Delftsman

A Baaaaad day.....

I rear-ended a car this morning ... that's when I knew it was going to be a REALLY bad day!

The driver got out of the other car, and he was a DWARF! He looked up at me and said "I am NOT Happy!"

So I said, "Well, which one ARE you then?"

That's how the fight started.

H/T Catfish

A Tale of Two Mothers

Most of my readers know how I feel about the immigration issue.

I am continually outraged by the seeming lack of interest on the part of the authorities in stemming the tide of ILLegal immigration currently occurring on our (mainly southern) borders.

NO country in history that has ceased to enforce it's borders has lasted for very long afterwards. I find it very telling that those that decry our immigration policies as "draconian" and "anti-familial" come mainly from a country who's immigration policies ARE truly thus....

As any right thinking person is, I am NOT anti-immigration; I'm merely in favor of immigration being controlled and occuring under rule of law.

This story at Town Hall demonstrates the difference between what is currently extant, and what should be.

Elvira Arellano represents everything wrong with the invasion that is occuring at present, and make no mistake, it IS an invasion. Invaders care nothing for our laws or culture, they merely wish to be parasites feeding off the bounty that our culture produces and making a mockery of everything that leads to that bounty being produced.

REAL immigrants are like Maria Torres-DeChamberlin; they come here through the LEGAL system, and they work hard at becoming a part of U.S. culture.
They earn their right to become citizens. they realize that America is great because of it's unique culture, and they want to become a part of that cuture. That does not mean that they are ashamed of their native culture, far from it, but they allow the American culture to supercede the native.

For myself, the proudest day of my life was when I raised my right hand and swore my allegience only to the U.S., renouncing all political ties to the country of my birth. The only day that comes close is when I again raised my hand and swore to protect my new homeland and her Constitution from ALL enemies, both foreign and domestic.

With the current lack of enforcement of our laws against what amounts to an invasion of our shores by those who are entrusted with protecting those shores; I fear the time may come soon when I will be forced to uphold my oath and rebel against those that hold that oath as meaningless in their pursuit of political power. May God help us if/when that day dawns, for this "bright shining city on the hill", as Ronald Reagan put it, will no longer exist.

wit & wisdom(?)

Chris, a member of a posting group I belong to posted this today and I thought it should be read by a wider scope :

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.

"No", she replied. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in.

"We do not go into a House together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest." The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"

Education for Nit Wits

We know that the average "Journo" in the AOO really isn't (in the war zone; they have a habit of getting their news from Al Jazeera tv in the lounge of the hotel their staying (put) at.)

They tend not to have a lot of experience with weapons of any type, so when a grandmotherly Iraqi woman showed off some unspent cartridges that she claimed hit her house during an American raid on a suspected terrorist cell site, they (being the top rate Journos they are, never leaving a hint of US Army perfidity unexposed) ran with the story, photos and all, with all assurrance that the public would be greatful for their bravery in being in a war zone and bringing them proof of how eeeeeevil our military really is. Too bad that a great portion of the public does take that story to heart (mainly on the "Progressive" side of the aisle, but that's another rant in it'self)

To those that THINK however, the story would have been MUCH more credible had they they shown BULLETS, rather than unspent CARTRIDGES, and even MORE credible had the cartridges been of a caliber used by the U.S. military rather than in the type used by the AK47 (favorite of, guess who---the ISLAMOFACISTS)

To help the AFP in future reporting, the Dissident Frogman has put together a basic course on how small arm weapons work. I don't know, but I believe he may have gotten too technical for the average Journo to really comprehend, but we can always hope for a rare moment of true comprehension on the part of the terminally uninformed...

YeeeeeHAAAA!

Just happened to catch this on YouTube and thought it was a good combination of a good song and movie.

Made Me Cry....

From the mouths of babes:

There may still be hope for the U.S.A. yet, with a generation like this coming up.

Music then and Now

GuyK has been putting up YouTube clips of the music of his youth, so I thought I'd steal that idea and put up some of MY favorite tunes from my youth....

