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.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
My Dad, the Activist
In the 1970's, my Dad taught me about activism. Dad spent 35 years as a reporter for Newsday on Long Island. In those days, reporters actually looked at the various facets of the news and reported their observations. Most of you remember that, eh?
Dad spent years on the night shift, and years writing obituaries. When my fifth grade teacher asked me what my Dad did for a living, I answered, "He writes obituaries at Newsday." The teacher laughed at me, quite loud, with a sarcastic tone. Jeez, I guess I said the wrong thing.
Later, as a teenager pawing through my Dad's dresser drawer, I found a medal in a velvet case. "What's this Dad?" "That's a Pulitzer Prize." "Why do you have this, Dad?" Turns out he'd won the damn thing as one of a group of reporters who wrote a series called "The Heroin Trail." (You can google it.) He wasn't the star reporter, but he wasn't writing obituaries anymore either. And if I hadn't found it in his dresser drawer, I wonder whether he would have ever told me that he had it. But I digress.
The Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) built the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant near the tip of Long Island. And Dad had a problem with that. That problem was called "no viable evacuation plan". There was no way that Long Island could possibly be safely evacuated in a timely manner if there were a nuclear accident. Dad was very involved with a No Nukes protest group. He even went to jail once during a peaceful demonstration. Newsday had to publish a disclaimer that his activities did not represent the opinion of the newspaper. I don't remember much of it, until the vivid description of Dad standing up at a hearing with blown-up photographs of the Long Island Expressway (LIE) during rush hour. He told them that if the LIE couldn't maintain reasonable traffic flow for much of a normal day, how on earth would it work if all the panicked citizens were leaving hurriedly at the same time during a nuclear meltdown? That moment was the beginning of the end of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant. LILCO sold the power plant to the state for $1.00. That's the last I ever heard about Shoreham.
Dad's activism seemed quite normal to me. He was a reporter, a dad, a little league umpire, an athlete, and a no-nukes activist.
Thirty years later, I became an activist after a relatively unpleasant and life-changing experience. (You can scroll down and read a tiny piece of it titled "The Illegal Alien Attack".) My forte seems to be getting voters psyched to participate in the activist and election processes. Everywhere I go, I meet people who are ready to register to vote, ready to start calling their legislators, ready to subscribe to my newsletter. I've met these people at the gardening store, at singing practice, at church, at the supermarket, in parades, in parking lots, while driving (!) and at the dry cleaner. I meet them on Facebook and Twitter. Strangers contact me via email and telephone. I ask them questions and give them ideas. We figure out how they'll fit in to the political process. I introduce them to people and organizations, and then I set them loose. When they return, they bring their friends, and I get those people launched into activism too.
Today I was chatting with Dad, and I mentioned the Obama administration. I usually have to be tentative on this topic, because this topic makes him really angry. But today Dad was a little bit calmer. I suggested to him that he put it on his calendar, every Monday, to contact his Senators and his Congressman. Ask them to vote "no" on some appalling piece of legislation that he'd read about over the weekend. And he said "okay"! My Dad is a creature of habit. He started exercising as a boy and never stopped. Golden Gloves boxing, baseball, weight lifting, running, karate, horseback riding. He currently ice skates three times per week. When my Dad says that he'll make those phone calls on Mondays, I know that he'll make those calls until he dies.
Thanks Dad. For everything.
Dad spent years on the night shift, and years writing obituaries. When my fifth grade teacher asked me what my Dad did for a living, I answered, "He writes obituaries at Newsday." The teacher laughed at me, quite loud, with a sarcastic tone. Jeez, I guess I said the wrong thing.
Later, as a teenager pawing through my Dad's dresser drawer, I found a medal in a velvet case. "What's this Dad?" "That's a Pulitzer Prize." "Why do you have this, Dad?" Turns out he'd won the damn thing as one of a group of reporters who wrote a series called "The Heroin Trail." (You can google it.) He wasn't the star reporter, but he wasn't writing obituaries anymore either. And if I hadn't found it in his dresser drawer, I wonder whether he would have ever told me that he had it. But I digress.
The Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) built the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant near the tip of Long Island. And Dad had a problem with that. That problem was called "no viable evacuation plan". There was no way that Long Island could possibly be safely evacuated in a timely manner if there were a nuclear accident. Dad was very involved with a No Nukes protest group. He even went to jail once during a peaceful demonstration. Newsday had to publish a disclaimer that his activities did not represent the opinion of the newspaper. I don't remember much of it, until the vivid description of Dad standing up at a hearing with blown-up photographs of the Long Island Expressway (LIE) during rush hour. He told them that if the LIE couldn't maintain reasonable traffic flow for much of a normal day, how on earth would it work if all the panicked citizens were leaving hurriedly at the same time during a nuclear meltdown? That moment was the beginning of the end of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant. LILCO sold the power plant to the state for $1.00. That's the last I ever heard about Shoreham.
Dad's activism seemed quite normal to me. He was a reporter, a dad, a little league umpire, an athlete, and a no-nukes activist.
Thirty years later, I became an activist after a relatively unpleasant and life-changing experience. (You can scroll down and read a tiny piece of it titled "The Illegal Alien Attack".) My forte seems to be getting voters psyched to participate in the activist and election processes. Everywhere I go, I meet people who are ready to register to vote, ready to start calling their legislators, ready to subscribe to my newsletter. I've met these people at the gardening store, at singing practice, at church, at the supermarket, in parades, in parking lots, while driving (!) and at the dry cleaner. I meet them on Facebook and Twitter. Strangers contact me via email and telephone. I ask them questions and give them ideas. We figure out how they'll fit in to the political process. I introduce them to people and organizations, and then I set them loose. When they return, they bring their friends, and I get those people launched into activism too.
Today I was chatting with Dad, and I mentioned the Obama administration. I usually have to be tentative on this topic, because this topic makes him really angry. But today Dad was a little bit calmer. I suggested to him that he put it on his calendar, every Monday, to contact his Senators and his Congressman. Ask them to vote "no" on some appalling piece of legislation that he'd read about over the weekend. And he said "okay"! My Dad is a creature of habit. He started exercising as a boy and never stopped. Golden Gloves boxing, baseball, weight lifting, running, karate, horseback riding. He currently ice skates three times per week. When my Dad says that he'll make those phone calls on Mondays, I know that he'll make those calls until he dies.
Thanks Dad. For everything.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
"Breastfeeding Needs to Be Part of Healthcare Reform?!"
My wonderful conservative friend Charcie and I send emails back and forth lamenting the idiotic crap that passes for politics and ideas these days. (Charcie is a lady--she didn't say "crap"; I said "crap".) So she sends me a reference to a progressive moms blog, to an article by Melissa Bartick, MD, MSc and Marsha Walker, RN. The article is entitled "Breastfeeding Needs to Be Part of Healthcare Reform." I about blew a gasket! Here's the response which I almost added to her blog, but then realized, why not add it to my blog, where someone will actually read it.
What kind of woman doesn't know about breastfeeding? Honestly, there aren't enough real problems in this world, you need to be creating one? I've met many, many, many people in my life, and NEVER have I run across some moronic woman who didn't know that breastfeeding was a way of feeding her baby. Jeez, Louise, find a real problem.
So now we're supposed to search for these people who must be living in a cave, yet with formula and bottles (how does that work?) and waste more of MY TAXPAYER DOLLARS introducing them to their breasts!
Thanks. Needed to vent.
