The Times photo of Ann Coulter shown and talked about at Ace's (with an update) has brought about a discussion over at Malkins about how the liberal (or maintstream...whatever...) news magazines tend to print the most unflattering photos of conservatives.

Big surprise there, huh?

Sometimes others say it so much better. Pat Sajak (of wheel of Fortune fame) pretty much nails it with the futility of arguing with liberals (which I seem to do quite a bit here.) Here is an excerpt. Read the whole thing. It's great. h/t BigDog

"Recently, for example, I was discussing the United Sates Supreme Court with on of my many Liberal friends out in Los Angeles when she said, without any discernable embarrassment, that Justice Anton Scalia was “worse than Hitler”. Realizing she wasn’t alive during World War II and perhaps she may have been absent on those days when her schoolmates were studying Nazism, I reminded her of some of Hitler’s more egregious crimes against humanity, suggesting she may have overstated the case. She had not; Scalia was worse. As I often did when my parents threatened to send me to my room, I let the conversation die."

A View from Babalu

Thursday Jeff G. and Bill from INDC Journal interviewed Ace and a guy named Val, who has a blog about Cuban issues and such called Babalu Blog , on Rightalk Radio. The streaming to the actual show can be found here at Jeff's site.

I had not heard of the Babalu Blog before, but it seems to rock. Anyway, with the world all caught up in the terror war we easily forget the madman south of us called Castro. Val read a post he had written on his blog and I am reprinting it here.

It is truly beautiful.


One Minute in Rush Hour

Because one can dream.

I'll probably be on my way home from work that day. Stuck somewhere on Miller Drive before the Palmetto Expressway. I'll be sitting there in my little truck and ahead of me a row of cars as is the norm. A few carhorns will start blaring in front of me. "Great," I'll complain to myself. "Now I have some idiot at the front of the line with car trouble or an accident or something."

And then the car horns will become a little more ubiquitous. The blaring will be coming from behind me as well. And from the sides. And people heading the opposite way on Miller Drive will be honking too. Some of them will have their windows rolled down. Shaking their fists out the windows and screaming. At first it'll seem like a combined fit of road rage. Like everyone being pissed at each other at the same time.

I'll look over at the guy in the Mercedes next to me and he'll be on his cellphone. Talking animatedly, using his hands to say whatever he cant get in edge wise vocally. Wait, did he just wipe tears from his eyes? And why does it seem the honking is getting louder? What the heck is going on?

The Eagles tune that I turned up to override all the honking just got interrupted. "We interrupt this program to bring you some breaking news..." But I wont be able to hear the breaking news. The car horns are too loud now. As if the entire city, as if every single person in every single car has just gone completely mad here in Miami.

People are starting to get out of their cars, right here, on Miller Drive, in rush hour traffic.

And then it hits me. I dont need a report to know what has just happened. My entire body is riddled with goosebumps. Tears are starting to build up. I open my car door, step out and look in both directions. It's a madhouse. People are honking and screaming and jumping around. There's a guy three or four cars back with his elbows resting on the roof of his car and his head in between them. It looks like he's crying too.

The driver side door of the car in front of me opens slowly. A little old lady works to get out of her car. I make my way over to her, this little old lady that just a few minutes ago I was complaining about being behind of in traffic, and help her out. She looks up at me, tears flowing from a pair of eyes that mirror a gammut of emotions. I try to say something but nothing comes out. All I know is that I have to hug her. Embrace this new Abuelita of mine. Cry on her shoulders. Hold her as if Im holding every single person in my family. My deceased abuelos, my tias and tios that have passed on. My mother. My father.

She will start sobbing then, almost uncontrollably. I do everything in my power to not follow suit even though every single atom of my being wants that release. That freedom that crying brings.

"Ay, mijo," she'll say to me through baited breath. "Ay mijo....""No llore, Señora," I'll say, gingerly stroking her near blue hair. "Ya. No mas.

Ni una lagrima mas....

"And that's how I picture it. fidel castro is dead.

Posted by Val Prieto at April 6, 2005 10:34 AM

A while ago one of my commenters Erik asked about my environmental views. The topic is broad, of course. I love clean air and water as much as anyone and I think we should be good stewards of the earth. But I have found an excellent book that sort of cuts through the bull crap of the junk science and the unprovable. The book is very good at dispelling myths and giving us a good look at man and nature living together.

Sit and read a bit.

Thanks to Trying to Grok for turning me on to it.

This seems almost like one of those urban legend stories. You decide.

Babies' Daddy
by Rob Blackstock

I recently had a first-hand lesson in the unintended consequences of government regulation. As the reader probably knows, unintended consequences are the unconsidered effects of regulation. Or, as Lowell Gallaway put it, "a failure to take into account behavioral responses in structuring public policy [which] leads to results that are often the opposite of what the rhetoric of the public policy debate suggests will happen."

My adventure began in August of 2004 when I received a letter from the Office of the District Attorney in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. My first thought was, "where in the heck is Tangipahoa Parish?" This letter informed me that I was the noncustodial (sic) parent of three children between the ages of three and twelve and that I was expected to appear two weeks hence with all appropriate financial documents so that child support payments could be arranged.

My wife received this letter with much better humor than did I.

I called the Office and spoke with the Child Support Division representative. Politely, I explained that, although I was native of Louisiana, I had been living in Alabama and Florida for nearly ten years and had only just returned. I then suggested that perhaps they had me confused with another Robert Blackstock as I had no knowledge whatsoever of the accusing mother.
The representative asked for my social security number, which I gave. After a short pause she announced, "Nope. You’re him. We’ll see you in two weeks."

At this point I broke down and hired a lawyer.

The lawyer listened to my story and told me that he had these cases all the time. Here’s how the system works: a non-married mother applies for aid in one of Louisiana’s myriad wealth distribution offices, perhaps welfare. The State then asks the mother the name of the child’s (or children’s) father. This is a requirement for receiving aid in Louisiana. The State then seizes the money from the recalcitrant father.

