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December 30, 2006
On this day, December 30, in 1922 the USSR established as a Marxist state... Does anyone know if the Esplanade League is planning a celebration event?
(...that was a joke)
Posted by Post Scripts at 05:39 PM | Comments (0)
Video of Saddam's Execution
Hmmm...ok, so will the Esplanade League be holding a wake or maybe a candlelight vigil?
(.....still kidding, sort of)
Posted by Post Scripts at 05:31 PM | Comments (1)
Amazing Martian Discovery
"For years scientific papers and media outlets have trumpeted the news of past water flow on Mars. In this context, "past" usually meant "billions of years ago." But earlier this month, Michael Malin (Malin Space Science Systems) and four colleagues present compelling evidence that liquid water flowed across the surface of Mars in the past seven years."
Want to know more? Read on.
Note from Anthony Watts: And that's not all. They have also discovered evidence of global warming on Mars...as the southern ice cap is melting. This points to changes in the SUN as the reason. More on my blog about it here:
http://www.norcalblogs.com/watts/2006/12/global_warming_on_mars.html
Note from Jack: Oh, no! Global warming on Mars??? USA is sure to get the blame...and I'm suprised the dems haven't passed a law to limit oil exploration on Mars. Uh, maybe its still in committee?
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:01 AM | Comments (1)
December 29, 2006
A Politically Correct Death
by Jack Lee
We're told the execution of Saddam Hussein could come at anytime and the talk shows are abuzz with the question," Should we watch it on TV?"
They real question today ought to be why we forced the Iraqi's to keep this mass murderer alive so long? Any reasonable, thinking person knows that Saddam Hussein should have never come out of his hole alive.
The wimps who ordered that he be taken alive ought to be excused from any further government service and let them open up a coffee house in Amsterdam or something. Their "desires" to provide Saddam Hussein with a US style trial has cost the lives of an untold number of Iraqi's and US personnel and for what good end? So Saddam Hussein and his Bathists supporters could organize and then do their worst during this long drawn out ordeal many of us laughingly called a trial? Or was it so he could have an international pulpit to make a mockery of the trial? It made us look weak compared to his defiance and it rallied on his terrorist pals!
We know there was at least a 5 people who were brutally murdered as a result of this trial. But, even if only one death was suffered for the sake of this dog and pony show it was one death too many.
The outcome of this trial was never in doubt, so who are we kidding? It was a staged production
by and for our politically correct crowd. If Patten were alive today he would be smacking them in the face and calling them cowards for what they've done. This is the same bunch of fools that have our service people fighting with so many rules and restraints we look weak and it's causing us to take too many casualties. Well, I am sick of the PC bunch and I am sick of their rules, restraints and appeasements that have cost us so many needless deaths. They have dragged out this war that could have ended two years ago, if only we were allowed to unleashed Hell to bring the bad guys to their knees...but, no, instead we have been forced to allow this situation to digress into a civil war where many more tens of thousands may die.
The smart thing, the expedient thing, the merciful and just thing would have been to shoot Saddam Hussein when and where we found him. That would have put an end to the hopes of his Bathists thugs and his Sunni pimps that sought his return to power!
Please spare me your misplaced platitudes about due process. Go tell that to the families of the people who were slaughtered just to give this mass murderer an American style trial.
We had every justification known to man and God to take this killer out when we first found him and we would have been so much better off if we did. Remember Nikolai Chauchesku, the former Soviet dictator of Romania was shot at the moment of his capture...that sent a great message to those other that might have otherwise followed in his shoes.
This is one of the realities of how you fight and win a war.
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:15 AM | Comments (3)
The Coronation of Pelosi
by Tina Grazier
Hers is the “party of working Americans� but you’d never know it by the way she’s flaunting her wealth and dropping names. Yes fellow commoners we need to prepare! Soon we will witness a gala “coronation� with celebrations and events to be held over several days. Little people all across the land will be watching, ready to genuflect and swoon as Pelosi, dressed to kill in gorgeous designer frocks, rubs elbows with the extremely rich and famous. It’s a landmark occasion, a prelude to bigger and better things…it’s Camelot Redux!
In the week of her swearing in on Jan 4, she will be feted at a dinner at the Italian Embassy in Washington to mark the fact that she will be the first Italian-American, as well as the first woman, to become Speaker. Tony Bennett is due to sing I Left My Heart in San Francisco to her.
The events will culminate with a 3,000-seat black-tie dinner and concert at the National Building Museum, close to Capitol Hill, where Jimmy Buffett, Carole King and Wyclef Jean are due to perform. Tickets are $1,000 (£510).
Warren Beatty, Annette Benning, Ben Affleck and Richard Gere are among the Hollywood celebrities expected to join Mrs Pelosi to mark what they hope is the beginning of a new Democratic era.
I sure hope working Americans appreciate the humble dedication to service. I hope they appreciate the sacrifice she and her friends are making on their behalf. Soon she will level the playing field…it will be share and share alike…just make those filthy rich folks pay, pay, pay more taxes and soon we will all live happily ever after!!!
Have you made your appointment with Armani yet?
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2006
Fail This Test and You Might Die Soon
"Hey, doc, how long have I got?" Now there's an answer to that!
If you're 50 or older, all you have to do is answer 12 questions about important risk factors for life and death, and you'll find out your chances of dying in the next four years, reports The Associated Press. Interestingly, doctors say it's 80 percent accurate.
Take the test! The object is to get a low score.
1. Age. Use this point guide:
* Age 60-64: 1 point
* Age 65-69: 2 points
* Age 70-74: 3 points
* Age 75-79: 4 points
* Age 80-84: 5 points
* Age 85 or older: 7 points
2. Sex. Give yourself two points if you're a man; no points if you're a woman.
3. Weight, height and BMI (body mass index). Give yourself one point if your BMI is below normal (less than 25).
4. Has a doctor told you that you have diabetes or high blood sugar? If so, give yourself two points.
5. Has a doctor ever told you that you have cancer or a malignant tumor, excluding minor skin cancers? If so, give yourself two points.
6. Do you have a chronic lung disease that limits your usual activities or makes you need oxygen at home? If so, give yourself two points.
7. Has a doctor ever told you that you have congestive heart failure? If so, give yourself two points.
8. Have you smoked cigarettes in the past week? If so, give yourself two points.
9. Because of a health or memory problem, do you have any difficulty with bathing or showering? If so, give yourself two points.
10. Because of a health or memory problem, do you have any difficulty with managing your money--such as paying your bills and keeping track of expenses? If so, give yourself two points.
11. Because of a health problem do you have any difficulty with walking several blocks? If so, give yourself two points.
12. Because of a health problem do you have any difficulty with pulling or pushing large objects like a living room chair? If so, give yourself one point.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
Scoring: Add up the points. Your risk of dying in four years is:
0 to 5 points: Less than 4 percent
6 to 9 points: 15 percent
10 to 13 points: 42 percent
14 or more points: 64 percent
In case you thought question 3 was a typo, it's not. Yes, it really does give a point to those whose BMI is less than 25, which includes those of normal weight, while those who are overweight are not penalized. Why? A particularly disturbing sign in the elderly is weight loss due to illness.
Co-developed by Dr. Sei Lee, a geriatrics researcher at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the quiz is designed to help doctors and families get an idea of what the future could hold and then plan health care accordingly. "We know that patients and families want more prognostic information from doctors," Lee told AP. "It's a very natural human question of, 'What's going to happen to me?' We also know that doctors are very cautious about giving prognostic information because they don't want to be wrong."
The test is not foolproof. It's easy to see what it doesn't ask--how much you weigh, family medical history, blood pressure and cholesterol. Also, if your risk of death is high, talk to your doctor before you panic. "Even if somebody looks at their numbers and finds they have a 60 percent risk of death, there could be other mitigating factors," co-author and VA researcher Dr. Kenneth Covinsky told AP.
Maybe this is the wakeup call you need to start exercising and eating right.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)
As reported recently, some dirtbag who got pulled over in a routine traffic stop in Florida ended up "executing" the deputy who stopped him. The deputy was shot eight times, including once behind his right ear at close range. Another deputy was wounded and a police dog killed. A statewide manhunt ensued. The low-life piece of human garbage was found hiding in a wooded area with his gun. SWAT team officers fired and hit said low-life 68 times.
Asked why they shot the guy 68 times, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, told the Orlando Sentinel...get this. "That's all the bullets we had."
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)
John Edwards - Presidential Candidate
by Nick Freitas
So John Edwards is throwing his hat back into the ring. Great. All that really means to me is that I will have to switch the channel every time one of his nauseating commercials about Two Americas comes on.
I am so sick of superficial class warfare being displayed as intelligent debate. Edwards’s solution is not, in principle, supportable, so he relies on catchy slogans to do his heavy lifting amongst voters.
He claims that there is two Americas, and he wants to change that…great…how?
Well, first of all if you subscribe to his two Americas theory, you have to assume that one side is suffering as a result of the efforts of the other side. So we follow his liberal “logic� that if a fat man is standing next to a skinny one, then he clearly got that way by taking advantage of the thin one.
Do certain sectors of the population have unfair advantages over others? You bet they do. But it is a direct result of policies advanced by politicians like Edwards.
