Christmas Eve Morning, Duty Calls

After finishing the work project late last night, creating a database of slot machine attributes (serial number, game theme, software information, that sort of thing, for every game in the state), Heather and I went to sleep around 3:00 a.m. We woke up at 7:00, so that Heather can start packing and other things (filling bird feeders, doing the last of the baking, wrapping a few more presents), and I need to get to work again. I still have two work projects that I MUST finish before I am allowed to take time off. I am hopeful that the work will be done by noon. I should be done today, thank goodness. These 5:30 a.m. - 11 p.m. work days are getting tiresome. It will be worth it to be able to relax with Heather and Gabriel for a couple of days this week, so if that is the price I pay, so be it. I am even turning off my cell phone! I have only turned off my cell once in the last seven years, when we were married and went to Jamaica, so this is an exciting and novel idea, no cell phone calls from work for two days. Cool!

I can hear Heather upstairs, already getting things together so that we can leave this afternoon. We have been compiling a list of things to bring with us for the Christmas celebration at Mom and Dad's tomorrow. The list is longer this year than usual, for reasons that will become obvious in the next few days of blogging.

We are spending Christmas Eve with my sister, Deb, and her husband, and their two children. The kids are still at the age where the night before Christmas and Christmas morning have that special magic. It is especially fun to spend this time with them, even more than at other times of year. I heard from my sister that the kids are excited to see Gabriel, and he loves being around other kids, too.

I need to start on my work, so that I can finish and start to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere that is filled with building anticipation, and waiting for me. I've got Sirius satellite radio to work by, and chocolate cake for breakfast (oh yeah!), and I am ready to work (Yuck!) But it's Christmas, so I will get through the work just fine. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and may God bless you!

A working vacation

Until I post again, here is a picture of Gabriel, clowning around with a drum. He looks like an astronaut... astronut, maybe.

I finished the big project that stands between myself and my vacation later this weekend. Of course, it is 1:42 a.m. and here I am, in the middle of the weekend and I am still working. I wonder if the other people in my office are sitting at their computers working right now.

I have two more projects that I have to finish before I will be allowed to take time off, but thankfully, I should be able to finish those projects in about three hours on Christmas Eve morning. I have to get some sleep first, but I think that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... or else I am just so tired that I am hallucinating. I'm going to bed. Later, dud.

Gabriel's Mr. Potato Head Impression

Gabriel's Nana and Papa gave him a bunch of Mr. Potato Head toys when we celebrated Christmas with them way back in the first week of November. He thinks it is pretty funny to run around the house wearing the glasses from Mr. Potato Head's noggin, er, his potato, (I guess?) The glasses are just a bit too small for Gabriel to wear, but he tries anyway. Gabriel is a nut. Ask his Mommy, if you don't believe me. By the way, Gabriel will be two years old soon. Wow! The time really flies!

Three Days Until Christmas

Wow! It is only three days until Christmas. I still have a few projects to finish before I can take vacation. The boss told me that I have to finish all of these jobs before I will be able to have time off. Sure, I am off work on Christmas, but I can't actually take any vacation until I finish all of this work. So, I have been working from 5:30 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. five days a week, sometimes more, for the last few weeks. I probably have another ten hours of work to do yet, and I hope to finish that by noon on Christmas Eve. I did get another project today, which stinks, but I think I can finish that in a couple of additional hours between tonight and throughout Christmas Eve day. I will have four days of approved vacation, and I can't wait. I will turn off my work cell for the first time in seven years. I figure I can keep my phone powered down for two days before the office will start calling me at home, so I think I will spend two days of my vacation with the cell turned off, and the other two with it powered up and taking calls again. I am willing to do that if it means I can just relax at home for a day or two. All I can say, once I am allowed to power off my cell phone, is "Thank God!" and "Merry Christmas!"

The rest of the week

I am scheduled to be off work for the rest of the week. This is because of having oral surgery in the morning. I could just say that I am going to a dental office to have a number of different procedures done, but being that the entire process is supposed to take 6 1/2 to 7 hours to complete, calling it surgery sounds accurate, since there will be an incision and bloodletting (so to speak), with a laser, a dentist, and an oral surgeon thrown in for good measure.

We have to leave at 4 a.m. to get to the appointment on time. I was approved for this time off, but today, I found out that there is a project that was given high priority. Now, I do get Wednesday and Thursday off, but this project has to be complete by Friday. Given that I will probably be asleep most of Wednesday and Thursday, I was given the privilege of having the weekend to complete this new, urgent project, which, for me only, must be completed by Monday morning. It does beg the question, what is approved time off good for, if my approved time off is always withdrawn a day before I actually take a discretionary day off?

On the bright side, at least I have job security.

Today is Friday for me

Today is my Friday. I know, it is also my Tuesday, according to the calendar. I will be off work for a few days, for oral surgery and recovery. Mostly, the recovery means I might actually get some of my projects done around home, but more likely, I will sleep a lot more than usual for a few days. I am looking forward to not taking painkillers anymore! I am a bit leery about not taking anything after 8 tonight, as it is tough to get through an 8-hour period without at least taking some sort of pain reliever. This is going to be a spendy little enterprise, but on the bright side, I will not be paying a lot of taxes this year. I know, you pay less taxes, but the same money goes to a dental surgeon instead. Out of one pocket or the other, the money just goes and goes...

Today, I am installing two progressive signs a few hours from home. Both will be Wheel of Fortune signs, but one will be for a quarter progressive, and the other for a dollar system. It should be a piece of cake. With luck, I will be home early, but that remains to be seen. You just never know what complications may arise, especially with issues of having adequate power circuits. The sign company has various qualities of technicians, just like any other company. If I get experienced techs today, it will be easy. If these are greenhorns, well, I will work a lot more. Either way is fine. I am used to it. I guess I will venture out into the cold now... yippee, joy, rapture, blah blah blah...

The Nativity Story

Friday afternoon, Gabriel, Heather, and I went to a matinee movie. I worked earlier than normal that day, so I was done working early, as well. As made clear by the title of this blog entry, the movie we went to see was The Nativity Story. The subject is plainly obvious, of course, by the title. It was a very good movie. I enjoyed it, as did Heather. This was, incidentally, Gabriel's third movie. He was well-behaved through most of the movie, largely due to the fact that he hasn't been feeling well for a few days. He sat on his Mom's lap most of the movie, as he tends to get snuggly (is that REALLY a word?) when he isn't feeling well. During the last fifteen minutes, Gabriel and I walked the periphery of the theater, and he checked out the theater lighting on the floor (the lights that mark the way, so you don't fall on your caboose when you are interrupting the movie to go buy popcorn and carbonated sugar water). We didn't interrupt the movie, either, incidentally, as we stayed at the back of the theater, and kept quiet. The one thing that Gabriel and I did discover while examining the theater floor lighting is that Gabriel finds it fascinating that the lights shine right through his little fingertips.

Anyway, regarding the movie... Nobody knows exactly how the Nativity Story really happened. Still, the movie is presented along the traditional lines of what took place, as written in the Bible (though the Gospels offer varying details while telling the story of Jesus' Earthly birth). It does explore the relationship between Mary and Joseph, and the idea that theirs was an arranged marriage, as was typical of the time. Everyone but the Roman soldiers were very "Jewish", and it is very likely that is accurate, too. I don't know if it is historically accurate in all the details, but it was really a well-made representation of the Biblical story of Jesus' birth. The actors did a fine job, and included several who have been nominated for Academy Awards in the past. The scenery in the story was breath-taking, and was filmed in Morocco, the same location where the Passion of the Christ was made. In any case, Heather and I both give the story an enthusiastic thumbs up. Any movie with a wholesome message that is suitable for families with small children is a good thing. Hopefully, if enough people check out the movie, more movie makers will be encouraged to create movies with a family-values oriented message and positive content. This movie will be completely, totally, and in all ways artistically ignored by the Academy, though it may be considered for the musical score or technical direction, but it hasn't got a chance in any other category. Why? It is about Jesus Christ. Let's be honest here about Jesus: In Hollywood, He hasn't got a prayer.

Oh, by the way, the soundtrack was as breath-taking as the scenery. Excellent movie, good for families, good for you.

Its a bird, it's a plane, its... no, it really is a bird.

This weekend, we worked outside in this crisp pre-autumn weather, cleaning up the yard and tending to the birdfeeders. There were a couple of feeders that haven't been getting used very well. We moved those around. Then, we hung a corn feeder for those goofy squirrels. We haven't seen any squirrels on that feeder, but almost immediately after we rearranged things, we started seeing birds that neither Heather nor I have ever seen before. I did some research on the Internet. The result is that the birds are listed on all the rare bird sighting lists in Minnesota, but are rarely seen here. The last sighting in Minnesota that was reported was in 2005. Apparently, the birds are not native to Minnesota, which makes it more interesting. Not that this is that exciting to the average person, I suppose, but also, not to built too much suspense here... We have three pairs of black-headed grosbeaks that have been at our feeders for three days, and still are feeding here today. I tried to take a few clear pictures of them so that I can forward the photos to the rare bird lists. Hey... our bird feeding efforts paid off in that way: we have birds here that do not live in Minnesota, and the birds have hung out with us for a few days. I see the grosbeaks are still on the feeders this morning. I hope that they stay awhile... at least until that four-letter word is reality: SNOW. But that isn't a profane word around here. We love winter and we love snow. Bring it on, but not until we are done gardening!


