What Is Worth Fighting For?

This picture is of victims of the terrorist bombing in Madrid Spain. Remember these were not soldiers. They were not at war. In fact, they were not even for war. But this did not matter to those without a conscience. Keep this picture in mind as you read the rest of my post.

I find it ironic that in the previous thread, one making the case against war, makes mention that those against abortion shouldn't have one. Defending, I suppose, her right to one. The monsters we are fighting would like to take away your right to drive, to wear perfume, to listen to music. You wouldn't have to worry about abortion. If you were intimate before marriage, you would be hanged or worse. They want you to wear a burka over your LIFE. And yet you don't see fighting this war as worth it. I suppose you think that fanatical way would never happen here. I suppose you don't care about the women who have lived this way for far too long.

Well, who would have imagined the Nazis? Who would imagined that a belief that furthering the human race would include gassing Jews and the disabled and that it would be accepted and practiced?

Those in Germany ignored a threat as well. They ignored a fanatical belief and pretended it wasn't there. We ignored this threat for too long until it came and slapped us in the face. Can none of you see how important it is to defeat it? Can none of you see the danger of a belief the leads those who follow it to see our death and their own as a delight to their God????

If we do not change things now, do you think that they would go away? Do you not think they would have made their way to our shores again????

You can argue all you want about why we went to war, the reasons, the WMD's, and why Iraq ect.., but the FACT is we are and have been killing the terrorists every day. We have thwarted 3 more attacks inside the United States. 10 more outside the U.S. Attacks that would have looked a lot like that picture. DO WE UNDERSTAND THIS? We have killed most of the leaders and now the terrorists have resorted to drugging the suicide bombers and using mentally disabled teenagers to kill themselves for bomb attacks.

The rotting flesh of Al Qaida will turn to dust. The little boys that would have been terrorists will not be. Women who were abused will have full lives. There may not be the same democracy of the West, but there will be freedom.

And make no mistake about it, freedom does NOT breed suicide bombers.

We are winning this war. We have paid a heavy price, but not nearly as heavy a price that has been paid in past wars. The men and women who have died for this war on terror have died for a noble cause, no matter what Cindy Sheehan says. We will never know what our soldiers and marines have saved us from . We will never know the carnage and evil we were spared. We will never count the body bags of our children. We will never know because of their willing sacrifice.

They gave up so much, but they saved us from so much.

History will look back at this time, I believe, as the 2 paths that diverged in the world. A place where man either took the road to self expression and freedom, or took the road to a growing belief in jihad.

In our fight, we never demand or ask of conversion. We only open the door to a willing choice.

That is the difference. And that is why we fight. And that is why it is right.

My Soldier.

I lay back against the grass and close my eyes.

I see you walking down a dusty road. You look strong and brave in your uniform, but I know that you don’t always feel that way.

You are walking toward me, but you never reach me. You are so far away, so very far away.

My nights are lonely, but I know yours are lonelier.

I want so much to touch your brave face, to wipe away the dirt and weariness.

I try to see you with me. I try to picture it.

But all I see is war.

And I must face the battle within myself, the one that fights the fear.

I know in the heat of a true battle, it is a battle you fight as well.

The fear wrestles me to the ground. It pins my arms and laughs in my face.

I open my eyes quickly and take deep breaths. I push the fear off of me.

I feel a breeze across my cheek. Do you feel it too? Do you feel my sadness? Do you feel my yearning?

I want this war over. I want those we fight defeated. I want you safe. I want you home.

I see you walking down a dusty road.

I see you walking toward me.

Keep walking toward me.

Victor Davis Hanson Rocks Once Again.

He just has a way of putting it all together in an easy way for us to understand. Read the whole thing.


"The old debate whether Saddam Hussein was involved with al Qaeda is now calcified. Liberal conventional wisdom denies any such linkage since there is no firm evidence that Saddam knew of, or was involved in, the September 11 attacks. Thus most on the left ignore entirely that Ansar al-Islam was doing Saddam's dirty work in fighting the Kurds, that Abu Nidal and Abu Abbas resided in Baghdad, that Saddam openly harbored Abdul Rahman Yasin and Ahmed Hikmat Shakir who were connected to the effort in 1993 to blow up the World Trade Center and various anti-American plots, and that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi fled Afghanistan to the sanctuary of Iraq.

No matter. That was then, this is now — and there is no denying that al-Zarqawi is conducting al-Qaedist operations in Iraq, or that the sort of people who attacked us on September 11 are the sort of people now flocking to the Sunni Triangle and often dying at the hands of U.S. military forces. Everyone can agree on that.

The "flypaper" exegesis — that Iraq has become a magnetized burial ground pulling in wannabe al Qaedists — is widely dismissed as unsophisticated and yokelish. But we saw the same phenomenon on the Afghan border in late 2001 where the Pakistani madrassas thinned out as jihadists went over the mountains to the Taliban's aid — only to be bombed to smithereens, the survivors limping back to warn others to give up such a holy trek.
In one of the strangest developments of this entire war, the Western world hears almost nothing about the aggregate number of jihadists killed by coalition forces in Iraq, even though we suspect it may have been several thousand — 10,000, 20,000, 50,000? Surely this has had both a concrete and a spiritual effect on hundreds of thousands of angry young Islamists, who are beginning to realize that a trip to Iraq may be lethal — and unwelcomed by most Iraqis who just wish to be left alone to form their own new government. Whatever one thought about the nexus of Iraq and terror before, no one now denies that our jihadist enemies are in Iraq and are being fought and defeated there each day."

Another lefty.....

...doesn't understand normal civil behavior. I suppose being crude and boorish is protected by free speech, but it doesn't mean you have to be that way.

This woman was kicked off a Southwest airline flight for wearing a crude t-shirt after being asked to cover it because people on the flight were complaining:

"The shirt had pictures of members of the Bush administration, and a phrase based on the movie "Meet The Fockers," but with one crucial vowel changed."

The 32 yr old woman said, "There are bigger problems in this country, I can't believe people can be so petty."

Wait...they were being petty??? I suppose it never occurred to this woman that some people might be offended. I would have said the exact same thing if had been about the Clinton administration during his Presidency.

She is, of course, filing a civil-rights complaint against the airline. After offending people around her, why not go and waste some of the airline's money and time as well?????

via LST

Oklahoma suicide bombing.

Michelle has ALL the updates.

Another story not quite right....

I'm sure you will see the leftwing blogs slobbering all over this today.

"In Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs, a major three-part series on BBC TWO (at 9.00pm on Monday 10, Monday 17 and Monday 24 October), Abu Mazen, Palestinian Prime Minister, and Nabil Shaath, his Foreign Minister, describe their first meeting with President Bush in June 2003.

Nabil Shaath says: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq Â…" And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East." And by God I'm gonna do it.'"

And if I hadn't been watching Brit Hulme tonight, it might have seemed curious to me for a moment. But the news reported that all those interviewed in the room, even those who took notes, said that Bush never said anything like that.

Guess this reporter didn't get that report, huh? Nothing like ignoring a little truth to get in the way of a good story.

Let me add one more thing....

I forgot this important point the President made:

"Some have also argued that extremism has been strengthened by the actions of our coalition in Iraq, claiming that our presence in that country has somehow caused or triggered the rage of radicals.

I would remind them that we were not in Iraq on September the 11th, 2001, and Al Qaida attacked us anyway.

The hatred of the radicals existed before Iraq was an issue and it will exist after Iraq is no longer an excuse."

More Michael...

Michael Yon has tons of new stuff up and all of it good. Lots of pictures as well. Go. Read. Best reporting coming out of the war that there is.

The Speech.

I just heard parts of President Bush's speech today about the war on terror to the National Endowment for Democracy and it was just about the most powerful speech I have heard him give. Here is the transcript if you missed it. I suggest you read it since the media seem to not be printing the excerpts that I think are most important. First, Bush made it clear that Islamo-fascism subverts and exploits Islam.

