Here Comes Trouble

I really, really hope they're wrong about this.

I just got all my dead branches into a nice, huge pile at the curb. I don't want to do that again.

More importantly, so many people lost so much because of Charlie. I would really hate to see it happen again.

Mission Accomplished

I went out a got some work done after all. It's amazing how much I can get done when I don't have to watch James. I like him to help me though.

Am I Still Here?

I haven't been posting much lately because I usually post at night while I am at work but I have been so busy working I haven't had time to turn on the computer. Our register is still not working, all auditing is being done manually and we are just not set up for that. It's a mess. It's under control but if it's too long before we get this thing fixed it will be a nightmare trying to catch up with all this work. I'll have to go back and do the audit for every night we missed and probably redo some paperwork as well.

Now I see we have another hurricane headed in this direction. We don't need another one in this area anytime soon and it will most likely change direction but who knows. Maybe it will take the hotel down completely this time and I will be forced to change jobs - it's probably what I need. I'll get a job helping to rebuild in the construction industry.

I just finished mowing the lawn. Irma went to her mother's house with the kids. I was taking a break and getting ready to go out and cut some more branches down (yes, I have a lot more to go) but now I hear thunder getting closer and closer. Abner (a friend) lent me his ladder and a couple of long extension cords to use the chain saw so I can reach the front of the property. I really appreciate it because otherwise I would be out there cutting them by hand and that is really slow going and with the heat it is exhausting. I also have to repair some shingles, I can't forget about that. I'm not sure when I can do that because if James is there he will want to come up the ladder and on the roof with me. I don't think he could resist it.

Now it sounds like the thunder is right on top of me. I should just go to bed but I really wanted to get this stuff done. So much to do, so little time.

The Late Post

I neglected to say the power came on at work Tuesday at 3:30 pm. I just made plans to start helping out in a house renovation Wednesday morning and an hour later I got the call to come back to work. If it had not been for the temporary nature of the work I would have told the hotel I wouldn't be coming back. I really am getting tired of working nights. Our cash register/computer isn't working and all the paperwork is being done manually and they did not keep up with it while I was gone. I spent the entire night just trying to straighten that out and get caught up but it has to be done again when the computer is working again. Oh, and I'm fixing that too. I would rather do that than all the paperwork but I get to do both.

There are still some people in Kissimmee who don't have power. They say by midnight tonight. I noticed a few more shingles on the roof got damaged and I will have to replace some of them. Still, I was blessed. So many houses have tarps over them, including my neighbor across the street. I pass a house everyday that has a huge oak tree on top of it. I wonder if they are snow birds or what because nothing seems to get cleaned up at all there. They were building an apartment complex in Saint Cloud, it was erected but not finished and it is laying on the ground - it just fell over. I really need to get a picture of that.

Today I put James up a tree to keep him out of trouble. He didn't want to come down.

James is making friends with a cow, as usual. He was taking a break from helping me clean up the yard. I'm making good progress but there is alot to do. I wish I were harvesting vegeatables instead of just broken and overgrown branches from the oak trees. The trees grow like weeds.

It's Still Not Over

It's been 10 days and so many people here still do not have power. I am effectively out of a job until the hotel gets power back. If power doesn't come on today it will be my fourth day off. And there is alot more to clean up in the yard than it first looked. I borrowed a tall ladder to fix my siding and cut some higher branches off. Now that the leaves on the broken branches are dying I can see some very large branches that broke off a tree and got lodged high up in the branches of another. I tried to cut one out with little success. It is really stuck. It will take alot of cutting in a very precarious position. There is one I cannot reach at all.

This situation here is worse than they are letting on and I believe there has been a good deal of incompetance and unpreparedness at the bottom of it.

Heart of Darkness

While most everything is back to normal at home, the hotel I work at is still without power and will be until Saturday. The maintenance man has a generator but we had a lot of problems getting it started. It was gummed up from sitting for years. After 3 days we got it going. I caught up on all my work but the computer is having problems and pretty much quit working last night after I finished. This is frustrating but I keep hearing there are alot of homes without power. This hurricane really caused alot more of a mess than most of us thought it would. If you can help it, don't get caught in the path of a major hurricane. And if you can't help it, at least be prepared. Be as uncool as you possibly can and have all the things on hand that they say you should.

