Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com The Barnyard: August 2005

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Feed The Children

1-888-58child, a few bucks gets a lot of needed stuff,online links are available at all the blogs on my sidebar. This whole event has the goat in a tailspin,I have to agree with the loony left on this.The poor were hit the hardest and will suffer the most. My disagreement comes with our ability to cope with disaster and move on stronger and better,we all remember Steve Austin the 6 mil man. Well that is a bare minimal view of our ability to recover,the recovery will spur the economy as jobs are readily available. Rebuilding your city is a noble job as well, especially New Orleans, restoring the historical beauty will take alot of time and it will be done better than before. I know the Big Easy fairly well, many a grand evening with a good cigar and smokey jazz. I see all the blighted neighborhoods being cleaned up and residents coming home to a new neighborhood as all the junk and garbage will be removed.
I think the abandoned military bases in the region with barracks and facilities intact need to be opened up for the refugees, we have a long term problem, a year or more for many, sports stadiums is not the answer. This is a unique point in our history with about a million homeless refugees, families will absorb some and to me this seems the best alternative. Our mil bases are set up to administer to thousands so would not this seem logical?

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

New Addition to Blogroll

Stones Cry Out is hardly the geriatric tour currently going around pretending to sing.This is a great Christian blog so check it out. They have bloggers in Katrina's wake, and I see conditions in NO have greatly deteriorated as the bowl fills from breached levies.We had a recent levy breech here in the Sacramento valley of similar size and it took six weeks to repair and another five months to pump out the water. I see the entire city has been ordered evacuated, a cesspool for malaria and cholera and fires have already been seen. Send your prayers at least, and know we have the most highly trained and experienced recue workers in the world after years of overseas help. Anybody heard of any international aid or comment yet?

Monday, August 29, 2005

Bloggers at Katrina Central

Both from LSU,I believe and very good, here and here. Hattip:Hugh Hewitt

Hmmm???


Sometimes we must rise above who and what we are and become something greater as a people, America is good at that!



And then there are these

More On John Roberts

Manuel Miranda has done a great job of covering the process and Judge Roberts himself. I like this one on what J.Roberts won't do on the bench which is more important than what he will do. If you missed it at OPJ online here it is .

It appears Katrina cooled down a little bit before ramming the coast and N'Awlins is spared the full brunt once again though Biloxi,Golfport and Gulfshores are so bad assessments can't be made yet,massive flooding through out the region,OUCH. America took a punch in the gut today,you know what though? We will take care of business and take care of our own unlike so many other countries around the world. By our economy's very nature in the act of rebuilding it rebuilds itself and usually better, we don't sit around crying as a culture, we act. I was impressed by the long lines of utility trucks parked ready to roll and millions of americans in action 48 hours before the storm hit. This is why america is so great, show me another country with the ability to weather this and a war and aid other countries' disasters as well. Where is our aid going to come from internationally and the UN? It won't, our aid comes from the hearts of the american people, that is why we are great. Will OPEC send a few million barrels of oil for free, unlikely? We would!

A reader and good friend sent the following, a little more on what america is. I do not know the veracity or origin but a great story anyway, enjoy.

A Tale of Six Boys"

Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI. where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable. On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II. Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?" I told him that we were from Wisconsin. "Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story." (James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C., but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.) When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.) "My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers" which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boy s you see behind me. "Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old. (He pointed to the statue) "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph... a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men. "The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.' "The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 .. ten years after this picture was taken. "The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night. Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away. "The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press. "You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain. "When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.' "So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time." Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless. We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice. Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom. Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world. STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's sacrifice.

God Bless.

REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day. Great story - worth your time. Please pass along.



If true what an awesome gift those children received.One of my uncles followed Patton from the beach to Berlin and he still called Patton Ole Blood and Guts the verrrryyyy rare times he spoke of the war,I will just say that he got everything but the Medal of Honor . My paternal side has been traced back to "Braveheart" days. I have motivated my maternal side to start writing what they remember down and to start diggin'. I believe a large part of america has been lost by the loss of written letters and lack of personal correspondence because of the telephone. Much of our early history has been preserved by letters, maybe email and blogs will fill a massive void in history. I don't know,only time will tell.

OH, and keep praying folks , now comes the hard part.'

and for strong stomachs from LGF

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Katrina Turns Into a Monster


Whoa this is a mother of a hurricane and getting stronger, already one of the strongest on record.Pray for those folks on the coast and the city of New Orleans as it could very well destroy the city and kill tens of thousands, as the levee system can not control the storm surge and waves driven by 175 mph winds. This could very well become the worst natural disaster in our history as nearly 200 miles of coast are threatened after already blasting Florida once. New Orleans is below sealevel so a thirty foot storm surge topped with thirty foot waves does not look good for this historic city. It is hard to think about much less comprehend.

Update: Live streaming video from CBS news in New Orleans. Folks this looks bad,real bad, bayou folks that don't know are going to be competing for high ground with all kinds of critters from the swamps, including poisonous snakes, rats,insects and gators. This is FEMA's test for an emergency and they can mobilize ahead of time for this, all we can do is pray. Do we have a nearby Nuclear Carrier group nearby to assist as we did in the tsunami, I would hope one is underway as of this minute. It would be interesting to see if the US gets any International support outside England Japan and Australia. Knowing this awesome country there are more people mobilizing to help already than actually live there. The lizardoids over at LGF have many in that area and have set up an online connection board opening their homes to refugees .

Update: It seems all is quiet online as all US eyes are focused on Katrina the Powerful. I feel for the many cajuns of the bayous that don't understand what is headed their way and there are far too many of them unwilling to flee, or maybe those simple country folk understand alot more than given credit for. A country boy will survive because we believe in something far beyond us, lessons that are being lost to a digital wilderness of socialism and decadence. Would I leave? Probably not,I have too much usable firstaid and rescue knowledge and no direct family to worry about and the Lord would expect me to be ready to help.
It just seems to me, after years of destruction to humanity and the environment by these storms largely because of stupid development ideas. folks would wise up just a little,hardly they got dummer in the desire for more money,tax. I spent many summer weekends from Gulf Shores to Panama City and remember a half mile of dunes before you got to the water from public parking along US98 last visit it was 100yds of flat beach. IMHO there should be a two mile barrior established on developement from the coast,let the dunes and marshes come back,if not expect to suffer when these storms hit. I say the same about these goofballs that build mansions on Ca's sand bluffs and wonder why they slide away.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Ahh Saturday

A great piece in The Weekly Standard from Christopher Hitchens saying what the Bush administration should be telling the american people about the war.A must read.

