If we can't pass it without all of the sweet deals that were made, I say ... START OVER!

Wouldn't it be nice if even one Democrat made a brave statement about the sellouts that preceded the Final Senate vote

As regards the Health Reform Bill (by whatever it is called when it becomes law), I have been for it--no, make that far to the left of it almost from way back when Hillary was debating it in 1993. Hellfire, I want nothing less than free health care available for ever American!

But the way this crazy 2000 page Bill passed the Senate this past weekend ... well ...

Deals in the Senate version of the Health Care Reform Bill include:

Many, many, many sweet deals made in that last day of "debate," but Sen. Nelson (Dem Neb) drew the most criticism for securing $100 million in Medicaid dollars for his state, defended his home state advocacy yesterday and again today, saying he never asked for federal money for his state but accepted the deal "on behalf of Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman." Interestingly, the governor has come out against the funding, saying every state should be treated equally. Other anomalies in the Senate version of the Bill--by no means exhaustive, include:

• Extra Medicaid dollars for Louisiana, Massachusetts and Vermont.

• Medicare coverage for workers exposed to asbestos in Montana.

• A special exemption for Florida seniors who want to keep their Medicare Advantage plans.

... Plus many others buried in roughly 2000 pages.

If it feels like a sellout, looks like a sellout, tastes like a sellout, and smells like a sellout ... well, you take it from there!

Richard's favorite cat is showing signs of anxiety over his sudden departure.

Ralph looked much better three months ago

The first step in dealing with an anxious cat to look at the environment. Cats do not deal well with change. In times of domestic stress (such as human or canine "favorites" moving out, introducing a new family member, etc.), your cat may begin to show signs of anxiety such as excessive scratching and grooming. Introducing a new person or cat to the home also causes stress.

Giving your cat extra attention during this time can help. Often your cat will adjust in a short period of time. If not, have recently relocated animal or human return ASAP.

Of course, the new roundabout in Ocean Shores doesn't help matters any!

Richard and Sweetheart would get lost entering Ocean Shores nowadays ...

Our New $1.2 Billion (plus change) Roundabout ... Facing East

Ocean Shores used to have one 4-Way Stop Sign which was the way we gave directions, told the time and predicted the weather. Some folks were known to tie their kites and/or balloons to one of the four stop signs while they ran into the McDonald's (on the left) for a quick snack before returning to the beach directly behind me (west) as I face east looking at the current mess left by the umpteen construction companies who stole our 4-way stop and our tax monies. Now we only have two three-way stops although one is way down by the jetty and the other isn't technically in Ocean Shores. The pictured roundabout replaced our only 4-way stop!

What's next for Ocean Shores? A (shudder) traffic light?

For orientation, to the immediate left of where I am standing facing the sign is the McDonald's from whom Sweetheart received many, many "treats." Straight ahead and across Pointe Brown Road (on the right side of Chance de'la Mer) you can see the IGA parking lot and further down Chance de'la Mer you can barely see our Ace Hardware and the only liquor store this side of the Quinault Nation--both were also favorite "treat stops" for dear precious Sweetheart.

We need Sweetheart back before Christmas Eve when the next shocker hits our town which used to be known as "The Place Where Nothin' Navah Hoppin' Noway." That's the closing date for the Ocean Shores Library and our very own "Interpretive Center." Even the Ocean Shores PAWS Kennel is empty as of three weeks ago--the dogs are up in the prison where I used to work being trained in a trial "maintaining-peace-in-the-penitentiary" program. Really!

Sweetheart, where are you? Sweetheart ... Sweetheart, come back! Sweetheart ... Sweetheart ... Come baa-aa-ack!

One of my daughters believes that I haven't been presenting President and Nobel Laureate Barack Obama in a Proper and befitting light ...

Barama in Proper Light!

Thus, I would like to state that I truly believe that Mr. Obama is one of the brightest and (until I know differently) nicest persons in politics. I agree with his desire that health care (as one example) be as universal and FREE to all Americans as is possible. On that issue and other economic issues, I am almost a Neo-Socialist--and certainly do not see Neo-Socialism or tendencies in that direction as anything more than what Jesus taught 2000 years ago.

Of course, I do not consider aborting (killing) perfectly healthy fetuses as "health care," but do not see that as a meaningful current-bill-in-Congress issue ... inasmuch as abortion-on-demand, like all sin, will be with us until He (upper case "H") returns and I certainly see no way to breach the "gap" of resolving the Health Care Bill with the law of the land--that is, "Roe vs. Wade."

One step at a time ...

And surely more lives will be both saved and made more livable WITH health care reform than without it. I guess World Health Care Reform will have to wait until after His (upper case "H") Second Coming.

But to end this posting on an "Obama in a good light" way, let me quote the speech he made shortly after being literally surprised at his having won the Nobel Peace Prize:

“This morning, Michelle and I awoke to some surprising and humbling news. At 6 a.m., we received word that I’d been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize — men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it’s also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.

That is why I’ve said that I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations and all peoples to confront the common challenges of the 21st century. These challenges won’t all be met during my presidency, or even my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it’s recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone.

This award — and the call to action that comes with it — does not belong simply to me or my administration; it belongs to all people around the world who have fought for justice and for peace. And most of all, it belongs to you, the men and women of America, who have dared to hope and have worked so hard to make our world a little better.

So today we humbly recommit to the important work that we’ve begun together. I’m grateful that you’ve stood with me thus far, and I’m honored to continue our vital work in the years to come.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama ”

It's refreshing to hear both humble and warm words from our current president after having endured the eight years prior to January 20, 2009 during which we experienced such "pleasures" as the Iraq War ("Mission Accomplished") and the crumbling of our economy to historic depths.

Well, Serenissima ... did I say it appropriately?

Smiles Worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize

Mother Teresa (Winner in 1979) Smiles

What's wrong here?

No, the world hasn't changed all that much in the past thirty years, but our perceptions of what constitutes "peace" has obviously shifted a bit. How many of you noticed that a contingent of 30,000 U.S. soldiers headed towards Afghanistan as the first part of the latest Surge ... on the very day that our President accepted his "peace prize"?

To his credit, he mentioned that Mother Teresa was more "deserving" than himself in his acceptance speech. I would rather that he announced an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the Middle East -- but then, what do I know?


President Obama (Winner in 2009) Smiles

Okay ... it's not that exciting but we NEVER get into the teens in December in Ocean Shores!

No! This isn't a bogus photo--it's Duck Lake this morning taken at the NE end of Falls of Clyde Loop where the creek across the street feeds into the lake 1/4 mile from my home

Admittedly, there isn't enough ice to hold a Penny above water, but for a short while, the scene took my mind off of the screwball Health Care Bill slowly emerging from the Senate.

Maybe tomorrow I'll go back to being concerned about all of the unborn babies that soon-to-be law will kill.

Or whatever ...

The only "news" implied by today's posting is that Grays Harbor College closed down until the Winter Quarter (and forever for me!) and I obviously have time to start playing with my digital camera again. I'll start grading the finals that are stacked a foot deep in my living room on Friday or so and submit the grades electronically next week. One advantage of not having a teaching contract is that they can't fire me for dragging my feet for a while. Actually, if they would have out-and-out fired me instead of simply not recontracting me, I could sue them for age discrimination.

Being seventy-five has to be worth something, don't you think?

Aborting perfectly healthy babies in NOT health care!

Einstein said it all too well. I will be calling both of my (female) senators tomorrow. I suggest you all do the same. Whether killing innocent civilians in Iraq or (now) Afghanistan ... or murdering helpless children before they are born ... both are beyond the pale.

Whether or not such procedures are or are not in any Health Care Reform package that survives or dies in the Senate may not mean saving or failing to save a single unborn child's life, but it would put America back in the direction of reversing Roe vs. Wade--and simple humanity.

Me thinks mebbe dat Obama could/should be giving Tiger some tips on ... living!

Hopefully, this is only PaintShop Pro or PhotoShop at work ... coincidentally landing on Golf Digest's cover this week ... of all weeks!

I admire Tiger's drive and focus on the golf course. However, as a husband to his seeming "trophy wife," he's failed ... as so many of us have failed.

Hopefully, like so many of us who have gone to Jesus, sins in hand, he will choose to give his new life to Jesus and repent--for all eternity!

I'll add Tiger to my nightly prayers for a short while. If I, with my weak and sinful will and lack of focus can do it, surely Tiger Woods can! One of the books I read religiously says it best: "God is doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves."

Amen ...

