Tuesday Tunes - Diana Krall

The look of love:

Usurper-in-Chief

Michelle Malkin writes, "Barack Obama rose from community organizer to auto company usurper. Only in America." Obama is the first president in history to fire the CEO of a corporation. This sets a dangerous precedent.

Conservatism

What is a conservative? Don't believe characterizations by the mainstream media. I borrowed this list, with permission, from an online buddy.

1. To be a person who is accountable for his or her actions and takes care of himself and those who are unable to care for themselves. Personal responsibility

2. We love this country and the people of this country.

3. To believe in that which makes logical sense rather than that which is borne out of emotion and is supposed to make me feel good.

4. It takes a village to raise a child, not the government. I, me, myself. You hurt I act, I hurt you act. We all need help from time to time and there is nothing wrong with that.

5. Giving, If I do, government doesn’t have to.

6. Being all you can be, Conservatives believe in YOU, that YES YOU CAN! I, We are not a bunch of idiots who need “Big Brother” to run our lives and tell us what is best, I will figure out for myself what is best for me and mine. So thanks but no thanks for now.

7. A balanced budget, low taxes and small government.

8. The Smaller the Federal Government the Safer we are, Government is not my mom or dad and certainly not God.

9. Limit government powers, Checks and Balances! but makes sure that it per¬forms its proper job effectively and energetically. It refines popular will through the filter of democratic representation at the same time that it checks and balances political power in distinct branches of government and through an extended nation of states.

10. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Local, State and Federal Government, It is broken up that way for a reason. We believe that the government has been set to watch over and lead the country, not control everything anyone does.

11. Legislating from the Bench is unconstitutional. appoint judges who understand that their proper function is to uphold the Constitution, not make social policy according to their own pop-philosophy. For the People by the People. Government is to Govern not dictate.

12. The General welfare not entitlement welfare. We all need help from time to time, there is nothing wrong with that, just don't forget to believe in yourself along the way.
There is the General Welfare, there is welfare and there is an entitlement mentality.

14. Freedom of religion, does not mean freedom from religion.

15. The belief in free speech, even if it's not politically correct and even if it does offend people. That is part of Freedom.

16. Helping others, I am my brothers keeper.


18. Feeling trapped and like you have no choice does not make one Free or a choice a choice.

19. Sacredness of life. It is LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without LIFE nothing else has any meaning. Every life has a purpose, a destiny and a right to exists. Every Life has value from the elderly, to the young, to the unborn. Why cultivate a culture of death when you can have life. Life is a precious gift.

20. Being kind to others means doing unto others as you would have them do to you- treat others respectfully with a good heart. Love, Personal responsibility, Respect, Humility, Compassion, Logic, Integrity, Values, Morality, Right from wrong.

These are the things which make up the conservative values and principles.

A girl and her car

My daughter has a new car, and two new jobs to go with it. She is finishing up her third year at college.

Casablanca

{edit}

New Preamble

Since our administration wants our founding documents to be flexible, "living documents", I found an interesting version for your enjoyment.

NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION

"We the sensible people of the United States ,
in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes. (This one is my pet peeve...get an education and go to work....don't expect everyone else to take care of you!)

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before
you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly....)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!


Written by Lewis Napper,
a self-described amateur philosopher and
from Mississippi .

I am not a size 2

And yet, today I am wearing size 2 pants. Why? Because some clothing manufacturers are mis-labeling clothes. This is a salesmanship tool, and I don't appreciate it. I don't need them to fool me into thinking I am suddenly much thinner than I am, just so I can buy their clothes and brag about how "small" I am.

To prove this point I took my measurements. My hip measurement is 36". This is *not* a size 2. According to a reliable catalog website, 36" is the largest that can fit into a size 4, and 36.5" would require a size 6. So if the pants shrink, such as jeans, I would tend to wear a size 6, which is the case. And when clothes do not shrink, such as dry-cleanables, I tend to wear a size 4. I do not wear a size 2 (except today). I tried on the size 4, but those were falling off of my hips and I hate spending the day hitching up my pants, especially pants without belt loops.

Before all this happened, I was already satisfied with my body-image situation. I weighed in last week 0.5 pounds under my non-breastfeeding goal weight. Which means I am free to indulge in treats and fun stuff. Yay!

We only produce 13 trillion a year

I know when we throw around bills with billions and billions then we start talking about trillions and trillions, one becomes numb to the numbers. So let's look at what the United States actually *can* do.

The gross domestic product of the U.S. in 2007, according to Wikipedia, is 13.8 trillion dollars. That's it. No more.

It is for this reason that Obama's insanely large spending bills are cause for revulsion. A few trillion here, a few trillion there. We can't possibly pay this back. Our country will be bankrupt. Our currency will be devalued. Our children will suffer under the yoke of financial slavery. This is not OK. Call your congress-people and senators and just say NO. They need to calm down their pie-in-the-sky plans for nationalizing *everything* and present budgets that are based on reality.