What kind of woman doesn't know about breastfeeding? Honestly, there aren't enough real problems in this world, you need to be creating one? I've met many, many, many people in my life, and NEVER have I run across some moronic woman who didn't know that breastfeeding was a way of feeding her baby. Jeez, Louise, find a real problem.
So now we're supposed to search for these people who must be living in a cave, yet with formula and bottles (how does that work?) and waste more of MY TAXPAYER DOLLARS introducing them to their breasts!
Thanks. Needed to vent.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Ask Your U.S. Legislators to Vote "No" on Cap and Trade
Cap and Trade (H.R. 2454) is a corporate tax on carbon emissions based on the politically-motivated concept of man-made global warming. It's the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Businesses which don't have lots of extra money lying around will be forced to raise their product prices and cut their budgets to pay the tax. These budget cuts will include job losses. "Cap-and-trade has such a detrimental effect on employment in the U.S. that the Act contains a special section to provide a three-year package of unemployment benefits to workers who lose their jobs as a result of its implementation," writes Jeffrey Huff.
Everyone you know who lives on a tight budget will suffer. The Heritage Foundation estimates that the average U.S. household's energy expenses will rise $1500 per year if the Cap and Trade bill is enacted. Not only will their energy expenses rise, but the costs of every product the family purchases will go up because the businesses that make the products will have increased expenses due to the Carbon Tax.
Democrat leaders say that Cap and Trade will not affect the little guy. Logic tells us that Cap and Trade will hurt the little guy more dramatically than it hurts everybody else.
According to American Future Fund, Cap and Trade "raises taxes, kills jobs and will lead to more government intrusion."
The good news: Even though this bill passed a House Committee last week, there are some Democrat legislators who are not inclined to go along with this tax scheme. Public outcry can influence the House vote and the Senate vote. Some of them know that man-made global warming is a farce, others know that their constituents will face massive job layoffs, and others are imagining Aunt Marge and Uncle Fred not being able to pay their bills.
Take action! Contact your U.S. Representative and Senators. Ask them to vote "no" on Cap & Trade. You can call, fax, email, or sign this petition. If you already phoned these folks, please do so again. If enacted, Cap and Trade will be a disaster for families and for our economy.
U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5941 or toll-free 1-877-768-3255
Denver office 303-650-7820
e-mail Senator_Mark_Udall@markudall.senate.gov
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5852
702 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Colorado office 303-455-7600
e-mail senator_bennet@bennet.senate.gov
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman. (R-CO, District 6)
U.S. Capitol office 202-225-7882
All U.S. Senators’ e-mail addresses http://www.surrogacy.com/legals/senators.html. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121
Take additional action! Call your closest friend/relative on a fixed income, and talk to them about their food, energy & product prices going up. Encourage them to contact their Congressman and Senators. Google their Senators' phone numbers first, so you're ready to walk your loved one through this process. These phone calls are very simple, but they can be intimidating to someone who's never done this before.
Take even more action! Forward this to people on your email list who are motivated to make the calls: business people, scientists, conservative voters, workers from struggling companies and people on fixed incomes.
Everyone you know who lives on a tight budget will suffer. The Heritage Foundation estimates that the average U.S. household's energy expenses will rise $1500 per year if the Cap and Trade bill is enacted. Not only will their energy expenses rise, but the costs of every product the family purchases will go up because the businesses that make the products will have increased expenses due to the Carbon Tax.
Democrat leaders say that Cap and Trade will not affect the little guy. Logic tells us that Cap and Trade will hurt the little guy more dramatically than it hurts everybody else.
According to American Future Fund, Cap and Trade "raises taxes, kills jobs and will lead to more government intrusion."
The good news: Even though this bill passed a House Committee last week, there are some Democrat legislators who are not inclined to go along with this tax scheme. Public outcry can influence the House vote and the Senate vote. Some of them know that man-made global warming is a farce, others know that their constituents will face massive job layoffs, and others are imagining Aunt Marge and Uncle Fred not being able to pay their bills.
Take action! Contact your U.S. Representative and Senators. Ask them to vote "no" on Cap & Trade. You can call, fax, email, or sign this petition. If you already phoned these folks, please do so again. If enacted, Cap and Trade will be a disaster for families and for our economy.
U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5941 or toll-free 1-877-768-3255
Denver office 303-650-7820
e-mail Senator_Mark_Udall@markudall.senate.gov
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
U.S. Capitol office 202-224-5852
702 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Colorado office 303-455-7600
e-mail senator_bennet@bennet.senate.gov
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman. (R-CO, District 6)
U.S. Capitol office 202-225-7882
All U.S. Senators’ e-mail addresses http://www.surrogacy.com/legals/senators.html. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121
Take additional action! Call your closest friend/relative on a fixed income, and talk to them about their food, energy & product prices going up. Encourage them to contact their Congressman and Senators. Google their Senators' phone numbers first, so you're ready to walk your loved one through this process. These phone calls are very simple, but they can be intimidating to someone who's never done this before.
Take even more action! Forward this to people on your email list who are motivated to make the calls: business people, scientists, conservative voters, workers from struggling companies and people on fixed incomes.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Do People Choose Their Political Party Based on Abortion Views?
Last night I held a political party in my home, and chatted with my friend Cheryl after everyone had left. Cheryl was expressing frustration that it seemed as if people chose their political parties based on abortion views, and how absurb that seemed in light of other big issues such as economic policy and national security.
We then analyzed where she got that impression from, and where pro-life, moderate pro-choice, and pro-abortion voters stand on the political spectrum.
First, it's pretty clear to me that the mainstream media (MSM) conveys that the Left is pro-choice and the Right is pro-life. They also convey the idea that the pro-choicers are reasonable and the pro-lifers are wackos. But what does reality look like? The following observations are based on my extensive experience talking to politics-oriented voters, churchgoers and regular people over the last three decades, easily several thousand people after two sales careers and my current voter activism.
There are large amounts of pro-life voters on both the Democrat and Republican sides of the political spectrum. Look no further than the Catholic vote, many of whom are traditionally pro-union Democrats. Most Catholics are outwardly pro-life, yet there seem to be just as many who vote Democrat as vote Republican. (I'm sure that there are also non-Catholic pro-life Democrat voters; they're less easy to pinpoint, though.) And we know that a high percentage of pro-life voters are also on the conservative right. So with the pro-life contingent, you clearly can't make assumptions on how they vote.
Now let's look at the moderate pro-choice voters. First of all, who are these people and what motivates them? Some of them are women who've had abortions. They mostly regret those decisions, but either want that door open for future women who find themselves in a difficult situation, or they're often too uncomfortable with the idea of telling other people that they can't have an abortion after these voters have had one themselves. There's also a large contingent of moderate pro-choice voters who are religious. I meet them all the time. They absolutely would never have an abortion, yet the idea of the government telling people what they can and cannot do in the area of abortion is abhorrent to them.
Lastly, we have the pro-abortion voters. These are people who have no qualms about having abortions, often use abortion as birth control, often suggest abortion to other people who've gotten unexpectedly pregnant and to people who've received a pre-natal birth defect diagnosis, favor abortion for sex-selection and selective reduction, and there are even some who find the idea of mothering comparable to slavery and therefore truly espouse abortion. There are also pro-abortioners who actually promote abortions amongst certain groups, either for population control reasons, racist reasons, or classism reasons. I've known of these opinions, but I never actually meet these people. Pro-abortioners vote almost exclusively Democrat. I literally can't remember ever meeting a pro-abortion Republican.
