Whatever happened to Food Stamps?

George Bush's administration didn't invent "politically correct," but they certainly grew the obfuscation component of political language. Food Stamps are now (as of Oct. 1, 2008), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). However, we have the Obama presidential campaign and the loyal Democrat opposition for 8 years to thank for the myth that those mean old Republicans didn't care about poor people when in fact they were throwing money at social programs. A young woman I know who rejoiced in Obama's election and attended the swearing in said, "finally the money will go where it's needed." USDA's food assistance programs totaled $60.7 billion in fiscal 2008, 11 percent more than in the previous fiscal year-the largest percentage increase in 16 years. By cutting taxes early in his first term, Bush freed up money for investment and actually brought into the federal coffers more money than it had ever had--so Congress went a little crazy spending it. Obama plans to discourage investment with higher taxes and increased green regulations, but expand and increase government spending even beyond what Bush did. Guess who gets that bill?

What I've listed below (policy, legislation and regulations for food programs) is just a tiny fraction of what went to the low income and poor. Not for hunger, of course, but for "food insecurity." Not for hunger, but for farmers markets and obesity and nutrition workshops (I watched a training video on how to convert commodities to paper work for pizza--I kid you not). Not for hunger, but to keep huge agricultural interests afloat.** But first you send your taxes to be filtered through thousands of federal, state and local agencies to pay the bi-partisan "peace and justice" salaries, build the government buildings, pay their utilities, hire the PR people promoting the programs, change all the lines in the millions of published documents from food stamps to SNAP, and line the pockets of the various pols we voted in to bring home the federal dollars.

Legislation
School Meals Programs
Child and Adult Care Food Program
Summer Food Service Program
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Food Distribution Program
Women, Infants and Children

Regulations
School Meals Programs
Child and Adult Care Food Program
Summer Food Service Program
Supplemental Nutrition Asssitance Program
Food Distribution Program
Women, Infants and Children
Farmers Market Nutrition Program

Policy
School Meals
Child and Adult Care Food Program
Summer Food Service Program
Food Distribution Policy Database
Charitable Institutions & Summer Camps
Commodity Supplemental Food Program
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
Nutrition Services Incentive Program
Processing Policies
Schools/Child Nutrition Institutions
The Emergency Food Assistance Program

Here in Ohio we have a "model" program (Ohio Benefit Bank) for linking Ohioans to federal benefits, and it was able to access (for a fee) almost $39 million additional dollars that weren't being used by eligible Ohioans, so imagine how much actually did go into the hands of the poor. That $39 million dollars provides extra dollars for Ohio's economy, and actually creates some local tax revenue, because locally spent money for food, medical services, fuel, and tax credits helps fuel Ohio's economy and keep Gov. Strickland's coffers full. It's important, however, to remember that it is robbing Peter Taxpayer to pay Paul Taxpayer. A taxpayer with a family of 6 is eligible for various food programs plus other services (like housing, medical, heating, education) with an income of $56,000. He's probably not paying federal taxes, but he is paying FICA and state taxes, plus a huge chunk for federal gasoline taxes and federal cigarette taxes.

Because of "public partnerships," non-profits and faith based organizations (i.e. churches) have become dependent on our tax dollar to fund their charitable activities and salaries. Second Harvest in Ohio began in 1999 as an organization (funded by the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services) to distribute surplus Ohio crops like apples, but now needs almost $3 million a year to run its organization for food distribution to a variety of smaller food banks.

Food programs never decrease in size, although they may get renamed and reconfigured--in fact, they actually grow during times of low unemployment and a robust economy because there is more tax money. USDA had money in the low income mortgage market. Job programs get food money, as do schools. To try to track these programs would be like untangling a plate of spaghetti from garden of weeds.

**This began under FDR to keep farmers afloat at a time when a much larger percentage of the population was rural and has grown with every administration regardless of party.

Susan Roesgen--blind, deaf and rude

CNN has a sorry reporter. Not in the sense of apologetic, but weak, poorly trained, and angry. I looked up Susan Roesgen in Google and got 43,100 hits, many of course not connected to her terrible reporting of the tea party in Chicago where she shouted down the man she'd asked for an interview when she didn't agree with him. If nothing else, she's gotten more publicity with this disaster than any story she's ever done. What a resume enhancer--if she wants to work in Cuba!

The blogger who produced the film below was at the Chicago rally and watched her do her axe job. You may not want to watch the entire 18 minutes, but if you do you'll see Americans of all ages and ethnicities peacefully gathering, singing, lifting posters, chatting with each other and having a good time. Much like the one here in Columbus (I watched the video of John Kasich speaking to the crowd without a teleprompter).



Some numbers from other Tea Parties.

Maggie on the Tea Party in Toledo.

CNN reporter confronted for lack of fairness and balance (must belong to Fox; longer YouTube version)

Will Muslim women remove their burkas for Obama?

Will Amish women take off those prayer veils? Will conservative Catholic nuns slip out of their plain habits? The clothing for men and women members of conservative religious groups is about headship; it's symbolism, not modesty. It's about relationships and spiritual authority: God, then men, then women. It's every bit as symbolic as an IHS on a podium or window that Obama wanted draped and blacked out.

Gerald F. Seib missed it again in Capital Journal in today's WSJ. "Not a single new policy was revealed" at Obama's Georgetown speech. It was a speech of metaphors, he said. Well, Mr. Seib, you didn't see the significance of the trial balloon, did you? You got all warm and fuzzy on the "house upon a rock" thinking it was Biblical. No sir, that just comes from 20 years of Rev. Wright's turning a phrase. Obama didn't know how to speak black when he first got to Chicago, having been raised in a white, agnostic home. You need to dig a little deeper. Let me help.

Obama asked that a Christian symbol be removed, and Georgetown University, one of our oldest Catholic institutions, made the mistake of complying. Seems like a small thing unless you remember some of Obama's promises (threats) during the campaign. That he intended to rein (reign) in "faith based" groups that get government money. He's planning to have all religious symbols removed from buildings that use government money for child care, food distribution, job training, mortgage workshops, voter registration, etc. Churches are going to have to do a lot of "soul searching" and just may need to tell the government that they won't be their go-to guys any more. Remember that the request removed not just a symbol, but a tradition of separation of church and state [i.e., the state doesn't tell the church how to adorn its own buildings and property], and destroyed the historic artistic atmosphere of the room. Georgetown is as old as our Constitution--maybe its crumbling is a sign?

"Julie Bataille from the university's press office e-mailed me that the White House had asked that all university signage and symbols behind the stage in Gaston Hall be covered.

"The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they've done for other policy speeches," she wrote. "Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn't high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context."

The primary command of the church, given by Jesus himself, is

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age."

So if the U.S. government decides you can't obey what the Bible says about the primary mission of the church, or that you need to bless the weddings of gays, or that you can't have religious instruction in your schools, or that you can't have a Bible in the classroom, I guess you'll just have to turn down that Faustian compact we've had for so many years.

Ohio's unemployment rate

is now over 9%. When the Democrats and Governor Strickland took over the state in the 2006 elections it was half that. They ran on an "ethics" platform--our former Republican governor hadn't reported some golf outings. This is the state that decided to investigate Joe the Plumber because of Obama clearly telling him he was going to redistribute the wealth. This is the state of Marc Dann and Eric McFadden, Strickland's sexually and ethically challenged appointees.

And what is the Democrats' solution for a recession? Let's spend our way to prosperity! How many of us would teach our own children that? Has it worked at your house? It won't work in the House of Representatives, either. It hasn't worked in past recessions, and it certainly didn't work during the 15 year Great Depression (1929-1945) when both Hoover and FDR violated all sorts of citizens' rights and stole money from our parents and grandparents with government take-overs. Our Governor was told this week by the state auditor that building Ohio's economy on one time stimulus money (pork) won't help--it will actually hurt us. He'll either have to have a massive tax increase, or decrease spending. Duh. He's a Democrat, so we sure know where this is going. The same direction as Kilroy and Pelosi, snug, secure and spending inside the beltway.

"In just 50 days, Congress has voted to spend about $1.2 trillion between the Stimulus and the Omnibus,” McConnell says. “To put that in perspective, that’s about $24 billion a day, or about $1 billion an hour—most of it borrowed. There’s simply no question: government spending has spun out of control." Mitch McConnell, R-Ky

Think of it. A billion an hour. Where are all those voices who were so worried about the cost of the war? They don't bat an eyelash at the thought of a trillion--most likely because they can't even imagine how much debt that is, or how our next challenge is not going to be unemployment, but inflation as our government will have to print more money to cover its debt.

