Monday, February 28, 2005
Caregivers and care receivers...
I want to put out something for the ones who give care to a loved one, whether spouse, parent, child or friend. The job of being a care giver is one that often times becomes a thankless and frustrating task. To think that someone who needs care could become demanding, argumentative, sometimes even verbally abusive wasn't in the contract that caregivers signed on. It is particularly difficult when the one being cared for doesn't even realize that they have changed more than they know. There are times when the caregiver can fall into a trap of feeling sorry for themselves, anger at the care receiver, "oh, the unfairness of it all...". I want to say that I understand those feelings. BUT, one thing that I know, LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Some people live reasonably healthy lives and then die. Some people have problems from the time of birth until they die. Not fair. It isn't fair to the ones afflicted or the ones who must do the caring. The biggest thing that can come from the unfairness of problems is the knowledge that we still have a choice about what we do in the face of the "unfairness". What kinds of methods do we employ when we find out something has gone wrong? The libs seem to think that "victimhood" is the primary and justifiable response. How should we respond instead? Stiff upper lip? "Everything is just fine, thanks."? "Please help me, I am stuck with this problem."? "Oh woe is me, nobody knows the trouble I've seen."? In the twenty plus years that my wife has struggled with MS, two things have helped both of us cope, HUMOR and tons of it, and a recognition that each day is a gift that should be cherished. Have we been able to maintain those two things at all times? Are you kidding? No way, but we get up and go on, finding new ways to work together and in that way we give care to and receive care from each other.
Mariners' commercials...
I am a great fan of the Mariners. I was able to sing the National Anthem for them a few times and that was when they were consistantly winning fewer games than they lost. In most of the years of the Mariners existence the commercials have been great. This year's early releases have been fun and showing that the ad agency has as much of a sense of humor as ever. Keep it up guys, I love it.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Taking a gamble on education...
I have seen a couple of different commercials on the tube recently touting the help that the average citizen is giving to the education of students in this state. Both of them showed that the citizens were less than capable of doing very good work on the different construction projects for schools. Amusing and the voice over indicated that it was fortunate that these people were actually helping by buying lottery tickets. Nowhere in the ads was it mentioned that the odds of winning a lotto jackpot were in the neighborhood of 7 million to 1, except in very very small print at the end of the ad. One guy I know has likened the lottery to a tax on those who are math challenged.
The thing that bothers me a lot has to do with the fluctuations of the number of people who buy the tickets. Somehow the lottery board must continue to come up with a newer effort to get more buyers. Since the numbers of tickets goes higher as the jackpot grows bigger, it seems to me that they are trying to get more people to gamble and swell the intake. What kind of a picture does this paint for children in our school systems? The state is mandated by the constitution to provide money for education and how is this done? By gambling on people to purchase ever greater numbers of tickets. Strange. It would seem to me that we are gambling our future generation being educated at all.
The thing that bothers me a lot has to do with the fluctuations of the number of people who buy the tickets. Somehow the lottery board must continue to come up with a newer effort to get more buyers. Since the numbers of tickets goes higher as the jackpot grows bigger, it seems to me that they are trying to get more people to gamble and swell the intake. What kind of a picture does this paint for children in our school systems? The state is mandated by the constitution to provide money for education and how is this done? By gambling on people to purchase ever greater numbers of tickets. Strange. It would seem to me that we are gambling our future generation being educated at all.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Like minds thinking alike?
Well, in this instance, it seems that Stefan Sharkansky and I are at least on the same page. In a previous post, I commented on the delays in releasing documents by King County. While reading the various posts at Sound Politics, I happened to see this short piece by the 'Shark'. Read that, and be sure to check his links, then come back here (if you wish).
A Terri Schiavo update
In an article in today's P-I, "Lawyers for the parents of Terri Schiavo promised to begin another flurry of legal activity next week after a judge said removal of the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube can take place in three weeks.
Circuit Judge George Greer ruled Friday that Terri Schiavo's husband, Michael, can stop her tube feedings on March 18 at 1 p.m., allowing him to carry out what he says were his wife's wishes not to be kept alive artificially.
The decision came on the 15th anniversary of Terri Schiavo's collapse, when a chemical imbalance caused her heart to temporarily stop beating and left her severely brain damaged."
Three weeks until 'legal euthanasia' is carried out. That's also three weeks for Terri's family to go through appeals to try to get the 'legal euthanasia' stopped. I pray that this will be enough time for the appeals to be made, and that the appelate court sides with her family in this matter. If they do not grant a stay, I fear where that will lead this nation of ours, as I stated in this previous post.
Again, I encourage anyone who has the means to do so, to contribute whatever they can to this fight for Terri's life. The link/mailing address to do so are listed here.
Circuit Judge George Greer ruled Friday that Terri Schiavo's husband, Michael, can stop her tube feedings on March 18 at 1 p.m., allowing him to carry out what he says were his wife's wishes not to be kept alive artificially.
The decision came on the 15th anniversary of Terri Schiavo's collapse, when a chemical imbalance caused her heart to temporarily stop beating and left her severely brain damaged."
Three weeks until 'legal euthanasia' is carried out. That's also three weeks for Terri's family to go through appeals to try to get the 'legal euthanasia' stopped. I pray that this will be enough time for the appeals to be made, and that the appelate court sides with her family in this matter. If they do not grant a stay, I fear where that will lead this nation of ours, as I stated in this previous post.
Again, I encourage anyone who has the means to do so, to contribute whatever they can to this fight for Terri's life. The link/mailing address to do so are listed here.
I'm saddened by this news
If you haven't guessed it by now from my 'nickname' Gray Wolf, I really like wolves. They are a very important part of the eco-system in general, and wherever they have been re-introduced in particular. I may be a conservative Republican, but I do care about the environment, ok? That is not an 'oxymoron' concept, by any means!
