A letter to Congress about Syria

What Calvin Garlick wrote to his Congressman:

This is in response to the Syrian crisis that is ongoing. First, I will plainly state that I am AGAINST military action in Syria. It is has nothing to do with the humanitarian effort that all the politicians state or chemical weapons at that. The rebels clearly stated several times, they committed the offenses of using the chemical weapons. Second, this intervention is strictly geopolitical warfare and that it will not accomplish anything of real significance except more instability in the region, American troops getting deployed (don't act like they won't), and prove to the "east" that we are too war hungry. How can we say the Chechen militants, the Iraqi insurgents, and AL Qaeda (who are they ONLY ones who are making real advances against Assad) will be a fair partner even to Saudi Arabia? This is dangerous behavior. Doing nothing is not a serious consequence. It really is not. Tell them CIA guys and those Saudi guys to drop the advances. This is not anti-American rhetoric. It WILL save our troops lives. It was a stupid pick of a fight. Plus, this effort will leave Iran wide open to a preemptive strike against Saudi Arabia especially in an economic slowdown. This is the perfect time to strike for them. Consider that you politicians right now are the REAL ones about to start WW3. I don't want to look back at our country (if it even exists) and say "Son, We started that big war that killed so many people." Its so sad that I actually have to visualize this is a real thing. So, please I beg of you, the Syrians protested and were killed. Let them know it didn't work. Much like Bahrain and Qatar which they were brutally oppressed just the same during the same time. Please don't become the Bush/Cheney administration again. Its was a disgrace then and it still is now. Thank you for your time and Good Night

I don’t know Calvin, but saw this on HuffPo’s Facebook, a very liberal site full of crazies.  He sounded sensible and thoughtful.  And I would add, whether you agree or not, Bush actually did have a plan—he said many times, he thought the Afghans and Iraqis deserve the same freedoms we’ve enjoyed.  It was naïve.  We don’t need to impose our system on countries buried in the 7th century. Bush also had the assurances of Kerry, Pelosi, Clinton, Waxman, Edwards, and others, that there were definitely WMD in Iraq.  The same group that backed off later, then today is assuring us that terrible chemical weapons are being used in Syria. Bush also spent months leading up to the invasion in talks with Congress, and had strong support.

Why Obama wants us to go to war

Obama plans a gay rights push in Russia

Michael Wolfe writes on FB: 

“You have no patience. You hypocrite. You persecute homeschoolers already granted asylum from Nazi era anti-homeschool law, you persecute Christian businesses for not subsidizing sexual perversion and now your love for homosexual behavior and unconstitutional warmongering could help start WWIII. The bloodiest Nobel peace recipient in history? There's one for the books.”

The hypocrisy of a president who wouldn’t support gay marriage until he was sure it wouldn’t hurt him politically, or championing athletes and celebrities who hid in the closet for years, is just beyond me.

Sick.

Our government lies with photos

"Secretary of State John Kerry opened his speech Friday by describing the horrors victims of the chemical weapon attack suffered, including twitching, spasms and difficulty breathing. Attempting to drive the point home, Kerry referenced a photograph used by the BBC illustrating a child jumping over hundreds of dead bodies covered in white shrouds. The Secretary of State forgot to mention, however, that this photo was taken during US intervention in Iraq back in 2003." Journal of Turkish Weekly.

Because of all the scandals and lies of this administration, they can't be trusted on the issue of Syria, and may well be using this to cover the messes they've been making the last 5 years.

THINGS YOUR MOTHER SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.
2. Use a meat baster to “squeeze” your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and you’ll get perfectly shaped pancakes every time....
3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
4. To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.
5. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan and the marshmallow won’t stick to your fingers.
6. To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.
7. To easily remove burned food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on the stovetop.
8. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces and there won’t be any stains.
9. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won’t be any white mess on outside of the cake.
10. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it’s still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant “fix me up.”
11. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
13. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.
14. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.
15. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but if it rises to the surface, throw it away.
16. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
17. Don’t throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
18. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
19. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.
20. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
21. Ants, ants, ants everywhere. Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.

Some of these I’ve heard of—like the pinch of salt in hard cooked eggs, but I make my corn on the cob in the micro wave since my husband doesn’t eat it and that’s very easy. This was posted on FB by Kathy Bennetch who I met as a blogger.

Alka-Seltzer tips

Now look what you can do with Alka-Seltzer.

Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent antacid and pain reliever first marketed by the Dr. Miles Medicine Company. It was developed by Maurice Treener, head chemist at Miles, in Elkhart, Indiana. Alka-Seltzer is marketed for relief of minor aches, pains, inflammation, fever, headache, heartburn, sour stomach, indigestion, and hangovers, while neutralizing excess stomach acid.  It was launched in 1931. Wikipedia

1. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.

2. Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.

3. Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

4. Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

5. Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

Back home again, in Indiana

The world's largest orchid species collection is found at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana .

Tomato juice was first served at a French Lick, Indiana, hotel in 1925. The first tomato juice factory was also in French Lick, Indiana. French Lick was originally a French trading post built near a spring and salt lick.

World famous basketball star Larry Bird lives in French Lick.

The first regulated speed limit (20 - 25 mph!) was initiated on Indiana roads in 1921.

The steepest railroad grade in the world is in Madison, Indiana .

An average of 400 funnel clouds are sighted each year in Indiana .

The city of Gary, Indiana, was built on fill brought from the bottom of Lake Michigan through suction pipes.

There are only two Adams fireplaces in the United States. One is in the White House and the other in the Diner Home in Indiana .

Josie Orr, wife of former Indiana Governor Robert Orr, flew bombers and cargo planes during World War II.

The Indianapolis Methodist Hospital is the largest Hospital in the Midwest .

One of the first complete bathrooms in Indianapolis was in the home of Hoosier poet, James Whitcomb Riley.

The career of Dorothy Lamour (famous for the Bing Crosby-Bob Hope Road Movies) was launched in Indianapolis.

Aviatrix Amelia Earhart was once a Professor at Purdue University.

Crown Hill Cemetery ( Indianapolis ) is the largest cemetery in the U.S. Many of my husband’s maternal relatives are buried there.

The library in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, houses one of the largest genealogy libraries in America .

Wabash, Indiana, was the first electrified city in the U.S.

Pendleton, Indiana, was the site of the first hanging of a white man for killing Indians.

The Courthouse roof in Greensburg, Indiana, has a tree growing from it.

The world's first transistor radio was made in Indianapolis .

Clark Gable and wife Carole Lombard (born in Fort Wayne , IN ) honeymooned at Lake BarBee near Warsaw , Indiana .

The American Beauty Rose was developed at Richmond, Indiana .

Elkhart, Indiana, is the band instrument capitol of the World.

Frank Sinatra first sang with the Tommy Dorsey band at the Lyric Theater in Indianapolis .

Purdue Alumnus, Earl Butz, served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

U.S. 231 is the longest highway in Indiana (231miles).

Johnny Appleseed is buried at Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The singing McGuire Sisters spent their childhood summers at the Church of God Campground in Anderson, Indiana . (I attended camp there one summer for Church of the Brethren Youth Conference.)

The main station of the Underground Railroad was in Fountain County, Indiana .

There are 154 acres of sculpture gardens and trails at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

La Porte County is the only county in America having 2 functioning courthouses.

Nancy Hanks Lincoln is buried in Posey County, Indiana.

The Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Allen County, contains the world's largest private collection of President Abraham Lincoln mementos (Lincoln National Life Insurance Company).

Crawfordsville, Indiana ( Montgomery County ) is one of the few sites in the world where crinoids are found. (What is a crinoid, you ask? A form of deep-water marine life that looks something like a starfish.)

Pendleton, Indiana, was the site of the 'Fall Creek Massacre'. A museum housing 3500 artifacts of pioneer heritage now exists on that site.

St. Meinrad Archabbey is located in Spencer County and is one of only 2 archabbeys in the U.S. and seven in the world. (Abbey Press is an operation of the archabbey.)

A buzz bomb [German ram-jet V-1, pioneer of the "Cruise Missiles"), believed to be the only one on public display in the nation, can be found on the Putnam County Courthouse lawn in Greencastle.

Roberta Turpin Willett was born in Indiana .

James Dean was born and is buried in Indiana.

The world's tallest woman lived in Indiana .

Red Skelton was born in Vincennes, Indiana  (and was a proud Hoosier 'til the day he died!)

Mae West and Claude Akins were from Bedford, Indiana.

John Mellencamp is a Hoosier and resides in Bloomington.

The inventor of the television, Philo T. Farnsworth, lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana .

Forrest Tucker was from Plainfield, Indiana .

You can't ship wine to Indiana .  (Direct to consumer, like UPS or FedEx)

Bob Greise is from Evansville, Indiana and was quarterback at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.

Toni Tenille (of The Captain and Tenille) is from Indiana ..

Oprah Winfrey built her residence in N/W Indiana .

Florence Henderson is from Indiana .

The much sought-after Hoosier Cabinets are an Indiana product.

90% of the world's popcorn is grown in Indiana . (Orville Redenbacher was what percent?)

The Jackson Five are from Gary , Indiana .

The birthplace of the American automobile, the pneumatic rubber tire, the aluminum casting process, stainless steel and the first push-button car radio was in Kokomo, Indiana.

