A few moments of odd thoughts for the day on nothing in particular...
One:
Every wife should stock her freezer with prepackaged meals ready to heat and serve to make sure her hubby has exactly what he'd like for dinner.
There are a few main dishes to remember and then everyone is happy. They are as follows
(1) Anything
(2) I'm Not Picky
(3) Whatever
(4) Food
(5) Not what we had last night.
So long as a woman has these staples in her freezer, life should be stress free. Should the occasion arise that none of this is appropriate, I suggest she whack dear hubby over the head with the frozen entree and take herself out to her favorite 5-star restaurant for a relaxing dinner with a good book she's been putting off reading for a while...
Two:
Perhaps this may have happened to you... once in a while around here, there is an item that comes out of the dryer looking like it has survived an attack of wolverines. What went in whole (ostensibly) comes out looking much the worse for wear. Shredded towels, ravelled seams and elastic on socks and undies, bra straps that appear to have been stretched beyond reasonable comprehension...
No clue why. Perhaps it is a form of laundry suicide. They just can't take the spin cycle anymore.
Three:
Doggie dining. We have a nice duet of dog dishes that are available to serve the wet pouch and dry crunch food for our resident canine home entertainment package. The added water bowl is a cast off Tupperware bowl that long ago lost it's lid and functions perfectly well for keeping our frisky canine hydrated.
We eat in the living room while watching TV. I make no apologies, that is just who we are. We haven't had a dining room table for about 10 years. We have a bar. Not the kind with booze, but the kind where people can sit to eat if they are willing to move furniture to get to it. The bar does, however, serve to provide a place for food prep and a really nice buffet line.
Since Gypsy has seen us carry plates in to eat while watching our movies or sports programs, she has also learned to bring her food in a mouthful at a time so that she doesn't miss any of the program either. She will dump a mouthful of crunchy food onto the floor and sit down to watch TV while she eats a few bites at a time. When her 'tray' is clean, she trots back into the kitchen for a refill sometimes even waiting for a commercial break to do so. I'm sure that people who do not know how brilliant our dog is would argue with me about this habit and claim that she wasn't well trained. I disagree. How many animals do you know who understand about commercial breaks?
Four:
Loud cars going up and down our street seem to be gaining in both volume and sheer numbers lately. We have had trucks laden with brick and mortar supplies that barrel down our street which has plainly posted signage for both the 30 mph speed limit and the notation that this is a bike route for those so inclined to pedal along.
I am sure that the trucks I have seen of late are going no less than 60. The reason I am sure is because they are going so fast, they are a literal blur. This is a residential area where a dog, a cat or even a child could wander out onto the road with no warning. It doesn't appear these delivery trucks can manage a seconds hesitation about that thought.
Five:
Closing out the post for today, I have wondered about newspapers and their remaining life-span. Will we get to a time in which the newspaper becomes a relic in time that has served it's purpose then faded away?
With the Internet taking a bigger and bigger share of what is considered to be news and posting it within seconds, they are removing the reason papers even go to print.
Will there be a complete loss of newspapers? If so, can we get rid of all the tabloids first?
Time to fold some laundry.
June 30, 2010
June 26, 2010
Immigration or Invasion?
With note, I read the various articles about those who are entering our country illegally. The articles are both pro and con, as I try to be fair minded in my pursuit of truth. But for the life of me, I am unable to see where the rule of law has become unimportant.
I cannot see with clarity the reason that our national policy of "look the other way" has continued for so very long when there are solutions that could be implemented which would not only be fair to those who come here to work, but harsh on criminals intent upon breaking the law, violating the trust of others and who seek only to do harm.
Governor Jan Brewer and all those in the border states who are struggling with the aftermath of this revolting 'look the other way' policy on the invaders who are illegally entering our nation has penned a cogent, precise and accurate letter portraying the issues. It was a follow-up to her meeting with Obama.
For him, it was a 'shut her up' meeting. Since there has been sufficient time passed for him to have issued an executive order to provide U.S. Troops to man the border but has FAILED to do ANYTHING, it is obvious that he wanted to simply bring her into his office and enjoy positive press for seeming to be actively engaged in a problem.
Obama isn't engaged. His motor isn't even turned on. He isn't listening, because it is politically inconvenient to his agenda. Talk about your inconvenient truth!
I have friends and family in NM, AZ and CA. They tell me that local attitudes range from accepting what they are powerless to change, to outright anger that the Federal tax dollars for border security are spent on a 'wave at them as they come on in' approach. When our agents dare do something such as actually engaging the invaders with gunfire, they are met with open hostility in our government and treated worse than common criminals for daring to stem the tide of the invasion.