I never wanted Obama as my president; but I truly never thought it would get so bad so fast. I thought we'd be full blown impoverished by his second term, not his second month.

If this works. . .

"Trafficking illegal firearms, sending them across a border, is illegal. That is something that we can stop," Mr. Obama said.

"Trafficking illegal firearms aliens, sending them across a border, is illegal. That is something that we can stop," Mr. Obama said.

Thursday Thirteen Miscellany--mostly about food and finances

1) Don't be fooled by this gardening craze to save money. If you want to be outdoors, or want a sun tan, or want fresh tasting food, fine. It won't save you any money--unless you sell the produce to your neighbors. Or you have family of 12 children who will eat their veggies.

2) Last summer I was able to walk to a small farmer's market at Lakeside (about 2 blocks). By small, I mean about 5 or 6 wagons / vendors. There really is nothing like it. I think I'd forgotten what fried new potatoes tasted like. And that gal who made zucchini relish. Heavenly. I'm more than happy to pay them for their labor and equipment.


3) Even without a farmer's market, fresh vegetables and fruit are still your best buy. It really takes just minutes to prepare. Forget the fancy sauces and spices. Today I bought a butternut squash ($.99/lb, higher now that during the season) and I'm guessing we'll get 3 side dishes from it--grilled lightly a few minutes in olive oil.

4) However, fresh items lose a lot of nutrients if they sit around a few days, so frozen is your next best bet--especially for small families (2) like mine. A favorite lunch meal for me is half a cup of frozen peas with half cup of frozen corn, placed in a bowl covered with a damp paper towel for about 90 seconds in the microwave. Little butter, little salt and pepper. Fabulous!

5) If you read my Holy Land Cruise blog, you may know I got really, really sick on the flight home. Today I saw a friend (not on the trip) at Panera's that I hadn't talked to in over a year. After greeting, she asked about my health. I think our entire church (9 services, 3 locations) has heard about Norma on the floor of LaGuardia and tossing her cookies on the plane. Anyway, the old GI track is not quite back to normal, so my sister gave me a huge carton of Activa Yogurt. I just had some for lunch. We'll see. . .

6) I stopped at a little store yesterday and apples were $2.69/lb. Usually, it's cheaper to buy rather than drive, but I knew that was high, so I drove to Marc's and paid $1.39/lb. I eat a lot of apples. Then today I was up north for an errand, so I stopped at Meiers' and apples were $1/lb. I stocked up.

7) I need apples to make a pie. Our Holy Land Cruise group is getting together Monday night, and my end of the alphabet is doing pie. Fortunately, I used to be the 2nd best pie baker east of the Mississippi. Now I do it so seldom, my pies are only so-so, or else it's the electric stove instead of gas which I'd used for 35 years.

8) The reason I was north of Bethel Rd. was I'd heard from my daughter that the Merle Norman store was going out of business. I thought I'd go and stock up. I began using Merle Norman when I was about 39 and a store was near by. And now--well, it's patch, patch, patch, but I still use it, although much less. Women my age make a serious mistake by using too much foundation, or the wrong color, and it collects in our wrinkles. Less is definitely more for retirees.

9) I asked the owner about her closing. She said sales fell off during January, and although she's paying her bills, she's getting nothing. When women begin to drop their cosmetic purchases, we are in trouble! My hair dresser, Melissa at Shear Impressions, says she's seen no change.

10) I recently learned you can freeze milk. Duh. Why didn't I think of that. So when I see the "past due" date coming up, I'm going to put it in a little container and freeze.

11) Be careful about reusing glass and plastic containers. Mold can grow on the lids and on the tiny residue inside the jar. It's awfully hard to get these as sterilized as the factory product.

12) Pass on those deals for cheap paper towels. Oh Yuck! on having those squares turn to mush as soon as they hit water. Buy Bounty. That's a brand that really holds up and you'll save money in the long run.

13) On our trip to Illinois for the Easter holiday our Dodge van got 26 mpg going and 28 mpg coming back. Don't let the global warming hysterics force you into an uncomfortable car at pirate ship prices. Although now that the government is starting to buy up the auto makers, you may not have a choice on model and size.

Meanwhile, by diverting grain and oilseed crops from dinner plates to fuel tanks, biofuels are jacking up world food prices and endangering the hungry. The grain it takes to fill an SUV tank with ethanol could feed a person for a year. Harvests are being plucked to fuel our cars instead of ourselves. The U.N.'s World Food Program says it needs $500 million in additional funding and supplies, calling the rising costs for food nothing less than a global emergency. Soaring corn prices have sparked tortilla riots in Mexico City, and skyrocketing flour prices have destabilized Pakistan, which wasn't exactly tranquil when flour was affordable. Time Magazine, Mar 27, 2008

She's so afraid, she doesn't even have an e-mail address!

So much for Obama being the 2.0 President. The e-mail I sent to the DHS website notifying them that the Head has no e-mail was returned to me to use the U.S. mail address. So if you want to write to her, use that.

How many millions of veterans do you think have mustered out of the armed forces over the life of this country? And Janet Napolitano manages to insult them all by comparing them to Timothy McVeigh.

"The primary mission of this department is to prevent terrorist attacks on our nation. The document on right-wing extremism sent last week by this department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis is one in an ongoing series of assessments to provide situational awareness to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies on the phenomenon and trends of violent radicalization in the United States. I was briefed on the general topic, which is one that struck a nerve as someone personally involved in the Timothy McVeigh prosecution.

Let me be very clear: we monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States. We don’t have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence."

Note, we don't use the word "terrorist" when referring to Muslim extremists, only to conservatives who didn't vote for Obama, those dangerous Americans who don't believe in killing babies, or who own guns, or who are concerned about the economy, or who believe in end-times prophecy. What left wing groups is she monitoring? What are her criteria? Were they the Bush haters? Were they people who read Karl Marx? Recruit out of state voters to come to Ohio? Who join ACORN? Who are they monitoring on the left? Will that be part of the series? Why is she worried about veterans and not La Raza who want her home state returned to Mexico? Is she watching Asian male minorities on this anniversary of Va Tech shootings? Inquiring minds want to know.

My Message to Janet

(This was sent to the web site e-mail comment form, because she doesn't have one.)

Dear Secretary Napolitano,

You have no e-mail link on your web site.

Your recent document on the dangers of home grown terrorism insulted about 50% of the American voters who did not support the current president. Is this finally the president’s transparency promised us?

I don’t own a gun--never have. I do not support abortion--our president is the most pro-abortion official we’ve ever had, willing even to kill a viable child as it emerges from the mother’s womb, if that is her wish. That was my primary concern about his presidency. Fortunately for him, his mother, a teen involved with a married man, did not believe as he does. That the baby would be too much of a burden and deserved death.

I think immigrants are the back bone of this country. The inventor of Google is an immigrant. My ancestors in the early 1700s were immigrants from Germany and Ireland. Illegal immigrants will break the bank--what’s left of it--and in case you didn’t notice when you lived in Arizona, LaRaza wants your state returned to Mexico. Our illegals who send money home are propping up a failed, unfair economy on our border. For your records, I didn’t support President Bush on his “guest worker” plan, either.

I am not an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran, but you have insulted all veterans, including those deceased veterans of the greatest generation, smearing them all with the crime of Timothy McVeigh. Are all Asian immigrants guilty of the New York recent massacre or the VA Tech massacre? Are all husbands and fathers guilty of the crimes of that father who killed his family a few weeks ago?

I am a Christian, but not a dispensationalist, I care nothing about "end times." But you intended to smear all conservative Christians who believe the Bible. I doubt that you care about end times either, but you do care about millions having an allegiance to something other than the government.

Yes, I am concerned about the economy. You should be too, if you are a real American. We have a president raising taxes and demonizing capitalists when he should be cutting taxes and supporting business to stimulate the economy. You madam, by accepting a position in this administration, are the extremist. Not me.

The worst anti-Semites are on your side, the left, the communists, the marxists, not on the right. All during the Bush years they were spreading lies because it fit your goals. They were all over the place during the campaign--and they certainly bring up the Jew question whenever Israel defends itself.