With the cool weather, our gardening will be done soon, but I hope that it lasts a few more weeks. We still have some sweet bell peppers that aren't quite ready, but one can't control the weather. Duty calls... gotta go to work. Phooey. But that's life.

Gimme a break, gimme a break...

After this coming Sunday, I will be on break from college. The break will be for one month, more or less (28 days). I am really in need of the pause in classes, to be honest. Lately, I just don't have the energy to commit to doing the very best work that I can do. I figure that if that isn't reason enough to take a little break, what is? College courses are not cheap, and I don't want to waste the tuition money doing this half-way. My GPA is very good, so that isn't the worry. I just need a little break. Besides, this time of year, there is so much else to do, with gardening and home improvements taking center stage. The roofing project is coming up, too. By the time that project actually, finally starts, it will almost be time for me to go back to school. I will have time to prepare during the break, though, and that is good enough for me.

Random Stuff

Things have been very busy lately, between work, school, gardening, parenthood, and generally maintaining this household that I haven't taken time to write an update lately. Since I have an early morning validator update scheduled for tomorrow, this will be brief (for me).

Heather and I spent Saturday night in the Twin Cities. We went to see the Gaithers' Homecoming with our former neighbors, Janet and Paul. It was a fantastic show, albeit a bit shorter than usual. It only ran about 4 1/2 hours (seriously, ONLY 4 1/2 hours... this show is that good). This was my fifth time seeing the show in ten years, and Heather's third. Mom couldn't make it, due to a baby shower for her first-born great-grandchild, Brady (more on that later).

This is supposed to be brief, so back to the concert: It was a first for Gabriel, along with other new experiences for him. Instead of driving downtown (blasted one-way streets!) we rode the Hiawatha light rail transport system from the Mall of America. It was not a bad way to travel, being so convenient, quiet, and speedy. The cost to park at ramps near the Target Center was 15 bucks, but the LRT ride was only a buck and a quarter, and saved gas money! After the show, Heather and I were tired, so we stayed at Janet and Paul's home and came home on Sunday morning. It was a nice break from the hectic life we normally lead (doesn't everyone, though?)

I will write more about the concert, but not tonight. I need to get to bed! I am up late doing end-of-month paperwork and I need some sleep. More later. Guten nacht... and stuff.

Delays

City bureaucrats suck donkey rear end. They clearly are forgetting whom they work for and who provides the dollars to pay their wages.

We got a call from the contractor this morning. Brad went to get a permit for the roof, but was told that we had not had our septic inspected in too long. Too long in this case means 3 years (it has been 3 ½ years since the last inspection). Consequently, before the city will allow a roofing permit, the septic must have a successful inspection. If the septic fails that scrutiny, we have to hook up to city water. Immediately. We are looking at a 350-foot connection between the water main and sanitary sewer, and the house, at an indefinite expense between 10 and 20 thousand dollars. We are waiting for a septic service company to become available to inspect the drain field and tank. The question is, just what in the @&%#@ does a roof replacement project have to do with a septic tank? Absolutely nothing.

What is happening is that the city is trying to force everyone onto city water immediately, due to the large number of city bonds outstanding. We already paid the $17,500 cost for the city assessment. Our portion of the bonds is already paid. In fact, we paid the assessment within five days of issuance of the bonds.

We are waiting to be scheduled for an inspection, which may take a week. Then, we will wait about a week for the inspector to give the results to the city. In the meantime, the contractor is near to finishing the last job before us on his schedule and the roofing was supposed to start on Monday of next week. We are being bumped back on the schedule at least a few weeks due to that delay, and the setback while we wait for the results of an inspection.

We are being held hostage by city bureaucrats. We have to have a new roof this year, before winter, due to the ice dams that build up to depths of a foot or more. (How much do you suppose a sheet of ice a foot thick on your roof weighs?) The roof replacement is not optional, nor is this a voluntary upgrade.

Before we bought the house, we hired a highly recommended home inspector, part of a franchise called Gold Key Home Inspections, to examine the house. Feel free to NOT hire them to check over your house. I can only assume that the “experienced professional” who inspected our house did not know what he was doing or what he was looking for. He never noticed that there are virtually no functionally effective soffit vents and too few roof vents. I didn’t know much about home ventilation three and a half years ago, but today, I am nearing expert status, due to the progressive decline in the condition of the roof and the kitchen-living room ceilings. This deterioration is due to poor and inadequate ventilation, the fault of mistakes or shortcuts by the homebuilder, whoever that might be.

Regarding Gold Key Inspections, they checked out the roof and told us that the roof was in good condition. The fact is that the guy was incompetent, inexperienced, or both. He missed the two most serious flaws in the home's construction, the lack of soffit vents and the inadequate roof vents. Today, we are looking at a roof replacement cost of about $11,500 and also may be forced to spend $10-20,000 to hook up to city water BEFORE we are allowed to repair the roof.

Essentially, what we are looking at is that we absolutely must fix the roof, may be forced to connect to city water, and then may not be able to afford to even stay in the house anyway, unless I work a second job. Big deal, right? People do it all the time.

My job precludes working a second job, simply because I am on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every week, including holidays. How can a second job be possible with that condition? I am also a full-time student and a parent. We have already cut expenses and discretionary spending severely. I am looking at working two jobs, while a full-time student, so that we can assuage the asinine capriciousness of free-spending city bureaucrats. I have heard from many people in the area who are being forced out of their homes due to rapidly rising costs, driven by citiots (idiots from the Twin Cities) who have second, or third homes in the lakes region. You know, these are the jackasses who drive like they do, in fact, own the road.

If we are ultimately forced out of our home, the dollar amount we can expect to get from its sale would not cover the cost of the repairs and city water connection, on top of the mortgage. We couldn't even consider selling the property without repairing the roof and connecting to city water immediately, while demolishing the septic system and backfilling the resulting hole next to the house. The appraised value of our home increased by $25,000 this year, despite the fact that we have not done a single, solitary thing to improve the property. In five years, this will work in our favor as our improvements are completed and then-current appraisals reflect the modifications. That is tomorrow. Today we are damned no matter what we do.

Roof, roof

No. That was not an impression of any of the people in our family (i.e., family members of the canine variety, obviously). It was a clever heading to a blog entry about the roof. Okay, so it was not that clever. It was probably even a little sophomoric, jejune, or annoying, but I like it anyway, so sue me.

Anyway... Brad, the contractor, stopped at the house tonight to discuss the roofing project. If the weather cooperates, the roofing project will be getting underway next Tuesday. We are adding a number of skylights and ridge vent, among other improvements. Some of the improvements are functionally very significant. It’s like this: Brad looked at the house and in a nutshell, said, “No wonder you have problems with the roof. The house can’t breath.” Seriously, how did the contractor get in a nutshell in the first place? Whatever moron built this house, they didn’t put any venting in the soffits, causing ice dams that accumulate up to a foot thick in the winter. The project is taking on a life of its own, and it is just in the planning stages, as we add in soffit vents, ridge vents, proper venting for the bathroom exhaust fan, and on and on. The plans changed a bit, because the skylights will not fit in the kitchen quite the way we envisioned. We will have six skylights spaced more or less equally in the kitchen and living room, instead of eight. In our bedroom, we will have two skylights instead of one. However, we have one more skylight that we thought we might put in Gabriel's room. Because of where the valley between the two roof peaks ends up, there is not going to be room for a skylight in Gabriel’s room. Bummer. We have until Tuesday to rethink our plans for the last skylight. Any suggestions?

Sticks and stones do not a racist make

Saying that there should be a limit to the number of immigrants who enter the United States does not make you a racist, just because most of the illegals invading America happen to be Mexicans and Latinos. Anyone who wants to enter legally can get in line, take part in the legal process of naturalization, and be welcomed to America as a land of opportunity. But these illegal aliens protesting suggestions that the laws be enforced, while demanding amnesty reveal their true agenda, to refuse to assimilate and to remake the US of A in the image of Old Mexico. When they stand together, demanding legal immigrant status, while holding Mexican flags, what does that say? Their actions speak louder than their words about what they really want. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself."

The arrogant calls for rights that illegals have no basis to demand will catch up with them when enough Americans get tired of getting kicked around by illegals. My simple advice? Leave the Mexican flags at the border, and at least act the part of eager American-in-waiting. Act as if you want to actually be Americans with a right to be here. Right now, you are neither Americans or justifiably present in the United States. Assimilation is not an option. English is spoken here. Period. If you disagree, congratulations. You have a right to dissent in America. If my statements offend you, boo hoo. This is America. There is no constitutional protection against being offended. Deal with it or go back where you belong.

