Yeah, Right, Whatever

(h/t to Kat) There are a lot of rotten things going on in this world. And then there are people who just help you see that there is still love and hope to be seen, if you just look.

The Elder Hoyt was once asked why he didn't compete on his own, because he would probably be world-ranked.

His response? "What would I do with my arms?"

It's that time of year again. Time for everyone to dig into their wallets and help a worthy cause.

Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, provides voice-controlled laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at home or in military hospitals. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse. The experience of CPT Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered severe hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important this voice-controlled software can be to a wounded servicemember's recovery.

There is some inter-service fun going on, with teams from each branch competing to see who raises the most money. If you want to donate in the name of a particular branch, click here, and then click on the team leader of the branch of your choice. I don't really care which team you donate for... just donate.

Last evening, Senator John F. Kerry (D- Massachusetts) (he served in Vietnam, dontcha know?) made this statement at a fundraiser at Pasadena City College:

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." (click to see video of his remarks)

He claims it was a botched attempt at a joke aimed at President Bush. Most other people say it's a pathetic slam on the men and women of the US Armed Forces who have and are currently serving in Iraq.

There is this little part of me- the nice, see-the-good-in-everyone part of me- that wants to believe Senator Kerry, to believe that he was just poking fun at W and would never say anything disparaging about our soldiers in harm's way. Then I remembered something.

This is John Kerry we're talking about. This is the man who testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations about war crimes that he and other soldiers supposedly committed in Vietnam. He had no proof, no evidence. He took every opportunity he had to drag down the good names of honorable men who fought a war no one liked.

It's just like him to say horrible things about the military (the military that I'm sure he only joined because it would look good on a political resumé). It's just like him (and other libs) to think that only dumb hicks voluntarily join the military.

You know what was funny? When confronted by his own words, he didn't do the honorable thing and say, "I was poking fun at the President, and it came out wrong. I'm sorry if I offended any of our service members by by comment." Instead, he said that it was the Administration who should apologize to the military. He just couldn't let an opportunity to dis the most hated Republican around one more time.

Is anyone going to buy what he was selling in today's press conference? The DU and the Moron.org gangs have already drank the Kool-aid, so they'll believe anything he says. "Moderate" Democrats? Maybe not so much. The DNC needs to be very careful, or their rhetoric will drive away those they need if they really want to "fix what's broken" in our country.

Is anyone outside of the loyal opposition going to believe it was just a botched joke? I kinda doubt it. He was just saying what he thinks.

No offense to Bob Barker, but... I didn't realize The Price Is Right was still taping shows. According to Fox News Radio (I haven't been able to find a link yet), Mr. Barker will be announcing his retirement later today.

Wow. He's almost 83 years old, and he's still going strong. Happy retirement, Bob!!!!

I wasn't going to post about the Michael J. Fox political ad or the Rush Limbaugh bruhaha or the intense comment thread at the Rott about it or... or... but, here I am...

First, the facts.

• MJF made commercials in favor of several Democratic candidates- Claire McCaskill (Missouri), Ben Cardin (Maryland)and someone from New Jersey. In it, he asserts that the Republican candidates (Jim Talent and Michael Steele) oppose stem cell research and/or want to criminalize it. (Side note- the only one of those candidates to vote against stem cell research wasn't it Talent or Steele- it was Ben Cardin of Maryland.)
  
• Rush Limbaugh comments on the text of the commercials (pointing out the factual errors) and then commented that, having seen MJF on television recently, MJF's symptoms seemed much worse, as if he was off of his medication or acting. He did not mock or make fun of MJF at any time.
  
• The MSM latched onto Limbaugh's one comment like a hungry pit bull mauling a roast.
  
• MJF has admitted (in interviews and in his book) that he would go off of his meds when speaking to certain groups in order to bring the horrors of the disease to the forefront. (In all honesty, I do not know if MJF was exhibiting symptoms brought on by acute dyskinesia brought on my a dosage change in his medication or by Tardive dyskinesia, which is caused by long-term exposure to certain meds. He may or may not have manipulated his symptoms in this case.)
  
