Shiny Object

I was shocked yesterday when I read that Obama was going to allowing drilling off the coast of the Atlantic and the Gulf as part of his energy policy. The Dept. of the Interior will begin to study these coastal areas. Tracts deemed suitable will be put up for bid, though not before 2012.

Green energy enthusiasts and environmental gurus have been hamstringing domestic oil and gas exploration for years. Something smells fishy here. My first instinct is to ask why is the government studying the tracts. Do we need more government jobs? Shouldn't this be done by the companies interested in leasing the tracts? My next reaction is 2012. Presidential elections. You don't really expect any tracts to be leased do you? And if you were an oil company, would you risk the expense of leasing these waters? The folks in Washington have oh-so much-credibility. There's a bridge in NY I'd like to sell you.

So what's really going on here?

Don't surprised to see the president sign an executive order giving the EPA the power to regulate carbon dioxide. In January, the EPA concluded that CO2 endangers health by causing global warming and therefore can be regulated by the EPA under the Clean Air Act. That's right, exhaling is hazardous to your health.

Keep an eye on the move to regulate fishing and US waterways. Obama plans to implement this federal power-grab with another dictatorial executive order. Ironically, this legislation (I should say order since once again, congress is being bypassed) could be used to further regulate offshore drilling.

Mark my words, lifting the ban on drilling is a distraction. They have no intention of any drilling ever getting done. The EPA will be able to tie it up in regulation for years. Even if we actually start drilling, we don't have the capacity to refine any more crude. Time will tell which of their schemes they are trying to distract the American people from this time.

Can I Just Have Sugar, Please

Yesterday at the grocery store, my son asked for bran flakes. Not Lucky Charms, not Fruity Pebbles, bran flakes. A good choice right? I thought so until I inspected the ingredients and found that every brand of bran flakes contained High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). The same was the case with the yogurt. I had to look at 4 brands before I found a yogurt with just plain sugar.

I'm not as bad an ingredient snob as some people. I don't believe that vegetarian or organic is the way to go. We eat treats in moderation and I'm not afraid to buy the kids a Happy Meal. But I do believe in making healthy choices when possible, choosing whole foods with ingredients I recognize and avoiding processed foods.

The Corn Refiners Association has been putting out commercials telling us that HFCS is just like sugar, but studies show otherwise. A controversial Princeton Study on rats concluded, "When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight." There is also speculation that HFCS is metabolized differently, leading to more belly fat, higher levels of triglycerides and an increased risk of diabetes.

Last year, a study posted in Environmental Health found that half of the HFCS samples tested contained mercury. Low level mercury exposure has been linked to learning disorders. I don't know what is true, but why take chances when you can just choose sugar which has a track record longer than 40 years?

Charity Does Not Come at the Barrel of a Gun

Redistribution of wealth is not charity! Politicians on the Left seem to forget that. Or perhaps they know it, but forcing someone else to pay eases their consciences (if they have them) for not contributing personally. Between 2000 and 2004, Barack and Michelle Obama made approximately $1.2 million. They gave less than 1% of it to charity. They stepped up their giving to 6.5% in 2008. I'd guess because people look more closely at the president. Though Joe Biden must have missed that message. He gave a whopping $1885, or 0.69% of his income to charity that year. Contrast that with the Cheney's who gave 78% of their income to charity in 2005. Yes, I typed that right.

Conservatives, it seems, are more likely to give than their liberal neighbors. I guess the liberal belief that it's government's job to level the playing field and create fairness for all abdicates them from any personal responsibility. That and it's always easier to spend someone else's money. They have this Robin Hood "Steal from the Rich, Give to the Poor" mentality. (This does a disservice to Robin Hood, who "stole" tax money back from the rich landowners who were starving their serfs to death. It seems Robin was returning to the poor that which was stolen from them, but I digress.)

The Obama's have traded radical Rev. Jeremiah Wright in for a new spiritual advisor, Jim Wallis. In a 2006 interview Wallis was asked, "Are you then calling for the redistribution of wealth in society?". He replied, "Absolutely, without any hesitation. That’s what the Gospel is all about." Methinks Rev. Wallis needs to reread the Gospel.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:8-10

Last time I checked, God said, "Thou shalt not steal". Forcibly taking property from one person and giving it to another is not charity, it is theft. Calling it redistribution or social justice does not change that.

In wrapping this up, I'd like to point out the law of unintended consequences. Charitable giving was down in 2008 and again in 2009. With less money in our pockets and more uncertainty about our futures, Americans give less. But that's what they want, isn't it? To put the government in charge of all "charity" and "giving". Why else would this administration seek to limit the income tax deduction for charitable contributions?

When Did Men Become Irrelevant?

As Bob got older, he realized Dad's advice just wasn't cutting it.
"Dad, where do I get a change of address form."
"Just stick your new address under your pillow, Robert, and the Change of Address Fairy will leave the proper form."

This Public Service Announcement for FirstGov.gov is just one of many commercials, PSA's and TV shows we are bombarded with each day that makes men look like useless, blubbering idiots. We have become a society that attacks and belittles males. A goal of the progressives has been to make sons as different from their fathers as possible and unfortunately for all of us, they are succeeding.

As the mother of two boys, I will be the first to tell you that they are completely different creatures than girls. But instead of accepting and celebrating those differences, boys are forced to act more like girls. When that doesn't work, they are diagnosed as having Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and prescribed Ritalin. I think they added the "H" a couple years ago just to make the condition sound more severe; it was ADD when I was growing up.

I, for one, am convinced that all boys are ADHD to some degree and if all boys have ADHD, is it even a disorder? If it is, it is over-diagnosed. Boys can be more difficult. They don't sit still for long periods of time. They can be louder and more boisterous than girls. Instead of accepting and working with their maleness, teachers find it disruptive and seek to drug the "problem".

I just read a study that said 10-12% of adolescent boys in the US are on Ritalin and the US consumes 80% of Ritalin sold in the world. In researching for this post, I found some scary facts about Ritalin.

-After 3 years on the drug, children are, on average, 1 inch shorter and 4.4 pounds lighter than their peers.
-A study funded by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute of Mental Health shows that children taking Ritalin or other stimulant drugs for ADHD are several times as likely to suffer sudden, unexplained death as children who are not taking such drugs.
-Ritalin may cause long-term changes in the brain. The brains of rats given Ritalin showed the same type of changes seen the the brains of cocaine and amphetamine.

To further handicap boys, schools are doing away with recess and PE. Boys can't even blow off their energy when they get home from school. Teachers are assigning more homework than ever in an effort to be tough on education. Top that off with the fact that the distance from home a child can roam, play and explore has severely decreased in the last 50 years and it's little wonder our boys are hyperactive!

More and more children are being raised in households with no father present. (Interestingly, children of two-parent families are less likely to be prescribed Ritalin.) I believe this can largely be attributed to "Great Society" programs (see the PSA at the top of this post. The government knows better than Dad, don't you know.). 27% of American children live in single parent households. In 2004, 64% of black children lived in a single parent households. Most of these households are headed by women.

Our society canonizes the single mom. They are practically heroes, but in truth, being a single mother is probably the best way to ensure your children do worse in school, take drugs and end up in jail. Children of single mothers are twice as likely to drop out of school and 2.5 times as likely to become teenage mothers.

So boys are drugged to act more like girls; fathers, when they are present, are portrayed as buffoons; when they aren't present, it's okay, they are only irrelevant sperm donors. What's next? How about, for the first time ever, there are more women in the workplace than men. Feminists have won. The traditionally male role of breadwinner has been reversed. Ironically, women are more unhappy than ever.

Think kids don't need dads? Here's a great clip that shows just how much daddy means to a child. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svTTxC_LbzA

It's time we stop demonizing and belittling men. It's time we acknowledge and respect their place in society and raise our sons to be real men!

Palm Sunday

The Triumphal Entry

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

They replied, "The Lord needs it."

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Luke 19:28-40

Chicken Mama

There are chickens living on my sun porch and it's fantastic! Raising chickens is something I've wanted to do for a few years. I'd done all the research on breeds and had settled on Barred Rocks. As it so often is with children, the best laid plans usually don't work out.

My sons and I stopped in at the local feed store after seeing their "We have chicks!" sign out front. They didn't have any Plymouth Rocks, but said they would order some. I called back the following week and the employee had no information on any poultry order. I was disappointed but determined.

My mom had seen an ad for Tractor Supply's Chick Week, so I loaded the kids in the car check it out. To my dismay, there were no Rocks only "mixed pullets". I apologized to my very disappointed children and told them we'd just have to wait a few more days. Somewhere between the bin of chicks and the door, I had a change of heart and said, "Boy's, let's just do it."


So now, instead of a flock of gorgeous Barred Rocks, we have a flock of mutts. Who am I kidding? The mutts suit us more anyway.

What I had not counted on when I got these birds is just how much they would enrich our lives. It has been a joy to watch my sons love on and care for these birds. It has been a source of endless humor to watch our cat, Trevor, lick his chops as he stares at the birds through the french door. I have loved watching them grow and enjoy their quiet chirping when I sit on the porch to read. And one day soon, our feathered ladies will provide fresh eggs for my family.

They may not be Barred Rocks, but we like them and they are sure to be the tamest flock on the block.

P.O.P.

Gail Ellen's comment on the voting bloc post reminded me of this. One of Jeff's coworkers sent it to him and it's worth sharing.

*Not Democrat, Not Republican, Not Independent.*

*It's called the "PISSED OFF PARTY" (or POP).*
*This party is dedicated to vote every incumbent out of office in the next elections.*
*If you're Democrat, vote Democrat. Just don't vote for the incumbent.*
*If you're Republican, vote Republican. Just don't vote for the incumbent.*
*We need to send a message to all politicians, that we're tired of their B.S.*
*If the country votes out all the incumbents, the new incoming politicians will get the message..*
*It's pretty simple. Nobody needs to change parties and lets face it, there's plenty of blame to spread around.*
*A few good politicians will lose their job but they probably have better retirement and insurance then 95% of the American public.*
*You've had to struggle for the last 5 years. Some of you have lost your job and may be working in some other sector just to feed your family.*
*I guarantee you, none of them will suffer like this country has.*
*If you like whats going on and think this is a bad idea, delete this.*
*But if you're fed up and think this is a good idea, then pass this E-mail on.*
*If you really think this has legs, then a website and a blog could help get the word out.*
*To All 535 voting members of the Legislature; it is now official
you are ALL corrupt morons:*
*a.. The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.*
*b.. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.*
*c.. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.*
*d.. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and
transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.*
*e.. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.*
*f.. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.*
*g.. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than
ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.*
*You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our
throats while overspending our tax dollars.*
*AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM? *
*IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NEED FOR GOOD HEALTH CARE, IT'S ABOUT TRUSTING THE
GOVERNMENT TO RUN IT!*
*Folks, keep this circulating. It is very well stated. *

I disagree with a couple of things in here. Namely the section "If you're Democrat, vote Democrat. Just don't vote for the incumbent." Not a single republican voted for the health care bill. Many pro-choice Democrats were against it until they were bribed or threatened to vote for it. But the point is, they voted for it. Vote Democrat at your own risk.

Warm Fuzzies

Tim reminds me that this blog needs some more warm fuzzies, so here are some new pictures of our chickens.

This is my favorite, Maggie. The boys change the others' names daily.

We've Ticked Off 70% of the Country - We Need More Voters!

According to Rasmussen, 70% of Americans are angry at the Federal Government's policies. Congress' approval is hovering in the teens, 55% of Americans favor repealing the Health Care Bill and only 26% believe that the country is headed in the right direction.

So our Liberal Congress and the Obama Administration have successfully alienated 70% of the country. How then are they going to maintain their power.

Never fear! They have a plan. Actually, be very, very afraid. The majority of voters disapprove? That's fine. There's no reason to actually listen to the people, represent them and respect their wishes - just get new voters!

The first group they have their sights set on is illegal aliens. With healthcare still hot on the minds of an angry public, they are seeking citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal aliens. This was a hot topic several years ago with the majority of Americans opposed to the idea. Most believed then that illegals are a strain on our economy, that immigration status should be checked at routine traffic stops and that controlling the border is more important than legalizing aliens. How's that fence coming along anyway, Janet?

Twelve million may not be quite enough, so how about voting rights for convicted felons? Those poor, misunderstood people are disenfranchised and we need to seek to re-enfranchise them. (I wasn't aware that re-enfranchise was a word either, but I found it used several times here and had to throw it in http://www.projectvote.org/felon-voting.html). I guess we need to restore their right to own and carry firearms too. Disenfranchisement is so bad for mental health, this is practically preventative medicine. Just think of the health care savings!

We're almost to a majority now, just a few more votes should do it. Oh, oh, how about students and young adults? Get the kids young and shape their malleable little minds. Why else would the health care bill contain a provision that puts the government in charge of student loans. The policies of the last fifty-plus years have taken mom out of the house and put children into schools and daycare for more hours each week than they spend with their parents. I can personally attest to the fact that you have to practically sign over the rights to your child when you enroll him in public school.

In wrapping up this post, I feel like I need to provide some sage advice or action plan. Unfortunately, I don't have any. The best thing I can offer is pray for our country and protect the hearts and minds of your children. Teach them the truth about God, our founding fathers and our constitution.

I found all my polling and opinion data at Rasmussenreports.com and Gallup.com.

America Left

I was driving home from my aunt's this evening and was flipping through XM radio. I stumbled upon America Left and paused for a bit just to see what they were saying.

The host was Mark Something-or-Other, I didn't quite catch the name. This was about 7:45 edt if anyone actually cares to look it up. He had a caller who identified himself as a democrat, but a small business owner with some more conservative views when it comes to business.

The caller asked the host what they, meaning the democrats, had to gain by the Bush tax cuts expiring and said he didn't understand why the host and his groupies were excited about it. To this the host replied, "That will be more income." Period. Long pause.

If it hadn't been for the seatbelt, I would have fallen out of my chair. The host actually believes that increased taxes will lead to more income. I'm not sure if he meant for the people or for the government, but does that matter? Neither would be true.

The caller began to quote figures he'd found on the government's own reports that showed that tax revenues went up after the tax cuts. The host became agitated and began talking over the caller and telling the caller that he didn't know what he was talking about.

The host had no factual argument whatsoever to support his claims and when he couldn't win on principle he resorted to name calling and ultimately hung up on the protesting caller while moving on to a discussion with his staff on how the Bush tax cuts caused the current deficit.

I can't tell you what happened next. At this point, I'd heard enough to reaffirm my own views and changed the channel.

Fear and Intimidation

In my first post on this blog, I cited my being a private person as a reason it has taken me so long to start speaking out. That is only half the story. The other half has to do with fear and intimidation.

Thugs in our government have effectively silenced the people through fear and intimidation. We are afraid of being labeled racist if we speak out against Affirmative Action or Amnesty for illegal aliens. We hate the poor if we are against Universal Healthcare or think welfare, Medicaid and Social Security need to be reformed. If we own guns, we are labeled extremist wackos.

Beyond namecalling, we are afraid of being harassed by the IRS and other government agencies for simply stating what we believe especially if those beliefs happen to be in opposition to those in power.

Am I afraid of being audited? Yes. Not because we have anything to hide, we pay plenty each year to have our taxes professionally prepared, but because our tax code is designed to be ambiguous. Five different IRS experts could look at the same section and come up with five different explanations as to its meaning. I believe this is intentional. I've heard some talk show hosts mention paying more than they could possibly owe just to avoid any doubt whatsoever. That seems like a tax on free speech to me.

Now we find that the IRS is charged with enforcing this new healthcare legislation. The IRS will come after you with fines for failing to buy health insurance deemed appropriate by the government. I will save the topic of the constitutionality of the federal government requiring citizens to purchase a product for another post.

This is not the first time the federal government has put the IRS in charge of something that would seem to fall outside its "jurisdiction". The IRS was the first agency charged with enforcing Prohibition. Gangster Al Capone was not arrested for his myriad violent crimes; he was busted for tax evasion.

