Just made a comment over on DragonWatch

that may need some explicatin' {under his post singing paeans to Kerry
;-)} ..........................
My spousal unit & I first met back in 1977, in Memphis - he was just coming off the San Diego drill field as a DI, I was a newly-minted Pvt. from Parris Island .................. he fulfilled my need for a friend who I could ask "guy questions" of - {"why do guys .................?"} - he became known as my big brother - we had a semi-platonic relationship {we kissed & cuddled, but no sex} - when I was done with school there in Memphis, I was transferred to Cherry Point - he was heading back to New River, so he gave me a ride - we get to Cherry Point, and it's overwhelming - it's a HUGE base - he recommends I put in for New River {I think he was concerned about the trouble I could get myself in, on my own at the Pit} - I go one down there - get assigned to my squadron {HMH-362, the Ugly Angels, for those who are interested} - one fine day, I'm hanging out in my shop {Avionics} and HE walks in to check on me - he stands there, typical DI position, hands on hips - I immediately notice - HE HAS ROCKERS! He had just made Staff Sergeant {this is a BIG deal, for those unfamiliar} - I jump up & throw my arms around his neck, congratulating him ........................... we chitchatted for a bit, then he went back to his squadron .......................... my co-workers {I was the ONLY woman in the squadron at the time} were quizzing me as to who he was ....................... nonchalantly told them, he's my big brother ..................... could never figure out why I wasn't asked out on dates after that .......................... ;-) Ya gotta understand - he's 6'2" - at the time, he was about 215# - ALL muscle - had the broadest shoulders, tiniest waist & hips I'd EVER seen ..........................
ANYhoo, we lost touch for about 21 years ...................... on 1 July 1999, I sent out 19 postcards, to every Mike L******** who's snailmail I could find on the 'Net - reason I sent postcards, if he was married/involved, I didn't want to cause problems for him - on 6 July {coincidentally, my parents' 45th wedding anniversary}, got a call - soon as I heard his voice, I KNEW it was him - came down to Houston for a 4 day visit at the end of July - the night I returned to PA, he told me he loved me - 10 days later, he proposed {he still gets a chuckle from my speechlessness then} - I moved down in September, we were married the end of November {the Friday after Thanksgiving - to him, THAT's our anniversary! ;-)} moved to Mexico the following May ............................. that's where "Before we got back in touch" comes in ....................... ;-)

I LIKE folks who "call out" keyboard cowards .........................

"The netnuts are fond of calling those of us who support the mission in Iraq chickenhawks. What do you call someone who sits on their ass in front of a keyboard, railing against the President, claiming that the United States is falling into a dictatorship, and writing about how awful this war is and yet refuses to practice the kinds of civil disobedience that their fathers and mothers used to actually bring the Viet Nam war to an end?

"I call them what they are; rank cowards. There should be a million people on the mall today. Instead, there might be 50,000. Today’s antiwar left talks big but cowers in the corner. I have often written about how unserious the left is about what they believe. The reason is on the mall today. If they really thought that the United States was on the verge of becoming a dictatorship are you seriously trying to tell me that any patriotic American wouldn’t do everything in their power to prevent it rather than mouth idiotic platitudes and self serving bromides?

"I know what I would do if I actually believed the United States was in danger of slipping into some kind of authoritarian, anti-Constitutional nightmare. And it wouldn’t be sitting at this keyboard trying to come up with cleverest way to skewer my political opponent. And I know I wouldn’t be alone either. The fact is, the left is not blessed with any special insights into what evil George is trying to do to the Constitution. They are a small, pitiful minority of paranoid, self aggrandizing mountebanks who are courageous when it comes to calling people names but abject cowards when it comes to actually standing up for their beliefs and putting iron behind their words of change."

ANTI-WAR PROTEST: WHERE IS EVERYONE?

Hey, Harrisburg, Hilversum, Kingwood, Manchester, San Jose -

don't just sit there, silently - join in the commentary!!