Edwards doesn’t want to de-regulate; he doesn’t want to revoke the unfair advantages that both labor and business seek from government. He simply wants to redistribute wealth. He wants to buy your vote, by telling you that a rich person owes a poor person money, simply because their rich. Well I’ve got bed news for you poor people, unless that rich person has stolen from you, they don’t owe you a dime. If we want to be technical about it, all things being equal, a wealthy person in a free market society is generally more valuable to the society as a whole than the poor person. This is NOT to say that they should somehow be treated differently under the law, or that the poorer person is less human; simply that a poorer person is much more likely to benefit from the wealth of a rich person (before taxes) than a rich person is to benefit from the wealth of a poor person.
But why bother with facts when it is so much easier to pander to the crowd. The liberal concept of “fairness� bears no resemblance to the English translation. As best I can tell it states that if you have more, you should be legally coerced to give more. Not necessarily to the charity or community of your choosing, but to a bureaucracy create by politicians who then have a little treasure chest which they can pull from to distribute tokens to their political base.
Let’s say all the worst things about politicians are true. That all of them pander, just to different sectors. Well in that case I want to be in the sector which panders to the upper middle class, and wealthy. Not because I am wealthy but because those who pander to the lower class have put themselves in a position to encourage poverty. I mean, after all, that’s where their base comes from right? Greedy Republicans incentive is to create greater wealth across the board since those who have earned their wealth are generally less inclined to give it up to the Edwards oracle, and therefore more likely to vote Republican.
Now, I grant you that this comparison is a bit simplistic; but in principle it makes the point that those who pander to the poor AGAINST the rich, as Edwards does, have no real incentive in helping to create policies which would encourage greater wealth without income redistribution.
His position more accurately stated would read a little more like this.
Rich people owe you, because they are rich. Vote for me and I will take what is theirs and give it to you.
Much more honest and direct, I don’t see it being widely adopted.
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:44 AM | Comments (2)
STRATFORD, N.J. - In an age of multimillion-dollar high-tech weapons systems, sometimes it's the simplest ideas that can save lives. Which is why a New Jersey mother is organizing a drive to send cans of Silly String to Iraq.
American troops use the stuff to detect trip wires around bombs, as Marcelle Shriver learned from her son, a soldier in Iraq.
Before entering a building, troops squirt the plastic goo, which can shoot strands about 10 to 12 feet, across the room. If it falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
A Sad End To A Good Liberal
by Jack Lee
It was on this day in 1793 that an American hero was arrested in France, his name was Thomas Paine and his alleged crime was treason.
In his day Payne was the epitome of a modern secular progressive, a term that might draw instant rebuke from many of our readers. However, in fairness his writings now prove he was a true visionary and his only crime was being too far ahead of his time. I know many of today's liberals also try to claim their views are simply ahead of the times, but in Payne's case it was quite true, for his views today are considered mostly conservative and as biographer Robert Ingersoll writes, his name is an inseparable part of the history of liberty.
Ironically his outspoken stance against capital punishment was largely behind the French charge of treason, but now the French thoroughly embrace it.
For his biography see http://www.thomaspaine.org/bio/ingersoll1870.html.
"Though the charges against him were never detailed, he had been tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Before moving to France, Paine was an instrumental figure in the American Revolution as the author of Common Sense, writings used by George Washington to inspire the American troops. Paine moved to Paris to become involved with the French Revolution, but the chaotic political climate turned against him, and he was arrested and jailed for crimes against the country.
When he first arrived in Paris, Paine was heartily welcomed and granted honorary citizenship by leaders of the revolution who enjoyed his antiroyalty book The Rights of Man. However, before long, he ran afoul of his new hosts. Paine was strictly opposed to the death penalty under all circumstances and he vocally opposed the French revolutionaries who were sending hundreds to the guillotine. He also began writing a provocative new book, The Age of Reason, which promoted the controversial notion that God did not influence the actions of people and that science and rationality would prevail over religion and superstition. Although Paine realized that sentiment was turning against him in the autumn of 1793, he remained in France because he believed he was helping the people.
After he was arrested, Paine was taken to Luxembourg Prison. The jail was formerly a palace and unlike any other detainment center in the world. He was treated to a large room with two windows and was locked inside only at night. His meals were catered from outside, and servants were permitted, though Paine did not take advantage of that particular luxury. While in prison, he continued to work on The Age of Reason.
Paine's imprisonment in France caused a general uproar in America and future President James Monroe used all of his diplomatic connections to get Paine released in November 1794. Ironically, it wasn't long before Paine came to be despised in the United States, as well. After The Age of Reason was published, he was called an anti-Christ, and his reputation was ruined. Thomas Paine died a poor man in 1809 in New York." History.com
Imagine you are a citizen of the new world and read this, would you be moved by these words?
Philadelphia, February 14, 1776
"As to usurpation, no man will be so hardy as to defend it; and that William the Conqueror was an usurper is a fact not to be contradicted. The plain truth is, that the antiquity of English monarchy will not bear looking into.
But it is not so much the absurdity as the evil of hereditary succession which concerns mankind. Did it ensure a race of good and wise men it would have the seal of divine authority, but as it opens a door to the FOOLISH, the WICKED, and the IMPROPER, it hath in it the nature of oppression. Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent. Selected from the rest of mankind, their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed in the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions."
Want to read more? Go here.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:13 AM | Comments (1)
December 27, 2006
Auto Mechanics Complaints About Customers
by Jack Lee
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who runs a car repair shop and he was telling me about some of his pet peeves commonly found among auto mechanics. I thought it might be helpful to share them with you so you can be aware of them. Who knows, it might get you better service and even a lower repair bill! Here you go, the big 6:
1. Don't bring in your own parts, let the shop buy them. Sure it costs more, but if you supply the parts the shop generally won't warrantee them, this is where that extra costs comes in, its like buying an insurance
policy. If it's a minor part with a big labor charge, you won't be saving much and if it the part fails the cost of replacement could be really expensive.
2. Don't call the shop and ask for advice on how to fix your car unless you want to pay them for the advice. Would you call your lawyer for advice and expect not to be billed for his professional services? Then, why would you expect any less from your local car repair shop?
3. Don't call the shop just to see how it's going! This is an unecessary interruption and in a small shop time is money. When you delay a mechanic to answer your silly phone call it's either going to cost him money or cost you money. Don't do it. Resist that urge! I'm told ladies do this all the time because they are impatient and they are clueless about how it works in a small repair shop. The funny part is when the mechanic explains, "I am currently aligning the pinon shaft and I'll be installing the throw out bearing in about 10 minutes..." he might as well been speaking Greek. But, somehow these people think by calling and bugging the shop they encourage them to fix their car faster or they will discovered their car has been ready for hours. When its done, you will be called, afterall, they need the money and the space!
4. Don't stand around to talk with the mechanic...go home! Save your socializing for your own time. He has a shop to run and he is on the clock....again time is money.
5. If you pick up your vehicle and something isn't right, then by all means you go right back and tell them, but don't assume they screwed up. Wait to see what they have to say about the problem before you flip out. Sometimes they have fixed the problem you complained about, but there was another problem and it didn't get addressed and this could be your fault. Also car repair, even with computer analysis, is not an exact science. A mechanic will try to use his best judgement to repair your vehicle, but sometimes problems are elusive in the best of shops. Be aware of this and don't think the mechanic is an idiot because he didn't find an elusive problem the very first time.
6. This one is mostly for the guys. Don't spend forever describing the problem and then telling the mechanic your theory in tedious detail about what YOU think must be wrong. So, unless you are a mechanic, please just keep it to the basics, he'll appreciate it.
Most mechanics are honest, skilled craftspeople and they try to do the very best job they can, but sometimes customers who wouldn't know a radiator cap from a hub cap are the first to criticize the mechanic when all does not go as planned and that's hardly fair. So, I hope you can find the time to really communicate with your mechanic and don't just talk, listen to him. Good communications and reasonable expectations between you and your mechanic will solve about 90% of all the problem that come up...could save you some money too.
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:29 PM | Comments (0)
Quote of the Week
Lex et Libertas -- Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis!
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it." --Thomas Paine
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:16 AM | Comments (1)
December 26, 2006
Parsing Kerry
by Tina Grazier
Senator Kerry has spoken to the Commander-in-Chief. His suggestion: flip-flop, Mr. President! This is just too good to ignore:
"There's something much worse than being accused of "flip-flopping": Refusing to flip when it's obvious that your course of action is a flop."
It's a cute turn of phrase I guess, but it doesn't make sense in describing OUR PRESIDENT. The term flip-flopping
has been used to describe someone who changes positions like he changes his clothes...for political expediency. It describes someone who, lacking solid grounding is willing to change his mind just to be popular or win votes. Your
suggestion that flip-flopping would be a sound course of action in the war is stupid, no matter how clever it might sound in your resentful little ears.
"I say this to President Bush as someone who learned the hard way how embracing the world's complexity can be twisted into a crude political shorthand. Barbed words can make for great politics. But with U.S. troops in Iraq in the middle of an escalating civil war, this is no time for politics. Refusing to change course for fear of the political
fallout is not only dangerous -- it is immoral."
What do you suppose is Kerry's "hard learned" lesson of "embracing the world's complexity"? What is he referring to when he talks about twisting it (or having it twisted by others?) "into a crude political shorthand"? He isn't very clear, not clear at all, so I think we'll all have to be content to wonder. (And they thing GW is inarticulate!) He then begins to lecture the President, "...with troops in Iraq...no time for politics'. Excuse me Senator, but it hasn't stopped you, or most of those in your party, from playing politics. In fact that is all you have done from the beginning. The moral issue is irrelevant since your perceptions of the President's motivations are yours and yours alone.
