History
by Bill Whittle
Wow.

Peter Arnett Pt. 3 : Peter Goes Home With His Tail Between His Legs

According to this article NBC has changed it's stance on Peter Arnett and fired him.

"I want to apologize to the American people for clearly making a misjudgment," the New Zealand-born Arnett said. He said he would try to leave Baghdad now, joking "there's a small island in the South Pacific that I've inhabited that I'll try to swim to."

Hopefully he is not hired by any other news agency ever again. Retire dude, you're way overdue.

This is good too - Saddam's Secret Weapon: PeterArnett@work.

History or Hysteria?

Victor Davis Hanson wrote this for National Review Online.

"But rather than trying to digest and analyze the tempo of battle, our vulture pundits instead regurgitate rumor and buzz - which are usually refuted by the next minute's events. The subtext throughout seems to be disappointment that the war so far has lasted seven rather than two days."

Great commentary - A must read! Thanks to Neal Boortz for the heads up.

The Bodyguard

Saddam's personal bodyguard, who never leaves his side, shows up on a video behind Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed., Saddam nowhere in sight. Hmmm. Interesting.

Are The Arabs Really This Stupid?

I have asked that question myself many, many times. The way they react and the stands they take usually make no sense whatsoever and hurt them more often than not.

Jonah Goldberg asks: What's Wrong With The Arab World?

"I'm no bean counter, but if our intent is to "massacre" Arabs, our tax dollars are being woefully misspent."

There is some good stuff in National Review Online

Rain and Cold

I slept Sunday morning thinking to get up and mow the lawn in the afternoon. When I got up it started raining. It was the only time I could mow the lawn without James wandering about the yard and having to watch him too. What to do? I mowed the lawn. The rain wasn't hard and it stopped soon enough. It got cold too, so I was taking advantage of the cool weather. It's in the 60's today - cold for Florida.

Garbage Man

This morning James wanted to empty the trash in his room. Fine, OK. Let's go. "No, bathroom!" he says. Bathroom?, OK, he wants to empty the trash in the bathroom too. Done. "OK, let's go" I said. "No, mommy's bathroom!" he reminds me. Does he miss anything? Of course he wants to take it to the curb as well. I hope he never loses this work ethic.

Baghdad Is How Far From Ammon?

Why does CNN always go to Rym Brahimi (nothing against Rym), who is in Ammon, Jordon, to find out the latest goings on in Baghdad? I realize she is familiar with Baghdad but, not being there, isn't it a little tough to really know what is happening there?

Peter Arnett Pt. 2

Now there is more information available about his interview. You'll find the transcript here.

Of Baghdad he says: "clearly this is a city that is disciplined, the population is responsive to the government's requirements of discipline" Clearly, any city would be disciplined if they knew they and their family would be tortured or killed or both if they stepped out of line.

NBC issued a statement saying: Arnett gave the interview to Iraqi TV as a "professional courtesy" and that his remarks "were analytical in nature and were not intended to be anything more." That's a very stupid thing for NBC to say and that's putting it mildly. Iraqi TV is Saddam's own personal TV station. Call it Saddam Broadcasting. This interview is called aiding and abetting the enemy. Period. If Arnett gave this interview of his own free will he should be held accountable.

Has anyone seen or heard from him since the interview?

It Is Not The Critic Who Counts...

A commentary by Geoff Metcalf called Clarity of Chaos

Explosion in a Baghdad Marketplace

This is interesting in light of the fact that America is being blamed for the explosion. Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.

Rachel's Hatred

I promised to link to this picture of Rachel tearing an American flag in the black hole of hatred for someone who had not seen it. It includes some great commentary also from Little Green Footballs




Will OPEC Bankrupt The US?
Very interesting...a must read. You won't find this on CNN.



Yes, It Really Works

I've been asked if I said good things about Seasilver because I sell it. The answer is no.

I sell Seasilver because it works. It may even give you your life back. Try it, you'll like it...Kathy.

Oh, and tell Brittany she needs to start a blog. I think she would really like it.

Peter Arnett

I just saw his interview with Iraqi TV and I really hope for his sake he had a gun to his head, although it doesn't seem so. However, I will wait until he is outside Iraq to hear what he has to say. There are lines you do not cross. He should never be allowed into America or England again if he did the interview of his own free will. Ever. I can't believe anyone would be that stupid to do that uncoerced. Unbelievable! Here's a link to the story. It's the only link I can find right now, the story is too new. He says alot worse than the article lets on. He talks about how the US war plan is failing.

I Was Too Tired To Post These Earlier

I meant to post these earlier but had trouble with Blogger and then I fell asleep at the computer.

The Enemy Within
Ann Coulter

Another Stepping Stone
Jack Kelly

The Second Front
David Horowitz


The Pope Speaks

The Pope speaks out about a "Religious Catastrophe" caused by the war in Iraq. Hmmm.

1. Religions are nothing if not divided. How many Christian denominations are there? How many hate each other? Into how many sections is Islam divided? I know they all agree they hate us (Americans/Israelis) but if we weren't in the picture they'd be killing each other. They already do. Just how many different religions are there in the world? Science is a religion and so is evolution, although believers would never admit it and truly believe they have the truth. Could religion be any more divided?

2. The war in Iraq is going to "spark" this division? What? So, before the war in Iraq everything was pretty as a picture and peace prevailed? Damn those Americans for causing all the problems of the world!

3. If we didn't go to war in Iraq, if we didn't retaliate for 9/11, if we pulled all our people out of all the Muslim countries and just left them alone, then, finally, there would be peace and they wouldn't try to kill us? How about putting all our women in burkas, will that help?

4. God is divided? And everyone of every religion will get the reward that their religion believes? Muslims get paradise for themselves and their families (yes, they become mini-saviours) and all the physical delights they don't have in this life for blowing themselves and as many infidels as possible into bloody bits? Christians, no matter what else they believe, all go to heaven and sit on clouds and play harps, or are sent to hell by a merciful and loving God where they are horribly burnt alive forever and ever and ever? Budhists reincarnate? Evolutionists just die? The people of a tribe in South America become a fish? Snakes, rats, trees, whatever all used to be people? Cows are gods? It's all true and can't we all just get along?

5. "War must never be allowed to divide world religions," - Excuse me? War divide religions? Isn't it the other way around? Religious divisions cause war.

6. God is telling the Pope what to say? This is what God wants? God talks to evangelists and wants you to be more generous? God heals through Benny Hinn? (hint: people in the presence of demons fall away backward. Whenever God or an angel confronts a human they always fall forward on their faces. Everytime.)

7. The pope has refused to bless the conflict as a "just war." The Popes blessing will make all the difference? What war would the Pope bless? Did he bless the war in Afghanistan? Does he bless the war against America? Yes, there is a war against America, has been a long time now, we just never noticed before 9/11. Some of us still deny it.