GC, thank you for your comments on my previous post ............... ;-)

Moscow Mayor Calls Gay Pride Parade Satanic

Created: 29.01.2007 14:57 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:50 MSK, 12 hours 39 minutes ago
MosNews

Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said Monday he would never allow a gay parade to take place in Moscow despite pressure from the West, Russia’s RIA-Novosti news agency reports.

“Last year, Moscow came under unprecedented pressure to sanction the gay parade, which can be described in no other way than as Satanic,” Luzhkov said at the 15th Christmas educational readings in the Kremlin Palace.

Satan is Gay

OK, disclaimer time here - I was molested by a lesbian from the ages of 9-13 - it took me many years to come to terms with that, and to learn to not blame all lesbians and, by extension, the gay community as a whole, as pedophiles .......................... after our experiences living in Mexico, I have to say, I believe most gays/lesbians are born "that way" - with the numbers of gay men we met in Mexico, I'm convinced that no one would consciously 'choose' the lifestyle, knowing what they would have to deal with in a machismo society such as Mexico's ...........................

I don't pretend to understand the issues of being gay in the 21st century; it isn't right for me, but I don't believe I have the "moral authority" {to quote the Bansheehan} to tell someone else they are going to hell, because of 'who' they love ........................... as long as they {whoever "they" are, whether hetero- or homo- } DO NOT use children to satisfy their sexuality ........................ I don't care what their rationale may be, children are off limits .........................

That said, I think Mayor Luzhkov may find more than a few of his EU neighbors letting him know that his attitude is completely unacceptable ........................... the Russian gay community should all head to Munich for a parade ........................... ;-)

"Political Correctness is a doctrine

fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous liberal press, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

;-)

(This definition has been attributed to students at Texas A&M University. Just so you will know that Aggies know how to do more than build bonfires.)

Here is the substitute for the flu shot. ;-)

Miss Beatrice, the church organist, was in her eighties and had never been married. She was admired for her sweetness and kindness to all.

One afternoon the pastor came to call on her and she showed him into her quaint sitting room. She invited him to have a seat while she prepared tea.

As he sat facing her old Hammond organ, the young minister noticed a cut-glass bowl sitting on top of it. The bowl was filled with water, and in the water floated, of all things, a condom! When she returned with tea and scones, they began to chat.

The pastor tried to stifle his curiosity about the bowl of water and its strange floater, but soon it got the better of him and he could no longer resist.

"Miss Beatrice", he said, "I wonder if you would tell me about this?" pointing to the bowl.

"Oh, yes," she replied, "Isn't it wonderful? I was walking through the park a few months ago and I found this little package on the ground. The directions said to place it on the organ, keep it wet and that it would prevent the spread of disease. Do you know I haven't had the flu all winter."

I know, I've been remiss ..............................

{Note to self: Do NOT indulge in wasabi-teriyaki macadamia nuts if you haven't eaten anything else all day ........................ :-( }

New term to add to y'all's vocabulary - "astro-turfing" - false grass roots organizations ............................

Astro-Turf

My biggest question about "SN" Hutto - if he's so smart, has a degree from Howard University - WHY did he not join the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer?

I'm thinking he went in as a ringer - it's a variation of the "Wannabe Syndrome", with it's own set of pernicious behavior ....................... just about anyone who's spent time on active duty, in any branch of the service, has met someone who claimed a SEAL/Force Recon/SpecOps background, who turn out to be pathetic Walter Mittys ....................... seems to me, Mr. Hutto {he doesn't deserve acknowledgment of his rate} went into the Navy with the absolute purpose of denigrating our military - and what better way than to work toward a Mass Communications specialist rating?