"I'd rather explain a change of position any day than look a parent in the eye and tell them that their son or daughter had to die so that a broken policy could live."
Yes, Senator, you would, and that is exactly why I wouldn't want you to lead the country. You haven't the courage of your convictions and that makes you a major candidate for flip-flopper-in chief but that's about all. Your words suggest that you would not defend my children at all if it meant that you had to perform some uncomfortable task as president. They suggest you'd rather make up some story after the fact to explain why America wasn't able to prevent a terrorist attack than make hard decisions to defend and protect this nation.
(Kerry then goes on to describe his version of the Vietnam War...no need to rehash his personal little fables here.)
"We cannot afford to waste time being told that admitting mistakes, not the mistakes themselves, will provide our enemies with an intolerable propaganda victory. We've already lost years being told that we have no choice but to stay the course of a failed policy."
All of your criticisms and those of your party have been met with a challenge to provide an alternative plan. You consistently ignored the opportunity. The brave men and women who have tirelessly fought this war deserve more from a Senator of the United States; they deserve a plan that works and makes victory the goal. You and yours, Senator Kerry, have had one plan and only one plan...cut and run, or the more colorful...redeploy...both of which are flip-flop speak for "lose". The obvious outcome of your well articulated plan, sir, projected throughout the world by the media, has been to provide that "propaganda victory" to our enemies that you deny. Perhaps it's time for you to be held accountable for the slow progress in this war. Better yet, perhaps it's time for you to flip-flop and offer something useful, workable and supportive of victory.
"This isn't a time for stubbornness, nor is it a time for halfway solutions -- or warmed-over "new" solutions that our own experience tells us will only make the problem worse."
Boy are you right about that...and I wish you would just stop it. The old solution you helped facilitate in the Vietnam War doesn't need to be warmed-over and repeated. Your "stubbornness" about that needs a radical adjustment. The "halfway solution" of "redeployment" is equally dumb and "will only make the problem worse". Gee, Senator,
may I suggest skiing in Vail...it's a more suitable, and less costly, venue for flip-flopping.
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:04 AM | Comments (1)
December 25, 2006
December 25: General Interest
1914 : The Christmas Truce
Just after midnight on Christmas morning, the majority of German troops engaged in World War I cease firing
their guns and artillery and commence to sing Christmas carols. At certain points along the eastern and western fronts, the soldiers of Russia, France, and Britain even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their joyous singing.
At the first light of dawn, many of the German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man's-land, calling out "Merry Christmas" in their enemies' native tongues. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer.
The so-called Christmas Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of war in Europe and was one
of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare. In 1915, the bloody conflict of World War I erupted in all its technological fury, and the concept of another Christmas Truce became unthinkable.
Posted by Post Scripts at 04:49 PM | Comments (1)
Good News for the Military
by Tina Grazier
Army Field Manual 3-24, Counterinsurgency - MCWP 3-33.5 for the Marine Corps
"We owe a debt of thanks to the officers (most of them Iraq or Afghanistan veterans) involved in the revision of this manual - which involved a lot of long hours, exasperation and soul-searching."
"Coming up fast from behind (as one hopes we'll be able to do in Iraq), the doctrine writers shook off much of the spell of the last century's bogus theorizing and began to come to grips with the real enemies we face today and will continue to face in various guises for decades to come."
Ralf Peters article, FOUND HERE tells of a new field manual designed to address the challenges our new enemies present. Two comment wer particularly bold:
"Yes, there's still a little too much "peace, love and understanding" silliness, but it's counterbalanced with blunt honesty that acknowledges that not all of our enemies can be persuaded to adore us."
"Earlier drafts cautiously ignored faith-fueled insurgencies and even the phenomenon of the suicide bomber; now both topics get intelligent treatment."
The military gets it...even if the flower children, and Monsieur Kerry, still do not.
Posted by Post Scripts at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2006
Merry Christmas To All
Merry Christmas everyone! And a very special Merry Christmas to our military friends wherever they may be. I'm sure I can safely speak for Tina when I say we could not be more proud of our fine men and women in service to this nation. WE SUPPORT YOU AND THAT MEANS WE SUPPORT YOUR MISSION TOO. It's one of the main reasons why we are here. God bless and above all ....,stay safe!
PS Special thanks to Nick F., Tina and I liked your picture and the US flag you sent. It's flying from the second story of my banister as we speak! It was the best gift I could have received!.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)
Another Despot About to Come Down?
By NASSER KARIMI
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran vowed Sunday to push forward efforts to enrich uranium and to change its relations with the international nuclear watchdog after the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions designed to stop the country's disputed nuclear program.
Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the Security Council would regret voting in favor of the sanctions, saying he was sorry the West lost its chance to make amends with Iran.
"I am sorry for you who lost the opportunity for friendship with the nation of Iran. You yourself know that you cannot damage the nation of Iran an iota," the state-run news agency, IRNA, quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Ahmadinejad also said the United Nations must accept Iran's nuclear program and warned that sanctions would not harm his country.
Note by Jack: Ahmadinejad is not a worldly man and his view of the holocaust gives a hint at his global ignorance, but his determination to build nuclear weapons in the middle east is beyond reason, it's maniacal and it will only have a bad end.
His only claim to political fame has been his ability to create controversy and to a lesser extent to creat hatred within his nation for other nations (US and Isreal mainly). This is a blatant attempt to divert attention away from his own failures at home with Iranian economy. Iran is awash in oil, they don't need nuclear energy, but they do need leadership to manage their wealth. One wonders how long Ahmadinejad can last.
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:45 PM | Comments (2)
December 22, 2006
It's Nuts Out There!
by Jack Lee
My daughter and I made a vain attempt to do some last minute shopping today. It was nuts, absolutely nuts. The roads were jammed, parking was non-existent, long lines at the checkout, people, people everywhere. Anecdotally speaking, if this is a symptom of our economy, then we must be rolling in dough! I can't recall seeing more shoppers in Chico...period. It was a day of spending madness, but we gave up early because we couldn't handled the horrendous traffic. So, we're obliged to go back tomorrow, but we're starting out at 8 a.m., hoping for less traffic!
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:50 PM | Comments (5)
GOP's Top Candidate
by Jack Lee
AP- "Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is poised to announce his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination in two phases early next month, a top adviser told The Associated Press on Friday. The Massachusetts chief executive is expected to file paperwork as early as Jan. 2 with the Federal Election Commission, establishing a presidential campaign committee and permitting himself to begin raising money for his race on the first business day of the new year. Romney will leave office on Jan. 4. "
McCain, Gingrich, Giuliani, Huckabee... all have too much baggage, too little experience or pale by comparison in personality. Personally, if it was just a matter of ability Gingrich would be my pick for President, but his infidelity and a messy divorce smacks of days gone by with Clinton. Dems are sure to remind Republicans of what they were put through over Billy's trists, bet on it. McCain can't rally conservatives nor can Giuliani and Huckabee is a popular governor, but only in his own state. Can you tell me what state that would be? Right...myh point exactly, so at this moment in time the front runner is Romney and as the candidates list grows and then is narrowed down, I'll say he will be among the final 3.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)
Iranians, Truth and MSM Bias
By Nick Freitas...
The Iranian President's party just took a wholloping in the latest election!! The demographics say they took the beating from....the youth. Thats right, apparently the next generation of Iranians top priority isnt building nukes and
turning Israel into a parking lot.
Its not all over the news though, because while this is GREAT news for our country, that doesnt neccesarily mean that its great news for democrats. So in a couple days when the media has discovered a way to make this event the result of tireless efforts by liberals we should see it as front page news. Now if there is no believeable way to do this, they will settle for making it a remarkable event despite Bush's foreign policy.
When you simply live and die by the same questions the major media does, the answer reveales itself.
If a potentially big story comes in, first ask yourself... "Will this advance my particular political beliefs?"
If the answer is yes, then print it!!
Next ask yourself " Will this not only advance my political beliefs, but can it be spun in a maner where I can be-little and degrade the beliefs of conservatives?"
If the answer is yes, it's front page.
Now, if the story doesnt do one of those two things but is still news worthy....well try and make it one of those two things as best you can, then rehash a global warming expose'.
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:59 AM | Comments (1)
December 21, 2006
From TinmanB....
A blonde woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards.
She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas stamps?"
The clerk says, "What denomination?"
The woman says, "God help us. Has it come to this?
Give me 6 Catholic,12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran, and 22 Baptists!
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:07 AM | Comments (1)
True Reason For Islamic Terrorism Revealed!!!
by Jack Lee
SPECIAL REPORT - BREAKING NEWS!!!
For many centuries AND I should point out, even long before there was a USA, the civilized people of the world have pondered why Islamic extremists and terrorists are so angry and so irrational that they would lash out and behave in such an aggressive manner. What could be driving their fury? Was it something in their religion, was it cultural or was it some brain defect? What could it be? What lurked behind their blood stained robes? THAT WAS THE QUESTION UNTIL TODAY.
Finally, we have the answer! Thanks to the advancement of modern medicine and the teams of doctors working with our counter-terrorism experts they have found a common thread among all terrorists and extremists from around the world.
It's incredible, but these experts all agree this is the reason...
