A New Year

Happy New Year, woo, woo, whistle, whistle, the MSM has made me sick , the finger down the throat was John Lennon's "Imagine", the most overrated fool in history, as the lead up in New York. The moonbats think it means something, it is just another day in the socialist tax cycle. In fact the words left with the Barnyard are " the groom's bride is a whore" . That is such a nice message to send for a new year in which are going to see a major assault from the GLBT on marriage and the same from the Islamists on civilisation as we know it. The Barnyard also forsees a continued assault on the 1st and 2nd Ammendments by the socialist left as well as a full scale assault on our pocketbooks to finance their socialist beauracracy.
The Goat is still optimistic but his heels are dug in and the horns are polished and hardened with The Constitution and our Founding Fathers defining who and what we represent.
Our many and bountiful blessings coming from the Lord's bosom, it is time to turn to Him.
God Bless all that seek His Grace and those that are lost so they may one day discover that Grace.

Happy New Year!

Weekend Rambler

Needless to say 2006 was a year for the history books and so many far more erudite minds than mine will pen plenty of editorials circumspecting the year. The favorites of the Barnyard so far go to Jed Babbin and James Lilecs.
Jed's can be found at The Americam Spectator, an excerpt:

All right, all right. Calm down. Yes, it's New Year's Eve again. So what's the big deal? Read the calendar, pilgrim. No matter how fervently Maureen Dowd and Keith Olbermann might wish it to be, next year isn't 2008. I almost wish it were. The Christmas Eve edition of the Washington Post gave us two headlines that I wish could reappear same time next year. One was Vichy John Kerry's op-ed entitled, "The case for flip-flopping." The second was, "Monica Lewinsky flashes her intellect." Those will be mighty hard to beat.

Well, maybe not. If last week's presidential wannabe polls could repeat themselves in, say, late December 2007, we'd be laughing so hard we'd probably not be able to breathe. Last week's polls showed Hillary running fourth to Baby Obama in Iowa and in a dead heat with him in New Hampshire (and only a few points ahead of the Breck Girl, John Edwards). Who among us wouldn't have paid big money to have been in the room when she found out?

Few say it better than Jed, read the whole thing, a conservative mount up call.


The American Thinker has a couple excellent editorials on the war and I like the way Col. Tom Snodgrass puts it, some good ideas, a couple lead in graphs:

What are the basic factors in war?


With appropriate deference to Clausewitz, war reduced to the most fundamental equation is WAR = MOTIVATION(S) + CAPABILITY. Historical war motivations have been religious, political, geo-strategic, economic, and revenge. Capability is composed of firepower and re-supplying that firepower (logistics). Remove one or both of these motivation-capability factors in war, and the war is over in short order.


What are the motivations driving the warring combatants in Iraq?


The motivations driving the battle for Iraq and the larger GWOT on the part of the Muslims are "all of the above," that is, religious, political, geo-strategic, economic, and revenge. Although it is probably fair to say, if we take what they say and do seriously, that economic reasons factor least in the equation. The bottom line motive of the Muslims (Sunni and Shi'ite) in Iraq and GWOT is religious conquest together with attendant political and geo-strategic domination.

And from Douglas Hanson on the differences between today's Generals and two of history's favorites "Ike" and Patton.:

CENTCOM Commander General John Abizaid's planned retirement in the middle of a war reflects a business as usual mentality on the part of our senior leaders, who seemingly find it impossible to fight and kill the enemy all the way to victory. There were no such inhibitions on the part of Ike and Patton in WW II. Comparing the current leadership with the way Ike held together a complex coalition, while getting the most out of his brash and colorful general, shows how far we have slipped into military-academic skullduggery, meant to excuse incomplete victories behind a veneer of professional elitism.

My uncle followed "Ole Blood and Guts" on his entire European campaign,"Our blood, his guts" and earned Bronze and Silver Stars enroute along with a couple Purple Hearts. We need a Patton in Iraq or as head of Centcom, preferrably in Iraq and readt and determined to exit via Syria and Iran as Patton wanted to leave through Russia, in hindsight we should have followed his wisdom.

"The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish by that test the kind of war on which they are embarking; neither mistaking it for, nor trying to turn it into, something that is alien to its nature. This is the first of all strategic questions and the most comprehensive." - Carl von Clausewitz, ON WAR (Howard/Paret trans.), p.88.

A Meander

Some lesser-goldfinch enjoy some thistle seed while hanging out in the Barnyard.

There has been been four new visitors for a bite or bath in the few days I have been home, a varied thrush, some juncos , a ruby crowned kinglet and an oak titmouse. The thrush and titmouse were new additions to my list of yard sightings. The Barnyard being a clearing in a rural forest/ orchard, two sections are left unraked and I spread lawn clippings there as well so there are ample worms and bugs about, big nightcrawlers. It is not unusual to have ten or twelve species foraging at one time, at the feeder or scratching about in the leaves or bare ground. Though the the Barnyard does not support the World Wildlife Fund for their far left views, some of their ideas are held so my yard meets their habitat guidelines for songbirds. The Barnyard is dead smack in the center of the California Flyway migration route so as time passes and the feeding or winter layover stops will increase as it becomes remembered and noticed by keeping the locals happy . The water station is right out of my kitchen window under the old plum so I can get really close views and my hummingbird feeders are very visible from windows. My plantings are aimed towards hummers and butterflies as well and the vegetable garden is left to rot which the robins, sparrows and myrtle warblers love.

The birds definately add color and life to the gray, fog-ridden winter days that are so prevalent in these parts. The views of the sierra's in their winter lace when the fog clears make life even sweeter, the sunsets on the rice paddies with clowds of migrating fowl and the crystal range as a backdrop can make the soul melt in the sheer beauty of His Grace.

This is my vacation so I will get back to politics as usual after the first of the new year, I am just enjoying myself with life until then, taking care of winter chores and cooking some good food. Some of the time has been spent stocking the ammunition shed of political thought with the high powered rounds of Originalist thinkers throughout the conservative movement. The Barnyard is ready.

Sidenote: I hope the Hatter can find her way to the updated site, and I made a brief foray into forbidden territory the OReilly message boards on a lark as the ghost of the Goat and had some fun till the staff caught me, banned as I am.

Home Vacation

Ten Days off work has traditionally had this mountain goat playing in the desert or the mountains on some serious climbing foray or driving across the country to be with family for Christmas. This year found the Goat at the Barnyard, my home as it finally feels like such after two and a half years having accomplished all my goals for the year plus some; new roof, new wiring, new space-age insulation, new exit plumbing and wood burning stove. The stove really improved a rather cold, impersonal feeling house since the Barnyard still lacks livingroom furniture, thanks to Mom and a friend of hers there at least some cool pictures on the walls, plus a few of mine.

It's actually been an enjoyable experience, and the Barnyard is getting prepped for the spring bloom with lots of pruning, weeding and tilling yet to do, a labor of love. I am also prepping to put in a new shop building from which to build my own company. I am tired of making other people rich and paying deadbeats' salaries with my labor.

It has been an eventful year with the passing of the boss and owner of the best shop I have worked for, the exposure and removal of deadweight and flakes, the completion of large involved contracts, and now the final closing days of a thirty-five year old company. It was a Sacramento cornerstone of a tight knit guild of craftsmen and artisans and the Barnyard intends to carry that tradition forward. All the designers, builders, contractors and architects that we have worked for are asking where I am going to go so I can continue to do their work for them, these are some really big names in NoCal and I am very proud to deliver for them and their demanding clients.

This is a dream come true and placed in my lap, in many ways like a newborn infant with all its human qualities, mine to develope and grow, learn from and teach through. If you have ever dealt with serious designers and their clients you may know the comparison with infants is not so far fetched as it may seem, developing a long working relationship takes time and their fickleness cannot be matched, I gotta luv'em though. The way I see it, as long as it is safe and to code I will do it, I don't have to live there or like it as long as the client is happy.

Clients can be put on a 1-5 scale with one being a grumpy goat/picky snoot wanting perfection overnight, five being a joy to work for, decisive, friendly and expecting professional work while allowing time for it. My goal is to turn the ones into fives, it works that way in the pocketbook as well, turning over in referrals. I do have a couple years sales training with one of the oldest and most successful direct sales companies in America making sales manager before going back to my trade. I love Zig Ziglar and Dale Carnegie, they teach you everything you need know to succeed.

