Life With Kids

James said he was hungry and he wants cereal. "James, you don't like cereal, you never eat it." "Yes", he insists, "I do like cereal." "You never eat cereal when I give it to you, you waste it every time!" I retort. "I want cereal!" "Ok" I relent, "Fine, I'll give you a little, but you better eat it!" He ate 2 spoonfuls. Luckily that was about half of what I gave him.

I decided to make him a cheese omelette, he usually eats them. I brought it to him and he started complaining how much he hates eggs and he doesn't want it, blah, blah, blah. Then he immediatly sat down and ate the whole thing.

Flock of Seagulls

Last night was so busy at work I didn't have time to get on the internet. On my way home I saw a huge flock of birds, heading south across the highway I was on. It reminded me of the bats at Carlsbad Caverns. The flock stretched as far as I could see to the north and south. I stopped at a light directly under them and I could see they were seagulls. I've seen alot of seagulls before but I've never seen so many at one time all flying as if on a mission, heading who knows where.

Iran

Iran Plays Down Political Impact of U.S. Quake Help You can help us and give us money but we still hate you and will destroy you the first chance we get. Oh, no Jews allowed though. We would rather let our children die than receive help from a Jew.

Iran's Political Quake

Iran clarifies the Middle East by Dennis Prager - a must read.

The Middle East has been clear in my mind for some time. What can you say about people like that. They will never be reached by human means. If you can't separate yourself from them you will have to kill them to save your own life. God hides himself from this world, no nation on Earth is God's nation but some nations have been blessed with riches and lifestyle far beyond the rest of the world because of God's promises to His friend, Abraham. Resentment of that fact runs long and deep in the Nations of Islam, since the days of Abraham.

I'll See It When I Believe It

Officials: World's Largest Snake Caught

If officials say the largest snake has been caught, why can't the officials confirm it?

49.21 feet is one large snake and about 18 feet longer than the present record, if memory serves. That website says 32 feet 9 1/2 inches. It looks like a picture of a reticulated python so I'm sure it is a huge snake. 50 feet though, huh. Damn.

People Are Weird Dept.

Man Trapped Under Mountain Of Junk In Apartment

Sounds Like Paranoid Schizophrenia To Me

The Conspiratorial Mind of the Arab World

A fundamental element of Islamic culture is an implacable belief in its own superiority. This idea is rooted in the Qur’an and Islam: the revelation to Muhammad, according to orthodox Muslim belief, is the final and perfect revelation from the one true God. It corrects and abrogates all previous revelations, including the Torah and Gospel that form the foundation of the culture of the non-Muslim West. The Jews and Christians who remain in the world after the time of Muhammad are renegades who have rejected this final revelation out of corruption and malice. At certain points in the Middle Ages, this Muslim self-understanding meshed quite well with the realities of the world: a unified Muslim empire encroached inexorably upon a Christendom riven by squabbles and overmatched in both military might and technology.

The God of the Bible says: Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

There are other verses but these will do. So God, after dealing with mankind from the beginning, saying "I change not", "I am the rock", and generally making it very clear that His laws stand forever and He will not change - basically just scraps everything, sends Mohummed and starts a completely new religion - screw everything that came before. So God, therefore, cannot be trusted to keep His word. What, is He a politician? More proof people give very little real thought to what they believe. Oh, and He's so weak and ineffectual that He can't do more than sucker punch "the great satan."

The Power Of Six

Hexidecimal fun

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7665206F6E20746869732065617274682100

Curious

I know a guy who's staying in a nursing home because of complications from his cancer. I just spoke with him today and he told me they confiscated his vitamins. Just normal vitamins found in the neighborhood store. They said the doctor hasn't given the OK for them. He can, however, stuff his face with a big, juicy, hamburger and wash it down with a shake - no problem there. Is it just me?

Replaced The Fuel Pump

I replaced the fuel pump myself, it wasn't as bad as the manual said it would be. In fact, the manual was off the mark by quite a bit. The gas tank came out pretty easily once I got all the gas out of it. I tried to siphon the gas but the hose would only go in so far and nothing I did could make it go any further. I even tried thinner hose. I unplugged the fuel filter but the gas wouldn't come out on it's own. When I turned the ignition switch to "on" the pump comes on for 2 seconds so I took out the fuel pump relay and jumped the connectors to keep the pump on constantly and pumped the gas out into a can. It was painstakingly slow because the pump was bad - it took 10 minutes to fill a 2 gallon can - but it worked. If not for that I don't know what I would have done. Once the pump was replaced the car started right up. I'm glad I didn't take it to a shop.

A Must Read

A socialist by any other name

Peace On Earth

Pope Makes Christmas Midnight Mass Peace Plea

Pope John Paul led Roman Catholics into Christmas on Thursday, calling on a world caught up in conflict to open itself to the peace of the infant Jesus.

"Too much blood is still being shed on earth,"

"Too much violence and too many conflicts trouble the peaceful coexistence of nations,"

"You come to bring us peace. You are our peace," he said in a homily that was mostly of religious content, recalling the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

Jesus said: Matthew 10:34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

Not that Christ condones violence or thinks what's going on in the world today is OK, but He's not the wimpy pushover people make Him out to be.

And at His second coming: Revelation 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great." 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Ouch! That doesn't sound like the Jesus Christ we were all taught about. You have to admit, if He came to bring peace on Earth, He failed miserably! There is no peace. Anywhere. (Peace is not the absence of war, don't accept that crap) Don't get me wrong, He will bring peace, there will be peace on Earth, but first He will have to "make war" to rid the world of all the people who will not live in peace.

Yes, He's peaceful, gentle, forgiving, loving and kind, but He's not a wimp, He's not soft and effeminate, and He will rule with a rod of iron when necessary. He is not trying in vain to bring peace now.

Let's Talk About Something Else, Shall We?

How about eating rocks? How to eat rocks

That's funny.

The Man in Black

Johnny Cash, you have the right to remain silent. I don't have any of his albums but I like him. He was alright.

The History Channel Presents

The Real Story of Christmas

The Fine Line

There is a fine line between genius and foolishness in design and I've bumped heads with a fool. The best designed machines give thought to the end user and his needs but in all my years of working on cars, airplanes, motorcycles, whatever, precious few were designed to be easy to repair. I'm not talking about complexity in design - that's fine - I'm talking about the ability to reach, remove and replace parts that wear out. And parts are going to wear out, engineers know that, so why design a product to be easy to build with no thought to the mechanic?

One of my cars has a bad fuel pump. Fuel pumps are electrical devices and they wear out. The repair manual says there is a plate on the bottom of the trunk so you can get to the top of the fuel tank where the pump is located. Great, that's genius, but when I removed the carpeting from the trunk - nothing. There's no access panel in the trunk. So, in order to change the fuel pump I have to remove the fuel tank. Before I can do that, however, I have to remove the exhaust system and most of the rear suspension has to be unbolted and moved, including the shocks and springs. In case you are not familiar with those tasks, it's a huge job! I can buy the part I need for $100.00 at Autozone but I'll end up having to pay someone $400 - 500 dollars to fix this. That sucks!

It's not any specific car I'm picking on, very few don't have a few of these kinds of design flaws. Some cars require the engine to be lifted or even removed just to change spark plugs or other parts that wear out and need maintenence on a somewhat regular basis. Alot of cars require the fuel tank to come out to change the fuel pump, too. It's not unusual, just maddening. That's progress I guess. Cars are meant to be bought new and disposed of within 4 years. I'm thinking about going Monster Garage on it and cut my own access panel!

Just Another Trip to the Store

I took the kids to Autozone to get a part for the car and sat James down on the counter while the girl looked up the part for me. Joshua was wandering all over touching everything so I called him over to stand next to me and he took his sweet time doing it. Ever helpful, James called him again ... "Hey butthead, get over here!"

100 Years Ago

Some interesting statistics from 1902. Here are a few I think stand out.

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.

Most women washed their hair only once a month and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. What was that like?

Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason. I think that's funny. Socialists.

The population of Las Vegas, Nev., was only 30.

Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

There were only 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.


Apocalypse Now

Dean, Kerry Want Clinton to Broker Mideast Peace

Yeah, that will work.

What Are These People Thinking?

Man with blades in shoe arrested at airport

The incident was at least the fifth time that razor blades or similar items were found in passengers' shoes in the past three to four months, said Rick Thomas, the Transportation Security Administration's federal security director at Miami International. Last week, two loaded guns were confiscated at MIA checkpoints, he said.

And What Is He Thinking?

Michael Jackson a Muslim?

Michael Jackson, a man who once thrilled us all with his dancing, having now become one of the most discredited men on earth. And what does he do in order to re-establish his credibility? Why, he teams up with Louis Farrakhan. He would probably have gotten more credibility had he become a Jedi Knight, chosen Obe Wan Kenobe as his master and paid homage to the Force.

Just another chapter of weird.

Humiliation

Every day I read yet another commentary or news story on Arab humiliation. And somehow, it is always the fault of the western world. We, apparently, are the cause of their humiliation.

Quoting from The Humiliation Aspect:

But it all represents wall to wall HUMILIATION for the Arab world. Their media (the most visible being Al Jazeera Network) has long cast President Bush and the United States as being "at war with Islam" despite the administration's many attempts to appease them. The Iraqi people may be dancing in the streets with relief , but much of the Arab world is reeling with shame. They will not suffer it kindly. Even though Saddam's neighbors feared him, the Arab world has reveled in the fact that the Iraq war has not been a clean victory for the U.S.

And from A Tigris Chronicle:

The very same Arabs who had averted their gaze from the despot's mass graves were now quick to take offense that he had been exposed to public humiliation. This is the quintessential "shame culture," and we had snatched from that crowd a cherished legend.

The thing that strikes me and the reason I'm writing this is: Who's fault is it, really, that they are humiliated? Isn't it their very own actions, albeit uncovered, that is causing the humiliation? They scurry about like cockroaches in the darkness of their own culture and religion, feeding on hatred and violence, reaping what they sow. When pest control finally shows up and shines a light on their actions - they scream humiliation. Well, excuse me! If you want to live that way don't be surprised when someone eventually comes around and calls you on it. Maybe "shame culture" fits so well for a reason, maybe you should take a good, hard look at what that culture is producing (or NOT producing) and take this opportunity to CHANGE it.

And while we're at it, it wouldn't hurt every other country to do the same, including the United States. The world seems to be stuck in a vortex of backsliding values. The problem with the western world is we have NO shame anymore. That is not good either.

A Religious War

Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Director Pat Robertson said Wednesday the world is convulsed in a religious struggle in which the central issue is whether Islam's Allah or the LORD God of the Jews and Christians is supreme. - CBN chief: It's a religious war

Take a look at the living conditions of the various countries around the world, which ones appear to be blessed beyond measure compared to the others? Which ones are miserable failures? None are perfect, but the differences are vast.

It's 43 Degrees

I just went for a walk outside and remembered once again why I don't live up north. I wouldn't mind really, and I love the mountains but 43 is not really even cold and I can't stand it. I think I'm cold-blooded. My body seems to have no ability to regulate it's tempurature - hot or cold. Give me temperatures in the 70's year 'round. Please.

Something Completely Different

If you're on dial up it will take a while to download but it's pretty funny: Three Men in a Bathroom.

Bald Eagles

A couple (maybe a family) of Bald Eagles were hanging around the house for a little while today. James and I were outside when we heard their familiar cry. Loud and piercing. They perched in a tree next door. There were a couple of other smaller birds flying around them. They were definitely birds of prey but they didn't have white heads and since I've never seen them before and they were hanging around the large eagles I think they were juveniles. I scrambled to find batteries for my camera but when I walked closer to get a picture they flew off.

Hot Sauce

I recently found a new favorite hot sauce. I love it on spaghetti. Sriracha. Yum.

Boom!

I was just sitting here minding my own business (more people should do that), suddenly, a loud crash. It sounded like an accident in the parking lot. I was hoping my car was not involved. I looked out and it was some guy trying to drive a Ryder box truck under our overhang. Not too bright. There was some minor damage to the overhang but his truck looked like someone took a can opener to it. The whole corner of the box was torn back.

It Won't Happen

Powell tells Palestinians ceasefire would seal statehood, Israel prepares to give up all Gaza, much of West Bank.

The "Palestinians" don't want statehood and they don't want peace. They want Israel completely eliminated. Period. If it doesn't help them achieve that goal they won't do it. They may take statehood but there will be no ceasefire and they will only use statehood as an opportunity to further arm themselves to destroy Israel. Their whole reason for being revolves around destroying Israel. They gladly sacrifice their own children to that cause.

First Amendment All But Dead

Free speech dead in America

Time for a new revolution.

Diane Alden has some thoughts on our National Suicide.

1. Reforming the judicial oligarchy even if it requires a constitutional amendment. We will lose this nation and what is left of the Bill of Rights and Constitution if we don't.

2. End immigration, legal and illegal – now – before it kills us. Both political parties and their operatives in the power corridor are doing us in through immigration, legal and illegal. From the corrupt visa system to illegal immigration, we get no help from conservatives or libertarians. Certainly none from think tanks like Cato and Heritage. They absolutely resist a halt or call for time out regarding legal and illegal immigration.

3. There is no possibility of reforming public education. It is too late for that. It is suicidal to allow any more generations of American children to lose their birthright, their historical roots, traditions, identity, and their right to a decent, solid, substantive education. Like the judicial system, education is beyond reform.

There's alot more, she's dedicated.

It is remarkable that so many adopt the suicidal tendencies of our various elite. It is time to press a new elite into service. Time for the grassroots in the states to reject the old elite and replace it. Time for the states to reclaim their power under the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution.

Speaking to the wind.


Be Aware Of

Dangerous Russia

You Go Girl Guy

Iraqi Minister Scolds U.N. for Inaction Regarding Hussein

Secretary General Kofi Annan says "now is not the time to point fingers". You can only point fingers at the United States.

If the United Nations is the worlds last great hope, we're doomed. Say goodnight, Gracie.

This Is a Must Read

Saddam on trial

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Useless U.N.

I heard U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan say the U.N. would not return to Iraq until it was safe (World Leaders Cowards) and now he's saying Saddam shouldn't get the death penalty as well as acting as if any trial must meet with his/U.N. approval. I guess they have to feel like they are in charge.

I agree with David Horowitz

The UN is a moral cesspool. The chair of its human rights commission is Libya. It condones black slavery in the Sudan, while 25% of its resolutions condemning human rights violations are directed at the only democracy in the Middle East. Ten days before 9/11 its "conference against world racism" was the scene of an orgy of Jew-hatred not seen since the Nuremberg rallies of the Third Reich.

Embarrassing Moments

Friday I took James with me to look at some meeting rooms. We went to about 5 hotels before we got to the Red Horse Inn. We had to wait a little while and James started getting restless. He loved the place, they have saddles to sit on and it's a horse themed hotel. Finally, we met a guy who took us to see the rooms and while I was talking to him James blurts out "Are you a girl or a boy?" I just looked at him in stunned silence for a second. He looked every bit like a man and I still can't imagine why James said that. I said something like he looks like a man, he doesn't look like a girl, why would you ask that. I don't know what that was all about.

The front desk girl tried to give James a plastic sheriff badge. I thought, "how cool, he will love it." He said, "No thank you." But James, you can be a sheriff, a policeman, put it on your shirt. "No." OK, whatever, I took the badge because I thought he might change his mind. It's still sitting here, he hasn't so much as touched it. Smart kid, with all the politically correct crap going a round I wouldn't want to be a policeman either.