Who is going to pay for these programs when we have chased off all the producers of our society. Do you think that people who make over $250,000 are going to sit still and allow themselves to be victimized? I assure you, they will make other plans. They will adjust. They are smart enough to figure that out.

Who does that leave paying the taxes? YOU. Period.

Yuri Bezmenov 1985

Here is a man with experience under real communism. {edit} He is a man who truly loves American capitalism and doesn't want it to fail. See if his observations do not apply to today's world.

Yuri Bezmenov
Uploaded by onmyway02

The main problem

The main problem at this moment is the un-balance of power. Democrats are in charge of Everything. So now they run around with their thumb on their nose saying neener neener neener, and the conservatives jump on the soapbox and yell as loud as possible, trying to halt or slow the train we are all on, which is picking up speed in a liberal/socialist/communist direction. Not to mention bankrupting our country and future generations. This is a national emergency. It is bad enough that both sides contributed to this mess, with Barney Frank and those guys passing laws to force banks to make bad loans. And the Bush admin for overspending and not keeping true to conservative fiscal responsibility. But now it doesn't matter who is to blame. Our country is being railroaded by President Pelosi, President Reid, President Emmanuel and the like. And that guy who is so good at reading teleprompters. And we and our children will be caught in their web unless we can find a way to slow the train.

Your kids will be silenced

This is in the language of HR 1388, which passed the house last week and goes up for a senate vote tonight, Monday, March 23, 2009.

I found this blog comment today by Denny:
********************
Look as SUBTITLE C, SECTION 1304, which amends SECTION 125 of USC 12575!!!

This section PROHIBITS the suckers stuck in "an approved national service position" from, among other things:

1. ATTEMPTING TO INFLUENCE LEGISLATION
2. ORGANIZING OR ENGAGING IN PROTESTS, PETITIONS, BOYCOTTS, OR STRIKES
3. ASSISTING, PROMOTING, OR DETERRING UNION ORGANIZING
5. ENGAGING IN PARTISAN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES, OR OTHER ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME OF AN ELECTION TO ANY PUBLIC OFFICE
6. PARTICIPATING IN, OR ENDORSING, EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES THAT ARE LIKELY TO INCLUDE ADVOCACY FOR OR AGAINST POLITICAL PARTIES, POLITICAL PLATFORMS, POLITICAL CANDIDATES, PROPOSED LEGISLATION OR ELECTED OFFICIALS
(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytism.

Guys and Gals, this is SERIOUS MARXISM!!! CALL YOUR SENATOR TODAY AND DEMAND THEY VOTE AGAINST THIS VIOLATION OF ALL FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS!

GOT OUT THE CALLS! JAM THEIR LINES! FLOOD THEIR FAXES. CRASH THEIR EMAIL SERVERS.

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! THIS IS COMMUNISM WAITING TO HAPPEN. WHAT IS NEXT? OBAMA'S THUG CORPS IN THE STREETS HELPING YOU FILL OUT YOUR NEXT PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT???
**************************
I already emailed my senators from CA. Please contact your senators and their staff TODAY. Help protect our children.

Hands off my kids!

Can this be true? Did the house just pass legislation (HR1388) that authorizes *mandatory* volunteerism for American children? They would be grouped together in camps, I mean campuses? I thought President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery.

The Bill:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1388

http://albanysinsanity.wnymedia.net/blogs/2009/03/20/house-passes-mandatory-national-service-bill/

Sad this afternoon

It is really hitting me that a friend of mine is sick. So sick, in fact, that today she headed for hospice. I'm not mentioning any names, because she likes to keep her anonymity on the internet. And she sometimes swings by this blog when her computer is plugged in, which I hope is soon.

I have known this lovely woman since the early 1990s. Back in my days of single motherhood, she was a good friend to me. We spoke less these past few years, yet she remains a faithful friend.

Time is short now, and that brings me to tears. I can't control or change what is happening. I only hope that she knows how much she means to me. I will cherish our friendship. Always.

My house is crawling with men

Two guys are installing the new garage doors in front, and three guys are digging out the hillside to prepare the foundation for the new deck. You see that deck in the picture on the top of the blog? It burned to cinders in the CA wildfires last November. And the garage doors were damaged when the neighbors/firefighters used crowbars and feet to remove it to put out the garage fire. It was tacked back up temporarily, but today we will get our brand new garage doors. Yay! I can't wait to hear how quiet the new opener is. The old one was as loud as a jet engine.

That's 5 men working. Now all I need is for the gardeners and the pool guy to show up.

Wordless Wednesday

Wounded vets to lose health benefits

President Obama's plan to require private insurance to reimburse the government for treatment of wounded veterans will have unintended consequences. While the government looks forward to getting money from the insurance industry, one problem will be that employers will be even less likely to hire wounded vets, because that will drive up their cost of health care. Veterans already have an unemployment figure 10 points higher than average. And vets would be expected to pay deductibles on this care.

