Summer Pleasures

Summer is not my favorite season. It's too HOT. In Southern California where I live, the heat is unrelenting. I love fall. I think because it brings the promise of 9 months without summer.

There are pleasures, however. I try to focus on them.

The bougainvillea are in full bloom right now. Driving down dusty roads yields shocking seas of magenta blossoms.


Also, the Crape Myrtle trees are gearing up for a frontal assault. They amaze me. During the cool, wet months they sleep, stick-like, among the blooming flowers and plants. As spring wears into summer, the plants and flowers droop one by one until this quiet tree bursts forth in a solo performance, standing up to the full force of the summer sun.


And what summer day would be complete without an old favorite song to listen to.


Let's not forget the seaside picnic. Dig in!


And an afternoon hello to the lovely ladies of Ann's Virtual Girl's Night out.

Why Timothy Geitner Can't Sell His Home

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Home Crisis Investigation
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day

Did you know that Geitner had to move and his old home remains unsold? Jon Stewart's The Daily Show sees the humor in this and sends a reporter to investigate.

Obama's Hypocrisy

Obama claims to support the family and fathers, but his actions do not follow. H/T to Self Evident Truths.

Obamacare with Legos

This video demonstrates how Obamacare works by using Legos. Fun stuff, from RWNJ.

Cuba Libre? Forget it.

"Subversive messages like the above will no longer be displayed on the news ticker at the US diplomatic mission in Havana.

Barry’s latest attempt to love dictators into submission centers on Cuba, where this goodwill gesture will most likely be a precursor to more substantive talks with the Castros.

Where, no doubt, Barry will make concession after concession without reciprocation.

Castro may look like a harmless incontinent now but never forget that he came this close (pinching my thumb and forefinger together) to nuking the US in 1962.

But who cares about history?"
Great story, Track A Crat. Sometimes it's the little things like this that paint the picture of what is really happening. So we no longer push for freedom in Cuba. Couple that with censoring outgoing emails from the Republican Minority. Add it all up, and what do you get??? Say it with me now. Tyrannosaurus Rex. Er, I mean Tyrant King.

News Busted 7/28/09

She talks about the congressional republicans being censored from calling the program "government-run health care", when it is, in fact, government-run health care.

African-American Cambridge Cop says she won't vote for Obama again after Gatesgate

Powerful testimony by fellow police officers. They say that while racism does exist, it is not part of this case. The claims of racism by Gates is a "smokescreen" and people should withhold judgement until they have all the facts. And that includes President Obama. H/T Nearly Nobody's News.

Prayers Needed--Updated

Not for me. But there are a number of friends who could use them.
Bungalow Bill is undergoing tests right now to see if the mass under his arm is cancer or not. See BBCW in blogroll link.
Darlin, LL's friend in Canada, awaits a CT this Friday to see if the shadow on her liver is cancer or not.
Gateway Pundit has requested prayers for his elderly mother as she enters hospice.
Stellan, a baby boy with heart defects, continues to need our prayers. He is back in intensive care.


And I have two brave ladies in my life, my Aunt M in Missouri and my old friend M, now in Poway, CA, who are living with terminal cancer.

As for me, I sit here at Costco waiting for my new tires to be installed, thinking about all of us.
###

It's time for a SHOW TUNE

Lovely show tune describing the "One Single-Payer System" to the tune of One Singular Sensation. Thanks to Just a Conservative Girl for the idea. Maybe the tune is too pleasant. Almost lulls me into wanting to sign up. 8-0

Now for bad developments. Roger's Park Bench reported last night that Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) is having outgoing emails to his constituents censored by the Democrats. He is no longer allowed to use the words "Government-Run Health Care" and must substitute a more innocuous phrase, or he will have to pay the postage out of his own pocket. Once the majority censors the free speech of their opposition, we are in a dictatorship, folks. This is very scary stuff. Full story here: http://rogersparkbench.blogspot.com/2009/07/democrats-are-afraid-you-should-be-too.html

Sunday Funny

I think you will enjoy this funny 16-second video about a Mafia Don. Posted in honor of Nickie Goomba, the blogosphere's favorite American Patriot (of Italian descent).
Hat tip to Sane Without Drugs.

Thank Goodness the CBO Works on Saturday

Hat Tip Legal Insurrection. "The Congressional Budget Office once again has poked a massive hole in the Democratic health care "reform" bubble, in a report issued today.

One of the key elements of the Democratic proposals is to hand over the power to make cost cuts to an unelected, unimpeachable council similar to MedPAC. By empowering such an insular entity to make decisions over which health care procedures and medicines are cost-effective, we will have surrendered enormous freedom over personal health care. If a procedure or medication is not approved by this entity, it will not be economically viable for the provider to bring it to market, so it will not be available even if you were willing to pay out of pocket.

Putting aside our freedom, the CBO has come out with an analysis (appearing in full below) which shows that handing over health care decisions to an entity such as MedPAC will not save any substantial sums over the next decade, even as the cost of health care "reform" escalates. As related at The Politico:

For the second time this month, congressional budget analysts have dealt a blow to the Democrat's health reform efforts, this time by saying a plan touted by the White House as crucial to paying for the bill would actually save almost no money over 10 years.

A key House chairman and moderate House Democrats on Tuesday agreed to a White House-backed proposal that would give an outside panel the power to make cuts to government-financed health care programs. White House budget director Peter Orszag declared the plan "probably the most important piece that can be added" to the House's health care reform legislation.

But on Saturday, the Congressional Budget Office said the proposal to give an independent panel the power to keep Medicare spending in check would only save
about $2 billion over 10 years- a drop in the bucket compared to the bill's $1 trillion price tag.

What a pathetic joke the Democratic legislative effort has become. Loss of freedom and no meaningful cost savings. The opposite of "you get what you pay for."

As Rahm Emanuel and Henry Waxman push to have a vote next week, it is clear that neither the Congress nor the White House has any clue as to the consequences of what they are proposing (if they even have read it). All the more reason we need to see the bill, debate it, and let our representatives know how we feel before they vote.

So give double thanks this weekend. First, for the CBO not giving in to political pressure. And second, for the fact that the CBO works on Saturdays."