I have a new CD/DVD combo ........................

my spousal unit is by-God determined that I be able to watch movies he downloads on my computer ...................... I was just trying to copy some text files to a CD ....................... I didn't think it was supposed to be making those weird noises ....................... "Burn process failed" .......................... :-(
Gotta hair question - my hair is kinda long - having problems, in that the ends get SO tangled, SO easily ....................... past couple of shampoos, after I've rinsed the conditioner out, I've applied VO5 from the tube {it doesn't smell as nice as I recall from my youth!}, to about 4" from the ends on down, let it 'set' under a shower cap for the length of time a 120 mm cigarette takes to smoke, then rinsing the excess out ...................... I already use Proclaim glossing 'stuff' - but STILL the ends tangle - I don't generally blow dry {let the air do it}, or straighten or curl it ...........................
Last week, it got so cold here {yes, we're in Texas, but you get a little chill in the air in the Houston area, and the humidity makes it feel a LOT colder}, I brought Stubby 'K' in the house {he doesn't even have a tail to wrap round himself, and he's a shorthair} - initially, he was in a cat carrier most of the day - he's now ensconced in the second bathroom, with litter pan, food & water - we thought we were going to lose him over the weekend - he wasn't eating anything, or drinking any water - I forced some water on him - then he started showing interest in life again - he's been eating well for about 36 hours, but I haven't given him too much, so he doesn't overload his stomach - I'm figuring we dodged a bullet - feline leukemia is endemic here, and we figure that's why he was dumped - his "people" found out he had leukemia, and 1) didn't have the funds to treat it {it can be hideously expensive} and 2) didn't have the guts to have him euthanised .......................... so, he's with us, for as long as he has, as long as he has quality of life, and isn't in pain ........................

Dictionary of Marine Corps Terms and Words

LANGUAGE ALERT!

Used in Vietnam, Section 2
---------------------------------------
CARRY ON!: resume what you were doing; as you were.
CASUAL COMPANY: unit of Marines awaiting reassignment.
CC: Corrective Custody; jail, the brig.
CHARLIE: Viet Cong soldier, the enemy.
CHOPS: the jaw or mouth, smaked in the teeth, see Jib
CHUCK: black Marine's term for white Marine.
CG: Commanding General.
CHIEU HOI (Viet.): freedom; safe conduct pass; program whereby
VC who surrendered were assured safe conduct.
CHINESE FIRE DRILL: an out of hand, screwed up situation
CHIMPO: see choda.
CHIT: written authorization or receipt.
CHODA: same as chimpo.
CHOW: food.
CHOW HALL: mess hall.
CIRCLE JERK: A fucked up operation or maneuver, poor
planning, a chinese fire drill.
CLICK: one notch of sight adjustment on a rifle.
CLUSTER FUCK: an event that gets out of control.
CINDERELLA LIBERTY: time off which ends at midnight.
CO (Viet.): girl, woman.
COLD COCKED: to have been knocked out by a punch.
COLORS: n. the flag; v. ceremony of raising or lowering the flag.
CON BIET? (Viet) do you understand?
C-RATS: C rations, canned field rations.
COM RATS: commuted rations; in lieu pay for meals eaten off base.
CORPSMAN: Navy medic serving with Marines.
COVER: hat.
COVER ASS: take precautions to avoid blame.
THE CROTCH: derogatory term for Marine Corps.
CRUISE: period of enlistment; tour of duty.
DECK: floor.
DECKED: too be knocked to the deck (floor) by a punch.
DEUCE-AND-A-HALF: 2 1/2 ton truck.
DI-DI (Viet.): leave, go, move out.
DI-DI MAU (Viet.): emphatic of Di-di.

Sometimes, folks say the Marine Corps

has a language all it's own ............................ herewith are some Marine Corps terms from the VietNam era ......................... NOT for those for whom strong language is a turnoff ....................... you HAVE been warned ............................ ;-)