Stella Who?

Looks like many of the Stella awards being posted here and there and in e-mails aren't true: StellaAwards.com/bogus

A Little Humour To Make You Feel Better

Found this over at MisterMittens.com

Fantasy World

CNN and MSNBC seem to be preoccupied with the opinion of the Arab world.
While it certainly is good to know what they are thinking, do we really
need to hear it over and over. Those two channels seemed to have an
anti-American theme going. They hate us. We know. We get it now. That's
one of the reasons we're in Iraq now. If we never went to Iraq they
would still hate us. If we pull out of Iraq now they will still hate us.
If we liberate Iraq and help the Iraqis get back on their feet they will
still hate us. If we all became Muslim and elected Saddam as our
president, they would still hate us. There is no peace among Muslim
nations. It makes no difference what we do, they hate us, they will
always hate us, and they want to destroy that which they hate.

They have been teaching and preaching hate for so many generations now
there is no way out for them. Their children have been indoctrinated
with lies, distortions, hate, hate, bullshit, and more hate from the
time they were born. They learn this crap from their parents, they learn
it in school, they learn it in church (whatever they call it), they
learn it from their leaders, and they learn it from their TV and radio.
They've heard it so much for so many generations that they've actually
lost touch with reality. Their fantasy world has become their reality
and it is completely incompatible with ours. While we are perfectly
willing to live peacably with them, they cannot do it. They will
not do it. They want us dead and there is no other option for them.

Some of them can and do step out of that viscious cycle of hatred. Some
countries even seem to flirt with the idea, but when it comes down to
the wire they all unite against us even in the face of truth.
Individuals yes, but few, countries no. They know Saddam is a viscious
killer and they know what he does to his people, but if it's Saddam or
America, they pick Saddam. Left to their own devices they are going to
build up and eventually try to destroy us. It's just a matter of time.

So what do you want to do? The west is miserably divided on what to do.
We've made some enemies from our allies trying to defend ourselves.
Millions from Arab countries are immigrating into western countries
and maintaining their own culture. No, they are not all bad, but
if they become the majority do you think nothing will change? We are
incapable (unwilling?) of closing our borders and stopping the flow,
legal or illegal, we certainly don't have the heart to kick out the ones
that are already here. So, what do you want to do?

Is this something we can solve? Is there something we can agree on? Can
we make it go away by giving peace a chance? Can a divided west beat it
out of them with limited warfare? I read a cute saying recently, someone
said they were going to get their "Clue by Four." Can you smack them
with a clue by four and change their inner mind and being? Can we fight
them as we are now and get them all to come around before one of them
gets their hands on a nuke? Do we have it in us to crush them and put an
end to their fantasy? Can we talk our way out?

Just asking.

P.S. If you ignore the problem and just go about your life, will the problem go away?

P.S.S. I almost lost this post because Blogger was acting up. Good thing I copied it before podting.

Point Of View

Truth is the first casualty of war.

U.S. Teams Seek to Kill Iraqi Elite

Now here's a bit of good news. I know they're doing alot more than they are saying but it's good to get confirmation that it is indeed true. I'm glad to hear they are right in there on the ground in Baghdad. I hope they get the job done.

A Blog From The Dictators

I found these humorous links at Joi Ito's Web

Here's the blog of Saddam Hussein

And this one is from Kim Jong il

`We don't want peace. We want the war to come`

I found a link to this essay over at AndrewSullivan.com. Everyone should read this one from a former human shield.

"A Million Mogadishus"

Thanks to A Small victory for pointing out this article.

Michael Savage is right - Liberalism is a mental disease. Radicals Speak Out At Columbia 'Teach-In' Read that, cool down, then come back, I'll wait.

"The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military," Nicholas De Genova, assistant professor of anthropology at Columbia University told the audience at Low Library Wednesday night. "I personally would like to see a million Mogadishus."

Why is this guy teaching our children? I hated taking college courses because I'd have to sit through the teachers stupid diatribe that has nothing at all to do with the subject of the class but I've never heard one quite this bad. I cannot under any circumstances take someone who thinks like this seriously, he would never, could never teach me anything. And he sure as hell won't be teaching my children either. (I hate that expression, there is no hell, God is merciful, He made us physical beings so we wouldn't have to live forever in misery through our own rebellion). This kind of thinking permeates our government schools and our so-called institutions of higher learning and America cannot survive if it is allowed to continue.

This Whole World Needs A Good Kick In The Ass!

It's coming. It's coming.

As you climb the ladder of success, be sure its leaning against the right building.

A little Backup Here, Please

I haven't been reading very many commentaries lately, haven't even been frequenting the news sites very much, just a quick perusal. I see more than I can handle on TV thank you, mostly the same thing over and over. When Irma came home last night I went to bed and turned on Fox newschannel while she took a shower (have to at least keep an ear on the kids) and she asked me how I can watch the war coverage all day. "I just turned it on right now, I haven't been watching it all day" I said. I turn it on maybe 5 minutes at a time just to see if anything important happened - and no, a bomb dropping on Baghdad is not news.
I do leave the TV on CNN (no other newschannel available) at work all night unless there is a good movie on (rarely) but I don't really pay attention to it all the time. I still can't believe they put the same importance or more on a press conference by one of Saddams minions as on one put on by the coalition or the president. That irks me. Those guys should be worm food.
This morning however, I read some commentaries and found a few worthy of linkage, mostly because they back up or enhance what I've said here previously. So, with further procrastination (notice I didn't use a french word), here they are:

I was a naive fool to be a human shield for Saddam

Arsenal stocked with patience

Critics fret over flag-waving networks Actually, I hate it when they give the same weight to something the Iraqis say as the coalition. They know better!

Best of the Web Good stuff in here today.

Too Many Cooks

There seems to be alot of buzz going about saying the war is not going the way we wanted and it's taking longer than expected. The problem is probably intensified by the unquenchable need for more and more information by the news networks. I say just watch and see. We were set back a couple of days by the weather and there is nothing we could do about it. We're having to spend more time fighting in the south than we would like but it's nothing we can't handle and we are making headway. Little by little we are taking them out. The news is not nearly as bad as some are making it sound. If Saddam was gonna let us just walk in and take over he would have went into exile a few weeks ago.

The side effects of this war will be worse than the war itself. It appears we lost some allies. Actually, if we had caved to their wishes it would not have changed anything, it would not have gained us points and we'd still have the danger of the Saddam regime in the future. They did not begin hating us over Iraq, it just became obvious to us. Good morning.

What a Wonderful UN World

Why is the Iraqi ambassador to the UN still an ambassador. Shouldn't he have been sent packing or arrested? He can't possibly be taken seriously by anyone. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything the UN does.

