UPDATE ON TERRI SHAVIO LEGISLATION.

I decided to put this post at the top as well. It needs to be read.

At 12:35 CT, The Democrats who oppose this legislation started a news conference. Rep. Jim Davis from Florida began it. But the airing of it started before they obviously were aware of it. It started with laughter from the press core. Then Jim Davis says "I'm sure they will." and then more laughter. And one reporter yells out, "yeah right." And then Rep. Davis smiles and says, "We will encourage them to." Small laughter and then they THOUGHT the news conference was starting. Rep. Davis begins by offering his sympathies to the family.

Yeah right.

You were being real sympathetic there when you thought the cameras were not on. I wonder what was so funny? Maybe someone can find out?

They make me sick.

Update: Well, it passed. Bush signed it. We will see how it goes.
This whole situation is just sad. I don't want just the feeding tube put back. I want Terri's parents to be able to care for her. This man, Terri's husband, has moved on to a new life. Nothing really changes if he doesn't let them take care of her.

I know my personal feelings on issues of life color this, but I just saw an interview with Terri's husband from 2003 with Larry King and he came off as very insincere. I didn't get the feeling that he was emotionally involved with her at all anymore. And I can even understand that. He has a woman he loves and children. But as any parent will tell you, that never happens with your child. There is no doubt her parents love her and want to take care of her. They have not moved on. And they never will. It's time for the parents to have guardianship.

I truly got the feeling in listening to Michael, that it was more about NOT letting the parents have their way than anything else. It seems to be about his pride.

One more thing. We need to give some credit to the Democrats that climbed on board here. Sometimes they do the right thing. This was one of those times.

Gannongate continues.

Jeff Gannon gives an interview with Tucker Carlson. And with the New York Times. (this may require registration) Considering what The Jawa Report is reporting about the left trying to "out" RNC chairman Ken Mehlman because he is 38 and never married, the interviews with Gannon seem pretty important on how we allow the left to vilify anyone who disagree with them.

It's time.

If you were watching Fox News last night you saw Geraldo interview Jessie's Grandmother and the statement made by her father. (Jessie is the little 9 year old taken and murdered recently by a convicted sex offender) This particular monster had been given 10 yrs, but had only served two.

At first I was uneasy seeing Geraldo interview a grieving relative. And I was made even more uneasy when they toured Jessie's bedroom. But then I got to thinking that maybe this is what we need to see in order to GET THESE FREAKS OFF THE STREET. What is wrong with us???? Why have we allowed this???

Geraldo interviewed a guy who oversees the agency that is responsible for keeping up with sex offender parolees. He just said frankly that there are way too many for his office to possibly keep up with all the time. What the hell are we doing to produce so many perverts in our society? We really need to consider this question seriously.

Knowing where sex offender's live is of public record. Each state has one. Here is mine. You click on the sex offender search site and you can click on mapping it. You type in your address and it shows a map of where the sex offenders live in your area. It also gives you a name and picture and the exact offense. You will be SHOCKED at how many live near you. Of course, like this monster, they move around and there isn't much law enforcement can do about it.

This grandmother drove her granddaughter 4 blocks down to catch the school bus everyday and picked up there everyday. She was cautious. This little girl was put to bed that night and then he got her somehow. How much more could a parent do to protect their own children?

It is time for us to lock up those who prey on our children FOR LIFE. No second chances.

Saving Terri

Watching the news this morning I am pleased to see so many democrats come on board this bill to save Terri Shavio's life. There are 3 democrats, I understand, who are against this bill. It is clearly a bi-partisan bill. If you saw the plea from Terri's mom, I don't know how you could not be against it. A mother simply wanting to care for her daughter at home until she passes seems a simple request against forcing her to stay in a hospital and starve. There is just no argument you can give me that there is anything wrong with that.

It seems clear to me that a man who has gone on to live with and have children with another woman is not "next of kin." but more like an ex-husband.

This case is also about a judicial bench out of control.

UPDATE: At 12:35 CT, The democrats who oppose this legislation started a news conference. Rep. Jim Davis from Florida began it. But the airing of it started before they obviously were aware of it. It started with laughter from the press core. Then Jim Davis says "I'm sure they will." and then more laughter. And one reporter yells out, "yeah right." And then Rep. Davis smiles and says, "We will encourage them to." Small laughter and then they THOUGHT the news conference was starting. Rep. Davis begins by offering his sympathies to the family.

Yeah right.

You were being real sympathetic there when you thought the cameras were not on. I wonder what was so funny? Maybe someone can find out?

They make me sick.

News of the Odd.

Well, this is one way to get a date.

Ok, let's say you just won a $27 million dollar lottery. But you don't have to time to chat. Why?....Wonders never cease.

There is a lesson here somewhere, I just can't find it.

There's sick and then there is just repulsive. If there were a word worse than repulsive, I would use it. But I can't think of one. But these come close.
awful, beastly, creepy, detestable, disgusting, distasteful, foul, frightful, ghastly, gross, gruesome, hideous, horrid, horrific, icky, loathsome, lousy, macabre, monstrous, nasty, nauseating, nerdy, objectionable, obnoxious, odious, offensive, outrageous, repellent, repugnant, revolting, rotten, scandalous, scuzzy, shameless, shocking, skank, sleazeball, sleazy, stinking, surfeiting, vile, vulgar, yecchy, yucky.

Yep. That about covers it.

On a lighter note, speaking of man's best friend, if you're so lazy you would buy one of these for your dog, it is time to buy some serious vitamins for yourself. And have you ever seen a dog with a sleep disorder? (Trust me, it's funny) (via The Biomes Blog)

The winner is Jason. "Oliver Willis finally reveals his love."

You have to be familiar with the leftwing blogger Oliver to understand how funny this is, but it made me laugh out loud.

Once again my girl Peggy Noonan hits it perfectly regarding the Ashley Smith and Brian Nichols "meeting" after his killing rampage. Ashley's simple faith led him to give himself up and perhaps find something inside himself other than evil.

"Maybe we should be thinking: God loves all of us, every one of us most tenderly, even convicts, maybe especially convicts, who know what they are and hang their heads and one of whom, so long ago, looked up, and cried out to the man on the other cross, and received from him a promise of forgiveness and a promise that soon, very soon, they would stand together in a place without pain.
Maybe we should think: This is all quite a mystery, too big to be understood, too beautiful to be ignored."

Ours is a world filled with madness. With suicide bombers. With nasty men who take and kill little girls. With parents trying to keep their brain damaged daughter alive.

We can argue all day about what is right and what is wrong. But are we really looking for the answers?
Are we looking in the right place for them?

I think Ashley knew where to look, and that is why the killing stopped and she is alive today.

This is pretty amazing:

"Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) has requested Terri Schiavo to testify before his congressional committee, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. In so doing it triggers legal or statutory protections for the witness, among those protections is that nothing can be done to cause harm or death to this individual."