So how did I get pulled into this? After assuring my attorney several times that there was no possible way in this or any other world that I was the father of these children he told me that either my name was pulled from the Internet or someone volunteered my name to the mother (perhaps one of my students). Once the D.A.’s office knew my name and city of residence, it would be fairly easy to pull my driver’s license information and learn everything about me including the aforementioned social security number.

My attorney called the D.A.’s office and told the representative the same thing I had, only with bigger words in order to justify a $175 per hour fee. He stated that I had been absent from Louisiana for almost ten years and couldn’t have been available to cause the pregnancy which resulted in the two youngest children. The D.A.’s office amended the complaint and now accused me of being the noncustodial (sic) parent of only the eldest child.
We immediately sent a request for DNA testing to confirm paternity. I thought testing was a bit superfluous. If this woman knew me well enough to bear three children, wouldn’t she be able to answer a few simple questions? How tall is the father? Where did he go to school? Does he have any birthmarks or tattoos? Does he have brothers? Sisters? What type of vehicles did he drive during this time? If the woman actually knew me, shouldn’t she be able to answer at least 50% of these common questions?
This approach, sadly, is too simple for the State. So, DNA testing, it was.

Again, my attorney warned me; "If you take the test and you are the father, you’ll have to pay for the tests. If you are not the father, the State pays for the test."
What about the mother?
"Nope. She’s not charged anything."
So the mother could, in theory, just keep offering different names ad infinitum and the State would continue to harass these poor souls?
"Yep."
And she would never be punished in any way whatsoever?
"That’s right."
As the Libertarian scholar, John Sophocleus would say, "Happy Day."
The D.A.’s office agreed to our demands and sent a letter ordering me to appear at the Lincoln Parish Civic Center for DNA testing on January 3, 2005 at 10am. I did so and, luckily, had the technician sign and date my order so that I would have some proof that testing had occurred.

After two months we had heard nothing from the Tangipahoa District Attorney’s Office concerning the results of the test. Finally, we learned something; we learned that bureaucrats are inefficient even in Louisiana.

On March 7, an armed man appeared on my doorstep and served me with papers ordering me to appear in court and either comply with DNA testing or to show sufficient cause why I should not.
At this point, I had a proverbial aneurism.

Once again I had to call the attorney’s office (did I mention that the attorney cost $175 an hour and that they charge their clients in 15 minute increments and that even a 2 minute call would cost me $43.75?). By now, my case had been kicked up to the senior partner in the firm who began calling the Assistant D.A. himself and demanding some competency.

Finally, the right hand and the left found each other in Tangipahoa Parish (accidentally, I’m sure) and sent us the lab results proving that I am no "baby’s daddy." Furthermore, I received a final bill from my attorneys (that’s right; it’s now plural) for nearly $1500.

Which brings me back to the subject of this diatribe: unintended consequences.
I’m sure that the politicians in Louisiana had very good intentions when they wrote the current rules concerning welfare. If a man causes a woman to become pregnant and a child results, then that man must help pay to support the child.

Unfortunately, the law was written with no regard as to what will happen if a mother a) doesn’t know who the father is, or b) has no intention of actually naming the father. No punishment will ever be handed down to the mother because that would "hurt the children." The result is that I (and I’m sure many others like me) end up paying large fees to attorneys in order to be protected from the State.

This is $1500 that is no longer available to my wife and I for savings, a summer vacation, or whatever other plan we might have had.

And so, as I sit here writing out a check to my attorneys, I glance up at my calendar and notice that April 15th is rapidly approaching. With that in mind, let me just say to all my masters in DC and Baton Rouge… thanks for nothing.

April 9, 2005
Rob Blackstock teaches economics at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA.
Copyright © 2005 LewRockwell.com

via The agitator

And we wonder if the Democrats really do dislike people of faith?

Scott Bloch, George Bush's appointee to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is experiencing bigotry. No, he isn't black. It's the kind of bigotry that only Democrats are allowed to have.

"In an interview with TAS, Pete Leon, legislative director for Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who has called for Bloch's resignation, revealed the fundamental anti-religious bigotry at the heart of the campaign. Articulating his objections to Bloch, Leon said, "He is a devout Catholic," then quickly added, after he realized his gaffe, the famously insincere line from Seinfeld, "Not that there's anything wrong with that." via The American Spectator

Imagine a Republican saying someone wasn't qualified because he was "Baptist" or because he was "Lutheran?"

Has it really gotten to the point with the Democrats that if you have a sincere faith you are not qualified to hold any type of government office? It's fine to go to church with your Bible in your hand like Clinton did as long we know you are not sincere and you are going to run back to the office and get "serviced" after the church service by a young woman almost the age of your daughter. See? That's ok with the Democrats. But if you ACTUALLY believe what that preacher in church is saying, well then, you can forget it. No nomination for you. No judgeship. "Filibuster the Faithful" should be the new motto of the Democratic party, don't you think?

Here is a pretty spirited defense of Tom Delay. And it's by one of my favorite people to read. Ben Stein. It's worth a look. It certainly puts things in a different perspective.

"Step turn kick... step turn kick... Yes! Thank you. Finally, you've got it. Now, give me a hug."
via Caption this!
 

The Oil for Food scandal was all the United States fault.

Annan needs therapy.

"NBC News has learned that a preliminary report from a joint U.S.-Italian investigation has cleared the American soldiers of any wrongdoing and provides new details into the shooting.
Intelligence agent Calipari had just negotiated Sgrena’s release from Iraqi kidnappers on March 4 when the two and a driver headed for the Baghdad airport in a compact rental car.
It was dark when the Italians turned onto a ramp leading to the airport road where the U.S. military had set up a temporary checkpoint.
The investigation found the car was about 130 yards from the checkpoint when the soldiers flashed their lights as a warning to stop. But the car kept coming and, at 90 yards, warning shots were fired. At 65 yards, when the car failed to stop, the soldiers used lethal force — a machine gun burst that killed Calipari and wounded Sgrena and the driver.
Senior U.S. military officials say it took only about four seconds from the first warning to the fatal shots, but insist the soldiers acted properly under the current rules of engagement.
The investigation failed, however, to resolve one critical dispute: The Americans claim the car was racing toward the checkpoint at about 50 miles per hour, the Italians say it was traveling at a much slower speed."
via LGF

Gee, I don't care if it's going 50 miles per hour or 20 miles per hour, in a country where car bombings are daily occurances, the soldiers had every right.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Democrats accusing Delay of paying family members and using taxpayer money to wine and dine themselves.  