So we have pro-lifers on the Left and Right, moderate pro-choicers on the Left and Right, and pro-abortioners on the Left. And the MSM is on the Left. Which would help explain why the message we constantly hear is that pro-lifers are wackos who are running the Right into the ground. The MSM has no motivation to explore this topic or portray it realistically, because they stand firmly in the pro-abortion camp. I would therefore caution voters not to take their cues about abortion and politics from the MSM, because the information is skewed and not realistic.
In closing, I'd like to remind people that our opinions often change slowly over the years, or suddenly after a profound experience. Even if voting pro-life were my number one political passsion, I would never omit moderate pro-choice voters from my political activities, because I know that with many people, abortion views change over time. I would always hold out the hope that by being kind and loving and responsible and helpful, I could help others see that the door was open for change, and there's no one on the other side waiting to yell "hypocrite"!
* * *
As a constructive reminder, I'd like to point out that any pregnant woman who wanted to give her baby up for adoption could walk into any church in America and immediately find multiple families who would take that baby. Any race. Any sex. Any disability. Just talk to the pastor, and he'll get the word out to the congregation.
If you think for a moment that Americans wouldn't adopt another one million babies per year in a heartbeat, you're dead wrong and living in a society of single, non-religious people. Because everybody who knows and socializes with couples and church people knows all about infertility, adoption, and the generosity of the heart.
We then analyzed where she got that impression from, and where pro-life, moderate pro-choice, and pro-abortion voters stand on the political spectrum.
First, it's pretty clear to me that the mainstream media (MSM) conveys that the Left is pro-choice and the Right is pro-life. They also convey the idea that the pro-choicers are reasonable and the pro-lifers are wackos. But what does reality look like? The following observations are based on my extensive experience talking to politics-oriented voters, churchgoers and regular people over the last three decades, easily several thousand people after two sales careers and my current voter activism.
There are large amounts of pro-life voters on both the Democrat and Republican sides of the political spectrum. Look no further than the Catholic vote, many of whom are traditionally pro-union Democrats. Most Catholics are outwardly pro-life, yet there seem to be just as many who vote Democrat as vote Republican. (I'm sure that there are also non-Catholic pro-life Democrat voters; they're less easy to pinpoint, though.) And we know that a high percentage of pro-life voters are also on the conservative right. So with the pro-life contingent, you clearly can't make assumptions on how they vote.
Now let's look at the moderate pro-choice voters. First of all, who are these people and what motivates them? Some of them are women who've had abortions. They mostly regret those decisions, but either want that door open for future women who find themselves in a difficult situation, or they're often too uncomfortable with the idea of telling other people that they can't have an abortion after these voters have had one themselves. There's also a large contingent of moderate pro-choice voters who are religious. I meet them all the time. They absolutely would never have an abortion, yet the idea of the government telling people what they can and cannot do in the area of abortion is abhorrent to them.
Lastly, we have the pro-abortion voters. These are people who have no qualms about having abortions, often use abortion as birth control, often suggest abortion to other people who've gotten unexpectedly pregnant and to people who've received a pre-natal birth defect diagnosis, favor abortion for sex-selection and selective reduction, and there are even some who find the idea of mothering comparable to slavery and therefore truly espouse abortion. There are also pro-abortioners who actually promote abortions amongst certain groups, either for population control reasons, racist reasons, or classism reasons. I've known of these opinions, but I never actually meet these people. Pro-abortioners vote almost exclusively Democrat. I literally can't remember ever meeting a pro-abortion Republican.
So we have pro-lifers on the Left and Right, moderate pro-choicers on the Left and Right, and pro-abortioners on the Left. And the MSM is on the Left. Which would help explain why the message we constantly hear is that pro-lifers are wackos who are running the Right into the ground. The MSM has no motivation to explore this topic or portray it realistically, because they stand firmly in the pro-abortion camp. I would therefore caution voters not to take their cues about abortion and politics from the MSM, because the information is skewed and not realistic.
In closing, I'd like to remind people that our opinions often change slowly over the years, or suddenly after a profound experience. Even if voting pro-life were my number one political passsion, I would never omit moderate pro-choice voters from my political activities, because I know that with many people, abortion views change over time. I would always hold out the hope that by being kind and loving and responsible and helpful, I could help others see that the door was open for change, and there's no one on the other side waiting to yell "hypocrite"!
* * *
As a constructive reminder, I'd like to point out that any pregnant woman who wanted to give her baby up for adoption could walk into any church in America and immediately find multiple families who would take that baby. Any race. Any sex. Any disability. Just talk to the pastor, and he'll get the word out to the congregation.
If you think for a moment that Americans wouldn't adopt another one million babies per year in a heartbeat, you're dead wrong and living in a society of single, non-religious people. Because everybody who knows and socializes with couples and church people knows all about infertility, adoption, and the generosity of the heart.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
What Is An Activist?
Colorado State Senator Ted Harvey recently stated, “The successes we have seen this legislative session were only because of the hard work of conservatives at the grassroots level. Thank you for your help: none of our victories this year would have been possible without your commitment. Citizen activism on this level has never happened before, and it has transformed this legislative body.”
An activist is a citizen who's ready to get up off his/her couch and share responsibility for the direction our country is taking. Based solely on the political activities of my most recent newsletter subscribers, here’s a description of the ways in which some of our citizens are getting more involved. (The names are invented but the people are real.)
Anne is a homeschool mom who campaigned for John McCain. She’s open to new ideas. I’m hoping that she’ll volunteer to help elect a conservative school board this fall.
Brad is an avid campaigner who encourages his friends to get involved too.
Corinne attends events such as candidate rallies and the Tea Party at the Capitol.
David writes opinion pieces for newspapers and blogs.
Evie calls legislators in Washington and urges them to vote “no” on bad legislation.
Frank is a businessman who’s wondering what happened to his country?!
Greta is very busy organizing an upcoming election campaign.
Horace is watching the future of his social security checks disappear, and has decided to get active with conservatives, because they’re the fiscally responsible people.
Inez is outraged at our country’s march toward socialism.
Jamal is full of ideas to keep Douglas County RED.
Kerri is a dependable Republican who will work on elections, projects and events.
Lou is a businessman who forwards political news to conservative friends.
Mary doesn’t want our country’s new $65 trillion debt to be paid for by her daughter.
Nolan is prepared to run for office in his district and take back the Colorado legislature.
Olivia is a mom and a businesswoman who’s fed up with the Democrat regime. She will run for school board or volunteer with that effort, as needed.
Peter is wondering how the City of Castle Pines North is funding its fiscal obligations with an insufficient tax base.
Quinn is a businesswoman chock full of activism ideas and sharing them with everyone!
Randall is ready to get his feet wet in politics.
Serena wants to come to our party and meet other conservatives!
Thomas is an elected official who wants to help us elect more conservatives, which will make his job more effective.
Ursula supervises Get Out The Vote efforts in her precinct.
Please contact me to explore ways in which you, too, can help our country return to a Judeo-Christian, liberty-loving society which thrives on capitalism and voluntary charity. I'm full of ideas. Let's match your talents and interests with an issue or a candidate that could benefit from your involvement!
An activist is a citizen who's ready to get up off his/her couch and share responsibility for the direction our country is taking. Based solely on the political activities of my most recent newsletter subscribers, here’s a description of the ways in which some of our citizens are getting more involved. (The names are invented but the people are real.)
Anne is a homeschool mom who campaigned for John McCain. She’s open to new ideas. I’m hoping that she’ll volunteer to help elect a conservative school board this fall.
Brad is an avid campaigner who encourages his friends to get involved too.
Corinne attends events such as candidate rallies and the Tea Party at the Capitol.
David writes opinion pieces for newspapers and blogs.
