Well, this will probably be my last article before Tuesday. Unless something pressing crosses myn eyes in the next 15 minutes or so, this will be my last online session before the library reopens Tuesday morning. So, have a merry Christmas, one and all, and I'll see you next week. In the meantime, I am sure I'll have a few more comments to post before returning to real life.
There's a lot of hoopla about the federal government's "cuts" of food stamps, Medicare, etc. In fact, my very soul was threatened with damnation by a certain "Colonel" who is apparently also a clergy with a direct line to God. But the hoopla ignores the facts. First off, these cuts aren't "cuts", but reductions in INCREASE. Ironically, the same entity that is blasting these cuts has been blasting away at our burgeoning national debt. Fiscal responsibility demands that if we're to look at redu...
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility , provide for the common defence , promote the general Welfare , and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity , do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." --preamble, US Constitution There's a lot of discussion among activists about whether the government bears responsibility for our upkeep. One of the most fre...
580,000 children will spend Christmas this year apart from the families that love them. That's almost four times the number of troops we have deployed in Iraq. Some of these children, in all honesty, probably should be away from their families. These are, after all, the children in US foster care, and some of these parents are truly abusive and neglectful, and need to find homes where they can be loved and grow to their potential. But statistics show THESE children are in the minority. 97%...
This is going to be an article with a qualifier. I hate the US Patriot Act on principle. I have grave concerns about its potential for abuse. But, since the majority of the American public approves of some measure of limitations on liberties, in some circumstances, this article is written with that in mind: The US Patriot Act is an interesting piece of legislation. Enacted in the days following 9/11/01, it was implemented almost unanimously by a government that had a real and pressing concern...
Hillary Clinton was being driven in her limo in upstate New York. As they drove along the rural roads, her driver accidentally struck a cow. Hillary was concerned, and asked the driver to go to the nearby farmhouse and inform them of the incident, and reimburse them, if need be. An hour quickly passed as the busy senator made calls to various lobbyists, and soon her driver came staggering out to the car with a box of expensive cigars, a half finshed bottle of fine wine, and the hickies all aroun...
Hillary Clinton was being driven in her limo in upstate New York. As they drove along the rural roads, her driver accidentally struck a cow. Hillary was concerned, and asked the driver to go to the nearby farmhouse and inform them of the incident, and reimburse them, if need be. An hour quickly passed as the busy senator made calls to various lobbyists, and soon her driver came staggering out to the car with a box of expensive cigars, a half finshed bottle of fine wine, and the hickies all aroun...
A few years ago, Jarrod Washburn broke into the majors. As I had been a resident of Oshkosh, Wisconsin (his alma mater for several years), I took notice. Having close connections with the team, I knew him to be a good man and someone that sports fans could look up to. Two years ago when he put a million bucks into the kitty of his college's stadium rebuilding fund, he only reaffirmed that. But there was one big, overriding problem. Washburn played for the Anaheim Angels. In baseball, while it...
I've listened to compelling arguments from both liberals and conservatives regarding the secret wiretapping of individuals in the United States with suspected terror ties. Frankly, my gut instinct is that President Bush broke the law (again, however, if he did, it was a conspiracy in which others should be indicted as well). And while my gut instinct is that I would like nothing better than to see him hanged from a yardarm (if indeed, we still hang people from the yardarms, as Lt. Chaffee in "A ...
Well, today we took the children to speak with the CPS investigator. We brought along our faithful tape recorder, and the children played together in a room while the investigator interviewed them. One point I would like to make (briefly) that came up from a question in the course of interview (which our five year old handled FAMOUSLY...more on that later), is that I am fat and my wife and children are slender. My wife has always been slender, and we've educated our children on good eating ha...
In 1931, Congress voted to make Francis Scott Key's memorable song "The Star Spangled Banner" our national anthem. Now, using the logic of esteemed individuals such as Michael Newdow, Barry Lynn, and the late Madeline Murray O'Hare, it should be banned. Why? Well, for thos of us who DIDN'T pay attention in grade school, the National Anthem has FOUR verses. And the fourth verse apparently presents problems, according to the arguments of these highly enlightened individuals. The fourth verse, u...
If you read me regularly, you know I'm a champion of the fourth amendment. Even if you don't read me regularly, you can probably figure as much from my writing. There are a lot of questions floating around now about whether President Bush (AND several key members of Congress, WITH the complicity of the New York Times, although the media conveniently deflects this fact) violated the fourth amendment in authorizing illegal wiretaps. Arguably, the fourth AND fifth amendments could come int...
When we arrived in our community, we were introduced to a local minister who, with his wife, was dedicated to helping the poor in the community. They would collect food, furnishings and such to give out to the less fortunate. At least that's what we were told. It wasn't two weeks, however, until we began to find out more about the minister. He asked if I wanted to ride with him to the grocery store, and, although I didn't desperately need to, I figured I'd go along just for the company. Al...
26-17 was the final score as the Indianapolis Colts fell for the first time this season to the San Diego Chargers. Miami Dolphins fans no doubt rejoiced, as they will be reminding us until next season that they are to this point NFL's only team to play out a season and postseason undefeated. While Indy is no doubt disappointed at missing its chance to make history, this might be the best Christmas gift they could have gotten. See, entering the postseason undefeated has its drawbacks. Defea...
I wish I could take credit for this one but I can't. I found it loose among the sites I frequent: Nazareth Carpenter Being Held On Charges Involving Underage Mother Bethlehem, Judea - Authorities were today alerted by a concerned citizen who noticed a family living in a barn. Upon arrival, Family Protective Service personnel, accompanied by police, took into protective care an infant child named Jesus, who had been wrapped in strips of cloth and placed in a feeding trou...