The Truth in Georgia

No, not the state.

I've been watching the situation in Georgia with concern. Even though I'm not old enough to remember the "bad ol' days" of the Soviet Empire, the fall of the Empire in 1989 somehow had a profound and memorable impact on me.

Now, under Putin (as if he really stepped down) and the former KGB, Russia is stretching its muscles once again.

Some people have said that Georgia provoked Russia but that is NOT the case. Georgian troops entered THEIR OWN territory (yes, it is still Georgian territory even while it is disputed by the Southern Ossetians) after being fired upon the day before by Russian sympathizers (militia) in South Ossetia.

Georgia didn't start it on August 7, nor on any other date. The South Ossetian militia started it on August 6 when its fighters fired on Georgian peacekeepers and Georgian villages with weapons banned by the agreement hammered out between the two sides in 1994. At the same time, the Russian military sent its invasion force bearing down on Georgia from the north side of the Caucasus Mountains on the Russian side of the border through the Roki tunnel and into Georgia. This happened before Saakashvili sent additional troops to South Ossetia and allegedly started the war.

I am 25% Ukrainian by birth and would love to know more about that side of my genealogy. The Ukraine is watching the Russian conflict with fear and trepidation.

“On the evening of the 7th, the Ossetians launch an all-out barrage focused on Georgian villages, not on Georgian positions. Remember, these Georgian villages inside South Ossetia – the Georgians have mostly evacuated those villages, and three of them are completely pulverized. That evening, the 7th, the president gets information that a large Russian column is on the move. Later that evening, somebody sees those vehicles emerging from the Roki tunnel [into Georgia from Russia]. Then a little bit later, somebody else sees them. That's three confirmations. It was time to act.

“What they had in the area was peacekeeping stuff, not stuff for fighting a war. They had to stop that column, and they had to stop it for two reasons. It's a pretty steep valley. If they could stop the Russians there, they would be stuck in the tunnel and they couldn't send the rest of their army through. So they did two things. The first thing they did, and it happened at roughly the same time, they tried to get through [South Ossetian capital] Tskhinvali, and that's when everybody says Saakashvili started the war. It wasn't about taking Ossetia back, it was about fighting their way through that town to get onto that road to slow the Russian advance. The second thing they did, they dropped a team of paratroopers to destroy a bridge. They got wiped out, but first they managed to destroy the bridge and about 15 Russian vehicles.

The peacekeepers had a military objective, and the first rule of warfare when you're talking to the media is not to reveal to your enemy what you're going to do. So they weren't going to blather into a microphone and say well, actually, I'm trying to go through Tskhinvali in order to stop the Russians. So what did he say instead? I'm here to restore constitutional order in South Ossetia. And that's it. With that, Georgia lost the propaganda war and the world believes Saakashvili started it. And the rest of the story...you know.”

Let us not forget the cruelty and brutality of Soviet inspired actions...

Many Western camera crews were robbed at gunpoint ten meters from Russian tanks while Russian commanders just stood there smoking their cigarettes while the irregulars...that happened to a Turkish TV crew. They're lucky to still be alive. Some of the Georgians were picked up by the irregulars. If they happened to be female, they got raped. If they happened to be male, they got shot immediately, sometimes tortured. Injured people we have in hospitals who managed to get out have had arms chopped off, eyes gouged out, and their tongues ripped out.

Michael Totten deserves our support and that includes monetary donations. He does not work for any mainstream news outlet. He works for himself and his readers and is solely supported by reader donations. He does AMAZING work.

Free Speech Matters

I've been trying *really* hard to not blog politics here...maybe I need another blog just to spout off. But one thing that has been driving me batty is the issue in Canada with the so called "Human Rights Commission". They are scary. Seriously Stalinist scary. And the U.S. has seeping thought police commissions too. If we aren't careful we may go the way of Canada. It's frightening.

"Yes, in Canada you may not speak the truth about free speech to its official enemies. In Canada, the reason why we must defend even the most vile speech and writing becomes clear: because suppression of it eventually leads to the inability to criticize government.

You know you’ve lost your freedom when you cannot call a censor a censor." Five Feet of Fury

You may disagree with me politically and that's okay (nobody's perfect *grin*) but if the PC police are allowed to censor thought and speech then we are all at risk.

