My spousal unit & I were talking yesterday ............................

CORRECTED/UPDATED - gallons per barrel number was incorrect.

{he ACTUALLY took off work for 3 days - not that we WENT anywhere, but he's catching up on some sleep & maintaining vehicles} ................... DID you know, ARE you cognizant {to quote Old Blue Eyes} that the "barrels" of oil the prices of which have the world in a dither, are only FORTY TWO gallons? That's right, the $130.00+ price is/are for 42 gallons, NOT 55, which is the more common standard. Sooooooo, for every 10 barrels of oil, it isn't 550 gallons cumulative - it's 420 - at the 55 gallon figure, it's around $2.36/gallon, but at the 42 gallon figure, it's around $3.09/gallon {using $130.00 as the rate-per-barrel} .......................... so, BEFORE IT'S EVEN REFINED INTO GASOLINE, it's da## near $4.00/gallon ...................... now, I'm not real clear on 'futures speculation', but I'm willing to acknowledge that people betting on future price spikes have a deleterious effect on consumer prices - and that any drilling OK'd here in the U.S. {whether offshore, or ANWR, or the HUGE deposit in Wyoming/Montana/Dakotas area} wouldn't have a big immediate effect, it would soon alleviate OUR dependence on 'foreign oil', give 'the rest of the world' a break from the U.S. competing for 'foreign oil' {as of 6/16/2008, Belgium is paying USD$9.02, France is $8.75, Germany is $8.88, Italy is $8.93, Netherlands is $9.85, UK is $8.76, while the U.S. is at $4.31, per gallon of gas - yes, I KNOW that in Europe, it's sold per liter} Source for prices. If we're going to "encourage" development of alternative sources of energy, HERE'S the thing - it CAN'T BE DONE if the people who have the smarts to develop it CAN'T GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE TO DO IT, OR IF THEY CAN'T GET THE SUPPLIES THEY NEED SHIPPED TO THEM.

From my Colonel ............................................ ;-)

I've decided to confess, that I am a Liberal ...


I believe in the liberal use of firepower
because
there is no problem too big,
that the right amount of explosives can't cure!





.






.

From my Colonel ............................................ ;-)

( A scene at City Hall in San Francisco )

'Next.'



'Good morning. We want to apply for a marriage license.'

'Names?'

'Tim and Jim Jones.'

'Jones? Are you related? I see a resemblance.'

'Yes, we're brothers.'

'Brothers? You can't get married.'

'Why not? Aren't you giving marriage licenses to same gender couples?'

'Yes, thousands. But we haven't had any siblings. That's incest!'

'Incest?' No, we are not gay.'

'Not gay? Then why do you want to get married?'

'For the financial benefits, of course. And we do love each other.
Besides, we don't have any other prospects.'

'But we're issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples who've been
denied equal protection under the law. If you are not gay, you can get
married to a woman.'

'Wait a minute. A gay man has the same right to marry a woman as I have.
But just because I'm straight doesn't mean I want to marry a woman. I want
to marry Jim.'

'And I want to marry Tim, Are you going to discriminate against us just
because we are not gay?'

'All right, all right. I'll give you your license. Next.'

'Hi. We are here to get married.'

'Names?'

'John Smith, Jane James, Robert Green, and June Johnson.'

'Who wants to marry whom?'

'We all want to marry each other.'

'But there are four of you!'

'That's right. You see, we're all bisexual. I love Jane and Robert, Jane
loves me and June, June loves Robert and Jane, and Robert loves June and
me. All of us getting married together is the only way that we can express
our sexual preferences in a marital relationship.'

'But we've only been granting licenses to gay and lesbian couples.'

'So you're discriminating against bisexuals!'

'No, it's just that, well, the traditional idea of marriage is that it's
just for couples.'

'Since when are you standing on tradition?'

'Well, I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere.'

'Who says? There's no logical reason to limit marriage to couples. The more
the better. Besides, we demand our rights! The mayor says the constitution
guarantees equal protection under the law. Give us a marriage license!'

'All right, all right. Next.'

'Hello, I'd like a marriage license.'

'In what names?'

'David Deets.'

'And the other man?'

'That's all. I want to marry myself.'

'Marry yourself? What do you mean?'

'Well, my psychiatrist says I have a dual personality, so I want to marry
the two together. Maybe I can file a joint income-tax return.'

'That does it! I quit!! You people are making a mockery of marriage!!'

Sooooooo, the Looney Tune of Libya believes .....................................

that the Obamessiah's allegiance is to "African & Arab nations"??? Silly me, here I thought the absolute first, last, ALWAYS primary allegiance of the President of the United States of America, IS TO AMERICA!!!

Story here.

Oh, and the UN believes the UK should do away with monarchy ....................... THAT story, here.

Via my Colonel ......................................

Unfortunately for my spousal unit & me, our town is between Humble & Beaumont, but NOT part of Congressman Poe's district - go figure!

From my Colonel ............................................

The following story is told by a foreign diplomat who, as he explains, had
occasion to visit the United States Embassy in the capital of his country.
'I arrived at a quarter to six, after official office hours, and was met
by the Marine on guard at the entrance of the Chancery.

He asked if I would mind waiting while he lowered the two American flags
at the Embassy. What I witnessed over the next ten minutes so impressed me
that I am now led to make this occurrence a part of my ongoing record of
this distressing era.

The Marine was dressed in a uniform which was spotless and neat; he
walked with a measured tread from the entrance of the Chancery to the
stainless steel flagpole before the Embassy and, almost reverently, lowered
the flag to the level of his reach where he began to fold it in military
fashion. He then released the flag from the clasps attaching it to the rope,
stepped back from the pole, made an about-face, and carried the flag between
his hands--one above, one below--and placed it securely on a stand before
the Chancery.

He then marched over to a second flagpole and repeated the same lonesome
ceremony.... After completing his task, he apologized for the delay--out of
pure courtesy, as nothing less than incapacity would have prevented him from
fulfilling his goal--and said to me, "Thank you for waiting, Sir. I had to
pay honor to my country."

I have had to tell this story because there was something impressive
about a lone Marine carrying out a ceremonial task which obviously meant
very much to him and which, in its simplicity, made the might, the power and
the glory of the United States of America stand forth in a way that a mighty
wave of military aircraft, or the passage of a supercarrier, or a parade of
10,000 men could never have made manifest.

One day it is my hope to visit one of our embassies in a faraway place
and to see a soldier fold our flag and turn to a stranger and say, "I am
sorry for the delay, Sir. I had to honor my country."

In honor of all Veterans ......................................

OK, I thoroughly understand their frustration .......................................

'I HAVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG'
Florida Muslims sue feds over citizenship delays
Muslims are sworn in after legal action to speed process

Babita Persaud

Sentinel Staff Writer

May 23, 2008

For three years and three months, Ali Hussain has waited to become a U.S. citizen.

On Thursday, his wait was over -- but not before he sued the federal government.

In February, Hussain and 24 other Muslims joined a statewide lawsuit against Citizenship and Immigration Services and the FBI for what they called unusually lengthy delays in processing their citizenship applications. Some waited as long as five years.

"The lawsuit helped my application. I have been waiting so long," said Hussain, an Orlando machinist who hails from Iraq.

In a post-9-11 era of fingerprinting and thorough background checks, legal action is also becoming part of the naturalization process, some area attorneys say.

"These lawsuits bring attention to the government that [processing delays] is a big problem," said Shahzad Ahmed, an Orlando attorney who represents several Muslim clients.

Of the seven Central Florida plaintiffs in the statewide lawsuit, five have since become U.S. citizens.

Four plaintiffs were sworn in as citizens Thursday at the Orange County Convention Center, including Hussain and his brother, Aso Hussain, a graphic-art student at Valencia Community College.

"We are so happy for this day," said Aso Hussain, 25, waving his citizenship certificate and an American flag.

Full article here - BUT, somebody PLEASE explain to me WHY AMERICAN CITIZENS {whether by birth or opportunity} aren't gathering en masse to file class-action lawsuits against "OUR" government for allowing the continuous flow of people coming/staying here ILLEGALLY?????



.