Evie calls legislators in Washington and urges them to vote “no” on bad legislation.
Frank is a businessman who’s wondering what happened to his country?!
Greta is very busy organizing an upcoming election campaign.
Horace is watching the future of his social security checks disappear, and has decided to get active with conservatives, because they’re the fiscally responsible people.
Inez is outraged at our country’s march toward socialism.
Jamal is full of ideas to keep Douglas County RED.
Kerri is a dependable Republican who will work on elections, projects and events.
Lou is a businessman who forwards political news to conservative friends.
Mary doesn’t want our country’s new $65 trillion debt to be paid for by her daughter.
Nolan is prepared to run for office in his district and take back the Colorado legislature.
Olivia is a mom and a businesswoman who’s fed up with the Democrat regime. She will run for school board or volunteer with that effort, as needed.
Peter is wondering how the City of Castle Pines North is funding its fiscal obligations with an insufficient tax base.
Quinn is a businesswoman chock full of activism ideas and sharing them with everyone!
Randall is ready to get his feet wet in politics.
Serena wants to come to our party and meet other conservatives!
Thomas is an elected official who wants to help us elect more conservatives, which will make his job more effective.
Ursula supervises Get Out The Vote efforts in her precinct.
Please contact me to explore ways in which you, too, can help our country return to a Judeo-Christian, liberty-loving society which thrives on capitalism and voluntary charity. I'm full of ideas. Let's match your talents and interests with an issue or a candidate that could benefit from your involvement!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Whence Cometh the Tea Parties?
As a person who was intimately involved in the Tea Party movement from the first day of Rick Santelli's famous rant in February, I'm chagrined at the false statements I continue to read and hear in the media about this phenomenon. (Here's Rick's rant: http://tinyurl.com/c4kwy7.)
The Tea Party movement began when CNBC media-guy Rick Santelli announced in frustration that we should have a Boston Tea Party. He was outraged at the recent succession of government spending, TARP, bailouts, and the then-current concept that taxpayers would help save irresponsible homeowners from pending foreclosure. Millions of us had been talking to each other about this for weeks leading up to Rick's rant, so nothing he said came as a surprise to us, but we were certainly stunned that any conservative point of view would ever be portrayed via the MSM.
Most conservatives are, by definition, financially responsible, and many of us have supported financially irresponsible relatives, from time to time, or year-in year-out. Additionally, conservatives tend to be one of the biggest givers to charity, if you analyze us as a statistical group. (Read more in the book by Arthur C. Brooks, "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism". Incidentally, this book was researched and written by a staunch Democrat who was not expecting the research results which stared him baldly in the face.)
Conservatives understand very well the nature of hard work and its rewards, financial responsibility and thrift, charity and the general character failings of many (not ALL) charitable recipients which lead to their poverty in the first place. As a person who grew up in poverty, lacking proper food, clothing and medical care, I can attest that much of this type of life-style is self-induced. My mother had money for cigarettes and alcohol and babysitters and bars every day, yet we'd consistently run out of heating oil during New York winters. And it was a mere decision not to repeat that lifestyle that gave me the wherewithall to climb out of that hole. I simply got educated, worked hard, got promoted, minimized common expenses (like vacations), and eventually had a decent salary and savings. What's more, I never once believed that this was not achievable, because this is America, and that's what we do here. It was simply my turn to do it!
Back to the Tea Parties...these events were commonly compared to tax protests, because the Boston Tea Party was a tax protest, and because the event took place on Tax Day, April 15, thus the name National Tax Day Tea Parties. But these events weren't simply about taxes--they were entirely about fiscal responsibility. There has been $65,000,000,000,000. in new spending thus far with the Obama administration. That's "trillion dollars". That's more government spending than all of the previous American presidential regimes COMBINED. And obviously, the U.S. government does not "have money". It gets money by either taxing it from its citizens or by borrowing it (to be repaid in the future via taxation of its citizens). So yes, this is about taxes, but it's also about a much bigger picture of horrendous financial irresponsibility, something which conservatives are so careful not to do with their personal finances nor with their business finances. When we see our President and his minions incurring debt like this, we're stunned at their stupidity. If WE know that this kind of debt will wreck our country in myriad ways, why don't they know it too? The answer is, they know it. They're doing it on purpose. From the Obama administation's point of view, this is about power, and they're willing to toss aside our country to achieve that power. (Think about it: nobody actually sat around in a meeting and decided that incurring $65 trillion dollars in new debt would be a good idea. This is elementary. And anyone who reads that statement and disagrees with me is frankly delusional.)
The Tea Parties were not organized by politicians nor famous political leaders. The Tea Parties were organized online and in house meetings by conservative grassroots voters-turned-activists, largely those on Twitter. Anyone who doubts this could easily select random conservatives on Twitter, read their postings going back to February, and see that we'd been talking about this and planning these events for 8 weeks leading up to April 15. Citizen activists. No more, no less.
While it may be true that some legislators, Republican party leaders, and talk show hosts jumped on the Tea Party bandwagon and helped publicize the Tea Parties, they were rarely involved in the planning, and frequently denied the opportunity to speak at the events. It was important for the grassroots voters to welcome conservatives from all political parties to these events (yes, there are even conservative Democrats!), and we knew that heavy Republican sponsorship and presence at these events would make Democrats, Independents, and Libertarians feel less welcome.
Lastly, I want to say with excitement and pride that there were at least 17 cities and towns in Colorado which hosted National Tax Day Tea Parties! As one of the grassroots voters who participated in getting the word out, I was thrilled to see more and more locations on the Colorado Tea Party map. You guys did a great job, and I'm very proud of you!
The Tea Party movement began when CNBC media-guy Rick Santelli announced in frustration that we should have a Boston Tea Party. He was outraged at the recent succession of government spending, TARP, bailouts, and the then-current concept that taxpayers would help save irresponsible homeowners from pending foreclosure. Millions of us had been talking to each other about this for weeks leading up to Rick's rant, so nothing he said came as a surprise to us, but we were certainly stunned that any conservative point of view would ever be portrayed via the MSM.
Most conservatives are, by definition, financially responsible, and many of us have supported financially irresponsible relatives, from time to time, or year-in year-out. Additionally, conservatives tend to be one of the biggest givers to charity, if you analyze us as a statistical group. (Read more in the book by Arthur C. Brooks, "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism". Incidentally, this book was researched and written by a staunch Democrat who was not expecting the research results which stared him baldly in the face.)
Conservatives understand very well the nature of hard work and its rewards, financial responsibility and thrift, charity and the general character failings of many (not ALL) charitable recipients which lead to their poverty in the first place. As a person who grew up in poverty, lacking proper food, clothing and medical care, I can attest that much of this type of life-style is self-induced. My mother had money for cigarettes and alcohol and babysitters and bars every day, yet we'd consistently run out of heating oil during New York winters. And it was a mere decision not to repeat that lifestyle that gave me the wherewithall to climb out of that hole. I simply got educated, worked hard, got promoted, minimized common expenses (like vacations), and eventually had a decent salary and savings. What's more, I never once believed that this was not achievable, because this is America, and that's what we do here. It was simply my turn to do it!