Madam, you owe all Americans an apology. The left has run rough shod over our rights for years, every demonstration they had since the 1960s was nasty and violent, and now the right has a peaceful, logical response to trillions and trillions of future debt, and you call us terrorists.

Now Christians will have to choose

The problem I had with "faith based" agencies (like our church, Upper Arlington Lutheran which is an ELCA church) accepting government grants for housing, employment training, child care, and after school and summer lunch programs was that they were not allowed to preach the gospel to any of the recipients because taxpayers were footing the bill. Not even distribute literature--although it could be put out for pick up. But worse, it caused these churches to become dependent on the government, while they were providing the free labor for government programs.

Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign PROMISED to have any visuals and symbols removed from religious sites in order for them to receive government money for social programs. This will be no problem for mainline "peace and justice" Christians--they wouldn't know the gospel if it dropped on their pulpit in the form of a Bible (it's pretty clear if they'd just preach from that Bible). For evangelical Christians, such as UALC, it's a bit less clear. Now we've made a pact with the devil and the invoice has come due. What will the churches do? Apparently what Georgetown did. Founded in 1789, the same year the U.S. Constitution took effect, Georgetown University is the nation's oldest Catholic and Jesuit university. IHS, the symbol in question, is a monogram of the name of Jesus Christ.

(CNSNews.com) - Georgetown University says it covered over the monogram “IHS”--symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ—because it was inscribed on a pediment on the stage where President Obama spoke at the university on Tuesday and the White House had asked Georgetown to cover up all signs and symbols there.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the “IHS” monogram that had previously adorned the stage at Georgetown’s Gaston Hall was still covered up--when the pediment where it had appeared was photographed by CNSNews.com.

American freedom of religion, rest in peace

Does CNN hire real reporters

or just Obamamas?

"CNN correspondent Susan Roesgen could barely get through her live shot at the Chicago tea party this afternoon. Over shouts of, "You're not a reporter," Roesgen quickly wrapped up an interview with an attendee, then said, "I think you get the general tenor of this. It's anti-government, anti-CNN since this is highly promoted by the right-wing conservative network Fox."

This reporter was so biased, she's become dead meat on talk radio, because this interview is being played over and over--and much more than this left of center site quoted. Observers started chanting "You're not a reporter," because she kept interrupting the father with a small child she was interviewing and inserting her own left wing agenda. It was one of the worst wing-nut interviews I've heard--there was no way she was going to let that guy tell America what the tea party was about. On CNN and other stations I've heard these tea parties attributed variously to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, the Republican party, conservative Christian end-timers, and now to Fox. Will the real organizers please stand up and wave the flag. There are thousands of you.

But, also apparently Obama knew nothing about the tea parties. His Homeland Security Department head, Janet Nutpoliano, decides we need to be watched and investigated (remember Janet Reno thought a compound filled with children was dangerous), and he knew nothing? Maybe he should pay attention if we're all a threat to his administration.

It was a great day for America

Murray writes:

"I went to a Taxpayer Tea Party today right here in The Villages. It was sponsored by the Association of Mature American Citizens. The Village Daily Sun followed the lead of the rest of the news media by NOT publicizing the rally in advance. In order to get the word out to the villagers the Association had to purchase an ad in the newspaper. In spite of the poor advance notice hundreds of residents turned out with costume, flags and signs. The event was held along side of one of the village ponds and when the protest was over the Association tossed boxes of "stimulus tea" into the pond.

These parties were held all over America in spite of the fact that the news media remained basically silent until today. The people relied on the Internet to communicate and coordinate the rallies. This was a great day for America. It showed that concerned taxpayers were fed up with the reckless spending of their hard earned tax dollars. It also showed the whites in this country are finally standing up for themselves. I say whites because as the evening news cameras panned across the crowds that had gathered at tea parties across the country there was a noticeable lack of blacks. In fact I saw NO blacks. Now maybe, just maybe, it was a coincident and they just didn't get in view of the cameras or the cameramen were prejudice and ignored them. Hmmm? Well anyway, the silent majority wasn't silent today.

Obama countered today ( although he didn't mention tea parties ) by declaring the wonderful tax breaks he is giving the WORKING people and that by the end of the year he was going to have the whole Tax Code rewritten so the average taxpayer could understand it. Gee, have we heard that before? He also said that the rich were going to have a tax increase. Gee, he must have forgot about the AMT that has never been indexed. Obama has received millions of tea bags in the mail but refused to acknowledge them nor have any of our legislators ever mentioned the ones they received. It's kinda like when they ignore your correspondence and inquires isn't it?

Obama just doesn't get it. These rallies today were not just about paying taxes. The main emphasis was on the reckless, wasteful spending the government has been doing the last 6 months and the tremendous debt they're piling up. One little boy was holding up a sign that said " I'm only 9 years old and I'm $36,000 in debt." Yes folks, it was a great day for America. I hope it doesn't go the route of our tax dollars...wasted!"

Good points, Murray. The old Mt. Morris High School put out some smart graduates 50 + years ago who learned a little history and economics along the way--you and me, Bob C., Bill L., Bill & Gayle N., Dave B. and a few others I see on the list who don't want to see our country turned over to the enemies of capitalism. Our tax day/tea day events in Columbus got coverage from the local media--at least on TV. It was headed up by a 19 year old OSU student. However, it was cold and rainy here--something you don't have so much in Florida. I forgot to check the marginal Columbus Dispatch to see if it noticed anything was going on. I didn't watch most of the AB/NB/CB/CNN clones who are Obama's mouthpieces and marketers (did you see that horrid, awful CNN interview where the Obama sycophant op-ed female tried to preach to the person she was interviewing? "Do you realize. . .yada yada. . .")

I noticed that WSJ this morning folded the story into the Obama tax code promises. But Danny Pang and PEMGroup with its alleged theft of $4 billion, a pittance compared to Obama's, made the front page. Sorry, Mr. President. The cap and trade hoaxes, the destruction of the oil and gas industries, the coming inflation as you have to print more money, the millions of environmental and green regulations to support the phony, pantheist gods that all the beltway queens have bowed before--those are all tax increases to make the recent tax on the poor (increase in cigarette taxes) look like harmless sandbox play.

You might be a right wing extremist if

You oppose abortion

Own a gun

Are a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan

Are concerned about illegal immigration

Are concerned about the way Obama is handling the economy

Believe marriage is for a man and woman

[And maybe we should throw in for good measure]

You've read the Constitution of the United States

You are a Christian

You know right from wrong.

According to this document of the Obama Administration.

“Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived loss of U.S. jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures.” Extremism and Radicalization Branch, Homeland Environment Threat Analysis Division.

That’s really strange. I thought it was our left wing media doing that.

Now if you oppose Obama's policies--any of them, economic, social, military--you are an extremist to be watched by Homeland Security. Well, at least he's finally being transparent.

UPDATE: "Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano apologized to veterans after a report issued by her department said troops returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were at risk for being recruited by right-wing extremists." Isn't that just so sweet. How about apologizing to those of us who don't want the brains sucked out of pre-born, viable babies; those of us who want a free market economy; those of us who don't want the coal industry to be destroyed with its millions of jobs; those of us who are getting 26-28 mpg in our vans and don't want to be stuffed into tiny hybrids slurping corn based fuel; those of us who don't believe that man controls the earth? She, with the approval of her boss, Barack Obama, has insulted over 50 million of us who didn't vote for him for a wide variety of reasons, and he's called us all extremists while groveling to European socialists. We want our apology too!

If you fight this, Janet and BO think YOU are dangerous!

So who told us those myths?

We stopped in Brownsburg, Indiana for gas yesterday and I glanced at a USAToday story about the murders 10 years ago at Columbine high school. Apparently, we all believed some "myths." No bullying--they were the bullies. Not goths. Not suicidal. They were just garden variety liars and psychopaths--just like the guys who killed the police, the immigrants, their estranged families during the past month. Harris and Klebold killed 13 and wounded 24, but they had hoped to kill thousands. Feel better?

"A decade after Harris and Klebold made Columbine a synonym for rage, new information — including several books that analyze the tragedy through diaries, e-mails, appointment books, videotape, police affidavits and interviews with witnesses, friends and survivors — indicate that much of what the public has been told about the shootings is wrong."