Ministry of Disinformation

And why is the Iraqi (Dis) Information minister holding press conferences? I can't believe we get anything out of listening to him. Isn't he one of the targets? Shouldn't we just take him out? If he's holding press conferences he couldn't be all that difficult to find. The things he says are so ridiculous, so sad, you can't even get a laugh out of it. It just gives the news channels something to put on so they can take a break from talking so much. I keep waiting for the bomb to come through the wall while he's talking. He just said of the Iraqi people: "the people who love peace and freedom (the Iraqis) will persue them (the Americans)." The saddest part is that there are actually alot of people, especially in the Arab world who actually believe this crap.

Would GOD Fight Our Battles?

Unbiased Reporting going Too Far?

It annoys me to no end when I hear reporters on American News channels (CNN is the absolute worst) say "The coalition claims..." or "alleges" or similar words as if to say "We're not sure who's telling the truth - the Iraqis or the coalition." When Saddams minions make their television performances, practically everything they say is a complete fabrication. I don't think there is any doubt about that at all to anyone who is halfway informed about what is going on over there.

The American and British forces have been overly generous to reporters who are privey to everything going on in the field since they are traveling with them everywhere they go. They see and report on everything. When they say the Iraqis are hiding behind women and children or hiding in schools and hospitals you can be pretty damn sure they are telling the truth. They even have pictures to prove it. I personally have no doubt.

The Iraqis are threatening and killing their own people, lying about anything that will make themselves look better - you see what they do. Yet they are given the same credence as our own forces. Sometimes I think they actually believe the Iraqis over the Americans. I expect that of Al Jezeera but not of CNN. If you are on no side, just observing what we see everyday on the news, you would have to come to the conlusion that the coalition forces are taking the high road and the Iraqis are excavating new lows. Stop trying to be so unbiased and open your eyes to the truth!

I want to go to bed

As I'm writing the above I'm at the end of a long day, waiting for Irma to come home and listening to the constant bickering, playing, and fighting of two boys and cartoons to boot. There is something about cartoons that annoy the hell out of me. Just by observing the kids when they are watching cartoons and when the TV is off you can tell there is something about cartoons that causes them to become hyper and act out. I know they have an effect on me too - they hurt my brain. I hope the other post makes sense, if not, blame it on the cartoons.

The Man's On A Roll

Should War Policy Be Changed?

Strategy For Success? - Or For Failure?

Drumroll Please!

I'm ready to unveil two new websites:

OceanSynthetics.com: For all your lubrication needs. Well, maybe not all your lubrication needs. This is my Amsoil site. 100% American made and best in class, I love that combination! I've been using Amsoil for over 10 years now and it works as advertised!

OceanGrow.com: Bigger, firmer... Wait, that's not right. - This is organic gardening made easy! Synthetics belong in your oil, not your plants.

And don't forget: OceanMine.com - Seasilver - because synthetics don't belong in your body either. Welcome to foundational health. If you're like me, you only want the best for you and your family. This is not your mother's vitamin. You feel this work! Amazing!

Yes, I know I'm a very imaginative website namer.

More Mr. Bean

James saw the cover of Rat Race yesterday. He started screaming "Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean!" Yes Rowan Atkinson (5th from left on the Rat Race website) is on the cover. He loves Mr. Bean, go figure. He likes Cuba Gooding Jr. too.

On The Same Page

Christopher Ruddy comes to the same conclusion as I, albeit a bit more eloquently: Analysis: Shock and Worry

Hey, it was all off the top of my head.

Defeat Americans in 10 Easy Steps or Your Money Back!

1. Stay away from military targets. Conduct all official business in residential areas. Build bunkers under mosques, schools and hospitals.

2. Wear civilian clothing and always mix with civilians. Use them for cover, Americans won't shoot civilians and if they do we win major media points. Even Americans don't like that.

3. Again, always hide in and shoot from houses, if Americans get close, be friendly (they won't hurt you) and thank them (wave). If you catch them off guard, shoot them.

4. Use the TV (again, thank them for leaving it on) to tell of your unbearable suffering at the hands of this great enemy. Tell how the people are starving and the Americans have cut off the Food for oil program and the hospitals desperately need supplies for your injured and sick. Once you've done this a few times , they won't dare bomb the TV studio for fear it will look like they are just trying to shut you up and keep the truth from coming out.

5. Always desribe Americans as liars, aggressors, losers, evil, snakes, devils, mercenaries, oppressors, colonizers, and crusaders. Describe yourselves as innocent, poor, starving, weak, heroes, religious, law abiding and god-fearing. The newsmedia eats this stuff up.

6. Capture as many Americans as you can, beat them and threaten them. Put them on TV to show their mothers. Show dead Americans - bonus points!

7. Describe how you are killing and running off the aggressors at every oppurtunity and are winning and make sure you make fun of them.

8. Tell of every civilian casualty with as much detail as possible. Get pictures, make sure all the press gets them. Tell of every American death as well. Make sure you don't miss any.

9. Deny any enemy win. No matter how bad it gets always say you are winning and the enemy will be defeated. Remember, vision = reality.

10. Prolong, prolong, prolong. Just keep doing these things, it will divide their country, they will tire and go away.

Honey, I'm going down to get some milk before the war starts again

I was watching CNN this morning (no choice at work) and there was an army troop (platoon? I don't know.) heading north on one of Iraq's roads, in a sandstorm, being fired on from the sides of the road by Iraqis with a reporter talking to the in-studio personalities about everything that was going on. Except for all the sand blowing around they could have been driving north on 95, complete with civilian traffic. Now, maybe it's me, but what kind of war is it that the civilians aren't afraid to go about the days business. They were shooting at them as they drove along, you could hear the gunfire, the reporter was afraid (somewhat) because he was in an unarmoured vehicle, yet Iraqi civilians were driving through. I read somewhere that during the day in Baghdad they open the stores and restaurants.

I really hope they have this planned out to perfection and are able to go in and snag these guys, because I'm not so sure we have the guts it would take to put the fear of God into them, to just take them out where they stand (hide), quick and mercilessly. We lost our chance to do it cleanly the first night, now to do the same would be messy. It would probably be best just to do it and end it now. Whatever it takes. The longer these guys are alive and on TV the worse it's gonna be.

The Pride of Our Power - Or Weakening Resolve?

They Love Evil, Oppressive Tyrants

When I read things like this, the thought crosses my mind that maybe they really deserve Saddam as their leader. Let Saddam take over all the Arab states, give them what they want. Let the Israelis move to California. Jerusalem isn't worth the price they are paying anyway. God is not there.

Welcome back to reality

A group of American anti-war demonstrators who came to Iraq with Japanese human shield volunteers made it across the border today with 14 hours of uncensored video, all shot without Iraqi government minders present. Kenneth Joseph, a young American pastor with the Assyrian Church of the East, told UPI the trip "had shocked me back to reality." Some of the Iraqis he interviewed on camera "told me they would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing to see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam's bloody tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler. He and his sons are sick sadists. Their tales of slow torture and killing made me ill, such as people put in a huge shredder for plastic products, feet first so they could hear their screams as bodies got chewed up from foot to head."