It gives me great satisfaction to know that there are some in Congress willing to do anything to keep this horrible thing from happening. Does anyone doubt that Terri's parents love her more than anything? You may say that Terri's husband does, but why not stay faithful to her then? Why not start rehabilitation immediately when she first was put in this condition? I know all these things have been gone over and over, but as long as her parents want to take care of her and Terri's wishes are not legally known, THEY CANNOT JUST KILL HER. What does that say about us as a society???? I can only imagine the roller coaster of emotions her poor parents are going through when all they want to do is care for their child.

It seems to me that all those on the right are trying to save her and all those on the left support taking the feeding tube out. Why does life mean so much to the left when they are on death row or killed in a war, but it doesn't mean anything here or in abortion???

Guys, this is why we have to keep electing people who value human life.

Just when you think you have seen everything there is to see on sale I bet you haven't seen this.

You know, I never knew what the blue ones meant until I overheard a conversation at a party. I guess that makes me pretty special, doesn't it?....;-) h/t Eric.

In debating ANWR Wednesday Barbara Boxer held up a picture of a polar bear and said:

"To me, this is a God-given environment. With all the talk about faith-based politics, if you do believe, as I do, that these are gifts, then we have to be careful in what we are doing here today...If you believe this is God-given land, let's protect it. At the end of the day, that is our job." via Ankle Biting Pundits

Pardon me while I puke.

Drilling in the small part of the ANWR that they wish to poses NO danger to the animals whatsoever. Boxer is a piece of work. Protect a bear from nothing, but do nothing to protect an unborn child. (no I don't want to get started on that again, but that is just the way I see it)

It just never ends. They oppose the death penalty and will let Scott Peterson appeal for 20 yrs, but an innocent woman (Teri Shavio) starving to death is just fine.

Stolen from SondraK.

Quote Of The Day regarding the Nichol's killing rampage.

"I think I have an idea that would save money and lives: Have large men escort violent criminals. Admittedly, this approach would risk another wave of nausea and vomiting by female professors at Harvard. But there are also advantages to not pretending women are as strong as men, such as fewer dead people. Even a female math professor at Harvard should be able to run the numbers on this one." Ann Coulter via The Cassandra Page

You have to love how Ann just puts things so perfectly and frankly she is hilarious. If I weren't so darn nice maybe I could write like her.

You win some, you lose some.

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday. Never accidentally forget to put the water in the rice you cook in the microwave. Because in 12 minutes you will have billowing smoke coming out of the microwave and by the time you open it and grab some oven mitts and take it outside your entire house smells like a very stinky forest fire.

It also happened to be cold yesterday and I had to open all the doors and windows so I was freaking cold, which next to having a Democrat in the White House, is about the worse thing there is. After getting dinner done I had to crank up the electric blanket and stay there while everyone ate.

Next to Oreo cookies and eyeliner, electric blankets are just about the best invention ever.

Then I learned that you never play the game Apples to Apples with logic minded people. You know, games are suppose to be fun. And unless they are strategy games, then all you really need is a good sense of humor. In Apples to Apples the "judge," which happened to be me, picks a card that says say "entertaining." Then the 4 or 5 people playing have 5 cards with different names and things on each card. You are suppose to choose the card in your hand that most describes what the judge's card says. Like one might put down the card with "Elvis" on it or another "Nascar driving." You might not have one that fits, so you just put down "surgery." But the fun part is that you get to "convince" the judge why your card should win. The judge picks the winner based on nothing more than his or her satisfaction with the answer. Well, anyone who can make me laugh usually wins. So even if the person with "surgery" convinces me in some funny way that is entertaining, they win.

Well the logic based part of my family CANNOT STAND THIS. They feel the answer should actually best describe the judges card. Well, why have people convince you then? Right? While the "fun" part of my family is laughing and having a blast at some of the ways they try to convince me, the "logic" based part of my family (better known as nerds) is getting annoyed. Which makes it even funnier....;-)

And by the way-- HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!

Click on picture for larger image. Notice anything? Some of our boys just never grow up....heh. via Argghhh!!! (If you still can't see it well, click on the Argghh!! link to see a better pic.)

"Iraq's first freely elected parliament in half a century began its opening session Wednesday." via Wizbang

This a picture of freedom. Nice.

"Brian Nichols' surrender was vacated today,in the wake of Hostage Ashley Smith's invasive inclusion of "divine purpose" in her attempts to secure a surrender."

The Therapist has more on this shocking development. Heh.

ok, here is another one to caption. 

I'm pretty sure you can park here. What do you think? 

Since we have gotten WAY too serious here. I will do a couple of caption contests. Go for it, because I am no good at it.

The winner is Erik with "The Dangers of Botox Abuse."

It's a woman thing.

Finally.

This is something I have been wanting the Republicans to do forever. Reach out to blacks on a personal level. On a community level. I even wrote a letter to the RNC early in the campaign last year suggesting this. It is WAY overdue.
Here are some excerpts from U.S. News and World Report for March 21:

"In the past month, Mehlman (RNC chair) has hosted town hall meetings with black audiences in Maryland and New Jersey, sat for a PBS television interview with African-American talk-show host Tavis Smiley, and traveled to Atlanta's Martin Luther King Jr. Center. "It's about building relationships," says Mehlman, the high-octane former campaign manager who helped engineer President Bush's victory last fall. "I don't go out and lecture. I listen and learn."

"Black conservatives--and disaffected black Democrats--are preparing a major push to convince African-Americans, first, that they've been taken for granted by Democrats and, second, that the Republican Party might be worth another look, especially if the GOP more directly addresses issues of concern to blacks. It's an effort that Republicans have made before--but this time, partisans on both sides believe it could pay real dividends."

The article describes the 9 to 16 percent jump in black voting during the Presidential election in Ohio that clearly helped push Bush over the top and the 7 to 13 percent jump in Florida. Maybe this is why:

With most African-Americans identifying as churchgoers, some pastors say a new emphasis on "family values," especially opposition to same-sex marriage, is responsible for the shift. Bishop Harry Jackson, a Maryland pastor and registered Democrat, who voted against Bush in 2000 but supported him last year, is leading an effort called the "Black Contract With America on Moral Values." The contract includes pledges to "protect marriages" and "eliminate abortion." Jackson is circulating the document among black clergy through a series of six summits across the country. Jackson hopes to collect a million signatures and says he's in preliminary talks with the White House: "We're dating, and there's tremendous attraction, but we're not married yet."
A conservative black group, the Mayflower Compact Coalition, will also begin collecting signatures next week for its "21st Century Mayflower Compact," a nine-point agenda for black America that includes support for school choice and private Social Security accounts. "We recognize the achievements of the civil rights movement," says Oliver Kellman, the group's chairman. "But we need a civil responsibilities movement." Advised in part by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's consulting firm, Mayflower is planning town hall meetings in up to 20 states--"

The article continues:

"...analysts agree that the GOP needs only modest gains to make a big difference. "For us, 20 percent [of the black vote] would be the death knell of the Democrats," says Phyllis Berry Myers, a Mayflower founder. It doesn't sound like an outsize goal. For Democrats, that's a sobering thought."