And I almost forgot. As we were leaving James ran back over to the staircase and started climbing up the outside of the railing like a little monkey and he was too fast for me to catch him (I did not expect him to do that!). I guess he saw it when we were exploring and he wanted to climb it before we left. I almost had a heart attack the way he was hanging up there but he was all smiles. I went to the second floor and grabbed him - I don't think he'll be doing that again.

While in the area I took him to Bass Pro Shops. That, he loved. They have a huge fish tank and he spent alot of time there, and they have alot of preserved animals all over the place and he enjoyed that as well. He wanted to touch them all. He got to pet alot of animals including bear, deer, bobcats, turkeys, and even a tiger. We went into the archery section and the salesman told me I needed to get him an archery starter set and pointed out a nice, small compound bow and arrow set. It was nice but I was thinking that James isn't even 4 yet and I don't think he's quite ready for a set like that. Maybe a toy set. Then he asked, "How old is he, six?" I told him his age and he was surprised and said James was big. I don't know about that, maybe a little, but I wouldn't think he was six. We watched him shoot some arrows at a target and James wanted to do that but I didn't let him.

We went over to the shooting gallery and I let James shoot at some targets with a gun (not a real one). I showed him how to do it and he did OK but I had to guide the gun to the target. There is a red laser light that shoots out when you pull the trigger so I just guided the gun until the light was over the target while he pulled the trigger over and over. He wanted to do it again. We had to go.

On the way home I thought to take him to McDonalds for a treat but he was not interested. Burger King? No. Wendy's? No. He wanted chinese! We didn't have time because we had to pick up Joshua so I suggested a pizza and he liked that.

Congratulations on Capturing Saddam Hussein

Great news on Sunday morning. A little anticlimactic, but we needed this. Good work! Just keep plugging and never give up.

BTW, Earth to Canada, Shut up! Precious little wisdom coming from Canada lately. U.S. too, I might add, but President Bush is at least on the right track.

Saddam really needs no trial, it's just a formality. Just a last show of evidence that he doesn't deserve to live any longer. The trial need only be conducted by the Iraqis. They can handle it, they know what to do. What's his defense, insanity? It wasn't me, it was my evil twin brother! Give me a break! We should make him President of Canada! Just kidding. I actually have Canadian friends, they're not so bad, that country just needs to get over its socialism.

Going Global

I liked this quote (well, I like the whole thing) from this commentary by Mark Armstrong. Because it's so true and most people (it seems) really don't get it yet.

President George W. Bush seems to believe in the tenents upon which the USA was founded. He promotes American sovereignty and has shown a willingness to act in the face of hostility from the United Nations, the big European powers and most of the world, save Britain. It is worth recognizing, however, that there is a social and political movement afoot here in these United States that is committed to abolishing our sovereignty. Much of the mainstream media, and nearly all of the entertainment industry have embraced this ideology, and they have some very powerful political champions maneuvering feverishly to overthrow the current administration in Washington.

The stakes may be higher than anyone imagines. This is way beyond “Republicans and Democrats.”


On a related note, America's future: A nation of renters by Henry Lamb. Read and heed.

This Is Too Good

Global warming on Mars. The U.N. will blame the United States for that too. We did send a little SUV up there didn't we? And we're sending more. Is there no end to our madness?

This Is A Bit Of A Surprise

Bush Opposes Taiwan Bid for Independence

Bush caving in to the Chinese government. We've always been on the side of Taiwan and have promised defense of the island. What's going on? China is capable of hitting the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons from mainland China. China is in control of the Panama Canal. China has and is developing a huge trade presence in the Caribbean. They are literally surrounding us under the guise of trade.

We also want China to help us cool the North Korean problem. But still, this doesn't look very good. It's a huge blow to the U.S. even if we don't realize it. How can any other country in Asia have confidence in our agreements to protect them? It's a huge blow to Japan - will this finally change their minds about arming themselves with nuclear weapons. South Korea is a little nervous too. Phillipines? Thailand? I really wonder what our government knows about China that isn't publicly known.

It Doesn't Matter

Get Rush – That’s the Game

Liberals want to topple Rush. They want to shut him up. They want to silence all of conservative talk radio. They want Fox News off the air. If you are conservative you are not welcome to speak at our nations universities. No conservative clubs on campus either, you're not welcome. Don't dare show up at a demonstration (counter-demonstration) to show your conservative viewpoint, they'll do everything they can to silence you there too. They want your guns. They want your children in government schools. If you work, they want your money. They want to tell how to think, what to do, what to like, and what to hate. They only want you to listen to them. If you need something, go to them. Something wrong? They're listening, they feel your pain. There are no rules, no boundaries. Unless they make them of course, but that's for your own good. They know what's best for you. Relax, leave the driving to them. Life should be easy, have fun ... no responsibilities. Just do what they say and everything will be cool. Cradle to grave.

Liberals may find it unbelievable but Rush doesn't give marching orders to conservatives. Conservatives are individuals who have thrown off the bonds of liberalism. Conservatives value freedom. Conservatives take responsibility for their own lives. They deal with their pain and enjoy their successes. They don't want to control your life and they sure don't want you to control theirs. Rush has nothing to do with any of this. Conservatives wouldn't suddenly come under the liberal spell if Rush was off the air. Once you've escaped the chains, you're not going back.

Another Shining Example of the Love and Peace of Islamic Rule

Iran forces quell massive uprising

Soldiers approached the 10-year-old, Haroun Balochzahi, and grabbed his bike from him, insisting on a bribe. The boy did not speak Farsi, the majority language, and responded by biting a soldier and running. The youth was shelled with bullets in front of people on the streets and died on the spot, Meerdora said, prompting an immediate reaction.

How dare a 10-year-old disrespect an Iranian soldier. Of course he should have been riddled with bullets right where he stood.

In an unusual display of resistance to the hard-line, cleric-led regime, a crowd set a military jeep on fire and began beating the soldiers, Meerdora said.

The director of the hospital has been warned by the government to not take in any wounded protesters, and some Balochs have been shot in front of the hospital, according to Meerdora's sources.

He said security forces went to the hospital and killed people in their rooms.

About 300 people have been jailed, and uncooperative prisoners have had their tongues cut out, he said.

What's with those people questioning the authority of god? Those soldiers work for the muslim clerics, who work for god. They deserve what they got. Those uncooperative prisoners are lucky they only got their tongues cut out.

That reminds me of something. Oh, yeah, the liberals who are actively trying to keep any conservative opinion from being expressed. The ones who have taken over our educational system. The liberal clerics. No, they haven't gone quite that far yet. They would if they could get away with it.

Some People Shouldn't Be Police Officers

A man was given a ticket because a balloon he had accidentaly popped while walking in Queens.

"I couldn't believe it," Pulido, 29, of Queens Village, said last night. "It was just a normal-size party balloon and it was an accident. You'd make more noise closing the door of a police car."

"Three cops were at the curb in a car and one of them called me over and said he was giving me a ticket," Pulido said.

He said he asked the cop, "Are you serious? You're gonna give me a ticket for balloon popping?"

"The cop gave me a hard look and asked me, 'Do you think popping a balloon is funny?'" Pulido recalled. "At that point I just said just give me the ticket...whatever."

Save the balloons!

That Crazy Judicial Branch

Ann Coulter takes on the all-powerful robed ones: Supreme Court opinions not private enough

These bizarre rulings illustrate the notion of the Constitution as a "living document," one which rejects timeless moral principles so as to better reflect the storylines in this week's episode of "Ally McBeal." You may like or dislike the end result of these rulings, but – as subtly alluded to above – none of these rulings come from anything written in the Constitution.

Is there nothing five justices on the Supreme Court could proclaim that would finally lead a president to say: I refuse to pretend this is a legitimate ruling. Either the answer is no, and we are already living under a judicial dictatorship, or the answer is yes, and – as Churchill said – we're just bickering over the price.

I don't hear any bickering.

What a Shocker!

Church doesn't think like Jesus: Survey shows only 9% of Christians have biblical worldview.

They had to do a survey to figure that out?

