Res Ipsa Loquitur

Brrrr!

Brrrr!

It's going to be a cold night for trick-or-treaters, down to 43 degrees already and dropping fast. Don't expect any here, most of the kids go to the subdivisions where it's easy pickin's.

I kinda miss seeing the little ones in their costumes. My kids & I always dressed up to hand out candy (after they got too old to go themselves.) The last time, my son was dressed as a doctor, my daughter a nurse, and I was the gory accident victim. It was fun scaring the kids until my secretary at the time stopped by with her 3 yr. old daughter. We were big buddies, this little girl and I, when her mom would have to bring her to work, she would hang out in my office, "working" by doing puzzles or coloring. She was horribly upset that I appeared to be hurt, and the big tears started rolling. I felt so awful! I finally got her to look under the bandages and convinced her I was just pretending.

I know, I know, I'm a big meanie.

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat!

Court today and haven't been back long. Most of the courthouse personnel dressed up for Halloween, which is always weird until I remember it's Halloween. Everyone has candy on hand for the kids in court & usually the local daycare & headstart kids come by. There was even one attorney who claimed to be dressed as some famous cowboy, I've forgotten the name. But one of the baliffs and the court reporter said he looked like the cowboy from the Village People. He was not amused, but the rest of us were. We were trying to get him to do "YMCA" but he didn't want to talk about it. Everyone asked why I didn't dress for Halloween. I said I did, I'm wearing a lawyer costume. Didn't I look authentic?

DSL went down again after I got home, so had to hook up the dial-up. Grrr!

Wellstone

Wellstone

This pretty much says it all, with much more style and grace than was shown at the memorial.

Baby Stealer

Baby Stealer

Want to know why I'm proud to be called "baby stealer," a heartless bitch that rips crying babies from their mothers' arms so I can place them into foster care? Here's why:

DHS initiated contact with Greenfield's children in 1993 after a telephone report that two children were alone and unsupervised. At Greenfield's home, the DHS worker found a nine-year-old girl and her eleven-year-old brother. They told the worker that their mother had left early and that they did not know when she would be back. The worker observed huge holes in the living room and bathroomfloors, spoiled and rotting food, dirty dishes, trash and feces on the floors, clothes piled high around and on the girl's bed, no running water except for the bathtub, a full and unflushed toilet, a dog with mange, unsafe indoor stairs, holes leading outside and an open window with a screen barely attached in the boy's room, weak and caving sections of the roof, and a ceiling light with bare wires. The worker learned that Greenfield's five-year-old son, who was at a learning center in Ozark, was unable to talk; a sixteen-year-old daughter was "running" and could not be located.

Res ipsa loquitur.

(This wasn't one of my cases, but I've had similar ones. Way too many. Happily, in this case, the termination of the mother's parental rights was upheld, children stayed safely in foster care.)

Flashback

Flashback

Have you ever been reading something and have it trigger that feeling of deja vu? I just read Ted Rall's op-ed piece that everyone's been talking about this morning, and felt like I'd been time-warped back to the 1960's, complete with a popular 60's song running through my head.

Now some Democrats and progressive Americans are asking the unthinkable about an administration they increasingly believe to be ruled by thugs and renegades. Did government gangsters murder the United States' most liberal legislator?

"There's something happening here What it is ain't exactly clear There's a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware"

Perhaps, the thinking goes, someone in the Bush regime decided Wellstone had to go. Excuse me? It would hardly be impossible to sabotage a plane chartered for an inconvenient politician. That's what I thought you said. So why did Wellstone's go down? Weather is the lead suspect. Well, duh. Local pilots, however, doubt that ice was a problem. How long did it take you to find a pilot who would say that? Contradicting the FAA, Carol Carmody, acting chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the site of the crash, says that the plane apparently carried neither. Were the black boxes lost or were they never aboard? Someone may know, but thus far no one's saying.

Ted, you're starting to worry me. Did you not take your medication today? Next thing you know he'll start ranting about how the scary bad men in the black helicopters took the black boxes from the plane crash site.

Presidents routinely cause their political detractors to take offense, but one would have to go back to Franklin D. Roosevelt's attempt to stack the U.S. Supreme Court or Richard Nixon's wiretapping and enemies list to find another American leader who crossed the line of acceptable discourse as extremely as George W. Bush has done.

I'll give you Nixon, but, uh, you kinda left out the reason FDR threatened to stack the Supremes. There was this thing back then called a "Depression," people were like, you know, starving, and the Supremes kept blocking FDR's New Deal programs. You know, the ones designed to provide jobs and stuff for the poor, like the CCC and NWA. So FDR threatened to enlarge the Supremes with his own appointees, and suddenly those programs became constitutional. I don't see the problem. Oh that's right, liberals don't believe in helping the poor by helping them find work. Liberals would much rather just give them money, provided they follow all the Kafka-esque rules. Easier to control them that way, right?

Ronald Reagan may have been a hard line conservative, but had Wellstone died during his watch you wouldn't have heard liberals asking whether the Gipper had had him offed. Bush is different. Asking mailmen to spy on ordinary Americans, Like they don't anyway? creating military tribunals for anyone deemed an "enemy combatant," We are at war, you know. locking prisoners of war in dog cages, I wish I had a cage that nice for my dogs. spending a decade's worth of savings in six months, Remember that little problem we had on 9/11? allowing journalists to die rather than provide them with help in a war zone, I have no idea what you're even talking about. Robert Fisk didn't die. smearing Democratic politicians as anti-American, Perhaps their behavior had something to do with that? invading sovereign nations without excuse--these are acts that transgress essential American reasonableness. Cool, we invaded France & they surrendered...oh, he's talking about Afghanistan, where all the terrorists were hanging out. "Were" being the operative word there. Drop a few DaisyCutters and watch 'em turn tail and run. Buncha wussies. What happened to that "I'm a martyr for Allah" thing?

A man capable of these things seems, by definition, capable of anything.

"Paranoia strikes deep Into your life it will creep It starts when you're always afraid You step out of line, the man come and take you away We better stop, hey, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down" (Lyrics from "For What It's Worth," Buffalo Springfield)

Now, Teddie, calm down. No one's going to hurt you. Just go along with the nice men in the white coats, they're here to help you. You obviously need your meds adjusted.

Waiting for Delivery, Again

Waiting for Delivery, Again

Just called to confirm (I'm learning) that the military will be delivering my son's stuff today. Since I'm going to be here most of the day, I decided to finish the last of 3 scrubs tops I'm making for my daughter. The other 2 went relatively well, considering I'm not much of a seamstress. This one, though. GRRRR! I'm sure my daughter thought the material was cute (and it is) but it's what I call "Frankenstein" material. You know, "It's ALIVE! It's Alive! Ah ha hahaha". Lightweight, slippery, I swear it tried to crawl off the table on its own while I was attempting to cut it. Does the same thing while you're sewing, which is fun. Very tedious.

So I'll be taking frequent breaks, not being a very patient person. Otherwise, at some point I will put everything in a sack, stuff in in the chiminea outside, douse it with lighter fluid, and dance around it laughing madly while it burns. Not that I'm already considering that or anything. Ahem.

UPDATE: Delivery received (finally); scrub top successfully completed. It's been a pretty good day.

Right vs. Privilege

Right vs. Privilege

The discussion over at Rachel's continues. I've emptied my brain on the subject, which didn't take long. My position is that there is no right to drive, it is a privilege. I've requested assistance from some of the law professors in the Blogosphere, so maybe they can show me where, and if, I'm wrong.

At least it took my mind off my upset tummy.

Ugh!

Ugh!

Today is not a good day so far. Had one of those "Let's see how fast you can run to the bathroom at 2 a.m." moments last night, violently ill. Still not feeling too perky. So probably not much posting from me today. Though I have been in an interesting discussion of whether the right to drive a car is the equivalent to the right to own a gun over at Rachel Lucas' site, triggered by her latest rant on the idiocy of Michael Moore. (My position is that it's not.) Fun stuff. Check it out.

Work

Work

I must now mount my trusty steed, Simba, and away to beautiful downtown Jay. Mayhap I shall post anounce upon my return. Mayhap I shouldn't have eaten such a big piece of cheesecake. I do believe I have the sillies induced by a massive infusion of sugar. But my God it was good! Darlin' that was a very nearly perfect cheesecake.

Local Anti-War Protest

Local Anti-War Protest

Officials estimated 250 anti-war protesters marched here Saturday. The group's leader estimated their size at around 400. *Snort* According to the 2000 census, the population of Fayetteville is approximately 58,000; Washington County 157,000. Check out the photo. I've seen more people on Dickson Street on a Saturday night, in a hard rain. *Giggle* And apparently not everyone there supported their anti-war agenda:

Police reported a minor problem with a group that voiced support for a war in Iraq, before the group left. There were no arrests reported at the event, police said.

I can see it now, "Move along boys, nothing to see here." *Tee Hee* Literally...nothing...to...see.

Eileen Billig of Madison County said she thinks the rally will affect what the United States does regarding Iraq.

"I believe Bush is backing down," she said. "And the voice of the people is being heard."

Uh, yeah, *snicker*, right. We're all shaking in our boots now. Unfortunately, Ms. Billig, you've mistaken laughter for fear.