• There is an ammendment on the Missouri ballot that would legalize cloning (but is called "somatic cell nuclear transfer" and would only outlaw cloning that "allowed a child produced to live"). It is titled "The Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative" because it would actually legalize cloning in order to harvest the embryonic stem cells.
  
• Adult stem cell research has been going on for several decades, and has developed over 70 medical treatments. Embryonic stem cells have only been researched for a short time (I've seen 1998 as a start date, but I've also heard researchers talk about "researching ESCs for over 20 years, so I'm not sure on that), and has had no significant breakthroughs so far (oh... except for the fact that they can lead to tumors).
  
• As of right now, the only hope for ESC research is through federal funding, because private funding won't touch it (because [private funders want results, and they view ESC as a wrong path, from a monetary standpoint).
  

Did I forget anything?

Now that those peky facts are out of the way... I'm against ESC, not only because they have to kill babies to get the stem cells (no, I don't really give a rat's rump if it's "just a blastocyst"- I believe it's a person as soon as Mr. Sperm meets Miss Egg, and the two become one... one baby), but because there are other, more ethical AND more beneficial avenues to explore (Adult stem cells and cord blood stem cells). That being said, I'm in favor of using the current stem cell lines in research (damage been done already.) I'm against using Federal money for research of any kind that isn't related to national security because it's not the government's job. I'm against cloning because I'm pretty sure that God knew what He was doing when He decided to make us all different, or else I'd look like (insert your version of the most beautiful woman in the world here). I'm also against cloning for harvest because you can't really get around that whole baby thing.

There- now on to the bruhaha.

Michael J. Fox was wrong on several levels. He used his disease to promote a series of lies and halftruths. He manipulated his symptoms (several times) to garner sympathy. He misled the viewing public about candidates' stands, vote, and plans. He has a right to voice his opinion, but he does not have the right to a free pass and avoid scrutiny just because he's ravaged by a horrible disease.

Some people claim that "Rush should have known better" than to "pick on MJF." That's just wrong. HE knew what would happen, and he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. MJF misled people, and he deserved to be given the once-over. (By the way, Rush wasn't the only one to give MJF's commercials the once over. Here is the opinion of a medical doctor.)

It's no surprise that the MSM jumped on this. They have a long-standing dislike of Rush, and they'll jump at any chance to make conservatives look like mean ogres. They (the pundits in the MSM, the LLL, and, yeah, the so-called objective journalists) can't debate on the merits of their argument... there are no merits. So let's just smear the other side, ok?

Will all of this sway the elections? Maybe, maybe not. Or maybe not in the way the DNC had planned. That's my particular hope.

Capt. Lyle L. Gordon
30 years old from Midlothian, Texas
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
January 26, 2005


Ever since Marine Capt. Lyle Gordon was a kid growing up in the small North Texas town of Midlothian, he had dreams of flying high and fast.

As a thrill-seeking youngster, he must have watched the 1980s fighter pilot movie “Top Gun” hundreds of times, his mother, Mary Gordon, recalls.

“‘I’m gonna fly, I’m gonna fly,’” she said. “That’s all he ever wanted.”

Most recently, Gordon had visions of one day blending his loves of flying and animals by owning a horse ranch. There, his piloting skills would come in handy, as he could fly high above his sprawling dream ranch while getting a bird’s-eye view of his herd.

The Texas A&M University graduate was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on January 26, 2005. Gordon was one of 31 service members who died when a CH-53E Super Stallion went down in a sandstorm near Ar Rutbah.

Gordon’s family said Friday they take comfort in knowing he was fulfilling his dream of serving as a pilot in the military. Finding the good in any situation is a lesson they learned from him.

“He was always happy no matter what,” Mary Gordon said. “He could find something to laugh about in almost any situation.”

Gordon graduated from Midlothian High School in 1993 and earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M in December 1999.