He also made it clear that there will be no cut and run here. We will not show weakness. I was glad to hear him point out our past where we did show weakness in the face of this enemy. The following quote is the one that should be in all the papers:

"They want us to repeat the sad history of Beirut in 1983 and Mogadishu in 1993, only this time on a larger scale with greater consequences.
Second, the militant network wants to use the vacuum created by an American retreat to gain control of a country, a base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war against non-radical Muslim governments."

He explained the different factions of terrorists and explained clearly why they seek to terrorize us:

"First, extremists want to end American and Western influence in the broader Middle East, because we stand for democracy and peace and stand in the way of their ambitions."

Bush likened the ideology of Islamic militants to communism. And he said they are being "aided by elements of the Arab news media that incites hatred and anti-Semitism."

He reminded us of the history of evil:

"And the civilized world knows very well that other fanatics in history, from Hitler to Stalin to Pol Pot, consumed whole nations in war and genocide before leaving the stage of history.
Evil men obsessed with ambition and unburdened by conscience must be taken very seriously, and we must stop them before their crimes can multiply."

Bush made clear the differences between our enemy and ourselves:

"Zarqawi has said that Americans are, quote, "the most cowardly of God's creatures," but let's be clear: It is cowardice that seeks to kill children and the elderly with car bombs and cuts the throat of a bound captive and targets worshipers leaving a mosque.

It is courage that liberated more than 50 million people. It is courage that keeps an untiring vigil against the enemies of a rising democracy. And it is courage and the cause of freedom that once again will destroy the enemies of freedom."

We are facing a radical ideology with immeasurable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world."

And he finally made clear what we have accomplished so far working with partners in "Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and beyond": (I know this part is long, but read it! It is so important to understand!)

"..we're disrupting militant conspiracies, destroying their ability to make war, and working to give millions in a troubled region of the world a hopeful alternative to resentment and violence.

First, we're determined to prevent the attacks of terrorist network before they occur. We're reorganizing our government to give this nation a broad and coordinated homeland defense. We're reforming our intelligence agency for the incredibly difficult task of tracking enemy activity, based on information that often comes in small fragments from widely scattered sources here and abroad.

We're acting, along with the governments from many countries, to destroy the terrorist networks and incapacitate their leaders.

Together, we've killed or captured nearly all of those directly responsible for the September the 11th attacks, as well as some of bin Laden's most senior deputies, Al Qaida managers and operatives in more than 24 countries: the mastermind of the USS Cole bombing who was chief of Al Qaida operations in the Persian Gulf, the mastermind of the Jakarta and the first Bali bombings, a senior Zarqawi terrorist planner who was planning attacks in Turkey, and many of Al Qaida's senior leaders in Saudi Arabia.

Overall, the United States and our partners have disrupted at least 10 serious Al Qaida terrorist plots since September the 11th, including three Al Qaida plots to attack inside the United States. We've stopped at least five more Al Qaida efforts to case targets in the United States or infiltrate operatives into our country."

And he ends with this:

"We do know, however, that the defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice. We do know the love of freedom is the mightiest force of history. And we do know the cause of freedom will once again prevail.
May God bless you."

This is the speech he should have made long ago, and should have been repeating at every stop.

Because while so many of us understand this fight, it is clear that many do not. Let the left have their say, but let us have ours.

I am confident in the debate that the truth and honor of we do here in this war will win out in the hearts and minds of the people of the United States. We just needed to make it clear.

And I think President Bush just did.

The Worst Evacuation Story from Rita.

I was with some friends this morning and we were discussing our evacuations. One of the girls had a friend who went and picked up her mother at a nursing home here and headed out to Dallas. Because of the heat and standing in traffic, or who knows what contributed, her mother died in the car and her friend had to drive five more hours to Dallas with her dead mother's body.

Awful. AWFUL.

Time to bring up our favorite subject again.

Those sneaky creationists.

This is the thing. It is clear that Congress can make no law establishing a religion. But how is suggesting a theory that states "materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and human beings are created by God, ”(Intelligent Designer), establishing a religion? It just isn't.

Now, replacing evolutionary materials, I completely disagree with. But none of my evolutionary friends have convinced me that other theories of design shouldn't be looked at in the classroom.

Just saying, "it isn't science" doesn't do it for me. Just saying it can't be "falisfied" doesn't do it for me. You are judging what is a standard for science by a test created by a man. I think it is important for kids to know what so many people believe. And, simply speaking, if some things are too complex to be explained any other way, and scientists theorize about how that is accomplished. This is a theory.

Now you can make the case that someone could just make any old thing up as a theory. But the difference is many scientists and other intelligent educated people have valid scientific findings that prove that, at the least, there are things too complex to be explained any other way than an intelligent design.

But I am no expert, and can still be convinced either way. If you would like to read a discussion between those involved on both sides, Natural History Magazine has this excellent debate.

Oh Boy....

I don't know how I missed this one.

I tell you. It hurt my heart to read it.

I Spy.

First Modern Case of Spy Actually Placed Inside of White House

"Both the FBI and CIA are calling it the first case of espionage in the White House in modern history.

Officials tell ABC News the alleged spy worked undetected at the White House for almost three years. Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, was a U.S. Marine most recently assigned to the staff of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Espionage Case Breaches the White House
Death with Dignity or Criminal Act?
Person of the Week: Complete Coverage
"I don't know of a case where the vetting broke down before and resulted in a spy being in the White House," said Richard Clarke, a former White House advisor who is now an ABC News consultant.

Federal investigators say Aragoncillo, a naturalized citizen from the Philippines, used his top secret clearance to steal classified intelligence documents from White House computers.

In 2000, Aragoncillo worked on the staff of then-Vice President Al Gore."

via Ace

Wow. Weird, huh? Most of what he stole was sent through e-mail too. Kind of make it easy to sneak out.

My doggy is having a birthday! 4 yrs old! Sweetest dog ever!!! His name is Shaq and he is a lab mix and I adore him.

I got to get me some of these babies. LED lights light the toes of the slippers. Am I the only one who thinks that is just too cool? via boing boing

Nagin. Nagin. Nagin.......

Wizbang discovers buses that were on dry land and with an open escape route to get the New Orleans people out of the Super Dome.

This just gets more and more pathetic.

Question for Readers.

I am taking my daughter to New York for her birthday. I want to stay in the Theatre district. It has been awhile since I have been there and I can't even remember the hotels I stayed at before. If you know of any good ones or if you live in NYC or know others who do, could you leave a suggestion in the comment section. I would appreciate any restaurant suggestions too. Nothing fancy for food! Just good food! Anywhere in NYC.

Thanks Guys!

*note: If any of my family or friends are reading this, DON'T mention it to my daughter! It's a surprise!

Irrational 101

Christopher Hitchens is so awesome in making us understand Islam fanatcism. Regarding the recent Bali bombing, he has this:

"Indonesia is a mainly Muslim society, whose government takes a stern line against the war in Iraq and even Afghanistan. Its people, who are astonishingly hospitable to all foreigners, depend in millions of cases on tourism to make the difference between indigence and the minimum wage. Its elections feature Muslim political parties, many of them quite austere in their propaganda. Why on earth, then, would a fundamentalist group wish to bring discredit upon itself and ruin upon its neighbors by resorting to random slaughter?

Never make the mistake of asking for rationality here. And never underestimate the power of theocratic propaganda. The fanatics look at the population of Bali and its foreign visitors and they see a load of Hindus selling drinks—often involving the presence of unchaperoned girls—to a load of Christians. That in itself is excuse enough for mayhem."

He ends with this, but got read the whole thing. It's good.

"So, what did Indonesia do to deserve this, or bring it on itself? How will the slaughter in Bali improve the lot of the Palestinians? Those who look for the connection will be doomed to ask increasingly stupid questions and to be content with increasingly wicked answers."

Cotillion Girls Gone Wild!!!

Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is looking for some blogger babes (of the MALE persuasion!) It's sorta turning the table on the male bloggers who post babe pictures in the middle of their hard news (no pun intended!). Wizbang is famous for it. Anyway, go see Beth if you want to be objectified....;-)

News on Oklahoma bomber.