THE REAL REASON FOR TERRORISM IS THIS ONE LITTLE THING...
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)
Iraq GNP and New Business Going Through the Roof
Despite constant media reports of civil war in Iraq, that country’s economy is reported to be booming—even in Baghdad. According to studies from the US Chamber of Commerce, the World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund), Newsweek reports that Iraq’s flourishing economy was "the mother of all surprises."
Iraq’s economy has grown by at least 4% and may be as high as 17%, according to Newsweek. Companies registered in Iraq have grown from 3,000 in 2003 to 34,000 in 2006. In 2006, Iraq realized $41 billion from oil revenues and construction, real estate and retail sales are reported to be at all time highs.
Read more on this amazing success story....
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)
Creepiest Quotes of the SEASON!
by Tina Grazier
Might as well Quote him to you right off the bat...ding bat? No. Moon bat? No! Self absorbed bat. No, make it BRAT! Tom Flynn, author of "The Trouble With Christmas" is apparently under the impression that holiday festivities and associated greetings should be played out exclusively for his pleasure and only with his approval:
Depending on context, wishing someone "Merry Christmas!" can now function as hate speech. In Religious Right Wonderland, you don't wish "Merry Christmas" any more; you wield it.
Wield it, huh? This man can READ people. Yes he is self absorbed, but paranoid, extremely emotional, and overly sensitive also work:
Yes, Virginia, there is a War on Christmas. And it's desperately important that the non-Christians win. Meanwhile, Christian Americans need to recognize how the ideologues on their right flank have poisoned the December air. Ours has become a never-never land in which no Christian can wish a non-Christian "Merry Christmas" without the implied "Up yours" ringing in the hearer's ears. Addressed to non-Christians, "Merry Christmas" is now code for "All you non-Christians go to the back of the bus! This is a Christian country. We own the last two sheets on the calendar. We're number one! By the way, you're all going to hell."
Back of the bus? Back of the BU...hee hee ha ha...us? Give me a break! It's just Merry Christmas. It's a "greeting" for heavens sake! Greetings exist for a reason. They are "expression(s) of kindness or joy"! (Webster's) He goes on and gets all smarmy on us...
And so, I wish "Happy Holidays" to those who are celebrating one-or more- this season. To those (like myself) who aren't celebrating anything, I wish you peace-though also, good luck finding any.
This is America, Tom...remember? YOU can wish anyone "Happy Holidays" any time YOU wish. Do us the favor of adopting your own ideology of "tolerance" and extending the same to Christians who only wish to no longer be shunned from the town square for extending Christmas greetings to others. It's free speech, man, if you stop having a hissy the hubbub will go away.
And by the way, Christ is called the "Prince of Peace". You might try reading his words sometime...well received, they bring a lasting sense of PEACE! (even when someone says the MC words). So......... Merry Christmas, Tom!
But nobody better wish me a merry Christmas.
Oooops...guess I failed to scroll down....he continues...
As a default seasonal greeting, "Happy Holiday" beats "Merry Christams" hands down...But "Happy Holidays" implicitly assumes that every Amercican is celebrating something during the five and a half weeks 'twixt Thanksgiving and New Year's, when in fact many people aren't. For those whose "season" includes no holiday, "Happy Holidays" serves the same dark purpose as "Merry Christmas." It's a snub, an unsubtle reminder to those out of step that everyone's "supposed" to be observing some holiday, any holiday, at this festive season.
Dark purpose? DARK PURPOSE!!! Here we go again. Let's face it, some people are never happy...or at peace.
Find these creepy quotes and more in a piece called The New Hate Speech found at www.secularhumanism.org.
"Trying to follow Mr. Flynn's twisted reasoning is like trying to follow a white line in a snowstorm," say's Christopher Orlet in his piece, "Merry Christmas as Hate Speech" found HERE.
I highly recommend it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS YOU...EVERY ONE!!
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2006
Room at the Inn
by Tina Grazier
"But you Bethlehem, though you are small, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." The prophet Micah
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, is a city steeped in history and tradition. Today it is a place of persecution and strife. Tourists are choosing to stay away and the Christians living there are being persecuted and driven from the area.
Life for Palestinian Christians such as 50-year-old Joseph has become increasingly difficult in Bethlehem - and many of them are leaving. The town's Christian population has dwindled from more than 85 per cent in 1948 to 12 per cent of its 60,000 inhabitants in 2006. ..."We have 65 per cent unemployment and about 2,000 bedrooms in hotels that are empty."
Mary and Joseph would not find it difficult to find a room in Bethlehem today. As we celebrate Christmas this year let us be mindful of those who are facing the harsher realities of life in the Middle East and give thanks for the unalienable rights we enjoy, including the right to practice our religion.
Find the story, "Oh Muslim town of Bethlehem" HERE
Posted by Post Scripts at 06:03 PM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2006
Iraq's Economy is Booming...uh, in a good way.
Finally some GOOD NEWS: Read this news story...Prosperity is doing well in Iraq and the money is flowing in.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:15 PM | Comments (2)
TinmanB sent us these holiday words of wisdom...
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:38 AM | Comments (1)
Jingle,jingle,jingle...
by Tina Grazier
The origin of the song Jingle Bells can be found HERE. The following is an excerpt from the report by Andrea, age 12 and Nancy, age 13:
The song was written in 1850, a time before wars, back when life was very simple, and everyone was happy. This song, Jingle Bells, was written only 7 miles from Boston, Massachusetts, in a town called Medford. Jingle Bells was written by James Pierpont as a kind of celebration of the Salem Street sleigh races that were a popular recreation and porch-side spectator sport. Young people sang it on sleigh rides all winter long that year in the Medford area.
In December 1857, Pierpont's brother asked if he knew of a pleasant winter song the Sunday school children could sing at church social they were planning. James did, in fact, have it stored away in an attic trunk. He dusted off the only copy of the song that he wrote years earlier in Medford and gave it to his brother.
The students loved the song. It was a big hit of the Christmas social a few weeks later. Pierpont made a copyright on the Jingle Bells song because so many people were interested and were talking about it. Two years later the song was published, and "Jingle Bells" was a big hit. Victor Herbert once remarked, "Of all the songs by the other composers I have heard, there is only one I wish I had composed myself". When asked the name of the song he replied, "Why, 'Jingle Bells,' of course," a bit surprised anyone would have to ask, "It is a jolly tune".
I also discovered a verse I've never heard HERE:
A day or two ago, the story I must tell
I went out on the snow and on my back I fell;
A gent went riding by in a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away
Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)
THE SNEEZE THAT WARMED HEARTS
They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With rich maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps, they looked almost as grown-up as they felt.
Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears.
This class would not pray during the commencements - not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it. The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families.
The speeches were nice, but they were routine, until the final speech received a standing ovation.
A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened. All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED!!!!
The student on stage simply looked at the audience and said, " GOD BLESS YOU, each and every one of you!" And he walked off stage.
The audience exploded into applause. The graduating class found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.
GOD BLESS YOU
In God We Trust, United We Stand.
This is a true story; happened at the University of Maryland . It's inspiring.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:17 AM | Comments (1)
December 17, 2006
Another Kind of Scrooge
By Jack Lee
The Mother was busy cleaning her house for probably the 10th time in the past week, when her adult daughter called and asked her to go shopping for a few hours. She snapped at her, "NO! We've got the employees coming over tomorrow for the Christmas party and I have get this place cleaned up! I just have way too much to do. I don't have the luxury of free time like some people. I can't just drop everything and run off and go shopping whenever I feel like it. Why don't you and Paul (her husband) go shopping, because I can't !" And so the conversation went, the daughter practically begging and the Mother saying NO, until it was over and then they were both mad at each other.
The mother had acted rushed, tense and her voice had an air of condescending hostility. She was frustrated that her daughter couldn't appreciate the enormity of the responsibility placed on her to host a Christmas party. She was such a busy person between her professional obligations and running her fancy home.
The daughter turned to her husband and complained, "She won't go. She's always like that to me, especially this time of year. She acts like she has all these things she has to do and nobody else could possibly understand ...Well, it's just stuff she imposes on herself - BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE CARES! I'm sick of asking her to do something with me and then being yelled at!" She was filled with disappointment and heartbreak - "I just wanted my Mom to go shopping with me for once. I'm really sick of her attitude!" And tears filled her eyes as her husband said softly, "C'mon sweety, I'll take you... forget her."
This ultra organized mother was so completely into her own agenda that she is oblivious to feelings of those closest to her. She is one of those who was always too busy to do spontaneous family things, but the upside was her house has always sparkled with cleanliness. In fact, this place would do justice to a hospital O-R, it is not only the epitome of clean, but it's organized to the max too, Felix Unger couldn't do better!
We probably all know somebody like this or maybe.... you're like this? If you are, then I say (taking on the part of the ghost of Christmas past now) with all due sincerity, you have lost your priorities and you are at risk of pushing aside one of life's greatest gifts, the love of family. Let me make this really, really clear.... your family needs must come before your need to dust! Sometimes you have to let that cleaning go for the sake of your family.
When you're lying there on your death bed, do you want your $1200 Kirby with it's 18 cleaning attachments parked next to you, or would you rather have your son or daughter beside you holding your hand and comforting you, telling you how much they love you?
At this time of year it's important to reflect on your family and focus on what's really important in life. Then have the good sense and courage to prioritize THAT into your life schedule! And if a lamp shade should go undusted as a result...well, too bad - so sad, get over yourself!