He had always wanted to attend the university and was proud to be a member of Corps of Cadets Company E-2, the outfit in charge of caring for A&M’s canine mascot, Reveille.

“He said, ‘If I’m not in E-2, then I’m not in the Corps,’” his mother said. “That’s the kind of person he was. He had a direction. He knew exactly what he wanted. He didn’t care if anyone followed him. He was going to do it.”

Before going to Officer Candidates School, Gordon made one last trip to the Bryan-College Station area to say goodbye to old college buddies. It was then that he met his wife-to-be, Kaci Yates, Class of ’00. The two corresponded through letters before getting married 2002.

While in Iraq at Christmastime, Gordon helped deliver more than 100 packages to soldiers. People in his hometown had gathered to make care packages, which then were sent to Gordon. He, in return, dispersed them to soldiers who lacked much correspondence from home.

“He was always getting some package from us, but he also knew there were a lot of boys over there that never heard from anyone,” Mary Gordon said. “He just wanted to bring some joy to them.”

Gordon’s time overseas was nearing an end. He was due to return home in March, his mother said.

“But instead he went to his final home,” she said. “We are blessed that he wasn’t sent home an invalid with a body he couldn’t use and an angry young man. We feel that God blessed us by that.”
These brave men and women have given their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by clicking here.

Blogs Participating In Wednesday Hero
Yankee Mom
Bear Creek Ledger
Mail Call! Supporting The Troops
Yeah, Right, Whatever
CrosSwords
Gazing At The Flag
Hooah Wife & Friends
Right-Wing & Right Minded

The Cards are headed to Detroit to meet the Tigers in the World Series. Yes, I know the odds of them winning are almost nil, and the Tiggers will probably eat them for dinner in 4 straight. Tonight, I just don't care!!! My Cards are going to the Series!!!!!!

Not to take anything away from Jeff Suppan's NL MVP or anything, I just have one thing to say.

Hey, Dad... what did you think of Yadie's homer?


Sorry, Dad... look at it this way... you have at least 4 more games in which to gripe at him. Right?

Last month, the world was shocked when Steve Irwin was killed. Not by a crocodile, not by a venomous snake, but by a stingray- one of the most passive sea creatures out there. Sure, they'll stick up their barb if they feel threatened, but they almost never kill. As far as I know, Irwin's death was only the eighteenth confirmed "death by stingray."

And then, this:

A stingray jumped into the boat of an 81-year-old Florida man and stabbed him in the chest, leaving its long barb stuck in him, authorities said.

Authorities are calling this a "freak accident." Ya think?

The man is now in critical condition after undergoing open heart surgery to remove the barb. Because of his excellent health, it is hopeful that he will make a full recovery.

You know, the way things are going, I see a new a television special opportunity for Fox (or Spike... or some enterprising network): "When Stingrays Go Bad". Or maybe "Stingrays Gone Wild."

So... the US is evil incarnate, and the US pollutes more than anyone else in the universe, and the US should change all of its policies because we're destroying our planet single-handedly. Did I get all that right?

Then explain this:

The Top 10 most polluted places for 2006, in alphabetical order by country:

Linfen, China, where residents say they literally choke on coal dust in the evenings, exemplifies many Chinese cities;

Haina, Dominican Republic, has severe lead contamination because of lead battery recycling, a problem common throughout poorer countries

Ranipet, India, where leather tanning wastes contaminate groundwater with hexavalent chromium, made famous by Erin Brockovich, resulting in water that apparently stings like an insect bite

Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzstan, home to nearly 2 million cubic meters of radioactive mining waste that threatens the entire Ferghana valley, one of the most fertile and densely populated areas in Central Asia that also experiences high rates of seismic activity;

La Oroya, Peru, where the metal processing plant, owned by the Missouri-based Doe Run Corporation, leads to toxic emissions of lead;

Dzerzinsk, Russia, one of the country's principal chemical weapons manufacturing sites until the end of the Cold War