From my Colonel ........................... ;-)

When You Get What You Want, Don't Complain
By Arnold Ahlert (bio)

If you're a liberal Democrat, you should have absolutely no complaint about the rising cost of gasoline. None. Zero. Zip. Nada.

Only liberal Democrats believe the law of supply and demand is non-existent. Less available oil equals higher prices? Blasphemy. It's a "conspiracy" courtesy of Big Oil, who should be "punished" with additional taxes for their "evil profiteering."
I say go right ahead. Punish Big Oil–and while you're at it, continue make sure that no more refineries are built and America remains off-limits to energy exploration. Make sure our country remains economically hostage to some of the worst thugs and fanatics on the planet, and that cash-strapped Americans keep sending trillions of dollars overseas to pay your self-righteousness.

But when all is said and done, don't even think about complaining. That would be tantamount to a person who murders his parents complaining about being an orphan. You want a "pristine" environment, no matter what it costs, and when gas reaches the kind of heights guaranteed to wreck our economy, no doubt you'll want to whine about "injustice," like you invariably do.

This is one American who's having none of it. The only injustice being perpetrated here is self-inflicted ignorance–coupled with overt pandering to peoples' anger and fear. Sooner or later, the public will catch on. Perhaps it will take five or ten bucks a gallon for the more obtuse among us, but I'm beginning to think that Democratic liberalism must be allowed to "flower" again.

Some of us are old enough to remember the last such "flowering," aka the Carter years. For those that don't, it's all been written down. The stagflation, the outrageous interest rates–and the gas lines. As Yogi Berra once said, "you could look it up."

But don't complain. Liberal Democrats have always worshipped "fairness," and it's a pretty safe bet to say that just about everyone is being "equally screwed" by runaway fuel costs. You've also worshipped "good intentions"–even if the results are disastrous.

You've gotten everything you wanted. You ought to be happy. Happy people have no business complaining.

So shut up.