Obama will never do anything to curb the flood because it is to his advantage and the advantage of his administration's agenda for the change he promised to bring America. He desires chaos so that no one will pay attention to 'the man behind the curtain' in his petty kingdom of Oz. When the people clamor for assistance, they will be rebuffed because he knows full well that the illegal invaders will vote Democrat and thus bolster his party since they are indeed the party of 'share the wealth'.
What no one is really talking about, other than Governor Brewer, is the true elephant in the room. The drain on our economy and the porosity of our borders tells the world that the rule of law in our nation is more about money and power and less and less about right and wrong.
It's well past time to use the trite and inaccurate phrase 'illegal immigration' and time to start being tellers of the truth. Though these people may indeed by disenfranchised, downtrodden and pitiful, let's call them what they really are --- they are INVADERS. They are LAWBREAKERS by deliberate and repeated choice.
There is not one single fiber of my being that believes I can waltz across any other nation's border without paperwork and be treated as a guest entitled to special privilege. They would provide NO support or assistance to me. I would be treated as a criminal.
Come to think of it, I can think of a few places in this nation where I would be treated the same way. I can promise you that if I went to DC and tried to run through the security at the White House, I would be shot down like a dog. Even if I was telling them that I was only there seeking a better life, I would be arrested at the very least. Should I put up any protest, I would be made to 'disappear'. I would not be considered an 'illegal immigrant' due some sort of respect, assistance and freebies passed out on someone else's dime, but an invader. I would be treated as an invader.
But upon consideration, perhaps that is exactly what we should do… en masse create an illegal immigration movement to take over property on the White House lawn... and then demand to be accommodated. Erect tents, dispense trash, light fires, sell drugs and do it all
while claiming that our rights have been violated and that we deserve to be treated better. Shout that "we deserve to be let into the Nation's home because it's far nicer than what we have waiting for us wherever we have come from... it's our RIGHT".
Isn't it?
I've always wanted to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom. I have a right to it since it is certain to be a nicer room than I have at home. I'm sure the view is better. They also have room service in the White House.
I promise to steal towels, light a fire on the carpet, carve my name on the furniture and possibly assault a butler all while I demand that you pay for my medical bills, feed me, buy me clothes and take care of my every whim on someone else's dime. I demand that you redistribute the wealth... to me.
We need to demand a stop to allowing our president and his cabinet to keep making up these romantic illusions regarding our border policy and insist that they take action NOW to secure our nations' interests. Violation of the law is still a violation.
Our national leaders are sworn to protect us against all invaders, foreign or domestic. Isn't it time they were forcibly reminded of that oath and actually held accountable for refusing to protect our nation?
I cannot see with clarity the reason that our national policy of "look the other way" has continued for so very long when there are solutions that could be implemented which would not only be fair to those who come here to work, but harsh on criminals intent upon breaking the law, violating the trust of others and who seek only to do harm.
Governor Jan Brewer and all those in the border states who are struggling with the aftermath of this revolting 'look the other way' policy on the invaders who are illegally entering our nation has penned a cogent, precise and accurate letter portraying the issues. It was a follow-up to her meeting with Obama.
For him, it was a 'shut her up' meeting. Since there has been sufficient time passed for him to have issued an executive order to provide U.S. Troops to man the border but has FAILED to do ANYTHING, it is obvious that he wanted to simply bring her into his office and enjoy positive press for seeming to be actively engaged in a problem.
Obama isn't engaged. His motor isn't even turned on. He isn't listening, because it is politically inconvenient to his agenda. Talk about your inconvenient truth!
I have friends and family in NM, AZ and CA. They tell me that local attitudes range from accepting what they are powerless to change, to outright anger that the Federal tax dollars for border security are spent on a 'wave at them as they come on in' approach. When our agents dare do something such as actually engaging the invaders with gunfire, they are met with open hostility in our government and treated worse than common criminals for daring to stem the tide of the invasion.
Obama will never do anything to curb the flood because it is to his advantage and the advantage of his administration's agenda for the change he promised to bring America. He desires chaos so that no one will pay attention to 'the man behind the curtain' in his petty kingdom of Oz. When the people clamor for assistance, they will be rebuffed because he knows full well that the illegal invaders will vote Democrat and thus bolster his party since they are indeed the party of 'share the wealth'.