Oklahoma Shooter Update

Oklahoma Shooter Update

One of the Tulsa newscasts reported last night that the "officials" were waiting for results of a drug and alcohol screen on this kid. I wouldn't be surprised if something, like meth, shows up. I don't think this was a copycat killer inspired by the Beltway shooter. By all reports, this was a nice quiet kid who suddenly went on a rampage for no apparent reason. This is fairly typical of a meth user, from what I've read and observed. Meth has some particularly nasty side effects, like violent paranoid rampages, and is highly addictive. Contrary to what some people would have you believe, illegal drug use is not a "victimless" crime.

Mmmm, Cheesecake

Mmmm, Cheesecake

Mike is making his semi-world famous New York cheesecake. Diet? We don't need no stinkin' diet!

UPDATE: Tried posting this last night but Blogger was down. Cheesecake turned out fabulous! Luckily, my husband's department at work is having a charity bake sale today, so most of the cheesecake went for a good cause. I say luckily because otherwise I would've eaten most of it over the next few days.

Deadbeat Moms

Deadbeat Moms

The latest numbers from the Census Bureau show that more non-custodial fathers are paying child support, up 25%. However, buried in the report is a growing problem, non-custodial mothers who aren't paying child support:

Among custodial fathers, about 248,000 of 658,000, almost 38 percent, received the full amount of child support from absent mothers. More than 35 percent of custodial fathers in 1999 received none of the child support they were due, up from about 26 percent six years earlier, though the Census Bureau did not consider that change to be statistically significant.

Not statistically significant? I beg to differ. More custodial mothers collect support (46%) than custodial fathers (38%). Fewer custodial mothers collect no support at all (25%) than custodial fathers (35%). And, the percentage of custodial mothers who collect no support at all has remained unchanged during the period measured (1993-1999), while the percentage of custodial fathers rises almost 10%, and that's "not significant"? Can we say "reverse discrimination"? To compound the problem, custodial fathers are less likely to initiate procedures to collect child support, for fear of losing custody of their kids.

Here's a few words for all deadbeat parents, man or woman: PAY YOUR DAMN CHILD SUPPORT! If you didn't want to help raise your kids, you shouldn't have had them. I don't want to hear you whine about what you're doing without because your child support is so much. Have you priced a package of diapers lately? Your child support is only a fraction of the total cost of raising a child. And I don't want to hear your complaints about what the custodial parent spends the child support on. A) They're usually bogus, and B) If you don't like it, lobby your legislator to make a custodial parent do an annual accounting of how the funds are expended.

Until then, SHUT THE HELL UP & PAY UP. It's called "responsibility." Grow up and face it.

Shooting Spree

Shooting Spree

I heard about this late last night on our local news. 18 yr. old kid went on a shooting spree in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, after being confronted about his reckless driving. He killed 2 people and wounded 7 others, all of whom are expected to recover.

Sallisaw is just a "hoot 'n a holler" from where I live. I have _got_ to make time to get my concealed carry permit. Such are the times in which we live. Sad, isn't it?

Support for the War

Support for the War

I'm perusing the latest Fox News poll, and notice that 67% of those polled support the war on Iraq. Which started me wondering how the protest march against the war went today in D.C. CNN main page headline reads "Thousands protest war with Iraq." Scheduled speakers included the usual suspects:

Speakers and participants in the Washington rally were to include former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Georgia; Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Archdiocese of Detroit; the Rev. Al Sharpton, actor Ossie Davis and singer Patti Smith.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but how many protestors showed up?

Dozens of organizations and individuals have endorsed Saturday's march and rally.

Well color me underwhelmed. But wait, the anti-war protestors have a website.

Over 200,000 + demonstrators in Washington, D.C. at the International A.N.S.W.E.R. organized March in Washington to Stop the War in Iraq.

Huh? Dozens = 200,000+?? Y'all are using that new progressive relativist math, aren't y'all? You know, the one where there's no wrong answers as long as you feel good about yourself for your "creativity."

Thousands will die needlessly unless the people stop this war drive. I join with millions of people who believe that the $200 billion planned for war against Iraq should be spent instead to fund jobs, education, housing, health care, child care, assistance to the elderly and to meet people's needs.

Hey, I have an overwhelming need to not be murdered by terrorists. Doesn't that count? I mean, if I'm dead, I really don't need all that other stuff that you're so worried about me having. (Of course, I can still vote, this is Arkansas, land where Dems see dead people.) Oh, cool, I can clink on the little button and vote on the war. I'll just do that and tell y'all I don't want to be murdered. What the....??

A war of aggression violates the United States Constitution, the United Nations Charter, and the principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal. It violates the collective law of humanity that recognizes the immeasurable harm and unconscionable human suffering when a country engages in wars of aggression to advance its government’s perceived national interests.

Glad y'all recognize that, Iraq's sho' 'nuff done all that and worse....wait a minute, y'all are talking about the U.S. *shaking head sadly* Mmm, mmm,mmm, Dear Lord, y'all are just ignorant.

And what's with having only one choice for which to vote? This is a democracy (well technically a representative republic), I'm entitled to a choice. I demand another choice besides this idiocy:

The U.S. Congress did not represent me when it voted to authorize George W. Bush to carry out an illegal war against Iraq.

Thousands will die needlessly unless the people stop this war drive. I join with millions of people who believe that the $200 billion planned for war against Iraq should be spent instead to fund jobs, education, housing, health care, child care, assistance to the elderly and to meet people's needs.

What's the matter, afraid of the final results if you offer a choice that supports the war? Sounds an awful lot like another vote I've read about recently.

*Yawn* I think y'all have a serious legitimacy problem.

UPDATE: Rueters has this on the crowd estimate:

Police did not give an official estimate of the size of the crowd in Washington. Tony Murphy, an organizer of the event, told Reuters 150,000 people participated. Other observers put the figure between 40,000 and 50,000. (Link via the Professor)

It's that new math thing again. Buried down at the bottom of the story is this interesting little snippet:

About 500 Iraqi exiles came to Washington to show support for efforts to remove Saddam from power.

Tamir Musa, an Iraqi who has lived in Michigan for 10 years, said, "The war is good if it goes to kill Saddam Hussein. He has a lot of bombs. He's terrorist number one."

The Professor also has this link to some photos of the Iraqi pro-war supporters, and more on the lack of media coverage of this.

More Arkansas Voter Fraud

More Arkansas Voter Fraud

Can't say that this headline surprises me.

"Arkansan pleads guilty in vote fraud"

It's getting ugly here, folks. The Republicans are charging that the Dems are committing voter fraud by registering dead people & businesses. The Dems are charging the Republicans are, gasp, requiring voters to present identification prior to voting and photographing harassing voters waiting to cast an early ballot. (Perhaps to ensure that "One person, one vote" thing, hmmmm?) All depends on whose ox is getting gored, don't it boys?

You see, voters here in Arkansas are required by law to present identification in order to vote. The problem is that it doesn't have to be a photo i.d. You can simply show your registration card, which only contains your name, current address, and voting precinct. Opportunity for voter fraud? You betcha.

Although the present national attention to voter fraud here gives Arkansas yet another black eye, I'm glad we're getting it. Maybe now something constructive will be done to prevent this in the next election. I say "Shame on both of y'all."

Warning!

Warning!

Nap time rapidly approaching! Women and pugs first!

Cat vs. Dog

Cat vs. Dog

The cat and the dogs have had an on-going battle ever since we moved in. She didn't have a problem with me, but each time when brought a puppy home, she got her tail in a twist. She hates dogs. Now our Akita pretty much ignores her, unless the cat gets close to me. (No one is allowed in the sacred presence of _The Mommy_ except her, the Akita.) But the Pug desperately tried to get the cat to play with him, until he finally understood that was never gonna happen. So he just harassed her, from a safe distance, at every opportunity. You see, he was afraid of her, because when he was a tiny puppy, she smacked him around a few times. Even though she's been de-clawed, he was terrified (did I mention Pugs aren't terribly smart) and made sure to stay out of reach ever afterwards.

Until...enter homeless kitten. Yep, some asswhipe dumped a kitten in our yard, and Pug & I found it while doing the "pee-poop" walk one day. (He was doing the "pee-poop" thing, not me) We took care of it until we could find it a good home. (Which we did eventually) Pug & kitten were an instant pair. Pug adores kitten, because kitten will play with him. (The Akita thinks the kitten is some kind of weird puppy, and adopts him too) To the cat, however, the kitten is an unwelcome spawn of Satan WHO MUST DIE! One day, the cat catches the kitten in the hallway, and attacks. Instantly, the Pug races down the hall, ferociously attacks the cat and chases her until she jumps onto the pantry shelf out of reach. He runs back down the hall, sniffs the kitten all over to make sure it's ok, runs back to the pantry and barks madly at the cat. He repeats this several times until he's convinced the kitten is truly unhurt, and he & his kitten wander off to play.

Poor Sollie! He was desolate when we gave away the kitten. But we didn't have room for yet another animal, and the people that took him had been searching for a kitty. (The kitten is much loved & pampered there.) Sollie's never forgiven the cat for trying to hurt his little buddy, though, and is still making her pay.

