Random Rants & Other Musings

This is a matter of opinion and opinions are like (well you know) everybody has one.
My personal opinion? I agree.

If after reading this email you disagree, Please, no need to reply back to me. Your opinion is yours and that's fine, just delete it.

*******************************

A lot of Americans have become so insulated from reality that they imagine that   America can suffer defeat without any inconvenience to themselves.

Pause a moment, reflect back.

These events are actual events from history.

They really happened!!!

Do you remember?

1. 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by a Muslim male extremist.

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by Muslim male extremists.

3. In 1979, the   US embassy in  Iran was taken over by Muslim male extremists.

4. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in  Lebanon by Muslim male extremists.

5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in  Beirut was blown up by Muslim male extremists..

6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by Muslim male extremists.

7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at   Athens , and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by Muslim male extremists. ( remember the pilot of this flight was from Richmond, MO)                     



8. In 1988 , Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by Muslim male extremists.

9. In 1993 the  World   Trade  Center was bombed the first time by Muslim male extremists.

10. In 1998, the   US embassies in  Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by Muslim male extremists.

11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take down the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by Muslim male extremists.

12. In 2002 the   United States fought a war in Afghanistan against Muslim male extremists.

13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by-- youguessed it-- Muslim male extremists.

No, I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you? So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people... Absolutely No Profiling!

They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winner and former Governor Joe Foss,  but leave Muslim Males alone lest they be guilty of profiling.

According to The Book of Revelations:

The Anti-Christ will be a man, in his 40's, of MUSLIM descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive language, and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal....the prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will promise false hope and world peace, and when he is in power, he will destroy everything.

And Now:
For the award winning Act of Stupidity Of all times the People of America want to elect, to the most Powerful position on the face of the Planet -- The Presidency of the United states of America .. A Male of Muslim descent who is the most extremely liberal Senator in Congress (in other words an extremist) and in his 40's.

Have the American People completely lost their Minds, or just their Power of Reason ???

I'm sorry but I refuse to take a chance on the 'unknown' candidate Obama...

Let's send this to as many people as we can so that the Gloria Aldreds and other stupid attorneys along with Federal Justices that want to thwart common sense, feel ashamed of themselves -- if they have any such sense.

As the writer of the award winning story 'Forest Gump' so aptly put it,

'Stupid Is As Stupid Does'

You can have your opinion, I respect that, and hope you will respect mine.  But this does make you think, doesn't it?

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

Once upon a time, way back in the early 1940s, in a town called Shaker Heights, Ohio, a teenager named Betty babysat for her cousin's children.  It was a way to make extra money, help out family, and besides, Betty really loved children, knowing early on that that is what she wanted to do in life--get married and have kids. 

One day, her cousin's dog got out of the house and started running up the street.  Betty, frantic, chased after the dog, calling its name and trying to catch it.  Suddenly a handsome young man catches the dog for her.  Betty is amazed by how cute this boy is, and she can barely thank him for helping a damsel in distress.  After some idle chit chat, they both go their own ways, but Betty never forgot about this boy, looking for him whenever she sat for her cousin's children.

Betty is my Mom, obviously, and you might think that this handsome man ended up being my father.  No, sorry.  Mom went on to become engaged to Harold, and they wanted to get married before he headed off to war, but both families discouraged this, as the future when involved in war is uncertain at best.  Good thing, too, because Harold was killed. 

No, my Mom started stalking (before stalking was cool, of course) this young sailor she would see at the corner store, dragging her younger sister to the movies just so she could catch a glimpse of this man, who sometimes was on the arm of another girl.  Now, the owner of the corner store knew of Betty's fascination for this young man.  So one day as Betty was in the store, picking up some ice cream on a hot day in Cleveland, and having her mother's dry cleaning in tow, the store owner asked a young sailor named John if he could help Betty home with her things.  John, being a consummate gentleman, obliged the owner's request, much to a completely embarrassed and enthralled young Betty's chagrin.  The rest, as they say and they outta know, is history.