I had heard about this Canadian Human Rights Commission via Instapundit but this escalated urgency comes via Rachel Lucas' blog where she posted about Five Feet of Fury being sued for defamation.

Edited to Add:

It 'ain't just the government apparently. This is a scary case of a blogger with an Autistic child being subpoenaed even though she has no connection with the case at all. All because she expressed doubt about the effects of vaccines on the cause of Autism. I hope she isn't stuck with a bunch of legal bills for expressing her views! It is too scary.

Yeah, What She Said!

Oh HELL YES!

My family had not one dang thing to do with slavery, so far as I can trace my family back at least three generations on one side and two generations on the other.

My maternal grandfather's side was hella poor and has at least two Indian women mixed in...not exactly "proper" during those times.

My maternal grandmother's side was also poor and emigrated (is that the right word?) from South Dakota before WWII, after the Depression. I've seen some amazing pictures from way back when.



On my father's side I know much less except that his grandparents weren't even from this country! They immigrated (that IS the right word) from the Ukraine ... probably before WWII but I don't know exactly when. These were my paternal grandmother's parents. I know nothing about my paternal grandfather so I suppose he could be related to some slave holder. But for Pete sake...as if that has anything to do with who I am!

So I say hell yes to Rachel Lucas' reaction to the slick car salesman known as Obama. She says it so much better than I can.

Volcano

Living in the Pacific Northwest is wonderful. Born and raised, I'm used to the weird weather, the rain, the clouds, the sun, the hail...that's sometimes all in one day. We don't get a lot of earthquakes, but when we do they are noticeable. Every once in a rare while we'll even get a tornado.

What really sets us apart though is the Cascade range which divides our state in half (East and West). Active volcanoes run up and down this range - Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker. They are all active volcanoes. While sleepy, they sometimes wake up.


In 1980 Mt. St Helens woke up with a fury. My mom was in Onalaska, a sleepy little town a couple hours south of Seattle, with me at her parents (my grandparents). She was also very pregnant with my little brother. She was leaving my father's mom's house and driving back to her parent's house when she noticed people standing outside their houses and staring up at the sky. She just about freaked out when she looked behind her and saw this...

Remember, this was still the time of the Cold War, and that does look an awful lot like a mushroom cloud. She seriously thought it might be a nuke. Her car radio was out - just static - so she was freaked until she got to her parent's house and found out it was the mountain.

Early in the morning on May 18, 1980, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded. The earthquake shook the mountain and the great force of the shaking led to an instant escape of very hot ground water and pressure. As the hot water escaped it melted the snow and ice and blew off most of the north face of the summit! The massive explosion and force of all the pent up gases and pressure gave way to one of the largest recorded landslides in U.S. history. The exploding steam that came out of the mountain added water to the avalanche which increased it's speed. As it traveled down the mountain, it took out entire trees and pretty much anything esle in its path. It had the consistency of wet concrete because of all of the debris it picked up, making this landslide very destructive. It filled the valley below with it's thick "concrete" mesh of ash, water and other pyroclastic debris. The avalanche caused a terrible and devastating flood and even clogged up the Columbia river making navigation almost impossible to boats and ships. U of O

I was two years old. I don't remember specifics, but I do remember it being very dark when it shouldn't have been. And I remember having nightmares about lava flowing and me floating on it. Come on, I was only two.

Prior to the eruption, St. Helens had been a beautiful towering mountain (see the first photo above). Afterward it was a desolate and wasted landscape. Everything was just gone.



We went camping and horseback riding on the mountain a few years ago. You can still see the trees laying down like that - like toothpicks. My grandpa told me stories of some friends who got caught in the ash and had to wade through several feet of hot mud, getting severely burned, and who are lucky to be alive today. I cannot even comprehend the fear.

Slowly life does return to even the most devastated areas. Our planet is ever changing, always adapting, and incredibly resilient. I don't believe that there's too much we can do to affect that.


On trips to Onalaska today, on very clear days, we can see the beauty that remains of this volcano. My sister in law has hiked it - just last year. But it is not completely asleep. And neither are the other mountains in this chain, which could also wake up at any time.

Maybe She's Not so Bad

So, I'm pretty skeptical about Hollywood actors and actresses and their views on the world. Most seem guilty of their success and therefore badmouth anything good about America and what has led them to success.

