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

WELCOME TO MEXICO, YANKEE

There is an article in the header that shows why an immigrant is against Driver's Licenses for illegals. Just click it.

I wanted to get your attention for this post. I know it succeeded in a couple of cases.

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I'm not sure which political party I'm the most disgusted with over this Driver's Licenses (DL) for illegal aliens business. .

The Democrats, in general, seem to feel that it would be ok to give them out to people who are in this country illegally. Some of the Republican candidates agree with this. .

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I have a problem with this, however. Since the States issue DL's why should they surrender this right to the Federal government?

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While watching the almost total lack of any action in any sphere by the sitting Senate and House representatives over the past year, it occurred to me that we don't really need any Federal law ordering the states to issue, or not issue, DLs to illegals. It has been stated that far too many bills (laws, acts, whatever) are approved or disapproved by our representatives without that person even reading them. It may sound cavalier on my part, but it has to be an ugly fact. If it isn't true, then why are so many of them bad and totally inadequate for the subject they concern? After all, the majority of our reps are college grads and the majority of them are lawyers. I've heard, from other sites, that the poor dears are so overworked they sometimes don't have time to read what they are voting on.

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Busy with what? Well, they have to see all the lobbyists and other people with an axe to grind to help individual businesses. And then there are the (paid for) trips to other lands, vacation spots, holiday events and tours and meetings in various locations around the U.S. and the world.

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But about issuing DLs to illegals. Is it possible that those in power don't grasp the fact that once one has a DL, it is a simple matter to register to vote? Voter registration cards are easy to get, easy to fill out and easy to return to the registrar. If you remember the application you filled out years ago, they don't even ask if you are a citizen. So I guess that means we must be quite willing to allow non-citizens to elect our law makers. Maybe we should send a few millions to China and Iran and Russia and North Korea and any other country that wants them? And let's not forget those countries that our State Department says we shouldn't visit. They'd probably love to help elect a President and Representatives for us.

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I'm quoting from a comment in http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/OPINION03/711150362 "Iowa on its own, however, could issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. It's a matter of public safety. That's why the New Iowans Policy Task Force, created by former Gov. Tom Vilsack, asked the 2007 Legislature to consider doing just that. That idea went nowhere, and it's not likely to go anywhere in 2008, especially after what happened in New York. Ignoring the problem, however, will not make it go away."

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Iowa, and all our states need to recognize that we, and the illegals, are a mobile country. If I can get a license from Iowa (or any other state) it is a simple matter to then apply for a new license from any other state as a new resident.

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I seem to remember a famous American who said, unequivocally: "Beware of entangling alliances." I feel like a definite minority accepting that quote.

IS IT IN YOUR FOOD? IS THE FED IN YOUR FOOD?

If you look carefully, you'll see a little illegal alien in this picture. The lettuce is called mache in Spanish, Valerianella locusta in Latin. It's a gourmet form of lettuce. And it is sold in many food stores in the Southwest. I don't know anything other than that about it. Well, maybe the fact the animal is apparently a frog, carrying who knows what diseases. In fact the idea of consuming any of this lettuce is not being given any room in my cluttered mind. How should I put it? "There's enough s**t in my head now"? "No more p**s and vinegar, thank you"? You get the idea. . When America imports food stuffs don't we have the right to ask that it be readied for us by our standards? Well, yes. And no. Yes, we have the right to demand this from our federal and state governments. No we don't, according to the sellers and buyers of the the raw product. (Raw seemed to fit well here.) . Complaining to either of these governments (ours and theirs) can be most frustrating and lead one in circles that are like crop circles (do you suppose?) that never seem to end. If you don't believe that, here's a little test you can perform. Write down a question to ask the IRS. Call the IRS, read the question and carefully record the response with pen and paper. Hang up, call the 1-800 number again and read the same question. Write down their answer. Hang up and call the number again. Read the question. Write down their answer. The odds are all three will be different responses. Keep calling and you might get an infinite variety of answers. And the IRS cannot be held responsible if they give you the wrong answer and you wind up with a fine and late fees. That's in their rules. Federal Income Tax was first started in 1862 to pay for the Civil War and was eliminated in 1872. Then it was revived in 1894 and declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court the next year. In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution made the income tax a permanent blight on our lives. The Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935 and the first payment was made into it in 1937. Under this law, only retirement benefits were paid to the primary worker. In 1939 a change in the law added survivors benefits and benefits for the retiree's spouse and children. In 1956 Disability benefits were added. The original 1935 law contained the first national unemployment compensation program, aid to the states for various health and welfare programs, and the Aid to Dependent Children program. Franklin Roosevelt, President and multimillionaire, saw that many businesses had no retirement nor pension plans and forced the bill through a Congress who did not want it enacted. They were afraid of losing the support of big business who supplied them with perks and money for re-election campaigns. The cost was low to the average wage earner. A few pennies out of their paychecks. People thought, correctly, that there would be some money coming in after the business world was through with them. Poor houses would become a thing of the past. And the people were right and the houses disappeared. And contentment reigned in the country. (The children of the retirees were happy that they wouldn't have to hold two jobs to support the parents in their old age. Parents were happy because they wouldn't have to take orders from their snot nosed kids. Everybody was happy. COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment) were first paid in 1975. Before that, Congress played the catch me when you can game before giving them raises. However, Congress, which gives itself and the President raises when it feels like it, decided that retired people didn't need to have their COLA figured on the same basis that Federal Government employees did. Maybe they thought that retirees paid less for food, less for cars and gasoline and repairs, less for housing costs, less for clothing than gov employees. Maybe. . This coming year, retirees are being treated to a magnificent 2.3% COLA because of the way it is figured. (Bean counters another 1, citizens 0.) The message I see the government sending is: If you don't like it, stick it in your gas tank. I think that perhaps the last president we had who really cared about the average citizen was John F. Kennedy.