Who would have thought the issues that divide white religious conservatives and Southpark conservatives could be the EXACT issues that bring us more of the black vote.

Interesting.

*WARNING* *WARNING* EXTREME RELIGIOUS CONTENT*

I try not to get too much into my faith and religion here except where it pertains to the political debate. I wanted this to be a political blog. But the 2 abortion debates going on at Beautiful Atrocities and Wizbang have made me think about why I got into pro-life to begin with. It didn't have to do with my Church. I became pro-life before I became Catholic. I have posted on my experiences in pro-life from a political perspective before. Read that here.

When I went to college my goal was to become a trained actress. Growing up in politics, I was sick of it. All I wanted to do was be a movie star one day. I never wanted to even hear the word politics again. When I was 18 my dad made me drive 6 hours from Florida to vote in my 1st Presidential election. MADE ME. And like a good democrat, I voted for Carter.

I had been a Christian for a long time (thank goodness, looking back) by the time I entered college. During my college years I began to be bothered by the abortions my friends were having. Their pain was hard to see. I didn't see relief afterwards. But I told myself that was their decision and had nothing to do with me. Luckily for me, I had decided many years before that I was going to wait until marriage for sex, so I didn't have any worries in the department of pregnancy and abortion. In the late 70's and early 80's the common belief was abortion was performed when the baby was still a clump of cells, not even a fetus. Totally untrue, but everyone believed it. Sonograms were just beginning to be in use in OBGYN offices.

A lot of things happened with friends during those years regarding abortion and none of them good. I finally realized God was trying to tell me something. Now for those of you with faith the following will be probably be something similar that you have been through. For those of you without faith I suppose it will sound silly, but here it is nonetheless.

During my senior year after doing some study into fetal development and other things I finally did decide that abortion was the taking of a life and morally wrong. "There," I said to God, "You have convinced me, thanks for making see the reality of this. I really appreciate it. If I have more friends going through it I will do whatever I can to get them to have the baby. You can count on me. Later."

But God wasn't through with me yet. That Hound of Heaven has always done this to me. I want to go one way, He wants me to go the other. We have argued all my life. Seriously. Most of the time I went His way because I'm smart that way, and He was always right. In fact, all the best things in my life now are a result of having gone into pro-life work. My best friends and my children. But I fought going into it the whole way. The very few times I went my way, I always screwed up.

In my early 20's when it became clear that God wanted me to go into pro-life work, I simply refused. "God," I said, "look, I don't want anything to do with politics and this is political now. Isn't this a woman's choice to sin? Just like anything else? Plus, everyone thinks anyone in pro-life is a fanatic. I don't want to do this. Nope. No way. Let's move on, shall we?"

He would NOT leave me alone so I made a deal with him. I told God I would go do ANYTHING else to help his children. In fact, I will do the hardest thing for me. I will go volunteer in a nursing home. There I will be doing good, and politics is totally out of it. So I did. Many days I came home crying. I told my husband how hard it was to see these old people so lost and alone. Some so sick. Why do they have to live that way? It was so much harder than I ever thought it would be, but I had a deal with God and I kept going back.

One day one of my favorite old ladies, Emily, asked me for a glass of water. I got it for her and was sitting there watching her drink it when I felt God speak to my heart. (for ya'll who are rolling your eyes right now, NO, it isn't an actual voice, ok?, but it is clear just the same) First He spoke of the verse in the Bible where Christ says "For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water...." Christ goes on to say "When you refused to help the least of these my brothers, you were refusing to help me." (Matthew 25:35-45) "Don't you see?" I heard God say to my heart. "These people you help are a burden and unwanted by the world, but I love them. They are my children. The same is true for my unborn children. They may be unwanted, but they are loved and wanted by me. You can be my hands, you can be my voice. Go and help the least of these."

As I sat there with tears rolling down my face, I knew that I was going to do exactly what I did not want to do. Get involved in a controversial political issue. One that I didn't feel have anything to do with me. I was an actress and that is what I wanted to do. Not this. But God had always been my strength, my guide. I sounded like a petulant child, but I said to God, "Oh, alright...."

And I did.

It was never easy to watch girls walk out of the pregnancy crisis center I worked in and know they were going to have an abortion no matter what I said. A boyfriend was usually urging them to, or a parent. It was never easy to see people think you were some sort of fanatic for being in this work. And it was NEVER easy to explain why. My family came around. They are all pro-life now. But there were years when I know they wanted to put duct tape over my mouth to make me shutup about it. President Reagan wrote an essay while in office called "Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation." It was beautiful and expressed perfectly why we should fight for the rights of the unborn. The media largely ignored it and I'm betting you here, all politically aware, have not even heard of it. The media hoped that a blackout of what we were trying to do would make us go away. But we didn't.

Although abortion laws didn't change, abortion rates lowered or stayed steady. Considering that in the last 30 yrs all other societal ills like drug abuse, domestic abuse, suicide rates, ect. have increased 300% and more, I think we have had an impact and that is with NO help from the media or funding.

One night a few years ago, upset at a woman I knew who was pregnant with twins who happened not to be her husband's (who she was separated from but planning on getting back together), was having an abortion that day. I had offered to keep her from her husband until the twins were born and then adopt them ourselves. I cried and cried for those two little ones who would never feel the breeze in their hair, or swing on swing sets. Ones I would never get to hold. In my pain, I asked God what was the purpose here if nothing in the law had changed??? Once again I heard Him speak to my heart. "I never asked you to do anything but what you have done. Men will make and change laws. I wanted you to change hearts and let them know the truth."

You see, God does not care about politics. He cares only for us. Is it just and right that we allow unborn children to be destroyed? No. Of course not. But the truth about abortion was never getting out there and it still isn't in so many ways. I truly don't expect a President to change this law (although I would wish for them to) But I do want a President who understands as I do that what defines who we are is how we treat "the least of these."

For Monday.

Stem cell research gone wild! Don't think it won't happen here.

Communists Looking to Text Messaging As a Way to Reach Younger Russians and Regain Influence. This should be interesting.

Condi says she will NOT seek presidency. I didn't see it working anyway.

The United States will not support a military strike by Israel against suspected Iranian nuclear sites, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday. I'm with Condi on this one. Not a good idea.

Wierd blog of the year-This guy blogs and takes pictures of everything he eats, everyday.

Ending on something sweet. A good reminder of good overcoming evil and life moving on, but never forgetting.

I found this ad at LGF's for jewlery. Looking at the picture my first thought was "just what are they selling here?" Then I scrolled down. The necklace is made of amethyst ,which the maker tells us is greek meaning "not drunkeness." In ancient times it was believed to protect it's wearers from drunkeness.

They should give these out to Spring breakers this year to help stop the spread of STD's and humilating internet pictures posted later.

Just a thought.

Click on picture for larger image.

