! Thanks to Jill for reminding me of it.

Michell Malkin is all over it, of course. She knows this kind of leftwing bigotry herself all too well.

The Washington Times today:

"Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.
Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log.
Operatives for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also obtained a copy of his credit report -- the only Republican candidate so targeted.
But black Democrats say there is nothing wrong with "pointing out the obvious."

Imagine for a moment if you will, a Republican doing such a thing. The howling from the left would be heard across the nation! You know what really makes me sick? Is thinking it's ok to denigrate his race if you happen to share that race.

The oreos are dispicable. It reinforces the notion to young black kids that they must follow a certain dress code or mindset or way of speaking to be black.

And the ministrel face! Who in their right mind would do such a thing????????

Good Grief! Every black in Maryland should vote for Steele just as a protest alone for this kind of sick behavior.

Things...They are a changin.....

My online friend from townhall chat room is a soldier in Iraq right now. He has an article at Tech Station right now. regarding America having enough troops in Iraq. I misposted earlier and said that he had written the following. I misunderstood him. But he did direct me to the following post by Chuck Holton:

TIKRIT, Iraq - Let's begin in Tikrit, the city best known as the birthplace of Saddam Hussein. We spent some time here on Forward Operating Base Danger, a sprawling compound of 68 palaces that Hussein built for his family.This island used to belong to Saddam's sons. But today, this area is a training center for new Iraqi security forces, which has graduated more than 1,500 new Iraqi soldiers and policemen.

The palace is now the headquarters for the 42nd Infantry Brigade, which is comprised of 23,000 active duty, guard, and reserve soldiers from 29 states. Its commander, Major General Joseph Taluto, laments that the mainstream media does not show the progress that is being made in the region.

"Nobody reports the attacks we stop,” Taluto said. “They don't report the SVBIEDs (car bombs) that we catch at a checkpoint. They don't talk about the thousands of people that we’ve arrested since we've been here in north central Iraq, and put in jail with evidence.

"In addition, the 42nd will soon be leaving this base in the hands of the new Iraqi government.

Forty miles down river is Samarra, a town of 200,000 in the heart of the Sunni Triangle.

There has not been much reported from here lately, either. In fact, our crew was the first media team to enter Samarra this year.

It is considered to be an insurgent stronghold, one of the most dangerous places in Iraq at this time, and the unit we were embedded with has lost an average of one soldier a month since it has been here. But even in this bleak city, progress is being made.

Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora is the command post for operations inside Samarra. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wald commands the unit.

Wald said, "If you talk to the average man on the street, they don't want coalition forces to leave. They love having the U.S. over here. We treat them with dignity and respect. We treat them fairly. We provide them with economic opportunity. We are all about making this a better place. The insurgents don't have that to offer them."

Pursuing this mission, the civil affairs team here has completed more than 150 humanitarian projects in the last nine months.

We saw an electrical power substation that the team is building. And while it may not look like much, it is one of the ways that the U.S. is working to help the Iraqi people get back on their feet, so that troops can come home. The substation will provide electricity for the city of Samarra.
And a water plant, paid for by coalition funds, pulls two million gallons a day out of the Tigris River and pumps it into the city.

A fire station in the city gets a new generator. And a new police station is being built.

But these projects are not without their setbacks. At this local college, the headmaster complains that the new lab building funded by the U.S. has been delayed by problems.

The headmaster said, "The contractor leave this building before about three months. I haven't seen him. I understand that the other side, guerilla, whatever they are, they ask him to give - you know - they want money. Now he leaves, I need this building because I have a lot of students."
This kind of challenge is being seen throughout the country. Much of the chaos seen in Iraq these days is as much from common criminals as it is from insurgents, which underscores the importance of these types of projects.

"Many of the people in Samara have no real economic opportunity right now,” Wald said, “as long as the insurgency stays the way it is. And so, instead of joining the Iraqi army for a few hundred dollars a month, they can put a roadside bomb out for $100. Whether they are effective or not, they can make more money doing that right now than they can in a legitimate enterprise.”