Better late than never. Unfortunately, some will never get it. Here's the link.

How the War in Iraq Will Help the Beast to Rise Up in Europe

Mr. Destructo

James broke the living room mini-blind. It broke at the very top where the string enters and about 5 inches broke off. How did he do that? How is it possible that the whole thing didn't come down?

I Wanna Go to NJ

James picked up a picture of Grandma and Grandpa this morning and announced he wanted to go there. "come on, get dressed, let's go!" I wish it were that easy James.

No More For Them, Thanks

Looks like the I Love To Blog webring is no more. - R.I.P.

SeaSilver

Yes, Seasilver is the vitamin I was talking about Tuesday. You can read all about it on my website: OceanMine.com Seasilver is a whole food product (no synthetic vitamins) and contains all vitamins, macro minerals, trace minerals, amino acids, and enzymes known to man in nature's perfect balance. Listen to America's Unbalanced Diet by Dr. David Friedman.

The main thing is this: It works! I've taken plenty of other vitamins before and I can't tell the difference when I take them or stop taking them. I know I should take vitamins but I have a problem shelling out money for something if it makes no difference to me if I take it or not. Who's to say they're helping? I know when I take them the toilet water is bright yellow, what good is that? I tried Seasilver because what they were saying made sense to me as far as what I've learned about nutrition (I was really into juicing for a while and still love fresh juice but hate cleaning the juicer everytime I want a glass - it drives me nuts!) and I know I need extra nutrition because I don't eat right (who does?) and they have a 100% money back guarantee - so what the hell, I tried it. Now I love it and I don't ever want to stop taking it! I've lived practically as long as I can remember more depressed than not. Seasilver changed that! This stuff is amazing, it works, and I can look anyone in the eye and say it from the bottom of my heart - it will help you.

It provides your body with the foundation it so desperately needs, cries out for and doesn't get. When I come in from mowing the lawn on a 95 degree Florida afternoon water is nice, iced tea tastes great, but when I drink fresh carrot/apple or watermelon juice it's like all the cells in my body rejoice and I just know it's just what I needed. You can just feel the nutrients enter your cells. If you juice you know what I mean. Seasilver is like that.

So give it a try! Use up the bottle or get a 3 pack for the family. Give it a couple or three weeks and I think you'll be surprised. If not, there is a 60 day money back guarantee.

P.S. After you've tried it let me know how it helped you. I'd love to hear it!

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What Happened to Naptime?

James has been giving me so much trouble trying to get him to take his normal nap ever since Joshua has been on springbreak. Even when I tell Joshua to stay in his room during the nap and keep him quiet, James just sits in his crib playing with whatever toys are in his crib and if he thinks I'm not paying attention he gets out and plays in his room. Please end springbreak!

Howlermonkey

My howlermonkey.net e-mail is not working today and I'm expecting an important e-mail. I hate that.

Rubber Necking

They say "shock and awe" has started and they have 7 cameras set up looking at Baghdad to make sure we don't miss anything. I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with that. I mean, it's not a show. They are so anxious for something to blow up. I was talking last night to a regular customer who is middle eastern and we both agreed that if they had gotten Saddam that first night it would have been perfect. This needs to be done I know, it's just the extreme morbid curiosity that bothers me. Just let them do their jobs, they know what they're doing.

Dirty Old Man

I meant to post this earlier but better late than never. We went to Denny's Tuesday. The waitress came over and was standing next to James in the highchair. He noticed a pen in her pocket and grabbed for it, not that big of a deal, curiousity gets the better of him sometimes and she was OK with it. There was an elderly couple sitting across from us and the guy noticed it and after the waitress left he joked with James a minute and told him he would give him a quarter if he would goose the waitress. Ha ha ha, I thought he was just being cute. Everytime the waitress came over he would try to get James to do it. He took out a quarter and showed him and kept egging him on. Luckily James didn't understand what he wanted him to do, that's all I need is for him to go around doing that every time he sees a woman. After a while I was really getting tired of it. I should have just told him to stop but they left. If that ever happens again I won't wait so long to say something. James learns enough bad habits from Joshua.

The deepest beliefs our parents gave us are rarely questioned.

They're Using Coconuts

Did you see Saddam Hussein address his country? The little introductory cartoon looked straight out of a Monty Python skit, complete with music. I was waiting for the foot to come down and squash his head. The reporter on NBC even made the connection. Also, he doesn't quite look himself. Maybe he's getting a little nervous, that last bomb was a little too close for comfort.

Ehud Barak

I just saw Ehud Barak on Fox News Channel and he seemed genuinely happy that finally something is being done (rightly so). He was almost smiling, usually he seems quite frustrated by what goes on over there. (Also, rightly so).

Tariq Aziz

Fox News is reporting that Tariq Aziz has a pistol and he's not afraid to use it. He will die in Iraq either as a martyr or of old age.

I've been watching the reactions from "the regime" on and off all day and if they weren't so darn evil they might actually be funny. I feel like I'm watching Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Regimes.

They definitely chose the wrong curtain, Bob, they could be enjoying the good life retired in France or something. They should have chosen curtain number one, now they'll have to cash in their chips.

I Got That Run Down Feeling

No, that's not a Rachel joke.

The past few weeks I've been (and Irma) taking a special vitamin that seemed to really do wonders. I was actually feeling good and had an increase in my energy level that was way beyond my expectations. I would be sitting in work and realize "I'm smiling!" That's really something because I've actually had people (strangers) ask me why I don't smile before.

Now, you have to understand I work nights alternating between 1 and 2 days off. (I used to work 7 days!) When I get home I watch my son all day and only sleep during his nap, which may be 2 hours or 1 hour, and sometimes not at all. Irma usually gets home from work about 7pm and takes a shower. Then I go to sleep and get up at 9:45pm (unless I hit the snooze too many times or just sleep through it. So sometimes I just get so wore out it seems like I can't take it anymore. True.

After a few days of taking this vitamin I started feeling more energetic. I was calmer and even though I would still be sleepy, I had energy. Strange but true. The problem is, I ran out. After a few days now I feel like crap again. Wonderful. The contrast between the way I felt before (and now) and when I was taking the vitamin is really amazing. I'm getting more. I'll let you know what it is another time because I want stock in the company first.

Mr. Bean

James has discovered a Mr. Bean video I have and now he won't stop watching it over and over.

Drug Companies

I found this interesting coming from the mainstream press.