A young black man started this thread with this picture and this quote:

"It's not "anti hip hop." It's illustrating that this incessant public rap beef is just a bunch of blacks coonin' for the amusement of a white audience. It's not anti hip hop, it's anti-coonin'.

Sad but true but it is not only The Suburbian kids supporting this nonsense, it is also The black community.

It is like Black people we never learn from anything and we continue to disrespect ourselves over and over. Do you agree with this?" Last edited by BlackX: 03-11-2005 at 10:22 AM. via allhiphop.com

This is a black hip hop site. I think it is interesting that they may be recognizing hip hop for what it really is. If you read the comments on the thread everyone agrees with this guy. And these are young people. Good sign. The messages this music sends out is terrible for black and white kids alike.

My Soldiers.

This is truly awesome. Have your volume on and your hanky handy. Wonderful. Moving. I am so damn proud to be an American.

This and That.

You gotta love this business. Notice where they don't ship to.

Yes, the democrats will tax anything.

Blogging is good for your health h/t The Biomes Blog

Karen Hughes is returning to the White House. YAY! I love her.

This is my sugar bear aka a chick magnet. (I had to mace these girls away...harlots!) aka Texan Cheerleaders.

This is how I feel everytime I go to Beautiful Atrocities (not his link, but the links he puts up)

This is one of those stories where you just shake your head.

Some Marines were shocked by a decision made by Detroit auto workers about parking recently. Here are some excerpts from the article:

"For a number of years now, dozens of Marine reservists have been thankful to park in the UAW’s lot for weekend training with no problem at all, until now."

"Marines at nearby Marine Corps Reserve Center say on Tuesday morning, the director of security at the UAW told them that while they support the troops, Marines driving foreign vehicles or sporting a President George Bush bumper sticker were no longer welcome to park there."

"A spokesman for the UAW released a statement to Action News which reads: "While reservists certainly have the right to drive non-union made vehicles and display bumper stickers touting the most anti-worker, anti-union president since the 1920s, that doesn’t mean they have the right to park in a lot owned by members of the UAW."

I cannot find the words to describe how appalled I am by this. These are men who fight for our country. These are men who one day could be saving these guy's lives, literally. And they decide that because the Marines there hold a different political view they won't let them park there???? Parking there is a common courtesy and has nothing to do with politics and shouldn't.

My Church lets different organizations use our parking lot when it is not in use. Many Churches do. If say, a men's civic club parked there, and I happened to drive by and see they had Kerry/Edward stickers on their car, it would never even occur to me to call the Priest and demand they not be allowed to park there because they have stickers that support a man that opposes the teachings of our Church. Parking is not political. This is called being nice, being neighborly.

I'm telling you, it is things like this that make the democrats look so bad. And the sad thing is they don't even see it. via RusurrectionSong

Are We Secure Enough?

Peggy Noonan, one of my favorite girls, has an interesting piece about our ongoing security. She is basically asking why we aren't more prepared for another attack. Here is an excerpt referring to all the new buildings going up in New York:

"We are doing all this building at the same time that various insane and quite evil men are planning on doing away with our city. They won't be happy until those skyscrapers are cinders. And when and if they move, the children playing so happily in our brand new Brooklyn waterfront park are going to get hurt. So maybe we could throw in a fallout shelter? Maybe we could be throwing in a few small health clinics, well stocked for a bad day?"

She also asked a question I have wondered about myself. Since most of our children have never been vaccinated against smallpox, shouldn't we be concerned or getting them vaccinated since we know smallpox is one biological weapon that terrorists may use against us?

Soon after 9-11 I was watching a news show that was telling us ways to prepare ourselves for an attack. It had the usual supply list and such but one thing struck me. They said that if phone lines are down and communication is shut off, your family needs to have a plan on where to meet outside the city you are in. I thought this was a very good idea. I know the agony so many went through in New York when they couldn't find their loved ones. Even though their loved ones ended up being safe, they spent hours, sometimes days in total fear. The program suggested a central e-mail address of a family member in another state to have as a communication station. I realized as I was watching this show how very easy it could be for something to happen where we would need this.

I am a pretty organized person. I always have a plan B. As I was figuring out where we would meet and such, I couldn't help but imagine the worst case scenario. Afterwards I couldn't shake it from my mind. What if there was some sort of chemical weapon or bomb that destroys much of Houston. No phone, no electricity. There is widespread panic. Remember in New York how some daycares that were near the WTC had to be evacuated and for hours some of the parents did not know where their children were? Where are my children? Just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine.

I have to agree with Peggy that I don't think we are prepared. We are hoping that we have done enough damage to the terrorists and that they are so busy blowing things up in Iraq, they will not attack us again. But hope isn't a guarantee. God knows Bush has enough on his plate right now, but where is local government or Congress?

Checking at the at The Homeland Security Site I found this comforting statement under "Emergencies and Disasters."

"Local and State governments share the responsibility for protecting their citizens from disasters, and for helping them to recover when a disaster strikes. In some cases, a disaster is beyond the capabilities of the State and local government to respond."

Perhaps we feel too safe now. Perhaps we feel the battle is being fought far away from us. I'm not sure how we can prepare, but I do think it is far past time for us to think about it.

I forgot where I got this, But I LOVE IT! Y'all can give me more captions since ya'll are so good at it. 

Rodeo Blogging.

I went to the Rodeo last night. I hadn't been in a few years and I had forgotten how fun it was. It was in Reliant Stadium and we were in one of the evil oil business suites, which is NICE because you have all the food and drink you want served, not to mention a private restroom. The only way to see a concert in my opinion (which is a spoiled one).

The headliner was Kenny Chesney, who was AWESOME! Before he got started though, we watched the bull riding, and the thing were the women ride around the barrels (barrel racing?), and where the cowboys jump off their horse and bring down a bull in the shortest amount of time. The cutest thing was where a bunch of teens compete for scholarships by catching, bringing down, tying up calves and then bringing (pulling, pushing, and begging) the calf to a square drawn in the dirt.

Then the concert started. The place went dark and then 4 big screens lit up with a montage of pictures of our soldiers. At that moment a army humvee drove in the arena and behind it, in a spotlight were men and women, each representing their part of our armed forces. In the background a man was singing "God Bless America." Remember now that this is not our national anthem, yet every single person in the place stood up. The soldiers saluted and fireworks went off and the whole arena erupted in cheers and clapping. I turned to a friend beside me and said, "I bet you don't see that at any damn Rock and Roll concert." No offense to Rock and Roll, I love it and listen to it as well, but country music has this whole patriotic thing down baby. I felt so proud to be born in America.

If you don't listen to country music, I suggest you check out Kenny Chesney, he has a lot of rock in his music and he is just an awesome singer. He got me to dancing that's for sure.

One song I particularly love is "There goes my life." They played the video on the screens while he was playing it. The song is about a young football player in high school who gets his girlfriend pregnant and he sings, "there goes my life," like it's over for his future. Then it shows this precious little 2 year old with her young dad and they are playing around and she runs from him up the stairs and he lovingly sings, "there goes my life," like there IS his life now. Then it shows his little girl grown and going off to college and he sings again, "there goes my life," as she leaves. SO SWEET!!!!!!