What Does It Mean?

What does it mean when you come home from work and find a half eaten mole on your front porch. I mean, it is something like finding a horses head in your bed? Does it mean a cat has it in for you? I better watch my back.

Did you see the picture I posted of the building with the roof blown off, the one where you can see the rafters? Well, today they folded it back down into place. Weird. It's a metal roof and I guess it just rolled up and over the other side. So they just rolled it back.

Power is back on along the main roads and alot of people have power now. The 24hr Walmart closed around 6 pm today, I don't know why. I thought, now that there is power, that the gas stations would start pumping gas again. Guess not. I waited in line for 40 minutes to get gas this morning. Only a few gas stations are pumping and they are running out of gas fast. This evening it was the same.

There is still no power at work. It isn't fun. The generator we have is having problems still. We can't find a gasket to fit that doesn't get ruined by the gas. Hopefully today they were able to get one. You can't just buy one anywhere. More and more damage is becoming apparent too. It rained yesterday and we discovered the roof leaks. Bad.

Last night I was able to use a power invertor hooked up to my car to run a light, a radio, and a fan. It really helped alot. At 5:30am I just turned everything off and sat in the dark watching all the cars go by. Where are they all going? Looking for gas I bet.

Hurricane Update

Friday night I said it looked like the Orlando area did not sustain major damage. Boy, was I wrong. The damage is severe. I drove down 192 through Kissimmee last night on my way to work and it was bad. 90% of Kissimmee has no power. Only 1 or 2 traffic lights were working. Many of the traffic lights were laying in the median or on the side of the road. Billboards were bent down into buildings or just twisted. I don't remember seeing a single business sign that was not damaged, if not completely destroyed. Trees were down everywhere. There is no power at most, if not all, of the hotels east of Interstate 4. The hotel I work at had no power, the sign and marqee were destroyed, most of the trees were mangled, branches and chunks of trees were everywhere and a tree was leaning against some power lines and looks like it may fall at any time. During the storm a tree fell on 3 cars and destroyed them.

The maintenance man and I tried to get a generator working but the carburator had a bad gasket and kept leaking. We managed to get it working for a few hours and I caught up on some work in the computer but it started leaking again and shut down. None of the rooms have any power at all and I was amazed that people were still coming in wanting to rent rooms. I tried hard to discourage them but I guess they were out of options.

The lobby had no A/C of course. It was unbearable and I was wearing a tank top and shorts. I didn't expect anyone to come in. I guess it was because we had a light in the lobby people kept pulling up. The entire road was dark. The only lights were from a police car at the intersection. I would hear him say "Go straight or make a u-turn" on the loudspeaker at regular intervals. They were not letting anyone make a left. The maintenance man is a friend of mine and he sat with me in the lobby. We had to keep the doors open and plugged in a fan to be able to stand it. There were police cars going up and down the street with their lights on and they would shine a spotlight into the parking lots on occasion. We were a little nervous when we had to siphon gas out of his motor home for the generator and we had a good laugh but no police came by. The gas stations that can pump gas are few and far between and the lines are long, long, long. Personally, I decided not to wait. I have some gas for the lawn mower I can put in my car if I have to, but I think power is finally coming back on. At least in Saint Cloud. They are saying it could be 5 to 7 days for Kissimmee.

Our house was without power from Friday at about 4 pm until Sunday at 12:10 pm. I know exactly what time because I couldn't have been happier about it. It is absolutely miserable in Florida with no A/C (and no fans). At least for me it is, and with no power I had no water to take a shower. I went to work early and took a shower in a room just so I could stand myself. At least for 5 minutes. I took another shower before I left. Irma and the kids went to her mother's house because she had power there but it is too far from work for me.