Jim Morrison..some hail him as a divine poet, some denounce him as the devil incarnate..I just thought he made some really cool music that spoke to a whole generation, for good or ill, it's up to the individual listener. Think what you will, but even the (C)Rap "artist" Snoop Dog thought it was worth a remix:

I hate to admit I like it, but that beat just gets to you....

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

I was a soldier a few years after this song was at it's height, but even though it was supposed to be an anti-war protest song, I still felt it was a tribute to the sacrifices of the soldier in a roundabout way..or maybe I just had had too large a toke on the pipe? It still moves me that way.

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

I can remember playing this song over and over again in my barracks room; it fit my homesick mood at the time.

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

And last but not least, the ONLY song my dad and I ever agreed on as being worthy of airplay:

And just for fun:

Then and Now

With all the Hollywood cretins coming out against the war in Iraq these days;comparing it to Viet Nam, it's nice to use the wayback machine and see what a prominent actor thought of of the situation then (circa 1966). Mr. Mithum was correct then, and would be correct in saying the same thing about Iraq now. Proof that being an actor doesn't necessarily mean that your brain has to have been turned to mush:

Shillery Reduxio ad Absurdum

Before you pull that lever next election just remember this statement made by the putative Dhimmicratic nominee. Sounds similar to the credo of a certain failed political system ("from each according to his ability; to each according to his need")...a political system that caused the deaths of over 100 MILLION people in the 20th century.

Ask yourself if we REALLY want to go down that road in our country. That credo of socialism/communism SOUNDS so good; after all, wouldn't it be really nice if everything could be equally shared by all?

Unfortunately, there is a thing known as human nature. People are by nature lazy, self-serving, and greedy. WHY should I work any harder than I absolutely need to if I can't realize any gain from my hard work? I work harder if it gains me more of those things that I need or enjoy; socialism says that no matter how hard I work, I get no more of anything than what any other member of the community receives. It matters not what quality my work is either, as long as it looks good enough to get by.

The history of the last century proves that only benign self-interest provides the most good for the greatest number of people.

Let Shillery languish on the ashheap of history alongside the other failed experiments of social history.

Happy Anniversary

Today is a blue ribbon day for me. It's a tripple one year anniversary.

One year ago I smoked my (hopefully) last cigarette...from a three pack a day habit to zero----cold turkey. I STILL want one, and like any addict, it's one day at a time, but I hope I can keep the streak going for the rest of my time on this ball of mud.

The REASON I quit on that day last year was because I was going in for my second open heart procedure the next day. I was scared and I vowed that if I made it through this episode, I wouldn't waste whatever extra time the surgeons could gain for me by continuing such a stupid bad habit.

Third and certainly NOT least, it was at approximately 1830 hrs on the 17th of August, 2006 that I finally got my first glimpse of Beth*A. She had taken leave time that she had not yet earned from her job just to be there to support me in whatever way she could through the surgury and the recovery afterward.

Beth has been the angel in my life ever since.

And to all my Internet friends: from an old vet that doesn't deserve it, but will be forever greatful for the friendship every one of you has shown me the last three years.

Mike Beware!

They just finished the jury selection phase of the Michael Vick case!

H/T Catfish

My Honey

I had promised some friends a while back to post a pic of my little honey.
I haven't been able to get any good pics to download from my camera, but I did find this one on Google Pics, and it looks EXACTLY like my baby, except that I have some custom pinstriping. Everything else is a comeplete match.

She's a 2000 Honda Goldwing GL1500SE. A real Winabago of bikes, I know, but just the thing for an old geezer like me who values creature comforts over off the line speed.

Oh ,and Darth, NO it DOESN'T come equipped with a popcorn popper and a smoothy maker....maybe I'll have to look into that....

Cajun Detective Work

The Louisiana State Police received reports of
illegal cockfights being held in the area around
Natchitoches and sent their famous detective,
Boudreaux, to investigate.

Boudreaux reported to his sergeant the next morning.
"Dey is tree main groups in dis rooster fightin'" he began.

"Good work. Who are they?" the sergeant asked.

Boudreaux replied confidently, "De Texas Aggies, de
Cajuns, and de Mafia."

Puzzled, the sergeant asked, "How did you find that
out in one night?"