"There's only one problem with what could be Mother Nature's miracle cure for cancer, and you won't believe what it is: Greed. To learn more about turmeric's cancer-fighting properties, including the proper dosage, requires large medical experiments with a great number of patients. Such ventures are costly and are typically financed by drug companies eyeing future product development. However, in this case, the "drug" is a natural compound. Aggarwal explained to Reuters that no drug company can reap the financial benefits if turmeric proves to be an effective anti-cancer drug so no drug company is likely to pay the big bucks needed for the medical studies."

The article is here.


Watch Always

This commentary takes a look at the way things may unfold in Iraq. It's called The "Worst Case" Scenario.

UN, NATO, EUROPE DIVIDED!
Is A Newly Organized United States Of Europe Just Ahead?

Why Indeed

"Many Iraqis wonder why the world applauded the military intervention that eventually rescued the Cambodians from Pol Pot and the Ugandans from Idi Amin when these took place without UN help. They ask why the world has ignored the crimes against them?"

How the world can know the things that are in this article and not do anything is beyond me: See men shredded, then say you don't back war

The U.N. looks the other way while atrocities are committed every day in so many countries besides Iraq. Members of the UN to boot. They knowingly ignore it, like a corrupt police department taking kickbacks from the mob. If someone stands up and points out the hipocracy they shoot them down. So the USA is Serpico and we'll take the heat for it, but at least we're doing the right thing.

An Iraqi takes on a Peace Activist

Form the Brian Suits show in Seattle. You have to hear this! Listen here

War in the Parking Lot

A guy came to the door asking for the pay phone. I told him it was around the corner, relocked the door and wondered what kind of drugs he'd been taking: he was acting all strung out. So I went back to work. About ten minutes later I noticed two guys rolling around in the parking lot in front of the lobby beating the crap out of each other. They were getting in some good blows too. I didn't have my video camera so I just called the police and was on the phone with the dispatcher maybe 45 seconds describing them when a patrol car pulled up and 3 other cops came running from all directions and had them in handcuffs before I could get off the phone. Damn! I saw a couple of patrol cars at the hotel next door so they were probably right there. I could tell it was their fun call of the night, they seemed to be enjoying it. I think they took them away, I didn't notice. They were not guests of this hotel. I wish I had my video camera.

Please, No More CNN

I'm stuck all night at work with only CNN for a news channel. I am so glad that is not the case at home. I'm tempted to turn on showtime and watch "Playmates of the Apes." I just turned it on as I'm writing this - it is the most pathetic, stupid movie I've seen in a long time. I'm sitting here, mouth open, wondering how anyone could possibly put this to film. Someone is trying to take the throne from Ed Wood.

Wait, this is just silly. There is no bottom for humanity. The Church of the Heavenly Ed Wood. That reminds me of the The Church of Spongebob Squarepants.

Don't I have something else I need to be doing?

Change Your Thinking


'There's a small fly burning out the last of its short life's energies in a futile attempt to fly through the glass of the windowpane. The whining wings tell the poignant story of the fly's strategy - try harder.' 'But it's not working.' 'The frenzied effort offers no hope for survival. Ironically, the struggle is part of the trap. It is impossible for the fly to try hard enough to succeed at breaking through the glass. Nevertheless, this little insect has staked its life on reaching its goal through raw effort and determination.' 'This fly is doomed. It will die there on the windowsill.' 'Across the room, ten steps away, the door is open. Ten seconds of flying time and this small creature could reach the outside world it seeks. With only a fraction of the effort now being wasted, it could be free of this self-imposed trap. The breakthrough possibility is there. It would be so easy.'

Why doesn't the fly try another approach, something dramatically different? How did it get so locked in on the idea that this particular route, and determined effort, offer the most promise for success? What logic is there in continuing until death, to seek a breakthrough with 'more of the same?'' 'No doubt this approach makes sense to the fly. Regrettably, it's an idea that will kill.'

"'Trying harder' isn't necessarily the solution to achieving more. It may not offer any real promise for getting what you want out of life. Sometimes, in fact, it's a big part of the problem." "If you stake your hopes for a breakthrough on trying harder than ever, you may kill your chances for success." -- Price Pritchett, You²

Post-religious Europeans

What an interesting term: Post-religious Europeans. I know many people do not believe in God and I know how they look down on people who do. I mean how smart must you be if you believe in an invisible man in the sky. There is no scientific evidence, no obvious miracles are happening. The Earth and the universe are obviously more that 6000 years old so the creationists are crazy. We are here by means of evolution, anyone with half a brain has to admit it. The bible is just a work of fiction, a way for ancient leaders to control the masses, full of fairy tales.

Reading this article by Justin Webb you can just feel the contempt he feels for "simple American faith - with heaven and hell, good and evil and right and wrong" and I must admit to being surprised by this article.

Here's another quote: "They believe that the devil is out to get you. That evil is a force in the world - a force to be engaged in battle."

If you don't believe in God or the devil, fine I get it. But even if there is no god or devil, heaven or hell, and therefore no "evil", how can you explain Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Stalin, or Hitler. How can you say there is no evil? If it's not evil, what is it? All is well with the world, no one is evil. No right or wrong. What do you say when a guy goes into a daycare center and starts shooting the kids? Hey man, you really shouldn't do that dude, sombody has to clean it up. Why does evil have to be attached to the devil? And if the above mentioned dictators are not a force of evil in and of themselves, what is?

Here's another: "Americans will talk of praying as if it were the most normal, rational thing to do."

Obviously if you pray you are a complete idiot according to Justin Webb, if not the post-religious Europeans. I don't think Americans pray as often as they say they do. I think it's become a polite thing to say to someone: I'm praying for you or I'm praying I get an A on the test, etc. I think Americans say it alot more than they do it. I hear alot of people say it that I know don't go home and do it. Americans give lip service to God but most don't "obey" God.
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Nevertheless, this guy is being really cruel.

The point is, I've never heard this as a reason why Europeans don't like us. If Justin webb is right it seems to be significant. I can't help thinking there is an undercurrent of religious belief in Europe though. The future European superstate (formed out of the collapse of the current European Union, of which England will not be a part) will be very much influenced by a church. We shall see. At any rate, it is a fascinating article.

Brace Yourself

Irma finally got her braces off after 3 years. I forgot what her teeth looked like! I'm happy for her, imagine how she feels.

Blixy gets it wrong...Surprise!

I read the interview and thought what an idiot he was but I was going to leave it at that. I mean, I'm not really surprised by what I hear coming from the U.N. anymore, it's same ole, same ole. Afterward, I read this on A Small Victory and decided to link to it because it's true.

