OK, so my allergies are kicking my butt ..............................

and I CANNOT figure out how to post a picture on the sidebar, soooooooooooooooooooooo .............................

Here's one of our progeny & me at the ASOMO {American Society of Monterrey} 4th of July "do", on 6 July 2001




And this one is at the ASOMO Christmas party, 8th December 2001; from left to right, our daughter, my Spousal Unit, me, and Poncho, D.'s boyfriend at the time

Our friend, E., who I mentioned on 24 September .............................

was found dead on 26 September ............................. E., I can't say Kaddish for you, but

MOURNER'S KADDISH
An English Translation

Glorified and sanctified be God's great name throughout the world which He has created according to His will. May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days, and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon; and say, Amen.

May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.

Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen.

May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us
and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

He who creates peace in His celestial heights, may He create peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

ORIGIN: http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/kadish.htm

By now, I'm sure you've all heard the comments by

the psycho from Baghdad ............................



There's an interview with a gay Iranian couple here that gives a pretty good idea of what gays go through .........................

And THIS is rather graphic video of how Iran treats their gay teenagers :



But it's all just a matter of the Western world's non-acceptance of "cultural differences", right ?

Ok, y'all, ya ready for another stupid N'Awlins story?

{'Specially for AD & DragonWatch ;-) }



Yesterday, the husband of a co-worker of D.'s was 'visiting' with the manager of a local grocery - they observed a woman, sitting in her car, NOT in a parking space, with her eyes closed, and hands behind her head ...................... they leave her be for ~ an hour, then approach & ask if there's something wrong - "Yes, I've been shot in the head & I'm holding my brains in" ..................... they call paramedics, police, etc. - she doesn't want to move her hands so the paramedics can examine her - "I'm holding my brains in!" - finally get the hands away .................................. it's Pillsbury-type dough, that's packaged in a canister, that "pops" when it's opened .................................... this twitless wonder heard it "pop" due to the heat of the vehicle, assumed it was a gunshot, and .................................... just SAT there - no gestures, no verbalizing, just sitting there waiting to die ................................. while the {previously refrigerated} dough sets in her hair ....................... and is too stupid to realize that, HAD she been shot, it would have been warm ....................... :roll

From my LtColonel ............................

HOW-IN-THE-HELL CAN THIS HAPPEN IN WARTIME?

Mirandizing the Enemy
By Chuck Muth

For today's lesson in "How to Lose a War," let's consider the case of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in World War II and compare it to the case of Nawab Buntangyar in what some consider to be World War III today.

But first, consider this all-too-common report in the New York Times this week out of Nad Ali, Afghanistan:

"A suicide bomber wrapped in explosives walked into a crowded government building.and blew himself up, killing at least seven people, four of them police officers. Six people were wounded."

OK, back to the lesson. Admiral Yamamoto commanded the Japanese Navy and led the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. He was, as the lawyers put it today, an "enemy combatant." Then, on a spring afternoon in 1943, Admiral Yamamoto decided to take a leisurely inspection tour of the South Pacific in a transport plane. U.S. forces learned of Yamamoto's exact itinerary, intercepted his plane and blew him out of the sky.

Note that Yamamoto was merely on an inspection tour and not engaged in hostile activities directed at the American pilots who intercepted him. He posed no "imminent threat" to the American pilots. Therefore, according to some rather bizarre interpretations of today's rules of engagement, the American pilots should have tried to force Yamamoto's plane to land and capture him rather than shoot him down. And the pilot who was credited with nailing Yamamoto should have been tried for murder instead of being awarded the Navy Cross.

Asinine, right? Right. Absolutely absurd.

Which brings us to Nawab Buntangyar.

Mr. Buntangyar had been designated an "enemy combatant" in the Afghanistan war theater for organizing suicide and roadside bomb attacks like the one in Nad Ali described above. He was, for all intents and purposes, an officer in the enemy's corps, not a foot soldier. As such, Buntangyar was declared an "enemy combatant" and was "vetted as a target" by American commanders which, according to the New York Times, "meant he could be legally killed once he was positively identified."