http://constitutionparty.com/

~~~~~~

He just sent me this one:


Dumb-ass quote of 2008!!
'My friends, we live in the greatest country in the history of the world.

I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it.'
Barack Obama




.

;-) ;-) ;-)

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Ummm-kay, working on a project .........................................

I'm wiring LEDs in parallel, and have 555 & 4017 chips, along with NPN switching transistors for the circuit board control - I NEED to find some soft {nylon or other soft plastic/foam as the area that's used by the consumer}, SMALL {pref. no more than .30" x .75"} 3-position slide switches - I want an on-off-different on capability, so it'd be 3-pole .............................. I'm looking on the 'Net, but the dimensions, if provided, are less than illuminating ........................... I'd happily go with a 3-position rocker switch, if the dimensions would work ........................ any assistance will be much appreciated - if I get it all down to a science, when I've got the patent folks working, my blog assistants will receive a prototype .......................... ;-)

Also, it has to handle 9V-22V ....................... ;-)

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Friends of ours, VERY involved in Little League sports ..............................

team name is the "Lug Nuts" ..................... Mom wanted "Way to Go, Lug Nuts" on the cake for the banquet tonight......................... she went to pick up the cake that she'd ordered from WalMart - and arrived to a BLANK cake - when she questioned there being no sentiment on the cake, she was told that WalMart doesn't decorate cakes with references to "male genitalia" ......................... when she picked her jaw up off the floor, she demanded to see the bakery manager - who ALSO referred to "male genitalia" ................... OK, she's steaming now - she demanded to speak with the store manager ...................... who tried to placate her, offering to have whatever she wanted on the cake lettered ....................... now, you'd have to know this lady - she suffers fools & condescension about as well as I do ...................... she informed the store manager, in NO uncertain terms, that if he hired people who's first language is ENGLISH, issues such as this wouldn't repeatedly occur {she made reference to a cake made last year, that was supposed to be cupcakes, made to look like a cowboy boot - it looked like a bunch of cupcakes, in a weird configuration} ........................... ahhhh, the joys of living here .......................... ;-)

From a {retired} MSgt friend ................................... ;-)

Marines As Seen By:

Himself: A handsome, buff, highly trained professional killer and female idol who carries a finely honed K-Bar, wears a crisp 8-point cammie cover and is always on time due to the absolute reliability of his Seiko digital watch.

His Wife: A stinking, gross, foul mouthed lovable bum who arrives back at home every few months with a seabag full of dirty utilities, a huge Seiko watch, an oversized knife, a filthy hat and hornier then hell.

Headquarters Marine Corps: A drunken, brawling, HMMWV-stealing, woman-corrupting "cumshaw artist" who wears a Seiko watch, an unauthorized K-Bar and a squared-away cover.

His Commanding Officer: A fine specimen of a drunken, brawling, HMMWV-stealing, woman-corrupting bullshitter with an incredibly accurate Seiko watch, a finely honed razor sharp K-Bar and a salty cammie cover.

What others have said:

Congress: Marines are overpaid, overrated tax burdens who are indispensable since they volunteer to go anywhere at any time and kill whoever they're told to kill, as long as they can drink, brawl, steal HMMWVs, corrupt women and sing dirty songs while wearing cammies, oversized knives, Seiko watches and really screwed-up 8-point covers that don't look like the Army's.

Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States: "Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they've ever made a difference in the world. Marines don't have that problem."

General Douglas MacArthur, US Army: " . . . these Marines have the swagger, confidence and hardness that must have been in Stonewall Jackson's Army of the Shenandoah. They remind me of the Coldstream Guards at Dunkirk."

Admiral Chester Nimitz, US Navy, on the Marine Corps' battle for Iwo Jima: "Uncommon valor was a common virtue"

General Douglas MacArthur, US Army: "I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front. There is not a finer fighting organization in the world!"

LtCol T R Fehrenbach, USA, in "This Kind of War": "The man who will go where his colors go without asking, who will fight a phantom foe in a jungle or a mountain range, and who will suffer and die in the midst of incredible hardship, without complaint, is still what he has always been, from Imperial Rome to sceptered Britain to democratic America. He is the stuff of which legends are made. His pride is his colors and his regiment, his training hard and thorough and coldly realistic, to fit him for what he must face, and his obedience is to his orders. As a legionnaire, he held the gates of civilization for the classical world . today he is called United States Marine."

An Anonymous Canadian Citizen: "Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed. They treat their service as if it was some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts so short as to be ungentlemanly, worshipping their Commandant as if he was a god, and making weird animal noises like a band of savages. They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action and are the cockiest SOBs I've ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and, generally speaking, of the United States Marines with whom I've come in contact, are the most professional warriors and the finest men I've had the pleasure to meet. "

General John J "Black Jack" Pershing, US Army: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle! "

General Mark Clark, US Army: "The more Marines I have around the better I like it! "

General Johnson, US Army: "I can never again see a United States Marine without experiencing a feeling of reverence. "

Richard Harding Davis, war correspondent (1885): "The Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand."

A Marine Drill Instructor at Parris Island: "Did you come here just to spoil my beloved Corps, maggot?"

A boot camp weapons coach: "To a Marine, happiness is a belt-fed weapon."

LtCol Oliver North, USMC (ret): "The only people I like beside my wife and kids are Marines."

MajGen J N Mattis, CG, 1st MarDiv - Iraq, March 2003: "You are part of the world's most feared and trusted fighting force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon. Share your courage with each other as we enter the uncertain terrain north of our Line of Departure. Keep faith in your comrades on your left and right and Marine Air overhead. Fight with a happy heart and a strong spirit. For the mission's sake, our country's sake and the sake of the men who carried the Division's colors in past battles -- who fought for life and never lost their nerve -- carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than a United States Marine."

Eleanor Roosevelt - 1945: "The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps."

An Anonymous US Marine: "I recently attended a Kansas City Chiefs football game at Arrowhead Stadium. It was their annual Veteran's Day tribute so members of all the services were asked to participate in the festivities.A color guard for the National Anthem was provided by the Buffalo Soldiers Association. They looked very sharp in their 1800s-era US Army Cavalry uniforms. Following that, the Navy parachute team put on an impressive display that brought cheers from the 78,000 football fans in attendance. Shortly thereafter, we were treated to the truly awesome sight of an Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flyover as well as a few other aircraft. All of these sights -- but especially the B-2 -- were truly appreciated by the crowd who let it be known by their cheers. I expected that was all we would see of the US Military that day. I thought we would see a high school or college marching band during half-time. Few watch those shows anyway because they have to go to the head or grab another beer during the intermission.Shortly before half-time, however, I looked down on the sidelines near the end zone and saw the Marine Corps' Silent Drill Team forming up. As the half-time show started, the players left the field and the announcer came on the public address system to advise us of the Drill Team's performance. Many of us Marines have seen these performances in the past and they're always awe-inspiring. I didn't expect that the large civilian crowd of football fans would be as appreciative of the Drill Team as they had been of the high-tech B-2 or the daring of the Navy parachute team. However, I was on the edge of my seat. As the Drill Team marched onto the field, the crowd grew noticeably quieter. Soon, the team was fully into their demonstration. The stadium was absolutely silent.From high in the stands' upper reaches where my seats were, I was able to hear the "snap" and "pop" of hands striking rifles. Both big screen "Jumbotron" scoreboards displayed close ups of the Marines as they went through their routine. As they completed their demonstration and lined up for the inspection, the crowd began cheering as the Marines twirled their rifles in impossible fashion. Then came the inspection. Again, the crowd fell silent and watched intently as rifles were thrown, caught, twirled, inspected and thrown some more. Each well-practiced feat brought a "wow" or "did you see that?" from those sitting around me.I sat there in silent pride as I watched my brother Marines exit the field. A young girl behind me asked her mother a question about how the Marines learn to do the things they just did. The mother replied, "They practice long and hard and they're Marines; they're the best."

Via Crusader Rabbit .......................................

St. Cloud Times - A St. Cloud State University student in a teacher-training program at Technical High School left the school in late April because he says he feared for the safety of his service dog. The school district calls it a misunderstanding, and officials there say they hoped Tyler Hurd, a 23-year-old junior from Mahtomedi who aspires to teach special education, would continue his training in the district. Hurd said a student threatened to kill his service dog named Emmitt. The black lab is trained to protect Hurd when he has seizures. [snip] The threat came from a Somali student who is Muslim, according to Hurd, St. Cloud State and school district officials.

The Muslim faith, which is the dominant faith of Somali immigrants, forbids the touching of dogs. [snip] Things didn't go as well at Tech, Hurd said. Students there taunted his dog, and he finally felt he had to leave after he was told a student made a threat. Hurd met with Lockhart but said he did not feel comfortable continuing. Julia Espe, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for St. Cloud school district, said the school needed to do a better job communicating. [snip] Steffens said it is important to respect different cultures and the rights of disabled students. “I think this is part of the growth process when we become more diverse," Steffens said.


I saw this article yesterday - blame my rather ..................... warped .................... sense of humor, but I wonder, WHAT would be the reaction to Capuchin monkeys used as service animals - since THEY'RE known to 'fling their feces' {yes, before I'm 'dinged', I'm sure part of their training is NOT to fling} - but sometimes training just doesn't take ....................... ;-)

Just doing the raping, molesting & impregnating of children