And so, while fighting the insurgency is a big priority, bringing economic stability to the people of Iraq is just as important.
Captain Radcliffe Antoine is a physician's assistant at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baquba. From his perspective, things are definitely getting better.

"I think the news gives you the picture that Iraq is on fire and it's burning down,” said Capt. Antoine. “And that's not what we find here day to day. Back in the March - April timeframe, we would generally see eight-10 people a week coming through with significant head/ thoracic/ abdominal injuries. And over the last few months, those numbers have decreased to the point where we'll go three, four weeks without seeing any injuries at all. The news [seems to] broadcast things that are sensational, and the everyday victories are not necessarily newsworthy in their eyes. To say that a school has been constructed - most people don't want to hear about that - but for us it's a steadfast improvement that we see day to day."
Wald stated, "This is the great thing about being an American. We have the ability to show other cultures hope. And we can show them exactly what it is to be free, to be able to have the right to choose what you want to do. Whether it's the right to religion, the right to free speech, the right to protest if you want without fear of being killed in public. We have the ability to show the rest of the world what freedom really is.”

While most of the soldiers we talked to believe our work here is far from over, all of them said that they believe a stable Iraq will eventually make the whole world safer. How long that will take, however, remains to be seen.

Oh For Heaven's Sake....

They didn't get Rove so now this.

WASHINGTON Nov 1, 2005 — Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that President Bush used in the run-up to the war in Iraq.."

Jeff at Protein Wisdom has a pretty good take on it:

"Harry Reid and Democratic Senators have invoked Rule 21 and closed the Senate, barring C-SPAN, reporters, etc. Reid claims to be doing this because he is upset that the Senate has refused to hold hearings into the pre-war intelligence lies of Chimpy McHilterburton and his bloodthirsty band of warmongering neocons. Evidently, the bi-partisan Senate report that already pronounced on such questions isn’t good enough—and, given the recent Libby indictments (which special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald explicitly stated has nothing to do with pre-war intelligence), Democrats wish to be able to waste time and money creating an appearance of impropriety rather than concentrating on the business of governing.
Bill Frist is calling this grandstanding manuever—which is an attempt to call attention to the desire for an even greater grandstanding maneuver, namely, hearings on the false charges leveled by congenital liar Joseph Wilson—an “affront” and a “deeply disappointing.”

"For my part, I find stunts like these almost refreshing, in that they show quite clearly that the Democratic Party’s agenda is driven entirely by a desire to bring down this Republican adminstration and install itself in their place—and any damage done to the country barely rates consideration."

Lawmakers Attend Human Rights Conference
People: Hillary Clinton; Sam Brownback; Gary Haugen

I think a caption contest is in order here.

Deja Vu'????

All over again.

Michael Yon is home for a short time.....

And he is going dancing with Bruce Willis. Read about it here.

The nice before the storm?

Just to say they did? Trying to shine up their tarnished image? Hmmm.. The NYT goes all mushy on Alito.

via Ace

Remembering 2000 of our Best and Brightest.

The Black Republican has this excellent essay doing just that. And he points out the view that our MSM and Democrats don't seem to ever focus on...the brave and noble sacrifice of our soldiers and Marines.

".....it seems that on October 25th we reached some sort of artificial milestone: 2,000 of our country's best and brightest have died liberating Iraq. As is the case with most things done by the MSM, this "milestone" is only recognized for it's negatives, with no mention of anything positive that the sacrifice of those brave 2,000 men and women has attained, nor any mention of the fact that the reality of Iraq is so much better than what most had expected. Senator Patrick Leahy (Democrat-Vermont) even used the occasion to suggest we cut and run from Iraq the way we cut and run from Vietnam. All I can say is if we do what Senator Leahy (Democrat-Vermont) suggests then we will guarantee that those 2,000 soldiers did indeed die for nothing, and sign the death sentences of hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of Iraqi citizens. You know the ones, those with the purple fingers."