Back to the Tea Parties...these events were commonly compared to tax protests, because the Boston Tea Party was a tax protest, and because the event took place on Tax Day, April 15, thus the name National Tax Day Tea Parties. But these events weren't simply about taxes--they were entirely about fiscal responsibility. There has been $65,000,000,000,000. in new spending thus far with the Obama administration. That's "trillion dollars". That's more government spending than all of the previous American presidential regimes COMBINED. And obviously, the U.S. government does not "have money". It gets money by either taxing it from its citizens or by borrowing it (to be repaid in the future via taxation of its citizens). So yes, this is about taxes, but it's also about a much bigger picture of horrendous financial irresponsibility, something which conservatives are so careful not to do with their personal finances nor with their business finances. When we see our President and his minions incurring debt like this, we're stunned at their stupidity. If WE know that this kind of debt will wreck our country in myriad ways, why don't they know it too? The answer is, they know it. They're doing it on purpose. From the Obama administation's point of view, this is about power, and they're willing to toss aside our country to achieve that power. (Think about it: nobody actually sat around in a meeting and decided that incurring $65 trillion dollars in new debt would be a good idea. This is elementary. And anyone who reads that statement and disagrees with me is frankly delusional.)
The Tea Parties were not organized by politicians nor famous political leaders. The Tea Parties were organized online and in house meetings by conservative grassroots voters-turned-activists, largely those on Twitter. Anyone who doubts this could easily select random conservatives on Twitter, read their postings going back to February, and see that we'd been talking about this and planning these events for 8 weeks leading up to April 15. Citizen activists. No more, no less.
While it may be true that some legislators, Republican party leaders, and talk show hosts jumped on the Tea Party bandwagon and helped publicize the Tea Parties, they were rarely involved in the planning, and frequently denied the opportunity to speak at the events. It was important for the grassroots voters to welcome conservatives from all political parties to these events (yes, there are even conservative Democrats!), and we knew that heavy Republican sponsorship and presence at these events would make Democrats, Independents, and Libertarians feel less welcome.
Lastly, I want to say with excitement and pride that there were at least 17 cities and towns in Colorado which hosted National Tax Day Tea Parties! As one of the grassroots voters who participated in getting the word out, I was thrilled to see more and more locations on the Colorado Tea Party map. You guys did a great job, and I'm very proud of you!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Activist Alert: Federal Hate Crimes Bill S. 909
**** What’s This Bill About?
This bill is primarily about crimes based on sexual orientation. “Shawn D. Akers, policy analyst with Liberty Counsel, said, ‘The proposal…would create new federal penalties against those whose ‘victims’ were chosen based on an ‘actual or perceived…sexual orientation, gender identity. This 'Pedophilia Protection Act,' a 'hate crimes' bill, is based on the representation that there's an epidemic of crimes based on bias and prejudice. It turns out there are fewer crimes now than there were 10 years ago.’
According to the FBI, in 2007 “there were only 242 crimes against a person's sexual orientation that could be considered "violent." And, twenty-seven of these bias crimes were directed against heterosexuals! The FBI statistics do not indicate how many of these "violent hate crimes" were committed by homosexuals against other homosexuals - or what provoked the violence.” from Right Side News http://tinyurl.com/q9lwbt
He said he fought in committee and in the House, where it was approved 249-175, to correct some of the failings, including his repeated requests for definitions in the bill for terms such as ‘sexual orientation.’
Majority Democrats refused, he said. He said that leaves the definition up to a standard definition in the medical field, which includes hundreds of ‘philias’ and ‘isms’ and would be protected.
…if an exhibitionist flashes a woman, and she responds by slapping him with her purse, he has probably committed a misdemeanor while she has committed a federal felony hate crime.”
Read the rest of this World Net Daily article here: http://tinyurl.com/p9ajt4
House Democrats voted FOR covering pedophiles as a protected group under the Hate Crimes bill, and they voted AGAIST covering military veterans as a protected group under the Hate Crimes bill.
**** What Are The Possible Problems?
It is possible that religious leaders could be charged with Hate Crimes if they publicly discuss homosexuality. (see the World Net Daily article)
This legislation potentially violates the Fourteenth, First and Tenth Amendments to the constitution. (see the World Net Daily article)
District Attorney offices might level Hate Crime charges against people who have committed other crimes so as to receive Federal funds for any Hate Crimes which they prosecute. Read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/pvxfpx .
Under this law, crime victims within “protected groups” would likely receive priority attention and Federal funding vs. crime victims in “non-protected groups”.
**** Take Action
This bill already passed the House vote as H.R. #1913. The Senate bill number is S. 909 and debate begins Tuesday May 12. Contact your U.S. Senators and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee immediately. Ask them to oppose S. 909, the Federal Hate Crimes bill. This website lists committee members: http://judiciary.senate.gov/about/members.cfm. Click on their names to get their personal websites, email forms and phone numbers.
Sign the petition: www.frcaction.org Click on this headline in the center left side of the page: "Hate Crimes Legislatoin to Silence You".
Forward this Activist Alert to your conservative friends who are watching the America they know and love slip away into faded memories.
Forward this Activist Alert to your religious leader, who might choose to share it with his/her email list.
Thank you very much for your attention and activism. One phone call is better than none. Ten legislative contacts over the course of the next few days would be fantastic. May God bless your efforts!
This bill is primarily about crimes based on sexual orientation. “Shawn D. Akers, policy analyst with Liberty Counsel, said, ‘The proposal…would create new federal penalties against those whose ‘victims’ were chosen based on an ‘actual or perceived…sexual orientation, gender identity. This 'Pedophilia Protection Act,' a 'hate crimes' bill, is based on the representation that there's an epidemic of crimes based on bias and prejudice. It turns out there are fewer crimes now than there were 10 years ago.’
According to the FBI, in 2007 “there were only 242 crimes against a person's sexual orientation that could be considered "violent." And, twenty-seven of these bias crimes were directed against heterosexuals! The FBI statistics do not indicate how many of these "violent hate crimes" were committed by homosexuals against other homosexuals - or what provoked the violence.” from Right Side News http://tinyurl.com/q9lwbt
He said he fought in committee and in the House, where it was approved 249-175, to correct some of the failings, including his repeated requests for definitions in the bill for terms such as ‘sexual orientation.’
Majority Democrats refused, he said. He said that leaves the definition up to a standard definition in the medical field, which includes hundreds of ‘philias’ and ‘isms’ and would be protected.
…if an exhibitionist flashes a woman, and she responds by slapping him with her purse, he has probably committed a misdemeanor while she has committed a federal felony hate crime.”
Read the rest of this World Net Daily article here: http://tinyurl.com/p9ajt4
House Democrats voted FOR covering pedophiles as a protected group under the Hate Crimes bill, and they voted AGAIST covering military veterans as a protected group under the Hate Crimes bill.
**** What Are The Possible Problems?
It is possible that religious leaders could be charged with Hate Crimes if they publicly discuss homosexuality. (see the World Net Daily article)
This legislation potentially violates the Fourteenth, First and Tenth Amendments to the constitution. (see the World Net Daily article)
District Attorney offices might level Hate Crime charges against people who have committed other crimes so as to receive Federal funds for any Hate Crimes which they prosecute. Read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/pvxfpx .
Under this law, crime victims within “protected groups” would likely receive priority attention and Federal funding vs. crime victims in “non-protected groups”.
**** Take Action
This bill already passed the House vote as H.R. #1913. The Senate bill number is S. 909 and debate begins Tuesday May 12. Contact your U.S. Senators and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee immediately. Ask them to oppose S. 909, the Federal Hate Crimes bill. This website lists committee members: http://judiciary.senate.gov/about/members.cfm. Click on their names to get their personal websites, email forms and phone numbers.
Sign the petition: www.frcaction.org Click on this headline in the center left side of the page: "Hate Crimes Legislatoin to Silence You".
Forward this Activist Alert to your conservative friends who are watching the America they know and love slip away into faded memories.