This is immoral. The mandate from our forefathers is 'to care for him who shall have borne the battle.' Not to squeeze every penny out of them. The government chose to send these men into harms way. Blue Cross didn't do that. The government, we the people, should take full responsibility.

This, plus the 10% across-the-board budget cut already placed on the military, cause me to conclude that President Obama is an anti-military president. He can say what he likes about supporting the troops, but I judge a man on his actions, not his words.

My latest quotes

Not quoting myself. Orson Scott Card in "Shadow of the Hegemon".

"America's intellectual community has never been very bright. Or honest. They're all sheep, following whatever the intellectual fashion of the decade happens to be. Demanding that everyone follow their dicta in lockstep. Everyone has to be open-minded and tolerant of the things they believe, but God forbid they should ever concede, even for a moment, that someone who disagrees with them might have some fingerhold on truth."

And this one:

"Love? That's what this all comes down to?"
"No, not just love. I'm talking about the cycle of life. I'm talking about finding some alien creature and deciding to marry her and stay with her forever, no matter whether you even like each other or not in a few years down the road. And why will you do this? So you can make babies together, and try to keep them alive and teach them what they need to know so that someday they'll have babies, and keep the whole thing going. And you'll never draw a secure breath until you have grandchildren, a double handful of them, because then you know that your line won't die out, your influence will continue. Selfish, isn't it? Only it's not selfish, it's what life is for. It's the only thing that brings happiness, ever, to anyone. All the other things--victories, achievements, honors, causes--they bring only momentary flashes of pleasure. but binding yourself to another person and to the children you make together, that's life. And you can't do it if your life is centered on your ambitions. You'll never be happy. It will never be enough, even if you rule the world."

Did I tell you I like reading? When my 18-y-o boy came last weekend, he brought an armful of Orson Scott Card books and I'm savoring every word. Had to share with you, hope you don't mind.

Robotics Competition

I took the boys to see my 18-y-o's Robotics Competition today. There were 500 high school teams competing for supremacy. The teams manufactured and programmed large rectangular robots. The object of the game was to minimize the number of balls placed into your own towed cart, while putting as many balls as possible into the other guys' carts. Theirs was Robot 589, and they did pretty well. My son's duties were to program the robot's movements. At times the robots operated on their own, and at times they operated under radio controls.
Here he is with the robot after the competition.

And here are the little brothers--future robot operators.

Baby's first haircut

Before:


After:

I waited as long as I could. I love the wispy baby hair and was loath to cut it. Can you believe he is 16 months now?

Azaleas in bloom

I love this time of year. These shrubs are right by my front door. It makes coming home such a pleasure.
Don't you love the funny things kids say? My 4-y-o boy noticed the storage unit/office that the contractor had installed on our neighbor's property, in preparation for rebuilding after the CA wildfires. He said from the back seat as we drove by, "Hey Mom, look. There's a jail!"

Older kids spent the weekend here

My 2 oldest kids spent the weekend with me, and boy did we have fun. Girls lunch out on Friday at Mimi's Cafe with my college girl. Then swimming both days of the weekend, along with a Purim Carnival at our synagogue on Sunday. Purim is a festive Jewish holiday celebrating the failure of a plan to annihilate the Jewish People in Babylonian times. Lots of bounce house bouncing, cotton candy, shaved ice and pizza.
Swimming was fun. At one point, my 18-y-o boy got "stuck".

The pool was too cold for swimming so we stayed in the jacuzzi. Although the boys enjoyed the boat. Up the creek without a paddle.

Let's make this simple

My husband and I were discussing the economy this afternoon. And we came to some conclusions. First, the economy is already half destroyed. Hard to argue, since the Dow Jones Industrial average is now less than half what it was at its recent high. There *were* some areas of the economy that were doing OK, though. Health care, for instance, tends to do OK during an economic downturn. Tends to. Unless the President of the United States announces an All Out War against the health care system.

Why is President Obama doing this now? Why is he focusing on health care when the economy is in shambles? Why can't he take some of the energy he is putting into health care focus groups and find some employees for the Treasury Department? Did you know that Treasury has NO upper level employees? No undersecretaries. Nobody. Nobody except Geitner. And that is the department that is supposed to administer the programs for the economic recovery.

I love this guy

Do you remember the student pro-democracy protests in 1989 in China's Tian An Men Square? Do you remember how the Chinese government fired on the students killing thousands? The picture of this one brave man stays with me in my heart. He loved his country so much. Unarmed, he stood in front of rolling tanks. I wonder what ever happened to him. Was he killed? Sent to a re-education camp?

I sure hope our American Government can find a way to hang on to the ideals of freedom and democracy. Government power should be limited. The government strong enough to save you is strong enough to enslave you.

I Would Rather...

I would rather have a president who is dumb-as-a-POST, than a president who cunningly tricks the nation into a socialist/communist revolution.