Telegram for Screamin' Howard Dean

I know this is so unlike my usual posts, but I am going to make this one rather brief. Screamin' Howard Dean, embarrassment to the Democrats that you are, I got a kick out of another flamboyant show of ignorance on your part. Today, you said that amnesty for illegals was a civil rights issue. As a man with several advanced degrees and years as a politician, if you were not so focused on partisan political pandering to illegals, you would know that illegals have human rights, not American civil rights. By definition, civil rights are reserved for citizens and lawful residents. The unfortunate news is that the constitution calls for legal redress of persons, not citizens. You can count on wacko judges to decide, by that ambiguous definition, this means any person in the entire world... including apes and other primates. Seriously. For example, the Socialist government of Spain is pushing legislation giving Great Apes status with full human rights. Thank God that in Spain, abortion is not only legal but also encouraged. More room for the Apes, after all. Think I am making it up? Look for yourself:

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/apr/06042702.html or http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=spain+%2B+apes+%2B+rights&btnG=Google+Search

Stealing American civil rights

If you had your TV or radio on for more than a few minutes today, you had to hear that the illegal aliens are collectively demanding amnesty, stating emphatically that they have every bit as much right to be here as you or me. Riiiiiight. And, uh… further, these so-called undocumented workers are saying that they are angry because they are being called criminals. Oh, the horror of it all. How dare Americans slander these honorable people? After all, in this politically correct world, they steadfastly maintain that they are not breaking any laws, and that Americans are hurting them by insulting their [cough, cough] honor. In their words, these people are not illegal invaders challenging the sovereignty of the United States. Further, the words I heard today from one wacko Mexican woman, loaded with resentment towards American citizens: America has no right to admit or deny entrance to whomever we choose, and that we have no right to secure or close the borders. Political correctness demands that we understand that illegal immigrants are merely citizenship challenged… and you [pointing at YOU] are at fault, for not being a welcoming party to the invasion of the U.S.A., you, you… American.

By the way, the definition in Webster’s dictionary states that a criminal is “One that has committed or been legally convicted of a crime.” Most illegal immigrants who have invaded America have not been convicted of a crime by entering unlawfully. However, by definition, entering illegally is just that… illegal. Therefore, these invaders are, in fact, criminals. One who commits a crime is a criminal. So why in the blazes should they respect the rest of the American laws when they don’t give a rat’s rear end about our border security and immigration laws? Now, we cannot ship the indefinite millions back where they belong or charge them with felonies, even though that would be a well-deserved reward for invading the United States. Can you imagine a criminal trial for every illegal alien who was taking part in a de facto invasion of the United States? That would tie up criminal court in America for years, maybe decades. As it stands today, the clowns in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, are frantically pandering and kissing Mexican ass in the hopes that when the Latinos far outnumber those damned gringos, the legislators can hold onto their insatiable, demented Congressional grasp of power. I admit, I say that in a way that suggests that my opinion is that being a politician is a foul or wicked profession. Given that these Congressional creeps will never secure the borders (not close the borders, SECURE THE BORDERS!) or represent the genuine interests of Americans, who can you trust? Politicians are intrinsically narcissistic and arrogant.

Maybe it is time to get together a posse comitatus and take back our country, before these horses’ rearends throw it all away for the votes of illegals. The last time I checked, influence peddling was a serious crime, at least for a constitutional originalist conservative. Never forget, Dems, your expertise with voter fraud will go a long way towards attempting to steal another election. The failure to steal the presidential elections of ’00 and ’04 for radical liberalism must bear a nasty sting, eh?

The Great Escape

Okay...so they can sue me for the copyright infringement. They won't get anything out of me. I could change it to "The Great Jail Break", but this is cat paradise, not jail. Anyway, we were moving skylights on Thursday so the garage door was open. We opened the screen door to the garage to get some air movement and let the cats enjoy it. The crazy kitten, so far only known by the moniker of "brat", decided to climb the screen. We chased him down and went to the garage at the end of the driveway. By the time we returned, we saw 2 cats near the deck. Doug questioned whether they were neighborhood cats but had a dreadful feeling that ours had escaped somehow. I took Gabriel with me and captured a kitty while Doug found the escape hatch and blocked it off. The brat had punched his way through the screen door. I grabbed a cat and brought it to Doug. We went for the other one, who really was kind of freaked out. I don't blame him. The dog kennel is close to the deck, and he was being subjected to harassment. I'm happy that they are all back safe and sound. The current dilemma is what to do with the screen door so that we can use it again. How do you cat-proof it?

A little credit is due - part deux.

Thanks to media distortions, no good news from the White House will ever see the light of day, at least until Billary assumes co-presidency again, God help us, and the Clinton criminals will likely pilfer the White House silverware and china… yet again. Why doesn’t the main vein media point out that it was George W. Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative and new energy rules that he signed into law that will start to bring energy independence to America… someday. Since almost noone knows what those laws require: George W. Bush's initiative requires the use of 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel annually by 2012, renewable fuels produced IN AMERICA, by American farmers, reducing our dependency on foreign petroleum reserves, while raising the prices and demand for American cash crops like corn and soybeans.

I, for one, am sick and tired of the incessant deceptions spread by liberal stooges. It's like this. Repeat those so-called progressive fabrications often enough, with enough vehemence, and eventually, what you have wrought is the veneration of government and liberal laissez-faire perverted living of the lowest common denominator (i.e. you know the usual liberal hippy lines: if it feels good, do it. Free love! All we are saying is give peace a chance. The government is here to help you! (That last one scared the hell out of me)). And yes, I did intend to have two parentheses at the end of the last sentence.

George W. Bush is certainly not a perfect president. However, the economy will grow by 4.2 percent this quarter, with unemployment at its lowest level in more than 20 years. Unemployment, in fact, has been lower, on average, under G.W. Bush than during the Clinton administration. So, how about giving credit to the current administration when they do something right... give some credit for a change? Oh, this is important enough to repeat, and pay attention, kiddies: Liberalism is evil, no matter what the Democrybabies and Screamin’ Howard Dean might say. When radical Democrats open their mouths, lies fall out like dentures without Polygrip. Moreover, because so many ignoramuses (or is that plural… Ignorami) will believe anything they see on TV or in the major newspapers, the extreme leftist demagoguery in the media is dangerous to the future of America.

Ah… I got that out of my system, and I feel a bit better now.

Okay, hypocrites... a little credit is due-part 1

Okay. George W. Bush is certainly not a perfect president, by any means. However, the way that he is portrayed as an absolute failure by the mainstream media is disingenuous at best, and is deliberate propagandist deceitfulness at the worst. The likes of ABC, CNN, and newspapers like the New York Times are blaming the Bush administration for high fuel prices. First, that is completely asinine and utterly duplicitous, if not seditious crimes against the state, seeking political influence to undermine the chief executive officer by misrepresenting the facts (also known as lying, propagandist anti-American political tactical warfare). No president can do that much to cause changes in the economy in the day-to-day world. Expecting hairpin fiscal turns in the largest economy in the history of the world, based purely on presidential authority is like turning a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, such as the CVN RONALD REAGAN around when the thing is cruising at 30 knots. It is going to take an awful lot of water to turn that ship around, as in, an aircraft carrier spinning u-turns the size of small tropical islands.

Here is the reality: The liberal main-vein media are a bunch of wacko hypocrites who have no interest in facts or the health of America's economy, unless such facts support their radical socialist agenda. All these creeps care about is destroying G.W. at any cost, including devastating American socio-economic harmony. The salaciously caustic nature of the media’s distortions is tantamount to treason. Did you ever notice that the (very) unprofessional reporters at ABC and CBS bare their ugly liberal prejudice by disrespectfully referring to W as Mr. Bush, while they STILL to this day refer to Slick Willy Clinton as President Clinton? Liberalism is evil, no matter what the Democrybabies say. These folks spin the media with a twisted merchandising of distortions that liberal politicians own, presented as hard news, when the reality is that the liberal media is the de facto mouthpiece of Ted 'Hiccup' Kennedy and other spiteful liberals like Billary Clinton and Chuckie Schumer. Why these jackasses are reelected (in some cases for more than 40 years) is beyond comprehension. It is the duty of every American to understand the issues and vote intelligently... or to just simply NOT vote. Would it be such a bad idea to have a test of awareness of current events before opening the polls? Yeah, I know, that would be an unfair test because political and social morons would not be allowed to vote. Ummm... cha ching. That’s life.

Preparing for the Roofing Contractor

We are getting a new roof on the house soon. I am not sure when the project will begin, as the contractor had some weather-related delays on current or recent jobs. It sounds like the work may start next Wednesday, the 3rd of May. It is probably a good thing that the work was delayed, because we have preparations to make. Each day when I come home, I put wood sealer on the frames of the new skylights. There isn't enough room in the garage to do all of the skylights at the same time, so I did four of them first and am working on the last three now. That would be a total of seven skylights, in case that was as clear as mud. We will ultimately have nine skylights, eight in the living room and kitchen, and one in the bedroom. The idea is that we can open the five venting skylights (2 kitchen, 2 living room, 1 bedroom) and cool the house during the summer, without air conditioning. The two current venting skylights, when opened in the summer, cause the temperature in the house to drop markedly within minutes. So, hopefully, this will help with the heat and make for some happy houseplants.