Songs like that are why I love country music. Another classic of his is "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." Which is funny, but a good dancing song. I like how country music always tells a story. It is also nice that you don't have to worry about the lyrics too much, although there is a popular song out there now called, "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy," which is obviously sexual but I have to admit it is a great song and fun to dance to. And hey, if your married to a Cowboy, ride away!....;-)

I also love "I Love This Bar." Even though I never actually go to bars. Anyway, there is my rare night out and it was great. I wore my ropers and a teal blue cowboy hat. In fact I may post a picture of it tonight.

God, I do love Texas.

Was Bush Right After All?

It seems a recent Newsweek cover story on Lebanon's so-called Cedar Revolution headlined "People Power,"was followed by a secondary headline that said "Where Bush Was Right."

Michael Barone of U.S. News and World Report seems to think he may have been: (highlights mine)


"Evidence abounds. Consider what is happening in Lebanon, long under Syrian control, in response to the assassination, almost certainly by Syrian agents, of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Protesters have taken to the streets day after day, demanding Syrian withdrawal. The Washington Post 's David Ignatius, who covered Lebanon in the 1980s and has kept in touch since, has been skeptical that the Bush administration's policy would change things for the better. But reporting from Beirut last week, he wrote movingly of "the movement for political change that has suddenly coalesced in Lebanon and is slowly gathering force elsewhere in the Arab world."

Ignatius interviewed Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader long a critic of the United States. Jumblatt's words are striking: "It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq. I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting three weeks ago, 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world. The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing. The Berlin Wall has fallen. We can see it."

As Middle East expert Daniel Pipes writes, "For the first time in three decades, Lebanon now seems within reach of regaining its independence."

Minds are changing in Europe, too. In the left-wing Guardian, Martin Kettle reassures his readers that the Iraq war was "a reckless, provocative, dangerous, lawless piece of unilateral arrogance" --the usual stuff. "But," he concedes, "it has nevertheless brought forth a desirable outcome which would not have been achieved at all, or so quickly, by the means that the critics advocated, right though they were in most respects." Or read Claus Christian Malzahn in Der Spiegel . "Maybe the people of Syria, Iraq, or Jordan will get the idea in their heads to free themselves from their oppressive regimes just as the East Germans did," he writes. "Just a thought for Old Europe to chew on: Bush might be right, just like Reagan was."

The people of MoveOn.org, Kos, and Air America have to be tearing their hair out and gnashing their teeth on these quotes. And get the ones here in the U.S.:

"On Nightline, the New York Times 's Thomas Friedman and, with caveats, the New Yorker 's Malcolm Gladwell agreed that the Iraqi election was a "tipping point" (the title of one of Gladwell's books) and declined Ted Koppel's invitation to say that things could easily tip back the other way. In the most recent Foreign Affairs , Yale's John Lewis Gaddis credited George W. Bush with "the most sweeping redesign of U.S. grand strategy since the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt,"


It takes great political courage to admit when you are wrong. These quotes amaze and gratify me. Whether you were for or against the war, no one doubted that things needed to change in the middle east. Bush is nothing if not a man of action. He was determined to spread freedom and it seems to be having a snowball effect. I am no middle east expert by any stretch of the imagination and I think we all worried, even us on the right, wondering if we had done the right thing. But hearing middle east experts say these things gives me hope for a better world.

Bush said he would shake things up. And, oh boy, did he.

Keeping with the Catholic theme for today. Who says Nuns don't have fun? Feel free to give me a caption but BE NICE!!!!!! Also, after all this boobage, I thought this was a nice change...;-) 

Some Truth about my Church.

Mean Ol Meany has some interesting facts regarding Priests who molest children:

"There have been twenty-two priests charged with the crimes of molestation, fondling, and child abuse in the last three years. Ninety-six percent of the Catholic Dioceses have no record of any of these crimes committed. The overwhelming majority are from the Northeast and we know that they are not part of Jesusland, but rather part of the United States of Canada. More numbers to support some of the things that I spewed: The vast majority of these crimes took place in the late sixties and early seventies. Not to say there have not been some of these crimes committed before or after, but most occurred then."

He goes on to say that out of 148 defrocked priests, 137 of them were ordained in the 1960's. I haven't really commented on this before because frankly the whole thing makes me sick. I hate the way the media portrays it as if this kind of thing is common in our Church when millions of holy and good men have been and are wonderful priests and far far more single and married men not involved in any church are child molesters.

But the 1960's was an insane time for our Church. We in America opened the doors to all sorts of experimentation in who becomes a priest and the direction our Church was going. Needless to say, we screwed up big time. Also needless to say, I feel the priests who did this are perverted evil men and I hope they get what they deserve.

No disrespect to the Northeast, but you have to wonder what the heck goes on there that the majority of cases come from there. My own feeling is the liberal culture of anything goes contributed to men going into the Priesthood who really had no business doing so.

I know that since the early 80's there as been a pendulum swing in the Church back to the conservative values that are important to maintain. My son's school is run by The Legionaries of Christ, an order of young very traditional holy priests that are very dedicated to our faith and keeping our Church on the path of Christ.

I felt a need to post on this since I know that having been a former Protestant there is very little knowledge of the Catholic Church and sometimes the only thing you hear about it is from the media. I just don't want that notion out there that priests tend to be perverts. That is just wrong and clearly not true. I remember the music minister in my Baptist church when I was in Jr High had an affair with a woman in the choir. It was shocking to us, but members of any church do sin and sometime do terrible things. That does not diminish the faith or the truth found within our faiths.

I don't want this to be a debate about Priests or about the differences in our Christian faiths. I find no good comes from those debates in a public way. I just wanted this perspective out there for those interested.

Mudville brings us a young new milblogger, A Day In Iraq. He seems sweet and it is interesting to read along with a soldier like a diary of his day.

"Two women bared their breasts at Prince Charles today and a small group of protesters temporarily disrupted his royal visit using a megaphone to call him a parasite as he greeted 500 fans in central Wellington.
The group of six carried placards reading "honour the treaty" and "death to the monarchy".
"Another waved a red flag with a picture of Argentinian-born Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara on it." via Wizbang

Looks like Charles is just getting all kind of boobage lately...Heh. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE????

UN Backs U.S. Plea for Total Ban on Human Cloning
Tue Mar 8, 2005 01:09 PM ET By Irwin Arieff

"UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday urged governments to ban all human cloning, including the cloning of human embryos for stem-cell research, in a divided vote that handed a symbolic victory to the administration of President Bush."

"The U.N. debate began with a 2001 proposal by France and Germany for a binding global treaty banning the cloning of human beings, a plan that had broad international backing."

Although this ban doesn't seem to be legally binding, it is comforting for once to see The U.N. and other countries you wouldn't expect to step up to the plate and say that this is wrong.

Lesser known duties of the Prince of Wales: Picking out the new Spice Girl. via Caption This!