Possibly not the best President in all matters that seem to matter, but a marvelous husband and father from all accounts

Obama to Announce Afganistan Exit Strategy This Evening ... Only between 30,000 and 45,000 more Troops Needed ... At Least For the Moment!

I think the header says it all.

What Tiger Woods needs right now is some privacy!

Tiger facing yet another crisis in his young life

Dear CNN Cable News: Your newscast this evening made it sound as though Tiger Woods had/has an obligation to meet with the police. Admittedly he may have a traffic fine to pay ... but "meet with and discuss" (your words) what he was doing at 2:30 a.m. in the morning? No way, Jose!

Yes, I am a Tiger fan, but that doesn't mean I give him a Mulligan on every possible activity--criminal or non-criminal. Nonetheless, we do not live in a police State and haven't lived in one since January 20th and so. And as far as anything I've heard or read thus far, he is neither legally or morally obligated to say ANYTHING TO ANYONE!!

Of course, I'm hoping he'll be out playing golf on this coming Thursday--his last scheduled PGA tour event of the year.

Tiger: I wish both you and your family the very best in this Holiday Season.

Finally ... proof that you needn't be 16 or 17 years old and have a 10-inch waist to be the "best that you can be" -- as the US Army puts it!

Susan Boyle

This isn't an advertisement, but BUY IT!! Her debut CD album, "I Dreamed a Dream" is ... well, dreamy!

I have pushed the "repeat" button on every song, I believe, and think her newest and best rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" would have won the Britain's Got Talent contest hands down--even though she had sung the song in the earliest rounds. I think she outdid Madonna with "You'll see!" and although I was/am a Rolling Stones fan, her "Wild Horses" made me want to relearn the lyrics all over again.

Now, the question is ... does playing and replaying a single CD as I traverse the hills and bumps of the roads between my pad and Grays Harbor College (daily) possibly wear a CD down to a scratchy tape-like quality requiring me to have a spare CD in the seat next to me?

Yes, it was a "false" brotherhood, but can any of us state unequivocally that we wouldn't have done essentially the same horrendous acts?

Three decorated US servicemen found guilty of premeditated murder ... but what exactly is truly "premeditated" while in combat?

And as for the young soldier who broke the silence? "I did the right thing," Jess Cunningham told CNN's AC 360. "I'm not going to hide behind false brotherhood."

Watching AC 260 this week, a full nine months after the March 2007 murders, Cunningham told his Army lawyer what had happened at the canal. Eventually, the three sergeants shown above would be convicted of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder.

"These men are not heroes. They're not saviors," Cunningham said.

Perhaps not, but I do not believe they are first degree murderers either--or whatever our military courts say they are.

First Sgt. John Hatley, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mayo and Sgt. Michael Leahy are all serving terms at the U.S. military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Listening to a truly chilling confession on CNN at least three times during the past week, I am more certain than ever that we are wrongly executing the wrong war at the wrong time and at the wrong place. And yes, four "enemy combatants" were probably wrongly executed along with everything else wrongly ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Indeed, is there ever a right time and place to "hate your enemy"?

I suppose, before this story is drained for all it's worth (to CNN), we will have been subjected to all 23½ hours of tape obtained (somehow) by CNN Cable News.

And shocking as it might sound to some of you, I say, "Go on and expose everything possible. CNN!" We must know the truth to understand what is right ... and wrong.

2012 seems only a nanosecond away when viewing this picture

Dancing with the stars ... but which of the two is the "star"?

Obama's three pointer was a winner in 2008 but Sarah's "Rogue" book might be a 500-pointer when 2012 rolls around. She was truly hammered (hard) by the media in 2008 ... but we all know the old saw: What goes around ... comes around!

If you happen to be an MSNBC nerd, you probably don't believe that Sarah Palin can scratch her nose less run for President, but me thinks she would bring a great deal of common sense and Christian morality to the 2012 campaign if she decides to run. And yes, her's and her husband's decision to bring little Trig into our world was a true example of how we all should view the sanctity of life.

Admittedly, the bow is a bit low (my back couldn't take it!), but protocol is protocol

President Obama mixed a bow and a handshake in greeting Japanese Emperor Akihito. In doing so, Barack bends his B(ar)ack a bit much, but I disagree with my son as regards its meaning. When President Truman let Emperor Hirohito off the hook after the worst war in American (the world's) history, it was a central part of creating a great democracy of the (once) Great Imperial Japanese Nation. Like Obama, who awkwardly bowed/shook hands with the Emperor of a democracy and dear ally this week, Harry Truman was roundly criticized for his actions back in 1945.

Presidents tend to bow and kiss dictators, popes and even Democratic leaders pretty regularly ... it's part of the job, as I see it and I'm generally glad that our Presidents follow protocol rather than cause a raucous. President Bush went a little far when he kissed the Saudi King, but even then, I would rather he did that than, say, invade Iraq after al-Qaida took down the twin towers and murdered 3000-plus Americans ... after training in locations around the world--except Iraq!

The terrorists in the planes on 9-11 were largely Saudis, ironically enough ... and Saddam Hussein was considered an infidel by Osama bin-Laden.

Interesting world, eh?

Bush bows to Pope, but doesn't break his back in doing so

On the other hand, his kissing the Saudi King might have been ... shall we say, a little less ... uhhh ...

Update ... brownout followed by blackout! Generator didn't go on, but cats were warm (seven cats make for a warm bed)

If you look carefully under the eye, you will find pieces of Ocean Shores and most of eastern edge of Hoquiam

While we have the power back on for a moment, I think I'll say, "Hi!" The weather station in Hoquiam at Bowerman Field blew down (really) and most of Highway 109 is under water. Not to worry about the raccoons who were living under the porch though; they are living on the deck now and getting use to Meow Mix cat food. Where is Sweetheart when I need her?

Hey friends and family -- Say a little prayer for us in Ocean Shores as we endure another of those 24-30 hour duration storms!

The satellite picture says it all

Gusts to 80 mph and sustained 50-60 mph winds from the SSW starting at dawn tomorrow and continuing unabated through Tuesday afternoon.

I wish Richard and Sweetheart were still here to show me how that #@$&# generator on the back porch works!

Oops! A Quick update! See below:

Frank Buckles Day in America ... Our Last American Survivor of the War to End All Wars -- WW I

Eleven-eleven is one of those National Holidays whose date (like 9-11) is fixed in our minds even more than the birthdays of our children and our grandchildren--especially as we grow older. My wife's birthday is on an easy-to-remember date, so I had/have no excuse for forgetting it as often as I do. My own on Guy Fawkes Day isn't so easily remembered.

But Armistice Day (or Veteran's Day) today has become Frank Buckles Day by default inasmuch as he has survived through today (at 108 now) to become the only American survivor of that first Armistice Day back in 1918. I should mention that he was also taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II while working for an American shipping company in the Philippines. And his bio in Wikipedia suggests that he has been a busy man for all of those 108 years.

Quite a life!

Here's to many more 11-11s, Mr. Buckles!

My Choice for Political Hero of the Year -- Rep. Anh Cao (R La)

Representative Anh Cao (Rep., Louisiana)

Having a first-generation daughter from Viet Nam isn't my only incentive for this posting, but Anh Cao represents what America is all about. Let me include a short quotation from one of my favorite online newspapers:

The single House Republican who voted for the Democrats' health-care legislation is a first-term congressman from a strongly Democratic--and very poor--district comprising most of New Orleans. Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao's vote is significant, not because it was politically motivated--and it was--but because it highlights the disparity between lower and middle-class people throughout the country and many of their representatives in Washington, D.C.

Among the 535 elected representatives deciding the future shape of the American health care system, some 44% are millionaires, according to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a nonpartisan research group that tracks the effect of money in U.S. politics and policy. Rep. Cao is not among them. Neither are his constituents.

"I listened to the countless stories of Orleans and Jefferson Parish citizens whose health-care costs are exploding -- if they are able to obtain health care at all," Cao, the first Vietnamese-American to be elected to Congress, said in a statement after the legislation passed the House with a 220-215 vote.

Right here in Grays Harbor County (15.3% unemployed) we have serious needs for primary health care, for mental health care, and for expanded health care for seniors and children. My recent visits to the local hospital--both for my own surgery and my brothers' problems exposed me to the most obvious needs that end up in the ER--most brought there by EMS.

In the end, the bills went out--most never paid--and the needs for health care insurance for the bottom rung of our economic ladder was never more obvious.

Now will at least one Republican in the Senate (I don't count on Joe Lieberman of the "Vote for Joe" Party in Connecticut) vote to kill any possible filibuster as the bill goes forward? With the "no abortion" amendment attached yesterday, even a Christian or two among the "Blue Dogs" should vote their deep down conscious and answer that question we hear so often, "What would Jesus do?"

