The Audacity of Hope

While I'm still taking a break...I had to share this with my blog pals.

While out Christmas shopping I "stumbled" across this book (ha. It was everywhere I turned).

I was suddenly hit with inspiration for a PERFECT Christmas present for The General. So, The Guy and I immediately snatched it up, took it home, wrapped it up all nice and pretty and placed it under the tree. Where it sat, patiently waiting for Christmas to come.

On Christmas Eve, The Guy and I proudly handed The General his Christmas present, which he opened, and stared at it with a confused expression. Then turned a sort of beet red color.

Me: "Merry Christmas! I figured the only person able to get away with such an atrocity would be me."

Tears poured from his eyes as he laughed harder than I've seen him laugh in years.

The General: "You ass holes."

Wishing every body a very Happy New Year...here's to 2009 and all it will bring for us to blog about!

Merry Christmas!!

To all my blog pals, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!!

...by the way...

Is this tshirt for real? A politician? For Christmas?

Christmas for Barack Obama Come help get him elected.

And a Word from Ben Stein...

As I'm just not feeling creative or passionate about politics or social issues at the moment, I'll just post some words from Mr. Ben Stein that I received in an email chain.

**NOTE: Replace "Nick" with "Tony," "Lindsey Lohan" with "Miley Cyrus" and "Tom Cruise" with "Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt" and you'll be up to date...**

BEN STEIN ON DECEMBER HOLIDAYS:

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart:

I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.

If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.

Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu.

If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.

I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:

This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina)

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Dead Horse.

An Email Forward: Young Chuck in Montana bought a horse from a farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day.The next day he drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the horse died."Chuck replied, "Well, then just give me my money back."The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."Chuck said, "Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse."The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off."The farmer said, "'You can't raffle off a dead horse!"Chuck said, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened with that deadhorse?"Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $998."The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."Chuck grew up and works now for the government. The Co Worker: Chuck probably sold the dead horse to Elmer’s glue after the winner didn’t claim his prize. Me? BOOOOOOO.

Tis the Season for Giving.

Just googled these numbers, not any extensive research today... Al Gore: 1997 Federal Tax Return: $353 charity, income= $197, 729...apparently he hasn't released anything since then. At least nothing that can be googled. Joe Biden: The Bidens reported giving $995 in charitable donations last year (2007) — about 0.3% of their income and the highest amount in the past decade. The low was $120 in 1999, about 0.1% of yearly income. Barack Obama: The Obamas gave more than $240,000 to charity last year (2007), about 5.7% of their income, their tax return shows. Their charitable giving has risen with their income; in 2000, when the couple made $240,726, they gave $2,350 to charity, about 1% of their income. John McCain: Sen. John McCain, the Republican Presidential nominee, in 2007 reported $405,409 in total income and contributed $105,467, or 26 percent of his total income, to charity. George Bush: resident and Mrs. George W. Bush reported taxable income of $719, 274 for the tax year 2007 and paid $221,635 in federal income taxes, the White House said Friday. They contributed a total of $165,660 to churches and charitable organizations, or apx. 23%. Dick Cheney: The Cheneys donated $166,547 to charity last year (2006), the White House said, bringing their total charitable contributions during his vice presidency to just under $8 million.

Is a picture worth 1000 words?

Picture from America's Right

It's All in the Name.

Who needs experience? BO has already set that precedent for us. You can hold the highest office in the United States of America with no experience. So why not continue that trend?

"When you look at her, and you know what the Kennedy's are capable of and you know the family she comes from … think of the DNA," Former NY Mayor, Ed Koch said.

In order to be a successful politician in today's society--you must neet the following qualifications:

--Ivy League Graduate (check)

--Attorney (check)

--Author (check)

--Community Activist (check)

And A Moment to Reflect...

Coworker found the photo on Drudgereport.com. He added the wording...

O Where O Where are the Veterans?

The Mom sent me an article yesterday that I thought I would touch on this morning. Red-State Army by Danielle Allen talks about how there are certain states that have a military "draw" and other states that don't. I think the phrase that caught my attention the most was this: "Over the past four decades, which states have disappeared from the top 10? California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois, all big blue states that have voted Democratic in the past five presidential elections. These states and another blue state, New York, which ranked 12th in 1969, are among the 10 states with the lowest number of post-Vietnam vets per capita. New Jersey comes in 50th of the 50 states; just 1 percent of current residents have served in the military since Vietnam." I don't believe that is coincidence. I believe that goes to show you that families raised with a "blue background" are forgetting about the things that make this nation what it is. It is no longer important to be "proud to be an American" and maintain American ideals. It is more important to be seen and heard and spout off the politically correct phrase of the day. God help us all when the military and national pride are needed. That'll be the day we might just see a bunch of residents of blue states (woo hoo) flock on over to the red states...

GOP has its own Obama???

