Some Conservatives Are Sore Losers

I was late reading all the newspaper this week, so I didn't get to the editoral page until this afternoon. Of course, there was the usual backstabbing, backbitting comments you see every week, but one of them stood out to me. This one letter to the editor is a clear example of what is wrong with our country today.

Least I be accused of taking a comment out of context, I have printed the entire letter - word for word - and I will make my comment after. (*) are places I want to comment on.

Lexington Herald Leader, Sunday, November 9, 2008, page C3:

The people have spoken in record numbers. That in and of itself is a wonderful thing. The face of America is changing. Now we will see what changes will be made and if changing everything is truly a good thing.

I know my more liberal brothers and sisters are celebrting. I wish them and their new president well(*). He and they will need it. While I and my more right-thinking brethren are, to say the least, apprehensive about the outcome, this could not have come as a big surprise. It is no secret that the current president took many great opportunities and squandered them. This all but ensured that the election would be more of a referendum on him and his administration.

America needs a lot of work done right now. Our problems are many and immense. As a patriot(**), I want to see a better, stronger, safer, more righteous nation(***). But nothing comes out of rhetoric alone. Prayer is needed continually now(****); it is not an option.

I also hope and pray that the political right takes this opportunity to rediscover itself. We need to reject the negative agenda and policies that led to this defeat and to realize those things that are important to the citizens of this great nation.

However, as "back benchers," conservatives can enjoy the missteps of the new administation and gloat on its poor handling of crises.(*****) Who says all change is bad?

-Patrick Jamie O'Brien, Lexington

*Their new president - since when is he their new president? He is OUR new president, unless you don't consider yourself an American.

**I am so tired of the small minded people in our country who think that just because I voted differently than them, that I am not a patriot. I consider myself as patriotic as the next person. Being a patriot has nothing to do with what political party you support. Republicians do not have a patent on being patriotic.

***A more righteous nation? Give me a break - since when does the conservative right care about righteousness? If they did, they wouldn't take rights away from gay Americans. If they did, they would uphold a woman's right to choose - and just because you are pro-choice does not make you pro-abortion, they are two separate issues. Conservatives want a righteous nation as long as they are the ones that are right.

****And what makes you think we aren't already praying everyday? I am a Christian and read the Bible on a daily basis - but I also supported Obama. What makes you think it wasn't pray that got Obama elected? God does answer prayers, and this time he answered almost 65 million prayers. The conservative right doesn't own God, and I resent the implication.

*****Don't you just love how some people have written Obama off and he hasn't even been sworn in yet? That's right, keep gloating - that really proves how patriotic and righteous you really are.

Prop 8

It's been a week now since California passed Prop 8 - one whole week for me to think about it.

Proposition 8:

"... is a California State ballot proposition that would amend the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman. It would overturn a recent California Supreme Court decision that had recognized same-sex marriage in California as a fundamental right. The official ballot title language for Proposition 8 is "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry." The entirety of the text to be added to the constitution is: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

Although I don't know very many gay people/couples, I feel they are being unfairly judged by many Christian organizations.

This reminds me of the ban on interracial marriages in the United States prior to the Supreme Court's 1967 ruling in Loving v. Virginia. Before 1967 it was illegal for mixed couples to get married.

Now the US is doing the same thing to gay couples.

Am I wrong for thinking this is discrimination against gay couples? What do you think? On another website, this is the answer I got to this question:

"It's discrimination to an extent - but a good extent, I believe.

Morally, we, as Christians, believe the bible to be God's true and divine word. In it, God calls homosexuality as sin. So, we, as Christians, also call it a sin and therefore do not support it.

So, is this discrimination wrong? I don't think so - we do it all the time. We discriminate against thieves, adulterers, liars - other sins - all the time. The bible declares these things wrong, and so do we.

The bible declares homosexuality wrong and so do we.

Marriage is firmly established in the bible as the union between a man and a woman. That's the example we choose to follow, and, we, as christians, therefore vote against things like Proposition 8 that seek to alter God's word and his will.

As children of God we acknowledge Him as King, Lord, Sovereign and Perfect. He is the ruler, the measure, by which we measure all things.

We do not get to change things based on how we feel or how we think things ought to be. We lay our issue up against the word of God, and see how it measures up. This way, crooked never becomes straight, and straight never becomes zig-zagged."

And my reply was:
I was raised as a Christian and still read the Bible, but who am I to say this is the one and only religion. And when did Christians gain the right to tell others how to live?

Prop 8 is for the legal system and in this country there is a separation of church and state. It's fine to preach in the church that homosexuality is wrong; it is illegal to preach it in a court of law.

As I've said before, the United States was founded on the simple principal of religious freedom. We all have the right to our beliefs, but we don't have the right to force our beliefs on others - no matter how right we think we are.

For more info, go to What Is Prop 8?

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is an annual American holiday to honor military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, typically observed on November 11. In other parts of the world it is known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day because of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.