that AMERICANS aren't doing ................ this happened in Idaho ......................

Local 10-Year-Old Gives Birth to Baby Girl
YouNewsTV™

Story Published: May 6, 2008 at 6:00 PM MDT

Story Updated: May 7, 2008 at 9:29 AM MDT
By Nate Eaton
Video
It's an unbelievable story that has an entire community in shock.

Several sources confirm a 10-year-old girl from St. Anthony gave birth to a little girl on Saturday at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg.

The girl was allegedly raped by 37-year-old Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez. Gutierrez-Juaraz is an illegal immigrant who is in the Fremont County Jail on rape charges.


Full story here.

I am TIRED ..................................

and NOT done yet - a very special young lady is celebrating her birthday tomorrow, and I made oysters Rockefeller & a cheesecake with sliced apples & pears that I caramelized with butter, sugar & cardamom - the oysters are ready for the broiler, and the cheesecake is "setting" in the fridge as I type - I STILL have to make a banner to go over the 'throne' that will say "Come One, Come All -- to Princess C---'s Royal Birthday Ball" - C. is turning 4 on Wednesday ....................... ;-) The Spousal Unit & I are going as Shrek & Fiona - when I told him he was gonna be Shrek, of course I got an argument - "I wanna be Donkey" - "No, Dear, you're NOT going to go around on all fours" - "OK, I wanna be Puss in Boots" - "Honey, I LOVE you to death, but there is NO WAY you can do the Antonio Banderas accent, and while when we first met, you could've given A.B. a run for his money in the body department ......... not so much anymore." ;-)

Gecko, I DID want to say thank you for your kind comments - next time KG gets down in the dumps, just eMail me & we'll cheer him up!

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.

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe ................................................

'Specially for KG, MK & Tiberius

'Nother one for Crusader Rabbit ................................

For the folks at Crusader Rabbit ......................... I has a sad ...........................

see more cute dogs and puppies


If y'all INSIST on leaving, the only thing I can do is try to cheer up
the rest of us ....................... :-(

A Free Republic writer takes on 'Stinko de Mayo' .....................

We lived in Mexico for 2+ years - when we asked about Cinco de Mayo celebrations, we were met with vacuous stares & "Que?" It ISN'T celebrated there.


The American public is FED UP with the invasion of our sovereign nation by third-world outlaws from Mexico and the rest of Central and South America.

We are FED UP with the refusal of the federal government to secure our borders, opting instead to provide big business with slave labor in the form of illegals from Mexico. This irresponsible policy leaves our nation vulnerable to terrorism, and we are FED UP with this endangerment of American lives for cheap fruit.

We are FED UP with people who are here illegally and who can not and/or will not speak English.


Full article here.

UPDATE: Spooky is doing well .............................

swelling is pretty much gone, he's eating well {as he ALWAYS does! ;-) } and I think 1 more injection {tomorrow} will "do" him well - he's no longer fevered on the right side of his face, but there are scabs that are itching him - sweet creature that he is, when I 'scritch' his back, he just looks at me adoringly .......................

Our sweet Spooky,

that DUMB, but most inoffensive of cats, for whatever reason, is a target of the 2 young, un-neutered males - one of them bit Spooky's cheek, with resulting infection - severely swollen, in two separate areas - one nice thing about living in an area as rural as this - the feed stores carry injectable penicillin, along with syringes, available over the counter for less than $10.00. A friend gave me 2 syringes filled with 3 mls each - problem WAS, neither the Spousal Unit nor our EMT neighbor could get the medication OUT of the syringe, INTO Spooky {tried the oral route with it twice {with needle removed, of course} - Spooky was NOT happy with us} - now, recommended dosage is 3,000 units/pound - each ml has 300,000 units, so for Spooky's 18-20 pounds, we only need 60,000 units MAX - yesterday, I got a half ml of medicine {150,000 units - "loading dose"} in a syringe, added another 1.5 ml sterile saline, and successfully injected him - today, he got .3 ml, with 1 ml saline - the swelling is going down, he's 'perkier', though he gives me dirty looks when I smear yogurt on his fur, to ensure 'good' bacteria are kept up. ;-)

On the Catholic Church & immigration .................................

Chilton Williamson has an article on VDare on the Church's teachings on immigration here

An excerpt, which crystallizes MY beliefs:

Immigration, whether one is for or against it, is not what the Church calls a matter of faith and morals. It is not an issue—unlike, say, abortion, birth control, or homosexual marriage—on which a communicating Catholic must believe the relevant Catholic teaching, if only on faith alone.

The Roman Church has no defined teaching in respect of immigration. It stands as a subject open to more or less enlightened opinion and debate among the Catholic hierarchy and the laity. No one can claim—so far, no one has dared to claim—that the Church has adopted a definitive position on the issue, one way or another. Hence, with regard to immigration, Catholics are free to believe, and to argue, any way they like.

Also, I'm NOT receiving notification of any comments, so please don't be offended if I drop a ball on acknowledgments .................. AND, my computer is wanking on me - it won't even turn on - so blogging may be lighter than usual, as I'm using my spousal unit's computer {he has the keyboard configured weirdly, with the right half of his space bar doing "backspace" ;-) }

;-) ;-) From my Colonel ..........................................

Subject: BUS CRASH


A busload of politicians were driving down a country road when all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road and crashed into a tree in an old farmer's field. The old farmer, after seeing what had happened, went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole to bury the politicians. A few days later the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus, and asked the old farmer where all the politicians had gone. The old farmer said he had buried them. The sheriff asked the old farmer, "Were they all dead?"



The old farmer replied,



"Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them bastards lie!"

So, you THINK your money isn't going as far as it used to?

Prove it to yourself - my spousal unit found this little gem & was plugging in numbers off his annual Social Security/Medicare statement {the one where they tell you the income amounts you were taxed on over a period of years} ........................ interesting stuff .......................

Consumer Price Index calculator

And, in the spirit of eliminating the "Ugly American" ...................................

Soyez bienvenus à nos visiteurs parlants français

Välkomnande till våra Svensk-talande besökare

Mile widziany wobec nasz Polski - rozmawianie wizytatorzy

WELCOME!! ;-)

Bayou Renaissance Man remembers ...................................................

the liberation of Bergen-Belsen





Sadly, there are those alive today who would happily join in such again; then there are their 'useful idiots' who would claim ignorance of things like this happening .....................................

From my Colonel ................................................ ;-)

Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn't know this. It's easy to check out, if you don't believe it. Be sure and show it to your kids. They need a little history lesson on what's what and it doesn't matter whether you are Democrat or Republican. Facts are Facts!!!

Our Social Security

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised:

1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary,

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes into the Program,

3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year,

4.) That the money the participants put into the independent "Trust Fund" rather than into the general operating fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other government program, and,

5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to "put away" -- you may be interested in the following:

-------------------------------------------------------------

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent "Trust Fund" and put it into the General fund so that Congress could spend it?

A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically Controlled House and Senate.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?

A: The Democratic Party.

--------------------------------- --------------------------------------

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?

A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the "tie-breaking" deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the US

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants?

AND MY FAVORITE:

A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it!

-------------- -------------------------- ------------------------------

Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!

And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it!
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of
Awareness will be planted and maybe changes will
Evolve. Maybe not, some Democrats are awfully
Sure of what isn't so.

But it's worth a try. How many people can YOU send this to?

Actions speak louder than bumper stickers.

AND CONGRESS GIVES THEMSELVES 100% RETIREMENT FOR ONLY SERVING ONE TERM!!!

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson

I just can't get impressed .....................................

by Senator Obama - he's DONE NOTHING, other than give offensive speeches - and his latest idiotic comments about 'small town Pennsylvania' have confirmed my opinion ...................... I'll let Audrey Hepburn take care of it:



Hmmmmmm, wonder if I should send the link to the McCain campaign, for when Obama is consecrated the Democratic nominee? ;-)

Braggin' time .......................................

UPDATE: Saw DD this evening - he came over to thank me for my concern - then, I guess he's not TOO terribly PO'd about my "yenta-ing" - he asked me to take care of his dog, while he's away overnight ............................ ;-)

Sunday, as my spousal unit was leaving for work, he said we NEED a shed for the lawnmower & weedwhacker {so they wouldn't walk off like our 3 5 gallon gas cans}, but he wasn't too impressed with the prices .......................... soooooooooooooo, I hied myself to Home Depot & got: 5 sheets of 1/2 inch plywood, 3 4x4s, 5 2x4s & hinges & hasp {for $107.00 & change} - by the time he got home Sunday, I had it floored, the walls up, and the door on it - as he gets out of the car, he says "I just spent $600.00 on a shed" - I said OK, I'll dismantle it - we can ALWAYS find uses for wood - he said no, we'll stick with mine - put the roof on it Monday, then re-did the door {bolts & nuts in the hinges vice woodscrews, 2x4 framing to straighten the plywood, with a cross brace, another $15.00} yesterday ........................... it's 4 ft x 4 ft x 6 ft in front, 5 ft in back, with the floor on the 4x4s, to keep it "off" the ground .........................