John and Betty have been married for over 60 years, had seven wonderful children of which I am the youngest, and currently have 13 grandchildren, and hopefully someday will see a great-grandchild.  They never fought, not once, they supported each other, my dad by working two jobs, my mom by staying home and caring for home and children.  They had love, trust, respect, and incredible senses of humor.  They married their best friends.  Still to this day when I visit I am amazed at how they are together, and I can't imagine being with someone for 60 years and still being madly in love.  I learned that you have to laugh, even in the times of crisis, because it will pull you thru.  They have endured rough times in their lives, but they've done it with humor and strength and each other, and they are survivors. 

I had a really great childhood.  It was happily dysfunctional, it was not normal, and yet all my friends wanted to trade places with me.  They all called my Mom "Mom", and it didn't bother me.  I have been blessed, and don't think a day goes by when I'm not thankful for that.  I wasn't privileged, we didn't have a lot of money, but we had what we needed.  And when you don't have money, what you need is each other.  You can't buy a good family, they are made, and John and Betty made a great one.

So what happened to that young man in Shaker Heights, Ohio, who captivated my Mom with his good looks?  He went on to do okay.  He became an actor and race car driver, has his name on some food products, married Joanne Woodward, and thankfully didn't become my father that fateful day in the early 1940s.  May God rest his soul, and watch over his family in their time of grief. 

Celebrate life, don't cry for the loss of it.  My Mom loves black and white cows.  I'm trying to decide if it would be appropriate to wear a cow suit to her funeral, when that days comes.  You balk at that thought, because the appropriate attire is black, but I know she would think it was hilarious. 

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

Makes sense.  Too many times we are thinking too far ahead, speculating over what could be, what might happen, where things might lead.  We envision a really wonderful, sugar-coated outcome, where life is a fairy tale and we are the princess, or we envision a hell, a place where our worst nightmares come to life and we strain just to take another breath, where we wonder why me but get no answers, or worse yet, we envision ourselves in the exact same spot we've been in forever, day in day out same old same old until you bite your tongue until it bleeds to keep from screaming.  Any of those could be nightmares, really, because who really wants a picture perfect life?  Who really wants a fairy tale?  We need the occasional drama to keep us on our toes, to remind us how good life can be when we get thru it, to give us something to shoot for.  I've envisioned a million scenarios for my life, but in the end they all took me away from living the life I have.  Even the truly good ones took away too much of my time, imagining what I want  or what I think I want, instead of what is. 

I am stuck in a rut, that much is true.  Some days I can convince myself I'm happy, others it takes all my strength just to convince myself to stay.  But I do know that something has to change somewhere, or we stagnate, and who wants that?  Sometimes we don't know how to break free, and sometimes we are too scared to.  Sometimes we can be happy with the same old same old, and sometimes we only tell ourselves we need to be happy with it.  Wherever you are in your life, just remember, you are there because of you.  You have the power to do what needs to be done.  It might not be easy, it might require tough choices, but in the end you decide what you'll take, and when you'll move on, how hard you're going to fight, and when you're going to throw in the towel.  But there is no one to blame but yourself.  Take responsibility and realize it's all on you.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it.  YOU. 

Sometimes the truth hurts, but it always sets you free.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

We are all adjusting to life with Thor, or Thorbee, as I've been calling him.  He's chewed up a shoe box (thank God I took the shoes out!), a coaster, various toys, dog shampoo (don't ask), and today relish (again, don't ask).  He's brought pine cones inside, an old rotted tennis ball that has been in our backyard obviously for some time, and some kind of pepper (I have no idea where he found that).  I'm out of tune with puppiness, I suppose.  Other than that, he's managed to get them all playing with him at some point, even the stubborn Titus, who pretends he doesn't want to play but secretly enjoys it.  He sleeps in the bedroom with me and the others as if he's been a part of this family the whole time.  He's different--doesn't quite respond to my dogspeak the way the others do, doesn't wag his tail much, doesn't hardly bark (when he does manage to squeeze out a bark, usually when chasing Cody up and down the hallway, it sounds hoarse, like someone who had not spoken in years and had finally drew the courage to utter something that resembles a bark, or a croak, or a drowning animal.) and sniffs everything before he eats it, eating his food laying down.  I like that about him.  He's an outsider who belongs here, kind of like all of us, someone who just wouldn't fit in somewhere else.  We are the oddities, those who walk together, those who feel at home among our own kind.  But we belong, if only to each other.