Why I love eight year olds.

This morning I popped some Eggo waffles in the toaster for my sugar bear (the above mentioned 8 yr old) and decided to put some whipped topping on it. This is the following conversation:

Sugar bear: "Mom! This is the best breakfast ever. You are such a great cook!"

Mom: "Thank you sweetie."

Sugar bear: "No, I mean it. I am so lucky to have you."

The truth, of course, is that I am the lucky one.

Randomness.

The King of all tree huggers. A front view.

This Democrat is dangerous. (because he actually makes sense) Thank God there is no chance of people like Kos , Michael Moore, or even Howard Dean ever listening to a thing he says.

It's confirmed. I have a mental disorder.

Letter from a British wimp.

Once again the left feels a need to attack a member of the media who disagrees with them.

Study: More Using Web for Political News

We have a new stick man warning sign. Just in case you ever feel a need or accidently enter the back of a garbage truck.

Pro-life goes mainstream.

"We know the Roe effect has arrived now that Mad magazine has recognized it. The humor mag's March issue has a comic strip (not available online; on page 24 of the magazine) that depicts a mother and daughter having the following dialogue (emphasis omitted):

Daughter: I'm going to a pro-choice rally.

Mother: Really? You know, when I found out I was pregnant with you I actually considered having an abortion.

Daughter: WHAT?

Mother: But I couldn't find a doctor, because back then abortion was outlawed.

Daughter: Why are you telling me this now?

Mother: Because if abortion was legal then, you wouldn't be around to go to the pro-choice rally today!"

via Opinion Journal.com

Mad Magazine????????

The Journal goes on to say this:

"There's another reason beside the Roe effect to think abortion politics may gradually move in a more pro-life direction: Call it the ultrasound effect. Last night National Geographic Channel featured a documentary called "In the Womb" on the latest prenatal technology:

The new generation of three- and four-dimensional ultrasound imagery provides striking views of fetuses inside the womb. . . . "It's almost a new science, in a way. It's taught us so much about how the fetus develops at an early stage," said Professor Stuart Campbell of the Create Health Clinic in London. . . . Four-dimensional imagery shows objects in 3-D moving in something close to real time. . . .

"We see the earliest movements at 8 weeks," [Stuart] Campbell said. "By 12 weeks or so they are seen yawning and performing individual finger movements that are often more complex than you'll see in a newborn," he said. "It may be due to the effects of gravity after birth."

The images reveal facial expressions, like smiling, at 20 weeks. Beyond 24 weeks fetuses may suck their thumbs, stick their tongues out (perhaps using newly developed taste buds to sample amniotic fluid imbued with the flavors of the mother's food), and make apparently emotional faces.
Many of the reflexes seem designed to help the fetus with tasks it will need after birth, such as opening its eyes and sucking.

Campbell says the real-time images are far more vivid than old-fashioned flat ultrasounds. When parents see the images, he says, "you just see the whoops of joy when the fetus does something like blink."

Notice this is the Geographic Channel, not some religious right film. So the left can't say it is just propaganda.

This is life folks. This is a child.

I have heard people call Hillary a witch, but I didn't think it was actually true. via Beautiful Atrocities

*note: sites like this embarrass me.

That's one CRAZY mean baby!

Keep scrolling to the goth baby...too funny! via Mean Ol Meany

Money to save a few, actually kills many.

Getting beyond the Italian journalist Guiliana Sgrena story of being shot upon at a checkpoint, we are missing the big picture of Italy's habit of paying ransom for their hostages to Islamofacists which in turn funds terrorism and sends the message that if terrorists wish to make a quick million they just need to grab someone from Italy.

Captains Quarters posted on this back in September.

"They are animals, and the only way to save lives in the long run is to quit treating them like legitimate negotiating partners. Giving them millions of dollars only encourages more lunatics to take up kidnapping and beheading as a get-rich-quick scheme."

Outside The Beltway also had this in October.

"It's really a no-brainer that giving in to kidnappers' demands is only going to encourage more kidnappings. It's Economics 101."

The Italians have denied paying ransom, but the general belief is that they have and did this time as well. It is disturbing to me that money is being blackmailed into buying car bombs and the like that kills more people and leaves more blood than any one hostage. This is just wrong and exactly why we CANNOT pay ransom.

Italy may feel like they have saved a few of their citizens but how many more people died because of the money they paid?

Something to think about. Do you pay to save the few people you know so that hundreds more die that you don't know?

This is Saddam's half brother. Doesn't he look like he is wearing some goofy Popeye costume? He just needs that little corncobpipe.  

"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

Wonderduck gets the prize! I couldn't decide, but my son said this was the best one. I like this caption thing. I'll keep doing it.

US draws jeers for abortion comments at UN
05 Mar 2005 01:27:00 GMTSource: ReutersBy Deborah Zabarenko

Here are some interesting excerpts:

"...the United States joined in approving the declaration that reaffirmed a 150-page platform agreed 10 years ago at a landmark U.N. women's conference in Beijing."

"U.S. delegate Ellen Sauerbrey drew boos from the audience, which included some of the 6,000 activists who came from around the world, when she commented on Washington's interpretation of the document."

"The loudest catcalls, unusual at the world body, came when she articulated U.S. policy on AIDS prevention for adolescents: "We emphasize the value of the ABC -- abstinence, be faithful, and correct and consistent condom use where appropriate -- approach in comprehensive strategies to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and the promotion of abstinence as the healthiest and most responsible choice for adolescents."

Can someone please explain to me what is wrong with what she is saying??? Basically saying not being promiscious, being faithful to your spouse or partner, and even "consistent condom use" is NOT enough for these people? I cannot think of another way we can slow down or stop this plague of AIDS. How can this be jeered??? And keep in mind she was referring to adolescents! Not even to those "I want to do any perverted thing I damn well want to" people. Can we not even suggest to our adolescents that this is the proper way to go? This isn't even the so called hard line of "wait until you're married or don't use artificial contraception Catholic" view.

What do these people want??? The UN is just lost. Lost.

Bible Curse Generator...

"Lost for a smart remark to see off your enemies? Unable to deliver that killer insult? Put an end to "I was speechless!" misery with the amazing Biblical Curse Generator, which is pre-loaded with blistering put-downs as delivered by Elijah, Jeremiah and other monumentally angry saints. Simply click here, and get ready to smite your foes with a custom-made curse straight out of the Old Testament."

Come backs like these just can't be beaten by our modern insults!

"Woe unto thee, O thou bull of Bashan, for you will be cast onto a steaming dung-heap!"

"Harken, thou creature of the pit, for you will become as popular as a boil on the king's backside!"
via The Biomes Blog

This blogger, Kotteke.org, has quit his job to blog full time and hopes to make a living at it. Looking at all the people linking him for this post, who knows? Maybe there is hope for us all.

"....I always wanted to be a hoss."