Your Tax Dollars at Work

D.C. to install free-condom machines : 'They're going to be as common as water fountains'

You can lead a horse to water...

Of course, they make great balloons.

Polygamy - Coming Soon

Polygamy a new legal right?

This is gonna be great! Let's see. If I had 2 wives and they each had 2 husbands, who each had 2 wives and they each had 2 husbands and ... Everyone in the country could be related by marriage! Wonderful! Peace on Earth!

What would your child call your wife's husband? And the other? Wives could, of course, have multiple wives. We could have a mommy and daddy numbering system. No, we'll have to make up some new words. And that doesn't even count if one of them marries a dog or horse. What would you call them?

Our judges are so smart! They'll figure it all out for us.

Predators

The predators of Planned Parenthood

A Couple of Pictures from Puerto Rico

This is a picture of Joshua and James with their Grandfather and his horse.



And this is James getting ready for his ride.



Wisdom

Dennis Prager wrote this commentary on wisdom and the lack of it. So true too.

He also wrote this open letter to the American soldier in Iraq. This is a must read.

Another Must Read

This one about our academic institutions. Only Conservatives Can Save Academic Freedom by Tammy Bruce.

The World Vs. Israel

World out to 'get Israel' over security fence

Unbelievable. Israel tries to defend itself without violence and the UN freaks out. Israel, apparently, is only allowed to disappear off the face of the Earth in the UN's opinion. They must take whatever the Arabs dish out without reaction and under no circumstance can they actually defend themselves, that wouldn't be fair.

They're Back!

The family got back from Puerto Rico last night - late. The flight was supposed to arrive at 6:45pm, it got changed to 7:10pm, then it was late taking off and when I got to the airport I saw they changed it to 8:45pm. While I sat waiting it changed again to 9:08pm and finally arrived a bit later than that. By the time we got the luggage and got out of there it was after 10:00pm. Irma wanted to stop at her sisters house on the way home because her father came back with her and I took her mothers car home so I could get to work. She has a Toyota and I can't believe how spoiled I am with the Cadillac because that ride home was the most uncomfortable I've had in a while. It's a fairly new car too. No more small cars for me. I want to be pampered. I ended up being an hour late for work.

James was so cute, he gave me a big smile and ran over and gave me a hug. He was beaming! He had alot of fun and told me about all the new toys he got. It's only been just over a week but he seems to have grown up a bit while he was gone. His grandfather has a horse and the kids rode it. I was looking at the pictures and Joshua rode it by himself and one picture shows Joshua leading the horse with James riding it. It's a very gentle horse, I've seen it, but I was still a little surprised to see that. I'll post the pictures as soon as I get a chance.

I talked to Irma after she got home and she said the kids were fighting in the car. James took off his coat and was hitting Joshua and Joshua was fighting back. Suddenly, it was dead silent. She looked back and they were both sleeping. Her father said they knocked each other out.

EnvironMENTAL Wackos

A California law requires you to obtain a trapping license by taking a complex test and paying $78.50 in order to kill mice and rats. The law was pushed by the Animal Protection Institute of Sacramento. Everyone who voted for this bill needs to be voted out of office at the first opportunity because they are not fit to serve the public. Nice move.

The Flu

Mayo Clinic official predicts worst flu season in 30 years

The flu kills alot of people every year and this coming season looks bad.

"This will probably be the worst flu season we've had in several decades," said infectious disease specialist Gregory Poland. "My guess is that we'll be in the 50,000 to 70,000 deaths this year due to this strain."

A flu shot will decrease your chance of dying by 50%. That's alot of death for a sickness people take for granted.

We Have Alot To Be Thankful For

About the only thing we lack in this country is respect for and acknowledgement of God as the Provider of the vast blessings we have received, blessings we have in no way deserved. Instead, as a nation, we are removing His name, His laws, and His memory from before us. We flagrantly and even proudly break His laws and laugh at the thought of restraining ourselves. Anyone who tries to keep God's laws is thought a fool. Anymore, anyone who believes in God is thought a fool. We are suffering some from the consequences of our actions but;

Psalms 103:10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

Instead;

Genesis 49:22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.

No country can equal the blessings of the United States of America, none come close.

23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

We are hated, we have been shot at (911), and we are grieved (burdened) by a war on terrorism which we dare not stop.

24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob

We have remained strong and we are winning. Our military might is unparalleled. They expected us to cut and run and we surprised even ourselves.

We have alot to be thankful for.
Thank God today

Here are some items of interest relating to the origins of Thanksgiving:

Here is the Proclamation of Thanksgiving by Abraham Lincoln.

Thanksgiving, The Sabbath And Christmas

2 values systems clash on Thanksgiving Day

A Thanksgiving lesson

Thanksgiving – American style

Has Canada Gone Wacko?

Canada preparing to enforce Islamic law

Canadian judges soon will be enforcing Islamic law, or Sharia, in disputes between Muslims, possibly paving the way to one day administering criminal sentences, such as stoning women caught in adultery.

2nd Ammendment Alert

Senate Democrats Continue to Exploit War on Terror by Attacking Gun Rights

It's Just a Matter of Conditioning

The social engineers are working hard. The gay marriage issue is just about over the hurdle. Are we ready for the next step?

For some, Michael Jackson is not a pervert but a pioneer.

It's Over

I can't see the country standing up in defiance of this. You'll hear alot of complaining but no line will be drawn, nothing will really be done to stop it. Nevertheless, here's a voice crying in the wilderness:

Humpty Dumpty on unholy matrimony

In Massachusetts," she explains, "civil marriage is, and since pre-Colonial days has been, precisely what its name implies, a wholly secular institution."
    In short, don't let all that joy and solemnity fool you. It's just another civil procedure. Once that is understood, marriage can be anything the almighty state says it is, and may unite whatever two people it designates. (Gosh, why only two?) Why only people?

Puerto Rico Update

Irma took the kids to Puerto Rico Friday. Unfortunately it's been raining there the whole time. James loves all the animals at his Grandfathers house and he wants to ride the horse but can't until it stops raining. There have been some mudslides nearby. I hope it stops soon. He got 3 new movies and a new dinosaur and he's excited about that. So they've been watching movies, going shopping and visiting family.

I've been able to get some things done that are difficult when I'm watching James. I started cleaning the garage but that will take a few days. I went to the post office yesterday and the line was the longest I've seen in a long time. I told the clerk from now on I would wait to mail my eBay packages and mail a bunch together instead of mailing them as soon as they pay because of the lines. She said that would be a good idea because starting Friday it would start getting busy. Start? I want to sell in December but I dread waiting in line. I found some things in the garage to sell but I need my camera (Irma took it to PR) to take pictures. She better take pictures with that camera because when I spoke with her yesterday she said she didn't take any yet. If she's not going to use it she should have left it home. She'll use it later I guess.

I hate reading or watching the news lately. I have, enough to know what's going on, but mostly I just leave the TV off or watch the Food Network. I don't want to hear anything else about Michael Jackson until it's all over. Let the courts figure it all out and tell me the verdict.

A couple of things stand out though.

Students' Ramadan-fast assignment protested. Government schools trying "to promote a greater understanding and empathy towards the Muslim religion." Whatever happened to the separation of Chuch and State? Oh yeah, that's only for Christians. The government needs to get out of the school business. Now.

Horses stolen, victimized near Echo Lake. "It appears we have a serial horse rapist," Dupont said. How do they know it wasn't a consenting horse? Do they have a horse psychic? Maybe the guy is dating around to see which would make the best wife. Try before you buy! He should move to Massachusetts, buy a horse and get married. He would have the courts on his side and no ignorant sheriff would be able to harass them. When is this country finally going to enter the 21st century?

A Poem

I was told this was written by Judge Roy Moore (now former Alabama Supreme Court Judge).