What no one is really talking about, other than Governor Brewer, is the true elephant in the room. The drain on our economy and the porosity of our borders tells the world that the rule of law in our nation is more about money and power and less and less about right and wrong.
It's well past time to use the trite and inaccurate phrase 'illegal immigration' and time to start being tellers of the truth. Though these people may indeed by disenfranchised, downtrodden and pitiful, let's call them what they really are --- they are INVADERS. They are LAWBREAKERS by deliberate and repeated choice.
There is not one single fiber of my being that believes I can waltz across any other nation's border without paperwork and be treated as a guest entitled to special privilege. They would provide NO support or assistance to me. I would be treated as a criminal.
Come to think of it, I can think of a few places in this nation where I would be treated the same way. I can promise you that if I went to DC and tried to run through the security at the White House, I would be shot down like a dog. Even if I was telling them that I was only there seeking a better life, I would be arrested at the very least. Should I put up any protest, I would be made to 'disappear'. I would not be considered an 'illegal immigrant' due some sort of respect, assistance and freebies passed out on someone else's dime, but an invader. I would be treated as an invader.
But upon consideration, perhaps that is exactly what we should do… en masse create an illegal immigration movement to take over property on the White House lawn... and then demand to be accommodated. Erect tents, dispense trash, light fires, sell drugs and do it all
while claiming that our rights have been violated and that we deserve to be treated better. Shout that "we deserve to be let into the Nation's home because it's far nicer than what we have waiting for us wherever we have come from... it's our RIGHT".
Isn't it?
I've always wanted to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom. I have a right to it since it is certain to be a nicer room than I have at home. I'm sure the view is better. They also have room service in the White House.
I promise to steal towels, light a fire on the carpet, carve my name on the furniture and possibly assault a butler all while I demand that you pay for my medical bills, feed me, buy me clothes and take care of my every whim on someone else's dime. I demand that you redistribute the wealth... to me.
We need to demand a stop to allowing our president and his cabinet to keep making up these romantic illusions regarding our border policy and insist that they take action NOW to secure our nations' interests. Violation of the law is still a violation.
Our national leaders are sworn to protect us against all invaders, foreign or domestic. Isn't it time they were forcibly reminded of that oath and actually held accountable for refusing to protect our nation?
June 21, 2010
Insanity = Free Pass With No Consequences
Insanity.
The term has become a scourge on society.
If we don't like facing up to the consequences of our actions, we can always claim 'temporary insanity' or, in a worst case scenario where our own death or a lifetime imprisonment might be the penalty for our choices, we claim to be 'totally insane' and therefore not to be held accountable for our actions.
Everyone on the planet gets consequences.
Some are delayed, some are immediate.
The problem is that we have an entire segment of the population that believes consequences are just not for them. Sure, OTHER people can have consequences, but they are somehow different, special, set apart from the teeming masses of humanity and therefore exempt from experiencing the consequences they have chosen to follow the actions they equally chose.
Do people do stupid, hurtful and potentially life-altering things when under stress? Yes.
But that shouldn't offer them a free pass from natural consequence by just shouting out "I was insane at the time!"
People are a strange lot.
We expect other people to have consequences of the most severe nature when our pride is hurt, our feelings wounded, our family injured or other dire happening occur.
Yet, when we are the ones who make the mistakes that start a chain reaction, we want to be absolved. Not forgiven - absolved. As if NOTHING had ever happened.
We want there to be a heaping, hefty helping of mercy to be dished up for us. We no longer believe in justice because it would make us see just what kind of person we have become and thus force payment in kind for our thoughtless, selfish, irresponsible or just plain evil acts toward our self and others.
Justice is a concept we believe in when it applies to those "OTHER PEOPLE" who are not like us. They aren't special. They don't have the extraordinary circumstances under which we labor. They aren't like us and therefore deserve to be punished with the full measure of justice meted out minus the tenderizing factor of mercy. They don't deserve mercy.
But we do.
We have come to believe that mercy is the most important thing of all. That if we are just tree-hugging, world loving, all encompassing merciful to everyone that we can all gather into a big circle and join hands for an emotionally evocative round of Kum Bah Ya.
Bull poop.
There are those in this world who use the mercy of others extended to them in good faith as a stepping stone to far more evil deeds. They believe that they are the Darwinian exemplar of 'the strongest and fittest' who should survive by climbing toward the top of the food chain on the backs of those they deem to be 'the weakest link' in the evolutionary chain.
