Snuffleupagus

I woke up this morning sneezing, one after another. The dreaded allergies have kicked up again. Before I return to Cleveland for the summer, I'm going to ask that my son and husband tear out the wall-to-wall in our bedroom. That should eliminate most of the problem.

Today is the day of the family gift exchange. About 25-30 people get together, and get their number. # 1 picks a gift from under the tree, # 2 has the right to either take a new gift, or take the gift from the previous person. If # 1 has his gift taken, he takes another one from the tree. As the number of gifts to steal grows, the game gets wild. To help someone secure a gift, family members forms teams. Generally, the very youngest participate only as helpers. But, by 10 or so, they're in the game.

It's good training for office politics, junior high, and the like.

I wasn't sure my daughter would be able to come. She finally decided to rent a car for a few days. Her husband will join us when he gets off work.

---

I've just been reading about an epidemic that's sweeping the country - from MSNBC:

the bacterial infection known as Clostridium difficile -- or C. diff -- which appears to be spreading rapidly around the country and causing unusually severe, sometimes fatal illness.

As always, the major problem is to discover why the illness is increasing its attacks now. It may be a case of "the cure for one is the cause of another":

the latest example of a common, relatively benign bug that has mutated because of the overuse of antibiotics.

"This may well be another consequence of our use of antibiotics," said John G. Bartlett, an infectious-disease expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "It's another example of an organism that all of a sudden has gotten a lot meaner and nastier."

In addition, new evidence released last week suggests that the enormous popularity of powerful new heartburn drugs may also be playing a role.

I'm personally suspicious of the many antibacterial soaps on the market. Bacteria is not the enemy of mankind - we co-exist happily with a variety of other organisms. In fact, without bacteria, digestion of food is a painful, slow process.

Who's at risk?

The infection usually hits people who are taking antibiotics for other reasons, but a handful of cases have been reported among people who were taking nothing, another unexpected and troubling turn in the germ's behavior.

The infection has long been common in hospital patients taking antibiotics. As the drugs kill off other bacteria in the digestive system, the C. diff microbe can proliferate. It spreads easily through contact with contaminated people, clothing or surfaces.

Three words to remember - WASH YOUR HANDS! Even medical and nursing personnel often skimp on that preventive. Not to mention the MANY other people in contact with patients. That's why C. diff gets a foothold in hospital.

But, it's even more important to remove surface germs in other places - schools, homes, offices, restaurants. I'm not a big fan of the antibacterial hand "washes" - by not rinsing off the liquid, you're counting on it killing the bacteria. Sorry, that's just less effective than using plain water and soap (in a pinch, water) to rid yourself of surface germs.

I got a flu shot on the advice of my doctor this year. But, this C. diff may dwarf any flu's fatality. It's an example of an opportunistic infection - one that establishes itself when other "bugs" are temporarily wiped out - as in the case when you've taken an antibiotic. These opportunistic infections can be monsters - I had a respiratory infection for several months - when one virus died out, another came in. I was finally hospitalized for almost a week. My full recovery took almost a month.

I've learned - I take MUCH better care of myself now. You do the same.

Tags = Family and Health and Wellness

This is just wrong

I've always known that many Britons absolutely hate and detest Catholics with a fervor, but the inclusion of one of the original men of conscience in this list of most Worst Britons seems, to me, to take their prejudices to a new low:

The "greedy" Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was nominated by Professor John Hudson, of St Andrews University, as the 12th century's worst villain.

"He divided England in a way that even many churchmen who shared some of his views thought unnecessary and self-indulgent," he said.

"He was a founder of gesture politics.

"Those who share my prejudice against Becket may consider his assassination in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December, 1170, a fittingly grisly end."

Tags = Religion

Vacations are GOOOOOD!

As shown in my weight loss tracker, I've dropped another couple of pounds. Apparently, the de-stressing brought on by huge amounts of unstructured time has been beneficial, overall, to my health. I'll be bringing back some aids to that continued weight loss, including:

• Prevention's cookbook for weight loss
  
• digital scale and body fat monitor
  
• yoga mat
  
• exercise bands

Tags = Weight Loss

It was a VERY good Christmas!

Some things worked out just like I planned them - but, fortunately, the aspects I didn't plan were a GOOD surprise!

I received a HUGE surprise from my husband. An offhand comment I made in the fall about wanting my great-grandmother's diamond ring (my brother was planning to sell it and split the cash with the others) was heard, and acted upon. It fits perfectly, and is a delightful antique setting, three stone ring.

I also got the MP3 player I've been coveting. No, not the IPod - I think it's a hugely overhyped gizmo, that virtually SHRIEKS "I don't understand how to use technology without those cute little icons and buttons for idiots".

Also, all the junk food I could eat - the diet starts when I return to SC.

My grandchildren were wonderful and beautiful, as usual. My granddaughter was given several dress-up outfits - TinkerBelle, Snow White, and Dorothy ruby red slippers (she already had the dress). Oh, and a Cleveland Browns cheerleader outfit. Yeah, I know they don't have cheerleaders, but, who cares?



The reason the Browns don't have cheerleaders is because only drunk, fat old farts are stupid enough to bare skin in Cleveland winters.

Tags = [tagname]

Go to this link

Don't stop to finish this - just click the link to A Texan Abroad.

I don't often cry - but I did this morning. Rhianna is a military wife, currently living abroad. She has multiple posts today, and they are all worth spending time reading. Don't forget to copy the link, and include it in any email you send out today. I know the recipients will thank you for letting them in on the site.

To the troops in the field, and those at home, Merry Christmas! May this be your last Christmas away from your loved ones - not because we "cut and run", but because we've increased the number of people around the world who will take up their own defense against terrorists.

Tags = Military

Honoring our dead

Via the Freedom Folks, comes this picture of Arlington cemetery.



Tags = Military

Immigration thoughts - Wednesday

On December 8, 2005, Peggy Noonan asked some of the questions I've been pondering

What does it mean that your first act on entering a country--your first act on that soil--is the breaking of that country's laws? What does it suggest to you when that country does nothing about your lawbreaking because it cannot, or chooses not to? What does that tell you? Will that make you a better future citizen, or worse? More respecting of the rule of law in your new home, or less?

I suggest you read it. Noonan is no anti-nativist; she freely credits the immense benefit that the ability to immigrate gave to her ancestors, and, by extension, to her.

Like the majority of Americans, I come from a long line of grateful immigrants. If some of them tried to enter today, they might have a very long wait, if they qualified at all. Nonetheless, I favor tighter controls over the current situation, which lets the lawbreakers in more readily than the rule-abiders. Think of it - you are increasing the number of people in this country who think that inconvenient rules are to be ignored. We already have way too many of those kind of people.