Similarly to Yamamoto, U.S. forces learned of Buntangyar's itinerary last October and endeavored to take him out of the game - permanently. Buntangyar was lured out of his village hideout and into the open where a Special Forces team was waiting. He was positively identified by Afghan police on the scene. So Capt. Dave Staffel gave Master Sgt. Troy Anderson, reportedly 100 yards away from Buntangyar, the green light.

BLAM!! Right between the eyes. Bye-bye, Nawab. Hello, 72 virgins.

Think about this for minute, folks. Our man Sgt. Anderson, under the pressure of a wartime operation, nails the bad guy from the length of a football field right in the melon with one shot. No American casualties. No civilian causalities. Not even any property damage, other than maybe a dry-cleaning bill or two for the guys standing next to Nawab at the time. Compare this to the enemy's suicide bombings.

Naturally, Staffel, Anderson and the entire 7-man Green Beret team involved in the mission were warmly clasped on their backs and congratulated for a job well done, right? Wrong.

In June, Lt. Gen. Frank H. Kearney charged the pair of Green Berets with premeditated murder in the incident. What makes this persecution - er, prosecution even more outrageous is that Kearney brought the charges after not one, but two military investigations cleared the Green Berets in the incident, concluding the shooting was "justifiable homicide."

Is this any way to fight a war?

The shooting was cleared, twice, so why is Lt. Gen. "CYA" Kearney continuing to persecute - er, prosecute these military professionals who did the job they were trained to do and asked to do by their country? What kind of message does this persecution - er, prosecution send to our boots on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq? I mean, if we're not going to let our soldiers kill the enemy, then why the hell are they there?

Who's running this "war" anyway? The commanders in the field or the lawyers back home? If it's the lawyers, and men like Capt. Staffel and Sgt. Anderson have to read Johnny Jihadi his Miranda rights instead of plinking him in the noggin with a bullet, then the war is over. We lost. Bring the boys home.

Please keep a friend in your thoughts/prayers ..............................

E.'s been going through a rough swamp, about the size of the Atchafalaya or Okefinokee .................... he needed bilateral {both} hip replacement, attributable to his service in the USMC - he left the Dallas area {Dallas VA was doing nothing for him} and had one done in CT ................... came back here to the DFW area, and is currently scheduled to have the 2nd done @ Baylor in mid- to late November ..................... he's been staying with a friend he'd met while 'ham operating' - this friend has told him he must leave by Friday - so essentially, he'll be homeless on Friday, with his second surgery then put on indefinite hold ........................... the Spousal Unit & I aren't in a position to offer a whole lot of support, other than the moral kind .......................... so please, keep good thoughts for him, that everything turns out OK .........................

Watching the "new" .......................................

The Ten Commandments, with Dougray Scott as Moses ...................... it's good, but having grown up on the Cecil B. DeMille version, overacting & all, it seems ........................ less epic ........................ what I don't get, is that neither the older nor newer versions acknowledge that Moses didn't speak Hebrew - that was a main reason he needed Aaron by his side, to translate for him ........................ also, I know the plagues and parting of the Red {or Reed} Sea have been 'scientifically' explained - and yet, and yet - having them happen at the precise moments they were needed, to me, is nothing short of miraculous ....................... and argues {again, to me} for the existence of a Supreme Being who cares for all of us .................... He may not answer our prayers/requests as WE think they should be answered, but He does answer ............................. God give me patience, RIGHT NOW!! ;-)

FINALLY got the Spousal Unit ....................................

to start with a doctor, as a primary care physician ......................... got another home BP cuff ...................... he's asking for homemade, tomato-based vegetable juice recipes, where the fiber will be maintained {V8 doesn't retain too much fiber, as it's made from concentrate} ......................... any recipes out there y'all would like to share? ;-)

I buy catnip in large {~ 4”X 3” X 3”} plastic “jars” ………………………..

