Evidence of Voter Fraud Uncovered....but don't worry...those who fuss about this are just being "hysterical"

Yeah, that was actually what a Democratic strategist had to say on the subject of voter fraud. He said people were acting "hysterical" when it came to groups like ACORN not only being accused of voter fraud, but in many instances actually admitting to it. Ummmmm....I'm just spitballing here, but shouldn't the issue of voter fraud be of paramount importance to America? Are we not a democratic society that prides itself on spreading democracy around the world? Do we not monitor free elections all across the planet in an effort to insure that the process is free from corruption? So....at what point did voter fraud in this country become so acceptable that speaking of it would get you labeled "hysterical". Are the inmates now running the asylum or what?? (Never mind. Don't answer that.)
I first heard about this latest round of voter fraud when someone called me and asked if I'd been watching the news day before yesterday. I hadn't been. Boy, was I missing it! Seems like there's been allegations of recent voter fraud all across the country. Being somewhat outraged about this, I asked where this person had gotten their information. They told me Fox News was reporting on it. I tuned into Fox and caught part of the story. Very interesting. However, not wanting to depend on one source only, I scanned the other news networks as well and guess what? I didn't hear a peep about it from any of the other so-called "news" networks. Strange. So I turned to the internet. CBS had a story on it, but it wasn't on their front page. I had to type "voter fraud" into their search engine to find the story. Same with ABC. Why these guys don't have it on their front pages is totally beyond me. Voter fraud is, or at least it should be, a huge issue! I went to msn.com and couldn't find a story about it there, either. I clicked on their "MSNBCnews" button, which led me to another page where I could see the word "politics". I clicked on that, which conveniently enough, led me to a list of political stories. The sixth story down was titled "Mo. officials suspect fake voter registration". Two questions...why was it not featured any higher or more prominently than that and why not just come out and say the word "fraud" in the title? Because it was just too painful a word for them or what? But hey, as an added bonus, msnbc.com does still have that wonderful old picture of Sarah Palin wearing her beauty queen crown up on their "politics" page, 'cause that's real news, right?

CNN, however, was the absolute worst offender in this "let's ignore the voter fraud" game. I went to CNN.com and found nothing on the voter fraud stories. Nothing. Nada. Zip. I clicked on their "politics" page. Instead of voter fraud stories, these were what they considered of the utmost importance for the American public to learn about:

Poll: Half concerned McCain wouldn't finish term
CNNMoney: Treasury eyeing stake in banks
CNNMoney: Questions candidates should answer
Colin Powell at Stevens corruption trial
Beck: Anti-Obama vote doesn't make you racist
Brown: Race-baiting wrong, so is overreaction
Bloomberg gains support on term-limit law changes
Todd Palin submits answers in trooper probe
Palin on SNL? 'All in good time,' producer says

Nothing, not one word, about the voter fraud currently being investigated all across this country. Did you know that it is being investigated in over 10 states?? Doesn't that seem like a substantial story? All depends on your priorities, I guess. (**Note: CNN did finally have a story titled "Voter registration forms faked, officials say" located on their "politics" page, posted this morning - 2 days after the story first broke.) By the way, most if not all, of these fraud cases involve Barack Obama's old friends, ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). I would urge all of you to do your own research on this organization. They are frequently referred to as "extreme left wing" and have a history of committing voter fraud. They have used strong arm tactics in the past to get what they've wanted (things like mortgage loans for people who actually could not afford such loans). And Senator Barack Obama has a rather long and involved relationship with them. In fact, his presidential campaign has paid ACORN more than $800,000 for voter registration drives during this campaign. Read more on that here. There's also a story in The Washington Times on this payment, but I couldn't get the link to work. Google it, though, if you'd like to read more.

For even more information on the current rash of voter fraud cases, you can click on the following links as well:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/700310.html

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/07/acorn-vegas-office-raided-voter-fraud-investigation/

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/crl-testimony-acorns-voter-fraud/story.aspx?guid=%7B573B31D0-6AB7-4353-B8E7-91300F4DFF81%7D&dist=hppr

There's plenty more out there, too, if you'd just take the time to investigate. I think every American should be aware of this. Don't be lazy, don't be naive and don't be blase' about something that means so much to so many. It is your job to be informed. Do it now before "Vote Early and Vote Often" becomes our national motto.

Here's what I've learned...

In my last post, I asked Obama supporters to tell me why they support him because I wasn't seeing the reasons for myself. I heard that they favored Obama's stance on the economy, health care, drilling for oil and abortion rights. I also heard that he would at least be different than the last 8 years. (I may have to cover that particular view in another post entirely)
But okay...so let's break this down.
1) The Economy: The biggest reason why our economy is in the toilet? Sub-prime mortgages. Companies like Countrywide Financial made loans to people using predatory practices. The following is from Wikipedia regarding Countrywide Financial.

Countrywide subprime documents show a policy of lending to families with as little as $1000 of disposal income, often compromising their ability to pay living expenses. This guideline was not established by Countrywide, but rather the investors to whom they sold their loans. However Countrywide had no qualms in following through despite it knowing those families would likely fail to make monthly payments: these loans would be sold to investors shortly after anyway. Employees were given scripts as a sales aid when talking to customers about taking out loans. But get this; Economist Stan Liebowitz writes that the Fannie Mae Foundation singled out Countrywide Financial as a "paragon" of a nondiscriminatory lender who works with community activists, following "the most flexible underwriting criteria permitted." The chief executive of Countrywide is said to have "bragged" that in order to approve minority applications, "lenders have had to stretch the rules a bit." Countrywide's commitment to low-income loans had grown to $600 billion by early 2003. Furthermore, in June 2008 Conde Nast Portfolio reported that numerous Washington, DC politicians over recent years had received mortgage financing at noncompetitive rates because the corporation considered the officeholders "FOA's"--"Friends of Angelo". The politicians extended such favorable financing included the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Democrat Christopher Dodd, and the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Democrat Kent Conrad. The article also noted Countrywide's political action committee had made large donations to Dodd's campaign. Democrat Senator Dodd proposed that the federal government buy up to $400 Billion in defaulted mortgages. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington(CREW) has called for House and Senate to investigate Senators Conrad and Dodd. It was reported that James Johnson, former CEO of Fannie Mae and an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, had received loans under the "Friends of Angelo". Johnson announced he would step down from the vice presidential vetting position on June 11, 2008 in order to avoid being a distraction to Obama's campaign. In June 2008 The Wall Street Journal reported that Franklin Raines, a former CEO of Fannie Mae, received below market rates loans at Countrywide Financial because the corporation considered the officeholders "FOA's"--"Friends of Angelo" (Countrywide Chief Executive Angelo Mozilo). He received loans for over $3 million while CEO of Fannie Mae.