WorldNetDaily is reporting this:

"An Oklahoma University student who killed himself by detonating a bomb strapped to his body outside a packed stadium over the weekend was a "suicide bomber" in possession of "Islamic jihad" materials, according to a new report." via Reaganites Unite!

His name was Joel Henry Hinrichs IIII. I was afraid that this might be the case when I heard about it. I am also surprised that this has not happened before. Thank God he didn't hurt anyone. I'd like to know when and how he converted. I would also like to know more about the Islamic Society of Norman, which was near his apartment.

John Hawkins isn't the only one who has a favorites list.

Here is John over at Rightwingnews:

"It has been a little more than 3 months since the last time I ranked my favorite 40 blogs, so I thought it was about time to do it again, for the last time in 2005.

Do keep in mind that as the quarter has progressed, some blogs have of course moved up and others have dropped, based on how often I visit them, how much I like what I see when I get there, how often the blogs are updated, etc., etc. As per usual, do keep in mind that these sort of lists changes frequently over time based on a variety of factors. So if your blog didn't get included, it's no big deal -- it could be on the list next time."

'As per usual,' could he be any more arrogant? I mean really. Everyone who reads my blog knows that I never criticize other blogs, but I just have to make an exception here. I didn't really know enough about RWN to form an opinion until one the Cotillion girls, Ilyka decided to quit blogging as a chick and come back as man (cyber speaking) and she thought John had shown a lot of bias in not linking more women bloggers. His recent list of 40 looks like it has only about two chicks, so I'm thinking maybe she was right. But I kinda think that it's really about sucking up to John. When I posted on Ilyka when she quit blogging as a chick, Hawkins quoted me out of context and when I e-mailed him about it, he just brushed me off and didn't correct himself. Does that sound familiar????

Anyway, I certaintly don't care what an ego driven blogger thinks. But I thought I might give you my favorite blogs. Since I think my opinion counts just about as much as John's does.

I don't have the time I use to read all the blogs I like everyday, but the following I hardly ever miss. I notice that a few of mine are not on John's list. Not because they aren't fantastic, because clearly they are, but because he got in some little tiff with them at some point and that was that.

For intelligent news commentary and up to minute stuff it doesn't get any better than Little Green Footballs, Powerline, and Wizbang.

For everything I said above PLUS naughty hilarious fun, it doesn't get any better than Protein Wisdom.

Beautiful Atrocities is also one of the funniest blogs out there, but he seems to have gotten a life.

If one wasn't married and the other wasn't gay, I might be cyber stalking them both. That is how great they write.

Another funny guy with great commentary is the one I probably link the most...Ace of SpadesHQ

Garfield Ridge is pretty funny too.

I LOVE in your face conservative women and no one does that better than My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and Darleen's place and Knowledge is Power. (SondaK is naughty hilarious as well)

For intelligent thoughtful conservative babe commentary I just love Reasoned Audacity.

The girl who reminds me most of myself is NotADesperateHousewife.

The Poliburo Dikit is where I go when I want to argue with a RINO, there and The World Wide Rant.

And the premier milblog out there is Mudville.

Richard Landes, writing for Solomonia, describes one of the results of bias in the media in how "The Media Gets the "Intifada" Wrong"

"The AP caption, repeated by the NYT, identifies the bloodied civilian as a Palestinian, the policeman brandishing a club – implicitly the author of the youth’s wounds – as an Israeli, and the location as the Temple Mount. I guess one out of three IDs isn’t bad for AP when it comes to the Middle East conflict, although the thrust of the errors literally transforms the meaning of the photo. What the AP did with this caption is to impose upon it the firm expectations of their Politically Correct Paradigm: since the Palestinians are the David and Israel the Goliath, then a bloodied civilian near an Israeli with a club must be the soldier’s victim. And since Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount the day before had provoked Palestinian rage to which the Israelis had responded with deadly force, the injuries must have been inflicted on the Temple Mount.

What happened differs radically. The victim, Tuvya Grossman, was an American seminary student in Jerusalem whose taxi-driver went through an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem where rioting crowds dragged him from the car, beat and stabbed him nearly to death. He managed to escape and reach the place where this Israeli soldier protected him from his pursuers. This story here actually illustrates the Jihad Paradigm, not the Politically Correct Paradigm.

Palestinians, whipped into a rage by false rumors that Sharon had desecrated the al-Aqsa mosque, broke into wild rioting, which Israelis, as much as possible, constrained with non-lethal weapons (like this baton). The Jewish civilian here is the victim, and the Israeli David, scantily armed, stands up to the Palestinian mob...
...his subsequent retraction, and a successful lawsuit against both AP and the French paper Libération, had little impact on those who wanted to believe in Israeli villainy.

As in the case of the poison accusations of 1983, Palestinian and Arab media, like the Egyptian Government and their Post Colonial Paradigm supporters, have continued to use the picture as part of their Palestinian victim narrative. To this day, Tuvya Grossman's picture adorns a poster calling on everyone in the world to boycott Coca Cola in order to stop Israelis from killing Palestinians.

No picture better illustrates the mood of the media at the outbreak of the intifada. "Already already listening" as Werner Erhardt might have put it. The storyboard was up, they just needed the material to start pinning to it. On September 29, it was Tuvya Grossman. The next day, it was Muhamed al Durah."

via Dean's World

Every day I find more proof that I can't believe hardly anything I read from the press.

You Have to Love........

The Protest Warriors.

h/t BigDog

No Worries.

It seems no one is really happy over Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court. Some are concerned about her past political contributions to Democrats, but she has given to Republicans as well. It is not unusual for law firms to pass the hat, so to speak, for all candidates. I don't think that tells us much. David Frum has worked with her and says she is "a lovely person: intelligent, honest, capable, loyal, discreet, dedicated ... I could pile on the praise all morning." He is just concerned that there is no proof that she is a legal conservative.

Well, isn't that the point??? Bush is forced to put up stealth candidates because the Democrats will tear into anyone who has a record on their "sacred" abortion rights and other "hot button" issues. David Frum also makes the case that there were far more qualified candidates to choose from.

I don't blame Bush at all for these choices. I also just don't buy that she is not a conservative. Does anyone really believe that Bush doesn't know how the candidates he chooses feels about the "hot button" issues??? Of course he knows. And given how he feels about these issues, I don't think for one minute that he would nominate someone who didn't feel as strongly as he does.

No worries.

I stumbled onto this blog, tower of the sun, and found a post where the guy had contacted the Principal of his son's school and the school district, upset over a "religious" flyer sent home from school. He explains that when the Principal called him back:

"The Principle also offered to make sure that both of our sons do not receive any religious materials in the future. We explained that this option was nothing more than an "opt out" policy and that was not sufficient. It is not just about our child, it is about a breech of rights of all students."

Here (scroll down to 2nd post) he is explaining his position to criticism that he is anti-religious. He says,"You make it sound like I am anti-religion. Far from it. I am anti- forced religion."

What is this horrid "forcing of religion" on this child ?? What sort of sneaky claw of evangelist propaganda was FORCED? (Well, it was actually just put with a bunch of of take home flyers like all schools shove in our kid's folder every week) I'm betting the kid would never have even seen it if his parents hadn't pointed it out. I know my kids never look at them. But that isn't the point! Of course! It is the fact that they were practically making this kid do an alter call! A forced Baptism was just a matter of time.

But anyway, the flyer that was obviously demanding this kid's soul is the one you see above. That's right. The cute orange flyer for a "pumpkin festival." With proceeds to the poor and all that. Truly awful stuff. The kid will be damaged for life. He will question all his parent's beliefs (or non-beliefs)

*sigh*

The only religion I see endorsed here is maybe Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin" faith. What a joke all this is. I feel sorry for the teachers, Principals, and school districts that have to put up with this crap from nutty parents like this. The flyer doesn't even mention GOD, for God's sake!

If a flyer came home from my son's school with a fun run for a Synagogue, I certainly wouldn't care. I get flyers all the time that are promoting "humanist" values. You don't see me running crying to the Principal.

It's just stupid. Poor kid. Now he will probably get all kind of grief.