Big Brother Says: BAN THAT KIOSK!

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=011008&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=7305101&referralPlaylistId=playlist
Another business has been shuttered on orders from the president. No, not a bank or an auto dealership. It was one man's lowly mall kiosk. Where he sold anti-Obama bumper stickers, and a pro life baby bib. Something very bad is happening in this country, folks.

Let's Keep up the Pressure

Left Coast Rebel reminds us not to let up pressure on our representatives. This past week, I got an email with a link to grassfire.org. They publish a list of phone and fax numbers for our representatives, prioritizing them by the ones with the most clout in the health care debate. I personally faxed all those in Tier 1 and some in Tier 2 this past week. And I will go at it again. We cannot let up. We MUST tell them how important it is that they not turn our nation into a SOCIALIST MESS. If you want, grassfire.org can send the faxes for you for a small fee. Just go to their website and fill out the forms, because it has to come with your name on it to be any good.

Option 1 Targets
Title Name Party State/Dist. Phone Fax
Your Senator 1
Your Senator 2
Your Representative
Rep. Barrow John D GA_12 202-225-2823 fax 202-225-3377
Rep. Gordon Bart D TN_06 202-225-4231 fax 202-225-6887
Rep. Harman Jane D CA_36 202-225-8220 fax 202-226-7290
Rep. Hill Baron D IN_09 202-225-5315 fax 202-226-6866
Rep. Matheson James D UT_02 202-225-3011 fax 202-225-5638
Rep. Melancon Charlie D LA_03 202-225-4031 202-226-3944
Rep. Murphy Christopher D CT_05 202-225-4476 202-225-5933
Rep. Ross Michael D AR_04 202-225-3772 202-225-1314
Rep. Space Zack D OH_18 202-225-6265 202-225-3394
Rep. Baldwin Tammy D WI_02 202-225-2906 202-225-6942
Rep. Boucher Rick D VA_09 202-225-3861 202-225-0442
Rep. Braley Bruce D IA_01 202-225-2911 202-225-6666
Option 2 Targets
Above list plus those listed below
Rep. Butterfield G. D NC_01 202-225-3101 202-225-3354
Rep. Capps Lois D CA_23 202-225-3601 202-225-5632
Rep. Castor Kathy D FL_11 202-225-3376 202-225-5652
Rep. Christensen Donna D VI_01 202-225-1790 202-225-5517
Rep. DeGette Diana D CO_01 202-225-4431 202-225-5657
Rep. Dingell John D MI_15 202-225-4071 202-226-0371
Rep. Doyle Michael D PA_14 202-225-2135 202-225-3084
Rep. Engel Eliot D NY_17 202-225-2464 202-225-5513
Rep. Eshoo Anna D CA_14 202-225-8104 202-225-8890
Rep. Gonzalez Charles D TX_20 202-225-3236 202-225-1915
Rep. Green Gene D TX_29 202-225-1688 202-225-9903
Rep. Inslee Jay D WA_01 202-225-6311 202-226-1606
Rep. Markey Edward D MA_07 202-225-2836 202-226-0092
Rep. Matsui Doris D CA_05 202-225-7163 202-225-0566
Rep. McNerney Jerry D CA_11 202-225-1947 202-225-4060
Rep. Pallone Frank D NJ_06 202-225-4671 202-225-9665
Rep. Rush Bobby D IL_01 202-225-4372 202-226-0333
Rep. Sarbanes John D MD_03 202-225-4016 202-225-9219
Rep. Schakowsky Janice D IL_09 202-225-2111 202-226-6890
Rep. Stupak Bart D MI_01 202-225-4735 202-225-4744
Rep. Sutton Betty D OH_13 202-225-3401 202-225-2266
Rep. Waxman Henry D CA_30 202-225-3976 202-225-4099
Rep. Weiner Anthony D NY_09 202-225-6616 202-226-7253
Rep. Welch Peter D VT_01 202-225-4115 202-225-6790
Senator Bayh Evan D Indiana 202-224-5623 202-228-1377
Senator Lieberman Joseph ID Connecticut 202-224-4041 202-224-9750
Senator Begich Mark D Alaska 202-224-3004 202-228-3205
Senator Bennet Michael D Colorado 202-224-5852 202-228-5036
Option 3 Targets
Above list plus those listed below
Senator Carper Thomas D Delaware 202-224-2441 202-228-2190
Senator Hagan Kay D North Carolina 202-224-6342 202-228-2563
Senator Kohl Herb D Wisconsin 202-224-5653 202-224-9787
Senator Landrieu Mary D Louisiana 202-224-5824 202-224-9735
Senator Lincoln Blanche D Arkansas 202-224-4843 202-228-1371
Senator McCaskill Claire D Missouri 202-224-6154 202-228-6326
Senator Nelson Bill D Florida 202-224-5274 202-228-2183
Senator Nelson Ben D Nebraska 202-224-6551 202-228-0012
Senator Shaheen Jeanne D New Hampshire 202-224-2841 202-228-3194
Senator Udall Tom D New Mexico 202-224-6621 202-228-3261
Senator Warner Mark D Virginia 202-224-2023 202-224-6295
Senator Akaka Daniel D Hawaii 202-224-6361 202-224-2126
Senator Baucus Max D Montana 202-224-2651 202-224-9412
Senator Bingaman Jeff D New Mexico 202-224-5521 202-224-2852
Senator Boxer Barbara D California 202-224-3553 202-224-0454
Senator Brown Sherrod D Ohio 202-224-2315 202-228-6321
Senator Burris Roland D Illinois 202-224-2854 202-228-3333
Senator Byrd Robert D West Virginia 202-224-3954 202-228-0002
Senator Cantwell Maria D Washington 202-224-3441 202-228-0514
Senator Cardin Benjamin D Maryland 202-224-4524 202-224-1651
Senator Casey Robert D Pennsylvania 202-224-6324 202-228-0604
Senator Conrad Kent D North Dakota 202-224-2043 202-224-7776
Senator Dodd Christopher D Connecticut 202-224-2823 202-224-1083
Senator Dorgan Byron D North Dakota 202-224-2551 202-224-1193
Senator Durbin Richard D Illinois 202-224-2152 202-228-0400
Senator Feingold Russell D Wisconsin 202-224-5323 202-224-2725
Senator Feinstein Dianne D California 202-224-3841 202-228-3954
Senator Gillibrand Kirsten D New York 202-224-4451 202-228-0282
Senator Harkin Tom D Iowa 202-224-3254 202-224-9369
Senator Inouye Daniel D Hawaii 202-224-3934 202-224-6747
Senator Johnson Tim D South Dakota 202-224-5842 202-228-5765
Senator Kaufman Ted D Delaware 202-224-5042 202-228-3075
Senator Kennedy Edward D Massachusetts 202-224-4543 202-224-2417
Senator Kerry John D Massachusetts 202-224-2742 202-224-8525
Senator Klobuchar Amy D Minnesota 202-224-3244 202-228-2186
Senator Lautenberg Frank D New Jersey 202-224-3224 202-228-4054
Senator Leahy Patrick D Vermont 202-224-4242 202-224-3479
Senator Levin Carl D Michigan 202-224-6221 202-224-1388
Senator Menendez Robert D New Jersey 202-224-4744 202-228-2197
Senator Merkley Jeff D Oregon 202-224-3753 202-228-3997
Senator Mikulski Barbara D Maryland 202-224-4654 202-224-8858
Senator Murray Patty D Washington 202-224-2621 202-224-0238
Senator Pryor Mark D Arkansas 202-224-2353 202-228-0908
Senator Reed Jack D Rhode Island 202-224-4642 202-224-4680
Senator Reid Harry D Nevada 202-224-3542 202-224-7327
Senator Rockefeller John D West Virginia 202-224-6472 202-224-7665
Senator Sanders Bernie I Vermont 202-224-5141 202-228-0776
Senator Schumer Charles D New York 202-224-6542 202-228-3027
Senator Stabenow Debbie D Michigan 202-224-4822 202-228-0325
Senator Tester Jon D Montana 202-224-2644 202-224-8594
Senator Udall Mark D Colorado 202-224-5941 202-224-6471
Senator Al Franken D Minnesota 202-224-5641 202-224-1152
Senator Webb James D Virginia 202-224-4024 202-228-6363
Senator Whitehouse Sheldon D Rhode Island 202-224-2921 202-228-6362
Senator Wyden Ron D Oregon 202-224-5244 202-228-2717
Senator Snowe Olympia R Maine 202-224-5344 202-224-1946
Senator Specter Arlen R Pennsylvania 202-224-4254 202-228-1229
Senator Graham Lindsey R South Carolina 202-224-5972 202-224-3808
Senator Collins Susan R Maine 202-224-2523 202-224-2693
Rep. Shuler Heath D NC_11 202-225-6401 202-226-6422
Rep. Herseth Sandlin Stephanie D SD_01 202-225-2801 202-225-5823
Senator Akaka Daniel D Hawaii 202-224-6361 202-224-2126