McCain & Streisand

McCain & Streisand

Here's the link to a written transcript of the now infamous "McCain Sings Streisand" skit on last week's SNL, courtesy of Patrick, who was kind enough to give me permission to link to it. Good job, Patrick, and thanks again.

The Cat

The Cat

Wake up unable to breath with cat in my face, meowing. Throw cat in floor, go back to sleep. Repeat every 5 minutes until 30 minutes later, cat lands on dog. Very loud but brief scuffle until cat jumps back on bed. Get up, put cat in other bedroom, close door, go back to bed. Realize it's 4:30 a.m. and dogs are now wide awake. Probability of dogs going back to sleep and not having "accident" on floor is zero. *Sigh* Curse cat. Take dogs out. Realize it's 47 degrees outside and now I'm wide awake. Curse cat profusely.

I should explain. It's not that I don't like the cat, I do. But when I was a small child, I was violently allergic to cats. I've largely outgrown that, as long as they're not up in my face. Then my sinuses get all clogged, eyes start to swell, all that fun stuff. Hence, the cat is not allowed on the bed. That, and her tendency to vomit up hairballs while there. Always on my side of the bed, too. You see, kitty loves me, in her own dysfunctional cat way. I feel so...honored.

Whoa!

Whoa!

Man, I go out of town for a few hours & look what happens. Blogger gets hacked, Sen. Wellstone is tragically killed in a plane crash. At least my DSL is back up. I just don't have enough patience for dial-up any more. Too old & cranky.

I do have a link to a transcript for last weekend SNL classic that I'll post later when I have more time, since apparently the video link got shut down. Jerks. Just another instance of the man tryin' to keep a brother down.

Grrrr!

Grrrr!

Our DSL connection keeps going down this morning, which is very annoying when I have work that I need on-line access to do. And I have to go to Oklahoma after lunch to do a home visit, in the rain. So posting will be intermittent to non-existent today, as conditions permit.

I am SO ready for the weekend.

Absurd Site of the Week

Absurd Site of the Week

This site is dedicated to abolishing all age restrictions that "discriminate" against minors. For everything. (Link via CollegeHumor) Check out their "Declaration of Principles." It simply cries out for a good Fisking, but I unfortunately don't have time this morning. Suffice it to say that there are legitimate reasons why teen-agers aren't allowed to drink, vote, or decide whether or not they go to school. Just as there are reasons why credit card companies, car rentals and hotels won't do business with minors.

And there are already procedures by which a mature teen-ager can become, for legal purposes, an adult. You petition your local court for emanicipation, and if you prove to the judge's satisfaction that you are sufficiently mature to assume the responsibilities, he waves his magic wand and presto, chango! You're an adult. However, the court system doesn't allow "do-overs" as the authors of this site would like. Like the rest of us, once you're considered an adult, there's no going back. Welcome to reality, kid.

Cool Site of the Week

Cool Site of the Week

Even if you're not into astronomy, this has beautiful photographs and images of the universe out there. Images are posted daily, so there's always something new to amaze & astound.

Sniper Arrested?

Sniper Arrested?

Jim Henley has the latest on last night's arrests. It looks like there may be an al-Quada connection, if not direct, at least a sympathizer. If this is the shooter, could he be connected with the six recently arrested in Oregon and Michigan? Rank speculation on my part, true, but just wondering.

Or he may be more like Tim McVeigh, as Jim says. That's another interesting one that I suspect will turn out to have extensive links to the Islamofascists. Or am I just being paranoid?

Grrrr!

Grrrr!

I finally called the shipping company at 4:30 pm to see what the hold-up was on the delivery of my son's things. I'm told that the delivery was scheduled for next Wednesday, not today. Funny, when I called last week and was told "next Wednesday," I assumed that meant the following Wednesday, not 2 freaking weeks. I love dealing with the military, they're so organized.

Sniper Update

Sniper Update

Jim Henley over at Unqualified Offerings has some interesting revelations about the Sniper:

NPR this morning said some news organization was reporting that a "similar letter" to the Ashland letter was found yesterday in Aspen Hill, making similar demands. The demands include a specific figure of (bring pinkie to mouth) "ten meeeeellion dollars," to be wired to a secure bank account. This is what Chief Moose was apparently announcing was "technically impossible."

Thanks, Jim, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that instantly thought of the pinkie to the mouth thing when I heard what the Sniper was demanding. But I was wondering if maybe the reason there was such difficulties with the initial calls was that the sniper originally asked for "one meeeellion dollars," and the person who answered the phone couldn't stop laughing. The Sniper is a Dr. Evil wannabee. I love it.

(Check out Jim's site for the latest updates, he's doing a great job covering this.)

Fire, Fire

Fire, Fire

Heh heh heh, I'm fire! *In my best Beavis & Butthead voice* (link via Joanie)

I think that's a fairly accurate description of me, seeing as how I'm a Cherokee-Hillbilly-Irish-Welsh-American, don't you think, Hubby?

Appeals

Appeals

Luckily I have been distracted by a research request from a colleague which is likely to lead to my writing an appellate brief for him. (I do research projects on a variety of topics for another attorney to help pay the bills.) It should be fun, it involves a procedural issue in "release of judgment" case (that's probably only interesting to me so I won't go into details), and it's in an Oklahoma court. I like doing appeals there, the procedural requirements are fairly straight-forward & easily met, and their on-line research website is wonderful. Unlike Arkansas, which is none of these.

Case in point: I was browsing today's released rulings from Ark. Court of Appeals and ran across a case that had been sent back for re-briefing (ouch!) for failure to include in the addendum several motions made in the original trial court. I've done several appeals here in Arkansas, and all I can say is that whomever designed their appellate procedural rules has got to be obsessed with minutia. You have to do an abstract, which is basically an written statement of everything, and I do mean everything, that has happened from day one. The addendum must include basically every document filed, whether it is related to your issue on appeal or not. It's a huge pain, and takes hours of painstaking proofreading. Ugh! And if you screw up, your client's appeal can get dismissed for failure to comply with the rules.

Apparently the attorney in this case missed some documents, which is easily done, so now has to re-brief. The appellate court gave him or her 15 days to re-file the abstract, the addendum, and the brief, and was quite clear that just correcting the omission would not be accepted. Everything had to be re-done. Also, if the opposing party chooses to re-file their brief, the client of the attorney that screwed up has to pay all costs for that. For all you non-attorneys, this is a major smack upside the head for the offending attorney. If their filing was shoddily done, which I've seen, then it's a well-deserved punishment. Painful for the offending attorney, but at least the appeal didn't get dismissed.

And people wonder why I primarily practice in Oklahoma.

Waiting

Waiting

The delivery guys are supposed to be here sometime today with my son's things, so I'll be spending most of the day waiting. Booo-ooring! My car alarm just went off, which it does occasionally for no apparent reason. I suspect the squirrels, not content with bombing me with half-eaten walnuts, are trying to hot-wire it and go joy-riding. Or maybe rip off the stereo & sell it to buy squirrel crack. Little bastards! Just because I squirrel-proofed my bird feeders.

Now there's a mental image for you. Squirrels on crack. They are awfully jumpy and paranoid, you know. Can't keep still. Always twitching their tails.

Ahem. I think I should go find something productive to do.

Arkansas Politics

Arkansas Politics

In today's Washington Times, "Arkansas GOP Charges Voter Fraud." Now see what I've been telling you? Around here, our slogan is "Vote Early & Vote Often." And while you're at it, cast a vote or two for your dearly departed. It's what they would've wanted.

At least six dead people tried to register to vote, including one helped by a person also listed on campaign-spending reports as having received $100 by the state Democratic party, said Marty Ryall, Republican Party chairman.

"I can understand why they needed assistance," Mr. Ryall said.

Early voting is very popular here. The county clerks get swamped, and they really don't have the staff or facilities (at least in my county) to deal with the large number of early voters.

Republicans say they are also concerned that county clerk offices plan to be open Saturdays and possibly Sundays for early voting. Arkansas law says clerks can only be open during "regular office hours" for early voting....Mr. Cook [executive director of the Arkansas Democratic Party] called Republican concerns "hypocritical."

The Republican Party says one thing, but one of the biggest Republican counties has asked for an opinion to be open on Saturday, he said. "They are trying to have it both ways," Mr. Cook said.

During the last election, there was a big uproar here because the office closed at its normal time on the last day to vote, as it's required to do, even though there were people waiting in line to vote. Other offices, it seems, were more accommodating.

During the 2000 presidential election, many clerks opened their offices on Sunday, but Jackson County Clerk Paulette Dunn refused to do so, angering Democrats, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported then.

"I had 17 Afro-American churches lined up to be bused to the courthouse to vote on Sunday," said Kathy Robinson, a Democratic activist, told the newspaper. "Now I'm going to have to retract that. We were trying to get Gore elected."

Yeah, that's the other scam here, used by both parties. Busing voters to the polls and "helping" them with their ballots. The elderly in nursing homes and retirement communities have no problem getting transportation to the polls around here.