Terrorism? Hell yes! Insane? Obviously! The result of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? NO!! Any more than was Guy Hawkes' plot on Nov 5, 1604!

Major Malik Nidal Hassan, loony Army psychiatrist who murdered 13 American soldiers at Fort hood yesterday!
Guy Fawkes, who planned to blow up the British Parliament on November 5, 1606!

Often, over the past 75 years, I would be teased on my birthday regarding the murderous Guy Hawkes (hero or anti-hero of "Guy Hawkes Day" in Britain). Hopefully, I won't be reminded of the crazy and murderous actions of this loon-bin, Hasan, along with Guido Hawkes in the years to come.

What's shocking today are some of the stupid commentaries trying to place blame for yesterday's tragedy at Fort Hood on the Mideast wars. I hate to agree with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck, but the wars had little or nothing to do with the insane goings on in the grey matter of Major Hassan--any more than I would try to blame Guy Fawkes' nuttiness 400 years ago on today's' Mideast mess.

Admittedly, Hasan was a Muslim, but the serial killers in America over only the past three or four years have been of every religious and/or political stripe. Give the Muslims--and both our current president and his predecessor--a break on this. There was only one shooter, only one murderer and the blame is his alone.

Sheez!

After the Smashing Defeat at the Polls, Should Obama Resign Now ... or Just Let Nature Take its Course?

Most will agree that the Democrats were thoroughly flattened yesterday, but the question remains: Can they come back before 2012?

The question tonight at the White House is clearly whether or not P-BO should resign. Of course, who can be sure that Sarah will beat Joe Biden in 2012; stranger things have happened. Tough call for the White House. They need our prayers.

So do the Pittsburgh Phillies!

I just heard on the news that the stock market went back to below where it was yesterday morning before the Recession ended ... Is it possible?

Holy creepers! I've gotta be lightening fast, it seems. Just yesterday, I posted my "the recession is over" posting and now, the free-fall continues. Is it possible for the economy to morph along with the president?

Recession is over? Then why is full-time employment still looking like it's somewhere wa-a-a-ay down there while I'm still in a free fall?

Those are my feet at the bottom of the cartoon above as the recession "ends" rather undramatically on October 29--exactly eighty years to the day from that infamous day when the Great Depression began--and now that same Wall Street says we're "out of it" on the basis of GDP growth of 3.5% and Commodities numbers 50% higher than their lows last winter. They (Wall Street tycoons and Government economists) seem to be in a parallel (inaccessible) dimension to those of us who fell through the bottom some time ago.

From a variety of sources, I've read and heard that the Commerce Department says GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent last quarter, the first positive quarterly growth in a year, and the largest quarterly advance since the third quarter of 2007.

Wow!!!

Maybe there is some cheer among Americans who feel warmth in their homes (I don't!) and who are back at work full-time making a livable wage (I'm not!). Seven hours of part-time teaching per week at a Community College is certainly helpful, and the answer to many prayers, but for me ... the recession ain't over--only showing signs of some help in a year or two.

"Today's numbers indicate that the tough decisions this administration made to rescue the economy from the abyss were correct."

said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in a statement.

"We're headed in the right direction, and even though there are still too many Americans out of work and still much work to be done, without the action taken in the early days of this administration, the pain families are feeling today would be much worse."

Maybe I'm being too critical. Surely both GWB and P-BO have done some remarkable work towards bringing this recession to an end (like the TARP, the ARRA Stimulus Package--which pays my part-time salary, incidentally--and "cash for clunkers," not to mention bankrolling GM, etc.) ... but still ...

The Labor Department reported today that first time jobless claims totaled 530,00 last week, although the total number of Americans currently receiving unemployment benefits fell 148,000 to 5.8 million, the biggest one week decline since July.

The official declaration of the beginning and end of a recession has traditionally been given to the National Bureau of Economic Research, which has not raced to make any such declaration. Its Web site continues to mark the endpoint of the current recession with a question mark. (Look over in the right-most column after clicking on the NBER link.)

Two points: That total number of 5.8 million includes millions, who like me, are under-employed--and the unemployment rolls do not include those who have dropped off at the end of the 26 weeks + (for some) 13 additional weeks thanks to P-BO. I know several right here in Ocean Shores who have no chance of finding a job at this time and whose unemployment benefits have long ago petered out.

Obama's War with Fox News, His Firm Stand with the New Haven Police and His Decisive Stands in Iraq and Afghanistan win Him the Nobel Peace Prize...?

Maybe it's because his campaign promises are in "Pieces" !!! -- and oh yes, where's the "peace" in having Fox News excluded from the pool of news networks permitted to have representation at an interview of one of his underlings?

Don't get me wrong ... some of his campaign promises were in opposition to my core beliefs, but weren't we supposed to be out of Guantanamo, Afghanistan, Iraq and petty party bickering by now? Granted, he got the Harvard professor and the New Haven Police officer to sit down, smile and have tea and coffee together--or was it a beer--but wasn't he saying he would sit down with the leaders of the world's problem children (spelled I-R-A-N and N-O-R-T-H-K-O-R-E-A) in that same Rose Garden by now?

Now THAT would be worthy of consideration of a Peace Prize ... in say, three to five years, not nine months after he had barely been seated in the Oval Office.

And where is his courageous stance for a Health Care Reform package that will provide all Americans with the most basic of human dignity ... FREE! If we can pay for a "public option" for our police--and for our roads--and for our military forces--and for fire departments in nearly every town in America ... why can't we push up to the bar and say "This one's on me!" as regards all medical needs for all Americans NOW? Hellfire, I have no idea why we haven't added prescription drugs and dental needs to the Medicare that we older folks "enjoy" even now.

When I see some of my fellow older Americans (excuse me, "Senior Citizens" is the PC term, I guess) with three teeth, a noticeable limp and shattered eye-glasses, I feel the same way I feel when I run into persons who have no medical insurance and are waiting in an ER at Grays Harbor Community Hospital with little likelihood of getting care ahead of those who are fortunate enough (by birth, by their job skills or by their age) to be worthy of immediate care.

Well, now that you've earned [sic] that gold Nobel medallion, really EARN it, Mr. Obama.

And to Think that "Wife Swap" was One of Richard's Favorite Shows!

Richard Heene and "Psychic" Sheree Silver in combined photo on the left.

According to all that is being revealed today, when Sheree Silver temporarily "lived" (as in the show, "Wife Swap") with "Balloon Boy," Falcon Heene and his dad Richard in their Fort Collins, Colo., home during the filming of an episode of one of TV's more popular reality shows last November, she observed that Richard "had the mind of a mad scientist."

But Silver, a psychic from Saint Augustine, Fla., says when she predicted in the show's 100th episode that one of Richard's science experiments would "blow up" in his face, she never dreamed he would involve Falcon in an elaborate alleged hoax involving the flight of a helium-filled balloon seen by TV viewers around the globe.

I have no idea where this crazy story will go, but it surely had my attention for most of that wild day and I still believe that my prayers were answered--hoax or no-hoax.

Hopefully, the issue can be put to rest without a felony charge against Richard and without Sheree's prediction being considered anything more than a wild guess--which any of us could have predicted under the circumstances.

Waiting for Richard ... Sweetheart Begins a New Life in Silver Spring, Maryland

Her Eyes Tell the "Whole" Picture! She misses her daddy, Richard--and, to a small extent--she misses me too ... I think!

I won't even try to describe her whimper--followed by a wail--as I walked out of the American Airlines Cargo Bay doorway the final time. And I had walked in and out of that door at least ten times getting paper work and such from my car. She "knew"!

But like so many things in life, her joy at seeing Richard on Thursday evening will surely make up for the sadness she must have felt in the blue kennel riding from SeaTac International Airport to Dallas and on into Dulles International Airport in Washington DC or thereabouts.

I must admit that her Aunt Nancy did a real miracle with the pink sweater. Sweetheart was always a "sweetheart," but now she really looks like one. The full picture (I cropped out an end table, doilies, statues, flowers, etc.) also demonstrated the differences between my OCD clutter-bin and Nancy's "Home-and-Garden" abode--Sweetheart's and soon-to-be Richard's new home in Maryland.

P.S.: A point worth mentioning--and entirely left out of the above was the joy Sweetheart experienced when meeting three new girlfriends (Nadia, Marie and Cathy) when she arrived in Maryland. A happier dog you couldn't have seen, according to her Aunt Nancy, when she leaped up on her new friends--who have equally fallen in love with her. This is truly a "Cinderella" story all the way. jtr

Miss ya, kiddo!