I will try to get pictures of the damage to some hotels. I work at night so it's not too easy.

Uh oh, power just went out again. Better shut down. I hope this isn't long.

This streamlined caterpillar made it through the storm OK.

James is sweeping up the leaves.

This is pretty much the damage at my house. A couple of trees broke off at the upper part of the trunk but none uprooted. There are leaves everywhere, this picture doesn't show it. I usually park my car under some trees for shade but today I noticed there is no more shade.

This is 2 blocks from my house. It was a carport and it blew up and over the top of the building. This is the other side.

This is not my house. This is 2 blocks from my house.

"When a well-packaged web of lies
has been sold gradually to the masses over
generations, the truth will seem
utterly preposterous and its
speaker a raving lunatic."

Dresden James

It's Over, Goodbye Charley

Before the hurricane reached us we had a couple of feeder bands that really kicked out some lightning. The first one was about the 2pm hour and woke me up, mostly because it suddenly got windy and knocked down something from the window sill. Later, it rained hard and the wind roared, lasting about 3 hours. The trees were being whipped to a frenzy and there are 3 or 4 branches down. We didn't lose any trees. The side of the car is plastered with leaves. I tried to take some pictures but it is too dark.

The eye passed just west of us. We lost power early, just as I was about to put some chicken in the oven. Oh well. I hope the power comes back on soon but power seems to have been lost all over the Orlando area so it might be a while. On the news they said 2 or 3 days. I hope they are exaggerating. It's hot. There doesn't seem to have been any major damage in the Orlando area but of course it will have to wait until the sun comes up to really be able to tell.

Our house seemed to be in a bubble and we were not buffeted by the wind the way I thought we would be. I never for a moment felt as though the wind even hit the house directly. No shaking, no noise from the house. We had the front window open and it was relatively calm at the window. Go out about 5 feet and the wind was scary. There was no driving rain hitting any of our windows but it was very bad beyond our house. The yard is a mess.

We kept hearing the cows complaining about the storm. It was hard to hear them over the roar of the storm. Irma thought maybe one got hit by a tree. I took a powerful flashlight out and they were all just laying near the fence behind our neighbors house and next to ours. They looked like nothing was happening, just chewing the cud. I tried for a picture but you can't tell what it is. I will take some pictures in the morning. I can hear the cows now. Moooo. The wind has died down to virtually nothing. If only the power would come back on it would be like nothing happened.

The kids were fine through the storm. Joshua played his Game Boy the whole time and James mostly watched. James was a little nervous, he really didn't understand what was happening, and Joshua kept telling him the house was going to fly away. I reassured him and he was amazed at the wind and the fallen branches. I told him he could help me clean them up. He likes that. He wants to ride his bike at wake up time.

That's it, it's over.

Vengeance

A Hard Look at Vengeance

What does not seem to be clearly understood in many quarters is the relationship between vengeance and justice. Justice involves "a recompense for evil, an infliction of injury, harm, humiliation, or the like in return for an injury or other offense received," the very definition of vengeance.

Looks Like a Hurricane

Charley has changed course and is headed more directly towards the Orlando area and it's up to a cat 4 storm. Not good. I cleared the yard of anything that might blow away. We should be fine unless a tree falls on the house. I'm not too worried about that. Then again I wasn't worried we would be hit so directly either. See you on the other side (of the storm).

Swift Boat

The thing that gets me is the claim by Democrats that if the military gave the medals, it all has to be true. You mean everything in the military is on the up & up and beyond question? There aren't people in the military who use others to get ahead or who claim resonsibility for something they didn't do or deny responsiblity for something they did do? Everyone who got a medal deserved one and if someone didn't get a medal it's because they didn't deserve it?

Well, they might believe that (while they are trying to get rid of President Bush, not before and not after), but I wouldn't buy that with your money. I was in the Air force, I saw what goes on. The same things that go on in your office. The same things that go on in corporate America. There's a lot of good people in the military, there are some bad.