By the way, Obama's buddy, James Johnson of Fannie Mae fame? An Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) report from September 2004 found that, during Johnson's tenure as CEO, Fannie Mae had improperly deferred $200 million in expenses. This enabled top executives, including Johnson and his successor, Franklin Raines, to receive substantial bonuses in 1998. A 2006 OFHEO report found that Fannie Mae had substantially under-reported Johnson's compensation. Originally reported as $6-7 million, Johnson actually received approximately $21 million.
What does this have to do with your choice of either Obama or McCain? Well I'll tell you. All of you Obama supporters, Independents, McCain detractors, and/or hard line Democrat voters, when you start talking about wanting a "change" or wanting to have "hope" or trying to get away from the last 8 years of "The Bush Presidency", I would ask that you look towards members of the Democratic leadership in Congress for some clues as to how this economic nightmare came to fruition. And no, I don't hold the Republican party harmless in all this, if for no other reason than they should have been screaming louder about the dangers of letting the sub-prime crisis reach such epic proportions - long before it actually happened. By several accounts, the warnings were there. That president, the one you all love to hate, was trying to sound the warning bell way back in 2001 and again in 2003. Nobody wanted to listen. The Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, tried to warn Washington in 2005. Again, no one wanted to listen. In 2006, John McCain co-sponsored legislation pushing for the regulation and reform of entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That bill made it out of the Senate Banking Committee with a party line vote; all democrats voted against it. Fearing that they, the Republicans, didn't have the votes to pass it, this bill wasn't even brought up on the senate floor. Yeah, I think the Republicans should have fought this much harder than they did. This effort looked more like partisan politics as usual than it did an honest attempt at preventing an economic disaster for America. Nevertheless, despite not actually getting anything done, the Republicans would at least get a "C" for putting out some effort, while the Democrats would get a flat out "F" for displaying such a willful intent to ignore what was, even then, a major issue. These inept political leaders who so blatantly ignored all the warning signs are the very same ones that Barack Obama aligns himself with and who align themselves with him. Think that over, would you? I mean, how will "change" occur when the person you are selecting for that "change" is a supporter of and is supported by many of the very people who allowed this catastrophe to happen?
Now on to Health Care: I'm afraid I haven't been able to find enough information to give an even slightly informed opinion on whose plan would work best. That's not to say I've given up, though. I will continue searching. I'm looking for non-partisan examinations of both candidate's plans. I want a comprehensive breakdown of what each will do, how much it will cost, who will pay for it and the overall benefits to America as a whole. I'll get back to you if and when I manage to get a grasp on this.
Another issue was Drilling: some of you don't want to see much drilling going on which makes absolutely no sense to me. You'd rather be dependent on foreign oil? I know there are ecological and environmental concerns. I get that. But for those of you who are opposing McCain and supporting Obama because Obama is against drilling, think again. Here's what he said during the last debate:

"I believe in the need for increased oil production. We're going to have to explore new ways to get more oil, and that includes offshore drilling. It includes telling the oil companies, that currently have 68 million acres that they're not using, that either you use them or you lose them."

Basing your vote on who will drill and who won't has become a nonstarter. Both candidates intend to drill. Granted, if Sarah Palin gets her way, there'll actually be drilling taking place in ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), too. If the drilling can be done with minimal effects on the environment (and multiple studies indicate that to be the case), then why not do it? What are we saving all that oil for? A time when we'll have developed alternative fuel and won't need oil anymore? It probably won't do us much good then, now will it? I agree that resources should most certainly be allocated for alternative energy research and development, but in the meantime...we need to do everything in our power to get away from this dangerous dependence on foreign oil. Everything.
Finally, people seem to be concerned with Abortion Rights: As I've stated before, I believe a woman should have the right to choose. But I think that choice should be whether or not to have sex, not whether or not to abort a baby for personal convenience. I think touting abortion as a "right" is ridiculous and an indication of the ultimate "pandering" to women voters. It's marketed as "I believe a woman should have control over her own body and should be able to exercise her own views over whether or not she wants to have a child". Well, thank-you-very-much, Mr. and Ms. Left-Wing, Kumbaya, "I'll empower you with the right to treat a growing entity in your womb as so much tissue to be discarded" Abortion Activist. Really appreciate your condescending and completely misleading method of trying to convince me that I Am Empowered. Personally, I think that kind of attitude short-changes women and presupposes that only by allowing us to negate a consequence of our actions (actions we partook in of our own freewill) will we be able to "control our own lives". You know I, too, believe a woman should have control over her own body, only I think that control should begin long before any man's sperm makes contact with her egg. I think that control should be granted at the onset of any and all sexual encounters, not merely afterwards. I believe a woman has a responsibility to understand the repercussions of sex, as well as the pleasures. I believe men have that responsibility, too, but seeing as how the woman ends up carrying one of those "repercussions" in her belly for approximately 9 months, I'm going to have to say the majority of the responsibility belongs to her. I think abortion as a matter of convenience is the ultimate in irresponsibility and I will never understand how any woman could stand for that as if advocating for it were some "badge of honor". We are women. We should take more pride in our ability to grasp the concept of responsibility, rather than advocate for a way out of responsibility. I swear, I really don't know when giving up the biggest and best thing that separates us from men became necessary for us to feel equal to men. We lessen ourselves when we abdicate our responsibility and I for one, won't do it. And I don't get the almost militant attitude of those who will. Edited to add: I got so carried away with my abortion stance that I forgot to tie this issue into the whole McCain/Obama choice that we've all been talking about. (Who says I can't be totally self-centered on my own blog, eh? lol) Anywho, I believe the issue of abortion is another nonstarter because I don't see Roe v Wade being overturned now or in the future, regardless of who is elected. The country has heard far too many stories of women going to back-alley butchers in the past. I don't think anyone wants to see that again, nor do I believe it will happen. There are many of us who take a stand against abortion itself, but as for me, I believe that making it legal or illegal is not the issue. Making women understand responsibility for their own bodies, and their futures, is. If we ever manage to accomplish that, then the subject of abortion could very well become moot. But again, I don't see it as a reason to vote for one candidate or another at this point in time because, despite the rhetoric, it's simply not on either party's "front burner".

In the famous words of a Batman foe...