There is no secret formula other than personal drive and a commitment to your client, being polite, honest, wellspoken, knowledgable and at least as clean as your trade/profession lets you be. I have been working in the homes of the flaky uppercrust of our society for a couple of decades now and have seen it all from awful to neat to awesome and as I pick up that infant, the size of the shoes becomes apparent. I have some growing to do but I know I am being lead by the surest Hand there is, for without Him this blessing would not be so clear and my full thanks goes to Him. He does reward those that keep their heads up even as the going gets rough and work hard to maintain that grasp on His hand while working hard to better themselves and their families' lives.

He shoved me to the bottom of the barrel and it has been a long climb out though a joyful one as I had a Partner to lend me His strength, light and warmth at the darkest times and Hope and guidance when the trail was unclear. Wisdom is the gift of a life of hard hits and disapointments and the lessons learned, faith is getting up time and time again knowing Christ alone will be at your back. He helps those that help themselves and thank Him for the lessons(failures) and blessings(successes) for they both make us stronger in faith.

Merry Christmas

In this digital age of Ipods and Blackberries, the art of communication at the personal level has lost so much. I will be honest, I do not understand this need to have the equivalent of 20,000 songs, podcasts or whatever attached to my temples., "Borg" like, plugged into the machine. When we lose touch with our fellow man on a personal level we lose part of our contact with God, the Father. Christmas and Thanksgiving in America have that blessed tradition of bringing families together, let us truelly remember the roots and sacrafice from which that Blessing springs.
We get caught up in the commercial maelstrom that has come to represent a figment of Christmas that little represents the Glory of His Gift to us, the Christ Child, that truelly is the Light in the darkest of days. Often many of us forget the many blessings bestowed upon our nation and take for granted the footing that the Lord gave us to be free,
Freedom, our greatest gift, what is it? Jewish Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky will tell one story, Jim and Huck Finn through Samuel Clemens another and the lessons of both are deep. Let us remember those that gave us, provide us and insure that not only us but millions more are able to begin a life because of their efforts, our Patriot Armed Forces.
America has much to be thankful for, let us pray She remembers why.

Rejoice in the Love of Christ as we celebrate His Birth and Gift of Salvation, rejoice in the birth of Life and the Promise He brings to all. Only in freedom does His Word reign and only in His Word can freedom be found, after all He gave us the freewill to recognize His message:

Peace on Earth and goodwill to all!

Merry Christmas Weekend

I am spending a ten day Christmas vacation at home putting down roots so that I can bring my extended family here next year. This Christmas will be solitary though I will not be alone for I have held Christ's hand for many years and I know He is with me always. With many thanks to Him I was able to accomplish all my goals for this year plus a few more including the ability to launch my enterprise with lauded backing. Dreams are coming true after decades of hard work for me, a true blessing and I shan't let that blessing down.

It has become a true Christmas for me away from family even though I would love to be there to feel the excitement of my niece on Christmas Day, The joy of chidren on that so Holy of days should be the epicenter of all celebration as we celebrate the Birth of Christ, a celebration of His light during the darkest day of winter after the solstice so birth and rebirth become the joyeous celebration we know.

It is the perfect time to rejoice in His Birth when His light comes to bear over darkness and despair.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Global Warming

The true debate over global warming is not about the environment it is about another attempt by socialist lefties to control the people. It is an effort to tell people what they can drive, where they live and how they get to work. The Al Gores of the world want power over our lives from what we eat to where and how we live.
The earth has cycles of warming and cooling and anyone with a half-ass education should know that, the sun gets active, we warm up, the sun takes a break, we cool down, the sun has cycles as well. Is the earth warming? It could be, there is some evidence to support that but is man the cause? There is little hard evidence supporting that. It has been shown that a vast majority of "greenhouse gasses" are created naturally, animal farts and tropical rainforest decomposition that send far more harmful plumes into the air than my truck. How much effect do we as little ants on this planet have, about that, little ants, we are meaningless to the planet and its cycles within the solar system.
Just consider a time when forest fires burnt till they died, the entire world used wood for heat and there was no EPA or Kyoto Protocal. I have to wonder how much sulphor dioxide is released from Yellowstone and Lassen National Parks every year or Mt. St Helens and the thousands of other thermal vents around the world? Should we attempt to stop one of the largest volcanoes on earth from venting, Yellowstone NP?
I heard some countries are even trying to ban science that disproves the hypothesis that the warming is man made, how socialist is that? Science is ever evolving and these same people that call it their 'god' reject it when it does not go their narcissictic way, proving they have no foundation. Global warming may be occurring but it it is for its own reasons not ours and there is little input we have to our orb's path through space and time.
Our impact is aesthetic to us alone. I am all for living clean of litter and pollution that we can stop in our neighborhoods and favorite haunts. I don't believe we can correct the solar system so do your part by just being clean as you can.

Over Zealous Press

Remember the Duke University Lacrosse players acused of raping a black stripper and convicted by the media and their institution even before exonerating evidence was revealed and continued to well afterwards. Turns out the DNA found on the sex performer was from other men , plural, and none from the accused, hmmm. It also appears the DA , prosecutor at the time, kept that information secret till he was elected DA and fed the media firestorm. These young men will be exconerated of any crime though they will carry that scar forever.

Guys, you young ones full of jism and gusto better pay attention, a promising young man was recently sent away for ten years for accepting a blow-job from a minor. He was 17, she 15 at the time, the little slut also awarded a few other fellows at the same party and they are all going to jail while the little tramp continues to prey on men.

These days, men have to be wary about even holding a door or offering an honest compliment that could be twisted for evil purposes especially in the workplace. A woman can claim anything and be taken seriously at their word immediately with full backing, the man is put on the defensive with little back-up. They can and will ruin your life out of spite for even rejecting their entreaties, something is seriously wrong in that picture.

My guess is those three Lacrosse players didn't tip the stripper enough or may have offered some impolite razzing for the charge or the stripper just had lawsuit on the brain from the start, rich white guys, team party, why not?

The media blew it so far out of proportion and ran with it so long now they have to deal with the mudbog of their own creation. If I were those three students I would be sueing every media establishment that tarred and feathered them without evidence on the words of a stripper/sex dancer. If it had happened at a club and she was accosted that is one thing but at a party with lots of witnesses it is another to make such accusations.

It is nothing new. our Press has become more often wrong than right but of course anything 'right' would mess with their leftist/socialist agenda driven reporting called "The News".

Weekend Rambler

As an avid outdoorsman I am all for protecting and having a clean environment though I do not buy into the global warming claptrap and its causes. Pollution is a bad thing and we should keep our planet clean but the Barnyard will not side up with the enviro-nuts. I left the Sierra Club and snubbed Al Gore because I just don't buy it anymore than I do 'end of times' evangelicals. My Godfather was a Doctor in Geology and Physics and loved nature. He would take me for hikes and tell me all about it from the rocks to the trees. I learned about dinosaurs through fossils, abundant in the area, volcanoes and tectonic plates, looked at space through the largest telescope in the South East at the time, I was taught the the earth and how to love it.
So we produce CO2, plants love CO2 and remove the carbon to release the oxygen we need. America's forests are back to where they where at the turn of the last century, I know Sacramento is an urban forest thus rated Tree City USA for many years, many huge Ashes , Oaks, Poplars, Sycamores and ancient orchard trees of all types . These type really bring little to the debate, the alarmists that is, and leaves me wondering how many pounds of garbage Al Gore has personally carried out of the backcountry, or how many fishing and swimming holes he has cleaned up. How many personal truckloads and garbage bags have you filled Mr. Gore? How many pounds of dirty diapers and broken beer bottles have you personally removed from BLM land? The Barnyard can lay claim to tons of litter removed from some of our most pristine environments., heck, John Muir is a major hero of mine. We share an exquisite love of the Sierra range and nature in general . The Barnyard does not accept the Kyoto Protocols and finds them deeply flawed.
I'll be glad to argue with you but for now The Barn Yard is going to enjoy a cozy fire, a fine cigar and a beer.

A Quote

"Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful; but we have many friends, determining to be free, and heaven and earth will aid the resolution. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions, on which rest the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves."-- Joseph Warren (Boston Massacre Oration, 6 March 1775)
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So True are the words of our Founders today that they ring resolute and timely for those that can hear them. They concieved a tree unheard of that has born fruit around the world, the tree of freedom and liberty combined with Judaic/Christian and Natural Law, one only has to read the Federalist Papers to understand the basics of our foundation, and our Creator was very much a part of it. America represents the boldest and most vibrant account of human civilization and the greatest experiment in representative democratic federalism that humanity has known. I pray the Lord continues His Grace upon our country, it is up to us.