Most who got medals deserved them. Some who didn't get a medal should have. And some who got them had no business getting one. I know that is true. I don't know who is who and I won't go there except to say that many of those who deserved them the most, wanted them the least.

It would do America well to pay attention to what those men are saying and not ignore it. At least give it an honest listen. Are you afraid it might be true? Better to know now. My gut tells me that the Swift Boat men are closer to the truth than Kerry is. It's usually right.

Brothers band together against Kerry

I Wonder If Bin Laden Is In There?

Explorers find world's deepest hole

How Did He Figure It Out?

Did aliens save planet in 1908?

One scientist said based on his calculations, the mass of the space object headed for Earth in 1908 was nearly 1 billion tons. He believes the meteorite was blasted by the spaceship at an altitude of 10 kilometers to prevent the destruction of all humanity on the planet.

"I am fully confident and I can make an official statement that we were saved by some forces of a superior civilization," Yuri Lavbin said. "They exploded this enormous meteorite that headed towards us with enormous speed," he said. Now this great object that caused the meteorite to explode is found at last. We will continue our research, he said.

He will continue his research. You go scientist!

Pitfalls of the Couch Potato

480-Pound Woman Dies After Six Years On Couch

The headline is just the beginning.

Gayle Laverne Grinds, 40, died Wednesday, after a failed six-hour effort to dislodge her from the couch in her home. Workers say the home was filthy, and Grinds was too large to get up from the couch to even use the bathroom.

Everyone going inside the home had to wear protective gear. The stench was so powerful they had to blast in fresh air.

She was only 4'10" and 480 pounds!

Emergency workers had to remove some sliding glass doors and lift the couch, with Grinds still on it, to a trailer behind a pickup truck. Removing her from the couch would be too painful, since her body was grafted to the fabric. After years of staying put, her skin had literally become one with the sofa and had to be surgically removed.

She died at Martin Memorial Hospital South, still attached to the couch.

Who was feeding her? How could he stand it? There were kids around this? Why did this go on for so long?

I wonder what prompted the emergency call?

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.

—  by Johann von Goethe, 1742-1832

Movie News

Rare German speaking Laurel and Hardy film discovered

I'd like to see that. I saw one they did in spanish.

Sony's Columbia TriStar home-video unit is releasing two Three Stooges DVDs that allow viewers to watch the original black-and-white or digitally colorized versions.

I'd like to see them too. Colorization doesn't bother me as long as the original is not lost in the process (it isn't). If they had color at the time they would have used it.

Let the Side Show Begin

A dispute over a pushcart escalated into a bloody battle when two men engaged in a "sword fight" using two-by-fours inside Home Depot, police said.

A South African boy has died more than a week after assailants hacked off his hand, ear and penis in a savage attack police suspect may be linked to the "muti" trade in body parts for witchcraft.

Twice, Glenn Rasmussen, pastor and head of the Skjærgårdsskolen at Fevik outside Grimstad, has tried to free his employees from evil spirits.

He kept on for about 10 minutes, while I didn’t know what to do, so I just stood there. I didn’t feel possessed by evil spirits, and thought there are no limits to what you are going to experience in life.

Irresponsible

Cryptic Comedy "I'm Gonna Kill the President!" to Play Somewhere in NYC, Aug. 17-Sept. 4

At the very least it's irresponsible and in poor taste, but to put up playbills all over the city that say "I'm Gonna Kill the President," leading up to and during the Republican convention, which is in the same city, and perhaps with the hope some lunatic takes it as a message from God to actually do it, is closer to criminal. It should be shut down. Don't be fooled, this is not just a coincidence or innocent prank. The left has more than it's share of deranged minds.

You've heard the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Communism and socialism have been tried and tried and fail miserably every time. Except of course, Cuba. That's why Floridians risk life and limb daily, desperately trying to reach her shores by any means possible to claim that wonderful paradise that is communist Cuba.