Angelina Jolie has always impressed me as an actress. There was that one movie she was in where she was in a mental ward. It was on Lifetime a few weeks ago and I happened to run across it. She was excellent. And of course Mr and Mrs Smith. :) Love that movie ... though I admit to staring at Mr Smith a bit more. ha!

While I pretty much hate the U.N. and all its corrupt ways, she seems to have taken a strong role in being a positive image. And she definitely puts action to word.

My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis.

As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible.

It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do.

Good for her. Reality is something that many moonbats against the war seem hard pressed to discover. Agree or disagree about going in, now is not the time to pull out.

When You Pry them from My Cold Dead Hands

That's when you can have my regular light bulbs. It blows my mind that congress thinks that it is so all fired important to BAN light bulbs!!! Don't they have better things to do?

And of course, in all their haste to "save the planet" they do something that is hazardous to PEOPLE and harmful for the poor. Great job guys. *insert eye roll here*

All I know is that when I go to the grocery store I buy as many regular light bulbs as I can. I'm stocking up! The only place I'll use those hideous ugly and dangerous light bulbs is outside. I want them no where near me inside.

Funniest comment from the post...

Just the other day, I was hunting spotted-owls. As I dipped the lead bullet in a small vat mercury, I remembered that I needed to return to my Hummer and change the oil while I was above the watershed. Just let the oil run downstream is the way my father taught me. I can't for the life of me remember why I left the engine running while I was away hunting. While I was there, I buried the asbestos tiles from my remodeling project. Can anyone tell me why the National Park Service does not keep open pits for asbestos tiles? Having to dig my own pit was a real hassle. Fortunately, my bulldozer and backhoe were able to clear a path in the old growth forest so I could back my Hummer to the edge of the pit.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh and did you hear that Ethanol is now being found to be MORE damaging to the environment? HA! Take that enviro-wackos. This is what happens when politically correct "ideas" move forward without actual research and solid science.

I am so annoyed today. Sheesh. I need an attitude adjustment. Or a nap.

We Didn't Lose, We Gave Up

I wasn't alive for the Vietnam war. My mom tells me that my dad marched against it. That nugget of info brought me quite a bit of shame. I'm sure my father is looking down on me and wondering where he went wrong.

We were winning the war. The anti-war protesters were doing nothing more than they do now ... blocking streets and annoying regular citizens trying to live their lives.

And here's a shocker - the media rose the white flag for America and brought our defeat and humiliation to fruition.

"...the desperate fury of the communist attacks including on Saigon, where most reporters lived and worked, caught the press by surprise. (Not the military: It had been expecting an attack and had been on full alert since Jan. 24.) It also put many reporters in physical danger for the first time. Braestrup, a former Marine, calculated that only 40 of 354 print and TV journalists covering the war at the time had seen any real fighting. Their own panic deeply colored their reportage, suggesting that the communist assault had flung Vietnam into chaos."

"...thanks to the success of Tet, the numbers of Americans dying in Vietnam steadily declined -- from almost 15,000 in 1968 to 9,414 in 1969 and 4,221 in 1970 -- by which time the Viet Cong had ceased to exist as a viable fighting force."

I find that most reporters on main stream news stations rarely go out into battle with our soldiers. There are a few brave ones, but most are independent like Michael Yon and Michael Totten, two of my favorites.

Unfortunately, such independent reporters and the internet were not available during Vietnam. Thankfully today we have the opportunity to fight back against the negative propaganda and "if it bleeds it leads" cowardly reporting. And WIN a war that must be won. Or we could see millions more slaughtered.

"Southeast Asia entered the era of the "killing fields," exterminating in a brief few years an estimated two million people -- 30% of the Cambodian population."

Are things all roses and sunshine in Iraq and Afghanistan? Of course not. But we ARE winning. And we CAN win if we stay the course that General Petraeus has set.

Why I Don't Watch the News

I guess not all Hollywood stars are morons.

Drew Carrey appears downright brilliant in this Reason.tv video.

I am middle class. Absolutely. My husband is blue collar. I am not a high powered executive (nor would I ever want to be one). And yet I am not depressed by our life or our economic situation. Can we afford anything and everything? Of course not. But we can afford our basic necessities and a few extras.

If it bleeds, it leads. Good news doesn't sell, doesn't get votes, doesn't get attention. If everything is bad the government is here to help you.