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Oh, clicking on the header will take you into an entirely different world.

. I confess, it was a sneaky way to get into this subject.

WE'RE GIVING THANKS TODAY

One word sums up my feelings about today: YUMMY!

Wherever you live, eat, drink and be merry.

The first thanksgiving in America is available clicking on the header.

G. W. BUSH AND HIS PECKER

The header should be clicked on by anyone building a web site.

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I sometimes dig out a picture and then write a post around it.

Since Thanksgiving (American) is just around the corner, I decided you should be impressed by this picture of two turkeys.

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I love Thanksgiving. I love pigging out on turkey and stuffing and smashed potatoes and dressing and rolls and cranberry sauce and eggnog and pumpkin pie. (Wild thing has accused me of being able to eat real turkey at least twice a week. So?What's your point?)

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I also watch football on that day. Real American style football. It's one of my myriad of vices and even Wild Thing has become knowledgeable about it (See, she must love me.)

Speaking of vices, I am an inveterate web surfer as you may have guessed. So there's a couple of sites I found that either tickled me or caught my attention.

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At a news conference, a journalist said to the politician running for the presidency, "Your secretary said publiclythat you have a small penis. Would you please comment onthis?"

"The truth is," replied the politician, "That she has a big mouth."

I wonder who he was refering to?

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A Cat's Dictionary

• Aquarium: interactive television for cats.
• Cataclysm: any great upheaval in a cat's life.
• Catatonic: a feline medicinal drink.
• Caterpillar: a soft scratching post for a cat.
• Cat Scan: to look for a new cat.
• Dog: a cat's device for running practice.
• Im-purr-sonate: to act like the cat.
• Purr-ade: an organized march of cats.
• Purr-adise: the garden of Cats.
• Purr-amour: a cat lover.
• Purr-anoia: the fear that your cat is up to something.
• Purr-aphernalia: a cat's personal belongings.
• Purr-ch: any favored feline napping spot.
• Purr-chase: anything bought for a cat.
• Purr-fume: the scent of an open can of tuna.
• Purr-gatory: a houseful of kittens.
• Purr-petual: everlasting feline love.
• Purr-plex: a house with two or more cats.
• Purr-suit: the garment your shedding cat rubs against just as you are leaving home to go to an important meeting.
• Tuner: sonar-like device in cat food that causes cats to appear.
• Yawn: a cat's honest opinion openly expressed.

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I think it would be a good idea.---

Mahatma Gandhi, when asked what he thought of Western civilization

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Here's a link about the RCMP and counterfeiting:

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2243/135/

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An artistic link:

http://www.younggalleryphoto.com/photography/brandt/brandt.html

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A satiric site:

http://www.rru.com/webodor/

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A really cool Gmail trick If you use your Gmail address to sign up for websites, newsletters, etc. you can use a trick to see if they send you unwanted email or sell your address to others. Normally you would use your email address such as me@gmail.com but you can use a plus sign ( + ) to mark the address because the plus sign and everything between it and the @ sign will be ignored. As an example if you were to sign up for my newsletter and wanted to make sure I'm not lying when I say I won't use your address just sign up as me+coolsites@gmail.com. The newsletter will go to me@gmail.com but be marked as going to mailto:me+coolsites@gmail.com. Then you can use Gmails filters to send that unwanted email to the spam folder or even just delete it. Spam Control for Gmail Users. This is a cool trick to find out if the place you just gave your gmail address to is sending you unwanted email. http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/theoracle/2007/08/09/spam-control-for-gmail-users

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Here's a different kind of site:

http://www.llamaadventures.com/

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Here's a site you should visit and use. Very helpful:

http://secunia.com/software_inspector/

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And finally, one for all the lovely ladies:

http://webby.com/humor/i/cartoon1230.jpg

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

Ah, peace and contentment. Be sure to click the header, please.

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The old grouch here is feelin' pretty mellow and relaxed right now.

In spite of the VA insisting I can't see my Doctor until January.

In spite of the seeming crookedness of our local politicians.