The Technorati List

It's that time again.  Here is the updated Technorati list.  It's just a bunch of gals who like to link to each other. 

Bloggers, by the way, when you Hat Tip, make sure to form a clickable link to the person, so that you will increase their Technorati Authority.  It's only polite.

Updated July 13th
http://www.dominiquegoh.com
http://www.golfersmom.blogspot.com
http://jeanstockdale.typepad.com
http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com/
http://momcooks.net
http://brainfoggles.com
http://conniesview.com
http://mychroniclife.com
http://mickeyfanatic.com
http://table4five.net
http://mainfo.blogspot.com/

July18
http://www.atticgirl.blogspot.com
http://artsnark.blogspot.com
http://table4five.net
http://momreviews.net
http://momcooks.net
http://www.myleahrose.com/blog/
http://www.ageorgiaangel.com/blog/

July 24
www.whenwelisten.blogspot.com
http://poshmomdiary.com/

http://www.hereallalong.blogspot.com
http://dominiquegoh.com/

Tags: list, technorati

Share

Cr@p T@lk

Sorry if this is a bit raw. I don't often have videos of Obama himself on my blog. Simply because I can't stand to listen to him anymore. But I make an exception for this wonderful video from Pajamas TV.
Hat tip to Euripides.

Everything will be OK

You are getting sleeeeepeeee. Relax and let the soothing sounds of your government tell you how to live your life. No responsibilities means no worries. All is calm. It is the Will of Landru.
Hat tip to Anthroblogology.

Gangster Government

Michele Bachman delivers a powerful indictment of our criminal government. It is amazing to watch this brave woman. Apparently some car dealerships can beg their way out of closure if they have a well-connected Democrat representative.

Krauthammer on Obamacare

Krauthammer predicts there will be a severely watered-down health care bill passed by the end of 2009. He says it would likely be harmless. I'm not so sure. With these statist/socialists at the helm, I don't trust them as far as I can throw them.
Hat tip to Nearly Nobody's News.

Don't let up about Obamacare

It looks like there will be no vote on Obamacare before the August recess. Hooray! But we can't let up pressure. I saw this comment today by Gina on Gateway Pundit. It is certainly something I plan on copying/pasting into my next faxes for my (and your) representatives.

I had an email from Axelrod today with the subject header "This Is Not A Game." My response:

Dear Sirs:
If this is not a game, then please start acting like this is not about political gamesmanship rather than real health care reform. I will believe that it is not a game when you have a package that you can sell honestly rather than resorting to political muscle, slick PR, and deception.

I will be forwarding your message to friends and family as you requested, but I will be asking them to contact their Congressional representatives to urge them to:

A. Dump the current fiasco being pushed on us since it is too flawed to be saved;

B. Support real reform measures like tort reform, tax credits for those purchasing private insurance, support for private insurance co-ops, and deregulation that allows companies and individuals to purchase insurance across state lines;

C. Keep the government out of our health care decisions;

D. Reform Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security FIRST before adding a huge new opportunity for waste, fraud and mismanagement to the public purse. The President admitting that 2/3rds of this huge new budget item can be paid for by eliminating waste and fraud in other programs is a damning admission of guilt that government cannot administer social programs effectively. Clean the house up first before adding on a new addition.