riddle me this: why are politics such a touchy subject? Why do so many of us not want to talk about the presidential race? Isn't this subject one of paramount importance to us? Don't you dare say "no". Don't you dare say it doesn't matter who's in office "because it won't affect me". Who we elect does matter and it does affect every single one of us. For those of you who feel that who you vote for is a personal decision, I get that. I know that there's a reason we go into a booth all alone and pull those levers or punch those chads or fill in those circles in total privacy. It's to protect us voters from intimidation and/or attempts to influence our votes. I actually like that aspect of the voting booth. Here's what I don't get, though. Why are so many of us afraid to discuss our political choices with even our own friends? Why are we so afraid to express any political disagreements we may have with one another? Even more importantly, why is it so difficult to explain to one another why we like a certain candidate? I ask because, well...I honestly don't get Barack Obama's appeal. I just don't. As far as I can see, he has very questionable associations in his political past, his main accomplishments in his adult life are that he's written two autobiographies (one of which was inspired by a sermon given by Rev. Jeremiah Wright - a man I do not hesitate to call a racist) and he's campaigned for the office of president the majority of the time he's been a senator. How does that even begin to qualify him for the office of President of the United States of America? I know that some of you out there do support him, though. And I'd like to know why. Not so I can disrespect your choice and certainly not so that I can mock you, but mainly because you may possess information that I do not have and I'd like to know it. I need facts. I need to hear from people like me who have differing views. I need to learn all I can so that I can make an informed decision.
Have you ever been on a debate team? Do you know what the beauty of real debate is? It's getting to hear the position from "the other side". To bring that even closer to home...have you ever disagreed with your spouse on an issue regarding one of your children? Randey and I sure have. He's more "soft" and I'm more "hard line". I tend to speak in absolutes while Randey's full of "second chances". Normally, we manage to work it out without a lot of discussion. However, occasionally, we have some major disagreements about certain issues. We work it out like this: one of us will make an actual list (on paper) that details exactly what we think should happen. Then the other one takes that list and, item by item, either agrees or disagrees and if we disagree, we offer an alternative solution or we state what our position is. The list goes back to the other person and so on until we're able to reach an agreement between us that we both can live with. The amazing thing about this method? I've had to realize on more than one occasion that I had become too hard nosed about something and wasn't considering all the ramifications of an action I was proposing. The same thing has happened with Randey. He's been able to see the "other side" of an issue that he hadn't previously considered. Learning what Randey's stances were and how he came to those stances has helped me understand the "bigger picture". I believe the same could be said of him. That's what debate is for.
I want to hear from you Obama supporters. I want to know why you believe he'll be the better president. I want to hear the "other side". I wish I could depend on the media for this, but I can't. CNN and MSNBC are so far in the tank for Obama that I question everything I see and hear from them. FOX is so far in the tank for McCain that I question them, too. In fact, Steve Doocy from Fox and Friends could be called the "Chris Matthews of the Right". The other networks are no better. Maybe not as obvious, but still pretty much uninformative on the issues I want to hear about. I was watching ABC this morning and they were talking about a hard hitting story on what caused this banking crisis and who was responsible. What did their "investigation" uncover? That the head of Lehman Brothers made $500 million while his company was knowingly making bad loans. Well, duh. Thanks a lot. I wanted to hear more about who in Washington should be held responsible. Why? Because those are the people we elect to look out for us. I didn't elect the head of Lehman Brothers. And after researching for myself and learning about the outrageous bonuses and salaries paid to these CEOs, I kind of figured out for myself that most of them are crooks. I think law enforcement should be investigating those guys. I think the media should be investigating our politicians. And I mean investigating - not digging for dirt, not joining in on the feeding frenzy of the pundits and not trying to sway public opinion one way or the other. Remember when Sarah Palin was first announced as McCain's running mate? Man, the media just ate her and her family alive. Some of it, I agreed with. I do want to know her background, her record, her stances...I want to know what her constituents think of her. The rest of it? Not so much. It wasn't necessary for me to know that she colors her hair, I didn't need to see where she got her hair done, I didn't need to see that picture of her wearing the beauty queen crown every single day, week after week, when I clicked on a story from msn.com. I also want to hear about Obama's ties to Ayers, his ties to Jeremiah Wright, his ties to Acorn. I want to hear how and why he came to be in Chicago. How he financed his education at both Columbia and Harvard and how he and his wife (who were supposedly saddled with extensive debt from student loans that reportedly paid for their educations) could afford to spend several months in Bali while he wrote his first autobiography. Who can do that? How could they be swimming in debt and yet afford a 3 month trip to Indonesia? Yes, it matters! If his entire political career has been financed by others, I want to know who financed it. What was their stake in this? And if he paid for it himself, how? I'm not sure why the press isn't reporting on this. Heck, Palin made a comment about Obama "palling around with terrorists" and she's being slammed every which way for it. CNN flat out said her claim was false. But...it's not. Look up the Chicago Annenberg Challenge online. I did. My research on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge certainly tended to indicate a more extensive relationship between Obama and Ayers than Obama has previously indicated. Obama's response, when asked about Ayers during the 2008 Democratic Primary presidential primaries, was this:

"This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis."

Okay. But not only did Obama and Ayers have multiple contacts in connection with the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, they also served on the the Woods Fund of Chicago together for years, and Ayers hosted a meet-and-greet at his house to introduce Obama to his neighbors during Obama's first Illinois state Senate campaign in 1995. By the way, for those of you who don't know who Ayers is, think on this: Ayers describes himself this way:

"I am a radical, Leftist, small 'c' communist ..."

In 1969 he co-founded the violent radical left organization Weather Underground which was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Does it matter that Obama had this much contact with someone like William Ayers. Yeah, it does. It certainly matters a heck of a lot more than where Sarah Palin gets her hair done. I think it's unfortunate for us that the media has chosen to believe they are, by and large, a part of the political process rather than the reporters of it.

I'm asking all of you Obama supporters to please tell me what I'm missing about him. What do you see in him? I'm open to listen. If you don't feel comfortable doing that in a comment, please e-mail me at grannyskywalker (at) yahoo (dot) com. I want to hear your views. Let me be honest, though, and tell you I might use your comments in a future post. I will not, however, use your name if you expressly request that I do not. I'm not wanting to put anyone on the hot seat, but rather I'm wanting to start a dialogue. I want to listen, I want to understand. I want to learn all I can before I cast my vote this November.

My Never Ending Summer

See these? They're some of the jackets I've bought in the last month. I figured that since I'd dropped a couple of pounds this year, I could wear something like these with a pair of jeans and look downright spiffy. Now see this?
It's a lovely brown sweater I bought to wear over a plain white t-shirt. And this?

Another sweater I bought for the blue jean/white t-shirt look I'm planning to sport this fall. (I'm totally diggin' the color!)

However, thanks to this (click to enlarge):
I'm starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't have just bought tank tops and bermuda shorts. Yesterday, it was 96 FLIPPIN' DEGREES HERE!!!! Hel-loooooooo! It's October! Time for pumpkins, falling leaves and crisp weather. Today it's supposed to get up to 90 degrees, but that's what they said yesterday so I'm preparing for a full-press roasting session. But, just to prove I'm not a total pessimist, I'm also heading out to find and buy a bale of hay, for my front yard scarecrow display. Mother Nature doesn't seem to want it to be cooler weather here so it looks like I'll just have to fake it. As they say: "Denial...not just a river in Egypt".
Hope Mother Nature comes around soon, though. I've only got a limited time frame to wear this before people start looking at me funny:It says "Don't be a scardy cat" on the front. Even cuter? Check out what it says on the back of the left shoulder:

You gotta love that, right?

Now tell me again who has a better grasp on the economy...

McCain or Obama?

The trouble begins when supporters become followers...

Have you guys heard this yet? It disturbs me like nothing else I've seen (or heard) so far this political season. Children, ages 5-12, singing bizarre and hope-filled praises of Barack Obama while displaying blank expressions on their faces as their glassy eyed parents look on with unfettered and rapturous pride. Remember those horrific images of the Hitler Youth from the '30s and '40s? Innocent children being indoctrinated into a movement that they couldn't possibly have any understanding of. I'm all for teaching your children your views and positions, I'm all for showing your children what you think is the best, most moral, ethical and hopeful way to live. What I'm not for, however, is using your children as props in a campaign to demonstrate to the world your near orgasmic love and adoration for a politician. Every single adult involved in this little exposition should be ashamed of themselves for turning innocent children into puppets for their cause. If you support Obama, that's all good and well. But use your own voices to sing his praises, not those of your children. (Never, in the history of mankind, has it been a good idea to teach your children to worship a mere politician. If you need evidence of that, look up the use of children in North Korea, China, Iraq...and the aforementioned Hitler Youth.)

What do you guys think of this? Harmless "song for change" or just plain disturbing? Let me know your views.

For information on the origin of this song, you can go to the group's website: Sing for Obama. (Notice my restraint in not calling the group a "cult", despite their apparent veneration of the Junior Senator from Illinois.)

Finding a Weigh Out of Fat

Hey, whatdaya know! A post not about politics. lol Don't get used to it - my politics obsession has not waned any. I'm just taking a break to squeeze in a "weight loss" post. Not that I have much to say about that this week. I don't think I've lost so much as an ounce and, in fact, I've probably found a few instead. But what are you gonna do, eh? I've eaten right this week, I've pretty much behaved myself, I've even learned a new recipe from my brand new Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine by George Foreman instructional manual. I know I haven't been perfect, though, so I can't whine as much as I'd like to. (Remember, I've admitted in the past to being a world class whiner - it's a "gift" that I'm usually happy to share with the rest of the world. ha!) But I haven't done much exercising (one walk around the neighborhood does not an exercise regime make) and I haven't been drinking as much water as I should. (sigh) I hate it when things don't work out the way I want them to and then I have to admit it's my own darn fault. It really cuts into my martyr act, you know what I mean? So I guess that's the lesson for this week: if you want to lose weight, do what needs to be done. "Dreaming" of success may be a good start, but it's not enough to make it happen. Too bad, though...I'm pretty good at dreaming. : )

P.S. I have got to clarify something because all your "congratulations" have made me feel a bit of a fraud. When I said last week that I got into a size 8 jeans, remember - that's all I did; get into them. It wasn't pretty and I don't wear a size 8. I hope to wear a size 8 one day. But until then, I'm just goober enough to get a thrill out of squeezing my butt into something that really doesn't have enough material to contain it with any sort of dignity. Yeah, it speaks to my shallowness as a human being, but come on! When you've gone from a size 18 to actually getting a size 8 zipped and buttoned - well, I don't care who you are, that's just exciting. (*big smile*)

What does 18 Billion Dollars Mean to you?

