My sister doesn't know that I blog about her kids. But some stories just beg to be shared.
I think of my nephew as "Little Crissie". He's the youngest of three siblings, and came to his Colorado family from Guatemala. Both he and his brother Leo turned 5 a short while after starting kindergarten. That's always a "hold your breath" moment for parents. Will he keep up academically? Will he keep up socially? Will he be short? You know the drill. A parent can make their best guess, and they can be wrong.
Cris is a happy, amusing boy. His body moves like Gumby. He's got a smile and a twinkle in his eye which attract girls and women of all ages. You can't help smiling around Cris.
Cris started kindergarten last summer and turned five. One of his classmates was Patrick. Patrick doesn't speak to people. He doesn't participate. Patrick is one of those "slightly different" kids. Albert Einstein was also "slightly different". Some people get all tense when you discuss people's differences, but I find the differences fascinating, and see no reason to pretend that we're all supposed to be the same.
Patrick decided at some point through the school year that Cris was his friend. Patrick played with Cris during recess, and Patrick talked to Cris. He even came over to Cris' house for play dates. Yet he did not speak with the other children or the teacher. It was just too overwhelming for him.
Cris and Patrick graduated from kindergarten last week. The kids sat in a big semicircle. Each child took a turn to walk up to the microphone and announce his or her future occupation. Cris said, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a cowboy!" I love that. None of this "I'm going to be a record producer" stuff.
After a while, it was Patrick's turn. Patrick walked over to Cris, and Cris stood up. Then they walked together to the microphone. Cris put his arm around Patrick's shoulder. And then Cris announced brightly into the microphone, "This is my friend Patrick. When Patrick grows up, he's going to be a doctor." Then they both walked back and sat down.
I love this story. My goal for all children would be to have friendships like this, compassion, love, hopes and dreams. Let the kids be different. The differences are what make us interesting.
* * *
For a story about Cris' brother Leo, go to my April blog post "Eyes On Leo".
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Book Review: The Roots of Jihad by Tawfik Hamid, M.D.
Excellent book. Here's why: We all need to understand Islam and Jihad so as to know the seriousness of what we're up against, right? But the whole idea of learning about Jihad is relatively overwhelming. Foreign culture. Foreign language. Foreign religion. Violence. Yech!
The Roots of Jihad, by Tawfik Hamid, M.D., hands you Islam and Jihad on a silver platter. It's written by a Muslim man who detests the violent aspect of the Koran.
The typeface is big. The spacing is wide. The topics are clear and concise. Everything is backed up with multiple references to the Koran which are also translated into modern language. Under 200 pages. It's now stocked in my local library system, and I suggest that you request your library to stock it too.
The Roots of Jihad shows us that the Koran teaches Islamic men when and how to be violent to their children, violent to their wives, violent to their neighbors, and violent to non-Muslims. And that it's okay to marry little girls as young as age 8. There is absolutely no way that Islam can be interpreted as a non-violent religion. It is all about violence, control and submission.
You'll learn that people who call Islam a "religion of peace" have not studied the religion AT ALL, and are just repeating a liberal mantra.
I believe that all non-Muslims need to study up on this topic. The Islamic plan is for them to take over the world. They have been implementing this plan for decades. We need to be aware of it, we need to understand how this ties in with illegal immigration, and we need to come up with a plan to fight back. You can raise your awareness level of Jihad by signing up for alerts from Brigitte Gabriel's website www.Act4America.org. You can also help by electing candidates who talk about jihad and border control. (Many terrorists enter our country illegally through the Mexican border.)
There has never been a group of people which I've held fear or animosity towards. Even after being a crime victim at the hands of certain ethnic groups, I wouldn't hesitate to embrace people from those ethnic groups. It's uncomfortable for me to "dislike" a group of people. It seems like prejudice. But after reading The Roots of Jihad and comparable books and articles, I understand that these people would kill me in a heartbeat, and it would be foolish of me to not be alert to the extreme danger they hold out to ALL non-Muslims around the world.
I understand that this is a difficult topic, and that it would be easier to call me a racist or a nut-job than to confront the topic head-on. I'm sorry that our world has evolved into such a state. But we cannot improve our world if we do not acknowledge its inherent dangers. Please assist me in raising awareness of Jihad. 9/11 was a terrorist attack based on the concept of Jihad--Muslims taking over the world and killing those who refuse to submit. There is nothing in their game plan that says "let's just do this once, and then stop and play checkers".
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Did the Conservative Fat Lady Sing?