"LET ME BEGIN WITH A simple sentence that, even as I write it, appears less than Swiftian in the modesty of its proposal: "Prison conditions at Abu Ghraib have improved markedly and dramatically since the arrival of Coalition troops in Baghdad."
I could undertake to defend that statement against any member of Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International, and I know in advance that none of them could challenge it, let alone negate it. Before March 2003, Abu Ghraib was an abattoir, a torture chamber, and a concentration camp. Now, and not without reason, it is an international byword for Yankee imperialism and sadism. Yet the improvement is still, unarguably, the difference between night and day. How is it possible that the advocates of a post-Saddam Iraq have been placed on the defensive in this manner? And where should one begin?"

Update: And don't miss Roger L.Simon's posts on his trip to Japan, great pictures and some history.I am a lover of and heavily influenced by Japanese craftsmanship and art. Their masters of the ancient arts are the very finest as this woodworker can attest to the quality and beauty of their work from their tools to their products.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Friday Follies

Some Euro-idiocy for laughs first on the Brits and the human zoo from Agence France-Presse , hattip: Taranto and this from Paul Jacob, one of my favorites.

"Should we stick a nightstick in their faces and force les femmes to ride ze bus? That's one bus company's basic idea. The company is taking some former passengers to court. Why? Because those commuters got off the bus and started taking a car. See, it's a car-sharing "scheme." A nefarious plot. And the court has set a date to hear this case.It's France. Who’s doing the suing? Transports Schiocchet Excursions . . . let's call it TSE so you don't have to hear what passes for my French any more. TSE has a route from France to Luxembourg, which is where a group of French cleaning ladies works. TSE says the cleaning ladies are guilty of —- hold on, let me double-check to make sure I'm getting this right —- ah yes, "an act of unfair and parasitical competition.""

See why I want to live here and not there and will fight those that wish to take the US in that direction.France and Germany are now replacing Poland as the brunt of jokes as Polands economy outstrips theirs,LOL. Free markets defeat socialism everytime and a flat tax helps.

And don't miss this from Bozell on Hunter Thompson's memorial
"Worshippers of the wild and dissolute drug culture of the 1960s gathered at their temple in Woody Creek, Colo., on an August Saturday night to pay tribute to the booze-and-drug-soaked journalistic legend Hunter S. Thompson, exactly six months after he shot himself in the head in the middle of a phone call with his wife. It was, in a way, a perfect ending to symbolize Thompson's self-absorbed, self-destructive worldview. How pathetic is it that some people are actually celebrating this?"

At least some get it right like Clifford May

"Dear Cindy Sheehan:
I know you want to talk to President Bush about the conflict in Iraq, the war in which your son, Specialist Casey Sheehan, was tragically killed. I also know that while the President met with you previously, he is not eager to see you again – not now that you are affiliated with Moveon.org and supported by David Duke and handled by slick public relations professionals.
So let me suggest an alternative: Come visit with me. Our meeting probably won't get much publicity but I can promise you an interesting discussion. I'll invite to join us some of the many Iraqi freedom fighters with whom I've been working for the past several years – many of them women -- as well as democracy and human rights activists from Syria, Iran, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon and other countries. "

And from John McCaslin a great quote.
PROOF ENOUGH
Regarding our previous item on the upcoming National UFO Conference - and accusations by some UFO enthusiasts that government officials have hidden evidence of UFOs ever since President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration - Beltway Beat reader Loretta Werres of Ocean View, Del., reasons:
"I find it easier to believe in UFOs than to believe that Congress could keep this information a secret (or keep any secret, for that matter) since the 1940s."

Thursday, August 25, 2005

A Pix For Thoughts

Sometimes we must realize the Truth is worth climbing for!

An Absolute Must Read

Hugh is covering it on his show ,Michael Yon's latest post is a real opus,he is a freelance writer former spec ops, imbedded with I believe the 24th ID in Mosul . Hugh read the whole thing live and it needs to be read.

"Combat comes unexpectedly, even in war.On Monday, while conducting operations in west Mosul, a voice came over the radio saying troops from our brother unit, the 3-21, were fighting with the enemy in east Mosul on the opposite side of the Tigris River. Moments later, SSG Will Shockley relayed word to us that an American soldier was dead. We began searching for the shooters near one of the bridges on our side of the Tigris, but they got away. Jose L. Ruiz was killed in action.Although the situation in Mosul is better, our troops still fight here every day. This may not be the war some folks had in mind a few years ago. But once the shooting starts, a plan is just a guess in a party dress."

And don't miss Taranto's Best of the Web

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Midweek Highlite

All it takes is belief and you too can climb the tallest peak while having your feet solidly on the ground.

Lefty Noise

From the Federalist Patriot of course.

DEZINFORMATSIA
From the "Counterfeit News Network": "And the anti-war voices
are not just liberal groups camped out with Cindy Sheehan in Texas, but at least
one senior Republican Senator, who has always had questions about the war, [and]
now compares it to a war he fought a generation ago." —CNN's Aaron Brown touting
Nebraska RINO Sen. Chuck Hagel's quite original likening of Iraq to Vietnam {}
This week's "Dan Rather Journalism" Award: "That's my job. I'm a newsman. That's
what I try to do, is make news." —CNN's Wolf Blitzer revealing to Bill Clinton
the true nature of 24-hour news {} Race bait: "Like the Japanese soldier
marooned on an island for years after V-J Day, President Bush may be the last
person in the country to learn that for Americans, if not Iraqis, the war in
Iraq is over. 'We will stay the course,' he insistently tells us from his Texas
ranch. What do you mean we, white man?" —Frank Rich, NY Times {} From the
"Nitwit of the Week" Files: "You sound more informed than most U.S.
Congresspeople, so maybe you should run." —MSNBC's Chris Matthews to Cindy
Sheehan {} This week's "Left Media Buster" Award: "Gasoline today, the cost of a
gallon, in real adjusted dollars, is less than it was in 1981, less than it was
in 1935...[W]hat we see is headline after headline telling people something
that's not true: 'Record gas prices.' Then you go to the first paragraph or the
fifth paragraph and it says, 'in nominal dollars' —which means disregard the
headline." —George Will

Before you complain about gas take a look at the bottled water racket, $12-25 bucks a gallon as George Will points out, gas is still cheap. I have to manage my playtime budget a bit but otherwise my financial future looks fine,LOL,porterhouse to countryribs is not a hard transfer.

And more on Bolton and the UN from Claudia Rosette

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Tuesday's Thaught

If all it takes is effort,why not find the summit? The views are worth the effort!