A Tuesday Trot

GOP bloggers has a new straw poll out for '08 contenders and Newt Gingrich has a narrow lead over Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, John McCain is not even in the race. Newt will control the debate and set its parameters as he has more good ideas before breakfast each day than most pols do their entire lives. Rudy and Mitt are the only ones that could hang in a debate, John would be embarressingly outclassed . McCain has one good thing going for him, he is a reliable "Hawk" and won't go for appeasement or retreat in the face of the enemy.
The Barnyard finds the ISG report to be a farce that anybody that has closely followed the war would find abysmal and truely lacking in wisdom. It says nothing new except opening negotiations with the enemies in Tehran and Damascus. Does Neville Chamberlain talking to Hitler and appeassing him sound familiar.
Yes, we should exit Iraq, straight through Syria and Iran and not the way the defeatists want but with all barrels of American and Israeli supremacy and power blazing with full force if we are to win this war outright. America needs to show that "Rocky Balboa" attitude and ability to get up off the mat and fight to win, our troops are more than capable, is America? It is now time to wipe the Muslim scum from the lens of freedom so that all can see clearly and freely choose to be free.
Islam followers are free to post just expect strong rebuttals from the Barnyard.

Wintry Piictures

Neat icicles and an attempt at black and white photography. A good digital SLR camera is my next toy. I know a good picture, I need to perfect the medium or base of my shots and work on lighting.

Weekend Roundup

On my regular "Road to the Whitehouse" watch on Cspan I caught Evan Bayh and Mitt Romney at a GOP Governor's gathering in his last speech as their chairman . Anybody that has been to the Barnyard knows we are supporters of Mitt Romney and see the GOP contest as being between Mitt, Rudy Giulliani and John McCain with Newt Gingrich setting the debate parameters and it should be one of the finest in American history.
On the other side Barak Obama, Evan Bayh, and John Edwards will give Hillary fits with noone setting the parameters except the media and that leftist agenda is all too obvious to anybody with a brain that actually functions. Al Gore, John Kerry, Joe Biden and others will chime in making it very entertaining but devoid of context or substance and impossiple to actually draw a principled line on policy. Sen. Bayh is very good and delivers a polished stump speech with a message that could resound with the people. He is a popular ex-Gov. of Indiana and has a JFK type persona. He is one of the few centrist Dems the Barnyard takes seriously even joining with Sam Brownback and other conservatives on legislation and judicial confirmations. He is their darkhorse with a winning pedigree just as Mitt Romney is ours, he would have caught my ear as an independant making him a very strong darkhorse.
Mitt was on today as well and I love the energy I feel from this man, it is invigorating to have a politician of this quality in the race.
The Barnyard is a huge fan of Newt Gingrich as well and wish that he did not have to carry the baggage he does. The guy has more positive ideas before breakfast than most people have in their lifetime, we receive his news letter and it is always ontrack for America as his Contract For America laid out a decade ago.

Weekend Rambler

Hugh Hewitt has published an absolute must read speech by the Most Rev. Charles Chaput on Christmas and what it means to be a Christian in today's mixed up world. I personally gained much from it in refocusing on the challenge ahead and what the Lord has promised us and the Jews if we allow Him into our lives. Here is an excerpt from this profound speech:
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Certain beliefs have always held Americans together as a people. Christianity and its Jewish roots have always provided the grounding for our most important national principles, like inalienable rights and equality under the law. But as a country, we're losing the Founders' perspective on the meaning of our shared public life. We have wealth and power and free time and choices and toys-- but we no longer see clearly who we are. Material things don't give us meaning. We're in danger of becoming the "men without chests" that C.S. Lewis talked about in The Abolition of Man - people sapped of their heart, energy, courage and convictions by the machinery they helped to create. And if we can't find a way to heal that interior emptiness, then as an experiment in the best ideals of human freedom, America will fail.

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He speaks much of clarity of perspective, something Dennis Prager also seeks with his national radio audience. There is much to be found for the conservative, I encourage you to read it. America has been so blessed that so many take so much for granted that it is a shame. Lining up days ahead of time for a toy, a video game station, when millions line up for food in unfree countries makes this Christian step back and ask why? What is so important about an unrealistic, virtual world versus the incredible miracle we live in that so draws good minds? Is it an escape from a reality they can never really leave, unable to cope with the miracle of God's reality. Personally I know one thing, my hand is firmly in the Hand of Christ and nothing can remove that grip, no ideology or sect, only I or Christ can let go and He won't and this far into the wilderness of life I will not loosen my grip either. The path is narrow and steep ,frought with hazards though the view is spectacular perhaps that is why I love to climb, a desire to rise above it all. I will climb with Christ as my belay in full confidence of the route ahead.
A merry Christmas Season to all!

New Blogger

My co-bloggers on both blogs will have to reload, it is painless and only takes a few minutes. It supposedly allows for easier formatting so expect a trial of new looks for the Barnyard, feedback is very welcome. It is time to retool the look and I have some ideas for background and header that are very different and far less bland. I am slowly learning this craft and mastery is always a footstep away so I plod on with big dreams, after all that is what America is about, big dreams and the ability to bring them to fruition.

A Redneck Christmas

On the lighter side, I rolled when read this one, courtesy of LilFeathers.
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Christmas with Louise
by Jeff Foxworthy
As a joke, my brother used to hang a pair of panty hose over his fireplace before Christmas. He said all he wanted was for Santa to fill them.
What they say about Santa checking the list twice must be true because every Christmas morning, although Jay's kids' stockings were overflowed, his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty.
One year I decided to make his dream come true. I put on sunglasses and went in search of an inflatable love doll. They don't sell those things at Wal-Mart. I had to go to an adult bookstore downtown. If you've never been in an X-rated store, don't go. You'll only confuse yourself. I was there an hour saying things like, "What does this do? You're kidding me! Who would buy that?" Finally, I made it to the inflatable doll section.
I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll that could also substitute as a passenger in my truck so I could use the car pool lane during rush hour.
Finding what I wanted was difficult. Love Dolls come in many different models. The top of the line, according to the side of the box, could do things I'd only seen in a book on animal husbandry. I settled for Lovable Louise. She was at the bottom of the price scale. To call Louise a doll took a huge leap of imagination. On Christmas Eve and with the help of an old bicycle pump, Louise came to life.
My sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me in during the wee morning hours. Long after Santa had come and gone, I filled the dangling pantyhose with Louise's pliant legs and bottom. I also ate some cookies and drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray. I went home, and giggled for a couple of hours. The next morning; my brother called to say that Santa had been to his house and left a present that had made him VERY happy; but had left the dog confused. She would bark, start to walk away, then come back and bark some more. We all agreed that Louise should remain in her panty hose so the rest of the family could admire her when they came over for the traditional Christmas dinner.
My grandmother noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door. "What the hell is that?" she asked. My brother quickly explained, "It's a doll." Who would play with something like that?" Granny snapped. I had several candidates in mind, but kept my mouth shut. "Where are her clothes?" Granny continued. "Boy, that turkey sure smells nice Gran" Jay said, to steer her into the dining room. But Granny was relentless. "Why doesn't she have any teeth?"
Again, I could have answered, but why would I? It was Christmas and no one wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying, "Hang on Granny, hang on!" My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said, "Hey, who's the naked gal by the fireplace?" I told him she was Jay's friend. A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the mantel, talking to Louise. Not just talking, but actually flirting. It was then that we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home. The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk about who had died, who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise made a noise like my father in the bathroom in the morning. Then she lurched from the panty hose, flew around the room twice, and fell in a heap in front of the sofa. The cat screamed. I passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and Grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. My brother fell back over his chair and wet his pants. Granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the room, and sat in the car.
It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and remember. Later in my brother's garage, we conducted a thorough examination to decide the cause of Louise's collapse. We discovered that Louise had suffered from a hot ember to the back of her right thigh. Fortunately, thanks to a wonderful invention called "duct tape", we restored her to perfect health!

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A Happy start to the Christmas Season

Life

Tiny footprints can cross great distances,

with faith involved,

belief in Life!

is all we have,

fragile and indefinate as it is

as God's most precious gift.

It really is our choice,

It always will be.

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Update: This is a site prolife advocates and those on the edge really should visit. It explores the beginnings of eugenics and what gave us the horrific practice of partial-birth abortion and the rest of the movement. It is based in much in the same beliefs of those that made the Holocaust possible. We must protect life at its most fragile state not eliminate it, Helen Keller is the perfect example.
Let us rememeber and respect life for the true power it has.