Yeah, same here. It's more money than I expect to ever see in my lifetime, I can tell you that much (barring that lottery win that may or may not be looming in my future). Believe it not, though - there are people who feel that an amount such as that is, and I quote, "a drop in the bucket". What genius has expressed that completely-out-of-touch-with-the-sensibilities-of-middle-America view, you ask? Senator John Kerry, that's who. And what prompted those pearls of wisdom to drip from his honeyed lips? A statement from Senator Lindsey Graham regarding the exorbitant amount of earmarks asked for from members of congress this past year. While discussing the failings of our government during a recent appearance by both Kerry and Graham on Special Report with Brit Hume, Graham made mention of John McCain's mission to stop the rapacious earmarking practices that have become the norm rather than the exception in congress since the mid '90s. When Senator Kerry categorized that stance as simple "demagoguery" (his word), Graham pointed out that in the last year, 18 billion dollars had been asked for in earmarks by members of congress. To which Kerry responded by saying something along the lines of curtailing earmarks wouldn't fix the problems. In fact, according to Kerry, 18 billion dollars is "just a drop in the bucket". Well dadgom. Wonder if I could get a piece of that bucket? You know, I'm not sure how much that bucket can hold, but if 18 billion is a mere "drop" of its contents, I'm thinking we may need to downsize our bucket. Regardless of the size of the bucket or the drop itself, however, I feel compelled to point out that whatever it is that fills any bucket, it always consists of drops of something. And if you want to control what goes into your bucket, you'd damn well better start paying attention to the drops you allow to go into it.
In that same appearance, Brit Hume asked Graham about his own history of asking for earmarks. I almost dropped a skillet on my foot when I heard his answer. Graham said, "I've been a part of the problem. I want to be part of the solution". Senator Graham went on to say that he had this change of heart because John McCain convinced him that it is the right thing to do for America. Okay. In the first place, I don't know when I've ever heard a politician say he was a part of the problem. They're usually screaming about how the other guy is the problem. Secondly, I don't know how long Graham will remain in this frame of mind - if it's a real change of heart, a change contingent upon the election of John McCain, or even if he'll hold up to any pressures from home regarding this stance in the future. What I do know is this: that view, that statement, that vision gave me a ray of hope for our future. What if all of Washington could admit to their failures and stop with the finger pointing and the blame game? What if all our elected officials decided to work for us and our country, instead of for each other and their political party? What if???

P.S. I know I'm probably being entirely too political these days and if that makes any of you uncomfortable, I'm sorry. Remember, I'm always open to hearing views "from the other side". I'm sure it's obvious that I'm a Republican and a John McCain supporter. Like Senator McCain, I too have issues at times with the Republican party. I affiliate with them because of our common views. I question them because I don't believe all their positions are the right way to go. Hearing other views is interesting and sometimes even illuminating.

Oh, and are you asking why I've gone into politics so thoroughly lately? IT'S BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A FLIPPIN' CAR RIGHT NOW SO I'M STUCK AT HOME WATCHING ALL THE POLITICAL NEWS AND READING POLITICAL VIEWS ONLINE. We got one wrecked car out of the shop Friday and put the other one in Monday morning. As I've mentioned before, since our cars were damaged by people who had no insurance and we didn't have Uninsured Motorist coverage, that means NO RENTAL CAR while ours are being repaired. So...the gist of this is, if you don't want me writing political stuff, take up a collection and GET ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE during the day!!!! (she said, laughing maniacally with the tv remote control clutched tightly in her fist)

I'M SICK OF PARTISAN POLITICS!!!!!!

Help me out here. I realize that I'm only an "uneducated/stay-at-home mom type" (that was a side joke shared with Vee from A Haven for Vee), but I don't understand a few things about this whole economic crisis. Barack Obama has said that he intends to see that no American loses their home. Soooooo....does that mean that the people who bought houses they couldn't afford using financing agreements that couldn't be met will get to keep their homes even though they can't now, nor have ever been able to, afford said homes? How does that work? Should Randey and I rush out and buy a much larger and more expensive home with the full knowledge that we can't afford it, but with the comfort of Obama's reassurance that we won't lose that home? Oh. We left it too late, you say? Should have done that months ago before the shady dealings of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Wall Street banks and the money-grubbin', do-nothing congress banking committees came to light? Figures. Once again, we seem to have missed the boat, I suppose. At any rate, can someone please explain Obama's plan of keeping all Americans in their homes? Will we all have to continue to pay for our own homes or will our tax dollars take care of those mortgage payments for some of us? Or is Obama just doing what he does best; talking smack. I'm sorry, all you Obama supporters, I really am. I don't mean to sound dismissive of your candidate, but I honestly don't see any substance to him. What has he done in his political career that indicates he could or even would be a good president? Okay, so he makes "profound" speeches. Big whup. Ever heard that saying, "Talk is cheap"? It's a cliche' for a reason, you know. Pretty much all politicians can talk. I prefer the ones who will act on their convictions and not just talk about them. McCain comes out and declares that he's going to Washington to work on this bailout proposal for the good of the country. He seems to think he should be focusing on the biggest crisis to hit our shores since 9/11. Obama's response? "Let's issue a joint statement". Wow. Thanks. Really helpful. He further says that the leaders in congress "can call me if they need me". Here's a thought, Barack. Get your butt back to the job you were actually hired to do, roll up your sleeves and help save all us little people from the mess our financial sector and our government leaders have allowed us to get into. You are the man for change, right? So what change were you referring to? A change of scenery? A change of pace? A change of venue? What? He and his camp say things like "we need a leader who can chew gum and walk at the same time". Well, first of all, I'm going to have to say, you're slipping a little on that whole "profound" talk you're so famous for and, second of all, I personally think we need a leader who can identify and focus on an issue when that issue threatens the entire well-being of our country. I heard yesterday and this morning how Democrats are blaming McCain because they were "close to an agreement" until McCain showed up and injected "presidential politics" into the deal. Too bad no one told the Republican leaders they were "close to an agreement". I heard Harry Reid say again this morning that they didn't need "presential politics" brought into this. Well, Harry, what do you need? I only ask because you sure as hell don't seem to be solving the problem with the current group of people you've got working on it. Although, it is my understanding that the Democrats do have enough votes to pass the bill in both the House and the Senate, they won't do it without Republican support. Not because they want to include Republicans in that bill, but rather because they don't want to face the blame alone if the bill doesn't do what it's supposed to. What ever happened to standing up for what you believe in? If these people believe that the bill, as it stands, is the best possible route to take, then stand up for it and get it passed! Personally, for once I'm glad for their cowardice actually, because I don't believe this bill should be passed in its current form. I don't get how us taxpayers paying out money to buy these so-called "toxic mortgage loans" can be in anyway beneficial to us. Something needs to be done, that much is evident. But I don't think Bush's plan is the right thing and I don't believe that our elected leaders in Washington are working towards what's best for us. I think there's still back-biting and trying to put "party" ahead of "country". There is one person who has shown over and over again that he can and will work with sensible members of both political parties and that is Senator John McCain. He's proven it time and time again. So why have certain politicians (Harry Reid anyone?) as well as certain media outlets (damn near every one out there, but MSNBC in particular) labeled John McCain's willingness to suspend his campaign and focus on this crisis "a political ploy". Washington game players are so freakin' warped by their "party is number one" way of life, that they've forgotten what they were sent to Washington to do in the first place. And the fringe element (media, etc.) is just as bad. I'll point out that Democrats aren't the only ones guilty of partisanship either, so don't get too smug my GOP brethren. Case in point: Rush Limbaugh. The man couldn't stand John McCain because John McCain has had the nerve to work with Democrats in the past. Now that McCain is the Republican nominee, however, Rush has managed to jump on board and become a loud and proud McCain supporter. Has he suddenly had an epiphany and decided he and McCain agree on the issues? Nah, not so much. It's because "party" matters more than issues to people like Rush. And people like Chris Matthews. And Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and well...I wanted to add some more Republicans in here just to show my true disgust at the whole Washington community, but after researching a bit, I'm unable to find any that are more partisan than most Democrats. I would think they must be out there, but then again, if they were, I'm pretty sure the media would have publicly tarred and feathered them by now. Regardless of party affiliation, however, as a taxpaying citizen of this country, I want you people to work together, stop whining because a member of the senate has returned to Washington to do his job and FIX. THIS. DAMN. PROBLEM. you know, sort of like you're paid to do.
Our country is facing a crisis of epic proportions and we have one presidential candidate rolling up his sleeves and working towards bringing both parties together and we have another one who says things like "call me if you need me", "let's make a statement" (with words only, of course), and "this first debate must happen and it must happen on schedule because the American public deserves that". Whoa there, little Buckaroo! As a member of that American public, let me put my two cents worth in...I'd much rather see our savings, our homes, our income and our credit ratings protected first. You can debate about your "views" once you've saved us from this crisis. Although - quite frankly, your actions have already spoken much louder to me than any words you could possibly utter.