I'll close with a last excerpt from Noonan:

Our elites are lucky people. They were born in a suburb, went to Yale, and run the world from a desk. Which means this great question, immigration, is going to be decided by people who don't know what it is to sleep on a bench. Who don't know what it is to earn your space, your place. Who don't know what it is to grieve the old country and embrace the new country. Who don't know what it is to feel you're a little on the outside and have to earn your way in to the inside. Who think it was without a cost, because it was without cost for them.

The problem with our elites as they make our immigration policy is not that they have compassion and open-mindedness. It is that they are unknowing and empty-headed. They don't know, most of them, what others had to earn, and how much they, and their descendents, prize it and want to protect it.

I found the reference to the Noonan post via John Hudek, at Common Sense and Wonder.

Tags = Immigration

Illegal Immigration Wednesday

I can't believe the reaction from Mexicans to the proposed border wall.

For those who haven't been following the debate on ILLEGAL immigration (I felt the need to put that in CAPS to make it clear that I do not oppose, in fact, welcome LEGAL immigration), The House finally developed some guts, and passed a bill to buid a wall between Mexico and the US. Not doing so is like having your neighbors wander through your house day and night, without knocking, but continuing to leave the door unlocked. Hard to complain about it to the cops in that case.

From Guardian Unlimited:

Fernando Robledo, 42, of the western state of Zacatecas, says the proposals could stem migration and disrupt families by breaking cross-border ties.

"Could stem migration" - we certainly hope so! Don't want your family "disrupted"? Stay home.

What's the Mexican government going to do?

The government is scrambling to fight on two fronts. On Monday, it announced it had hired Allyn & Company, a Dallas-based public relations company to help improve Mexico's image and stem the immigration backlash.

``If people in the U.S. and Canada had an accurate view of the success of democracy, political stability and economic prosperity in Mexico, it would improve their views on specific bilateral issues like immigration and border security,'' Rob Allyn, president of the PR firm, told The Associated Press Tuesday.

Jose Luis Soberanes, head of the government's National Human Rights Commission, suggested Mexico go further.

``I would expect more energetic reactions from our authorities,'' Soberanes told local media. ``It's preferable to have a more demanding government, more confrontation with the United States.''

Mexico has also said it is recruiting U.S. church, community and business groups to oppose the proposal.

Figures that they'd mobilize the usual suspects. As a Catholic, I'm getting tired of my church being one of the biggest offenders at breaking immigration laws. Every illegal they hide, defend, or support is one less American, ALSO IN NEED, who can't get a job, faces high crime rates in their neighborhood, or gets a less-useful education, due to the schools being overcrowded with illegals.

You can't make up this kind of thing:

The House bill, passed on a 239-182 vote, includes a proposal to build 700 miles of additional fence through parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. It would also enlist military and local law enforcement to help stop illegal entrants and require employers to verify the legal status of their workers.

Mexicans are outraged by the proposed measures, especially the extension of the border wall, which many liken to the Berlin Wall. Some are urging their government to fight it fiercely.

``Our president should oppose that wall and make them stop it, at all costs,'' said Martin Vazquez, 26, at the Mexico City airport as he returned from his job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas. ``More than just insulting, it's terrible.''

Insulting? I'll tell you what's insulting. If I tried to sneak into Mexico, they'll throw my a$$ in jail - and Mexican jails are no Club Fed, I might add. We just detain them for a short time, then hand them a ticket for a future appearance in court. Which most of them don't show for. Not only that, but we provide legal assistance for free. And if they commit a crime in America, they can scoot their illegal a$$ over the border, and Mexico will refuse to extradite them. Because the EVIL, BAD US believes that murderers need to pay with their own life. Unlike the PURE, GOOD Mexican government, whose own justice system is a shining light among the world.

Tags = Illegal Immigration

Where the h@!! are the feminists in this?

Fox News is reporting on the Debra Lafave case. That's the one with the young teacher having sex with a student. See below:

A Florida reading teacher charged with having sex with a minor pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior as part of a plea deal that does not include any jail time.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions," Greco Middle School teacher Debra Lafave, 25, said during Tuesday's trial in Tampa.

The deal provides that Lafave will not serve any jail time in connection with multiple sex acts with a 14-year-old student unless she violates the terms of the plea agreement, which includes three years of house arrest and seven years' probation.

"To place an attractive young woman in that kind of hell hole is like putting a piece of raw meat in with the lions," Lafave's attorney, John Fitzgibbons, said in July of the possibility of jail time. "I'm not sure she would survive.

That's the official word from her lawyer.

Why'd she get the sweet deal?

Fitzgibbons last week had said Lafave would plead insanity at trial, claiming she was under such emotional stress that she didn't know right from wrong.

Fitzgibbons said in July that plea negotiations had broken off because prosecutors insisted on prison time, which he said would be too dangerous for someone as attractive as Lafave. He said then that she planned to plead insanity at trial, claiming emotional stress kept her from knowing right from wrong.

Do 'ya think a MALE molester would get the same consideration from the courts? No?

That's what I thought. We treat these women as though they were almost victims themselves, not really responsible for their actions. It's time we treated this like the crime it is. And throw their a$$e$ in jail.

Otherwise, I'm afraid that the MALE child molesters will have a valid case - they are being held to a much higher standard than the females with virtually the same crime.

Tags = Stupid People

Isn't that the same trouble many others had with you?

The End of the Rainbow has a provacative post:

We have schools here that used to be 80% to 90% black and now, after a period of 10 years, are 80% to 90% Latino. As this trend spreads, blacks either can move to other neighborhoods or watch their children stuck in schools listening to Spanish all day. Yet nobody speaks up for our children the way pro-immigrant organizations do for immigrant children. As a result, our children are getting the equivalent of half a day of school. Why should our children be deprived?

My two-bedroom house near the Coliseum is worth about $100,000. A comparable house two doors away sold for $135,000 and the buyers put five immigrant families in it. A black family can’t pay that and can’t live like that. In the American culture, we have one family to a house. Each of my immigrant neighbors has seven or eight children, while we Americans have two or three. Before long, all these children are going to need a place of their own. Does a black homeowner have to put four families in the house and a fifth in the garage in order to survive? A for-sale sign in our neighborhood causes panic. We know who will get that house. There will be 20 to 30 people living in it, they will keep goats, they will grow corn in the front yard, they will hang their wash on the front fence. It’s a culture clash.

That's exactly what I've been saying for some time. It isn't that the RACES are hostile to each other (mostly), it's that their CULTURES are dissimilar enough that living in proximity causes friction.

It's reversion to the culture of a tribal/familial ties society. In those societies, your first allegiance is to the tribal or family group. It's sad to see that America is devolving into the former Yugoslavia.

In Cleveland schools, the rumor is that white students will get "jumped" by Black students on May Day. So strongly is the rumor believed (with some justification) that absentee rates sky-rocket on May 1st. Los Angeles is experiencing the same:

On April 29, it was Jordan High’s turn when about 100 black and brown students fought. Rumors then had it that any black going to school on May 5—Cinco de Mayo—would be beaten to a pulp. The Los Angeles Unified School District reported that 51,000 students were absent from its middle and high schools that day, an absentee rate of 20 percent.

Welcome to America, Black people. Your day as the dominant underdog may be over. No longer will you be able to claim ultimate victim status. You're being shoved aside by the growing Latino population. And you can't manipulate them with talk about historic racism. They don't care.

Tags = Culture

These women are weird!

As a teacher for many years, I've noticed the recent increase (or, at least, the recent rise in prosecution) in female teachers who have sex with students. My initial response was "Yuck!", followed by the thought that these women were clearly strange, unusual, and an incredibly tiny minority.

Maybe I was wrong. WorldNet Daily has a round-up of these crazy "ladies", and there's more than I ever dreamed.

I'm dumbfounded - I just can't fathom their actions. But, in their honor, I'm creating a New Tag.

Tags = Stupid People

THIS creeps me out!

Thanks to Mark Shea's Catholic and Enjoying it, I found a reference that you have to see to believe.

Scientists have begun blurring the line between human and animal by producing chimeras—a hybrid creature that's part human, part animal.

Chinese scientists at the Shanghai Second Medical University in 2003 successfully fused human cells with rabbit eggs. The embryos were reportedly the first human-animal chimeras successfully created. They were allowed to develop for several days in a laboratory dish before the scientists destroyed the embryos to harvest their stem cells.

In Minnesota last year researchers at the Mayo Clinic created pigs with human blood flowing through their bodies.

And at Stanford University in California an experiment might be done later this year to create mice with human brains.

The idea is that, by tinkering with the animals, you can create a line that is closer to human, and, thus, facilitate experimentation that benefits humans, such as drug testing or growing spare parts.

But creating human-animal chimeras—named after a monster in Greek mythology that had a lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tail—has raised troubling questions: What new subhuman combination should be produced and for what purpose? At what point would it be considered human? And what rights, if any, should it have?

There are currently no U.S. federal laws that address these issues.

The National Academy of Sciences, which advises the U.S. government, has been studying the issue. In March it plans to present voluntary ethical guidelines for researchers.

NO FEDERAL LAWS? This issue is one that is equally important to the stem cell issue - today, I'm contacting my legislators, and urging them to put some roadblocks in place to stop these kinds of actions. Feel free to do the same.

What's caused the uproar is the mixing of human stem cells with embryonic animals to create new species.

Well, I should think so.

But, no, these guys aren't concerned for the reason you might think.

Biotechnology activist Jeremy Rifkin is opposed to crossing species boundaries, because he believes animals have the right to exist without being tampered with or crossed with another species.

I like that - never mind the HUMAN lives that will be forever effected by the action, think of the ANIMALS. We'll do a lot better vis-a-vis animal rights people when they finally concede that man is an animal, and deserving of their protection.

Think it can't happen here?

Irv Weissman, director of Stanford University's Institute of Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine in California, is against a ban in the United States.

"Anybody who puts their own moral guidance in the way of this biomedical science, where they want to impose their will—not just be part of an argument—if that leads to a ban or moratorium. … they are stopping research that would save human lives," he said.

Mice With Human Brains

Weissman has already created mice with brains that are about one percent human.

Later this year he may conduct another experiment where the mice have 100 percent human brains. This would be done, he said, by injecting human neurons into the brains of embryonic mice.

Before being born, the mice would be killed and dissected to see if the architecture of a human brain had formed. If it did, he'd look for traces of human cognitive behavior.

Weissman said he's not a mad scientist trying to create a human in an animal body. He hopes the experiment leads to a better understanding of how the brain works, which would be useful in treating diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

Don't you just love it when they work that magic word "Parkinson's" in? All things will be justified when people realize that cute celebrities might benefit.



If you haven't already, read "Chromosome 6" by Robin Cook. It deals with this very issue, and in a way that addresses the ethical issues involved. It's also a very good piece of science fiction.



Tags = Science and Technology

Don't miss Francis' random musings on Christmas!

Eternity Road continues to be one of my favorite stops on the Blogroll. Francis Porretto is special - he posts long and thoughtfully, and his take on current events is always from his Catholic perspective.

Click on the title to read what he has to say about Christmas. Among them:

Store decorations have become so relentlessly secular that a Martian might well imagine that this buying blitz has no relation whatsoever to Christmas.

and

One can raise quite a few eyebrows and blanch an equal number of cheeks by responding to "Happy Holidays" with "Merry Christmas, and may the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Redeemer of Mankind, be yours throughout the new year.

Yes, I actually did that. More than once, in fact. I know I'm a bad boy. But it was just too tempting to resist.

Tags = Religion

Why this is wrong

It's not just wrong, it's un-American. What is?

A press witness describes the execution. Williams did not struggle. He spoke to his witnesses during the process. It took almost ten minutes to find the second vein.

Two men and one woman among Williams's supporters made black power signs during the process. At death announcement someone shouted that California has killed an innocent man. The witnesses were told when they went in that they were not allowed to make outbursts. It comes as no surprise to me that Williams was the kind of man who attracted friends to whom the rules do not apply.

Dora Owens, stepmother of a victim, who had stared passively at Williams throughout the execution, began to cry after the outburst. Maybe she was crying at the end of her long wait for justice or maybe she was crying at the tragedy of a man, the man who shouted, who doesn't grasp the concept of justice.

The man who shouted that accusation used the words of justice, but he didn't really care if Tookie Williams was guilty or innocent. This man cared only about his clan, his tribe, his own people. He took the side of Williams, not because he really believed Williams was innocent, but because Williams was family. He took the side of a murderer and felt righteous about it.

In America, you have the right to DEMAND that the rules apply to you, to your attacker, to everyone. The reason that the Civil Rights movement succeeded is that they argued that the rules weren't being applied fairly, and Black people were, for that reason, excluded. That argument resonated with a populace that grew up knowing that the basis of America was that the rules were clear, written, and applied to everyone.

What has turned around since then is that some have argued that, because of their status, the rules should be applied differently.

When Affirmative Action was first proposed, I had no problem with it. At that time, I bought the argument that Blacks should be entitled to special treatment. As a result of many things (the personal re-appraisal I made after 9/11, age, experience, etc.), I now disagree with that philosophy.

You DON'T have the right to demand that the rules don't apply to you and your tribe or family. That's one of the main problems that we're currently experiencing with the Islamicists - they don't like our laws, they want Sharia. They don't like the freedoms we have, WE should change our way of life to be "sensitive" to them. They don't like our freedom of press, they should have the right to burn books and execute those who express their opinion of their religion or culture.

That insistence on "special" treatment is the hallmark of a pre-civilized culture. It is based on alliances, family, and ethnic origin. It is unsuited to a culture that takes in immigrants and allows them to become full members of that society, encourages international travel and cross-country businesses, and oversees a diverse population.

Tags = Culture and /Society

Whoops! Forgot to mention that the link came courtesy of Doc Rampage, a most excellent blog who I would never knowingly disrespect.

THIS is what makes us different...and better

I found this on Captain's Quarters - if you don't read his blog daily, you're missing one of the best.

In her Star-Tribune article, Kersten highlights local Army medic Sgt. Joe Buhain of Rochester and his dedication to saving lives on the battlefield, regardless of which side his patients fought:

What do you do if you are an Army medic and you are asked to provide medical care to an Iraqi terrorist who has just killed or maimed some of your buddies? Staff Sgt. Joe Buhain of Rochester knows the answer. ...

Buhain, 35, found it emotionally taxing to treat terrorists who had detonated explosives under coalition Humvees or killed innocent children.

This is a perfect example of what differentiates us from the enemy - we honor our Creator and our Constitution by living up to their highest ideals. We endeavor to treat all men as though they are equal, all men as we would like to be treated, ourselves. As the few instances of abuse demonstrate, we sometimes fail. But we prosecute those failures. We don't put them on video, and use them as a recruiting tool.

We aren't going to turn everyone with this approach. Some of the hard-core are going to take it as a sign of weakness.

But, we don't act honorably and righteously for their sake. We do it because it defines us as human beings.

Ultimately, we do it lest we otherwise become as they are. And we are better than that.

Or should be.

Tags = War News

Just back from the doctor's

I just returned from my doctor's - I'll be not picking up anything heavy for a few days. I've another bout of tennis elbow. Most aggravating, since I haven't played in years.

The arm is tender, due to a cortisone shot AND a flu shot. Hey, why wreck up both arms?

The minor problems in my left wrist and right middle fingers is, apparently, due to arthritis. Not rheumatoid, just the ordinary old-age, wear & tear kind. Swell - that does wonders for my self-esteem. Minor doses of ibuprofen should do it, along with wearing a wrist brace.

I'm going to try to take it light on blogging for the next few days, at least. When you pay for medical advice, the least you ought to do is take it.

Tags = Health and Wellness

Unconstitutional, or not?

Bush has often been accused of being too meek in defending his actions as President. Not in this matter:

Facing angry criticism and challenges to his authority in Congress, President Bush on Saturday unapologetically defended his administration's right to conduct secret post-Sept. 11 spying in the United States as "critical to saving American lives."

Bush said congressional leaders had been briefed on the operation more than a dozen times. That included Democrats as well as Republicans in the House and Senate, a GOP lawmaker said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she had been told on several occasions that Bush had authorized unspecified activities by the National Security Agency, the nation's largest spy agency. She said she had expressed strong concerns at the time, and that Bush's statement Saturday "raises serious questions as to what the activities were and whether the activities were lawful."

Often appearing angry in an eight-minute address, the president made clear he has no intention of halting his authorizations of the monitoring activities and said public disclosure of the program by the news media had endangered Americans.

I'm with the Prez on this - just because someone has citizenship, that doesn't make them invulnerable to suspicion. And, remember, we're not just talking jay-walking here - the suspicion is of terrorism and treason to the US. I remember Lincoln in a similar situation.

Among Lincoln’s unconstitutional acts were launching an invasion without the consent of Congress, blockading Southern ports before formally declaring war, unilaterally suspending the writ of habeas corpus and arresting and imprisoning thousands of Northern citizens without a warrant, censoring telegraph communications, confiscating private property, including firearms, and effectively gutting the Ninth and Tenth Amendments.

The fact is, we are at war. It's not just a little "tiff" that can be resolved with quiet diplomacy - it is, in fact, a war. And upholding every part of the Constitution, while losing the war, opens us to the awful prospect of having a government imposed on us by the victors that would laugh at our Constitution.Tags = News and Politics

Christmas concert

I just attended the Christmas concert at my school today. Fine youngsters, wonderful singing. As I thought about it, I asked myself:

Why hasn't the ACLU come down with both feet on a majority Black school? After all, most of them have gospel choirs, and, if they're anything like the ones I've heard, they sing about God, Jesus, and the like.

Don't bother to email, I know the reason:

Because the families would open a large economy size can of Whoop-a$$, that's why!

In general, Black families take their religion seriously. They wouldn't hesitate to jump right in the face of someone who kept them from singing their Christmas music.

So, that means that the ACLU is not against public worship, but they're against White people's worship.

Racists.

Tags = Religion

Off to Cleveland

My bags are packed, I've printed out my ticket, and I'm just waiting for my ride.

Sounds like a good time to rant.

The anti-death penalty types are hard at work, milking the execution of Tookie "the sociapath" for all it's worth (not much). The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler is in fine form:

Tookie was a sociopath, period. A particularly vile sort of sociopath. What sociopaths do is pretend, lie and steal, anything that they perceive will get them closer to their goal which in Tookie the Turd’s case was getting away from the gurney awaiting him in St. Quentin, by any means possible.

He didn’t want to die because he was afraid of it. The “big, bad boy” who had no trouble sending other people off to an early grave over $100 was pissing his pants at the thought of dying himself. Funny when you think of it, but not at all strange for a sociopath like Tookie the Twit. And, like all other sociopaths worshipping at the Holy Church of Self, writing a few childrens’ books and pretending to give a shit was a small price to pay to further his goal of self-preservation.

I agree. I mean, would it have killed him (pun intended) to have said,

"My bad."

Tags = [tagname]

I really need to get a life

I've been packing for my CHRISTMAS trip (no, it's not a generic "holiday" trip), and decided to check out Dr. Sanity

How in heaven's name did all the political correct assininity become so prevalent? How did it sneak up and like the Grinch, sneaking down from his mountan, steal Christmas away from us?

Isn't it time to say "enough is enough" to this mind-boggling insanity? "Cold in the Night"? Trees of color?? Red and Green offensive? What is the matter with these people? Who died and made them holiday fuehrers? Does the multicultural mob live in thrall to the White Witch? Or are they simply PC Grinches?

Holiday Fuehrers - I love that.

Thinking about "The Grinch that Stole Christmas" made me think about the whole thing - what makes Christmas so special? It may be partly cultural - the English, Germans, and Celts that first populated a good part of the founding states had a long tradition of celebrating the holiday (except for the Puritans and a few others who think Christmas is a Pagan holiday). It may be that, in America, the winter is long and cheerless, and it could use a good holiday right about then.

But the fact is that, until sometime in the 60's, most people in America considered Christmas a, well, Christian holiday. They made a point of attending church. They expected to give and receive religious cards. They set up creches and manger scenes, and participated in singing Christmas carols of the old type - with a specifically religious theme.

When did it change?

Sometime during the Baby Boom years, when TV was young, the networks started putting programming on to fill those long days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some of the specials they created still linger:

• Frosty the Snowman
  
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  
• The Grinch that Stole Christmas
  
• and the many versions of A Christmas Carol

Looking over this list, one thing occurs to me - in none of these do any of the families go to church to celebrate the holiday. And that tradition continues:

• A Christmas Story
  
• Miracle on 34th Street
  
• It's a Wonderful Life

You know, for me, it's hard to imagine celebrating Christmas without going to church to do so. One of my fondest memories is leaving church to the tune of "Joy to the World". But I recognize that my family is in the minority. Many families do the "whole Christmas thing" without ever darkening a church threshhold. Sad, but true.

Yeah, I know, you don't need a church to worship God. You can celebrate the magnificence of God in the middle of a forest. Better, even.

Except, when's the last time you did so?

Tags = Religion

New change to the blog template

I found the slider bar that's tracking my weight loss (yes, I know it's not showing any, but this is Day 1) on Ticker Factory. It's mostly for preggos and those wanting to be, but the ticker can be adapted for many uses.

Got to go now, I'm running late for work.

Tags = Blogging

No need to celebrate, just relief for the families and community

Tookie met his end this week. Death didn't come quickly, either in terms of the 20 years he spent on death row, or in the last minutes of his death, when the doctors tried to insert a needle in his muscular arm. I expect that he was tense, and tighten up his arm in response. Too bad - I really didn't want him to suffer. That may seem contradictory, but I would feel the same about a pitt bull who was being put down - the animal would be to dangerous to live, but I would derive no pleasure from seeing the animal tortured.

However, I was not the family of Tookie's victims. They might have wished for all the pain that could legally be delivered. I hope not - I'd like to think they could demonstrate a greater mercy than that. And, in general, that's the kind of response that most crime victims exhibit. I'm kind of amazed by that - I have a vengeful streak, and I can be somewhat unforgiving. Fortunately, most people are better than that.

Tags = News and Politics and Crime and Punishment

I just want him gone

My first thought, which I was going to title this post was "good riddance". I decided against that because I'm not going to stomp on his grave. He will be executed, and he will have justly earned it. But I'm going to take the high road. I won't demean him - he, himself, has done that for me.

Really, what was this about? A murderer who had redeemed his horrible life through the wonder of artistic endeavors? Hardly. His books aren't changing many lives - the top seller sold 330 books. Heck, failed poets do that well.

I'm not surprised that he lost his clemency bid. The "how could you execute this artiste" dodge went out the last time, when Norman Mailer helped Jack Abbott, author of "In the Belly of the Beast", get sprung. He followed his release with a fatal stabbing of an unlucky waiter.

Folks, just because a person can express themselves doesn't make them a good person. Nor does it excuse heinous acts.

Tags = Crime and Punishment

Damning with faint praise

Hard as it is to believe, MSNBC has acknowledged that Bush is gaining in the polls. But, wait - the MSM has managed to find a dark side to the good news.

Oh, dear. Now you know that the only groups that could possibly like "that dreadful man" would be, by imputation, equally dreadful

President Bush’s improved standing with whites, men, Catholics and other core supporters has been a key factor in pushing his job approval rating up to 42 percent. That’s the highest level since summer.

The fun part of the article comes when they state that one of the reasons for his slide in the polls was that

he was put on the defensive in September and October after the slow government response to Hurricane Katrina.

Well, at least they did mention that the problem with Hurricane Katrina was that "government" dawdled, instead of moving swiftly.

They don't, however, mention that the problem was LOCAL - and the perps were Democrats.

Oh, well, you can't have everything.

Tags = News and Politics

Just WHAT does a "crystal" stand for? Besides cowardice!

The International Red Cross has made a compromise suggestion to Israel:

After almost six decades of rejection, Israel saw the road cleared yesterday for its emergency and disaster relief organization to join the International Red Cross. The price of admission was relinquishing its symbol, the Red Star of David.

Instead, the Red Cross approved a new "neutral" symbol -- a Red Crystal, which Israel must adopt to become a member, possibly next spring. The Star of David may still be used at home, and on foreign missions it can be put inside the Crystal, provided the host country agrees.

From the Wall Street Journal, via Crossing the Rubicon2

That solution is absolutely unacceptable to me, and I would hope it would be to Israel.



Contrast the above with the one permitted the Islamic aid organizations.



I see no reason for Israel not to continue using the symbol below, without embellishment.



The only reason to exclude Israel is anti-Semitism. Who will be next? Will Christians be told that they cannot use the Red Cross? Out of "sensitivity", of course.

SOME PEOPLE need to get their sensitive little attitudes straightened out.

Now.

Tags = News and Politics

Retreat and Defeat

Ya' gotta see the new GOP video. It uses Democrat's own words to make a point. It's called Retreat and Defeat, and it's awesome (and I seldom use that word).



Tags = News and Politics

Wait a minute - haven't they been telling us the opposite?

I found a test "Are You Ready to Have Sex" via Common Sense Runs Wild.

Q: Which of the following is NOT true about HIV, the virus that causes AIDS?

• Only gay people and druggies get that.
  
• You can get it through tainted blood transfusions.
  
• You can get it through unprotected sex with an infected partner.
  
• You can get it through protected sex with an infected partner.

When I checked the last answer, I was told that was WRONG!

But, haven't the AIDS activists been telling us that, with a condom, we'd be SAFE? As in, SAFE SEX? In fact, the very next question asks:

Q: What type of contraception BEST protects against HIV and STDs?

• A condom.
  
• TWO Condoms used at the same time.
  
• Diaphrams
  
• Withdrawl before ejaculation.

I guess spelling isn't important. Or the fact that, if the teen reading these questions is anything like the ones I teach, the term ejaculation is unlikely to be fully understood.

The next question is the one that is REALLY interesting

Q: What is the best age to first have sex?

• There is no best age.
  
• 13-14
  
• 15-16
  
• 17-18
  
• 18 or older.
  Whatever age you happen to be on your wedding night.

Oh, come on - couldn't the test makers at least provided SOME guidance to young people - such as suggesting that the older, the better. Or that having sex when under 16 is a REALLY, REALLY bad idea?

A USA Today article links depression and sex. The study found that sexually active teens were more likely to report that they were depressed. What the report did NOT find is that depressed teens were more likely to have sex, but that the sexually active were more depressed.

The pro-teen sex forces didn't let the study pass unchallenged:

Tamara Kreinin of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) says "we need to take depression among the young very seriously." But it is a "disservice" to blame sexual activity and ignore "divorce, domestic violence, sexual abuse, substance abuse, lack of parental and community support and questions about sexual orientation," she says. SIECUS supports school programs with information on birth control and abstinence.

Right.

Because no sexually active teen would be depressed if they only knew more about birth control.

Tags = Sex

Bloody Kansas all over again

What does "one man, one vote" mean to the average American?

For most of us, the phrase conjures up the intended meaning - that each person of legal age should have the right to have their voice heard in the public arena. To that aim, the US Constitution mandates a census, which is to count each person in the US.

Now, for me, I always assumed that the adjustment of Congressional seats would reflect legally present people, at least.

Not so.

And, because of the way the re-apportionment is currently done, someone in Congress thinks there ought to be a law:

A Republican lawmaker yesterday proposed changing the US Constitution to exclude non-citizens from the census for the purpose of drawing congressional districts, a move that effectively would deny them a voice in US politics.

Under the present system, as determined by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, the Census Bureau counts all individuals living in the country, once every 10 years. These data are used when drawing up the 435 congressional districts and when determining each state's vote in the Electoral College that decides presidential elections.

Representative Candice Miller of Michigan wants to change that so that both legal and illegal aliens would be excluded.

Thank you, Candice.

This is one of those things that seems so obvious that it shouldn't even be an issue. But, even if the vote passes. Why should a party that encourages illegal immigration benefit from their presence?

I'm climbing back on the soapbox. This is an issue that could determine the fate of the Republic. If states ship in aliens, then qualify for more seats on that basis, it amounts to Congress-oacking.

I'm going to dedicate Wednesday as the day I'll post on the topic, because the Statue of Liberty was dedicated on that day, on October 15, 1924.



Poem by Emma Lazarus written in 1883 to help fundraising for the Pedestal:
(Bronze plaque with the poem was mounted in the base of the Statue in 1903)

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
with conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
with silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

This bronze plaque was presented by philanthropist Georgiana Schuyler in 1903, twenty years after Emma Lazarus wrote her sonnet. Originally displayed on the interior wall of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal, it was placed in the Liberty exhibit in the base of the monument in July, 1886.

Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)

Am I against "the huddled masses yearning to breathe free"? No. But, realistically, we can't take in everybody, all at once. There are limits. There is a well-established system of immigration, and the illegals are by-passing it. We even have a waiver for the oppressed, if they have reasonable fear of their life.

What makes America special may disappear if we just let in floods of people. Our economic system, our political system, and our culture may be swamped if the gates are opened wide. Like it or not, that's a fact.

Before anyone starts fuming about "cultural hegemony" (whatever that is?), ask yourself:

Why is it that every expression of culture is to be embraced - except ours? Why is it unacceptable to celebrate our unique culture?

Understand - American culture is NOT Anglo-Saxon - or even Euro. It's best described as a blend.

Some HATE that - they prefer to explain (in tedious detail) that cultures SHOULD be a salad - every ingredient in the same bowl, but retaining their own flavor.

That doesn't work - it would be like emptying your refrigerator, throwing it on the plate, and expecting it to taste good. Some of the leftovers SHOULD be thrown out (like hiding women under burkas or genital mutilation, to name just a few).

I've had this discussion with immigrants before. They want to come to America, but keep ALL of their culture, without any influences from us.

Lots of luck. Your kids will enthusiastically pick up the "foreign" culture, date those outside their culture, and eventually raise children who speak little of the ancestral language>

How do I know?

That's what happened in my family. And almost all the families of Americans.

Oh, sure, we still celebrate St. Patrick's Day. And attend the same church. But the old culture is more like a frosting on the Americans that we have become.

The reference to "Bloody Kansas" is to the pre-Civil War era, when the pro- and anti-slavery advocates shipped in their supporters to Kansas, in order to manipulate the vote. Their vote would then determine whether the future state would be free or slave. The battles were not figurative, but real - John Brown, later to be hanged at Harper's Ferry, had his start there.

---

Whoops - almost forgot to thank Jeff Quinton, of Backcoumtry Conservative, for the source article.

Tags = News and Politics

Definitions for the perplexed

Found on One Cosmos

Homosexuality is a genetically caused condition that renders one incapable of engaging in sexual relations with the opposite sex. Its opposite, heterosexuality, is an arbitrary gender identification caused by cultural conditioning.

Pornography is a type of expression that is protected by the first amendment, while religion, especially Christian religion, is a dangerous type of expression from which we are protected by the first amendment.

There's more - click on the title link.

Tags = [tagname]

Please, PLEASE! Don't tell the Secular Cops!!!

I mean, they might just Explode!

Here's the thing - I just found out that the Winter...uh...THING...you know, the reason for the season? It's actually based on an ancient religious tradition. I hear that the name CHRISTMAS may even - possibly - have a connection with something to do with religion (OK, I know that's ony a rumor, but I felt I needed to pass it on).

Worse, the replacement for that C*******s word may have a - I become faint at the possibility - religious base.

It's true! The secular word replacement HOLIDAY is may be POSSIBLY, MIGHT be derived from the words HOLY DAY.

Oh, the inhumanity!

This post was inspired by A Face Made 4 Radio, A Voice Made 4 the Internet, who posted on an incident in Manhasset.



Tags = Christmas

I HAVE HIGH-SPEED!!!

After too many months of dial-up, I finally have high-speed.

What a difference!

I could access a high-speed connection at work, but with all kinds of restrictions. Plus, the network at work is virus-ridden. The infections twice knocked out my wireless card access. So, I think I'm better off to skip it.

This connection, finally, un-hooks me from using the phone line. At last, I can move the laptop to where I want it. I may even be able to get access on the porch on sunny days. A priority will be to get access in the new house.

Tags = Internet

Do you want to know just what "they" think of us?

I have a news source on the Blogroll that I periodically check out - Watching America. It offers English translations (unfortunately, machine-translated, so the syntax is sometimes a little odd) of European and otehr world news sources. It can be an eye-opener to see the venom that drips from their fangs when they contemplate the crude uncivilized barely human American people's actions in the world stage.

Tags = News and Politics

Vote for Yon

Follow the title's link to vote for a most deserving media blog finalist in the Weblog Awards. Michael Yon is, right now, leading by a wide margin, but I want to make sure that he cinches it.

Tags = Blogging

Marriott Boycott

I heard about this DISGUSTING situation from Little Green Footballs. He referenced Atlas Shrugs, who is sponsoring a boycott - do go there, it's very handy, and has all the links. The People's Truth Forum wanted to book the Marriott for a conference - and that's when the trouble started

The Georgetown Marriott Conference Center rejected a "terrorism" symposium on the grounds that the sponsoring organization was too controversial and the venue inappropriate for this type of forum. Concurrently, another Marriott Hotel in the Washington area is hosting the Council on American- Islamic Relations' annual conference – and participating as a panelist at the gala will be an alleged coconspirator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. According to the Georgetown Marriott executives, the decision to reject the event, being hosted by the People's Truth Forum, a fact-based, non-partisan organization, was based upon business considerations: "The event would call for heightened security since protesters might be attracted from both the student body and off campus. These same protesters might block the front entrance leading to confrontations with hotel guests and/or room cancellations." But starting today, CAIR will host its 11th Annual Banquet at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. CAIR is a self-proclaimed Muslim advocacy group that has its roots in the Palestinian Hamas. CAIR's parent organization, the Islamic Association for Palestine, was founded by Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook. CAIR, itself, has had numerous individuals convicted in and/or deported by the United States for terrorist activity. And CAIR is the defendant in a lawsuit put forward by the family of a lead FBI agent for that agent's murder during the September 11 attacks.

Courtesy of World Net DailyHit the link on the title, and add your voice to those of the rest of the outraged.

News to Marriott Corporation - I book a lot of travel, as do many people I know. I will do everything I can to dissuade them from using the Marriott in the future.

Folks, we cannot permit the thuggish to dictate what we do in OUR country. Freedom isn't free - we have to be prepared to fight for it.

Tags = News and Politics

Life after Iraq

I've added another blogger that I think needs to be seen America's Son, a miliblogger who has a strong point of view.

As I read his critique of the media's mis-reporting of the war, I thought about how America will change once these soldiers, marines, and sailors return. So many of them have taken up blogging, that I suspect they will not fade quietly into the landscape after their re-entry. I'm thinking that the MSM oldies might want to check into the status of their retirement, sock a little away in their IRA, and get ready to leave. It'll be like the return of the WWII vets, aged, hardened, and impatient with the old ways things have been done. Look for the next election to include more than a few vets, and for them to throw their collective weight towards throwing the incompetent rascals out.

Tags = News and Politics

Why bother?

Begging to Differ's thoughts on blogging are sticking with me, and I'm finding it affecting what I'm focusing on today (see post below).

I found another soapbox rant (his words, not mine) just after posting, that asks some very important questions. Namely, what's really important in life?

The money spent on paparazzi pictures of pretty boring celebrities could be used to build orphanages in AIDS ravaged Africa and feed hungry people here in America. Apparently one magazine paid almost four hundred thousand dollars for a picture of Brad Pitt walking on the beach with Angelina Jolie. Four hundred thousand dollars!

How about Nick and Jessica’s imminent split or Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s divorce? Who cares about what type of toilet paper the Desperate Housewives use. Or what Paris Hilton has to say about anything? Who cares? Apparently the world does because that’s all we ever hear about.

Ask around - huge numbers of your family, friends, and acquaintances spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on these useless topics for gossip. It's a sad world when more people know the name of the latest American Idol than the governor of their state.

I brought back my copy of The Purpose-Driven Life with me this last trip. It made a powerful impression on my life, as I spent every day for over 6 weeks asking myself "Why am I here?" I'm recommending it to everybody I know.

Whether or not you follow that suggestion or not, spend some time every day from now to the New Year, thinking about what's core in your life. If you believe that something is important, but spend no time on it, your values may be out of whack with your actions. I know mine were.

Tags = Life

How blogging has changed

I just read a post, courtesy of Viking Pundit, about the changes that have occurred in blogging over the last few years.

REASONS WHY POLITICAL BLOGGING IS POINTLESS (FOR MOST OF US, ANYWAY)

1) Paul Simon said it best in The Boxer: "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." There is ample evidence to support whatever harebrained theories each of us wants to believe. The proliferation of blogs adds to the volume and apparent legitimacy of all information, true and false, crazy and sane. We are ala carte consumers of information, taking in only that which pleases us. The original mission of Begging To Differ was quaint but naive. It's not just that The Truth is out there but no one wants to see it. It's not even there in the first place.

2) The blowhard factor is real. The vast majority of political blogs purport to engage in advocacy, but have tiny audiences. The result is a tenor and tone of smug self-satisfaction. This is not to say that all political blogs consist of ill-informed rants by mediocre writers, just that 99.9% of them do. There's little point in being an above-average practitioner of a garbage art. No one cares what I think. No one cares what you think.

There's more, and it's worth reading.

I don't believe that I totally agree that political blogging is a waste of time, except for the Big Kuhunas. One of the reason that I tend to read multiple poli-bloggers, most of them relatively small, is that it gives me different perspectives on the same event. If I wanted to hear (or read) only the OFFICIAL TRUTH FROM THE OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED POLITICAL KNOW-IT-ALL, I'd have stayed with the MSM.

Which I didn't. Over the last 3 years, my news habits have changed. Sure, I still (sometimes) read a daily paper or watch TV news - but I do it mostly because I want to follow a local or regional angle, or will not be near a computer for a while. Most of the time, I'll check out the MSM sources, then head over to a blogger who's likely to have less of an agenda to grind.

I have noticed that many bloggers are not updating regularly - I was a little puzzled about that. Still am. I hadn't been updating as regularly, because I'm on dial-up, and that makes the process a real pain. But, I've been working hard to keep to a 3-4 posts or more a week schedule, and I think I've been successful at that. Even when, as does happen, life intrudes. Maybe other bloggers also have a life (hard as that is to believe). I'll check back after Christmas on this topic.

Many bloggers, like myself, have evolved in their purpose (what the business world calls a mission statement). Originally, I wanted to BE a Big Kuhuna. After trying, and looking kind of ridiculous when I fell down on my keister, I stopped being QUITE so pretentious. And, in the process, I found my voice.

I like to think I have the voice of the average middle-aged woman. A person for whom family is VERY important. A person whose goal is to leave behind a world that I'd like my grandchildren to live in. To that end, I'm for a SERIOUS reform of Social Security and other government spending. I want to live well in my old age, but not at the expense of the kids.

I feel strongly about education - it's not easy, and if the kid doesn't put enough effort into it, he or she SHOULD fail. Maybe it'll teach the kid one of life's most important lessons - there is NO free lunch.

I strongly support economic freedom, religious freedom, and personal freedom. I don't believe, however, that anyone else's freedom should depend on trampling on my right to raise my family the way I see fit. Or forcing me to utter mealy-mouth PC platitudes that I don't agree with, in order to get or keep a job.

If freedom is important to you, get in touch with your elected officials, and urge them to confirm Alito. If he doesn't get a yes-or-no vote, the Democrats will take it as a sign that they should stall until the next election. We need a full court. The issues that are at stake are crucial.

Tags = Blogging

Wow! I'm still in awe!

I just came home from the best concert I ever attended - the Hallelujah Singers sang with our high school choirs. It was an amazing experience.

The group, whose CD you can order on the link, is different, dazzling, and delightful (that's it for the D's). They billed the concert as "A Gullah Christmas". Having moved to this area only a short time ago, I felt I owed it to myself to find out what the culture was about.

Wow! I mean, WOW!

They took my breath away. I sat there, too stunned to applaud, with tears in my eyes. The singers appeared in the movie "Forrest Gump", which also had its location scenes shot locally. Trust me on this, you will want the CD for this year, and every year thereafter. It's a classic.

You can check the sound out by going to this site, and downloading a sample MP3.



Tags = Music

More on Tookie

Ace of Spades HQ has a post on the Tookie race to avoid his just punishment. As Ace points out:

whatever complaints his defenders have about certain evidence, it is uncontested that this guy founded the ultraviolent Crips gang.

I know you're not supposed to look beyond the actual evidence, but give me an f'n' break. You don't found the Crips and expand it across the nation by holding charity bake-sales and knitting scarves for the homeless.

He's never broken with the gang. He says he "regrets" his influence on the young. As he should. But, frankly, that's not enough to keep him from dying by lethal injection.

Every now and then, someone who realizes that I oppose killing the helpless (unborn and elderly) says "but you're for capital punishment!" I suppose they think that I've never considered the APPARENT contradiction in that stance.

Well, I have. And the fact is that criminals facing death for their crimes asked for what they are receiving - indirectly, through their callousness about others' lives. While I'm sure that they would not like to die, it's not their call. If we, as a society, could be sure they would NEVER been released, and, hence, never offend again, perhaps I'd consider being against the death penalty. But there's always some chucklehead who wants to open the doors of the prison and release the felon onto an unsuspecting world. Can't risk it.

Tags = Crime and PUnishment

Old Bloggers never die, they just stop posting

I've been checking out my Blogroll, and it occurs to me that some of the listed blogs are on hiatus, gone, or 404. I'll be cleaning it out over the next month (probably most of that will be done when I get back to Cleveland after the 17th). So, if you read this and are in the mood to boost a favorite blog, drop me a line, giving me the URL. I promise that I'll look at every one, and add the worthy to the list. I'm particularly interested in the lesser-known bloggers - after all, we were all new once, and deserve the chance to shine.

Thanks for your help.

Tags = Blogging

2040 - Coming quicker than you think

Pete Singer is at it again.

No, not the tall one in the Peter, Paul, and Mary trio. The one whose entire career is dedicated to the idea that some of us are more fit to live than others.

"By 2040, it may be that only a rump of hard-core, know-nothing religious fundamentalists will defend the view that every human life, from conception to death, is sacrosanct," says Princeton University's defender of infanticide. "In retrospect, 2005 may be seen as the year in which that position (of the sanctity of life) became untenable," he writes in the fall issue of Foreign Policy.

Singer sees 2005's battle over the life of Terri Schiavo as a key to this changing ethic.

That's what I, along with a lot of others said at the time. It wasn't just about one woman and her family's fight to let her live. It was about securing a beachhead for a principle.

Tags = Life Issues

The Birds! The Birds!

The Avian Flu, according to WorldNetDaily, may be showing signs of mutating to human-to-human transmission. Naturally, WHO, the World Health Organization is frenziedly spreading the alarm:

With one small genetic adjustment in Influenza A, or H5N1, millions of people could die, warns World Health Organization Regional Director for the Western Pacific Shigeru Omi. Omi has called for health ministers and representatives to launch an all-out war on the deadly strain.

If the virus acquires sufficient human genes, allowing transmission from one person to another, an estimated 2 million to 7.4 million people around the world could die, the WHO estimates.

Let's keep some perspective here, folks. The fact is that, normally, diseases take one of two routes:

1. High fatality rate, but petering out quickly
   
2. Low fatality rate, but spreading widely

An example of the first is Ebola - despite the panic at its inception, it just doesn't spread that widely, and it is relatively easy to deal with, by using standard quarantine methods.

An example of the second is colds - almost everybody gets one, but they are mild diseases, causing serious problems only for the immune-compromised.

In 3rd world countries, this could have the potential for trouble, particularly when you factor in newly-emergent economies, with greater travel between cities and countries. So, it's reasonable for Asia, Africa's cities, and much of Europe (almost like a 3rd world country today) to be worried.

But the US has little to fear.

• We're a relatively healthy country. I know that's hard to believe when you watch the news, but we are well-fed (too much), have good access to health care (despite what you hear - I mean, it's expensive, but it exists), and have the advantage of a broad and varied gene pool.
  
• Our government is capable of responding to crisis. We can rush in the vaccines, curtail travel, bring in the health care workers, and keep any outbreak contained.
  
• The disease is relatively short-lived. You quickly get sick. That eliminates one problem of some diseases, such as AIDS, which is a long incubation period.
  

So, don't get hysterical. Sure, take care of yourself, and, if symptoms arise, get medical assistance. But, don't obsess over the threat.

the very mild symptoms present in both patients, neither of whom had had any recent contact with birds or poultry.

Tags = Health and Wellness