Weekend Roundup

First there are these two brilliant essays at The American Thinker, one defining the Leftists for who and what they really are, socialists, and the other ripping apart their favorite pastime, 9/11 conspiracy bunk.
Jonathan Gallant writes on that puzzle the Left has become:

What has the American and British Left been doing in recent years? Well, very recently the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq gave them something exciting to demonstrate about, but in the 1990s the lack of a plausible cause did not hold them back. In those days, remember, they were out protesting against the insidious danger of international trade, against the injustice of MacDonald's selling fries to people who wished to buy fries, and against the horrible injustice of ....wait for it...genetically modified plants! These causes represent the spiritual line of 1641, 1789 and 1848? These arguments are the intellectual descendents of the Grand Remonstrance, the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the Communist Manifesto?

And here Michael Lopez-Obrador takes dead aim at the conspiracy nuts and the baby:

Conspiracy theories have been around for centuries, if not millennia. Conspiracy theories offer explanatory models of complex events to large audiences of the unsophisticated and under-educated. [1] In the past these conspiracy theories gave us rather fascinating alternative explanations of reality or seeming realities that proved entertaining and interesting but ultimately, with a few exceptions, harmless. [2] That cannot be said of our present era.

September 11 conspiracy theories undermine our democratic nation's war against the theocratic forces of radical, Jihadi-driven Islam, and could prove extremely dangerous in the long run. It is these particular conspiracy theories I wish to criticize as well as argue that they are in many ways different from most of the preceding ones.

They both say it so much better than the Barnyard so the goat encourages you to read both essays.They both address what has beeb elected into power of two Houses of power in our National leadership. So far it more resembles the Three Stooges with my apologies to Curly, Larry, Moe and Of couse Shemp. It will be entertaining times for conservative talkers and bloggers and the debates leading into '08 should be the best yet.
Newt will drive the debate on the GOP side and Barack will for the DNC and both have real ideas just Gingrich's and the GOP's are on the table, Obama is faking even running to the right, pulling our tackles, marh my words he will make that crossfield pass a long ways down the left sideline. We have to make sure our safeties can knock it down or intercept it, better yet, he gets sacked by the blitz.
Mitt Romney is still the Dark Horse and my favorite in what looks to be a three man race between John McCain, Rudy Guilliani and Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Duncan Hunter will keep the real issues up front and voice them very well. There is some very real conservative firepower here and it needs to be used wisely to win and win big.
Let's see, on the left we have Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards, a couple Gov.s, and just about every DNC Senator, this should be a barrel of monkeys to watch. (I'll hear about that one...) Wow, it is a vast political junky's fantasy land with so many foibles and follies it will be difficult to just scratch the surface of it all.
Its gonna be a political hayride for sure and the rig pulling those trailors must be built for some serious mud, horsepower and traction and the ability to handle the torque needed at the end to win.

Gotta Love College Football

The SEC Championship has got to be the hardest fought, best game in the toughest conference to stay undefeated and todays between Arkansas and Florida has lived up to the reputation, what a game. With USC's loss to UCLA it has implications in the BCS computers that may cause them to smoke. I have been an advocate of a playoff for years.
My team, Alabama, continues to have problems related to upper management and "Booster clubs", and has little to do with the team or a coach's ability, so I root SEC. I say Florida should get the shot at Ohio, champion of the second best conference, since Ohio already beat Michigan.
I like the top eight teams entering a quarterfinal playoff with the top eight bowls sponsoring the brackets on a rotating basis, incuding the all-star game, leave all other minor regional bowls in place as they are fun, in the spirit of the season and settle localized bragging rights. It is the oldest formula on the books because it works.
I don't follow to closely anymore , just enjoying a good rivalry here and there and absolutely love it when the BCS is in a tizzy. I am from Alabama so college football is in my blood, it is the culture more so than most outside the SEC could understand, maybe the Big 10 or Big12 would but few others. It is tradition, it is ingrained because the SEC is the best! USC would be a mediocre team in the SEC, like Vanderbilt or Ole Miss, hard to beat, not champions but champion killers. The rivalries are deep, rich and tremendousely fun, the source of much comraderie and good eats. We play hard and party hard and enjoy, no violence or hard feelings just ribbing rights for a year.
We need a playoff, there is just to much parity for a computer and stats analysis to determine the Champion. The Goat's hat is thrown with Florida in a sunshine state faceoff, classic east vs. west duel.
Go Gators!

Toys and Trucks

It seems the Dems were speeding along in their miniscule hybrid pseudo car and they ran into a tarpit, Iraq, now it is their chance to try and get unstuck. I and any redneck worth his jerky knows that it takes big nobby tires, horsepower and a willingness to put the petal to the medal to make progress in a mudpit confidant in the machine's ability to handle the torque when the nitro button is hit.
We are fixing to hit the nitro button in Iraq, can the American designed motor withstand the torque and win the race, it is Iraqi made? The mud is deep and thick with a tar subbase and their must be a commitment to the horsepower of that motor and the tire's ability to dig and and clean itself of mud. The fuel is the best and all it takes is the right mechanic and team to win.So the Dems removed some low grade additives and added some to replace them the engine can handle the fuel change. That is as long as the Dems don't pour sugar in the gas tank by seeking to negotiate with the competition,our sworn enemies.
I have never met a true redneck that didn't love a mudhole to get through, a challenge to overcome. A particular scene from "Braveheart" comes to mind, when a certain kilt lifting experience is needed.

Christmas Giving

The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily

"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather
strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the
business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm,
and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his
principles unto death."

-- Thomas Paine (The Crisis, no 1, 19 December 1776)

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Buying presents for each other, besides the kids, in this age of having everything seems a bit excessive to me. I suggest the money be spent on a worthy charitable group instead. I personally will be supporting our soldiers in my late Marine father's name. My main gift will go to the Semper Fi Fund, which does a phenomenal job of taking care of wounded veterans and their families, and I will send funds to other smaller groups as well. They all need support and we are that support, lets make them proud of America and do the right thing, Support the Our Patriot Armed Forces!
Without them we would be nothing but another communist country under the USSR and now we face the religious fanaticism of the Islamists. I wish to remind my readers that that problem has been around for almost two millinnia. The end of the "Cold War" brought it back into focus.
Victor Davis Hanson, as always, provides some very critical analysis on our 'war footing', this is a must read from OPJ.
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But isn't that fact precisely the point? It is easy to defend artists when they produce works of genius that do not challenge popular sensibilities--Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" or Montesquieu's "Spirit of the Laws"--but not so when an artist offends with neither the taste of a Michelangelo nor the talent of a Dante. Yes, Pope Benedict is old and scholastic; he lacks both the charisma and tact of the late Pope John Paul II, who surely would not have turned for elucidation to the rigidity of Byzantine scholarship. But isn't that why we must come to the present Pope's defense--if for no reason other than because he has the courage to speak his convictions when others might not?

Done Shopping

It is not hard when all you have is a niece to buy for, a precocious five year old, and a Vermont Teddy Bear was perfect. She adores Thomas the Train so I got the "engineer bear", ironically named "Tommy", savvy marketing at its best.
I have put forth the idea to the adults in the family to spend the money usually spent on each other, to spend it on or send it to our Patriot Armed Forces' children, possibly with a parent having given the ultimate sacrafice for their country. It is not my idea, I saw it put forth at I believe Hugh Hewitt's blog and it is an absolutely wonderful idea. Adults that have everything should not buy gifts for each other, they should give in each other's name to a charity of some sort. I personally will help the children of fallen troops to have a taste of Christmas as it should be. Soldiers Angels is a good one to donate to or adopt a soldier through and I will update with more as I find them again.
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Side note: Charlie Rangel has inserted a size 21eee sized milboot in his mouth so far it projects from the other end of the jack-ass. A draft, how politicaaly daft cold he be? His remarks outshadow even John Kerry's in insulting our Patriot Armed Forces, past, present and future. James Taranto highlites it at the OPJ online.

The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily

"This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to
find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought
of, not merely to say things which had never been said before;
but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in
terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify
ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take.
Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet
copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended
to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that
expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion."

-- Thomas Jefferson (letter to Henry Lee, 8 May 1825)

Reference: Jefferson: Writings, Peterson ed., Library of America
(1501)

Monday Meanderings

I have to admit my commute drive, while long, is quite sublime this time of year with the lightshow in the clouds and the swirling maelstroms of migrating fowl over the rice paddies. It is sunrise and sunset season in California and a camera should be at the ready, as mine has not been, alas, or that glory would be posted.
So many of us overlook the little things that make life worth living and we grow cynical and bitter, I am trying to overcome that by avoiding negative influences, mainly our MSM. My personal motto is to learn from the negative and move in a positive direction towards fulfilling a goal. To concentrate on the failures and not the accomplishments is a loser attitude and will not get you very far in life.
My friend, Mark, who runs a very good blog, Pearls Before Swine, has been through the grinder and just got himself a home, is a great example of optimism and faith in the Lord to provide for us. I am also a single homeowner because of my faith in myself and my Lord.
It is not the government's job to provide for us, it is our job, and it is our job to elect those that know that simple premise of small government.How do we accomplish that? Term limits and Paul Jacob says it best. I like this guy's attitude!
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Tired of election analysis? Think there should be some kind of limit, rather than allowing it all to drone on and on and on?