In spite of all the dangerous and ugly things going on in this world.

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I've been smoodging (I think I made that word up...but I bet you can figure out what I meant.) around the Internet today.

Visited a number of sites, went to check up on Microsoft's latest screw ups, downloaded a couple of freebie programs (I don't love downloading them, just trying them out) and removed a couple of oldies that I don't use. Saw some cute things, some nostalgic things, some things that brought back old time Christmas's to me.

Here's a web site I would really like you to visit and interact with: http://ecard.ashland.edu/2004admission/index.html

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It was sent to me by, of all things, a churchie site where I had left a comment. I don't normally visit this kind of site, but for some reason I found myself there a few days ago. I'm glad I did, now.

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I found this quote:

All you need is love.

But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

~ Charles M. Schultz

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I wonder if the approaching season is getting to me?

After all, I've had a lot of Christmases. And presents. And giving. And enjoyment. And great music. I remember the fun and the food and the football and some of the conversations, too.

I come from what was once a large family, but inevitable time and death and distance have broken us apart from each other. We phone various members during the season, but it's too difficult to get together, physically, with them now.

Perhaps Christmas is really meant to be a time of remembering. A time to chuckle over jokes and pranks we pulled on our loved ones.

I can remember when the girls were teens and just as obnoxious as any other youngster. I remember threatening them with something like "Keep that up and you'll get a lump of coal for Christmas." More than once.

While shopping for presents, I wandered into a candy store and LO! there before me, in their glass case were wonderful pieces of licorice made to resemble large lumps of coal.

Yes, I bought them. Yes, the girls were given them as their first (and supposedly only) present and it was fun. Laughter and joy throughout the house. Daddy had struck back.

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Canada has lots of great scenery and many good people. They also have a chain of coffee shops called Tim Horton's. Here's a story I found about them:

Tim Hortons are Canada's favorite donut shops and there are even some in Afghanistan for the Canadian troops there.

Because of the high quality donuts and excellent coffee, they are also a favorite place for police to have their brief lunch and coffee breaks. Whenever you see more than three police cars in the same parking lot in Canada, it is usually either a police station or a Tim Hortons. Imagine the crush at this time of year.

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A lady picked up several items at a Dollar Store here. When she finally got up to the checker, she learned that one of her items had no price tag.

Imagine her embarrassment when the checker got on the intercom and boomed out for all the store to hear,"PRICE CHECK ON LANE THIRTEEN, TAMPAX, SUPERSIZE."

That was bad enough, but somebody at the rear of the store apparently misunderstood the word "Tampax"for "Thumbtacks."

In a business-like tone, a voice boomed back over the intercom. "DO YOU WANT THE KIND YOU PUSH IN WITH YOUR THUMB OR THE KIND YOU POUND IN WITH A HAMMER?"

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Of course, we never forget our cats at Christmas. An interactive toy, a bag of treats (handed out judicially) and petting and rough housing. Which brings me to this observation:

Cats are independent, they don't listen, they don't come in when you call, they like to stay out all night and when they're home, they like to be left alone and sleep.

In other words, every quality that women hate in a man, they love in a cat.

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One day a little boy on a ranch here woke up and sat down at the table expecting breakfast. However, his mother said, "You don't get any breakfast until you do your chores."

Ticked off, the boy goes out to do his chores.

When he goes to milk the cow, he kicks it.

When he goes to get eggs he kicks a chicken.

When he goes to feed the pigs, he kicks a pig.

When the little boy sits down his mother gives him a bowl of dry cereal.

"Where is the bacon, eggs and milk?" asks the little boy.

His mother replies, "I saw you kick the cow, so you don't get any milk; I saw you kick a chicken so you don't get eggs; and I saw you kick a pig so you don't get any bacon!"

Just as she finishes saying this, the boy's father comes down the stairs and kicks the cat.

The little boy looks up at his mother and asks, "Do you want to tell him, or should I?"

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And here's a letter from a New Mexico warrior defending our freedom:

Dear Ma and Pa:

Am well. Hope you are.

Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Army beats working for old man Minch. Tell them to join up quick before all the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. (but am getting so I like to sleep late.

All you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine some things --no hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.

The guys have to shave, but they say it is not bad in warm water, and after I thumped a few of them, they don't tell nobody about why I don't need to shave.

Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, beef, ham steak, fried eggplant, pie and regular food, but you can always sit between two city boys that live on coffee.

Their food plus yours holds you till noon, when you get fed.

It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much. We go on"route marches," which, the Sgt. says, are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it is not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is a casual stroll about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys all get sore feet and we ride back in trucks. The country is nice, but awful flat.

The Sgt. is like a schoolteacher. He nags some. The Captain is like the school board. Kernels. and Generals just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.

I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why, the bull's-eye is near big as a chipmonk and don't move and it ain't shooting at you, like the Higsett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it, you don'teven load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer and Mary to hurry and join before others get onto this setup and come stampeding in.

Your loving daughter, Pat