Got the last bits @ Lowe's, b'cause we've a neighbor {DD} who lives alone and who no one had seen/spoken with for 3 days - his brother {RD} works @ Lowe's, so I went there to let him know DD is doing his agoraphobic routine - I had stopped a police car making his regular circuit the night before, and HE had knocked on the door, walked around, to see if DD was visible ....................... other neighbors {D, the bully I've mentioned previously & his wife, L} said they had spoken with DD via phone - DD has some degree of paranoia, and WILL NOT deal with police if he can possibly avoid it - D was waxing mouthy about my being nosy, & butting in - HERE'S the thing - D wasn't willing to speak to police, or go to the effort to speak to RD, to check up on DD - I am not willing to just 'hope for the best' and ignore someone who is going through a rough patch & may just need to know that someone cares ........................... I DID see RD, who called his brother while I was there & was speaking to him when I left - RD did allow as how DD does this from time-to-time, and there's not a lot that can be done about it .......................

Anyhoo, got the shed built, and THAT'S what the bragfest is about ...........................

For LoneStar Gal ..........................................

the most important advice I can offer is - if they're 'long-haired' breeds, get their fur trimmed short {NOT down to the skin, but with some fur to prevent sunburn} sometime in late May - I'm talking dogs native to mountain areas {German Shepherds, St. Bernards, Great Pyrenees - even if they're Yorkies or Pekes} - Dallas won't be as humid as here in Houston, but no matter how you slice it, Texas can be HOT. Make sure all their vaccinations are up to date - ask your vet about leptospirosis prevention {raccoons & possums are part of suburban/rural life - also, squirrels can carry lepto - leads to kidney failure, and is transmissible to humans}. Get some TheraFlu thin strips, with ONLY diphenhydramine {Benadryl} as the active ingredient - God forbid, but if they run into a snake, it can alleviate the swelling {most dogs are bitten on/near their noses, and wind up with breathing issues as the most immediate problem} - nice thing about the strips, you can stick it to the roof of their mouths, rather than fight with a pill or liquid - they WILL froth, but you get more medicine INTO them with the strips - if they're big dogs, a full strip - little dogs, give 1/4 to 1/2 strip. If they aren't already, have them RFID 'chipped' & have the registering entity note that you're moving , WHERE you're moving, and the projected dates. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know ..................... ;-)

Via my Colonel ...........................................

Thank you, Mr. Robinson!

Hmmmmm, seems I'm less-than-representative ............................................

of Marines .......................... now, just so nobody cracks that I should start wearing a halo or some such nonsense - I have a full repertoire & ability to use words of the 4 letter variety - which, when I am angered, receives full vent - but I choose to utilize the vocabulary the nuns & Monte Geyer drilled into me, especially when writing - there's a time & place for everything, but to me, the 'Net is not the place to show one's butt ..................... ;-)


Created by OnePlusYou

Color me conceited {catblogging} .............................................

there's a stray female who's been dining from the buffet de SuperFod & Diamond Mair ........................ we have one of her daughters I managed to catch last winter - Mama's been totally feral from the beginning - but tonight, for the first time, she was waiting when I took the food out, and letting me know she felt I was late with it - I put the food under the spousal unit's truck - she didn't run, but waited {albeit impatiently} - then, she allowed me to pet her - stayed there when I went back out, allowed me to pet her, all the while mumbling under her breath as she gobbled the food - I scruffed her & brought her out, rubbing her tummy - she's heavily pregnant again - let go her scruff, rubbed her belly - she NEVER tried to bite or scratch me. St. Francis musta been whispering in her ear ......................... I'm also blessed/lucky in that my spousal unit doesn't harangue me on those occasions when I DO get bitten/scratched & have to go to the doc for antibiotics - I dated a man who embarrassed the he## out of me when I was scratched by a kitten in Morocco - but my hubby, God bless'im, knows that telling me not to try to befriend strays is like telling me not to breathe ........................... ;-)

Yeah, military folks are all harda$$es .......................................... ;-)

see more crazy cat pics

While I certainly won't denigrate LiveLeak .........................................

for their decision to remove Fitna, it IS still available via SumoTorrent, among other sites; also, via Crusader Rabbit, to The Midnight Sun, here's a YouTube URL link, to show radical Islam in all it's .......................... glory. It is EXTREMELY graphic, to the point of nausea {and I have a rather 'clinical', detached mindset} - I would NOT recommend viewing it with individuals of delicate sensibilities, and young children DO NOT need to view it.

Silly me ...........................................

I thought anyone who'd comment here would have the courage of their convictions sufficient to include their names .......................... so, as a result of the snide comment re: my post on MS-13 initiations, I've changed it to require my readers to register - sorry, but I refuse to make it easy for gutless wonders to hide behind their keyboards. What I posted was what my husband told me, when he came in from work - so any accusations of racism can just be forwarded to the local rent-a-cops. And, just for the record, far as THIS particular woman is concerned, the 'racism card' has been played long enough ................................

The folks @ LiveLeak ..........................................

UPDATE: Due to threats against their people, LiveLeak has had to pull their carrying of Fitna - God bless'em, and thank you for having the courage to put it there initially - Michelle Malkin has links to other sites that are carrying it ....................

I'm glad to say, have the courage of their convictions - THEY'VE made Fitna available ...................... there ARE some very upsetting images - you've been warned .....................

Welcome to the blogosphere to Newest Lonestar Girl .....................................

Also, dunno if y'all heard about Hillary claiming that, at one time, she "tried to join" the Marine Corps .......................... story is here ......................... the lies & "mis-speakings" just keep happening to her, don't they, poor baby?!?

My Colonel notes that, from henceforth, NO ONE is to be called a liar - they are mis-spokeners
........................... and a rose by any other name ....................... ;-)

Apparently, MS-13 is doing their Houston-area initiations tonight .................

The FodGuy got word via the security group @ work to be aware when traveling home tonight ..................... seems their initiation consists of a variation of swoop-&-squat - they ram you from behind, then when you stop to {YOU think} exchange insurance info, they shoot you .................... diversity & multiculturalism are SO wonderful {SEVERE sarcasm} ....................

I've put a new addition to my "Friends" blogroll ......................................

Muslims Against Sharia - I linked to their home page, rather than their Blog {which is easily accessible from their tabs}, so that folks would go in 'the front door', formally & with respect - their goals are highly laudable, and I am pleased to link them.

Muslims Against Sharia:

OUR GOALS

* to educate Muslims about dangers presented by Islamic religious texts and why Islam must be reformed
* to educate non-Muslims about the differences between moderate Muslims and Islamists (a.k.a. Islamic Religious Fanatics, Radical Muslims, Muslim Fundamentalists, Islamic Extremists or Islamofascists)
* to educate both Muslims and non-Muslims alike that Moderate Muslims are also targets of Islamic Terror

Dunno if y'all have heard of the controversy ...............................................

surrounding the censorship, by Network Solutions, of Geert Wilders' film, Fitna; I called Network Solutions, to verify their actions - here's their contact page ............................... here's what I eMailed them:

I would truly like to know HOW you have the ........... temerity ................ to decide whether something that is NOT criminal warrants censorship. Were Mr. Wilders promoting child pornography, I would be front & center supporting your decision to censor him - but he isn't, he's offering HIS OPINION of Islam - last I heard, in the U.S.A., opinions were NOT censor-able.
You are denying Americans the right to choose - believe it or not, most of us are ADULTS, and can determine for OURSELVES if a movie, book, or publication is something we want to take time with. I resent your 'Nanny State' tactics, whereby YOU decide what's "right" for ME.
Sincerely and
Semper Fi'

From my Colonel .......................................... ;-)

A stunning senior moment

An apparently self-important college freshman attending a recent football
game took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him
why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation.

"You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one, " the
student said, loud enough for many of those nearby to hear. "The young
people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man
walking on the moon. Our space probes have visited Mars. We have nuclear
energy, ships and electric and hydrogen cars, cell phones. Computers with
light-speed processing...and more."

After a brief silence the senior citizen responded as follows:
"You're right, son. We didn't have those things when we were young........so
we invented them. Now, you arrogant little sh*t, what are you doing for the
next generation?"

The applause was amazing.......

Blood pressure alert ........................................

seems some head librarian has her thong in a wad over a subordinate reporting a client of the library to police for viewing child pornography at the library - story here.

HERE'S the thing - just as there's an affirmative responsibility for teachers/doctors/other professionals to report when they suspect a child is being abused, so too is there a responsibility for those of us NOT "afflicted" with viewing children in a sexual manner to report those who DO who pursue this interest. I've read just about every excuse pedophiles come up with - and if an adult CAN'T control/preclude her/himself from viewing child pornography, the rest of society is to believe that s/he CAN control when presented with an opportunity with a real child? ALL OF US have a responsibility and an obligation to protect children when/where we can.

Lainy, I know what you mean ........................................

being Catholic & a BIG fan of St. Francis of Assisi, I have tremendous GUILT when my fish die - and it's not as though it's due to their 'cuddle factor' - but, dammit, when I bring them into my home, I'm accepting responsibility for their well-being, no less than our cats or any other critters we bring into our family ........................ went to get frozen mysis shrimp & blood worms for the puffers today - they NEED "crunchies" ;-) - they went to town on the shrimp earlier, but I think I'm going to halve their little ice cubes of shrimp & worms, as they seem to have thoroughly gorged themselves & are only nibbling the worms so as not to be .................... rude? ;-) I'm trying to get them to 'nibble' on my finger - there WAS one that had personality to spare, and would come up to the top of the tank to "play" - of course, THAT one was sold long ago ............................. :-(

I THINK we're 'back on track' on our finny friends ........................................