Dictionary of Marine Corps Terms and Words
Used in Vietnam, Section 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOARD: on base; with us.
ACTUAL: radio talk for unit commander.
ALL HANDS: everyone.
AMTRACK: amphibious tractor; landing craft.
AO DAI (Viet.): formal attire worn by Vietnamese women.
ARVN: A South Vietnamese soldier or Army of Vietnam
AS YOU WERE!: resume what you were doing; correction.
ASSHOLES AND ELBOWS: in a hurry; quickly.
BA MUI BA ("33"): Vietnamese beer.
BAC SI (Viet.): Doctor, used for Corpsman.
BAM: Broad Ass Marine; derogatory name for Woman Marine. NOTE: While @ Parris Island, we were informed that BAM stood for "Beautiful American Marine" - of course, as the progeny of a Marine Mustang, I knew better! ;-)
BARRACKS COVER: garrison (frame) cap.
BATTLE PIN: necktie clip.
BCD: Bad Conduct Discharge.
BELAY: stop; quit.
BILLET: assignment or job; place of residence.
BIMBO: a Blond woman, stupid person, dumb.
BIRD: aircraft.
BLOUSE: n. jacket; v. tuck in, secure.
BLOUSING BANDS: elastic bands used to secure utility trouser cuffs.
BLUES: Dress Blue Uniform.
BLT: Battalion Landing Team.
BOONDOCKS (BOONIES): rugged isolated back country.
BOONDOCKERS: low-topped work boots issued to Air Wing Marines and reservists.
BOOT: recruit.
BOO-COO: (Fr. beaucoup) much, many.
BRAIN HOUSING GROUP: your gourd, mind, brain, or head.
BRASS: officers.
BRIG: jail.
BRIG RAT: jail inmate.
BRIG CHASER: MP assigned to escort prisoners.
BROTHER: black Marine (also Splib).
BROWN SIDE-OUT: desert camouflage pattern.
BULKHEAD: wall.
BY-THE-NUMBERS: in sequence.
CANNON COCKERS: artillerymen.

OK, here goes the "meme" ......................

since the Goddess 'tagged' me .................. ;-)

1. LawDog started this Meyers-Briggs stuff, so I’m an INTP on M-Bs’ hoop-ti-do – which explains a lot …………………….. though people who see me day-to-day would question the “introvert” part ………………………. ;-)

2. There are probably a few Marines around who were “along for the ride” back in ‘78 or '79 – I was duty driver in Yuma, AZ, for the day – just so happened, that was the day a lot of folks were re-qualifying with firearms. OK, so I’ve got a full-size pickup truck, with a 4-door cab, & go to retrieve the Marines from the range; there are 6-7 Marines in the cab with me, and 8-12 in the bed of the truck. We have to return the weapons & ammo to the armory, which at that time is/are a series of 12-20 Quonset huts, half-submerged in the sand, in an ‘open box’ arrangement, with the guardshack along one of the ‘long sides’ – we follow the armory personnel to a hut on the far side of the ‘the box’, going in a left turn, right turn, right turn manner in front of other huts. Everything is offloaded and accounted for, and the armory guys, in their Jeep, CHALLENGED me to a race back to the guardshack. OK, fine - never let it be said that M-Squared/M&M {my nicknames} let down my Marine Corps in a challenge ……………………………. We go hell-for-leather at about a 50-60 degree angle across the ‘open area’ of ‘the box’ ……………………………. The guard on duty at the shack came out, with a face as white as a sheet …………………………….. “WTH were you doing? That field is MINED!!” ……………………………. Ooops …………………………….. BTW, yes, we did win the race ……………………………. ;-)

3. I like going for walks while snow is falling; once that stops, however, and it’s just cold, let me stay in where it’s warm & dry, with plenty of coffee & tea, cigarettes, books, my cats and my Magic Elf Box.

4. I like to do a lot of different craft things – right now, I’m very frustrated that I can’t find a store that carries reed for making baskets {I KNOW I can get it on the ‘Net – it just isn’t the same} – I’m very tactile, in that I like to feel stuff before I decide to incorporate it into whatever I’m doing. BTW, please don’t refer to me as “creative” – the nuns did a good job on me – there is only ONE “Creative force” in existence – most refer to Him/Her as “God” ………………………. Call me “artistic”…………………… ;-) You do know that “When God made man, She was only joking”, right? Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe

5. Had someone notice once that, in a restaurant where you have pictures of dishes, and written descriptions, I’ll rely more on the written descriptions than the pictures …………………….. I don’t know how that is utilized in ‘personality descriptions’, but there you are ………………………… ;-)

OK, now
Gay Cynic, Old CatMan, the folks at Crusader Rabbit, The Bitch Girls, and Suicide of the West -- TAG! You're IT!!