Oh and one more thing. Speaking of those debates. I keep hearing about how much planning has gone into these debates and how important it is that they go on as planned and how many man-hours have gone into the planning and how many "millions" have been spent on them. I did some research on these debates and, while I'm sure they took quite a bit of planning and and quite a bit of man-hours and quite a bit of money, I gotta say, if these people have actually spent "millions" on getting this done, they are not much better than those bankers who made all those worthless loans that have helped cause the crisis our nation now faces. I think they may be guilty of a bit of bad money management because, honestly, it just shouldn't cost that much to get these things set up. I'd love to see their budget breakdowns and their financial statements. Also, these debates are not the free-wheeling debates of the past. Since 1988, they have become far more orchestrated than they should be (in my opinion). Do a little research on the process. I think you'll see what I mean. If Obama and McCain want to give us American citizens a chance to hear their views as well as their answers to important questions, why not do a series of town hall meetings across the country? Why are these massively preplanned and basically "rehearsed" debates the end all and be all of presidential politics? Hey - it's just another question from me, an "uneducated, stay-at-home mom type"....

Finding a Weigh Out of Fat and Whining

Okay, okay, okay. I know I'm a whiner. To be honest, I'm a whiner from waaaaaaay back. It's sort of a way a life with me. Matter of fact, I guess you could call me a genuine Whine-O. I would say that I'll try to do better in the future, try to not whine about every little thing that happens in my life, but well, then I'd just be a lying whiner instead of just a plain ol' whiner and that would make me even worse, right? I suspect I'll always whine so what's the point of trying to deny it. At any rate, I'm at the point of my latest crisis when even I'm sick of hearing me blubber so I guess that means I need to move on now. Cars and cousins are just a part of life and grousing about either won't change the circumstances surrounding those subjects. At long last, I've arrived at the "suck it up" stage of this particular whine. So YAY me. LOL
Now on to "weightier" issues. I'm happy to report that I've lost another 1.6 pounds for a grand total thus far of 41 pounds. I'm pretty darn pleased with myself about this (ha! Talk about an understatement!). I got a comment on my previously referenced "big whining post" from Vee, asking if I was learning what to do when stressed instead of eat? I have to tell you, I hadn't even thought about it until she asked! But you know, there was a time not so very long ago when I would have buried my face in chocolate cake or maybe a bag of Hershey kisses or even a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos when faced with as much stress as we've been through the past few weeks. Without trying to sound like a cheerleader for their program, I have to give credit to Weight Watchers for my not doing that anymore. WW has taught me how to eat and, more importantly I think, they've taught me how to have a healthy emotional relationship with food. I no longer look to food for comfort or solace. I eat because my body needs the fuel, not because I'm feeling depressed or anxious or happy or sad. I'm so glad that Vee asked me that question because I feel much more confident in realizing through actual actions that my relationship with food has changed so dramatically. If I could impart one piece of advice to anyone trying to lose weight, it'd be to learn that food is fuel - nothing more, nothing less. That's not to say I don't want my food to taste good, because I do, but I don't plan my days around food anymore. I don't plan my life around food, other than to eat it because I need the fuel for energy. It's incredibly liberating to not be focused on food 24/7 (and here's to this being a life-long attitude and not just a phase, eh?). Heck, I'm even able to happily focus on other things these days...things like my husband, my hobbies, my home, my clothes... speaking of clothes, let me tell you this; the other day, I was telling Randey that I had tried on a pair of size 8 Levi's and actually got them on! SIZE 8s!!Okay, so it wasn't pretty, but that wasn't the point (*smile*). The point was that I was able to put them on my body and zip them up without rupturing anything. And despite my arse looking like a twisted balloon (strange little creases abounded!), it was a thrill to be able to do that. And maybe in a month or so, those size 8s will fit like they're supposed to. Maybe. Hopefully. (Hey! It's a goal! Don't judge.)
Before I leave, I want to share a picture of the Halloween tree. Yeah, it's the same tree I posted about and called my Fall tree, but I decided to dress it up for Halloween now. I had these "witch shoes" from Hobby Lobby last year. Don't know why I bought them, other than they were on sale after Halloween. They have little handles on them so maybe they are to hold candy or flowers or something, who knows. Anyway, as I was staring at them, trying to think of where to put them, it hit me: I needed a pair of Halloween tights to stick into the shoes! I found some at Wal-Mart, stuffed them with fiber-fill and set them up under the tree. Then I found a totally cool witch hat for the topper. And if I had those gorgeous feather-trimmed witch gloves I'd bought Maddy a couple of months ago, this tree would have arms as well as legs! (Yeah, Jake was pretty grateful those gloves are with Maddy now, too. lol) So what do you think? Too much?

Does character matter anymore?