The Screen of Ignorance.

Charles Murray has an excellent article at WSJ.com on the re-discovery of the underclass in the aftermath of Katrina.

He talks about the root of the problem of the underclass, which is pretty much what I wrote before on race, but he said it much better and with all those good statistics that the left leaners love so much:

"Why has the proportion of unsocialized young males risen so relentlessly? In large part, I would argue, because the proportion of young males who have grown up without fathers has also risen relentlessly. The indicator here is the illegitimacy ratio--the percentage of live births that occur to single women. It was a minuscule 4% in the early 1950s, and it has risen substantially in every subsequent decade. The ratio reached the 25% milestone in 1988 and the 33% milestone in 1999. As of 2003, the figure was 35%--of all births, including whites. The black illegitimacy ratio in 2003 was 68%. By way of comparison: The illegitimacy ratio that caused Daniel Patrick Moynihan to proclaim the breakdown of the black family in the early 1960s was 24%."

Murray makes clear that any and all govt. programs to help the underclass have been tried and they have failed. The interesting part of the article to me is how he pointed out that Katrina simply knocked down a screen between the poor and the middle class that the middle class had erected. We had created enclaves away from the poor.

This is so true. People are comfortable if they don't have to see the problem. We can pretend that it really isn't there. But Murray's last paragraph saddens me greatly. Because I know that it is all too true:

"Hurricane Katrina temporarily blew away the screens that we have erected to keep the underclass out of sight and out of mind. We are now to be treated to a flurry of government efforts from politicians who are shocked, shocked, by what they saw. What comes next is depressingly predictable. Five years from now, the official evaluations will report that there were no statistically significant differences between the subsequent lives of people who got the government help and the lives of people in a control group. Newspapers will not carry that story, because no one will be interested any longer. No one will be interested because we will have long since replaced the screens, and long since forgotten."

via Ace.

I stole this from Patterico's Pontifications This is the actual front page of the LA Times for Sept. 3oth. Which makes it appear as if the world has ended with Robert's confirmation. Maybe the LA Times thinks that it has? (Those are actually images of the California fires.)

Heh.

Disturbing...

Tammy Bruce has this:

"The CDC announced just today that small amounts of a highly infectious bacteria that causes "rabbit fever" was found in Washington DC on the Mall after last weekend's anti-war protests.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said several government environmental air monitors in the Mall area detected low levels of Francisella tularensis bacteria that cause Tularemia, commonly known as rabbit fever, on September 24-25...The CDC said it issued an alert on Friday night as a precaution so medical personnel were aware of the situation and could report any suspected cases...Symptoms of the disease, which an infected person would have begun experiencing no earlier than on Monday, include: sudden fever, chills, headaches, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough and progressive weakness...The CDC also said the bacteria can be used as a weapon if made into an aerosol that could be inhaled...

This story should be of particular note because of the obvious and continual meltdown of American leftists. Left-wing rhetoric before, during, and after the 2004 election exposed an increasing pathological violent hatred of the president and of America in general. Even today, Little Green Footballs exposed the extent of the left's inevitable meltdown with a post from a leftist blog actually advocating terrorism and murder."

UPDATE: We may be seeing the first effects of this infectious bacteria here. (scroll down just a tad)

via Don't Go Into The Light.

This simply must be captioned......

Thou Shalt Not Appropriate.

Nola.com has an AP story about New Orlean's Police looking into officers looting after Katrina. a Police spokesman "rejected the term "looting," but said authorities were investigating "the possibility of appropriation of non-essential items during the height of Katrina, from businesses."

Alrighty then.

via LST.

Homecoming.

I am off to a Homecoming Football game. After talking to several friends and asking them what they thought about Bennett's comments and none of them having any idea of what I was talking about, I realized that we, in this weird world of politics, are the only ones who care about such things. In other words, NO ONE REALLY CARES.

There is a world out there. One with football games, movies, parks, and picnics. I suggest we stop arguing and get to it. Life, I mean.

Let's Talk About Race.

The whole thing with Bill Bennet got me to thinking that we really don't talk about race and how it affects us in today's society. I grew up around racist and prejudice people. The difference in the two were this. The racists were the ones who hated blacks and felt better thinking they were superior to them. The prejudice people (many in family included) did not hate blacks, but felt uncomfortable around them.

The difference in my childhood and my children's in that regard is night and day. I grew up hearing n**ger jokes. My children never even heard that word until they heard it in a rap song in their early teens. My youngest didn't even know the word black. A few years ago he was trying to describe a black child he knew to me and said, 'you know, he was chocolate."

It is a shame that integration (which was vital) began as the welfare state set in as well. Sometimes I feel that as a child growing up, I witnessed the doors of opportunity open up to blacks, just as the welfare state tore down the dignity of their family.

My best friend in the 5th grade was black. We never got to play at each other's house though. It just wasn't done. My daughter never thought twice about having a friend over that was black. We have come so far in so many ways and yet we have so far to go in others.

When I was young, no one I knew ever thought that a black women would be Secretary of State in our lifetime. No one thought a black man would be Secretary of Education. With education, the sky is the limit. But therein lies the problem. How do we educate children mired in a neighborhood of drugs and violence? How do we teach discipline if there is no Father to show a son his way? Or to give a daughter the confidence she needs?

With 70% or more of black children born into single mother homes, these children face hardship and poverty before they even take their first breath. This is a cycle that must be stopped. This is the root of the problem. Not only with blacks, of course. All races must learn to bring children into this world responsibly.

How do we break this cycle? I think I know. I will share that in a moment. I do know this though. It breaks my heart to see that race is used to divide us at every turn. Liberals use race to make sure they secure the votes of blacks. But in insisting on making blacks believe that they are victims of racism and having them think the President of the United States hates them (as Kanye West tells us), only causes distrust and resentment against others under a false pretense.

Are there racists? Sure. There will always be people of hate. But the majority of us, I believe, think that it is a person's character and nobility that matters, not the pigment of the skin.

Bill Cosby took a lot of heat a while back for stating the truth. Telling parents to discipline their children. To make them stop cursing and learn to speak well. Telling them to make sure their kids got an education and to not them dress or act like thugs. to stop letting their kids look up to rap stars/gangsters. To be the role model themseleves. It's hard to face the truth sometimes. Because we then have to face our mistakes.

The answer is simple really. It's all about the family. Children, of all colors, need structure. They NEED a Mom and a Dad. They need love and nuturing. They need someone to wake them up, fix them breakfast, and make sure they get to school. They need parents who care.

Liberals may not believe it, but marriage and parenting is at the heart of all the problems the black community faces, and increasingly in the white community as well. We have to face the fact that we were wrong as a society when we said that a single mom could do just as well as a married couple in raising a child. Every single mom will tell you that it is a hard road and when you add low income into it, it becomes a nightmare.

Fathers have got to start marrying their children's mothers and STAY MARRIED. This is the answer. And all the things we do for our kids will follow from that. Parents work together to ensure a good education, a good life at home. They monitor what the kids watch on TV and who they hang out with and what they do.

We as a society can pour all the money we want into schools, midnight basketball, after school programs, anti-drug programs, affirmative action, ect.., but it won't make a damn bit of difference if the family structure is missing.

This the truth we must face.

The Left's Smear of The Day. Nice Try.

From the Desk of William J. Bennett

September 30, 2005

"On Wednesday, a caller to my radio show proposed the idea that one good argument for the pro-life position would be that if we didn't have abortions, Social Security would be solvent. I stated my doubts about such a thesis, as well as my opposition to such a form of argument (the audio of the call is available at my Website: bennettmornings.com).

"I then stated that such extrapolations of this argument can cut both ways, and cited the current bestseller, Freakonomics, which discusses the authors' thesis that abortion reduces crime.

"Then, putting my philosophy professor's hat on, I went on to reveal the limitations of such arguments by showing the absurdity in another such argument, along the same lines. I entertained what law school professors call 'the Socratic method' and what I would hope good social science professors still use in their seminars. In so doing, I suggested a hypothetical analogy while at the same time saying the proposition I was using about blacks and abortion was 'impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible,' just to ensure those who would have any doubt about what they were hearing, or for those who tuned in to the middle of the conversation.