America the Beautiful, or so you used to be.
Land of the Pilgrims' pride; I'm glad they'll never see.
Babies piled in dumpsters, Abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty, your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlessly poisoned by cocaine,
Choosing to indulge their lusts, when God has said abstain.
From sea to shining sea, our Nation turns away
From the teaching of God's love and a need to always pray.

So many worldly preachers tell lies about our Rock,
Saying God is going broke so they can fleece the flock.
We've kept God in our temples, how callous we have grown.
When earth is but His footstool, and Heaven is His throne.

We've voted in a government that's rotting at the core,
Appointing Godless Judges who throw reason out the door,
Too soft to place a killer in a well deserved tomb,
But brave enough to kill a baby before he leaves the womb.

You think that God's not angry that our land's a moral slum?
How much longer will He wait before His judgment comes?
How are we to face our God, from Whom we cannot hide?
What then is left for us to do, but stem this evil tide?

If we who are His children, will humbly turn and pray;
Seek His holy face and mend our evil way:
Then God will hear from Heaven and forgive us of our sins,
He'll heal our sickly land and those who live within.

But, America the Beautiful, if you don't then you will see,
A sad but Holy God withdraw His hand from Thee.

Don't Forget

Neal Boortz said it but I want it said on my blog as well:

"Every single statement from a leftist Democratic presidential candidate against our efforts in Afghanistan or Iraq is a statement that emboldens those who are trying to kill us. If that horrendous terrorist attack does come to pass on American soil; if we do find ourselves sitting in front of the television one night watching officials cite an ever-increasing body count from the latest terrorist attack on American soil --- don't forget the role played by the party of appeasement. Don't forget the role played by Howard Dean, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich and Weasely Clark. Don't forget the role played by the Democratic Party."

Gun Makers Can be Held Liable

Appeals Court Reinstates Wrongful Death Suit Against Gun Industry

A gun manufacturer can be held responsible for what people do with the guns they make. If we follow that logic then knive manufacturers can be held liable, baseball bat manufacturers, car manufacturers, heck, chair manufacturers can be held liable if one of their customers whacks somebody over the head with one of their chairs and kills him. There is no end to the lawsuits that can come out of this. It sure is wonderful we have judges who can think things through and make wise decisions on important issues in this country.

Politics and Power

Politics of sex, politics of race

The "gay" movement would like to present itself as the latest chapter in the civil-rights movement. But it is quite the opposite. Homosexuals are not pushing this nation to return to eternal truths from which it has strayed. They are pushing us to deny that there are eternal truths and to move in the direction of a world where we make up the rules as we go along. Such a world is, of course, a world defined ultimately by politics and power.

And that's the struggle we're facing isn't it, between those who believe there are eternal truths and those who want to make it up as they go along.

Separation of Church and State is NOT in the Constitution

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..." IS in the Constitution.

Destroying liberty to punish a judge

and a related article:

Don't you dare say 'Amen'!

When prominent religious leaders (and others) expressed their opinion that events such as those which occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, were reflections of our society having gravitated away from obedience to moral laws, many were outraged. How audacious to suggest that our own actions were somehow the cause for this effect! After all, look at how much so many had suffered!

Will They Tax the Internet?

Don't strangle the Net

Can't they think of anything else but increasing and adding taxes? Here in Osceola county they've managed to get businesses to support an increase in the tourist tax by tying it to the building of a much needed convention center. No new tax, no convention center - no convention center, no business = bankruptcy.

Wise men of Saudi Arabia

An article in the Saudi Gazette explains why President Bush is more likely to be assasinated by the British than by terrorists.

Top 6 List

"1. The business people want to be compensated for all the tea dumped in the sea and in the current situation of the British economy; they will kill for a buck.

"2. The environmentalists are angry at introducing caffeine into the Marine life environment. Blowing up people for the sake of animals has been recorded in the past. In their opinion, Bush must pay the price.

"3. The English cannot understand why a traitor to the throne would be allowed to stand before the British government and instead of getting arrested for high treason, he is allowed to dictate policy to a British Prime Minister who willingly takes his orders and [abides] by them at the expense of his own popularity amongst his people; those who stuck it out and never immigrated from Britain enduring the worse of consequences, such as Prince Charles and Camella [sic].

"4. Israel, famous for assassinating politicians, civilians, anyone at any age, may kill Bush in case Blair explains to him the similarities between how America made history and how the Palestinians are making it today.

"5. America today is seen as a traitor to the principles it was founded on because of its aggressive foreign policy that promotes the loss of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness worldwide, especially amongst Arabs who have never been so unhappy in history.

"6. He may get killed for the heck of it."


Critical thinking at it's best.

A Couple More Darwin Award Winners

2nd Subway Surfer Dies. Watch out for that bridge!

America is from Mars, Europe from Venus

Israel isn't peaceful

Israel isn't peaceful because its neighbors won't let it live in peace. Israel refuses to be destroyed, so there's conflict.

Similarly, America refuses to sit still while others plot our demise. Not surprisingly, then, Europeans think America is the second biggest threat to world peace.

I believe most Americans feel that way. We're not going to bend knee to any Islamic god. No way, no how. Or for that matter, the god of socialism. Even though we are allowing our country to slowly go in that direction, the country is becoming highly polarized between those resisting that slide and those welcoming it.

And if "Muslims must present non-Muslims with the three choices of Sura 9:29 of the (Koran): conversion, submission with second-class status under Islamic rule, or death."

I say give me death, preferably theirs.

Europeans care about peace, but they believe it can be attained through talking.

In this case, they are wrong. Dangerously wrong.

"Europeans have done something that no one has ever done before: create a zone of peace where war is ruled out, absolutely out," Karl Kaiser, director of the Research Institute of the German Society for Foreign Affairs said in the Chicago Tribune last year during the lead-up to the Iraq war. "Europeans are convinced that this model is valid for other parts of the world."

That "zone of peace" is only about 50 years old. I guess they are proud of themselves, but that peace came out of terrible war and so much death and destruction that no one who witnessed it would ever choose that path again. That generation is dying off fast and the new generation didn't live through that. Before long a different mindset will kick in and a new beast will rise from the heart of Europe. Count on it, it's coming.

Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations.

Europeans see Israelis as fellow Westerners, and they can't forgive them for not following Europe's example of settling differences over runny cheese and bottled water in fancy hotels. The truth is the Israelis would like nothing better. But not if the chitchat over brie is nothing but a pretext for their destruction. So, they opt for self-defense. They may make mistakes in the process, but one can hardly expect them to accept suicide simply in the name of world peace.

Inhuman Culture

Rofayda Qaoud — raped by her brothers and impregnated — refused to commit suicide, her mother recalls, even after she bought the unwed teenager a razor with which to slit her wrists. So Amira Abu Hanhan Qaoud says she did what she believes any good Palestinian parent would: restored her family's "honor" through murder.

Armed with a plastic bag, razor and wooden stick, Qaoud entered her sleeping daughter's room last Jan. 27. "Tonight you die, Rofayda," she told the girl, before wrapping the bag tightly around her head. Next, Qaoud sliced Rofayda's wrists, ignoring her muffled pleas of "No, mother, no!" After her daughter went limp, Qaoud struck her in the head with the stick.

Killing her sixth-born child took 20 minutes, Qaoud tells a visitor through a stream of tears and cigarettes that she smokes in rapid succession. "She killed me before I killed her," says the 43-year-old mother of nine. "I had to protect my children. This is the only way I could protect my family's honor."

Culture of death. Some cultures are just beyond hope. That's far beyond deranged.

What Did They Think Would Happen?

10 liters of vodka to the person who can drink the most vodka in the shortest time. The winner drank three half-liter bottles in 30 or 40 minutes and died within 20 minutes. Five other contestants ended up in intensive care.

The organizer of the contest has been charged with manslaughter.

You Owe Us An Apology

"Can anyone tell me why the world let Saddam remain and stood against America’s will to topple him?"

Omar (an Iraqi) is none to happy with the anti-war protesters.

You Mean I'm Not Weird?