So who told us all those myths we believed? The media. It certainly wasn't bloggers--we didn't exist then. It wasn't George Bush or Bill Clinton. The media probably launched a thousand bullying workshops.

OSU student organizes Columbus' tax protest

And they are not "right wing extremists" the way the Homeland Security claims.

"COLUMBUS- Americans for Prosperity, ShotsontheHouse.com, various college groups, and various community groups are once again joining forces to combat reckless local, state, and government spending.

A rally is planned as part of the national tax day tea party movement at 6 PM, April 15th, in front of the Ohio Statehouse.

Justin Higgins, a Columbus area blogger and Ohio State student said that, “these protests really tap into the communities and they’re upset. They’re tired of stupid bailouts, lying politicians, and trillions being dumped down the drain in the name of stimulus.” Justin runs www.ShotsontheHouse.com and served as the Master of Ceremonies for an AFP protest event held on March 14h. He’s assisting in the organization of the April 15th event.

It's OK to fund ACORN protesters, code pinkoes at veterans' hospitals during war time, call pork a "stimulus" plan, and drive vote fraud participants by left wing extremists by bus and van to Ohio in November, but let a few loyal Americans gather on Tax Day to peacefully protest the outrageous behavior of our elected representatives--both parties--and all of a sudden we're a threat to Homeland Security? Elected representatives trotting off to Cuba and lunch with Castro. No threat. Obama taking over the auto industry. No threat. More troops for Afghanistan. No threat. A tax cheat in charge of the Department of Treasury. No threat. Liberal columnists, working for newspapers going under, are grasping for breath and straws, hoping to sell more yellow journalism (when it's the advertisers, i.e. capitalists, not subscribers they need to please) are going crazy. They say it hasn't galvanized the Republican party. Well duh! This isn't about the Republican party, for Pete's Sake. George Bush threw so much tax money at social problems that only Obama has been able to top him. Republicans are the Me-Too Party, not the Tea Party.

Then there's the lefty wackos at Huff and Puff, trying to blame Glenn Beck and talk radio, and reporting that some web site has made a fortune ($48,000) selling tea party memorabilia. Gee, the Democrats spent more than that renting housing in Columbus for the "residents" from other states to come here and register "disenfranchised" voters. They are probably unemployed journalists using a silk screen in the basement to create t-shirts.

LA Times writer thinks Conservatives are glue sniffers

Today is the pro-America, anti-tax, tea parties. It's not about Obama, but about a government out of control. It's about trillions added to our debt in a matter of weeks. It's about the government (beltway pirates) take over through bail-outs with our taxes huge sectors of the economy. It does include, however, a president using an economic crisis to have the federal government take over the means of production and to destroy what's left of our free market economy.

To show you how out of control our government and its lacky, snarky, failing, almost bankrupt media nut jobs are, the government has announced we--the conservatives and moderates who are protesting--are extremists, and the LA Times' Marc Cooper (op-ed) thinks we are crazy glue sniffers. We are lumped with a psychotic paranoid who murdered 3 policemen (although not with immigrants who shoot up community centers and college campuses). Hmmm. Imagine. When ACORN serfs orgnize under their marxist leaders to threaten CEOs and their wives and children, it's just fine. No extremists there. But Californian leftists and communists (a state with a so-called Republican governor that was financially collapsing from taxes and illegals long before Obama) think people who believe in the Constitution, who complain that taxes are too high and complicated (70,000 pages of instruction compared to about 400 when I was born), and who feel marginalized by the environmentalist wackos and tax-porkies who have taken over our academy and regulatory agencies--those about to fall into the ocean of la-la land--they think we are dangerous? They are the ones who got us here!

Home from our Easter Trip

Isn't this a fabulous painting of Abraham Lincoln? It's the cover of this year's Illinois Travel Guide published by the Bureau of Tourism. Art work is credited to Gregory Manchess.

After Maundy Thursday noon services, we took off for Indiana and spent time with Brother Bob and Sister Jean, enjoying their good company and great accomodations with a yummy dinner at Bob Evans. Also got to see and chat briefly with niece Joan and her son Caleb who were getting reading for their parts in an Easter Passion Play at Cornerstone Baptist. Friday bright and early we hopped on the Indianapolis outerbelt and headed for Oregon, Illinois passing by our old "home towns" of Urbana and Champaign, Illinois where we lived in the early 1960s after college. We never pull off any more--the people we knew there either in the U of I library system or the local architectural scene are gone. Even the buildings and streets, as on most college campuses, are different than 50 years ago.

In addition to my sister and husband, we visited my Aunt Muriel and cousin Dianne in Mt. Morris, my brother and wife in Franklin Grove, several friends from my high school class, and attended Good Friday services at the Mt. Morris Church of the Brethren, and Easter Sunday breakfast and service at Trinity Lutheran in Mt. Morris where we saw many we knew, some younger, some older, and caught up on the news. I think I talked to 6 members of my high school class.

For the Good Friday community service (3 of the 4 churches) we sat with my aunt--how wonderful to hear her voice singing the hymns, still strong at 92 and hold her hand during prayers. The Lutheran teens were raising money with their Easter breakfast for a service project, so it was a win-win opportunity since it was very tasty. At the Church of the Brethren we toured the Loaves and Fish food pantry which just opened in the fall. The community has really gotten behind this new service opportunity and it is well stocked and funded.

Aunt Muriel is quite a collector--and usually I go home with a few books, but this time I resisted. I need to be clearing my own shelves! But if it weren't for her "archives" I would have had a problem with some of my publishing projects when I was a librarian. She was able to lay her hands on a basket of letters and projects I've done over the years. Looking through it, I saw many items I'd forgotten.

My brother and wife live on the "family farm" originally owned by my great-grandfather. I recognize those dishes on the plate rail as being there when I was a child. My grandmother renovated and modernized this 19th century house around 1912-1915 to use as her family home after returning to Illinois from Kansas to help her father. The room we're standing in was part of that addition. About 40 years ago my mother renovated and modernized the house again and used it as a retreat center, and now my brother is restoring it again.

Where to eat, drink and be merry--new restaurants in northern Illinois

Rockford, Illinois has a new restaurant at The Anderson Japanese Gardens, 318 Spring Creek Road. While enjoying delicious, healthful food (year round), you can overlook the fabulous garden (open May 1 - October 31; November through April weather permitting) which instills "a sense of clam and provides a place for quiet meditation." If you have guests coming, this is definitely the place to take them.

There is a new coffee shop/restaurant in Oregon, Illinois called Rachel's and this is definitely a place you need to look into. We visited on the 11th and a lovely young lady, Pam, assisted us. The menu looks terrific and the coffee was good. And desserts? How does Grandma Warner's Southern Pecan Pie sound to you?

Mt. Morris has a new spot for hanging out and munching, called The Mounder Cafe. I met two friends from high school there. I didn't pick up their menu, but everything looked great. Also there was a very nice art show in the hall.

Holy Week Intermission

For Christians the week before Easter is called "Holy Week," or as Buff Delcamp wrote in this week's Cornerstone (newsletter of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church), Major Week, Greater Week, Authentic Week, Passion Week, Week of Salvation, and Sorrowful Week. It tells the story of the last week of the life of Jesus on earth, the week the sins of humanity are forgiven, and the world is redeemed. Jesus' life and teaching were not about man's solution to poverty, or slavery, or politics, or clean water, or green space, or domestic violence or anything else you might hear preached on Sunday morning from many pulpits. It was about God's solution for mankind's disobedience, told from "In the beginning. . ." in a garden to the end where we see a great city, a holy city, a New Jerusalem, dressed as a bride for her husband. Since I've so recently returned from "The Steps of Paul" in Greece, Turkey, and Israel I do want to continue updating my trip photos and log, but will avoid the day-to-day chaos in Washington, the steps of our President, and the world economy while I focus of the events of Holy Week. See you after Easter (unless you'd like to check the Holy Land Cruise 2009 link).

About that populist anger

Wall St. Journal's Obama booster, Gerald Seib, writes yesterday (Capital Journal) about the "populist anger." That makes me so angry--it was SO ginned up, it was ridiculous. So who's responsible for getting everyone hyped about CEOs' bonuses--bonuses (millions) that were a fraction of what Obama and his buddies are stealing from us (trillions) and the future unborn Americans (assuming they can make it past the now free-wheeling, free-for-all abortionists thanks to our President). Wasn't it old Barney's threats in Congress as he grilled Liddy? Wasn't it Obama's ACORN being bussed to the suburbs to harrass law abiding people who actually work for a living?