"The issues of crime and race have been on many people's minds, and tongues, for the past month or so--in light of the situation in New Orleans; and the issues of race, crime, and abortion are well aired and ventilated in articles, the academy, the think tank community, and public policy. Indeed the whole issue of crime and race is not new in social science, nor popular literature. One of the authors of Freakonomics, himself, had an extended exchange on the discussion of these issues on the Internet some years back--which was also much debated in the think tank community in Washington.

"A thought experiment about public policy, on national radio, should not have received the condemnations it has. Anyone paying attention to this debate should be offended by those who have selectively quoted me, distorted my meaning, and taken out of context the dialogue I engaged in this week. Such distortions from 'leaders' of organizations and parties is a disgrace not only to the organizations and institutions they serve, but to the First Amendment.

"In sum, let me reiterate what I had hoped my long career had already established: that I renounce all forms of bigotry--and that my record in trying to provide opportunities for, as well as save the lives of, minorities in this country stands up just fine."

via NRO

The very notion that Bill Bennet would say something racist is absurd to begin with. Is there no end to the left's smearing and twisting of people's words???? Just because it makes them feel better to believe that rightwingers are bigoted, doesn't make it true. Because it simply isn't. What is bigoted, imo, is to try and smear a person's good name using race just to further your political agenda. It's shameful.

So...You Want To Be A Star?

Well, it all makes sense now. We wondered why Travis County prosecutor Ronnie Earle was going after Tom Delay on such flimsy evidence. Now we know that Texas filmmakers have spent the last 2 years following around Earle for a reality film called the "Big Buy." I guess Earle needed a big gun to try and bring down to make the film "sizzle."

So this is all about Earle wanting to be a reality show star. There is always another side to the story, isn't there? Good grief. Every time I try to give Democrats the benefit of the doubt, they turn around and show me what pigs they are.

I apologize to Tom Delay. There is NOTHING you could have done that would be as wrong as this display of self promotion and sleaze.
via Byron York NRO & JunkYardBlog

I think we need a bit of fun here.

An Aggie joke. Heh.

Such compassion for the hurricane victims!

Get your free abortions here!

I must admit. It's the first time I have EVER seen abortions offered for free. Hope the picture doesn't gross you out too much. Wait...yes I do. I hope it horrifies you actually.

The Democratic nominee hopefuls for 2008 have announced!!

Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Barak Obama!!!!

Oh wait.......

Those are the Democrats who voted no to Judge Roberts confirmation.

Oh well, same thing.

Roberts Confirmed.

This must be a heady day forJohn Roberts. One minute no one knows your name and you are a Washington lawyer and the next day you are the CHIEF JUSTICE of the Supreme Court! Wow.

Let's hope and pray that Roberts does Rehnquist proud.

VICTORY!

In a wonderful victory for the families of the victims of 9-11 and against anti-Americanism, Governor Pataki of NY has banned the Freedom Center to be built at ground zero. The museum executives have abandoned plans to build the museum elsewhere (Yay!)

It was ridiculous to ever consider building anything but a memorial to the actual events of 9-11 and nothing else.

To read more about the leftists that supported the center and get an idea of what kind of "journey to freedom" might have been displayed at ground zero had this gone through, go here.

Tom Delay And Politics As Usual.

Tom Delay's recent indictment by a Texas grand jury for allegedly conspiring to violate a Texas ban on corporate campaign contributions has delighted Democrats. Delay has been a force to be reckoned with in Texas and Washington, no doubt. The man after Delay, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle's has long been known in this state to go after his political enemies, Republican or Democrat.

I listened to Delay's response yesterday. I could not understand the different campaign donation laws enough to surmise if he actually did anything wrong. I suppose the courts will sort that out and if he did do something illegal, then he should be punished. He says, of course, that it is a witch hunt and this same guy went after Kaye Bailey Hutchinson years ago, and failed miserably there. I have never been a big fan of Delay. I know he has done a lot for the GOP in getting Repubicans elected, but there is just something about him that doesn't sit well with me. I have no real basis for it except my gut instinct about people.

If it turns out that this is a witch hunt, then it is time to put a stop to people who go after politicians for political reasons. It is this kind of thing that keeps good people out of politics. I don't know why anyone would want to go through this kind of thing for public service. I know I wouldn't.

There will be a backlash here. This seems to be the same scenario that happens over and over. The Democrats lash out in some way and the GOP can not just let them get away with it, so they lash back. It seems we are always on the defense. The attacks seem neverending. So expect the big fight back. I have read that we can look forward to probes into finance campaign contributions for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, Democratic Congressional Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), Representative William Jefferson of Louisiana, and Senator Jon Corzine of New Jersey.

Oh what fun! What a colossal waste of time and money just to prove that "everybody does it" before the 2006 elections. Is it any wonder that so many people hate politics and feel it is useless to vote?

The NY Times failed final attempt to slam John Roberts.

The New York Times was forced to publish a correction where they claimed John Roberts authored a memorandum on libel law. Since you have to be registered to see it, here is the correction:

"Judge John G. Roberts Jr., nominated to be chief justice of the United States, was not the author of an unsigned memorandum on libel law that was the focus of an article published in The New York Times yesterday. The Times erroneously attributed it to him.

Bruce Fein, a Washington lawyer who was general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission in the Reagan administration, said yesterday that he wrote the memorandum, a caustic critique of New York Times v. Sullivan, the 1964 Supreme Court decision that revolutionized American libel law, and of the role played by the press in society."

Basically the Times made a big deal out of Roberts supposedly slamming the 1964 Supreme Court decision that revolutionized American libel law, and of the role played by the press in society. The article from yesterday said the following regarding the memo that the Times was falsely attributing to Roberts:

"The critique was vigorous, brilliantly written and informed by a deep hostility toward the press,"

The article went on to print Roberts written response on that specific case to Schumer where Roberts wrote that the law,"is a precedent of the court, and I would start with it in any case implicating this area of the law."

In quoting the memo (the one actually written by Fein) went on to say that the decision was "profoundly flawed." The Times also printed this excerpt from the memo:

"by crowning the media with virtual absolute immunity for falsely assailing public officials," the Sullivan ruling "obstructs the ability of the president and other public officials to recruit talented and loyal supporters."

The Times went on to interview different legal experts about their opinion of the memo who were astonished (of course!) at Roberts supposedly wanting to relax the law that allows the press to print what they wish about public officials, even if it later turns out to be false.

In a nutshell (to me anyway) The Times was having a fit thinking that Roberts would relax a law that wouldn't allow them to go with a story about public officials that was FALSE (but they didn't KNOW it was false at the time, of course). The law gives them immunity from being sued (by having to prove malice).

The Times was trying to do two things here. First make Roberts look like he was lying to Shumer about his belief in the law as precendent. Second, to send "chills" down the spine for those who believe so deeply in "freedom of the press." They were trying to strike a big blow before the vote, in other words. You know, give some Democrats a "reason" to vote no.

It is highly ironic that the very law that the Times was having a fit about FALSELY accuses Roberts of a memo he didn't actually write.

Excuse me?

We listen for hours while Michael Brown tears up Blanco and outlines her many mistakes during the Katrina disaster and then Blanco gets a chance to defend herself and tell her side.....and she doesn't. She says to the congressional committee that she was there to talk about "job creation." Then a Congressman commends her for it!!!

I have to agree with E.D. Hill ( who I adore btw) on Fox News this morning saying that it is like being a parent and having a child tell you that your other child stole money from your wallet and when you ask your other child about it she says, "no I didn't! But I don't want to talk about it further."

I suppose she hopes this will all go away, but when the media and the Democrats spend weeks bashing Bush and FEMA for everything bad that happens and then we find out that there were numerous huge mistakes made by Blanco, I think the public deserves some answers.

Plus, the more I hear about money being wasted and spent recklessly in Louisiana, I am more and more concerned with our tax dollars flowing into Louisiana. It is VITAL to have close oversight over this money.