Go John Bolton

The latest from Frank Gaffney is a must read, an excerpt:

" Like John Wayne in a classic Hollywood Western, John Bolton has ridden to the
rescue at the United Nations with scarcely a moment to spare. As a result, he
may just be able to spare America and George Bush the mugging – let’s call it
the UN AmBush – that the denizens of the East River had in mind for us next
month. "

And there is no bias in the MSM a clip from Hugh's blog:

"The Post's Amy Goldstein called the office again yesterday, seeking an interview
about John Roberts. I again offered her as much time as she needed, but
conditioned the offer on the interview being conducted on air. She once again cited the desire not to lose control of her story, and the fact that her editors
would react negatively to my approach. Fine, I relayed back through
Radioblogger, my producer. No harm, no foul. No interview."

Oh .and I saw on MSNBC and the radio talkers were all over it that the Ca Supreme Court has placed full responibilty on the gay community for their fantasies, ordered to pay child support.Fellow conservatives(CTs),this may be the silver lining, an interrrrrrrresting ruling.Believe me ,they will not like this and it is perfectly just,ROFLMAO,this is rich,don't read it wrong.Sheepdog and Preacher any good links?

And a couple emails I sent to Move America Forward a group I would like to represent if they avoid the antics here in Sacramento .
Folks,Robert,
We had another ugly protest/counter protest yesterday in Sacramento. The actions on both sides accomplishes little, here is my proposal. I would suggest MAF set up their placards around a group singing patriotic songs,including the hymns of our armed forces, not shouting ugliness back,and truelly honor our GIs. Would this not offer more impact to the audience and the press? I agree with the message of MAF not the tactics I saw in Sacramento,that was discraceful and lowered MAF to the level of the Code Pink. MAF should go to Crawford and do this along the way, The Choir will be the attraction for good folks not ugliness hurled back and forth. I hope MAF can refrain from embarrassing the very people that would support MAF. Please refrain from the ugliness that so characterizes the opposition,we must rise above them not join them, the free concert would draw far more than a bawdy rally and lift up the message.
Thanks,
A possible supporter???
Greg "Goat"
or blog at www.goatsbarnyard.blogspot.com
or email at goats_barnyard@msn.com
They already have Joan Baez etal, you better find some good voices fast, for Battle Hymn of the Republic,The various Hymns of our Armed Forces and others. Loud and obnoxious does not work, their weapon is Jim Morrison's "Soft Parade",beads and butterflies. We must beat it with beauty not shouting contests."When Johnny comes marching home again ,Hurrah,Hurrah" in VICTORY! I am a reformed grown up student of that time and "Music" is key.
Goat

Comments very welcome on this one??? To email you comment to CAF go here Robert@MoveAmericaForward.org .I have no idea how many read me ,send out your mail anyway.

and Eric Hogue at KTKZ.com covered this today as well.

Pat Robertson went over the top. though I may agree that is not something a person of his stature utters to the press, Well DUH! ! Idiot!
and y'all will love this from Brendan Miniter
"Quick, someone call Howard Dean. It appears the right has stolen the
left's playbook and is now using tactics liberals have used for decades. Unlike
Jimmy Carter's debate briefing book, which someone slipped to Ronald Reagan's
staff in 1980, there are actually useful nuggets that the old Reaganites and the
new Bushies can use."

Today's Quote

The Federalist Patriot
Founders' Quote Daily
"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among oldparchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam,in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinityitself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power."-- Alexander Hamilton (The Farmer Refuted, 23 February 1775)Reference: Selected Writings and Speeches of Alexander Hamilton,Frisch (21)

Monday, August 22, 2005

Monday Picture

Though the clouds may obsure these ramparts, they will last for eternities longer than will those clouds,rememember where to build your faith,upon the ramparts of the Lord as He is the Rock of Salvation.

Hugh is on Fire

He awoke today motivated apparently. His blog has been a swarm all weekend and today as well has his compatriot, Generalisamo at Radioblogger.Much on the recent document dump from the Reagan Library on John Roberts and every other subject you want.He was under the weather a bit so he caught up on things. He registered a bunch of conservative bloggers to go over the JR records and the results can be found here. and a good interview here Rest easy Sheepdog,LOL. Definately read his links on the Dem crackup
And James Taranto has great new post at OPJ

Sunday, August 21, 2005

On Able Danger and Clinton's Keystone Kops

I have been chewing on this can for a while and it has a pretty sour flavor. It looks like congresssman Weldon has exposed a real bombshell. This piece by Ollie North helped convince me:

" The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States -- otherwise known as the Sept. 11 Commission -- was supposed to suggest changes in law and policy to help protect us from terror attacks. To make such recommendations, the commission needed to discern what happened. Regrettably, the commission's public hearings devolved into a political circus instead of a fact-finding exercise. Instead of solving the numerous riddles of how 19 terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 Americans, apologists for the Clinton administration used the hearings to deflect blame -- and point to the culpability of the Bush administration."

of course the usual bloggers have been all over this,linked on my sidebar. Gorelick should be investigated for the obstruction of justice in preventing law enforcement from doing its job.

From the Preacher

A great story to pass on,it reminds me that I must work harder.



Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict.
It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side-by-side, sharing machinery and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference and finally, it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days' work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?" "Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor. In fact, it's my younger brother! Last week there was a meadow between us. He recently took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll do him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence an 8-foot fence -- so I won't need to see his place or his face anymore." The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you." The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day -- measuring, sawing and nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.
The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge .. a bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all! And the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them, his hand outstretched.. "You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done." The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in middle, taking each other's hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother. "I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but I have many more bridges to build."
Remember This... God won't ask what kind of car you drove, but He'll ask how many people you helped get where they needed to go. God won't ask the square footage of your house, but He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home. God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, but He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.
God won't ask how many friends you had, but He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, but He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.
God won't ask about the color of your skin, but He'll ask about the content of your character. God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, but He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in Heaven, and not to the gates of hell. God won't ask how many people you forwarded this to, but He'll ask why you were ashamed to pass it on to your friends...

Sunday Guest Column

THE INTIMIDATION OF TEACHERS by Otis Page

The battleground for homosexual activists is in the schools. Teaching homosexual propaganda to children is the objective, and the intimidation of teachers and the educational establishment by legal measures sponsored by Democrats is the tactic. Homosexuals are imposing their value system - its implicit code of sexual ethics - by the education of children through the legal intimidation of teachers - that they must teach the homosexual agenda despite any religious disagreements. And this is supported by the Democrat party in the United States.