"Well," he replied, "I went down and done seen dem
rooster fights in person. I knowed dem Aggies was
involved when a duck was entered in one of the fights."
The sergeant nodded, "I'll buy that. But what about
the others?"

Boudreaux nodded knowingly, "Well, I knowed de
Cajuns was involved when summbody bet on de duck."

"Ah," sighed the sergeant, "And how did you figure
the Mafia was involved?"

"De duck won."

H/T: GuyK

Wisdom from the back pew

There was a preacher whose wife was expecting a baby, so he went before
the congregation and asked for a raise. After much discussion, they
passed a rule that whenever the preacher's family expanded, so would his
paycheck.

After 6 children, this started to get expensive and the congregation
decided to hold another meeting to discuss the preacher's salary. There
was much yelling and bickering about how much the clergyman's additional
children were costing the church.

Finally, the Preacher got up and spoke to the crowd, "Children are a
gift from God," he said.

Silence fell on the congregation.

After several embarrassing seconds had past, a little old lady seated in
the back pew, stood up and in her frail voice said, "Rain is also a gift
from God, but when we get too much of it, we wear rubbers."

H/T:
Slaglerock

problems....AND Solutions?

Another one from the B-i-L:

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida.

Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It's a win-win situation.

+ Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

+ Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

+ Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?

A HUMAN INTEREST STORY ABOUT COPS.......

The following story was posted in my 2nd Amendment disscussion group, and as an ex-LEO, I can attest to the truth contained within it...

You're Not A Cop Until You Taste Them:

The department was all astir, there was a lot of laughing and joking due to all the new officers, myself included, hitting the streets today for the first time. After months of seemingly endless amounts of classes, paperwork, and lectures we were finally done with the Police Academy and ready to join the ranks of our department.

All you could see were rows of cadets with huge smiles and polished badges. As we sat in the briefing room, we could barely sit still anxiously awaiting our turn to be introduced and given our beat assignment or, for the lay person, our own portion of the city to "serve and protect."

It was then that he walked in. A statue of a man - 6 foot 3 and 230 pounds of solid muscle, he had black hair with highlights of gray and steely eyes that make you feel nervous even when he wasn't looking at you. He had a reputation for being the biggest and the smartest officer to ever work our fair city. He had been on the department for longer than anyone could remember and those years of service had made him into somewhat of a legend.

The new guys, or "rookies" as he called us, both respected and feared him. When he spoke even, the most seasoned officers paid attention. It was almost a privilege when one the rookies got to be around when he would tell one of his police stories about the old days. But we knew our place and never interrupted for fear of being shooed away. He was respected and revered by all who knew him.

After my first year on the department I still had never heard or saw him speak to any of the rookies for any length of time. When he did speak to them all he would say was, "So, you want to be a policeman do you hero? I'll tell you what, when you can tell me what they taste like, then you can call yourself a real policeman."

This particular phrase I had heard dozens of times. Me and my buddies all had bets about "what they taste like" actually referred to. Some believed it referred to the taste of your own blood after a hard fight. Others thought it referred to the taste of sweat after a long day's work. Being on the department for a year, I thought I knew just about everyone and everything.

So one afternoon, I mustered up the courage and walked up to him. When he looked down at me, I said, "You know, I think I've paid my dues. I've been in plenty of fights, made dozens of arrests, and sweated my butt off just like everyone else. So what does that little saying of yours mean anyway?"

With that, he merely stated, "Well, seeing as how you've said and done it all, you tell me what it means, hero" When I had no answer, he shook his head and snickered, "rookies," and walked away.

The next evening was to be the worst one to date. The night started out slow, but as the evening wore on, the calls became more frequent and dangerous. I made several small arrests and then had a real knock down drag out fight. However, I was able to make the arrest without hurting the suspect or myself. After that, I was looking forward to just letting the shift wind down and getting home to my wife and daughter.

I had just glanced at my watch and it was 11:55, five more minutes and I would be on my way to the house. I don't know if it was fatigue or just my imagination, but as I drove down one of the streets on my beat, I thought I saw my daughter standing on someone else's porch. I looked again but it was not my daughter as I had first thought but merely a small child about her age. She was probably only six or seven years old and dressed in an oversized shirt that hung to her feet. She was clutching an old rag doll in her arms that looked older than me.