I stumbled across an article in Newsweek this morning that states of all the rising stars in the GOP party, none have attracted as much speculation, curiosity and unapologetic hype as Jindal. He's been called "the most transformative young governor in America" and "the next Ronald Reagan." He's young and passionate about his ideals. He's Catholic. He's NOT a white man. He's an Ivy Leaguer...And by God, he evacuated the hell out of Southern Louisiana when Gustav was lurking out in the Coast. Finally, he has EXPERIENCE (assistant secretary of health and human services and two-term U.S. congressman before becoming the country's first Indian-American governor) which is at least more than some other President Elect I won't name. So, he's definitely someone I will keep my eye on in the upcoming years. Because even though he says he absolutely will not run for President, I recall another prominent political figure saying the same thing about four years ago. Louisiana is very near and dear to my heart--so what he does with her will make him or break him, at least in my book.

Majority Rules

Prof Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out interesting facts concerning the 2008 Election: The original posting with this information is below a Newsweek article at this link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/163337 -Number of States won by: Democrats: 20; Republicans: 30 -Square miles of land won by: Democrats: 580,000; Republicans: 2,427,000 -Population of counties won by: Democrats: 127 million; Republicans: 143 million -Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Democrats: 13.2; Republicans: 2.1 Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens. Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in rented or government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..." Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase. Note: All Alaska and Oklahoma counties were won by McCain/Palin. So...the other day someone was kind enough to inform me and other "clueless conservatives" that "You all seem to forget that while you are making fun of me, YOU are in the MINORITY. Obviously, THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY THINKS LIKE ME." Which got me to thinking. Did the majority win?

I am ok that the guy I voted for lost--especially as I didn't really care for him in the first place, I simply chose the lesser of two evils. But did the MAJORITY agree with the dems and Obammy? Now, by definition, yes. To see the definition of majority, click here. Ok, again, I will not argue with defintion. But, please, look above at what I have marked in boldface. Even Snoop Dogg told us that Obammy inspired people that have never voted before. So--if this is the majority, I'm sure glad that I'm a minority.

A Thursday Smile...

So...snow doesn't fall much down here in the South. Especially as far south as New Orleans. While reading NOLA.com this morning, I came across this post and it made me laugh out loud. Thought I'd share...

Posted by btizzy on 12/11/08 at 7:53AM Hell has frozen over!!The Saints are going to the Superbowl!!

GEAUX SAINTS! BEAT DA BEARS!!

Illinois =

no, no...this is not about the IL governor.

Obammy wants to "change the country."

"Stop poverty."

"Redistribute the wealth."

Does anyone else see a problem with this?

America's Fastest Dying Towns

"If you've ever flown into Chicago, you've seen Bensenville. A village to the south of O'Hare Airport, it was part of Chicago's post-World War II growth boom, providing a multitude of manufacturing and warehousing jobs to the country's first wave of suburbanites. As late as 2000, times were pretty good. Poverty was a minuscule 6.5%, incomes were growing and folks were relocating to Bensenville from outside the state at a steady rate. But Bensenville's fortunes have since changed. Incomes have dropped by 11.4% (without accounting for inflation), poverty has more than doubled and domestic in-migration has ground to a halt. "Much of the low-level manufacturing work has gone overseas, or the jobs have shifted to the outer edges of the metro area," says Kenneth Johnson, a senior demographer at the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. "What's happening is, you have industrial jobs replaced by service jobs."

Because you sure can't be poor or unemployed to live here:

Or, as history shows... Here:

(though you can sure as hell vote without a residence!!)

Ahhh...Illinois Politicians. Crooked?!?

A politician from the state of Illinois could NEVER be crooked, now could he? No, never. That's where our Messiah "comes from." Illinois Governor Arrested on Corruption Charges Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat, according to a criminal complaint by federal prosecutors who said the governor had put a “for sale” sign on his administration. Much of Blagojevich’s campaign for governor was spent discussing character and governmental corruption. --I'm sorry. What ?!?!? Blagojevich was a Cook County Assistant State’s attorney from 1986 to 1988, according to the U.S. Congress Web site. He was a member of the Illinois State House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996 before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Illinois’ Fifth District from 1997 to 2003, according to the site. --well, started as an attorney, too. At least he did a little bit more work in the government before trying to run for an executive position. Hmmm...seems like the Obama camp has even more work cut out for them. Click here for a list of O's state's accomplishments in the past years.

Ho, Ho, Ho!!

"Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it." ~Richard Lamm

Stinky Cow? That'll Be $175.

While "going green" is the latest craze...some proposals are beyond outrageous.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – For farmers, this stinks: Belching and gaseous cows and hogs could start costing them money if a federal proposal to charge fees for air-polluting animals becomes law...It would require farms or ranches with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs to pay an annual fee of about $175 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20 for each hog. The executive vice president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, Ken Hamilton, estimated the fee would cost owners of a modest-sized cattle ranch $30,000 to $40,000 a year." To see full article click here.