I am so disheartened with recent events in my life. I'm struggling with the notion that, while I know good people exist (in addition to some I know in "real" life, I've also "met" so many good hearted, fine, upstanding people through blogging!), I wonder if the larger population even cares about good character or integrity or personal responsibility. As I mentioned before, my husband was involved in a hit and run accident last month. The young man (22 years old) who made an illegal lane change and hit Randey, fled the scene of that accident. An off duty police officer witnessed the accident and following the offender as he fled, catching up to him after about 15 miles as the young man turned into and parked at a shopping mall. Upon his apprehension, police escorted the young man back to the scene of the accident, where he proceeded to lie about his version of what happened. He claimed he had no idea that he had hit someone. He thought he'd merely "spun out" on the wet road. Because there were witnesses to the actual accident (another witness returned to the scene and also gave his information to the police), the police arrested the young man for hit and run. At that time, the guy claimed he had insurance. Another lie. I don't really get that one. It's not like they were just going to take his word for it. He had to produce evidence of that insurance coverage and, of course, he could not. Yet he lied about it anyway. This young person hit another car with his car, fled the scene of the accident, lied about how the accident happened and what actually happened in the accident and then lied about having insurance coverage. No character. No integrity. No personal responsibility. Then someone rams my car in a parking lot and leaves without thought as to the hardship they have caused. They were more interested in avoiding responsibility than owning up to it. What's that all about? How does that work? How can you cause that much damage to another person's property and be only concerned for yourself? I'm no saint, God knows, but I can't fathom ever doing that to someone. Then again, maybe I would. Maybe I don't have any more character or integrity than the next person. I like to think I do, but maybe I'm just fooling myself.
This last situation that makes me question things like character and integrity and personal responsibility has to do with one of my cousins. Does anyone remember me talking about our "cousin getaway" from earlier in August? Well, Randey had actually reserved the room for us at the resort and used our credit card to pay. When we arrived at the resort, one of my cousins asked if we could transfer the reservation over to her name so that she could use her husband's Marriott points and maybe get an upgrade (maybe free breakfast or something like that, she suggested). Not caring whose name it was in, I said fine. As she and I checked in, I was standing there when the clerk said there would be no problem with doing that. He then asked for her debit card for any incidentals, etc., which she gave him. The next morning, as we were all "paying up", there was a discussion amongst us about whose card the room charges were on. My cousin called the front desk and upon hanging up, told us all that her debit card was the one charged. So we all paid her for our shares of the room, approximately $34.00 each. I actually gave her $40.00 because all I had was twenties and told her not to worry about the change. Imagine my surprise when I got my credit card bill in the mail and saw that my credit card had been charged for the room ($169 and some change!). I immediately called my cousin to tell her about this and to request a copy of her bank statement so that I could contest the charges on my card. At that point, I was hoping it was an error on the part of the resort ( i.e, they double billed us for the room). Days later, my cousin calls me back and tells me that her debit card was not charged and that she would send me a check right away. A week later, I still hadn't received a check, but my cousin called to say it was a bank error - she had requested the payment to me via Quicken, there had been a screw up, but not to worry, a check was on its way. Another week passed with no check. Upon inquiry, my cousin told me that her bank was just "really messing up bad" - even her mortgage payment was screwed up, but no fear...a check was on its way. And now, more than yet another week has passed. Still no check. Still hearing about her bank screwing up, only now the story is joined with tales of a sick kid and admonitions that I should not be "ugly" about it and should be patient. ("Ugly" consisted of me e-mailing her, asking what was up and to please tell me if she was having money problems or even if she never intended to pay me so I would quit looking for the check to arrive.) It's been over 6 weeks since our "cousin getaway". I don't know about you guys, but if I'm expecting a $169 withdrawal from my bank account via my debit card, I'm aware of it and would have questioned why it hadn't been processed within a week of the resort visit. Assuming that didn't occur to my cousin, however, I would hope that I would have rectified the situation within days of learning of it just because it would be the right thing to do. It's now been over 3 weeks since I told her my credit card was charged and I still have not received payment from her, and in fact am being "briefed" over my lack of patience and understanding. It's crushing me that this is happening. Us cousins had sworn to each other that we were going to treat each other right - we wouldn't make the mistakes of the previous generation. We were going to be open and honest and straightforward with one another and be family. But, for whatever reason and for whose ever fault it is, at least two of us don't seem to be doing that. I've agonized over this. Is it me? Am I not patient enough? Have I not given her plenty of time to fix this? Am I wrong to feel like I've been screwed after this much time has passed? I keep telling myself not to judge too hastily, not to be too fast to feel like history is repeating itself in this generation. But I can't seem to help but feel like enough time has passed and even if she should send that payment now, the damage is done. There was no consideration for my point of view - no thought to my credit card payment being due - no feeling of urgency to set things right. This "cousin getaway" room charge cost one cousin $34. It cost my sister and her daughter a combined $68. It cost me $209 (the entire room charge, plus the $40 cash I gave my cousin). My other cousin, however, made $142.00. It just doesn't seem right, it doesn't feel right and I can't help but wonder if I simply was not meant to be a part of a larger family picture. I seem to be involved in way too many bad feelings within the family and this is just one more incident. Maybe I'm taking it too personally, or too hard or whatever. Maybe I am just an impatient witch. Doesn't really matter at this point, now does it? Either way, I'm even further outside my extended family than I've ever been. Sometimes it seems like the harder I try, the more I learn I shouldn't. Yeah. Like I said earlier, I am so disheartened by recent events in my life.
Maybe this new season will bring changes for the good, eh? One can only hope.

I'm so bummed right now.

Randey's out of town for a few days. This morning I was bored silly so I decided to entertain myself with some shopping. I don't much regret the shopping, but I sure wish I'd taken a taxi. I came out of JC Penney to find that my brand new car, the one I've only made two whole payments on, had been smucked. Here's what greeted me: I had pulled all the way through a parking spot so I wouldn't have to back up when I left and it looks like someone tried to park next to me and hit my car instead. I don't know who hit my car because the person left without leaving so much as a note. And since we don't have Uninsured Motorist coverage (and why should we? Insurance is MANDATORY in this state, therefore everyone should have it!) that person's annoying lack of parking skills and severe lack of anything even resembling character and/or integrity will cost us $5oo in deductibles just to have our car fixed. You know the really, really sucky thing about all this? Just 32 days ago, Randey was in a hit and run accident while driving home from work. They caught the guy who hit him (luckily, there was an off duty police officer who witnessed the wreck and chased the guy down when he fled the scene). But, while that young man was caught and arrested for the crime of fleeing an accident, the fact remains that he, too, had no insurance. So that wreck also cost us $500. In fact, Randey's car is in the shop right this minute, being fixed while Randey's out of town. So, thanks to 2 individuals who have chosen to break the law by having no insurance and by leaving the scene of accidents, we're out $1,000 in very short order. Yeah. I am seriously bummed right now.

I've been threatening to write a political post for several days now...

but this isn't exactly it. It's political, I guess, but it's not the "big one". In other words, it's not the post I planned to do regarding the two presidential candidates. I plan on doing that one soon, but this one is more about sexism, feminism, women's rights, etc. Ever since Republican presidential candidate John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate, the so called "feminists" all across America have been up in arms. Why? Because Sarah Palin is totally and completely pro life and does not believe in or advocate for abortion. Therefore, according to these "feminists" in our country, Sarah Palin is not a woman for the masses. She is not a woman that other women should vote for and in fact, she is not a woman worthy of any support from other women. Huh. Interesting.

Anybody know the exact definition of "feminism"? I do. Check it out:

fem·i·nism (fěm'ə-nĭz'əm) n.
1. Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.
2. The movement organized around this belief.

Where does it say that one must believe in abortion in order to be a feminist? Not only would I say that Sarah Palin is a classic example of a feminist as explained by that very definition of the word, I actually would classify myself as a feminist, as well. (Although I am in no way comparing myself to Sarah Palin. Love her or hate her, that woman possesses one thing in great quantities that I have never had and probably never will have; Courage!) I happen to think I am the equal to a man, I think all women are. I know this flies in the face of many historical, not to mention some religious, beliefs but I know in my heart of hearts that God made me every bit as smart as a man because I am that man's equal, not his lesser, not his better. His equal. That is not to say that I think I can do anything a man can do. I can't. In balance, a man can't do everything I can do either. Being "equal", in my view, does not mean men and women are equal at every effort across the board. Rather, it means that men and women are equal in their abilities to reason and to exist. Now. Having explained that particular philosophy, let me also say this; One of those things that I can do that a man cannot is have babies. I can give birth. And with the exception of that fella (who was formerly a woman) over in Oregon, no man has been able to match that specific capability. Pregnancy and child birth are the exclusive purview of Woman. (Tragically, not all women can do this, for a great variety of reasons. I do not believe that lessens their "womanhood" in the least. Pregnancy and child birth does not define a woman, rather it is something a woman can do that no man can. Just want to establish my feelings about that before someone lashes out at me for disenfranchising the infertile portion of the female population when that is certainly not my intent.)

