Musings of the Chronologically Challenged™ Fourth Generation

 
ALIVE AND WELL IN ARGENTINA!

(return date unknown at this time)
posted by HCL at 10:38 AM

 
ANYBODY ASK MEXICAN WOMEN WHAT THEY THINK?


Mexican Women Beg: "Close the Border"
By David Yeagley
FrontPageMagazine.com May 11, 2006

Not all Mexican women want to have “anchor babies” in the Unites States. The real Mexican women of Tecalpulco want their migrant men to come back home and take care of the babies they left behind. “Close the U.S. borders!” they say. “Send our men back home!”

Where are the feminists when you need them?

This is as plain as it gets. Among the so-called migrant hordes of banditos are deadbeat dads, carelessly leaving behind their wives and children to fend for themselves. So, where’s the voice of international protest here?

A new thread from Bad Eagle. Thanks for the lead, Jack.
posted by HCL at 10:12 PM

 
INCOMING
from Major Smith


By Charlie Daniels

Mexican Standoff

I don't know how everybody else feels about it, but to me I think Hispanic people in this country, legally or illegally, made a huge public relations mistake with their recent demonstrations.

I don't blame anybody in the world for wanting to come to the United States of America, as it is a truly wonderful place. But when the first thing you do when you set foot on American soil is illegal it is flat out wrong and I don't care how many lala land left heads come out of the woodwork and start trying to give me sensitivity lessons.

I don't need sensitivity lessons, in fact I don't have anything against Mexicans! I just have something against criminals and anybody who comes into this country illegally is a criminal and if you don't believe it try coming into America from a foreign country without a passport and see how far you get.

What disturbs me about the demonstrations is that it's tantamount to saying, I am going to come into your country even if it means breaking your laws and there's nothing you can do about it.

It's an in-your-face action and speaking just for me I don't like it one little bit and if there were a half dozen pairs of gonads in Washington bigger than English peas it wouldn't be happening.

Where are you, you bunch of lilly livered, pantywaist, forked tongued, sorry excuses for defenders of The Constitution? Have you been drinking the water out of the Potomac again?

And even if you pass a bill on immigration it will probably be so pork laden and watered down that it won't mean anything anyway. Besides, what good is an other law going to do when you won't enforce the ones on the books now?

And what ever happened to the polls guys? I thought you folks were the quintessential finger wetters. Well you sure ain't paying any attention to the polls this time because somewhere around eighty percent of Americans want something done about this mess, and mess it is and getting bigger everyday.

This is no longer a problem, it is a dilemma and headed for being a tragedy. Do you honestly think that what happened in France with the Muslims can't happen here when the businesses who hire these people finally run out of jobs and a few million disillusioned Hispanics take to the streets?

If you, Mr. President, Congressmen and Senators, knuckle under on this and refuse to do something meaningful it means that you care nothing for the kind of country your children and grandchildren will inherit.

But I guess that doesn't matter as long as you get re-elected. Shame on you.

One of the big problems in America today is that if you have the nerve to say anything derogatory about any group of people (except Christians) you are going to be screamed at by the media and called a racist, a bigot and anything else they can think of to call you.

Well I've been pounded by the media before and I'm still rockin' and rollin' and when it comes to speaking the truth I fear not. And the truth is that the gutless, gonadless, milksop politicians are just about to sell out the United States of America because they don't have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the face reality.

And reality is that we would never allow any other group of people to have 12 million illegals in this country and turn around and say, Oh it's ok, ya'll can stay here if you'll just allow us to slap your wrist.

And I know that some of you who read this column are saying Well, what's wrong with that?

I'll tell you what's wrong with it. These people could be from Mars as far as we know. We don't know who they are, where they are or what they're up to and the way the Congress is going we're not going to.

Does this make sense? Labor force you say? We already subsidize corporate agriculture as it is, must we subsidize their labor as well?

If these people were from Haiti would we be so fast to turn a blind eye to them or if they were from Somalia or Afghanistan? I think not.

All the media shows us are pictures of hard working Hispanics who have crossed the border just to try to better their life. They don't show you pictures of the Feds rounding up members of MS 13, the violent gang who came across the same way the decent folks did. They don't tell you about the living conditions of the Mexican illegals some fat cat hired to pick his crop.

I want to make two predictions.
No. 1: This situation is going to grow and fester until it erupts in violence on our streets while the wimps in Washington drag their toes in the dirt and try to figure how many tons of political hay they can make to the acre.

No 2: Somebody is going to cross that border with some kind of weapon of mass destruction and set it off in a major American city after which there will be a backlash such as this country has never experienced and the Capitol building in Washington will probably tilt as Congressmen and Senators rush to the other side of the issue.

I don't know about you but I would love to see just one major politician stand up and say, I don't care who I make mad and I don't care how many votes I lose, this is a desperate situation and I'm going to lead the fight to get it straightened out.

I don't blame anybody for wanting to come to America, but if you don't respect our immigration laws why should you respect any others.

And by the way, this is America and our flag has stars and stripes. Please get that other one out of my face.

Pray for our troops.

What do you think?

God Bless America
Charlie Daniels April 10, 2006
posted by HCL at 4:20 PM

 
PASS THE BUTTER

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it?

They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

DO YOU KNOW...the difference between margarine and butter?
Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years

And now, for Margarine

Very high in trans fatty acids.

Triple risk of coronary heart disease.

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.

Lowers quality of breast milk.

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact....
HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC. This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:
Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area.
Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:
* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)
* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value;
* nothing will grow on it; Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to "butter them up")!


ICYGAS (Indigo translation: In Case You Give a Hoot!)
Snopes says http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/butter.asp .
This information was not public knowledge in 1987 when I had my first heart attack. I learned about it through several research scientists I was working with at the time. That was about the time I stopped consuming margarine and limited butter intake, although not cutting it out completely. ----- Indigo
posted by HCL at 1:20 PM

 
I received this as "flagged" e-mail from my dear friend, Major Smith, USMC. Major Smith does not have a blog, so I am taking the liberty of posting the piece for him. He obviously thinks this is very important to circulate to Americans and other people desiring a peaceful world.
--Indigo

A little long to read, but it all makes sense!!
Major General Vernon Chong's biography is AWESOME!!!
Smith out -


It would be well if every American reads this thoughtfully (Brits too, plus French, Russians, Chinese, and many others).