America's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, has developed programs to incorporate the homosexual agenda into public school curricula for children of all ages. Many of them are in place today. In the book, The Homosexual Agenda, authors Sears and Osten state. "As bodies change and hormones rage, youths are told that their feelings may indicate that they are bisexual. Further, heterosexuality is portrayed as being passé, while 'alternative' sexuality is promoted as chic and more likely to result in peer acceptance."

Children as young as kindergarteners are to be taught that a family is a unit of two or more persons, related either by birth or by choice that may or may not live together. As an example, The Homosexual Agenda describes an annual Day of Silence that the Gay Lesbian Straight Educational Network (GLSEN) orchestrates, wherein students are not to speak. Instead they are to present a card explaining that they will not speak that day in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. Children are told that friends and family members who hold that homosexuality is wrong should be considered enemies and treated as such, according to cited research.

How is this strategy implemented by homosexuals? California is a good example. On January 1, 2000, a new law went into effect in California: The California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000. It is also known by its number in the legislature, AB537, and is a revision to the California Education Code. This California state law has a purposeful intent: To intimidate the teaching profession and the educational hierarchy in California.

Law AB537 accomplishes this intent by legally professing prohibitions against discrimination and harassment against students in California public schools based on sexual orientation or gender non-conformity. Its real objective is to intimidate those in education and to discriminate against those who oppose the Homosexual Agenda to teach the acceptance homosexual lifestyle to children and young adults.

AB537 prohibits harassment, threats and discrimination against gay and lesbian students, or straight students who are perceived as gay and lesbian. In addition, the more expansive definition of gender discrimination includes discrimination against a person because their identity, appearance or behavior is different than that traditionally associated with the person’s sex at birth. That means it is illegal to discriminate against a female student because she wears boyish clothing, against a male student, because his mannerisms are perceived as "effeminate" or because a student is transgender identified.

Schools must not only ensure that teachers and other school employees not engage in prohibited behavior, but also that students are not subjected to prohibited behavior. In other words, student-to-student discrimination and harassment prevention is the responsibility of the school. Schools are also responsible for ensuring that students are free from harassment and discrimination from any source while at school. This includes parent or community volunteers, and sports team coaches.

Schools and school districts can be sued for not complying with AB537. Schools are responsible for ensuring that students are not victims of harassment or discrimination based on sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation. If they fail in preventing or stopping that type of behavior, they can be sued. In addition, administrators, teachers and staff may be personally liable as well.

Students can file a complaint with the school board, with an investigation and written response due in 60 days. If a student is not happy with the response, they can appeal to the California Department of Education. Students are also free to file a civil action for injunctive relief (an order to stop prohibited behavior) or for compensatory damages.

Teachers must educate students about the appropriate use of terms associated with gay issues, teach the concept of diversity of the larger community. The obligation as an educator is to confront stereotypes and address inappropriate language to make the schools safe for homosexuals. A discussion about differences is purported to be not a discussion about human sexuality, yet it is. The pretension is on making school climates safe for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons and not to confuse sexual orientation with sexual behavior. The objective is to teach children to express themselves in a way about gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders without dealing with human sexuality.

The education program, that teachers by law must adhere to, provides that gay and lesbian are three to four times more likely to attempt suicide and are nearly seven times more likely to be threatened or injured at school. That insults and threats against gays or lesbians (or those perceived to be gay or lesbian) are far more common than any other verbal attacks on school sites.

School Districts must provide 1) Anti-slur and anti-harassment policies that specify that the district will not tolerate harassment based on sexual orientation or gender non-conformity. 2) Hiring and promotion policies which guarantee protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender non-conformity. 3) Controversial issue policies that provide a broad spectrum of beliefs and that allow for their questions to be answered. 4) A climate that fosters support for students who want to start gay/straight alliance clubs. 5) Textual and audio-visual materials adoption policies that ensure the materials will be free not only of gender and racial bias, but also of bias based on sexual orientation.

Teachers are legally obligated to emphasize there exists a separation of church and state in the United States. Students must be taught differences that include sexual orientation. That this does not infringe on any religious beliefs.

The facts are teachers are seriously intimidated if they disagree with the policies on instruction about homosexuals and sexual orientation -- because to violate these policies means severe implications in terms of job performance appraisals and possible loss of job. This is the product of the Homosexual Agenda supported by the Democrats in California and in other States. It is the policy supported by Democrats in the Congress -- the Senate and House of Representatives.





PS: a related link from the Sheepdog can be found here and the lead artcle is of importance for those with school age children

Saturday, August 20, 2005

On a Poignant Note

From the father of one our fallen soldiers in response to moonbat Sheehan.

She Does Not Speak for Me

My son died in Iraq--and it was not in vain.

BY RONALD R. GRIFFIN

Thursday, August 18, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
I lost a son in Iraq and Cindy Sheehan does not speak for me.
I grieve with Mrs. Sheehan, for all too well I know the full measure of the agony she is forever going to endure. I honor her son for his service and sacrifice. However, I abhor all that she represents and those who would cast her as the symbol for parents of our fallen soldiers.
The fallen heroes, until now, have enjoyed virtually no individuality. They have been treated as a monolith, a mere number. Now Mrs. Sheehan, with adept public relations tactics, has succeeded in elevating herself above the rest of us. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida declared that Mrs. Sheehan is now the symbol for all parents who have lost children in Iraq. Sorry, senator. Not for me.

Update:Here here and here

Friday, August 19, 2005

A Needed Welcome Visit

Mom is in town for the weekend so forgive my lack of informative posts though so some cool pix may come of our adventures.Otis and Sheepdog have Sunday well covered for me so I am off for a relaxing four day weekend playing tourguide,Grin! Don't forget the links on the sidebar and have a fabulous weekend!!!!
Goat

From a Relative Out of the Blue

Subject: Prayer at Kansas State Senate - FYI and passing along, please take time to read.This Pastor has guts!Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems the prayer still upsets some people.When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it, enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!" The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program,"The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God." If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything." Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world. "
PS: From my cousin today out of the wild blue yonder ,hmmm?

Reasons Why

We all search for them in their depth,sometimes just being is enough. Yes, I am standing on solid ground.

Friday's Must Read

Mark Alexander at the Patriot spells it out as is his wont on why we will be in Iraq for decades as we have been in Europe, Japan and Korea. I guess it is alright to protect socialist anti-american euro-snobs but not oppressed Iraqis escaping the death throws of tyranny.