UGH!

Richardson announces for Presidency

OK, here we go ....................... "professional Hispanic" Richardson is throwing his hat in the ring ......................... isn't it funny, how it's only in the past few years that we've heard of his "Hispanic heritage"? Seems when he was in Slick Willie's cabinet, that was never mentioned ...................... whassamatter? Wouldn't the white bread group then in charge accept a half-Hispanic in the circles of power?
God forbid, but should he be elected, expect immediately after he's sworn into office to have at least the southern border thrown wide open ........................ he's a Hispandering politician, and nothing, short of a written/typed/SIGNED document by him, to the effect that he will enforce our laws that restrict/end illegal immigration would change my mind ........................
TANCREDO FOR PRESIDENT!

Seems the U.S. Constitution has been

suspended in New Hampshire ...................... you know the parts, that silly right to petition the government, and that little irritant known as freedom of speech?
Now, I'm the first to tell ya, in my {much} younger days, I did smoke a little illegal stuff .......................... and, if it were currently legal, I would probably smoke about as often I have a drink {@ one every 6-9 months, my doctor classifies me as a non-drinker .................. ;-) }
Personally, I think marijuana should come under the same rules/regulations/guidelines as alcohol ....................... I also believe that it should be an option for people battling cancer, glaucoma, other diseases - I'm a firm believer in the alleviation of pain and discomfort - but there should be the same restrictions {ie, driving, operating heavy machinery} that are noted with a lot of the currently recognized pharmaceuticals .......................
Here's hoping Rep. Burridge becomes a one-term wonder .................... does he even remember New Hampshire's motto - Live Free or Die?

Rest in Peace, Art Buchwald .......................

Art Buchwald dies at 81 ....................... I read you in high school - you made DC, if not comprehensible, funny!
You will be missed, U.S. Marine Sergeant .........................

Gay Cynic, over at .............................

Free Thinker blogspot, has a post devoted to Senate Bill 1, which, for those of us in the blogworld, would effectively silence our individual and collective commentary .................... because, Folks, no matter WHAT a person says or writes, there will be someone who gets their widdle feelings hurt, and claim offense ......................... I've known people who were offended if you wished them 'Good morning', so don't get the attitude of too many people I've known, who are bullies on keyboards, but if they're met face-to-face are Gutless Wonders, and think you can maintain your anonymity here on the 'Net ...................... if Uncle wants to find you, he WILL {unless you're an illegal alien - THEN Uncle can't find his butt with both hands ............................... }

Hey, you folks in Kinder, LA ........................

& Hilversum, Noord Holland, are welcome to comment ...................... y'all stop by, but don't say anything! ;-)

If I can figure out ...........................

how to make this "take" on the right side, it'll be permanent, unless/until the Border Patrol agents are vindicated ........................ think I'll start a running deal on law enforcement officers being penalized for doing their jobs ................ anybody have an Officer Danny Faulkner link?

New site I discovered, while noodling via

The Devil's Kitchen {WARNING: Language Alert!} is European Commission ..................... for those interested in the "goings-on" across the Pond ....................... ;-)

Taking a {partial page} from

Ambulance Driver {with a couple of additions} to see what the websearch ghoulies & ghosties do for my stats ........................... ;)


Harry Potter
Iraq war
naked webcam
Hurricane Katrina
Brittney Spears
Paris Hilton
Rosie O'Donnell
Donald Trump

I really enjoy the WorldWideWeb .....................

not only does it enable "keeping in touch" with friends here in the U.S. - but you can "meet" folks from all over the world - looking @ my sitemeter stats, folks from Israel, Japan & Australia have visited recently ................... as well as a couple of Canadian folks last night ..................... this is SO cool!
If anybody is headed to Plzen, CZR, in the near future, let me know - I know of a GREAT cyber-cafe there, and Renate will take good care of you! ;) If you're headed to Monterrey, Mexico, I know one there, too - as well as a hotel-based 'Net access near Graz, Austria ...................... ;)

If I may recommend .......................

the post titled Qods Piece on Michelle Malkin's blog ................... it's by the folks at Big Lizards blog, who are assisting in filling in for Ms. Malkin, who is over in Iraq, at the invitation of Eason Jordan, to see for herself what's going on .............................