I am unusually sad today, for lack of a more creative way to describe it.  I just feel a heaviness in my heart, and just seeing roadkill piling on the roads is enough to send a searing pain thru me, pumping the sadness from heart, to soul, to brain, and I almost just want to scream "ENOUGH!" at all the pain and anger and hurt that goes on in the world.  I want to make it all better, with a pat and a kiss, and an ice cream cone, but I can't and that deepens the sorrow.  We are spinning out of control, toward a dismal abyss, and if we don't wake up soon it will be too late, we will be lightning bugs trapped in a jar, nowhere to go, grasping for breath from the holes poked in the lid, sending out an SOS that no one cares to see, pointing and saying "Look at the pretty lights!" before they shake us up and laugh at our confusion, when the last thing going thru our minds will be I am going to die here.  No security blanket can save you now, no hope, no faith to send you a line, just bitter acceptance finally that all is naught, naught is all, and we are lightning bugs in a jar, with nothing to do but stare thru the glass and wish for the other side, never understanding we should watch what we wish for, because we just might get it.  I learned that lesson all too well. 

I used to wish for "alone time", when I could be by myself, just to relax, and have no one around me.  Now with my daughter gone I get it, and I'm lonely.  Aloneness doesn't bother me, but feeling lonely is hard to swallow.  But at least I'm not the only bug in the jar, at least there are others out there who feel the way I do.  Heartbroken and crumbled without exits, windows too high to be doors, doors locked from the other side, our own mind a tangled briar of nightmares, brambles and thorns and burs, tearing our thoughts and memories, bleeding us of all we hold dear. 

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. 

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

 

 

Freedom has a price.  It is our blood, sweat, and tears.  Sacrifices must be made.  Do we need a President whose agenda includes changing the Presidential Seal as well as changing our National Anthem?  How can you change the core of what we are as a country and what we should stand for?  How egotistical is that!  Are you more concerned that a president might not be able to send an email, or that he has friends who are racist and terrorists and rather than denounce them he denounces his own grandmother who raised him?  Do we want a first lady who admits that she's proud of America for the first time in her adult life?  Are you going to continue to blame Republican presidents for the way the economy is today, or are you going to wake up and realize the controlling party in Washington is Democrat, and when they took over that's when everything started going to pot?  And if none of that convinces you, I have one word for you--Pelosi.  People argue that Palin doesn't have enough experience to be President should she need to take over.  Um, and Obama does?  He has much less experience than her and you people want to elect him to run the country!  Why?  Because he promotes change?  There are none so blind as those who will not see. 

  Show your true Democratic colors.  Dig up all the dirt you can on McCain and Palin.  Mud sling, sink into the muck and mire.  But you can't hide from what you really are.  A wolf in sheep's clothing is actually more dangerous than the wolf who is what he is.  I fear for America if Obama is elected.  And someday, when it's too late, you will too.

 

For those of you who haven't uttered the Pledge of Allegiance ever, or since grade school, I'm going to include a link that you should go to and read.  If you are not ready to pledge your allegiance, then I think it's time for you to re-think whether you belong here, because there's many other countries your sorry ass can live in.  You can disagree with Presidents, and policies, and economies, but when push comes to shove, will you be ready to defend this country, or will you hide behind a man who wants to pull out of the war, have tea and crumpets with terrorist leaders, and actually believe them when they say "We won't attack you ever again because you're being so nice to us and kissing our asses" with their fingers crossed behind their backs and guys in the back rooms warming up the missiles.

http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.html

Most of the time I don't feel strongly enough to discuss politics.  This year, I do.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." -- George Bernard Shaw

A person is known by the company he keeps--Proverb

Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die--Proverb

A clear conscience is a soft pillow.
German Proverb

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

No matter what your political convictions are this is an eye opener....

What a thankless people we are!!!