Forward this Activist Alert to your religious leader, who might choose to share it with his/her email list.
Thank you very much for your attention and activism. One phone call is better than none. Ten legislative contacts over the course of the next few days would be fantastic. May God bless your efforts!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Hate Crimes Bill Changes to S. 909
The bill number is now changed from H.R. 1913 to S.909, also known as 'The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.' -- Crista Huff, May 9, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
H.R. 1913 -- Federal Hate Crimes Bill
The Senate Judiciary Committee is about to consider H.R. 1913, the purpose of which is to provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes. (This is commonly referred to as the Hate Crimes bill.)
Please contact Senators on the Judiciary Committee and ask them to vote "no" on the Hate Crimes bill. All crimes are hate crimes. To put it simply, if this bill becomes law, any white heterosexual person who commits a crime now runs the risk of being accused of "hate" in addition to the charges filed against him/her with regard to the arrest. It is far less likely that a non-white or a non-heterosexual person will be accused of "hate".
I am a white heterosexual woman who has been attacked by "ethnic" criminals twice in my life. No District Attorney is going to accuse my attackers of a hate crime. But if I commit the same crime, it is likely that I will have extra, severe charges leveled against me -- charges that are relatively unprovable, yet equally difficult and expensive to fight. One of the motivating factors for the hate crime charges is that Federal funds are provided when a hate crime is prosecuted. The District Attorney's office will be motivated to add "hate" as one of the criminal charges in order to receive Federal funds.
Take action! Contact committee members and ask them to vote "no" on the Hate Crimes legislation. Tell them that all crimes are hate crimes, and that this legislation discriminates against white heterosexuals. The members are listed here: http://judiciary.senate.gov/about/members.cfm .
Take additional action! Contact your state's U.S. Senators with the same request.
* * * *
Whatever happened to the young men who attacked me? The two "ethnic" men who robbed me at gunpoint went to jail for THREE MONTHS. The group of "ethnic" illegal aliens who threatened me and damaged my property WERE NOT ARRESTED by Douglas County Sheriffs. The ringleader of that group turned out to have been previously arrested 11 times on 39 charges during his long-term visit to Colorado. Those criminal charges included manufacturing and selling drugs, four DUIs, multiple assaults, and more.
Please contact Senators on the Judiciary Committee and ask them to vote "no" on the Hate Crimes bill. All crimes are hate crimes. To put it simply, if this bill becomes law, any white heterosexual person who commits a crime now runs the risk of being accused of "hate" in addition to the charges filed against him/her with regard to the arrest. It is far less likely that a non-white or a non-heterosexual person will be accused of "hate".
I am a white heterosexual woman who has been attacked by "ethnic" criminals twice in my life. No District Attorney is going to accuse my attackers of a hate crime. But if I commit the same crime, it is likely that I will have extra, severe charges leveled against me -- charges that are relatively unprovable, yet equally difficult and expensive to fight. One of the motivating factors for the hate crime charges is that Federal funds are provided when a hate crime is prosecuted. The District Attorney's office will be motivated to add "hate" as one of the criminal charges in order to receive Federal funds.
Take action! Contact committee members and ask them to vote "no" on the Hate Crimes legislation. Tell them that all crimes are hate crimes, and that this legislation discriminates against white heterosexuals. The members are listed here: http://judiciary.senate.gov/about/members.cfm .
Take additional action! Contact your state's U.S. Senators with the same request.
* * * *
Whatever happened to the young men who attacked me? The two "ethnic" men who robbed me at gunpoint went to jail for THREE MONTHS. The group of "ethnic" illegal aliens who threatened me and damaged my property WERE NOT ARRESTED by Douglas County Sheriffs. The ringleader of that group turned out to have been previously arrested 11 times on 39 charges during his long-term visit to Colorado. Those criminal charges included manufacturing and selling drugs, four DUIs, multiple assaults, and more.
Colorado Taxpayer Transparency Act
"HB-1288 creates an online database--easily accessible by the general public--to detail how the government is spending the taxpayers' money," reports Colorado Senate News. The full Senate is set to vote on this bill early in the week of May 4.
Take action! Despite the Democrat majority in the CO legislature, this bill has a chance of passing due to bi-partisan support. Please contact Democrat Senators over the weekend and urge them to vote "yes" on HB-1288! Their contact info can be found here: www.tinyurl.com/b53geb
Take further action! You have at least one friend who would also be willing to contact Senators to support HB-1288. Please ask them to do so. Thank you!
Take action! Despite the Democrat majority in the CO legislature, this bill has a chance of passing due to bi-partisan support. Please contact Democrat Senators over the weekend and urge them to vote "yes" on HB-1288! Their contact info can be found here: www.tinyurl.com/b53geb
Take further action! You have at least one friend who would also be willing to contact Senators to support HB-1288. Please ask them to do so. Thank you!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Eyes on Leo
My nephew Leo was born in 2002. A few weeks later, my sister started saying, "His eyes don't look right. How do they look to you?" We were all smiling inside, thinking to ourselves, "new mom" with that knowing superiority. Karen took Leo to the doctor, "His eyes don't look right." The pediatrician said, "No, they don't look right," and sent Karen and Leo to Children's Hospital. Leo was blind. A few weeks later, Leo had surgery for congenital cataracts, and now Leo had vision. He started wearing hard contact lenses as a tiny infant, and sometimes he wears those Coke bottle glasses.
In the meantime, Leo was slow on hitting developmental milestones. It was a bit concerning. And then at 18 months, Leo caught up to other children his age. And at 21 months, he knew all his colors. Yes, I'm not exaggerating. Leo spent the next several years learning about machinery and trains and electricity, and pretending to BE machinery and trains, complete with sound effects. He makes that sound that a train makes when it pulls into the station and comes to a stop. It's wonderful and funny and adorable.
Nobody ever really knew what Leo could see out of his eyes, 'cause we weren't in there with him, and he didn't know what to compare his vision to in describing his vision. We knew that his depth perception sucked, nevertheless, by age four he was able to run. Granted, he'd run with his arms up to guard his face in case he ran directly into a wall or something, but the running was a big relief to the rest of us.
One day Karen and I took all the kids to the Butterfly Pavilion. The other kids looked at the spiders and centipedes and butterflies. Leo would look behind the display cases at the cords plugged into the outlets. Then he'd follow the cord to the machinery that it operated, in an attempt to know what service the machine provided with the electricity. Okayyyy. Leo was destined to be a bit unusual.
When he turned six and entered first grade, Leo began multiplying out to the thousands, in his head. When he turned 6 1/2, he picked up a Harry Potter book, and finished it within two weeks. But his eyes...what was going on in there? His eyeballs didn't move in tandem, and when he'd watch t.v., he'd hold his head sort of sideways and glance out of the sides of his eyeballs, not straight-on like the rest of us.
Last week, Leo had eye surgery again. The doctor cut right through the white part of his eyeballs, detached the mucles, repositioned the eyeballs, and re-attached the muscles. He was a good sport, and brought his blankies and doll into surgery with him. Everything went seemingly well.
Yesterday, Leo's dad Mark said, "Leo, look at me. How many of me do you see?" "I see one of you Dad, but I'm only looking out of one eye." (Leo used to see double.) Mark said, "No Leo, you're using both eyes, and you're looking at me straight-on. That's the way your vision is supposed to work."
Hurray for Leo!
Leo will begin a gifted & talented program in second grade. We're looking forward to what else the LORD has in store for Leo. I hope it includes more sound effects!