And then one day, a client would call, all panicked, and liquidate their account because they couldn't take it anymore. But it would always be something absurd, like a bond client who couldn't handle the news about the stock market anymore, not realizing that they didn't own any stocks. They'd be in such a frenzy from talking to their friends and watching financial news shows, that there was no talking them out of it. So we'd cash in their bond portfolio--no matter how stupid that decision was, we were obligated to fulfill it. (We had a lot more leeway on saying "no" to stupid purchases, as a matter of fact, we were rather obligated to say "no" to those.)
After finishing the transaction, we'd visit the other brokers in the office and say, "The fat lady just sang!" Everybody would laugh, like "oh, here comes a good story", and then you'd recount what just took place. Several of us would have an outrageous client story of similar magnitude on the same day or two, and that's when we knew we'd passed the bottom of the market. If you were brave, you'd start buying. I was always brave. But that's another blog post. (Ask me about the bond market crash of '94. Even my fellow brokers thought I was nuts when I started buying Treasuries for all my clients.)
Back to politics, we've had a difficult season. The liberal candidate got elected. People have been scared. Their claws have come out. The MSM's been attacking commentators. The Republican leaders have been attacking commentators. Commentators have been attacking Republican leaders and the MSM. The President has acted like a rock star on tour for the express purpose of apologizing for our country's behavior. Citizens have been sitting on their couches watching their new President on television and trembling in their boots--especially our seniors who recall World War II.
Simultaneously, the grassroots activists have been pepping everybody up, holding Tea Parties, Twittering, going to protests and rallies, and encouraging voters that we can field candidates and win in 2010. Go Team Go!
Then last week, I received communications from three stalwart Republicans. Each of them threw their hands up in the air, griped about a lack of leadership, and announced that they're going to hang back now, stop participating, and wait for a leader to emerge. What I wanted to say was, "Okay then, I guess the leader is not YOU!" But that wouldn't be polite, and part of that comes from my disappointment in their behavior. I still love them. And then the fat lady came to mind, and I started to laugh.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Conservative Activism, June 2009
1. H.R. 676 is the House bill which promotes Single-Payer Healthcare. Single-payer is likely to destroy both our economy and the healthcare industry, in addition to shocking the America people by lowering our accustomed standard of healthcare. Read Canada’s ObamaCare Precedent by Dr. David Gratzer.
Most citizens are aware that Medicare and Medicaid are breaking America's financial back. How then will America afford a healthcare plan which covers all citizens? The answer is simple: dramatic increases in business and personal taxes combined with healthcare rationing and service denials, based on age, obesity, expense, and determinations of self-induced health problems (smoking, etc.). Payments to doctors will be drastically reduced, forcing medical offices to close. Wait lists for basic services will approach current Canadian healthcare extremes.
Read more articles: "The Ugly Truth About Canadian Healthcare" by Dr. David Gratzer and "Advice to Seniors: Beware of the Obama Health Plan" by Anthony G. Martin with the Columbia Conservative Examiner.
Take action! H.R. 676 has been assigned to several committees, so your best way to protest would be to ask your Congressman to vote no, and then ask various Democrat Congressmen to vote no. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.
Take additional action! AARP is not telling its membership about the dangers of Single Payer Healthcare. "Incoming AARP CEO A. Barry Rand contributed $8,900 to President Obama's campaign committees, federal records show." Contact your elder friends and relatives. Tell them about Single Payer Healthcare. Look up their legislators' contact info. Ask them whether they prefer fax, phone or email. Walk them through their first legislative contact. Lastly, encourage them to help a friend through this same process.
Take even more action! Visit www.sba-list.org; scroll halfway down to "Legislative Action Alerts" and click on the first entry: Keep Taxpayer-Funded Abortions out of Health Care Reform. Sign the letter to your U.S. legislators to keep taxpayer-funded abortion out of the Obama healthcare plan. The Susan B. Anthony List tells us, "President Obama stated that in his mind 'reproductive care is essential care, basic care, so it is at the center, the heart of the [health care] plan that I propose.' When asked for clarification later, an Obama spokesman said that reproductive care included abortion."
2. Jim Pfaff from the Colorado Judicial Network tells us that "hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation in the U.S. Senate have been set for the week of July 13-17. This is a very advanced schedule considering the volumes of information in her dossier which need to be waded through. GOP Senators object to the timing." Americans United for Life has researched Sotomayor's actions on abortion and life issues.
Take action! Contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and your U.S. Senators (U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121). Ask them to allow more time before Judge Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.
Take additional action! If you do not wish for Judge Sotomayor to gain a position on the U.S. Supreme Court, make a second contact with your chosen Senators and say so. (Each topic should be covered in a separate contact.)
3. Please sign the petition from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation protesting the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a.k.a. Card Check. Card Check is an unprecedented Obama administration power-grab which will result in worker intimidation.
4. This entry comes from the South Denver 912 (Glenn Beck) Group:
H.R. 2454 American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. This is the Energy Cap and Trade. It is in committee via extensions through June 19. Read comments from The Heritage Foundation. Please contact your representative and let them know that you oppose any energy cap and trade legislation.
This legislation is based on the faulty science behind the concept of man-made global warming. Tens of thousands of scientists refute that concept.
The cap-and-trade Carbon Tax is the largest tax increase in American history. Voters have been saddled with decades of future debt via the Stimulus Package. Stop incurring debt!
5. Continue to protest the Federal Hate Crimes Bill, S. 909, which has been sent back to the Judiciary Committee on June 16 for editing. 560,000 petitions protesting this bill were recently delivered to the Senate. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) is taking a stand against this bill, which has been dubbed "The Pedophile Protection Act". Read the World Net Daily article.
Take action! Contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and your U.S. Senators
(U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121). Ask them to oppose S. 909, the Federal Hate Crimes bill.
Take additional action! Sign the petition.
6. 700 Open Borders proponents descended upon Washington, D.C. this month. They are pushing for an amnesty bill this summer. We need a counterattack by border-control enthusiasts. Please call or email your U.S. Senators and your Congressman and ask them to vote "no" on amnesty. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121. Here's contact info for those in my congressional district:
U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
Denver office 303-650-7820
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5941 or toll-free 1-877-768-3255
e-mail http://www.markudall.senate.gov/
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5852
CO office 303-455-7600
e-mail http://bennet.senate.gov/public/
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman. (R-CO, District 6)
U.S. Capitol office 202-225-7882
Sign up for email alerts on illegal immigration issues.
To read one little example of how illegal immigrants are harming America, go to my early May blog post "The Illegal Alien Attack".
7. "Nashville Conference Exposing Radical Islam Shut Down" (read this article)
Take action! Phone or email the national Loews Hotels Vice President of Public Relations, Emily Goldfischer. Express your disapproval in the cancellation of the conference. Ms. Goldfischer can be reached at the following phone number and email address in New York: Phone: (212) 521-2833 Fax: (212) 521-2379 Email: egoldfischer@loewshotels.com
If Ms. Goldfischer is unreachable (which may be the case if enough of you take action!!) contact Ellen Gale, Vice President of Public Relations for the Loews Nashville Regional office at her contact information below. Ellen Gale Phone: (202) 587-2686 Email: egale@loewshotels.com
If you get through to either Ms. Goldfischer or Ms. Gale, or you receive an email reply, please let us know at info@actforamerica.org.
8. Read about ACORN and the 2010 Census. The liberal Obama administration combined with liberal ACORN will result in Congressional redistricting which favors liberal candidates.
Take action! Sign the petition protesting ACORN's partnership with the U.S. Census.
Take additional action! Please call or email your U.S. Senators and your Congressman and ask them to stop the U.S. Census from partnering with ACORN. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121. Here's contact info for those in my congressional district:
U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
Denver office 303-650-7820
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5941 or toll-free 1-877-768-3255
e-mail http://www.markudall.senate.gov/
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5852
CO office 303-455-7600
e-mail http://bennet.senate.gov/public/
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman. (R-CO, District 6)
U.S. Capitol office 202-225-7882
* * *
Encourage your friends to get involved. They may receive activist alerts from me via email newsletter, Facebook, Twitter @DougCOGOP, or this blog. Contact me at dc6@dcgop.org for additional activism assistance and encouragement.
Most citizens are aware that Medicare and Medicaid are breaking America's financial back. How then will America afford a healthcare plan which covers all citizens? The answer is simple: dramatic increases in business and personal taxes combined with healthcare rationing and service denials, based on age, obesity, expense, and determinations of self-induced health problems (smoking, etc.). Payments to doctors will be drastically reduced, forcing medical offices to close. Wait lists for basic services will approach current Canadian healthcare extremes.
Read more articles: "The Ugly Truth About Canadian Healthcare" by Dr. David Gratzer and "Advice to Seniors: Beware of the Obama Health Plan" by Anthony G. Martin with the Columbia Conservative Examiner.
Take action! H.R. 676 has been assigned to several committees, so your best way to protest would be to ask your Congressman to vote no, and then ask various Democrat Congressmen to vote no. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.
Take additional action! AARP is not telling its membership about the dangers of Single Payer Healthcare. "Incoming AARP CEO A. Barry Rand contributed $8,900 to President Obama's campaign committees, federal records show." Contact your elder friends and relatives. Tell them about Single Payer Healthcare. Look up their legislators' contact info. Ask them whether they prefer fax, phone or email. Walk them through their first legislative contact. Lastly, encourage them to help a friend through this same process.