If Your Gay and Republican, you must hate yourself, right?

Did you hear about this one? Arthur J. Finkelstein, a Republican strategist is in the midst of setting up a political action committee to defeat Mrs. Clinton in 2006. But it seems Mr. Finkelstein has committed the grave mortal sin of the democratic party--being gay AND Republican.

Former President Clinton had this to say about Mr. Finkelstein:

"Either this guy believes his party is not serious and he's totally Machiavellian," Mr. Clinton said, or "he may be blinded by self-loathing." Mr. Finkelstein, a reclusive former adviser to Gov. George E. Pataki, did not respond to a message left at his office seeking a comment on Mr. Clinton's remarks. But his allies quickly did.

"It's really beneath a former president to comment on someone's personal life like that," said Michael McKeon, a Republican strategist, former Pataki aide and friend of Mr. Finkelstein's. "After everything he has been through in his own life, you'd think he'd know better." via the NYT

The article refers to the fact that Mr. Finkelstein has a committed partner in which he "married" in a civil ceremony.

Did I miss something during the Presidential campaign? Because I could have sworn that BOTH President Bush and John Kerry were against "gay marriage." It seems the democrats wanted to make it clear that they too did not want to "redefine marriage." So, given that and the fact that both parties see any sort of discrimination or violence against gays, (or anyone else for that matter) as wrong, just what is the difference here?

The only thing I can come up with is that since evangelical Christians vote Republican for the most part and they see the homosexual lifestyle as a sin, then no gay should vote Republican. But since the democrats see being gay and Republican a "sin" of a different sort, then what really is the difference? Aren't both "judging" here?

Does it really matter who you sleep with if you want smaller government or lower taxes or less bureaucracy? Does it really matter who you love if you want judges who actually respect our constitution instead of making law or interpreting the constitution to fit their political agenda? Does it matter who you are attracted to if you want a strong military defense?

It seems to matter to the Democrats. First Jeff Gannon and now this? Could there be a finer bunch of hypocrites?

"...and tell Kennedy if he ever calls me Osama again, I'll bust his fat ass." via Caption This!

I have never been a big fan of Tom Delay. He has been around Texas for a long time and I could never put my finger on why I just didn't like him much. I have been trying to catch up on his offenses for which he is being raked over the coals for now.

I found this article at MSNBC. Reading through it I can't really find the truly awful things I keep hearing about. It doesn't seem that anything illegal happened, but I may be missing something. It is never a good idea to pay your family when politics is involved. It's never a good idea to wine and dine yourself when you are a public servant, although God knows it happens all the time. what bothers me more than anything Delay seems to have done is what his friend and superlobbyist Jack Abramoff did.

According to this article Abramoff "is now the target of a Justice Department criminal probe of allegations that he defrauded American Indian tribes of tens of millions of dollars in fees. As stories of his alleged excess dribble out—including the emergence of e-mails showing he derisively referred to his Native American clients as "monkeys" and "idiots"—some of Abramoff's old friends have abandoned him and treated him like a pariah. They claim they knew nothing of his questionable lobbying tactics."

Calling Native Americans clients "monkeys" is unacceptable, crude, unprofessional, and downright wrong. People who see themselves as better than others just make me sick.

According to Newsweek, www.sploid.com is Gawker Media's attempt to compete with Drudge. You decide.

Newsweek has the most awesome picture of the Pope's funeral taken from the sky, but there was also a touching picture of some of the world's leaders, among them President Bush and his wife. In this particular picture they are leaning over to one another for a quick kiss. The camera caught the moment perfectly. So loving. You can disagree with Bush about policy or issues, but there is no doubt that he is a man in love with his wife.

Lucky woman.


I don't read Newsweek that often. One of the reasons is Anna Quindlen, who has never written anything that didn't make me want to throw it against the wall. I don't think there is another writer out there that I disagree with more or disrespect more. I just wish she would go away.

Will Al Gore TV work? I don't think so. Even the article was boring.


Where have I been?

I have been busy getting my oldest son properly attired for interviews for engineering scholarships. He is the only person I know that dislikes shopping more than I do, so you can only imagine the fun we had.

My daughter had cheerleading tryouts to get ready for which requires more than you would think. (She made it.) Every year she has to decide between cheer and basketball because they don't let the girls do both. And my youngest not only had 2 baseball games a week, but 2 baseball tournments on the weekends. It's like baseball 24/7!!!! Hubby had some sort of shooting tournment and was out for the count. I am still not over my sickness completely which is driving me insane!

Sandy Berger, Clinton's top security advisor, has now "pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the theft (removing classified material from a government archive) and has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and give up his security clearance for three years. The charge also carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail, but Berger will be spared the jail time if the court approves his plea bargain." Human Events reports.

Human Events goes on:

"At his own office later that day, Berger cut three of the copies into small pieces. Two days later Archives staffers took the matter up with him. He said the removals were inadvertent, and returned the two remaining copies of the report, but said nothing about the three he had destroyed."

I have wondered why the incredible act of a former secutiry advisor stuffing documents in his socks/pants out of a government archive did not cause more concern for the media. Berger was protecting someone from something. That is without a doubt imo.

This is what Human Events thinks that it was:

"Surely, that the notes on those three copies made it all too clear that somebody high up in the Clinton Administration had perceived a threat very much like what happened on September 11, but then failed to do anything about it."

Imagine if this had been the act of a Republican administration. We would never have heard the end of it. As it is, it is barely a blip on the MSM's screen of important events.

I guess we will never really know.

Jane Fonda is on a book tour for her autobiography, "My Life So Far." I caught her on Larry King the other day. She just seemed silly to me. Human Events doesn't seem to want to forgive her for her youthful stupidity, saying things like:

"I would think that if you understood what communism was, you would hope, you would pray on your knees that we would someday become Communist."

