Anybody who knows me, knew this was coming ........................................

I DO believe that we ALL need a little Christmas, especially this year - may you not know hunger, or rejection; may you be warm & dry; may you know love .................





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If I may be permitted some bragging ........................................

my very first article has been posted on NewsRealBlog, which is part of David Horowitz' FrontPage Magazine ........................... aw, garsh, I'm blushing .................................

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Happy Birthday to our

beloved Marine Corps!!








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"Ben"

see more dog and puppy pictures

Back in the mid-70's, we had gone on a visit to my maternal grandmother, in North Philadelphia. She lived in a ROUGH part of the city, where on an earlier visit I had seen neighbors sluicing down the 'payment' {how native pronounce 'pavement'} from an earlier stabbing. THIS trip was November? December? timeframe, pretty chilly, with cold rain, sleet, etc.

We came to a stop light at on a one-way street crossing a major thoroughfare; there was a large dog, walking in the gutter, ignored by all who passed him. He looked forsaken & miserable, a sad, scruffy, unwanted dog. I jumped out of the back seat, & went up to him. Of course, the light changed at that moment, so my Dad had to MOVE the car - he circled the block & picked up the dog & me. Of course, my Dad was NOT pleased with me, for jumping out of the car, in an area I was unfamiliar with, where I stood out like a sore thumb.

We got the dog home - our German Shepherd, Mary II "adopted" him, teaching him where the food & water were, showing him around the property. I named him 'Ben'; even though I was never a big Michael Jackson fan, that was always one of my favorite songs of his - my sweet Ben decided that HE was solely responsible for alerting us to anyone on the property - he adored all of us, & my Dad even came to like him. We weren't able to keep him when we moved, so we took him to the shelter where hopefully, someone realized what a wonderful dog he was.

The picture above reminded me of the day we found Ben.

Ben
Songwriters: Scharf, Walter; Black, Don;

Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With my friend to call my own I'll never be alone
And you my friend will see, you've got a friend in me

Ben, you're always running here and there
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind and don't like what you find
There's something you should know, you've got a place to go

I used to say, "I", And "Me"
Now it's "Us", Now it's "We"

Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again if they had a friend like Ben
Like Ben, like Ben

'Specially for KG & Gecko .................................... ;-)

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Via Doug Powers' column @ Michelle Malkin ........................................

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You voted for Obama to prove you’re not a racist. Now, who are you going to vote for to prove you’re not an idiot?


Just about says it all, doesn't it?


UPDATE: Not to be an "Eeyore" {H/t HillBuzz}, but the following pretty well sums up my concerns with the lame duck session after 2 November .....................

The Scorpion and the Frog
One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.

The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.

Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.

"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"

"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.

"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"

Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."

Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.

Self destruction - "Its my Nature", said the Scorpion...

Dunno 'bout the rest of y'all, but I CAN SEE Dems playing 6 kinds of hell, before they collectively pick up their marbles & go home - the PROBLEM is, until the new folks could get themselves organized, WE'D be stuck with whatever the old-timers choose to do .............................





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

SEASON'S GREETINGS
T'was the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down
I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political clap-trap
When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out my window
Saw Obama and his boys
They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!
He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink
He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!
'On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi'
He screamed at the pairs!
They took off for his cause
And as they flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!
So I leave you to think
On this one final note—
IF YOU DON'T WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE !!!!
GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR ONLY HOPE!





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Blame it on the time of year, but every year, I'm lookin' for a Greyhound ..................................

Thirty years ago, I was {I thought} one day away from giving birth in Philadelphia; 4 October {feast of St. Francis of Assisi} would've been GREAT - I'd been involved in humane work since I was 14, so my child being born on his feast day would've been icing on the cake ......................... she's STILL the icing on the cake, even though the stinker was born on 6 October, feast of St. Bruno, patron saint of the possessed ............................. she's having "issues" with the 'big 3-0' {it's a hereditary thing - I thought my life was OVER @ 30}- if you're so inclined to tell her it isn't ALL bad, please leave comments here - I will ensure she receives them, on her birthday - a neighbor does wonderful things with cakes/fondant, so the neighbor, a friend & I are going to surprise her at work with it - the cake will be chocolate cake with raspberry ganache, and rum-flavored cake with pina colada-flavored ganache ........................ done up with skulls, of course!! ;-)

I MISS the Northeastern part of the country, this time of year .................................