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THE FOUNDATION
"Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood." --John Adams
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TOP OF THE FOLD
We should stay in Iraq -- for decades...
The usual Demo-gogue suspects -- Kennedy, Kerry and company -- are increasing the tenor of their demands that the Bush administration commit to a timetable for withdrawing American troops from Iraq. A few misguided Republicans have even signed on to this legislative folly. Insisting that we cap our military support for the new Iraqi government is a dangerous political ploy intended to help Demos rally their peacenik constituency in the run-up to next year's midterm elections. Dangerous, because challenging the administration to agree to a timetable only emboldens Jihadis, who would very much like to move the frontlines of the Long War from their turf to ours.
The Demos know President George Bush will not agree to such a timetable. As the president has said repeatedly, "Our exit strategy is to exit when our mission is complete." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld protests that any such deadline for withdrawal would "throw a lifeline to terrorists." Indeed, but it is always easier to sell anti-war rhetoric like "give peace a chance" than it is to advocate peace through superior firepower, and to use force in defense of critical U.S. national interests.

PS: A new format for The Patriot, love it, read the whole thing and subscribe.

Update: James Taranto has been all over Cindy Jihad at Best of The Web on OPJ online all week and more

Plus: This from the Sheepdog and this on the counter protest

A Quote to Contemplate

The Federalist Patriot
Founders' Quote Daily
"We should never despair, our Situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new Exertions and proportion our Efforts to the exigency of the times."-- George Washington (letter to Philip Schuyler, 7/15/1777)Reference: Washington's Maxims, 16.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Niece Pix

It all starts on Thomas The Train, is that an ear to ear grin or what?

Oh they learn early now, she has it down to a tee,as precocious as she is precious.

When Do I get mine?


I want one of these too Dad!

I promised an update and here it is, she got the 'vette as a birthday present from her dad ,a gearhead and great guy,her "Corbette".This little lady is going places,she is smart

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

A New Feature in the Barnyard

After some discussions with friends I have decided to post a" Guest's Column" as a semidaily post,Otis Page will write the sunday editorial, wednesday will be open to my readers to write one on any topic presented here in the Barnyard, submit your entries to goats_barnyard@msn.com, For example: This piece from Otis on Cindy Sheehan,this is his.


CINDY SHEEHAN
Cindy Sheehan appears as an embittered critic of the war, a personal attitude she reputably held before her son, SPC Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in April 2004. In reflecting on Sheehan’s sorrow, one may find solace in President Lincoln’s letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby of Boston, who Lincoln was told had lost sons in the Civil War.
"I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming," Lincoln wrote. "But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom."
Sheehan met with President Bush and he personally extended his condolences to her and her extended family.
Sheehan now centers a controversial effort to end the Iraq War, allied with and supported by organizations that opposed George Bush during the Presidential election.
Sheehan is criticized by members of her family since she appears to have subordinated her grief to an anti-war activism that some feel disparages the memory of her son and, significantly, all those who have lost their lives in the war including those who are fighting in Iraq. There is no question that the anti-war activist movement gives the wrong message to terrorist insurgents who oppose the democratization of Iraq.
The grief of a son’s death – and the deaths of approximately 1800 military in Iraq – is a solemn occasion for consolation, as are the deaths of the approximate 3, 000 killed on 9/11, and, for that matter, the deaths of over 30,000 people who are killed each year on the nation’s highways. But the death of SPC Casey Sheehan or the other military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan is not in vain.
“Men are never really willing to die except for the sake of freedom: therefore they do not believe in dying completely.” Albert Camus (1913–60)
What inspires the anti-war activist movement now headed by Cindy Sheehan? What is the cause of angst on behalf of those who are sincerely against the war?
The matter is in some measure prescribed by a cynical political motivation as a result of certain Democrats who wish to embarrass President Bush, to regain power despite the implication their conduct undermines the nation’s policy and resolve to win the war. It is partially defined by a small minority who sincerely oppose war. Some argue that the issue is how we are prosecuting the war, given the insurgency.
But we must put the question in context. The Middle East threat was initially manifested as a result of our dedication to a peaceful resolve of the Israeli/Palestinian matter. There have been numerous subsequent incursions against the United States such as Iran’s takeover of our embassy in 1979 and the attack on the Cole followed by the devastation of 9/11.
After pleadings at the United Nations, actions in Afghanistan and Iraq confronted the terrorist militancy. It is now prominently understood in terms of the suicide bombings, beheadings, the immerging nuclear capability of Iran and the subtle but obvious belligerence of Syria. The context is further understood in terms of our dependence of Middle East oil and the nature of the terrorist threat magnified by the Islamic culture with incursions in Spain and London.
What is the real issue that bothers people about the Iraq war and the whole matter in the Middle East? What is it Cindy Sheehan does not understand as she parades as the “point person” for the anti-war activist movement? What is the reason the death of her son is for a greater cause?
The real issue is, are we right in militarily confronting the terrorist threat in the Middle East? Do people understand that this is the issue – not just the present insurgency in Iraq? Given this understanding, is the confrontation truly important and meaningful to our national interest and security?
Cindy Sheehan should be mindful that true freedom in the Middle East is one cause besides our freedom at home from Islamic militant terrorism. Regarding freedom in the Islamic world consider the following:
“As for those who think the Arab world promises freedom, the briefest study of its routine traditional treatment of blacks (slavery) and women (purdah) will provide relief from all illusion. If Malcolm X had been a black woman his last message to the world would have been entirely different. The brotherhood of Moslem men— all colors— may exist there, but part of the glue that holds them together is the thorough suppression of women.” Alice Walker (b. 1944)
What is the real reason? We must win WWIII or the freedom of our standard of living and our way of life will forever change here in America. That threat is both ideological considering the conflict with militant Islam and resource based considering Western Civilization’s dependence on Middle East Oil.
The ideological threat is cultural in a religious context that is not only addressed in terms of conflicts with Christianity and Judaism, but with all beliefs including those that do not believe in religion at all. Yes, the freedom of religion and the separation of religion from State will be threatened.
Our dependence on Middle East oil is a threat currently being employed by Iran in its positioning of the West on its immerging nuclear capability. The world’s expanding demand and rising price for a barrel of oil exemplifies the crisis. The issue transcends the reality of $3.00+ per gallon gasoline to the reality of gas and fuel rationing – a specific lessening of freedom because of the limitation of oil supplies.
How does this all effect the issue Cindy Sheehan is protesting about in the context of the loss of her son? The Bush Administration has acted wisely and courageously with actions in Afghanistan and Iraq to compromise and destabilize the terrorist threat in the Middle East. We now have military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan and are prepared to neutralize if not overcome the immergence of the long forecasted nuclear capability in Iran. France and Germany must now face the reality that they too must come to terms with the Middle East threat as the United States and Brittan have with its actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Our costs in dollars and lives have been minimal considering the greater costs if we had not acted. We were betrayed by the United Nations in proceeding as revealed by the Oil for Food scandal. But despite this, Bush acted.
Cindy Sheehan appears to be not acting on a primary grief but with a political motivation as an anti-war activist. Although honored as SPC Casey Sheehan’s mother, she did not sacrifice her life. Her son did “to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom." His sacrifice was made in a great and noble cause in an effort that attempts to not only protect our freedoms but promises freedom to those who have been enslaved by theocratic despotism and cruel dictatorships in a land described historically as the cradle of civilization.
SPC Casey Sheehan and the noble list of others who have lost their lives in the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns are heroes dedicated to our quest to protect our freedom at home while attempting to provide freedom to millions now incarcerated by a bondage that knows only servitude and death where that bondage now threatens our own.
Cindy Sheehan and her supporting cast of organizations are wrong in exploiting their anti-war activism in a way that demeans the heroic contribution of her son and all others who are making the supreme sacrifice in war in the Middle East for the reason the war is just in the name of freedom throughout the world.