Dear Friends,

I had no idea who General Chong is or the source of these thoughts... so when I received them, I almost deleted them - as well-written as they are. But then I did a "Google search" on the General and found him to be a retired Air Force Surgeon of all things and past Commander of Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. So he is real, is connected to Veterans affairs, and these are his thoughts. They are worth reading and thinking about!! (the same Google search will direct you to some of his other thought-provoking writings.)

MG Vernon Chong, USAFR, forwarded:


This War Is For REAL!

To get out of a difficulty, one usually must go through it. Our country is now facing the most serious threat to its existence, as we know it, that we have faced in your lifetime and mine (which includes WWII).

The deadly seriousness is greatly compounded by the fact that there are very few of us who think we can possibly lose this war and even fewer who realize what losing really means.

First, let's examine a few basics:

1. When did the threat to us start?
Many will say September 11, 2001. The answer as far as the United States is concerned is 1979, 22 years prior to September 2001, with the following attacks on us:

* Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979;
* Beirut, Lebanon Embassy 1983;
* Beirut, Lebanon Marine Barracks 1983;
* Lockerbie, Scotland Pan-Am flight to New York 1988;
* First New York World Trade Center attack 1993;
* Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers Military complex 1996;
* Nairobi, Kenya US Embassy 1998;
* Dares Salaam, Tanzania US Embassy 1998;
* Aden, Yemen USS Cole 2000;
* New York World Trade Center 2001;
* Pentagon 2001.
(Note that during the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581 terrorist attacks worldwide).

2. Why were we attacked?
Envy of our position, our success, and our freedoms. The attacks happened during the administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2. We cannot fault either the Republicans or Democrats as there were no provocations by any of the presidents or their immediate predecessors, Presidents Ford or Carter.

3. Who were the attackers?
In each case, the attacks on the US were carried out by Muslims.

4. What is the Muslim population of the World? 25%.

5. Isn't the Muslim Religion peaceful?
Hopefully, but that is really not material. There is no doubt that the predominately Christian population of Germany was peaceful, but under the dictatorial leadership of Hitler (who was also Christian), that made no difference. You either went along with the administration or you were eliminated. There were 5 to 6 million Christians killed by the Nazis for political reasons (including 7,000 Polish priests). (see
http://www.nazis.testimony.co.uk/7-a.htm)

Thus, almost the same number of Christians were killed by the Nazis, as the six million holocaust Jews who were killed by them, and we seldom heard of anything other than the Jewish atrocities. Although Hitler kept the world focused on the Jews, he had no hesitancy about killing anyone who got in his way of exterminating the Jews or of taking over the world - German, Christian or any others.

Same with the Muslim terrorists. They focus the world on the US, but kill all in the way -- their own people or the Spanish, French or anyone else. The point here is that just like the peaceful Germans were of no protection to anyone from the Nazis, no matter how many peaceful Muslims there may be, they are no protection for us from the terrorist Muslim leaders and what they are fanatically bent on doing -- by their own pronouncements -- killing all of us "infidels." I don't blame the peaceful Muslims. What would you do if the choice was shut up or die?

6. So who are we at war with?
There is no way we can honestly respond that it is anyone other than the Muslim terrorists. Trying to be politically correct and avoid verbalizing this conclusion can well be fatal. There is no way to win if you don't clearly recognize and articulate who you are fighting.

So with that background, now to the two major questions:

1. Can we lose this war?
2. What does losing really mean?

If we are to win, we must clearly answer these two pivotal questions.

We can definitely lose this war, and as anomalous as it may sound, the major reason we can lose is that so many of us simply do not fathom the answer to the second question - What does losing mean?

It would appear that a great many of us think that losing the war means hanging our heads, bringing the troops home and going on about our business, like post Vietnam. This is as far from the truth as one can get. What losing really means is:

We would no longer be the premier country in the world. The attacks will not subside, but rather will steadily increase. Remember, they want us dead, not just quiet. If they had just wanted us quiet, they would not have produced an increasing series of attacks against us, over the past 18 years. The plan was clearly for terrorists to attack us, until we were neutered and submissive to them.


We would of course have no future support from other nations, for fear of reprisals and for the reason that they would see we are impotent and cannot help them.

They will pick off the other non-Muslim nations, one at a time. It will be increasingly easier for them. They already hold Spain hostage. It doesn't matter whether it was right or wrong for Spain to withdraw its troops from Iraq. Spain did it because the Muslim terrorists bombed their train and told them to withdraw the troops. Anything else they want Spain to do will be done. Spain is finished.

The next will probably be France. Our one hope on France is that they might see the light and realize that if we don't win, they are finished too, in that they can't resist the Muslim terrorists without us. However, it may already be too late for France. France is already 20% Muslim and fading fast!

If we lose the war, our production, income, exports and way of life will all vanish as we know it. After losing, who would trade or deal with us, if they were threatened by the Muslims.

If we can't stop the Muslims, how could anyone else?

The Muslims fully know what is riding on this war, and therefore are completely committed to winning, at any cost. We better know it too and be likewise committed to winning at any cost.

Why do I go on at such lengths about the results of losing? Simple. Until we recognize the costs of losing, we cannot unite and really put 100% of our thoughts and efforts into winning. And it is going to take that 100% effort to win.

So, how can we lose the war?

Again, the answer is simple. We can lose the war by "imploding." That is, defeating ourselves by refusing to recognize the enemy and their purpose, and really digging in and lending full support to the war effort. If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. If we continue to be divided, there is no way that we can win!

Let me give you a few examples of how we simply don't comprehend the life and death seriousness of this situation.