Does anyone else see a problem with this? Fine a farmer for a gassy cow? If you're going to play that game, you might as well have sports bars pay an annual fee for the amount of gassy men they let in and out of their establishment. Humans don't smell good, either...and I'm pretty sure pollute the air with their own flatulence.

I'll be the first to say that I hate cruelty to animals. I hate it. At the same time, however, I love me a good steak. While PETA has great intentions (let's bankrupt American farmers--then they can't raise/kill cows), this particular proposal will do much more harm than good. First, we live in a country that's unemployment rate is increasing daily. Let's add more!! What fun. Second, Americans are still going to want to eat meat. If we can't get it here in the States--let's do the next best thing: IMPORT!! (doesn't that mean less money to the States as well?) Finally, I'm not sure how it is in other states--but my state has an animal overpopulation. The wildlife are DYING because there is not enough food to go around for them. The Fish and Game Commission have created special "hunting seasons" to try and reduce the overpopulated herds. What are we going to do with all the livestock if PETA has it's way?

Are You Smarter than an Eigth Grader?

ALa posted this "test" this morning and I just had to see how my blog rated. Maybe the below report explains why Blogging is the new rage...though, I may only be writing at a "high school level" I definitely don't want to read information at a 6th-8th grade level. Yet, another problem with this nation...we dumb down EVERYTHING. If we keep dumbing things down--how on earth are we going to compete with nations that do just the opposite? Here's an excerpt from the article: "Today's journalists, already the most educated crop of reporters and editors ever, need more ongoing education so they can interview with sophistication, research with understanding and report with credibility, but when it's time to write Meyer suggests they shed the sheepskins and scribble their stories at a sixth- to eighth-grade level, a range he identifies as the sweet spot of newspaper readability."

Movie Reviews

Brilliant New Orleanians

Now honestly, if I were Obama and his camp, I'd be silencing this scum ASAP. But, it is New Orleans politics for you, so what else would you expect? Seriously, this guy is running for the 2nd District Congressional Seat: "On the campaign trail, [William] Jefferson has said little about the August 2005 raids on his Washington townhouse, during which FBI agents say they found $90,000 in marked bills. He also has stayed mostly mum on the 16-count indictment on bribery charges -- which accuses the congressman of shaking down businesspeople in exchange for his help in dealing with officials in Africa -- that was handed down against him by a federal grand jury in June 2006." But hey you bras (that is New Orleanian for bro), don't you mind that this guy is a CROOK. He's friends with Obama!! He'll save New Orleans!! (even though he hasn't in the past 9 terms he has served) "You know how sometimes you can say, 'I know the president, ' " Jefferson said during a recent interview on WBOK radio. "I really do know the president." Now, later in the article it quotes Jefferson as saying he is "not guilty" of these charges and others have gotten off, so he will, too. Only difference, he's coming from where political corruption was born and raised--Southern Louisiana. Pretty sure he'll be found guilty. They almost always are. But then again, those sneaky Feds could have planted $90K in his house. It must be a conspiracy against LA politicians! For more entertainment, read the replies posted below the article. People are genius. This is my personal favorite: "Hate Bill Jefferson all that you would like. However, electing a Republican to serve in a majority Democratic District, when the President of the United States AND the House of Representatives AND the Senate are controlled by Republicans would be STUPID." (of course the nit wit corrected himself with the Republican typo--as the Prez, House and Senate will soon be controlled by the Democrats) Why would it be stupid to get diversity up there in D.C.? THAT is what is wrong with people. They don't understand that if EVERYONE thinks alike--that is the end of democracy. It will then become "For the people, BY the government." The liberal government at that. Laissez les bons temps rouler.

Tis the Season...

So, maybe it's just the way I was raised--and the rest of the world views the Christmas season differently than I do. First, don't you get loved ones gifts to show your appreciation for them? Second, isn't one of the main points of the holidays to spread cheer to those near and dear AND to strangers? Third, and most importantly, aren't we celebrating someone's birth? Someone who would cry and cry to come to our planet in this day and age? Ugh. I was talking to the General over the Thanksgiving holiday and we were discussing the events that took place during Black Friday. Three DEATHS. On the busiest shopping day of the year. Me: "You'd think someone would NOTICE he/she was walking over a human being." The Gen: "I'm sure they DID notice." Me: "and just didn't care?" The Gen: "and just didn't care." Me: "It's the end of the world as we know it..." (Thanks REM!!) The Gen: (hearty laugh)...I'm sure Baby Jesus wouldn't be too pleased that other's lives are less important than say that VCR 10 % off... Headlines from Black Friday: Two Dead In Shooting at Toys R Us Walmart Worker Trampled to Death Happy Holidays!! Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I'm apparently now thankful I've never bought into that Black Friday hype. Ugh. Crowds drive me crazy anyway.