Read the rest.

"Geraldo At Large?"

Large ego maybe. New show for Geraldo.

Read all about how America would be if he ruled it. He considers himself "an Oprah Winfrey Republican. You know, by that I mean I admire Oprah's entrepreneurial skill, but I admire her compassion, also. She's a true compassionate conservative. You could also call me a Hillary Clinton Republican. That's my own personal philosophy. It's all about free trade, and capitalism is the engine that drives the world -- but you have to have really deep feeling for people. You need a real safety net, not one that's spoken about in political jargon."

Aren't those things like being a sexy Janet Reno or a brainy Pamela Anderson?

Yeah. Nice try Geraldo.

It's all about abortion.

Judge Alito is already being criticized for his abortion rulings. Look, pro-choice or pro-life, Roe v. Wade was bad law. In 1973 we didn't have 3-D sonograms. We didn't know what we know now scientifically about unborn life. We also know that Jane Roe lied about being raped, NARAL lied about the number of women having illegal abortions ect... The whole case was decided on lies. Shouldn't that be enough to look at it again? It is time for those on both sides to look at the various abortion laws and look at what abortion has done to women (not to mention their babies) WARNING! Last link VERY graphic!

It's time.

And if it takes overturning Roe (which will NOT outlaw abortion) so we can have a national debate. Then we need to do it. We may not like it. But it is necessary. And fighting every Judge that is willing to do so will just continue the divide.

Good Consumer News.

Here.

Here is what some prominent Democrats had to say in the past about Judge Alito.

Courtesy of the Republican Party:

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D-MA): "You Have Obviously Had A Very Distinguished Record, And I Certainly Commend You For Long Service In The Public Interest. I Think It Is A Very Commendable Career And I Am Sure You Will Have A Successful One As A Judge." (Sen. Ted Kennedy, Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/5/90)

SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D-NJ): "I Believe Mr. Alito Has The Experience And The Skills To Be The Kind Of Judge The Public Deserves -- One Who Is Impartial, Thoughtful, And Fair. I Urge The Senate To Confirm His Nomination." (Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Congressional Record, 4/27/90, p. S5281)

FORMER SEN. BILL BRADLEY (D-NJ): "[T]he Confirmation Of Sam Alito As U.S. Attorney For New Jersey Is Testimony To The Commitment He Has Shown And The Success Of His Efforts As A Law Enforcement Official. I Am Confident That He Will Continue To Do All He Can To Uphold The Laws Of This Nation With The Kind Of Determination And Vigor That Has Been His Trademark In The Past." (Sen. Bill Bradley, Congressional Record, 12/8/87, p. S17427)

Kennedy and Lautenberg are still in the senate.

via A Face Made 4 Radio, A Voice Made 4 the Internet

Also Alito's biography.

Halloween Origins.

"The true origins of Halloween lie with the ancient Celtic tribes who lived in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany. For the Celts, November 1 marked the beginning of a new year and the coming of winter. The night before the new year, they celebrated the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead. During this festival, Celts believed the souls of the dead—including ghosts, goblins and witches—returned to mingle with the living. In order to scare away the evil spirits, people would wear masks and light bonfires.

When the Romans conquered the Celts, they added their own touches to the Samhain festival, such as making centerpieces out of apples and nuts for Pomona, the Roman goddess of the orchards. The Romans also bobbed for apples and drank cider—traditions which may sound familiar to you. But where does the Christian aspect of the holiday come into play? In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration for all the martyrs (later all saints) from May 13 to November 1. The night before became known as All Hallow’s Even or “holy evening.” Eventually the name was shortened to the current Halloween. On November 2, the Church celebrates All Souls Day.

The purpose of these feasts is to remember those who have died, whether they are officially recognized by the Church as saints or not. It is a celebration of the “communion of saints,” which reminds us that the Church is not bound by space or time.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that through the communion of saints “a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things” (#1475)."

Saint Anthony Messenger.