Freedom is where it's at. Freedom. Freedom to succeed and freedom to fail. Freedom. And just because you have the freedom to do something doesn't mean you should, just as the freedom to not do something doesn't mean you shouldn't. When the government makes all your decisions for you it takes away your freedom to do the right thing. When people are taxed to death they become selfish with the little money they have left. They may not even have enough to do as they want. They are less willing to give freely to charitable causes so if you are not in the good graces of the government you get next to nothing. Crumbs.

Our present tax law was not part of the constitution, is way out of control, is flawed at it's foundation and is strangling our economy.

I think I turned a corner in that post somewhere. I have a friend who became disabled and is really unable to work and earn a living (and desperately wants to!) yet social security is denying him, everyone he has gone to has denied him and he has X-rays and an MRI that prove beyond doubt the reason for his disability. A lawyer is his next move. And they raised the resort tax in my county another penny and they want to raise impact fees and property taxes and more school taxes so they can indoctinate our kids with socialist dogma and when does it end?

I'll tell you, the end is not gonna be pretty and it's coming sooner rather than later.

Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe

He once said, "Imagine how much we don't know because we don't want to know."

I've come to understand and see that at work in so many people, including myself. It causes discomfort, we're afraid it may force us to rethink our lives, to admit we're wrong or just wake up from the trance of our comfortable lives and take action. No, just leave me alone, everything is OK. But not making a choice is still a choice.

This is about a choice, one you're familiar with, but there is so much more you didn't know.

The Choice by Ronald L. Dart

Incredible. Well done.

Congratulations!

We're one step closer to being a third world nation.

We should be ashamed that it has come to this. And on who's side do you think international observers will fall if there is a problem. Of course Democrats want them.

Can't Argue With That

It's the War on Terrorism, Stupid!

The very important reason the war on terrorism and not the economy must have the highest priority is that if the U.S. is attacked, and attacked seriously, the economy of the United States will be in shambles. It is far more important for President Bush to protect the economy from being ruined by a terrorist attack than to nitpick over whether the economy is doing as well as it could.

The issue of the economy is unimportant if the economy is nearly destroyed by a terrorist attack. In addition to protecting you from a terrorist attack, Bush must be given credit for successfully protecting the American economy from a terrorist attack.

President Bush has successfully handled the war on terrorism and protected this country from further terrorist attack. If Kerry’s delaying policy of working through the United Nations had been followed, the terrorists would have had time to regroup and most likely would have again struck, killing many of you. Therefore, the re-election of President Bush is critical in this age of terrorism.

China, China, China

What do people in China call their good plates?

I don't know, but China is rapidly modernizing for a war with the U.S.

The Peoples Liberation Army has been following its “three-way policy” of advanced weapons acquisition.

This three-pronged strategy calls for China to gain technologically advanced weaponry through (1) imports, (2) joint (Chinese-foreign) weapons R&D, and (3) independent weapons R&D within China.

Don't read it though, if we ignore them maybe they will go away and leave us alone. And anyway, the U.N. will protect us. Right Senator Kerry?

China will have 800 missiles aimed at Taiwan by 2005

A message for China in US naval deployment

Amid a flurry of increasingly strident warnings from China over the fate of Taiwan, the commander of US military forces in Asia and the Pacific has quietly cautioned the Chinese not to miscalculate American capabilities and intentions.

Slight Return

Apparently, pouring hotsauce down your pants is an indication, nay, absolute proof, that you are possessed. Thanks Rob, I did not know that.

I can honestly say, as of the time of this posting, that I am not possessed.

Oh, the Humanity!

Environmentalists kill 30 dolphins in a fit of rage!

Oh, sorry, they weren't Republican. Nevermind.

Move over Mary

I'm mean mooove over, here comes Buddha

Shhh, don't wake him up.

Scary Monsters

Yes, it's a Chupacabra, the blood sucking animal of popular Mexican folklore, now get over it.

My Olympic Post

If you sponsor the olympics chances are pretty high I won't be buying your product because of attitudes like this.

Fans will be allowed into the Olympic complex if they are drinking Avra, a Greek mineral water owned by Coca-Cola, which paid $60 million US for the privilege of being one of the main sponsors. Officials are under orders not to let in rival brands' bottles unless the labels are removed.