I took the Weird Quotient test and found out I'm not quite as weird as I thought. People who know me beg to differ.




84% are more weird,
7% are just as weird, and
9% are more normal than you!

Thanks to Annika for the link.

Same Old News

Changing the balance of power

He further stated that the attack will be carried out in a way that will "amaze the world and turn Al Qaida into [an organization that] horrifies the world until the law of Allah is implemented, actually implemented, and not just in words, on His land... You wait and see that the balance of power between Al Qaida and its rivals will change, all of a sudden, Allah willing."

"There is no doubt that the demise of America and its collapse will lead to the collapse of these fragile regimes that depend on it... We will not stop until we establish the Islamic Caliphate and until Allah's law is implemented in His land."

I respect what President Bush is trying to do in Iraq but it's not quite enough. The enemy is dead serious about cutting America down and we are just sort of half-assed, I don't know - not putting the fear of God into them. We take them into custody, give them 3 meals and a koran. They're not afraid of us. That has to change.


Ditto Palestinians. Joseph Farah wrote Well, here we go again and it goes over what we already know, so why not do something about it.

Neither Arafat nor Hamas want an independent Palestinian state living in peace and harmony with a Jewish state. They want only the elimination of a Jewish state. Period. End of story.

And everyone should read this: Conversation with an Islamist

Your mind is filled with hate.

You hate me, yet you have never met me.

You cannot point to where I have said anything wrong or in any way justify your hatred.

You have not submitted to the Almighty, you have submitted to politicians who are using you for their purposes. You hate because you have been told to hate.

You will probably never listen to me. But at least for a short time, you may have regained control of your mind. To pause & think and find the truth in your own religion.

Joseph Katz

It's almost funny but it's really so damn sad. Millions of Muslims think like the guy that wrote to Mr. Katz. Entire countries of people. If they don't they keep it to themselves or die.

How Do I Get Out Of Here?

I had an old guy come to the hotel tonight and ask, "How do I get out of here?"

My first thought was how do you get out of where, the parking lot? I asked him,
"Where are you trying to go?"

He said he wanted to head north out of Florida so I got a map and showed him how to go. He didn't look too sure and I went over it a few times to make sure he got it. Then he told me he's been trying to get out of the area for 3 days! 3 days! I don't know if he was serious or not but there wasn't anything more I could do, I told him "good luck." He said if he couldn't find his way he would be back. I really hope he was just kidding but after talking to him I'm not sure. If he can't find the turnpike he'll never find his way back here, so I'll never know.

We had an old lady here once who just couldn't drive her car, she had no sense of direction at all and she said she just followed other cars and hoped they were going where she wanted to go. She wanted to drive to Tampa. I kid you not. I think we ended up calling her family in Tampa to come get her.


The cool weather has finally come to central Florida tonight and it actually feels a bit nippy. Great sleeping weather, too bad I'm not sleeping.

I Couldn't Agree More

Mrs. du Toit wrote it: Children and Behavior

If You Like Motorcycles

Check out the Bombardier. Technologically cool but I think I'd rather have 2 wheels and a real engine. Although I would like to try a big motorcycle with a strong electric motor (not a scooter).

Night Views of Western Japan

This site is great. The pictures are beautiful. You will not know what city you pick until after you click though (unless you read Japanese). I wanted to see Hiroshima and was able to get it on the first try by educated guess. There are a few for that city - look under the picture where it says "Please make the room dark and look the photographs," follow straight up from the word "look" to about halfway from top to bottom. I wanted to see Hiroshima because I rode my motorcycle from Tokyo to Hiroshima and back and I guess I miss Japan sometimes.

Kiss of Life

I know Koi can be expensive, sometimes outrageously so, so I can understand a guy wanting to save the life of his fish but...

Fish have gills and gills are just about as efficient at taking oxygen from air as your lungs are at taking oxygen from water. Mouth-to-mouth did not save that fish. You can, however, resuscitate a fish by holding it under water and with it's mouth open, moving it gently back and forth to get water flowing through the gills.


It's Worse Than We Thought

Kim du Toit wrote about The Pussification of the Western Male but I think it's worse than that. Now it seems even our toughest dogs have succumbed:

Police dog prefers sweets to thieves

Police dog sacked for being too nice

I Like Tea

Carjacker foiled after woman pours hot tea over him

Serves Him Right

Prowler dies stuck between two houses

Mmmm Chocolate

A cup of cocoa a day helps keep the doctor away! And I thought it was a guilty pleasure.

Want a Segway?

Build one yourself! Here's how. Now that's cool!

One problem though:

"In the fairly likely event of the software crashing, a wire coming loose, a component failing, or the batteries running low, the wheels will stop and the entire kinetic energy of the system will be used to accelerate my head toward the ground."

I guess it still needs a little work.

Like All The Other Nations

I was reading this commentary by Steve Farrell and when reading this sentence - Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways, now make us a king to judge us like all the other nations. - it reminded me that too many people in America are still that way. Always looking to other countries to see what they do, what gods they're worshipping, what there laws are - whatever. And all the time we have it so good right here in our own country if we would just appreciate what we have. Never satisfied.

I think I'll have to find that Thomas Paine book, Common Sense.

Which Way Did It Go, George?

We were outside today and James wanted to ride his bike. I gave him the remote because he loves to press the button to open the door. I was doing something else when Joshua informs me that James threw the remote and they couldn't find it. I asked James where it was and he said, "I don't know." Great. I asked Joshua where James was standing when he threw it. I scanned the ground but didn't see it. I told the kids to check the bushes and I stood where James stood and looked straight through the branches and saw it clipped to a branch. Cool! He couldn't do that again if he tried.

Trade War

This is not good news but I'm also not surprised. US goods set to double in price as Europe plans huge trade war. If this happens the demand for U.S goods will drop, along with our economy. Europe doesn't like that our economy is growing because the economies of Europe are largely stagnant. They don't like our successes in Iraq. They are not rooting for our success in any way. They want to be where we are.

Pill Popping Culture

Now there's a pill to help you get over your phobias. Wow, pills can do anything!

Are You Sure?

Do we, as a nation, really want to go here? Court: Homosexual sex not adultery.

Are You A Nazi?

Take this test to find out.

Speaking Of Which

Joseph Farah predicts Hillary will seek the Democratic Party nomination for the presidency in 2004.

He's probably right.

Third World Power Company

Almost every morning before 9am the power at my house cuts off for a second. Just enough to turn everything off. The other day I was watching TV and it happened but the TV stayed on. There was no sound though so I hit the remote and it didn't work. I tried changing channels and that didn't work either. Finally I pressed the power button and the TV stayed on but the sound came back and it started working. Apparently it was off the whole time but the picture tube stayed on.

Last night the power went off for about a half hour. I called the number to report it (I have it saved in my cell phone, it happens so often) and they got it on in 20 minutes. An hour later I was getting into the shower and it went off again. It was back on in a minute but this is ridiculous - I don't live in Cuba. I've been leaving the computer off so that wasn't a problem but I can't wait to get that UPS.

None of these problems has to do with lightning, that's different story, another problem entirely.

Noah's Ark in Today's Society

I received this in an email.


The Lord speaks to Noah and says: "In one year, I am going to make it rain and cover the whole Earth with water until all is destroyed. But I want you to save the righteous people and two of every kind of living thing on the Earth. Therefore, I am commanding you to build an Ark."

In a flash of lightning, God delivered the specifications for an Ark.

Fearful and trembling, Noah took the plans and agreed to build the Ark.

"Remember," said the Lord, "You must complete the Ark and bring everything aboard in one year."

Exactly one year later, a fierce storm cloud formed and all the seas of the earth went into a tumult. The Lord saw Noah sitting in his front yard weeping.

"Noah." He shouted, "Where is the Ark?"

"Lord, please forgive me!" cried Noah. "I did my best but there were big problems. First, I had to get a permit for construction and your plans did not comply with the codes. I had to hire an engineering firm and redraw the plans.