Happy Halloween Everyone! Have Fun!

Bush nominates Judge Samuel Alito to the US Supreme Court.

Let the bloodletting begin.

Project Valour-IT

Soldiers' Angels' has this:

"Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse. The experience of CPT Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important this voice-controlled software can be to a wounded servicemember's recovery."

Read more and do what you can to help!

Who is outraged when Christians suffer?

Three teenage girls beheaded in Indonesia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Men in black clothes and masks beheaded three teenage Christian girls on Saturday in eastern Indonesia as they walked to school near the Muslim town of Poso, officials said.

The article goes on:

Poso, 1,500 km (900 miles) northeast of the capital Jakarta, is in an area where Muslim-Christian clashes killed 2,000 people until a peace deal was agreed in 2001.
Although religious fighting has largely subsided, tension is still high in the region following bombings in the neighboring Christian town of Tentena which killed 22 people in May.
Security experts have said local Islamic radicals may have been responsible for the bombings in Tentena.

Will this get the same kind of global outrage as the burning of Taliban bodies? Especially since these were INNOCENT GIRLS and not terrorists?

We shall see.

WARNING!!! Extremely disturbing still pictures of the girls here. To be honest. I haven't viewed the pictures. I am just going on what they are saying at Ace about it. I can't view these things.

Interesting.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had secretly accepted a last-minute plan to go into exile to avert the 2003 Iraq war, but Arab leaders shot the proposal down, Al Arabiya television reported on Friday.

According to Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak the U.S. had expressed it's support of the plan as well.

I am always amazed at the vital informative news that seems to get away from journalists these days. We find out things long after they are of any value except to ask why? Perhaps it is because they are too interested in going after only that which suits their agenda?

via Ace.

Ok, here is my most interesting Halloween story. When I was in high school my best friend (Diane) and I decided to make the rounds of the various haunted houses around the city. We were having a blast just joking around in line (I don't remember what we were dressed up as) when this guy behind us in one of those creepy old men mask said in this deep strange voice, "Well, hello pretty ladies. Should you really be out alone?" That was kinda weird, but we laughed it off.

After that house we drove about 20 minutes to another one. As we were waiting I glimpsed someone in the crowd that looked like the creepy old man mask. I told Diane, but she never saw him. She started kidding me about it and making jokes about how he was some Halloween killer. (The very first "Halloween" movie with Jamie Curtis had just come out) We finally went to the last haunted house way out in the country, but nearer my house. While we were IN that house walking around in a strobe lighted room I SAW THE CREEPY OLD MAN MASK AGAIN! Well, I sorta freaked out and told Diane were leaving NOW. On the way home I kept checking my rearview mirror. I was a nervous wreck. Diane just kept making fun of me getting scared.

When we got home, we got ready for bed. My room was on the second story, but there was another roof below the window in my room from a lower floor addition. I had had the window open because of the nice weather, but I decided I was so creeped out that I would close it. So I went to close it..AND THE GUY WITH THE CREEPY OLD MAN MASK POPPED UP!!! On reflex I screamed and pushed with both my hands the window screen and the guy with all my might. The guy went tumbling down the roof and on the ground. Diane screamed my name. I turned to Diane to say something, but she was flying out of my room down the stairs. I was totally confused so I went after her yelling for my Dad the whole time.

My Dad and Mom came running out and I was trying to tell them what happened but Diane had already run out the front door!!!! Turns out, it was Diane's cousin. They had planned the whole thing to scare the beejees out of me (And it did!) But they didn't expect me to push him off the roof! She had run to see if he was ok. He had broken his arm and we had to take him to the hospital. My Dad wasn't happy. Her cousin wasn't happy. The hospital staff thought my version of the story was hilarious and I thought the whole thing was funny LATER.

It turns out the creepy old man was actually a pretty cute 19 yr old who I got to date a bit before I went off to college.

Oh yeah, one more little funny thing. He loved to tell people how his "girlfriend" broke his arm. Heh.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!