In the meantime, Leo was slow on hitting developmental milestones. It was a bit concerning. And then at 18 months, Leo caught up to other children his age. And at 21 months, he knew all his colors. Yes, I'm not exaggerating. Leo spent the next several years learning about machinery and trains and electricity, and pretending to BE machinery and trains, complete with sound effects. He makes that sound that a train makes when it pulls into the station and comes to a stop. It's wonderful and funny and adorable.
Nobody ever really knew what Leo could see out of his eyes, 'cause we weren't in there with him, and he didn't know what to compare his vision to in describing his vision. We knew that his depth perception sucked, nevertheless, by age four he was able to run. Granted, he'd run with his arms up to guard his face in case he ran directly into a wall or something, but the running was a big relief to the rest of us.
One day Karen and I took all the kids to the Butterfly Pavilion. The other kids looked at the spiders and centipedes and butterflies. Leo would look behind the display cases at the cords plugged into the outlets. Then he'd follow the cord to the machinery that it operated, in an attempt to know what service the machine provided with the electricity. Okayyyy. Leo was destined to be a bit unusual.
When he turned six and entered first grade, Leo began multiplying out to the thousands, in his head. When he turned 6 1/2, he picked up a Harry Potter book, and finished it within two weeks. But his eyes...what was going on in there? His eyeballs didn't move in tandem, and when he'd watch t.v., he'd hold his head sort of sideways and glance out of the sides of his eyeballs, not straight-on like the rest of us.
Last week, Leo had eye surgery again. The doctor cut right through the white part of his eyeballs, detached the mucles, repositioned the eyeballs, and re-attached the muscles. He was a good sport, and brought his blankies and doll into surgery with him. Everything went seemingly well.
Yesterday, Leo's dad Mark said, "Leo, look at me. How many of me do you see?" "I see one of you Dad, but I'm only looking out of one eye." (Leo used to see double.) Mark said, "No Leo, you're using both eyes, and you're looking at me straight-on. That's the way your vision is supposed to work."
Hurray for Leo!
Leo will begin a gifted & talented program in second grade. We're looking forward to what else the LORD has in store for Leo. I hope it includes more sound effects!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
"Danger, Will Robinson!"
I used to believe that people who weren't logical in their thoughts and actions were just "different", and I was grateful that I was not one of them, because I couldn't imagine how I'd get through my day, my semester, my career, my life without a logical sense of how I would proceed.
A few years ago I was speaking to "Bob", an intelligent man who was known for living an illogical life and suffering through mental challenges. Bob told me that he always knew what the logical choice was in a given situation, but long-term behavior patterns and thought processes compelled him to choose the illogical behaviors. That was a stunning moment for me; a lightbulb moment. I started to see logic as a function of mental stability, and I felt like I finally had the right frame of reference for illogical behavior.
Fast forward to 2008, when I kept reading things about Barack Obama which screamed "logic-alert! logic-alert!". So much of what he'd done publicly made no sense. Choices that a normal political candidate would never make, because it would look bad, thereby impeding on their ability to get elected. He launched his political career in the home of famous unrepentant American terrorists. He sat in a church pew, year after year, listening to racist, hate-filled sermons, which distorted biblical Christianity. Even if he had never studied the bible, thereby not realizing the distortion in the sermons, surely the political candidate within him would have realized, "this would be bad for my career if it got out that I listen to racist, hate-filled sermons". And still, he sat there. He sat in the legislature and voted "present", over and over again. Surely he would have realized that the electorate expected him to have an opinion?! And then, when he finally had the big opportunity to vote "present" in an attempt to hide his disdain for aborted born-alive infants, he voted AGAINST protecting them, thereby revealing to the whole world that he was willing to kill perfectly good children.
The list of illogical moments and public denials of facts is seemingly unending. Who lives like this? Mentally ill people live like this. I was raised by a person like this. She had borderline personality disorder. She wasn't a sad, unfortunate woman. She was evil and vindictive and superior and destructive. And when I think of our President, I think of my mother.
* * * *
I just thought of this at 4:00 AM. Barack Obama grew up Muslim, pretty much memorizing the Q'uran, because that's what Muslim children do. And what did he learn? Well, the Q'uran teaches Muslims why, how and when to be violent to their children, their wives, their neighbors, and to infidels (non-Muslims). The Q'uran itemizes which races are inferior, specifically referring to some groups of people as swine and monkeys. He was immersed in that for a minimum of several decades, because we know that even in college, his two freshmen roomates were Pakistanis. In 1981, he travelled to Pakistan to visit their families, to a place where U.S. citizens weren't allowed to go, so he must have had a very strong motivation to go there, and he must have had close Middle-Eastern friends with the money to sponsor that trip.
Then at some point, he switched to "Christianity". Except it wasn't any normal, biblical type of Christianity. It was a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing brand of Christianity, in which hostility was taught in the name of Christ.
And all the while, he remained close with his original Pakistani roommates, because they worked on the part of his Presidential campaign which accepted foreign internet contributions. (Widely reported on the Internet w/names included.)
It's possible that Barack Obama has never been exposed to any religion that teaches love or peace or industry or the Golden Rule. Perhaps when he hears of such a thing, he scoffs with sarcasm and disbelief. Maybe he sat through Jeremiah Wright's sermons for all those years because he TRULY DIDN'T KNOW that most of us consider it appalling that anyone would immerse themselves in hateful teachings.
Another fascinating potential aspect of the psychology of our President.
A few years ago I was speaking to "Bob", an intelligent man who was known for living an illogical life and suffering through mental challenges. Bob told me that he always knew what the logical choice was in a given situation, but long-term behavior patterns and thought processes compelled him to choose the illogical behaviors. That was a stunning moment for me; a lightbulb moment. I started to see logic as a function of mental stability, and I felt like I finally had the right frame of reference for illogical behavior.
Fast forward to 2008, when I kept reading things about Barack Obama which screamed "logic-alert! logic-alert!". So much of what he'd done publicly made no sense. Choices that a normal political candidate would never make, because it would look bad, thereby impeding on their ability to get elected. He launched his political career in the home of famous unrepentant American terrorists. He sat in a church pew, year after year, listening to racist, hate-filled sermons, which distorted biblical Christianity. Even if he had never studied the bible, thereby not realizing the distortion in the sermons, surely the political candidate within him would have realized, "this would be bad for my career if it got out that I listen to racist, hate-filled sermons". And still, he sat there. He sat in the legislature and voted "present", over and over again. Surely he would have realized that the electorate expected him to have an opinion?! And then, when he finally had the big opportunity to vote "present" in an attempt to hide his disdain for aborted born-alive infants, he voted AGAINST protecting them, thereby revealing to the whole world that he was willing to kill perfectly good children.
The list of illogical moments and public denials of facts is seemingly unending. Who lives like this? Mentally ill people live like this. I was raised by a person like this. She had borderline personality disorder. She wasn't a sad, unfortunate woman. She was evil and vindictive and superior and destructive. And when I think of our President, I think of my mother.
* * * *
I just thought of this at 4:00 AM. Barack Obama grew up Muslim, pretty much memorizing the Q'uran, because that's what Muslim children do. And what did he learn? Well, the Q'uran teaches Muslims why, how and when to be violent to their children, their wives, their neighbors, and to infidels (non-Muslims). The Q'uran itemizes which races are inferior, specifically referring to some groups of people as swine and monkeys. He was immersed in that for a minimum of several decades, because we know that even in college, his two freshmen roomates were Pakistanis. In 1981, he travelled to Pakistan to visit their families, to a place where U.S. citizens weren't allowed to go, so he must have had a very strong motivation to go there, and he must have had close Middle-Eastern friends with the money to sponsor that trip.