Bury them in pigskin

I don't know if this is true or just an internet rumour, I've never seen a legit article about it. If it is true that radical muslims believe they go to hell if buried in pigskin then that is what we should be doing! I mean it's not like there is really a god named allah who is on the side of these terrorists and they actually go to paradise when they murder as many innocent victims as possible. They do everything right, kill 300 infidels, go to paradise the instant of their death...but wait, they just buried what's left of you in pigskin, sorry, you'll have to leave now, go to hell then. That's as silly as saying that a little Japanese or Thai (or whatever) baby who dies and never heard the name Jesus Christ is going to go to hell and burn in hellfire for eternity. An all loving, forgiving God, with all the power of the universe and more is going to send the poor kid to hell? Don't people question what they've been taught? Does that make any sense? It doesn't become reality just because someone or some religion or some country believes it. Many don't believe in God at all, does that make it true? Millions in India believe a cow is god, does that make it true? Bury them in pigskin, it will scare them and have no impact on what really happens to them after death, so it doesn't hurt anything. So what if they are offended, we are offended when they fly our airplanes into our buildings and kill our people, it doesn't stop them.

It's not that I don't think people are entitled to believe whatever they want, they certainly are. But radical islamists have declared themselves our enemy. We would love to live peacably with them but they won't have it. If we don't stop them they will kill us. They really will, they are not just kidding around, and we need to use every means to stop them. Their religion tells them to do this so their religion is not deserving of any respect.

Helpful website

This is a very useful site, check it out.

LibrarySpot.com

One MoreTime

What can it hurt? He goes over the atrocities of Saddam Hussein for any who missed them.

Why we're going to liberate Iraq.

The Lizard

James and I went outside to play and he found a lizard in a big flowerpot. He was chasing it around and it kept coming back to look over the edge like it was playing with him. I got the camera and took some pictures of the lizard. James wanted to see so I let him look at the pictures I took. He was looking at a closeup of the lizard, suddenly he turned to the lizard, showed it the picture, and said "Look, this is you!" The lizard wasn't fazed and just kept looking at him.

The Rage and the Pride

I came across another superb article today. It's written by Oriana Fallaci who was 14 and living in Italy during World War II. It's called The Rage, the Pride and the Doubt and you should read it.

"When peace stands for surrender, fear, loss of dignity and freedom, it is no longer peace. It's suicide."

It's the end of the world as we know it...not just yet

The war with Iraq is not the end of the world. It's just another "war and rumours of wars" and it is not prophecied in the bible.

Are we in the "end times?"

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

Can we know the time is near?

Matthew 24:32 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

What things?

Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. 23 Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Wow, that's really long, I don't want to read all that. Can you summarize that?

Matthew 24:15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

Is that all? What if I want to learn more?

Spend some time on this website.

Read this book: The Great Tribulation...Is it about to happen?

What if I don't care?

Skip over this part and read about the lightbulb.

So Let the Side Show Begin, hurry, hurry

Step right on in...

Here's the homepage of a lightbulb. OK, so it's been burning since 1901. A world record lightbulb. And here's a companion article. And yes, there is a bulb cam. Watch it now, try to contain yourself. If you watch long enough maybe you'll see it go out.

Wait, hold the phone, there's more! The bulb has a twin sister! The twin sister visited the the world record bulb, and there are pictures to prove it. Don't miss the Satuday afternoon sequence either...riviting!

Stand back!! There's a colage of the amazing bulb cam! Stock up on Depends® before you view it, please.

I need a break.

Life Lessons

We learn the lessons in life we are to learn in two ways: either through obedience to natural laws or through suffering the consequences of not observing those laws...None of us consciously create the suffering we experience. -- Karol Truman, Feelings Buried Alive Never Die, 1998.

Just Do It

I'm trying to get Joshua and James to pick up the mess they created in the living room. Joshua thinks picking up all the little toys and putting them on the table or windowsill is cleaning. James is wearing my old cowboy boots he found in the back of his closet. Every few minutes a fight breaks out. I need to get some positive energy flowing here. Just breathe - out with the negativity, in with the positivity. Is that how you spell positivity? I have to ask Mike Tyson.

Facing Brute Fact

I found a link at lgf to Our World-Historical Gamble by Lee Harris. You really need to find some time, sit down and read this essay. However, for the unwilling, I have included a few paragraphs below:


"This gives a sense of Greek tragedy, with its dialectic of hubris and nemesis, to what has been unfolding in the Islamic world. If they continue to use terror against the West, their very success will destroy them. If they succeed in terrorizing the West, they will discover that they have in fact only ended by brutalizing it. And if subjected to enough stress, the liberal system will be set aside and the Hobbesian world will return - and with its return, the Islamic world will be crushed. Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. And the only way to avoid this horrendous end is to bring the Islamic world back to sanity sooner rather than later.

Nothing but force can break them from their illusion. Not because there is something wrong with them as a race, but simply because they are acting like any other individual who has been permitted to live in a dream world - they continue to fantasize. And who can blame them? It is only brute fact that shakes any of us from the single most cherished of our illusions - the myth of our own grandeur and omnipotence. And this is as true of a culture as of an individual."

"The motivations of those who want to murder us are not complicated: To watch an American city go up into a fireball is its own reward."

"The modern liberal world system has permitted the growth of power in the hands of those who have not had to cope with reality in order to acquire this power: it has simply been given to them, out of the sense of fair play prevalent among Western liberal societies. Iraq was paid for its oil, which in return paid for its weapons - and both were produced by us, to be used against us. But this, tragically, has had the unintended consequence of diminishing the value of the sense of the realistic in the eyes of those who have thus acquired their power and wealth - a fact just as much in evidence in the behavior of Saudi Arabia as in that of Iraq. It is the re-enactment, on a world-historical scale, of what has been done by many well-meaning Americans in the case of their own children - by giving them so much, we have robbed them of that indispensable sense of the realistic that can only be achieved by the head-on collisions with the irremovable object called the real world. We have nourished their fantasies, instead of forcing them to face the facts of life. And in doing so, we have done no one any service - least of all, the hapless multitude of impoverished human beings who have themselves derived no benefit whatsoever from the West's fair play, and whose children's lives will continue to be wasted in the counter-productive pursuit of their leaders' delusional dreams."

"Our aim is simple. It is to make the Islamic fantasists respect the dictates of reality. If they wish to compete with us, if they wish even to be our enemies, we will accept that, as we accepted this situation with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. But they must be made to accept the basic rules of play - rules that are accepted by the rest of mankind, from the U.S. to Communist China."

"And that is why, in order to achieve our end of heightening their grasp on reality, no means should be ruled out. We must be prepared to use force "unstintingly," as Woodrow Wilson declared on America's reluctant entry into World War I. On this count, we must have no illusions. Until they are willing to play by our rules, we must be prepared to play by theirs."

Will we get it?

It's too bad the world is not willing to act in concert to stop the insanity. Can you imagine if the only hope for mankind was ourselves? The United Nations? Is it really possible to survive this mess without God intervening to save us from ourselves? You don't even want to think about all that is wrong with this world. You mind begins to short circuit at the 3rd or 4th item on the list. Who wants to think about all these things we can't control anyway? Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

They were warned for 120 years, yet they "knew not"... and so it goes.