I made up this fictional character to make a point and to illustrate that point further, as I write, there are dishes in our sink and the bed's still not made! The carpet hasn't seen a vaccum in 5 or 6 days...and you know what? It's ok. We will live and the house will survive until the next cleaning day! This is our busy time of year, not for cleaning, but for family. We DO things with our kids, our relatives and our friends. And if house cleaning suffers a little, so be it!
For example, today I took one of my daughters for a ride on our ATV. She was laughing out loud as we raced across the newly plowed field, we had a blast. Later we all had lunch in Afton (population 25) and later still we all spent time grooming horses and feeding cows together, not because we had too, but because we wanted too as a family.
These are our family memories. Your compulsive floor waxing is not a meaningful memory, nor is sucking the dust off the back of the drapes, get it? This is your ghost of Christmas past telling you .....Do something with your family Mr. or Mrs. Work-a-holic, tis the season and life is short! Don't be a Scrooge to your family.
Posted by Post Scripts at 04:36 PM | Comments (5)
December 16, 2006
Iraq Update... Bi-Partisan Report
by Jack Lee
I've read the 79 page bi-partisan report on Iraq and it's just not that impressive in terms of anything new and inspiring.
The report tells us the divisions are basically Sunni, Shia and Bathist. Each has been in a constant state of recruitment for their own agendas and that means recruiting for combatants. That's been escalating the violence as they each morph into sectarian militias. Then we have the external forces that have been far from helpful when it comes to a peaceful resolution here. These are the usual suspects... the ever critical, ever negative media (aka MSM) and the many leftist nations in the world that were and remain openly critical long before this war began and shape world opinions against US interests at every turn.
The negative rhetoric has worked well on many Iraqi's who have bought into the extremism, much of it coming from Iran, Lebananon, Pakistan. But, also Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, although the governments of the later three seem passively detached, even if their media and radical groups are not.
The report notes that the "insurgency" is a complex mix, often working independently and without any central command and control. It is a, "network of networks" they conclude. It surprised me that Al Qaeda is allegedly responsible for only a small portion of the violence, but as the report notes, when they strike it is often in a spectacularly devastating manner with mass casualties.
They claim probably less than 1300 foreign fighters are in Iraq, which is somewhat of a surprise to me too, I expected it to be much higher. Organization and financing comes mostly from within Iraq by disaffected Sunni and Bathists. Reprisal in sectarian violence is the most common motive for the violence.
40% of Iraq's population live with the four most insecure regions.
Currently nearly every US Army and Marine unit has had at least one tour in Iraq and many are going on two or three tours.
The report didn't come right out and say this, but it inferred that Paul Bremer messed up a lot in the begining and we're paying for it now. We know Bremer didn't set up a quality government and what followed was corrupt and incompetent officials in high office that led to reconstruction delays, cost overruns, internal conflicts and ultimately the theft of hundreds of millions in Iraq's oil money as our expenses escalated by the hundreds of billions.
It gets worse.
The weak Iraqi government, and right from the begining, seems to have no interest in national reconciliation and it is divided along sectarian fault lines. The report points this out very well. But, even if they wanted to reconcill and establish central control, they don't have the military means to defeat insurgent militias nor the political ability. This is because the orignal Bush plan failed to establish a permanent, professional Iraqi military and embarked on regional all-volunteer militias, where soldiers could quit at any moment. The militias only serve a specific region and they are reluctant to deploy to other troubled areas. In 2006 the Iraq Army budget was 3 billion dollars. We spend that much about every two weeks on our forces. Complicating this was our Bremer formulated policy that excluded ALL former Bathist military leaders, carte blanche with no appeal.
This is why it's been so difficult for our military trainers to establish a credible Iraqi military to fight the insurgents, such as the Mahdi Army, which is almost 60,000 strong. The state of the Iraqi police is far worse. The National
Police, which numbers about 25,000 has been trained counter-insurgency, not general law enforcement and they can't cope with the current crime wave. On another level we have the "Facilities Protection Services" which comprise about 145,000 uniformed personnel of questionable ability and loyalty. The report describes them as being "dysfunctional" and sometimes "subversive".
Our policy of "Clear, hold and build" can't be enforced if the Iraqi's forces do not have the ability to take over, as evidenced by the escalating terrorist violence and rising crime.
The real power brokers and leaders in Iraq are unfortunately not the people that hold high political office. They are outside the system and they are sectarian leaders like, Abdul Al Hakim, Ali al Sistani and Moqtada al Sadr. They don't talk to each and are cut off from talking to the US by the forces of religious extremism. This is the same sort of extremism that seems to hold Iraqi government officials in paralysis.
Prime Minister Maliki hold absolutely no authority over these powerful religious leaders. In fact, he seems incapable of even controlling corruption in his own regime, which costs the Iraqi's about 5-7 billion a year. Even IF the corrupt officials were sorted out, Iraq still lacks a competent judiciary to prosecute them. There have been almost no arrests for corruption in the past 3 years. Our best estimates say 500,000 barrels of oil every day are diverted for economic use by criminals and terrorists. This is money that could be used in reconstruction and nobody seems to be doing much about it.
On a smaller scale, but still signficant in terms of our sacrifices being put to good use, we have our field commanders carrying out their own questionable military policies that seems to come down to two uninspired things, patrolling and raiding.
How does send a convoy of foreign military vehicles into a neighborhood on a regular basis improve security? It's a provocation, it's a setup for ambush and IED's and it's a reminder to the Iraqi's they are living in an occupied country. Tensions are bound to escalate the longer we raid neighborhoods and patrol with force. This is not a good long term practice. When our soldiers interacted with the population we generally seemed to have a positive response, tensions lessened and productive dialogs happen.
Imagine you live in the outskirts of Baghdad and for many months those foreign troops outside your home were approachable and friendly, then suddenly they were back in armored vehicles and behind guns. They were occasionally conducting surprise house to house raids and seizing homes for quartering troops they used in their raids. How would you feel about those soldiers?
For the most part, the tactics we use by our soldiers depends on the area commander's judgment. The quality of command varies greatly in Iraq. Some commanders just wanted to keep their troops aloof while showing they conducted a high number of patrols and rack up some good statistics and come home. That's probably worse than doing nothing, sure, on paper this looks good, but what has it done for the peace effort? That commander likely achieved minimum casualties and logged a lot of patrols, but what sort of deteriorating situation does the next commander inherit?
We have a very ambigious policy on what it takes to hold a suspected terrorists, who are often caught and released with days. This has hurt our credibility and our pipeline of information, not to mention soldiers moral.
Formerly good community relations are spiraling down and insurgents are the benefactors. Consequently attacks increase and the quagmire worsens. We say we will stay the course for as long as it will take, but contrast that against the Iraqi's greatest fear....that we will not leave because we are their for the oil.
What exactly is the course for the boots on the ground? Like I said earlier it often depends on the local commander.
This makes it confusing for our troops and it's confusing to the Iraqis. And where there is confusion there are opportunities to be exploited by the insurgents.
The only workable suggestions I noted in this bi-partisan report is to get enough well trained Iraqi forces and police ready to assume responsibly and to make our presence as least felt as possible. But, the rules for doing that run absolutely contrary to the mission! (See Iraqi militia conditions)
Next, I find a diplomatic approach to the current regimes in Iran and Syria to seek their cooperation as foolish. It will make us look weak. It also doesn't help to have US Senators and Presidential candidates running around the middle east to send mixed signals.
We have a great strategic national security interest in a successful outcome in Iraq and I hope we all recognize this by now. As the bi-partisan panel said, "Iraq is the center piece of American foreign policy". That is why it is too risky to abruptly withdraw from Iraq like some in Congress want. If we did that right now, it is a given we will have a war of Biblical proportions involving Iraqis and likely other nations.
Bottom line: The longer we stay, the less welcome we are, but if we depart too quickly we will hand this nation over to extremists. We're in a tough spot and it's about as tough and complex as any we've ever faced. As it now appears this means we must have a phased withdrawal in a given period of time to force the Iraqi government to become the leaders in this fight. For the U.S., this might mean we face the possibility that the type of government that will work in Iraq is NOT the type of government we want.
Thanks to centuries of sectarian violence and that has begat almost incomprehensible social divisions, there is a better than average chance this situation in Iraq will end in a civil war, no matter what we do.
In the clarity of hindsight, our peace plan was monumentally flawed from the very beginning with too much assumed and given over to trust. We missed many golden opportunities to do things right and now the current state of destabilization is critical. However, in the final analysis it's up to the Iraqi to resolve their differences. I regret to say, there are simply too few signs the Iraqi's are headed in that constructive direction. I really wish I could report otherwise, but this is how it looks to me, this is how the Iraq report reads and if you believe the polls apparently 60% of American's see it this way too.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:07 AM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2006
Seattle Slew's Grandaughter Up For Sale
Anybody interested buying a 12 year old TB mare that is the grandaughter to Seattle Slew?
As you may recall Slew was a rare Tripple Crown winner back in 1977. Slew finished his career with 14 wins in 17 races, earning more than $1.2 million US in purses...stud fees were 300k! Well, back to my story, so some local people have the grandaughter to the big boy and she's for sale....now unless there is a misprint...this is the price: $700. I know because I just finished doing the want ads for the CEA website and there it was...Seattle Slews grandaughter being sold for $700 bucks. Well, there it is believe it or not.