From Goat: Well said and unknowing of my post on this.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Woosh, And It is Gone



Take the time before it is to late! A snowy egret disturbed by our passing. I live in the middle of the pacific flyway so I get a show.

From a Reader

Thanks Otis! I have no live link and now you do to spread this great piece and please do!

ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS

By LTC(RET) Dave Grossman

RANGER, Ph.D., author of "On Combat"

Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always,even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for? - William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million. Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep. I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will Grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, And someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators. "Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial. "Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial. The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa." Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking The breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population. There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs. Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the Other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal To the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground. There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door. For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones. I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with Yourself after that?" Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?" It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up. Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness, and horror at your moment of truth. Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling." Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level. And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes. If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself..."Baa." This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Monday Views


A view of the imposing south face of Lone Pine peak. i know where a hidden cabin is in that valley built and once used by a "Christian" nudist colony.It is built in the shape of the Cross and oriented by the compass,the head being north. The eastern view looking back at me provides sunrises beyond compare.It has a massive fireplace and altar and is now a lair for rockclimbers on an assault of the granite walls.It is located center picture about half way up the first tower on the right in the center of the V .Mt.Whitney is the focal point of the next valley north,a breath taking region!

KKK Throws its Lot Behind Cindy Sheehan

James Taranto at OPJ on line is a must read tonight,he has this and alot on the Roberts nomination and the NARAL lies.Do not miss this link so I am providing it here as well. This one needs to be spread. Anti-Semmites are joing hands it seems it seems as David Duke,leader of the KKK, endorses Cindy Sheehan and her hate speech against Israel.
PS: I have a debate thread on this at the Political Showdown
And some quotes to ponder from the Federalist Patriot:

_____----********O********----______
THE FOUNDATION
"Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country." --Noah Webster
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INSIGHT
"On this showing, the nature of the breakdowns of civilizations can be summed up in three points: a failure of creative power in the minority, an answering withdrawal of mimesis on the part of the majority, and a consequent loss of social unity in the society as a whole." --Arnold Joseph Toynbee
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IChThUS IMPRIMIS
"So we are we left with Judeo-Christian values and secular left values. The latter, as noted, hold sway among the world's elites. But they are personally so unfulfilling and morally so confused that they cannot work. Western Europe will hopefully awaken to this fact as its socialist economies fail and as it realizes that you cannot fight faith (radical Islam) with no faith (secularism). ... The Judeo-Christian value system is not only the best value system for humanity; it is the only viable one. If we do not promote it, moral chaos will ensue. And we can't promote it if we don't know what it is." --Dennis Prager

And my home state Al took the first step against the Kelo decision by the SCOTUS.We already fought one war over state's rights and property.

"Alabama...became the first state to enact new protections against local-government seizure of property allowed under a Supreme Court ruling that has triggered an explosive grass-roots counteroffensive across the country. Republican Gov. Bob Riley signed a bill that was passed unanimously by a special session of the Alabama Legislature, which would prohibit governments from using their eminent-domain authority to take privately owned properties for the purpose of turning them over to retail, industrial, office or residential developers. ... The backlash against the judicial ruling has not received much attention in the national press, although legislative leaders in more than two dozen states have proposed statutes and/or state constitutional amendments to restrict local governments' eminent-domain powers." --Donald Lambro

And please do what you can

And as always Doc Adams is blasting at the 'Ivory Towers' ,a great interview.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

My Playgrond

Yes I am in shorts,around 55 degrees, this trip was a real adventure!

Busy Busy Busy

Mom is coming to visit so I had to clean up the place a bit. There is alot of good stuff on the blogs today.Little Green Footballs as usual has some really great information on Irag and the 9/11 commission's omissions as is Michele Malkin while still hammering on Air Amerigate.Captains Quarters is live blogging the Justice Sunday event,lots of good speakers,Tom Delay,Zell Miller,James Dobson,Chuck Colson and many more, some great comments and points were made.I also found this interesting bit fromBill Roggio at The Fourth Rail seems there is more going on than meets the ear from the MSM in Iraq this is huge news .Seems the people are getting fed up with the imported thugs read the whole piece it is great.

August 14, 2005
More Red-on-RedBy Bill Roggio
"We have had enough of his nonsense. We don't accept that a non-Iraqi should try to enforce his control over Iraqis, regardless of their sect -- whether Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs or Kurds.'' - Sheik Ahmad Khanjar, leader of the Sunni Albu Ali clan, referring to Abu Musab al Zarqawi
Red-on-red incidents between al Qaeda and Sunni insurgents are nothing new in Anbar province. We saw numerous instances of this when al Qaeda attempted to impose its will on the Sunnis in Qaim along the Syrian border. However the Washington Post provides a new twist to the internecine warfare between the foreign jihadis and local Sunni fighters. Sunnis have taken up arms against al Qaeda to protect their Shiite neighbors [hat tip Rantburg]. In Ramadi.

hattip:MM

Saturday, August 13, 2005

A Letter to Cindy Sheehan

From the Iraqi blogger,Mohammed at Iraq The Model, a great site for updates and some really good inspiring writing. IMHO this woman is morally bankrupt for using the good name of her honorable son to further her radical agenda. This letter really puts her in her place. I hope someone points her to it.An excerpt,read it all.