When I see movement like this, I will take seriously the administration's words that it wants to help average Americans with our health care needs.

Wordless Wednesday

More here. ###

Creepy Disney

That's how this whole "Disney Friends For Change" campaign strikes me. Creepy. Kind of a Hopey/Changey lollypop for my little kids to suck on. How close is Disney with Obama? Why is the Change message featured so prominently on Radio Disney and the Disney Website? They have their top talent involved in spreading the message. The video on the Friends for Change page features Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana), the Jonas Brothers, and other popular brunettes, Selena and Demi. If you are not acquainted with the world of child stars, these are Big Names. Take my word for it. My boys don't care, because they are not into High School Musical-type stuff. But I know their little friends at school know who these stars are and pay close attention to what they do. And we listen to Radio Disney while driving around in the car. I try to create a politics-free zone for the kids. So imagine my feeling of disgust when I realized what message was coming in over the radio. It was like stepping into a pile of doggie doo.

The part that bothers me the most is that this smacks of brown-shirt indoctrination. Give the kids the buzzwords and talking points, so that when they hit 18 they will recognize the candidates spouting the "correct" message and pull the voting lever accordingly.


Do you remember the Disney-Obama victory celebration?

Disney Channel gets in on Obama Inauguration
by John Frost
Without a doubt these next few days will be historic ones for America. ABC News will have its usual extended coverage of the Presidential Inaugural ceremonies, but Disney Channel is also getting in on the act with the “Kids’ Inaugural: We Are The Future” concert. It will be broadcast from 8:00 - 9:30 p.m. ET/PT January 19th on The Disney Channel, be simulcast on Radio Disney, and streamed on Disney.com immediately following the telecast.

More here.

The part that bothers me the most is that the "Change" theme has turned into a slogan for the destruction of our American Republic. Throwing over capitalism for socialism. Change. Yes we can. In the context of the Obama administration, the theme of Change sickens me. I know America was never a perfect place. But it was a darned good place, and these people want to use our shortcomings as an excuse to turn this nation into a socialist/communist oligarchy. Not OK.

Am I against recycling? No. Am I against conservation of resources? No. But why do they have to call the program Friends for Change. Why not Friends for the Earth. Or Friends for Conservation. Or Friends for the Environment. Friends for Change? Change from what? Did we not recycle and turn off light switches before Disney got involved? No. This slogan ties in with the Obama campaign slogan and left wing propaganda. It is a perfect example of youth indoctrination. Saul Alinsky and Karl Marx would be proud. Get 'em while they're young.

We need to write or call Disney and tell them to keep their propaganda away from our kids. They should stop thinking of the nation's children as a commodity for sale. I wonder what favors they curry politically for filling little minds with the "appropriate" messages.

What ever happened to Walt's Disney? The world was a simpler place then.

Obama Care applied to restaurants

This is a short, simple demonstration of what Obamacare would mean for this country. Old people thrown out of line. Children wait for care with everybody else. Delayed care is denied care.

There are less than 2 weeks to prevent this tragedy. Contact your representatives and demand they vote NO on Obamacare. If you don't....
Hat tip to Moonbattery.

Virgin Rape--Prelude to Execution

I saw this story on the news today and I had to turn away. It's too much. Vile. I can't have this on my blog....Within a couple of hours I had tears in my eyes, thinking about the fair daughters of Iran. How they demonstrated for Democracy. Now the children are bodies to be disposed of. And because there is a law that virgin females cannot be executed, these girls are "married" to a guard and raped the night before their execution. Well, we must dot all the i's and cross all of the t's, mustn't we? One guard lost his stomach for it and talked. Here is the story.

Members of Iran's feared Basij militia forcibly marry female virgin prisoners the night before scheduled executions, raping their new "wives" and making it religiously acceptable to execute them, a self-professed member of the paramilitary group said.

The anonymous militiaman told the Jerusalem Post that at age 18 he was "given the 'honor' to temporarily marry young girls before they were sentenced to death."

In the Islamic Republic of Iran it is illegal to execute a woman if she is a virgin, the former guard told the newspaper. So the government arranges "wedding" ceremonies to be conducted the night before executions, and prisoners are forced to have sexual intercourse with a guard.

Raped by her new "husband," a female prisoner is now fit to be put to death.

"I regret that, even though the marriages were legal," said the militiaman, who told the Jerusalem Post he had just been released from prison himself after freeing two teenagers rounded up during post-election protests.

Some of the prisoners in his care were drugged with sleeping pills to make them docile, as the girls in their custody always fought back, he said, fearing the night of the rape more deeply than their executions the following day.

"I remember hearing them cry and scream after [the rape] was over," he told the paper. "I will never forget how this one girl clawed at her own face and neck with her finger nails afterwards. She had deep scratches all over her."

Where I come from, we call this special circumstances. Americans, who will speak for these children?

Let us resolve, as a people, never to relinquish our firearms. Otherwise, who will stand for your daughters when the tyrant demands vengeance.

"I was wrong about Barack Obama"

By Doug Patton, July 20, 2009

I have a confession to make. I was wrong about our president. He has been telling us that he is a uniter, not a divider, and I doubted him. I thought he would divide this country like no one who has ever held the office. Well, I was wrong, and I want to publicly apologize.

I thought Mr. Obama's call for a cap and trade policy to combat "global warming," with its provisions for tax increases and higher energy prices, would surely drive a wedge between us, but I was wrong.

I was sure that President Obama's push for "the Employee Free Choice Act," which opponents now have dubbed "the Employee Forced Choice Act," would segregate labor against management like nothing we have seen in a generation, but I was wrong.

I could not imagine that the president's insistence on a government-controlled universal health care scheme would not divide us one from another over an issue that is so crucial to our future, but I was wrong.

I predicted that what I perceived as cowardice in our president's foreign policy would split this nation down the middle and create an intolerable divide between Americans, but I was wrong.

I was convinced that Barack Obama's extreme views on the sanctity of human life would cause a tear in the fabric of society like no other issue since the Civil War, but I was wrong.

