A thing of beauty is a JOY for ever !
~J. Keats, h/t M. Poppins
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Open Letter from African-American Clergy Regarding Marriage
"Dear President Obama,
"...Although you have voiced support for marriage as defined as a union between one man and one woman, we are concerned that that your campaign promise to changing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) will work at cross purposes with your pro-marriage stance.
"We believe that the central domestic problem we face is the disintegration of marriage. One of the organizations we support called Marriage Savers points out that the marriage crisis is comprised of four elements:
1. A lowering of the marriage rate
• The marriage rate has plunged 50% since 1970
2. An increase in divorce
• Half of all new marriages end in divorce
3. A rise in heterosexual cohabitation
• The number of unmarried couples living together has soared 12-fold since 1960
4. A multiplication of unwed births
• Out-of wedlock births jumped from 5.3% to 39.6% from 1960-2007
"These statistics show the fragile nature of the institution of marriage today. Changing the definition of marriage will have many unintended consequences, which will hurt generations to come. If one redefines marriage, then the family is redefined. If the family is redefined then the nature of parenting must also be redefined.
"We are concerned that an attempt to recognize and adjust to one group's sense of alienation may actually confuse future generations of children about their sexuality and blur lines of responsibility in our families. The very definitions of motherhood and fatherhood may be unnecessarily challenged in years to come.
"Same-sex marriage is not a civil right. The laws enacted by Congress during a century of struggle for equal rights for African Americans were intended to eliminate discrimination on the basis of race, not on the basis of an individual's sexual preferences or personal behavior.
"Advocates of same-sex marriage want people to think that it can peacefully coexist alongside traditional marriage. But it will create a conflict between people of faith who fervently believe in traditional marriage and the law, which says marriage includes those of the same-sex variety. Those conflicts will always be resolved in favor of same-sex marriage because there can be no 'conscientious objectors' to the law.
"Mr. President, you say you desire to unify the nation and to change the politics-as-usual status of Washington. We want to believe this statement. As we have looked at both your policies and recent public affirmations, each of us has asked ourselves one question, 'Is there room enough for people like us in President Obama's America?'
Many of the people we speak for felt that your disparaging statements during the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot were directed at them. Some of the people with 'worn out arguments and old attitudes' are not bigots or homophobes; they are our cultural elders, who are rightfully saying, 'Don't tear down a fence until you understand why it's there.' Recent studies show that there is a resurgence of hope about marriage among the young people of this generation. Mr. President, let's keep hope alive..."
Besides being signed by Bishop Harry Jackson, of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, MD, the letter was also signed by Niger Innis of the Congress on Racial Equality, Dr. William Owens, Sr. of Concerned African-American Pastors, Bishop Dale Bronner of Word of Faith Family Worship Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Pastor Terry Millender of Victorious Life Church in Alexandria, Virginia.
Letter is posted at thetruthinblackandwhite.com
Besides being signed by Bishop Harry Jackson, of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, MD, the letter was also signed by Niger Innis of the Congress on Racial Equality, Dr. William Owens, Sr. of Concerned African-American Pastors, Bishop Dale Bronner of Word of Faith Family Worship Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Pastor Terry Millender of Victorious Life Church in Alexandria, Virginia.
Letter is posted at thetruthinblackandwhite.com
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Caldwell Esselstyn, MD -- "No More Heart Attacks -- Ever"
This talk explains why my husband and I became vegans.
It is given by a former Cleveland Clinic Surgeon, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn. My husband's current cardiologist at the University of Illinois confirms that the research is rather solid that a vegan diet is unusually effective in cardiac treatment, but feels that most people can't handle the lifestyle change.
The food, however, is much better than I expected. But on my birthday this month (I'm 45) I had salmon sashimi. Yum!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Jesus Bartley
The NY wuss patrol, otherwise known as the wsj Editorial Board, flicked Sarah Palin Friday for "inelegant" language regarding Obama's end of life bureaucratic decision makers. His "death panel" was of course her phrase. What a pathetic and repulsive way for the legacy of the great Robert Bartley, with his nervy hybrid headlines, see above for my amateur attempt, to spin out.David Warrin, of Ottawa (Ahhhh... recall the Canadian offensive of yesteryear?), writing for Real Clear politics, had a more clear-eyed take on Palin's decision to drop the niceties:
Candour is when you tell a truth that is disturbing,
in language so unambiguous that persons in polite company will not want to hear you.
