Happy New Year! Yes, it has been a while since my last post. Time flies and I was determined to have a nice Christmas, not to mention I haven't felt much like writing and I have been spending quite a bit of time on Facebook--- truly addictive... If you are on Facebook and know my real identity-- look for me or drop me a note.... email is located on my profile.
2009 is now behind us- it has been a very sad year... on many fronts... the most cruel has been to watch someone I love dearly self destruct---- Prayers for him and his family and his extended family are requested---- the wake of destruction is felt by everyone in his path... His cruel and selfish behavior is beyond any kind of sickness of the mind... The cruelty he has exhibited is self serving and self indulgent and his lack of concern for his own children and family is beyond my comprehension.
Politically we are in the crapper... Have Americans had enough yet? Is it too late? Are grass roots efforts going to be enough? Or are we at a crossroads as a nation? So much to absorb--- so much to watch--- Do you see what has been happening internationally? The trajectory is frightening...
Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, "The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself."
This morning I was flipping through Youtube... I watched many viral videos from 2009.... I hope you see the same thing I see when reviewed collectively... Let me know your thoughts... Here are a few:
It can be argued that this sort of exhibit in church is not appropriate... however, Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 reminds us that, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance..."
And of course this.... Les Miserables.... Susan Boyle... so fitting and so wonderful on so many levels...
One of my all time favorite movies is Frank Capra's, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It would be beneficial to all those in government to watch it and remember that doing the right thing does matter.
Ramble:
For the past several Sundays I have pointed out my dissatisfaction and grave concern over the direction our country has been headed for a very long time. I know I am not alone in my concern. I love this country with all my heart. This land has been blessed and we are witness to the land we love disintegrating before our very eyes. Is this it? Is this the end of our Camelot? Are dark days ahead? Oh dearest God, I pray no.
Many of the Right Wing Extremists (I'm a card carrying member) have discussed and have become more vocal about term limits for Congress. I do not agree with this effort. I believe our Founding Fathers got everything else right... this is right too.
If we were to go to term limits who will step up and run for office? Remember, there still are some honorable, decent men and women serving their constituents-- they would have to abide by term limits as well. Again I ask... with term limits, who will step up and run for office? Are We the People willing to put our private lives on hold to serve? This is a simple question that does not have a simple answer, but does need to be addressed if we as a nation should go to term limits.
Podcast of the week: Kate Obenshain: America—The Greatest Nation on Earth Young America's Foundation - running time 31:58. "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." An excellent reminder of why this country has been blessed
Ramble:
Friday night my niece spent the night with us. Man-- she is one really cool kid. Sweet, painfully shy, but incredibly observant of the world around her, she is the future of this country and I feel horrible a million... uh billion.... no.. a trillion different ways. She and her Dad and her Obasan went to the Cincinnati Zoo. Terry reconnected with an old friend and had a "behind the scenes" tour of the zoo. I wish I could have taken the day off from work to go, but alas... staying employed is kind of critical these days. In any event, here are a couple of photos Kamae took. The polar bear pic-- which is my favorite was taken by my niece. The other is a picture of Kamae standing in front of a baby Okapi. She also had the opportunity to feed and pet a manatee, rhinoceros and got to hang out with penguins... now that is a good day.
A bad day is when I read that my Representative Jeff Davis voted to impose an additional tax on certain TARP recipients.... (AIG) ok... first don't even go there with TARP--- but no taxes... means no taxes... I love the indignation of the likes of Charles Rangle.... Who does he think he is fooling? Good Grief! A bill like this can (and will) be a slippery slope to tax others...I like that... "We the Government do not like this bonus you are receiving... therefore we will tax it by 90... 95... 99... ok ok 100%!! Sucks to be you... Have a nice day you moronic little piece of dung idiot citizen who keeps getting up and going to work."
A nice little email will be going out today.
Jean Schmidt, Representative for Ohio also voted in favor... She really ticked me off-- she was at the Cincinnati Tea Party last Sunday... GRRRRRRR....