I had little doubt that what I saw as Obama's hostility to the Second Amendment would create tremendous division over the issue, but I was wrong.

I just knew that this president's penchant for "redistributing wealth" would cause a separation between rich, middle class and poor, but again, I was wrong.

And finally, I had always believed that when this president nominated judges who shared his radical philosophy of government, those nominations would divide the country.

Was I ever wrong! About all of it.

Barack Obama, just seven months into his only term as president, is beginning to bring this country together like no one since Jimmy Carter, the most incompetent president of the 20th Century.

People frown at the idea of raising taxes and energy costs in the middle of a recession with double-digit unemployment. Far from dividing Americans, Obama has created a rallying point on an issue all of us can understand.

On big labor, our fellow citizens could hardly be more united. When properly explained (a practice Obama detests, as evidenced by the fact that he insists Congress rush through legislation without even reading it), the American people hate the idea of depriving workers of their right to secret ballots in determining whether they become part of a union.

On issues of race, foreign policy, traditional marriage, the sanctity of innocent human life, the Second Amendment, property rights and so much more, poll after poll now shows that Barack Obama is uniting the American people against his radical, anti-American agenda.

But perhaps the area where this president is doing the best job of bringing people together is on the issue of universal health care. Americans instinctively know their country is not Europe, and they have no desire to become France. They understand that somehow someone is going to have to pay for all this "free" health care Obama keeps promising. They know that Obama-Care, like Hillary-Care before it, will do less, cost more and provide fewer choices. They grasp the idea that you cannot serve more people with fewer doctors and provide better care for less money. And they know that trying to jam all this through Congress in two weeks is the last refuge of a panicked administration losing its mesmerizing grip on the people.

So, thank you, Mr. President, for bringing us together. I never believed you could do it and certainly not this soon. In less than a year and a half, you can unite us in a mid-term repudiation of your policies, and in three years and five months you can unite us all behind whomever your successor will be.

---

Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a speech writer and public policy advisor for conservative candidates and elected officials. Since 2001, his work has appeared in newspapers across the country and on various Internet web sites. Readers can access the entire archives of Doug's columns at GOPUSA.com, where he serves as a senior writer and state editor. His e-mail address is dougpatton@cox.net.

Try not to laugh--Sidewalk Fail

My kids told me about Fail Blog and I can't stop laughing.

Here is another one.

Media = American Pravda

Here Pastor Manning discusses the Obama birth certificate issue. Or the lack thereof. He laments that the issue gets virtually no press coverage.

If you doubt that the American People care about this issue, you are dead wrong. Listen to the lady in red speak to Congressman Mike Castle R-DE. And how he squirms and blusters that Obama is a US citizen. He is the greeted by a chorus of "prove it" shouted by most of the crowd. This is NOT a fringe idea any more.

Thanks for Nearly Nobody's News for the top video and Bungalow Bill's Conservative Wisdom for the bottom one.

Welcome to Mexico, Gringos!

James Lewis at American Thinker said, "I once had a minor medical procedure done in Mexico. The doc wanted to be paid in cash, and I obliged. Then I asked for a receipt. What followed was Keystone Cops. It took a while for me to realize I was being stupid. By asking for a receipt in the double economy of Mexico I was asking the doc to sign a confession to the tax police. He was right, I was wrong, and I learned something about the underground economy in socialized medicine.

Welcome to Mexico, friends, where the people are warm and wonderful, the drug gangs ruthless (but mostly gun for each other), and the medical profession is a sign of things to come in the US of A. Rich people get pretty good medical care in Mexico. Poor people? So-so to dreadful. Same thing in Italy, and most of the Left-dominated world. Want to get pretty good medical care in Russia? How many dollars you got?

The trouble with socialized medicine is that it corrupts the doctors. They start living a double life. So do the patients. And irony of ironies, it doesn't hurt the rich one little bit.

If ObamaCare is given the bum's rush through Congress in the next couple of weeks, first thing I'm going to do is check out medical travel. Hong Kong has first-rate hospitals, inspected and rated by the British Health Authority. Israel has more qualified doctors per square inch than New York City. Taiwan, Singapore, the big cities in India, Thailand, the Philippines. Eastern Europe is heading that way. If they provide excellent care at lower cost than the US, it can only grow. Nobody in Congress has repealed the laws of supply and demand.

Want to build a great new business? Go into the medical travel game. Guarantee your clients only the best and most highly accredited doctors and hospitals in the world. Sell them medical and travel insurance. And tie it in with sunny retirement communities for Boomers. It will be a Gold Rush." More here.

Obama's Communist Revolution in America-Universal Healthcare--Michael Savage

If it walks like a Marxist, if it talks like a Marxist, it IS a Marxist. We are in the middle of a slow-motion Marxist revolution. They are talking about cradle-to-grave control over you and your health care and your medical and psychiatric and psychological records. This is completely contrary to the freedoms that America was founded on. And because of a compliant media, this is happening with hardly a peep.
Hat tip Nearly Nobody's News.

Health Care Humor

"Each pill split in half and each ailment left untreated is a patriotic victory against personal responsibility. Less is more..."

News Busted 7/17/09

Funniest Prank Call EVER

Here's a little weekend humor. Not for young ears. Thanks to Gypsy Fox for this one.

Domestic Violence--How much is too much?

If a lady ends up the worse for wear after a disagreement with her husband, such as in the above picture, what would be your advice for her? And yes, that is me.

Common Myths About Domestic Violence:

Domestic violence only happens to poor women and women of color.
* Domestic violence happens in all kinds of families and relationships. Persons of any class, culture, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, age, and sex can be victims or perpetrators of domestic violence.

Some people deserve to be hit.
* No one deserves to be abused. Period. The only person responsible for the abuse is the abuser.
* Physical violence, even among family members, is wrong and against the law.