In all honesty, though, it has gotten better here. I can remember going with my dad to the polls when I was a child. I had to wait for him in the truck because the polls were surrounded by men handing out pints of whiskey to buy votes. One incident stands out clearly in my memory. My dad came back from voting, and was absolutely furious, which was very unusual for him. He said that some "sonovabitch" had offered him $10 to vote for a particular candidate. (One of the few times I heard my dad swear when I was a child.) He had declined, he said, and very deliberately voted for the opposition.

McCain on SNL

McCain on SNL

Woo-hoo! I'm ranked 5th on Google for "mccain on snl." For those of you here looking for that, there's a link below. However, when I just checked, the link appears to no longer be working. Sorry about that, I have no idea what happened. It worked yesterday. I've been told that SNL gets rather pissy about that.

I've been promised a written transcript within the next couple of days. So check back if you're still interested and thanks for stopping by.

Food for Thought

Food for Thought

An interesting, albeit somewhat long, exposition on "What Are Leftists" from a psychological perspective. (Link via Curmudgeonly & Skeptical)

It is submitted here that the major psychological reason why Leftists so zealously criticize the existing order and advocate change is in order to feed a pressing need for self-inflation and ego-boosting -- and ultimately for power, the greatest ego boost of all. They need public attention; they need to demonstrate outrage; they need to feel wiser and kinder and more righteous than most of their fellow man. They fancy for themselves the heroic role of David versus Goliath. They need to show that they are in the small club of the virtuous and the wise so that they can nobly instruct and order about their less wise and less virtuous fellow-citizens. Their need is a pressing need for attention, for self-advertisement and self-promotion -- generally in the absence of any real claims in that direction. They are intrinsically unimportant people who need to feel important and who are aggrieved at their lack of recognition and power. One is tempted to hypothesize that, when they were children, their mothers didn’t look when they said, "Mummy, look at me".

Sound like anyone you've seen in the media lately? Good stuff. Go read it.

Who Are the People

Who Are the People In Your Neighborhood?

I was reading this morning's Northwest Arkansas Times when I saw this:

A Johnson man jailed on charges he raped a 4-year old boy may have exposed the child to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, Washington County Prosecutor Terry Jones said Monday.

*Sigh* So many perverts, so few bullets. (Does that make me a "hate" site? Good.)

After taking her son to the emergency room, [Johnson Police Chief] Sisemore said, the boy’s mother asked the hospital’s security officers to have [the alleged child rapist] removed when he arrived shortly afterward inquiring about the boy. He allegedly told investigators the boy had complained about bleeding when he went to the bathroom, but that he thought the child was suffering from hemorrhoids.

Ah, yeah, he just showed up at the ER to inquire about the child's welfare. Riii-iight. A more accurate statement would be that he found out the child told, so he hustled down to the ER to do some serious C.Y.A.

Jones said the alleged attack left him in disbelief. "This is just so revolting," Jones said. "I don’t know how anyone could do this to a kid."

Neither do I. Welcome to my world. Actually, it's worse in my world. This mom did the right thing. Her child told her what happened, she took him to the E.R. and had the perp arrested. The child sex abuse cases that we get are the ones in which the parents either turn a blind eye & let the abuse continue, or are participants.

Disgusted yet? It gets worse. According to a 1998 report by the U.S. Department of Human Services (no link available, I got this info at a recent seminar), there were 3,000,000 reports of suspected child abuse in 1996. Of those, 1,000,000 were substantiated. (This doesn't necessarily mean the other 2 million were bogus, just that there wasn't enough evidence to substantiate, for a variety of reasons.) 12% of the substantiated reports involved sexual abuse. That's 120,000 children. The 2000 report shows similar numbers. Out of approximately 879,000 substantiated reported child abuse victims, 10% were found to be sexually abused, which is approximately 87,900 children. And those are just the reported cases.

Think it can't happen to your child? Think again. "Nonrelatives, fathers acting alone, and other relatives were responsible for 29 percent, 22 percent and 19 percent, respectively, of sexual abuse victims." Pedophiles are not, for the most part, creepy old men in raincoats hanging out in your local park. They are the people in your neighborhood, people that you meet each day. They are the people that you trust to care for your child.

Worried now? Good. GET INVOLVED! Make the effort to know the people that spend time with your child. Learn the signs of sexual abuse. Find out what child protection organizations are available in your area, and volunteer. If you don't have time to volunteer, donate money. Lobby your legislator for tougher child protection laws. And most importantly, if you suspect a child is being abused, REPORT IT. If you stumble across a website that you think promotes pedophilia, send the link to your local FBI office or here.

Please do something to help stop this. Your child could be next.

Road Trip

Road Trip

My daughter is supposed to be on her way over to help pick out a hotel in the Camp Pendleton area for our Thanksgiving trip. (And a big thanks to Joanie for her help in finding prospects in the area. Goddess, you da bomb!) My daughter has talked my sister into going with us, so I spent part of the morning arranging tickets for her to fly with us. (I don't know how I survived before I had internet access. I only married my husband cuz he had DSL, ya know.)

Road trip, just us girls. We'll have a blast. I told my husband we would be a lot like "Thelma & Louise," except for that dive into the canyon thing. Now that I think about it though, I think we'll skip the "having sex with a hitchhiker" and "shooting the rapist" thing too. Though the "blowing up the gas tanker with a pistol" thing might be fun... I'll have to think about that one.

Sniper Briefing

Sniper Briefing

Well, that wasn't very informative, was it? "We want you to call back cuz we couldn't understand exactly what you were saying." Rank speculation: the caller was using a pre-paid cell phone, bad connection, also supposedly untraceable. Police are trying to get him or her to call back on a land line by saying they couldn't hear clearly so they can trace the call.

And what's with the no info on the guys picked up in Virginia? I understand that the police don't want to risk screwing up the investigation, but it's frustrating not knowing. They obviously think they have something or they would've released the guys by now, IMO.

Is a mystery.

UPDATE: The two guys, a Mexican & a Guatemalan, are being turned over to INS for immediate deportation. They're not connected with the sniper, but I'd like to know the story behind the "immediate deportation." I'm no immigration expert, but that seems a little unusual. INS usually doesn't move too swiftly.

Sniper News

Sniper News

Sheriff's office has promised a briefing in one hour. Apparently the two guys hadn't been arrested, just being questioned. Fox News Channel is saying they are now being told off the record that there's no link between the sniper and the two guys that were picked up. It will be interesting to find out exactly what's going on.

Further Babs Update

Further Babs Update

Persistence paid off, woo-hoo! You can view a video clip of "McCain Sings Streisand" here. (Requires RealPlayer)

I'll still post the transcript link when and if I receive it. In the meantime, enjoy. And remember the old saying, Babs, we're not laughing at you...nevermind, yes we are.

Possible Sniper Arrest

Possible Sniper Arrest

This just in, there's been at least one arrest in the Maryland Assassin case. I hope this is the right guy.

UPDATE: There's been 2 arrests, one guy in a white van using a payphone, and another guy at a residence, according to Fox Channel. Sheriff has promised a press conference shortly.

FURTHER UPDATE: There will now be no scheduled press briefing, but the sheriff's office is promising one hours notice to the press if the situation warrants an impromptu briefing. No word yet on whether the 2 arrests were of suspects or material witnesses.

Babs Update

Babs Update

For those of us impatiently awaiting more on the McCain smackdown of Babs on last weekend's SNL, I'm happy to report that I have been promised a transcript by the end of the week by a very nice gentleman over at Saturday Night Live Transcripts (Go to http://snltranscripts.jt.org/ The linky thing wouldn't work for some reason). So check back here or with him later on in the week. It'll be worth the wait, I promise.

My husband reminded me that I had forgotten to include the Senator's last line, which was something like this: "So buy a copy of my CD. A portion of the proceeds will go to destroy Alaskan wildlife." Zing! Oooowwww, that's gonna leave a mark!

Auntie Em Update

Auntie Em Update

Just received an e-mail from Auntie Em's parents. The chemo is going remarkably well, and has already started to shrink the tumor in her abdomen. It was a relief to get good news for a change. Keep the good thoughts and prayers coming, she still needs them.

Maryland Assassin

Maryland Assassin

Susanna Cornett over at cut on the bias has an interesting posting on the Maryland Assassin and his motivations. Go read it. It's good.

I have little to no expertise in this area, so I haven't said much about it, except that I don't believe he's any kind of trained sniper. His shooting ability is unremarkable, and he shoots kids and unarmed people in the back. I'm not impressed.

The only quibble I have with Susanna is that I can't keep from having the nagging suspicion that this is somehow connected with Al-Quada, if only in the killer's twisted mind. Or maybe I'm just a wee bit paranoid due to their recent round of atrocities. Whatever the basis, I hope this nut gets taken out soon.

Arkansas Politics

Arkansas Politics

As this morning's Washington Times reports, the Senate race here is tight. I was glad to see the latest poll shows Sen. Hutchinson has closed the gap & is now tied with Mr. Pryor. As I've said below, I'm still picking Hutchinson to win. I just don't think Mr. Pryor's daddy's coattails are strong enough to overcome his position on several key issues, and his general sleaze factor.