The prey on those who are kind. They violate sacred trusts to obtain personal gain, whether monetary or physical gains of all stripes. They use and abuse without let and then cry like babies when they are caught up in the consequences of the mess they have, themselves, created.
Then the crying really begins.
"I am not responsible for my actions."
"I am insane."
"No one understands me!"
"I'm not really a bad person!"
Interesting how the progression goes along. It is the ages old cycle of sin that has been the downfall of mankind forever.
"HE/SHE/IT made me do it!"
Blaming anything and everyone for our choices is as old as Satan himself. He doesn't want accountability any more than those he is tempting to choose evil do. Cain and Abel didn't start out as babies with murder as the end in mind. But it sure got that way.
Cain tried to pawn off an excuse of not being his brother's keeper. It's just another way of crying out that he wasn't responsible for his willful and defiant choice.
No different are ANY of us sinners in our desire to escape the consequences of our sinful choices, but our courtrooms are jammed with people who will never understand that straight line between choices and consequences.
They aren't insane in large measure. What they are is cold, calculating, cunning and diabolical. They want to have power. It's not about what's fair.
It's about getting away with murder, literally and figuratively.
Just pondering while reading headlines today...
The term has become a scourge on society.
If we don't like facing up to the consequences of our actions, we can always claim 'temporary insanity' or, in a worst case scenario where our own death or a lifetime imprisonment might be the penalty for our choices, we claim to be 'totally insane' and therefore not to be held accountable for our actions.
Everyone on the planet gets consequences.
Some are delayed, some are immediate.
The problem is that we have an entire segment of the population that believes consequences are just not for them. Sure, OTHER people can have consequences, but they are somehow different, special, set apart from the teeming masses of humanity and therefore exempt from experiencing the consequences they have chosen to follow the actions they equally chose.
Do people do stupid, hurtful and potentially life-altering things when under stress? Yes.
But that shouldn't offer them a free pass from natural consequence by just shouting out "I was insane at the time!"
People are a strange lot.
We expect other people to have consequences of the most severe nature when our pride is hurt, our feelings wounded, our family injured or other dire happening occur.
Yet, when we are the ones who make the mistakes that start a chain reaction, we want to be absolved. Not forgiven - absolved. As if NOTHING had ever happened.
We want there to be a heaping, hefty helping of mercy to be dished up for us. We no longer believe in justice because it would make us see just what kind of person we have become and thus force payment in kind for our thoughtless, selfish, irresponsible or just plain evil acts toward our self and others.
Justice is a concept we believe in when it applies to those "OTHER PEOPLE" who are not like us. They aren't special. They don't have the extraordinary circumstances under which we labor. They aren't like us and therefore deserve to be punished with the full measure of justice meted out minus the tenderizing factor of mercy. They don't deserve mercy.
But we do.
We have come to believe that mercy is the most important thing of all. That if we are just tree-hugging, world loving, all encompassing merciful to everyone that we can all gather into a big circle and join hands for an emotionally evocative round of Kum Bah Ya.
Bull poop.
There are those in this world who use the mercy of others extended to them in good faith as a stepping stone to far more evil deeds. They believe that they are the Darwinian exemplar of 'the strongest and fittest' who should survive by climbing toward the top of the food chain on the backs of those they deem to be 'the weakest link' in the evolutionary chain.
The prey on those who are kind. They violate sacred trusts to obtain personal gain, whether monetary or physical gains of all stripes. They use and abuse without let and then cry like babies when they are caught up in the consequences of the mess they have, themselves, created.
Then the crying really begins.
"I am not responsible for my actions."
"I am insane."
"No one understands me!"
"I'm not really a bad person!"
Interesting how the progression goes along. It is the ages old cycle of sin that has been the downfall of mankind forever.
"HE/SHE/IT made me do it!"
Blaming anything and everyone for our choices is as old as Satan himself. He doesn't want accountability any more than those he is tempting to choose evil do. Cain and Abel didn't start out as babies with murder as the end in mind. But it sure got that way.
Cain tried to pawn off an excuse of not being his brother's keeper. It's just another way of crying out that he wasn't responsible for his willful and defiant choice.
No different are ANY of us sinners in our desire to escape the consequences of our sinful choices, but our courtrooms are jammed with people who will never understand that straight line between choices and consequences.
They aren't insane in large measure. What they are is cold, calculating, cunning and diabolical. They want to have power. It's not about what's fair.
It's about getting away with murder, literally and figuratively.
Just pondering while reading headlines today...