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Figuring it's only a matter of time ...................................... UPDATED below

once ØbamaCare kicks in, here's some warning for all out there -

First of all, I will be 54 in December - I have served my country in the USMC, USNR, and federal civil service, for a total of 21 years. I'm not stupid; I HAVE the sense that God gave a goose, thank you very much, when it comes to my own healthcare decisions.

I have been diagnosed with ulcers since I was 11 years old {that's FORTY THREE YEARS for the mathematically-challenged}; I have gone the gamut from milk, Mylanta/Tums, Librax, Pepcid, Prevacid, AciPhex, Dexilant. The most recent change was to Dexilant {originally Kapidex}, about a year ago.

The FodGuy's company's health insurance changed twice in 6 months - from UniCare to BC/BS to Cigna - we've been with Cigna since June - NOW they are demanding a step back in treatment, ie., I have to go on a 'trial' of Prevacid's generic, because THEY don't have all my history, and are looking to cut costs. When I called, THEIR demand is I go BACK to the doctor {for $20.00} and discuss it with him - if HE affirms that Prevacid is NOT an option, THEN they will "approve" Dexilant.

This was ALL DONE WITHOUT *MY* BEING CONSULTED, which has me so angry, to quote my father, I could smoke a pickle. The absolute ARROGANCE that I don't have the right to have input on MY healthcare is outrageous - and I do NOT see ØbamaCare making this better - if anything, it will make things like this WORSE.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
UPDATE:
Called Cigna again, requested a supervisor - the young lady who answered was able to fix things so that I only need to call my doctor's office, and have THEM call Cigna & document that Dexilant is THE choice for me ..................... I was primed for bear, and I'm STILL angry that I was left out of this 'loop' - I WILL make the point with both our doctor's office and our pharmacy that, when it comes to decisions such as this, where MY body is involved, I will expect to be consulted ..........................






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Good night, Chesty, wherever you are .........................................

Lyrics available http://www.thewarriorsong.com/video.html

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

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We just had a double rainbow here - couldn't resist ............................ ;-)

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From Eternity Road, via Crusader Rabbit ......................................

An Open Letter!
By ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ

In keeping with the theme generated by the esteemed Curmudgeon Emeritus here, this humble blogster will add his own contribution to the refrain entitled “why didn’t I write that?”.

The following is an open letter to general David Petraeus published by Chuck Prime here.

To one and all: Please steal this and repost it!

OPEN LETTER TO GEN. PETRAEUS (Please re-post to anti-jihad sites)

“Were the actual burning to take place, the safety of our soldiers and civilians would be put in jeopardy and accomplishment of the mission would be made more difficult.”
– Gen. David Petraeus

General, I ask you this: what in hell is your “mission” if We The People jeopardize it by exercising our First Amendment rights in our own homeland? Is your “mission” to defend our rights against foreign enemies, or to defend foreign enemies against our rights?

You made your choice, and you justified by claiming that you and those under your command have been taken hostage by our 7th Century terrorist enemy, and that the ransom demand you deliver to us is that we submit to your captor’s restrictions on our natural and constitutional rights – or they’ll kill you.

I remind you and your captors that we do not negotiate with terrorists.

And I remind you that you are the most revered general in the present day, commanding in the most powerful military in all of history, during the most justifiable war in the last seventy years. So please either remember your priorities and slaughter your captors, or resign in disgrace so that we may replace you with a warrior. And if you resign, you should do so right along with President Obama, Gen. Caldwell, Pentagon Spokesman Lapan, Sec. of State Clinton, Atty. Gen. Holder, NATO Sec. Rasmussen and all others in all branches of government and in all alliances who echoed your request, whether they did so mindlessly or with surrender aforethought.

To have our own military leaders beg us to refrain from exercising our Constitutional rights on our own soil is completely un-American. And to have you make that request of us in the name of cowardice is a shocking and unthinkable perversion I still don’t have the words for.

But I do have the plan for it. We The People will force the issue right here and now. We don’t want harm to come to our military, but if peacefully exercising our rightful freedom on our own property here in our own homeland endangers you, then we will endanger you!

We will burn the Koran for freedom and post the videos for all the world to see. We can be overt or covert, named or anonymous, sparse or numerous – but ultimately we will be unstoppable, and eventually we will be effective.

We will do this because you have no f***ing right to sell our freedom down the river for the sake of our enemy’s sensitivity. We will do it because you more than have the power to defend yourselves against that enemy if only you would use it. We will do it because facing danger to defend our rightful freedom is why we pay you, train you, equip you, promote you, appoint you, deploy you, and – formerly! – revere you.