Former President Clinton is here, stumping for the Democrats, according to our local state paper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. (Here's the link to the current article, but since the Demo-zette stupidly doesn't permanently archive its online articles, I'm not sure how long the link will be good.) Apparently Bubba was here primarily to drum up support for Jimmie Lou Fisher, the Democratic candidate for governor. Jimmie Lou has a tough row to hoe, as the current Governor, Mike Huckabee (Rep.), is well-liked, both for the positive things he's done for the state, and for seemingly being a decent person who keeps his pants on... a product of the Clinton legacy you might say.

But here's the interesting part of the article:

Clinton also addressed criticism from the Huckabee campaign regarding Fisher’s accusing Huckabee of being too eager to grant clemency to convicted murderers.

Huckabee has complained that Fisher hasn’t criticized Clinton for clemencies he granted while governor.

" The hypocrisy she’s showing on this issue is absolutely breathtaking, "Huckabee said in a statement Sunday.

The Huckabee campaign released documents showing Clinton gave clemency to 42 people convicted of first-degree murder, all but four coming during his first term in 1979 and 1980.

" I think I did, by the way, make some mistakes my first term, "Clinton said." The difference is I admitted I made some mistakes and I changed the system. We set up a very clear and widely supported system where all the victims had heavy input. "

Coincidentally, many of those receiving clemency were connected in some way to Clinton supporters, if memory serves. Clinton's last minute pardon scandal while President was no big surprise to us.

Clinton said that the victim wasn’t consulted in the DuMond case. Wayne DuMond was convicted in 1985 of raping Ashley Stevens of Forrest City, a distant cousin of Clinton’s.

" On the DuMond case, not only do I think the feelings of the victim were not considered, I think the victim was almost dismissed and derided on occasion, "Clinton said.

Whoa! I can't believe he re-opened that can of worms. For those of you who ain't from around here, DuMond was indeed convicted of the rape of a distant cousin of Clinton's, while Clinton was Gov. What is not mentioned is that while Mr. DuMond was awaiting trial, two "masked men" broke into his house and castrated him, with a pocket knife I believe. Amazingly, his severed testicles were discovered on display in a glass jar in the local sheriff's office, but no one quite knew how they got there. And, as I remember it, no one was ever charged or convicted of the assault. Draw your own conclusions. Additionally, the case against him wasn't too strong, but his trial & conviction was, shall we say, fast-tracked. A lot of folks believed he got railroaded, and others thought, all things considered, that if he was guilty, he'd been punished enough. Gov. Tucker, who succeeded Clinton, reduced his sentence. And later, Gov. Huckabee helped him get paroled. Mr. DuMond is currently awaiting trial in Missouri on murder charges. Whether that means that he was probably guilty of the rape or that this is a result of his lengthy imprisonment, I can't say.

The article ends with a quote from Clinton's speech at the fundraiser, which made me wish I wasn't eating breakfast at the time, cuz I damn near ruined my laptop.

" This being Sunday and all, I hope I’m not struck down by lightning when I start this speech by saying — well, you know I’m not running for anything, so I can say things I didn’t used to say. "But when Jimmie Lou first started talking about getting into this campaign, we had a meeting, she and I did with [longtime Clinton supporters in Little Rock] Bill Clark and Jim Pledger, and we decided the rally of the campaign should be, ‘ Let’s get all the old guys to get it up one more time for Jimmie Lou. ’"

Ahem. (For those of you not familiar with our sometimes bizarre Southern names, Jimmie Lou is female, which I'm sure is a relief. ) Well, Bubba, you'd know more about that than I would, but I think that's a helluva campaign slogan.

Arkansas politics are always so...interesting, aren't they?

Dog Sweater Cont.

Dog Sweater Cont.

I meant to post more yesterday, but got busy doing laundry and dealing with Sollie, our pug. His sweater & favorite blanket needed washed, you see, which greatly upset him. It was a struggle just to get his sweater off, much like trying to get a favorite shirt off a 2 year old. "NO NO I DON'T WANT MY SWEATER OFF!" He was horrified when I put it AND his favorite blanket in the washer. Stressed out to the max, which meant until I could get them dry, he expressed his displeasure by engaging in what he knows is socially unacceptable behavior. Like getting things off the coffee table & chewing on them. Chewing on the legs of the dining room table & chairs. Chasing the cat. Picking fights with our other dog. I knew what was causing this, and finally convinced him to sit in my lap for some quality lap time. This worked, but also meant no posting since it's impossible to type with a 20 lb. upset dog in your lap.

He was so happy when I rescued them from the dryer & he got his sweater back on. Had dinner & his nightly walk, then snuggled happily in his favorite chair, under his favorite blanket and immediately went to sleep. I swear the dog was smiling.

MoDo

MoDo

Maureen Dowd has outdone herself today with her latest pathetic attempt at cutesy-wutesy satire. This is the most inane, childish bit of drivel I've read in a very long time. *Sigh* MoDo, sweetie, would you please pick up your toys and go play quietly somewhere else. The grownups are talking.

McCain Sings Babs

McCain Sings Babs

For those of you that didn't watch Sen. McCain on SNL last night, that's what you missed. The scene opens, McCain's standing there with a microphone, cheesy lighting. He starts singing, badly. I'm not paying that much attention until I hear him break out into a riff of "People, people who need people." I start giggling. He stops... looks straight into the camera and says.... "She's been trying to do my job for 20 years, so I thought tonight I'd try to do hers." I lost it. ROTF. LMAO. The camera cuts to a shot of a CD, entitled "Sen. John McCain Sings Babs." Back to McCain. He continues singing snippets of all her signature songs. I'm laughing so hard I'm crying. He keeps stopping and making these great digs like "Pretty annoying, huh? Now you know how I feel!" and "It's not so funny when it happens to you is it?"

It was truly priceless. I've never been much of a fan of the Senator, but I have to say John, my man, my hat goes off to you. That took some cajones. Kudos to you for pulling it off so well. (And your parody of "Meet the Press" was good too.)

We were laughing too hard to tape it, but I'm looking for sound clips and will update with links if I can find them.

Rainy Day

Rainy Day

It's been cloudy & rainy all day here, pretty quiet around the old homestead. Damp weather has my aches & pains acting up, so took a nap after lunch. Woke up all grumpy & cranky, hence no posting. My husband, being the great guy that he is, washed the dishes while I was asleep, took the dogs out, and then cooked dinner. Is he a sweetheart or what?

I'm gonna call it a day now. See y'all in the morning.

Babs & Other Idiots

Babs & Other Idiots

I was reading this in this morning's Washington Times about various Hollywood stars and their opposition to the war against Iraq when suddenly this sentence jumps out at me.

"Miss Streisand also called Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein an "Iranian" on her Web site Thursday; the geographical gaffe has since been corrected."

Now we all know where this came from, our own Rachel Lucas. Yep, Rachel ran across this little gem on October 16th, wrote a great rant about it, and told Drudge, who posted it. And so it makes the rounds and ends up in the Washington Times 3 days later. Such is the power of the Blogosphere. Isn't it awesome?

While most of the so-called "stars'" statements I've read are totally inane (Woody son, you've obviously been smoking way too much weed), I agree with the Robert Thompson quote in the article. "It's tempting to just say 'shut up' when actors debate issues of such great magnitude...but they are citizens, part of the debate and part of ideas we are free to consider." Yes, consider, and ridicule their total stupidity when appropriate. Way to go, Rachel. You TOTALLY ROCK!

UPDATE: Wow! It's also in a UK's Telegraph op-ed:

This week, in her latest statement, Barbra has accused Republicans of misrepresenting her "deep opposition to the Iranian dictator, Saddam Hussein". Saddam would like to be the Iranian dictator, but he tried that in the 1980s and it didn't work out.

Look what you done started, Miss Rachel. Good job!

North Korea

North Korea

We watched the last few minutes of an interview of Ms. Rice by Mr. Ted "This Doesn't Really Look Like a Bad Toupee" Koppel last night. She continues to impress, cool, calm and collected as always. Ol' Teddie kept pressuring her about North Korea and its likely nuclear weapons. But she just kept patiently repeating that the President was looking at his options re dealing with them. (Though my husband said judging from the twinkle in her eye that she was laughing at him inside. Well, sure, weren't we all?)

The news about North Korea & nuclear weapons worries me, especially since after Thanksgiving my son will be stationed relatively close by in Japan. My dad fought in Korea years ago, and though he doesn't talk about it much, he does say that "they" should've let McArthur finish them off. (He also says that they couldn't keep a camp dog, especially if it was white, cuz the Koreans would steal it & eat it. They thought white dogs tasted better.) He doesn't have much use for draft dodgers, saying his country told him to go, so he did his duty & went, even though he really didn't want to go. Not a Clinton supporter, and a pretty wise man, my Pops. But he made it back mostly in one piece, even though while sweeping a mine field, his buddy found one... the hard way. Pops lost a eye, and it left a little shrapnel in his knee (and 5 brownie points to the first one to correctly identify those lyrics), but he does pretty well. Just had his 72nd birthday, and spent it brush-hogging on the farm. So I keep telling myself that my boy will make it home ok too.