President Bush selects Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation. Although all of the terrorist attacks were committed by Muslim men between 17 and 40 years of age, Secretary Mineta refuses to allow profiling. Does that sound like we are taking this thing seriously? This is war! For the duration, we are going to have to give up some of the civil rights we have become accustomed to. We had better be prepared to lose some of our civil rights temporarily or we will most certainly lose all of them permanently.

And don't worry that it is a slippery slope. We gave up plenty of civil rights during WWII, and immediately restored them after the victory and in fact added many more since then.

Do I blame President Bush or President Clinton before him?

No, I blame us for blithely assuming we can maintain all of our Political Correctness, and all of our civil rights during this conflict and have a clean, lawful, honorable war. None of those words apply to war. Get them out of your head.

Some have gone so far in their criticism of the war and/or the Administration that it almost seems they would literally like to see us lose. I hasten to add that this isn't because they are disloyal. It is because they just don't recognize what losing means. Nevertheless, that conduct gives the impression to the enemy that we are divided and weakening. It concerns our friends, and it does great damage to our cause.

Of more recent vintage, the uproar fueled by the politicians and media regarding the treatment of some prisoners of war, perhaps exemplifies best what I am saying. We have recently had an issue, involving the treatment of a few Muslim prisoners of war, by a small group of our military police. These are the type prisoners who just a few months ago were throwing their own people off buildings, cutting off their hands, cutting out their tongues and otherwise murdering their own people just for disagreeing with Saddam Hussein.

And just a few years ago these same type prisoners chemically killed 400,000 of their own people for the same reason. They are also the same type enemy fighters, who recently were burning Americans, and dragging their charred corpses through the streets of Iraq.

And still more recently, the same type enemy that was and is providing videos to all news sources internationally, of the beheading of American prisoners they held.

Compare this with some of our press and politicians, who for several days have thought and talked about nothing else but the "humiliating" of some Muslim prisoners -- not burning them, not dragging their charred corpses through the streets, not beheading them, but "humiliating" them.

Can this be for real?

The politicians and pundits have even talked of impeachment of the Secretary of Defense. If this doesn't show the complete lack of comprehension and understanding of the seriousness of the enemy we are fighting, the life and death struggle we are in and the disastrous results of losing this war, nothing can.

To bring our country to a virtual political standstill over this prisoner issue makes us look like Nero playing his fiddle as Rome burned -- totally oblivious to what is going on in the real world. Neither we, nor any other country, can survive this internal strife. Again I say, this does not mean that some of our politicians or media people are disloyal. It simply means that they are absolutely oblivious to the magnitude, of the situation we are in and into which the Muslim terrorists have been pushing us, for many years.

Remember, the Muslim terrorists stated goal is to kill all infidels! That translates into ALL non-Muslims -- not just in the United States, but throughout the world.

We are the last bastion of defense.

We have been criticized for many years as being 'arrogant.' That charge is valid in at least one respect. We are arrogant in that we believe that we are so good, powerful and smart, that we can win the hearts and minds of all those who attack us, and that with both hands tied behind our back, we can defeat anything bad in the world!

We can't!

If we don't recognize this, our nation as we know it will not survive, and no other free country in the world will survive if we are defeated.

And finally, name any Muslim countries throughout the world that allow freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, equal rights for anyone -- let alone everyone, equal status or any status for women, or that have been productive in one single way that contributes to the good of the world.

This has been a long way of saying that we must be united on this war or we will be equated in the history books to the self-inflicted fall of the Roman Empire. If, that is, the Muslim leaders will allow history books to be written or read.

If we don't win this war right now, keep a close eye on how the Muslims take over France in the next 5 years or less. They will continue to increase the Muslim population of France and continue to encroach little by little, on the established French traditions. The French will be fighting among themselves, over what should or should not be done, which will continue to weaken them and keep them from any united resolve. Doesn't that sound eerily familiar?

Democracies don't have their freedoms taken away from them by some external military force. Instead, they give their freedoms away, politically correct piece by politically correct piece.

And they are giving those freedoms away to those who have shown, worldwide, that they abhor freedom and will not apply it to you or even to themselves, once they are in power.

They have universally shown that when they have taken over, they then start brutally killing each other over who will be the few who control the masses. Will we ever stop hearing from the politically correct, about the "peaceful Muslims"?

I close on a hopeful note, by repeating what I said above. If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. I hope now after the election, the factions in our country will begin to focus on the critical situation we are in, and will unite to save our country. It is your future we are talking about! Do whatever you can to preserve it.

After reading the above, we all must do this not only for ourselves, but our children, our grandchildren, our country and the world.

Whether Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal and that includes the Politicians and media of our country and the free world!

Please forward this to any you feel may want, or NEED to read it. Our "leaders" in Congress ought to read it, too.

There are those that find fault with our country, but it is obvious to anyone who truly thinks through this, that we must UNITE!
posted by HCL at 1:15 AM

 
Please take a few minutes of your time to visit this link.
It explains why we have The Wrong Army.
posted by HCL at 12:45 PM

 
[This was sent to me by a military friend.]


Beautiful KIA Tribute


Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a U.S. Marine sergeant in Dress Blues traveling with a folded flag, but I did not put two and two together. After we'd boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (and was seated across the aisle from me), and inquired if he was heading home.
"No sir" he responded.
"Heading out?" I asked.
"No. I'm escorting a Marine home."
"Going to pick him up?"
"No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I am taking him home to his family."

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he did know them after so many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, "Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do."

Upon landing in Chicago, the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door [so as to] allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign."

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize two things: I am proud to be an American, and I will continue to fly on American Airlines because it respects what our soldiers do every day. So here's a public thank-you to our military for doing what you do so we can live the way we do.
posted by HCL at 10:55 AM

 
"Freedom has a taste to those who fight and almost die that the protected will never know."
-Written on the wall of Hoa Lo Prison; The "Hanoi Hilton"

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

According to urbanlegends.about.com
(http://usconservatives.about.com/b/a/245339.htm), the part about UW, Jill Edwards, and Pappy Boyington is true (happened in Feb 06). Can't confirm Gen Dula's letter or Dave Grossman's article (but he did write a book titled "On Killing.")