And it is true that her betrayal of this country knew no bounds back then, but....WHO CARES????? I know that Vietnam Vets still feel the sting of her words and actions. And I understand that. But I look at it differently. She isn't running for anything. She has no say in policy. Let her ask forgiveness or not. It just doesn't matter to me. I never watched her movies, I never had any respect for any of her political beliefs. I always felt they were self serving. She is/was a typical movie star. Her world revolves around herself. Even her activism was all about her. If the cameras weren't rolling or the writers weren't writing about her, I doubt she would have done any of it.

She admitted on Larry King that she had been a terrible mom, never there for her kids. It's so easy to forget what is the most important thing when we feel that the one in the mirror is so fascinating.

She says she is a Christian now, but she seemed to back down from a lot of the questions about Christianity that Larry asked her. So who knows? I hope she is. I hope she has finally found something real.

I didn't see any evidence of it in her interview, but you just never know.

Princess Diana'a boys certainly got her looks, didn't they? I wasn't sure about Harry growing up, but he turned into quite the nice looking fellow. It's too bad that they will probably follow along their parents path and be fodder for the tabloids. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could actually find purpose and peace? Love and happiness? You know, soon, very soon, I may get back to writing about politics. I think I was a bit burned out.  

Not having the interest in the wedding of Charles and Camilla that the British do, all I can say is 2 things. He should have married her to begin with. This was the woman he obviously loved from the start.

And 2nd, it seems the popular headwear for women in England these days has to do with large bits of twig, ribbon, and wheat stalks.

Very strange.

Anyway, may Charles finally find his wedded bliss and God bless them both.

"HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Hong Kong hiker washed her face in a freshwater stream, not noticing that leech had wormed its way into one of her nostrils, according to the Hong Kong Medical Journal.

Unaware she was playing host to the creature, the 55-year-old woman only consulted a doctor when her nose started bleeding intermittently about two weeks later.

The unusual case occurred in 2003 but doctors highlighted it in this month's edition of the journal, where they discussed how to remove live leeches from human nasal passages using anesthesia.

The first doctor the woman saw could not find anything wrong and it was only when she visited a second doctor that he saw the five-centimeter (two-inch) leech peeking out of her left nostril."


What can I say but EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

I thought I might share my own personal picture of the Pope taken a 2 years ago at the Vatican in Rome. I know it sounds crazy when people say it was so exciting to just see this man, but it really was. It is hard to explain. At this particular time he was speaking well and making everyone laugh, although we couldn't understand a word since it was in Italian! I feel blessed to have gotten to see him before he died. I have no doubt that he now rests in the arms of our Savior.  

"Tenn. considers punishing cheating spouses"


NASHVILLE, TN, Apr. 7 (UPI) -- A bill before the Tennessee state legislature would punish cheating or violent spouses in divorce.
Under the measure, spouses who can prove abandonment, adultery or abuse can collect damages, the Nashville Tennessean reports.
''If you want to cheat on your wife -- fine, divorce her first,'' said Rep. Chris Clem, a Republican lawyer and sponsor of the bill. ''But if you do it while you're still married to her, you're going to have to pay."

I really really like this idea. via Washingtimes.com

The only thing funnier than this democrat satire on becoming a Republican is that they honestly believe this stuff. *shakes head*
via Biomes Blog

UPDATE: I have to say that the comments left here saying that that bit of satire is basically true make me sick and shows why we will never be able to bridge the divide between the liberals and the conservatives. As long as liberals believe this crap that is totally untrue, then nothing will change.

Ummm...guess the $200 fine isn't much to worry about, now is it? via The Biomes Blog 

The best article on Pope John Paul II I have read so far and it was written, not by a Catholic, but a Jew. Read it.

Here is a idea I would never have thought of. Live-action hunting - done over the Internet. Not a video game, but actual hunting. Under the system, a person can control a camera and a firearm, shooting at real targets in real time, from a computer anywhere. For an additional fee, the meat or head can be shipped to the hunter.

The first paid hunt is scheduled to occur on April 9 on a ranch outside San Antonio.

The developer John Lockwood says "the idea evolved out of knowing and working with disabled hunters as a young man. The first person to sign up to hunt through his website is Dale Hagberg, a paraplegic from Ligonier, Ind. Mr. Hagberg says he broke his neck in an accident almost 18 years ago and has only been able to watch hunting on TV."

Naturally, many are against this. You may even be surprised to learn the NRA isn't too hot on the idea either.

Read the rest.

I have an awful cold. I never get sick so this is killing me. Sorry guys!

I'm finally back home. I don't know if you have heard or not, but the Pope passed away.....;-)

I don't mean to make light of it, but I can't get over the 24/7 coverage of this. There is no doubt that Pope John Paul changed the world and brought the gospel to many. He was a holy and charismatic man and he lead this Church with deep conviction and morality. I was amazed to listen to so many media personalities gush over him, saying that when they met him they felt they were in the presence of holiness. You would think that if one felt they were in the presence of holiness they might listen to him a bit more.

I understand it is a big story, but showing graphics of where the smoke stack is that shows the white smoke when they have selected a Pope was amusing to me.

I will miss this wonderful Pope, but I am glad that he is no longer suffering.


My new little niece is a doll. It is much less stressful to take care of a newborn than a teenage girl, I can tell you that.

My brother is a lawyer and loves to play devil's advocate with me. Don't ever argue with a lawyer. We tried discussing the Schiavo case and I ended up having to find and print Judge Greer's first decision and then the 11th circuit court of appeals last decision. My brother didn't believe that Congress had issued a subpoena that Judge Greer ignored, so I had to find that too. We did find some interesting things but I think everyone is worn out on that case.

When my mom and I were walking into the airport I saw some soldiers who had just returned. The first one walked by and I said, "Sir, thank you for your service to our country." He smiled and said, "Thank you." I heard my mom, who is tad more reserved than I am, say under her breath, "oh my gosh." There were 3 or 4 more soldiers coming toward us and my my mom hung back. I guess I was embarrassing her...lol. But I just feel that we need to show our appreciation for all the soldiers do for us.

I told you something awful had happened while I was there with my SIL. A distant relative that I had not seen in years, killed herself Tuesday. She was 44 years old with a husband and two sons, 18 and 12 yrs old.