Major M.E. "Gene" Pullin, USMC{Ret} .................

born 14 January 1929, died 9 December 1999 ........................ you are missed every day, Viejo .......................

BTW, welcome to our visitor from

what I believe is referred to as The Eternal City, Beijing!

In case y'all hadn't guessed .........................

I like cats ...................... ;)
My dream is to take a page from the book of the folks at Cheetah's Rock, and get about 100 acres up in the Casper, WY, area, and ONE (1) female cheetah - did you know, cheetahs are so genetically non-diverse that there are studies that say they all have no more diversity than identical twins? For the biologically interested, that isn't a good thing ...................... and with an infant/cub mortality rate of 75%, conservation efforts are owed to this magnificent animal ..........................
Reason I want ~ 100 acres is, I want a female clouded leopard, too .......................... breed each every other estrus cycle, so they can recover, and give their attention to the cubs they have .............. the cubs would then {IF I could stand to part with them! :-(} go to reputable zoos or other conservation organizations ....................... the links below are so my readers/viewers can see what I'm talking about, re: the beauty and magnificence of these most noble of God's creatures ......................


Cheetah's Rock
Clouded Leopard
More Cheetahs

Got the various "parts" in the bread-maker .............

set to "Dough" cycle - the "innards" are ready in the fridge - so my spousal unit will have homemade kolaches for breakfast ..................... ;)
Picked up some Dryer Balls per the Goddess' suggestion - no, they're not ........................ 'marital aids' ...................... for your large appliances :-) - they 'tumble' your laundry more effectively, to alleviate the need for dryer sheets, and to cut down on drying time ....................
We've a new cat, showed up a couple days ago; I thought he was a "regular" I'd been feeding for a while, but Stubby 'K' is a Manx - VERY affectionate, but nothing but skin & bones ....................... I just hope there's a special level of hell for those who neglect/abandon/abuse animals ....................... HOW can someone take a pet they obviously at one time loved {or at least, they were able to get the animal to love THEM}, and abandon them to 'life on the streets'? I'm sorry, but I'm a firm believer in euthanasia, if YOU can't find a new home for your pet ..................... and at least have the sense of responsibility to have them neutered! The ONLY reason I haven't brought Stubby into the house is that he's intact .................... and my poor sinuses just couldn't handle his spraying right now .........................

This is just SO WRONG on SO MANY levels ............................

you're {happily?} sending your kids off to public school each day - they catch the bus to & from .......................... suddenly, one morning, the bus driver informs your two 10 year olds & one 8 year old that they can't ride the bus anymore .......................... because they are native English speakers! ........................... did the compulsively stupid "adults" stop to consider that hearing English from peer-level native speakers just might benefit the Hmong kids?

Native English speakers kicked off school bus

Since Holly the Goddess was pleased ....................

by my posting of Desiderata, I thought this would be an apropo followup ..................... I first heard this one when I was a young mother ..................... OK, so we were rather femino-centric back then .....................;)


For Strong Women
A strong woman is a woman who is straining

A strong woman is a woman standing
on tiptoe and lifting a barbell
while trying to sing "Boris Godunov."

A strong woman is a woman at work
cleaning out the cesspool of the ages,
and while she shovels, she talks about
how she doesn't mind crying, it opens
the ducts of the eyes, and throwing up
develops the stomach muscles, and
she goes on shoveling with tears in her nose.

A strong woman is a woman in whose head
a voice is repeating, I told you so,
ugly, bad girl, bitch, nag, shrill, witch,
ballbuster, nobody will ever love you back,
why aren't you feminine, why aren't
you soft, why aren't you quiet, why aren't you dead?

A strong woman is a woman determined
to do somehing others are determined
not be done. She is pushing up on the bottom
of a lead coffin lid. She is trying to raise
a manhole cover with her head, she is trying
to butt her way through a steel wall.