*******************************************************************************

ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS

Jill Edwards is a junior math major at the University of Washington. In brief, Edwards, a member of the UW student senate, opposed a memorial to UW grad "Pappy" Boyington. Boyington was a U.S. Marine aviator who earned the Medal of Honor in World War II. Edwards said that she didn't think it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people. She also said that a member of the Marine Corps was NOT an example of the sort of person the University of Washington wanted to produce.

Gen. Dula's letter to the University of Washington student senate leader:

To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW)

Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

Miss Edwards, I read of your 'student activity' regarding the proposed memorial to Col Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative folks like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté.

It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep - - as long as you know and accept what you are. Please take a couple of minutes to read the following. And be grateful for the thousands - - millions - - of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

Brett Dula
Sheepdog, retired

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

ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS

By LTC (RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER,
Ph.D., author of "On Killing."

Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?
- William J. Bennett -
in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me, it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell.

Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf."

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf.

But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed

Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.

But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf.
He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa." Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.

Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that asheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.


There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke


Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was
carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.

Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their
response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness and horror at your moment of truth.

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling."

Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level. And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.

If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself..."Baa."

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other.

Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

"If It Weren't For The United States Military There Would Be NO United States of America"
posted by HCL at 11:35 PM

 
Be back sometime.
posted by HCL at 9:02 PM

 
INCOMING

Received this tonight from an old friend who asked "Remember this?" I do remember it. Do you? I remember this as an e-mail circulating in 2002 before MSM spread the misleading poison that eventually tainted some of the patriotic enthusiasm of some Americans. That the fervor of patriotism and pride in being an American has been eroded since 2002 is evidenced by the popular emails that circulated then and those that are being forwarded today. I haven't seen enough of this ethos lately. A revival could begin by forwarding this one to your mailing list.



DICHOTOMIES


Your alarm goes off; you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.
He stays up for days on end.

You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.

You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
He gets shot at, as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.

You make sure your cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You talk trash on your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You don't feel like helping out your dad today, so you don't.
He does what he is told.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You go out to lunch and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He does not get to eat today.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for months, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.

You are angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He is told he will be held an extra 2 months. He does as he is told.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for that night.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You ditch class to go to a movie.
He goes where he is told.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You criticize your government and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own government and remembers why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war and make fun of the men like him.
He hears the gun fire and bombs.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the bodies lying around him.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does what he is told.

You stay at home and watch tv.
He takes whatever time he is given to call and write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your bed, with down pillows, and try to get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by gun fire.

You sit there and judge him, saying the world is a worse place because of men like him.

If only there were more men like him!
posted by HCL at 2:50 AM

 
INCOMING
from Old Jimmy, Ayden, NC
(Don't start reading this one until you've got more than 3 or 4 minutes to just "scan" over it. It deserves some time for reflection.)


GOD LIVES UNDER MY BED

I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped outside his closed door to listen.
"Are you there, God?" he said.
"Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed."

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas, and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores. And Saturdays -oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside.

"That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others.

His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all!
posted by HCL at 10:27 AM

 
BUT OF COURSE,
EUROPE NEEDED THE DIVERSITY.....


Here is the feeling of a Spaniard on the Muslim invasion of Europe. This article was written by Sebastian Villa Rodriguez in one of Spain's newspapers. He wrote:
"I walked along the streets of Barcelona when suddenly the horrible truth hit me. Europe died together with Auschwitz. We killed 6 million Jews and replaced them with 20 million Muslims. In Auschwitz we burned an entire culture of intelligence, talent and creativity. We annihilated these brilliant people, truly brilliant and grand people, who helped change the face of this earth.

"The contribution these people made were in all phases of our life such as: science, art, international trading and especially providing this world with a conscience. These are the kind of people we burnt. And, under the illusion of the need to be more tolerant, we had the desire to prove to ourselves that we are healed from our prejudices.

"We opened our gates to 20 million Muslims who brought unto us stupidity and ignorance, religious zealotry and impatience, crime and poverty, all which stem from their lack of ambition to work and support their families, honorably. They turned our beautiful cities of Spain into a third world country, drenched in filth and crime.

"Locked in their dwellings which were given to them by the European governments, they confer secretly and plan acts of murder and destruction against their naive hosts. Thus ... to our shame, we traded a culture with fanaticism and hatred, traded the ability to create with the ability to destroy, intelligence with primitive thinking and superstition. We traded the desire for peace of Europe's Jewry and their talents and their continued hope for a better future for their children and love for life with all their might since life is their sanctification.

"We traded it all for the pursuers of death, people who wish death upon themselves and others, who wish death upon our children and theirs.

"What a terrible mistake this miserable continent has made!"
posted by HCL at 9:03 AM

 
Winston Churchill wrote it a century ago
("curse of islam")

Winston Churchill on Islam....... (107 years ago !!!)

“How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity.

The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceasedto be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities – but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.”

-Sir Winston Churchill (The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages248-50 (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899).
posted by HCL at 12:30 AM

 
THIS POST FOR MIKEY THE MARINE


Acidman won't mind (I hope) if I lift this directly from his blog. It seems to be such a perfect intro for the INCOMING below, while at the same time circulating the post about Mikey the Marine.