This morning, I read this article in the Seattle Times about the killing of an alpha-female wolf (the 'top {female} dog', if you will, in a pack) near Denali on Feb. 11th; at the end of the article, it describes how the alpha-male has been returning to the area where his mate was killed, and howling for her.
Life in nature is extremely difficult, and although I endorse hunting of game animals for food (I personally do not hunt), I do not support the hunting of animals strictly for the "trophy value", and when an animal that already has a difficult time surviving in the wilderness, it saddens me to learn of what I think is an unnecessary killing. I'm very saddened by this news.
This morning, I read this article in the Seattle Times about the killing of an alpha-female wolf (the 'top {female} dog', if you will, in a pack) near Denali on Feb. 11th; at the end of the article, it describes how the alpha-male has been returning to the area where his mate was killed, and howling for her.
Life in nature is extremely difficult, and although I endorse hunting of game animals for food (I personally do not hunt), I do not support the hunting of animals strictly for the "trophy value", and when an animal that already has a difficult time surviving in the wilderness, it saddens me to learn of what I think is an unnecessary killing. I'm very saddened by this news.
Friday, February 25, 2005
An urgent plea from Terri Schiavo's father
Over on Newsmax is an urgent plea letter from Terri Schiavo's father, Bob Schindler Sr., asking for your help in fighting for her right to live.
If you aren't familiar with Terri's story, the abbreviated version is that she is the woman in Florida who has severe brain damage, and her estranged husband is trying to get a court order to have her life support systems pulled - in effect, starving her to death, which is a particularly gruesome, slow, painful way to die (remember the famine in Ethiopia, and in other places in Africa, and the pictures?). For more information about Terri, see Blogs for Terri, this post by David Limbaugh, and this post at Pro-Life Blogs (which says that allegations of abuse to Terri will be investigated).
If you have the means to help with Terri's defense, please do what you can. The link to do so is in the urgent plea from Terri's Dad, but I'll put it here, as well.
https://secure.cartlight.com/merchant/terri/?afid=maxb
Or, if you prefer to donate by check, you may send it to:
"To submit a donation by check, please make check payable to "Terri Schin[d]ler-Schiavo Foundation" and send to:
The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation c/o NewsMax PO Box 20989 West Palm Beach FL, 33416"
If this isn't stopped, I believe that we will open the "floodgates" for other people to be killed, because their condition makes them "inconvenient" for those who are tasked with providing for their care. Mr. Schindler reminds us of what happened in Germany during Hitler's reign of terror, when thousands of disabled people were sent for slaughter. Do we, as a nation, want to follow that dark path, too? I certainly hope not.
If you aren't familiar with Terri's story, the abbreviated version is that she is the woman in Florida who has severe brain damage, and her estranged husband is trying to get a court order to have her life support systems pulled - in effect, starving her to death, which is a particularly gruesome, slow, painful way to die (remember the famine in Ethiopia, and in other places in Africa, and the pictures?). For more information about Terri, see Blogs for Terri, this post by David Limbaugh, and this post at Pro-Life Blogs (which says that allegations of abuse to Terri will be investigated).
If you have the means to help with Terri's defense, please do what you can. The link to do so is in the urgent plea from Terri's Dad, but I'll put it here, as well.
https://secure.cartlight.com/merchant/terri/?afid=maxb
Or, if you prefer to donate by check, you may send it to:
"To submit a donation by check, please make check payable to "Terri Schin[d]ler-Schiavo Foundation" and send to:
The Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation c/o NewsMax PO Box 20989 West Palm Beach FL, 33416"
If this isn't stopped, I believe that we will open the "floodgates" for other people to be killed, because their condition makes them "inconvenient" for those who are tasked with providing for their care. Mr. Schindler reminds us of what happened in Germany during Hitler's reign of terror, when thousands of disabled people were sent for slaughter. Do we, as a nation, want to follow that dark path, too? I certainly hope not.
King County - lessons in lying, obfuscating, and stonewalling
David Postman and Cheryl Phillips report in today's Seattle Times that, "King County election officials have been saying for more than a month that they would give prosecutors details on felons who allegedly cast illegal votes in the November election. As recently as two weeks ago, the county released a report that said officials had, in fact, forwarded information on more than 100 suspect voters.
But as of yesterday, King County prosecutors said, all they had seen were a computer printout, a newspaper clipping and a spreadsheet produced by reporters — not enough information to launch an investigation. They would need more documentation including original signatures of the questionable voters, prosecutors said.", and that, "Last night, King County elections spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said her office was working with prosecutors "to provide additional information to help in their investigation."
But there is no investigation." [Emphasis mine]
Later in the article, they quote Mary Lane, Dino Rossi's spokeswoman (person?) as saying, "They put out a taxpayer-funded report like this, with an accompanying press conference to toot their own horn, and now it turns out not everything in there is true.
"It's so frustrating working with King County because you're never able to get a straight answer out of them. It's always something." [Emphasis mine]
Why does 'working' (sounds more like having a tug of war with them to me) with KC have to be so frustrating? Why can't KC follow the example of Pierce, Whatcom, Clark, Douglas and Thurston Counties, and get the information to the prosecutors office, like they said they already have? Why does it seem that they are always trying to do as little as possible, as slowly as they possibly can? What are they afraid of - that they will actually prove that they are incompetent all at once, instead of just in dribs and drabs, as they are doing now?
Or, even more ominous, could it be that KC actually threw the election to the former Attorney General, and that by lying, obfuscating and stonewalling, they are trying to cover it up, to try fool the public about this? I think that Attorney General McKenna needs to take a cold, hard look at what the Elections office in KC did last November, and what they have been doing since then. Covering up incompetence is one thing - at best it's embarassing to those involved, and at worst it could cost some people their jobs - but if KC Elections people were actually involved in throwing the election, and are now trying to cover that up, that's a whole different matter.
Do I have any proof to these "allegations"? No, I don't. But, with all of the 'problems' (see Sound Politics for the long list of those!) that KC had during the election, and the subsequent vote counts, and what they have been doing since, there is a definite pattern that leads me to suspect that there is reason to suspect that they in fact did throw the election, and that they are now trying to cover that up.
But as of yesterday, King County prosecutors said, all they had seen were a computer printout, a newspaper clipping and a spreadsheet produced by reporters — not enough information to launch an investigation. They would need more documentation including original signatures of the questionable voters, prosecutors said.", and that, "Last night, King County elections spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said her office was working with prosecutors "to provide additional information to help in their investigation."
But there is no investigation." [Emphasis mine]
Later in the article, they quote Mary Lane, Dino Rossi's spokeswoman (person?) as saying, "They put out a taxpayer-funded report like this, with an accompanying press conference to toot their own horn, and now it turns out not everything in there is true.
"It's so frustrating working with King County because you're never able to get a straight answer out of them. It's always something." [Emphasis mine]
Why does 'working' (sounds more like having a tug of war with them to me) with KC have to be so frustrating? Why can't KC follow the example of Pierce, Whatcom, Clark, Douglas and Thurston Counties, and get the information to the prosecutors office, like they said they already have? Why does it seem that they are always trying to do as little as possible, as slowly as they possibly can? What are they afraid of - that they will actually prove that they are incompetent all at once, instead of just in dribs and drabs, as they are doing now?
Or, even more ominous, could it be that KC actually threw the election to the former Attorney General, and that by lying, obfuscating and stonewalling, they are trying to cover it up, to try fool the public about this? I think that Attorney General McKenna needs to take a cold, hard look at what the Elections office in KC did last November, and what they have been doing since then. Covering up incompetence is one thing - at best it's embarassing to those involved, and at worst it could cost some people their jobs - but if KC Elections people were actually involved in throwing the election, and are now trying to cover that up, that's a whole different matter.
Do I have any proof to these "allegations"? No, I don't. But, with all of the 'problems' (see Sound Politics for the long list of those!) that KC had during the election, and the subsequent vote counts, and what they have been doing since, there is a definite pattern that leads me to suspect that there is reason to suspect that they in fact did throw the election, and that they are now trying to cover that up.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Another pet peeve - old chewing gum
Old chewing gum? Yep. But to be specific, old, chewed gum improperly disposed of. In my field, Facilities Maintenance, those of us who do the actual work of maintaining the appearence (and this also includes all of the hard working janitors out there), along with the systems, of buildings constantly find gum where it doesn't belong - on the ground, on stairs and handrails, the side of mirrors in restrooms, plus hundreds of other "clever" places - rather than in trash cans, or still in the mouths of gum chewers.
I chew (sugarless) gum, myself, all the time, and when I'm finished with a piece, I throw it away in the trash. I really hate it when I'm walking down the street on a particularly hot day, and step in some gum that some thoughtless twit tossed on the sidewalk. It's a pain in the ... ahem, "rear" to get off of my shoe, you know? It's even more difficult to get out of carpet, although those of us who work in FM do have our ways - we freeze it, and then scrape it up, which takes time to do. Time that could be better spent in other areas.
Apparently I'm not the only one who has this pet peeve, either, as this article in the P-I shows. There is a government 'summit' going on in London on this very subject. Apparently the Brits are a sloppy lot, throwing their used gum willy-nilly, costing local governments in Britain rather large sums of money cleaning it up. One thing that has been proposed, as a way to recoup some of the costs is a tax on gum. I'm usually opposed to taxes in general, but this is one tax that I would support here, if it would curb people from throwing their used gum on the ... er, curb ... instead of in the trash, where it belongs.
I chew (sugarless) gum, myself, all the time, and when I'm finished with a piece, I throw it away in the trash. I really hate it when I'm walking down the street on a particularly hot day, and step in some gum that some thoughtless twit tossed on the sidewalk. It's a pain in the ... ahem, "rear" to get off of my shoe, you know? It's even more difficult to get out of carpet, although those of us who work in FM do have our ways - we freeze it, and then scrape it up, which takes time to do. Time that could be better spent in other areas.
Apparently I'm not the only one who has this pet peeve, either, as this article in the P-I shows. There is a government 'summit' going on in London on this very subject. Apparently the Brits are a sloppy lot, throwing their used gum willy-nilly, costing local governments in Britain rather large sums of money cleaning it up. One thing that has been proposed, as a way to recoup some of the costs is a tax on gum. I'm usually opposed to taxes in general, but this is one tax that I would support here, if it would curb people from throwing their used gum on the ... er, curb ... instead of in the trash, where it belongs.
Republicans tally over 1,000 illegal felon votes
In an article in today's Seattle Times, the AP reports that the state Republican Party has tallied a total of 1,108 felons who voted illegally, with the vast majority - 884 - coming from King County (gee, why doesn't that surprise me?), which leans heavily to the Democrats.
In the third paragraph, the state Dems made this ludicrous statement:
Democrats say Gregoire is the legitimate governor and say Republicans don't have enough evidence to warrant nullifying the election.
I don't know all that much about state laws regarding what would be enough to nullify an election, but I'm pretty darned sure this is enough!
UPDATE: Stefan Sharkansky at Sound Politics has posted on this as well.
In the third paragraph, the state Dems made this ludicrous statement:
Democrats say Gregoire is the legitimate governor and say Republicans don't have enough evidence to warrant nullifying the election.
I don't know all that much about state laws regarding what would be enough to nullify an election, but I'm pretty darned sure this is enough!
UPDATE: Stefan Sharkansky at Sound Politics has posted on this as well.
An explanation
If you're a careful reader, you'll notice two things about all of the posts on this blog. One is that they have all been posted either yesterday or today, and the other is that they have all been posted by me. So, what's up with that?