It is a way to lose the respect of the genteel -- of those who are "respectable" in the shallowest sense.
Rude language is quite unnecessary to this end: the hard truth itself, spoken plainly and publicly, will give sufficient offense.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Former boyfriend and his sister try to out themselves as Bloggers' Source?
Bristol Palin's big mistake and his sister are desperately trying to grab the spotlight once more. They are grabbing older people as dates and contacting tabloids to get the message out: Todd and Sarah Palin, in their lame opinion, have a terribly troubled marriage, are about to divorce, or something similar.
And frankly, who else is more likely, in the Palins "inner circle" (ha ha), to be the "source" for those catty Alaskan Bloggers?
I think the Johnsons are trying to make the point --which may become the crucial legal issue in an upcoming libel case--that they really do believe this splitsville stuff. Nice try. I'd like to see them deposed by Mrs. Palin's lawyer.
See The Other McCain for more on the Alaskan blogger who has been peddling lies as truth.
And frankly, who else is more likely, in the Palins "inner circle" (ha ha), to be the "source" for those catty Alaskan Bloggers?
I think the Johnsons are trying to make the point --which may become the crucial legal issue in an upcoming libel case--that they really do believe this splitsville stuff. Nice try. I'd like to see them deposed by Mrs. Palin's lawyer.
See The Other McCain for more on the Alaskan blogger who has been peddling lies as truth.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Camera refocuses after timer set.
Couple vacationing in Banf, says,'We had our camera set up on some rocks and were getting ready when this curious little ground squirrel appeared, became intrigued with the sound of the focusing camera and popped right into our shot. It was a once in a lifetime moment - we were laughing about this little guy for days!'
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
It's the Palin Dems that are Enraged.
The type of person who used to be a Reagan Democrat, now mid-morph to Palin Democrat (no, not even a PUMA of '08), that's the guy, or gal, who is outraged at the Town Hall meetings.
While this is a guess on my part, have you noticed that every time someone mentions their party affiliation it's a Dem? And besides--who else would get this enraged?
Conservatives were engaged last fall, and angry then, but have certainly not been taken by surprise by it all. No, a lot of this is the hot patriotism of those freshly convinced of a mortal threat to our nation.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Getting Mad is Supremely American.
Getting mad is supremely American. But brilliant, comedic right-winger Florence King once argued that our psychiatric culture was changing the game. National Review used to get Florence King to write their back page article, and in 1991 she wrote about American's discomfort with getting good and mad.
We dread tempers for three reasons. The first has to do with the primacy of psychiatry in our national life, and the insidious potential danger it poses to us all. In a story about the reaction of the people of Utah to Senator Orrin Hatch's part in the Thomas-Hill hearings, Washington Times reporter Valerie Richardson quotes an anti-Hatch letter sent to the State Democratic Party by an Anita Hill partisan: "As Mr. Hatch's temper flared, his eyes glared, and his voice rose, he himself demonstrated he was the one mentally and emotionally disturbed."
There you have it. Don't get mad because "out of control" has joined the long list of American euphemisms. It means crazy, and if enough armchair psychiatrists pin the rose on you, people will believe it. The blood libel is out and the Rorschach libel is in.
The second reason is more fun than a barrel. Losing one's temper is undemocratic — really, it is. Think of sword fights and dueling oaks, think of the Southern hothead known as the "beau sabreur," think of the Southern belle. These people are not peasants because peasants don't have the kind of nostrils that "flare," nor do they carry the riding crops and walking sticks that help get things started.
Getting mad, really mad, is aristocratic, which is elitist, which is verboten. The American object of your un-American explosion will become what is now known as "shaken," because getting mad, really mad, is like using "whom" in an offhand remark in the supermarket. When egalitarian American eyes are not smiling they are flashing inchoate and inarticulate alarm like heat lightning. A nostril-flaring explosion probably wouldn't help a victim of sexual harassment in today's political climate. A Southern-belle tantrum, properly thrown, used to bring a man to his knees, but it was class, not gender, that did the trick. Today, class is more of a damsel in distress than women ever were.