Caption This! has some funny war protesting pics and captions. Check it out! If you don't laugh, you will cry. Laughing is better.

Protesting...Not as it seems.

As I related in my post below. the legitimate regular folk who are anti-war might want to rethink who they are protesting with. For example, I would never protest with the KKK no matter WHAT cause we professed to have the same belief in. It just wouldn't be worth it to me.
It seems the San Francisco Chronicle printed this first photo you see at an anti-war protest in San Francisco on Sept. 24th. It was cropped to show what seems to be simply a person of color protesting the war. But a blogger (zombietime) was also at this rally taking pictures and with his photos below we get a whole different story, now don't we? We see Palestinian flags and obscene placards. The next photo shows "the woman giving directions belongs to one of the Communist groups organizing the rally -- if her t-shirt is to be believed, since it depicts the flag of Communist Vietnam, which has been frequently displayed by such groups at protest rallies in the U.S. for decades."
It is disturbing and sickening enough that a supposedly legitimate newspaper would crop a picture to give a totally false picture of the person protesting, but equally disturbing is that left leaning people with heartfelt concerns over this war are letting these types join hands with them. h/t to Jill.

Former FEMA director Michael Brown in congressional probe.....

doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know. The Democrats who didn't get exactly what they wanted (an independent commission, not a congressional panel) refused to participate. Representative William Jefferson from Louisiana being the only exception.

Brown told the committee:

"that state and local governments have the primary responsibility for responding to emergencies because FEMA does not have its own police force, firefighters or search and rescue equipment.
``Emergency management begins at the local level,'' Brown said. ``FEMA is a coordinating agency.'' via Bloomberg.com

Well, I'm finally glad we finally got THAT straight. He also said he just couldn't get Blanco and Nagin to get their act together. (another startling revelation!)

One interesting thing I noted however is that Brown said that there was no state FEMA director and that the last one must have not been replaced. When asked what happened to the last one, Brown replied, "he was indicted."

Which tells you just about all you need to know about Louisiana politics.

Everything You Wanted To Know About The War Protest in Washington D.C,......

...but were afraid to ask. I mean most of us think it was just a bunch of Americans protesting the war, right? Just ordinary men and women taking advantage of our right to protest in this country.

Think again.

The NY Times, and The Seattle Times. and The Washington Post all covered the protest. Yet none of them covered the fact that the groups that largely sponsored the rally, "The Answer Coalition" and "United for Peace and Justice," had questionable connections to say the least. As Christopher Hitchens tell us:

"International ANSWER," the group run by the "Worker's World" party and fronted by Ramsey Clark, which openly supports Kim Jong-il, Fidel Castro, Slobodan Milosevic, and the "resistance" in Afghanistan and Iraq, with Clark himself finding extra time to volunteer as attorney for the génocidaires in Rwanda. " In other words, asHitchensn puts it, International ANSWER is a front for "(depending on the day of the week) fascism, Stalinism, and jihadism."

Hitchens as this on United for Peace and Justice:

"The group self-lovingly calling itself "United for Peace and Justice" is by no means "narrow" in its "antiwar focus" but rather represents a very extended alliance between the Old and the New Left, some of it honorable and some of it redolent of the World Youth Congresses that used to bring credulous priests and fellow-traveling hacks together to discuss "peace" in East Berlin or Bucharest. Just to give you an example, from one who knows the sectarian makeup of the Left very well, I can tell you that the Worker's World Party—Ramsey Clark's core outfit—is the product of a split within the Trotskyist movement. These were the ones who felt that the Trotskyist majority, in 1956, was wrong to denounce the Russian invasion of Hungary. The WWP is the direct, lineal product of that depraved rump. If the "United for Peace and Justice" lot want to sink their differences with such riffraff and mount a joint demonstration, then they invite some principled political criticism on their own account."

Hitchens goes on to explain how these groups are not really anti-war as much as anti-this war.
Read the whole thing. I honestly don't know what we would do without Christopher Hitchens to guide us through international groups we are not familiar with. And believe me when I say I never thought I would ever say that.

The thing I want the left who read my blog to consider, is that THIS is the kind of people marching at Washington D.C., so you might want to watch the company you keep.

After the Storm......

Ok, I am trying to get up to speed here. Here are the most mind boggling things I have found so far:

rita (4.00 / 2)
i am watching cnn and it is 100 percent rita...even though it is a little wind and a little rain...it is bad, but there are other things going on in this country today...and in the world!!!!
by CindySheehan on Sat Sep 24th, 2005 at 06:29:15 PDT via LGF

Whaatttt???? I shake my head in wonder. Just a bit of wind and rain, that's all. GEEZE!!!! Did ya''ll see Cindy being happily (practically giddy, no lie) carried out by police from her protest? I guess she figured this way she was SURE to overtake the coverage of the 2 biggest hurricanes to hit th U.S. in recent history. I mean, come on...what's more important here???

Next we have this:

"The New Orleans Times-Picayune on Monday described inflated body counts, unverified "rapes," and unconfirmed sniper attacks as among examples of "scores of myths about the dome and Convention Center treated as fact by evacuees, the media and even some of New Orleans' top officials."Indeed, Mayor C. Ray Nagin told a national television audience on "Oprah" three weeks ago of people "in that frickin' Superdome for five days watching dead bodies, watching hooligans killing people, raping people." via latimes.com

The overwhelming desire of the media to overplay and over dramatize a already hugely dramatic story was pathetic and all in the msm should be ashamed.

And then we have this:

Dan Rather whines about bloggers who unraveled the "memogate" story:

"There are other bloggers, and I'll go ahead and say it, that some of the quote, 'mainstream press' seemed to take, if not delight in our dilemma, uh, they picked up pretty quickly on those bloggers who were partisan politically affiliated and/or had ideological axe to grind with us," Rather said."And instead of saying, well they've raised these questions, for example, about the documents, are these questions true? Next thing I know, they were in mainstream newspapers, and away it went."

Let me get this straight. He is mad because MSM newspapers went with a PROVEN story of faked documents during a presidential election???? What is the world coming to?? via newsbusters

Next:

Remember when the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper called Jefferson Parish, LA president Aaron Broussard's tearful outburst, shown September 4th on Meet the Press, "One of the defining media moments of all the hurricane [Katrina] coverage?" Remember how it turned out to be all an emotional lie? Just an easy way to make the government look bad and Bush look worse.

Crooks and Liars makes the argument that Russert re-interviewed Broussard and demanded the truth to appease the rightwing. Which is such a joke!! Like Russert would EVER do anything to appease the right. This guy gets out of bed every morning on the left side, if you know what I mean. He does do a better job than most left leaning journalists to report fairly though, which is why he was so ticked off about the Broussard lie.

Crooks and Liars thinks it is "insensitive" and "callous" to DARE to fact check during a catastrophe. PLEASE! When the left is doing everything in it's power to lay blame at Bush's feet instead of the local (Democrat) government, where most of the blame does lie, then your damn straight we are going to fact check it. Especially when it is deemed "The defining moment" of the the Hurricane.

Do I think this man just made a mistake in the emotional horror he was experiencing? Yes. Do I think he was using it for poltitical purposes? No. Do I think the leftwing media used it as such? You're damned right they did. And we just aren't going to let them get away with it anymore.

Let me tell you what went right in Hurricane Rita. When the local government said to get the hell out, WE DID. Do you not think there would have been massive amounts of injury and death if we hadn't? The lower half of Louisiana was practically empty, where most of the damage occurred. Galveston, where it was suppose to hit, was completely evacuated. To be fair, we did have Katrina to scare us into it. But it did prove that the local government is the one who is responsible for getting people prepared in an emergency and for first responders afterwards. Period. The people in Mississippi and Alabama seemed to understand that during Katrina.

To us bloggers, it hasn't been as much about placing blame, as it was defending reports that were clearly false and put out there for the sole purpose of making Bush look bad. I have never seen anything like it. I hope to never it see it again. But I know I will.

Head 'em up, and move 'em out....