Then at some point, he switched to "Christianity". Except it wasn't any normal, biblical type of Christianity. It was a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing brand of Christianity, in which hostility was taught in the name of Christ.
And all the while, he remained close with his original Pakistani roommates, because they worked on the part of his Presidential campaign which accepted foreign internet contributions. (Widely reported on the Internet w/names included.)
It's possible that Barack Obama has never been exposed to any religion that teaches love or peace or industry or the Golden Rule. Perhaps when he hears of such a thing, he scoffs with sarcasm and disbelief. Maybe he sat through Jeremiah Wright's sermons for all those years because he TRULY DIDN'T KNOW that most of us consider it appalling that anyone would immerse themselves in hateful teachings.
Another fascinating potential aspect of the psychology of our President.
Lemon Bars
Crust: 1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups flour
Filling: 4 medium or 3 large eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 tbsp. flour, juice from 1 1/2 - 2 lemons
To make the crust: Melt the butter. Add the flour and sugar to make a dough. Press into the bottom of a greased 9-by-13 inch pan. Bake 20 minutes until slightly brown at 350 degrees.
To make the filling: Whisk all the ingredients together and pour over cooked crust. Bake about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Do not overbake. Bars will firm up as they cool.
(This recipe originally came from a restaurant called Pasta Pasta Pasta in Colorado, and was printed in the newspaper in the 1990's. It's okay to use a different size pan.)
* * * *
What's the point of eating baked goods? THE TASTE. The calories will be the same, whether you use cheap ingredients or quality ingredients, but the taste ratchets up significantly when you use quality ingredients. I always use unsalted Challenge butter, organic eggs, and real lemons.
If you're one of those people who uses cheap ingredients, it's time to kick that habit when you bake. These are the best lemon bars you will ever eat, IF you use good ingredients.
If you love this recipe, then send me an email begging me for my lemon cookie recipe.
Filling: 4 medium or 3 large eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 tbsp. flour, juice from 1 1/2 - 2 lemons
To make the crust: Melt the butter. Add the flour and sugar to make a dough. Press into the bottom of a greased 9-by-13 inch pan. Bake 20 minutes until slightly brown at 350 degrees.
To make the filling: Whisk all the ingredients together and pour over cooked crust. Bake about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Do not overbake. Bars will firm up as they cool.
(This recipe originally came from a restaurant called Pasta Pasta Pasta in Colorado, and was printed in the newspaper in the 1990's. It's okay to use a different size pan.)
* * * *
What's the point of eating baked goods? THE TASTE. The calories will be the same, whether you use cheap ingredients or quality ingredients, but the taste ratchets up significantly when you use quality ingredients. I always use unsalted Challenge butter, organic eggs, and real lemons.
If you're one of those people who uses cheap ingredients, it's time to kick that habit when you bake. These are the best lemon bars you will ever eat, IF you use good ingredients.
If you love this recipe, then send me an email begging me for my lemon cookie recipe.
H.R. 45: Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009
May 1 update: This bill looks dead in committee; NRA no longer very concerned; will monitor the bill's death. Thank you for your activism!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Congress is now starting on the firearms confiscation bill. If it passes, gun owners will become criminals if you don't fully comply. Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:
1. It is registered
2. You are fingerprinted
3. You supply a current Driver's License
4. You supply your Social Security #
5. You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing
6. Each update/change of ownership through private/public sale must be reported & costs $25.
Failure to do so: you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail. This is just a "termite" approach to complete confiscation of guns and disarming of our society to the point we have no defense: chip away a little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone realizes it.
Action Steps, in order of importance and effectiveness:
1. Call your U.S. Representative and ask him/her to oppose the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121, and you can google their office info, too.
2. Call the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security and ask them to oppose the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121, and you can google their office info, too.
Committee members include Democrats: Rep. Robert Scott, Chairman, VA; Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico; Jerrold Nadler, NY; Zoe Lofgren, CA; Sheila Jackson Lee, TX; Maxine Waters, CA; Steve Cohen, TN; Anthony Weiner, NY; Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL. (These are Congressmen.)
Republicans: Rep. Louie Gohmert, TX; Ted Poe, TX; Bob Goodlatte, VA; Dan Lungren, CA; Randy Forbes, VA and Tom Rooney FL. (These are Congressmen.)
3. Give this information to people you know who are conservative voters, hunters, current & ex-military, and patriots. None of these people will be offended by receiving a political alert about guns. Think big -- forward this to people in other states. It's their country too!
4. Find a local gun shop or shooting range in your phone book. Send them this info. Ask them to give a copy to all clients, and forward it to their client email list.
5. If you’re brave, forward this info to others you know, such as relatives, parents from school, neighbors, friends from church, co-workers, and people in your book club, bunco & bridge groups.
This legislation will take a while to work its way through Congress. It’s not happening tomorrow, so you have time to print this out and contact one or two legislators each day. You can keep track of the bill’s progress at this website:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45 .
Thank you all for your efforts. We’ve made quite a bit of progress via public outcry lately, including in-state tuition for illegal aliens in CO (killed), HR 669 (killed) and the raiding of Pinnacol Assurance in CO (averted). Please stay on top of your activism, and find more voters who are willing to get involved. If you don't know what to do with those voters, provide them with a link to this website.
Blessings to you all!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Congress is now starting on the firearms confiscation bill. If it passes, gun owners will become criminals if you don't fully comply. Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:
1. It is registered
2. You are fingerprinted
3. You supply a current Driver's License
4. You supply your Social Security #
5. You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing
6. Each update/change of ownership through private/public sale must be reported & costs $25.
Failure to do so: you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail. This is just a "termite" approach to complete confiscation of guns and disarming of our society to the point we have no defense: chip away a little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone realizes it.
Action Steps, in order of importance and effectiveness:
1. Call your U.S. Representative and ask him/her to oppose the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121, and you can google their office info, too.
2. Call the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security and ask them to oppose the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009. U.S. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121, and you can google their office info, too.
Committee members include Democrats: Rep. Robert Scott, Chairman, VA; Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico; Jerrold Nadler, NY; Zoe Lofgren, CA; Sheila Jackson Lee, TX; Maxine Waters, CA; Steve Cohen, TN; Anthony Weiner, NY; Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL. (These are Congressmen.)
Republicans: Rep. Louie Gohmert, TX; Ted Poe, TX; Bob Goodlatte, VA; Dan Lungren, CA; Randy Forbes, VA and Tom Rooney FL. (These are Congressmen.)
3. Give this information to people you know who are conservative voters, hunters, current & ex-military, and patriots. None of these people will be offended by receiving a political alert about guns. Think big -- forward this to people in other states. It's their country too!
4. Find a local gun shop or shooting range in your phone book. Send them this info. Ask them to give a copy to all clients, and forward it to their client email list.
5. If you’re brave, forward this info to others you know, such as relatives, parents from school, neighbors, friends from church, co-workers, and people in your book club, bunco & bridge groups.
This legislation will take a while to work its way through Congress. It’s not happening tomorrow, so you have time to print this out and contact one or two legislators each day. You can keep track of the bill’s progress at this website:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45 .
Thank you all for your efforts. We’ve made quite a bit of progress via public outcry lately, including in-state tuition for illegal aliens in CO (killed), HR 669 (killed) and the raiding of Pinnacol Assurance in CO (averted). Please stay on top of your activism, and find more voters who are willing to get involved. If you don't know what to do with those voters, provide them with a link to this website.
Blessings to you all!
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