Then I got into a fight with OSHA over whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system and floatation devices.

Then my neighbor objected, claiming I was violating zoning ordinances by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission.

I had problems getting enough wood for the Ark, because there was a ban on cutting trees to protect the Spotted Owl. I finally convinced the U.S. Forest Service that I needed the wood to save the owls.

However, the Fish and Wildlife Service won't let me catch any owls. So, no owls.

The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Union. Now I have 16 carpenters on the Ark, but still no owls.

When I started rounding up the other animals, I got sued by an animal rights group. They objected to me only taking two of each kind aboard.

Just when I got the suit dismissed, the EPA notified me that I could not complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood. They didn't take very kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of the Creator of the universe.

Then the Army Corps of Engineer demanded a map of the proposed new flood plain. I sent them a globe.

Right now, I am trying to resolve a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that I am practicing discrimination by not taking godless, unbelieving people aboard!

The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming that I'm building the Ark in preparation to flee the country to avoid paying taxes.

I just got a notice from the State that I owe some kind of user tax and failed to register the Ark as a 'recreational water craft.'

Finally the ACLU got the courts to issue an injunction against further construction of the Ark, saying that since God is flooding the earth, it is a religious event and therefore unconstitutional.

I really don't think I can finish the Ark for another 5 or 6 years!" Noah wailed.

The sky began to clear, the sun began to shine and the seas began to calm. A rainbow arched across the sky.

Noah looked up hopefully. "You mean you are not going to destroy the Earth, Lord?"

"No," said the Lord sadly. "The government already has!"

I Just Looked Outside

and there was a turkey looking in the window of my car. It stayed there for about a minute. I wonder what it was looking at?

Dead Batteries

The battery in my UPS (uninteruptable power supply) is dead. I had to order a new one because the power goes off here every day, if only for a second. It's enough to turn of the computer. I already lost a computer to that once, never again. I ordered a new one because the battery is not user replacable but after investigating, the battery is available online and I may pick one up and replace it to use on Joshua's computer. Not user replacable doesn't mean not possible.

I'm Curious

I understand that there may be a circumstance where a woman's life is endangered by a baby in her womb, however rare that may be, but, if they can partially deliver the baby, why not just complete the delivery? Put another way, with all our medical knowledge and capabilities, are we incapable of removing a baby from a woman in that circumstance without killing the child? What is it about the death of the baby that saves the woman? Why are there people out there who insist on killing babies, indeed, are happy, thrilled to be allowed to do so.

Speaking of a block on the new abortion ban:

"We're obviously thrilled. It is a big relief to our client," said Beth Parker, the attorney representing Planned Parenthood, which has 900 health centers.

What's the difference in the minds of the people of PPFA and people who do things like this? They both believe they have the right to kill another person. One is legal , the other illegal? Why? What is law and by who's authority are laws made? By the authority of men? Of government? These change. Should the law be the prevailing thought of the time? Does the Man/Boy Association have a chance of making their agenda legal? Just keep convincing people one by one.

It just seems to me that some serial killers may have found a loophole and have actually convinced people that their cause is just. And they get paid for it.

I've Said This Before And He'll Say It Again

Better than I, no doubt. Joseph Farrah asks: Do you have the will to win?

"There is no option but victory.

That's what Americans need to understand.

Previous generations understood the sacrifices that needed to be made to preserve freedom.

Do we have what it takes?

The jury is still out, but there are some grim signs on the horizon. Even the administration that began these wars seem to be faltering. Politicians in the Pentagon seem all-too-willing to pull the rug out from under generals who speak out in churches and colonels who make tough decisions in the field to protect their troops.

It's time for Americans to put their differences aside and pull together.

It's time for Americans to acknowledge we are in a fight for our lives and our future and prepare for sacrifice and hardship.

It's time for Americans to remember what happened on Sept. 11 and agree we will not let it happen again – no matter what.

It's time for Americans to pull together for victory and nothing but victory."

Instead of pulling together, we're being pulled apart.

Instead of acknowledging, we are denying.

Instead of remembering and not letting it happen again, we give lip service and do little constructive to protect ourselves and undermine the little we are trying to do.

The very heart of America is being torn in half with two completely different and incompatible ideas of victory.

Sugar Water of Relativism

Read what Michelle Malkin has to say about malnourishment in a nation of plenty. Starvation nation

The Spam is Back

I got my spam today. For some reason they were not being downloaded and I got about 45 today. A few good emails too that didn't download yesterday. Strange.

A Puppy Is Not A Gift

Irma has a friend who wants to give James a Beagle puppy. It's 6 weeks old and the parents belong to her Father. She's been telling Irma for a while now and Irma told me she said she was going to leave it on the doorstep. Yesterday I went to Irma's job and the lady wrote me a note to please consider the puppy and she gave me a sad look and she really wants James to have this puppy.

The problem is I'm not ready to get a dog now. It won't be James' dog, I'm the one who will have to buy the food, take it to the vet, train it, and everything else that goes into having a dog. Not to mention the problem of finding someone to take care of it when you go on vacation or even worse, taking it along. I love dogs, I just don't want the responsibility right now.

I looked into the breed because I didn't think the woman was being entirely truthful about Beagles or maybe she doesn't know. The first thing I told her was Beagles like to wander or run off - she said no. The breed information backs up what I thought. Beagles get on a scent and will follow it and ignore it's owner. We don't have a fenced yard and we have cows and horses next door (barbed wire fence) and wild turkeys wandering all over (and I don't want them chased off).

Beagles are loud and energetic. I like quiet and mellow. I can handle it from the kids for only so long, I don't need to add to it with a boisterous dog.

Here's a puppy buyers guide I found and a so you think you want a Beagle page.

It's just not the right time to get a dog. I thought about this and I'm just going to have to stand my ground and maybe hurt her feelings but that's really too bad because a dog is just too much of a responsibilty to take lightly. She just better respect my decision because if she does leave it on our doorstep (she's moving) I'm gonna have to give it away or something because I will resent having that dog every day for the rest of it's life if we keep it - it won't be the dogs fault but the feeling will still be there.

James and the Giant Fish Tank

After he got in trouble for putting toys in the fish tank Monday, I woke up Tuesday night to find out he did it again and he actually pinned the fish under one of them. Irma had to save it. It's a Jack Dempsey if anyone is curious. Again, where the hell is Irma when he's doing this? Irma said she punished him but I have a feeling he's not convinced of the error of his ways. That will change.

I Agree Whole-Heartedly

Joseph Farah wrote How to lose this war about the planned court martial of Lt. Col. Allen B. West.

No More Junk Mail?

The past week I've noticed a huge drop-off in the amount of junk mail I've been getting. I used to get 8, 10, or 12 a day and now I get one every couple of days. I'm happy about it but also curious as to why.

Fish Tank or Toy Box?

When I woke up to go to work I noticed the fish tank was loaded with cars, airplanes, cows, and who knows what else. James obviously, but where was Irma? He's in big trouble in the morning. He's put a toy in there every once in a while and knows he's not allowed to do it but he's never done anything like this before. The poor fish.

The Horses

This morning I let James go outside for a while and the horses were over at the fence so he (we) spent about 45 minutes feeding and petting them. They seem to go into a trance or maybe they are sleeping but they usually have their eyes open. I noticed that they sleep laying down alot too. I don't know that much about horses, can you tell? James noticed he could see us in the eyes of the horse and he got a kick out of that. Check out these cool miniature horses. I wouldn't mind having one of them.

Later, after Joshua got home, they were riding bikes in the driveway. And fixing them. James always likes to fix things even if they aren't broken. Joshua would rather have me fix it for him. I wne t inside for a minute and heard them open the garage door so I opened the door to look and James was inside the garage with the door shut. Then Joshua opened the door and James grabbed hold of the bottom and got lifted up about 2 feet before he let go. You should have seen the look on his face he was shocked! I took the remote away and told them to never do that again, it's dangerous, blah, blah, blah - but I couldn't help laughing, it was so funny.