my 'big' aquarium got sick - water looked as though I'd poured milk into it - lost my Bala sharks, my black finned sharks {actually, a catfish variant}, my high-fin tetras, my algae eaters, & my fancy guppies. It was a progression, and when I lost the first few, I drained/cleaned out the tank, fresh water, etc., etc. When I lost my black finned sharks, I just broke it ALL down, boiled the rocks, scrubbed the tank, etc. My spousal unit got me 2 heaters, another filter, a bubble curtain, and an outside-the-tank thermometer {my Easter gifts ;-) } The blue gouramis, the genetically modified danios and the glow-lite & neon tetras were all apparently OK.

So, t'other day I got a couple more Bala sharks, an algae eater, and a couple of frogs - funny thing about completely aquatic frogs - they have no "abdominal tuck" {had to use dog outlines to show y'all}, whereas frogs that are terrestrial have a very well defined "abdominal tuck"

No abdominal tuck


Excessive abdominal tuck

I picked up a couple of spotted puffers today - they're so ugly they're CUTE!

From my Colonel .......................................... ;-)

Only read this if you want to simultaneously laugh and shake your head at
the stupidity of some people!!! AND THEY GET ELECTED.

*Ever wonder WHY the Government is in the shape that it's in today?
A Washington, DC, airport ticket agent offers some examples of why our
country is in trouble: *

*01. I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman ask for an aisle seat so that
her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. (On an airplane!)
* (After having been smashed up against the outside wall of a smaller
plane, I can relate.

*02. I got a call from a candidate's staffer, who wanted to go to Cape
town. I started to Explain the length of the flight and the passport
information, then she interrupted me with, 'I'm not trying to make you
look stupid, but Cape town is in Massachusetts.' Without trying to make her
look stupid, I calmly explained, 'Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Cape town
is in Africa.' Her response: click! *

*03. A senior Vermont congressman called, furious about a Florida
package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He
said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that's not
possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, 'Don't
lie to me, I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state!' (OMG) *

*04. I got a call from a lawmaker's wife who asked, 'Is it possible to
see England from Canada?' I said, 'No.' She said, 'But they look so close
on the map.' (OMG, again!)*

*05. An aide for a cabinet member once called and asked if he could rent
a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had only a
1-hour layover in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he
said, 'I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive
between gates to save time.' (Aghhhh) *

*06. An Illinois congresswoman called last week. She needed to know how
it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 a.m. and got to
Chicago at 8:33 a.m. I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of
Illinois, but she couldn't understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I
told her the
plane went fast, and she bought that. *

*07. A New York lawmaker called and asked, 'Do airlines put your physical
description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?' I
said, 'No, why do you ask?' She replied, 'Well, when I checked in with the
airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I'm overweight.
I think that's very rude!' After putting her on hold for a minute while I
looked into it (I was laughing), I came back and explained that the city
code for Fresno, CA is (FAT - Fresno Air Terminal), and the airline was
just putting a destination tag on her luggage. *

*08. A Senator's aide called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii.
After going over all the cost info, she asked, 'Would it be cheaper to fly
to California, and then take the train to Hawaii?'*

*09. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman who asked,
'How do I know which plane to get on?' I asked him what exactly he meant,
to which he replied, 'I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these
planes have numbers on them.'

*10. A lady senator called and said, 'I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola,
Florida. Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?' I asked
if she meant fly to Pensacola, Fl. on a commuter plane. She said, 'Yeah,
whatever, smarty!' *

*11. A senior senator called and had a question about the documents he
needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about
passports, I reminded him that he needed a visa. 'Oh, no I don't. I've been
to China many times and never had to have one of those.' I double checked
and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said,
'Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my
American Express!' *

*12. A New Mexico congresswoman called to make reservations, 'I want to
go from Chicago to Rhino, New York.' I was at a loss for words. Finally,
I said, 'Are you sure that's the name of the town?' 'Yes, what flights do
you have?' replied the lady. After some searching, I came back with, 'I'm
sorry, ma'am, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't
find a Rhino anywhere.' The lady retorted, 'Oh, don't be silly! Everyone
knows where it is. Check your map!' So I scoured a map of the state of New
York and finally offered, 'You don't mean Buffalo, do you?' The reply?
'Whatever! I knew it was a big animal.'

Now you know why the Government is in the shape that it's in! Because all
of our Politicians are MORONS! Both Parties!

From my Colonel .......................................... Subject: Why did Jesus fold the napkin in the tomb?

He has risen; He has risen indeed.

Why did Jesus fold the napkin?

I never knew this and had never seen it before. Hope you get as much from it as I did ~ Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head
of that stony coffin.

1. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!" 3. Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. 4. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. 5. He stooped and looked in a and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. 6. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7. while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because.......... The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

He Is Coming Back!!!!

Allan Wall of VDare ................................

has a blog entry on the spokesman of the Mexican Consulate in San Diego here.

Lozano, junior pompous ass that he is, fails to recall his history - "we" had a war with Mexico - "we" won - "we" paid cold, hard cash to them, as part of the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo that then should have provided "us" with a clear title {for want of a better term}, to the land mass encompassed by Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and what ever other areas claimed by the reconquista types. I'm reminded of the quotation to the effect that those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it - if the reconquistas are as hell-bent on fighting over OUR country as they seem to be, all I can say is "Let's roll!"

Some suggestions ....................................................

Peter, at Bayou Renaissance Man tells us about a group in my {former} home state of PA ............................. then, LawDog has a take on the antics ............................ on LawDog's, I'm giving you fair warning, DO NOT HAVE A BEVERAGE NEARBY - if you disregard, I am NOT responsible for replacement of your keyboard/monitor/spousal unit, should you spew ........................

These .............................. creatures ............................. do NOT need to be allowed out unsupervised - they are obviously of deficient and deviant mental/moral/emotional capability - and don't any of them have JOBS that would frown on their getting themselves injured/arrested/Deliverance'd due to such behavior?

I would LOVE to be on a road-trip to Pittsburgh as I type - what the whining, whinging, wanking, kumbaya singers simply DON'T GET is that the majority of us who have served in uniform, AND our families, consider recruiters brothers and sisters; in other words, FAMILY. And, as sociologists & cultural anthropologists know, it goes from 'family' to 'clan' to 'tribe' ............................ and by God, you mess with MY 'tribe' and give your soul to God - your ASS is mine ...........................

I recently stopped in a Marine recruiting office in the Houston area, & jokingly asked the SSGT on duty when Medea Benjamin & her coven were going to arrive - HE told me that, once the morons cross the threshold of his office, they were on federal government property - and ALL that entails.

I'd STILL like to be heading northeast with Peter, though ............................ SIGH!!

Need a contact .....................................................

in Hawaii, if y'all please ............................. eMail me @ diamond.mair@gmail.com .............................. ;-)

Via Gay Cynic ...........................................

DO NOT CLICK on the link if you have a delicate constitution!

Olympics clean up Chinese style: Inside Beijing's shocking death camp for cats

Now, MY attitude about this is the same I had after witnessing the cruelty cats are subjected to in Mexico - I hope they have an outbreak of bubonic plague or some other rodent-borne disease - THEN see how fast 'appreciation' for cats develops!

I enjoy Dr. Zeus' Forensic Files because, ..........................................

well, pickle-sh#$, because I enjoy medical conversations {plus there's GREAT "Sappy Cat Blogging" ;-) } .......................... and DAMN, but I'd like to have encapsulated as neatly my thoughts on bullies :

"As I get older, I've found that I've cut almost all the slack that I want to already. I'm not going to put up with bullying behavior, and the wonderful thing about adulthood is it gives you options. Appealing to someone's better nature does not always work. Letting people know you're not going to tolerate obnoxious behaviour does better."

Nothing Inspires Forgivness Quite So Well As Revenge

We've a neighbor who bullies his family, and tries to bully everyone else - I think there's some Napoleonic complex-ing going on there - the LAST time he tried it with me, about 2 weeks later, he tried to apologize - I told him I didn't want to hear it, as he'd pulled the same crap before, apologized & I said "OK" - THIS time, when I refused to give him a pass, his response was 'To hell with you then' - I told his wife, a VERY nice woman, that the problem is, he's gotten away with boorish behavior for so long, HE believes it to be his right. I put up with bullying from my mother & brother, growing up - D.'s 'genetic material donor' was a bully - until the night I told him not to let the door hit him on the way out - he came back an hour later & asked me to "teach him" to be a man ............................ I passed on that deal {he was a former drill instructor, a Marine gunnery sergeant, VietNam veteran - if he wasn't "a man" by that time, @ age 36, it was WAAAAY too late for me, at age 23, to do anything for him .......................} I dealt with a few more over the years, until I wised up & contacted M. almost 30 years after we'd first met in Memphis - I TRULY lucked out with him {ANOTHER former DI, Marine gunnery sergeant, VietNam vet}.

Nahhhh, life's too short to waste it worrying about bullies, no matter if they're neighbors or groups such as La Raza - stand up & let'em know you WON'T take their crap anymore ................... ;-)

Coupla requests ....................................................