The third reason Americans dread loss of temper is simple. Hey, the country's on the brink of a civil war, and we're trying to delay it as long as possible. The Day the Niceness Stopped is fast approaching, but look on the bright side: At last I shall have been avant garde.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Ginni Thomas speaks warmly of real america
Ashby Jones at the WSJ asks a good question: "Would there be a better reality show — at least for law geeks and the Good Sam Club set — than to follow Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni as they travel the country during the summer in their 40-foot RV?" 
Ginni Thomas:
Ginni Thomas:
"We have been in dozens of Wal-Mart parking lots throughout the country, actually it’s one of our favorite things to do if we’re not having to plug in and we’ve got enough electricity and all that. But you can get a little shopping in, see part of real America. It’s fun!"
Friday, August 7, 2009
Video on Carnahan Townhall (prior to Gladney attack)
More of Sharp Elbows video can be found at his blog.
Video shows size of line an hour before Townhall start.
This video shows Union members being granted entry while health care are barred.
Irate protesters break into God Bless America.
Video shows size of line an hour before Townhall start.
This video shows Union members being granted entry while health care are barred.
Irate protesters break into God Bless America.
The New Tolerance
America will have a stark choice in the 2010 and 2012 elections. Reward those who treat their political opponents with respect, or side with heavy-handed bullies who treat their opponents like enemies. On the right, Governor Palin speaks with Alaskans protesting her actions. On the left, Jim Messina, Deputy Chief of Staff to Rahm Emanuel. He is the White House Representative who told Democratic Senators at a closed-doors meeting on Health Care Communications Strategy, "If you get hit, we'll punch back twice as hard." Though he may have been referring to competing political ads, the White House attitude toward opponents comes though loud and clear.John Sweeney calling on union members to show up at town meetings shows the Dems willingness to intimidate rather than persuade. And surely persuasion doesn't come easily to a President who likes to let others work out the details of his proposals. All the better if evasion is your main message.
Kenneth Gladney attacked
More of Sharp Elbows Video can be found at his blog.
This video shows that one of Kenneth Gladney's attackers was a tall, stocky dark-haired man in a deep blue t-shirt (an SEIU shirt which read "HEALTHCARE '09") who pushed him down and either stomped him or tripped over him.
At the very start of the video, a man is on the ground in a blue shirt and tan pants. Another man steps across him in what looks to me like a protective maneuver since his attention is up and away from the prostrated man.
Notice that in the shadows on the right, Gladney is in a khaki t-shirt, squatting in a defensive position with his back to the camera. There seem to be some blows. Then the tall man in the deep blue t-shirt comes from the far right, from behind Gladney, yanks Gladney back and shoves him to the ground. The attacker then stumbles to the ground himself. All this happens in the first 10 seconds of video.
It's good to see these townmeeting participants are actively being good citizens, by protecting those two or three men who are being attacked. One woman who shows good sense is wearing glasses and an open white blouse. She seems to get between the man in the deep blue t-shirt, after his stumble, and Gladney.
This video shows that one of Kenneth Gladney's attackers was a tall, stocky dark-haired man in a deep blue t-shirt (an SEIU shirt which read "HEALTHCARE '09") who pushed him down and either stomped him or tripped over him.
At the very start of the video, a man is on the ground in a blue shirt and tan pants. Another man steps across him in what looks to me like a protective maneuver since his attention is up and away from the prostrated man.
Notice that in the shadows on the right, Gladney is in a khaki t-shirt, squatting in a defensive position with his back to the camera. There seem to be some blows. Then the tall man in the deep blue t-shirt comes from the far right, from behind Gladney, yanks Gladney back and shoves him to the ground. The attacker then stumbles to the ground himself. All this happens in the first 10 seconds of video.
It's good to see these townmeeting participants are actively being good citizens, by protecting those two or three men who are being attacked. One woman who shows good sense is wearing glasses and an open white blouse. She seems to get between the man in the deep blue t-shirt, after his stumble, and Gladney.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
South Carolina Tour Group visits Wasilla, AK
When Chip Sloan stepped out of a tour bus last week in the middle of Alaska, he was happy to take a photo of the “Welcome to Wasilla” sign entering Sarah Palin's hometown....As Sloan was pointing his camera at the large welcome sign amid a light late-afternoon rain, a black Volkswagen pulled to the side of the road just a few yards behind him. A ponytailed Palin, wearing a jogging outfit and a headband, stepped out of the car.