Truth

"The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear."
- H. Agar, A Time for Greatness

"The important thing is this: To be able to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."
- Charles Debois

/var/log/otto

This site can now be reached at the following address: www.varlogotto.com. You will still be able to reach the site from the old address for the time being, I have no plans to move, yet. Please update your links.

Greaser Boy

James finally has his old hair back after the vaseline incident...that stuff doesn't come out easy! Irma got some Spongebob Squarepants band-aids for him and he keeps getting one, putting it on his knee, then after 15 minutes he takes it off and after a while starts all over again. I had to put a stop to that and he wasn't too happy about it. Too bad. I'm just waiting for Irma to come home so I can go to bed. Hurry please!

Are we there yet?

Sun-Times columnist Mark Steyn writes of the "interminable non-rush to non-war." in The naked truth: Protesters have run out of excuses

My favorite line? "If we have to have an incoherent, anti-Western ''peace'' movement, then women showing off their hooters in support of a culture that would stone them to death for showing off their ankles is about as good as it's gonna get."

And: " One British teacher said he was used to working with young children and would have preferred to be deployed at an orphanage. The Iraqi official tried, patiently, to explain that the orphanage has already got all the human shields it needs: They're called ''orphans.''

The bewildered Brit seemed to find this hard to follow: Here's a man who's convinced that Bush and Rumsfeld are slavering to drop a bunch of daisycutters on the orphanage and blow a ton of Iraqi moppets to kingdom come, but thinks that they'll cease and desist just because some droning Welsh leftist is sitting amongst all those inviting underage targets."

What more can you say?

"The essence of lying is in deception, not in words."

Hans Blix failed to inform the security council about an Iraqi remotely piloted drone in his oral presentation. Oops. Seeking the Truth in Iraq by Geoff Metcalf

Best quote: "Recently a well-intended friend was asking why go after Iraq when North Korea is rattling nuclear sabers so loudly. My response was and is: We should have already finished with Iraq and now be engaged in dulling the North Korean sabers before they fuel their nuclear arsenal."

Sleep? What sleep?

Sunday was one of those days when I couldn't get any sleep if my life depended on it. Sometimes I wish Irma would just take the kids to her Mother's house. James woke up early, 15 minutes after I laid down. He had some milk and watched TV for a little while but wanted to play. The cows were in heat or something, they were bellowing like mad. Everytime I would fall asleep something or someone would wake me up. I kept getting more and more tired but I had no chance at all. There's not much worse than being disturbed everytime you just fall asleep. Every time. I came close to just going to work early and laying down in a room till it was time to work. Very close. I get more sleep during the week when I have to to take care of the kids by myself all day and work nights.

Safari feature

I'm sitting here in the dark surfing some sites and discovered, quite by accident, a new (to me) cool feature of the Safari web browser. I've never heard anyone mention it before. If you have links on the bookmark bar you can open them with the keyboard by touching the command key + a number (1 - 9). It will open up to the ninth link. It skips over any folders on the bar. Pretty cool if you don't want to use the mouse, it's faster.

I don't understand why some people still don't get this. Here's a quote from Neal Boortz:

This Is The Guy The Appeasers Are Protecting

"Intelligence sources say Saddam Hussein has outfitted some of his most loyal troops uniforms that are, in every detail, exactly like American and British army uniforms.  His plan?  His troops will have instructions to murder Iraqi citizens while wearing these British and American uniforms.  The atrocities will then be blamed on the coalition forces.

Would he do it?  Of course he would.  It's Saddam who's the inhuman monster, not the coalition leaders.  Will the world's media fall for it?  You bet!  It's Bush they are painting as the bad guy here? not Hussein.

Isn't it a screwy world ? where those who would kill their own citizens in cold blood are held up as victims and those who would stop them are the bad guys?"  - Neal Boortz.

I guess some people will never get it.

A frightening place without Saddam?

Do they learn to be this stupid in school?

"The operational theory of the shields never made much sense: that they could stop a war that would be heedlessly waged against civilians by presenting the U.S. military with the possibility that it might hit a few civilians. Top shield Ken O'Keefe, an American, addresses this paradox by arguing that only white civilians matter to the United States, so the shields can stop bombs even as Iraqi civilians are killed."

You have to read the whole thing. The shameful human shields


The World Today

"The problem is that we have few, if any, maps to guide us on the journey or even to show us how to find the path. The modern world can be viewed as a prodigious conspiracy against mastery. We are bombarded with promises of fast, immediate gratification, and immediate and instant success, all of which lead in exactly the wrong direction." - George Leonard.

Taking it to it's ultimate conclusion:

Matthew 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

One narrow path leads to life, every other way to destruction (death). The opposite of life is death, this is not speaking of heaven/hell.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That's what God says.

Again with the human shields

Apparently, they don't like being told what to do. Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Let Michelle speak: Send the human shields 'home'


Boycott...wait, I don't watch them anyway. Nevermind.

The are some actors who I've been very disappointed to hear speak. I mean, I thought they were alright, I liked to see them in movies. Janeane Garafalo comes to mind but there are others. I don't go to the movies (hardly ever) but I might catch a movie on HBO at work or rent them at blockbuster once in a while, and when I see these peace activist actors now
I tend to not want to watch the movie at all. I think ultimately that's a good thing anyway, most movies are just a wasteful distraction anyway.

I almost forgot to put the link that got me on this subject. Silly me. Hollywood should stick to acting, not activism.

never going to be 'allies' of ours again

Here's a quote from Andrew Sullivan that I found very interesting, perhaps not the way he meant it.

Speaking of George Bush:

"He just seemed very, very sad that it must come to this. Very sad to have to admit that France and Germany are likely never going to be 'allies' of ours again. Forcing the vote will force their hands...they will reveal whether they are with us or the terrorists...then there will be a break. Bush seems full of regret that this break will happen. I think he's disappointed in Putin, too, whom he trusted. But he didn't seem defeated to me. Howard Fineman said it best. He was grim, somber, inexorable...he was Shane, the reluctant cowboy, strapping on a gun to protect his family. I didn't think he looked tired...just terribly regretful and thoughtful."

Bible prophesy reveals that Germany, heading a United States of Europe, will indeed be our enemy again. Watch and see.

Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.

The Real Warmongers

It's unbelievable to me to hear people call President Bush a warmonger when it is so easy to see what goes on in the rest of the world, and especially the Islamic world. You have to literally ignore what half the rest of the world does. I was going to write something about this news piece earlier - there is absolutely no correlation between Bin Laden and our founding fathers and this lady should be disqualified from public office for even thinking it. I put it off because I had other things going on and then I saw this commentary and he stole my thunder:

9/11 - "ACTS OF SACRED PIETY?"