Excuse me while I run in fear.

More Recent History

Sometimes I forget that Communism is not dead. That it has been alive, though in a weaker form, even since the Berlin wall fell. It amazes me that it was only 1989...only 19 years ago. I was 10 going on 11. I don't remember any of it and know more about the Communism of Russia than East Germany.

This is a fascinating article from Wired Magazine. It always boggles my mind that dictators, tyrants, and despots keep such organized records of their crimes.

"...23-year-old plumber named David Gill, a democracy activist barred from university because his father was a Protestant minister. He was secretly studying theology at an underground seminary in Berlin..."

To imagine living in such a state - that you could be barred from attending university because your father was a protestant minister - that you could be forced to "study underground" ... is almost beyond my comprehension.

"We had all lived under the pressure of the Stasi. We all knew they could know everything," Gill says today. "But we didn't understand what that meant until that moment. Suddenly it was palpable."

People whine and complain about the US government. They malign the current (and former) administration(s) as being akin to fascists and nazis. People who do this are morons of the highest level and have no logical or analytical molecules in their pea brains. They are the same people, those who "speak truth to power" against the government, which allows them the greatest of freedoms, who would be rounded up and jailed, tortured, and possibly executed in actual fascist states.

"A team working for the Stasi Records Office (BStU), the newly created ministry responsible for managing the mountain of paper left behind by the secret police, had begun manually puzzling together bags full of documents, scrap by scrap. The results were explosive: Here was additional proof that East Germany sheltered terrorists, ran national sports doping programs, and conducted industrial espionage across Western Europe. BStU's hand-assembly program also exposed hundreds of the Stasi's secret informants — their ranks turned out to include bishops, university professors, and West German bureaucrats."

As if there had been any doubt - at least to those with eyes open to see.

No privacy. No secrets. No power of individualism without fear of retribution.

"By preserving and reconstructing the Stasi archives, BStU staffers say they hope to keep history from repeating itself. In November, the first children born after the fall of the wall turned 18. Evidence suggests many of them have serious gaps in their knowledge of the past. In a survey of Berlin high school students, only half agreed that the GDR was a dictatorship. Two-thirds didn't know who built the Berlin Wall."

I'm fascinated by history and wish more people studied it, with an eye toward remembering and learning...and not repeating.

Women Arm Yourselves

Gun control means using both hands. Thank God this woman was armed!!!

If watching that video and hearing her 911 call doesn't convince you that you NEED to defend yourself - you need more medication than I do.

I Need to go to the Range

This is why I need to get to the gun range. I'd really like to get a conceal carry permit.

Man Thwarts Grocery Robbery

I have a bumper sticker that says "An Armed Society is a Polite Society"... a bit simplistic but there are so many examples out there where an armed citizen could have stopped the slaughter of innocents.

I don't understand people's fear of guns. But then again I learned to shoot my grandpa's rifle when I was 12. I was able to hit the center of the "O" on a Folder's coffee can from the second story deck at his house. :) Not sure I could do that now but I'd sure like to try.

State of Emergency in Western Washington

I have lived on the west side of Washington state for my entire life. Born and raised. I've seen a lot of weather my in almost 30 years. From 100+ days in the summer to flooding in the winter. We have some great photos of grandpa's river (that's what we call it - it's officially the Nisqually river) flooding up over its banks.

In 1996 I remember the freeway being closed due to flooding and 11 short years later it's happened again. Hubby had to go in at 5 a.m. today and is being assigned down to help with traffic control.

The weather has calmed down a bit but I still had my wipers on all the way to work this morning. It was coming down pretty good.

My grandfather - the ultimate cowboy - decided that he didn't want his outhouse to float away yesterday. So the stinker wades into the overflowing river up to his thighs (he is 80 freaking years old!), straps a rope/chain around the stupid thing, gets on the tractor and pulls it to dry land. Oy! I swear that man is going to give us a heartattack long before he leaves this earth.

A great photo from West Olympia - I was JUST there on Sunday!


I've seen it flood in that intersection before but never ever that badly. That is just frightening!

I hope grandpa's house is okay...he's fairly far away from the river but I know one of his neighbors lost several outbuildings and had to be rescued from their home! Although neighbor in his neck of the woods could be several miles away. I'm sure one of the main roads into town will wash out - it has before.