About a year ago, she disappeared for a week. They found her at mental facility she had checked herself into on the coast. Mental illness is such a difficult thing. I'm not sure if she was dealing with just depression or a more severe illness, but she just walked out in her back yard and shot herself in the head. She had left a note that her organs be donated.

There is a country music song titled, "How Do You Get That Lonely?" The chorus goes like this:

"How do you get that lonely?
How do you hurt so bad?
To make the call
that having no life at all
is better than one that you have."

When we were 17, her and I spent a weekend on the coast just having fun. I remember what a vibrant happy person she was then. What happens to cause this? Where does it all go wrong? I just can't imagine the pain. A pain so great that we forget those we leave behind and all that they will have to deal with.

So if you have time today say a prayer for her family. And take a moment to think about all the wonderful things in your own life. Nothing will ever be perfect, that is for sure. But still, life has so much to give us. And we have so much to give.

Oh My Gosh! Did I say I would be able to blog while I was helping my sister in law with her new baby?? (2 other kids as well) I had forgotten how time consuming a new little one is!!

I turned on the news once today and turned it off when I heard Terri had died and now it looks as if the Pope is about to as well. Something awful happened here Tuesday to a distant family member too. I will blog about it when I get home. It all brings me such sadness and I would rather focus on this new life right now.

Things were so crazy today that I didn't get to hear or call into Protein Wisdom's rightalk radio and I really really wanted to. He had Glenn Reynolds on and I had some questions to ask. This computer won't let me link PW, but his site is over there on my blogroll, so check it out.

I will try to get on tomorrow. Life goes on.

Don't You Just Love The Tolerant Left?

Jeff Gannon will speak at The National Press Club April 8th about journalism and blogging. This guy isn't too happy about it. via Jeff Gannon.com

"E&P Editor Greg Mitchell responded in a letter to Romensko, noting that Gannon is appearing as part of a serious journalism discussion, not as a solo newsmaker: "Should a non-journalist who has worked as a male escort be invited to speak on a journalism panel at the National Press Club?" He asked Salant to supply the names of any suspected "hookers" who "have previously appeared as speakers at the Press Club, especially as part of journalism panels."

Gee, hasn't Greg heard of media whores? I shudder to think of things that would surface sexually if we dug into the lives of all the journalists and speakers at the Press Club. I'm betting we would find some past coke use (no, not the drink), maybe some steamy video, and no doubt adultery would be number one in the countdown to journalism indiscretion.

I find it ironic that the same people yelling for us to get out of this "private matter" of the Schiavo family feel that it is perfectly ok to "out" a journalist they don't like. The same people who call us religious folk judgmental are the most judgmental of all.

Jeff's past is certainly wrong. Just the little I do know to be true, but he has made it clear that he is no longer that man. The liberals certainly found it easy to forgive Clinton for cheating and lying and he was the freaking President.

It isn't his past they won't forgive Gannon for anyway, it's political beliefs. They just use his past to smear him. Just like the Gay Patriot was silenced for daring to be gay and conservative, they hate Jeff for daring to change and be conservative.

UPDATE: It seems the Press Club is closing this event to the public because of threats of liberal protests. Unfreakinbelievable.

Here are 2 of my SIL's (I have 7!) The one on your right is the one who just had her baby. I just love her. I will be going to help her tomorrow through Monday, but she has a computer so I should be able to blog! 

This Life.

My Sister in Law had a baby yesterday. A beautiful little girl. She is my children's 17th cousin. My SIL is 43. Her youngest was 11. This was a big surprise. She and my brother were very upset at first. But now, of course, she is filled with joy with this new child. When she found out she called me first, even before her parents, because she knew that I would be excited and happy for her. She knew I would not gasp and say "How could you let this happen?" Oh, how I love babies. I love the way they smell all brand new. I love how soft they are. I love their tiny fingers.

When I held my first son I thought "you can't even speak to me, you are helpless and messy and I have only seen you for a few hours, but my love for you is greater than any love I have ever known. How is this? I don't really even know you, yet I would throw myself in front of train this minute if it was to save you."

Where does this love come from? We love our parents, but they have taken care of us and loved us. We love our friends who stand by us. We love our spouses because we fell in love with them. But a baby has given us nothing to earn this love. Yet it is the largest love. It is a love that fills every nook and cranny of the heart. How do we explain it?

Once, many years ago, I was watching a special on Mother Teresa. She was in one of her orphanges somewhere, probably Calcutta. She was going around to the cribs and holding the babies. She stopped at one crib and reached down to stroke the baby. The camera panned down and showed the baby who was visibly deformed. She had some tubes attached so Mother Teresa couldn't hold her, but she was stroking her. I started to cry. What a sad thing. A terrible life. This poor poor baby.

Then the camera panned back to show both Mother Teresa and the baby and Mother Teresa looked at the cameraman and said, "Isn't she beautiful?"

Well, that is when I completely lost it. I cried and cried. Because I realized how wrong I had been. I was looking at this child the way the world looks at it. Sad and pathetic. But Mother Teresa was looking at this child as God sees it. And it was beautiful.

This life. With whatever heartache it brings. With whatever cross there is to bear. This life is beautiful. There are gifts we are given and there are gifts we are to give. Some so small we have to look closely to see them. Some so great we take them for granted. But every single life has a purpose. Every single life has meaning.

Perhaps this is what we have forgotten. Perhaps this is what we need to remember. This is what we have now. And it is beautiful.

Here is a pic with 2 of my boys. This is for the request for more pics. You have seen my girl. I will try to find one of my oldest (he HATES his picture being taken) Then that is it. No more pics for a while. 

Tramps through the ages.....

First Janet Jackson, then Tara Reid, and now Katrina Campins from the Apprentice all having wardrobe malfunctions. (via Wizbang)

But it seems this has been happening throughout history....;-)

Speaking of the civil rights movement, Ace shows us that in that area we have crossed over into the "Twilight Zone."

Have you seen this piece of work? What are they afraid of, the truth?