Can the passions be cooled, Seib asks. Don't know. Can newspaper reporters' jobs be saved when they've gored the ox (advertising for business) that pay their salaries? It depends, Mr. Seib. How angry will Americans get when they wake up and see Obama's poked a hole driven a bulldozer through our dike of protections at the top--our three branches of government with distinctly different responsibilities (and he's not the first to do this, just the worst). How mad will they be if they realize over half of Congress are flunkies slurping up the pig droppings from the pork trough in Washington trying to cover their appetites by shouting "it's the bankers," "it's the Jews," "it's someone else's greed."

Seib can't figure out what happened to the steadily rising median income of the middle class after the 1980s (except for a blip under Clinton, which he happily claims). Well, let's see if I remember my history. When the Great Depression finally ended in the 1940s after the war and inspite of FDRs programming, we did have a bit of prosperity, which made liberals and conservatives feel guilty, so the wealth transfer started big time. We had LBJ's programs and Carter's programs, and the Republicans tried to play catch up every time they got in office (but Congress approves the budget and Democrats controlled that until 1995). All the major cities with the poorest people are controlled by Democrats, from bottom to top. No one was a bigger spender on social programs (until January 2009) than Bush II.

But all you have to do is look at the wealthiest, most successful, most entrepreneurial and smallest demographic group--the Asian Americans--to see what happened in the last 20 years, and why the middle class is struggling to keep what it earns.

The government provides resources to households through cash and noncash transfer programs. These programs may be open to all or limited to those with incomes below set amounts. Holding other income
components constant, transfers from the Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration, and state governments increase household income. Payroll, state, and federal tax liabilities reduce household income. Certain tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit, are refundable and may
increase household income. U.S. Census

And we have an awful lot of Americans who never pay any federal income tax (although they do pay exorbitant special interest taxes, like the recently raised poor tax called cigarette taxes). Here again, Asian non tax payers do not reflect their proportion of the population because, well, who knows? Pride? Ambition? Family values? Marriage? Flight from Communism?

"White Americans are 83 percent of total taxpayers, and the percentage of zero-tax filers who are white is 79 percent. African Americans are roughly 13 percent of total taxpayers and 17 percent of zero-tax filers. Asian Americans comprise 3.6 percent of total taxpayers and 3.4 percent of zero-tax filers." Tax Foundation figures for 2004

Of all the groups, Asian Americans lost the most by readjusting their income downward through wealth transfer to the poorer whites, blacks and Hispanics. And so it is with all who will try to succeed under socialism, Mr. Seib. The Asians are just the canary.

Populism? Mr. Seib should probably be putting out feelers for a job if he reads the tea leaves.

Who is more dangerous to society, Michael Vick or Barack Obama?

This morning I heard a news story on the radio that Michael Vick's bankruptcy "plan" was turned down by the court. Too bad someone doesn't apply the same standards to our President who has unleashed the pit bull of socialism on our people! Our little cock fighter pranced around the ring and sang "peck me" like a Dixie Chick. We're sending tea bags, but I don't think that is going to scare him when he's seen the crowds in Europe chanting and clapping. Even the phony Soros backed demonstrations made him happy. Or Barney Frank, how about a plan for him? He has actually physically threatened Americans. Michael Vick didn't threaten children. Congressman Frank prancing in front of TV cameras was actually going after citizens' children when he demanded names in Congressional hearings on job contracts he approved for the bailout.

I was flitting around the house doing laundry and ironing about 5:30 a.m. (I'm an early riser, obviously.) I decided to turn on the radio in the laundry room, and the reception isn't terrific, so I settled on NPR. Proximity to the WOSU tower seems to allow that when nothing else is up. After five minutes of a guy with a British accent preach about how we needed to teach banks "morality" and reporting with lots of saliva (is it their bad teeth?) the fabulous relationship between Obama and Brown, which just a few weeks ago was in the toilet, I switched to the early a.m. show on the paranormal--it made more sense than that guy. But after 5 minutes of a guy remembering an apparition in blue that came into his bedroom when he was 5 and it looked exactly like his mother who was quite ill and putting up with a gambling husband who was being hunted by the mafia, it really was a draw.

Socialism is a proven failure

So why does Obama want it so badly? Maybe he doesn‘t remember the 20th century?

"Socialism is the Big Lie of the twentieth century. While it promised prosperity, equality, and security, it delivered poverty, misery, and tyranny. Equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery.

In the same way that a Ponzi scheme or chain letter initially succeeds but eventually collapses, socialism may show early signs of success. But any accomplishments quickly fade as the fundamental deficiencies of central planning emerge. It is the initial illusion of success that gives government intervention its pernicious, seductive appeal. In the long run, socialism has always proven to be a formula for tyranny and misery." The Freeman

Mirror, mirror on the wall

who's the most arrogant of them all? Obama!

Arrogant, dismissive, derisive? He's the worst president ever. EVER! George Bush never insulted the Europeans, and he certainly never insulted the people who elected him. Maybe Obama hasn't read our history, especially our recent history. He's only been reading WaPo and NYT. When have European countries gone to war on behalf of Muslims the way we did? (They like to keep their own Muslims immigrants unemployed and poor!) He commented on nothing Bush did that was positive. George Bush never insulted his predecessors, not even the really poor ones like Carter and FDR. Where did Obama learn his manners? In the slums of the third world? He is a disgrace to the office. Although it should be no surprise--this European "tour" is a summary of his campaign speeches. Does he not realize he's the President now? Of all of us? Why is he still running? Literally.

Obama Endorses Soros Plan to Loot America

"At the G 20 summit in London, President Barack Obama won rave reviews from reporters, many of whom clamored like school kids for the chance to ask him a question at his news conference, but the official conference document proves that plans are being made for what can only be described as the further looting of American taxpayers in order to feed unaccountable and corrupt global entities.

This is not “global cooperation,” as so many in the media described it, but a massive new expansion of the power and authority of international agencies and institutions such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank." Read entire story here.

It won’t be in Katie Couric’s report--the real meaning of his words, that is. Paraphrase of the news conference I heard. "Yes, we (I) can insult America. Yes, we (I) can be dismissive of the USA." I'm furious that he runs after these sycophants whining and apologizing for breathing. He took advantage of the September "meltdown" (and who knows who engineered that), and has driven the economy even deeper down first by his gloom and doom speeches, then by raising taxes and taking over companies and violating the constitution. But who needs a Constitution when we'll have to report to the UN?

How will this help world peace?

It's nice I suppose to be idealistic, but I do wonder how holding hands around a pyramid built centuries ago with slave labor will help.

More than 1500 students, teachers and parents from 50 nationalities “formed a circle of peace that symbolized peace in the world” at the Giza Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, April 2, 2009, “delivering a message that young people from different cultures and religions can live together peacefully.” It’s hard to imagine what else that much money for the travel, food, hotel, etc. for 1500 might have done if these same students had just stayed home and helped their own countries. Perhaps that wasn't the purpose of the trip--maybe it was just Spring Break for rich kids and they needed a plan to get credit for it. However, tourism is Egypt’s number one industry, so I suppose they did help feed a family or two, just as we did during our recent trip.

Update, April 8: A reader has informed me this was an event of the New Cairo British International School. Upon checking the school's very nice website, I see nothing on the school calendar--no mention at all--but if you click to "parents" that's where you'll find the photos and the information which didn't appear in any of the news sources I checked. The school also celebrates Coptic Christmas holiday and has an Easter egg roll. The Prince of Peace you may recall, spent some time in Egypt when he was very young, and we celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Meanwhile, young people of a number of different nationalities, mostly sponsored by radical leftist organizations backed by Soros and various communist/marxist front organizations demonstrated against the G20 and U.S. capitalism (fast crumbling under the weight of Obama’s heavy hand to push us over the cliff into socialism/communism). All these countries are covering their own ineptitude and grabs for power with their "bash a banker" hooliganism, led by the likes of our own Barney Frank drooling and lisping in front of cameras for the world to see.