But I digress. What we will do about North Korea remains to be seen. Seems to me that North & South Korea have, so far, been a lot like India & Pakistan... they bow up and woof at each other from time to time, but neither are too anxious to take that first swing. Kinda like a bar fight where Billy Badass gets into some other pseudo-tough guy's face & they're each making those hollow threats..."If these boys weren't holdin' me back, I'd kick your ass." "Hold me back boys, I'm gonna kill 'im iffen I gets loose." You know, where it's all about saving face and putting up a front, and there's no real intent to actually fight so long as no one pushes it too far. I think for now at least, Iraq poses a much bigger threat.

It's like my daddy always said, "It ain't the barking dog that you have to worry about. It's that sneaky one that don't bark that'll slip up behing you and bite you every time."

Sick & Twisted Link

Sick & Twisted Link of the Week

Precious Moments figurines and Photoshop Friday over at SomethingAwful. A winning combination.

Fun Link of the Week

Fun Link of the Week

This is pretty nifty. Would make a fun screensaver. (Link via CollegeHumor)

Craft Fair

Craft Fair

The big War Eagle craft fair started yesterday & lasts through Sunday up here. Local news last night predicted around a quarter of a million people would attend over the weekend, which is un-freaking-believable. Those two-lane highways going out there should be a fun drive. We will be spending the weekend at home.

And what's the weather forecast for the weekend?? "Rain is moving into the area, and will over-spread the area within the next 4 hours...Rainfall totals will be high, in fact, totals could be over 2 inches across the Ouachitas. The rain will let up on Sunday around mid morning giving way to better weather conditions." What's the word I'm thinking of...oh yeah, schadenfreude.

Politics

Politics

We got a mailer yesterday from the Republican Party of Arkansas regarding Mark Pryor, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, and his pro-gun control record. (For those of you who ain't from around here, this is one of the hotly contested races that could determine control of the Congress, since the current senator, Tim Hutchinson, is a Republican. And yes, Asa Hutchinson, DEA director, is his brother.) I've emailed & asked for copies of the bills they cited in their claim that Markie voted for stricter gun control, since I wasn't able to find the bills online. So I'll discuss that later, assuming I get a response. But they also allege that Markie is aligned with a group called "Americans for Democratic Action." They have a website. Go take a look here.

Here's a quote they have from Arthur Schlesinger: "I think the whole shift from containment and deterrence, which is why we won the Cold War, to preventive war is most alarming. That's the doctrine invoked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. FDR called that a day that will live in infamy, and the Bush doctrine is perpetuating that infamy." They Lord have mercy, as my granny would say. How...illogical. Brain hurts.

And well, surprise, surprise, surprise, (to quote Gomer Pyle), here's their stance on Iraq: "There must be firm deadlines on these U.N. arms inspections with effective penalties for non-compliance with United Nations resolutions that do not adversely affect the health of the civilian populations, especially children, elderly and women." Uh, yeah, I'm gonna need you to... uh... tell me what you think those effective penalties are. *Silence*

But wait, there's more. "Opposes any preemptive military action against Iraq. U.S. unilateral military action is warranted only if Iraq should commit aggression against the United States or its allies. Under all circumstances, United States military action would require United Nations Security Council authorization as provided in Chapter Seven of the United Nations Charter (actions with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression). In either event, President Bush would need specific Congressional authorization as specified in the Constitution and the War Powers Act;" So we should wait until after we're nuked and then ask the cheese-eating surrender monkeys, I mean France, what we should do. Riii-iiight.

Recommends lifting U.N. economic sanction insofar as to allow the Iraqi people to have pure water and adequate sanitation systems. This is morally imperative;

See, I told you it wasn't about the oil. It's like, you know, about the water. Now who is it that is using food to reward his supporters and starve his opposition? Oh yeah, Iraq's beloved Fearless Leader. You know, the one that just got 100% of the vote. Amazing how they counted all those Kurdish paper ballots so quickly, isn't it? I think Fearless Leader could teach Florida a thing or two.

Deplores President George W. Bush’s executive order of November 1, 2001 denying the public access to the records of his father’s Administration relating to the Gulf War and the decisions made then not to seek a military surrender of President Saddam Hussein and his military forces;

Weren't y'all the same ones that were screaming at the time that former president Bush didn't have the authority to go after Fearless Leader during the Gulf War once we ran his ragged ass out of Kuwait? Thought so.

Regrets profoundly that the Bush Administration, in addressing international conflicts, is increasingly reliant upon military forces, and that it acts unilaterally and in defiance of the opinion of world leaders and world public opinion. Multilateral diplomacy, the United Nations, and international law are given perfunctory consideration or none at all. The United States has refused to be a party to many critical international agreements on human rights, the environment, and arms control. We believe the United States should be a leader, not a laggard, in pressing for multi-lateral diplomacy and actions to achieve international peace and security and respect for human rights. Our actions with respect to Iraq and other international situations will have much more credibility if we follow these principles and will decrease the prospects for violence and terrorism in the world.

Naughty President Bush! Using force against terrorists, what is he thinking? Let's have a meeting with those misunderstood terrorists, we'll all join hands & sing "Kumbaya." Or even better, let's follow France's example and just surrender now. That's soooo effective, now isn't it?

Here's their position on gun control. "ADA proposes that the manufacture of guns be restricted to military weapons, to be tightly controlled by the military, and hunting rifles of reasonably limited design. The possession of all other guns should be prohibited. Limited exceptions for the police might also be needed."

Oh. My. God. "Limited exceptions for the police?" You think? And what's "reasonably limited design" supposed to mean? Like what, pellet guns? I don't know, aren't those kinda dangerous? You might put your eye out. Yeah, like your mama always said, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

Pretty scary, hey kids?

Monster

Monster

I've created a monster. I felt so sorry for our pug, Sollie, who has been shivering non-stop since the temperature dropped, that I decided to do something I had always sworn I would never do---buy him a sweater. I think clothes on dogs are just silly, generally, but the poor little guy has been miserable. And it's not even been that cold yet. Anyway, last weekend we buy him a little navy dog sweater... too small. So we go to get a bigger one. Unfortunately, the only one they had that wasn't pink was rust and creme striped. We got it on him, and my husband asked what I thought. It looked so...totally gay. It made him look like his name should be...Steve and maybe we should tie the other sweater casually around his shoulders. But he loved it. He thought he was one styling pug. We put him outside later, and he started barking at a jogger going by on the sidewalk. My husband said, "You know he's probably saying "Haaa-aaay, do this stripes make my hips look big?""

It's been a bad running joke with us since. I did go buy him different sweater though, solid light blue with a dark blue jacquard design. I just couldn't take the stripes. He was so excited, "I got new clothes!" He'll probably start wanting me to take him clothes shopping next. Though I did see this really cute denim doggie jacket with a fleece lining....

Variations on a Theme

Variations on a Theme

I was so excited to read this yesterday about the Ivory Coast rebels getting on-line. That explains why my husband received this e-mail last night: (I've removed my husband's name per his request)

From: nati koffe [mailto:natikoffe@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 12:36 AM
To: (My Husband's Name)
Subject: CALLING YOU WITH TRUST

Woo-hoo, I feel good about this already.

FROM:NATI KOFFE
ATTN:(My husband's name)
DEAR SIR.

I have a proposal to make, that might be of interest
to you. I am in possession of a large sum of money in
cash. (US$38,000,000.00 - Thirty Eight Million US
Dollars).The money was inherited from my late father
who was the Chairman of the Sierra Leone Gold Mining
Corporation during the Sierra Leonian War when Major
Johnny Paul Koromah was the country's president.
The money is of no criminal origin as it was largely
realized from black market sale of alluvial gold dust
during the war.

Apparently a black market sale is legal there?? And what's with the "alluvial gold dust" thing? Sounds terribly labor intensive to me.

The money has been lodged at a Security
Company in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). I now
want to move this money abroad and invest it in
profitable ventures, as the time is now ripe for such
move.

The rebels are coming! The rebels are coming! One if by land and two if by... oh, never mind, wrong revolution.

WHAT I ASK YOU TO DO:
1.Firstly to assist me to export this money to any
stable country abroad.

How about Iraq? After all, their fearless leader just got re-elected with 100% support.

2. To assist me invest the money in profitable
ventures in your country or any other suitable country
where you have good connections.

I expect to have "good connections" in Iraq fairly soon. But I'm not sure they're interested in investing.

3. To help me re-locate my family to the suggested
country.

I'm telling you, Iraq's the place for you. There's soon to be several houses on the market there... of course they may have a little damage, but you wouldn't mind a real "fixer-upper," would you?

4. To manage the money in a profitable manner
preferably a joint venture deal with your company.
The procedure for relocation of the funds to your
country is such that you will not run any risk.

Sounds great. How's that work?

Basically, we will establish an Investment Account in
a local bank in Cote d'Ivoire affiliated to the Bank
of Africa[B.O A]. We will withdraw the money
from the security company and put the money in the
local Account and funnel it through this Account to
your overseas account. We will have proper banking
trails to show the money as an investment fund.

Ok, now that's a problem. You see, we have this thing here called "income tax," and the rate on a passive investment this large is quite the chunk of change. Couldn't we call it something else, like "Stolen Money" or something to avoid this?

For your assistance you will get 25% of the total
amount.Upon your request, I will give you further
details of the plans and tell you more about my self
but you must treat as highly confidential for my
security.