You work for us, General, not for our enemy. Therefore we will regain control over you and over this war from the command center of our own backyards. We will force you to end any of your appeasement and nation-building which would restrict our Constitutional rights. We will force you to defend yourselves and us, and to do the job you were appointed to do: destroy the enemy in defense of our freedom.

Our military has the power. We hired you to use it. Now we’ll make sure you do.
When Americans can burn our own copies of the Koran on our own soil without credible threats from jihadists or appeasement of those threats from our President and our Generals, then we will gladly stop burning them.

We are a free people, and although we clearly live in occupied territory psychologically, we do not yet live in occupied territory legally or physically. We will do as we please, and we will continue to expect all branches of our government to secure our right to do it.

I remind you that securing our rights is the only legitimate reason that governments are instituted among men in the first place, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
And not everybody among the governed consents to surrendering our rights to terrorists.

Freedom for all,

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!!




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From a friend still serving this nation ............................................

Requiescat in Pacem and Semper Fidelis to all who were murdered or injured by Islamofascism on 9/11/2001





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From Crusader Rabbit........................................

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!!! Crusader Rabbit link


THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS AT WAR WITH AMERICANS:
Posted on September 4, 2010 by KG

Is it time yet??

‘FEDS CONVICT TEXAN FOR SELLING A GUN TO ILLEGAL ALIEN WITH TEXAS DRIVER’S LICENSE

In Federal District Court on July 20, 2010, the ATF won a conviction from an Austin jury that defies logic and reason. In a trial before Federal Judge Sam Sparks, government lawyers conceded Texas resident Paul Copeland did not know his buyer was an illegal alien, but the jury they should convict him anyway because he “had reasonable cause to believe” he was selling to an illegal alien because the two men and a boy who were present at his table at the time of the sale: 1) were Hispanic, 2) spoke Spanish, and 3) wore cowboy clothing. And the jury did as asked. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Freel acted as lead prosecutor in the case.

The firearm transaction at issue occurred on January 16, 2010, at a gunshow at the North Austin Events Center, at 10601 N. Lamar Blvd., in Austin, Texas. Undercover ATF agents followed Mr. Huerta, his son, and another Hispanic male, Hipolito Aviles, around the “Texas Gunshow” that day, and claimed to observe Huerta’s transaction. Austin P.D. used Copeland’s case as the reason to close down the gunshow, leading to a protest by Austin residents in front of APD headquarters on January 25.

Mr. Copeland is a 56 year old Cedar Creek resident and Vietnam veteran who liked to buy, sell, and trade firearms as a hobby. On January 16, however, he had the misfortune to sell a handgun to Leonel Huerta Sr., who spoke both English and Spanish. Huerta Sr. negotiated his purchase from Copeland in English, showing Copeland his Texas Driver’s License. At Copeland’s trial Huerta admitted on the witness stand, that he is in the country illegally, (Huerta Sr. had previously admitted this fact to Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Leo Buentello). ATF Agent Shawn Kang claimed he saw Huerta later hand off the gun to Aviles. Despite these admissions, Huerta Sr. was never arrested, charged, or deported. Instead, his presence at the gunshow was used to entrap an American citizen into an unwitting violation of a federal gun control law. Huerta Sr., who is a resident of the City of Austin, appeared as a witness at the trial, admitted he was in the country illegally before federal prosecutors and a federal judge, yet he was allowed to leave the courtroom under his own power. To date Huerta Sr. has not been prosecuted for his purchase, possession, or disposition of the handgun he bought from Copeland, while Copeland is now a convicted felon.

“Instead of busting the illegal alien for buying, they bust the citizen for selling,” commented Paul Velte, attorney and founder of Peaceable Texans for Firearms Rights, a gun-owners rights advocacy group from Austin. Velte asked, “who was in a better position to know the buyer’s immigration status, the buyer or the seller?” He also said, “What happened to Paul Copeland should enrage all Americans. The Federal Government is using illegal aliens to entrap citizens lawfully exercising their right to sell firearms. The illegal alien walks free, but the citizen gets convicted. The same government charged with controlling immigration is the one using illegal immigrants to attack its own citizens. Does this make any sense? It makes no sense unless the purpose is to discourage attendance at gunshows and frighten citizens from selling their firearms to other citizens.”