God bless mother nature and do not piss her off!

All Gave Some...

...Some Gave All. I love those lines and the ones that follow from a country song ...I forget the name.

No one in my family (that I know of) has given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. I know that my father's dad was in the Navy but I never knew him. My grandfather (mother's father) was an MP - stateside for all of WWII. My husband's father was in the Navy but I don't know anything about his service. And of course my hubby was in the Coast Guard for several years before joining the state patrol.

Growing up I knew next to nothing about the military - was never exposed to it and never had any reason to think about it. Life was pretty peaceful in my little world through the 80s. It's not like I watched the news.

The first "war" that affected me in any way was the first Gulf War. I was in middle school and most of the students were "anti-war." There was a walk out and I participated - but only so I could go home early. I was actually fascinated by the images on TV and watched as much as I could. Seeing the military men and the flashes of light as missiles streaked across the sky was breath taking. And "winning" as quickly as we did brought me some amount of pride - even at the age of 12. Of course I knew nothing of what was actually going on and didn't realize that we probably should have kept going.

As middle school continued I was exposed to WWII via the Holocaust. I don't recall any part of my education that focused on the military or battles fought to protect our country. The most my school did was focus on the Holocaust - and I am glad that they at least did that much. I am fascinated, horrified, and enthralled by all things WWII. I found out that my grandmother (father's side) was a working as a 'Rosie the Riveter' on air plane wings. I learned about life during the war in my maternal grandmother's life. It's amazing. We go through nothing today compared to what they sacrificed - just as civilians.

Joining the military was never even discussed as an option for my brother and me. It wasn't put down, it wasn't even brought up. Never said outright, there was always a 'last resort' type of attitude about joining. Yet every time I saw a military person in uniform I was impressed. They never seemed like losers or lower class folks. They were pressed, poised, confident. I loved it! (Not to mention how hot guys look in uniform!)

My husband definitely 'looks' like a military guy - crew cut and all. And I am so lucky to get to see him in uniform when he works. When we have kids I will make sure that they know - military service is not a 'last resort' ... it is a proud and honorable thing. Those who serve keep us safe. They stand up to dictators and fascists the world over. They sacrifice family time, personal time, and their lives so that we may be comfy and cozy in our little worlds. If my children decide to join I will be beyond proud - I will be humbled and in awe that a child of mine would make such a selfless decision.

God Bless our armed forced the world over. You are our freedom fighters and guards in this difficult and dangerous world.

I Am Not Alone

As I drove to work this morning I contemplated the annoying intrusion of "Green" into my nightly veg out routine. I enjoy plopping down on the couch and vegging out to my favorite TV shows like Chuck, Bones, House, and yes, even America's Next Top Model. I fully admit to being a total TV junkie.

And in the last few days some of my favorite shows have jumped on the Green bandwagon and started lecturing me on my harmful impact on the planet.

*insert very obvious eye roll here*

I am SO sick of being lectured to...not to mention having people try to scare me into thinking the earth is going to end soon if I don't throw away my car and walk to work. I LIKE my car. I actually even like my commute. It's me time. I can listen to the radio (or yell at it in some cases) or music or nothing and just drive in quiet.

I'm not opposed to the idea of keeping things clean and pretty. I don't like pollution. It's icky. It makes things stink and look bad. But compared to 30 years ago, my state is practically pristine. It's not perfect, of course, but it's pretty darn gorgeous here.

I recycle (most of the time) though not obsessively. I do my best to get the most miles out of my car. But not to save the planet...I don't want to have to spend a ton on gas. I would NEVER pour oil down a drain. I never litter (my own husband would write me a ticket if I did, trust me on that).

So when Sunday night football becomes so ridiculous as to lecture me to turn off my lights as they sit in a dark studio I get a little annoyed. NBC has turned their peacock logo green. It's all about sustainability and enviro-friendliness. Arg! Leave me alone! All I want to do is watch TV in peace.

And it turns out that I am not alone in my annoyance. Eco-Fatigue is starting to hit and I am SO glad! I'm sick of being told that I need to buy carbon credits and monitor my carbon footprint. What a ridiculous concept. Whoever came up with buying carbon credits is now rolling on a bed somewhere with $1,000 bills laughing at all of you who think this is a legitimate idea.