The hubster and eldest spawn are off camping this weekend with some friends of ours. Guys weekend out...they do this often, however...this one is really special to them all. Why? Because, Mikey, errr....Michael...hell no...he's Mikey, is in town on leave. Mikey's 19 years old, a helluva Marine and headed to Iraq in the next 2 weeks. He's ready to go, he's willing to fight, however, he's nervous. Who wouldn't be? Iraq and Effingham County aren't really similar at all! Anyway, I would really, really, from the bottom of my heart appreciate you sending any sort of message (not an f-ed up you're dying for nothing one, nice ones) to give to him before he leaves. He's a great kid, and I really appreciate him and those like him who are willing to protect our ass. No matter how you feel about the war, how many 19 year olds that you know would head over there? If you pray, tell him, if you feel thankful, tell him, if you wish him Godspeed - tell him. If you have military advice or are a veteran, depart some of that wisdom. Please send it to me at: writing4areason@aol.com and I will be sure to print it out and give it to him. Sometimes ya just gotta let someone know you appreciate them having your back!! Semper Fi!! (and if you want to send this on...please do...the more the merrier!!) If you don't want to leave your full name or whatever....leave your blog addy, or whatever...please let me know where you are from....so he can see it ain't just us Jawja crackers wishing him well!!



INCOMING
from my friend, Jack, who forwards to me what he comes across regarding my beloved Marines!! My personal apologies to my other admired military friends, army, navy, air force, wherever you serve. Thank you. I love you all. And I'm sure God does too.


In The Beginning !!!

In the beginning was the word, and the word was God. In the beginning was God and all else was darkness and void, and without form. So God created the heavens and the earth. He created the sun, the moon, and the stars so that light might pierce the darkness. The earth God divided between the land and the sea and these he filled with many assorted creatures.

And the dark salty, slimy creatures that inhabited the murky depths of the oceans, God called sailors, and he dressed them accordingly, with little trousers that looked like bells at the bottom and with cute little flaps on their shirts to hide hickeys on their necks. He also gave them long sideburns and shabby looking beards. God nicknamed them "squids" and banished them to a lifetime at sea so that normal folks would not have to associate with them. To further identify these unloved creatures, he called them "petty" and "commodore" instead of titles worthy of red-blooded men.

And the flighty creatures of the land, God called soldiers. And with a twinkle in his eyes, and a sense of humor that only he could have, God made their trousers too short, covers too large, and pockets to warm their hands. And to adorn their uniforms, God gave them badges in quantities that only a dime store owner could appreciate. And he gave them emblems and crests....and all sorts of shiny things that glittered...and devices that dangled. (When you are God, you tend to get carried away in a BIG way.)

On the 5th day, he thought about creating some air creatures for which he designed a Greyhound Bus driver's uniform especially for flyboys, but he discarded the idea during the first week and it was not until years later that some apostles "resurrected" this theme and established what we now know as the wild blue yonder wonders.

And on the 7th day as you know, God rested. On the 8th day, at 0730 hours, God looked down upon the earth and was not happy. GOD WAS NOT HAPPY !!!

So he thought about his labors, and in his divine wisdom, God created a divine creature, and this he called "Marine". And these Marines, who God had created in his own image, were to be of the air, of the land, and of the sea. And these he gave many wonderful uniforms. Some were green, some were blue with red trim, and in the early days, some were even a beautiful tan. He gave them practical, fighting uniforms, so that they could wage war against the forces of Satan and evil. He gave them service uniforms for their daily work and training, that they might be sharp and ready....and he gave them evening and dress uniforms....sharp, stylish, handsome things, so that they might promenade with their ladies on Saturday night, and impress the shit outta everybody!!! He even gave them swords so that people who were not impressed could be dealt with.

And at the end of the 8th day, God looked down upon the earth and saw that it was good. But was God happy? NO !!! GOD WAS STILL NOT HAPPY !!! Because in the course of his labors, he had forgotten one thing....He did not have a Marine uniform himself !!! But he thought about it, and finally satisfied himself in knowing that, well......not everybody can be a Marine!


Here's Mikey's email addy again for Indigo readers: writing4areason@aol.com
posted by HCL at 9:56 PM

 
TOO OLD FOR SUPER BOWL?


I must be, 'cause I've certainly been out of sorts this week following Sunday night's festivities. Too much excitement, too much food, plus a glass of wine left me "hung over" until today, actually. It's been a sorta kinda normal day today. Maybe tomorrow will be back to just "miserable and pain-wracked"!!! Not whining. Just saying. Everytime I even contemplate complaining about my physical trials and tribulations, one moment of thinking of others who overcome worse with far more grace makes me ashamed. (You know who you are. Pity Pot Seminar Saturday afternoon. Be there or be square!)

So anyhow, I've been trying to catch up on blog reading for the last few days. Still haven't felt much like writing, but been checking out what I've missed that others wrote. Really. When I don't turn on the puter for two days, it's pretty close to time to start getting bids on formaldehyde. The more I've read, linking along the way, the more I conclude that perhaps I am not as out of step with conventional opinion on Mrs. King's funeral as I thought I was.. It seems Blogdom is just about unanimous on this one, with Lefties and Righties unabashedly appalled.

A commenter at D.C. Thorton's blog summed up my feelings just about exactly with this:

Commenter Jim said - - -
"Political speeches have no place at funerals. Period.

"You know, if the Democrats would get off their duffs and do something meaningful once in a while, instead of doing their incessant whining, bickering, and politicizing everything under the sun, they might be a true, fair, and organized resistance against the Repubs. I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Due to their insolence, election after election is going to go to the right, skewing the political landscape and throwing off that valuable balance between the two.

"I feel estranged by both parties, because I don’t feel either of them represent me. I have many an axe to grind with both parties and resent that anyone would tell me that I have to pick either one or the other.

"Yep, yet another annoying centrist who can’t pick a party and stick with it. Dispicable actions like wiretapping and throwing childish tantrums at the funerals of civil rights icons aren’t going to get me any closer to accepting the party line…"

And in his always inimitable style, Charming Guy reads my mind too: "I am dreading the elections this fall. I can't bring myself to vote for a donk and if I vote for a republican I may wind up puking in the voting booth."
posted by HCL at 5:56 PM

 

posted by HCL at 12:10 PM

 
LABELS


The longer I live, the more I'm convinced of how much better off the human race might be without labels. Why must everyone have a label anyhow? The very label itself can be life-changing in a destructive way. Yet, society requires (demands?) that everybody have one for purposes of categorization. What is the cut-off point between identifying a child as "special-needs" and "genius"? How different the life and works of Albert Einstein would have been had he been labelled when he was a child. In fact, how different our world might be today if he had been.