On a sidenote, we could use central air to cool the house, but our home has hot water heat. That is why we don't use central air, so now you know. By the way, some home-buying advice: never buy a home in December in Minnesota, unless you pay attention to the fact that the hot water heat doesn't allow central air. Oh well. We manage just fine. Anyway, I have put four coats of satin wood sealer on four skylights and tomorrow will start the last three. It takes four to five days to finish each skylight, one coat every 24 hours. Very exciting stuff I am writing tonight.

So is Jeanne my sister-in-law-in-law? :-)

My brother-in-law, Dave, one of Doug's older brothers, got married recently (for any non-family member who stumbles on this site) . Yesterday Doug, Gabriel and I traveled to meet them for lunch. Of course, it is a 2-hour trip one way and Gabriel slept both ways. Since we left at 6pm, Gabriel was awake until midnight. Dave has a son, Josh (12). Dave's new wife, Jeanne (she pronounces it Jeannie), has a son and 2 daughters, one of which has Down's Syndrome. I guess the parents decided total emersion into the new family thing is the way to go, because I instantly became Aunt Heather to 3 new kids. That's not as weird as the feeling I get when I talk to my oldest nephew who got married 2 months before I did. Anyway, Jeanne's kids must love babies, because everyone wanted to play with Gabriel. It became a contest to see who got the better reaction from him when they tried to hold him. Poor Uncle Josh didn't get a much better reaction out of his nephew than the kids did. Such are the moods of Gabriel.

Work

I spent most of the past week on the road, not in the typical fashion, but staying in a hotel. I have always liked being home at night, but being a dad makes it that much harder to stay away. It is part of the job, so I deal with it, but I do not stay in a hotel unless it is essential to the work I am doing. I spent the first week installing Star Wars and Wheel of Fortune Special Edition systems at a location too far away to drive every day from home. Last week, I worked at the same casino, installing a Partytime system. This week, I will be installing Star Wars and Twilight Zone games at another location a few hundred miles from home. For the third week in a row, starting tomorrow, I will be gone all week. It appears that this will be the last week that I will be on the road for days at a time, at least for awhile. That is a relief. I can drive 500 miles every day in this job and it doesn't bother me in the least. But the truth is, this is one guy who likes to be home with his family every night.

Gabriel's first haircut

Gabriel got his hair cut. I know, it isn't a big deal to the average person, but to a one-year old, a strange woman coming at you with ominously large scissors in hand, she is so much bigger than you, and isn't mommy or daddy, well, it is a frightening experience! Gabriel was very overdue for a haircut and since I was home for a change (lately), we decided to get his hair cut. His hair was so long that it came down beyond the tip of his little nose. He took to the experience like a champ for the most part, but by the time his hair was trimmed, he was looking a bit uncertain, reaching out to his mommy. Gabriel handled it pretty well though, and he looks like a little gentleman.

Wilf says "No Tice"

Mike Tice is no longer the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Zygi Wilf didn't handle his decision to change the coaching personnel well at all. To be honest, he bungled this thing completely, alienating the Vikings players by not telling them that their leader had been canned mere minutes after the Vikings beat Chicago convincingly in the last regular season game. The players learned that Tice was fired from the media, not from the owner as is customary. Tice wasn't perfect as a head coach, and there were plenty of missteps and scandals this year. But the public image problems were largely the fault of players, not the coach. Tice was a leader, a damn fine leader, and he wasn't a babysitter, despite Wilf's apparent conclusion to the contrary. The fact that Wilf handled this firing so poorly undercuts his image as a decent owner, and it already is damaging his standing with Minnesota Vikings fans.

Should Tice have been given another year? Let's put it this way. The Vikings had a slow start this season, but won 7 of their last 9 games. Surely, Mike Tice had a hand in building that momentum. A vote of confidence would have been nice. Regardless, Tice is history.

There is always next year to resurrect the Minnesota Moving Company, but the cohesive foundation built by Tice in the locker room is dead. Thanks, Wilf. You may own the team, but you don't know shit about public relations, you do not own the spirit of the Purple Pride, and you will never be a Minnesota Viking.

Iran so far away.

America will soon be extremely busy. War is coming to Iran and, logically and necessarily, to Syria, since Syria swore allegiance to protect Iran against attack. The only good thing I can see coming out of war with Syria will be the destruction of Iraq's WMDs, which the whole civilized world (except for CBS, NBC, ABC, and CNN) understands were shipped to Syria in caravans of trucks in the weeks before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Check the satellite pictures. The truth is quite clear: Syria has the WMDs. Enough biological weaponry to kill hundreds of thousands of people can fit into one suitcase-sized crate. The average person apparently doesn't understand this, or, the media isn't telling the truth, or both. Hard to imagine, huh? This is a move that is lamentable, particularly the loss of innocent life, but this forceful step to defend the steadiness of the world into the future is exceedingly necessary. God, I wish that peace would be effortless, painless, and without blood and tears.

In the real world, sometimes, to make a cake, you have to break a few eggs. The lunacy in the Iranian power structure necessitates military strikes with lethal precision, and the sooner the better. As an aside, Russia will soon deliver advanced weapons systems to Iran, capable of destroying laser-guided bombs and JDAMs. Whose side are they on again? Iran's Imams have stated that they must have nuclear weapons within the first months of 2006. Why is the timing so critical for these madmen to have nukes? A brilliant entrepreneur, Steve Forbes has issued a dire warning: Iran's soon-to-be-successful push for nuclear weapons poses an "increasingly mortal threat to our safety."

The certainty is that the peace mongers can and definitely will say "All we are saying is give peace a chance" til they are blue in the face. Here comes reality for you: the ominous harbingers of death are clear, as Iran defiantly hones their nuclear knives. Iran has gone crazy with an obsession for Semitic annihilation. What can we do? Wait for death to come knocking, or strike first and strike hard? It is unfortunate, but people are going to die to safeguard the permanence of Middle Eastern subsistence. It isn't a painless route, but democracy is coming to Iraq, if we give freedom time to work its therapeutic wonder of empowerment on the free Iraqi people. Hey, I embrace peace whenever possible. I love peace, but when these maniacal wingnuts have nuclear conquest in their sights, and will be nuclear-capable within months, there is no time to waste. Sometimes the way to peace is through war. That is clear to the enlightened world.

The solution will not be easy, since Iran isn't completely brainless (just insane). These clowns have long planned for their nuclear psychosis, with hardened bunkers and nuclear facilities far underground, not impervious to daisy cutters and bunker busters, but mighty close. Iran will not allow anything or anyone to stand in their way. Obliterating their murderous nuclear ambitions will be tremendously complicated, but is becoming a more critical matter with every passing week and month.

Okay, back to Steve Forbes, and his thoughts on this. This comes courtesy of Townhall.com. Forbes writes in his Fact and Comment column that Iran's imminent nuclear capacity is particularly alarming because its new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is "lethally delusional." He is fanatical about the Mahdi, the expected Messiah of Muslim tradition, who is to return just before Judgment Day. Ahmadinejad believes he must prepare the way for the Muslim messiah’s return, according to Forbes. He must prepare by slaughtering all of Israel. The Iranian leader has maintained that the Holocaust never occurred, as if it was some Jewish conspiracy to increase sympathy or something bizarre like that. He said, blatantly, that Israel must be wiped off the map. Iran plans to follow up on the sadistic rhetoric with action in the near-term future. Why don't the majority news people say a word about Iran's bold calls for the death of Israel? Because they support Palestine and don't care what happens to Israel, perhaps? Just a guess, but actions speak louder than words, don't they? Islam is a religious of peace. Really, it is. What a boatload of shitake mushrooms.

"Thankfully President Ahmadinejad's consistent public statements on the 'myth' of the Holocaust will make clear to not only us but also the European masses and elites that this regime poses an increasingly mortal threat to our safety, that European-style diplomacy (a mechanism for doing nothing) is no longer viable."

Thank you, Steve Forbes. I couldn't have said it better myself. And God help us if we wait too long.

The Best Movie of the Year (click here to see Narnia)

Gabriel went to his first movie on New Year's Eve. We saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe during the cheap, economically family-friendly matinee. Despite the nonsense that the major media wackos spout about twisted (and dare I say, agenda-driven?) movies like Brokeback Mountain being such great movies, Heather, Gabriel, and I went to what should be considered the best movie of the year, 2005. To elucidate on that, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the best movie a parent could take their kid to see this year. One caveat, though. The action is intense, and some of it wouldn't be suitable for a kid under about the age of eight or so. Every child is different, and so each parent must make such decisions individually. A bit of my democratic Christian conservative philosophy coming out there. Silly me. By the way, that was democratic with a small "D." I could never sink low enough to soil myself by associating with the misguided, misanthropic deceitfulness of the Democratic liberal agenda (with a big “D”). Sue me if that is a problem for you. And have a nice day.