Oh, I suppose you might want to check out the ad for yourself, maybe even call the lady. But, chances are this horse is already sold.
Here's the link to the website: http://www.chicoequestrianassociation.com/
Enter the site and look at the classified ads, it's highlighted in yellow, can't miss it. This could make somebody a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Posted by Post Scripts at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2006
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
The High Cost of Rescues
When people do incredibly foolish things that result in search and rescue being called, should they be financially responsible?
In the summer of 2001 a local woman purchased a new SUV because she is moving to her new mountain home. That winter she found herself cut off from the home by a rising creek. A road sign warns "Do Not Cross When Water Present". But, she drives into the rain swollen creek anyway and becomes trapped as the water rises. Rescue was summoned by a neighbor, cost of the call out was about $6800. Insurance loss for one SUV... $31,000.
2004 a man with little or no climbing experience attempts to scale a cliff in upper park without safety gear. He falls, becomes injured and a helicopter plus 15 fire safety personal are required to get him out. Total cost to get him to a hospital around $9,000.
2005, an otherwise good skier deliberately skis out of bounds at Squaw Valley and becomes lost. A special rescue team finds him around 3 a.m. He has skied and walked almost 3.5 miles from where the out of bounds was clearly marked because he said he "liked the snow better over there". This rescue involved 25 professionals, 75 volunteers, tracking dogs, snow cats and more. The cost of this rescue was over $22,000!
What Price Glory? We have 3 mountain climbers on top of Mt. Hood in the middle of winter, not the best time for a climb is it? Days of rescue have stretched the limits of man and machine and the cost continue to rise exponentially and threatens to go well over 6 digits . I'm sure we all hope this will end well, but at the moment the prospects are not good. They are up around 10,000 feet and winds are gusting over 100 mph. See story.
There are literally hundreds of such highly preventable events that occur every year and the costs are becoming so large that sooner or later we are going to have to acknowledge them, because they are NOT done for free.
So my question now is, should we pass a financial responsibility law to hold people at least somewhat accountable when they do extremely unsafe stunts that turn into a costly and dangerous rescues? We're not talking about a hiker who twists his ankle and needs help, this is just life. We are talking about those times when somebody goes above and beyond and gets themselves in a real expensive fix that we wind up paying for!
If we had such a law, I admit it might not recover much compared to what was spent, but it sends the right message and it could give some people pause, because there are those of us who are less likely to risk our money than our safety, as strange as that sounds. And this could save some lives, not to mention contributing to the rescue budgets and that could be used to save lives too! We already do this when someone lets a camp fire get out of control and burns down neighboring houses. I don't see a big leap here, do you? It's all acountability for our own actions.
I have no problem with people taking big risks. I just have a problem when I am asked to pay for it when things go wrong. I say do whatever you want, but at your own financial peril.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:51 AM | Comments (3)
December 13, 2006
Duke's Strange New Family
by Tina Grazier
Most of us in the Republican Party treat him like a shirt-tale relative that no one wants at the family reunion. He's David Duke who always denies his bigotry, biases and hatred even as he runs around demonstrating them for all to see. It's particularly repugnant when he pretends reasonableness and so I found it interesting that yesterday he
just might have found himself a new family:
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's conference questioning the Holocaust came to an end Tuesday, but not before hearing former KKK Imperial Wizard David Duke say that gas chambers were not used to kill Jews. "The Zionists have used the Holocaust as a weapon to deny the rights of the Palestinians and cover up the crimes of Israel," Duke told a gathering of nearly 70 "researchers" in Tehran at Ahmadinejad's invitation.
Duke found an amazing array of kissing cousins amongst the attendees at the conference...the following is but a sampling of his darkly spirited kindred:
"All the studies and research carried out so far have proven that there is no reason to believe that the Holocaust ever occurred and that it is only a tale," Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, a former interior minister and one of the founders of Lebanese militia Hezbollah.
Nabil Soleiman, an adviser to the ministry of religious affairs in Syria, said, "If the Holocaust ever occurred, it was a conspiracy against the Arab-Islamic world as today the Middle East is still paying the consequences."
Austrian historian Wolfgang Froehlich, who served a two-year jail sentence in his home country for denying the Holocaust, did not read out his speech -- which was handed out to participants -- for fear of being jailed again.
The immediate condemnation from around the world was heartening but none as credible as the testimony from a very brave man who was once a terrorist himself :
When I finally realized the lies and myths I was taught, it is my duty as a righteous person to speak out...The Israeli Arab Conflict is not about geography but about Jew hatred; Throughout the Islamic as well as Christendom's history Jews have been persecuted, the persecution of Israel is just the same as the old antisemitism... The so called "Israeli occupation" is currently the only real freedom any Arab has had in any part of the Middle East in the 56 years of Israel's existence. - Walid Shoebat
Any chance Mr. Duke will convert or will he abandon this new family and rush back to the safety and freedom of American soil?
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:15 AM | Comments (2)
December 12, 2006
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)
Christmas Poem
From TinmanB...
Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a "Holiday".
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream Tree"
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)
Little Things Mean a Lot...
"Democrats are talking about an increase to $7.25 an hour, and they're promising to push it through in the first 100 hours of the Democratic majority rule. (President) Bush has said he supports an increase, but won't haggle about the numbers in public... Bush has said that he also wants to be sure that the increase is done in ways that won't hurt small businesses. Which is, of course, impossible. Regardless of where you stand in the intense debate over whether increases in the minimum wage reduce the number of jobs available to low wage workers, an increase in the minimum wage will hurt small businesses. Do the math: Suppose you employ ten people, full time, at minimum wage. A two dollar increase will cost you about $40,000 a year. How would we react to a tax of the same size imposed on the same scrappy entrepreneurial grocer or clothing store owner?" --Katherine Mangu-Ward
$40,000.00...just peanuts...take it out of petty cash!
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)
Lest we forget-Kerry, Rangle
by Tina Grazier
Just so we keep the insane accusations of Kerry and Rangle ever present in our minds I have chosen to post these comments sent to James Toranto in response to his reporting of their slurs on those fantastic folks serving in our military:
Kerry, Rangel and the rest of their comrades try to criticize our military by saying that it is an option for those
who aren't as well educated or don't have as many opportunities. To that I say, So what? My cousin Geoffrey was a high school dropout, and we were all worried that he was headed for serious trouble. Inspired by his teacher, Geoffrey got his GED and enlisted in the Marines...he is now in Iraq. While of course we are all worried about him...I could not be prouder of him and have to give credit to the United States Marine Corps. Simply put, the Marines
saved his life. Before the Marines, he was lost, unfocused and uneducated, and I halfway expected to hear one day that he had ended up in jail or worse. Now, he is continuing his education and has been repeatedly promoted up the ranks. Geoffrey has an energy and focus to him that was completely lacking before... Sarah Rumpf
I am a college professor at a Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. I see a pretty broad cross-section of students in my 101-level class, and without fail, the ones who are ROTC or in the reserves (many of whom have been in Iraq) are always among the top performers in my class (which most of the students find to be pretty difficult)...the real truth is just the opposite of what they think: that students who are or have been in the military tend to have better grades and thus more options in life. The fact that their schooling is paid for by their own
hard work in the military makes it valuable to them, and they really apply themselves--even in a subject (music appreciation) that may not interest them. Contrast this with the future prospects of a typical student, whose parents are paying for everything, who is really only there to drink and party and do the least amount of work possible to avoid an F. David Curtin
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)
For the Tuskegee Record
by Tina Grazier
Air Force records show that at least a few bombers escorted by the red-tailed fighters of the Tuskegee Airman were shot down by enemy planes, William F. Holton, historian of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., said in an interview Monday
with The Associated Press. And the group's losses may have been much greater, he said.
I suppose it's important to keep the facts straight for historical accuracy but in this case isn't the larger issue of being first more important? The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black fighter pilots, they served with remarkable distinction, they served when others thought they shouldn't be given the opportunity or couldn't get the job done, and they may have ultimately done more for civil rights than legislation ever could.
With nearly 1,000 pilots and as many as 19,000 support personnel ranging from mechanics to nurses, the group was credited with shooting down more than 100 enemy aircraft and -- for years -- with never losing an American bomber under escort.
Daniel Haulman of the Air Force Historical Research Agency in Montgomery said the group's combat mission reports clearly show that U.S. bombers were lost while being escorted by Tuskegee Airmen:
One mission report says that on July 26, 1944: "1 B-24 seen spiraling out of formation in T/A (target area) after attack by E/A (enemy aircraft). No chutes seen to open."
A second report, dated Aug. 31, 1944, praises group commander Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. by saying he "so skillfully disposed his squadrons that in spite of the large number of enemy fighters, the bomber formation suffered only a few losses."
A third report says that on Sept. 12, 1944: "10 Me-109s attacked the rear of the bomber formation from below and left one B-17 burning, with 6 chutes seen to open."
Segregation meant that these airmen (1000 of them) were supported by 19,000 black servicemen and women. The Tuskegee story is about more than the remarkable record, accurate or not; it's about the legacy of those who stepped forward and against tremendous odds...WON. They won for their country and they won for the future opportunities of those who followed in their footsteps.