A Short Leash

This story really gets to me. If we are not going to let our soldiers do what needs to be done without harassing them we might as well pull out right now, throw out the American flag and put up a united states of islam flag and get it over with. War is hell, good people die, are maimed, suffer terrible things - but hopefully more so the bad guy. Is the United States worth fighting for or what? Do you really want to just hand it over to islamists? They are fighting a war against us, we didn't start it, but if we just ignore them they WILL do us in. The U.S. will fall just as sure as those towers did. We can't play at war. We're in or we're out. Which is it?

We Found It

We found the $5.00 James lost the other day. It was in the bottom drawer in the kitchen where we keep light bulbs and other assorted junk. I did open the drawer that day to get the glue gun and I was plugging it in when this started. I knew it would show up.

The Temple

I think most people are aware that the Jews want to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Well, maybe not, it isn't a hot topic that's for sure, but it must be rebuilt before the Messiah can come. They already have two (at least) cornerstones.

I just learned that they are building a full size replica of the Temple near the Dead Sea.

"Covering an area of 25,000 square meters (269,000 square feet), it will function as a training site to prepare priests (kohanim) for service in the Third Temple in Jerusalem."

They are building it to prepare to restore the priestly service in the Temple.

"Among the Biblically mandated tasks of the priests are offering sacrifices, inquiring of God concerning His will, handing down judicial and ritual rulings, accompanying the holy Ark, and teaching the Divine commandments to the people. The regulations for the sanctified work of the Temple priests were codified in rabbinical writings many years ago. “A man who wants to serve as a priest in the Temple must be extremely responsible,” explained Rabbi Kreuser. “It is not a job for everyone. The Temple priests are the ambassadors of the Almighty on earth.”

I'm not sure why they don't offer sacrifices now, maybe because it's such an elaborate and bloody ritual.

At any rate they are very serious about rebuilding this Temple and I don't think I have to tell you what the Arabs will think of it. Another bloody day of rage after another. How is it possible for anyone to hate so much, let alone an entire people? Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

I have since found a web site for the replica itself and it is already built if it is the same one. Take a look at the pictures of the furnishings, very beautiful and fascinating to see the words of the Bible come alive. It is not a replica of the Temple in Jerusalem as I thought, it is a replica of the portable Temple the Israelites used while wandering the desert for 40 years.

The original article I saw says the replica is of the Third Temple so these two may not be the same. Perhaps they are also building the Third Temple replica near the temporary one. I plan to find out.

On Hating Jews

Here is a very long commentary that seeks to answer why anti-semitism has such a long history.

"NO HATRED has as rich and as lethal a history as anti-Semitism--"the longest hatred," as the historian Robert Wistrich has dubbed it. Over the millennia, anti-Semitism has infected a multitude of peoples, religions, and civilizations, in the process inflicting a host of terrors on its Jewish victims. But while there is no disputing the impressive reach of the phenomenon, there is surprisingly little agreement about its cause or causes."

On Hating the Jews by Natan Sharansky

He takes the long way around before hitting the nail on the head but then I think he bends the nail a bit. He looks to some ancient anti-Semites to find the answer.

"Here is the reasoning invoked by Haman, the infamous viceroy of Persia in the biblical book of Esther, to convince his king to order the annihilation of the Jews:

There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from those of other peoples, and the king's laws they do not keep, so that it is of no benefit for the king to tolerate them. If it please the king, let it be written that they be destroyed. [emphasis added]

This is hardly the only ancient source pointing to the Jews' incorrigible separateness, or their rejection of the majority's customs and moral concepts, as the reason for hostility toward them. Centuries after Hellenistic values had spread throughout and beyond the Mediterranean, the Roman historian Tacitus had this to say:

Among the Jews, all things are profane that we hold sacred; on the other hand, they regard as permissible what seems to us immoral... The rest of the world they confront with the hatred reserved for enemies. They will not feed or intermarry with gentiles...  They have introduced circumcision to show that they are different from others... It is a crime among them to kill any newly born infant.

Philostratus, a Greek writer who lived a century later, offered a similar analysis:

For the Jews have long been in revolt not only against the Romans, but against humanity; and a race that has made its own life apart and irreconcilable, that cannot share with the rest of mankind in the pleasures of the table, nor join in their libations or prayers or sacrifices, are separated from ourselves by a greater gulf than divides us from Sura or Bactra of the more distant Indies.

Jewish tradition claims that Abraham was chosen as the patriarch of what was to become the Jewish nation only after he had smashed the idols in his father's home. His descendants would continue to defy the pagan world around them, championing the idea of the one God and, unlike other peoples of antiquity, refusing to subordinate their beliefs to those of their conquerors.

I don't know much about Jewish tradition but I know Abraham was promised many things by God because of his faith and obedience. One promise was that he (his offspring) was to become a great nation.

Genesis 18:18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him

Skipping a bit, his grandson, Israel, had twelve sons by various mothers. They all went to live in Egypt where they lost all knowledge of the God of Abraham over the years, but God did not forget. God used Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt to establish their own nation. God taught them about His laws and way of life (previously known and kept by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [Israel]), and promised to bless them if they would obey Him. Even though God was with them and His presence was visible to all, they did not obey. Over and over and over. On at least one occasion God thought to destroy them all and start over with the descendents of Moses. God, however, kept with it. Eventually they were given land to dwell in. Skipping, skipping.

They eventually became two nations, Israel to the north, and Judah to the south. The capital of Israel was Samaria and the capital of Judah was Jerusalem. Israel did not do very well keeping the laws of God and eventually stopped keeping the Sabbath and they were taken into custody by successive waves of enemy attack.

Judah also failed miserably to please God, however they did continue to keep the Sabbath and their own variation of God's laws (their traditions). See I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles for the separate histories of Judah and Israel (I'm not making this up). Israel was dispersed and disappeared, blending with the nations that took them captive (mainly Assyria), however they continue to exist, unknown to themselves. Judah, while also dispersed and taken captive, remained known to themselves and others by their Sabbath keeping and traditions. However today I think they believe they are Israel in it's entirety - all Israelites are Jews and all Jews are Israelites. The truth is all Jews are Israelites but not all Israelites are Jews. Just a side note, it doesn't matter for the purposes of this comment.

Another side note, speaking of Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph - a non-Jewish Israelite:

Genesis 48:16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."

So the name Israel is especially meant for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, whatever great multitude they are today.

OK, OK, sorry. What was I talking about. Oh yeah.

The reason Jews have been hated so much through so many years. Gods way is so different from the way every one else lives that by keeping His laws you automatically stand out. Jealousy plays a role. And God ordered Israel (all the tribes) to actually completely destroy (man, woman, child, and animal) the nations of the lands God gave them to inherit. However, they did not always do as they were told and those nations do not forget their hatred - even if the original reason is lost to them. Of course today, as the commentary hints, God is forgotten and the Jews actually developed and created their own laws and traditions, which makes them seem even more evil. The Jews stand out (to the world) as God's people so they get the brunt of the hatred. And I didn't even mention the millions (?) of fallen angels that live right here on this earth, among us, influencing us -and they hate God and, by extension, human beings. (It's amazing how many people believe in UFO's, or who love Star Trek, not that there is anything wrong with that, and are perfectly willing to believe there are beings like Klingons or whatever out there, or ghosts - but deny the existence of angels or demons, which is precisely what they want.)

The closer you get to the one, true God the more people hate it. Even the Jews had moved so far from God by the time of Jesus that most of them didn't recognize the very God they worshiped as He walked among them "in the flesh." He wasn't what they were looking for.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

The God of the Old Testament (the Word) became the man we know of as Jesus Christ. If He lived today He would not be recognized, He would be hated, and He would be killed. No doubt. Even in America. And when He returns the nations will fight Him.

Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army

Believe it or not.

Did I ever tell you how happy and thankful I am to live in this great country, the U.S. of A? True.