Norilsk, Russia, which houses the world's largest heavy metals smelting complex;

Rudnaya Pristan, Russia, where lead contamination resulted in child blood lead levels eight to 20 times maximum allowable U.S. levels;

Chernobyl, Ukraine, infamous site of a nuclear meltdown 20 years ago;

Kabwe, Zambia, where child blood levels of lead are five to 10 times the allowable EPA maximum

But, never fear. I'm sure they'll find a way to blame us. It doesn't matter than technological and economic advancements lead to less pollution. It does matter that vile Big Business has helped clean up a lot of the pollution around here. It's still our fault. You'll see.

Why in the world would you put a shrimp on a treadmill?????

According to a website (and promptly poo-pooed by Homeland Security, the FBI, the Commissioner of the NFL, and Barney Fife) there will be a dirty bomb attack at 7 NFL stadiums this weekend. The "target" games (with the guesstimated Environmentalist Wacko Picks ala Rush Limbaugh thrown in) are:

• Jags @ Texans (12:00 CST) (EWP- Jags)
  
• Steelers @ Falcons (12:00 CST) (EWP- Falcons)
  
• Packers @ Dolphins (12:00 CST) (EWP- Dolphins)
  
• Broncos @ Browns (12:00 CST) (EWP- Broncos)
  
• Lions @ Jets (12:00 CST) (EWP- Lions)
• Vikings @ Seahawks (3:15 CST) (EWP- Seahawks)
  
• Cardinals @ Raiders (3:15 CST) (EWP- Cards)

Now, of course, the Envoronmentalist Wacko Picks are thrown totally out the window if the jihadis decide to toss some radioactivity into the air.

Let's look logically at this for a moment. (I know, logic and jihadis don't mix... work with me here.) First of all, I'm sure most major stadiums have extra safeguards in place just in case- probably for the past 5 years or so, if I had to guess. Next, dirty bombs would make a big pile of yuck in the stadium, but not much else... it's not like they're actually setting off a nuke. Finally, all of the games aren't at the same time. Do you honestly think that if bombs start going off during the noon games that Roger Goodell (or Homeland Security, or the FBI, or Barney Fife) would let the 3:15 games go on?

I'm not overly worried about this. Then again, I don't have tickets to any of the games this weekend.

A lot of conservatives say they're going to sit out this election, or that they're going to not vote GOP because "they don't stand for our conservative ideals." Yeah, well...

Watch this:

Do you really want Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House and Charlie Rangel as head of the Ways and Means Committee? (In case you haven't heard, Rep. Rangel has stated that he couldn't think of a single Bush tax cut that doesn't need to be repealed.) Do you really want President Bush under investigation and most likely impeached? Think about it.

Now, hold you nose and vote, dangit. (h/t to Linda)

My beloved laptop is in the shop (again). Yes, I just got it back this week. No, I'm not happy about it. The good news is that it's not the same problem. The bad news is that this is the same problem that put it in the shop back in June.

Yes, I'm a spoiled brat. I don't like sitting at a desktop for a long time. Bad for the back, dontcha know... (it is... really... )

Army Staff Sgt. Tanisha Denton(Left), Staff Sgt. Stacy McGill(Center) and Senior Airman Armando Pena(Behind) assist Senior Airman Brett Batson(Right) in transporting a wounded Soldier from a helicopter into the Balad Air Base, Iraq, hospital Oct. 1.
These brave men and women risk their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by clicking here.

Blogs Participating In Wednesday Hero
Yankee Mom
Bear Creek Ledger
Mail Call! Supporting The Troops
Yeah, Right, Whatever
Hooah Wife & Friends
Right-Wing & Right Minded

Everyone's heard that Bible verse, right? And, when we hear it, we nod our heads, agreeing with the sentiment. But... in reality... would we do it? Would we really put ourselves- our bodies, our lives- on the line, knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that we would die, but that, with our death, friends might be saved? Would you? Could you? If it was really all that easy to love that strongly, we wouldn't tear up and sit in awe when we hear stories about men- heroes- like PO2 Michael Monsoor.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor had been near the only door to the rooftop structure Sept. 29 when the grenade hit him in the chest and bounced to the floor, said four SEALs who spoke to The Associated Press this week on condition of anonymity because their work requires their identities to remain secret.