Read the article HERE.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2006
Iran students heckle Ahmadinejad... Iranian students have disrupted a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a prestigious Tehran university, setting fire to his picture and heckling him. "Some students chanted radical slogans and inflamed the atmosphere of the meeting" at the Amir Kabir University, said the semi-official Fars news agency on Monday, which is close to Ahmadinejad.
Posted by Post Scripts at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)
Dark Night of Fascism
Go read "Dark Night of Fascism ..." by David Frum at National Review
Online found HERE. It's a keeper!
So the Clinton administration was tapping Princess Diana's phones. Repeat after me: the Clinton administration. And of course there was no warrant. The princess was not a suspected terrorist or enemy combatant. It's hard to imagine that Dodi Fayed was either, but who knows? Maybe he was the Scarlet Pimpernel of Islamo-fascism - an
empty-headed fop by day, a desperate adventurer by night ... Still it seems improbable. So question: when will we hear from all those valiant defenders of the civil liberties and personal privacy trampled underfoot by the
fascist Bush administration? Slate
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:24 AM
| Comments (0)
In Honor of a Great Lady
“When the San Francisco Democrats treat foreign affairs as an afterthought... they [behave] less like a dove or a hawk than like an ostrich—convinced it would shut out the world by hiding its head in the sand... When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats didn’t blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States. But then, they always blame America first. When Marxist dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don’t blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of 100 years ago. But then, they always blame America first. The American people know better.� —former UN ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, who died last Friday at 80.
Jeane Kirkpatrick began political life as a democrat, but as her education and power of reason increased, it became apparent thier issues no longer matcher her sage wisdom and she stepped up to the higher ground to become a republican.
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:07 AM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2006
Saturday's Thoughts...
by Jack Lee
"For me, then the question, “How to Stop Terrorism?� is easy. We stop terrorism first of all by stopping our own terrorism!" Writes Progressive John Dear in his windy essay. Dear is a well know peace activist and
author of about 20 books on how to bend over for terrorists.
So John, I guess those 200,000 people slaughtered by Muslims in the Darfur region of the Sudan were just asking for it? What was their crime... breathing? And what acts of terrorism were those Christian villagers in Indonesia committing when they were slaughtered by the hundreds or how about the Muslim bombings of the Hindi in India and countless other places that have no connection to the US or any sort of terrorism or military action, but were slaughtered by Muslim terrorists for rather petty reasons? Does Mr. Dear think terrorism was invented just for the United States? He's overlooking 700 years of Muslim history, but like most so-called progressives they blame the easy target and avoid holding the terrorists accountable through invented excuses.
Now for a summary of my critique on Mr. Dear's "How To Stop Terrorism": Dear you're an idiot.
I think that about covers it, don't you?
Next, I think I really like news commentator, Michelle Malkin! You have to see her in action latest video on her blog site. She talks about removing the military and their money from San Francisco because the SF bigots are so anti-military. Check it out...it's about midway down her blog.
Posted by Post Scripts at 06:53 PM | Comments (0)
Why We Have a Commander-in-Chief
by Tina Grazier
Reading through the headlines following "The Report" it became increasingly clear that the founders were brilliant when they gave the job of C-in-C to the president. The opinions and counter opinions and opinions wrapped in spin...the favorable opinions and unfavorable opinions...and more and less and then...the why's and wherefore's, it's such a mess, methinks......leadership by "committee"...absolutely STINKS!
Recent headlines and snips tell the tale:
Don't rush training of Iraqi forces - US commander
Lee Hamilton, called for gradual reduction in troops, diplomacy with Syria and Iran...
Senators Question Iraq Panel's Blueprint
McCain, Murtha Dissent on Iraq Panel, Faulting Report
Giuliani Calls Idea of Quitting Iraq 'Terrible Mistake'
Chairman Hamilton says he is not sure whether the situation can be
turned around.
Baker's 'realism' must not be a cover for retreat
"immediately redeploy" or increase U.S. troops to 10,000-20,000
Aaaahhhhhh geeeeez ...won't somebody.........please.........Just Take Command?
ah...yes...THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT!
Posted by Post Scripts at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)
Gasp! You Want a What?
The Republicans in Congress that brought us those Democratic victories a month ago are at it again. Now they want to vote themselves a $3300 pay raise! And just when you thought they couldn't look any more out of touch! This was the perfect setup for the Democrats to take the leadership role and for Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi to righteously criticize them and draw applause from the voters to boot.
What in the world is wrong with
these people, are they all on drugs?
these people, are they all on drugs?
My party is giving me headaches. This is such an obvious misstep. I can't believe the GOP would even let it come up. The Democrats seized on this grand opportunity and they threatened to block the pay hike until the "minimum wage" is raised. Oh, big deal Ms. Pelosi! A 30-60 day delay in a pay increase (its also retroactive). Some sacrificel. I say, forget that "tokenism" stuff Nancy and go big time! If you want the dems to really look good, put in for a sizable pay cut! We don't think Congress deserves what they get anyway, so you won't have any resistance from your constituents, in fact voters would give you a standing ovation. If the GOP doesn't want to hand over the keys to the White House they better sober up!
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)
Life on Mars? Look What They Found!
There is water on Mars. And where there is water, there is the possibility of life. Newly released photographs of the Martian surface taken by orbiting spacecraft show liquid water occasionally flows on the planet, reports The Washington Post.
Astronomers are surprised. This was not expected, and it suddenly raises the odds that there may be life on the Red Planet. While it's long been known that water exists on the poles of Mars--it's in the form of polar ice and atmospheric vapor--water in liquid form was thought to be nonexistent on this freezing, barren planet. Until now. Previous photographs of Mars distinctly show thousands of dry gullies, indicating that water once flowed there. But did that water flow millions of years ago or just a few years ago? It was impossible to tell. By comparing photos taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor in 1999 and 2001 with more recent photos taken in 2004 and 2005, astronomers have been able to pinpoint at least two gullies that experienced flash floods between the two photo shoots, reports The Post.
See the first photos of Victoria's Crater on Mars, a massive pit that is 200 feet deep and a half-mile across. The images of the craggy rock formations on the crater's walls and sand dunes at the bottom are a geologist's dream come true.
"Water seems to have flowed on the surface of today's Mars," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, at a news conference on Wednesday, Dec. 6. "The big question is how does it happen, and does it point to a habitat for life?" The two gullies in question look radically different in the later photographs with a clearly visible new coat of fine, pale sediment that appears to be either water frost or salts left behind by briny water, notes The Post. Flow patterns around rocks can also be seen.
Knock, knock, knocking on heaven's door. If heaven did have a door, it might look like this.
How much water are we talking about? Malin Space Science Systems scientist Kenneth Edgett told Post reporter Rick Weiss it was probably enough to fill five to 10 swimming pools. "If you were there...you'd probably want to get out of the way," he said. Especially because water on Mars wouldn't be refreshingly cool; it would be bubbling and boiling due to the planet's low atmospheric pressures. "It would be like, 'Wow, there's this thing coming at me!'" Edgett exclaimed.
Click to see the coolest photo of Saturn you may ever see. With the planet hanging in the blackness and sheltering Cassini from the sun's blinding glare, the spacecraft viewed the rings as never before.
Where does the water come from? No one really knows. One theory holds that stores of water are being kept warm enough underground that they remain in a liquid state. It then flows slowly through cracks that open into the sides of craters. As it approaches the surface, it freezes and forms an ice dam. Periodically, the dams burst and then there's a mini-flood. The findings have been reported in the journal Science.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2006
Street Interviews For Dec. 7th
by Jack Lee
Asked in front of Safeway, during the PV High lunch break. What is significant, meaningful or unusual about this day for you?
Mychal-15, "I found out today we're buying a new Beemer (BMW)!"
Joshua-15, "I won a wrestling match, but that was yesterday, it was at Corning High School."
Zoe-15, "I have subs all day cause all my regular teachers are in meetings."
Alex-14, "My classes were...easy."
Katie-14, "Pearl Harbor Day? Uh, my Spanish Teacher said those guys that were like 80 or 90 something that go to this meeting place and they have been going for 50 years, but they aren't going to go anymore. I think it's at Pearl Harbor."
Cortney-15, "It's a really nice day cause I get to wear my capri's!"
Sheila-15, "It's a nice day because it's Friday eve!"
Melissa-15, "It's Pearl Harbor Day?"
Connor-14, "It's Thursday."
Daniel-14, "Isn't it Pearl Harbor Day?"
Brent-15, "Pearl Harbor...its about patriotism"
Luke-14, It's Pearl Harbor Day."
Ben-15, "I have an english paper due today."
Joshua-15, "I just found out today that I am going to Japan."
Ty-14, "It's Pearl Harbor Day"
Steve-54, "Well I had a friend pass away yesterday. I'm going over to the Salvation Army today."
Duke Dolder-70, "Sure, it's Pearl Harbor Day! I wasn't in WWII, but I was a Marine."
Posted by Post Scripts at 12:47 PM | Comments (1)
December 06, 2006
THE PRICE OF LIBERTY
At Pleasant Valley High School in Chico there will be no special mention of this, instead they will be celebrating Dec. 7th as "hat day". All students are encouraged to wear hats in observance of hat day.
Posted by Post Scripts at 11:13 PM | Comments (3)
Japanese planes bomb Pearl Harbor
Dec. 7th, 1941, "A date that will live in infamy".
Japan has launched a surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and has declared war on Britain and the United States. The US president, Franklin D Roosevelt, has mobilised all his forces and is poised to declare war on Japan.