I was laughing hysterically during last night's episode of Chuck. My concern for how they were going to turn this great show into some politically correct spew was unfounded. One of the main characters is this annoying power tripping guy who was being a recycling nazi. Made recycling look real fun (insert sarcasm). And then some hippy dippy loser was trying to save the planet by planting trees, who 'Casey' properly squashed. Then it turned out the hippy dippy loser was an undercover CIA agent who shows up to save the day with a big 'ol gun! ROFL Take that enviro-wackos! I was loving it!!!

Thank you, Chuck, for not making one of my new favorite shows into some lame Al Gore wannabe appeal to save the planet.

I Got Tagged

Boooo! I am so ticked. If you don't agree with me, leave me a note. Don't vandalize my property.

I have had the same bumper sticker on my Rav4 for over four years -

"Land of the Free
Because of the Brave
Thank You Armed Forces"

And I believe that heart and soul. I rarely glance at the back of my car every day going to and fro. Hubby summoned me outside this afternoon to show me that someone had crossed out "Thank You Armed Forces" in black marker.

*Insert Angry Red Face Here*

Piss off is what I say. Now I am on a mission to find the most obnoxious, conservative, thankful bumpersticker I can find. I have one that says "An Armed Society is a Polite Society" that I find rather amusing. But I really want something to thank the troops.

If you disagree, that is just fine. Put a bumper sticker on your car to counteract mine. But don't touch mine! I would never, ever, in a gazillion years deface someone else's property just because I disagreed with them. I didn't do it during the 2004 elections and I won't ever do it. I can't say the same about liberals who think they have the right to silence an opinion different than their own.

Again I say, piss off. Oh this just makes me so mad.

The Danger of Consensus

I love this article in the New York Times (and I generally can't stand the NYT!). It shows the danger in supposed "consensus" among scientists. And I think it speaks to much more than diet.

"We like to think that people improve their judgment by putting their minds together, and sometimes they do. The studio audience at “Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire” usually votes for the right answer. But suppose, instead of the audience members voting silently in unison, they voted out loud one after another. And suppose the first person gets it wrong.

If the second person isn’t sure of the answer, he’s liable to go along with the first person’s guess. By then, even if the third person suspects another answer is right, she’s more liable to go along just because she assumes the first two together know more than she does. Thus begins an “informational cascade” as one person after
another assumes that the rest can’t all be wrong."

So if the scientists can get it so wrong on something like diet (and don't we all know people who have tried all the different diets out there?) who is to say they are getting it right on other issues.

I need to confess something ... *gulp* ... I'm one of those "green pagans" who doesn't necessarily believe that global warming is man made or that we can do much of anything to affect the earth's atmosphere. *ducks as people spit in anger at their computer screen*

I know...sacrilege!!! It goes against everything I was programmed to believe as a child...and it certainly goes against popular mantra today. But what can I say? I'm a rebel. And people who say it's been scientifically proven haven't done their own research or opened their minds to those who disagree. It's another case of 'informational cascade' as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not saying we can't affect our own local environments. I'm all for recycling and not dumping motor oil down the drains (save the poor fishies!). I don't want all the forests chopped down and I love a clean outdoors. But changing my light bulbs isn't going to prevent the earth from warming or cooling. (Check out this on CO2) The earth has been going through environmental changes since the beginning of time. We're just in another cycle. Man will adapt to his environment, whatever that may bring.

"The truth is, read any legitimate scientific study on climate -- including IPCC's -- that suggests human influence is the dominant cause for global warming, and you will discover dozens of qualifiers like "could," "possibly," "potentially," and "may." For all the certainty and consensus that global warming fear-mongers assert, those sound a lot like weasel words."

This is why the whole idea of the government getting involved in anything more than security freaks me out. They screw it up every time. The "global warming" issue will be no different. Go green if you want, but don't be fooled into thinking that if you use cloth grocery sacks you're saving the earth (I LIKE my plastic sacks...I use them for lunch bags!). And don't fall for government "helping" with new laws and restrictions. The earth is a much bigger entity than any human could impact. It'll be here long after we're all dead and gone.

So don't let your kids come home scared that the world is going to end if you don't change your light bulbs. They were telling me the same thing 20 years ago. I never really fell for it then and I'm not falling for it now.