Well, here's some analysis you'll like. It's about a limit. An article by Andrew Cline, titled "Finally Term Limited," recently ran in American Spectator.

Cline argues, "Republicans might have saved their majority by keeping a single signature promise from 1994. More than any other point in the Contract With America, the promise of term limits showed how serious these reformers were about changing the culture in Washington." And he calls it a "fateful decision" that most Republican reps who came to Washington believing in limits "chose to stay put rather than step down."

Cline points to scandals that rocked the GOP congressional majority and concludes, "Term limits likely would have prevented each of these scandals."

And he believes that "Term limits also would have prevented or mitigated other Republican apostasies, such as the massive expansion of Medicare, the federalization of public education, the gross abuse of the pork barrel process, and the irresponsibly large increases in non-defense discretionary spending."

Who am I to argue? I agree 100 percent. Cline gets it.

He writes, "Each of these violations of principle occurred for one reason: to maintain power. Yet the GOP went down to electoral defeat precisely because of the leadership's decision to trade ideals for longevity."

Crisis In The Levant

Michael Totten has great coverage of what is happening in Lebanon, follow the links and read the comments to get the full flavor, there is a lot of info to be had. It is very interesting and highly enlightening for those that want a feel for the Lebanese street. For example Hezbollah cancelled their rally yesterday after the mass protest over their assassination of a Christian leader, Pierre Gemayel. The Lebanese are sick and tired of Iran and Syria using them as a football through Hezbollah and things may get really nasty pretty soon. Israel is on high alert as is Jordan, the interesting part are the growing divisions within the Islamist front, Sunni vs. Shia as in Iraq.
Amil Amani elaborates on this at the American Thinker with a must read article.
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There is no need to belabor the point that Islam is not and has never been a religion of peace. The word Islam, is derived from taslim, which means submission, while the term for peace, is Solh. Another derivation of the word taslim, is salamat which means good health, and so on.

Irrespective of what the term Islam may mean, the facts on the ground conclusively demonstrate Islam's violent nature from its very inception. No need to go back to the time of Muhammad and examine the historical records. Just a few from contemporary events should make the point.

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From this it is easy to gather that bringing Iran and Syria to the table for talks over Iraq are fool-hardy at best and unbelievably stupid at worst. They have taken the election of a DNC majority in our congress as a sign of weakness and submission to their demands and are moving their agenda forward at full steam, the Iraqi people are not and should not be treated as political footballs to keep a few American GIs from being killed in a cause they believe in.
I say let the extremists slaughter each other while we help build and support a legitimate Iraqi government and security force. Is it full blown civil war? What happens in Lebanon may tip the kettle one way or another but an Islamic civil war is happening and neither side is moderate, Sunni Arabs and Shia Persians, never friends and with a very bloody history. Our problem is that it excaserbates our problems in Iraq if we allow that slaughter. Ceding Lebanon to Syria and allowing Iranian Nukes are not the answer to Iraq, strength is and we don't need to wobble in that strength.
I will leave with a comment from Mike's Blog in full. The Barnyard agrees with Ric Locke:

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Let us speak for a moment of practicalities. Of realpolitik, if you will.
alGhali, my name is Ric. I understand that means something amusing to you. I urge you to suppress that reaction.

I am, more or less in order of importance, an American, a Christian, a Texan, a military veteran, a Republican, and a descendant of American Indians. Whatever your goals are, you must convince me, and others like me, not to oppose them, or you don't have a hope in Hell.

The reason that is so is that you produce nothing for yourself. You and your people do not even make the explosives you kill people with; you must buy them from the West, or from the Persians. You and your people don't make the televisions you watch Nasrallah speak on; you must buy them from the Japanese and the Koreans. You don't make the studios or their equipment; you must buy them from us, or from the British or French. You don't make the cell phones you use as triggers for booby traps; you must buy them from the West, or again Japan and Korea. You don't make the pickup trucks that transport your "soldiers" to battle. You don't even make the guns you brandish so forcefully, or the ammunition you waste spraying at the sky. The rockets? Russia or Eastern Europe.

You don't even earn the money you buy those things with. You must depend upon the largesse, the generosity, of others, and if you believe that generosity is genuinely in your interest you are too stupid to take seriously, or else you depend upon Western desire for the oil, which was put there by Allah with no effort on your part; you did nothing to earn it.

We, on the other hand (and by "we" I mean the West and those who have copied us) make all those things. It is for this reason that we are strong. We learned, with the most painful lessons coming in the century just past, that both Mao and Machiavelli were wrong. Good soldiers may well get you gold, but for us gold is useful stuff for electronics and not much more; our wealth is elsewhere. The sort of power that flows from the barrel of a gun is transitory and not a little illusory. If you have the power of wealth, guns are so cheap they can be handed out to the likes of you for our entertainment. What we have learned is the deep truth of another aphorism: When you are strong you can forgive your enemies. When you are weak you can only kill them.

You, sir, are a weakling and a coward, and as such we will never support you. You prove yourself a weakling by announcing your intention to kill, thereby establishing that you are too weak to forgive. You confirm that by never producing anything of your own, only demanding that others provide your support. You have no strength, no power. You are not a slave, and we have no desire to have you as a slave -- a slave must at least be able to hew wood and carry water, and you have established that you have not the strength for that even on your own behalf, by demanding that others do it for you while you arm yourself to kill.

Therefore you have failed in your aim. You have not come close, with your glib recital of past vilenesses, to convincing me to support you. I mentioned that I am a descendant of American Indians. A century and a half ago, the invading whites ripped some of my ancestors from their lands, forcing them to walk almost three thousand kilometers to a a desolate untamed land where they were "resettled", and took the ancestral lands for their own. But I am a Westerner. That is in the past, and the reality for today is that if I wish a redress of those grievances, first I must amass the power -- and I understand that wealth is power, and all else is weakness. If I will not build real power I am simply a murderer if I seek to drive the descendants of the robbers from my ancestors' homeland. And, strangely enough, I find that as I amass real power the issue recedes. One bit of land will do as well as another. Speaking of "homelands" is simply an excuse for tyrants to gather political power from lazy people who are wistful for past glory but unwilling to make new glory.

The guns, the rockets, the bombs, all the warstuff you amass is worthless so long as you must get it by trusting the largesse of others. It will never gain you the strength you want. The ability to kill is not power. The ability to build is power, power we can respect. If you have real power, the warstuff is toys and bagattelles.

And if you are seeking "honor" from us, you have failed again. "Honor" as you understand it means that we recognize your ability to kill or damage who or what you like, when you like, without effective reprisal. We call that "bullying" and consider it the behavior of jackals. By insisting upon it you class yourself with those.

Save your rhetoric. You have failed, and will continue to fail. Your every presentation that you consider as influencing the West to favor you instead reminds us of what we consider our dishonorable past; you disgust us because you remind us of our primitive origins, which we have done our best to suppress. Even the word "jihad", which you use among yourselves and in your propaganda as a term of approbation, for us is quite different. An attempt, by military or other violent force, to extend the reach of one's beliefs or religion is a crusade. That's what the English word means. The fact that today's Crusaders wear a crescent-and-star instead of a cross makes no difference. Hassan Nasrallah, and you, are Crusaders. You should change your name to Geoffrey.

It's fun to read your apologias and what you consider to be your arguments, but I am one of the ones you must convince, and you have not only failed to advance that cause, you are farther from it than you were when I had never heard of you. If you want my support -- and you cannot come close to your goals without it, and you know it, or you would not make the attempt -- you must change your tactics. I don't care to advise you on what tactics to use, except to let you know that several others upthread have offered useful hints, because frankly you disgust me. Your presentation has made it more likely that I will shoot you or your followers when I encounter you, not less. You are a failure. Accept that and learn.