David Letterman on President Bush

(Surprising)

  David Letterman wrote this; it's the David we don't often see....

  'As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever
been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it
seems to hit the mark.

'The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some
Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the
source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with
the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is
unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the
citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle
dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?''

A.. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7
Days a week?



B.. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the
summer and heating in the winter?



C.. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?



D.. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time
and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?



E.. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the
Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present
identification papers as we move through each state?



F.. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find
along the way that can provide temporary shelter?



G.. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from
around the world is just not good enough either.



H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up
and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you
to the hospital.



I.. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.



J.. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a
fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top
notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family,
and your belongings.



K.. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a
burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a
bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack
or loss.



L.. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or
militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of
teenagers own cell phones and computers.



M.. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we
enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?



Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.



Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the
world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a
great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most
blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we
don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the
good Lord we live here.



I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has
no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent
approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the
dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy
out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every
name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful
brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an
all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?



Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did
this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a
look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think
about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused
you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing
to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake about
it.



The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in
many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft
in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go
and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than
honorable'' dischargeor, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable' '
discharge after a few days in the brig.



So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of
Americans?



Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads
and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with
blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner?
The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They
offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by
'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to
allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't
kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!



Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the
bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as
country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the
most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day,
or at least be thankful and appreciative.' 'With hurricanes, tornados,
fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing
up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu
and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out
of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

David Letterman



Please keep this in circulation. There are so many people who need to
read this and grasp the truth of it all!

This was an email I received.  Feel free to copy and paste and pass it along to children, or adults, who seem out of touch with how good we have it in this country they don't miss an opportunity to disdain.  Youthink this country owes you anything?  Wake up you molly-coddled ignorant spoiled little selfish whiners!  YOU owe this COUNTRY!  So the next time you are complaining way too loudly about your next insignificant annoyance--like traffic, or a grocery line, or the store not having your favorite product, or a scratch on the door of your car, or the person who called you, say, a molly-coddled ignorant spoiled little selfish whiner, think about the men and women who willingly volunteered  to make sure that you retain your right to be a molly-coddled ignorant spoiled little selfish whiner, with no thanks from you.  To turn your backs on the troops even if you disagree with the war or conflict or whatever you alleged "pacifists" or "protesters" call it, to turn your back on the President even if he's not the one you voted for and isn't doing what you want, is UnAmerican (united we stand, divided we fall you morons, so wake your lazy asses up!)  To call yourself African American, Italian American, Asian American when you were born and raised ONLY in America, is UnAmerican.  Hell, even if you were born there and came here, once you're here--LEGALLY--then you are American.  So drop the friggin' Mexican flags and the spanish and honor this country that you came to (it didn't go to you, afterall), this wonderful country that provides you the freedom to be you--a molly-coddled ignorant spoiled little selfish whiner.  I mean is there seriously anyone alive on this planet who thinks it's acceptable to riot and steal after a hurricane?  Who, outraged after hearing about a racist beating, feels it's a good thing to go out and do the same thing to someone else?  Who sues the minute something unfortunate happens to them or a loved one because they are owed?  Newsflash--it won't bring 'em back, it won't make you feel better (unless you actually donate the money to some charity that actually could change the world.  And no, you do NOT qualify as a charity case.)  Sue for change, not for money you idiots!  Do something for your country for a change,  and ask not what your country can do for you.  Hmm, seems like David wasn't the only one with something to say.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

I am gearing up for football season as much as I can, in between collapses of sheer exhaustion, stress, and utter confusion.  My life has been a whirlwind lately, and although I keep waiting for the calm after the storm so I can access the damage, that doesn't seem to be in the forecast.  It's all good, I tell myself, as I try to find the energy and patience just to get thru another hectic day.  As you can see from the above pic, I haven't lost my sense of humor; if nothing else my zaniness has kept me sane.  If I learned nothing else from my parents, I've learned that you have to laugh it off.  If you let it get you down, you might never get back up.  I've seen my parents joke their way thru heart attacks, emphysema, skin cancer, near diabetes, glaucoma and cataract surgery, prostate surgery, and they never asked "Why us?"  They know it's inevitable--in every life some rain must fall...so just make sure you jump in the puddles.

My daughter is tucked away at her haunted college, wondering why her unstable roommate seems to get all the guys while she seems to be left by the wall.  But she's adapting well, keeping busy, and as long as she is happy, I am happy.  I miss her terribly, but there is something to be said for keeping busy.  If I stop too long I can feel the tears building up.  I am due for a good sob.  I almost had one yesterday.  I received an email about Faith, the two legged dog, and although I have seen it before, it still fills me with such a deep love and respect for people who see not a reject but a God-send, and the animals who persevere against all odds to become a model of hope and the goodness in life.  I started to cry, all the pent up tears from missing my daughter, from things not quite right in my life that I can't seem to repair, from things askew in me that I can't seem to filter, from stress at work that pushes me into the twilight zone, from a new addition to the family that is testing the limits of my already veil thinpatience.  As soon as I manage to surface, frantically gulping down air, I am thrust under again into someone else's tears, someone else's river of sorrow, and it just doesn't quite seem fair because I should be able to drown in my own salty pool of lament, wailing dirges to no one in particular, a siren who enchants the grieving with my atrabilious melodies, birthing the old adage that misery loves company.  

My son was in his first fender bender, and thankfully the damage was minimal, none of the seven cars involved were faulted, and hopefully insurance won't go up.  First thing the man I married said was "We're fucked, our insurance is going to be $300 a month." while I'm laying there thinking "Poor Matt, he's probably a nervous wreck!  I hope his car is okay, I hope he's okay."  To me nothing is unmanageable; to the man I married, everything is the end of the world worst case scenario reinforcing the belief that we are a burden to him.  He started his new job, so I don't see much of him anymore.  But it's good that he's working more than he was at Kohl's.  He's a good kid. 

My youngest just got the new addition to the family.  A work friend of the man I married was giving away a 17 month old husky, and when the person who originally was going to take him didn't show, my husband called me.  I was the most apprehensive, not wanting to take on another dog at the time, but Cody and Steff were so excited, I didn't refuse.  I can handle another dog, although I'm less than thrilled about another boy, but the other three are such a tight pack, being mother and sons and together since birth, that I knew it was going to be a ton of work to integrate this stranger into the clan. 

I've been up since seven after getting only four hours of sleep, I haven't been to the gym but once in two weeks so I feel like a flabby unhealthy slob which is probably why I have no energy and am depressed, and I'm physically and mentally spent.  I have so much to do having been gone two weekends in a row, I need to go to the grocery, and now a new dog and all the stress that comes with trying to keep the other three from killing him.  His name was Thor, but believe it or not my sister has a dog named Thor who was also named by the previous owners, so we are considering changing it to Leonidas.  Once everything calms down we'll be okay, because Thor/Leonidas has been trying to play with all of them so he's cool.  But I think two boy dogs are gonna have to get nip/tucked if this is going to work out.  Sorry, Jack and Titus.  This is something we need to nip in the balls. 

   Thor/Leonidas, in a moment of peace from the unrelenting sniffs and growls of the other three.

I know all will be well, my universe will re-align and the memory of chaos will fade.  But until then I hope you will allow me to feel overwhelmed, engulfed, under water, a temporary state that will hopefully run its course soon enough.  I've just got to get a grip, come to terms with the new phase of life I've entered, and accept that change is as inevitable as rain.  Just remember to jump in the puddles.

GO BENGALS!!!

MCCAIN/PALIN 08

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

chthonic \THONE-ik\, adjective:

Dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld

"Driven by dæmonic, chthonic Powers."
-- T.S. Eliot

"The chthonic divinity was essentially a god of the regions under the earth; at first of the dark home of the seed, later on of the still darker home of the dead."
-- C. F. Keary

"The chthonic imagery of Norine's apartment, which..was black as a coalhole and heated by the furnace of the hostess' unslaked desires."
-- M. McCarthy

"Two great and contrasted forms of ritual: the Olympian and the Chthonic, the one a ritual of cheerful character, the other a ritual of gloom, and fostering superstition."

Chthonic comes from khthón, the Greek word for earth.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this