"I know how you feel Cindy, I lived among the same pains for 35 years but worse than that was the fear from losing our loved ones at any moment. Even while I'm writing these words to you there are feelings of fear, stress, and sadness that interrupt our lives all the time but in spite of all that I'm sticking hard to hope which if I didn't have I would have died years ago.Ma'am, we asked for your nation's help and we asked you to stand with us in our war and your nation's act was (and still is) an act of ultimate courage and unmatched sense of humanity.Our request is justified, death was our daily bread and a million Iraqi mothers were expecting death to knock on their doors at any second to claim someone from their families.Your face doesn't look strange to me at all; I see it everyday on endless numbers of Iraqi women who were struck by losses like yours.Our fellow country men and women were buried alive, cut to pieces and thrown in acid pools and some were fed to the wild dogs while those who were lucky enough ran away to live like strangers and the Iraqi mother was left to grieve one son buried in an unfound grave and another one living far away who she might not get to see again.We did nothing to deserve all that suffering, well except for a dream we had; a dream of living like normal people do.We cried out of joy the day your son and his comrades freed us from the hands of the devil and we went to the streets not believing that the nightmare is over.We practiced our freedom first by kicking and burning the statues and portraits of the hateful idol who stole 35 years from the life of a nation.For the first time air smelled that beautiful, that was the smell of freedom."

Update: Also visit http://www.iraqitruthproject.com/ boy are that woman and her supporters fools and intellectually challenged.There is more video here of Saddam's atrocities or here or here.I have also posted a headline at Lisa's site for extended discussion also linked on the side bar as Political Showdown.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Ann Coulter at Her Best

I wish I had her wit and ability with sarcasm,I am glad she backed of from John Roberts for now.She was sure on fire when she wrote her latest one on terrorism.

August 11, 2005
It's 'Let's Roll,' Not 'Let's Roll Over'
By: Ann Coulter
Since the London bombings, there has been a palpable feeling in the air here in the U.S. that another terrorist attack is imminent. Maybe not as bad as 9/11, perhaps a train or subway bombing. Or maybe it will be something worse. There were fevered rumors circulating over the last few weeks about massive attacks on New York and Washington scheduled for Aug. 6 and 9, to mark the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
But now Aug. 6 and 9 have come and gone. More significantly, 47 months have come and gone since 9/11 without a major terrorist attack on U.S. soil. The closest thing we had to a major bombing was the new Pauly Shore show on TBS.

Sidenote: I did Pauly's mirrors and showers in his house as one of the first jobs I did in Ca. Nice guy hohum actor decent comedienne.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

More From the Loony Left

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DEZINFORMATSIA
Regarding the redistribution of income: "If we Americans are so rich and so smart, why can't we treat our citizens as well as the Finns do? They pay nothing for education at any level, including medical school or law school. Their medical care, which contributes to an infant mortality rate that is half of ours and a life expectancy greater than ours, costs relatively little. ... Unemployment benefits are good and last, in one form or another, indefinitely." --Robert Kaiser, former editor of The Washington Post**Where does the money come from for all this "free stuff" -- heaven?
From the Historical Rewrite Department: "Do you have remorse for what happened? How do you deal with that in your mind?" --NBC's Brian Williams to Dutch Van Kirk, navigator of the Enola Gay, who replied indignantly, "No, I do not have remorse."
Or maybe we have no idea: "After [London] Bombings, Few Signs Of Similar Attacks in U.S." --1 August New York Times headline ++ "Assessments Find Threat of Suicide Attacks in U.S." --5 August Times headline
From the "Antique Media": "We're emphasizing serious, old-fashioned journalism. We're going to do this well, do it smart. Do it quickly and not be held hostage by anyone or anything. And we're going to get it on between 3-6 p.m." --CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who'll be anchoring the network's new "Situation Room", which is replete with such techie eye candy as video walls and multiple plasma screens **No matter how you dress it up, the old Leftmedia is still incredibly stale!
Sometimes he got it right: "Our focus on the loss of American soldiers and now civilians on a sometimes almost daily basis, it gets so intense, somewhat I think overshadows what has been happening, in more general terms, in restructuring or structuring the country." --Recently deceased ABC anchor Peter Jennings, in April 2004

Pirrotechnics

To borrow the term from Tony Blankley,Hillary may have a catfight to attend to. This will be the senate race of '06 for the media to follow.There will be many a soundbite from this race as Hillary has to go to her base for support against a RINO.Janine Pirro seems ready for a tooth and claw battle.I will be watching intently,LOL,political junkie that I am.

"Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro has declared her candidacy for Senate in New York. She immediately took aim at the incumbent: "I am running against Hillary Clinton ... "
As a resident of Chappaqua in Westchester County (by the way, I'm told, very unreliably, that Chappaqua is an old Indian word for separate teepees), Ms. Clinton already has Ms. Pirro as her county prosecutor. Now, Ms. Pirro is about to unleash her considerable prosecuting and public relations skills exclusively on behalf of Ms. Clinton's political demise. This will be a campaign that should be edifying to watch (particularly if you like World Wide Wrestling pay-for-view events). "

Peter Jennings

How do you memorialize a womanizing, socialist,terrorist sycophant with a silver spoon in his mouth?A high school dropout that was installed by his father into Canadian media at nine. I am not into bashing people at death but the over glowing bios are so loony left slanted it is a shame on journalism.Debbie Schlussel says it better than I do.

Jihadi Journalist: The Real Peter Jennings
By Debbie Schlussel
While the rest of the world is blindly singing the praises of Peter Jennings, here's a reality check: Peter Jennings did more for the cause of Islamic terrorism than any media figure today. And that's nothing to celebrate, honor, or even memorialize.
Before there was Al Jazeera, there was Peter Jennings.
From the beginning of Jennings' career until his death, his biased coverage went beyond the pale, bending over backward in "understanding" the terrorists who hate us-- from seeing "their side" when he covered the siege and then murder of innocent Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics to honoring an Al-Qaeda operative with a prized "commentator" spot during Jennings coverage of the 9/11 attacks.