"He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it," said a 28-year-old lieutenant who sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that day. "He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs' lives, and we owe him."

Petty Officer Monsoor was already a hero before that day- he was awarded the Silver Star (posthumously) for helping pull a fellow SEAL to safety during a fire fight last May. And, when it came down to it, he just did what he had to do. He loved his team enough surrender his life so that the rest might live. It was just who he was, I guess.

I wasn't sure what to write about him. I never knew him. I never knew OF him until I saw the article about his sacrifice. But, then again, I didn't know Kyle or Mark either. I just know they need to be remembered. Their stories need to be told. The story of each and every soldier, sailor, airman and marine who has died for this country needs to be told by someone, somewhere. Not because they would say they deserve a tribute- far from it. They would tell you that it was nothing special... they were just doing their jobs. But what they did was so much more than "just doing their jobs."

By choosing to put on the uniform, they made a statement. It's a subtle statement, missed by many. If you'd ask, many of them would have just rolled their eyes. But think about it. By putting on the uniforms of the United States Armed Services, they said, "I love you."

They said "I love you" to our country.

They said "I love you" to their fellow service members.

And they said "I love you" to each and every one of us.

Think about it. Just for a moment. And then say a prayer for those who are still in the fight.

To Petty Officer Monsoor's family, I offered my thoughts and prayers.

There is a hymn that is often called "The Navy Hymn," Eternal Father, Strong to Save. It is a beautiful song, and quite fitting.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

(Alternate verse)
And when at length her course is run,
Her work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that in her sailed
Let not one life in Thee have failed;
But hear from Heaven our sailor’s cry,
And grant eternal life on high!

Fair winds and following seas, Petty Officer. Fair winds and following seas.

Mom sent me this fable. Makes you think.

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap-- alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

In honor of the US Navy's 231st anniversary, I'd like to present a few of our finest sailors who obviously had WAY too much time on their hands.

Like I said... at least they're having fun, right?

Here are your reading assignments for the morning:

• Would you like fries with that?
  
• Murtha says that Republicans spend all of their time "name calling". His response to it? "Screw them."
  
• The Dems are taking credit for the economy. Delusional much?
  
• Indigenous people from two different countries tell Chavez where he can put his oil. (if you want to help the Aleuts, there's info here.)
  
• When did President Bush start channeling Clinton Kelly?
  
• President Clinton pulls a Kerry. (The waffle quote: "The Democratic Party has become the liberal and conservative party in America." um... uh... huh?)
  
• My sister's new employer needs to work on something like this, or I may never become a convert.
  
• You know... my birthday and Christmas are both coming up soon... if anyone needs any gift ideas... (aw, come on! It's for charity!)
  
• It's because of global warming. I just know it.
  
• Worms don't like ranch dressing. Who knew?
• uh... good luck with that, Doc.
  
• So... decaf isn't quite as decaf as everyone thought? I thought we knew that already.
  
• I'm tellin' ya... this is how the Toasters got started.
  
• Mother Sheehan announced that she was a "finalist" for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Nevermind that there are no "finalists"- only nominees, and the names of the nominees are not released for FIFTY years after the nomination.)
• Disney is a little upset over a... um... goofy video. (yes, I've seen the video... it's stupid.)
  
• Oh, darn. What's that saying about hanging with the big dogs? Face it, Al. You are not, nor have you ever been, Rush.
  
• Flags of Our Fathers comes to theaters soon. I don't have a good feeling about this.
  
• Happy Birthday to the Navy!
  
• Are the Dems sure they really want to go here? Cleaning out closets is a two-way street, you know.
  