{I also grow my own, but with all the cats WE have, supplementation is a good thing ;-) } ……………………………..They have a large screw-on lid that’s about 3.5” across ……………………. There’s an ‘empty’ laying around …………………. FizzleDizzle was banging it around, trying to get the top off …………………… I took the top off for him ………………………. He just spent 5 minutes, walking around with the “jar” on his head, jumping on chairs, etc., not trying to get it off - he seemed perfectly content to ‘wear’ it until chow time ……………………. The clear plastic was FOGGING UP – I removed it from his head, and he looked at me as if to say, “Duuuu-uu-de!! Wass happenin’?” Now Spooky’s trying to wear it – yeah, that’s great – Spooky thinks diazinon {a bug-killing component of Agent Orange – we were able to get & use a 25% solution while we lived in Mexico} is good to drink ………………………

(SIGH!)

My cats are ……………………… druggies …………………………..

Gay Cynic, this isn't my offering, but it's just too good

to not post ............................ from "my" LtColonel ........................ ;-)

Subject: NO FREE LUNCH!

What an interesting "parable" for our times. Just thought you'd enjoy reading it!

There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some Exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter.

The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, ' Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke.'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn.

When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.

Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc., while we continually lose our freedoms- just a little at a time.


One should always remember 'There is no such thing as a free Lunch!' Also, 'You can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut.

Matt G & his Dad, Holly the Goddess' DB, have posts about

having to "put down" animals over the course of their lives ........................... Matt's denouement is here; HtG's DB's ishere ...................... I've been involved, to one degree or another, in humane work for the past 36 years - I have had the utter joy of 'midwifing' cats & dogs in labor; AND I have held cats, dogs, rats & mice while they were euthanized, or died of injuries or diseases {feline leukemia & feline herpes are the WORST} - it's never been easy, whether they were strays or my own beloved pets - but it HAS to be done, whether to alleviate suffering, or because there just aren't enough homes to go around - I've heard the old saw for years, that parents want their children to witness "the miracle of life" - that comes with a matching responsibility, and I believe that it's incumbent on the parents to ensure their children also witness the reality of death ..............................I'll have more on this subject tomorrow .............................

Got the “first” pot of soup on, for this winter ……………………..

Mebbe I’m jumping the gun, but I just have a feeling that the cold-damplies will be hitting this area sooner rather than later ………………… but with beef, pork, chicken, redskin potatoes, lentils, navy beans, black beans, spinach, cabbage, bell pepper & leek {OF COURSE there’s fresh garlic, onion & basil in it!}, it should make a nice “remove from freezer, put in microwave, thaw/warm up and voila!”

Anybody with experience of food processors, can ya give a gal an assist? Last week, making my chicken salad {chicken breasts, red/orange/green bell peppers, pomegranate, celery – secret is to run fresh garlic & onion and celery seed through an electrical ‘chopper’ with the mayo or Miracle Whip – puts the flavor throughout} I tried ‘chopping’ the bell peppers with the disk of the food processor ………………. If I’d been making pico de gallo, it would’ve been great – but it just battered the poor peppers – wound up cutting them up by hand – tonight, with the cabbage & bell pepper, I tried the 2 blades on a spindle ………………. If I were making coleslaw or pepper cabbage {a PA Dutch treat}, once again, would’ve been great ……………………….

Had an opportunity ………………………….