We are heading home today. We will spending the night in Shreveport with family. We will be going the back roads down to Houston. I just pray we don't hit the traffic we did coming out. But there isn't much we can do about it. They will be letting the lower portion of Houston back in by Tuesday or Wednesday and no one wants to be in that either. We will keep our gas tank full as long as we can and hope for the best.

This really did turn out to be a blessing. I wasn't going to be able to see my family for a while. We are having Thanksgiving at my house with my husband's side of the family and we are going to Mexico for Christmas, so this was great to see everybody. And we did get to see a BUNCH of family and had a wonderful time (eating too much as usual!). Including my adorable new niece (my Godchild), who you saw pictures of back in June.

There really is a silver lining to every dark cloud. Wish us luck as we make our way back and I hope to be back blogging by Tuesday!

Just an evacuee blogging...

It doesn't look too bad in Houston, thank God. Did anyone see Shepard Smith take a fall and roll and get up to keep reporting last night from Beaumont? Too funny. This guy wants a pulitzer so bad he can taste it.

My Mom has dial up here and the wait time just drives me crazy, so I can't even surf the news for ya'll! I am gonna post a rerun again. This is one of my all time favorites. If you have been reading me a while, you have read it. It is from April 30th and it tells you just about all you need to know about me. Enjoy.


My Dream.

I have a reoccurring dream about my grandma. She is sitting on the front porch of her house, which is brilliant white set upon a brilliant white hill. I climb the steps and sit beside her on the front porch swing. She smiles at me and I take her hand and lay my head on her shoulder. I say, “I love you grandma.” “I love you too sweetie,” She replies. I look at her. “I miss you so much.” “I’m still here,” she says. “But it’s not the same.” I say sadly. “No. no it isn’t,” She says as she hugs me.

I close my eyes and see flashes of my childhood with her in brilliant color and texture. I see myself picking blueberries for breakfast in the early morning. I see me running through clean white sheets she is hanging on the line in the sunshine. I see me lying in bed beside her at night with the wind blowing the curtains in the window as she teaches me to pray.

Every child should have a person in their life like my grandma. I was so blessed to have wonderful parents. But to have another person who thinks you hung the moon, as my grandma did about me, causes a child to believe in oneself as never before.

I was one years old when my grandma’s husband died. She never re-married although still young and attractive. (She had had my dad when she was 15) She ran a “nursery” from her house that would be called a daycare today. There were two rooms attached to her garage and that is where the children ate and slept. She lived on a 10 acre playground. She had a big swing set, but nothing else. We played with old rubber tires, making up our games by building with them or rolling them or laying in them. We had trees to climb, dirt and ditches to play in. I don’t ever remember being bored. Imagination is a wonderful playmate.

It drove my dad crazy that she would hardly charge more than she spent. If a mother couldn’t pay one month, she would let it go. There was something so strong and independent about her. And there was love. Oh boy, was there ever love.

There were birthdays and Easter. There were Sunday dinners, Fourth of July, and any event she could celebrate, she did. Every Christmas Eve of my childhood was spent at my Grandma’s. First with just my family, my Aunt and Uncle, and later my cousins and nieces and nephews. We would start out with a big dinner with us kids itching to get it over with so we could open our presents. When given the go ahead, we would race to the living room and stand and marvel at our glittery presents as they reflected the brilliant lights of the Christmas tree. It was……magic.

Years later after my grandma had died and I was grown, I remember singing Christmas carols in a choir at a nursing home. As we were singing I noticed an old lady in a wheelchair crying. I left the stage and went to her and knelt down and took her hand. “Are you alright?” I asked. She said simply, “I miss Christmas.” I knew exactly what she meant. I said, “I do too.”

When my father died I was only 22 yrs old. My grandma was only 68. I spent 2 weeks with my mother, sleeping with her and comforting her. But during the day when everyone would come over, I drove to my grandma’s. As much pain as my mother was in I knew that there was no greater pain than losing a child. As usual though, my grandma was the one who made me strong.

My Grandma was never famous, never wrote a book, never won a Pulitzer, she never even finished high school, but she forever lives on through her love. She celebrated my life. She taught me how to celebrate it as well. Her love and her caring are a part of me that I give to my children and they will give to theirs. Generations from now my great great grandchildren will not know my Grandma’s name, but they will know her, because she will live in them by the love that she passed down. That is the legacy each of us is allowed to give. Who will remember what you did or the car you drove, or how much money you made? But love…that will be forever remembered and lived.

When I realized that I was losing my grandma to Alzheimer’s, I tried to tell her how much she meant to me before she forgot me. I stumbled on the words. How do you thank someone for giving you self confidence? For teaching you compassion? For loving you unconditionally? Words did not seem enough. I simply said, “Thank you for loving me so much.” With her usual way of making me feel like a princess, she smiled and said, “You made it easy.”

In my dream when I open my eyes I am alone on the porch swing. I look around for my grandma, but I can't find her. I close my eyes again and hear my heart beating in the quiet. And I realize that she is there, in every beat of my heart. In all the love that I feel.

She is there.

What a Nightmare...

Well, I made it safely out of Houston. But I have never seen anything like that in my life. We left at 4am Thursday morning. I drove the back way to where I only had to move up the frontage road of I-45N
for about 1/2 mile to my exit going east. I took me almost 2 hours to go that distance. We could see hundreds of cars on the side of the road that had either run out of gas or they had been driving for 12 hours getting from Galveston to The Woodlands (about 40 miles north of Houston) and had pulled off to sleep. I even saw some tents pitched in the median and people sleeping on the ground in sleeping bags.

The powers that be had shut off most of the exit and on ramps getting out of Houston. I heard a 58 yr old woman on the local talk radio describe how she was forced to pull over and go to the bathroom on the side of the road because there was no getting off the highway and she had been driving for 12 hours. She said that she was now at The Woodlands, which I had just left to go east (Thank God) and I thought, "Well, she has another 12 hours ahead of her at least, to get to Dallas. People were pushing their cars to save on gas since everything was literally moving at a snails pace.

Once I got going east it was fine. I had to get on 59 North for a short way, but that took me another 2 hours. Finally I got off that highway. I had mapped out back roads through rural Texas and rural Lousiana to get through to Mississippi. I ran into some problems with people evacuating from Beaumont. There were a few backups but nothing like the ones being experienced by the people on I-45. That highway was the nightmare I knew it would be. Thursday morning they finally decided to open the southbound lanes of I-45 to go north. That had never been done before. Last I heard they were bringing fuel trucks up the highway to give people gas. But I never found out if that happened.

I got lucky so many times. First I was lucky that I thought to fill up on gas on Tuesday, because by Wednesday there wasn't gas to be had anywhere! I started to run out when I was in rural Lousiana, but I said a quick prayer, and lo and behold we came up this little po-dunk service station that only had about 5 cars sitting there. I thought it couldn't possibly have gas, because if it did, there would be a line miles long. (we had seen two stations like that off 59N before we needed gas) Anyway, I pulled up and didn't even have to wait!! I couldnt' believe it. It was a miracle.

A drive that normally takes me about 8 hours took me about 14 hours. Not bad really considering what so many people went through just to get through Houston.

Now I am just watching and waiting to see what happens. Last night I went to sleep and all I could see was the road. I dreamt of the road. But I am glad I got out. Let us all hope and pray that it isn't as bad as they expect it to be.

I want to thank everyone for their good wishes and prayers. And a big thank you to all of you who offered a place to stay. Truly sweet!

You will be seeing this everywhere today..

But I HAVE to post it, just in case you missed it, because no one should miss a military guy telling a ignorant reporter that he is "stuck on stupid." TOO FUNNY AND TOO TRUE!!! via Ace.

Rita! Go Away!!

I went to the grocery store yesterday at mid-day and it was PACKED! I mean check out lines winding down the aisles. People are freaking out because of Katrina.

I just can't decide whether to leave or not. Traffic will be an absolute nightmare. Getting out of Houston is bad enough on a good day. Galveston (about an hour 1/2 south) is having a mandatory evacuation today. So the traffic is already bad.