I immediately stopped my patrol car to see what she was doing outside her house at such an hour by herself. When I approached, there seemed to be a sigh of relief on her face. I had to laugh to myself, thinking she sees the hero policeman come to save the day I knelt at her side and asked what she was doing outside.

She said "My mommy and daddy just had a really big fight and now mommy won't wake up." My mind was reeling. Now what do I do? I instantly called for backup and ran to the nearest window. As I looked inside I saw a man standing over a lady with his hands covered in blood, her blood. I kicked open the door, pushed the man aside and checked for a pulse, but unable to find one. I immediately cuffed the man and began doing CPR on the lady.

It was then I heard a small voice from behind me, "Mr. Policeman, please make my mommy wake up." I continued to perform CPR until my backup and medics arrived but they said it was too late. She was dead. I then looked at the man. He said, "I don't know what happened. She was yelling at me to stop drinking and go get a job and I had just had enough. I just shoved her so she would leave me alone and she fell and hit her head." As I walked the man out to the car in handcuffs, I again saw that little girl. In the five minutes that has passed, I went from hero to monster. Not only was I unable to wake up her mommy, but now I was taking daddy away too.

Before I left the scene, I thought I would talk to the little girl. To say what, I don't know. Maybe just to tell her I was sorry about her mommy and daddy. But as I approached, she turned away and I knew it was useless and I would probably make it worse.

As I sat in the locker room at the station, I kept replaying the whole thing in my mind. Maybe if I would have been faster or done something different, just maybe that little girl would still have her mother. And even though it may sound selfish, I would still be the hero.

It was then that I felt a large hand on my shoulder. I heard that all too familiar question again, "Well, hero, what do they taste like?"

But before I could get mad or shout some sarcastic remark, I realized that all the pent up emotions had flooded the surface and there was a steady stream of tears cascading down my face. It was at that moment that I realized what the answer to his question was.

Tears.

With that, he began to walk away, but he stopped. "You know, there was nothing you could have done differently," he said. "Sometimes you can do everything right and still the outcome is the same. You may not be the hero you once thought you were, but now you ARE a police officer."

Smile

Here are some general Life observations that my Ex B-i-L sent me, and I took his suggestion of "Ya just might want to pass this along" to heart.

Now that food has replaced sex in my life, I can't even get into my own pants.

Marriage changes passion. Suddenly you're in bed with a relative.

I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with "Guess" on it.
So I said "Implants?".........She hit me.

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and over fifty for Miss America ?

A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Wow...that was fun!"

I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose-fitting clothing. If I HAD any loose-fitting clothing, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place!

When I was young we used to go "skinny dipping," now I just "chunky dunk."

Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.

Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over? AMEN !!

Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?

Wouldn't you know it...
Brain cells come and brain cells go, but FAT cells live forever.

Why do I have to swear on the Bible in court when the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed outside?

Bumper sticker of the year:

"If you can read this, thank a teacher -and, since it's in English, thank a soldier"

And remember: life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

Yum,Yum! It sorta tastes like chicken

Catfish sent me a picture recently of a 9'1", 97 Lb. Rattlesnake and a recipe of how to make such a critter "Good Eats".

DEEP-FRIED RATTLESNAKE

1 medium-sized rattlesnake (3-4 lbs.), cut into steaks
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup cracker crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper

Mix dry ingredients. Whisk milk into beaten egg and use to dip snake steaks.
Then coat them with dry ingredients. Fry, uncovered, in 400 degree oil until brown.

Anyone know where I can get some Rattlesnake meat around here in Indy to try it out for myself?

Religion of Peace: Why Christianity is and Islam Isn’t

Hot Air has an interview with Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch.