We had to create this new blog because of a name conflict with The Right Brothers singing duo (our old blog was also called "The Right Brothers", here on Blogger), because I didn't do the proper research before naming our old blog. Because of the time spent by my brother and I on our posts, I didn't want to lose them, and copied all of them to here.
Which also explains why they all show they were posted by me - Gray Wolf. For those posts done by my brother - Dither - I indicated that in the body of the text, at the end of the post, as well as the title.
I'm finished with that lovely little task now, and so all future posts (including this one) will be original to this blog.
We had to create this new blog because of a name conflict with The Right Brothers singing duo (our old blog was also called "The Right Brothers", here on Blogger), because I didn't do the proper research before naming our old blog. Because of the time spent by my brother and I on our posts, I didn't want to lose them, and copied all of them to here.
Which also explains why they all show they were posted by me - Gray Wolf. For those posts done by my brother - Dither - I indicated that in the body of the text, at the end of the post, as well as the title.
I'm finished with that lovely little task now, and so all future posts (including this one) will be original to this blog.
Another pet peeve of mine
I like surfing the web, and have quite a few websites - and not just blogs - bookmarked. At times, I'll even take a chance, and click on an ad link (hint, hint), just to see where it takes me. But, a lot of the time when I do that, I'm disappointed.
Why? Because the webmaster decided to get 'cute', and installed several different ads on his site. Now, don't get me wrong - ads serve a useful purpose when people do click on them (hint, hint) - but what really gets me, and is a pet peeve of mine, is when you go to a web site, and their page is filled to overflowing with ads.
And not just simple ads, mind you, but flashing, blinking ads, or ads that float across your screen and then park themselves right there, in the middle of what you are trying to look at, whether it's a picture or text, and even though they have that 'X' up in the upper right hand corner, or 'close' somewhere on it, when you click it, it doesn't go away!
Ads do have a purpose, as I briefly mentioned above, in that when people click on them (hint, hint) that means the webmaster is getting a tiny bit of ka-ching added to his account. And hey, everybody likes a little extra cash coming in, right? (Tell me you don't. Go ahead, I'm waiting ...)
What ads aren't for, though, is to distract your visitor from the main thrust of your website. Let me make this perfectly clear to anyone reading this who has a website and is contemplating putting ads on it. Blinking, flashing, floating, or in any other way distracting ads, drive people away from your website, not induce them to return (unless they like all that visual stimulation, of course) to your site.
Oh, yeah ... almost forgot. Pop-up ads suck, too! Because of the prevalence of these blights of the web, I've had to install pop-up blocking software on my computer. Memo to all the scum sucking slime balls that either create, or use, pop-up ads - my computer is just that. Mine! Not yours - you can do whatever you want with your computer, as long as it doesn't harm others, but I don't recall ever having had a case of the stupids and giving you permission to do what you want on my computer! So quit, already. I'm sick of it.
Whew ... glad to get that off my chest. And now, back to your regular program.
Why? Because the webmaster decided to get 'cute', and installed several different ads on his site. Now, don't get me wrong - ads serve a useful purpose when people do click on them (hint, hint) - but what really gets me, and is a pet peeve of mine, is when you go to a web site, and their page is filled to overflowing with ads.
And not just simple ads, mind you, but flashing, blinking ads, or ads that float across your screen and then park themselves right there, in the middle of what you are trying to look at, whether it's a picture or text, and even though they have that 'X' up in the upper right hand corner, or 'close' somewhere on it, when you click it, it doesn't go away!
Ads do have a purpose, as I briefly mentioned above, in that when people click on them (hint, hint) that means the webmaster is getting a tiny bit of ka-ching added to his account. And hey, everybody likes a little extra cash coming in, right? (Tell me you don't. Go ahead, I'm waiting ...)
What ads aren't for, though, is to distract your visitor from the main thrust of your website. Let me make this perfectly clear to anyone reading this who has a website and is contemplating putting ads on it. Blinking, flashing, floating, or in any other way distracting ads, drive people away from your website, not induce them to return (unless they like all that visual stimulation, of course) to your site.
Oh, yeah ... almost forgot. Pop-up ads suck, too! Because of the prevalence of these blights of the web, I've had to install pop-up blocking software on my computer. Memo to all the scum sucking slime balls that either create, or use, pop-up ads - my computer is just that. Mine! Not yours - you can do whatever you want with your computer, as long as it doesn't harm others, but I don't recall ever having had a case of the stupids and giving you permission to do what you want on my computer! So quit, already. I'm sick of it.
Whew ... glad to get that off my chest. And now, back to your regular program.
Some more new additions
I have added a couple of new things to the blog, hoping to improve things a bit.
One is that I've submitted the blog to Technorati - for an admittedly selfish reason. I want to see where our blog ranks, of course. You can see the little Technorati "bubble" on the lower right side of the page.
The other is that I went to HaloScan, and installed their Trackback system.
Hopefully both of these will have positive results.
UPDATE: A word of caution folks, regarding HaloScan! While their little add-on is great, once you do add it to your template, all comments on previous posts get deleted! That's not good. I didn't know that until after I installed it and checked how things looked. Althought we only had a few comments to a few posts, which really doesn't 'hurt' us that badly, I know that a lot of other bloggers have had their blogs for quite some time, and have a lot of comments, which would 'hurt' if they lost those. So if you have a lot of posts with a lot of comments, only install HaloScan if you really, really want the Trackback feature on your blog. If it doesn't matter, I do recommend installing it.
One is that I've submitted the blog to Technorati - for an admittedly selfish reason. I want to see where our blog ranks, of course. You can see the little Technorati "bubble" on the lower right side of the page.
The other is that I went to HaloScan, and installed their Trackback system.
Hopefully both of these will have positive results.
UPDATE: A word of caution folks, regarding HaloScan! While their little add-on is great, once you do add it to your template, all comments on previous posts get deleted! That's not good. I didn't know that until after I installed it and checked how things looked. Althought we only had a few comments to a few posts, which really doesn't 'hurt' us that badly, I know that a lot of other bloggers have had their blogs for quite some time, and have a lot of comments, which would 'hurt' if they lost those. So if you have a lot of posts with a lot of comments, only install HaloScan if you really, really want the Trackback feature on your blog. If it doesn't matter, I do recommend installing it.
Home is where your heart is
Home is where your heart is. I was born in Detroit, but now I live in Seattle, and even with all of the myriad problems that we have here – bad traffic, crime, homeless people not having a place to call home, and the unfriendly (to Conservatives) political atmosphere – I still love this city, and call it home.
Twenty years ago, I had to move away from here, and that was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I had a very difficult time holding back the tears, as I drove ever further east. I spent a year in the Pontiac area in Michigan, living with my grandmother for a while, and then in my own place. It was one of the worst years of my life, as I missed the beauty of the Pacific Northwest – the mountains, the water (Puget Sound, and the ocean), the abundant green of the forests, and the temperate climate.
When my grandmother unexpectedly passed away, I received a sum of money as an inheritance, which allowed me to return to my beloved home, Seattle. When I left Michigan, my emotions were kind of mixed. On the one hand, I had lost my grandmother, whom I loved very much – as a child, I was sent back to Michigan almost every summer, to spend time with my grandparents, and they held a special place in my heart, and still do – while on the other hand, my heart was filled with joy at the prospect of going home.
I remember the impatience I felt, as I drove west from Michigan, wanting to get home as quickly as possible. I didn’t realize it until after I crossed the Idaho – Washington border, but I was also very tense. As soon as I crossed into Washington, however, it dawned on me that I had been very tense when I felt myself relax. Even though I have never lived in Eastern Washington, as soon as I crossed the state line, I knew I was home.
As I continued west on I-90, I grew happier, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before I was back where my heart was, where I belonged. When I crested the mountain pass, and began the long downward journey to the lowlands, my heart was filled with joy, and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.
At last, my journey ended as I entered the city. I was home. Back in Seattle, where I have pretty much been ever since. I have lived in other areas around Puget Sound, but always referred to living in Seattle when in conversation with folks from out of town, even though I didn’t actually live in Seattle.
I do live in Seattle, now, and have been here since 1993. I dearly love this city, even with all of its’ myriad problems, and cannot envision myself living anywhere else. Is Seattle a perfect place? Certainly not, but this is where my heart is, and this is my home.
Twenty years ago, I had to move away from here, and that was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I had a very difficult time holding back the tears, as I drove ever further east. I spent a year in the Pontiac area in Michigan, living with my grandmother for a while, and then in my own place. It was one of the worst years of my life, as I missed the beauty of the Pacific Northwest – the mountains, the water (Puget Sound, and the ocean), the abundant green of the forests, and the temperate climate.
When my grandmother unexpectedly passed away, I received a sum of money as an inheritance, which allowed me to return to my beloved home, Seattle. When I left Michigan, my emotions were kind of mixed. On the one hand, I had lost my grandmother, whom I loved very much – as a child, I was sent back to Michigan almost every summer, to spend time with my grandparents, and they held a special place in my heart, and still do – while on the other hand, my heart was filled with joy at the prospect of going home.
I remember the impatience I felt, as I drove west from Michigan, wanting to get home as quickly as possible. I didn’t realize it until after I crossed the Idaho – Washington border, but I was also very tense. As soon as I crossed into Washington, however, it dawned on me that I had been very tense when I felt myself relax. Even though I have never lived in Eastern Washington, as soon as I crossed the state line, I knew I was home.
As I continued west on I-90, I grew happier, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before I was back where my heart was, where I belonged. When I crested the mountain pass, and began the long downward journey to the lowlands, my heart was filled with joy, and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.
At last, my journey ended as I entered the city. I was home. Back in Seattle, where I have pretty much been ever since. I have lived in other areas around Puget Sound, but always referred to living in Seattle when in conversation with folks from out of town, even though I didn’t actually live in Seattle.
I do live in Seattle, now, and have been here since 1993. I dearly love this city, even with all of its’ myriad problems, and cannot envision myself living anywhere else. Is Seattle a perfect place? Certainly not, but this is where my heart is, and this is my home.
Another new addition
I just added a nifty little item, the GOPNewsFlash. It's located in the lower left of the page, near the Google ads. Check it out.
If you want one for your site, just click on the "Place this on your site" link, enter your e-mail address and zip code, and they will give you the code for your very own GOPNewsFlash ticker. Not only that, but it comes in two different sizes, plus you can get one for your desk top, too. How cool is that?
If you want one for your site, just click on the "Place this on your site" link, enter your e-mail address and zip code, and they will give you the code for your very own GOPNewsFlash ticker. Not only that, but it comes in two different sizes, plus you can get one for your desk top, too. How cool is that?
If you don't know it yet, we are "Officially" at "War" now with the MSM
Have you noticed something lately? The MSM and the right side of the blogosphere seem to be in an active war of words now, as opposed to the occasional skirmishes.
First came “RaTHergate” (or Memogate, whichever you choose to call it), where Dan Rather and others at “60 Minutes Wednesday” tried to use fake memos to smear President Bush, to try to influence the outcome of the elections, which was exposed by the right side of the blogosphere (Powerline, Ratherbiased, LGF, and others). Then the MSM, and Kerry, tried to shoot back with the ‘missing explosives’ at a military base in Iraq (which had been removed and accounted for months earlier by US forces in the area), trying to fabricate a scandal just prior to the election, to also attempt to influence the election.
Then, after the election, there were the revelations of conservative pundits being paid by the current administration to promote the Presidents agenda, and you could hear the outrage from the MSM and the left side of the blogosphere, mixed with glee at the ‘outing’ of those conservative pundits. The right side of the blogosphere chimed in with condemnation in the one case, and chided the other individual for not disclosing the fact that she did some ghost writing for the administration, but chalked that up to a learning experience.
Then, the former head of the news division of CNN, Mr. Eason Jordan, stated categorically but without giving specific evidence, that the US military was ‘targeting’ journalists, that they had in fact killed 12 journalists in Iraq, and that this was official policy of the military. Rep. Barney Frank, a liberal Democrat, immediately challenged this statement by Mr. Jordan, asking for proof. Mr. Jordan then tried to back off of his allegation, saying later that he was misunderstood and/or misquoted. CNN then sent out an e-mail statement to media outlets, as well as to bloggers who had picked up on these allegations, to say that Mr. Jordan was misquoted and didn’t mean to imply that the US military was doing this on purpose. However, the genie was already out of the bottle, and a blogswarm resulted, eventually leading to the resignation of Mr. Jordan. If you aren’t familiar with this story (Which planet have you been visiting lately? Just kidding), go to Captain's Quarter’s CNN archive to catch up.
Meanwhile, the MSM was for the most part, silent on the whole episode, especially CNN. Then, Bret Stephens of the WSJ OpinionJournal (free registration required) weighed in on this episode, calling the whole thing a "kerfuffle" (and a minor one at that), and became very condescending towards those who had dared to blog about the statement made by Mr. Jordan, calling the bloggers amateurs among other things, basically implying that they didn’t have the right to say anything about what Mr. Jordan had said.
Just a quick aside – you may be wondering why I haven’t posted on what Captain Ed of CQ refers to as “Eason’s Fables”. Well, for one thing, I really didn’t have the time, and for another, all the ‘Big Blogs’ like CQ, Powerline, Hugh Hewitt, etc. were all over it, and things were happening so fast, I just couldn’t keep up, to be honest.
At any rate, back to my thread. Then the MSM, and the left side of the blogosphere, took great delight in ‘outing’ James Guckert (who used the nom-de-plume Jeff Gannon), who was employed by the small conservative news outlet, Talon News, for having the audacity of asking ‘softball’ questions of President Bush – as if that is a crime. As the MSM and the left side of the blogosphere dug deeper, they found out that Mr. Guckert had a seedy past – he was gay, and had posted some x-rated pictures of himself on a gay escort web site, among other things; being gay apparently is ok if you are a Liberal gay, but not ok if you are a Conservative gay – and after the left side of the blogosphere posted some of Mr. Guckert’s pictures on their blogs, Mr. Guckert resigned from Talon News. The MSM were strangely silent on the allegations made by Mr. Jordan, which if true would have made Abu Ghraib a mere ‘hiccup’, but took great glee in reporting on Mr. Guckert. NBC news used almost five minutes one night this past week on this story (5 minutes on TV is an exceptional amount of time to use in reporting anything).
Now, there are questions about Mr. Bush smoking pot. According to an AP story aired by King 5 which is now posted on their web site (free registration required) - states that the New York Times ran a story of alleged secret tapes made by Doug Wead, a former Assistant to George H. W. Bush, revealed to Times reporters this little tidbit –
Bush also criticize[d] then-Vice President Al Gore for admitting marijuana use and explains why he would not do the same.
"I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions," he said, according to the Times. "You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
According to the article, Wead played 12 of the tapes to a Times reporter. He said he recorded them because he viewed Bush as a historic figure. He is the author of a new book on presidential childhoods.
The White House did not deny the authenticity of the tapes.
"The governor was having casual conversations with someone he believed was his friend," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said, referring to Bush.
CQ has posted on this here.
Whether or nor Mr. Bush smoked pot is immaterial to his fitness to be the President of the United States, just as was the case for Bill Clinton (“I never inhaled”). This “kerfuffle” is just the latest attempt by the MSM to “shoot back” at both President Bush and the right side of the blogosphere. They don't realize it yet, but they missed – again.
First came “RaTHergate” (or Memogate, whichever you choose to call it), where Dan Rather and others at “60 Minutes Wednesday” tried to use fake memos to smear President Bush, to try to influence the outcome of the elections, which was exposed by the right side of the blogosphere (Powerline, Ratherbiased, LGF, and others). Then the MSM, and Kerry, tried to shoot back with the ‘missing explosives’ at a military base in Iraq (which had been removed and accounted for months earlier by US forces in the area), trying to fabricate a scandal just prior to the election, to also attempt to influence the election.
Then, after the election, there were the revelations of conservative pundits being paid by the current administration to promote the Presidents agenda, and you could hear the outrage from the MSM and the left side of the blogosphere, mixed with glee at the ‘outing’ of those conservative pundits. The right side of the blogosphere chimed in with condemnation in the one case, and chided the other individual for not disclosing the fact that she did some ghost writing for the administration, but chalked that up to a learning experience.
Then, the former head of the news division of CNN, Mr. Eason Jordan, stated categorically but without giving specific evidence, that the US military was ‘targeting’ journalists, that they had in fact killed 12 journalists in Iraq, and that this was official policy of the military. Rep. Barney Frank, a liberal Democrat, immediately challenged this statement by Mr. Jordan, asking for proof. Mr. Jordan then tried to back off of his allegation, saying later that he was misunderstood and/or misquoted. CNN then sent out an e-mail statement to media outlets, as well as to bloggers who had picked up on these allegations, to say that Mr. Jordan was misquoted and didn’t mean to imply that the US military was doing this on purpose. However, the genie was already out of the bottle, and a blogswarm resulted, eventually leading to the resignation of Mr. Jordan. If you aren’t familiar with this story (Which planet have you been visiting lately? Just kidding), go to Captain's Quarter’s CNN archive to catch up.
Meanwhile, the MSM was for the most part, silent on the whole episode, especially CNN. Then, Bret Stephens of the WSJ OpinionJournal (free registration required) weighed in on this episode, calling the whole thing a "kerfuffle" (and a minor one at that), and became very condescending towards those who had dared to blog about the statement made by Mr. Jordan, calling the bloggers amateurs among other things, basically implying that they didn’t have the right to say anything about what Mr. Jordan had said.