The most truly "Christian" person I ever knew never attended church. She didn't need a label. Her life was her testimony and she lived it in accordance with the biblical teachings of Jesus, although she never read the Bible to my knowledge. This woman was my aunt, so I knew her well and do not speak of her from what I heard others say, but from what I observed first hand, one on one. So although she lived her life in service to others, helped the poor and unfortunate, did kind deeds for everyone who crossed her life's path, did not judge others, and bubbled over with love for every person and being she encountered, she never earned the label of "Christian" because she was not affiliated with a church. Lucky for her that her life will not be judged by church members or church hierarchy.

Leshaun Fossett may have had similar thoughts on labelling when he wrote this excellent post. In his American heart he doesn't seem to feel the need to "label" February..
posted by HCL at 12:15 AM

 
GOOD TUESDAY MORNING
(I missed Monday!)


>^..^< Here's a good start.

>^..^< Kudos and congratulations to Acidman on his new life!! I know he'll understand that this is my idea of a sincere and loving tribute.



FROM THE RECYCLE BIN

The ultimate response to a Dear John letter...you gotta love a man like this.
Humor in the face of defeat. And a fine story like this is much like a fine wine.

A Marine was deployed to Afghanistan. While he was there he received a letter
from his girlfriend. In the letter she explained that she had slept with two guys while he had been gone and she wanted to break up with him. AND, she wanted pictures of herself back.

The Marine did what any squared-away Marine would do. He went around to his buddies
and collected all the unwanted photos of women he could find.

He then mailed about 25 pictures of women (with clothes and without) to his girlfriend with the following note:

"I don't remember which one you are. Please remove your picture and send the rest back."

God Bless America



DOWN AT THE RETIREMENT CENTER

80-year old Bessie bursts into the rec room at the retirement home. She holds her clenched fist in the air and announces, "Anyone who can guess what's in my hand can have sex with me tonight!!" An elderly gentleman in the rear shouts out, "An elephant?" Bessie thinks a minute and says, "Close enough."



INCOMING
from Christina, Swansboro, NC

AMERICAN IN PARIS REDUX

A group of Americans, retired teachers, recently went to France on a tour. Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on bag.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready," snipped the Frenchman.

Mr. Whiting replied, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show my passport."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!" asserted the officer loud enough to draw attention.

The American senior gave the French customs officer a long hard look. Then he quietly explained: "Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate your country, I couldn't find any Frenchmen to show it to."
posted by HCL at 12:50 AM

 
>^..^<

>^..^< Mid-Winter Blahs? Or what? Long gaps in posting here at Indigo Insights, also A Sailor in the Desert, plus Obnoxious Droppings. It appears the only active limb on our family tree is Greene Thoughts. That boy never gives out of adrenalin!!

>^..^< INCOMING from Ian, Salem OR: Tribute to Veterans

>^..^< Good News page

>^..^< Charming Guy likes Southern old time religion stories and Billy Joe Bob of Compleat Redneck aims to please. See January 23 and 25, back to back.

>^..^< Wondering if I'm the only one with sympathetic labor pains for Margi. Good job, Marg, on the reporting and the finished product! Congrats.

>^..^< La Shawn Barber opines on the Oprah flap; so does Mr. Helpful - just not as kindly as sweet La Shawn.

>^..^< UPDATE: Obnoxious Droppings came through with a post! Yeah!!!!!!!!
posted by HCL at 7:08 PM