This is one the best explainations of the differences between Christianity and RADICAL Islam; the most important idea brought out from the interview and the ensuing comments is (as usual, emph. mine. D):

"Read the whole New Testament and you won’t find any justification for the Crusades, the witch-hunts and the Inquisition. Westerners deviated from Biblical Christianity when our ancestors did these things. On the other hand, when muslims engage in jihad, they are not deviating from their religion, but are acting according to it." (

Another point brought out in discussion in the comments was that the Crusades were the result of a (long delayed) response of Muslim Jihad:

"We can’t even include the Crusades in this, as it was a response to 300 years of jihad by muslims in Jerusalem & other parts of the territory.

It may not be specifically sanctioned by the New Testament, but fighting oppression by muslims was vital to protect the Christians and Jews in the region.

That needs to be kept in mind…that and 350 years of the Inquisition killed fewer than 4 years of attacks today, or 500 years of Moghul rule."

Gun Control is Worthless !

I belong to an internet discussion group that has as it's main focus my favoritre Amendment contained in the Bill of Rights, the much maligned (by "Progressive" folks) Second. One of the other members of the group, known as Gump, came up with the following amusing look at the current state of "thoughts" (as posited by the "Progressive elements) concerning MY favorite Amendment:

Forty Reasons to Ban Guns:

1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, Detroit & Chicago cops
need guns.

2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun
control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the
lack of gun control.

3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics
showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics."

4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into
effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates,
which have been declining since 1991.

5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting
spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a
lunatic is paranoid.

6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.

7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot
with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you.

8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking
gun and a dead rapist at her feet.

9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense -
give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete
Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p. 125).

10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about
guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.

11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seat belts, a civil
engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer
programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.

12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which
was created 130 years later, in 1917.

13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using
federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing
trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia.

14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of
the people to be secure in their homes," "enumerations herein of certain
rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people,"
and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states
respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of
the people to keep and bear arms" refers to the state.

15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban
and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to
that Constitution.

16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the
army has hundreds of thousands of them.

17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military
weapons'', but private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles'', because
they are military weapons.

18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, fingerprinting,
government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is
responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's,
anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations,
variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no
fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings.

19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling
guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch"
campaign is responsible social activity.

20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them
properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.

21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical
adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.

22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun
is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at
women are "preying on their fears."

23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers
but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.

24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun
shows.

25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority
of the population supported owning slaves.

26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a
"weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon."

27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which
most people will abide by because they can be trusted.

28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned
because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use
of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights.

29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and
typewriters, but self- defense only justifies bare hands.

30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of
the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the
Constitution.

31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap
lunatic who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a
representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is
entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.

32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger
capacity pistol magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone
and therefore need less ammunition.

33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns
because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too.

34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over handguns that
private citizens can never hope to obtain.

35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self- protection because the
police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the
police are not responsible for their protection.

36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police
chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with
cops, need a gun.

37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of
people. The police need assault weapons. You do not.

38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential
promotion, that's bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to
buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's good.

39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for
defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers with one on their
duty weapon.

40. Handgun Control, Inc., says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong
hands." Guess what? You have the wrong hands.

I'm Baaaaaack

It's been far too long since I've had the energy or the fire to put up a decent post, and for that I apologize, but I think I've turned the corner on that front at last, and I sincerely hope that this is the first of many posts to come.

Part of the problem was that my medical conditions caused, as Ol' Jimmuh Cahtah would say: "a great malaise"; nothing seemed to penetrate the fog bank I seemed to be floundering in....poor excuse, I know, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Then I Beth*A came across this example of Hip-hop (of all mediums!) over at BlackFive that broke through the haze and really turned the light on for me again.

Please don't let the format put you off of listening to a truly powerful message. Those that know me KNOW how much I DESPISE the Hip-Hop/Rap genre, but this a case of the (very) rare exception to the rule:

(If you're like me and are hip-hop impaired as to comprehension of some of the words, I copied them from Blackfive and placed them below the fold.)

Free

and She called...
Blacks, Whites...wait
African Americans and Caucasians, Asians, excuse me.
Vietnamese, Philippines, Koreans and Jamaicans or
Haitians, waitin', Hispanics, y'all.

Please be patient
Mexican, Puerto Ricans, Venezuelan, Cuban, v Dominican, Panamanian, Democrats
I beg your pardon, you partied with the late, great Reagan?
Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunni Muslim, Brothers and Sisters who never seen the New York city
skyline when the twin towers still existed.
But still She called.