Staff will also be on the lookout for T-shirts, hats and bags displaying the unwelcome logos of non-sponsors. Stewards have been trained to detect people who may be wearing merchandise from the sponsors' rivals in the hope of catching the eyes of television audiences. Those arousing suspicion will be required to wear their T-shirts inside out.

I'm all for free enterprise but give me a break.

Over Medicating

Stay calm everyone, there's Prozac in the drinking water

That's just unbelievable. The medical profession is not the answer to all your problems people. They don't know everything, even in their own narrow field of expertise. Some medications seem to do as much damage as good, they solve one problem and create two others. And what will you do when the economy collapses and you can't get the pills anymore? Can you imagine the spread of diseases that will result.

Oh yeah, that can't happen in America. We're not really at war, in fact, we're in more danger from giant tsunamis, super volcanoes and earthquakes than from silly terrorists. I'm so paranoid.

Changing Perspective

Guilty or Grateful?

I think all this comes back to the difference between guilt and gratitude. There is a segment of our society who are white and privileged and they feel guilty about it. This is one thing for a 12 year old girl, and another thing altogether for a mature adult. This segment of our society is extremely influential. The reason this is a problem is that these people don’t know God, and therefore they can’t be grateful for who they are and what they have. They blame themselves for the intractable social problems they see because they are unable to blame sin.

None of this would be such a big deal if they didn’t project their own guilt feelings onto the rest of us. They see us as a guilty society and then they set out to solve man’s problems without any help from God. And they want to drag the rest of us along with them.

They are the secular privileged class in America, the class that some people mistakenly call liberal. They aren’t really liberal. They are merely guilt ridden. They are guilt ridden because they are unable to feel grateful.

Enemies of Truth

The following was taken from an essay by Lenny Cacchio called The Truth Will Set You Free

Jesus warned us to "take heed that no one deceive you" (Matt 24:5), and surely the whole purpose of propaganda is to do just that. We must not be ignorant of the Great Deceiver's devices (II Cor. 2:11). The waste being spread today as food for thought was just as deep in Jesus' time, and Jesus saw it for what it was (John 2:23-24). He warned us not to judge by appearances, but to judge righteous judgement (John 7:24).

The enemies of Jesus knew their craft well. If the evidence witnessed against them, they would try to destroy the evidence (John 12:10).

They would combat the evidence with rumor and innuendo (Matt. 28:11-15).

They claimed their credentials trumped the facts (John 7:45-48, 9:34).

They would smear the reputation of the righteous (Matt. 12:24, John 8:41), and when all else failed, they resorted to name-calling (John 7:52).

They were masters of timing, carrying out their plots by night when the light of day could not shine on their sordid deeds (Matt 26:3-5).

If there was no evidence to support their case, they would spin the truth until right and wrong were indistinguishable (Mark 14:58-59, Matt. 26:59-62, Isaiah 5:20-23).

They refused to answer relevant questions and demanded that their accusations be accepted at face value (John 18:30).

They assembled a malleable mob, taught them a simple-minded slogan, and drove them into a frenzy (Mark 15:6-15, Acts 19:28-34).

They applied the rule of law only when it suited their purposes. And of course the ends always justify the means (John 11:49-50, 19:7).

It seems nothing has changed. Although neither party has a exclusive rights on using these tactics, it seems they were pulled directly from the Democratic Party playbook.

How Do You Get Your Mind To This Point?

When the words "Choose Life" are offensive.

They sell t-shirts that say "I had an abortion" as if it is something to be proud of.

Despite the enthusiastic support of politicians, rock musicians and movie stars, abortion still has powerful negative associations in the public mind.

Because human beings intuitively know abortion is wrong. Because the guilt and shame that come afterward is natural and they try to force people to suppress it with psychobabble and doubletalk.

Don't let them fool you.