Washing my Hair

James went in his room, I didn't hear anything for a minute so I got up to look and he proudly told me he was washing his hair. "What? With what? Vaseline! Jaaames!" What a mess and it doesn't wash out.

Naptime

I put James in the crib for a nap and I was sitting here on the computer waiting for him to fall asleep. I heard a little noise, turned and there was James in the hall sneaking around. As I started to get up he ran back to his room and jumped up into his crib, I turned the corner into his room just in time for him to turn around and say " What?", as if he hadn't done a thing. Little bugger!

Iraqi Americans speak out

"If you want to protest that it's not okay to send your kids to fight, that's okay. But please don't claim to speak for the Iraqis. We've seen 5 million people protesting, but none of them were Iraqis. They don't know what's going on inside Iraq. France and whoever else, please shut up."

That was a quote from The Horrors of "Peace" From the March 10, 2003 issue of The Weekly Standard: Saddam's victims tell their stories. by Stephen F. Hayes

Blackhole

It is very difficult to have any sympathy for Palestinians. I know their Arab brothers have shut them out and are using them against Israel, which is a horrific crime unto itself, but what they do to and with their children is beyond sick and their is no justification for it, nor can there ever be. Palestinian children have no chance for a normal life no matter what happens, their minds are poisoned with lies and hatred beyond the ability to comprehend it and even if they managed to drive Israel into the sea and kill every man, woman and child in Israel, which is their stated goal, they could never return to a normal human mindset. They are a blackhole of hatred. Report: 12-year-old Palestinian boy's martyrdom 'staged'

Care and Feeding of Jaguar

OS X Drive Maintenance

Under God?

Ceremonial deism or real faith?

It's such a warm night tonight (mid 70's) and driving to work, past the orange groves, the sweet smell of the orange trees signal the beginning of the hayfever season. Must. Get. Claritin.

At home Wednesday the kids couldn't be in the same room for 2 seconds without fighting over something. Sometimes ...I just had a memory of my greatgrandmother sitting in her living room, watching Johnny Carson, and saying "yeaaah." Strange what pops into the head sometimes. That house is long gone, a parking lot on Forest Ave. in Kearny, NJ, but I still can almost feel being there. The way the sheets felt, the ticking clocks, the old, scary picture of some long forgotten lady on the wall. Looking out the window at night watching the bar on the corner across the street, the closet with the curtain for a door with the monsters behind it, the steep stairs, the player piano. That house had a certain feel to it that sticks with me, I wish I could step back in time and walk through it again.

A little comic relief: Franks Towing.

Craig Winn, one of the authors of Tea with Terrorists was on the radio again Monday morning. Muslims were calling in left and right trying to refute him. The only thing they could do was call him a liar and say since he doesn't speak arabic he couldn't possibly understand what the so called "holy" books say. Apparently if you translate them to english the meaning changes. And one said he didn't know how to pronounce an arabic word so he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about.

Today a muslim woman called in and said she was so upset and filled with hatred toward the host and the guest that she decided to read the books they were reading from to prove them wrong. She appologized over and over and said they were absolutely right, that she was deceived by the people who taught her the religion and if you don't listen to what they say and just read the books (in arabic) they are filled with hatred and everything they were saying is true. She said the God of the west was a God of love and the god of the east was a god of hate. Those were her words, I kid you not. It was very moving to hear her. This was on the Shannon Burke show.

It's no surprise to me people aren't taught what the scriptures actually say. Mainstream Christians and Jews also are not really familiar with the scriptures either. They are taught doctrine and shown by a proof text taken out of context here and there and generally accept what they have been taught. The real meaning and message remains a mystery.

As an example:

It says nothing about a rapture in the bible, not there. The proof text is taken out of context and the meaning perverted.

You are not born again when you accept Christ. Jesus very plainly explains you cannot be born again if you are flesh and blood, when you are born again you are a spirit and invisible to human eyes.

The ten commandments are just as binding today as ever.

Clean and unclean foods were known before the flood, long before Israel (and therefore Judah) existed. They are also still binding today although the Jewish religion takes it far beyond what is intended, many Jewish laws were added to Gods laws. This is part of the reason Jesus Christ was always offending them, he had no respect for the added "traditions of men".

God never changes, even if it is the 21st century. His laws were, are and always will be in effect.

Jesus did not die on a cross, it was a "starros", an upright pale, or a tree. His arms were nailed above his head.

There is no hell (beyond what we've done to our societies) and you don't go to heaven when you die.

I won't go on, though I could. For those truly interested more information is available here

All Because Of Just One Man...

Here's a commentary by Dennis Prager on the Dan Rather/Saddam interview, which I didn't see...happily. How could anyone take that seriously?


We went to Denny's to eat Monday evening and had the same waitress as last time we went. I didn't mention it last time but I ordered the Fish and Chips dinner and when she asked what I wanted with it I was a little confused because she didn't make sense, but it worked out and the fish came with fries and cole slaw. So this was the conversation this time:

me: I'll have the fish and chips.

waitress: Would you like fries or cole slaw with that?

me: ahh, fries. (thinking: I ordered Fish and Chips, what do you think I want with it?)

waitress: And that comes with cole slaw or you can substitute fries, vegetables, or onion rings.

me: What?

waitress: We have corn, green beans...(I wasn't really paying attention at this point, I was trying to figure out what she did with her tin foil hat.)

Irma: Onion rings.

me: OK, onion rings will be fine.


The following relates to Mac OS X:

I've been forgetting to say this but I downloaded the unreleased Safari beta v62 and have been using it for a few days now. I like. It does need something else though. In Opera or when using Pith, if the browser crashes you just restart it and it will reopen all your windows for you. If Safari v62 crashes, Pith won't save you because it can't see the other open tabs and Safari doesn't reopen the windows either, so you have to manually reopen you windows. A minor inconvenience, but I believe easily remedied. Surfin' Safari are you listening?

By request: You can find the word shark game on this page. There are alot of other games there too.

We had a small birthday party for James at his Nana's house and went to Chuckie Cheese afterward. Here are a couple of pictures from the party.





He had alot of fun but he only likes the sky tubes and doesn't like playing the games, just looking at them.

I found this book quite by accident but as it turns out it's one of the most fascinating I've seen in a long time. I don't read books too often because with as much sleep as I get (don't get) I usually fall asleep within 3 pages. Not with this one. It's called The Diamond Invention. Read it on the web or print it out. Must take alot of pages to print though. It's all about the diamond industry. Who doesn't like diamonds? (Me) Ok, I like diamonds well enough, I just like the colored stones much better, they are rarer and in my opinion more beautiful. The main page for the website is here: Edward Jay Epstein. It's an interesting site too.

Now I'm going to try to get some sleep before we head over to Chuckie Cheese for the birthday boy.