From the bowels of Ground Zero she sent this 911 distress signal.
Because She was in desperate need of a hero,
and didn't have time to decipher what to call 'em,
so she called 'em all Her children.
The children of the stars and bars who needed to know nothing more than the fact that she called.
The fact that someone attempted to harm us
this daughter who covered us all with her loving arms.
And now these arms are sprawled across New York City streets.
A smoke filled lung, a silt covered faced,
and a solitary tear poured out of her cheek.
Her singed garments carpets Pennsylvania Avenue and the Pentagon was under her feet.
As she began to talk, she began to cough up small particles of debris
and said, "I am America, and I'm calling on the land of the free."
So they answered.

All personal differences set to the side
because right now there was no time to decide which state building the Confederate flag should fly over,
and which trimester the embryo is considered alive,
or on our monetary units, and which God we should confide.
You see, someone attempted to choke the voice
of the one who gave us the right for choice,
and now she was callin'.
And somebody had to answer.
Who was going to answer?

So they did.
Stern faces and chiseled chins.
Devoted women and disciplined men,
who rose from the ashes like a Phoenix
and said "don't worry, we'll stand in your defense."
They tightened up their bootlaces
and said goodbye to loved ones, family and friends.
They tried to bombard them with the "hold on", "wait-a-minute's", and "what-ifs".
And "Daddy, where you goin'?".
And, "Mommy, why you leavin'?".
And they merely kissed them on their foreheads and said "Don't worry, I have my reasons.
You see, to this country I pledged my allegiance
to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic.
So as long as I'm breathin', I'll run though hell-fire,
meet the enemy on the front lines,
look him directly in his face,
stare directly in his eyes and scream,
"I AM AMERICA! WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED!
WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED!
I REFUSE TO BE AFRAID!
I'LL FIGHT YOU ANY COUNTRY, ANY CONTINENT, ANY TERRAIN.
I'LL FIGHT TO MY LAST BREATH!"

And if by chance death is my fate,
pin my medals upon my chest,
and throw Old Glory on my grave.
But, don't y'all cry for me.
You see, my Father's prepared a place.
I'll be a part of his Holy army standing a watch at the Pearly Gates.
Because freedom was never free.
POW's, and fallen soldiers
all paid the ultimate sacrifice
along side veterans who put themselves in harms way.
Risking their lives and limbs just to hold up democracy's weight,
but still standing on them broken appendages anytime the National Anthem was played.
You see, these were the brave warriors that gave me the right
to say that I'm Black. Or white.

Or

African American or Caucasian,
I'm Asian, excuse me.
I'm Vietnamese, Philippine, Korean, or Jamaican.
I'm Haitian, Hispanic

Y'all, Please be patient.
I'm Mexican, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, Cuban,
Dominican, Panamanian, Democrat
I beg your pardon, you see I partied with the late, great Reagan.
I'm Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunni Muslim,

Brothers and Sisters We're just Americans.
So with that I say
"Thank You" to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines,
for preserving my rights
to live and die for this life
and paying the ultimate price for me to be...FREE!

QUITE AN ANALOGY

I got this little analogy from my ex-B-i-L this morning, and I think it can explain just why so many of us on the Conservative/Libertarian side of the aisle are so angry over ILlegal Immigration in a way that maybe, just maybe, even some of the jackasses morons idiots "progressive minded" may be able to comprehend it. (It's a faint hope, I know, but sometimes hope is the only thing ya got to keep from going Postal!)

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed.

Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous
flow of free and easily accessible food.

But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above
the table, and next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the
table...everywhere.

Then some of the birds turned mean:

They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of
my own pocket.

And others birds were boisterous and loud:

They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and
night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore.

I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone.

I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over
the patio.

Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...... quiet, serene and no one
demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now lets see....... our government gives out free food, subsidized housing,
free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be
an automatic citizen.

Then the illegal's came by the tens of thousands.

Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are
housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room
doctor: your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over
half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual
box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people
waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the
streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder?