Right As Usual

Well, I've been in colder - in the North. But, for the Charlotte, NC area, this is bad. We've got freezing rain, sleet, and some small snow accumulation. NOT our typical weather. My husband and I got sprung from school early on Friday. We used it to take care of some business with V-----n - we are NOT happy with the changes in our contract, and it looks like, at this point, it's going to the lawyers. Today, I woke up to snow - yes, SNOW - on the ground. I expect that many people will stay home. The few on the road will either be transplants from the North, or timid souls with no clue about how to drive in the snow. I got up early to start cleaning the house - I really do try to keep it up, but it's low on my list of priorities, at times. The kitchen is about 1/2-way done; I'll be putting on laundry in a little shile. I'm not only cleaning up; I'm also tackling the lesson plans. I've been interspersing school-housework for the last 2 hours. I...

...Used in the private White House swearing in ceremony?  It certainly wasn't one of the two Bibles used in the public ceremony. Here's a picture of the public ceremony, on January 20, 2013.               You can clearly see that both Bibles are fairly thick, even though they are of different sizes. So, my question is, what is the book that was used yesterday, shown in the picture below?             It can't be the top book; it's too big.  It doesn't really look like the book on the bottom.  There's another picture that shows it more clearly.                 It looks a book inside a book cover.  What book was it?

Except, there is. I believe that women have a right to veil. I also believe that, if they want to participate in our society, they must reveal their faces and prove their identity in necessary situations, such as: Airports and other transport spots Voting Applying for public benefits Using public benefits Cashing a check or using a credit card And, of course, in this case

There is a lot on my mind right now: Fast & Furious fallout continues. But the media treats the whole thing like a closed issue. Where is Congress on this? Please, PLEASE - write your Congressman , urging them to add their voice to continued hearings - INCLUDING getting access to all of the "privileged" communications. Then, right after that, you let them know that SOME of us care that over 300 Mexican nationals, and at least 1 Border Patrol agent, were killed by guns that the Obama administration authorized to sell to "straw purchasers". In fact, they didn't just AUTHORIZE the sale, they PRESSURED gun dealers to allow them. The Debt, and the non-existent Budget - 4 years without one - are crushing our economy - at least, that part that remains after the Obamacare juggernaut rolls on by. What is interesting is that the majority of the Tea Party is OLDER Americans - in contrast to the seniors of the AARP - who care more about not leaving debt to th...

I was just reading about Kathy Griffin's stunt with Anderson Cooper on New Year's Eve (she, ahem, performed a mock-BJ on him). There are people who are referring to this, coyly, as a Monica L----------, but I'm not one of them. That poor, confused girl has had enough negative attention. She's conducted herself in an acceptable manner since she grew up, and seriously made an effort to re-make her life. Leave her alone. But, AMAZINGLY enough, Kathy G is facing no negative - dare I say - BLOW-back for her actions. They were stupid. They were crude beyond imagining. And she gets NO complaints about treating a Gay Man like her personal Boy Toy. But, an announcer gets considerable criticism for commenting on a good-looking woman's appearance? Ridiculous.

Would you give your kid money, if approached like that? I wouldn't. Like most of you, I suspect there would be some hard questions: What do you want to do with it? When will you pay me back? Can't you manage your allowance better? Get a job (not YOU, HIM). So, why should our Washington children (well, they really do, at times, act quite irresponsibly) get a pass on accountability? How about a NEW RULE? No Budget, No Money.

I was reading Victor Davis Hanson (a writer who worked as a Professor for many years, runs a family farm, and is a pick-up truck kind of guy), and thought some of his words were worthy of repeating. He writes about a college professor who advocates: As the nation teeters at the edge of fiscal chaos, observers are reaching the conclusion that the American system of government is broken. But almost no one blames the culprit: our insistence on obedience to the Constitution, with all its archaic, idiosyncratic and downright evil provisions. Hanson answers that by writing: Note Seidman’s use of “evil,” which tips his hand that our great moralist is on an ethical crusade to change the lives of lesser folk, who had the misfortune of growing up in America — a place so much less prosperous, fair, and secure than, say, Russia, China, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Spain, Greece, Italy, or Japan and Germany (in the earlier 20th century history) . When I lived in Greece, traveled to Liby...

Rand Paul is, to my surprise, shaping up as a reasonable possibility for leadership of the Republican Party. His dad's followers would be wise to consider moving their support to the son. Here's what he has to say about Harry Reid's latest Power Play.

It's everybody's least favorite part.  It's not a hopeful beginning.  It's not the stirring conclusion. It's the slogging middle.  You don't know how long you'll be in this grim, grey land.  You're tired beyond imagining, barely able to summon the strength to move ahead, slowly. Your terrain is filled with sharp rocks, cold weather, and dangerous hot spots.  You cannot raise your spirits with song or laughter - you must hide from those who want you to fail. Life is not good, pleasant, or rewarding.  Life in the pleasant Shire is a memory that may not even exist now.  You yearn to return to that comfortable life, with friends, neighbors, and family. You have no words of cheer.  You can't even imagine what winning looks like, let alone that you might achieve it.  The hardest part is that you MUST succeed, but you can see no realistic way to do so. Except for 1, your friends have deserted you, died, or gone far away.  You are surrounded by those who wou...