Good old Prohibition. Another Progressive idea. The enlightened know what is best for all of us commoners after all. How did that one work out? Prohibition created a black-market with a web of organized crime to feed the (ironically) increased demand for alcohol. Beer, America's beverage of choice, was replaced with distilled spirits which had far less water and was therefore easier to transport. Diagnoses of liver cirrhosis increased.

Salt and transfats are on the Progressive Hit List now. Think of it, a black-market for Krispy Kreme's and the IRS charged with sniffing out the donut lovers.

I invited my dear husband to preview this post when it was half written. With a stern look on his face he made one of those manly grunts of disgust. Not aimed toward me or my writing, but to the fact that he felt the same fear and intimidation. This whole blog is stepping out a little too much for his comfort. He then said that it makes him wonder when They will single us out - pull him over on the freeway over this one day. Is this really what has happened to free speech in America?

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Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. -Ephesians 6:10-13

Here Chicky Chicky...

Meet our little ladies. Jeff suspects two are roosters but I'll believe that when I see it.

It's Not the Ant's Job to Pay for the Grasshopper

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"

"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

Are They Simply Ignorant or Evil?

In the aftermath of the federal hijacking of 1/6 of the economy in the name of healthcare reform, I have to wonder about the people who are happy about it. It seems to me that these people fall into two groups, the ignorant or the evil.

Single payer healthcare is a failure in every county where is has been tried. British, Canadians and people from around the world come to the US for care in staggering numbers.

The US is on the cutting edge of medical technology. Have you ever watched Discovery Health? Where do people around the world turn to have life threatening tumors that no other doctor will touch removed? Where do parents turn to have their dangerously conjoined twins separated? Where do they turn to have rare diseases diagnosed and treated? Overwhelmingly, it is to doctors in the United States.

This legislation threatens that. It will lead to fewer doctors and even fewer really excellent doctors. Who is going to study that long at such a huge expense without the probability of a large salary at the end of the tunnel? This will lead to rationing. With fewer practitioners and a greater demand ("free" care will create a greater demand), I see no logical way that these needs will be met. Which means they won't. Care will be reserved for those who are of more use to society, ie those who will pay more taxes. Sorry Grandma.

And yet, I still run across people who are excited about "Historic Healthcare Reform". Perhaps these people failed to look past the surface of this issue. Sure it sounds good for everyone to have "free" healthcare but in reality it's not possible. When did Americans start thinking of the government as a parent? Perhaps their own parents failed to prepare them for the big bad world if they think they need someone or something to take care of them and provide for them.

Those who view the federal government as a benevolent force could not be more wrong. Our founding fathers knew that a large federal government would lead to corruption and the enslavement of the people and went to great lengths to limit its powers. What may look benevolent now will certainly change over time or under the wrong leadership. Hugo Chavez comes to mind.

So that leads me to the evil and this is the one I have the hardest time with. There are people in this country, even worse, people high up in our government who know the promises of universal healthcare are a lie. They know that this will bankrupt the country, they know that this will limit care and reduce the quality of care, they know that this will take away freedom and that is exactly what they want!

It is hard for me to conceive of people wanting to destroy this country. Who honestly thinks that he knows what is best for his neighbor? Isn't it stealing to forcibly take something from one person to give it to someone else? What kind of thirst for power that leads people grab it at any cost. We need only look through history to see that those people do exist and I'm afraid a lot of them are hanging around Washington.

Posterity

"Posterity! You will never know how much it cost my Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it." John Adams

This past Saturday, Jeff took us to the rodeo in little ol' Butler Georgia. When the National Anthem was sung, I felt the familiar swell of pride for our country until the vocalist came to the last line.
"O say does that star spangled banner yet wave, o'r the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

I started sobbing. Jeff looked at me as if I had lost my mind, but right then it hit me that the answer was a resounding "No". I never thought I'd see the day when America was no longer the land of the free, but that day has come.

As a very private person, the idea of blogging has never been entirely appealing, but I have reached a point where I just need to express all these thoughts that go through my head each day.

I would go on now, but the chickens need tending, the garden needs tilling and the dishes aren't washing themselves. More to come....