Just a quick aside – you may be wondering why I haven’t posted on what Captain Ed of CQ refers to as “Eason’s Fables”. Well, for one thing, I really didn’t have the time, and for another, all the ‘Big Blogs’ like CQ, Powerline, Hugh Hewitt, etc. were all over it, and things were happening so fast, I just couldn’t keep up, to be honest.
At any rate, back to my thread. Then the MSM, and the left side of the blogosphere, took great delight in ‘outing’ James Guckert (who used the nom-de-plume Jeff Gannon), who was employed by the small conservative news outlet, Talon News, for having the audacity of asking ‘softball’ questions of President Bush – as if that is a crime. As the MSM and the left side of the blogosphere dug deeper, they found out that Mr. Guckert had a seedy past – he was gay, and had posted some x-rated pictures of himself on a gay escort web site, among other things; being gay apparently is ok if you are a Liberal gay, but not ok if you are a Conservative gay – and after the left side of the blogosphere posted some of Mr. Guckert’s pictures on their blogs, Mr. Guckert resigned from Talon News. The MSM were strangely silent on the allegations made by Mr. Jordan, which if true would have made Abu Ghraib a mere ‘hiccup’, but took great glee in reporting on Mr. Guckert. NBC news used almost five minutes one night this past week on this story (5 minutes on TV is an exceptional amount of time to use in reporting anything).
Now, there are questions about Mr. Bush smoking pot. According to an AP story aired by King 5 which is now posted on their web site (free registration required) - states that the New York Times ran a story of alleged secret tapes made by Doug Wead, a former Assistant to George H. W. Bush, revealed to Times reporters this little tidbit –
Bush also criticize[d] then-Vice President Al Gore for admitting marijuana use and explains why he would not do the same.
"I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions," he said, according to the Times. "You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
According to the article, Wead played 12 of the tapes to a Times reporter. He said he recorded them because he viewed Bush as a historic figure. He is the author of a new book on presidential childhoods.
The White House did not deny the authenticity of the tapes.
"The governor was having casual conversations with someone he believed was his friend," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said, referring to Bush.
CQ has posted on this here.
Whether or nor Mr. Bush smoked pot is immaterial to his fitness to be the President of the United States, just as was the case for Bill Clinton (“I never inhaled”). This “kerfuffle” is just the latest attempt by the MSM to “shoot back” at both President Bush and the right side of the blogosphere. They don't realize it yet, but they missed – again.
Very negative feeling... Note: This was originally posted by Dither.
I called our Mom yesterday and we talked about a lot of things. One thing that came up in the conversation was, "I HATE GW Bush!" She alse thinks he's stupid. I was amazed at the amount of vitriol in her voice when she said those things. I am also amazed that this is the same person who tried to teach us not to hate others. She tried to teach us to look at all sides of an issue and come to our own conclusion about it. What happened? It seems that she has been infected with the same malady that the Left has, unthinking hatred of an individual regardless of whether that individual is personally known or not.
Where does the hatred come from? Why is so much directed at the President? I believe there are two main reasons that he is so reviled by the Left. The first one is his belief in Christ. They can't accept that someone can be in a position of power without trying to impose their belief or philosophy on the group. His belief in God, his trust in the Bible and prayer frosts the ones who believe (I have heard some express this) that it is all right to have a religion as long as it is kept to oneself. The second one is something a little less visible but no less important to the Left, GW says things and then tries to get those things done. Amazing, someone whose word means something. This is changing the whole picture of politics, after all, who really believes the elected will really do what they promise? When Clinton was in office, I disliked his efforts to move the country towards the Left, I was appalled at his shenanigans with interns and I thought that his actions on the foreign policy front were absurd, but I didn't hate him. I thought he was an embarassment when he tried to split hairs on the meaning of "is". But I didn't hate him. I can't hate him, I don't know him. I am a Christian and I am supposed to love my neighbor as myself, and I am supposed to pray for the leaders of the country. It's hard to hate someone and pray for them at the same time.
I find the level and strength of the hatred is appalling. I can't imagine the same people who want to draft and enforce "hate crimes legislation" don't see their own difficulties with intolerance. Is tolerance of the Left's ideas as important as tolerance of the Right's ideas? It would appear that everyone is supposed to tolerate the ideas of the Left, BUT the Left doesn't have to follow suit for, after all, "they are correct". Not to mention, that if we don't tolerate their ideas and agenda then they will call us all sorts of names...
Graywolf adds - I too, was quite surprised at my mother's words regarding her feelings of hatred towards President Bush, and am saddened by that attitude. My brother is correct when he states that she taught us to be tolerant of others, as did our dad to a certain degree. I wonder who has influenced her to take this train of thought? Oh, well, she's still my mom, and I still love her.
Note: This was originally posted by Dither.
Where does the hatred come from? Why is so much directed at the President? I believe there are two main reasons that he is so reviled by the Left. The first one is his belief in Christ. They can't accept that someone can be in a position of power without trying to impose their belief or philosophy on the group. His belief in God, his trust in the Bible and prayer frosts the ones who believe (I have heard some express this) that it is all right to have a religion as long as it is kept to oneself. The second one is something a little less visible but no less important to the Left, GW says things and then tries to get those things done. Amazing, someone whose word means something. This is changing the whole picture of politics, after all, who really believes the elected will really do what they promise? When Clinton was in office, I disliked his efforts to move the country towards the Left, I was appalled at his shenanigans with interns and I thought that his actions on the foreign policy front were absurd, but I didn't hate him. I thought he was an embarassment when he tried to split hairs on the meaning of "is". But I didn't hate him. I can't hate him, I don't know him. I am a Christian and I am supposed to love my neighbor as myself, and I am supposed to pray for the leaders of the country. It's hard to hate someone and pray for them at the same time.