That is the title of the layout in this Sunday's Houston Chronicle on Dan Rather. Dan started out here in Houston at KHOU in the early 60's. The article is the usual "biography" piece. But I thought you might enjoy some Ratherisms you might not have heard.

•The presidential race is hotter than a Laredo parking lot. (2000)
•This race is hotter than a Times Square Rolex. (2004)
•This race is hotter than the Devil's anvil. (2004)
•Ohio becomes like a sauna for the two candidates. All they can do is wait and sweat. (2004)
•The presidential race has been crackling like a hickory fire for at least the last hour and a half. (2004)
•In some ways, George Bush's lead is as thin as November ice. (2004)
•Florida, that race, the heat from it is hot enough to peel house paint. (2000)
•It was as hot and squalid as a New York elevator in August.How tight is it?
•This race is as tight as rusted lug nuts on a '55 Ford. (2000)
•The election is closer than Lassie and Timmy. (2004)
•His lead is as thin as turnip soup. (2004)Keep it folksy
•In Southern states, they beat (Kerry) like a rented mule. (2004)
•One's reminded of that old saying, 'Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.' (2004)
•He swept through the South like a tornado through a trailer park. (2000)
•If he doesn't carry Florida, Slim will have left town. (2000)Misc.
•It would be Shakespearean for Al Gore to lose because of his home state.•Kerry's rapidly reaching the point where he's got his back to the wall, his shirttails on fire, and the bill collector's at the door. (2004)
•We've lived by the crystal ball. We're eating so much broken glass, we're in critical condition.
•Texas: 32 electoral votes, another of the so-called big enchiladas, or if not an enchilada, at least a huge taco

Regarding the Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena who was released as a hostage in Baghdad and then had her car fired upon at a checkpoint by U.S. Forces. The Jawa Report has the full story and is being swarmed by the above. Go help him out. via Protein Wisdom

I thought I should add my point of view on all of this. Forget the conspiracy theories on both sides. I think the military saw a threat, was not aware of who it was, and when the car did not slow down, despite warnings, they did what they had to do. This is suicide car bombing country here after all.
I also think that the driver didn't understand it was a checkpoint or felt that they were in danger somehow from another source and decided to speed through it.
It was a tragic accident. I don't think anyone should be blamed except maybe the person who was suppose to notify the soldiers and whoever was suppose to make sure the driver understood checkpoints along the way.
That having been said, it still makes us look bad and we need to do some serious PR work and make it clear how sorry we are that someone died in the incident. Just because it was an accident doesn't mean we don't show our sympathy and concern.
Just my take on it.

Do the democrats honestly have NOTHING better to do? The Jeff Gannon saga continues.

Here is the story about the following resolution: via JeffGannon.com


Dear Colleague:
Please join us in introducing the attached resolution, which requires the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to turn over all documentation in their possession about how James Guckert (also known as Jeff Gannon) gained access to White House press events.
For nearly three years, the White House has been granting Mr. Guckert, a right-wing activist with no press credentials, access to the White House briefing room and presidential press conferences. This appears to violate long standing practices of carefully screening contacts with the president.
This special access not only raises security concerns, but calls into question the fundamental fairness of the White House press corps. Mr. Guckert’s efforts as a propaganda machine for the White House may have even violated laws banning the Administration from using appropriated money for propaganda purposes. It further appears that Mr. Guckert had access to classified information, in violation of laws that protect the identity of undercover agents.
Because of these concerns, we will be introducing this resolution to inquire how the Justice and Homeland Security Departments were used to forward this agenda and whether any processes were abused in favoring Mr. Guckert and his ultra-conservative organization. We had hoped that the half dozen congressional and senate requests for information would have been sufficient. However, to date, they have not even merited a response from the White House or its agencies.
To cosponsor, or if you have questions, please contact Michelle Richardson (x56906).
Sincerely,
John Conyers, Jr. Ranking Member Judiciary Committee
Louise M. Slaughter Ranking Member Rules Committee
Bernie Thompson Ranking Member Homeland Security
Henry Waxman Ranking Member Committee Government Reform
Charles Rangel Ranking Member Committee Ways and Means Committee
Bernie Thompson Ranking Member Homeland Security
RESOLUTION
Directing the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to transmit to the House of Representatives not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution documents in the possession of those officials relating to the security investigations and background checks relating to granting access to the White House of James D. Guckert (also known as Jeff Gannon).
Resolved, That the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security are each directed to transmit to the House of Representatives not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution all documents in their possession relating to the security investigations and background checks relating to granting access to the White House of James D. Guckert (also known as Jeff Gannon) and any requisite instructions for handling such documents, including
(1) all records setting forth or discussing whether an individual granted access to the President or to the White House briefing room may use a false name;
(2) all records setting forth or discussing policies, procedures, or guidelines discussing security clearances and background checks relating to granting access into the White House briefing room;
(3) all records indicating how the policies, procedures, or guidelines referred to above were communicated to Mr. Guckert;
(4) all records indicating the officer or office responsible for requesting that the Secret Service carry out a security investigation or background check with respect to an individual seeking access to the President or to the White House briefing room;
(5) all records setting forth the standards for security investigations or background checks with respect to ‘’day pass’’ credentials;
(6) all records indicating or discussing whether and to what extent an individual who is cleared for a day pass for a given date is required to receive further security clearance for a day pass for a later date;
(7) all records setting forth or discussing which officer or officers, if any, has the authority to exempt an individual seeking access to the President or to the White House briefing room from the standards for security investigations or background checks that otherwise apply; and
(8) all records of communication between the Secret Service and Mr. Guckert, including not only postal correspondence but also electronic mail correspondence, facsimile correspondence, records of telephone conversations, and any other records of communication. via Protein Wisdom

Questioning the fairness of the white house press corp has to be the funniest thing about it. I mean we ALL know how fair the white house press corp has always been. *snort*

But since the democrats are so concerned about security, I think it is high time we gathered all the above mentioned information on ALL the white press corp.

Can you imagine that? We would have enough personal gossip and slime to blog about for the rest of the year. I'm betting the press corp is covering their ass right now in more ways than one.

Democrats, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

What the world needs now.

This post at Wizbang recently commented on the story you probably heard about the 15 year girl who 'serviced' five guys on the hockey team in the locker room at Milton Academy in Massachusetts.

Wizbang also added this:

"It seems that two weeks after locker room incident, the same five hockey players attended a "Sweet Sixteen" birthday party in a Boston hotel for a female student. The theme of the party (in a suite reserved paid for by a student's parent) was obvious from the get-go; guests were greeted by two topless girls at the door, including Monica, and there was plenty of booze around. The phrase "drunken orgy" certainly seems to apply."

Commenters on the piece blamed bad parenting mostly. Anyone who has read my blog regularly knows how I feel about the culture of sex we are raising our kids in. Adults care more about what they want than what kids need. It is as simple as that. From TV to movies to music, trying to keep your kids from the overtly sexual world we live in is like trying to keep them dry with a blanket in a rainstorm. No matter what you do they are still going to get soaking wet.