Staple News

I took James to the doctor to get his staples removed. He was fine through the whole thing. No pain, no fear. He didn't want to lie down though. The doctor told him to lie down and he said he didn't want to. She said she couldn't reach his head if he didn't. He bowed his head down and said, "How's this?" That'll work!

Roots

Pope again stresses Europe's Christian roots

They've tried so hard to cut them up, dig them out and burn them. Will they return to them once again? Eventually, yes. At least for a while. As long as they get something out of it.

The Flying Shark

James got a stuffed shark the other day. It's about a foot and a half long and you can stick your hand under the chin like a puppet and move the mouth. It even has a scream sound effect. He's been carrying it around everywhere - it's his new favorite toy.

How does it fly? Well, we were coming home from Palm Bay the other day and James was playing quietly in the back seat. I'm driving on Hwy 192 about halfway home, 65 MPH, two cars behind me. Suddenly James is crying and screaming, "My shark is gone, my shark is gone!" I looked at him and scanned the car trying to figure out what he was talking about. He was so upset. I noticed the open window and asked if he put the shark there. " Yes."

I pulled over and let the cars pass, made a u-turn and looked desperately for the shark. Just when I thought we passed it I saw it in the middle of the road, about a foot from the center line. I pulled over again and got out. There was a semi heading straight for the shark and I didn't have time to grab it before it reached it. "Please go around it." He heard me and I picked up the shark - almost unscathed - it had a scratch on the eye. Both cars and the truck missed it. James was so happy to get it back and I was a hero.

Sharks don't fly.

Be Careful What You Ask For

The coming ‘Palestinian’ civil war?

After decades of struggle, the displaced Arabs of Gaza and the West Bank finally got their 'Palestinian self-rule'. Now there are regrets

Oh, but I thought Israel was the problem.

A Palestinian journalist told me, ''I'm not justifying the occupation, but in many ways, it was better. If I had a complaint, the Israelis would resolve it. Now, our security forces — 50,000 of 150,000 government employees — break into homes; extort money; rape wives and daughters. A revolution has been brewing for some time. If [now-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon had not stormed onto Temple Mount (which ignited the current conflict in September 2000), there'd be a Palestinian-Palestinian intifada, not one with Israel.''

Guess not.

Sign of the Times

New book teaches you how to beat the &#%^ out of a suspected terrorist

Self-defense classes will become popular again soon.

Children Are Their Oppressors

Why the Democrats use 12-year-olds

To understand modern liberalism and its political party, it is vital to understand Democrats' desire to blur any distinctions between child and adult. Ever since the 1960s, liberalism has been largely a movement dominated by children (of every age). I enjoyed meeting Democrats last week. Many are people I would be happy to have as neighbors. But compared to Republicans, liberals and Democrats are often adults who do not wish to grow up. When George W. Bush was elected, I felt as if adults would now run the country after the adolescent-like President Clinton.

Universal Decay

Is the speed of light slower now than at the creation of the universe?

Fascinating. It wouldn't surprise me at all, scientists are always so sure of their pet theories until they learn differently. They only know what they see, there is always much more they don't know and they deny it exists until they can measure it. Throw in flawed human reasoning (is there any other kind?) and you get modern science.

Light is a physical property of this physical universe and it makes sense that it might be decaying right along with the rest of the universe. Someday we'll know.

If true, virtually all aspects of traditional physics are affected, including the presumed steady state of radioactive decay used to measure geologic time.

Extermination?

Kerry's abortion doubletalk

That's an eye opening commentary. What stands out most to me is what the founder of Planned Parenthood wrote in a letter:

We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social service backgrounds and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.

The things that a liberal can get away with are quite amazing.

What does Kerry say?

John Kerry proclaimed to ABC News and its viewers that he believes life begins at conception.

He "clarified" his statements by distinguishing human life from personhood. His position is that the unborn child is not a person according to the law. Though human, the unborn child is not protectable human life. (That's the argument the Supreme Court used in 1857 to justify slavery)

By the way, in October 1972, Kerry told the Lowell Sun, "I'm opposed to abortion."