To observe one of Splendora’s finest in action tonight …………………… I had gone to a little restaurant here called “Sweets & Meats” – I was getting a takeout order on the porch, chitchatting with my neighbor, her granddaughter & granddaughter’s friend, who were also getting some goodies ……………………… now, you park directly in front, directly from one of the main drags here ……………………… there was a man, about my age, eating off the hood of his car …………………. OK, whatever – but he’s staggering around, and has the ‘jailhouse hunch’ over his meal …………………….. one of the rumors {remember, this is a VERY small town} is that his wife can’t stand to watch him eat ……………………. Personally, if I get to the point of being THAT critical of my spousal unit, it’s time for me to just leave …………………. Anyhoo, this fellow is eating/staggering/looking belligerently at all & sundry ……………………. Takes his divided foam clamshell & drink cup to the available trashcan ……………………… now, we’re rural, there are raccoons & possums running around, so the trashcan is lidded …………………….. the lid apparently was just beyond his abilities {too many moving parts?}, so he set his trash on the lid ………………. Walking back in front of the porch of the restaurant, he goes down face-first ………………….. gets in his car …………………… and a Splendora cop pulled in behind him, hit the ‘woo-woos’ & lights as the guy almost backs into the cruiser ……………………... now, Splendora cops AREN’T small – this one is over 6 feet, and built solidly ……………………. He walks up to the driver’s window & talks to the guy ………………….. talks the guy out of the car, takes him to the rear of the car, talks some more ………………………… and cuffs him & puts him in the cruiser ……………………… one of the kids working at the restaurant starts to walk up as the cop is cuffing the guy – cop tells her to get back – the kid visiting my neighbor got all bent out of shape – told her, the cop didn’t want her any closer until he was SURE he had the guy under control – turns out, {again, this is small-town rumor} the guy was in a motorcycle accident sometime ago – he takes some heavy-duty pain meds ……………………… but he ALSO adds alcohol to the mix, THEN gets behind the wheel of his vehicle ………………………. Dunno ‘bout the rest of y’all, but I really don’t want to be on the road with someone impaired to that degree ………………………..

Katie's Dad 2.0 is taking on libertarians re: illegal immigration .....................................

he's on about Cranky Insomniac, who is waxing verbose about the Statue of Liberty's significance - Katie's Dad says "It proclaims America as an example, not a bug lamp." GOTTA love it!! ;-)

I've added Holly the Goddess' Dearly Beloved to

my links ............................. you're starting off GOOD, DB!!

BTW, Holly, at least I now know where I fit in the constellation of the Goddess - nowhere!! Thanks for the eMail to let me know you were gonna be in the Houston area ...................... oh, wait, you didn't send one ..................... hurt my feelings, you did - gonna go eat worms ...................... eeeuuuuwwwwww .......................... :(

Lainy & everyone else ........................................

HBO is running it online, at least until 2130 CT tonight - the link is here; per our progeny, it's in an 'on-demand' type format - Jake's segment opens with video of his wedding - Laura, his bride, met & fell in love with him while he was undergoing his initial recuperation @ Bethesda - she's a NAVY doctor .............................

Tomorrow night ............................................

friends of our progeny will be on the HBO special Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq at 2130 Central time - look for a young Marine named Jake Schick; also, his bride, Dr. Laura Young was interviewed for it .......................... in every phone call, D. has nothing but admiration for this young couple ......................

I know, I know ...................................... my apologies .................................

Gay Cynic, I promise, I WILL get to the meme's .........................

Right now, though, I'm throwing down the gauntlet - where were you, what were you doing, what were your initial thoughts when you heard the news on 11 September 2001? This is open to any and all who read me - you're welcome to post it here, or on your own blogs ....................... taking a page from Holocaust survivors, we will never forget ........................

Remember, we were well-into our 2nd year in Monterrey ............................

I hadn't been able to sleep the night before; it was an undefinable anxiety keeping me awake 'til after 0200 ......................... M. had left for work, D. & I were still asleep, when Danny, an American acquaintance {and former Marine} started pounding on our door, ringing the bell ...................... D. answered the door, then came & woke me & told me that "they attacked the Twin Towers" - we all 3 stumbled down to our TV room, and were transfixed – M. came home, and he and Danny were as silent as the rest of us, watching & listening ........................ I truly believe we were all in shock, all that day, and for quite a while afterward ...................... it was so frustrating, not being able to contact anyone back here - and the border closing {since there was no indication when the border would open again} was scary ........................ we were able to come back up to McAllen that Friday, the first day the border was re-opened ...................

We lost a lot of our collective ........................ innocence? idealism? ....................... that day ........................