Take even more action! Visit www.sba-list.org; scroll halfway down to "Legislative Action Alerts" and click on the first entry: Keep Taxpayer-Funded Abortions out of Health Care Reform. Sign the letter to your U.S. legislators to keep taxpayer-funded abortion out of the Obama healthcare plan. The Susan B. Anthony List tells us, "President Obama stated that in his mind 'reproductive care is essential care, basic care, so it is at the center, the heart of the [health care] plan that I propose.' When asked for clarification later, an Obama spokesman said that reproductive care included abortion."
2. Jim Pfaff from the Colorado Judicial Network tells us that "hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation in the U.S. Senate have been set for the week of July 13-17. This is a very advanced schedule considering the volumes of information in her dossier which need to be waded through. GOP Senators object to the timing." Americans United for Life has researched Sotomayor's actions on abortion and life issues.
Take action! Contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and your U.S. Senators (U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121). Ask them to allow more time before Judge Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.
Take additional action! If you do not wish for Judge Sotomayor to gain a position on the U.S. Supreme Court, make a second contact with your chosen Senators and say so. (Each topic should be covered in a separate contact.)
3. Please sign the petition from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation protesting the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a.k.a. Card Check. Card Check is an unprecedented Obama administration power-grab which will result in worker intimidation.
4. This entry comes from the South Denver 912 (Glenn Beck) Group:
H.R. 2454 American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. This is the Energy Cap and Trade. It is in committee via extensions through June 19. Read comments from The Heritage Foundation. Please contact your representative and let them know that you oppose any energy cap and trade legislation.
This legislation is based on the faulty science behind the concept of man-made global warming. Tens of thousands of scientists refute that concept.
The cap-and-trade Carbon Tax is the largest tax increase in American history. Voters have been saddled with decades of future debt via the Stimulus Package. Stop incurring debt!
5. Continue to protest the Federal Hate Crimes Bill, S. 909, which has been sent back to the Judiciary Committee on June 16 for editing. 560,000 petitions protesting this bill were recently delivered to the Senate. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) is taking a stand against this bill, which has been dubbed "The Pedophile Protection Act". Read the World Net Daily article.
Take action! Contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and your U.S. Senators
(U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121). Ask them to oppose S. 909, the Federal Hate Crimes bill.
Take additional action! Sign the petition.
6. 700 Open Borders proponents descended upon Washington, D.C. this month. They are pushing for an amnesty bill this summer. We need a counterattack by border-control enthusiasts. Please call or email your U.S. Senators and your Congressman and ask them to vote "no" on amnesty. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121. Here's contact info for those in my congressional district:
U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
Denver office 303-650-7820
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5941 or toll-free 1-877-768-3255
e-mail http://www.markudall.senate.gov/
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5852
CO office 303-455-7600
e-mail http://bennet.senate.gov/public/
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman. (R-CO, District 6)
U.S. Capitol office 202-225-7882
Sign up for email alerts on illegal immigration issues.
To read one little example of how illegal immigrants are harming America, go to my early May blog post "The Illegal Alien Attack".
7. "Nashville Conference Exposing Radical Islam Shut Down" (read this article)
Take action! Phone or email the national Loews Hotels Vice President of Public Relations, Emily Goldfischer. Express your disapproval in the cancellation of the conference. Ms. Goldfischer can be reached at the following phone number and email address in New York: Phone: (212) 521-2833 Fax: (212) 521-2379 Email: egoldfischer@loewshotels.com
If Ms. Goldfischer is unreachable (which may be the case if enough of you take action!!) contact Ellen Gale, Vice President of Public Relations for the Loews Nashville Regional office at her contact information below. Ellen Gale Phone: (202) 587-2686 Email: egale@loewshotels.com
If you get through to either Ms. Goldfischer or Ms. Gale, or you receive an email reply, please let us know at info@actforamerica.org.
8. Read about ACORN and the 2010 Census. The liberal Obama administration combined with liberal ACORN will result in Congressional redistricting which favors liberal candidates.
Take action! Sign the petition protesting ACORN's partnership with the U.S. Census.
Take additional action! Please call or email your U.S. Senators and your Congressman and ask them to stop the U.S. Census from partnering with ACORN. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121. Here's contact info for those in my congressional district:
U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
Denver office 303-650-7820
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5941 or toll-free 1-877-768-3255
e-mail http://www.markudall.senate.gov/
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5852
CO office 303-455-7600
e-mail http://bennet.senate.gov/public/
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman. (R-CO, District 6)
U.S. Capitol office 202-225-7882
* * *
Encourage your friends to get involved. They may receive activist alerts from me via email newsletter, Facebook, Twitter @DougCOGOP, or this blog. Contact me at dc6@dcgop.org for additional activism assistance and encouragement.
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