June 19, 2010
15 Minutes on Facebook
For brilliant people who use technology with relative ease, we have been sucked into a brain-wasting exercise called Facebook.
I admit that I am a member and the reason is that I am addicted to Scrabble and Facebook has a game that allows me to feed my addiction.
I am comfortable with both adding and removing 'friends' on this social networking site and don't feel particularly bad when I have to part ways with someone on the lunatic fringe.
Beth and I were talking about Facebook and she confessed she had opened a Facebook account last night. She concluded that bold statement by saying "It was the most horrible and worst 15 minutes of my life!"
She had opened, refused friends, and become frustrated and deleted her account --- all in the space of 15 minutes.
It isn't an exercise in ADD, I promise. And usually Beth isn't a hermit. She just wanted to 'friend' the zoo and the Botanical Gardens. But then reality set in...when you 'friend' people or entities on Facebook, you are no longer anonymous.
Beth said "I don't want friends! I have you!" in speaking to me about this. I'll try not to take this personally as I am relatively sure what she means. She means she doesn't want stupid lunatics (other than me) taking up her valuable and generally useful time. Sadly, she is stuck with me like toilet paper on the bottom of your shoe at a social function. So upset was she at this exercise in digital frustration, she didn't sleep.
I can truly understand.
I worry daily that people who I DON'T want to ever have any contact with again in this life or the next will find me and become the leeches they once were before I cut them off at the knees.
But inevitably, those are the very people who show up wanting to be my bestest buddy for the rest of my unnatural life.
I am thankful to reconnect with friends who are worth knowing and worth sharing time with over the miles. But the hazards of Facebook are worth noting. Did you know there is a group that advocates Facebook stalking???
I'm sure the spectre of revealing her life in oft shared detail prompted the deletion.
She confessed that she even signed up with a name she doesn't normally use (doesn't
everyone have an alias???) just so "no one would find her".
I said "Does this mean you DON'T want me to 'friend' you?
The laughter was unrestrained at this point.
We tend to think that social media is our friend. I am convinced, however, that Beth may be onto something here that the rest of us are missing. Too much detail will never be enough for people who are seeking to know the minute detail of our lives for the specific purpose of holding it against us in some future time.
Perhaps the remedy is at hand and we just don't realize it... Anti-social media just needs a kick start to make a go of it on the world-wide web.
Buttbook, anyone??
I admit that I am a member and the reason is that I am addicted to Scrabble and Facebook has a game that allows me to feed my addiction.
I am comfortable with both adding and removing 'friends' on this social networking site and don't feel particularly bad when I have to part ways with someone on the lunatic fringe.
Beth and I were talking about Facebook and she confessed she had opened a Facebook account last night. She concluded that bold statement by saying "It was the most horrible and worst 15 minutes of my life!"
She had opened, refused friends, and become frustrated and deleted her account --- all in the space of 15 minutes.
It isn't an exercise in ADD, I promise. And usually Beth isn't a hermit. She just wanted to 'friend' the zoo and the Botanical Gardens. But then reality set in...when you 'friend' people or entities on Facebook, you are no longer anonymous.
Beth said "I don't want friends! I have you!" in speaking to me about this. I'll try not to take this personally as I am relatively sure what she means. She means she doesn't want stupid lunatics (other than me) taking up her valuable and generally useful time. Sadly, she is stuck with me like toilet paper on the bottom of your shoe at a social function. So upset was she at this exercise in digital frustration, she didn't sleep.
I can truly understand.
I worry daily that people who I DON'T want to ever have any contact with again in this life or the next will find me and become the leeches they once were before I cut them off at the knees.
But inevitably, those are the very people who show up wanting to be my bestest buddy for the rest of my unnatural life.
I am thankful to reconnect with friends who are worth knowing and worth sharing time with over the miles. But the hazards of Facebook are worth noting. Did you know there is a group that advocates Facebook stalking???
I'm sure the spectre of revealing her life in oft shared detail prompted the deletion.
She confessed that she even signed up with a name she doesn't normally use (doesn't
everyone have an alias???) just so "no one would find her".
I said "Does this mean you DON'T want me to 'friend' you?
The laughter was unrestrained at this point.
We tend to think that social media is our friend. I am convinced, however, that Beth may be onto something here that the rest of us are missing. Too much detail will never be enough for people who are seeking to know the minute detail of our lives for the specific purpose of holding it against us in some future time.
Perhaps the remedy is at hand and we just don't realize it... Anti-social media just needs a kick start to make a go of it on the world-wide web.
Buttbook, anyone??
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)