Okay. Now that I've stated my belief that I, as a woman, am equal to a man (remember guys, equal yet different!!) let me get about half of you in an uproar by stating that I do not believe in abortion. I deplore the ease of abortion, I deplore it's use as a way of keeping a woman from "screwing up her life". I believe that if a woman voluntarily has sexual relations with a man and becomes pregnant, she should understand that that pregnancy is not an "inconvenience" and it's not just a "bother" to be gotten rid of at the earliest opportunity. It's a baby. I swear I don't get the whole "when does a fetus become a child" argument. Hel-lo!!!! Despite what you may have seen in Hollywood horror films, the results of a human woman's pregnancy is that of a human baby in absolutely 100% of the time. It's not like there's a chance you could give birth to a donkey or a goldfish or a stuffed animal. No, no, no. If left to progress normally, a human child will indeed result from that pregnancy. Even in the case of a miscarriage, what comes out is still human. It's human cells, not monkey cells, not turtle cells, not imploding cells from the 3rd sun of Saturn (if there is such a thing). Therefore, in my mind, any termination at any time during a pregnancy is...well, the only way to say it is, you've terminated a human life. Okay, so now I've gotten some people all tense thinking I'm trying to force my views on the rest of the population. Not so. I don't think Roe vs. Wade should be repealed. I don't see the point in doing that. I'd rather see women being taught personal responsibility for their bodies. I think Roe Vs. Wade merely provided women with a fix for those times when they didn't consider the consequences of sex, unprotected or otherwise. However, having said that, I also have to confess my ambiguity over abortion in the case of rape or incest or even in the case of the pregnancy actually endangering the health of the mother. A huge part of me thinks that a pregnancy should be respected at all costs. But another part of me wonders if, faced with the horrors of those scenarios, would I be strong enough to carry that baby to term or would it destroy me as a person to do so? And listen. I know my views are just that: my views. Not yours or yours or even yours. They're just mine. The bottom line of my view on abortion is that I think it's horrific and plain old wrong to use abortion as a "fix". A woman needs to take responsibility for her body if she ever wants to be considered equal to a man in this world. Part of taking responsibility for her body is to know that having sex can result in pregnancy and pregnancy is not like a boil you should have lanced from your ass just because medically it can be done. Pregnancy is a life. Woman have a great and awesome power in that they can carry another life inside their bodies. Only women can do that! Men cannot! That's huge!! So why do the "feminists" in our country think that the ability to negate and terminate that power is the absolute "cornerstone" of what defines a "true" feminist? That makes no sense. Woman should be treasuring the capability of giving birth, not embracing a method of destroying it. What is wrong with us? Who convinced women that the way to be equal was to become non maternal? My God. Women! Wake up! It's not our differences from men that keeps us from being equals. It's our failure to understand that those differences are what gives us our equality. Men and woman balance each other in this and many other ways. Different strengths, different talents, different capabilities...equal minds, equal hearts, equal destinies. So all you so called "feminists" out there, come out of the dark ages. Don't deny your feminine differences from men. They're there. They're real. They always will be. Cheer for those differences! And for pity's sake, stop denigrating other women who embrace the beauty of being women. Let's join hands and work towards the true definition of "feminism". Standing for abortion doesn't make you enlightened. It just takes away from being a woman. And that, my friends, is an awful thing to do to yourself.

One last thing before I go...I've been watching quite a bit of political tv lately. (And man, don't even get me started on the bias of the networks, particularly Fox and MSNBC! Whatever happened to journalists being neutral?????). Anywho...I noticed that a lot of "pro choice" individuals aren't calling it "abortion" these days. Rather, they've taken to calling it "reproductive health issues". What in the hell does that mean? Can anyone explain that to me? Are they implying that being pregnant is somehow a "health" issue for your uterus? I mean I guess you could say that's sort of accurate. Maybe. But what's with the fancy terminology? The discussion between "pro-life" and "pro-choice" isn't about a woman's "reproductive health". After all, pregnancy is actually a function of a woman's body, not a disease or malady, remember? No, this discussion is about abortion. Let's "keep it real", okay people? I mean, you can put lipstick on that pig...but it's still a pig. Right?

Wednesday's "Finding a Weigh Out of Fat"

I have a question for you guys for this week's post. We've talked about favorite snacks, favorite recipes, favorite tips, etc., but I have an issue that's been bugging me a bit. What do you guys do when you find yourself out and about, away from home, during lunch? What do you eat? I mean, where do you go to find a good, low point (for WW) or low calorie/low fat lunch? Do you bring a lunch with you and if so, what's in that lunch? Do you stop at certain restaurants and get something and if so, what do you get? I know it's important to not skip meals, but sometimes, when I'm running around during the day and find myself getting hungry around lunchtime, I'm at a loss as to where to go or what to get. Any tips? What do you guys do?

The Silver Lining of Hurricane Ike (for me anyway!)

