I Kid You Not

I heard this little piece of politically correct Americana on the radio while my dsl was down. Maybe that's why it made me so mad. See if it makes you mad, too.

It seems the city of Seattle has built free housing for alcoholics. You read that right; free, as in built by the taxpayer, housing for drunks! The complex cost $11,000,000 and has been nicknamed Drunk Dorms. And just how do you qualify to live in Drunk Dorms? You have to have been an alcoholic for 15 years and failed at rehab 6 times. That's all it takes to live at taxpayers' expense and continue to drink! That's right, you don't have to stop drinking once you get your free accomodations. I guess Seattle officials felt that requiring drunks to stop drinking in order to get free housing defeated the purpose of building free housing for drunks.

Someone please tell me what kind of a world are we living in??!! I've been working my butt off all these years for nothing. I could've quit working 15 years ago, married a bottle of Jack Daniels, and be living rent free today with JD still by my side. What kind of madness is this? What ever happened to the idea of personal responsibility?

There was a time, long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, when people were actually held accountable for their actions and suffered the consequences thereof. Oh yes, there was charity for the needy, but only the deserving needy: those who suffered through no fault of their own or who were willing to change their anti-social, self-destructive behavior. People who wouldn't change their behavior were left to reap what they had sown. Not anymore. Today, it's the height of pc compassion to aid people in the "safe" commission of self-destruction. And it's the depth of pc heartlessness to divide the poor into deserving and undeserving, or to pass judgment on their behavior. You're a Nazi if you even think of it.

And what does this pc compassion get us? Needle exchange programs, subsidized illegitimacy, generational helplessness, feminized poverty, and Drunk Dorms. I kid you not.

Back in Business!*

Hey friends! Just wanted to let you know that I got my dsl back on today, so I'll be posting regularly again. I sure did miss being a part of the blogging community. It feels so good to be back! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you will have a terrific new year. Happy blogging!

PoorGrrl

Christmas Was Great!*

Hi everyone! Christmas was great, even though it was the first one without Daddy. I thought it was going to be worse than it was because the whole month of December leading up to Christmas was a lot harder than the time leading up to Thanksgiving. Certain Christmas carols, and other songs, really got to me in the weeks before the holiday. The song, "Christmas Time Is Here", from that Charlie Brown Christmas show really made me sad. It's got a jazzy sound to it and every time I heard it on the radio I could see my Dad at his piano playing his jazz music. Like I said, it made me want to cry. But actual Christmas day was great. I spent the week-end with my Mom, and I actually got presents! My nephew's home from college, so that helped to make the day good, too. Well, I guess I'd better go. I still don't have dsl at home so I'm posting this from the library on my lunch break, and it's time to go back to work. Maybe next time I can post from home. Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas!

Sincerely,

PoorGrrl

Where Have I Been?*

Hello people! It's been almost a week since my last post. Sorry! Money is really tight right now, even with my new job, and my dsl connection is down at home. I'm posting this from my second home, the public library. I'm going to make a payment on my dsl when I leave here. I hope it'll be enough to get the connection back up. I do have a bit of good news: today I found $20!!!! I noticed it when I was pulling into the parking lot at Albertson's. I stopped at the first parking space I came to and got out of the car to get the bill. I thought it was only a dollar, and even that would've been great, but when I picked it up it was a twenty!!!! I feel bad for the person who lost it but for me, it was an answer to prayer. Also, my new boss threw a killer Christmas party at her house last night. There was great food, great music, lots of laughs, and an auction for different gift baskets. I got the gift basket with a kiddie 35mm camera, a Disney hot chocolate set, a Mancala game, and some bath fizzies(not really sure what they are). We used angel bucks, not real money, to bid on the baskets. I think it was really sweet of my boss to buy the baskets so we, the employees, could "buy" them without real money. That was some Christmas spirit! Well, gotta go now. You only get an hour on the 'net at the library. Hopefully my next post will be from my own computer. Merry Christmas everyone!

PoorGrrl

"It Is the Soldier"

In anticipation of Thank a Soldier Week, I'm reprinting the awesome, straight-to-the-heart patriotic poem, "It Is the Soldier", by American soldier Charles Michael Province. Afterwards comes a brilliant quote by Ulysses S. Grant on the true nature of "peace activists". Though he spoke his words over a hundred years ago, their meaning for today is crystal clear.

"It Is the Soldier"

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag
Who serves beneath the flag
And whose coffin is draped by the flag
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

by Charles Michael Province, US Army


"Experience proves that the man who obstructs a war in which his nation is engaged, no matter whether right or wrong, occupies no enviable place in life or history. Better for him, individually, to advocate 'war, pestilence, and famine,' than to act as an obstructionist to a war already begun. The history of the defeated rebel will be honorable hereafter, compared with that of the Northern man who aided him by conspiring against his government while protected by it. The most favorable posthumous history the stay-at-home traitor can hope for is--oblivion."

Ulysses S. Grant, on Northern anti-war activists during the Civil War

Brrrrr!!!*

Well, I'm home today, at least for a while. We got an artic blast in this part of Texas yesterday, and it's continuing today and on through tomorrow morning. Most schools are closed, but the day care center I'm now working at is open. However, my car was really acting funny while I was letting it warm up, so I decided not to chance driving it to work. I wasn't scared of icy roads. I can see the street from my back door, and cars are zipping by pretty good. Besides, the streets were suprisingly dry when I drove home yesterday even though we got a good dusting of sleet/freezing rain. I chose not to go to work because I don't have any money to pay for a tow truck if my car breaks down. I called my assistant director, and she said there weren't a lot of kids any way, so I should stay home and if I'm needed, she'll come pick me up. So now I'm in limbo. I seriously doubt if I get called in to work but you never know.

I don't understand why the center chose to be open today anyway. It was certain yesterday that most, if not all, schools would close. Most parents would opt to stay home with their kids. They're not stupid. Why take your child to day care when the schools have decided the roads are too hazardous to have class? I wouldn't risk it even if the schools were open. Like I said, the roads I take to work were pretty clear yesterday and appear to still be so today. But I don't know about all the side streets. Residential streets aren't top priority for the sanding trucks. But even if those roads are clear you have the bridges and overpasses to deal with. If I had to cross a bridge and/or overpass to get my kid to day care on a day like today, I wouldn't do it. I believe in what my brother's captain told him, like your job, love your family. If you end up wrapped around a telephone pole, you're not doing your family any good. And your boss won't declare you a hero and rush to pay all your medical and car repair bills. You probably won't even have a job when you get out of the hospital. Still, there are always those people who think that they just HAVE to go to work. Well, I'm not one of them. They can have the icy streets and freezing winds. Me, I'm going to have a cup of hot chocolate. Hmmmmm!

Thank a Soldier Week

Hello people. Sorry I've been away for three days. The job's taking up my time like I knew it would plus, I've started a second blog called God and Me where I'll be writing about my love/hate relationship with the Deity. I've only written two posts on it so far, but it's taking up a lot of the thinking time that normally would've gone to PGZ. Check it out, if you want, at http://divinemusings.blogspot.com and tell me what you think. Now down to business.

While surfing the net a few days ago, I came across this website: www.thankasoldierweek.com. It's a site that provides different ways to thank a soldier during the week of Dec.19-25. I'm asking everyone who drops by my blog to please take the time to visit this site and thank a soldier. Also, spread the word through your own blogs, word of mouth, e-mail, etc. Our soldiers are fighting and dying for us. It's time we showed them a little appreciation. We, the American people, need to let them know that there are folks back home who think they're doing something more than "dying for nothing", as certain people who get all the media limelight like to say. So stop by the website, get the info, and show our troops that there are Americans who really support them.

Thanks, and God bless!

Pompous Windbag Tells it LIke it Is

Below is a post on the "Christian peacemakers" kidnapped in Iraq by their Islamic extremists friends, written by someone who speaks the truth better than I can. Thank you, Pompous!

Peacnik Group CPT Blames Bush And Blair For Iraq Hostage Abductions

You know, I thought I had heard it all but now along comes the CPT and their insane attack on Pres. Bush and Prime Minister Blair. CPT is a leftist human rights group that goes into lethal environments to spread the message of peace and love. www.cpt.org is their website. Here is a quote from said website concerning the terrorist abduction of their workers: "BAGHDAD: We were very saddened to see the images of our loved ones on Al Jazeera television recently. We were disturbed by seeing the video and believe that repeated showing of it will endanger the lives of our friends. We are deeply disturbed by their abduction. We pray that those who hold them will be merciful and that they will be released soon. We want so much to see their faces in our home again, and we want them to know how much we love them, how much we miss them, and how anxious and concerned we are by what is happening to them. We are angry because what has happened to our teammates is the result of the actions of the U.S. and U.K. governments due to the illegal attack on Iraq and the continuing occupation and oppression of its people. Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has worked for the rights of Iraqi prisoners who have been illegally detained and abused by the U.S. government. We were the first people to publicly denounce the torture of Iraqi people at the hands of U.S. forces, long before the western media admitted what was happening at Abu Ghraib. We are some of the few internationals left in Iraq who are telling the truth about what is happening to the Iraqi people We hope that we can continue to do this work and we pray for the speedy release of our beloved teammates."Ok...so let me get this straight. You idiots go into a war zone, try to undermine the mission of the military forces there, stir up the populace against the military and now you want to BLAME the leaders of said military for your abduction? What the hell are you smoking? Did Cindy Sheehan send you some of her righteous "bud"?What is with these groups? They jump in front of soldiers and tanks, they let detainees know how to get in touch with human rights groups..blah, blah, blah. Where in the hell was the CPT when Saddam was torturing and killing his own people? Are they marching around Iran and Syrian to give a peaceful alternative to suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks? Did they let the people of Cambodia know about Amnesty International when Pol Pot was running the show? Of course not. These Marxist nincompoops are all about peace and love when it suits their agenda. They are anti-war when it meets their needs. Screw them. You play with fire, you will get burned. These terrorists are not like the US and British military. You can't flip them the bird and yell at them like you do our soldiers and expect no reprisal. They don't care about you idiots. They are religious zealots and want you DEAD. Can you not understand that? Peace and non-violence are not the way to deal with them. They understand one thing. Extreme Violence. They are just like Al Capone...so here is how to deal with Al Qaeda courtesy of Sean Connery in the great movie "The Untouchables"..."You wanna get Capone? Here's how you get him. He pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue! That's the Chicago way! And that's how you get Capone!" Substitute al-Zarqawi for Capone and the quote says it all.

It's Merry Christmas, Dammit!

Well, we're four weeks away from Christmas and the anti-Christmas/Christian bigots are out in force. All over this great land, founded by Christians, people are getting hammered for saying Merry Christmas or Christmas tree. Happy holidays and Holiday tree are now the pc greetings for the season, although those phrases will probably be axed soon, since "holiday" is a contraction of "holy day", and we can't have anyone suggesting that religion has anything to do with this holiday--oops!--I mean festive, season.

This is pathetic! I'm not a church goer, but I'm pissed at this blatant suppression and censoring of the religious heritage of this nation. Lets face it, Christians founded America. Muslims didn't; Jews didn't; Bhuddists didn't; pagans didn't; and atheists certainly didn't. Christians did! Christians wrote all our founding documents, from the Mayflower Compact to the Constitution and all subsequent documents. Christianity provided the worldview which produced the Founding Fathers' political philosophy. Christian pastors, known as the Black Regiment because of their black clerical garments, wrote the majority--about 80%--of the pro-revolutionary pamphlets during the Revolutionary War. In fact, the Black Regiment was so influential that one British member of parliament was prompted to say, "Cousin America has run off with a Presbertyrian parson." And if you're still not convinced of America's Christian heritage, consider this.

Look at a US map. From Providence, RI, to Los Angeles, CA, hundreds, if not thousands, of America's cities and towns bear Biblical and Christian-based names. Four state capitals: Santa Fe, NM; Salem, OR; St. Paul, MN; and Providence, RI, have Christian names. The name of one Texas city, Corpus Christi, actually means Body of Christ. Numerous (Jeru)Salems, Hebrons, and Bethlehems dot the American landscape. Saints abound: St. Paul, Santa Fe, San Francisco, San Antonio, Santa Cruz, San Fernando, San Jose, San Diego, San Angelo, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, and St. Petersburg to name a few. There's a Palestine, TX; a Trinidad (Trinity), CO; a Las Cruces (The Crosses) NM; and a Sacramento (Sacrament), CA. Need I go on? No! Any honest person will get the picture. America has a religious heritage, and that heritage is Christian.

But, the Christmas/Christian haters will whine, what about all the non-Christians in the US now? Shouldn't we be inclusive of them? Before you answer that question, recognize that it's a false question. Words like "inclusive", "diversity", and "multicultural" are increasingly becoming nothing more than euphemisms for anti-Christian. Think about it. What religion is always the one that's silenced, censored, or suppressed in the name of inclusion, diversity, or multiculturalism? Christianity! So when the diversity police come around, let them know you're on to them and you're not about to disown your own heritage to make any body else feel "included".

Non-Christians who come to this country need to understand what kind of a country they're entering. The burden is on them to accomodate themselves to our history, culture, and heritage. Christian Americans have no obligation to disown who they are or deny the supreme role they played in the creation of this nation. Recognizing this fact doesn't mean discriminating against non-Christians or denying them the freedom to practice their religion, or lack thereof. It does mean not asking Christians to submit to policies that would be instantly acknowledged as discriminatory if applied to non-Christians. And to those non-Christians who insist on being hypersensitive about anything Christian in the public square, I say, thank whatever god(s) you serve that America was founded by Christians who believed in religious freedom for all, for that's why you can live here as equals without subscribing to the dominant faith; I doubt that's the case in countries controlled by people who follow your religion.

Merry Christmas

I Got a Job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

I got a job!!!!!! Yep, I'm officially no longer one of the unemployed. For those just arriving at my blog, I was fired from my last job in August. I worked part-time for one of my best friends in her antique store until she couldn't afford to pay me anymore. Starting on Oct. 28, I was totally unemployed, no full or part-time job, until today! My new job is at a day care center, so I won't need to edit my profile where it says occupation. I'm starting out at $7 p/hr, which is pretty good for day care, and I start tomorrow. I'm so excited! I was getting really bored not having anything to do all day and, of course, I need the money. The only thing I regret is that having a job will cut down on the time I'll have for blogging. I'm thinking I'll just have to do most of my blogging in the early morning hours, since I don't have to be at work until 11am. The hours, 11am to 6:30pm, are the only things I don't like about the job itself, but I can handle it.

One more thing. I hate to ask, but if you can spare it, I really need my blogging friends to put a little something in my tip jar. Just because I have a job now doesn't mean I have money now. I have all of $15 to last me until I get my first check, and when I get that check it'll have to get immediately for rent, so I won't have anything left for electricity, food, etc. So if you can give anything, please do. It will be greatly appreciated. And while we're talking about money, has anyone used Google Adsense? I've been thinking about signing up for it since it's free, but I'm worried about how the ads will look on my blog--I don't want them taking up my link field--and I was wondering if it really works. I mean, no matter how pretty the ads might look on my template, they won't do me a bit of good if they don't make any money! Anyone out there who's used or is using Google Adsense, write a comment telling me how it's going. I want the bad info as well as the good; that's the only way I can make a wise decision.

Well, it's time for bed. Past time, actually. I just wanted to tell the blogosphere I'm a taxpayer again. And even though I've paid into the public trough, I'm proud to say that I never took any public assistance while I wasn't working. No food stamps, no rent help, no nothing! That's the essence of the conservatism I espouse. People, not government, should help people. Anyway, I really need to go to sleep. I have a big day tomorrow, and I don't want to be late!

How Ironic

I just read on Yahoo! News that four peace activists have been taken hostage in Iraq by a hither to unknown outfit calling itself The Swords of Righteousness Brigade. I know this sounds mean, but I almost find this funny.

The peace crowd would have you believe that the only bad guys in Iraq are Americans. For them, the insurgents are modern day Minutemen, as Michael Moore called them, fighting for their country's freedom (for the historically-challenged, the Minutemen were the good guys in the American Revolution, the Redcoats were the bad guys). So it'll be interesting to see how the peaceniks will spin the "good guys" kidnapping four of their own.

This is just too good. Don't misunderstand me. I wish no civilians in Iraq any harm, and I hope that the hostages are released safely. But these peaceniks need some kind of jolt to wake them up to the kind of people the insurgents really are. This kidnapping might just be that jolt. Not only did this Islamic group kidnap peace activists, but German peace activists, people whose country actively opposed the Iraq war. Evidently, such opposition isn't enough to make you a good guy in the eyes of the terrorists, even though it's the quickest way to become a good guy in the peaceniks' book. Well, it looks like the peace crowd will have to rethink just who are the Minutemen in Iraq, and who are the Redcoats. Lets hope and pray they're now smart enough to figure it out.

To Kill an American

Below is one of the most movingly patriotic pieces of writing I've seen in a loooooooong time, and it wasn't even written by an American! I found it on the Canadian blog North American Patriot, and am reprinting it here with permission. All you left-wing, Michael Moore types who think that patriotism is about spewing hate-filled "dissent" at your country, take a good, hard look at the article below. Maybe you'll learn what true patriotism is really all about. God bless America!

To Kill an American

To anyone who hasn't figured it out yet...yes, I am an American lover. Wanna know why? Well, it's all summed up pretty well in the words of a very wise Aussie...
Passed on by the great Nickie Goomba...
You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.So an Australian dentist wrote the following to let everyone know what an American is... so they would know when they found one. (Good on ya, mate!!!!)

An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek.An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan.An American may also be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim.In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need.When the Soviet army overran Afghanistan 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.Americans welcome the best, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best athletes. But they also welcome the least.The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America.Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. I've been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 other countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.So you can try to kill an American if you must.Hitler did.So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world.But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.Author unknown
Pass this around the World
...Happy to!

Welcome Back SweetP2!

Hi SweeP2! It was so nice to hear from you! I'm glad you had a nice Thanksgiving, and that you're still stopping by to check out my blog. Yes, I would like to chat with you, that's why I wrote the previous post to contact you, and your political views aren't kryptonite to me. I suspected you were left of center based on your support of gay marriage, but that didn't stop me from talking to you, did it? I'm surrounded by liberals, and I love them all. My family has pretty much the same views on the issues as you do, SweetP2. I'm the black sheep of the family, politically speaking. My uncle, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew are all ultraliberal, except when it comes to illegal aliens, but we all get along great. We have some lively debates from time to time, and that's how we learn to respect each other even if we disagree passionately with each others' opinions. So I have no problem chatting with you, SweetP2; in fact, I look forward to it. And I'd really like to see you blog. When you said you weren't a blogger, that is what surprised me! I was all ready to read The Skeptic2, and was crushed to find out it didn't exist. Get on the net girl, and let your opinions fly! You know you've got at least one reader waiting on you. So plug in and rant on, SweetP2. Blog, baby, blog!

Check ya later,

PoorGrrl

Paging Sweetp2!

Sweetp2! Come in Sweetp2! Hey Sweetp2, I'm looking for you. I enjoyed our little debate on the gay marriage thing and wanted to keep hearing from you, but you haven't shown up lately. What gives? Also, when I clicked on your blog, The Skeptic2, the url came back as "not found". Are you not on Blogger, Sweetp2? Please comment to this post and let me know what's going on. I'd really like to hear from you.

Sincerely,

PoorGrrl

A Good Thanksgiving*

Thanksgiving was great!

The holiday went much better than I expected considering that this is the first Thanksgiving without Daddy. I spent the night with Mom Wednesday. We had a good time watching "Mighty Joe Young" together. There were a few emotional scenes in the film, and I actually cried during one of them. That's one of the changes I've noticed in myself since Daddy died. I'm more emotional now, crying about things that I would've ignored or found silly before. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I definitely notice it.

Mom did better than I expected, too. She talked about Daddy a lot, almost to the point of getting on my nerves, but she didn't cry, and she had a great time at my sister's house where we went for dinner. I think what made the day easier for me, Mom, and Sis is that my nephew was home from college. His arrival gave us something happy to look forward to, which blunted the pain of Daddy's absence. In fact, I didn't even think about Daddy while I was at Sis's because I was enjoying being with my nephew so much. I also enjoyed all the other relatives who were there. Dinner was awesome with ham, two turkeys, loads of veggies, rolls and five desserts. If Daddy had been with us in the condition he was in last Thanksgiving, he couldn't have enjoyed the feast because his cancer had made it almost impossible for him to eat. He died two months and two weeks after last Thanksgiving.

Yes, this Thanksgiving was good. Daddy wasn't with us, but that's because he's in a better place, where not having a working stomach doesn't matter. Everyone else who was alive and well last holiday was alive and well this holiday. Even Foxy's doing better. And for that, I'm thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!*

I must confess. I hadn't planned on writing a Thanksgiving post. I don't know why, but I just hadn't planned on it. Then I got the nicest e-card from an old school friend of mine, and I got so emotional that I just had to write. The card was simple, but it really touched my heart. The message of the card, combined with the heartwarming music, actually put a lump in my throat.

The card got me to thinking about what's really going on in my life. I've been feeling pretty down for months, ever since I got fired from my job in August. Since then, nothing has been going right for me, or so it seems. Plus, this is my first Thanksgiving without my Dad, so I didn't feel like I had much to be thankful for. Then I got the card. My friend was wishing all of her family and friends blessings and joy for this Thanksgiving season, in spite of the fact that she just lost her father only a few weeks ago. And I was suddenly ashamed of myself.

Yes, this is my first Thanksgiving without my Dad, but Daddy died in February, so I've had nearly a year to deal with the grief and begin the long, hard process of going on with life. My friend is still in the painful, beginning stage of living without a loved one, yet she is full of gratitude for the blessings in her life--she sees blessings in her life--when she could so easily be bitter and depressed, like me. As I said, I felt ashamed, and started to take stock of just what I actually do have in my life, and I realized I've been overlooking quite a few blessings.

First, and most important, I'm alive. Unlike thousands, perhaps millions, of people, I lived to see another day. Without life, there's no hope, and I'm blessed--blessed--to have both. I don't always feel hopeful, but as long as I have breath I have the chance to make my life better. Until about an hour ago, I didn't appreciate that. Shallow, I know.

Second, I'm healthy. Yes , I'm overweight, but I can do something about that. I don't have some chronic disease or disability that restricts my every move. All my senses work. I can live on my own and take care of myself. I can drive and revel in the independence that gives me. Maybe I don't look like a supermodel, but I'd rather be fat and driving than thin and bedridden.

Third, my family. Actually, my family's been the source of some deep personal pain over the years, but I know that I couldn't live without them. They've hurt me, and I've hurt them, but they've also brought the most happiness into my life. My sister is my best friend and her son is the child I never had. My brother is the epitome of real manhood and his daughter first taught me the joys of being an auntie and recently made me a great-aunt. My maternal grandmother showed me genuine unconditional love, and my uncles were knights in shining armor, holding would-be players at bay. My mother took care of my physical needs excellently, and my father taught me the value of just being a nice person. So my family is pretty special, in spite of all the fighting--and we can fight!--and that's definitely something to be grateful for.

And lastly, my friends. I've never been a gregarious person. Outside of my family I've had only a handful of true friends, but they've been the best friends anyone could be blessed with. Some I've known for over twenty years, others for only five or six, but each has added a layer of love to my life that I wouldn't be the same without. They've given me someone to talk to when even my family couldn't be trusted. I've laughed with them, cried with them, and shown my truest self to them. My friends let me be me in a way that my family never has and probably never will. And for that, I'm truly thankful.

So I see that my life is not nearly as worthless as I thought it was. I repent of the pity party I've been throwing for myself, and resolve to try and live life to the fullest. That doesn't mean wallowing in license and excess, but making the most of the good things God has given me, and indeed, all of us. Jesus said He came to earth to give us abundant life, and He did. Life is a gift. Treasure it, live it well, and, above all, be grateful for it. Give thanks. I'm going to.

Happy Thanksgiving!

PoorGrrl

Borrowing From Ironfist

Below is a 1907 Teddy Roosevelt quote on immigration. I found the quote on http://derekdahl.blogspot.com. I asked if I could put it on my blog, and it was ok with Ironfist, so here it is. If only politicians today had such clarity and the courage to express it.

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."Theodore Roosevelt 1907

SHOOT This Bastard!!!!

Normally, I don't like profanity, but sometimes I get so mad that profanity says best what needs to be said. What's got me so riled up, you ask? That America-loathing, enemy-aiding, pinko New Jersey professor John Daly ( I guess I spelled his last name right).

In case you don't know, this is the guy who e-mailed one of his students and told her that freedom will come to Iraq only when our soldiers start killing their superiors. Yes, you read that right. This professor, who'll probably claim to be a stalwart patriot, actually advocates our soldiers killing their officers! This is how the peaceniks really support the troops.

Just thinking about this guy and his virulently hateful words makes me want to puke. Where are the liberal language cops? Aren't they always screaming against hate speech? Well, here is some in-yo'-face hate speech! They should've dragged this prof away in handcuffs a long time ago. Oh, that's right, the liberal language police are only against the wrong kind of hate speech; the right, or should I say left, kind of hate speech is protected by the Constitution and should be spewed all over the place without rebuttal. How could I forget that? Silly me.

So, what do we do with this New Jersey freak? Kill him. You heard me. KILL HIM!!! SHOOT THE BASTARD!!! If this guy thinks it's ok to advocate killing people, then I advocate killing him. Frag this prof!! And don't feel bad about it. He removed himself from the human race the second his malicious thoughts hit his computer keyboard. He has the moral value of a cockroach. So if he ends up the victim of his own advice, I say, Ahhhh!!! Justice!!!

Number One Sell Out

I suppose you've heard that "hawkish" Congressman John Murtha, D-PA, has called for an immediate US pull out of Iraq. I know some will say that I shouldn't criticize Rep. Murtha because he's a Vietnam vet and, therefore, knows all there is to know about war and foreign policy, but I just can't let this pass. This man is NUTS! And maybe even evil. Strong words, I know, but I'm tired of subversive peaceniks spreading their defeatist poison across this land and trying to disguise it as patriotism.

What I want to know is this: what does Rep. Murtha and his defeatist friends think will happen in Iraq if we just up and leave? The answer to that question will reveal a whole lot about what the peace crowd really thinks about America and how the world works; but I think we already know what they think.

For the "peace activists" America, not war, is the problem. In their warped and malicious ideology, the only thing wrong with the world is us. America is the corrupting influence that keeps nice people like Osama Ben Laden and friends from acting according to their natural decency. Therefore, if America will only leave Iraq, paradise will break out by default. It has to, because all the bad people, i.e. Americans, will be gone. This is the worldview that's driving the "peace" movement. Rep. Murtha probably doesn't subscribe to this worldview in toto, but he's clearly under its influence.

Well, I've got news for you, Rep., and all your "anti-war" friends. Paradise won't break out when the last GI leaves Iraq, just as paradise didn't break out when the last Israeli left Gaza. What broke out, and still continues, was a flood of jihadi bravado declaring that their intifada drove Israel out of Gaza and would drive Israel out of all of "occupied" Palestine. Rather than pacifying the terrorists, Israel's pull out emboldened them by allowing them to claim victory. That's what will happen in Iraq if we leave without winning. The victory will go to the terrorists and they'll use it as a powerful recruiting tool for more jihadis. We won't be safer, but will be in even more danger because the terrorists will see us--the politicians, not the soldiers--as weaklings beneath their contempt.

So, go ahead, Rep. Murtha, bring home the troops; live in your "anti-war" fantasy land. Just don't act surprised when a dirty bomb explodes in a major American city, or more planes fly into skyscrapers. After all, if you bring the troops home now, the jihadis will have no choice but to follow them.

Support the Fence!

To all you true American bloggers! If you want to help stop the illegal invasion of our homeland, sign the petition to build a state-of-the-art fence along our southern border. This fence is needed to stop not only economic illegals, but also and especially criminal illegals, those hell bent on doing our great people and nation bone-shattering harm. To get more info and to sign the petition, go to www.weneedafence.com. Do it now, for America!

Politically Correct Murder

His name was Brian Jackson, Officer Brian Jackson. He was a 5-year member of the Dallas, TX, police force, and he was gunned down in the line of duty by an illegal alien on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2005.

Officer Jackson wasn't the first, and certainly won't be the last, American policeman killed by an illegal alien(IA). This tragic club has other members, including:

Officer Michael W. Marshall, killed in 1998 (WA)
State Trooper James E. Saunders, killed in 1999 (WA)
Sgt. Ricky Timbrook, killed in 1999 (VA)
Sheriff's Deputy David March, killed in 2002 (CA)
Sheriff's Deputy Saul Gallegos, killed in 2003 (WA)

The hard truth is, IA's are robbing, raping, and killing Americans from sea to shining sea, but no one wants to talk, let alone do, anything about it because that would make them "anti-immigrant". Thanks to the immigrant lobby, IA's know they're virtually immune from deportation if they're grabbed by local or state authorities while committing crime, so they're not scared of behaving badly once they cross the border. The pond scum who shot Officer Jackson certainly had zero fear of the cops. He was already guilty of at least three other
crimes--entering the US illegally, domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend, and illegal possession of a firearm--before killing Officer Jackson. But I'm sure there are plenty of immigrant advocates who are just waiting to howl about his "rights".

These same advocates never miss a chance to hype crimes committed against IA's. When six Mexican IA's were robbed and brutally murdered by Black thugs in Georgia several weeks ago, Dallas Morning News columnist Macarena Hernandez virtually accused conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly of the crime, claiming that his call for tighter border security was murder-inducing hate speech. Of course, Ms. Hernandez and her ilk have nothing to say about the killing of Americans, like Brian Jackson, by IA's. And the crime spree goes on.

According to the courageous report, "The Illegal Alien Crime Wave" by Heather Macdonald, fully 95% (1500) of outstanding homicide warrants in LA were for IA's in 2003. Two thirds (17,000) of fugitive felony warrants in LA were also for IA's. And, as early as 1995, 60% of the 20,000 strong 18th Street Gang were IA's. Illegals also swelled the ranks of the El Salvador-based MS-13 gang, which threatened to kill Minutemen volunteers during their patrols along the Arizona-Mexico border in April.

Why won't immigrant advocates talk about this madness? Because they have a pc ideology that controls their thinking on this issue. This ideology has two fundamental points: one, America is an illegitimate nation because of its racist sins and two, victims can do no wrong. This makes a win/win situation for IA's. Since America is an illegitimate country in the eyes of the immigrant advocates, it has no right to control its border, so there's really no such thing as illegal
immigration. This makes the IA's victims of persecution by an illegitimate entity whenever America enforces its immigration laws. Further, Mexican IA's are victims of America even before they get here because America supposedly stole the Southwest from Mexico by winning the US-Mexican War in 1848. So, if IA's commit crimes against Americans, it's understandable, even ok, to the immigrant advocates. The crimes are acts of protest by the victim against the victimizer, the oppressed against the oppressor. It's politically correct rape, politically correct robbery, politically correct murder. That's how these people really think.

It's time for true Americans to put an end to this insanity. We must hold our elected leaders accountable for what they do, or don't do, about illegal "immigration". We must remind them that they were elected to protect us, not Mexicans, Salvadorans, Jamaicans, or anyone else. Our freedom and safety, not that of IA's, should be the bottom line for them. The National Guard should be put on the border immediately, and the word put out that only legal immigrants, willing to assimilate, are welcome here. This is not racist. This is not heartless. This doesn't violate anyone's rights. This is common sense. We owe it to Officer Jackson and all the other American victims of the illegals' invasion. And if we as a nation aren't courageous enough to give them at least that, then God damn us all.

Answering Jason

I'm now going to answer a comment I received to my gay marriage post, "Gay Marriage Fails in the Lone Star State ." The comment was from a man named Jason, and I feel that he raised some issues I should respond to.

First, I'd like to clear up an apparent misunderstanding that I certainly didn't intend anyone to come away with. In my post on gay marriage I stated that the most important reason I voted for Prop 2, which defines marriage in Texas as being only between one man and one woman, was that gay marriage violated the Judeo-Christian moral order on which the West, including America, has been based for 2000 years. I now see how easy it is for some people reading that to assume that I'm a Christian, but I'm not. I describe myself as a Christian sympathizer, a traditionalist, someone who is unchurched but not anti-church. The reason I don't call myself a Christian is that I don't feel myself to be "saved" as Christians would understand that term. However, I do believe most, if not all, of the fundamental doctrines of the historic Christian faith, and I believe in Biblical morality. That's why I wrote that my support for Prop 2 was primarily "Christian" in origin. I appologize for any confusion.

This idea that I am a Christian seemed to have captivated all of Jason's attention, because his response to my post dealt exclusively with that issue. As you might've guessed, Jason is a Christian, but he said he would've voted against Prop 2 if he still lived in Texas. He expressed the concern that Christians have an image as bigoted, intolerant people, and that Prop 2 would only add to that negative stereotype. Futhermore, Jason insisted that Christians are called to love people where they're at, bring them to Christ, then tell them to sin no more. He also said that while it's ok to oppose gay marriage on Christian principles, it's wrong to impose those principles on non-Christians. I understand all of Jason's concerns, but I think he's way off the mark in thinking that that was the gist of my post. Apparently, he didn't read the whole post because if he had, he would've had a better understanding of what I was trying to say.

Yes, I based my support for Prop 2 primarily on Christian principles, but not exclusively on Christian principles. Jason would've known that if he'd read the whole article. I also supported Prop 2 because of my dislike of the heavy-handed tactics gay rights activists use to advance their cause. In his comment, Jason claimed that Christians are viewed as "self-righteous, hypocritical, hostile, and full of rejection of anyone who is different"--that's exactly how I view gay rights activists! My voting for Prop 2 was a way of taking a stand against what I call gay Stalinism. The gay activist elite--GAE--is as intolerant of opposing views, and the people who hold them, as Christians are so often accused of being. In my post I clearly differentiated between the GAE and ordinary gays, opposing the former but having benign tolerance for the latter. I also differentiated between people and behaviour, pointing out that you can accept people while merely tolerating, or even actively opposing, their behaviour. I don't know how Jason missed that.

And as for Christians imposing their principles on non-Christians, Jason missed the mark again.
In theory, we can say that nobody should impose their principles/morals/beliefs on anyone else. But in the real world, all law is the imposition of somebody's principles/morals/beliefs on society. If you doubt that, ask yourself why some people are for gay marriage. What reasons did they have for voting against Prop 2? The answers to those questions will inevitably delve into the waters of principles/morals/beliefs. Anti-Prop 2 people might say, for instance, that everyone has the right to love whom they chose. But isn't that a principle/moral/belief? Jason's own reason for opposing Prop 2--that it violated the Christian duty to love and not judge--is itself not only rooted in principle, but principle that is religiously based. Therefore, voting against Prop 2, which Jason said he would've done, would've been hypocritical on his part because it would've meant imposing a Christian principle--judge not, lest ye be judged--on non-Christians, something Jason said Christians have no right to do!

Of course, Prop 2 was just a skirmish in the culture war, a war in which the real question isn't can we legislate morality, but whose morality will we legislate. As stated above, somebody's morals, principles, or beliefs are going to undergird the laws of the land. For millenia, Biblical morality was the foundation on which Western law stood. America, founded as it was by Western Christians, carried on that tradition. Now, rabidly anti-Christian forces are fighting ferociously to destroy that foundation and replace it with a fanatically secular one in which every hint of Biblical influence is stricken from the law and, indeed, from all public life. For these people, the public square is a temple of Godlessness, an anti-sacred space in which only the opinions of Man may hold sway. The legitimization of homosexuality is sort of a consecration of this temple, a bold declaration to the religious that they are not allowed there unless they shed their faith. Religious freedom? Sure, inside your church or home, but not in the public square, where God is verboten.

The simple truth is that all law is made in the image of some group's world view. Therefore, it is grossly unfair to condemn Christians for imposing their views on others when gay activists are doing the exact same thing. In fact, gay activists aren't just imposing their views on society, but are striving to censor their opponents by criminalizing criticism of their lifestyle as "hate speech". This is part of the gay, or should I say GAE, Stalinism I criticized in my post.

So, to reiterate, I supported Prop 2 because I believe in the Judeo-Christian moral order and because I vehemently oppose the Stalinist tactics of the GAE. The two reasons go together. I don't hate ordinary gays and I'm not trying to harm them. Some sincere Christians might feel that supporting Prop 2 is an act of unChristlike judgmentalism; I respect their opinion, but ask them to consider that they become guilty of judgmentalism when they criticize me. Lastly, I remind the liberal types that the establishment clause of the Constitution wasn't written to ban Christian participation in public life, nor to exclude religiously informed conscience/beliefs from the guarantee of free expression. Now, Jason, I hope you get it.

Veterans' Day

As it has been said: All gave some, some gave All.

Hail the Warriors of America!

Movie Question*

Hey y'all! Sorry it's been three days since my last post. I truly didn't realize it had been that long since I gave my never-to-be-humble opinions to the world(lol)! Anyway, this is going to be a quick post since I'll be leaving soon to attend a fundraising event. I see that I'm getting more and more readers so I'm going to ask a question that I'd asked back when nobody knew I was here; maybe I'll get an answer this time. Here goes.

I'm trying to find the title of a sci-fi movie I saw on tv(network, not cable) about 10 years ago. It was about a man who gathers up a posse of sorts to rescue his kidnapped little sister. I don't remember any of the names of the characters or the actors who played them, but I do
remember that the bad guy, or thing, was called the Sublime Plenum, and the little girl was kidnapped to serve it. I also remember that the ruler of the posse guy's planet starts out as a bad guy but ends up a good guy.

This movie wasn't another Star Wars, but I liked it and want to buy it, but I can't even find out if it's on video/dvd because I can't find any info about it on the web. I've tried searching for
Sublime Plenum, but I always come up empty. If anyone in cyberspace knows what movie I'm talking about, or can give me some searching tips to help me find it myself, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help. Have a nice day!

PoorGrrl

Gay Marriage Fails in the Lone Star State

It appears that the proposal for a constitutional ban on gay marriage in Texas, officially called Proposition 2, is going to pass. In fact, Yahoo! news reports that 75% of voters have approved the measure. Of course, this isn't surprising. If liberal Oregon could say no to gay marriage, you know conservative Texas would.

I voted in favor of Proposition 2. I know that makes me a wild-eyed bigot in the opinion of some, but I believe I, and the other yes voters, did the right thing.

I voted yes for a couple of reasons. First, and most importantly, I believe gay marriage goes against the Judeo-Christian world view that's been the foundation of the West for 2000 years. The Bible tells us that God created Man male and female, and for that reason "a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Jesus understood this as the definition of marriage, quoting this Genesis verse when answering some Pharisees' question about divorce. And to make sure that the Pharisees understood not only what marriage was, but also who had created it, He added this famous line: "What God has joined, let not man put asunder." What did God join? Male and female. I can think of no more blatant way to "put asunder" what God has joined than to redefine marriage as including same-sex unions.

Liberal types will object that no one should vote on any measure based on religious beliefs. My reply is that in America we have freedom of conscience. That means not only that no American can be compelled to act against his deeply and sincerely held beliefs, but also that no American can be prevented from acting according to those same beliefs. And there is no exception made for religiously informed beliefs. Thus, religious people have the same right, the same freedom, as irreligious people to act according to their conscience in the voting booth. If liberals have a problem with that, perhaps they should resurrect the Soviet Union and move there.

The second reason I voted for Proposition 2 is that I have a problem with gay rights activists. Notice, I said with gay rights activists, not gay people in general. I really don't care if someone is gay or not. Yes, I believe the behaviour is immoral, but I believe that lots of behaviours, sexual and nonsexual, are immoral. That doesn't mean I'm out to get every person who indulges in those behaviours. But just because I'm not out to get everyone I believe is immoral doesn't mean I approve of their actions. Some behaviours have moral and/or legal prohibitions for very good reasons. You don't have to lift those prohibitions to be decent to the people who are breaking them.

And that's what gay activists don't understand. In their world, either you agree with them or you're a hatemonger, a bigot, a homophobe. For all their rantings about tolerance, gay activists have absolutely none for anyone who dissents from their orthodoxy. And they do have an orthodoxy, one they're imposing on society with Stalinist zeal. Their orthodoxy insists that homosexuals are born that way; that they are persecuted at every turn; that every institution in society must be pro-gay; that children must be taught to affirm homosexuality, regardless of what their parents believe; that you must love homosexuality to love homosexuals; that opposition to homosexuality must be outlawed; and that the state must enforce these measures with all its might. As I said, Stalinist zeal.

Gay activists just don't understand that this heavy-handed approach costs them support among people who really are willing to extend tolerance, though not approval, to homosexuality. Most Americans, even conservative ones, are willing to live and let live, so long as they aren't asked to change their beliefs about right and wrong. After all, live and let live has to cut both ways if it's really going to work. And when gay activists hypocritically demand tolerance for themselves while denying it to all who would disagree with them, they show that what they really believe in is live and let live for me, but not for thee. And that alienates a hell of alot of people, including me. Voting yes on Proposition 2 was my way of striking back at gay Stalinism.

Hopefully, gay activists will learn a little something from their defeat today. Actually, they could learn more than a little something from the masses of ordinary gays who go about their lives being who they are without shoving it in anyone's face. They go to school. They go to work. They openly love, and live with, people of the same sex. They even adopt children. And they do all this without the wrath of fire-breathing "homophobes" raining down on them. How? Maybe because they aren't raining down the wrath of gay Stalinism on their neighbors. Gay activists should take a good, long look at the people they claim to be fighting for. It seems to me they've already figured out how to be free in America.

To Euclid and Gonzo*

Hi friends! I just wanted to thank two kind folks who posted great comments to my"Secret Prisons" post. I hate to admit it, but I'm so new to blogging(and computers!)that I don't know how to write a reply to their comments so, I'm thanking them in a post!

Euclid and Gonzo, thanks for the moral support, the kind words, and the gift. It was really encouraging to know that not only are people reading my blog, but they are acutally inspired enough to post comments. This has helped me to decide to keep on blogging after months of playing to an empty house, so to speak. I'll be visiting your blogs, too. Keep up your good works, and I'll keep up mine! Go USA!

Sincerely,

PoorGrrl

Secret Prisons? Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

I suppose just about everyone has heard the CIA has secret prisons for terrorists all over the world, from Thailand to Eastern Europe. Some folks, the usual suspects, are a little perturbed about that, but I say, Way to go CIA!

I don't know why there are people who care so much about the well-being of those who want to kill us. We are in a war, people! The murderers who struck on 9/11 were for real. And they were only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. All over the Muslim world, virulent hatred of America, Israel, and the West is boiling over. The recent call by Iran's president for Israel's destruction should be a wake-up call for those still asleep in we-can-reason-with-them land. Iran's president--I can't remember his name and don't care to--also envisioned a world without America, and Iran is not only working on a nuclear program, but also on long range missiles to deliver those nukes to Europe and America's eastern seaboard. These anti-infidel racists want to kill us, all of us. We--America, Israel, Europe-- are the dar al harb, the house of war, which Muslims must conquer to have a global Islamic empire. That's what the Koran says. And they call us imperialists!

The stakes are high, folks. Our very lives are on the line, so if the CIA needs a few secret jails to, how shall we say, encourage captured terrorists to volunteer info on their plans, I say go for it!
The time for half measures is dead. It died on September 11, 2001. Now, all bets are off. It's them or us. And I'm not shedding any tears over them.

The Creeps Never Stay Under Their Rocks*

As the title says, the creeps never stay under their rocks.

You might recall that I had a site on the savemesites.com page. This website is for needy people who want to ask for help from the cyberpublic. My page asked for help for my bills, but all I got was a bunch of e-mails from con artists, so I had the webmaster take my page down. Then I got the news about Foxy and I had an idea. I decided to put another page on the site, this one asking for donations for the $3000 hip replacement surgery Foxy needs but my sister can't afford. To be on the safe side, I put a disclaimer on this page telling scammers not to reply. Even though I put the disclaimer up, I really didn't think people would try to take advantage of someone with a sick dog. Silly me!

No sooner was the page up, I got three--count 'em three!--e-mails from creeps trying to take my money! One e-mail was from a "representative" of a Chinese company that wanted me to become a rep for them in their supposed American market. Did the person behind this crap really think I'd fall for something as poorly spelled as that e-mail was? How insulting!

Then there was the second attemped rip-off. This one was from some guy named Johnson Karllson, or something Scandanavian-looking like that. He tried the I'm-your-friend angle, introducing himself with a nice "Hi!", asking how I was, and bringing up God. Mr. Karllson was so eager to help me, but, you see, he'd had trouble trying to give through Paypal in the past, so would I be so kind as to open up a Bank of America account, give him my account number, then he'd happily wire me $2000. How sweet! Can you believe this guy? Jerk!

The third con man was a jerk, too. But to be honest, I really don't remember much about the scam except that the man's name was something like Pierre K. Yu. He also wanted me to get a Bank of America account. Must be something wrong at B. of A., some loop hole in their security practices, for two scammers to want accounts from there. All you B. of A. customers take notice!

Anyway, I just thought it was sad, and, in a strange way, amusing, that the sharks came swarmming as soon as they smelled new blood in the water. But they won't get a drop of my blood. I dare them to keep trying!

P.S.
In case you're wondering, the asterisk next to the title means that the post is just about my personal issues; titles with no asterisk are social/political commentary.

Stay of Euthanasia Update*

I just got an e-mail from my sister and I now know a tad bit more about Foxy's situation.

The vet thinks Foxy may have a urinary tract infection and an infected elbow. He's put her on high doses of antibiotics and pain reliever. This should heal the infection, if that's all it is, but if it doesn't then....you know. Sis also wrote that the vet told her that Foxy was toward the end of her natural life, especially if she is part Chow or Blue Heeler. I don't think Foxy is either one of those breeds. We know that she's part Siberian Husky, but we never knew the other part(s). Anyway, we have 30 days to see if my furry niece will make it. Keep your fingers crossed and your prayers going!

Also, still no Pepper. Sis checked with the pound again today with no luck. She's checking with the Humane Society tomorrow. Sis said she's going to keep checking the pound and the Humane Society for at least 2 weeks. I hope so badly that we find Pepper. I just can't stand the thought of her being alone, cold and hungry, scared, and wondering where her family is. We're looking for you Pepper! And the bloggers send their prayers.

Quotable Quotes: On Tolerance

I found the first quote while surfing through blogs on blogclicker.com. I don't recall where I heard the second quote. Both quotes should make everyone who mindlessly worships at the altar of tolerance think.

"Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions." G. K. Chesterton

"Tolerance is the transition stage from one orthodoxy to another."

And one more I just remembered: "Tolerance is the last virtue of a virtueless society." Quoted by Dr. D. James Kennedy on his tv show, The Coral Ridge Hour.

Doesn't it make you think?

Help Save Foxy!*

Foxy got a reprieve!

I can't believe the good news. My Mom told me this evening. It seems Sis took Foxy to the vet and he said she might have an infection that could be causing some of her symptoms like constant thirst and not shedding her winter coat this summer(I know, she was REALLY hot!). So the vet gave Foxy some medicine and said if she's not better in 30 days then Sis would have to go ahead and put her down.

Please, anyone and everyone out there in the blogosphere who loves dogs and believes in prayer, pray for Foxy. Pray that the medicine will work and her life will be saved. And please donate a little something so she can get hip replacement surgery if/when she survives this waiting period. If you recall, the surgery costs about $3000 and Sis and her husband can't afford to spend that amount of money on Foxy with a son in college. Foxy needs the surgery because even if she gets over this possible infection, she might still be in so much pain that Sis will put her down anyway. So please pray, and tell all of your friends to pray, too. Foxy needs all the prayer she can get!

P.S.
Please pray for my sister's other dog, Pepper. Sis and her husband are putting their house up for sale and they took Pepper to stay at my Mom's house until their house sells. Well, Pepper got out of my Mom's backyard. We think she was disoriented by the new surroundings and wanted to go home. She's been missing since Sunday. She has a collar with all of her infomation, but so far, no one's called to say they've found her. The dog pound doesn't have Pepper, either. Please pray that Pepper will find her way home safe and sound. She's such a little thing, about the size of a Dachshund. I can't stand the thought of her being all alone, cold, wet, and hungry. Please pray for her. We need her back home!

Sad News*

I received some sad news today.

My mother called me this morning to tell me that my sister and her husband have decided to put their dog, Foxy, to sleep. I teared up on the phone, but didn't actually start crying because I don't like to cry in front of my mother. I was crushed, though, when I heard the news. Mom said that my brother-in-law had already called my nephew, who's away in college, to give him the news. Apparently, he took it pretty well, saying that his folks had to do what they had to do.
I know he's right, but I will miss Foxy, or Foxy-Woxy girl, as I like to call her.

Foxy is a real sweet dog, a big ol' lap puppy, as Sis calls her. She's part Husky and part unknown. My sister told my nephew when he was little that he could have a dog when he turned eight. Sis thought her son would forget about her promise, but when the age of eight hit, it was dog time! My nephew picked Foxy out of a group of puppies at the local Humane Society.
He was on this fox kick at the time, and picked Foxy because she looked like a fox; that's also how she got her name.

Foxy was a very cute and happy puppy, not difficult at all. When Mom and I would go over to my sister's house, Mom would coo at Foxy and rub her belly. Every since then, Foxy has just LOVED having her belly rubbed! When I go see her now, the first thing she does is lay on her back so I can rub her belly and talk baby talk to her. Then she likes for me to stroke her back and scratch her head. She likes that almost as much as she likes her belly rubs. Foxy isn't a good watch dog, she's just too friendly, but she's the best family dog there is. However, on the rare chance that Foxy doesn't like you, watch out! There were these two Doberman-looking dogs who used to live next door, and Foxy hated them. Whenever she saw them she'd start growling and barking, and try to attack them. We never figured out why Foxy didn't like them.
Fortunately, they moved away before anyone got hurt.

With the exception of the Doberman look alikes, Foxy gets along with everyone and everything. She's just a dear, sweet dog. I love her very much, and it will be so hard to lose her, but she's ten years old now and her health is very bad. Mainly, she suffers from hip displasia, which causes her alot of pain and makes it difficult for her to walk. It's also painful for her to lay down on the side with the bad hip, so she lays on just one side and is getting sores that don't seem to want to heal. Hip replacement surgery for Foxy will probably cost $3000, and with a son in college that's something Sis and her husband just can't afford. So, they've made the painful decision to put Foxy down. This decision is especially hard because our family's had so much loss this year.

In February we lost our father to cancer, which crushed us. Then, my nephew went off to college in August. That might not seem like a loss, but it is because we're losing a beloved child to adulthood. Anyone who's a parent, or honorary parent, will know what I mean. Then I lost my job, also in August, which dealt a body blow to my self-esteem, not to mention my pocket book. And now we're losing Foxy. It's almost too much.

I don't know the date when Foxy will go. I'm definitely going to go see her before it happens. It'll break my heart to look into her eyes knowing she has no idea what's coming. But I'll be strong because it really is for the best. My father was in alot of pain and mental distress before he died and that was agonizing to see. I don't want that for Foxy, even if she is just a dog. If she can be sent on peacefully, I think that's a compassionate return on the "investment" of unconditional love she gave all of us.

Back from the Carnival*

I'm home!

I went to the Halloween carnival at my sister's school like I wrote about yesterday, and now I'm home. Actually, I've been home for about an hour and a half. I've been on the computer checking my e-mail and just surfing the net a while before I go to bed. I decided to post before I got too sleepy to think straight.

The carnival was great! I helped Sis with the cake walk. It was fun watching people, especially the kids, get all excited over winning a cake. Those were some yummy looking cakes, too. I think I would've been pretty happy if I'd won one. I didn't do the cake walk, though. I just worked the music, stopping and starting the cd, while the people walked around the numbered circle. All the cakes were won, and there were at least 20 of them! I was glad that no cakes were left over, because they were donated by the parents and I didn't want anyone to feel like they'd wasted their money.

I didn't spend all of my time working the cake walk. For about 45 minutes, while a parent volunteer worked the cake walk music, I walked around to see the rest of the carnival. There was a live band this year, instead of a dj booth. There was face painting, sponge tossing, hair painting, football tossing, a bounce house, and, of course, the cake walk. Domino's pizza was for sale, as was candy, cotton candy, nachos, sodas, and my favorite, funnel cakes! The turnout didn't seem as big as the last carnival I went to, and not as many kids came in their Halloween costumes, but everyone who did come was having a good time.

I'm glad Sis invited me to the carnival. This might be the last one I go to, since Sis is seriously considering leaving her present career for something different. She might stay a librarian, but at the high school or even college level. So this probably was the last hurrah at her current school. Hmmmmm...so much change. Nephews grow up, sisters change careers, fathers die...so much change. But I digress. I'll end on the happy note that I had a great time with Sis at the carnival. It was a great way to start the week-end!

Carnival!*

I'm going to the carnival!

My sister's school is having it's Halloween carnival tomorrow(Friday) and I can't wait to go. I'm so excited! I know, it might seem a little weird getting all worked up over an elementary school carnival, but I'll be spending time with my sister, and that's why I'm looking forward to it so much.

As you've probably guessed, I love my sister very much. We've been close since childhood. I could always talk to her about anything, and she always accepted me, giving me unconditional love like our mother should have. And she gave me "my" only child, my nephew, who's as much my child as he can be without me having given birth to him. In fact, the only fly in the ointment about the carnival is that my nephew won't be there. He's away in college; I'll have to wait until Thanksgiving to see him, but I'll get to see his mom tomorrow!

This is only the second Halloween carnival we've been to since Sis's been working at this school.
We went to another one about two years ago, and it was a blast. My nephew was there then, and Sis was working the book fair. The book fair was kind of a fair within a fair. It was located in one of the portable classrooms on campus. We weren't involved in the actual carnival activities, but we could see everything that was going on, and we were right by the dj booth, so we really heard the music!

I'll never forget one of the things I saw at that carnival. It was a little girl, about 6, dressed in a Little Mermaid costume. She couldn't dance worth a lick, but that didn't stop her from sashaying over to the dj booth and "dancing" her little heart out. Her tail fin was flip flopping all over the place. It was the cutest thing! I remember thinking how liberating it must be to just have fun, with absolutely no concern about what other people thought. That little girl was totally caught up in the sheer joy of the moment, her moment, and she let her fins fly! I can only wish I had that kind of freedom from self-consciousness. I believe I'd be a much happier human being.

Anyway, I can't wait to go to the carnival. There probably won't be another mermaid show, but that's ok. I'll be with Sis--she's in charge of the cake walk this year--and that's joy enough.

P.S.
Don't forget to turn your clocks back Sunday! Happy Halloween!

Will the ACLU STFU?!

The ACLU is at it again.

The Pentagaon released some information regarding possible prisoner abuse by American servicemen, and now the wonderful defenders of terrorists' rights are claiming that at least 21 homicides have been committed by American personnel in our military prisons. The ACLU's concern is soooo touching.

Let's get real people. Whatever abuse that American military and/or intelligence personnel may have committed on detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq should be punished. In fact, over 200 servicemen have been punished for going too far during prisoner interrogations. That suggests that America is trying hard to conduct itself humanely against an enemy who doesn't give a rat's patootie about the value of American lives. But the ACLU doesn't care about that. Opposing the war in Iraq is the name of this game.

Raising a sanctimonious hue and cry about the very small number of deaths among detainees is not about fighting torture. The ACLU is a left-wing organization that's against the Iraq war; it wants to bring as much bad publicity as possible to the war and those who're fighting it. The ACLU, like Dick Durbin, doesn't care that accusing American soldiers of murdering detainees will fan the flames of hatred against those soldiers and provide recruiting power to Islamic extremists around the globe. More dead Americans might even be what the ACLU, and other "anti-war" activists, want because it will give more moral ammunition to their support-the-troops-bring-them-home rhetoric.

Nobody in their right mind likes torture. The American military doesn't like torture; that's why over 200 military personnel have been punished, I say again, for going overboard during interrogations. But sometimes people will go overboard. It's happened in every war, in every military, throughout history. That doesn't mean that what's going on in our military prisons is anywhere on a par with the bestial torture Saddam Hussein's regime inflicted on its own people.

Detainees in American custody are not being dropped alive into meat grinders and acid baths. They're not being lined up in front of firing squads. They're not having body parts cut off. They're not being hauled into gang rape rooms. Their families are not being subjected to such hideous treament in their place. And "anti-war" activists in America are not suffering such persecution over here. That suggests that the American government and military are pretty decent folks on the world scene. Once, just once, I wish the ACLU and its left-wing cohorts would realize that.

Honest Givers*

Hello friends! You may be wondering why I have a savemesites.com link on my blog if I'm no longer using the site. Well, I'm not using the site anymore, but alot of people are and I want to give them a chance to get some notice and have some honest givers donate to and/or contact them.

As you know, I was using the site to try and raise money for my rent until I could get back on my feet. Instead of getting help, I got alot of worthless and insulting e-mails from con artists who thought I was stupid and/or desperate enough to give them money or personal info like my bank account number. What creeps!

I removed my page from the site, but there are still alot of needy people using this site as a last resort. I want them to have a chance to get a little help with their situation, and have a little hope that things will get better for them. And I want them to have this without having to worry about heartless scammers scheming for their last dollar. That's where you, dear readers, come in.

I'm asking the honest people who read my blog to check out savemesites.com and offer some help to the desperate people who are on there. I know you can give at least a dollar or two to someone on the site, or maybe offer some good advice that could help someone overcome their circumstances. And heartfelt prayer, of course, is always needed. Not all help has to be in the form of money.

So visit the site and let the people know that there are people in this world looking out for poor folks, not just looking to get them.

Oh! The Desecration!

First the Koran, now dead bodies.

In our heroic war on terror, American soldiers have once again been accused of doing something Muslims don't like. It seems an Australian news crew filmed some of our boys burning the corpses of two dead Taliban fighters after they were killed in an ambush. The image was picked up by cable news channels, and now Muslims are mad. Cry me a river.

If we would just remember, it was the Taliban who harbored Osama ben Laden and Al-Quaida in Afghanistan, giving them ample space to set up camps were the 9/11 killers, and other Islamic terrorists, were trained. The Taliban were also the nice people who outlawed education and employment for girls and women, carried out public executions for adultery, required Afghanistan's few non-Muslims to wear identifying badges on their clothes, and even outlawed kites. In short, these people were NUTS! So if our boys got a little carried away and burned a couple of their dead bodies, so what? SO WHAT?

The Koran may forbid cremation, but Americans aren't governed by the Koran. And if cremation is really so offensive to Muslims, why do so many of them support the 9/11 attacks and virtually worship the attackers? I mean, weren't the terrorists cremated when they slammed the planes full of jet fuel into their targets? Not only did the murderers commit suicide, but they did it in a way that assured that their bodies would burn. The terrorists were cremated by their own hands, yet they are heros throughout the Muslim world. And Muslims are offended by cremation? Please!

It's time we stopped being so damned sensitive about Muslims' feelings. We didn't win World War II by bending over backwards not to offend the Germans' cultural sensibilities. We were thinking about the value of American lives, not Japanese lives, when we made the decision to drop the bomb. We understood we were in a fight for our very survival, and we did what it took to win.

We are in another war for our very survival. Islamic fundamentalist terrorists want nothing less than an Islamic world governed by the brutal dictates of Sharia law, where non-Muslims must pay protection money called the jizya tax, or face forced conversion or death.

If this is the world you want, then march on to the drum beats of Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan. Clamor with the ACLU for more pictures of Abu Ghraib. Demand a virtual lynching of any American soldier who violates the pettiest of Islamic social rules. Do all these things, and Sharia will one day rule the world.

I don't want that horrible, horrible world. Islamic imperialism must be stopped. And if it takes a few cremated Muslims to stop it, I say, "Burn, baby, burn!"

I Need a Little Help*

Hello friends in bloggerland. I haven't asked for some financial help in a while, but I really need it now.

I got an eviction notice today. I have until Saturday, Oct. 22, to move out. Problem is, I have no place to go. I could move in with my Mom, but that would involve alot of humilitation; suffering through alot of smug, self-righteous I-told-you-so's. I can't bear the thought of that. Of course, I can't bear the thought of living on the street either. I'm so distraught, I don't know what to do.

For those of you who don't know, I was fired from my job in August and have been working only part-time since then. I found some fairly decent paying jobs in the newspaper, but they were all a 30-60 minute drive away. I don't mind commuting, but driving that far for a $7-$8 an hour job with the cost of gas being what it is, well, it just didn't make sense. So, I've been working in my best friend's antique store.

I have been trying other things as well. My friend lets me put my crocheted bears and baby blankets in her stores(she has two) for free, but they haven't sold like I thought they would. I've also been doing alot of babysitting for a child who goes to the day care I used to work at. Her mother, "Jane", has said I can clean her house for $30 a week, and that her neighbor also needs a housecleaner for about the same price. I was to tentatively start this coming Monday, but I might not have a home then.

I was looking forward to cleaning house for "Jane". I actually started to form a plan in my mind. After talking with "Jane", I figured I could clean three houses on Monday(the store's closed on Mondays) for $90, then clean one house on Tues-Fri for $30 each; that's $210 a week. Then I could still work in the store Tues-Fri for $80 a week. In total, I'd be bringing home $290 a week, $1160 a month. I could live on that.

I liked this plan. The more I thought of it, I actually started to feel a little bit of hope that things could get better for me. I was looking forward to Monday, then I came home from work today and found that damn eviction notice taped to my front door. There went all the wind in my sails. The family curse had struck again.

The curse seems to be stopping anyone from helping me, too. I had a page on a site for needy people called savemesites.com. I received only one $1 donation during the three months my page was up. I also joined a couple of financial aid groups on Yahoo!, but they proved useless too. The only consistent responses I got from the Yahoo! groups and savemesites were from con men. It's disheartening to see all the people willing to exploit those who're down on their luck. And the contempt the scammers have for poor people's intelligence is amazing!

For example, one guy--I assume it was a guy--in one of the Yahoo! groups e-mailed me and the other group members that he had just won the lottery and wanted to help the first 100 folks who contacted him. So far, so good. Then the creep had the nerve to ask for $5 from everyone who wrote him!!!! He claimed he'd won the lottery, but he needed $5 from poor people??!! Gimme a break! I was a little mad at the moderator of that group for letting such an obvious scammer post such an obvious scam. I'm not a member of that group anymore.

Then there was the UK national lottery scam.

I got an e-mail informing me that I'd won the UK national lottery, even though I'd never entered it. I was told to e-mail my ticket number to a Mr. Andrew Gordon Furness, who'd then send me my claim form. Well, I did a Yahoo! search of Mr. Furness's name and, voila!, scammer! Didn't this guy know he was on Yahoo!? Didn't it occur to him that I might be smart enough to check? Shees!

And I can't forget the Nigerians. They started it all with their poignant, misspelled, e-mails telling me I was discoverd to be the heir of a man who died in a car wreck--or was it a plane crash?-- with his entire family, and would I please wire them some money so they could transfer my inheritance? NO!

See what I mean by disheartening?

So that's why I'm asking for a little help from any kind and honest people out there in cyberspace. I'm not looking for hundreds of dollars from just a few folks. I know that times are hard and most people can't afford to give more than a dollar or two, and that's fine. If 1,000 people put just 1 or 2 dollars each in my tip jar, I could save my apartment and have time to get my house cleaning business up and running before next month's rent is due.

Please, I'm not a bum who won't work. I'm not an addict who'll spend the money on drugs or alcohol. I'm just an ordinary person who's down on her luck and doesn't want to stay there. Will someone out there please help me? Thank you in advance, and God Bless You!

I Did It!*

I did it!

I finally got a Paypal donate button on my blog! I finally figured it out! Yippeeee!!!!

Actually, I put the BlogDaisy button on first. It was kind of my guinea pig link. I went to blogger help and clicked on template tags and started reading the instructions with real understanding. I don't know why I just now really understood how to do the link thing. I've tried several times before to figure it out and it just didn't come to me. But this time, it did!

Now, I no longer need my savemesites.com page, or, rather, no one who wants to donate to yours truly will have to leave my blog and link to another site. No, you can just scroll down to the ol' Paypal button to put a little something in the tip jar. So bye-bye savemesites; hello Paypal. It's a beautiful thing!

The Nicest House on the Block

I was listening to the Glen Beck radio show on FoxRadio yesterday and Glen, the host, had a very good illustration of the illegal "immigration" problem.

Glen was talking to a South African man whose family had been in America illegally during the fall of apartheid. The guy was trying to explain to Glen America's attraction to people in other countries. Basically, he gave Glen the usual they-come-here-because-you-have-so-much-and-they-have-so-little party line. Glen understood where the man was coming from, but he gave him a rebuttal that's very worth repeating.

Glen asked the man to imagine the world as one street block. America is the nicest house on that block and Glen is the owner. As the owner of the best house, Glen invites many of his neighbors to his home. Invites, people. Those allowed in are given work and other opportunities to better themselves. Of course, everyone knows there're goodies in Glen's house, and some of the neighbors decide it's not fair that entrance is by invitation only. They break in and take whatever they've come to believe they're entitled to; they totally disregard Glen's rights as the homeowner. A few of them even assault Glen and his family. Their poverty gives them that right, doesn't it? No! And that's point of the parable.

If you take something--money, a job, an opportunity--that's freely offered to you, that's ok. But if you take something that's not freely offered to you, that's stealing. Even if you're poor.

Illegal aliens are stealing opportunity from America. America is being used and more and more Americans are feeling it. That's why the Minutemen are patrolling the border. It's not about racism or heartlessness. It's about the homeowner demanding respect for his rights. America's the nicest house on the block, but you still have to ask to come in.

Allah's Judgment?

It seems nature hasn't joined the jihad after all.

If you recall, some jihadists claimed that hurricane Katrina had joined the jihad against America after the devastation of that storm became front page news. Now, after the horrible earthquake that struck Muslim Pakistan on Saturday, the jihadists have to reconsider just whose side Allah is really on.

Yes, hurricane Katrina hurt America, but America is a rich nation and can absorb the losses inflicted by the storm. Surely, if Allah wanted to punish America, he would've sent a far worse catastrophe on her. Instead, he sent that catastrophe on Muslim Pakistan. How do the jihadists explain that?

The earthquake has killed at least 30,000 Muslims in Pakistan, the worst natural disaster in the nation's history. Maybe that had something to do with the kind of Islam popular in the country. It's the Islam that sympathizes with Osama Ben Laden, known to be hiding in Pakistan. It's the Islam of militant madrassas teaching religious hatred to thousands of innocent children. It's the Islam that sanctions "honor" killings of rape victims. It's the Islam that is utterly intolerant of "unIslamic" thought. In short, it's the jihadists' Islam.

Perhaps this earthquake will make many Muslims think. America is supposed to be the Great Satan, yet her natural disaster took less than 1,000 lives. The "pure", Islamic nation of Pakistan, on the other hand, was hit with hell on earth. If the murderous fundamentalism preached by so many imams, and coming out of so many mosques, is what Allah really wants, the earthquake is a strange reward indeed. Hopefully, thinking Muslims will see the spiritual inconsistency in this tragedy, and start to seriously question what's happening in, and to, their faith. The jihadists' Islam was rewarded with death and destruction. May the lesson be deeply learned.

Hail the Minutemen!

The Minutemen are in Texas!

For all those living under a rock, the Minutemen are citizen defenders who volunteer their time helping the Border Patrol(BP) catch illegal aliens trying to enter the U.S. along the U.S.-Mexico border. The group, officially called The Minuteman Project, was started in Arizona earlier this year by Jim Gilchrist and Chris Simcox. The men wanted to draw attention to the federal government's failure to protect America's borders as the Constitution requires. They also wanted to inform Americans about the danger posed by illegal aliens and the damage they're doing to Americans' lives and property as they cross the border. The group helped the BP along the Arizona-Mexico border in April and now they're in Texas! Hallelujah!

The Minuteman Project's volunteers will be in the Lone Star state for the month of October, helping the BP keep watch along the Texas-Mexico divide. The volunteers won't arrest anyone, but will notify the BP when illegals are spotted. It's thrilling not just that the Minutemen are in Texas, but that ordinary American citizens are brave enough to do the job their own government won't.

Why the federal government won't do its Constitutionally mandated duty is anyone's guess, but illegal "immigration" is out of control and SOMETHING has to be done about it. Having citizen defenders on the border is one step in the right direction; here are a few more suggestions:

1. Allow local officials to deport illegals. Right now, only the INS can deport illegals. Giving local officials that ability could increase the level of deportations and the fear of deportation among illegals.

2. Require proof of citizenship to attend public schools. Why should American taxpayers pay to educate some other country's citizens? If a family can't prove citizenshp, deport them.

3. Require proof of citizenship for treatment in public hospitals. Illegals have bankrupted hospitals across the country. That can't continue. If public funds are limited, they should go to Americans.

4. Wall off the border. Construct two walls, about 20 feet apart, with a mine field in between. On the Mexican side of the first wall write "Enter at your own risk" in Spanish.

5. Put a bounty on the head of each illegal. The government says it can't find all of the 8 million plus illegals in this country. Put a $20-$25 bounty on each one and see how fast those 8 million disappear!

6. Limit the amount of money that can be sent to Mexico. The money illegals send back to Mexico is Mexico's third largest source of national income. Cut the amount in half and Mexicans will lose alot of incentive to come here.

7. Change the citizenship rules. Right now, you are a citizen simply by being born here, regardless of the status of your parents. The new rule should be that you are a citizen ONLY if one of your parents is a citizen or if BOTH parents are legal residents. This will discourage women from having "anchor babies" who keep the whole family in America because no one wants to break up families.

8. Break up families. If there are American-born children in an illegal family, let one parent stay here with them, but send the other parent and children back to Mexico. This sounds so cruel to the bleeding heart types, but think about it. Americans break up American families all the time by sending criminals to jail. No jury refuses to convict someone simply because doing so will break up, impoverish, or otherwise harm the convict's family. So, to satisfy the demands of justice, American families can be torn apart, but illegal families are sacred?! Gimme a break!

The above are only a few ideas on how to stop the illegals' invasion of our country. America is a sovereign nation; that means something. American citizenship means something. No one should come here and take what America has to offer while staying loyal to a foreign land. Americans have the right, as a sovereign people, to require foreigners to come here legally--"legally" as defined by us--and to become American once they're here. The Minutemen know this and are acting on it. God bless them as they do.

The Polygamy Question

In the emotional debate over gay marriage, traditionalists often base part of their objection to it on the fear that such a move will lead to the legalization of other non-traditional sexual unions, most notably polygamous unions. Of course, traditionalists have a very strong point. If society says yes to gay marriage, how can it say no to any other non-traditional marriage? However, traditionalists are on shaky ground in placing polygamy under the same immorality umbrella as homosexuality, and the veryBible they use to oppose homosexuality proves it.

Traditionalists are right when they say that the Bible has given Western civilization its definition of marriage. And they are right to defend that definition. What they don't realize is that their definition of "traditional" marriage isn't as Biblical as they think. To put it bluntly, the Bible does NOT oppose polygamy, and the defenders of Biblical marriage need to know that.

Most people just assume that the Bible condemns polygamy. They base their view of polygamy almost exclusively on media reports of abusive polygamous Mormons and conclude, rightly, that the Bible is against such abuse. But being against abusive polygamous marriage isn't the same thing as being against polygamy itself. There are abusive monogamous marriages, but opposing abuse in such marriages doesn't mean opposing monogamy. So, traditionalists and others who think that the Bible teaches that polygamy is immoral need to stop making media-based assumptions and read what the Bible acutally says.

And what does the Bible say?

Even a cursory glance at the Good Book reveals that polygamy was alright with God. Some of the Patriarchs, for instance, had multiple wives. Abraham had a wife, Sarah, and a concubine, Hagar. His grandson, Jacob, had two wives and two concubines. God didn't object to these arrangements. Later, Moses had two wives, the Midianite woman Zipporah, and a Cushite woman. In the Mosaic Law God had ample opportunity to condemn polygamy, but He didn't. He regulated polygamy instead, forbiding men to marry sisters or a woman and her daughter.

Perhaps the best proof that the God of the Bible accepts polygamy is David. We all know that David killed Goliath, but most people don't know that David was a lusty fellow. He had at least three wives before he became king of Israel, and alot more after he became king, all given to him by God! That's right. God gave David multiple wives. Nathan the prophet reminds David of that when he condemns him for murdering Uriah to take his wife, Bathsheba. So, if polygamy is a sin, as most traditionalists believe, then God commited sin by giving David many wives.

But what about Solomon? Didn't God condemn him for taking many wives? No. God condemned Solomon for taking many foreign wives, women who worshipped idols and led Solomon to worship them, too. It was idolatry, not polygamy, that drove God away from Solomon.

There are other examples of God accepting polygamy. Gideon, whom God used to defeat the Midianites in the time of the Judges, had 70 sons with his wives and concubines. The prophet Samuel, whose mother was Hannah, was born into a polygamous family. All of these men: Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Samuel, David, Solomon, were considered righteous by God, even though they practiced polygamy or were born into it. And they weren't the only ones.

So, what are traditionalists to do? Almost their whole argument against gay marriage is that it violates the Biblical standard of marriage that America, and Western civilization, has always followed. But now we see that the Biblical standard of marriage includes polygamy. Traditionalists have some hard thinking to do. They have to admit that, when it comes to marriage, the "traditional values" they stand for are NOT the Bible's values. They then have to ask themselves if they're prepared to do the only honest thing: change their morality to conform to the Bible, or reject the Bible and cling to their tradition. If they really love God and His Word, the choice is obvious.

Christians and PETA

Should Christians be involved with PETA? I hadn't thought much about that until I picked up the current issue of HM: The Hard Music Magazine(it's a magazine for the Christian hard music scene, for those not in the know).

HM has a new feature called Causes. In each issue, a cause is reviewed and readers are asked to find something good in the cause for 60 days, until the next issue comes out. This month's cause is PETA, and a couple of the bands--or band members-- featured in the issue are PETA supporters. Stretch Arm Strong and Emery are two of the bands that come to mind. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

I like animals. I'd never intentionally hurt one, and I don't think there's anything wrong with Christians caring about them. However, PETA carries the idea of caring about animals to a level I feel no Bible- believing Christian can accept. PETA believes that animals are equal to humans, that they have the same intrinsic value; you know, the whole " a rat is a pig is a boy" idea. Consequently, PETA people believe that harming or killing animals, for any reason, is as morally wrong as harming or killing people; and on the other side, NOT harming or killing animals is as compassionate as not harming or killing people. The cornerstone of PETA's philosophy is that kindness to animals is the epitome of morality and compassion. Bible-believing Christians simply can't believe this.

First, the Bible, in the very first chapters of its very first book, clearly establishes Man's superiority over the animals. Man, and Man alone, is created in God's image. Immediately afterward, he's given dominion over the animals. The God of the Bible is no animal rights activist. In fact, He is the first animal killer, killing a beast to make--gasp!--fur clothes for Adam and Eve after they were expelled from the Garden of Eden for eating the apple. It only gets worse for the Christian PETA fan.

While vegetarianism seems to have been the original plan for Man's nourishment, meat is allowed after the Flood. In fact, meat eating was probably going on before the Flood because animal sacrifice was going on before the Flood. Remember the rivarly between Cain and Abel? Cain was jealous because God wouldn't accept his vegetable offering, but did accept Abel's animal sacrifice. Surely, if pre-Flood people killed animals to sacrifice to God, it's logical to assume that they ate them, too. And God didn't have a single problem with it.

Thousands of years later, in the time of Moses, God still hadn't seen the PETA light. In the Mosaic Law, He forbid the Jews to eat certain animals, but not all animals, and He required animal sacrifice to cover their sins. Yes, the Bible does praise kindness to animals here and
there, but it's never the centerpiece of its morality. The Bible is concerned with Man's relationship to God, and with Man's humanity, or lack thereof, toward his fellow Man.

But that's the Old Testament, some Christians will argue. Surely the New Testament is more enlightened and loving. Not so. Whatever PETA activists claim Jesus said about eating meat and the like, the Bible shows He didn't mind it at all. In fact, to get the Jesus they want, PETA folks go to extrabiblical sources which have no authority for the orthodox Christian. The Bible is the Christian's only authority for what Jesus did, said, liked, and disliked; and the Bible never records Him saying or doing anything against eating meat, wearing fur, etc. Indeed, in one of His sermons, Jesus reminds His audience that if God will take care of the birds, He will also take care of them because they are worth more than the birds. Shocking! Jesus actually said people are worth more than animals?! Yep. Get over it.

Some people might have a hard time with this because they've bought into PETA's claim that you must believe in animal rights to be moral. Finding out that Jesus didn't believe in animal rights might seriously shake their faith in Him. These people need to understand that Jesus's morality--the whole Bible's morality--is above PETA's. Think about it. PETA asserts that it's morally wrong to kill animals, even if it's done painlessly, because all life is sacred; yet, how many PETA activists fought for the life of Terry Schiavo? If all life is sacred, shouldn't that "all" include disabled human beings? If it's wrong to painlessly kill animals, shouldn't it also be wrong to kill disabled people, even if it's done painlessly? And what about abortion? Unborn babies are living things. Shouldn't they be protected? PETA activists can't use the "they're not human life" argument to justify abortion because they don't think that life has to be human in order to have value. Their lives revolve around protecting nonhuman life. So, if unborn babies really are subhuman, that's all the more reason why every PETA activist should be pro-life.

Of course, most PETA activists aren't pro-life. In fact, humans are the only life form whose demise doesn't offend them. So Bible-believing Christians should think hard before subscribing to PETA's moral worldview. It's contradictory, it devalues human life in the name of uplifting animal life, and it doesn't make you a good person. Remember, Adolph Hitler was a vegetarian; Jesus wasn't.