first off, have an acquaintance that was told his more recent 'exotic' acquisitions are "Australian raccoons" {THEN he turns around and calls them 'coati mundis', which, as WE all know, come from South, Central, and the southwestern North American continents} - DO y'all Down Under HAVE raccoons, and if so, could you provide links to pictures of them?

Also, am currently reading Rage by Wilbur Smith, about South Africa in the 50's & 60's ............................. can anyone recommend a good, interesting, not-a-lot-of-footnotes about South Africa's history from about 1880 'til the end of apartheid?

From my Colonel .........................................

I was trying to explain this over on Crusader Rabbit a bit ago - what a LOT of folks don't realize is, this is even more true for women in the military .......................... not to denigrate civilians - that's just the way it is ..........................

When Veterans Retire

When a Veteran leaves the 'job' and retires to a better life, many are
jealous, some are pleased and yet others, who may have already retired,
wonder. We wonder if he knows what they are leaving behind, because we
already know. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie
that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times. We
know in the Military life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the
uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet. We know even if he throws
them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in
his life. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he
was and in his heart still is.

These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people
suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and
always will look at the rest of the Military world with a respect for what
they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing. Never think for one moment
you are escaping from that life. You are only escaping the 'job' and merely
being allowed to leave 'active' duty.

So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your
heart you never forget for one moment that 'Blessed are the Peacemakers for
they shall be called children of God,' and you are still a member of the
greatest fraternity the world has ever known.

Civilian Friends vs. Veteran Friends
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you were having the last time you met.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have cried with you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will kick the crowds' ass that left you behind.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are for life.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences...
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no citizen could ever dream of...

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, 'You better drink the rest of that before you spill it!!' Then carry you home safely and put you to bed...

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out OF THEM..... for using your name in vain.

Michelle Malkin notes ......................................

the Talking Turbans {h/t, Crusader Rabbit for the term ;-) } are FINALLY showing some degree of evenhandedness in their 'Promotion of Virtue/Prevention of Vice' efforts ....................... y'know, I'm just getting really TIRED of being admonished to be 'culturally sensitive' to such - the REST of the world is gaining in enlightenment - WHY, exactly, are "we" to honor such antediluvian/misanthropic attitudes/mindsets? Seems to me, history is replete with cultures that were encouraged to raise themselves to, for want of a better term, First World status - now, in the interests of "diversity" & "multiculturalism", we're allowing 'moral equivalency' to determine OUR future - sorry, but fundamentalist Islam IS NOT NOW, NOR EVER WILL BE, "EQUIVALENT" TO WESTERN CULTURE. If the Islamo-fascists have their way, we will ALL be reduced to living in dhimmitude - once again, from Michelle Malkin,

I WILL NOT SURRENDER

Looking at my visitors' log ....................................

{sniffle-sniffle} I WANT TO GO BACK TO EUROPE!!

I want to visit Plzen, CZR, again, & have wonderful meals at the Stara Roudna Penzione {the memory of the mixed grill makes my mouth water!}. Go to Kaufland's for the to-die-for chocolate covered, cream-filled cookies; go into the store for some of the BEST potato chips ever. Go to the Internet Cafe just off the main square. Go to Karlstejn Castle again, for the sense of history there. Walk around Prague again, just absorbing the culture.

I want to return to Graz, Austria, and visit the Piber Stud Farm and have the horses get excited, knocking their stall doors, because people have come to visit them. I want to walk around 'downtown' {what a pedestrian term for the beauty there} Graz.

I want to go to Munich again, and take the commuter train into downtown, and see the performance artists on the square. I want to go to the open air market there.

I want to go to the Toledo area of Spain, to visit Cheetah's Rock, & see these magnificent animals up close & personal.

I want to see more of Amsterdam than from aircraft/airport windows. I want to see Bruges, Belgium. I want to visit Sweden. I want to go to Italy. I want to have, basically, a road trip, from Amsterdam on ......................... just DRIVE to the areas we want to see. I want to visit the U.K. ......................... then, next fall {in the Northern Hemisphere}, I want to go 'Down Under', and visit New Zealand and Australia - I want to go to the area of the Australian coast where the wild dolphins congregate & play with the humans there ......................... don't want TOO much, do I? ;-)

From my Colonel .........................................

One of the problems today is the 'dumbing down' - you use an insult like these, and are met with vacuous stares & "Hunh?" 'Nother attributed to Sir Winston had him being harangued at some function - he finally told the harridan giving him grief that she was ugly - she responded that he was drunk ...................... he said, "Yes, but I'll be sober in the morning!" ;-)


When Insults Had Class (no 4-letter words !!)

These glorious insults are from an era when cleverness with words was still
valued, before a great portion of the English language got boiled down to
4-letter words, not to mention waving middle fingers.

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my
husband I'd give you poison," and he said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink
it."

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows
or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "on
whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy" - Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston
Churchill

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about." - Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great
pleasure." - Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the
dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" -
Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading
it." - Moses Hadas

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." -
Abraham Lincoln

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of
it." - Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a
friend.... If you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second...if there is
one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." -
Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." -
Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others." -
Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." - Jack E.
Leonard

"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt." - Robert Redford

"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human
knowledge." - Thomas Brackett Reed

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." -
Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" -
Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar
Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... For support rather
than illumination." - Andrew Lang

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

From my Colonel .........................................

No offense to any Canadian readers, but I, for one, DON'T want your style of healthcare .......................

Brain surgery

I'm figuring this is LawDog's response to being ...............................

"adopted" by his young tuxedo'd gentlecat ......................... ;-)


moar humorous pics

My Colonel sent this to me ................................... can we make this viral?

The Star Spangled Banner, like you've never heard it

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors ...................................

and, being a former Marine, my sense of humor is rather .................... warped, anyway - below is a passage that just got me chuckling ................... can't stop ......................... ;-)

"Did you know that civet is used in a lot of perfumes?"

"I don't even know what civet is."

Fric brightened at this admission. "Well, it's a thick yellow secretion that's squeezed from the anal glands of civet cats."

"They sound like remarkably cooperative cats."

"They aren't really members of the cat family. They're mammals in Asia and Africa. They produce more civet when they're agitated."

"Under the circumstances, they must be agitated all the time."

-- from The Face, by Dean Koontz

Hmmmmm, wonder if they make'em

for 110-wired structures?


Electronic kid repellents raise ruckus in Britain

I'm thinking of suggesting to the local grocery & the WalMart I frequent that they think about installing these ....................... ;-)

Gotta question .......................................

seems to me I remember there've been folks who, when paying their federal taxes, have designated that any monies collected from them NOT be used for military expenditures.
Couldn't the same be done re: Berkeley & Toledo? To tell the IRS that any money I pay them DOES NOT go to Berkeley, Toledo, or any other municipality that decides they don't "need/want" U.S. military ? Not one dime, not one nickel, not one fraction of a penny ..................... if enough folks were to make such demands on the IRS, I'd wager that pretty soon, Berkeley, Toledo, et al ad nauseum, would be in a world of hurt ....................

Did I miss the memo?

It seems that the chattering classes are falling all over themselves to denigrate and show disrespect for the USMC - the latest to jump on the bandwagon is the mayor of Toledo, OH: Mayor kicks Marines out of Toledo.

What is wrong with these cretins? What I'd really like to see is another city invite/welcome/participate in such with the Marines, and tell Toledo to go piss up a rope & suck on the end of it .................... if the cost of transport wouldn't be so prohibitive, I'd recommend they come on down here for their drill ........................

From my Colonel .......................................... ;-)

Dear Mr. Ex President Clinton,
I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, 'Thank Me, I voted for Clinton-Gore.' So, I sat down and reflected on that, and I am sending my 'Thank you' for what you have done, specifically:

1. Thank you for introducing us to Jennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, Dolly Kyle Browning, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broderick. Did I leave anyone out?

2. Thank you for teaching my 8 year old about oral sex. I had really planned to wait until he was a little older to discuss it with him, but now he knows more about it than I did as a senior in college.

3. Thank you for showing us that sexual harassment in the work place (especially the White House ) and on the job is OK, and all you have to know is what the meaning of 'it' is. It really is great to know that certain sexual acts are not sex, and one person may have sex while the other one does NOT have sex.

4. Thank you for reintroducing the concept of impeachment to a new generation and demonstrating that the ridiculous plot of the movie 'Wag the Dog' could be plausible after all.