Velte pointed out that “There is no way for a citizen to know who is here legally or not. In fact, under Austin’s ‘sanctuary city’ policy, not even the police officer at the door of the gunshow was allowed to ask a person’s immigration status, yet the average Texan inside the show is expected to assume that a person standing before them with a Texas driver’s license is in the country illegally just because they look Mexican and speak Spanish.” Velte noted that the federal government’s lawsuit against Arizona was based on that very type of conduct: Concluding someone could be here illegally based on their looks or their language. Velte said gun owners in his group are outraged, and they want to know:

1.. Why is the illegal alien who purchased the gun, Leonel Huerta Sr., still living in Austin?
2.. Why does he still have a Texas Driver’s license?
3.. Why is ATF using illegal aliens to set up and convict American citizens?
4.. What has he been promised for his cooperation?
5.. Why has he not been prosecuted? He committed three distinct crimes: he purchased a firearm knowing he was an illegal alien, he possessed the firearm, and he transferred the handgun to another illegal alien (Hippolito Aviles, who was convicted and given time served on June 30, 2010).
6.. Why has Huerta Sr. not been deported?

Judge Sparks sentenced Copeland on August 27 to six months confinement and 24 months of probation, and called Copeland “a liar” for not admitting guilt. ATF confiscated Copeland’s entire gun collection and initiated forfeiture proceedings. Copeland was also fired from his job due to the indictment, and he would have lost his home to foreclosure, if not for his family stepping in to pay his mortgage while he serves his sentence.’




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From Tasty Infidelicacies .............................................

{located here} As Jewel says, Make. It. Viral.







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I had the opportunity to meet Congressman Ted Poe today ................................

his district is south & east of us, but I'm on his eMailing list - he held a Town Hall at a high school down the road a piece - it seems he & Kevin Brady {OUR Congressman} are two of the few who actually KNOW the Constitution - a black gentleman came up & told him that the polls notwithstanding, a LOT of blacks are questioning just how good Øbama is for the country ...................... I told him "Semper Fi'" from a former Marine ........................ ;-)







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From KG of Crusader Rabbit .................................. Guess Who I Am?

If the shoe fits ...GUESS WHO I AM

I was born in one country, raised in another. My father was born in another country. I was not his only child. He fathered several children with numerous women.

I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no interest in me. My mother died at an early age from cancer. I became close with my grandmother.

Later in life, questions arose over my real name.

My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to produce a legitimate, reliable birth certificate.

I grew up practicing one faith but converted to Christianity, as it was widely accepted in my country, but I practiced non-traditional beliefs & didn't follow Christianity, except in the public eye under scrutiny.

I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult, disguising myself as someone who really cared about them..

That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my life and I embarked on a new career.

I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to those who read my memoirs that I had difficulties accepting that my father abandoned me as a child.

I became active in local politics in my 30's then with help behind the scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for national office in my 40s. They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone into anything. That reinforced my conceit.

I had a virtually non-existent resume, little work history, and no experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful speaker and citizens were drawn to me as though I was a magnet and they were small roofing tacks.

I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances. This bolstered my ego.

At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign policy. I was very critical of my country in the last war and seized every opportunity to bash my country.

But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on the country's economy. I pretended to have a really good plan on how we could do better and every poor person would be fed & housed for free.

I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess. It was the free market, banks & corporations. I decided to start making citizens hate them and if they were envious of others who did well, the plan was clinched tight.

I called mine "A People's Campaign" and that sounded good to all people.

I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the traditional path of politics & was able to gain widespread popular support.

I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope', together we could change our country and the world. So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf of the downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities" like the Jews. My true views were not widely known & I needed to keep them unknown, until after I became my nation's leader.

I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily found out what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings and examined those people I associated with.

I'm glad they didn't. Then, I became the most powerful man in the world. And the world learned the truth.

Who am I?




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I am ADOLF HITLER.




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Not quite who you expected, hmmmmmm?




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From ...................................

Barking MoonBats Early Warning System:

If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a TelePrompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?

If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan’s holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?

If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent “Austrian language,” would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had stated that there were 57 states in the United States, would you have said that he is clueless.

If George W. Bush would have flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in Texas, would you have thought he was a self-important, conceited, egotistical jerk.

If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to “Cinco de Cuatro” in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?

If George W. Bush had misspelled the word “advice” would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoes as proof of what a dunce he is?

If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he’s a hypocrite?

If George W. Bush’s administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?

If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?

If George W. Bush had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America, would you have approved.

If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can’t think of anything? Don’t worry. He’s done all this in 15 months—so you’ll have two years and nine months to come up with an answer.





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'Specially for KG & Gecko ....................................

see more Lolcats and funny pictures




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