Regards,
Ric Locke

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'Nuff said

Happy Thanksgiving

The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily
"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,and humbly to implore his protection and favors."-- George Washington (Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789)

Giving Thanks

As we head into the long Holiday weekend it is important to remember how much we have to be thankful for as a nation, no other country can compare. Millions around the world have as their highest wish to come to America and become a citizen, I can't blame the illegals either for wanting a better chance at life.
My family has been here since the beginning, 1623, and that instinct survives in a 20th century son living in the 21st. I was raised on sharecropper values of the great depression, survive, on your own as part of a community. I am very familiar with the deep south farming community and with that the wisdom and faith that comes of it.
Personally this will be my first Thanksgiving alone in my own home and that is not a bad thing as I have much to be thankful for in getting here and what I have gained in experience.
Most of all I give thanks to our Patriot Armed Forces that make it possible and protect it with their life. We have much to be thankful for , just make sure they get the bulk of your prayers. They serve us far better than we give them or ever truelly could. My heartfelt Thanks goes out to them!
I will leave you with a quote from a Founding Father.
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"[I]t is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending
providence of Almighty God... that with one heart and one voice the good people
may express the grateful feeling of their hearts and consecrate themselves to
[His] service... acknowledging with gratitude their obligations to Him for
benefits received..." -Samuel Adams

Foggy Days Are Back

After so much California sun these grey days really blur ones spirit and makes reclining infront of a warm fire so much more inviting than typing on one's blog so that is what I am doing.

Weekend Roundup

To start off with fellow blogger and friend Lores will have Steve Emerson from CounterTerrorism blog on her radio show tonight, tune in at www.KRLA870.com at 10:00pm pac. He will be discussing his latest book, Jihad Incorporated . The Goat plans on making an appearance mainly to thank him for all he has done to help educate the American people of the Jihadi threat.

Amir Taheri and Victor Davis Hanson have fantastic articles up at Benador exploring our options in the Middle East and cut/run and hide is not one of them.Amir lays out our three options best.
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The message to those in search of "elegant solutions" is simple: this is a war, stupid!

And what are the options in a war?

One can fight to win. One can surrender to the enemy. One can panic and run away.

These are the options in Iraq. So, let the debate begin.

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This is a war, stupid so fits what our political left can't understand and we did not ask for it nor start it but we must win it for the sake of civilization as we know it. While Amir explores the diplomatic means and dead ends Victor takes a glance at the milataristic view as a reknowned war historian at troop levels, withdrawal, etc..
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Here at home we rage incessantly over the problem and its solution. The American public, for its part, has given the administration the go-ahead in two national elections, but apparently not in a third. In all the hysterical debate over Iraq, rarely do we find specifics about the options we currently face.

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Win and Win we must! That my friends is our only option and I don't give a rat's ass about who presides over the victory as long as there is victory!

CHristians and the Sword

Here is an extremely interesting article by James M. Arlandson at The American Thinker on Christians being armed. He points out that Christ told His disciples to buy swords for their protection not for the spread of His Word. He knows his Bible well and I highly recommend it. This is part two of a series I will follow, partI is here.
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Did Jesus endorse and encourage violence in the four Gospels, presumably a righteous kind of violence? Did he call his original disciples to this? Did he order all of his disciples to really buy swords? Two verses may indicate that he did these things.

Matthew 10:34 reads:

34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword (New International Version, NIV)

And Luke 22:36 reads:

36 [Jesus] said to [the disciples], “But now the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag; and the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.” (New Revised Standard Version, NRSV)

Cited in isolation, those two verses suggest that swords and violence are a possibility. It seems as if Jesus carried and wielded a sword. It seems as if all of the disciples should go out and buy one each. After the death and burial of Jesus, they would have to face the world alone without him, so they thought.

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God does mean for us to face evil with open palms, He gives us the weapons to fight, spiritually and physically as long as our palms are open to His.
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"It is too probable that no plan we propose will be adopted.
Perhaps another dreadful conflict is to be sustained. If, to
please the people, we offer what we ourselves disprove, how can we
afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the
wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God. "

-- George Washington (as quoted by Gouverneur Morris in Farrand's
Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, 25 March 1787)

Reference: George Washington and the New Nation, James Flexner
(116-7)

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Quite apropo, Let us raise a standard to which the
wise and the honest can repair , something all should take to heart and be willing to defend.

Tired Of Robo-Callers?!?

New approach to take, wait for them to actually answer and then ask:" Do you know how annoying 'robot dialing' is?", ask them what they think when they are called? In other other words, instead of hanging up give them the heat.
To get around robot answering services, DO NOT press a button on your phone at any time after dialing the number, a living operator will come up soon. Then it is up to you:).

On a much better note our friend Lores continues to nail down great interviews, this time with Steve Emerson from Counter Terrrorism Blog and prolific writer on the Islamic Jihad. His latest book " American Jihad" will be the topic of discussion.


Pelosi and Murtha were sacked by their caucus with moderate Steny Hoyer getting an overwhelming majority vote for leader, Nancy's foe for decades. the next couple years will prove to be very interesting, Barnyard bets.

From The Front

So we terrorize the populace in Iraq? Watch this video and gain some perspective, thanks to reader, the Hannah Factor, for sending it. You won't see these pictures in the Old Media anywhere or the storyies behind them.Our troops are the best and are doing tremendous good and they need to know they have support here at home and recognition of the good they have done and are doing every minute.

It looks like a Thanksgiving cabin run is very possible, a semi-annual event, we've gone other places but at least seven of the last ten have been spent there. Bishop and a site in the Buttermilk region is the other destination, hallowed ground for rockclimbers and mountaineers. We have a few choice spots with a year round rill running nearby, it is high desert and a cold clear water source is nice to have.

I fixin' to give my '00 Dakota an internal boost, ProComp ATs and shocks, bushings, exhaust, computer and chip and possibly an ARB air locker up front. I already run the ProComp tire and have been very happy with the performance, much better than BFG's AT tire.
If someone can put me in touch with somebody in NorCal that can put a Dana 44 upfront in a "00" Dakota, please let me know.

Just To Look At

How I long to be there,
easy in my chair,
As the cold winds blow
with the drift of coming snow.

That timeless place,
a cabin in History's space,
That makes one feel,
His own inner steel.

The Left's Worst Nightmare

Could an electoral battle be building to be the more Reaganesque party following conervative ideals and not the loonbat ones? The next two years will pose some interesting questions the Dems will need to handle decisively which is highly unlikely given their loonbat base, which got trounced by the way. For perspective, if I lived in Virginia I wqould have had a tough choice. James Webb is a Scoop Jackson Democrat and will be a major thorn in Nancy's side should she go anti-military. I happen to like his writing especially "Born Fighting", hardly a loony liberal base. Joe Lieberman won easily against lefty favorite hero Ned Lamont.
This was a vote to get the people's work done, not 'K street's', can the Dems deliver?

Sidenote: Hillary Clinton will be the new Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid is scandalous toast, Nancy Pelosi will survive but barely as Speaker. They are having a major interparty battle as are we.

I support Mike Pence and John Shadegg for House Minority Leader and Whip, respectively. I have called my congressman, have you?
We need some of those old dawgs to rest in retirement under the porch and give some of these bright young pups a chance at the point.. They are well trained and not spoiled on table scraps and hankerin' to hunt liberal excess and flush it out for the hunters and their game bags.

My 12 gauge is ready,,,, Pull.........?

The Fire Dance

I know of noone that doesn't love a fire on the hearth and the good cheer it brings like few other things, those warm cozy feelings filled with all the memories of fires gone before of family and adventure. It has fascinated us since Moses found God speaking from an unconsuming flame and founded Moseanic Law, indeed fire once tamed was a source of life and fear for many millinnia prior and hence. That timeline of truth that only in its ungraspable palpability can only be forged by its own truth, fire is the truth.
We all have that fire within us, whether we choose to burn out and fade away or forge a spirit that that can only be built by walking into that same Unconsuming Fire that Moses did with the same faith he had.

Thank You Veterans

If it wasn't for them it is likely the world would be a very different place than it is today and the thought of that world is a very scary one indeed. A very special Thank You to those that have and serve in our Patriot Armed Forces!!!

While much is written and bloviated about by pundits and in elite circles about the slow progress in Iraq little addresses the core reasons behind it, culture. While ours is one of cold efficiency and instant results, theirs is a slower 'God willing' patience or overly swift ineffective and brutal reaction. This instructive essay by Army Lt Col Carl Grunow on training and assisting the ISF as they step on to the battlefield as he spent the last year doing, he details the highlites and the lowlites and explains why, is extremely insightful and a must read for us impatient Americans. (hattip: OpFor, in pdf)

I have to wonder if John Kerry would fall on a grenade to save his fellow Marines? Marine Corporal Jason Dunham and hundreds like him have done just that and so much more to recieve our Nations highest honor, The Medal of Honor, this War's second, I believe, more will surely come. Matt at Blackfive is where I saw the news and he has other links as well as the story.

God Bless Them and God Bless the USA!!!

A special thanks to all the great milbloggers out there that help the rest of us hold the line at home.

PS: Thankfully elections are over for a year or so and I can get back to more interesting and diverse posting along with good news from the front against jihadistan.

Happy Birthday US Marine Corps

To our best and bravest, Salute and Semper Fidelis, not to take away from the rest of our Patriot Armed Forces but me Pops was a former Marine and I was raised with the manual albeit Korean War era under my pillow.

A couple former Marines installed my new woodburning stove today and what a wonderful appeal it brought to the Barn when I fired it up. Hmm, two things that that stir a contemplative mind are fire and moving water, motion with connection but no meaning, beneficial and destructive.

When taken in that light I am grateful to still have two viable political parties, it means constructive ideas will prevail though more slowly than under a focused conservative agenda as a result the GOP and the DNC both became more conservative not less. Nancy Pelosi now gets the thankless job of herding a bunch of cats in a very diverse conglomeration of a party, welcome to recent GOP woes.

The one thing that will change is that Old Media reporting on the war will get more positive if it helps Hillary and the DNC as "solving the problems". Look for more personal interest stories on schools, healthcare and the like as improving rapidly in the near future. The Old Media doesn't want us to lose, they just want the Democrats to take credit for winning a Republican fiasco and will use the power of the press to do that, fine just so we win.

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giulianni seem to have benefitted the most from the Republican meltdown among conservatives and possibly Michael Steele at RNCC.

Mike Pence and John Shadegg should easily get whip and leadership f the House Minority. Write your Congressman and let them know!

Pro Mitt Romney Blogger Roundup

If you are liking what you hear from and about Mitt Romney for President, I want to hear from you. I have heard from Texans for Mitt and Iowans for Romney. My coblogger, when able, works for the GOP in Boston and is trying to get on the campaign staff, at least I remember something to that effect. We need to coalesce an alliance, I know Rick in Texas has a very good start on that very thing, a Mitt Romney alliance of blogs. I want to hear from you by comment or email. It just fell into Mitt's lap, let's mount up!

The best man for the co ticket is Rick Santorum another staunch conservative with a huge national following.

We lost because some got beholden to money and power and abandoned what got them elected in the first place, disgracing the 'clean' party. Hugh Hewitt sums it up best and Rush Limbaugh agreed by reading it in his monologue. Yeah, Hugh's head is about to explode but that's ok, he deserves it.

As cooler heads sort through the returns, they will see not a Democratic wave but a long series of bitter fights most of which were lost by very thin margins, the sort of margin that could have been overcome had there been greater purpose and energy arrayed on the GOP's side. The country did not fundamentally change from 2004, but the Republicans had to defend very difficult terrain in very adverse circumstances. Step by step over the past two years the GOP painted themselves into a corner from which there was no escape. Congressional leadership time and time again took the easy way out and declared truces with Democrats over issues, which ought not to have been compromised. The easy way led to Tuesday's result.

When we stand up for our principles we win, Rick was an anomaly of an off year, many of the rest probably deserved to get booted. America is center right and respects solid leadership in Congress, what will Speaker Nancy bring to the table? We shall see and get another chance in two years. Championship teams don't whine when they lose, they work harder, develope new strategy, study film. Raum Emmanuel did just that for the DNC and got some conservative Democrats elected, guaranteed to be a thorn in their leadership's side.

The GOP will choose much needed new leadership this week, Mike Pence in the House and Tom Coburn in the Senate are my picks. Mitch McConnel would have to choose between that and the Supreme Court. Tom is just the cudgel the GOP needs at this time that Rick would have been if Pa weren't overcome by the Old Media and the Washington 'insiders'.

McCain is done as is Kerry, as is Bill Frist and wannabee George Allen. Jim Webb is an old school Scoop Jackson Dem, well qualified and will be a anti-liberal thorn.

Mitt Romney opens the door!!!

Wrong

Not completely as I see a strategy, it is cheaper to sit out a congressional vote than to beat an incumbent in a primary vote and then go after the freshman with a fresh face with full reserves. This seems to be a trend, remove the rinos, then put a fresh face on the party following the Contract With America and Reaganite values. The exit polls would support this with initiatives going conservative. It will be an interesting couple of years with plenty of blog fodder.
The Barnyard will remain positive and continue to work hard for the conservative agenda

No Democrat Wave

It is going to be much closer than the Old Media wanted, turnout has been very good and that is good for the GOP

Vote GOP !!!

Remember as Hugh Hewitt has broadcast often:

Win the war

Secure the border

Confirm the judges

Cut the Taxes

Control the spending

The Democrats have none of this in mind other than cutting spending for the war against one of our most brutal and latent enemies ever and showing them our belly by shirking behind defeatism and appeasement, ie. giving them money not to attack us.
Their idea to control spending is to open the borders and enact a gov't healthcare plan while defunding space and missile defense spending as well as taking the teeth out of our intelligence offices.
The Demorats have a plan alright, it is to shut down gov't with endless hearings and filibusters and render the President helpless in the midst of a bloody war we must win.
What has the GOP been able to do besides spending like drunken sailors on a binge? I would say quite alot despite 9/11 and the resulting war, a duet of killer hurricanes and a very biased 'Old Media', a pair of very fine SCOTUS Judges and a slew of lower court ones, a border fence bill, clarification of terrorist detainment and surveillance. The GOP House has done much good work that has been blocked in Senate committee by liberal Senators like Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, etal. Why blame good House and Senate GOP members for the shenanigans of the DNC, because the 'Old Media' wants us to? I don't, I pay little attention to those 'dinosaurs' as Laura Ingraham likes to call them.
Why should I? I could care less what the 'elite' are doing and saying in their echo chamber, there ain't no echo in fly-over country, its flat, boring and bustling with dynamic life. The rest of us don't think like San Francisco Nancy Pelosiville, Hollywood, or New york, HillBillary's 'village'.Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi being the new leaders in the Swamp if conservatives don't step up and vote, that is our future. Dean Barnett put it best, crawl over broken glass to vote if you must but vote.
There may be two more SCOTUS nominees in the near future, lets keep the Senate in strong GOP hands. I hope the good folks of Pa have the good sense to send Rick Santorum back to Washington. The bright side, a Romney, Santorum ticket in '08. Rick has the mustard to win this one though and he won't drop his constituents to run for Prez after a tight win. He is absolutely one of the best men for America, I hope Pa. gets it right!

Water you horses and eat well, battle breaks at dawn, be mounted and ready, the call is silent. Time to show those 'nutroots' what real 'grassroots' are capable of . A nut tree can cover a small area, San Fragsisco, grass can cover a prairie , flyover country.

The right didn't choose these battles that where handed them by activist judges in the hands of the left and now we choose to fight back.

Vote and Vote GOP
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Vote and Vote GOP/Republican, America depends on it.

Weekend Roundup

A little reminder from John Wayne about America is apropo at this moment, click here to see what I know and love.

It seems The New York Times for its November surprise shot itself and the 'Bush lied' crowd in both feet by complaining about Saddam era Iraqi documents available at a Gov't site detailing how to build a nuclear bomb. Cap'n Ed Morrisey at Captains Quarters has the best analysis as he has been going through these documents for months now and has posted about many of them exonnerating the Administration and now the Times has confirmed the validity of those documents. In their mad rush to try and damage President Bush and the GOP they validated millions of documents they have been trying to cover up that are clearly the opposite of the picture they wanted to paint.

Polling data at Real Clear Politics also indicates a very strong move by GOP candidates in individual races. Howard Dean may have been able to make more races seem competitive through his nutroots campaign but can he actually win any of them with his main nutroots organizer and gotver, ACORN, under sweeping Federal investigations of very real voter fraud.

If Democrats are unable to make any real moves in this 'bad' GOP environment, expect sweeping changes in leadership and an abandonment of the loony, angry, potty mouthed left in a major fake to the middle for '08 as HillBillary tries to triangulate.

Saddam is going to swing freely now from the end of a rope, his verdict is passed. Three cheers for the Iraqi court system and the Iraqi people. They can do this, make themselves a great country but not if we abandon them. The Democrats want to run away and leave them, we want them to win and thrive and grow as a free people.

Vote GOP and support Freedom!