If you want to see how your representative voted, go a here... Also, here is a link to GPO Access. Here you can find Bills that the 111th Congress has in front of them..
Please listen to the podcast... it is real important that we find strength in the Classics... you know the Bible, The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, The Gettysburg Address... Please take a few minutes to read them... We are in a weird place... But it is not yet the darkest of times.
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.
Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't just fight the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Most of us take these liberties so much for granted...We shouldn't.
Brief Biographies of the 56 Signers can be found here.
Mostly Sunny - Hi 69 Lo 51 for Baghdad, Iraq Partly Cloudy - Hi 63 Lo 45 for Qandahar, Afghanistan Scattered Showers - Hi 51 Lo 32 for Northern KY, USA
In honor of Ronald Reagan’s birthday, listen as the President participates in a Q&A session with reporters as he signs the Economic Recovery Act, the largest tax cut in American history. The bill was signed into law 27 years ago at his ranch, Rancho del Cielo, on August 13, 1981.
Ramble:
This past week was another bear. I missed a few days of work-- had some weirdo flu like crud. Thankfully, I think the worst of it has past. The snow has finally melted and I am ecstatic. I'm done with winter... but I said that last Sunday. In any event, mother nature is teasing us in the Cincinnati area with spring like conditions. I opened the door this morning and it smelled like spring... that subtle smell of decay and earth's soil regenerating ready to let daffodils and crocus bloom...
Since I was home this past week I pretty much watched C-Span2 and watched the Senate chat about the "Economic Stimulus Package". Senators Coburn, Graham, Thune, McCain, and McConnell spoke passionately against this garbage--- I'm disgusted although not surprised by Senators Collins and Specter... I continue to send them e-mail although the automated response from Senator Specter's office is the following:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me.
I receive a large volume of E-mails, phone calls, faxes and letters every week from concerned citizens like yourself. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of mail, I can only respond if you're a resident of Pennsylvania. If you need to find out who your U.S. Senator is please go to www.senate.gov.
And now when you try and send a note to Senator Collins you receive this little message:
The document you requested can not be found or is undergoing routine maintenance.
If this is an application error, the system administrator has been notified by email. If you would like more information, you may also submit a request to the system administrator at administrator@collins.senate.gov.
I have talked to the sweet kids in Senator Bunning's and Senator McConnell's offices and have asked them to deliver messages to Senator Collins and Senator Specter. They have kindly obliged... not sure if they are personally delivering the messages... but I'm doing my part.
I am really excited about an exhibit coming to the Cincinnati Art Museum. Surrealism and Beyond will run beginning February 15 through May 17. I anticipate large crowds as this will be the only stop in the United States for this exhibit from the Israel Museum.
The Cincinnati Art Museum will be the sole U.S. venue for an exhibition that features works by the greatest masters of Dada and Surrealist art, including Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Jean (Hans) Arp, Man Ray, Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Höch and Paul Delvaux. Surrealism and Beyond: In the Israel Museum, Jerusalem provides a comprehensive survey of Surrealist art from its roots in the beginnings of the Dada movement in 1916, through recent manifestations in international contemporary art.
So, Jimi and Myrna, if you are in town for a visit this spring, I would love to take you to see this exhibit.
All right.. I have a bunch of things to do... another cup of coffee and time to catch up on my favorite blogs...
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." - Patrick Henry
Bit by bit, piece by piece, little by little our unalienable Rights are being stolen...
Contact your Senators... tell them to do the right thing. Tell them to stand up against this so called Stimulus Package.... Tell them to stop the spending...
Find your Senators and drop them a note... Me? I have already contacted Sentator Bunning and Senator McConnell. I'm now working my way through the rest of the senate...
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
I am an independent, patriotic, conservative with a passion for fine art.
I'm devoted to my husband and all the things we find important- our time together, our family, our country.
I'm forever a pessimist, but doing my best to change that.
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