Alcohol, drug abuse, stress, and mental illness cause domestic violence.
* Alcohol use, drug use, and stress do not cause domestic violence; they may go along with domestic violence, but they do not cause the violence. Abusers often say they use these excuses for their violence. (Michigan Judicial Institute, Domestic Violence Benchbook, 1998, p. 1.6 - 1.7)
* Generally, domestic violence happens when an abuser has learned and chooses to abuse. (Michigan Judicial Institute, Domestic Violence Benchbook, 1998, p. 1 - 5)
* Domestic violence is rarely caused by mental illness, but it is often used as an excuse for domestic violence. (Michigan Judicial Institute, Domestic Violence Benchbook, 1998, p. 1 - 8)

Domestic violence is a personal problem between a husband and a wife.
* Domestic violence affects everyone.
* About 1 in 3 American women have been physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. (Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman's Lifespan: the Commonwealth Fund 1998 Survey of Women's Health, 1999)
* In 1996, 30% of all female murder victims were killed by their husbands or boyfriends. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1997)
* 40% to 60% of men who abuse women also abuse children. (American Psychological Association, Violence and the Family, 1996)

If it were that bad, she would just leave.
* There are many reasons why women may not leave. Not leaving does not mean that the situation is okay or that the victim want to be abused.
* Leaving can be dangerous. The most dangerous time for a woman who is being abused is when she tries to leave. (United States Department of Justice, National Crime Victim Survey, 1995)

MANY VICTIMS DO LEAVE AND LEAD SUCCESSFUL, VIOLENCE FREE LIVES.

more here.

SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP:

Do you:
* feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
* avoid certain topics out of fear of angering your partner?
* feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
* believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
* wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
* feel emotionally numb or helpless?

Does your partner:
* humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
* treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
* ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
* blame you for his own abusive behavior?
* see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

Does your partner:
* have a bad and unpredictable temper?
* hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
* threaten to take your children away or harm them?
* threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
* force you to have sex?
* destroy your belongings?

Does your partner:
* act excessively jealous and possessive?
* control where you go or what you do?
* keep you from seeing your friends or family?
* limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
* constantly check up on you?

If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Oh no. No Government Health Care Please

Please contact your representatives and urge them to vote no on Government Health Care.
Let's keep:
• Our choice of doctors
• Our control of our health insurance options
• Timely access to quality health care
• Money instead of paying for a government takeover

Top 10 reasons liberals are idiots

I love a good top ten list, don't you? Here is one for conservatives. Thanks for Phil Dedrick(Oathkeeper) for this.

Orders revoked for soldier challenging prez

"A U.S. Army Reserve major from Florida scheduled to report for deployment to Afghanistan within days has had his military orders revoked after he argued that he should not be required to serve under a president who has not proven his legitimacy for office.

His attorney, Orly Taitz, confirmed to WND the military has rescinded his impending deployment orders.

"We won! We won before we even arrived," she said with excitement. "It means that the military has nothing to show for Obama. It means that the military has directly responded by saying Obama is illegitimate – and they cannot fight it. Therefore, they are revoking the order!"

She continued, "They just said, 'Order revoked.' No explanation. No reasons – just revoked."

A hearing on the questions raised by Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, an engineer who told WND he wants to serve his country in Afghanistan, was scheduled for July 16 at 9:30 a.m." More at WND.

News Busted 7/14/09

A humorous look at current events. From a conservative viewpoint.

Baseball All Star Game = Obama Time?

I am SO tired of his over-exposed face. Can someone calculate the carbon footprint of his endless travels?
"Barack Obama, self-described sports aficionado, friend of our foes, and narcissist of the year, found another golden opportunity to project himself on the world stage. He also probably noticed that his face has not yet graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. In order to correct that dreadful oversight, Obama has decided to inject himself into America's national pastime and be the first President since Gerald Ford in 1976 to toss the first pitch.

Perhaps Obama believes that this will help further ingratiate him to the likes of the Castro brothers and other Latin American despots who also enjoy a good game of baseball. Maybe he will even join MLB's talent scouts on a trip to Cuba to choose the next Tony Perez or Luis Tiant since world travel on the taxpayers' dime seems to be something that Obama quite enjoys. However, since Obama declined an invitation from the Cincinnati Reds to throw out the first pitch at the Civil Rights Game this past Saturday against his beloved Chicago White Sox, as well as requests by the White Sox and the Nationals to toss the ball for their season openers, my guess is that the media attention surrounding the All Star Game was simply too irresistible." more at American Thinker.

Biking a Lot

I found the parts for the bike rack that had been lost when Servpro packed up the garage. It is a great way to get the boys out and about.
###

"Obamacare Sucks! Expose on Canadian Health Care" Steven Crowder

It is 20 minutes long, but worth the time. Real-life stories of how it is impossible for the poor and middle class Canadians to get decent health care under their single-payer system. And how their taxes are through the roof to pay for the awful care they have. It costs $900 to even walk through the door of a private clinic, after being turned away by the public clinic. If you believe Obama's health care plan will help this country, this is a MUST SEE. If you don't believe that Obamacare will help, this video will give you some more arguments to make against those who do.
Hat tip to Nearly Nobody's News.

Look, Ma, No Training Wheels!

I love days like these. My boy is aglow with pride in his accomplishment. I was able to grab my Blackberry for a quick video. Watch and enjoy.
A poem written by an 11-y-o girl with special needs captures the right feeling.

Learning to Ride — A Poem About Bike Riding
By Jessica

Unconquerable, undefeated, and proud
The wheels turning,
People whizzing past my face,
I wanted to learn
I wanted to ride
But I just couldn’t

My pink bike with “balance wheels”
People laughing,
As I felt hurt down deep within

I tried and tried but fell
It was frustrating
But I got back up again and tried again and again

Finally, the pink bike — the “balance wheels” gone forever
I felt like a mighty king at the top of a mountain,
Who was now unconquerable, undefeated, and proud.

Sunday Funny and a quote

Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.--Ronald Reagan

Hat tip Reaganite Republican Resistance.