Update, April 8: You gotta love these capitalists. Some enterprising Frenchman is charging empty headed young people with full wallets $67 a piece to learn how to be street demonstrators against the evil capitalists. Saw it in today's WSJ--with photos of drop and roll.

And here is one of my husband's first paintings of our recent trip--he's moving faster than my blog which is still stuck on our first day in Israel.

Ritalin, Obama, and the economy

Murray observed yesterday that

If my child behaved like Obama our family doctor would more than likely tell me he was suffering from *AD/HD. I mean, just look at what Obama's been up to since he's been in office.

He's at the White House for a press conference, then off to Ohio to give a speech, then over to Illinois to talk up HIS plan, then back to the White House to undo another Bush Policy, then off to Iowa to make some promises, then back to the White House to sign an unread bill. He holds a news conference every other day and hits the TV talk shows. His rapid fire, daily destruction of our country while breaking campaign promises doesn't seem to be enough since he is now over in Europe selling HIS plan. Why... the guy can't slow down or sit still. If that isn't hyperactivity then such a thing doesn't exist. It would be great if such activity was positive for the country, but quite the contrary; he is quickly sabotaging our country's finances and future. Foreigners know it but, out of fear, we seem to be slow to catch on. Even if he was stopped right now it would take years for this country to get back on its feet. We have a handful of legislators who know this, but unfortunately there are too many PORK lovers who are backing him.

When confronted, the backers usually claim that Obama "inherited" all these problems from the Bush administration. Well, that's nothing but a cop out that only separates the two parties even further. Besides, if you take the time to examine the chain of events you will find not only did the Democrats promote sub prime mortgages, Obama himself was part of it.

I've said it before: the only way to get this country back on its feet is to abolish our two party system. First, Obama must be stopped! It ought to be evident to everyone by now that the Democrats and the Republications are never going to agree on anything. Contrary to what Obama promised in his campaign speeches time and time again, that he would bring them closer together, he has done just the opposite. Every day he and his cohorts fire another arrow into the Republican crowd by blaming the crisis on them. Our legislators have lied to us so much that it's impossible to separate the truth or if truth actually exists anymore.
Dr. Murray

*The most common symptoms of ADHD are:
Impulsiveness: acting before thinking of consequences, jumping from one activity to another, disorganization, tendency to interrupt other peoples' conversations.
Hyperactivity: restlessness, often characterized by an inability to sit still, fidgeting, squirminess, climbing on things, restless sleep.

And Tom Barrett who writes for Conservative Truth has a similar theme. He first wants to stop putting kids on Ritalin; he then wants our President to stop ruining the country through his own “hyper” behavior.

Which brings us back to the problem I mentioned earlier. If we stop turning our kids into drug users, what will we do with all the Ritalin?

Because the NEA (National Education Association, the national teacher’s union) and most school systems have jumped on the Ritalin bandwagon, it has become a huge cash cow for the drug’s maker. As a result, huge stockpiles of the drug have been produced based on projected demand. So, even if the schools came to their senses, what could be done with all these drugs? I may have an answer.

I say we give it to Obama. He has all the classic signs of ADHD. He can’t stay focused on anything. He’s hyperactive. He can’t stay on one subject for more than a day. And he definitely can’t keep his hands to himself. And his staff shares his problems. The White House is crawling with ADHD!!

Let’s focus just on Obama, and examine his symptoms. The nation is in the midst of a major financial crisis, which he has acknowledged. The problem stems from policies instituted by his party 31 years ago which have resulted in a wave of foreclosures and hundreds of thousands of lost jobs. So you would think he would focus on fixing the credit problems and job creation. But he can’t seem to stay focused. In fact, during his first eight weeks in office he has constantly jumped from one priority to the next, while ignoring the major problems. Sure sounds like ADHD to me.

He told us he would focus on dealing with the so-called “toxic assets” held by financial institutions. Instead he has forced healthy institutions to take bailout money when they didn’t want it and didn’t need it. The president of Wells Fargo said that he when he tried to refuse the money he was told to take it and buy up smaller banks with it! That obviously won’t help the credit crunch, so why is Obama pushing it? Simply because if a few big banks absorb all the smaller ones, it will be easier for him to nationalize the banking system.

Ninety-five per cent of new jobs are created by small businesses. Helping them would be the single best way to stimulate job creation. And the best way to help them would be to reduce the unconscionable federal tax burden. In all of his trillions and trillions of dollars of proposals he has not thrown a crumb to small business. In fact, he has said that he will increase their tax burden, making it difficult for them to just survive, much less create jobs. (Obama has been hearing Republicans complain about him ignoring small business, so in the last few days he has come up with some half-hearted proposals. But they’re all bureaucratic in nature, and will result in more government control over businesses.) and there's more.

Our Bishop's Testimony doesn't reflect that of many Christians

Callon Holloway, Bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), testified before Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce committee.

"I am here today representing both the ELCA, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States representing nearly 5 million people, and the National Council of Churches (NCC), an organization that represents 35 Christian denominations, 100,000 congregations and approximately 45 million people in the United States."

In my opinion the NCC is a "just us" social justice organization that couldn't find the great commission if someone opened a Bible to it. Even in the 1970s when I was a Democrat (although an evangelical Christian recently converted from humanism), I had no use for the NCC's no-cross, no-salvation gospel. Furthermore, the ELCA for 7 years has been struggling to fight off the gay-marriage, gay-ordination cult, and so far has been unsuccessful. Rather than look at what Scripture says about marriage, it has reinterpreted numerous verses, proof texting to fit a different agenda. So I'm not surprised some in our leadership have fallen for this "Gospel is greener on the other side" with the unbelievers. So Cal doesn't speak for me, or many Lutherans. Nor do I approve of his being part of the testimony (NCC and NWF) of organizations that are falling for this.

I would prefer he fell in with the Evangelicals of the Cornwall Alliance and the Science and Public Policy group (see its journal here), neither of which are a denomination, but both of which have a far stronger Biblical view than the ELCA/NCC representative, Cal Holloway, a man I personally like and admire. Speakers at this March 25 event:

* Tom Karl, Director of the National Climatic Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
* John Stephenson, Director of Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office
* Bishop Callon Holloway, Evangelical Lutheran Church in American, On Behalf of the National Council of Churches
* Larry Schweiger, President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation
* David Waskow, Climate Change Program Director, Oxfam American
* E. Calvin Beisner, Ph.D., National Spokesman, The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation
* Lord Christopher Monckton, Chief Policy Adviser, Science and Public Policy Institute

"The second International Conference on Climate Change concluded its 2-1/2 -day run March 10, 2009 in New York City after confronting the theme "Global warming: Was it ever really a crisis?"

The answer was a resounding "No." Check the link for presentations.

More than 75 papers and keynote addresses were presented by some of the world's leading climatologists, economists, policy makers, and opinion leaders. You can access videos of many of the presentations here. New videos and audio versions will be added as they become available."

Unfortunately, Bishop Holloway didn't attend this one.

Friday Family Photo July 1972

We all used to be skinny--even the kids. My husband and I have added some weight and our children some height (6'1" and 5'8") since this was taken at my mother's farm near Franklin Grove, IL in 1972. At that time we were still buying his suits in the boy's department--I think his waist was 28". But he actually got thinner. There was a serious recession in the 1970s and he lost his job in 1976 after first going to 4 days. It was a very troubling time for us--the marriage, the family, the budget, and especially his weight and health. He was only out of work three weeks, but it really upset everything, and he wasn't that happy at the "new" place where he became an associate and then a partner, and then an owner. It started to show on his slender frame. I don't recall the exact figure, but I think it was around 120 lbs.

We're chubby and fine now--so take heart. Unemployment is a terribly wrenching experience with many layers--lost friends and colleagues, fear, health problems, . . . new opportunities, although they may be down the road a few years. On the bright side--I'm betting our children remember none of this except climbing that cherry tree and running barefoot on the lane.

July 2002

HAMAS fundraiser this week-end in Cleveland for CAIR

While Soros backed anarchists and jihadists link arms in the world's most peculiar street alliance to protest the G20 gathering (for some reason beyond my comprehension these not-so-bright and on-the-payroll young'ns confused our rookie-pres with an evil capitalist conspiracy), HAMAS will be raking in the dollars for more home grown terror activity (can't call it that at the White House) right here in Ohio. As if Cleveland didn't have enough problems of its own making. Read about it here and be sure to follow the links.