I found out last Thursday that one of my blogging buddies, Jayme, from down near Houston was evacuating to get away from Hurricane Ike. And where, oh where, do you think she and her family evacuated to? My little town, that's where! We were able to meet Friday for lunch. Here we are at Applebee's, just finishing up. And if you read my previous post, you'll remember I mentioned a shirt that I will never, ever, ever wear again because I've now seen this picture and come to realize that my honkin' arms are ginormous and probably shouldn't see the light of day again!! I mean, hel-lo! I really must speak to Randey about letting me leave the house dressed like this. He should know better (ha!). Anywho, lunch was great fun - Jayme and I seemed to be able to talk like we'd known each other for ages! Then we did some shopping together. You all know how I hate shopping, right? But...I'm a good friend so I soldiered on along through store after store in order to show an out-of-towner a good time when they're visiting our fair little hamlet. Oh the sacrifices I make for others...(heavy sigh). Here's Jayme at Ross. We found these baskets and, for some reason, we both thought they were quite funny. They're "labeled". Wonder if the basket police will come take you away if they find you've put "books" in the "stuff" basket or vice-versa? And what's with that "laundry" basket? Laundry for who? Little, bitty, tiny smurf-like people? Here's Jayme and I at On the Border the next day. Yes. We enjoyed lunch a couple of times. So sue us. I have to say, I really enjoyed lunch this day. I luvs me some Mexican food, yessir I do. I love it so much, in fact, that I really, really need to just keep clear of it or I'll undo all the good I've done with Weight Watchers these past four months. lol Cheese and onion enchiladas..... ahhhhhhhhh. Here's a picture of Jayme's daughter, Saira, playing Randey's X-Box (and that's a whole other story we'll call The X-Box Debacle. I'll tell you about that at a later time). Jayme brought Saira over to our house when she came over to use the computer. Saira is a perfectly charming little child with the most wonderful accent and speech patterns. If you could hear her in person, you'd know what I mean. I really enjoyed talking with her. She's great. I also met Jayme's husband Chad and her son Ryan (who has perfect teeth, just let me say that. I know, it's a weird thing to mention, but his teeth were that good! lol). I know that Hurricane Ike was not a happy event by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm grateful that it allowed me to meet Jayme and her family in person. That's my little "silver lining" for this particular natural disaster. By the way, her house and property sustained very little damage by all accounts, although they are still without power and water, etc. Their little town did take a huge hit and I know it'll be a long road ahead of them before they are anywhere near normal again. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers, if you would.
Here's what else I've been up to. Last year, my daughter-in-law Jodie, decided to do a fall themed tree to celebrate Autumn. This year, I decided to do one, too. What do you think of it?
Here's a full shot of the room. As you can see, it's a small tree. Just enough to make the room glow at night. I love it. Just looking at it puts me in a better frame of mind (geez...does that mean I'm easily influenced? Yeah. Probably. That's okay, though...I can deal with that knowledge. lol).
As some of you know (and thank you so much for your kind words about it!) Friday was my birthday. My son Kaleb, got me this:
House, Season Four! Yay! I love that show. My daughter got me a pair of sandals and a kitchen clock, both of which I need to take pictures of. I liked the clock so much, I hung it up right away and then forgot to snap a photo of it when I was preparing for this post! I'll fix that soon.
Then I got this in the mail yesterday from Annie. I was so touched by her kindness. I was sort of pouting about how I didn't hear from either of my parents on my birthday and was feeling kind of down about it when Randey walked in carrying the mail. Thank you, Annie. Talk about great timing. (I should clarify that I didn't really expect to hear from my parents on my birthday. My mom and I have issues and my dad's memory isn't what it used to be so not having either of them call was not a surprise. I was just being moody about it, that's all!) Anyway, I appreciate the gift and will get good use out of the book, I'm sure.
This is what I woke up to Friday morning:
Roses, a card and a gift. I was kind of surprised because the laptop was our birthday present to each other (Randey's birthday is 6 days after mine). But oh man, aren't these flowers pretty? I love them. And the card was just wonderful, too. By the way, the card says "Happy Birthday Sissy" because everyone in my whole entire family calls me Sissy, including my husband. That's because we were introduced to each other by my sister and his brother, who are married to each other. If Randey ever called me "Kari", I wouldn't know who he was talking to. lol Just goes to show you, people...you can get used to being called darn near anything. I've been called "Sissy" for so long, it doesn't even phase me anymore. :)
Want to know what was in the package from Randey? This thing:

A Jim Shore Halloween cat. I adore this cat. It's so perfect for this time of year and just makes me happy to look at it. I discovered Jim Shore stuff last year. I don't like everything out there that's made by him, but certain things just really appeal to me, for some reason. Like some of the cats. The ones with words like "freedom", "patience", "vigilance" and "curiosity". Love them! I also have a little chihuahua (in honor of Sydney the Wonder Dog, of course!) and a Jiminy Cricket with the words "Let your conscience be your guide!", a saying I've long been fond of, across the bottom of it and a Little Red Riding Hood "Granny" figure. I get a lot of pleasure from just looking at those figures. Don't know why, so don't ask. lol Anywho, my beloved daughter-in-law Jodie, knows of my love of some things Jim Shore. So...being the great gift-giver that she is, she found this to send me (and yeah, I just know she was the one responsible...Nick would have bought me a Star Wars thing instead! ha!) by the way, I'd have loved a Star Wars thing, too! Nick does know his mother pretty well. lol :
Isn't this witch and cat adorable? And doesn't it just put you in the mood for autumn and Halloween and cooler weather??? I love it. I don't think I'd actually seen this figure before. It's totally cool and I'm so glad she picked it out. (Check out the face on the broom. Cracks me up!) But the absolute most awesomely wonderful Jim Shore item ever made is this:
I had actually seen this in a Hallmark store here in town and came so close to buying it for myself. But I didn't. I've been spending way too much money on just "me" lately so I talked myself out of it. (See? I can exercise self control occasionally!) Then I received it from Jodie and Nick. Talk about being all smiles!!! I have spent more time just staring at this beautiful cornucopia. All the little details, the colors, the workmanship. I, quite simply, love love love this thing. Click on the picture to enlarge. You'll see what I mean. It's just darn cool to look at. Thank so much Jodie, Nick and Kara. I'm totally pleased with these two things. You spent too much, of course, but well heck...I'm thrilled with them anyway. Thank you guys! And thanks also to Susan, my BFF, for the gift card. I'll let you know what I end up getting with it. Decisions, decisions.

I guess that's about it for today. I have my weigh in tomorrow at my Weight Watchers meeting. I'm tired of agonizing over it, though. I've decided to take a totally radical approach this week. I'm gonna wear jeans and a heavier shirt and I might even leave my shoes on when I hop my butt up on that dreaded, evil weight measuring device those people call "scales". I know it'll make those scales say I've gained at least 3 pounds, but just think of how virtuous I'll feel next week when I wear my normal (and not nearly as heavy!) regular clothes. Yeah, so it's cheating. I don't care. I need to shake things up a bit and this seems like a perfectly harmless way to do that. I hope to get around to some blogs again soon. I've read a few, but need to go back and leave a comment now. But first I have to cook dinner for my dearly beloved. He's headed out of town Thursday so it's looking good for dinner out tomorrow night. But tonight, it's just me, slaving away in the kitchen (another heavy sigh). See you guys tomorrow!

Attitude is everything, technically speaking.

Just a quick note to say I've not fallen off the side of the earth, nor have I forsaken the world of blogging. Let's just say I'm having technical difficulties. My sinuses are "technically" in a world of hurt - I feel like my head is the size of the Goodyear blimp, my computer skills are "technically" deficient, in the worst possible way (I say this because I still have not mastered the fine art of downloading my photographs into the right folders, etc. and it's annoying me to no end) and my house has become so desperately in need of cleaning that I'm "technically" relearning what it means to dust, vacuum, mop and scrub (life skills I thought I was doing quite well without, thankyouverymuch!). Oh, and "technically", my scales have told me that, yet again, I've managed to do great Thursday through Sunday, but starting on each and every Monday, I begin to grow lead weights somewhere inside my body and that growth manifests itself in those rotten digital numbers on that evil Conair Weight Watchers scale that lives in my closet. Not that I'm going off the deep end over the matter of a pound or two. No sir. Not me. I'm much more stable than that. I don't mind jumping on that particular emotional roller coaster. It's fun to know that eating healthier and paying attention to culinary details is paying off in such a meaningful way. In fact, I've enjoyed this feeling so much over the past month that I think I'll buy a season pass for that ride so I can do this over and over and over again. Oh, and did I mention the fact that, once I do get my photos downloaded properly (and I'm sure that will happen - even if I have to get one of the boys to do it for me), I will be able to show you a picture of a shirt that I own that I will never, ever, ever, as long as I live, wear again? Yeah, I loved that shirt. Until I saw a picture of myself in it, of course. I swear, it ought to be a law; Every new item of clothing that a woman contemplates buying should first be photographed on the body of that woman so she might be able to better judge the quality of the "cute effect" she thinks it gives her. Because damn. Nothing like wearing a shirt that shows a set of arms more suited to a Green Bay linebacker than a 45 year old woman. Urrrggghhhh! Anywho, I'll share all that and more in short order. Maybe today. Maybe not. Depending on this thoroughly crummy attitude I'm working on. Speaking of which...the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the flippin' Dallas Cowboys last night. BUM. MER. Donovan McNabb is twice the quarterback that Tony Romo is, but alas...even his fine leadership didn't bring the Eagles to victory. It was a fun game to watch, but it sure would have been funner had Philly won. But that's neither here nor there. I only bring it up as one more example of the negative vibes I'm giving off this morning. I'll work on being nicer...or at least, at seeming to be nicer, and will post something decent soon. :0