My Son, I'm Sorry

Tim on Resist Net wrote this letter to his son after the second stimulus cleared the Senate:

Dear Son,
I woke this afternoon to the news that the Senate had passed this so called Stimulus.
I wrote letters, I sent e-mails, I made phone calls. Still I let you down, I am sorry.
For the decades of debt that has been put on your generation, I am sorry.
I know my generation has failed to maintain a watchful eye, I am sorry.
For allowing Government to get out of control, I am sorry.
For failing to secure your freedom and Liberty, I am sorry.
I have studied our Founding Fathers, and the Founding Documents. I will continue to learn and fight to return this Country to the Constitution on which it was founded. I promise you, I will do all in my power to stop this insanity before we hand the reigns to your generation. Please give me another chance. I Love You, Dad

This letter sums up the feelings of political helplessness that have plagued me these past months. The checks and balances written into our constitution are not working. I fear for us all. Please register and vote conservative in 2010 and bring balance back into government.

Cramer says US Gov't Depressing Financial Markets

Eyeblast.Tv ,Video Done Right

Posted using ShareThis
http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=Gd4z8zeuaG
"The government seems to propose a tax a day to keep the profits away. The government seems to make us all feel like we should be investing in another country. Hey, you know what I want to be investing in (hits Chinese gong). It makes me think we could rally as much as 500 points if everybody in Washington just goes to the beach....if the news media would just black out the Bolshevik Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, it could be worth a couple of hundred points in the Dow, too. Come on, Madame Speaker, do it for the good of your country!" says Cramer, a popular American financial guru.

I hate to go all "conspiracy theory", but I sometimes wonder if the collapse of financial markets is not the plan. From chaos can emerge a New World Order. Cramer better watch it. I heard the last time he got real on his program he got called to the carpet by MSNBC higher-ups.

Sarah Palin--Wronged by the Media

"The reason Palin scares lilly-livered Liberals so much is that they just shot their wad and they are going down in flames. Their big HOPE was Obama, and he is proving himself to be as bad if not worse than everybody's worst fears.

Now folks look at Palin with longing and regret. We long for her down-home common sense approach, and we regret that the MSM and Saturday Night Live were allowed to paint her as a caricature. Not enough people spoke out against those lies, and they were in people's mind on election day. Some folks never got the memo....[and they] still attribute the statements of Tina Fey to Sarah Palin. Sadly, [they are] not alone. There are altogether too many people who believe the lies.

The frustrating part for them, though, is that Obama is failing SO BADLY, that the lies about Palin almost don't matter anymore. None of them are worse than what Obama is DOING to this country every day." I quote myself from a comment left on another blog.

Barack Obama Update

"For those of us who were fully aware of what the screaming Ogasm would do in office, this is exactly what we expected. We had no delusions about him being a socialist and anti-American. Realizing this inexperienced "community organizer" was going to win the Presidency, this was the prediction. He will overreach. He will nationalize major sectors of the economy. He will spend uncontrollably. He will TAX everyone. He will embrace the enemy. He will not save or create millions of jobs. He will not improve the economy. He will not improve people's lives. He will not change how DC operates. He will not be more transparent. He will not do what he said. He will execute the democrats plan to socialize this country and redistribute its wealth. He will take us from a society of abundance to one of scarcity.

Now those who voted for him know these things. Now they're experiencing them first-hand. And, they're not liking it. Now maybe they'll understand that they too would have known this if the MSM had bothered to even crack the hood on this guy. Plain as day. He's not an enigma. He's not a blank screen. They just determined it was NOT important enough to dig into. Well...now we know that the MSM is not unbiased and lacks the veracity to do what our founders intended of the press. Be forthright, objective and a TRUTH seeker for the PEOPLE.

World of hurt's coming now. With numbers tanking everything has to be rammed through and fast. The Democrats aren't listening to the PEOPLE. The MSM aren't informing the PEOPLE about the reality about to be thrust upon them.

Saying "I told you so" to those who voted for this man just rings hollow. Is this the hope they envisioned? Is this the change they sought? VERY PROUD not to be one of them.

GLOD"
timajin

I saw this comment on Gateway Pundit and I couldn't resist.

Who is looking out for Malia Obama?

This is not OK. Malia Obama is 11 years old. How DARE her parents use her body as a canvas to express THEIR political will! Most political parents try hard to keep their kids under the radar. They don't RENT SPACE on them like a BILLBOARD. Don't tell me that this is Malia's idea. An 11 year old girl shops under supervision. She could never wear something like this without the full support of her parents. And isn't it ODD that she wears this symbol of nuclear disarmament immediately after Obama reaches an agreement with Russia limiting the number of nuclear weapons? Not odd. WRONG.

Here is my message to the Obamas:
Your daughters are already thrust into the spotlight. Your best tactic, to help them grow up as normally as possible while living in a fishbowl, is to help them keep a LOW PROFILE. Besides, urging or encouraging them to make political statements as minors is inappropriate. Frankly it strikes me as a parental political expression, and not one of the child. What are you trying to accomplish? If you want to wear a peace sign, wear it YOURSELF. Because if you push your LITTLE kids into the harsh, glaring spotlight even more than they already are by circumstance, there may be SERIOUS consequences for them. Turn your kid into a celebrity at their peril. How do child stars usually fare in our society? Not well.

I love SNARKY posts!

Especially the weekly snarky column by Euripides.

On to real news. If a US Senate bill becomes law, Americans who refuse health care coverage may be fined $1000. (AP) Anyone who thought they could escape nationalized health care, will find themselves basically paying a penalty tax, estimated to raise $36 billion in revenue. This won't, of course, hit poor people who will be on the government dole of health care. This will hit the average small business owner - the ones who cannot afford government-meddled health care at the present. Add this to the energy cap and trade and we have some serious taxing going on here folks.
HELP!
National health care is the hot topic of choice for both the president and Congress. Now that they've destroyed US foreign policy, destabilized the Mideast, kicked up the national debt to three times the Bush years, overextended US credit to the breaking point while selling off US interests wholesale to the Chinese, and have set up the largest tax increase in US history, now that they've done all that, they're ready and willing to take on health care. Here's the latest idea:

"According to Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, their legislation would extend health insurance coverage to 21 million uninsured people over 10 years at a net cost of $611.4 billion." (TheHill.com)

First off, whose brilliant idea was it to name that Senate committee HELP? Is that some sort of congressional code word for extortion? But let me see if I get these numbers right. At a mere cost of $611.4 billion, the federal government can extend health care to about six percent of the population of the US? Be still my palpitating heart.