Here are the players: Holy Land Foundation (funneled $12 million to HAMAS)
Monzer Taleb, aka Munzir Taleb, Monzer Talib, (singer-fundraiser for HAMAS)
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) (unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial)

Here are a few profiles of CAIR members and what they've said.

The full article reveals all sorts of links and familial relationships of the band members and the conspiratists. Maybe it's time to ask that hotel chain (Embassy Suites - Cleveland Rockside) why it is renting space to known terrorists?

A Thursday Thirteen rerun from 2007

This was blog number 4206--I don't number them anymore--makes a mess when searching for an old one.

Thursday 13--what I do now I didn't do then

Carol at her blog had written a letter to herself of 10 years ago--the Carol of 1997; I couldn't think of anything for 1997, or 1987, so I dropped back to 1977. The children were 9 and 10, I was working a few hours a day in the main library at Ohio State, we'd joined a new and thriving church the year before. My parents and grandparents were alive, as were all my siblings. If it weren't for the fashions, it was a nice, pleasant decade. So what do I do now, I didn't do then?

1. I make lists. I resisted this for years--and still rarely do it, but if there is a time crunch, I do make a list. I didn't even make a list for groceries, most of the time in the 70s. I just kept a typed list in my purse (same list every week) and could remember what we did and didn't have. Whatever automatic list maker I had in my head, got all filled up.

2. I belong to a book club now--joined in 2000, and the group is in its 26th year. However, I think I read less, but I do have more variety because on my own I rarely read fiction or mysteries.

3. I'm more proactive about my health, but still hate to exercise.

4. I occasionally have a glass of red wine--didn't drink at all until after my heart ablation in 2002, and still have never tasted beer (I think it smells like something has been left in the laundry basket).

5. I wear glasses now--prescription. I think I purchased reading glasses at a drugstore in the late 70s or early 80s, but didn't get into daily wear until 1993.

6. I travel outside the country now, but for years travel meant driving with 2 kids in the back seat (Mahhhhhaaaam, she's looking at me!) to visit relatives in Indiana and Illinos. Actually, in 1978 we did drive to Florida. Boy, is that a treat with squirmy, quarreling kids.

River cruise Germany and Austria, 2005
7. I spend more money on myself now than I did in the 70s.

8. Now my kids can cook for me, instead of the other way around. That's really great, and they both seem to enjoy entertaining.

Christmas at our son's home, 2006
9. I control more electronic gadgets in a day than what I would do in a year in 1977--digital camera, scanner, printer, 2 computers, email, blogging, cd player, DVD and VCR, several remotes, microwave, etc. Not into I-podding, blackberry, cell phones or MP3-ing. We have 6 TVs--we had one in 1977. The little photograph printer I bought this summer is still in the box, however, and I haven't connected my new mouse.

10. I pay more attention to political, national and international news, and read several newspapers, business and medical journals, but pay less attention to what's happening locally with the schools and city, and only read the local paper a few times a week.

11. I write more--I always wrote a lot (letters, essays, work related things)--a few hours a week, but now it is several hours a day.

12. I drive an older car now--in 1977 I had a 1976 Buick; now I drive a 6 year old van. Of course, I kept that Buick until 1985--tip for you parents: old sedans are great for teenagers.

13. I eat out more--it's a social thing, and there are many more restaurants to tempt us than 30 years ago. I go out earlier now for coffee--used to wait until the kids were in school, now I'm often the first customer.

New York Times reports

Now that Obama is president and NYT helped put him there. . . "It turns out there are terrorists in Iraq, retreat does embolden the enemy, the U.S. military was not just locking up innocent Iraqis for no reason, and American troops have improved the situation in Iraq considerably, not made it worse, at least over the past couple of years.

Now they tell us! What's changed, of course, is that Iraq is no longer the partisan flashpoint it was between 2003 and 2008, when opponents of the Bush administration saw American failure there as the key to their own political success. As it turned out, they were able to succeed politically even as America was at last succeeding militarily in Iraq. But now the tables are turned. It is President Obama's responsibility to ensure that success does not turn to failure." James Taranto, Apr. 1, 2009

Small wonder that the print press is slowly dying.

Losing the game with a rookie

"Barack Obama is a rookie in a sense that few other Presidents in American history have ever been. It is not just that he has never been President before. He has never had any position of major executive responsibility in any kind of organization where he was personally responsible for the outcome.

Other first-term Presidents have been governors, generals, cabinet members or others in positions of personal responsibility. A few have been senators, like Barack Obama, but usually for longer than Obama, and had not spent half their few years in the senate running for President."

Soft on our enemies and hard on our allies; his "change" is a throwback to a very old, and tired regime no longer taught in our schools. Read the whole article about how rookies can lose the game for you, by Thomas Sowell.

Clinton White House or April Fools Day?

"Journalists seeking to talk a little foreign policy with high-profile Obama administration officials live from the G20 meetings in London this week were solicited for phone sex instead after ringing up the toll-free number given by the White House.

In a press release, the White House accidentally listed a sex line number for journalists seeking an "on-the-record briefing call with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Jim Jones to discuss the NATO summit."

But after dialing, a soft-voiced female recording that was clearly not Clinton asked for a credit card number if you "feel like getting nasty." " Fox News

And then someone who watched the G20 press conference wrote on a wiki (blog?): "First and foremost, why isn't the national and international media making fun of President Obama for being a stammering idiot with a puny vocabulary? I didn't believe it until I just watched for myself, but Obama is a stuttering fool and seems to barely be able to manage a coherent sentence. He speaks worse than I write!

After President Obama's G20 press conference was over, I was stunned. Again he made numerous gaffs and can't seem to answer a question without going off on some tangent that has nothing to do with the original question. Obama continually called on reporters that are allies to the socialist cause and Obama knew would ask softball questions that would make himlook good, which is know easy task.

From day one, the American media attacked G.W. Bush for speaking exactly as Obama does, stammering and making little or no sense. I would readily admit that Bush was much worse at public speaking than Obama, but Obama clearly lacks the ability to speak without a teleprompter in front of him."

I was in the car, but I think I picked up a few -er, -uh, -um's during a news break and changed the station. That man hurts my ears. Even the sentences that do make sense, seem awfully elementary and repetitious. Doesn't he rehearse?

The city Easter Egg Hunt (Roll)

Maggie in Toledo writes:

"The City of Toledo is facing a $27.7 million deficit. The mayor is talking about laying off police officers, cutting salaries by 10% and voiding all labor contracts.

But we've somehow got enough money for an Easter Egg Hunt????"

Yes, Upper Arlington is having one too--Civic Association--probably not parks and rec. I have no idea how much it costs. They are awful. Just awful. I think our kids were about 5 and 6 when we finally decided they might be old enough for a little group fun. OHMYGOSH. It was a stampede--kids screaming and yelling and fighting. I'd never seen anything like it. My little ones were terrified and cried. I was horrified. Even 50 cents would be too much to contribute to watching spoiled suburban kids knocking each other down to grab a piece of smushed chocolate.

Dye and hide the eggs at home; it's a lot more fun and much safer.

How Obama has killed the economy and ambition in only 2 months

See my Coffee Spills blog.

Coast Guard and a domed stadium

Fargo has it all. The Coast Guard crews in boats and helicopters were rescuing people from their homes in Fargo. There apparently was even a heroic sheriff's deputy [unnamed by USAToday] as the river crested near the stadium. Now, I know the line of responsibility between the North Dakota Governor and the President of the United States, but where are the lashings from the press and the ridicule from the comedians who should be reporting that President Obama doesn't like white people. After all, he is prancing around Europe while people in the midwest are fleeing their homes in blizzards and floods. Where are the movie stars in hip boots or do they only show up when NOLA floods?

President Barack Obama has dispatched the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the region.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Nancy Ward is in Fargo and Obama has personally spoken with the governors of both states and with Fargo's mayor.

Gibbs said the federal government is working closely with state and local leaders to give them any help they need. He also implored citizens in both states to be vigilant in tracking flood conditions.

The vacuous USAToday actually praised Obama for even noticing in a radio address that they were in trouble. Sweet.

The stories of sharing and survival on the shores of the swollen Red River have mounted in recent days, almost as quickly as the flood waters rose. There was the sheriff's deputy who rounded up 2,000 sandbags and a college wrestling team to stack them, trying to save a stranger's rural home. And the thousands of volunteers who gathered in the domed stadium in Fargo, N.D., to fill 2.5 million bags with sand in a five-day race against the cresting river.