You gotta love the NRA Chicks. Inside the Beltway has this:

“Heels and Handguns”

“It's the second annual Shooting for Women Conference, which will be held Thursday through Sunday in Arizona and feature "loads of range time, pajama party, self-defense classes, fashion show."

Inside the Beltway also has this interesting piece: (excerpts)

What's a thong? President Franklin D. Roosevelt would be shocked to find the Social Security Act he signed into law in 1935 emblazoned on women's underwear — thongs, no less.

Lisa De Pasquale, program director of the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute, issued a memo on behalf of the women's group against "I Love Social Security" thongs. She feels that on the heels of other left-wing groups' hysteria over Social Security reform, the Rock the Vote campaign is misinforming a whole new generation of young people. "How do you make an apathetic generation care about Social Security?" she asks. "Sell trucker hats and thongs emblazoned with 'I Love Social Security.' "

Besides underwear, Rock the Vote has issued a list of reasons why young people should oppose Social Security reform, including that the current system is "retro chic," "politicians want to trick you," and it's better to "visit your grandparents — at their house" because "before Social Security, for most families, all the generations lived under one roof."

"This is how Rock the Vote views their constituency — a bunch of ditsy victims who don't want to live with their grandparents," Miss De Pasquale says.”

I say we fight fire with fire. We sell thongs that say “I want to keep the money I make.” Or even better....."Private accounts Rock!” Or...."I want my money to be there even when I can no longer wear this thong with any dignity.”

Although that may be a tad long for a thong….;-)

Jesse's In The House!

Ok, I am trying to be fair here. But it is difficult. Jesse Jackson shows up at the 11th hour to show support for Terri. Hmmm.... Where has he been for almost 2 weeks?

Lets face it. The longer she hangs on the more gruesome it becomes. The moderates on this are getting queasy. The "natural death' aint happening and the longer she hangs on the more barbaric it seems. The Democrats do not want to be seen as the party of death. Hillary, as usual, stays out of it so she can say what she needs to say when the time comes for her to run for President.

So they send in Jesse Jackson. "We must temper the law with mercy," he says. Where was his mercy last week? Sorry. This isn't cutting it for me.

I used to have a great deal of respect for Jesse Jackson. In the early 70's he brought hundreds of blacks to register to vote for the first time to the court house in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. My Father was Circuit Clerk of Hinds County at the time. (He ran the court house) Jesse didn't get there until 3:00pm. The courthouse closes at 5:00pm. There was no way to get that many registered in that amount of time so my Dad kept the courthouse open and paid his staff out of his own pocket. I handed out registration forms.

Jesse was inspiring then. He was a charasmatic speaker and he was passionate and caring . I met him briefly. Later that year he spoke at the Right To Life march in Washington D.C. He said "Never let them tell you that a fetus isn't a person, that is what they said about the Negro."

He gave up that position when he ran for President. The Democratics don't allow that kind of talk from their candidates. Once in the late 80's, Nat Henthoff, a liberal but pro-life writer for the Village Voice at the time was on a plane with Jackson. He asked him about that quote and if he still believed that. Jesse told him he would get back to him on that with a full explanation. He never did.

I don't like sell outs. I don't like men who cheat on their wives. I don't like people who get so caught up in their own fame they forget what they were fighting for.

I can't know what is in Jesse Jackson's heart. I hope he is sincere about his wanting the world to show compassion for Terri. But it seems a little too well timed. It seems too staged.

It seems too late.

Off-stage, Hillary was seething with rage. "He's strangling all the best kittens himself!" via Caption This!

U.S. Senator John Cornyn, another Texan that rocks, lays out perfectly how our judicial system is ignoring our consitiution. Here is an excerpt:

"I fear, however, that today some judges may be departing so far from American law, American principles, and American traditions, that the only way they can justify their rulings from the bench is to cite the law of foreign countries, foreign governments, and foreign cultures — because there is nothing in this country left for them to cite for support. What's more, citing foreign law in order to overrule U.S. policy is especially offensive to our constitutional democracy, because foreign lawmaking is in no way accountable to the American people.
Last week, I introduced Senate Resolution 92, similar to a resolution introduced by Rep. Tom Feeney (R., Fla.) last month. It expresses the sense of the Senate that judicial determinations regarding the meaning of our Constitution should not be based on the judgments, laws, or pronouncements of foreign institutions, except where such foreign judgments, laws, or pronouncements inform an understanding of the original meaning of our Constitution."

It is truly scary when you read how far the judges veer from our constitution in order to rule as they see fit.

A soldier/blogger is getting out of the military. His resume is impressive. You should check it out.

NEW YORK (AP) - In a case that could set limits on Internet search engines, the French news agency AFP is suing Google Inc. for pulling together photos and story excerpts from thousands of news Web sites.
Agence France-Presse said the "Google News" service infringes on AFP's copyrights by reproducing information from the Web sites of subscribers of the Paris-based news wholesaler.
The issues raised by the case have profound implications for the Internet, where anyone can be a publisher and Web journals, or blogs, are becoming more frequent destinations for seekers of news.

Read the rest.

You have to wonder how long this freedom of blogging will continue. We are making the MSM gods angry you know.

The Nose On Your Face has the new recruitment tools for terrorists. Heh.

He also has Scott Peterson's lovelife update, but sadly I'm not sure it's satirical.

I'm Back!!!!!

Wow! What a weekend I had! I hate to tease you but I don't know if I am going to blog on it or not. Maybe soon.

I had a wonderful Easter. Always great seeing family. There were a few inspiring and interesting things I read over the weekend in Newsweek and Time magazine. We need some inspiring things now, don't we?

One thing I read I might do myself.

Many soldiers have nowhere to put their pets when they are shipped off, especially with little advanced warning. So two organizations are on the web to match those who wish to care for these animals while the soldiers are gone.

www.netpets.org (for all kinds of pets) and www.operationnoblefoster.org (for cats only)

A story on PFC. George Perez, age 21 was very inspiring because he lost a leg in Iraq to a roadside bomb in January 2004. After 19 operations and grueling rehab and a new prosthetic leg, he requested that he not be given a medical discharge, but a reinstatement! The Army relented and assigned him to a desk job at Fort Bragg, N.C. He is still angling to get back to combat duty in Iraq.