"Consensus is the absence of leadership." Margaret Thatcher

More fun things to read...
Watts Up With That - Climate Change
Climate Audit

Your Kids Are Watching You

I don't have anything else to blog about today...and I find this mildly amusing and extremely disturbing.

"...guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics and supported by the
commonwealth, doctors across Massachusetts are interrogating our kids about mom
and dad’s “bad” behavior..."

Who defines bad bahvior?

The actions of some of these do-gooder doctors is frightening. Reporting parents to law enforcement for gun ownership!!!! It's called the 2nd Amendment folks. Look it up. Am I going to have to worry about my kids someday saying "Yes, my daddy has guns." He's a cop for freaks sake!

I am all for protecting children against sexual abuse, but assuming that all daddys are perverts who abuse their children is an insult and twisted.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics has declared all parents guilty until proven
innocent."

And guilty based on their view of right and wrong. Don't scoff...it's a slilppery slope. They encouraged kids to spy on their own families in Nazi Germany. Teachers told students that it was their duty to the nation to rat out their own parents. It's a symptom of fascism. And it's frightening.

Enlightened Women

I am not a feminist...in fact I think the era of 1970s radical feminists is pretty much dead.

However...I am a proponent of female empowerment. And nothing cracks me up and make me cheer more than hearing about women in truly oppressive countries standing up for their rights.

THIS is freaking awesome!!!

I hope that they aren't "disappeared" at a later date. But by golly no woman should have to put up with Virtue police. Or be forced back into a burning building for lack of proper cover. Sheesh.

Stupid Smart People

I started this on Friday but it was too depressing to post on a happy Friday. So it's Monday and this is perfect Monday news.

Sometimes I really wonder how some people get to the successful positions they hold because they are so clearly and blatantly stupid and moronic.


Imagine a university professor in the late 1930s inviting Hitler to speak to the students. Can't imagine such a ridiculous thing can you? Oh wait...it basically HAPPENED and at the exact same university!!!!

"...in 1933, Columbia president Nicholas Murray Butler invited Nazi Germany's ambassador to the United States, Hans Luther, to speak on campus, and also hosted a reception for him." Butler insisted. He was "entitled to be received...with the greatest courtesy and respect. ... Students who criticized the Luther invitation were derided as "ill-mannered children" ..."

Unbelievable. Count me in as an ill-mannered child today! One of those "children" was even expelled! So there were people back then who saw the truth and stood up for what was right. Unlike those who hid their eyes from the obvious.


Today it is even worse - we have the president of Columbia University saying that it's okay to invite our actual modern day Hitler (not to mention Holocaust denier, wanting to destroy Israel, executing homosexuals and adulturers...oh and little girls who are raped) in Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.


WHAT?!?!? What is wrong with this picture? I'm all for open dialogue and listening to different ideas, but there comes a point where black is black, white is white, and wrong is just plain wrong. This man wants to destroy Israel, wants to get Nukes to do it, and denies the Holocaust ever took place. He heads a government who executes homosexuals and women who are raped. It's even thought that he has murdered people (Americans!) in his own terrorist past.

*** LALALALALALA *** Hands over eyes *** Head in the Sand *** Hear no evil...see no evil. He's just a man with an opinion and after all it's free speech and all that crap. But when he nukes Israel they'll blame the western world somehow. Instead of blaming the evil that they ignored.

It makes me sick that schools are such dens of "anything goes" and I'm glad that I never was subjected to on campus crap like this. [I got my degree online!] I wish I could fly out and help the protesters.

In all my history classes, reading, and watching documentaries about the evil Hitler brought into the world I wondered how I would have reacted if I were alive in that time. I always liked to believe that I would stand up and be against such obvious hatred and evil. Hitler never hid how he felt and never tried to hide what he wanted to do. And neither is Mahmoud. His intentions are clear and evil. Welcome to 1933.

Michael Yon tells it like it is!

I love reading Michael Yon's work. He's straight up to the point no BS. If something isn't going well he reports it. When things are going well your heart sings to read his words. Sometimes I hold my breath as I read his gripping reports. Other times I tear up reading of broken children and families.



He gives the story that you never ever see in the mainstream media. He's there. He's living it.



Read "Hunting Al Qaeda" for his latest dispatch. It looks to be the first part of a three part series.

Read Part Two here.