• OK... I'm confused... is W a Bible-thumping Jesus Freak or isn't he?
  
• Dingy Harry auditions for Flip This House.
  
• This week has seen several sad anniversaries.
  
• Here's yet another reason why homeschooling keeps looking better and better.
  

OK... that's it... for now...

That would be a form of triskaidekaphobia. Here's more info on it.

Yeah... yeah... I'll come up with something more substantive later...

I'm not the biggest Ann Coulter fan. I mean, she's a very good writer, and I agree with her positions on just about everything. I'm just not a fan of her delivery during live interviews. (It was pointed out to me that she's almost always the smartest person in the room, and she doesn't suffer fools gladly. That is true.) I haven't read Godless:The Church of Liberalism yet, but I'm planning on it. Like I said- she's a good writer.

All that said... we knew someone on the L³ was going to write a "rebuttal" of some sort, right? Susan Estrich has offered up Soulless: Ann Coulter and the Right Wing Church of Hate. Since I haven't read the book (yet... I might... you never know)... I can only talk about 2 things- the title, and the cover of the book. As for the title, I'll just paraphrase Brad Stine here- "I don't hate nobody. That's one thing about Christianity- you're not allowed to hate. I want to hate, but I can't."
Then there's the cover of the book. I'll put up a side by side comparison to Godless and see if you can see any similarities.

uh... um... Susan... hon... what were you thinking? Granted, this is far from your worst photo, but... Ann's nine years your junior... and looks a bit more than that.

Yeah, I know it's a shallow and petty point to make. But, then again, so is completely ripping off the cover of someone else's book and then trying to convince everyone that there is serious subject matter inside the cover.

And I just can't seem to get this out of my mind. (h't to Six Meat Buffet for the pic link)

For the past few days, the local weather gurus have been telling us that there's a "cold front" coming in and that Fall is officially here.

So... the forcast for the next few days? Highs around 80, lows in the 60s or 70s. Then again, the low this morning was an luke warm 53 degrees. Oh, no! Where's my parka? Where are my mittens? I can't find my scarf!

:sigh: I miss snow.

Here is a map showing how people refer to that carbonated sugary beverage that doctors keep telling us we need to cut back on:

So... this is an interesting survey, if for no other reason than it shows the concept of local dialects within a common language. On the other hand, who finances these kinds of studies? Please tell me this isn't my tax dollars at work. (and... um... what exactly were the "other" responses?)

Mike Gallagher has offered the fine folks of Westboro Baptist Church $500,000 worth of radio air time on his show if they wouldn't go to the funerals of the Amish girls. They took him up on the offer.

Mike, I know it's going to turn your stomach tomorrow to listen to their... tripe, but... thanks for doing it.

I'm trying really hard not to throw things right now. Why? Fred's at it again, and this time, he's gone above and beyond his usual anti-Christian behavior.

A Kansas-based group that says "God hates fags" plans to picket the funerals of the Amish girls killed by a disturbed man in Lancaster County, Pa.

...The Westboro group says the Amish school girls were "killed by a madman in punishment for Gov. Ed Rendell's blasphemous sins against Westboro Baptist Church.

"Gov. Ed Rendell -- speaking and acting in his official capacity to bind the State of Pennsylvania -- slandered and mocked and ridiculed and condemned Westboro Baptist Church on national Fox TV," the group says on its website.

"Rendell also revealed a conspiracy to employ the State's police powers to destroy WBC in order to silence WBC's Gospel message. Co-conspirators identified by Rendell included state officials, citizens, lawyers, legislators and media," the website says.

Westboro Baptist Church said it is "continuing to pray for even worse punishment upon Pennsylvania."

You know, Fred... it isn't all about you.

I need to calm down before I say anything else about this.

Here are some of the things that go through my mind at 3am when most normal people are sound asleep:

• What happened in your past may shape who you are, but it doesn't excuse vile behavior.
• Blaming anything and everything else doesn't help much either. (or does being an "alcoholic" gay man change everything... you know, it just might for some people.)
  