2 years ago when my oldest teenager started using IM alot, I got a screen name too. TheBestMomITW. Pretty soon all his friends knew it and they told their friends because they thought it so weird that an adult would get on IM. Most teens seem to think the internet belongs to them.

Anyway, what happened was totally unexpected. All these teen started IMing me. Not just my son's friends. I don't know where they all came from, but I probably had about 40 IMing me regularly. It was a mix of boys and girls and it became pretty obvious from the beginning that all they wanted was some adult attention. They wanted someone to listen to them who was older and could give them some advice. I learned a alot more from them.

I learned that the teen years are a natural time of starting to let go of your parents and because of that, there are fights and anger and the kid has no one to go to. I learned that divorce has to be the most painful thing a child can experience and affects them as nothing else in their young life. I learned that drugs such as pot and esctasy are commonly used by the good and bad kids. I learned that it is not umcommon for girls to "service" their boyfriends because it "wasn't sex" and they couldn't get pregnant and it made the boys happy. I also learned that most parents don't a clue to what is going on, even when they think they do.

Needless to say I had a lot to say to all of that. I was like online therapist. Many problems I had to refer to professionals. I would find the places or people they needed to speak to and give them the phone numbers. There was parental abuse and drug abuse and depression. I tried to get them to let me talk to their parents but that was NOT going to happen. I truly don't think most adults understand or know the vile swamp of immorality that our kids are swimming in.

It finally became too much for me. It was upsetting and my son didn't like me knowing about everything that was going on at his school either. So I just stopped going on AIM. Now I am on MSN and I go by another screenname. But those kid's problems are all kid's problems and that haunts me.

I live in a nice area with good schools and still we have these problems. It isn't a lack of money, and in most cases the parents do care, they are just busy working. The schools are too big for teachers to keep track of everyone much less have a real interest in the kids. When it comes to all the teacher/student affairs you have heard recently, I feel the kids are drawn to any adult willing to give them attention and who they are attracted to. The difference is the adult use to be able to draw the line. But our culture seems to have blurred the line and only the legal system seems to be able keep the line there at all.

I have thought about this alot. And the only solution I can come up with is the only one that would work. First the public must demand that the restrictions on movies be adhered to even in the rental stores. 2nd, we adults need to stop going to movies that sexualize kids and show too much immoral sexual behavior. If an adult wants to see that, there are movies to rent at adult movie stores. Let's keep our mainstream movies and TV pretty clean. Our kids will always have access to them no matter what parents do. We need to stop watching the shows that do this on TV as well. Good movies and good shows can still be good without the over the top sexual references and scenes. With Hollywood it is all about supply and demand. We don't need censorship, or the government stepping in. We need to just stop going to the movies that we think would be wrong for our teenagers to see, because THEY WILL SEE THEM. Same with TV shows. Trust me, if Hollywood sees that we want a cleaned up version of entertainment, they will do it. It is all about the $$$.

Yes, we need better parenting, but the kids today are the parents of tomorrow. Do you think they will be any better? Every generation seems to sink lower and lower in their standards of behavior. I'm not totally blaming what we see and hear on TV and movies and music. But from what I heard from those kids, it is a big part. We can't make parents spend time with their kids, but we can help change the culture that surrounds the kids. Maybe you don't want to give up easy access to what you enjoy, but can't we for once think of the kids first? If yall have any more suggestions I would be glad to hear them.

They will have to pry my cold dead fingers from the keyboard.

Wizbang has this from CNET News.com:

"Bradley Smith says that the freewheeling days of political blogging and online punditry are over.
In just a few months, he warns, bloggers and news organizations could risk the wrath of the federal government if they improperly link to a campaign's Web site. Even forwarding a political candidate's press release to a mailing list, depending on the details, could be punished by fines.

Smith should know. He's one of the six commissioners at the Federal Election Commission, which is beginning the perilous process of extending a controversial 2002 campaign finance law to the Internet."

The article goes on:

"CNET News.com spoke with Smith about the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, better known as the McCain-Feingold law, and its forthcoming extrusion onto the Internet."

Read the interview. The last thing we want is internet regulation.
Even the left should be with us on this one.

People tell me I look like Paula Zahn. What do yall think? 

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

I KNOW everyone is sick of this Jeff Gannon non-story, but my favorite girl Ann Coulter (along with Michelle Malkin, of course) just puts things so perfectly, that you just have to quote her. This is part of her take on the dems reaction to Gannon: via Jeff Gannon.com (yes, the man himself)

"...liberals say: "We love gay people! Gay people are awesome! Being gay is awesome! Gay marriage is awesome! Gay cartoon characters are awesome! And if you don't agree with us, we'll punish you by telling everyone that you're gay!"

In addition to an attack on a Web site reporter for supposedly operating a gay escort service and thereby cutting into the business of the Village Voice, another Times op-ed article the same day gratuitously outed the children of prominent conservatives.

These are not public figures. No one knows who they are apart from their famous parents. I didn't even know most of these conservatives had children until the Times outed them. "

The part that is really important here is "These are not public figures." That is the difference here. Politics is known for slinging mud on both sides, but when was the last time anyone outed a even WELL KNOWN reporter or news anchor? I guess none of them have ever been gay, huh?

I am also tired of the excuse now the lefties give of him being "a prostitute." (which I have yet to see proof of) and that is why they are so outraged! That part of the story wasn't unearthed for days following the original outing, so don't give me your self righteous anger over an "illegal activity." The left outed him out of meanness. End of story.

Please don't send me links to any of Jeff's interesting picture sites. I don't click on naked people no matter who they are. You don't have to convince me Jeff was a bad boy. He has admitted that.

Good God. He had to.

This post from The Nose On Your Face is so funny to me I am copying it all. I only wish it were true. I never liked that little weasel Stephanopolous.
Go see the rest of TNOYF stuff too. It's hilarious. I'm telling you.

Arnold Eats Stephanopolous

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California reacted a bit strongly after a series of harsh questions from ABC News's George Stephanopolous during their interview Sunday on "This Week".

Stephanopolous began the interview by pointing out the recent dip in Governor Schwarzenegger's approval ratings. Next he asked a series of pointed questions that dealt with the governor's past steroid use.
The interview was cordial if not confrontational up to this point. However, Stephanopolous then crossed the proverbial line when he said the following:

"Governor Schwarzenegger, studies that have been conducted by reliable, non-partisan organizations find that in a fight between 'Conan the Barbarian' and 'Rambo', 'Rambo' would in fact win and win big. I'm talking a good old fashioned beat-down. How do you respond to this?"

At that moment Schwarzenegger reached over, picked Stephanopolous up by his ankles, devoured him whole and calmly walked off of the set.
An ABC News producer speaking on condition of anonymity stated, "In hindsight it might have been best to have stayed away from the 'Conan versus Rambo' line of questioning."

Governor Schwarzenegger told TNOYF's Senior Californian Correspondent that he has "no regrets" about eating Stephanopolous and that he was in fact "delicious."

Posted by Buckley F. Williams on February 28