Her head hurts. People waiting for the hole
to be made say, hurry, you're so strong.

A strong woman is a woman bleeding
inside. A strong woman is a woman making
herself strong every morning while her teeth
loosen and her back throbs. Every baby,
a tooth, midwives used to say, and now
every battle a scar. A strong woman
is a mass of scar tissue that aches
when it rains and wounds that bleed
when you bump them and memories that get up
in the night and pace in boots to and fro.

A strong woman is a woman who craves love
like oxygen or she turns blue choking.

A strong woman is a woman who loves
strongly and weeps strongly and is strongly
terrified and has strong needs. A strong woman is strong
in words, in action, in connection, in feeling;
she is not strong as a stone but as a wolf
suckling her young. Strength is not in her, but she
enacts it as the wind fills a sail.

What comforts her is others loving
her equally for the strength and for the weakness
from which it issues, lightning from a cloud.

Lightning stuns. In rain, the clouds disperse.

Only water of connection remains,
flowing through us. Strong is what we make
each other. Until we are all strong together,
a strong woman is a woman strongly afraid.

Marge Piercy

As a young'in ...............................

in high school, Desiderata was a poem of hope, & everybody getting along {this was near the end of the VietNam war} ..................... today, I just have ................... "issues" with the line: You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here in light of the current debate on illegal immigration - if you're here in this country illegally, you most assuredly DO NOT have a 'right' to be 'here' - you have a right to live, you have a right to pursue happiness - but if ya didn't have the integrity and moral clarity to cross our borders legally, then I suggest you go back to wherever "home" is and fix your own country ..............................



Desiderata - by Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann c.1920

One of my absolutely-have-to-read-daily

sites is VDare.com ........................ SPLC et al notwithstanding, VDare is the premier voice on the 'Net re: illegal immigration. That said, 'way back in October, {13 October, to be precise} a La Raza/Reconquista type sent a letter regarding Allan Wall, an American living in Mexico, who is in the Texas Army National Guard and had recently returned from duty in Iraq .................... "Mr." Perez' letter is below:

October 13, 2006
Today’s Letter: A Reconquista Reader Wants Allan Wall Back in Iraq…And Dead
From: Anacelto Perez:

Tell Allan Wall to go back to Iraq and get killed.

No one care about his actions, his life is worthless. Wall should give it up and go back to the Northern European cave he came from.

We don’t care what he thinks. Our movement will destroy all of you soon.

Later, capitalist sluts.

Allan Wall replies: “Nice.”


As you might imagine, I was a bit discomfited by "Mr." Perez' commentary/attitude ..................... so I sent him the following, on 13 October:

Mary wrote:
Mr. Perez, I read with bemusement your tirade/tantrum/desire
for the death of, Allan Wall. Let me guess: you're either an illegal, or the "anchor child" of illegals. You were raised to believe that military service is degrading; one defends one's family/tribe, but one's nation isn't worth any sacrifice. You believe in the innate 'superiority' of one race over all others. To you, degree of skin pigmentation is all.
Allow me to explain a little bit about the United States of America, that is no longer acknowledged ............................... we became a nation because of an oppressive 'absentee landlord' ............................... we went through the division of our nation known as "The Civil War" or "The War of Northern Aggression", depending upon where one's antecedents' loyalties lay ....... we recovered/ are still recovering from that ................................... our military helped save Europe in WWI ........................... few years later, our military helped save the world in WWII ................................ we went through the national trauma of the Korean and VietNam wars ............................... our military 'encouraged' Saddam Hussein to leave Kuwait .................................... and, should Hugo Chavez or Fidel or Raul Castro decide that Mexico looked desirable, our military would be there to protect Mexico ............... since Mexico's "military forces" are collectively about as capable of self-defense as the French ..................................
when Mexico City experiences earthquakes, or the Indian Ocean experiences a tsunami, or Iran has an earthquake, among the first and most generous to help are the military and the citizens of the United States of America .........................................
Mr. Wall has honorably served his country .................................. sad to say, but I would venture a guess that you have very limited experience of the concepts of honor, duty, country .............................. as a former Marine, I strongly urge you to return to "the halls of Montezuma", and demand, of your government, that they abolish the corruptocracy that has been status quo for almost 500 years ................................ and allow/encourage Mexico to become the nation it has the potential to become ...................................
Sincerely and
Semper Fidelis
Mary Leverett
Just as a FWIW: I lived in Nuevo Leon, Mexico from April 2000-Sept 2002, so I'm not your typical "gringa" who doesn't really have a clue about life in Mexico .................................