 
TRIVIA-THON


Jan 1 Q. When it comes to champagne, what's a punt? A. The dome-shaped indentation in the bottom of the bottle.
Jan 2 Q. To what family of animals do the Chinstrap, Macaroni, and Gentoo belong? A. Penquin. All three are Antarctic penquins.
Jan 3 Q. What Hollywood actress, as an 11-month-old, was featured in a TV commercial for Gainesburger puppy food? A. Drew Barymore. She made her feature film debut at age five in Altered States in 1980.
Jan 4 Q. Which is the highest of the seven continents? A. Antarctica. Because of its thick ice cover, it has the highest average elevation of all the continents.
Jan 5 Q. How many White Castle hamburgers does a pound of ground beef yield? A. 18. White Castle, founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kasnsas is the oldest hamburger chain in the US.
Jan 6 Q. Who was the first person Madame Tussaud modeled in wax? A. Philosopher/writer Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire, in 1777.
Jan 7 Q. Where was the greyhound dog breed developed? A. In ancient Eqypt. Images of greyhounds hunting deer appear in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Amien, built between 2900 and 2751 B.C.
Jan 8 Q. What is the aptly named weekly journal published by the American Heart Association? A. Circulation.
Jan 9 Q. Who played a neighborhood cop who gets hit in the face with a pie intended for Alice Kramden in Jackie Gleason's very first televised Honeymooners skit? A. Art Carney -- before he assumed the role of Ralph Kramden's sewer-worker sidekick Ed Norton.
Jan 10 Q. In what war did Mary Edwards Walker -- the only woman ever awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor -- serve? A. The Civil War. The first female doctor in the U.S. Army, she served on the front lines and crossed enemy lines to tend to the wounded. Captured by the Confederates, she was freed in a prisoner exchange.
Jan 11 Q. How did the California wine country town of Hopland get its name? A. From the hops once grown there for brewing beer. Grapes replaced hops as the Mendocino County town's major crop in the 1970s.
Jan 12 Q. Why were ladies asked not to wear their hooped skirts and men not to wear their swords, to the premier performance of Handel's Messiah in Dublin in 1742? A. To make room for as many music lovers as possible. Demand to hear the oratorio -- with Handel directing -- was great, and space was limited at the newly opened Neal's Music Hall.
Jan 13 Q. What hulking basketball legend appeared in the fight scene opposite 5-foot-7 Bruce Lee in the 1978 film Game of Death? A. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had studied the martial art style known as Jeet Kune Do (Way of the Intercepting Fist) with Lee. The film was Lee's last.
Jan 14 Q. What plant root gave root beer its name? A. Sassafras.
Jan 15 Q. What was the first black-controlled company traded on the New York Stock Exchange? A. BET Holdings, the parent company of Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1991.
Jan 16 Q. What famous religious leader wrote, "The time to keep silence has passed and the time to speak is come"? A. Martin Luther, the German priest who sparked the Reformation -- and after whom Martin Luther King Jr. and Sr. (who originally were named Michael Luther) were renamed in 1934.
Jan 17 Q. What was the Barbie doll wearing when it was introduced in 1959? A. A black-and-white zebra-striped swimsuit and stiletto heels. The doll sold for $3.00.
Jan 18 Q. What are the three key ingredients of the gourmet treat Turducken? A. Turkey, duck and chicken, as the name suggests. The dish contains three boned birds -- a turkey stuffed with a ducking, which in turn is stuffed with a chicken. Turducken recipes generally include three different dressings used as stuffing between the birds.
Jan 19 Q. What are the six official languages of the United Nations? A. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
Jan 20 Q. What world-famous photographer took the first picture that appeared on the cover of the very first issue of Life magazine, in November 1936? A. Margaret Bourke-White. The photo was of the massive Fort Peck Dam, then under construction by the Army Corps of Engineers in Montana.
Jan 21 Q. In stamp collecting, what are cinderellas? A. Stamplike seals or stickers that have no postal validity. They include seals issued by charities and revenue stamps issued by governments.
Jan 22 Q. What baseball great received the highest percentage of votes ever cast for induction into the Hall of Fame? A. Pitcher Tom Seaver, who had 98.84 percent of the votes cast in 1992.
Jan 23 Q. What was the name of the Virginia mansion where first-lady-to-be Martha Washington lived with her first husband, wealthy planter Daniel Parke Custis? A. The White House. The mansion, on the Pamunkey River in New Ken County, is where the widowed Martha Dandridge Custis was living at the time of her marriage to George Washington.
Jan 24 Q. What was the $50 bet between editor Bennett Cerf and Theodor Giesel -- aka Dr. Seuss -- that resulted in the children's classic Green Eggs and Ham? A. Cerf bet Geisel that he couldn't write a book using 50 words or less. Geisel won.
Jan 25 Q. What federal building in Washington, D.C., has a larger-than-life frieze of Napoleon Bonaparte on a wall in its main chamber? A. The U.S. Supreme Court. The frieze is one of the 18 marble likenesses on the courtroom's north and south walls, depicting great figures in legal history. Napoleon's legal legacy is his 1804 Civil Code.
Jan 26 Q. What early colonial figure escaped slavery in Turkey before traveling to the New World to help found a settlement? A. Captain John Smith, who helped establish Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, in 1607 while fighting for the Austrian army against the Turks in Transylvania.
Jan 27 Q. What is the literal meaning of the word antibiotic? A. "Against life." Antibiotics are chemicals made by microorganisms, that are used to treat bacterial infections by inhibiting or killing other microorganisms.

My adult grandchildren like to play "Stump the Granny" -- a game much like "Stump the Band", only with trivia instead of music. They give me far too much credit as a trivia expert, when it's a given that by the time one reaches my age, a lifetime of trivia is right up there bouncing around the synapses. The trick is to access the right synapse. Often I'll get a LD telephone call from one of the grandkids to "settle" a debate or a bet with one of their peers. It seems to be easier to dial up granny than to google! At Christmas my granddaughter gave me a 2006 desk calendar of trivia. You know the kind -- 365 sheets with a trivia question of the day on each tear off page. Today is January 26 and I have known answers to only January 3, 7, 10, 11, 14, and 20, So how do you do on trivia? How many did you know?
posted by HCL at 5:15 PM

 
CONTINUING IN THE HEALTH FIELD - - - -


INCOMING
from Ian, Salem, OR

MEDICAL INSURANCE EXPLAINED

Q. What does HMO stand for?
A. This is actually a variation of the phrase, "HEY MOE." Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Moe of the Three Stooges, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eye.

Q. I just joined an HMO. How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?
A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book listing all the doctors in the plan. The doctors basically fall into two categories--those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer participating in the plan. But don't worry, the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting new patients has an office just a half-day's drive away and a diploma from a third world country.

Q. Do all diagnostic procedures require pre-certification?
A. No. Only those you need.

Q. Can I get coverage for my preexisting conditions?
A. Certainly, as long as they don't require any treatment.

Q What happens if I want to try alternative forms of medicine?
A. You'll need to find alternative forms of payment.

Q. My pharmacy plan only covers generic drugs, but I need the name brand. I tried the generic medication, but it gave me a stomach ache. What should I do?
A. Poke yourself in the eye.

Q. What if I'm away from home and I get sick?
A. You really shouldn't do that.

Q. I think I need to see a specialist, but my doctor insists he can handle my problem. Can a general practitioner really perform a heart transplant right in his/her office?
A. Hard to say, but considering that all your risking is the $20 co-payment, there's no harm in giving it a shot.

Q. Will health care be different in the next century?
A. No, but if you call right now, you might get an appointment by then.
posted by HCL at 5:13 PM

 
PURPLE HEART

Back from MIA with a Purple Heart, here's a feeble attempt at a long overdue post. I'm trying to learn to function PWI (Posting While Impaired). This narcotic thing is a new experience for me. A couple of doctors suggested Percocet to me over the last few years, but I declined their scripts, wanting to postpone addiction as long as possible. After one of them prescribed Bextra, I went into a manageable pain phase that lasted until Bextra was voluntarily pulled from the market by Merck last year. Can't really blame them, since they were already in class action suits with Vioxx and Celebrex to the tune of millions of dollars. I think they yanked Bextra preemptorily since it was one of the dreaded Cox II drugs, as were Vioxx and Celebrex. In all the ensuing hoopla following some patients on the drugs experiencing heart attacks and even deaths, specifics were not widely publicized. What I'd like to know is some numbers. How many of the millions of patients who were prescribed Cox II scripts actually had heart attacks? And more interesting would be the data on how many patients had no ill effects at all. That would be the group I fell into: those who benefitted. I received a fiesty email from a friend who's been following my case. He stated the following:

"Every time I get up all stiff and sore I think of you and the misery of your back pain. I try not to be vindictive, but I fail. I wish each and every ambulance chasing lawyer a very long life of intense back pain, and I'll throw in a permanent gout session too, the inability to obtain painkillers, the financial ruin of not being able to work nor the means to end their misery. These were the tenets of their life when they took up the cudgel of litigation that has put our pharmaceutical business offshore, taken medications off the shelf, discouraged further research and has driven good doctors and medical service away. They've been robbing the rest of us with their self serving money grabbing lawsuits while serving very few legitimate cases and enriching themselves beyond our wildest imaginations. May they roast in a special hell after they've suffered a long and painful life. It's one thing to ban a substance like Bextra from OTC, but unconscionable to take it away from prescription availability by yielding to the least common denominator, the litigator."

That pretty much sums up exactly how I feel, but I could never had said it as well.

And to quote one of my favorite bloggers over at Sleepless Mind - - - -

"more later...Maybe"
posted by HCL at 9:05 PM

 
>^..^<


>^..^< Every morning meditation therapy.

>^..^< Swann, Swann, He's our Man! Rah, Rah, Rah!!!

>^..^< In his own inimitable way (no censorship whatsoever!) GOC-Winston Salem has a listing of HIS 2005 Awards.

>^..^< Charming has some charming pictures of some of the charming people who attended the charming Catfish Manor Seafood and Musical Festival. (I will need a dozen Clorox bubble baths to get UN-green!!!)

>^..^< If there is a convenient bullet, go ahead and bite it. I'm cleaning out the InBox!! You are warned.



INCOMING


From Karl, Hubert, NC

HAPPY CHANUKAH
A young boy had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father, who was a rabbi, if they could discuss his use of the family car. His father took him into his study and said, "I'll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your Talmud a little, get your hair cut and then we'll talk about it."

After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss his use of the car. They again went into the father's study where the father said, "Son, I've been very proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you've studied the Talmud diligently, but you didn't get your hair cut."

The young man waited a moment and then replied, "You know Dad, I've been thinking about that. You know Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair."

The rabbi said, "Yes, and everywhere they went, they walked."



From Susan, Greensboro, NC

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?...
(1) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. -- Alan, age 10
(2) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with. -- Kirsten, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
(1) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then. -- Camille, age 10
(2) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married. -- Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
(1) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. -- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
(1) Both don't want any more kids. -- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
(1) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. -- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)
(2) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. -- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
(1) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns. -- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
(1) When they're rich. -- Pam, age 7
(2) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that. -- Curt, age 7
(3) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do. -- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
(1) It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. -- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
(1) There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? -- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is.....

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
(1) Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck. -- Ricky, age 10



From Old Jimmy, Ayden, NC

REFLECT ON THESE......
"Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children, as they have already been stretched and pulled to such a length that the child cannot do much harm one way or the other," - Robert Benchley®
My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.®
My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and I used to eat it raw sometimes too; our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag not in ice pack coolers, but I can't remember getting ecoli.®
Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.®
The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.®
We all took gym, not PE... and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Keds (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.®
Flunking gym was not an option... even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.®
Every year, someone taught the whole school a lesson [and provided comic relief] by running in the halls with leather soles on linoleum tile and hitting the wet spot. How much better off would we be today if we only knew we could have sued the school system.®
Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention. We must have had horribly damaged psyches.®
I can't understand it. Schools didn't offer 14 year olds an abortion or condoms (we wouldn't have known what either was anyway)®
What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.®
I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.®
I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.®
I must be repressing that memory as I try to rationalize through the denial of the dangers that could have befallen us as we trekked off each day about a mile down the road to some guy's vacant lot, built forts out of branches and pieces of plywood, made trails, and fought over who got to be the Lone Ranger. What was that property owner thinking, letting us play on that lot? He should have been locked up for not putting up a fence around the property, complete with a self-closing gate and an infrared intruder alarm.®
Oh yeah... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!®
We played king of the hill on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48 cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked. Now it's a trip to the emergency room followed by a 10-day dose of a $59 bottle of antibiotics and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.®
We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked (physical abuse) there too and then we got butt spanked again when we got home.®
Mom invited the door to door salesman inside for coffee; kids choked down the dust from the gravel driveway while playing with Tonka trucks. (Remember why Tonka trucks were made tough .. it wasn't so that they could take the rough Berber in the family room), and Dad drove a car with leaded gas.®
Our music had to be left inside when we went out to play and I am sure that I nearly exhausted my imagination a couple of times when we went on two week vacations. I should probably sue the folks now for the danger they put us in when we all slept in campgrounds in the family tent.®
Summers were spent behind the push lawn mower and I didn't even know that mowers came with motors until I was 13 and we got one without an automatic blade-stop or an auto-drive. How sick were my parents? Of course my parents weren't the only psychos. I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.®
To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that? We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes!®
We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?®
LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA!


From Brenda, Atlanta

THE WORLD TODAY
Let's see if I understand how the world works lately... If a man cuts his finger off while slicing salami at work, he blames the restaurant. If you smoke three packs a day for 40 years and die of lung cancer, your family blames the tobacco company. If your neighbor crashes into a tree while driving home drunk, he blames the bartender. If your grandchildren are brats without manners, you blame television. If your friend is shot by a deranged madman, you blame the gun manufacturer. And if a crazed person breaks into the cockpit and tries to kill the pilot at 35,000 feet, and the passengers kill him instead, the mother of the crazed deceased blames the airline. I must have lived too long to understand the world as it is anymore. So, if I die while my old, wrinkled ass is parked in front of this computer, I want all of you to blame Bill Gates...okay?
posted by HCL at 12:02 PM

 

posted by HCL at 12:16 PM