Awesome.

I will be gone until Sunday night. I want to wish all of you

A BLESSED EASTER!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Drudge finds this new HBO docu-drama about Air America's first days funny. I don't though. Just from the excerpts of the people he sites, I find them sad and lost. And I don't mean just politically either.

A Nurse's words.

At Darleen's place she has the affidavit from one of the nurses who took care of Terri. Keep in mind this was taken in 2003 long before all this politics got involved. You can hardly accuse this nurse of any "agenda."

AFFIDAVITSTATE OF FLORIDA )COUNTY OF PINELLAS )
BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who being first duly sworn, deposes and says:

1. My name is Carla Sauer Iyer. I am over the age of eighteen and make this statement of my own personal knowledge.

2. I am a registered nurse in the State of Florida, having been licensed continuously in Florida from 1997 to the present. Prior to that I was a Licensed Practical Nurse for about four years.

3. I was employed at Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center in Largo, Florida from April of 1995 to July 1996, while Terri Schiavo was a patient there.

4. It was clear to me at Palm Gardens that all decisions regarding Terri Schiavo were made by Michael Schiavo, with no allowance made for any discussion, debate or normal professional judgment. My initial training there consisted solely of the instruction “Do what Michael Schiavo tells you or you will be terminated.” This struck me as extremely odd.

5. I was very disturbed by the decision making protocol, as no allowance whatsoever was made for professional responsibility. The atmosphere throughout the facility was dominated by Mr. Schiavo’s intimidation. Everyone there, with the exception of several people who seemed to be close to Michael, was intimidated by him. Michael Schiavo always had an overbearing attitude, yelling numerous times such things as “This is my order and you’re going to follow it.” He is very large and uses menacing body language, such as standing too close to you, getting right in your face and practically shouting.

6. To the best of my recollection, rehabilitation had been ordered for Terri, but I never saw any being done or had any reason at all to believe that there was ever any rehab of Terri done at Palm Gardens while I was there. I became concerned because nothing was being done for Terri at all, no antibiotics, no tests, no range of motion therapy, no stimulation, no nothing. Michael said again and again that Terri should NOT get any rehab, that there should be no range of motion whatsoever, or anything else. I and a CNA named Roxy would give Terri range of motion anyway. One time I put a wash cloth in Terri’s hand to keep her fingers from curling together, and Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy.

7. Terri’s medical condition was systematically distorted and misrepresented. When I worked with her, she was alert and oriented. Terri spoke on a regular basis while in my presence, saying such things as “mommy,” and “help me.” “Help me” was, in fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds of times. Terri would try to say the word “pain” when she was in discomfort, but it came out more like “pay.” She didn’t say the “n” sound very well. During her menses she would indicate her discomfort by saying “pay” and moving her arms toward her lower abdominal area. Other ways that she would indicate that she was in pain included pursing her lips, grimacing, thrashing in bed, curling her toes or moving her legs around. She would let you know when she had a bowel movement by flipping up the covers and pulling on her diaper.

8. When I came into her room and said “Hi, Terri”, she would always recognize my voice and her name, and would turn her head all the way toward me, saying “Haaaiiiii” sort of, as she did. I recognized this as a “hi”, which is very close to what it sounded like, the whole sound being only a second or two long. When I told her humorous stories about my life or something I read in the paper, Terri would chuckle, sometimes more a giggle or laugh. She would move her whole body, upper and lower. Her legs would sometimes be off the bed, and need to be repositioned. I made numerous entries into the nursing notes in her chart, stating verbatim what she said and her various behaviors, but by my next on-duty shift, the notes would be deleted from her chart. Every time I made a positive entry about any responsiveness of Terri’s, someone would remove it after my shift ended. Michael always demanded to see her chart as soon as he arrived, and would take it in her room with him. I documented Terri’s rehab potential well, writing whole pages about Terri’s responsiveness, but they would always be deleted by the next time I saw her chart. The reason I wrote so much was that everybody else seemed to be afraid to make positive entries for fear of their jobs, but I felt very strongly that a nurses job was to accurately record everything we see and hear that bears on a patients condition and their family. I upheld the Nurses Practice Act, and if it cost me my job, I was willing to accept that.

9. Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, Michael Schiavo was focused on Terri’s death. Michael would say “When is she going to die?,” “Has she died yet?” and “When is that bitch gonna die?” These statements were common knowledge at Palm Gardens, as he would make them casually in passing, without regard even for who he was talking to, as long as it was a staff member. Other statements which I recall him making include “Can’t you do anything to accelerate her death - won’t she ever die?” When she wouldn’t die, Michael would be furious. Michael was also adamant that the family should not be given information. He made numerous statements such as “Make sure the parents aren’t contacted.” I recorded Michael’s statements word for word in Terri’s chart, but these entries were also deleted after the end of my shift. Standing orders were that the family wasn’t to be contacted, in fact, there was a large sign in the front of her chart that said under no circumstances was her family to be called, call Michael immediately, but I would call them, anyway, because I thought they should know about their daughter.

10. Any time Terri would be sick, like with a UTI or fluid buildup in her lungs, colds, pneumonia, Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled even, hoping that she would die. He would call me, as I was the nurse supervisor on the floor, and ask for every little detail about her temperature, blood pressure, etc., and would call back frequently asking if she was dead yet. He would blurt out “I’m going to be rich!,” and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died, which included a new car, a new boat, and going to Europe, among other things.

11. When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the door closed and locked while he was with Terri. He would typically be there about twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would would be trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold sweats. It looked to me like Terri was having a hypoglycemic reaction, so I’d check her blood sugar. The glucometer reading would be so low it was below the range where it would register an actual number reading. I would put dextrose in Terri’s mouth to counteract it. This happened about five times on my shift as I recall. Normally Terri’s blood sugar levels were very stable due to the uniformity of her diet through tube feeding. It is my belief that Michael injected Terri with Regular insulin, which is very fast acting.