It looks like by the time I pay taxes, transfer fees and such, I'm not going to have much of that 25% left. Doesn't sound that attractive anymore. Of course I'll maintain your confidentiality, other than posting here. That's not a problem, is it?

Sincere regards,

NATI KOFFE.

Sorry Mr. Nasty Coffee (where the hell did you come up with that name?), but I had tell my husband, "As your attorney, I advise you to stop laughing & forward this to the FBI's 419 Fraud address.

But hey, great to know their on-line access is working.

Have to go

Have to go now and take my daughter to run errands while her car is being worked on. Does the "Mom Taxi" ever get to stop running??

Update

Update

Got an e-mail update on "Auntie Em" from her parents this morning. They've started chemo at St. Jude's and are managing to stay optimistic, even though there's only a 33% chance of success. 2 years haven't been nearly long enough to have this little sweetie, so keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Sorry

Sorry for the lack of posting, feeling a bit under the weather this afternoon. But as Scarlett says, "Tomorrow is another day."

No posting this morning, off

No posting this morning, off to court in a few minutes. One of the few annoying things about working in Jay is that I sometimes have to make the 1+ hour drive for a 10 minute hearing. I could appear by conference call, but things have a way of going south when I do that. So, see y'all after lunch.

Part Two

Part Two

For an interesting article on life under Islamic rule from a woman's perspective, read this. I can only imagine the risk she took in writing this article. I can only say, ma'am, please don't judge us by the "biased and shallow" reporters that you've seen. We are not like that at all and we hope to be sending help your way soon.

Islam & Women

Islam & Women

I read this in Sunday's Washington Times, in which Arnold Beichman examines some Saudi Islamic sermons about women.

In [Western] societies, the woman has become cheap merchandise, displayed naked or half-naked before the eyes of men.

It's true. Why, even as I write this, my hair and face are exposed for all to see. You can even see, gasp, some of my neck!

They travel unsupervised and live as strangers among strangers, with danger threatening from all sides. Thus, the enemies of Allah and of humanity have stripped the miserable woman of all the elements of a happy life and of all her social rights, so that she serves as a tool of corruption and destruction. You will be surprised to hear that, in spite of these crimes, they claim that they are protecting the woman's freedom.

True again. I can pretty much go where I want, when I want. You will be surprised to hear that makes me pretty damn happy.

The enemies of Islam know that the woman is a double-edged sword, and that she can be transformed into the most dangerous weapon of destruction [of Islamic nations]. Thus, the woman has suffered from most of the conspiracies to shatter the Islamic nation — because the woman has a group of traits allowing her to either build or destroy the nation.

Cool, I'm dangerous. I can destroy nations? Let's see, which nation to destroy first.... hmm, decisions, decisions.

Many among the Muslim women have been misled by this, because of their ignorance about their religion, which sees the woman as the man's partner and as possessing rights and obligations appropriate to her nature and character.

Interesting word choice there--partner. Let's check the American Heritage dictionary, shall we? partner: noun, "One that is united or associated with another or others in an activity or a sphere of common interest, especially: a. A member of a business partnership. b. A spouse. c. A domestic partner. A partner participates in a relationship in which each member has equal status." Must've lost something in the translation there, I think you meant to say "possession" not partner.

Permitting women to leave the home, so that they rub up against men in the marketplaces and talk with people other than their chaperones — with some even exposing parts of their bodies prohibited from exposure — are forbidden acts, a disgrace, and lead to destruction. The first crime perpetrated by the Israelites was letting their women loose when they were adorned, so that they would stir up Fitna [inner strife]. For this, Allah punished them with the plague.

Brazen hussies! Talking with other people! Just for that, Allah punished you with the Palestinians... oops, I mean the plague. I'm always getting those two confused.

And, the woman leaves the home whenever she feels like it, goes where she wants, and wears what she wants, without her husband's permission.

I've been wondering how these guys ever get anything done. I mean, what with taking the little woman shopping, making sure she doesn't talk to anyone, how do they keep a job? Isn't there just one phone call after another.... "Omar, you must come home now, I need to purchase vegetables for tonight's dinner." "But I'm in a meeting giving a presentation on how to kill the infidels." "You want to sleep with the camels again? I need to go now!" *Sigh* "Yes dear, I'm on my way." Cuz you know that's how it really is.

Furthermore, in some homes the situation has reached the point where the woman gives the orders, and that is that. It is no wonder, then, that the [Western] women have become masculine. But what is amazing is that some men have become feminine. You can see some husbands with nothing in common with men except external appearance, while the woman calls the shots and controls the children's fate without asking her husband's opinion, even without consulting him or informing him of her intentions.

Are we projecting a little here, hmmm, Sheikh Fayd??? Just because that's the way it is in your house doesn't mean everyone is like that. Grow some cojones, man! I mean, sure you sound like you're a member of the "He-Man Women Hater's Club," but ya gotta do more than talk the talk.

But seriously, those in power seek to control or destroy what they perceive as the biggest threat to their power. A more interesting question is why do the Islamofascists fear women in a free society so?

Perverts

Perverts

John Hawkins stumbles across something disgusting that I deal with from time to time, pedophilia. Take it from me, John, a shower isn't going to help much. But there are things you can do to stop this. First, and most importantly, when you find a website like this, notify the FBI. They tend to frown on this, and will make it go away, along with the perverts that post there.

Second, write/lobby your legislator to make tougher laws to punish pedophiles. As my daddy used to say, hanging is too good for them. I would like to see mandatory pre-frontal lobotomies, personally. Takes away that part of their brain that they use to do this, but leaves them functional enough to be useful cleaning toliets and such. Enables them to give back to the community and all that.

Third, if you have a little free time, volunteer to be a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). You can find more info about this, including how to locate your local chapter here. As a court-appointed attorney for abused children, I can tell you that my CASA workers are worth their weight in gold. As a CASA worker, you will make a huge difference in the life of a child that has been a victim of sexual or physical abuse. It doesn't take that much time, and the rewards are well worth the effort. If you aren't able to be a caseworker, volunteer to help with fundraisers or recruiting.

Fourth, if you suspect that a child is being abused, REPORT THEM. Call your local police department, child protective services hotline, or your State police. A call can normally be made anonymously if you are concerned about that, and child protective services aren't allowed (at least where I work) to release the name of the person who makes a report of abuse.

Please don't just talk about how terrible this is. Do something about it. Otherwise, odds are that these young victims will grow up to abuse other children themselves and the problem will continue to grow exponentially. For example, if the typical pedophile abuses say, 20 kids in his lifetime, and half of those kids go on to abuse 20 kids each, that's 200 new victims. If half of those go on to abuse 20 kids each, that's 2,000 new victims. (The actual numbers are much higher.) Pretty scary, right?

So get the word out, and help put these perverts where they belong---in prison. I hear they're real popular there.

Stupid PETA

Stupid PETA

I agree with the Professor, I'd like to see more of this. I LOVE IT!

We have lots of those kind of ninnies here in the People's Republic of Fayetteville. The latest controversy here is over the local power company trimming the trees off the power lines. Now I enjoy the trees in our yard as much as the next guy, but the thing is we frequently have really nasty ice storms here, which cause widespread power outages. Let's see, trimmed trees or power... hmmm, wow, guess I'll have to pick, I don't know, heat & DSL.

It was also decided over the summer that no evil insecticides would be sprayed around here to combat the mosquitos & West Nile virus. Instead, residents are encouraged to build bat houses to attract bats, who would then eat the mosquitos. I am not kidding.

I often wondered what color the sky is in their world.

Just spent the last hour

Just spent the last hour or so tracking down airline tickets for my daughter & me to visit my son in San Diego for Thanksgiving. He's shipping out to Okinawa shortly after for a year, so we wanted to see him before he left. Road trip for just us girls since my husband can't get off work. We'll have a blast, even though my daughter hates to fly and both of us are terrible at reading maps. Our trips together are always so... interesting.
Our last trip together was to Chicago in July, 2000, for my son's graduation from boot camp at Great Lakes. On the way back to the airport, we damn near got squashed by a JBHunt semi. (My daughter works at their corporate office sorting the drivers' packets, which contain all their paperwork to get reimbursed, etc.) She quickly growled "Where's a pen & paper? I want to get his truck number so I can make his life a living hell!" That's my girl.

Is there anything finer in

Is there anything finer in life than seeing your guy in a pair of snug jeans and a crisply starched, white button-down Oxford? Mmmmm, mmmm, mmm. Mama like! ;-)

Thoughts on the War

Thoughts on the War

Clayton Cramer has a interesting discussion about the nature of the current war.

"They are all infidels." Liberals had better face up to this. It isn't about Israel. It's about Islamofascism. Until American courts are stoning women to death for having children out of wedlock; until French courts are amputating hands for theft; until Britain abolishes television (which, after all, shows images of living things, a violation of the Koran); until Sweden requires women to wear burkhas; until Italy prohibits the making of wine; until Denmark stops making pornography; until Canada makes homosexuality a capital offense--there will be no peace.

To put it bluntly, this is a religious war between them (the "True Believers") and us (the infidels). Their beliefs do not allow for compromise. All infidels must die. Period. No exceptions. Lest you think this is overreacting, read this.