GOP GOTV

That 'evil genious' Karl Rove and his right hand Ken Mehlman hit the nitrous button on their high tech racing engine today for its famed 72 hour burn to election day. Will it be enough? I believe it will be, contrary to what the Old Media wants to portray and perhaps brainwash conservatives as down in the dumps. We are energized, excited and ready to vote and believe me it ain't for a liberal agenda.
Is President Bush a drag? I don't think so, listen to that full throated roar when he presses the gas pedal of that engine at campaign rallies.

Yes it is historically correct that 6th year elections go to the opposing party but these are historic times themselves and history makes odd turns with the Dems seemingly out of sync with sanity when it comes to National Security.
If the Dems are so confident, why have their nominees chosen a more conservative mantle in tight races?

One thing is glaringly obvious!
They think we are too stupid to write in Shelly Sekula Gibbs in Texas or to punch Foley to elect a bright young conservative Joe Negron in Florida, come on. They are comparing us to their constituents, eh umm, victims. You know, those nice people that hold all those anti-american rallies for socialism.

Hmmmm, ACORN, a union driven DNC voter recruiter has been busted big time for voter fraud in many states and is under ongoing investigations. Anybody for Voter ID legislation on a Federal level, I am, as Hugh Hewitt says "If it isn't close, they can't cheat." They are starting to cry foul because we won't let them cheat anymore. Vote GOP and make sure the margins are too wide to debate.

This is not '94 for the Demorats as they have no spokesman the likes of Newt Gingrich, John Kerry and the rest of the DNC leadership just don't get it and have alienated themselves from the American people. The so called "Conservative Base" just might have its own November surprise ready and waiting, not voting is not on the agenda.

If I were a gambling man I would put a ten spot on the GOP picking up seats and see what happens, who knows with so many so close and the GOP has a reputation for winning the close ones ????

I don't know about the rest of you but I like to win and accomplish my goals

Nobody said the path was easy or level to gain altitude, physically or metaphorically speaking. Gaining altitude requires risk and a goal, failure does not. The left wants the USA to fail, vote GOP!

Quotes And Musings

"Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."-- Thomas Paine (American Crisis, No. 1, 19 December 1776)

We have no choice but victory in Iraq, Afganistan and wherever else these islamists want to fight.

"It has ever been my hobby-horse to see rising in America an empire
of liberty, and a prospect of two or three hundred millions of
freemen, without one noble or one king among them. You say it
is impossible. If I should agree with you in this, I would still
say, let us try the experiment, and preserve our equality as long
as we can. A better system of education for the common people
might preserve them long from such artificial inequalities as are
prejudicial to society, by confounding the natural distinctions
of right and wrong, virtue and vice."

-- John Adams (letter to Count Sarsfield, 3 February 1786)

Well we reached the number 300 million recently and we are a still a society of freemen and markets though some might label folks like the Kennedys as American nobles. Yes, we have had family political dynasties in this country, many of them, dating back to the very beginning. They are still held to the power of the vote and power can often lead to corruption of any politician not held fast by core moral strength. This is why politics is local not national as to whome we select to represent our district and why I see no sweeping change come Nov.7.
John Kerry considers himself a Noble and that he deserves to be the President because he is John Kerry and fought in Vietnam. We should forget about what he said and did when he got back, right. Well, Lurch has won the "Foot-in-Mouth" award again by inferring that the great Americans that join our Patriot Armed Forces are stupid and had no other choice. He should know better but he is known for his Freudian slips. Our military does not accept "Gomer Pyles" or "Forest Gumps", in fact all officers and a very high percentage of GIs have some college, after all we are a high tech operation. They want the cream, not the dregs and from the reaction on the airwaves today, our Milfolks are not happy at all, with Anapolis, Westpoint and the rest of the Military Academies being the toughest to get into and with the most demanding academic structures of any univerities in America. I can guarantee that every young Marine Lt. accepting that diploma is sharp as a razor, tougher than nails and well versed in Shakespeare.

"Whatever may be the judgement pronounced on the competency
of the architects of the Constitution, or whatever may be the
destiny of the edifice prepared by them, I feel it a duty to
express my profound and solemn conviction ... that there never
was an assembly of men, charged with a great and arduous trust,
who were more pure in their motives, or more exclusively or
anxiously devoted to the object committed to them."
-- James Madison (in a, Circa 1835)

Remember the Judges and who appoints them and confirms them, and who makes law, the Senate confirms them and the Congress makes law and is divided in two parts. It is a shame The Federalist Papers are not tought anymore, vote GOP and maybe one day they will be again.

All historic quotes are courtesy of the Patriot Post, one of the very best resources for Constitutional research.

Life Challenges

Sometimes the road ahead is barren and steep, that does not mean stop, it means proceed carefully

The Oily Situation

There is no denying it, oil is the chip and the liberals don't know how to play poker. They forced their bluff early and showed their incredibly weak hand, oops. They seem to think conservatives won't vote because of some internal trash, on the contrary, it makes us vote so we can reform and clean up government. The GOP base continues to elect and support good conservatives, Reagan's legacy is alive and very healthy and we are not going away to hide because the socialists want us to. I don't believe there has been a more clear election since I got involved in politics in '92 for Ross Perot and we winced at the results.
To those considering a third party, that candidate will lose and may help elect a socialist nightmare. Newt Gingrich proved it, when you run on a conservative policy, you win elections. Time to win another one for "The Gipper", easy money.

Keep America Sane Vote GOP

Clear Choice

We have a very clear choice before us this election year. Are we weak cowards that want to run and hide or fighters that believe in America and what She has historically stood for? I don't believe America to be a cowardly nation, sure we make mistakes, we are humans but we have always stood on the God given rightious side of freedom and liberty. This goes far beyond the screams od the GLBT, Cindy Sheehan/ Michael Moore crowd, it is about National Pride an aspect of our nature that is alien to the left and increasingly the Democrats, lost in their multicultural fog.
Yes, the GOP has it's smelly backside, the DNC suffers as well, though it has the MSM to add some ozone and perfume to the air . Harry Reid, alert, time to put on your deoderizor. Seems Harry cut one to many farts and got caught, oops.
Meanwhile it seeeeeems the GOP base support is surging along just fine, not slacking, as the MSM would have their few viewers and readers believing. Message to the MSM and Hollywood, the conservative base does not watch you. Why should we, we can find up to date real news in seconds and multiple perspectives, and you give us few reasons why to watch? We know Newt's Contract and why it works and we are not about to subject our children to euro-socialism and empty morals.
We ducked the Foley scandal and it plowed right into the DNC's GLBT base, when the DNC bashes Foley they are bashing the GLBT, oops. Hugh Hewitt's and other's reports from the grassroots level are very heartening. The people know who the bums are, Kennnedy, Pelosi, Reid, Kerry, Clinton, etc,etc.
So who are our warhorse's , Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Norm Coleman , Jeff Flake , etc.

Guess What!

We Ain't Duckin' and Runnin'

My friend Pero likes to call politics war, I prefer to call it sport and may the best man win. It is so sad that the etiquette of true sport as exibited in the Ryder Cup could not be had in politics. We will play the game that is given us and win. My anology compares the GOP to the Euro team in that the team game is together and focused despite Tiger.

Weekend Rambler

My annual exercise of stocking the woodshed, something I have done from a very young age, as always brings thoughts of much simpler times when life was so much better defined but by no means easy. I have cut and split many a round by hand, no power other than muscle and maul stocking a friend's mountain cabin after skiing in and finding the reserves depleted. Wielding an axe and double bucksaw all day makes supper taste unreal and we eat well cooking on a 100 yr old stove. It was the cook's cabin during the goldrush complete with a stone bread oven.
I must say there are time consuming changes going on in my life and for the positive as the pieces are falling neatly into line. I may be a new business owner pretty soon and the circumstances are extremely lucrative. This one of those chances that falls in your lap when you least expected it and I intend to take it and run with everything I am to make it work. I have the reputation, name, location and attitude to make it work. I know how to play the game and losing is not part of my strategy or vernacular.
KarlRove seems to have the same attitude about losing, it ain't in his playbook. He is out on the stump, energized and right on message.

Win the War
Cut the Taxes
Secure the Border
Confirm the Judges
Control Spending

Our economy is booming and thanks to it I should be able to add a new business to that economy if the cards fall my way and they are beyond my wildest dreams.Please don't end the dreams of folks like me by voting for a Democrat or third party, vote Republican and help aspiring small businesses like me achieve our dreams of the American dream. The Democrats want to raise taxes on small family businesses while blocking the big business that brings them business and local developement. Their recipe for change is a socialist disaster, vote Republican.
This is a partisan blog approved by me, the owner, with zero funds provided by the GOP. If they were to send funds I would disclose that, though it would be nice if they did, I am not expecting any such monies.