Frank Borman, NASA astronaut, born in Gary, Indiana.

I received this via e-mail, but most can be found at Facts about Indiana at the State Library site.

Three years of Obama’s views on marriage, civil rights, and faith

Obama has been guilty of many lies and flip-flops. Based on some things he said/believed while campaigning, is he a homophobe?  Those of us who believe that marriage is between one  man and one woman, that it does not include legalized polygamy, incest, pedophilia or same sex relationships, and for that historically sound belief that thousands of generations and cultures have held to, we have been called homophobes,  I offer this excerpt from American Thinker by Joshua Foxworth.

“Prior to becoming president, Barack Obama repeatedly asserted that marriage was not a "civil right." This goes back to his debate with Alan Keyes in 2004, in which he clearly and repeatedly asserted that marriage was not a civil right, but that property matters and hospital visitation were. After becoming president, Obama compared the struggle for marriage to that of the civil rights struggles of African-Americans. Since Obama's endorsement of gay marriage, the White House website now clearly classifies marriage under the civil rights tab. Thus, marriage was not a civil rights issue before Obama was president, and now it is.

In multiple interviews and debates, Senator Obama asserted that the issue of marriage was one to be decided by the states. He noted that the federal government simply did not have a constitutional role in marriage. However, not long after assuming office, the president endorsed the Respect for Marriage Act. While the White House website asserts that this legislation is intended to prevent the federal government from denying rights to same-sex couples, simply reading the summary of the bill shows that this is not the case. The legislation clearly states that it would repeal the parts of DOMA that allow a state to decide for itself how to define marriage, and force a marriage carried out in one state to be recognized in all states. Thus, marriage was a states' rights issue prior to the Obama presidency, and now it is not.

Finally, there is the issue of faith. In 2004, State Senator Obama clearly and articulately denoted his view that his faith dictated the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. In his interview to endorse gay marriage, the president asserted that his faith dictated that we should treat others as we would like to be treated. Without addressing the problems with this assertion and the questions it raises about the president's knowledge of his faith, consider this: as little as three years ago, the president's faith told him that marriage was between one man and one woman, and now it tells him the opposite.”

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/05/obamas_marriage_masquerade.html#ixzz2dus2mTB1

Pelosi back peddles on Obamacare—she read the bill

Chemical attacks on children American style

Rachael Ray Philly cheesesteak minis

I made these but didn’t use them as a snack.  I froze them in packages of 10 or 12, and would bring them out as needed and microwave briefly, either for a meal or a sandwich (2 will do it and press them down). I don’t know why it wouldn’t work as meatballs.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs  ground beef (1 lb per muffin tin)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose biscuit mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups shredded provolone cheese, divided
• Salt and pepper
• Cooking spray

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Yields: 4-6 as a snack (fills 2 mini muffin tins)

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Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Put 2 mini muffin pans into the hot oven for a few minutes until hot. While mini muffin pan is preheating, prepare the Philly cheesesteak mixture.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat. Once brown, add the onion, peppers and Worcestershire, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

In a medium bowl, mix the biscuit mix, milk, cooled meat mixture and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Pull the hot pan out of the oven and spray muffin cups with cooking spray. Use a small scoop to evenly scoop heaping scoopfuls of the biscuit mixture into all of the mini muffin cups. Top each scoop of mixture with a little sprinkle of cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top.

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=4877

Christmas Pretzels

Christmas Pretzels Recipe
Ingredients:
Small Pretzels
Hershey’s Kisses (unwrapped)
M&Ms...
Directions:
Top each pretzel with a Hershey’s Kiss, and place in a preheated 200ºF oven for 10 minutes. Remove and immediately press an m&m into the top of each kiss. Let cool completely! (If you don’t eat them all immediately, that is!) Would also work with fall or Halloween colors.

Not racism; just realistic

Nine years ago in October 2004 Mychal Massie in “Darth Democrat”  warned the nation about then Senator Obama from Illinois--his Chicago style, his lies, his Muslim and socialist sympathies, his distain for infants born alive during abortions, the way he could suck you in with a turn of a phrase. Few listened.

He nailed it.

He is eloquent, well spoken, with a membrane-thin veiled socialist agenda cloaked in flowery speech. But unlike Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn. – who had to be reminded by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., that while congressional blacks were no longer relegated to ticket taker in a cloakroom, they had better not forget their place – Barack Obama, D-Ill., is just the kind of black man elite liberals can use.

His positions on crime, sex education for grades K-5, homosexual marriage and taxes are out of the mainstream of the so-called liberal mainstream.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2004/11/27577/#r2Uxj6jE0Po16DXe.99

Massie is black.

