IT'S TIME FOR AN OLIO POST

I have often wondered why we allow ourselves to be led around like so many herd animals. There's got to be a reason other than our instinct for survival. After all, Docs approve of smoking. ^

Don't forget to click on the header.

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Gillian Gibbons, 54, was given 15 days in jail late Thursday after she was convicted of insulting religion.

This was in Sudan. Or maybe Darfur, since the government of Sudan is responsible for the ethnic cleansing going on there.

Gillian Gibbons, an apparently dedicated teacher who gave up a comfortable, safe life in England was arrested and jailed. For a charge we have never heard of: "Insulting Religion"?

I wonder how the rabid atheists here feel about that?

What are facts of her crime? Simple. Non-arguable. Direct. She allowed her class to name a stuffed Teddy Bear "Mohammed". By Jiminy (I'd say Holy Mackerel but that might get me in trouble) that's definitely insulting. A soft, cuddly loving teddy bear just has to be insultingly named after a religious figure.

Now there are "thousands of club wielding and knife waving" people in the streets of the Khartoum.

Here's a suggestion to end this inanity: The American, Canadian and English governments will inform Sudan that if the teacher and her child are not on a plane to England by midnight tonight, all aid to Sudan and Darfur will cut off at that time. No ships will be allowed to dock in their ports, no aircraft will land at their airports, no overland trucks will be permitted to enter their country.

I don't have any myself, but if did have pet pigs, guess what I might name them?

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Since this an olio post here's something else:

A person (who shall remain nameless) asked me "Why should the American people change their life style to accommodate people who are here illegally?"

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Massachusetts considering outlawing spanking 11-28-2007In 1999, the highest court in the state of Massachusetts ruled that parents could spank their children as long as it didn't cause serious bodily harm.

Today, they are considering a bill that would make corporal punishment illegal. With corporal punishment defined as "the willful infliction of physical pain or injurious or humiliating treatment," legislator Jay Kaufman says, "We need to have a serious public conversation, not about spanking - that's not what this is about - but where people cross the line and abuse their children." And while some lawmakers and parents feel it is not the place of the state to tell them how to raise their children, psychologist Teresa Whitehurst agrees that this is a conversation worth having. "The state has always had rights in this area" such as "child safety seats in cars," she says. "We're not saying parents can't make choices. We're just saying let's move toward nonviolent methods."I personally do not believe spanking is an appropriate form of discipline. To me, hitting is always wrong and not something I want to teach my child. But passing laws that are ultimately open to interpretation makes me a bit nervous. And it seems backwards to ban corporal punishment for the purpose of opening up a dialog. Can't we have that conversation without lawmakers getting involved?

"...passing laws that are ultimately open to interpretation makes me a bit nervous." That's a scary statement. Ms. Whitehurst needs to get a grip on reality. If our laws were not open to interpretation, we'd have no use for our court systems, nor the Supreme Court. I don't even want think about that situation. sound like Darfur to me.

If you remember, I am against Zero Tolerance anywhere it rears its ridiculous head.

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I like this quote: "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Well, at least we beat Arizona in one ranking:

No. 2 -- New Mexico New Mexico's coiffed tourist image of open desert spaces, Earth-conscious living and colorful hot-air balloons belie a serious crime problem in this border state.Rankings in Crime

Murder: 6

Rape: 2 Robbery: 25

Assault: 2

Burglary: 2

Motor Vehicle Theft: 14

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No. 1 - Nevada...

. No. 3 -- Arizona Another border state tops the list of Most Dangerous States; there's more to fear here than black widow spiders and scorpions.

Rankings in Crime

Murder: 5 Rape: 24

Robbery: 15

Assault: 16

Burglary: 11

Motor Vehicle Theft: 2

Just remember that Bill Richardson told us that he's made New Mexico safer for everybody.

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I hearken to Ezra Pound:

"Winter is icumin in.

Lude sing 'goddamn!'

Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,

And how the wind doth ram.

Sing goddamn, damn, lude sing goddamn!"

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The madam opened the brothel door to see a rather dignified, well-dressed good-looking man in his 50s or maybe early 60s.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"I want to see Valerie," the man replied.

"Sir, Valerie is one of our most expensive ladies. Perhaps you would prefer someone else," said the madam.

"No. I must see Valerie" was the man's reply. Just then, Valerie appeared and announced to the man that she charged $1,000 a visit. Without hesitation, the man pulled out ten one hundred dollar bills, gave them toValerie, and they went upstairs. After an hour, the man calmly left.

The next night, the same man appeared again, demanding to see Valerie. Valerie explained that none had ever come back two nights in a row--too expensive--and there were no discounts. The price was still $1,000.

Again the man pulled out the money, gave it to Valerie and they went upstairs. After an hour, he left. The following night the man was there again. Everyone was astounded that he had come for the third consecutive night but he paid Valerie and they went upstairs.

After their session, Valerie questioned the man. "No one has ever been with me three nights in a row. Where are you from?" she asked.

The man replied "Arkansas."

"Really?" she said. "I have family in Arkansas."

"I know," the man said. "Your father died and I am your sister's attorney. She asked me to give you your $3,000 inheritance."

The moral of the story is that THREE things in life are certain:

1. Death

2. Taxes

3. Getting screwed by a lawyer.

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We need to show more sympathy for these people.

They travel miles in the heat. They risk their lives crossing a border. They don't get paid enough wages. They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do. They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language. They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day every day.

I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans; I'm talking about our troops! Doesn't it seem strange that many members of Congress are willing to lavish allkinds of social benefits on illegal's, but don't support our troops?

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NSW Department of Lands and Resources provides better arials than Google Earth If you are a resident of New South Wales, Australia, and you feel that Google Earth just doesn’t cut it for your top-down visuals, you now have options: the NSW Department of Lands and Resources has provided a service that displays more detailed photographs, and even pics from different eras for your viewing pleasure. At the Spacial Information Exchange website ( www.six.nsw.gov.au), and with the assistance of a browser plug-in, you can get down to the very street level of areas in NSW. However, that’s not the best part; with “SIX” you can view historical photographs to assess change in specific areas dating as far back as 60 years ago, according to IDM.net. Is Google shaking in it’s proverbial boots because a few users choose to use another imaging service than its own? Probably not. However, options are what drives progress, and hopefully other states will begin releasing dated photographs in their own iterations so users can glean more from their top-down satellite imagery than what car was parked on the corner 3 months ago on their street.

I don't know if this spies on you or not as opposed to host, which does.

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"An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought."

- Simon Cameron