There are two things I do know with all this talk of health care reform. I know I will not benefit from it and I know I will be paying for it. How do I know this? Because along with teaching I own a small business. In all this high-falutin government talk, the small business owner is always the one to get the short stick. Then again, who cares about small business? We only represent about 54% of the work force in the US. Hardly a drop in the bucket.

My thoughts exactly!

I really DO recommend dropping by Euripides' blog to read the rest of his Snarky Files post. Other topics touched on include Michael Jackson media coverage, marriage law in Maine, Microsoft, Defense of Marriage Act, Palin politics, Al "Bore", and a "Third" stimulus. In fact, skip the middle wo(man) and click the Follow button while you are there, if you haven't already.

Psssst! Here is another old SNARKY post I highly recommend. That is, if you love river rafting adventures and, er, clothing-malfunctions.

Wordless Wednesday

More @ http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/
###

News Busted 7/7/09

Tuesday Tunes--The Girl From Ipanema

I remember listening to this song as a child on my parent's record player. Even at that young age, I could relate to the longing captured in this song. It came to mind again recently. My sons study Brazilian Jujitsu. They just got a new teacher in from Brazil, and he brought his beautiful young wife with him. I talked with her the other day, and she struck me as the perfect Girl From Ipanema. Here is the version of the song that I listened to so long ago.

And here is a sweet instrumental version.

Foreign Press Covers Tea Party Protests

It is a sad day when Americans have to look overseas for accurate reporting of what is happening on America soil. Here is a news story of the Washington, D.C. Tea Party on July 4th.
Hat tip to Conservative Scalawag.

What a liberal said about the Tea Parties

"Let us find out what a liberal thinks about such things, shall we?

I guess people in this country really are pathetic enough to protest on a day where all Americans should have been coming together to celebrate our independence. Specifically, South Carolina takes the cake.

No sense of history and grossly self-loathing about his countrymen. No surprise on either point. The unwashed masses can never do anything to suit the self-appointed leftist, ruling class elite.

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint of S.C. attended a "tea party" that was more of an insult to our president and the country itself than a show of appreciation and thoughtfulness . He spoke in front of more than 800 people at Cannon Park in downtown Charleston. He ran down the president's attempt to save a economy that was merely destroyed by the party he aligns with."

No facts are offered to support the claim the republicans destroyed the economy. there is a shocker. how about a discussion on Democrat culpability in the mortgage crisis? Or that Barney Frank did not learn a darn thing and wants repeat the same policies?
Barack Obama is trying to save the economy? That one boggles the mind. Obama has tripled the national debt since taking office. The amount of debt is so staggering, we are on the verge of losing our AAA credit rating. The superb rating survived the Great Depression, but may not survive Obama's economic illiteracy." more by Jaime Jeffords at the Eye of Polyphemus.

It's a little late, Colin

So Colin Powell now wants to say that government should be kept as small as possible. And that we can't pay for all the programs we might want. Really. Where were you on November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd! Chasing after Obama's Hope and Change, as I recall. I am glad to hear this message now, but there is a sour aftertaste. Our country is being attacked from within by socialist/communists that YOU helped to put there. Thanks. NOT.

Nobody can say with a straight face that "we didn't know" what Obama was all about. I published this post on my blog on October 29, 2008. It is titled:

MEMORIES OF MARXIST PROFESSORS

Barack Obama shrugs off charges of socialism, but noted in his own memoir that he carefully chose Marxist professors as friends in college.

-Fox News

This sure brings me back to the old days. All these years since I attended UCLA, whenever anybody mentioned Liberal Professors, I nodded knowingly. I, too, had Marxist professors in college.

It was just before I graduated that I found myself taking an elective class in Sociology at UCLA in 1987. I didn't know what to expect. I mean, what exactly *is* Sociology? OK, so I'd go in with an open mind. When I was presented with a TON of Marxist material, I was taken aback. HUH? What is going on here? Did we not win the Cold War? Yikes! Did I complete the class? Yes. Did I complain, raise my hand, or otherwise try to argue with the professors? No. I knew I had stumbled into a bastion of American Marxism, and I walked quickly in the other direction. America has freedom of thought and freedom of speech, so they had a right to their opinions. But I didn't need to be a part of it.

My father explained communism to me when I was very young. I remember his explanation. He told me communism is where you own a cow. And the government comes and takes it away. Definitely not the American way, I thought. I have thanked my lucky stars every day of my life that I was born in America. When we own a cow, we get to keep it. I love this country. I love our freedoms. I love the American Dream, where anybody can come from anywhere and through hard work and perseverance they can make a good life for themselves. My parents and grandparents did it. My husband's father came to America as a teenager, fresh from wartime Shanghai, after having escaped the holocaust. While his teenage older brother worked and put food on the table, he went to school and became an electrical engineer. No parents to help them. Nobody but themselves. He met a nice lady, married and had 5 children who all grew up to marry and are raising families successfully. No welfare.

I remember when my friend from college, N, told me that her buddy from Harvard Law School, Barack Obama, was running for President of the United States in the Democrat Primary. Would I like to volunteer? Or donate money? Or attend a fundraiser? I told her I was a Republican. Also, I felt I didn't know much about Barack Obama. I would be careful to listen and learn more. I mean, you never know.

And now I hear he was the type of person in college who *sought out* Marxist professors? Sorry. But that is the exact opposite of me. But wasn't that a long time ago, you ask. Yes. But look at what Barack Obama's views are right now, Today. He wants to "spread the wealth". Those are his words. When he was asked in greater detail if he would still go ahead with that tax plan if increasing taxes of small business hurt the economy such that there would be LESS wealth to "spread around", would he still go through with it? He said yes, in the interest of "fairness". So it is not about enriching the poor at all. It is about punishing the achievers in society. This is the opposite of the America I was raised to love.

I hope you will look very closely at the candidate you wish to vote for. I know we need a change from these last 8 years. But this kind of change takes away from our children. It gives them a country with less hope, not more.

Anxiously Awaiting Fireworks

Here are 4 of my boys as we wait for the local fireworks show to start.
###