I find the level and strength of the hatred is appalling. I can't imagine the same people who want to draft and enforce "hate crimes legislation" don't see their own difficulties with intolerance. Is tolerance of the Left's ideas as important as tolerance of the Right's ideas? It would appear that everyone is supposed to tolerate the ideas of the Left, BUT the Left doesn't have to follow suit for, after all, "they are correct". Not to mention, that if we don't tolerate their ideas and agenda then they will call us all sorts of names...
Graywolf adds - I too, was quite surprised at my mother's words regarding her feelings of hatred towards President Bush, and am saddened by that attitude. My brother is correct when he states that she taught us to be tolerant of others, as did our dad to a certain degree. I wonder who has influenced her to take this train of thought? Oh, well, she's still my mom, and I still love her.
Note: This was originally posted by Dither.
Stryker Brigade web site supports the troops, and their families
An article in the P-I led me to this web site, Stryker News. This web site was set up to offer support to the troopers serving with the Stryker Brigades in Iraq, and their families. Take a look, it's well worth the time, and if you have the means, please help support them in their efforts.
There are three Stryker Brigades stationed at Fort Lewis, so these are "our" guys and gals. Keep your heads down folks, do your best, and come home safe.
There are three Stryker Brigades stationed at Fort Lewis, so these are "our" guys and gals. Keep your heads down folks, do your best, and come home safe.
What were they thinking?
I'm a vet of the US Navy, having served from 1974 to 1976, and am usually happy when a new ship or submarine is commissioned and launched. However, in an article in the P-I, it was reported that the last of the Seawolf class of attack subs was launched, and I'm upset. Why? Because it was named after one of the most incompetent former Presidents we have had the misfortune of enduring, the Neville Chamberlain of our time, the guy who betrayed one of our staunchest mid-east allies, and then sat on his thumb basically doing nothing while US citizens were held hostage in Iran for 444 days - none other than the (moonbat nut case) peanut farmer from Georgia himself, Jimmy Carter.
While Jimmy does a fine job with Habitat for Humanity which I think he should limit himself to, he was a lousy President, and still thinks he has relevance in politics today, butting in where he isn't needed, and making what I consider to be blatant anti-American statements while in foreign countries (as well as in the US!).
Why did the Navy name the most powerful attack sub after this guy? There are only two reasons that I can think of - Jimmy served in submarines while in tha Navy, and he's a former President. I do not think those two things justifies naming something like the most powerful attack sub in the world after Jimmy, and I'm not a happy camper!
I'm certainly glad that I'm not still in the Navy, and assigned to that boat. Geeze, Louise, what were they thinking?
While Jimmy does a fine job with Habitat for Humanity which I think he should limit himself to, he was a lousy President, and still thinks he has relevance in politics today, butting in where he isn't needed, and making what I consider to be blatant anti-American statements while in foreign countries (as well as in the US!).
Why did the Navy name the most powerful attack sub after this guy? There are only two reasons that I can think of - Jimmy served in submarines while in tha Navy, and he's a former President. I do not think those two things justifies naming something like the most powerful attack sub in the world after Jimmy, and I'm not a happy camper!
I'm certainly glad that I'm not still in the Navy, and assigned to that boat. Geeze, Louise, what were they thinking?
Todd Pitman, AP hack writer
In Saturday's P-I, is an article by Todd Pitman of the AP, entitled "Sen. Clinton says Iraq insurgents failing". The beginning of the article quotes Madame Hillary actually saying some things I happen to agree with (As Gomer Pyle was fond of saying, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!"), which is basically that the terrorists [my word - insurgents being the PC word constantly used by the media] are getting more and more desperate as they sense their agenda is slipping away through their fingers, and up to that point the article was fine.
But then Mr. Pitman brings up the tired, old 'when are the troops coming home?' angle, putting these two paragraphs into the story that has absolutely no bearing on the comments made by Madame Hillary:
But Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said he did not believe the U.S. military would leave Iraq anytime soon.
"How long I don't know, but to leave too soon would be devastating to stay too long is unnecessary," Graham said. "I ask the American people to be patient, because what happens here will affect our security back home."
Mr. Pitman, what do those two paragraphs, along with the rest of the filler after those paragraphs, have to do with the beginning of the article? Absolutely nothing. Was that your doing, or was that something an editor had inserted? Time after time after time, AP reporters show their true colors, hashing and rehashing Democrat talking points, and taking the position that we're too stupid to realize that.
Let me make something clear - we will bring our troops home when the Iraqi's feel we are no longer needed in their country. Not when a Democrat (think Kennedy or Kerry) says we should, and certainly not when some hack reporter thinks it's time.
Mr. Pitman, I suggest you stick to reporting facts, and don't clutter up what you write with clap trap you aren't qualified to speak to.
But then Mr. Pitman brings up the tired, old 'when are the troops coming home?' angle, putting these two paragraphs into the story that has absolutely no bearing on the comments made by Madame Hillary:
But Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said he did not believe the U.S. military would leave Iraq anytime soon.
"How long I don't know, but to leave too soon would be devastating to stay too long is unnecessary," Graham said. "I ask the American people to be patient, because what happens here will affect our security back home."
Mr. Pitman, what do those two paragraphs, along with the rest of the filler after those paragraphs, have to do with the beginning of the article? Absolutely nothing. Was that your doing, or was that something an editor had inserted? Time after time after time, AP reporters show their true colors, hashing and rehashing Democrat talking points, and taking the position that we're too stupid to realize that.
Let me make something clear - we will bring our troops home when the Iraqi's feel we are no longer needed in their country. Not when a Democrat (think Kennedy or Kerry) says we should, and certainly not when some hack reporter thinks it's time.
Mr. Pitman, I suggest you stick to reporting facts, and don't clutter up what you write with clap trap you aren't qualified to speak to.
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