President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day on November 12, 1919. The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later, requesting the President issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. (Wikipedia)

Although I have no immediate family who are Veterans of any war, my father's oldest brother was at the Battle of Baatan and received a Purple Heart. He died in the late 1970s. My late father-in-law was a Veteran of the Armed Services (Dentist) and my brother-in-law retired from the Air Force 17 years ago.

I have the deepest respect for all our past Veterans, and especially for our young men and women still fighting overseas. May God protect them and bring them safely home to their families.

Try-It Tuesdays - Stacy's Pita Chips

For this week's Try-It Tuesday, I present Stacy's Pita Chips:




In my never ending quest to find the perfect snack food, I've tried just about every salty creation known to man. Most people crave something sweet, but I've always had a salt addiction.








A few weeks ago, my hubby and daughter brought home the first bag of Stacy's Pita Chips - Simply Naked seasoned with Sea Salt. It was love at first bite. Since that first bag, we've enjoyed Cinammon Sugar (too sweet for me, but the family loves 'em) and Parmesan Garlic and Herb (also yummy!).

According to the official website, Stacy's Pita Chips are:

"Made from authentic pita bread baked in our own ovens. Pita Chips are the ones that started the entire Pita Chip craze. We make them with premium, all-natural ingredients including 100% sunflower oil with 0 trans fat."

If you like your snacks crispy, crunchy and salty, then Stacy's Pita Chips are for you!

First Deer of the Season

My oldest daughter - Amber - called this morning so excited because she got her first deer of the season - a 15-point buck. It must be Bambi's daddy!

My hubby and I are not hunters, but we do love deer meat. Both of my older girls (ages 24 and 16) are avid hunters. Amber was practically screaming into the phone - this is the biggest deer she has ever gotten.

As soon as I get pictures, I'll post one.

The Morning After "Bones"

Episode 8 - The Skull in the Sculpture

When a decomposing human is found inside a crushed car in a junk yard, Booth and Bones are called to investigate. Turns out the murder victim is an impressionist artist and list of suspects grows: his kabuki faced agent, a revival artist and his assistant - one Roxie Lyons, whom Angela had a gay relationship in college. (She was mentioned in Season 3 when the PI was trying to track down Angela's husband.)

This was an interesting episode, but after re-runs for the past month, I was really expecting more of Bones and Booth. This episode revolved more around Angela, and although I love Angela, I wanted to see more of Bones and Booth.

Daisy Wick makes a return appearance as a rotating intern (she was also in Episode #2 of this season, The Man in the Outhouse) She is getting on everyone's nerves - even easy going Cam. When Cam confides in Dr. Sweets, he tells her he will talk to the newest intern. Turns out Dr. Sweets has secretly been dating Ms. Wick - way to go Sweets!

My favorite quote of the night was when Booth and Bones were in the car and Booth was talking to Caroline:

Booth: "She's da bomb."
Bones: "Why is she a bomb?"
Booth: "Not a bomb, da bomb - da bomb!"

My second favorite quote of the night was after Bones dumped a jar of dermestid beetles into the crushed car (the car was under federal protection and the team weren't allowed to cut it open to retrieve the body):

"I was gonna say it spilled by accident.."

Bones Inter-O-Meter: Technically this should be 0 for 7, but since this is the second coming of Daisy Wick, I guess it's still
0 for 6. So ...
Bones' Intern-O-Meter is 0 for 6.

Children Learn to be Racists from their Parents

You know, it's a really bad day in American when a 16 year old is harassed at school because Barack Obama was voted the new President-elect!

My daughter has been following this election closely for the past year. She has done almost as much research as I have on each candidate. We have family discussions at home and we try to see boths sides of every arguement.

But the verbal harassment at school is getting beyond belief and bordering on abusive.

Two weeks ago, several classmates were verbalizing out loud that Obama would end up being assassinated if he was elected. Do parents really talk about these things with their children? When my daughter stated she was more worried about McCain dying in office than Obama being assassinated, her teacher made her stand up in front of the class and tell why she wasn't for McCain. She looked straight at the teacher and said, "You give me a reason why I should be for McCain." Then she proceeded to recite Obama's blueprint for change.

Last week, there was a "Mock" election at school, and McCain ended up the winner. The same people who have been harassing my daughter became even more verbally abusive - my daughter came home crying.

Today was like the straw that broke the camel's back - she wants to skip the last year and a half of school and go straight to college because she is tried of dealing with the "unknowledgeable rednecks" at school.

It's a shame that a great country like America can't celebrate in the election of a new President. Why do some people have to always tear others down?? I feel sorry for these children because of the racist attitudes they are learning from their parents.

I've told my daughter to be humble but to hold her head up high - she will end up being one of the people to help turn this country around. And for that, I am so very proud of her!

YES We Can

Words cannot express my feelings this morning - my heart is full of joy and I feel hope and optimism again for the first time in years.

After 8 years of President George W. Bush, our country may finally be on the right track again.