• Fear of repeating past transgressions does not give you permission to murder little kids... the one bullet (through your mouth) would have sufficed.
• There is only so much house cleaning and closet-cleaning-outing that can be done in the middle of the night with a bad back. Or with a good back, for that matter.
  
• If several media outlets (never known for their tact or for their tendency to squash a story, no matter who gets hurt in the process) pass on a story, it probably means that they didn't think it was much of a story (probably because they didn't have all of the gross, disgusting, sick, perverted, vile, reprehensible details yet.) (No, I'm not excusing the behavior of the sicko... I'm saying that not as many people knew all of the details than certain very vocal people want you to think)
• At least he resigned (unlike other people we could name).
• Sometimes the 40DD upgrades come in handy.
  
• Sometimes people wear their sin as a badge of honor, so that everyone will tell them it's ok, that they really didn't do anything wrong, and that they're courageous for coming forward. In a world of no moral absolutes, what do you expect?
  
• It's all Bush's fault... right?
  
• Running the coffee grinder in the middle of the night annoys the pets and can wake up the kids.
  
• Clowns are evil... and now I have proof.
  
• According to the "experts", the Cards are acting like the team I've come to know and love, not the JV squad they were leading up to the playoffs. (Yeah, they may crash and burn... but I love my Cards... )
  
• Haynesworth is a tad lighter in the wallet, seemingly contrite, and on a five-week vacation. Can't say I'd want to be him when the suspension's over. I get this sneaking suspicion there will be some dirty play against him... and I don't think I have much of a problem with that.
  
• There's not much on tv at 3am except Texas Hold'em, Queer Eye reruns, and infomercials. Radio's not much better, unless you're a Coast to Coast fan.

OK... where's my pillow? I'm going to try this "sleep" thing I keep hearing about.

Well, it's been a week since the lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy. Yeah, I haven't been posting much the past week, but unless I want to talk about school shootings or the start of the baseball playoffs or pedophile Congressmen, there just isn't much out there right now.

So, first things first- the computer is going in for emergency surgery tomorrow (bad hard drive). Fortunately, it's still under warranty, so the only out-of-pocket expense is inconvenience and not money.

Next, a post-procedure report on my back. It's still there... it still lets me know it's there. I don't remember a whole lot of the procedure, thanks to the wonders of modern pharmacology. I DO remember saying "ow" a lot, but that's about it. The next couple of days, I didn't notice much difference between the pain pre- and post-procedure, but I'm figuring it out now. The dull aches and muscle spasms are the pre-stuff... the sharp, stabby pain is the nerve being destroyed. (yup... that's how the insurance company labled it - "destruction of paravertebral nerves"... lovely, eh?) The sharp, stabby pains are slowly getting fewer and fewer, and the other pain isn't there ALL the time. We're down to somewhere between over half and most. That's an improvement as of late. I go back on Tuesday for a post-procedure pow-wow with the pain doctor to see what's next (if this worked, not a dang thing except an MRI later in the year). So, more to come.

The other thing around here is... I went shoe shopping. Not just any shoes, mind you. These are... special. Since I picked them up, I've had people stare at my feet, and I've had people laugh at my feet. My shoes have been called "Tigger", "Go Go Gadget Shoes", "Mrs. Gadget's High Heels", "what Agent 99 would wear on a date with Max" and "The Robo Shoe." When my mom saw a photo of them (because I thought she might want a pair), her response was "no, no, no" and "Oh... my... Gawd." Want to see 'em?

What do you think? The coil in the heel takes some of the impact pressure off of my lower back (which needs all the help it can get). It's custom fit to my foot, so no, you can't borrow them. They're kind of funky to walk in at first, but I'm getting used to them. If they really can help my back, then they will be well worth the price (thanks, Dad!)

So... that's it. The computer is going in for the HD transplant, so blogging the next few days will be pretty light. I guess I could always get on the boys' computer... yeah... that's what I'll do...