President Obama, inspired by their stubborn battle against nature, used his Saturday radio address to praise the sandbaggers and the college students who gave up spring breaks to help.

Pay for Performance

Neil Cavuto screams at the bill sponsor, H.R. 1664, who won't answer any questions except that Timmy "the Dodge" Geithner will be able to set the pay scale--probably of anyone, because this isn't limited to Wall Street. He sounds like a pouty teen (Alan Grayson), "Why would you say that? Why are you being rude?" Now that Obama has fired a CEO of a private company, which as President of the United States he had no constitutional authority to do, he has emboldened Congress to start their sneaky tricks again, ala Barney Frank and Chris Dodd and the country's melt down. They're pretending that salaries are the problem. That's a huge smoke screen. We've got lawless bandits in Congress who refuses to honor contracts.

Pew Report on the 2008 “Lessons of the Election”

Very little in depth journalism; little investigative punch; reporters drowning in information from various IT sources; newsroom cutbacks hurt.

“But the bottom line is this: In 2008—and much the same could be said in 2000 with the election of President George W. Bush — we elected a president about whom we knew remarkably little, and most of it came from the impression they wanted to create, not from things the press uncovered. That was less true in the elections of Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush or Ronald Reagan.”

Link here.

Obama--a race to the bottom?

Here's more from that The Obama Deception movie. I'm not familiar with any of the people interviewed in the film--except the former MN governor. Maybe talk radio personalities and "experts" far right of Beck and Rush? Lots of anti-Bush and anti-Iraq war stuff. But they definitely think Obama is worse than Bush, whom they also hate. (Note, this is not word-for-word)

George Humphrey, economist and author: "They [there are a lot of "they" and global conspiratorial ideas in this film, but I think this refers to Wall Street Bankers] have created a power elite-- we are not talking about your millionaire down the street. You can't even be a member of their club unless you are a multi-billionaire. And friends, this is not about 'rich vs poor', this is about a very small handful of the worst criminal element on this planet, manipulating and destroying the good people of this nation and this world."

Gerald Clemente, future trends forecaster: "Now this Obama with 'change'-- look at the people he's put in to 'mastermind' the economic recovery. Larry Summers-- I love it.. Every time they talk about Larry Summers, he's always 'brilliant', he's another 'brilliant' one.. he's the one that helped dismantle the Glass-Stegall Act.. the banking act that was put in place in the 1930's, so the banks couldn't become the gangsters that they have become."

Webster Tarpley: "In the 1990s, you have the beginning of the 'derivatives bubble', thanks to people like Alan Greenspan, Rubin, Summers-- people who are now back in the Obama administration. And the derivatives I think are the centerpiece of this entire problem today."

Gerald Clemente: "These are the same people.. 'Geitner' of the Treasury Department.. imagine that, we now have a US Treasury Secretary who also is a Robert Rubin Protege of the Larry Summers Group, that dismantled Glass-Stegall and broke apart the regulations that would have prohibited the banks and brokerages from becoming these criminals. He was the former President of the New York Federal Reserve and now he's our Treasury Secretary?. As we all know, the Federal Reserve is no more federal than Federal Express, it's a private bank. And now we've put this guy in charge of it? Wall Street has hijacked Washington in broad daylight."

. . . George Humphrey: "Every single one of his appointments support the status quo, every single one of his appointments are there to screw the American People, every single one of his appointments are people who are working to bring down the Republic and the Constitution of this country."

Alex Jones: "Even if Barack Obama was the most wonderful person in the world, he was groomed and brought to power by the global elite [yes, there's that term again--I think it's code for Jews] to carry out their agenda. Humanity [he has a very annoying habit of calling people "humanity"] must look past their agenda and realize that presidents come and go, but the shadow government and their program of global enslavement continues."

. . . Webster Tarpley: "Generally speaking, this [Obama] is already the biggest liar and the biggest disappointment that we have seen in recent history-- qualitatively beyond the rather low standards set by Bush the Elder and Clinton in terms of delivering on promises." [I'd certainly agree with this statement.]

Alex Jones: "Bottom line: Obama is a fantastic actor, and an even better liar. His track record is clear-- he has done the opposite of everything he told the people he would do."

Someone said on the film, forgotten who, that if they cataloged all his lies, the film would never end, because they continue. Yes, I'd agree with that charge, too. It is truly amazing that a man who worked as a "community organizer" for nearly a decade, and never became a tenured law professor or wrote a law article or even practiced law, but wrote 2 autobiographical books, got hired by Illinois to represent a district for which he did nothing and which is still poor, and then got elected President on the basis of his looks and ability to speechify and talk black (something he had to learn as a foreign language as an adult). Call it a conspiracy against the American people if you wish, but really, Obama simply makes us look like a bunch of vacuous fools. . .if we're so great and wonderful and good, why would we let this happen?

Update: Apparently the conspiracy includes Google and YouTube, too: "YouTube is acting as a political police goon squad for the establishment, attempting to make sure as few people as possible see this important documentary."

April Fool--first new tax on the poor

As I noted yesterday, I have little sympathy with smokers, but Obama's new cigarette tax which will impact low-income smokers the most with an average of 13.3% increase and a decrease in state services which depend on those taxes, is really regressive. The SCHIP increase isn't helping those who don't have health insurance, it's pulling most enrollees off the insurance of the working parents' companies, which will cause other insured rates to go up, or companies to fail, so the government (Democrats and clueless RINOs) can further increase SCHIP to include 50 and 60 year olds not yet ready for Medicare. What a plan our great leader has for our low-income families.

This sin tax now is up from $.39 to $1.01 and the cigarette smuggling business is booming. See Brad Schiller article in WSJ. It really is a throw back to the days of FDR, taxing anything that was enjoyable like candy or movies, which hit the unemployed the hardest, and then enroll them in the WPA. Obama's new mandatory "volunteer" act to keep millions from working and on the dole just passed a few days before his April Fool tax--do you suppose they are related?

Also, the duplicity is amazing. Stop smoking programs and drugs have been shown to do nothing, but they are still funded by the government. Even the "quit help lines" which may be private and non-profit, use government grants. Then the researchers get grants to study the drugs, to whine about how the drugs aren't getting to the low-income, and then to do studies on how they don't work anyway. See JAMA, March 11, 2009, "Setting the National Tobacco Control Agenda."

There are now smoking cessation quit lines in every state, but because there are few resources, they can help only 1$ to 2% of smokers quit."

Notice, it's always the money and not the method that fails? And then in the front of that issue you find,

"Emerging evidence suggests the smoking-cessation drug varenicline is among a growing list of medications that might cause serious psychiatric adverse events."

To say nothing of the weight gain problem that often results from the non-smoking programs.

How to use the new code words

USAToday and WSJ editors are struggling with the new terrorism language in English. It's come down from on high--don't say anything mean about those guys threatening to blow up the White House--if we act really weak maybe they'll choose another target. Here's what appeared in the USAToday story about the terrorist attact (Taliban/ Mehsud) on the Pakistani police station.

"deadly assault"
"retaliate"
"militant bases"
"Mehsud plans to attack Washington and White House" [this was said twice in both articles; apparently repetition for emphasis is good if you can't use plain English about terrorism, and if you live in DC]
"striking targets"
"killed Benazer Bhuto" [the WSJ didn't get the memo, and used the more volatile "assassinated"
"harbor foreign fighters"
"revenge"
"launch and attack"
"sparked a stand-off"
"stormed a compound"
"some gunmen blew themselves up" [good-bye suicide bomber language]
"seige-style approach"
"seige of Mumbai" [remember when this story first came out before the language revision rules?]
"men arrested"
but here's the phrase that replaced EVIL, TERROR, etc. "cancer of extremism"

The WSJ actually used "terrorist attack on the U.S. capital" twice and called it Bhuto's assassination, but then downgraded to

"assault on a police academy"
"raided"
"avenge"
"attack"
"retaliation"
and it calls al-Qaeda "a group," "loyalists," "growing power of Taliban factions."

And so the U.S. print media, waiting for its bailout from Obama, continues on the search for wimp-out words. Do you suppose fewer would fail if they weren't just megaphones for the Democrats?