No more worrying about our government invading a country because of oil or money (or revenge for daddy) - now we may be able to track down the person responsible for the USA attacks on 911.

No more worrying about how bad our environment is degrading because we have a President who doesn't care. Now we can work together to stop global warming and reduce our impact on the environment.

No more tax breaks or bonuses for wealthy corporations while the middle and lower classes fall farther and farther behind. Now working class families will be able to provide their children with common, basic needs again.

No more worrying about whether our children or our grandchildren will be able to afford a decent college education. Now, every child who wants to go to college will have the opportunity and education will raise our nation up and provide us with the new leaders for tomorrow.

No more worrying about the millions of USA citizens who are living without health care, or who are banckrupt because of medical bills. Now everyone will have access to decent health care and not worry about mortgaging their futures to pay for medical bills.

No more jobs shipped overseas. Now we will see new jobs and green jobs and everyone will be working together to prove we are the greatest nation on the planet.

I realize one person can not accomplish all of this alone - not even President-elect Barack Obama - but Obama has given us hope again. He is uniting this country in a way that hasn't been evident in my lifetime. Yes, we can.

Yes, we can ...

Obama Wins!!!

WELCOME TO THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: BARACK OBAMA !!!!!!!

Way Back Wednesday - Beverly Hills Cop

Can you believe it has been 24 years since the world was introduced to Axel Foley? Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American action-comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy as the beloved Axel Foley. This is the first in the Beverly Hills Cop series - there are currently 2 sequels, with a 3rd scheduled for 2010. Beverly Hills Cop is the film that pushed Murphy into the international spotlight. He won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture (1985) and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical (1985).

This movie also stars: Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Gilbert R. Hill, and scene stealer Bronson Pinchot as Serge. Beverly Hills Cops is MPAA rated R in the United States.

Axel Foley is a Detroit cop who after the murder of his friend travels to California to investigate and track down the killer, who he believes operate an arts dealership as a cover in Beverly Hills. He teams up with two reluctant detectives - Det. Rosewood and Det. Taggart (Reinhold and Ashton) from the Beverly Hills police force who were supposed to keep a watch on him, especially after seeing Foley's different approach to tackling the situations which is not acceptable by the chief of the local police.

Try-It Tuesdays - VOTE

This week's Try-It Tuesday is short, sweet and to the point.



Today is November 4th - election day. Get out there and VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!!

If you don't have a way to the polling booth, call a friend. If you know someone who can't get to the polls, go pick them up. Help the elderly, help the disabled, help anyone who is registered to get to the polls.

This Presidential Election is too important to the future of our country, our economy and our standing is the world is at stake.

Affleck on SNL

I LOVE Keith Olbermann from MSNBC! He is my favorite commentator and I always watch Countdown with Keith Olbermann at 8 o'clock each night.

That being said, I though Ben Affleck's impersonation of Keith Olbermann on the November 1st SNL was hilarious!!! Take a look and see ...

Primeval - Episode 13 - Season Finale

The team realizes they are in a facility designed by Leek to capture and control creatures from the anomalies - especially creatures from the future.

Cutter is separated from the team and brought before Leek. This is when he realizes Helen has been on Leek's side all along.

In a separate area, Caroline is thrown in with Abby and Conner. Caroline and Abby proceed to have a "chick fight" over the fate of Rex. Later, Jenny is brought to the confinement area as the four await their fates.

Cutter manages to pour water on Leek's main computer, forcing him to connect with his laptop. Unknown to Leek, Conner had rigged Leek's laptop to download all it's info to the ARC when Leek activates it.

At the ARC, a creature has been reported on a family beach, and Lester is forced to call Stephen to take care of the problem. After Stephen captures the creature, he receives a call from Helen. Helen claims she was kidnapped by Lester and that Cutter and the gang are dead. She convinces Stephen to come get her (remember, she is with Leek), and to not trust Lester.

Just as Leek is ready to feed Abby, Conner, Jenny and Caroline to the creatures, they make a miraculous escape. They run into Rex who shows them the way out of Leek's building.

Stephen realizes at the last minute that Helen lied to him, when he discovers that Cutter is alive. I'm not going to give away the ending, because it was such a shock to me, you should see it for yourself.

The season finale leaves me with the following impressions:

--Helen is still a bitch and is only out for her best interests.
--Because of the research done by Helen and Leek, all is not what it seems and the future can be changed.
--Cutter may be over his feelings for Claudia Brown, but now he has feelings for the recently un-engaged Jenny.
--Abby and Conner have a tighter bond.

I can't wait for the next season to start. I know that taping is underway, but I have no idea when the new season will air in America.

NaNoWriMo

Today is November 1st - it is also the first day of National Novel Writing Month. This will be the first year I have participated in NaNoWriMo and I'm excited!

The challenge is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. This will translate into a novel approximately 175 pages long.

There are really no rules and you can write what you want to. Don't worry about editing or writing in perfect form, because the editing process will come later.

I'm off to write some more. Wish me luck!