Okay, no doilies, but the statue of the cat will be a welcome sight for Sweetheart! And definitely NOT my OCD clutter-bin! (Click on the picture to get an "in your face" shot of her new abode--right out of Home and Garden.)

Sweetheart saying her final "Goodbye" to Hannity, the horniest dog in Ocean Shores, Washington--and beyond!

Needless to say, Sweetie is the pooch on the right. Her "boy friend" on the left--from the street behind ours--is named "Hannity" after some TV personality.

Eat your heart out, Gem!

But since you asked (Gem), it's getting close for her to be on your side of the country--somewhere near Silver Spring, MD. Thanks to Pet-Air and a lightening streak around town today (me!), we have her weighed and measured (23 lbs, 12" high and 24" long) for optimum selection of the proper sized kennel--indeed, the PetMate kennel-carrier ($105) is awaiting only for me to pick it up at the feed store in Aberdeen tomorrow morning before the math class. She (Sweetie) will be getting her shots (again!) on Friday before I attend another of those &%$#@ mandatory unemployment classes (this one is called "Dressing for your Interview" and only lasts two hours), and a thorough vet-check-up for her interstate health certificate (the vet said the "Shebang"--her word, not mine--would be only $125).

Tonight, I'll be making the Pet-Air (what airlines, God only knows) reservations and providing the HTML form for her carrier labels and dog tags. I'm kinda hoping I'll be able to make the seven or eight hour round trip on the Friday following her check-up.

Only hitch is that the health papers come with a ten-day fuse. If she doesn't fly out by Friday-plus-ten-days, it will be another $125. I may try to get the vet to give her a flex-time appointment sometime next week.

But then, what's money?

She is sleeping well, but knows something is up and misses Richard dreadfully. She sleeps under my covers (ugh!) but does bark to be walked and such. Midnight walks out here in the middle of nowhere are something you have to see (pitch black) and feel (brrr ...) to appreciate. At least during the early morning or after-classes hours, I can tell when she goes #1 or #2 or both. A typical walk takes half an hour and we scare dozens of deer and raccoons in the process. I wish I had a night vision camera.

My students are beginning to make noises when I rush into one class or the other three minutes late, but I thought it best not to let them knowing I'm having problems at home. My handwriting on their papers (grading comments) have some of them suspicious and one guy thought he saw me going into the unemployment office last week. Of course, I still have to make those three "WorkSource Contacts" each week for the unemployment to resume at the end of the quarter in December--if I'm not contracted for the Winter Quarter.

As for Richard, he only called once but sounded GREAT! It was a short call last Thursday--short because he has to get into line--although we did talk for almost ten minutes because he was last in line for a while anyway. Just as Sweetie misses him, he also misses her VERY MUCH!

You see, Gem, being human ain't all it's cracked up to be. Hopefully, Pet-Air will get her a weekend flight so I won't have to cancel classes for one day.

Whoops! To insure that weather or other such calamity doesn't shoot that seven day fuse with a water pistol, I will be taking Sweetheart in for her final check-up at 8:45 am next Wednesday (Oct 7) and Sweetheart will "technically" be my animule until she is on the airplane. The picture on my drivers licence doesn't look nearly so handsome and young as Richard--the real owner and lover of the sweetest dog in Ocean Shores--although with bad taste in boy friends (Hannity).

Hopefully, I'll have the labels and reservations in the mail (or however) from Pet-Air in time. Prayers will help.

But as they say in AA: "One Day at a Time!"

Shakespeare couldn't have said it better than this picture. Let's get the %$#&@ out of Afghanistan ... NOW!!!

Almost exactly forty years ago, I landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base … and somehow am feeling déjà vu just about every time I turn on CNN, Fox Cable or MSNBC. Does anyone still around recall the insanity of Vietnam? I finally heard someone on some “All-American” panel on one of the mindless Fox Cable talking head shows bring up the obvious similarity that seems to elude what’s between the ears of most political party hacks (Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, whoever …) and even some of our military leaders who should know better.

{roughly recalled)"Historians agree that Vietnam shouldn't have happened and someone should have reined in McNamara before he led our military and country into the rice paddies and atrocities such as Mi Lai. By the time Rumsfeld had gotten us knee deep in the quicksand (both in Iraq and Afghanistan) and equally terrible atrocities--before he was finally canned by GWB--it was too late."

As I recall, Bill O'Reilly cut him off short at about that point.

We seem to be in it for the long haul—Barack H. Obama and George W. Bush have more in common than it might appear at first glance.

Consider some facts—plagiarized from The Times Standard website.

1. There are men and women in our military who remember helping the Taliban fight the Russians during their decade-long occupation of Afghanistan. We looked upon the Taliban as nationalists back then, people fighting for their freedom.
2. To prove we haven't learned our history lesson, we invaded Afghanistan and chased the Taliban out, calling them terrorists. They let our enemy Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qa'eda terrorists train there. Our politicians needed some measure of revenge for the 9/11 attack to show Americans, and the world, that we would not tolerate international terrorists.
3. So we invaded Afghanistan and put in a puppet ruler, President Hamid Karzai. Just like in Vietnam. We continued this insanity in Afghanistan by trying to westernize them. Just like Vietnam.
4. Afghanistan is a country dominated by tribal and ethnic loyalties -- and torn apart from years of civil war. Our presence there causes more harm than good. The Bush administration's strategic doctrine was to take over the country and make sure Al Qa'eda didn't have a place of safety. But for how long?
5. The Bush administration also invaded Iraq under false pretenses to get rid of a tyrant to whom we once sent money and arms. Our troops are supposed to be out of Iraq in a couple of years. It's still not entirely clear if the Iraqis want to wait that long.
6. President Obama has made Afghanistan the Pentagon's No. 1 priority since we lost a record number of troops in August. This was an obvious sign things are heating up. Now there's talk of sending even more troops into this quagmire. Earlier this year, Obama ordered 21,000 troops to go there, which will bring the total U.S. forces to 68,000 by the end of this year.

The same web-author recently said that “the U.S. and NATO should study Afghanistan's history." Whoever that author was also reminded his readers that "nations have been trying to conquer this country since Alexander the Great tried ... and failed." (emphasis mine)

It's time to get out of that country before we sink any deeper into the quagmire. Al Qa'eda has been fighting from the Pakistan side of the Afghan border for years. Are we planning to attack Pakistan next?

Hellfire, I remember when Osama bin Laden was receiving dialysis treatments just one wing of the hospital in Dubai from where we were holding our AA meetings. I wonder when we’ll target the American Hospital in Dubai (AHD) with one of our Predator drones … I think Osama was in the wing next to the OB ward.

That's how some Right Wing idiots define Christianity, unfortunately.

Then again, surely we won't go to war with the United Arab Emirates and messy-up those great greens and sand traps in Tiger Woods' super new golf course, will we? Uhhh ... I wouldn't bet on anything these days.

How many Americans must die in combat and how many countries must we attack before the “9-11 debt” is paid-in-full? Screwy arithmetic me thinks, now that more than 4,000 GIs have perished as “payment” for the 3,000 civilians those bastards killed eight years ago.

Is it too early to be getting our minds off of the drama in Ocean Shores (from the past two weeks)?

Hey, they were already giving odds on Mike Huckabee for 2012 on Fox News last night. Whatcha think?

Better than my long tomes on cleaning kitty litters, dog walking (new activity as of last week) and Grays Harbor College starting classes--including one of the ones I'll be teaching (TODAY!).

Prayers still requested relative to previous few postings here and on Sweetheart's blog.

Dark Days for Sweetheart (You can call her Sweetie!)

Sweetheart wants her Best Friend, Richard, back home!

What we are all asking for are your prayers for Richard's good health and all of your best wishes wrapped in "Stinky Treats.". And oh yes, Sweetie promises to restart her marvelous blog as soon as Richard shows up at the front door ... smiling and well.

My brother Richard becomes an officialy designated GLF ("Ground Level Fall" on the ER Status Board) at Grays Harbor Community Hospital

Yes, the "C-Collar" was really Army Green! But Richard asked that I take down the very accurate portrait that I put up for him on Sunday.

Not much to add to the above photo; they had already wiped most of the blood off his face and I was holding his flattened (also bloody) glasses. I'll let Sweetheart (Richard's Benji-looking dog whom God provided him out of nowhere last October) tell the whole story on a blog posting in her own words (baleful whines) on her own blog site.

Yes, I cried when I saw his prone body lying on the street two doors down with most of Ocean Shores' police, EMT and fire department already either on-site or just arriving--along with neighbors whom I've never met.

That was Saturday evening and he's slowly recovering up in the loft with his beloved (TRULY!!) dog. Jesus answered many, many prayers on Saturday night and Sunday (middle of the night) morning.

What's in Store for our Public School Children? Which is Worse: Swine Flu or the Vaccinations?

Having grandchildren in public schools from coast to coast, I certainly want more certifiable testing of the vaccines under examination in laboratories (also) coast to coast.

Of course, there is to be expected more conjecture than certainty as regards the pandemic scare with which we are being bombarded just ahead of the "back-to-school" week in most of America ... but to threaten our children with as many as four (two for H1N1 and two for conventional seasonal flu) vaccinations whose combinatorial effects are largely unknown, seems a bit premature.

The only aspect of it all that will be spot on as regards to its being "on-time" is the minimum of $1,816,989,920 (roughly two billion dollars) that the vaccination program is estimated to cost!

Mediawingnuts' guess is $3.5 billion!

It's all in how you sell it, P-BO; stop saying "Public Option" and try ...

On for size!

See my recent posting for a broader look at possible "options" -- including a comment or two!

And while we're on the subject of reforming our health care in America .... what about the rest of the world? What are they doing?

Click on map to read legend

It was interesting to pop into the above graphic posted by the Daily Kos. They/it posted a very interesting map showing which countries have universal (or nearly so) heath care. Not having it are most parts of the Middle East; most of Africa; the Philippines; some areas of South America and the United States. Other parts of the world either have universal health care or are well on the way toward implementing it--China is implementing it as I am posting this. And about all we can say for ourselves upon viewing this current map (2009) is that we are barely keeping up with most of Africa and most of the Middle East--except for Iraq and Afghanistan, of course, whose universal health care is funded by ... you guess who.

Interestingly, U.S. spells "us"!!!

For the love of Jihad! Why make this Health Care Reform so %#$&@ complicated?

What I seem to be hearing coming from the Town Hall Meetings--click on the diagram to get e glimpse of what's on paper today!

Mediawingnuts believes deeply that we need to "reform" whatever it is we have out there that leaves fifty million folks without health insurance. But ...

Why all the subterfuge?

I can think of two options that would work and both of which would fit on one side of one sheet of paper.

1. Allow every American to have the same plan that Congress enjoys!

or

2. Expand Medicare to every living soul in America ... okay, insist on citizenship if you really want to pay through the teeth for later more serious problems.

Take your pick! I like the first one, but we could certainly live with either and, as P-BO has reminded us, the deficit will go through the roof if we stand around bickering for the next fifteen years.

Yeesh!

Mob Rule Does NOT Equate to "First Ammendment Rights"!!

Democracy in Action or Demagogues in Action?

Since when is an overhaul of health care (yes -- call it "Reform"!) and insurance reform NOT a good thing? From what I hear proposed on Cable Television (sans Fox Cable Network) and then compare that to how hospitals, doctors, prescription drug companies and Insurance companies dictate and handle the insured and non-Insured it is reasonable to me that it should be reformed.

The hollering masses in opposition to ANYTHING (!!!) somehow seem that they are just disagreeing with change -- simply to be disagreeable -- because their Republican party of NO tells them that anything the Democrats come up with will be injurious to their health. Huh?

I heard one of the CNN commentators say, "It's like the Tobacco lobby saying: 'Do not pay attention to the Warning label on the packs of cigarettes.' "

I personally hope to hear BOTH sides take a calm and educated look at BOTH sides of each aspect of any proposed reform -- and then make an educated decision as to what belongs and what doesn't belong in whatever bill ultimately is given to P-BO to sign. I just received my first medical bill that was NOT covered by my "former" (prior to lay-off) insurance.

I KNOW the pain!!! I missed by three days.

It takes more than a "Certification of Live Birth" according to the "Birthers" ... but this is all the proof I need.

This video is a few months old, but that doesn't make it any less authentic--and surely is more proof than any yellowed piece of paper (or parchment) that P-BO is 100% American!! We may not be able to get the White House to release a copy of the original Birth Certificate, but name even one Kenyan (or even a Canadian) who could pull this off on his first try.

As a small favor, "x" out the damned Google ads at the bottom of the video clip after they pop up! I haven't been able to erase them. Any ideas? Just leave me a comment and I'll fix the problem.

For Mediawingnuts, this is all the proof I'll ever need that Barack H. Obama is 100% AMERICAN!!

Hmm ... no, that's not Matt Drudge (the hat--remember?) giving my daughter and her husband a walk-through!

West Wing Door at White House

Gee! Without the Matt Drudge hat, my son, Tim, looks more like himself as he takes his sibling and sibling-in-law on a tour of the WH. The badges they are all wearing remind me of my days at Stafford Creek Penitentiary. For us, the contractors (like myself) wore yellow; the staff (guards, etc.) wore blue and the felons wore dark green. I notice that my son has a blue badge just like the staff at Stafford Creek--or is that green?

At Stafford Creek, volunteers and visitors wore red--just like my daughter and her husband who were obviously taking the tour, so to speak. Gee, with this photo, I can now say that I'm the proud papa of a member of the White House staff.

No pictures in the Oval Office though; that's where the rules stepped in as regards taking pictures.

Birth Certificates Can Be Tricky Things to Find. Just Ask Me--Who Has Yet to Obtain His Original (or Even a Copy) from Michigan!

We "birthers" believe that something akin to this (and all of its copies) together with John McCain's coming confession that he's actually Panamanian will put Sarah Palin and Joe Biden in the White House as Joint Tenants in a month or so

Hey, guess who's going to Kenya tomorrow morning (Obama's birthday, Kenyan time) to ... speak at the U.S.-sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum in Nairobi. The question in everybody's minds is: will she also stop by at Barack's birthplace (the "Bethlehem" of Kenya) to smile that special Hillary-was-right-after-all smile. Of course, she will then stop off at the Bureau of Records to pick up Barack Obama's "you-know-what" (his actual Birth Certificate) to insure that it's burned now and forever.

The big question is: What will Hillary have to give to Kenya to get that danged piece of paper--and all of the other documents (newspapers from the early 1960s, copies of the actual birth certificate (not a certification of live birth, which can be used as a substitute) that probably number in the hundreds, or at least as many persons who have had access to it over the past year or so, and heaven knows what else)?

Obama could put the matter to rest by releasing his actual birth certificate, which would show, among other things, the place of his birth and the doctor who performed the birth procedure.

Note: This information is not provided on the Certification of Live Birth.

The Unfortunate Forgery (Not Even an Actual Birth Certificate) Published on Obama's Supporters' Own Websites

Happy Birthday, President-cum-Possibly-Legal-Possibly-Illegal-Alien Obama!!!

Naw, I am pulling your legs ... For myself, I was finally convinced some weeks ago that P-BO is 100% American on the basis of newspaper clippings from both of Honolulu's newspapers. But the birthing conspiracy is just too much fun! :)

Happy Birthday for real President Barack H. Obama!

Happy Hour at the White House .... but where's my Timmy?

Henry Louis Gates Jr., a black Harvard scholar, and James Crowley, a white Cambridge, Mass. police sergeant had beers with Obama and Vice President Biden at a table near the Rose Garden

From all the hype, one would think that P-BO was hosting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-il and Vladimir Putin. But as it was, the short conversation (a.k.a. publicity stunt) did little more than cement what was already known by almost all of us: Professor Gates lost his temper and spoke angrily (in his home) when faced by a white policeman at his back door; the white policeman (James Crowley--who goes by his initials: "J.C."), who wasn't pleased that an uppity African American professor [in private: that #%@#& n-word]--who had shown his identification--became angry at a white policeman (himself) and subsequently arrested the Harvard Professor and booked him for disorderly conduct (charges later dropped); and then to top it all off, the President and leader of the "free" world--who should have been in Cambridge as Commander-in-Chief in charge of the Cambridge policemen checking out a possible house break-in that fateful evening--made an "uncalibrated" statement about the policemen at the scene having "acted stupidly."

They all apologized--more or less. And the rest of us thought that the actions of the Cambridge policemen were simply simple-minded, and not out-and-out "stupid"; the President's comments were premature; and Professor Gates should have been more alert to the situation--even after having just returned from China and after a twenty-hour flight. (His suitcases were still sitting out in front of the house while the Event of the Century was taking place behind his home.)

The whole thing at the Rose Garden lasted about three minutes--but this will be a highlight of the nightly news (along with Michael Jackson's death) all the way through the 2012 Presidential campaigns ... and maybe beyond if Rush Limbaugh decides to run.

The "Public Option" that is under such debate is just that ... an OPTION! And one that will reduce EVERY American's premium!!

Remember this photo from about a year ago? She had NO option, if you recall!

I was a civil service employee with the Federal Government for most of my working life. As P-BO said today (very clearly):

"The federal government is a classic example. The federal health employees program is a pretty good deal because you've got several million people who are part of it. So that gives you a lot of bargaining power with the insurers. Well, the exchange will provide that same market power to help negotiate with the insurers to drive prices down."

That's not so hard to understand, is it? Well, neither is the "Public Option" which our president addressed in brilliantly continuing his answer to the very same question:

"And the other thing that we do want to do -- now, this is controversial, and I understand some people are worried about this -- we do think that it makes sense to have a public option alongside the private option, so you could still choose a private insurer, but we'd also have a public plan that you could choose from that would be not for profit, wouldn't have, hopefully, some of the same high administrative costs, and would be potentially more responsive to your needs at a lower cost. I think that helps keep the insurance companies honest, because now they have somebody to compete with. And I have to say, the reason this has been controversial is, you know, a lot of people have heard this phrase "socialized medicine" and they say, "We don't want government-run health care. We don't want a Canadian-style plan."

Obama finished his answer (still to the very same question) with:

"Nobody is talking about that. We're saying: Let's give you a choice. You can choose the private marketplace or this other approach."

Kapish? Option is spelled: O-P-T-I-O-N !!!

Palin steps down ... or maybe ... UP!

Sarah Palin, dishes out a salmon burger as her daughter Piper watches during the governor's picnic in Anchorage, Alaska (Photograph taken yesterday by Al Grillo)

What's next in Sarah Palin's political/personal life is anyone's guess. But my first guess is that she will continue to follow the directions suggested to her by Lord and my Lord, Jesus Christ.

She may very well not have a political power base that goes with the "Governor" title, but she has the support (for whatever is best for her) from her God and many of us who remember her decisions to have a child whom she knew would have physical difficulties (little Trig Palin has Down's Syndrome) and a grandchild who would carry an sadly unfair "title" throughout his life (little Tripp Johnston's father and mother are unmarried) ... but he will be alive and continue to be a child of God for as long as God's plan permits.

I personally would like to see Sarah join Mike Huckabee in either helping to scare Barack Obama into turning 180 degrees into the president we all hoped for (whether it had been John McCain or P-BO)--and would be worthy of a second term ... or ... well, if not that ... well, there's always this!

A needed commentary and press conference ... but was or was not his answer to that "one more question" STUPID? ... Put emphasis on, "stupid"!

What in the world happened?
How could one man not only drop the ball on at least some improvement to our health care "system," but then manage to top the entire mess off with that unnecessary--and unquestionably "stupidest"--foot-in-the-mouth answer to an unrelated-to-the-topic question (Emphasis on the word, "stupidest")?

That isn't to say that he and the Democrats don't have a marvelous Health Care System overhaul hidden in their back pockets ... or that Professor Gates wasn't improperly arrested for his unwillingness to cooperate with the Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Department. It's only that the man regarded as our #1 politician managed to pull off the most unpolitical speech/press conference in my memory.

What next?

If anyone needed proof, the tie and "hat" are proof enough for me!

Timothy J. Ryan (son)

I had heard rumors that Timmy was hired as some sort of Technology Director for Personnel at the White House. This pic is all I need for confirmation. Oh my goodness!

Congratulations and best of EVERYTHING to you, Tim!

As important as I think our lacking Health Care "System" is, something else bothers me more!!

It is nearly impossible for me to keep track of Obama and his administration. Among the economy, Pakistan, Iran, Health Care, the (still leaking) Mexican border, Afghanistan and (oh yes, still) Iraq ... it is hard to keep up with it all.

Of most concern to me (despite Obama's limp defense this evening of his (non-existent, but definitely needed) health care system overhaul, is that Obama has so dramatically changed his tune about being against war since the election. I know for a fact that a lot of my friends voted on Obama because they called Bush a war monger. It's not the economy stupid; it's Armageddon!

And oh yes, they (including me) also thought he would do marginally better on the economy than McCain. Whoops!

At the rate Obama is sending more troops and money to Middle East--albeit that Afghanistan is the target today--we will be there another 100 years!! Didn't he criticise McCain for that comment?

Well, July has been the deadliest month yet for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iran is developing a nuclear capability--not to mention North Korea--and the topic of the moment: Health Care!

Sadly, the longer we stay in Iraq and Afghanistan and the more money we spend on the burgeoning Defense budget, the more we'll feel compelled to remain in the Middle East to validate the investment. A similar self-imposed predicament plagued U.S. officials during the war in Vietnam. Oddly enough, when opinion leaders in Washington talk about "lessons learned" from Vietnam and other conflicts, they typically draw the wrong lesson: not that America should avoid intervening in someone else's domestic dispute, but that America should never give up after having intervened, no matter what the cost.

The most important response against a "withdrawal is weak-kneed" argument is that America's military roams the planet, controls the skies and space, faces no peer competitor, and wields one of the planet's largest nuclear arsenals. America is responsible for almost half of the world's military spending, and can project its power to the most inaccessible corners of the globe. Thus, the fear that America would appear "weak" after withdrawing from Afghanistan (today's "front" in the war on terror) is totally irrational.

The $1.5 trillion that a decent health care system might cost (today's estimate) could be bought and paid for ten times over (or never on a planet that's radiated ten times over) for the cost of the continuation of Bush-cum-Obama's War on Terror.

Medicare is worse than a chess puzzle on a Mobius Strip!

Medicare's Mobius Checkmate!

The pile of paper and confusion that best describes my unemployment claims each week (and to date I've received nothing!) is only matched by my Medicare claims relative to that colon abscess for which I received surgery last month. The process continues in five dimensions and, like, Mobius's famous strip ... the backside of a Medicare claim is also its front side.

Between Option F of Medicare and my former Uniform Medical from Grays Harbor College (Stafford Creek Penitentiary)--and I haven't even touched on Options A and B--it would take a Ph.D. in partial differential equations to untangle my forms--most of which have yet to be filled out!

Yeesh!

Lowest level of weekly jobless claims in six months? Ha!!

They seem to be making a big point that the number of jobless claims fell to levels not seen since January (six months ago) last week. Well I'd like to mention two circumstances that ought to be taken into account: (1) It was a shortened week with many businesses, including my former employer, taking Friday off for the Fourth of July and (2) the impossibility of actually applying for unemployment (and making that first claim) what with the new paperless (HA!!) system.

I wasn't able to complete that process until today (by telephone) after being given that nutty Sunday date by the helpful folks at the unemployment office who refused to speak to me earlier than Thursday of this just past week because all applications for Unemployment Benefit Status and first claims for those benefits can only be done by phone and/or the Internet. My mailbox out in front of the house was full every day during the week as a result of my playing it "by the books."

Paperless? You should see my living room--and that's with an inoperable printer on my computer shelf!

Bah! Humbug! It's time for Huckabee and Palin to reduce the size of Government and the complexity of the red tape. At least let's get the numbers straight with my claim in the pot. It would have been 565,001 last week had the system worked (no pun intended).

Huckabee and Palin for 2012! Let's squash all of this Armageddon-2012 talk once and for all!!

What's all the malarkey about the Mayan calendar and the world ending together in 2012?

Let's begin a new age with Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin!

He's a marvelous person and ready to be president TODAY and she’s a wonderful woman PERIOD. Therefore, let me be the first to announce the next President and Vice-president of the United States.

I think we can count on them to lead the fight against Barack Obama (nice guy and some good ideas relating to caring for the least fortunate among us) and his unlawful spending, scooping up of private companies and basically continuing W's policies of mayhem in the Middle East.

They (H and P) are going to be the ones to become most prominently outspoken against P-BO, and I for one am right behind them both.

It sounds like a lot of divisiveness going on in Washington today--even between and among members of the same party(ies). What’s wrong with a pair of strong independent leaders who don’t take bribes and are against lobbying? Think about it!

My Deepest Apologies for the Previous Posting

Paris (from her 11 year-old heart): "I just want to say... ever since I was born.... daddy has been the best father you can imagine. And I just want to say I love him so much."

What can I say about my previous tasteless posting other than ... I'm sorry!

Earlier at the funeral ... all three ... Paris, Prince Michael I and (hiding) Prince Michael II

It's almost been two weeks ... but the "Michael Jackson Story" has longer legs yet!

Last Shot of Michael from Implanted Camera Prior to Burial

It has almost been two weeks since Michael Jackson died of _____ (fill in the blank) and the details (again, fill in the blanks) of his finances, funeral extravaganza and sad life story (who knows?) are still occupying nearly every news and entertainment channel (cable or air waves) 24/7 ... with no sign of abating.

To insure that the story continues beyond this week, month and year, CNN and FOX News have combined resources to have an IR camera implanted just above Michael's face in the coffin and wireless communications installed so that Michael Jackson fans can go directly to WWW.C.MIKE/DK so as to watch Michael decay ... in real time ... except for the pop-up box ads!

Only in America!

Michael After One Year--Time Enhanced Photography from IR Camera in Coffin

466,000 in June and now we have 1 already in July. I'm with you, Sarah--let's both refuse to be dead fish just "going with the flow"!

Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin ... for three more weeks

Watch for Sarah and I to put on a full-court press and help to bring our country back to the USA we all remember ... way back then.

In the meanwhile, look at it as a situation wherein we both have walked out through the razor wire into a free and breezy "real world" of people, animals (especially cats), fluffy clouds and a loving God.

I'm still with you, Sarah ... all the way into the White House. Get as far as you can from the Lettermans and other vicious and ugly persons who will be after you with everything they've got ... persons who are frightened beyond words that you will bring common sense back into American leadership.

But for now, we could all feel your pain as you have been enduring growing personal pressures with ugly jokes about your children, legal bills, ethics investigations and a running, public feud with McCain's camp--seething with jealousy--but not including Senator McCain himself.

So what happened? Of course we were all shocked this morning to learn that Sarah Palin, in a hastily arranged news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, said she will formally step down on July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks. She said she had decided against running for re-election as Alaska's governor, and believed it was best to leave office even though she had two years left to her term.

That can be interpreted as her deciding to join the rolls of unemployed so as to stand up proudly for her God, her family and her country.

Go, Sarah, GO!!!

It would've been only 466,999 !!

My New WAL-MART

Employers cut a one-person-larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate climbed to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent. Had I made it through to July 1st, the numbers would have been 466,999 and 9.4999999%. Workers also saw weekly wages fall, suggesting that persons like myself will have little appetite to spend … and the economy's plus my own road to recovery will be very, very bumpy.

Out! And this time, really OUT!!!!

It didn't hit me until I looked up,
And there the glistening razor-wire looked down ...
On me and my "escort" ... hup, hup, hup!
Sparkling in the sunset on my obvious frown.

First through master control
Securing my keys into the numbered slot
And then out through minor control,
Through which I'll surely again enter ... NOT!

I'M REALLY OUT!

On the good side of not making the cut at the end of the fiscal year is that not one of the Control Officers (guards) made even a move as so many of my close friends (felons all) hugged, cried and held tight to my wind-breaker as I was taken out of the classroom, building and ultimately out of the prison. (Even touching a "staff member" is a major infraction for any inmate, so that was a first of its kind, I think.)

I find it ironic that on the same day that I was "evacuated" from Stafford Creek State Penitentiary, our guys and gals in Iraq were evacuated from all of the cities and urban areas within Iraq. A connection?

There's something about that synchronicity ...

And yes, I teared up after promising myself I would never do so. Of course, I was relieved of my picture-badge, keys (quite a ring full) and other odds and ends, such as equipment/security chits and the card I had for use in vending machines--which I never used in the nearly three years I dutifully carried it hidden behind the badge in its holder.

The drive down the hill was an emotional five or so minutes ...

Michael is home, I believe!

I have no idea about what demons ... or even kinds of demons ... haunted Michael throughout his life as he grew from boyhood into man-boyhood. Something or someone had to be behind his changing pigmentation and high-pitched voice. But surely angels were behind his talent and his humility ... and maybe even his love of children simple pleasures and the destitute.

May you be blessed in Heaven forever, young Michael!

Jesus loves him!
This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak but He is strong.
Jesus loves him!
Loves him still,
Tho he was weak ... and surely ill,
But at the end from sin he's free,
Because Jesus died upon the tree.

Jesus loves him!
He who died
Heaven's gate He opened wide;
He will wash away Michael's sins,
Let this little child come in.

Since when can't a US Army General call a US Senator, "Ma'am"?

Barbara Boxer spoke the following to an American general during the Senate hearings: "Could you say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am? It's just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title. I'd appreciate it."

Last I heard, MA'AM, you are a civil servant--much like I was for twenty years ... not royalty! If Queen Elizabeth had said that to an American Brigadier General, Britain would instantly dump its royalty in embarrassment. But no, Queen Elizabeth has an IQ above 75 and isn't likely to forget her place in the scheme of things!

Even Jesus didn't jump on his disciples when they forgot or neglected to call Him with Kingly titles!! Actually, if you recall, Ms. Boxer, He wrapped a towel around His waist and washed His disciples feet ... to demonstrate vividly how He saw His role in their lives.

I might add that, in all of my years of teaching--including teaching in a State Penitentiary--I never asked a student--or a convicted felon--to correct himself (or herself) and call me "doctor," "professor," or even "sir"!

And BTW, women in the military are called "ma'am" just as officers are called "sir" and it's considered a term of courtesy or respect.

Learn your place, Ms. Boxer; you were elected to be a SERVANT of your constituency--not Their Highness. And that includes the unborn fetuses that you so casually allow to be killed in the name of convenience. I pray for your soul and try to love you as I am commanded to love all of my enemies.

Introducing Susan Boyle's cat, Pebbles, in an actual photograph

For those of you who felt that my previous posting showing the paintings of Susan and Pebbles (separately) fell short of authenticity, here is a photo that I found on the website.

Enjoy!

My brother (using a pseudoname of "Sweetheart" on his/her blogsite) called it "Library Meltdown." I call it just another entry on the OSPD blotter!

My dear (really!) brother, Richard, told me on that evening (May 30, 2009) that he'd been "escorted" from the library after asking the librarian if her two cats (who live at the library as a "donation" to our local PAWS organization) were "service cats" after she asked him if his dog (our Sweetie) was a "service dog." He had, on a previous visit to the library, told the librarians that our little-town library was "crap" after they told him he had arrived too late--as they were closing for the day.

I was never quite sure when he told me that story last month, but then I saw the above blotter entry in this week's issue of the North Coast News.

My brother is becoming famous. Hopefully our address here isn't listed in the "trouble" column on some EXCEL spreadsheet on the computers at the OSPD building--which resides right next door to the Ocean Shores Library. As it is, the location of the OSPD is fortunate in that an officer is usually there to accompany Richard over to the library as an armed escort until the thirty day probation period is over at the end of the month.

Now you see why I'm a Susan & Pebbles fan!

Susan Boyle

The Susan Boyle family

Pebbles

Like Susan Boyle, I am a rather plain looking cat-lover who's getting a little past his prime. Big difference though ... I don't sing like an angel!

We are the body of Christ ... Our bodies are indeed the temples of God!

The workers at the Home for the Destitute and Dying within the compound created by Mother Teresa [now deceased] in Calcutta greet one another with the most beautiful of local greetings .... Namaste! It reminds me of how I must regard each person with whom I come in contact--those I might regard as enemies as well as my dearest friends ... and everyone between.

"Namasté," from the beautiful Sanskrit language of India, literally means, "I bow to you." But the word really has deeper meaning: "I honor the spirit in you which is also in me," as we believe we are all one in the Holy Spirit.

I truly am not sure why this hit me so strongly, but it did.

Paul of Tarsus himself said, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives within me." He was speaking for all of us and our daily relationships should reflect this truth. Surely this Truth puts emphasis upon my previous post--and my relationships with each of the convicted felons with whom I work and all others within the state penitentiary into which Christ placed me against all odds three years ago.

God makes no mistakes!

There are no exceptions to the commands of Jesus!

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:43-45

I have only this past week learned that I will definitely be losing my job in three weeks after only believing it was a strong possibility for more than two and a half months. My first reaction this week was to search out for someone to blame--of course, surely never myself! I immediately designated these persons (whom I don't even know) as my “enemies.”

And that took me straight to Jesus’ words above. Wow! Imagine that! "LOVE your enemies!"

But just exactly how can we love our enemies—or more broadly speaking, taking Jesus’ words as they must be implied—how can we love everyone?

We can begin by trying to to look at persons we don’t even know … without even seeing their faces. It’s basically the way we see our family members and close friends ... like when you can see deeper. You can see WHO they are far more than WHAT they are—or what they have done to us.

Has it ever happened to you? It’s more evident when there’s someone who seems sad. You look into their eyes, and it’s almost as if their whole life plays out in that split second. And when you see that pain, that hurt, in their eyes… it’s almost like you would do ANYTHING to make them happy.