Details of the attack in Hawaii are scarce but initial reports say Japanese bombers and torpedo-carrying planes targeted warships, aircraft and military installations in Pearl Harbor, on Oahu, the third largest and chief island of Hawaii.
News of the daring raid has shocked members of Congress at a time when Japanese officials in Washington were still negotiating with US Secretary of State Cordell Hull on lifting US sanctions imposed after continuing Japanese aggression against China.
__________________________________________________________________________
Dec. 8th, 1941: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addresses the nation...
"Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:48 PM | Comments (2)
Christmas Tips
Tinman Bill writes to remind us....
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an "eggnog-aholic" or
something. It's a treat. Enjoy it!!!! Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand-alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello???
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat - have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips: Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO what a ride!"
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Posted by Post Scripts at 06:21 PM | Comments (1)
Just in minutes ago....
Iraqi government not happy with US panel report
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:50 AM | Comments (0)
Not much information is being released about the arrest of an American working to recruit terrorists in Egypt. This is the latest information made public, "Along with the American, police arrested two Belgians, nine French and several others from Egypt and other Arab countries including Tunisia and Syria, the statement said.
The ministry did not provide names or say how many Egyptians and Arabs were arrested.
"Investigations have confirmed that those elements are related to some terrorist organizations abroad," the ministry said. "They were seeking to recruit others, teach them destructive beliefs, urging them for jihad, traveling to Iraq to carry out operations via other countries in the region."
In Washington, the State Department confirmed an American had been arrested in Egypt about a week ago but could not provide any details.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said American officials were "seeking consular access to this individual" but declined to give more information, citing U.S. privacy laws.
A government official in Brussels also confirmed that the two Belgians were arrested and said they were Belgian citizens of Moroccan origin. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
"It seems they had sympathies with fundamentalist, Islamist circles," the official said. "There is no evidence that they perpetrated any violent act, and we expect them to be expelled from Egypt soon."
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)
Winning the War
by Tina Grazier
Daniel Pipes, in an article in the New York Sun titled "Moderate Islam May Be Key To Winning War on Terror" has proposed a sensible and interesting challenge for Muslims and non-Muslims alike:
The most effective form of counterterrorism fights not the terrorists but the ideas that motivate them. This strategy involves two main steps. First, defeat the Islamist movement just as the fascist and communist movements were defeated -- on every level and in every way, making use of every institution, public and private. This task falls mainly on non-Muslims, as Muslim communities are generally incapable or unwilling to purge their own...In contrast, only Muslims can undertake the second step, the formulation and spread of an Islam that is modern, moderate, democratic, liberal, good-neighborly, humane, and respectful of women. Here, non-Muslims can help by distancing themselves from Islamists and supporting moderate Muslims.
Lasting solutions always rest on the shoulders of those people who are willing to make noble and honorable efforts regardless of the difficulty and despite ugly criticism. We find ourselves at the base of a huge mountain...let's hope we are up to the climb.
I can't help adding that George W. Bush has correctly identified the problem and has been correct in his prediction that this battle could take 20 years or more and must be fought in many different ways, on many fronts.
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)
Cowardly Tolerance Won't Do!
By Tina Grazier
In a recent interview with the BBC Kofi Annan repeated the leftist mantra that Iraq was better off under Saddam Hussein:
"I think they are right in the sense of the average Iraqi's life," Annan said. "If I were an average Iraqi obviously I would make the same comparison, that they had a dictator who was brutal but they had their streets, they could go out, their kids could go to school and come back home without a mother or father worrying, 'Am I going to see my child again?'"
Anyone who has bothered to notice has seen news footage of Iraqi's going about their everyday lives. We have seen people driving cars and meeting in the marketplace and children playing outdoors. Although I don't doubt
that there are those in Iraq who agree with the Secretary General, I'm certain he does not speak for all Iraqis. James Toranto reveals a few facts drawn from the US State Department and a PBS report:
Saddam Hussein is the first world leader in modern times to have brutally used chemical weapons against his own people. His goals were to systematically terrorize and exterminate the Kurdish population in northern Iraq, to silence his critics, and to test the effectiveness of his chemical and biological weapons. Hussein launched chemical attacks against 40 Kurdish villages and thousands of innocent civilians in 1987-88, using them as testing grounds. The worst of these attacks devastated the city of Halabja on March 16, 1988. 5,000 civilians, many of them women, children, and the elderly, died within hours of the attack. 10,000 more were blinded, maimed, disfigured, or otherwise severely and irreversibly debilitated.
Saddam's Republican Guard fought the resistance in Karbala. Civilians and rebels fled the city. On the roads leading out, Iraqi army helicopter crews poured kerosene on the refugees, then set them on fire. . . . There were mass executions of civilians, some of whom were tied to tanks and used as human shields. In Karbala, some of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines were destroyed. Others were used as centers for murder, torture and rape. In Najaf, residential areas were bombed, and hospital staff and patients were murdered.
These vivid examples of Saddam's brutality don't specifically address the evil things his sons were up to. They don't point out Saddams "vision" for the welfare of his people. That vision is made real in the many palaces the tyrant built; structures that stand as opulent reminders of his ego and contempt. Kofi's words no doubt ring true in his own elitist ears, but they do not reflect the realities and fears that the Iraqi people faced each day. Beyond the obvious terror and torture is the more subtle torment known as oppression. The idea that a leader should be considered "better" because he successfully "managed" thugs and criminals is nothing short of cowardly tolerance for evil.
Personally, I think it's a good thing that Saddam is gone and it might be time for Mr. Annan to go as well. One quick look at the continuing troubles around the world and it becomes obvious that his leadership at the UN has been less than inspiring.
Posted by Post Scripts at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2006
Gates: U.S. not winning in Iraq
"Asked if he thought the United States was winning the war in Iraq, defense secretary nominee Robert Gates answered with a simple "No, sir." Incoming Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, asked the question during Gates' Senate confirmation hearing today." CNN News
Posted by Post Scripts at 09:05 AM | Comments (3)
South of Our Borders
by Tina Grazier
Elections in Mexico seem to have finally come to resolution as the new president, Felipe Calderon, was sworn into office. The ceremony was less than festive as opposition members continued to protest striking the air with raised fists and chanting disapproval...it was just short of an all out brawl. The new president has pledged to raise wages for the armed forces, calling them a crucial weapon in the nation's arsenal to
combat heavily armed drug gangs. "I will propose a substantial increase in troops' wages in recognition of the unquestionable effort and loyalty of our armed forces," he said. Calderon' also vowed his top priority would be making it safer to live in Mexico as he acknowledged the nation's record of violent crime, killings and kidnappings.
"Today, crime is trying to terrify and immobilize the public and the government," Calderon said in a Friday speech before invited guests at a Mexico City concert hall. "The lack of public safety threatens everybody and has become the main problem of whole states, cities and regions."
Meanwhile down in Venezuela our red devil friend Hugo Chavez was re-elected and promises to press his socialist reforms, including land confiscations and increased state control over the oil industry and, of course, he vowed to continue to push for an anti-U.S. front in Latin America. His pal, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is no doubt thrilled.
Will Hugo find a friend indeed in Raul Castro? Raul shows signs he will move Cuba toward free markets but the US State Department reportedly will reject an offer of talks with the acting president, saying it saw no point in a dialogue with what it called the Caribbean island's ''dictator-in-waiting.''
''The dialogue that should be taking place is not between Raul Castro and any group outside or any country outside of Cuba. It's the regime, with the Cuban people, talking about a transition to a democratic form
of governance in that country,''
The changes south of our borders will continue to affect life here in America for years to come. A move toward free markets, democracy and the rule of law in these countries would greatly decrease our immigration
problem...not holding my breath.
Posted by Post Scripts at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2006
This just in 44 minutes ago! Egypt arrests American, others in terror plot
Posted by Post Scripts at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)
Subject: The Islamic clerics(?)
November 21, 2006
US Airways Airline
To all news stations concerned:
In reference to the removal of the six Muslim gentlemen from flight 300 at the Minneapolis St. Paul airport last light, prior to the planes departure.
I was a passenger on that flight, sitting in seat 5-E originally and . . .
later temporarily sitting in the front row of first class, while waiting for everyone to disembark the plane for a safety check. Having been on the plane, witnessed what transpired first hand and talked at great length with the first class steward regarding other facts, I am ENRAGED at the national AND local news reports I have seen this morning.
The facts reported are incomplete and inaccurate. This event was immediately jumped on by their attorney, who told the American people on CNBC they need to get over 911, stop being paranoid about Musliums and he even threatened a huge law suit against US Airways for the discriminating and humiliating treatment of his clients I am convinced this entire thing may have been done to intimidate not only US Airways, but all airlines and airports in order to get them to back off on their security efforts. This is only part of the real story.
In defense of US Airways: They did a splendid job of handling the situation. No panic was created we felt protected at all times. They did not make a knee jerk reaction as a result of one passenger passing them as note as reported by the media.
Most importantly, the public needs to be told that there was a series of many suspicious events, which were observed by the crew and several passengers. The captain made his decision based on all of these events
and not just one note.
.
Their attorney is trying to turn this into a ââ,oeright to pray in a public place issue and it is not that at all. He is claiming they were removed from the plane for praying in public And inferring it is wrong to discriminate against them for this. Claiming that we Americans