“I thought, ‘That looks like Sarah Palin, but it can't be,'” Sloan said...
Riehl Gives Progressive Blogger a Taste of his own Medicine
Dan Riehl discusses the story of the crude blogger who started the lies about Trig on the Eddie Burke Radio show. (posted on C4P) (See Riehl World View Blog for the whole story.) Riehl blogs:The rumor mongering the Left engages in to score political points has come back to bite Griffin on a portion of his anatomy he sometimes reserves for explicit sexual commentary on his political blog. I wonder how he's feeling about that concept just now. Via an email from Eddie Burke of Alaska's KBYR, Griffin has threatened Eddie with a lawsuit soon after a broadcast in which I took part (listen to that complete segment here via YouTube).
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Stacy McCain's American Spectator Column about old-school sourcing for grown up journalism. (I really just wanted to post a picture of one of Sarah Palin's Southern Supporters. Although he may actually be more of a Mitt fan, he's taking on one of the Alaskan Mafia members.) See his blog, The Other McCain, for the story behind the blogger who 1st started the conspiracy about Trig's mom. See also Reihl World View for more details.
By the way my husband, who's a lawyer, thinks Palin clearly has a strong libel case.
The Schumer Bank Panic Revisited
We might start calling the original crisis of last July the Schumer Bank Panic. See Jerry Boyer's Article from last summer on how Chuck Schumer sent a threatening public email to a California bank which also received a threatening letter--on the same week-- from an ACORN related group, theirs regarding the bank's supposed heartlessness toward minority home buyers.
Because the Schumer letter was public, there was a run on the bank, starting the panic that led to a series of national troubles some of us hope we can emerge from someday.
However, we can't blame Senator Schumer for the bi-partisan underlying causes, although come to think of it, he was guilty there too.
This deeper cause might be best understood as neo-consumerism.
What is that? The right to a house, the right to health care, the right to a college education are monsters morphing into bubbles and subsequent crashes, a sense of entitlement that knows nothing of hard work and living within your means. We need to return to the stability of the old-school virtues.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
An old friend was nice enough to visit. He's been blogging since many of you were in Nursery School!
Matthew's blogDid you know that in Alaska it's customary to remove your shoes at the front door? I bet this is true in both European descent and tribal descent homes.
The images above contain some conflicting information, and I believe that the photo shoot itself may have caused the inconsistencies. I bet the master of the photo shoot requested Sarah to put on her famous calf high boots.
Obama's Alaskan Mafia Problem
This "EthicsGate" video, made by Naked Emperor News, and which had previously been stripped from YouTube, shows goofy but actual coordination between bloggers, State Dems, Obama Dems and Ethics Complaint Filers as rough payback for the progressive "crime" of being a Republican on the campaign trail. Since they went public with their complaints, and knew it was against the law to do so, they were conspiring to commit a crime.
Listen to Linda Kellen Biegel and "CC" on AK talk radio They take (obviously arranged) calls from supposedly independent ethics complainers: Val Henning, Kim Chatman, and Sondra Tompkins.
Also, listen for an official Obama Campaign Conference Call where Tony Knowles lies about rape kits. He should be ashamed of himself. And he didn't even get a job!
Video from Naked Emperor News
Hat/tip Atlas Shrugs
Listen to Linda Kellen Biegel and "CC" on AK talk radio They take (obviously arranged) calls from supposedly independent ethics complainers: Val Henning, Kim Chatman, and Sondra Tompkins.
Also, listen for an official Obama Campaign Conference Call where Tony Knowles lies about rape kits. He should be ashamed of himself. And he didn't even get a job!
Video from Naked Emperor News
Hat/tip Atlas Shrugs
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Con Artist
Obama's response to the outrage of his spending, that he can't be expected to have paid off Bush's deficit in this short a time(!), showed a con artist at work. But I think he's overplaying his hand. However, when people wake up from a con they often feel too humiliated to seek justice. I wonder if that accounts for a bit of the SP derangement of late.
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