I know we will lose electricity. We lose that in a regular storm. But I have provisions and I can live without electricity for a few days. Luckily I don't need air conditioning. Heat doesn't bother me much. So to leave or not to leave.

That is the question.

Boys To Men.

* I decided to post some "reruns." Since I have so many more readers from when I first started. I thought I would post some of my earlier thoughts that may not have much to do with politics. Some times I just get worn out talking about politics, even though I enjoy it. So enjoy some of Rightwingsparkle's reruns!' This is from February 26th, 2005.*


Tonight I watched the football movie "Friday Night Lights." If you're not familiar with it, it is a true story about an Odessa high school football team who, against all odds, made it to the State Championship played at the Astrodome in 1988. Yeah, I know it is an old movie, but I always get around to watching these things a couple of years later. I don't have the time or the desire to go to the movies. I like the comfort of my big couch, my big screen, and that pause button. Anyway, this isn't a review of the movie. (which is pretty good, and very accurate about the football madness of Texas) It really made me think about how completely different men are to women (I know, duh) and made me realize a bit how so many men turn out the way they do.

Now this isn't guy bashing, just stick with me here. My brothers were pretty good athletes as was I. Baseball was their game and basketball was mine. I also cheered and played softball and track, but I loved basketball most of all. My husband's high school football team won their state championship in Mississippi back in 1978, I believe. My daughter is an unbelievable basketball player. But being the popular cheerleader was more important, so she chose that instead in high school since they don't let the girls do both. (completely unfair, but that is another post) My other two boys played, but just for the fun of it. Didn't really get into into it or have the passion for it. But still I think they were affected by the coaches and their love of the game. It seems all guys have a deep affection or hatred for their high school coaches. After watching this movie I can see why.

In all the years I played sports I never remember a coach yelling in my face. I never remember a parent going ballistic over a call. But my brothers and my sons? Well, that is a whole different ballgame (excuse the pun) Yelling and parental stupidity is out of control. The part in the movie that really got to me was when the character played by Tim McGraw (an abusive father who had won his high school championship and whose son was playing in this one) told his son that he was not getting it. He didn't understand that this was the best life was ever going to be. After that it's nothing. One of the local ummm...rednecks told one of the football players, "after this there aint nothing but babies and memories."

Well how sad and pathetic is that? Life holds so many wonderful things for you. You're washed up at 17? No. No. No. First of all, I see a competitiveness in men that I do not see in women. Not even close. The article that got around a few days ago about there not being as many women bloggers because we don't like to argue or something like that. It is true that in general, women do not like conflict. Men, sometimes thrive on it.

This testorone filled movie got me to thinking how hard it is for men and women to understand each other. Even for men who never played sports have that same competitive spirit. And to be honest, in my opinion, sports brings out the worst in guys. I know , I know, it is all about team playing, about winning, about trying your hardest....blah, blah, blah. But I see egos the same size as their trucks and guys who think so much of themselves they don't seem to have much left over to think much of women. Jose Conseco's latest book is being blasted by players over his allegations of steroid use, not much is being said about his allegations of the cheating and whoring the players did. Boys will be boys. Right?

Right.

I blogged once on my experience with dating athletes, but I can't find it. Suffice it to say I knew from the start that I was never going to be first in their lives. The sport would always be, so those relationships didn't last long, believe me. So when 2 of my sons didn't show much interest in it, that was fine with me. There doesn't seem to be the same problem in girl's sports so my daughter being a great athlete has been fine also. But now I have my youngest son, who at 8 yrs old has already won 2 MVP awards for his teams on baseball and basketball and he didn't start playing until he was 6. (it is a shame that in Texas they start the teams at 3, yes I said 3.) Anyway, he is playing on a select baseball team now that he was asked to be on. Another one asked him, but it was a traveling team and we said no. I can hardly believe I have to make these decisions at eight! He is playing football now and is the quarterback even though he has never played before. He is a natural athlete, no doubt. I don't mean to sound like I am bragging. I know who has talent and who doesn't. I have two that do and two that don't. Not only does my son have talent, but he has passion for it. Since he was 6 he watched ESPN like most kids watch cartoons. He never plays video games, he is too busy playing football or basketball outside with his friends. My oldest son built his own computer from scratch, my youngest has never even looked at the computer. But now I worry. Is this what I want for the sweetest of my children? He was born with a generous soul and a golden heart. A sweeter kid you will not find anywhere. Do I want him going into a sport where a coach yells in your face all day? Where your told that winning is everything and this is the best time of your life? What if he show true promise? I don't even like the idea of him playing high school football, much less college.

It is like being a movie star. It looks glamorous and wonderful until you realize they can't stay married, they hardly know their children, and they cheat and do drugs and the Hollywood culture is horrible. I know there are exceptions, but you KNOW that is the rule. Same with athletes. If you played high school or college sports or beyond and you think that that was the best thing that ever happened to you, then you are missing out on what it is really important and best in life.

Like the guy in the movie said about his HS state championship, "there aint nothing but babies and memories after that." Like it was a bad thing. If the miracle of your child is not enough to make you realize that THAT overshadows any stupid touchdown or winning championship, then I feel sorry for you.

A guy said to me one time after he had had a wild young life and married and settled down, "Remember the line in the John Mellencamp song that said 'life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone.'? That is how I feel."

I just felt so sorry for him. I felt like shaking him and telling to wake up and look around. Life is wonderful. Every single day is a gift. A child's good morning kiss, a lazy summer day, a baby's 1st step, and swimming in the salty ocean. These are the things of life that can bring us the joy of living, the joy that feeds our souls.

There may not be crowds cheering us. There may not be trophies or spotlights, but there is a whole world out there waiting for us every day. Perhaps some men see themselves as just going through the motions, thankful to have had a little fun. Maybe that explains a lot about them.

Most women I know, even if they don't truly appreciate this miracle of life we are given, they at least understand the fulfillment of giving of themselves. A natural instinct of nurturing that we have, I believe.

So what is my point? I use to say that I would never understand men. Even after a dad and two brothers, a husband and 3 boys. But now I may have an inkling. Funny how some stupid movie can open a bit of a window on something you never understood before. I think men look beyond themselves to feel success and women look at the here and now. (A little profound thought from the mind of Righwingsparkle) And my 2nd point is I am not sure I want my youngest to go this route. And I'm not sure there is much I can do about it. I guess I will wait and see what the years bring.

Update: One of my sweet commenters found my other post on Athletes that I couldn't find. It was written in Nov. after the Pistons/Pacers big fight. If you want to read it. Go here.

Check out today's party at The Cotillion!!

Instapundit is linking Confederate Yankee's post on this news From Fox News:

"A suicide bomber captured before he could blow himself up in a Shiite mosque claimed he was kidnapped, beaten and drugged by insurgents who forced him to take on the mission. The U.S. military said its medical tests indicated the man was telling the truth.
Mohammed Ali, who claimed to be Saudi-born and appeared to be in his 20s, said he managed to flee after another suicide attacker set off his bomb, killing at least 12 worshippers Friday as they left a mosque in the northern city of Tuz Khormato.
In confession broadcast on state television later that day, Ali told Iraqi interrogators he did not want to bomb the mosque and hoped to go home.
Results from medical tests on Ali were "consistent with his story and characterization of his treatment," Col. Billy J. Buckner, a U.S. military spokesman said Sunday."

Confederate Yankee has this thought:

"So much for al-Zaraqawi being "the greatest" if he has to kidnap and drug people to carry out suicide attacks. It seems that the seemingly inexhaustible supply of willing suicide bombers that we westerners have come to fear is exhaustible after all. Some might even be willing to think that this validates the Bush/Rumsfeld "flypaper" strategy."

Iraqi The Model says he is not surprised and remembers similiar tactics of Al-Qaeda. It seems that using the mentally disabled has long been a part of the Al-Qaeda plans. You have to wonder where all these "replacements" are that the left bleats about, if they are using disabled children.

The picture above is the suicide bomber in question. If you look closely you can see the wires hanging from his waist. via Iraqi The Model.

Will PETA be upset with terrorists?

Just another example of their evil.