Welfare is a disincentive to work

“The current welfare system provides such a high level of benefits that it acts as a disincentive for work,” Tanner and Hughes write in their new paper. “Welfare currently pays more than a minimum-wage job in 35 states, even after accounting for the Earned Income Tax Credit,” which offers extra subsidies to low-income workers who take work. “In 13 states [welfare] pays more than $15 per hour.”

“In Hawaii it is $60,590 in annual welfare benefits, once you account for the fact that welfare benefits are tax-free to the recipient, compared to work-related wages. That’s the equivalent of $29.13 an hour.”

Do you make that much?

Forbes

Tickle Me Elmo

My mother-in-law died 15 years ago. She was in a nursing home briefly before she died and my husband bought her a Tickle Me Elmo doll that talked, and since she had become rather child like, she just loved it. That toy was so popular when first issued scalpers could get $1500 for them. For 15 years it has sat in his office. This summer it has started blurting out it's message, and frankly the first time I heard it, it scared me to death. Imagine that weird voice coming out of nowhere and laughing . . .

We are leaderless, friendless and less much less under this president

His plan is working.

Labor Day 1963—Monday Memories

Fifty years ago Labor Day was also September 2  and I went into labor—I remembered that today reading Abby Johnson’s account of a medication abortion (mifepristone and misoprostol), her second. She and her husband were getting a divorce, and she was a volunteer at Planned Parenthood, and “chose” this option based on what counseling she received and thought it would be easier than a surgical abortion (she’d already had one of those).  She was lied to about the amount of pain and bleeding she should expect, and she was afraid she would die as she bled and passed clots for hours.  Alone.  She returned to PP later and asked why she hadn’t been warned and was told that the pain and bleeding is played down, or no one would choose it (I suspect that medication abortions are much more lucrative, and don’t require qualified medical people to be on hand).

After 50 years, I’m a little vague on the details, but I do remember that my second pregnancy had been uncomfortable from day one. . . like someone were pressing needles into my abdomen.  In this photo I was about 6 weeks pregnant and not feeling good at all.  I can remember a few weeks before the miscarriage having sudden bleeding, going to the hospital in a taxi accompanied by a nice man (don’t remember his name) who worked down the hall in the communications office (University of Illinois), and he stayed with me in the emergency room being mistaken for my husband. But after a few hours the bleeding stopped and I was sent home only to have it happen again on Labor Day week-end when I was home.

My first clue that something was terribly wrong was that the stabbing needle pain I’d had for three months was completely gone when I woke up in the morning.  I think now the pain ended because the baby was dead and my body was no longer trying to reject it, for whatever reason.  After some hours on the couch, talking on the phone with my sister in Indiana who was an RN and my OB, we decided to go to the hospital.  I don’t remember if I was given drugs or not, but after a few hours of fairly mild labor pains, the nurse came in to check, and then showed me what looked like a bloody softball in the bed pan.  She pressed all over my abdomen to make sure everything was expelled and examined all tissues carefully before sending it to the lab. She hugged me, too.

Like Abby, I bled a lot too with my miscarriage, but was in the hospital, so although I knew I’d lose the baby, I didn’t fear for my life and I wasn’t lying on the bathroom floor covered in blood, urine, feces and vomit, violently ill from powerful drugs that induce a miscarriage. And I wasn’t alone.

For Abby’s account of her “safe, legal, and quick” medication abortion check her story.

Reconnecting back in Columbus

                 

We take our newer HD flat screen TV to the lake in the summer, and then bring it back. I've rescanned the channels because the lake area channels don’t work in Columbus (we can get Detroit, Cleveland and Ontario there), and am surprised at the additional programming I didn’t have when we left in June. Not sure they’ve been added, or I missed them in the original scan.  I now have 2 channels on zero, and am getting DIY and 2 more c-span than I had before (no box so the selections are limited) and a few more I haven't identified. I’m getting Me-TV which I didn’t have before and an Ohio sports channel.  Both Fox 28 and WOSU are coming in on 2 different channels.

Don’t let Obama waffle us or sweet talk us again

Zucchini-Sausage Split

Serve this tasty morsel for brunch, or with salad for lunch, or cut into quarters for hors d’oeuvures. We enjoyed this at the Idlewyld Bed and Breakfast in Lakeside, Ohio and I asked Joan for the recipe.

1 pound finely chopped zucchini

1 chopped onion

14 oz. jar of salsa (Chi chi)

1 pound grated cheddar cheese'

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated

1 pound cooked bulk sausage

2 beaten eggs

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 cups bread or cracker crumbs

Season with salt, ppper, oregano, or fresh herbs

English muffin halves

Mix all ingredients together and spoon over toasted muffin halves.  Broil until golden and serve hot.  Serves 12