5. Thanks for making Jimmy Carter look competent, Gerald Ford look graceful, Richard Nixon look honest, Lyndon Johnson look truthful, and John Kennedy look moral.

6. Thank you for the 73 House and Senate witnesses who have pled the 5th Amendment and 17 witnesses who have fled the country to avoid testifying about Democratic campaign fund raising.

7. Thank you, for the 19 charges, 8 convictions, and 4 imprisonment's from the Whitewater 'mess' and the 55 criminal charges and 32 criminal convictions (so far) in the other ' Clinton ' scandals.

8. Thanks also for reducing our military by half, 'gutting' much of our foreign policy, and flying all over the world on 'vacations' carefully disguised as necessary trips.

9 Thank you, also, for 'finding' millions of dollars (I really didn't need it in the first place, and I can't think of a more deserving group of recipients for my hard-earned tax dollars) for all of your globe-trotting. I understand you, the family and your cronies have logged in more time aboard Air Force One than any other administration.

10. Now that you 've left the White House, thanks for the 140 pardons of convicted felons and indicted felons-in-exile. We will love to have them rejoin society.
(Not to mention the scores you pardoned while Governor of Arkansas)

11. Thanks also for removing the White House silverware. I'm sure that Laura Bush didn't like the pattern anyway. Also, enjoy the housewarming gifts you've received from your 'friends.'

12. Thanks to you and your staff in the West Wing of the White House for vandalizing and destroying government property on the way out. I also appreciate removing all of that excess weight (china , silverware, linen, towels, ash trays, soap, pens, magnetic compass, flight manuals, etc.) out of Air Force 1. The weight savings means burning less fuel, thus less tax dollars spent on jet fuel.
Thank you!

13. Please ensure that Hillary enjoys the $8 million dollar advance for her 'tell-all' book and you, Bill, the $10 million advance for your memoirs. Who says crime doesn't pay!

14. The last and most important point - thank you for forcing Israel to let Mohammed Atta go free.

Terrorist pilot Mohammed Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called 'political prisoners'. However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands. The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, Insisted that all prisoners be released. Thus Mohammed Atta was freed and eventually thanked the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center . This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the US from all later reports. Why shouldn't Americans know the real truth?

What a guy!!

If you agree that the American public must be made aware of these facts, pass this on. God bless America and THANK YOU (once again) for spending my taxes so wisely and frugally.

SINCERELY,
A US Citizen

PS. Please pass along a special thank you to Al Gore for 'inventing' the Internet, without which I would not be able to send this wonderful, factual e-mail.

AND THE REST OF THE STORY Hillary Rodham Clinton, as a New York State Senator, now comes under the 'CongressionalRetirement and Staffing Plan,' which means that even if she never gets reelected, she STILL receives her Congressional salary until she dies. (Would it not be nice if all Americans were pension eligible after only 4 years?)

If Bill outlives her, he then inherits HER salary until HE dies. He is already getting his Presidential salary until he dies. If Hillary outlives Bill, she also gets HIS salary until she dies. Guess who pays for that? WE DO!

It's common knowledge that in order for her to establish NY residency, they purchased a million dollar-plus house in upscale Chappaqua , New York. Makes sense. They are entitled to Secret Service protection for life. Still makes sense.

Here is where it becomes interesting. Their mortgage payments hover at around $10,000 per month. BUT, an extra residence HAD to be built within the acreage to house the Secret Service agents.

The Clintons charge the Federal government $10,000 monthly rent for the use of that extra residence, which is just about equal to their mortgage payment.

This means that we, the taxpayers, are paying the Clinton 's salary, mortgage, transportation, safety and security, as well as the salaries for their 12 man staff -- and, this is all perfectly legal!

When she runs for President, will you vote for her?

How many people can YOU send this to?

WAKE UP AMERICA .

Dunno 'bout the rest of you, but ..............................................

I've about had my fill of Code Pinkers .......................... these ..................... 'people' ....................... claim a morality that one would need a SEM to see - their rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth disdain for our military is beyond the pale.

Michelle Malkin has a new article up, about their claims that they're the kind of people who stopped Hitler - riiiiiiight - newsflash, you twitless wonders - it took bullets, bombs, and the blood of our best and brightest - your ilk would have lasted MAYBE all of 5 minutes, singing kumbaya and whining "can't we all just get along?"

Y'all suffer from BDS - fine - take 2 aspirin & call your shrink - but find someplace else to shoot off your feminazi mouths about those who VALUE this nation, and what it stands for - as one City Council member noted, your actions are identical to those who protest outside abortion clinics - the time for double standards is over - YOU are a bunch of ungrateful, irrational, illogical wastes of oxygen.

For everybody else - I 'snitched' the contact info from Michelle Malkin's site:

Berkeley City Council

Linda Maio
Phone: (510) 981-7110
FAX: (510) 981-7111
Email: lmaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Darryl Moore
Phone: (510) 981-7120
Email: dmoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Maxwell Anderson
Phone: (510) 981-7130
Email: manderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Dona Spring
Phone: (510) 981-7140
Email: spring@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Laurie Capitelli
Phone: (510) 981-7150
Email: lcapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Betty Olds
Phone: (510) 981-7160
Email: olds@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Kriss Worthington
Phone: (510) 981-7170
Email: kworthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Gordon Wozniak
Phone: (510) 981-7180
Email: GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us

City Auditor
Ann Marie
TEL: (510) 981-6750, TDD: (510) 981-6903
Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
Email: auditor@ci.berkeley.ca.us

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE: Should any of you like, here's the link from Move America Forward, for their online petition. KG, MK, Tiberius, and ANYONE else who may not be right here in the U.S. - PLEASE feel free to sign if the spirit so moves ......................... hehehehehehehehehehehehehe - yeah, I'm a widdle debbil ...................... ;-)

Thanks to Gay Cynic for bringing to my attention ..........................................

that I shoulda checked Snopes for the veracity of the missive attributed to General Hawley; Snopes has this:

General Hawley said of the words now mistakenly attributed to him:

There is a piece zooming around the internet that attributes some pretty forceful statements to me, Dick Hawley - one time fighter pilot, General, thoughtful consultant, neophyte strategist, master of the artful compromise. The words did not flow from my pen, but if the e-mails mean anything, those words are now indelibly linked to my name. So do me a favor - if you receive this, please send it on to the same people to whom you forwarded the one that I did not write. It's not that I don't share many, if not most, of the sentiments attributed to me, but the piece is just not my style.

Here's what I would have said if I'd been asked to comment on those five important issues.

1) Goodness, Evil and Relativity: There are some really good people in this world. They volunteer to help those who need it, and ask nothing in return. There are also some really bad people in this world. They exploit those who need help, or who have less wit or "charisma", and motivate them to join in committing unspeakable acts of cruelty against people they don't even know. Then there are the rest of us. Average people who try each day to do no harm, to provide for their families, to do an occasional act of kindness. The evil that was perpetrated against our land on 9/11 was the product of Mullahs who see our prosperity and power as a threat to their control over the uneducated Muslim masses on whose shoulders they ride through life. And so they preach hate. They are evil.

2) Violence begets violence: It's true. Violence does beget violence. But sometimes there is no alternative but to confront those who would perpetrate evil acts against us. This is one of those times. We are blessed to have courageous men and women willing to put their lives on the line to track down and annihilate those who have been so imbued with evil as to be beyond redemption. But violence is not a strategy. It is a necessary and fully justified reaction to an unimaginable threat. But it is not a strategy. If we are to win this war, we must defeat the Mullahs. And to defeat the Mullahs, we must find ways to separate them from their uneducated flocks. We cannot kill all those who have been taught to hate us, nor should we wish to. Far better to change their minds than to change their state of being.

3) The intelligence community let us down: Well, maybe just a little. Lots of senior and not so senior intelligence people became just as enamored of high tech gadgets as their political masters. The protests over our evisceration of the human intelligence component of the agency were not very loud or forceful. Keeping spies on the ground is a high risk and often dirty business, and it wasn't just liberal politicians who didn't have much stomach for it.

4) Poverty is the breeding ground for terrorists: No, it isn't; but religious extremism is. The Mullahs fear our wealth and power because it shows that a secular society with democratic institutions and a free market economy can do a better job of taking care of its peoples' needs, both spiritual and physical, than the oppressive Islamic regimes that they aspire to lead. The Mullahs are the problem, not poverty, but poverty does make it easier for the Mullahs to spread their evil - as do governments that tolerate and even reinforce their hateful message.

5) Profiling: We are at war here! We are not talking about traffic stops. If we were at war with Iceland, I would expect those charged with our defense to pay very close attention to any Icelander who ventured near our shores. In this war I expect them to pay very close attention to Muslims with ties to the places that spew hatred against us. Random checks when there are no such obvious targets available are a good way to keep the evil ones guessing, but let's not make small children and grandmothers take their shoes off while we watch far more likely candidates walk aboard unchecked.

6) Resolutions:

a. Never forget that what happened on September the 11th of 2001 was an act of war.

b. Never sit silently by while someone tries to justify what happened on that day as an understandable reaction to U.S. policies in the Middle East or elsewhere.

c. Fly our nation's flag proudly - it represents this world's greatest hope to move beyond the pain and suffering that inflict so many across the globe.

Richard E. Hawley
General, USAF, Retired
Former Commander, Air Combat Command

Notwithstanding that General Hawley didn't write the original I posted, after reading this, I can safely say that I would proudly follow him into battle ............................. ;-)