Last evening, eighty-one days after I sent my eMail, I received a response from "Mr." Perez:

Talk about a tirade. I just want you to understand that building your walls is not good for anyone. I understand your plight, for the USA is in decline. There are real problems in the US, and you must work to resolve them, Sorry bye, Joe


Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.


As I told Allan Wall this morning, I really don't like having a battle of wits with someone who isn't armed ...........................

Flo asked about a previous post ................

how "elected representatives" can trample the Constitution ...................... Pelosi & Co. will get away with it for what a friend refers to as 'creeping incrementalism' - they're looking to establish a nanny-state on steroids, to try to make us all dependent on welfare to one degree or another ....................... if that cabal has their way, we'll all have to register, then ultimately surrender any firearms .................... as another friend says, 'an armed populace are citizens, an un-armed populace are subjects' .............................. :(

Just talked over the computer .....................

with Flying Flo ....................... I DO mean "talked" - we got the Yahoo! 'talk over the computer' dealie going, and chatted for over an hour ................... Laugh? Us? NEVER!! {And that's about as full of pi****sh*t as I can get! ;) }
Couldn't get my WebCam to work properly - will have to ask my spousal unit to figure it out & give me the CliffNotes version ......................... ;)
Flo is GREAT fun - her blog is linked to the right - go check her out!

ATTENTION!!

The link below is absolutely critical to maintaining "our" Constitutional Rights ..........................

http://www.grassrootsfreedom.com/

Also, still having "issues" ........................

with our 'Net provider ...................... last night, the modem flaked out @ 1800 - this morning {like yesterday morning}, it didn't "come back" until 0953 ......................... no, I'm not real pleased that I'm limited to 8 hours' 'Net accessibility .......................

Work with me here, Folks ............................

Those who represent the UN in their interventions are, to certain degree, "volunteers", yes? Then how, in the name of all that is holy, can they DO such things?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/03/wsudan03.xml

I know, we've been hearing for years of raping/sexually assaulting UN personnel, 'bartering' sexual favors for food .................. does the word
conscience have any meaning anymore?

Just sent a complaint to Yahoo! .......................

Seems someone decided I needed an eMail directing me to F***Friends in your area QI62 ......................... their "message" is below ..................... I don't know about the rest of the world, but I am more than tired of 'dating sites', etc., ad nauseum .........................

Hey.

Want to find someone to sleep with who lives close by?
75% of our members already found a partner with this system...

And... it is completely free!

Granted, that eMail is more "honest" than most .................... but the glaring crudeness of their "appeal" leaves me cold ..................... I'm a former Marine - I can be crude as the next person - but I am selective about who I allow to witness it .................... I don't enjoy Stephen King's writing as much as I used to, because of the gratuitous use of profanity ........................ Dean Koontz was losing me for a while, because he was hitting the 'slippery slope' of profanity - but he seems to be recovering - Tom Clancy has fallen into the laziness trap, too; J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas has always been rather flamboyant in her language, but she's 50 years in the future ..................... ;)
I always liked the story of Sir Winston Churchill at some function, where he had .................... over-indulged in some spirits - some lady {Lady?} was haranguing him - and he turned to her & told her she was ugly - after some high dudgeon, she informed him he was drunk .................... and he responded, "Ah, yes - but I shall be sober in the morning."

Been having "issues" .......................

with our 'Net provider all weekend ........................... it decided it didn't like the router, then for 3 evenings, the modem has been flaking out ...................... so, please be patient if I'm not as prolific as may have been presumed from my previous scribblings ....................... ;)