With that clarified, let me tell you, the movie is fantastically done, rich in imagery, with seamless special effects and computer-generated creatures, including the handsome and regal Aslan, the King of Kings. There are no heavy religious overtones, despite what you may hear from the self-declared journalists at ABC, CNN, or CBS (and I use the term, journalist, extremely loosely with regard to these jokers. Maybe it has to do with ABC, CNN, and CBS being the handmaiden of the malignantly narcissistic radical left). But I digress.

As I was saying, the theatrical adaptation was exceptionally consistent with the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia, with a single three-minute scene in the movie being created by whatever artistic license the movie people thought was needed. That movie segment takes place at the river when the ice starts to break apart. Other than that one divergence from the triumph of C.S. Lewis’ Narnian Chronicles, the movie was very true to the books and the Focus on the Family version of the story. I attribute that unfailing harmony with the original written saga to the participation of Doug Grisham, the stepson of Lewis. Grisham was not only a fan of the stories as a child, before his mother married Clive Staples Lewis, but Grisham acted as the associate producer and advisor during production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Bringing this movie to the silver screen was a 15-year labor of love for Grisham. He said that he wanted it to be done as Jack Lewis had described it to Grisham as a child. All I can say about its perfection is that I truly hope that Walden Media does all seven Narnia stories, and does them with the same exacting attention to munificent detail. Yes, the movie is that good.This was Gabriel's first movie, as I said. However, he slept in his mom's arms from the beginning of the movie until he woke up just before the credits started rolling at the end. Perfect timing. We will take him to a movie he will actually watch when he is a bit older. What a great kid Gabriel was in the theater. He is definitely his mother's son.

Check out this movie. It is a beautifully manufactured story, without the pretentious silliness of trying to force "progressive lifestyle choices" or other politically correct malevolent garbage on anyone. This is the best movie of the year, bar none. This movie rocks. So there.

Blessings, good fortune and success to you. Happy New Year, and Welcome to 2006.

A snowstorm too pathetic to wear that title of honor.

I was keyed up about the forecast of the first snowstorm of the year. It is snowing, I will give you that, but it doesn’t look to be a wicked snowstorm as the early predictions said. Bummer. I am ready for snow falling in extremes measured in feet, not inches!

We are at last getting the zone valve replaced for the basement. We will be able to keep the basement toasty warm for the birds while not sweltering upstairs. Our first gas bill had a sighting of the ghost of Christmas future: this is going to be a pricey heating season. Hopefully, the plumber will show up today. We hire a retired old duffer, but Heather says he is a pleasant gentleman, so if we can supplement his retirement income while getting quality work done economically, that is even better!

The water and sewer project is almost complete. The subcontractor paved our driveway on Friday. Yesterday, they tore up the new asphalt around the (buried) manholes so that they can pour concrete around the access points. If they pour concrete today, they are determined manly men who will, no doubt, look like snowmen out there before long. They will be finishing two weeks late. This project was slated to be complete already. Typical, but the taxpayers are footing the bill, so who cares, eh? Not the shitty, er, city council. Those guys are little aspirant Nazis with control issues: "You can't do this; you can't do that", blah blah blah, "not without our express permission! Don’t forget to bow down to your councilmen!" During council meetings, they tell private citizens with contrasting viewpoints to "sit down and shut up." The city council spends like drunken sailors, never bearing in mind that taxpayers foot the ever-increasing bill, taking a larger percentage of our income for their pet projects, just like that embarassment called the United States Congress. On a local, state, and federal level, these guys are all the same bunch of con artists and liars, working diligently to protect their nefarious interests and line their bottomless pockets. As for John Q. Citizen, do we have an authentic representative government? The answer is barefaced in its self-important gauche vulgarity ... representative government? Not anymore.

How would you answer this question?

Are you a conservative or a liberal? Okay, lets stick to one philosophical area. Are you a fiscal conservative or a fiscal liberal? To find out, choose a multiple-choice answer to the following: The United States Congress passed a budget for this year that includes a total of $3,700,000,000 of spending. Do you say this is:

A) Geez, Hoss, that is a lot of money.
B) That is enough money for me to gamble at casinos every day for years.
C) We can give a free house to every person in New Orleans who didn’t evacuate, and give them free healthcare with that much money.
D) That is a frightening, horrific amount of government, dude.

If you answered (A), you are likely under 25 and do not have a mortgage or children yet. If you answered (B), you may be a liberal but you actually have a job and no government benefits. If your answer was (C), you are definitely a liberal. And, if you answered (D), you are one of the mainstream conservatives who are terrified by the government bureaucracy that is destroying the economic future of America. That annual budget is so much that the budget deficits and the national debt, will never, ever be repaid. Not in my lifetime, not in yours, not in my great-grandchildren’s grandchildren’s lifetime. It will not be repaid. Ever. The nations holding the notes the United States owes will not wait forever to be repaid. Can you say “bankruptcy on a national scale” and the end of freedom as we know it?

By the way, the annual budget of 3.7 trillion dollars, if that money actually wasn’t just IOUs, would, if made of one dollar bills stacked in a pile, stretch to the moon and back more than two times. That is, a pile of one dollar bills in a pile standing over 717 thousand miles tall! That is also a budget for one fiscal year. If that doesn’t scare the shit out of any taxpaying American, what will?

These elitist morons in Congress really need to be taken down a notch or three. What can a person do? For starters, as Americans, we can throw the bums out and stop voting for incumbents. The problem is that there are only a statistical handful of people who stay informed enough to actually know the issues and what the incumbent self-anointed gods of power stand for. Most people these days have forgotten that these spendthrift idiots, both Republicans and Democrats, work for us. We do not work for them! That tax money belongs to the people. A little accountability would be nice, but then again, the economic future of this country is already on very thin ice... and I hear the cracks forming now.

The civil rights movement and the Republican Party

Did you know that the Republican Party was created to end slavery?

Did you know that major legal reforms and acts of legislation passed to give black Americans the vote, and full civil rights, equal to whites, were created and passed by Republican legislators?

Did you know that most of the legislators who raucously and fanatically railed against the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 were… southern DEMOCRATS, also lovingly referred to as Dixiecrats at that time?

Did you know that every black American elected to Congress immediately after the Civil War was a Republican?

Did you know that Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., was a social and political conservative who wanted Blacks to succeed fairly, based on merit and hard work?

Did you know that President Eisenhower, a Republican president, signed into law some of the 20th century's most important civil rights reforms?

Did you know that most black Americans up until the 1960s were Republicans?

What does all of this mean? Does it mean that the mainstream media are a bunch of sanctimonious, prejudicially predisposed con artists and liars perhaps? Hell yes.

Why do you suppose that Black Americans today are not usually given this information about their own history?

Why? In large part to protect a 'civil rights' establishment that is beholden to the Democratic Party and that is committed to keeping black Americans on the liberal 'plantation.'

Who is working to set these people free from insolvency and economic subjugation? It isn’t a system of quotas, it isn’t the de facto reverse discrimination proffered by extremists like the so-called reverends, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, whose power-mad extortion is dividing this nation along racial lines, and it sure as hell isn’t the Democrat party. Now, you do the math.

Did you know... these jackasses are throwing away our children's future?

Did you know that Congress has gone insane, spending more money than ever before? They seem to forget that the money they are spending isn't even their money. It is OUR money. I keep praying that more people will educate themselves to the issues and the candidates in the very important elections of 2006. It is not too early to start thinking about it, and the mantra should probably be "Throw the bums out!"

How about a completely nonpartisan look at the jackasses who are throwing away our future? If this doesn't make you sick to your stomach, financially speaking, what will? Some statistics:

The average Senator voted for $471.0 billion in annual non-entitlement spending during the 108th Congress (2003-2004), an 83 percent increase over the 107th Congress (2001-2002). House Members supported, on average, a yearly expenditure boost of $386.9 billion - a 101 percent jump compared to the same period in the previous Congress.

Spending totals were nearly identical for Democrats ($397.0 billion) and Republicans ($378.1 billion) in the House, although party differences were somewhat greater in the Senate ($599.3 billion for Democrats versus $353.3 billion for Republicans).

The House and Senate considered a total of just 39 spending reductions in 2003-2004, worth a combined savings of $63.3 billion. Just five of the amendments were adopted, for a potential cut of $5.04 billion. Excluding the Senate's decision to convert part of Iraq's reconstruction aid to a loan would cause the savings to shrink to a barely-perceptible $41 million.

The phrases "fiscally responsible," "fiscal discipline," "fiscal responsibility," "fiscal irresponsibility," and "fiscally irresponsible" appeared 2,740 times in the 2003-2004 Congressional Record, an increase of nearly 53 percent compared to the 107th Congress. Yet, for the fourth year running, no one in Congress had a net voting record that would actually have cut overall federal discretionary spending - down from a high of 512 Members in 1996.

The House and Senate were in session for 1,893 hours and 2,485 hours, respectively, during the 108th Congress. Based on averages for their chambers, House Members voted for $204 million in spending hikes each hour they met, while Senators voted to spend at an equivalent rate of $190 million per hour.

Does that piss you off? If you are an American taxpayer, it should! The problem is that it isn't about Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative anymore. These morons are out of touch with reality and they don't care. Why? Because virtually no incumbent is ever defeated. Out of 430 members of the House of Representatives, how many were defeated in their last elections? Zero. Zilch. Nada. Zippo. NONE.

So... Coming soon to the last Superpower in the world soon... total economic ruin, courtesy of the guys who represent you.


Data source: The National Taxpayer's Union Study Report on Congressional Fiscal Discipline. September, 2005.

Thoughts for today

Here you go: my usual comments and then a quote that I thought was perfect while the GOP-controlled Congress is spending money like a bunch of drunken sailors. Does it occur to these inexplicably elected but unaccountable fiscal malfeasants that, hey, somebody, someday, is going to have to pay for all of this government waste? Yes, the debtors will be our grandchildren, their grandchildren, and every generation for the rest of history. Our legislators are living with a de facto unaccountable status and the representative electoral system is completely out of control. Why? Two reasons: special interest groups are buying the elections, making it nearly impossible for anyone outside the political establishment to ever get elected, and secondly, because ignorant people who do not educate themselves to the issues before the elections are reelecting incompetent incumbents. That is where the blame lies for the common people: blissfully dim-witted ignorance and voting like mindless robots, incumbent, incumbent, incumbent. Think, people! The folks in Congress would be fired for their fiscal incompetence post haste in corporate America, on both sides of the aisle. The liberals are wackos who care only about their lust for power through socialist enabling of the welfare state, while the so-called conservatives do not represent conservativism whatsoever! With the exception of a few good people as yet untainted by greed and power-mad depravity, the members of Congress do not represent the mainstream interests of America. Period.

As for Judge Roberts, I hear many people saying he should not be confirmed because he hasn't elucidated his personal beliefs and how he would rule on various issues. Duh! The man is a philosophical conservative, but he also understands the law and he doesn't play games with constitutional duties. Judge Roberts may well be more qualified to be chief justice of the Supreme Court than any other person in the last hundred years, even his mentor, the late Justice Rehnquist. He is prohibited from stating how he would rule on issues, because he may have to rule on those same issues in the future. By answering the questions of these wackos like Ted "Hiccup" Kennedy, Diane Feinstein, and Chuck Schumer, he would be compromising the actions of the Supreme Court, and also his current judgeship in the circuit court system. He is not allowed to answer your questions about abortion and states rights. Get over it already!

The mainstream media, hypocrites, phonies, and brainwashing specialists that they are, make comments about Judge Roberts and women's rights, in an intellectually dishonest way of saying that he will overturn Roe vs. Wade. He has said plainly that it is settled legal precedent, for one. For two, a woman has the same reproductive rights as a man. She, or he, has a right to responsible sexual activity, and that is that. Any person, female OR male, who is out sleeping around, is playing Russian roulette with the odds. If a woman and a man are being reckless and negligent and a pregnancy results, well, there you go. That is the normal and expected biological result. The answer? Stop screwing around and start acting responsible. These big babies want to blame everyone else when their actions result in something they did not want. Your reproductive rights include regular medical examinations and the right to refuse to have sex. Period. Stop executing innocent children in the name of reproductive rights. By definition? Murder. Sue me if you don't like my honesty. It is the truth, and the truth can stand on its own, no matter who says it.

And finally, finally, a quote.... I love this. Decades of liberal buying votes through social experimentation, trumpeting nonexistent economic barriers, and systemic behavior modification, making people believe that they actually need government handouts (which is, money taken from one person and given to another person... unconstitutional by the way, but so is much of what Congress does. What's new?)

"Consider that black households that are headed by married couples have median incomes almost 90 percent that of white households headed by married couples. The problem in the black community is that far too few black households are headed by married couples. Black social reality in New Orleans at the moment when the floodwaters started pouring in was fairly typical of black inner-city social reality around the country. Upwards of 70 percent of the households were headed by single parents, mostly women. When I discuss social statistics with audiences around the country, I invariably hear gasps when I point out that the out-of-wedlock birthrate today among young white women (30 percent) is higher than it was among black women 50 years ago. There, of course, remain residuals of racism in America today, and it's news to a lot of whites that black families were relatively intact, headed by married couples, in the '40s and '50s. Today's out-of-wedlock black births and single-parent households are triple what they were then. The collapse of the black family took off when big government programs, particularly welfare, were launched, compliments of black and white liberals, after the civil-rights movement." --Star Parker

Not that it matters to the impact of that quote, but here is an ethnic qualifier for the 'Doubting Thomas' crowd: Star Parker is a mom and she is black. Here is some relevant information about her background.

Prior to her involvement in social activism, Star Parker was a single welfare mother in Los Angeles, California. After receiving Christ, Star returned to college, received a BS degree in marketing, and launched an urban Christian magazine. The 1992 Los Angeles riots destroyed her business, yet served as a springboard for her focus on faith-based and free market alternatives to empower the lives of the poor.

Star Parker went to college and worked herself out of welfare. She realized the government cannot guarantee you anything. Only hard work can change personal reality. The blame game does nothing but keep a pessimist stuck in their woes and unwilling to take responsibility for their own actions. She said it perfectly. The United States Congress is a mighty drug dealer, pushing their "what's in it for me?" entitlement mentality, a powerful drug. The result? A bunch of shiftless whiners who are only in it for what they can get for free, without work, or by looting their neighbors. This socialist mindset and agenda is a heartbreaking tragedy and one of the root causes of the disaster in New Orleans. If you disagree, congratulations. You have a right to dissent in America. It isn't perfect, but I love this place. A bad day in America is better than a good day elsewhere. If you hate America so bad, you have a choice. There is plenty of room in France, so hit the road, Jack.

Just too busy to blog, I guess...

After a long-term sabbatical from the Lake Country Zoo blog due to circumstances both within and without my control, I made the time to write on this Labor Day weekend. It is still morning, so there is a good chance the call center will dispatch me to some wayward location. If that doesn’t happen, I hope to work on the yard and catch up on the housekeeping. Since this is a 3-day weekend, I am hoping to have at least one uninterrupted day off. Oh crap, I just cursed myself… the telephone will ring anytime now.

Oh well… I can use the money.

There is so much that has happened that I don’t know where to start, and if I covered it all, anyone who took the time to read this would be bored to tears. Josh (the brother-in-law) is here for the weekend with his dog, Caleb. He is a good boy, just big and he is a drool machine. Uh, the dog, not the brother-in-law (who incidentally, is a good boy, too). We are probably going to fire up that beautiful Husqvarna to drop a jack pine or two to make room for the eventual relocation of the dog kennel. The woods are being developed and the dog kennel is too close to the new lots being created. I hate that, but such is life. They call it progress... I do not. But since I don’t own the land adjoining our property, it is out of my hands anyway.

Gabriel is 7-months old. He weighs 19 pounds and is building a regular vocabulary, if one can call babbling a conversation (the politicians do, after all). Gabriel is a happy baby most of the time. He began teething at 2-months, but remains a joyful kiddo. His first word was “Hi!” which he said for the first time when he was 3-months old. We thought it was pure coincidence at first, but Gabriel gave me the same greeting as I entered the room enough times that we concluded his little hello was his first word. He said “Daddy” at 5 months, which rocks, if you ask me. Heather was thrilled when Gabriel said “Momma” last weekend. He isn’t entirely sure when to stop though. Sometimes, he says “Mommamamamamama…” Heather loves hearing that. The funny thing? Gabriel said “Heather” a few weeks before he said “Momma.” I love the irony, but that is just because I am who I am, much like Popeye, but without the spinach and the suspiciously distended forearms. [Those hefty muscles could be due to illegal steroid use, you know].

We found out this week that my nephew, Marty, and his wife, Tara, are expecting a baby. Whoohoo! They will make excellent parents, no doubt about that. I am sure that their child will be wearing the Minnesota Twins colors frequently. Congratulations to Tara and Marty! I wonder how Karen feels about the idea of being a grandmother. This is very exciting for the family, and will be the first great-grandchild. I will soon be a great uncle, a new title I can wear proudly, since my last “new” title is becoming comfortable for me. I am no longer a rookie dad. The time really flies so fast, and Gabriel will soon be a year old. I think we should have another little one soon, but it isn’t entirely up to me. =)

Dave started his college "career" in August. I think that is fantastic. Everyone should get a higher education and have marketable skills. His college program is business-related, but I think he is focusing on business accounting. My program is business admin.

Speaking of which, in two weeks, I will complete the next series of college courses. I am still maintaining my GPA, somehow, but the last month has been challenging. I have put in a ridiculous number of hours at work, been away more nights than normal lately, and am so looking forward to these classes to be done. The next classes? Environmental science and Humanities/Religions of the world. That should be interesting. I am sure that I will hear about how Islam is a religion of peace, Christianity is being forced on vulnerable atheists and that the Roman Catholic Church is responsible for almost everything that has ever gone wrong. That reminds me of the Ethics class I am taking now. For six weeks, I have been reminded that every single thing that is now or has ever been wrong in the world is the fault of the white males in the United States (other than the tribulations that the Roman Catholic Church is responsible for, of course). By the way, that whole synergy gibberish (a.k.a. human resources junk science!) was apparently written by the pot-smoking protesters of the 60s. It is euphorian nonsense, prevaricated hypocrisy and out of touch with reality out here in fly-over country. To all the complainers, I say, “Build a bridge and get over it, you big whiners!”

Okay… so I didn’t learn anything in sensitivity training. That is life! In the words of Rod Tidwell, "These are the ABCs of me, baby"!

Tuesday night

We heard back from two of the DVMs in Eden Prairie today. Max is doing okay, relaxing in his oxygen cage. He had a needle biopsy on his liver today and we are waiting on the detailed results from the slides taken today. While we wait, Max is going to be relaxing in his oxygen-rich environment. Tonight, the doctors are going to experiment with the mix a bit, to determine how Max will do without the supplemental oxygen. The hope is that Miracle Max can come home or to the local veterinarian while we wait for the comprehensive biopsy results. Obviously, we would prefer that he comes home, but we will do what is best for his health. You might say this is just a cat, but Max is a beloved member of our family. It sounds the same, but in our home, there is a big difference.

Tuesday morning

This morning, I talked to another veterinarian, the doctor who takes the overnight shift at AEVS. Miracle Max is doing okay, but still in the oxygen cage. Another DVM who is a veterinary radiology specialist is coming in this morning and will do an examination via sonogram on Max, the results of which will help us to decide on the prognosis and what to do next. Max is a member of our family and we aren't going to make any hasty decisions. We want the most complete information available to us and the best care given to our family members, human or otherwise.

Monday, worrying but hopeful.

You know, sometimes it makes me wonder. This is going to be vague for observable reasons, but if someone goes out and gets a cat or a dog, and that creature isn’t fitting their lifestyle, I find it quite ‘interesting’ how it is easy to… eliminate… the animal. Two things come to my mind here. First, things are different from one family to another, and for some, a cat or a dog is like window dressing, a convenience, a decoration, perhaps. How nice. Like all decorations, what-nots, and nick-knacks, it is quite easy to get rid of an animal that is just an object introduced into a family environment for the purpose of ‘decorating’ their household. That isn’t the way it works in our home. Our dogs and cats are our companion animals. We maintain our home for the comfort of our son, Gabriel, and our companions, who are essentially our kids and our family. Species is not a qualifier. Our family is our family, period.

I have heard of some who have a dog or cat that is no longer ‘convenient’ or that chews up a shoe, also known as “doing what puppies naturally do” and what is the response? The simple way out, of course… how about a bullet in the head, a little lead and their annoyingly inconvenient pet is dead? It’s only a stupid cat or a bothersome dog, after all. In our home, that is unacceptable. That is not ‘us.’ Anyone who judges us because of that, we say, “So be it” and “Who cares what they think?” That brings me to my second point. Obviously, emergency care isn’t free. Our cat is ill, but we are spending our money on it. Anyone who says to me, “Why don’t you just let him go? Even if you treat him, he may die anyway, and what a waste of money that would be” just doesn’t get it. Two quick sub-points, to reiterate. One, that is not how we do things around here. And two, if you disagree and think we are wasting our money, well, it isn’t really your business and it isn’t your money… so butt out.


Now that I got that off my chest, I feel a little better. Heather and I are going to continue hoping and praying. I am as German as can be, and anybody who knows me knows that I am not going to give up easily, especially when my cat greets me, purrs, and shows affection when we visit him in the hospital. When I am told to ‘just let him go,’ I think, if we do not look out for those we care about, it doesn’t say much about our human values. Does it? No matter what happens with Miracle Max, he has been a wonderful and loving friend. More importantly, his illness has helped us to reaffirm our faith and the importance of prayer. That is quite an accomplishment for him. After all… he is just a cat, so why bother? Some day, I hope that the human race can learn to share unconditional love, something that our Fuzzman has taught us much about. We aren’t letting him go without a fight and lots of prayers. God knows best, and we are following His lead.

Monday

Very early this morning, we transferred Max to the Veterinary Emergency Center in Eden Prairie. He is doing okay, but has that problem with labored breathing due to his bacterial pneumonia. He spent today in an oxygen cage, where the vets increase the oxygen content to 40 percent (atmospheric air is 20 percent oxygen at ground level). This has helped Max breath a lot easier, but it seems likely he will be on oxygen for at least another day. The doctor on this shift just called and said he is doing okay, relaxing in his oxygen cage, while they are giving him two synergistic antibiotics to cover all the possible types of infection, aerobic, anaerobic, Grams plus and Grams negative. Max’s condition is guarded but we are very hopeful, praying every day with more fervor than ever, and not willing to give up easily. Max is a member of our family, and he is worth every bit of this. Heather and I completely and unequivocally agree.

Sunday

Miracle Max’s breathing is labored again, and at 5:30 this morning, Heather woke me up to tell me that he is open-mouth breathing, which is not a good thing. I called the on-call veterinarian and he met me at 6:00 a.m. He gave Max oxygen but did not have the facilities to properly take care of him. Heather and I took Max to Saint Cloud, and he spent the rest of the day in an oxygen cage. That helped Max breathe a lot easier.

Dave and Josh were here all day, with Josh asking to go to a skateboard shop ad infinitum. He was not too pleased, as most of the ‘mom and pop’ businesses in town are not open on Sundays. For a city of 20,000 people, I guess that is odd, but even the malls close here on weekends at 5:00 p.m. I admit, that is odd, with all the tourists here. I mean, the population of Crow Wing County more than triples on summer weekends. Still… it isn’t summer, yet. Soon, it will be like driving through a metro area, just to go to the grocery store. Oh, joy!

Miracle Max isn't feeling so good.

Miracle Max has been losing weight for a while, and Thursday, he started having problems with labored breathing. I hate when any of our kids are not feeling so well. Max went to the vet on Friday. As it turns out, Max has bacterial pneumonia and an enlarged liver. He tested negative for feline leukemia on 3 occasions and is negative for feline immune deficiency. Those are the ailments that the veterinarians feel would be the obvious causes of his weight loss, but the DVMs have ruled out all of those. Its so much easier with humans… they can tell you what isn’t feeling right.

Visitors coming this weekend

Dave and Josh are coming up this weekend. The house is a bit of a disaster, but that is no news flash, I suppose. Heather is busy being a mom to Gabriel and taking care of things here. I am busy, between my job looking after casinos, being on call 24-7, with the predictable overtime, and my education. My niece, Christina, and a friend are stopping in to visit. They are in the lakes region, staying at one of the “old money” resorts like Craguns’ or Maddens’, for a student government conference or something like that. By the way, in this case, “old money” resorts are those that have been in business since way, way, way before the lakes country was the place to be on weekends, and before everyone and his brother owned a lake-front property. Those resorts have been in business here since the 1930s, and therefore, they are the old money resorts.

Juan Pablo II

I have a road trip of about 600 miles, starting early in the morning. My class schedule this week is heavy with assignments, dealing with APA form, grammatical context, and writing a persuasive essay. I want to wake by 4 in the morning, so I can return home at a reasonable time, especially since Gabriel is not feeling so good right now. I'm a Dad... I worry about my little guy. I wish I had the inspiration to write something great, but my mind is exhausted tonight. Instead, here is something full of meaning, from a brilliant conservative mind, and I give him full credit. Rich Galen, mullmeister extraordinaire, as always, way to go, weaving words, skillfully, into a masterpiece. If you want to read more from him, check out http://www.mullings.com.

From Rich Galen: Keith Olbermann, on MSNBC Saturday night, said he remembered the time in Los Angeles when Pope John Paul II was being fawned over by the LA crowd: the singers, the dancers, the actors.

I had forgotten about this incident, but Olbermann had not.

The Pope singled out a young man who had been born without arms, but who had learned to play the guitar with his feet and toes. The young man played for the Pope. Oscars, Grammies, Golden Globes meant nothing.

A boy who had, through no fault of his own, been visited with what should have been a devastating disability. The boy got to play for the Pope. The Pope chose that boy to perform.

In the first days of the 21st Century there are many things in classical Catholic teachings with which one might disagree. You can disagree with, but not fault, a person who - like John Paul II - speaks from his heart. And from his soul.

Before he was elected Pope, John Paul II was Karol Wojtyla of Poland. While he was the Cardinal of Poland, he gave strength and support to the Solidarity movement in Poland which foreshadowed the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe.

Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt defeated the Nazis; Ronald Reagan and Karol Wojtyla, arguably, defeated Communism.

Pretty good group.

Most of us go through life barely scanning what others write. Some are lucky enough to add commas and semi-colons and page-breaks to the daily discourse.

But men like John Paul II, and before him Churchill, Roosevelt and Reagan, fashion the great works of their times and leave the rest of us to ponder how, in some minute manner, we can be more like them.

Oseh shalom beem'roh'mahv, hoo ya'aseh shalom aleynu' v'eemru:

He who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace upon us... now say:
Amen.

Thanks, Mr. Galen, for helping me out tonight. Okay... it's my pathetic excuse for writing from here 'til the end of this entry.

It occurred to me that Terri Schindler was very possibly holding open the gate, waiting for Pope John Paul to come Home.

I am sure that Juan Pablo II is doing fine now, free of his physical ailments. The bigger question is, how will we do without him? Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, rest in peace.

Rest in peace, Terri Schindler

Today, i have no doubt that Terri Schindler lives on in a much better place. I am sure that she is looking down, wishing her family was in Paradise with her, as her parents and her siblings, who stood by her until the very end, and even in death, are trying to honor her memory with a proper Roman Catholic burial, while Michael Schiavo celebrates her death by tossing her ashes to the wind, and far from home. Did it ever occur to you that Terri's suffering and death was not in vain? If we learn something from this about the sanctity of life, maybe we can follow her example, knowing that she learned from the very paradigm of sacrifice, given about 2035 years ago.

I like this verse, and it says better than me that Terri is doing just fine, maybe even dancing in the presence of the Lord.

“O Death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15: 54b-58)

Judicial Tyranny part 4

Terri Schindler has taught us all, she has spoken volumes without one audible word about the value and dignity of life. God has a place and a purpose for each life. We can learn from Terri, and from the least of our brethren. God gives life, and no one but God can rightfully take life away.

It is time to take America back. Terri Schindler did not have to die. Activist judges and an amoral, untrustworthy, treacherous court system are now espousing repugnance for the most basic of liberties, the right to life. Clearly, these lawyers murdered Terri Schindler. A bunch of wise guys once put pen to paper and declared they were creating a new nation, saying, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Note life is mentioned first. Life is the most basic of all human rights. What part of that is hard to comprehend, judge?

The elected officials who said, “My hands are tied” are accomplices in the death of Terri Schindler, as well. There is a significant difference between the established ‘facts of the case’ and what is the undeniable truth. The definition of truth, in the court’s eyes, is an elastic, amoral piece of trash that can be perverted or disregarded at any time to suit the needs of the oligarchy in their lust for unconstitutional supremacy. By judicial decree, thanks to these lawyers, it is legally acceptable to murder ‘pre-born’ children, since the legal description of an unborn child is as ambiguous as Michael Jackson’s gender. Lawyers bend words to suit their purposes, no matter how disreputable they may be. Remember this, George Felos is an Evangelical Christian. Maybe he needs to look down one time to see the people he is trampling, in his quest for power and influence at any cost. According to that CBS poll, 82 percent of Americans said that the feeding tube should go. Had they educated themselves to the truth, that Terri was not EVER on life support, maybe they would have pangs of guilt for a millisecond before they went back to their reality TV. The 82 percent of Americans who said, “Terri must die,” are wrong, but we all have blood on our hands.

It is time to take America back from this judicial tyranny. This is not the America where I want to raise my children, and yes, we do have a choice in the matter.

Judicial Tyranny part 3

Were you among those who sided with Michael Schiavo, urging the torture of his de facto murder victim? The undertones surrounding George Felos and the ‘right to die’ crowd say she was just a vegetable and not worth saving. Oh really? Who next? How about babies with cleft palates, minor birth defects or the wrong gender? Not in America, not yet, but soon, yes, post-birth terminations for defects. We must follow those who are intellectually gifted, like much of Europe, (NOTE SARCASM). They know so much better than those silly Americans who worship an unconstitutional god, and actually still had a modicum, no, just an infinitesimal shred of respect for life… at least, until Terri Schindler was murdered by judicial diktat with the support of 82 percent of Americans, according to polls. That statement alone, according to polls, requires a huge disclaimer, penitence, atonement, and a tetanus shot. The implications of the brainwashed masses being led to the slaughter by the major media, seeking the poll result they need, to further their indoctrination into the guidelines of death as duty. It is just so foul, I am ashamed to be an American today. For what it is worth, I did not abandon Terri. Did you?

Judicial tyranny part 2

The arguments saying that this is a private matter ring hollow to the intellectually honest. This is a test case for ‘the duty to die’ in America today. Playing devil’s advocate, then, let’s say that Michael Schiavo physically harmed Terri Schiavo, putting her into this so-called persistent vegetative state, and ultimately caused her death by his legal ministrations. How is that remarkably different from Scott Peterson, murdering his wife and unborn son, Connor? That story was splashed on every channel on TV and in every paper for over a year. Wasn’t that a private matter? Or was it enthusiastically sadistic voyeurism?


Speaking further about private matters where the Supremes overstepped their bounds, Terri Schindler and abortion, not related, right? There are bold-faced parallels, as well. After all, children under a few years old are unable to feed themselves. Should they be killed because they are not autonomous beings? Well, yeah, if you are a liberal, your party demands protections of the professed right to have a doctor violate the Hippocratic oath and chop up, then vacuum an innocent child out of the safety of the womb in which he has been sheltered.


Coming soon to America, the right to kill your baby after the birth, but only in the first few years of life. How accomodating. We are civilized, after all. Baby killing is a civil right, according to the likes of Whoopee Goldberg, the Hollywood crowd, and millions of others. After all, unwanted babies should be killed. They are just slugs of flesh anyway. This is insanity, guaranteed to infringe upon the right to life of the least of our brethren. As I said, may God have mercy on America.

Judicial tyranny part 1

I heard that the Congress and the President intervening to save Terri Schindler were overstepping their authority. Oh really? Gee, all you constitutional geniuses who know so much better can answer this, “Whatever happened to ‘separate but equal’ and the ‘balance of power?’ Congress and the judiciary balance the President. The President and the judiciary balance the legislative branch. Who balances out the judiciary? In today’s America, nobody does.


In defense of the Constitution of these United States of America, the judicial branch was not intended to be the final arbiter of all decisions without any recourse. The legislative branch has the constitutional right, and the express written duty, to overrule the judiciary and to constrain the judiciary from acting on specific issues. This is constitutionally written and guaranteed as a balace of the powers of the three branches of federal government.

What we are seeing here is the opening salvo in the battle of the constitutional protections of America, versus the unelected and unaccountable judicial oligarchy. These lawyers in black dresses are completely out of control. They facilitated the murder of Terri Schiavo, and they are as guilty of negligence as George Felos and Michael Schiavo are of murder.


If the idea that a judge can order your death, though you have committed no crime, doesn’t scare the hell out of you, then you scare me more than a little bit.

Judicial Murder

Terri Schindler died today at the age of 41. She did not die a natural death, however. She was tortured in a sick and inhumane way and then, she was killed in a manner that should never be allowed in America. We used to be civilized; today I am not so sure about that. What was her crime? Perhaps, marrying a man who has a heart of stone, who was strongly influenced by George Felos, an insignificant little 'Angel of Death' who truly appears to be one of the minions of evil. Bobby Schindler was right when he said, "I think Mr. Felos has some infatuation with death." Thank goodness for 'soul speak' so that Felos could psychically connect with Terri and hear her trapped and tortured soul cry out, "Somebody, kill me please!"

We treat terrorists better than this. Terrorists are never starved or deprived of water, by virtue of the Geneva Convention, even though terrorists aren't even subject to its rules. It is amazing how Terri Schiavo’s inalienable right to life was not protected by the constitution of America of 2005. Oh, how far we have come, and not in the right direction. If this is progress, we are stuck in reverse and gaining speed. May God have mercy on America.

“Mishkaawiisinidah”

I worked at Red Lake today. It was a surreal day, working in close proximity to the school buildings, with parking lots virtually deserted, with the exception of a larger police presence than I have ever seen in Red Lake. Police cars barricaded the entrances to each school building and police officers stood watch. The high school is next door to the casino, and the middle school is about four blocks west of the casino, but both are on the main street of Red Lake. Both are heavily guarded and off limits to all but the police, until schools re-open, possibly next week.

As it should be, every flag is at half-staff, out of reverence for the dead. There are ten white crosses along the chain link fence in front of the high school, each standing about five feet tall and with the name of one of the victims of the violence of last Monday. For about fifty yards, the fence is completely covered with flowers, signs and posters with messages of support, thoughts and prayers, and there are stuffed animals, teddy bears and other mementos. No one is speaking about the deaths openly, as the tribal customs require the names of the victims to remain unstated during this time of remembrance. The people I worked with were speaking in muted tones and the names remain unspoken, in deference to the customs among the Chippewa regarding mourning.

I did hear that part of the grieving process for the Chippewa Indians, who have a close-knit, family-based culture, is to have a two-day wake. Part of that includes prayers by a holy man, and a fire is built that is kept burning day and night until the wake is over. The logs for the fire are stacked to allow the wind to travel under them and aid in the deceased Chippewa’s journey to the afterlife. After two days, a traditional Christian funeral follows.

All seems to be calm now, but it is surreal, and I am sure that the closeness of the community has been severely shaken. From an outsider’s perspective looking in on a close-knit community, all I can say is, God bless them, and help them to be strong.

“Mishkaawiisinidah” is Ojibwe for “Let’s be strong.”