It’s all you truly want. Despite everything … the hate in the world, the decisions people may make … everyone is still equal … but the factor that sets us apart is our ability to ACCEPT others.

When you can start to realize that everyone is an amazing creation of Our Lord, then we begin to realize that beauty is everywhere—that life is a miracle created by love. Only then is it easier to love everyone. When you love everyone, you want to help everyone. That’s when you can make the difference in the world, because that’s when you have an undying passion for people—all people. Once you attain that love for all, it never goes away.

Loving is not only the strongest force known to man—but also gives you a feeling of euphoria ... a feeling that causes your eyes to widen and take in everything like a sponge.

You truly love life, and you just can’t stop smiling. I only this past week learned I will be losing my job and guess what? I’m smiling with love for absolutely everyone ... and in particular, anyone who helped to bring this situation about. They were only doing what had to be done and also with and for the love of anyone affected by my job loss.

May God's perfect plan be fulfilled in LOVE ... no matter what the future brings!

Losing to Diversity wasn't the end of the world, Susan Boyle. You still have a voice that made us all hear the voice of one of God's angels!

Susan Boyle ... the world's latest Diva

Having no idea what my own next stop in life is, it gives me great joy to know that the next several stops for Susan Boyle will be a confirmation of the incredible plans of God.

Apparently she would like to resume her former custom of trying her luck at the karaoke contest at Moran's Turf Bar on Sunday nights, but for now she is in the care of a record label Sony BMG. To all intents and purposes, she is in hiding at a safe house and being deliberately shielded from the global public interest in her rather imperfect but continuing fairy tale.

Admittedly, those of us who watched her crash and burn--even exposing her legs in an undignified manner--after losing to an unknown dancing troupe after the final performances during Britain's Got Talent Show ... know that she will return.

Hopefully, with some psychiatric help--and a voice that doesn't end--she will be the world's next diva and recording star.

At least I hope so. It gives hope to all of us ordinary, un-beautiful and imperfect people ... in God's wonderful plans for us all.

I will surely be one of the first to buy the album that she will be putting together with the Czech National Symphony orchestra during the coming weeks thanks to the promotion and efforts of Simon Cowell. Yes, he is taking cruel advantage of the sad psychological "meltdown" following her inability to handle the ugly and insensitive reporters who followed her continuously as a "freak" whose plain looks and spinster lifestyle were made into something to laugh at.

But let's all just watch as God's plans for Susan Boyle's life unfolds!

Rush Limbaugh doesn't just want P-BO to fail; he sincerely (I believe him) wants P-BO's nominees for the Supreme Court to fail.

A Nameless, Mindless Drug Addict Whose Groupies Go by the Moniker, "Ditto-Heads"

Rush Limbaugh doesn't only want President Barack Obama to fail; he wants Judge Sonia Sotomayor--and any other of President Barack Obama's nominees to the Supreme Court to fail also.

"Do I want her to fail? Yeah ..." Limbaugh said of federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor on his radio show yesterday. Then, to correct the meaning of his foolish words, he continued ... "Do I want her to fail to get on the court? Yes! She'd be a disaster on the court." Not even a half-decent catch of his unforgivable gaff in my opinion ...

And for those who have suggested that Limbaugh never really meant what he said about the president, Limbaugh said this today: "Do I still want Obama to fail as president? Yeah ... AP, you getting this?" Limbaugh asked that of the Associated Press live and on the air. How he even gets 30% favorable ratings in the U.S.A. is beyond Mediawingnuts' mental capacity.

He went on, "He's gonna fail anyway, but the sooner the better, so as little damage can be done to the country."

Don't get me wrong; I too find problems in some of the positions taken by P-BO. But I surely want both President Obama and his presidency to succeed as our country has never succeeded before.

As suggested by my previous posting, my allegiance is to Jesus, but I have great love and concern for my country and her leaders.

The Currently Ongoing Obama-Cheney "Debate" : "Who would Jesus bomb" ... or maybe "Who would Jesus torture?" ... an empty debate, no?

The above graphic summarizes and recaps just about all of the empty back-and-forth idiocy I've heard from both Barack Obama and Dick Cheney. They argued seemingly opposing views as to just what policies would keep America safe from terrorism in the months and years ahead. How "harsh" should harsh interrogations really be? Should we spend more time bombing Iraq or Afghanistan--and what about Iran and Pakistan while we're at it?

Having worked in a medium-to-maximum security penitentiary for almost three years now, I have to wonder why either Cheney or P-BO have so little faith in our "Super-Max" Federal Penitentiaries. But then, closing or not closing Gitmo was hardly the main issue.

What was truly sad about our leadership during 9/11 and recently afterwards--and even now as the action in Afghanistan heats up--is that both the previous administration and the Obama administration have been continuing to propagate continuing fear instead of trust, love and resolve to submit to "The Way" of Jesus in the face of danger.

Who would Jesus torture?

Who would Jesus bomb"

Who would Jesus even aim a weapon towards?

Answer: NO ONE!!

Even the concept of Christians going to war should have ended instantly after Jesus rebuked Peter for even trying to protect the Son of God. (You remember--after Peter sliced off the ear of one of Jesus' Roman captors)

Whatever happened to "love thine enemies" and "Do unto [all] others as you would have them do onto you"?

Exactly to whom do we owe allegiance anyway" Our country? Our families? The flag (or God-forbid, a flag pin)? The almighty dollar? ... or should we truly owe our allegiance to a King and His Kingdom? Jesus gave us the answer in no uncertain words. A man cannot serve two masters! Giving unto Caesar that which is Caesar's never implied breaking God's Laws in the process, did it? Let's all wake up to the reality of the unending now and the Eternal King whose sad eyes watch the carnage we have kept unending since the time of Cain.

When it Rains in Grays Harbor County ... It Pours!

Likely Increase in Population in the Grays Harbor County Cemetery in the Days and Weeks Ahead

From our local newspaper yesterday:

First Case of swine flu Reported in Grays Harbor County
By Callie White - The Daily World

Thursday, May 22, 2009 12:12 PM PDT

A 14-year-old Hoquiam girl is Grays Harbor County’s first known case of the A/SWH1 virus, once known as the H1N1 virus, and more widely known as “swine flu.”

The girl, who has now recovered, was ill earlier this month. It took about a week for a flu test taken by a local physician to come back.

The girl was kept out of school during most of her illness, which should decrease the risk of exposure, according to the Grays Harbor Health Department.

Mike Parker, Hoquiam Superintendent, said the students at Hoquiam Middle School will get letters to take home today to let parents know about the case. It will include precautions kids can take to prevent spreading the contagion.

“We’re going to follow the lead of the Health Department,” Parker said. He added that the school nurse, whose office is in the middle school, “is on top of this.”

[End of Article from Newspaper] The above headline and article were the headline news on page one--32-point headline at least!

First the tragedy on Thursday--also a page one news story, and now this! What next for Grays Harbor County ... and Mediawingnuts and his brother, Richard, who thought they had found the perfect paradise beyond the boundaries of civilization?

PS: And yes, Richard and I drive by that very middle school when Richard drives me daily to the hospital for my AIS treatments. Richard noticed immediately that he felt cramps as we passed that school coming back to Ocean Shores this afternoon.

Now I'm Angry!!

Injured Sea Lion In Grays Harbor

Our quiet ocean view peninsula helps to create a harbor and safe haven for California sea lions among other flora, fauna and undefinable living creatures. The marina nearby Richard's and my chalet houses a ferry to Westport Marina wherein the above sea lion was found yesterday with an arrow stuck in its side.

My anger at both Dick Cheney and Barack Obama (who still believe in "Holy Wars" and "smart bombs" [future posting on their silly-but-serious debate yesterday forthcoming] was almost serenity when compared to my feelings when seeing the above picture in today's local paper, The Daily World.

I don't believe in the death penalty, but had un-Christian-like thoughts about the beasts who targeted one of the gentlest of God's creatures in one of God's most serene locales in the Western Hemisphere.

Still, The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has at least offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to a civil or criminal conviction. Anyone with information can call the NMFS office at (360)268-6239.

Holy Crap! I never even thought! Those %&$#@ Zeta-Reticulan would stoop so low!

The Root Cause of the Abscess on my Colon ... uncovered (more or less)

Despite the interesting possibilities discussed by the vast (three is "vast" in Mediawungnuts' blogosphere) commentary on my previous posting, I believe the genuine photo taken last year provides ample evidence.

How they were able to redirect the bacterial laser energy from my ear to my colon is a Zeta-Reticulian secret, I believe.