It isn't about the oil. It isn't about imperialism. It isn't even really about Israel or our presence in the Middle East. It is about a group of religious zealots that believe the only good infidel is a dead infidel. This war began some time ago, and will not end until they are no longer able to make war upon us. It is not a joyous task, but a necessary one. As Tolkien said, "'War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend...'"

So here's some advice for those who do not understand this: Place your hands firmly on each side of your head and pull. Don't be alarmed, the sucking sound you hear will be your head coming out of your ass. We do not have the luxury of debate, sanctions or negotiation. While some dither about our "right" to impose our culture on others, people are being murdered, in large numbers. Progressive relativism is meaningless against a foe whose only aim is to kill as many infidels as possible. Much like the misguided scientist who approaches the space alien "in peace" and gets immediately zapped into oblivion, what the post-modernists do not understand is that they are targets as well. It doesn't matter to the Islamofascist that you do not support America's position; it only matters that you do not believe as he does. "It needs but one foe to breed a war, not two, Master Warden," answered Éowyn. "And those who have not swords can still die upon them." (Props to Tolkien again.) It is time to wake up and smell the cordite.

Thoughts on the War

Thoughts on the War

Clayton Cramer has a interesting discussion about the nature of the current war. "They are all infidels." Liberals had better face up to this. It isn't about Israel. It's about Islamofascism. Until American courts are stoning women to death for having children out of wedlock; until French courts are amputating hands for theft; until Britain abolishes television (which, after all, shows images of living things, a violation of the Koran); until Sweden requires women to wear burkhas; until Italy prohibits the making of wine; until Denmark stops making pornography; until Canada makes homosexuality a capital offense--there will be no peace.

To put it bluntly, this is a religious war between them (the "True Believers") and us (the infidels). Their beliefs do not allow for compromise. All infidels must die. Period. No exceptions. Lest you think this is overreacting, read this. Or this.

It isn't about the oil. It isn't about imperialism. It isn't about Israel. It is about a group of religious zealots that believe the only good infidel is a dead infidel. This war began some time ago, and will not end until they are no longer able to make war upon us. It is not a joyous task, but it is necessary. As Tolkien said, "'War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend...'"

So here's some advice for those who do not understand this: Place your hands firmly on each side of your head and pull. Don't be alarmed, the sucking sound you hear will be your head coming out of your ass. We do not have the luxury of debate, sanctions or negotiation. While some dither about our "right" to impose our culture on others, people are being murdered, in large numbers. Progressive relativism is meaningless against a foe whose only aim is to kill as many infidels as possible. "It needs but one foe to breed a war, not two, Master Warden," answered Éowyn. "And those who have not swords can still die upon them." (Props to Tolkien again.) It is time to wake up and smell the cordite.

Pardon me, Mr. Friedman,

Pardon me,

Mr. Friedman, but your agenda is showing.

A lot of us would like to see more weapons inspectors on the streets here, and in the gun shops here, not just in Baghdad.

Fortunately, a lot more of us would like to see something completely different.

Sad News

Sad News

Got an e-mail last night from my grandson's other Pawpaw & Mimi (his mother's side of the family) about their little 2 yr. old daughter. Seems our grandson's "Auntie Em" just got her test results and is on her way to St. Jude's for treatment. Your good thoughts & prayers for this little sweetheart and her family would be much appreciated, as it doesn't look too good for her right now.

Home again

Home again

Just back from the semi-annual Pea Ridge Mule Jump. We'd never been before, but it was much more fun than we thought. Mules jump from a complete standstill, unlike horses, which is simply amazing to watch. It was funny too, to watch the mules decide, nope, not jumping that, and balk. The old saw "Stubborn as a Missouri mule" does have a sound basis in fact. We also watched some of the barrel racing & pole bending, which was just weird. Maybe I'm just too accustomed to seeing great Quarter horses or cutting horses that run like lightning & can stop & turn on a dime. But the winning time was over 23 seconds... that's just wrong somehow. But we had a good time and my husband got some great photos. I'll get some posted at some point, whenever my hubby gets things set up.

Yeah, right

Yeah, right

uh, the check's in the mail.... honest.

ROTF

ROTF

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. (Link via Instapundit) God, I miss MST3K.

There once was a world

There once was a world we knew...

but that world has moved on. (Props to Stephen King) My daughter stopped by later yesterday afternoon. We took the dogs for a walk, had a long talk about Iraq, the Maryland shooter & such. Then she said something that just deeply saddened me. "Mom," she said, "Some days I just want to go live in a bunker." My biggest worry at her age (22) was whether there would be enough money for food AND diapers. A serious worry, to be sure, but I was never afraid of the world in general. I realized yesterday that she is, and not unjustifiably so.

If we can't make the world a reasonably safe place for our children, what have we got?

Well

Well, the delivery guys finally showed. Right address, wrong boxes. (Imagine that, the military screwing something up.) Those poor guys! After driving past our house twice (our driveway is easily missed) on a busy narrow street in a tractor-trailer rig, humping 2 huge boxes from our side street across the lawn & into the house, they had to load them back up. They were really nice about it, said they were just making a practice run, and now that they knew were we were, they'd bring the right stuff back next week. So I have to call Monday & re-schedule. What a pain.

Comments

Comments

I'm planning on adding comments over the weekend, with my husband's help. (Hi, sweetie) Until then, you can tell me what you think by using the email address at the left. I reserve the right to block you if you're too annoying though.

I hate waiting.

I hate waiting. Today I'm waiting for a delivery from the Navy of my son's things, and so can't leave until it gets here cuz I'm the only one that can sign for it. He got transferred to San Diego for a six weeks or so stay, then he's off to Japan for a year. Needed someplace to store his stuff in the interim, so had it sent home to good old Mom. Thanks, son, I needed some more stuff to pack away in here and then send it all back to you overseas in a couple of months. But that's what Moms are for, right?

I mentioned earlier

I mentioned earlier we have two dogs, Sollie & Sassy. Sollie is a 1 1/2 yr pug, more commonly known as a "lap dog supreme." Quirky little dogs are pugs, if you've never had one. When I give them "gooddog" treats, rawhide chewsticks, he likes to hold his in his mouth like a cigar (think minature Winston Churchill) until Sassy finishes hers. Then he plays "I've got a treat & you don't, ha haha ha haha" with her before he finally eats it with great relish. He has a totally irrational fear of styrofoam too.
Sassy is an Akita, best described as a 75 lb. fuzzy bear. Akitas are great dogs, as long as you understand they are very much pack animals, like wolves. Since she views me as the alpha female, it is her job to protect me at all costs. Her other job is to protect & help care for our baby/puppy (the grandson). She absolutely adores him. She's never far away when he's around, and checks on him constantly when he's napping. If he makes one little peep, she comes & makes me go check on him. It's great, except she thinks I'm the only one allowed to take of him. Doesn't get nasty about it, just gets her body between him & whoever's close to him & starts pushing them away.
She's afraid of flashlights but not much else. The only downside that I've seen is that she's very routine-oriented. She just doesn't get weekends. 5:15 a.m. Saturday morning, "It's time to get up Mom! No, no, I don't want to "GO TO BED!" It's time to get up & go outside!" I tell you, there's nothing like a big hairy dog in your face before the sun comes up to start your weekend off right.

Bleh!

Bleh! Another dreary day here in the People's Republic of Fayetteville. I like the cooler temperature, 62 degrees right now, but I want my sunshine back. *Whine* Fall in the Ozarks is beautiful, topped only by spring. Lileks was great this morning as usual, commenting on Sen. Byrd's speech: "Are we going to let the president pay off the IOU with a blank check? We don’t even know if an IOU to a pig is legally binding." Brought to mind a case I read in law school regarding a guy who wrote a check on the side of a cow & presented it to the bank to pay off a note. If I remember correctly, the bank had to accept the payment, since all the required information was present on the cow. So there you go, folks, be creative.

I'd like to thank

I'd like to thank my Blogmother, Rachel Lucas, and Blogfather, RightWingTexan, for encouraging me to do this here blog thing. I'm enjoying it so far, but Rachel, you're right as usual, Blogspot is making me crazy. My total lack of IT knowledge is largely the cause of that though.

You know, this might go

You know, this might go a little faster if my dogs would stop with the incessant "I want in" "No, I want out" "No, I want back in" routine. Grrrr!

I read this a little

I read this a little bit ago. As Bugs Bunny would say, "Whatta maroon!" I've been thinking of a little Fisking, like to hear it? Here it goes:
Authorities have yet to report any specifics on the model of firearm used, but the bullets recovered in all the shootings came from the same type of high-powered rifle; and despite various federal, state and local laws, obtaining such a deadly and consistently accurate weapon is appallingly easy. Obviously not easy enough, there's been no reports of anyone returning fire.
According to Tom Diaz, senior policy analyst at the Violence Policy Center, now there's an unbiased source for you
one of the most lethal types is the sniper rifle, designed and manufactured for the purpose of killing human beings at more than five times the range at which hunters shoot deer. Yeah, that's cuz it's much easier to sneak up on Bambi.
Precision is key: The sniper's informal motto, Mr. Diaz says, is "One shot, one kill." Funny, that's what my daddy always taught me about shooting, along with "Eat what you kill." Ewww, never mind, that's just too gr