From The Loony Left

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VILLAGE IDIOTS
This week's "Gratuitous Nazi Reference" Awards: "Hitler had a lot of Jews high up in the hierarchy of the Third Reich. Color does not necessarily denote quality, content or value. [If] a black is a tyrant, he is first and foremost a tyrant, then he incidentally is black. Bush is a tyrant and if he gathers around him black tyrants, they all have to be treated as they are being treated." --celebrity activist Harry Belafonte at Saturday's civil rights march in Atlanta, with another tiresome comparison of Bush to Hitler ++ "[Black conservatives] have a right to exist, but why would I want to walk around with a swastika on my shirt after the way Hitler done messed it up? So why would I want to call myself a conservative after the way them white racists thugs have used that word to hide behind?" --comedian and "civil rights" campaigner Dick Gregory (The swastika was an ancient symbol of strength and luck before the Nazi Party adopted it in 1920.)
More from the PEST Files: "They [the Bush administration] all need to be locked up because they are all criminals and they are all thieves. It is indeed criminal to steal an election and within two years run up a federal deficit of half-a-trillion dollars, send our young people over to Iraq to die for an unjust war. What they are doing is criminal." --Judge Greg Mathis of TV court fame
Village Glitterati: "At this time we have a choice to make. Father God is watching while we cause Mother Earth so much pain. It's such a shame. Not enough money for the young, the old, the poor, but for war there is always more." --Musician Stevie Wonder's lyrics from an upcoming song
Keen sense of the obvious: "[T]he same old enemies of civil rights and voting rights will always keep up their ugly activities. Race baiters and discriminators may go underground, but they never move out of town." --race baiter Je$$e Jack$on, who is living proof of his own statement
And sometimes they get it right: "Here is the truth, we [sic] got to reinvent ourselves. We became old, we became stale. The world changed and we didn't." --Service Employees International Union president Andrew Stern, on the state of the union movement


Courtesy of The Patriot

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

God Bless America!


We are working hard to deserve it!

Does Anyone Remember Decoration Day Anymore?!?

Growing up in the deep south,it was a yearly family/community reunion.A brief service followed by a potluck picnic and lots of family stories to celebrate the lives of those that had gone before us. With the decline of the hand written letter so many families' histories have been lost that we risk losing so much of the very fabric that makes this great nation so vibrant and strong.My paternal geneology and history is well accounted for,I just spearheaded a historical search into the maternal side with my Mom.I had two uncles in D-Day, one with Patton and two in Korea.This American Family has a story to be told, funny,us hillbilly rednecks have been here alot longer than most,made and defended our nation and established the greatest nation ever.Our thanks is we get to live and prosper here while the socialist idiots continue to try and deprive us of we fought for and built.Yes,I speak for the farmer boy that knew the risk and sacrificed all for the good of the country. One of those uncles went on to work for NASA and was a part of the Apollo program to get us to the moon,I saw Huntsville with a guide,my uncle.This is an incredible nation full of incredible individuals that drive themselves to make it even better.Today the opposition loony left is screeching so loudly it dulls the senses and clouds the thinking of the ignorant. How do we protect against this threat? Talk radio and the blogosphere has done much though we Cannot be shy about standing up for the principles we believe in and as a Constitutional Federalist I won't stand down! to quote Patrick Henry once again as it shows my spirit.

"It is in vain, sir, to extentuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"--Patrick Henry

Oh how that rings today with the threat of radical Islam!!!!! Need I say more?

Monday, August 08, 2005

My Eyes Have Seen !

Battle Hymn of the Rebublic

Well mine eyes have seen the glory
of the coming of the Lord ,
He is trampling out the vintage
where the grapes of wrath are stored,
He has loosed the fateful lightning
of his terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on!
-Glory glory halleluiah
Glory glory halleluiah
Glory glory halleluiah
His truth is marching on
I have seen Him in the watchfires
of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar
in the evening dews and damps,
I can read his righteous sentance,
by the dim and flaring lamps
This day is marching on!
(refrain)
In the beauty of the lilies
Christ was born accross the sea,
With a glory in His bosom
that transfigures you and me,
as He died to make men holy,
let us live to make men free,
While God is marching on!
(refrain)




I could not resist,LOL it was mentioned today and has been echoing since,Winstom Churchill's favorite song.

Religious Litmus Test

Our Constitution actually forbids this.The job of the jurist is to apply the law according to the Constitution, not legislate law from the supreme bench.I am a layman redneck,I have read our founding documents many times and basic horse/goat sense can easily understand them.They are not complex though the Federalist Papers can get tiresome to read ,it is well laid out and ratified.I believe that Roberts will hold to the Constitution admirably.I would have taken cases as a growing attorney for the other side inorder to have a full and rounded knowledge of an issue,even if I did not believe in it personally and I would have done my best.I do that now with builders and designers even when I know they are nuts,LOL.I know my building codes and let them know what they are. The left is trying to stir conservative resistance to Roberts' nomination ,I say ignore them. I can't see John Roberts letting us down,he knows where America stands, he has worked too hard not to.

(Added reading here)
From David Limbaugh

Meet the Press" featured a debate between Professor Douglas Kmiec and former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo concerning whether Supreme Court nominees should be questioned about their religious beliefs.Perceptive viewers of the debate could see that the real issue wasn't so much the nominees' religious beliefs but the proper role of the courts under the Constitution.

Iraqi Constitution

So there is heated debate about religion and government like there has not been here for some 230 odd years.No their demacracy will not mirror ours after all we have spent 2+ centuries getting where we are today.If they move at least to where we were at the turn of the 20th century that is a huge step from the 13th were they live today with modern weapons instead of swords. The right of women to vote is not a prerequisate for democracy after all they did not get the right to vote here for over 100 yrs and blacks almost 200, civilizations evolve in a democracy as we have done not stagnate and breed hatred. We were/are Judeo-Christian and our society reflects that in our very freedom as will theirs with the balancing force of freedom and democracy. You can not move an 11th century culture to the 21st over night, so we shouldn't push to hard against some deep cultural beliefs,it took us time,2+ centuries and still learning and growing, so we do show a time tested model in our very simple and elegant Constitution. (Further reading here.) And Please Do!

God, Man and the Common Weal

A great democratic experiment is taking place in Iraq.

BY REUEL MARC GERECHT

Monday, August 8, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Although it appears the Iraqis are going to meet the Aug. 15 deadline for writing a new constitution, we shouldn't worry if they just can't do it "on time." It will certainly be dispiriting to many Iraqis and Americans--particularly in the Pentagon, where the counterinsurgency troop requirements for Iraq and Afghanistan haven't dovetailed well with Donald Rumsfeld's plans for a smaller "transformed" military. All of Washington wants the Iraqis to be more expeditious than our own Founding Fathers, who took years of trial and error to hammer out the mother of all modern constitutions.
Yet the Iraqis are where we want them to be: divided on critical matters of politics and faith, but still determined to resolve their differences through a binding written compromise. Their discussions are hot and sometimes intractable because all the parties know these debates matter. Federalism and the political role of Islam--perhaps the two most troublesome subjects--are critical issues throughout the Middle East. No one in Washington should want these debates toned down or curtailed.