12. The longer I was employed at Palm Gardens the more concerned I became about patient care, both relating to Terri Schiavo, for the reasons I’ve said, and other patients, too. There was an LPN named Carolyn Adams, known as “Andy” Adams who was a particular concern. An unusual number of patients seemed to die on her shift, but she was completely unconcerned, making statements such as “They are old - let them die.” I couldn’t believe her attitude or the fact that it didn’t seem to attract any attention. She made many comments about Terri being a waste of money, that she should die. She said it was costing Michael a lot of money to keep her alive, and that he complained about it constantly (I heard him complain about it all the time, too.) Both Michael and Adams said that she would be worth more to him if she were dead. I ultimately called the police relative to this situation, and was terminated the next day. Other reasons were cited, but I was convinced it was because of my “rocking the boat.”

13. Ms. Adams was one of the people who did not seem to be intimidated by Michael. In fact, they seemed to be very close, and Adams would do whatever Michael told her. Michael sometimes called Adams at night and spoke at length. I was not able to hear the content of these phone calls, but I knew it was him talking to her because she would tell me afterward and relay orders from him.

14. While at Palm Gardens, I became fearful for my personal safety. This was due to Michael’s constant intimidation, including his menacing body language, vocal tone and mannerisms.

15. I have contacted the Schindler family because I just couldn’t stand by and let Terri die without the truth being known.

FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.
CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N.
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this _____ day of September, 2003, by CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who produced her Florida driver’s license as identification, and who did / did not take an oath.
Notary Public

If this doesn't at least give you pause, then I just feel sorry for you.

Here are some liberal bloggers that are on Terri's side. Might be interesting to look at things from their point of view. via My Vast Rightwing Conspiracy

Lesbien Cest Moi (most excellent)

Liberals for Terri

Random Thoughts

airmanblog

How about a natural death?

I thought I was done with this because it was depressing me so much. But so far I have seen the Doctor the Shavio's had examine Terri and the nurse who took care of her will be on Hannity and Colmes tonight. But I have not seen or read anything from the doctors who diagnosed Terri as PVS. Where are they? Why aren't they speaking on this? Since I like to hear both sides, I would like to hear what they have to say now. If anyone has seen or read anything from them in the last week or so, let me know. (not the trial notes, quotes from now)

I want to make one thing very clear. I am not for reinserting the feeding tube. Unless that is what everyone wanted or if tests revealed that she could get better. I just think Terri deserves a natural death. If this was 100 years ago her parents (or husband) would be giving her as much sustance as they could orally. Then she could die in loving arms and not dehydrated and starved to death. I have yet to see a valid humane argument against that.

Natural death, that is all I am asking for. Why are some so determined that she die in this manner of dehydration and starvation?

AP: A federal judge on Tuesday refused to order the reinsertion of Terri Shavio's feeding tube, denying an emergency request from the brain-damaged woman's parents.
U.S. District Judge James Whittemore said the 41-year-old woman's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, had not established a "substantial likelihood of success" at trial on the merits of their arguments.
Whittemore wrote that Schiavo's "life and liberty interests" had been protected by Florida courts. Despite "these difficult and time strained circumstances," he wrote, "this court is constrained to apply the law to the issues before it"
Rex Sparklin, an attorney with the law firm representing Terri Schiavo's parents, said lawyers were immediately appealing to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to "save Terri's life." That court was already considering an appeal on whether Terri Schiavo's right to due process had been violated." via Wizbang

This certainly isn't a surprise. The law does say that what Michael wants Michael gets. One thing that is truly bothering me is how I read completely different things about the history of Terri's fight from all kinds of news sources. I understand that Michael's and The Shavio's versions are different. But when I hear someone like Mort Kondrake (a democrat commentator) who has been personally very involved in this issue (his wife dying of MS and with a living will) changing his mind after reading the kind of tests that were and were not were done on Terri, it makes me think that we were right. Kondrake would have researched this from a knowing medical perspective.

I might add that although this seems to be a partisan issue on the internet, it was not on Capitol Hill. Only a few Democrats voted no. The news pundits on both sides are saying that this was a bi-partisan bill. I am at least grateful when life issues are brought before us. At least we can take a good look at what we are doing as a society. What we sow, we reap.

It seems Terri will starve to death. Her mother cannot even offer her water. So now, no matter how you feel about this issue, your heart has to go out to Terri's parents. They have already been through hell and now they have to watch their daughter die this horrible death. I pray God comforts them.

Excerpts from news on the floods in Afghanistan:

KABUL, March 20 (Reuters) - Floods caused by torrential rains and melting snow have killed more than 200 people and destroyed thousands of homes in several parts of Afghanistan over recent days, officials said on Sunday.

U.S. military Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters rescued around 250 people in the Deh Rawud District, some 70 kilometres (43 miles) northeast of the U.S. base at Kandahar, after the Helmand river burst its banks

The U.S. military also sent blankets, wheat flour, cooking oil and biscuits, and a spokesman said U.S. forces were on standby, awaiting any further request for assistance from Afghan and U.N. authorities managing the relief effort.

I'm guessing this won't make the front page of The New York times, but for my part....Our Soldiers Rock!!

I seriously think Michael Jackson will have a nervous breakdown before this trial is over. The only thing getting him through it right now is serious pain meds. It is obvious that he is heavily medicated. Perhaps guilt is overwhelming him. He may never have actually faced what he has done. No matter which way this goes, I predict it won't end pretty.

This poor little girl Jessie is raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender and it is barely mentioned in the news. I understand that the media is going crazy over the Shavio case because of the political theatre it is providing, but can't we focus just as much air time to the fact that these monsters keep getting out on parole and hurting our children? This is a right to life issue we can all agree on. Why can't we get anything done about it?

I am beginning to think this world is a circus except there doesn't seem to be anything funny about it.

Wonderduck, this is for you.....or......is it you??????????..LOL!!!! I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. via massbackwards

Look at what a nice thing a socialist had to say about a rightwinger.

EVERYBODY with me now....."I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony......."

"I'm as classy as I am beautiful."

Caption This! pretty much sums up the anti-war protesting. Can someone explain to me how Iraqi people being able to vote is wrong? The purple finger, I would think, would be a sign of victory for anyone to see. Not to mock in such a disgusting way.

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.