I am so sick of hearing about the “beer summit”. Who cares that two extremely prejudice black guys, an idiot white guy and a police officer sat for a photo op with a couple of beers. I mean really America. Don’t we have bigger fish to fry than that? Our country is being “transformed” into some socialistic welfare state and all the media can focus on is Obama’s fain attempt at giving a crap about racial divide. FYI; better start with the guy in the mirror Barry.
Seriously, we are in a serious drought here in the Great State of Texas. Almost 80 out of 254 counties in the state are in extreme drought. This has been the worst drought in a half century and $3.6 billion has been lost in crops and livestock. In April, the USDA labeled 70 Texas counties as natural disaster areas. But for goodness sake we can’t worry about that. We all have to sit glued to the TV to watch the cop and three stooges play nice.
For all we know, our healthcare was thrown out the window while the world focused on this little “sit-down”. Shame on the media for allowing Obama to turn peoples attention away from the things that matter in this country. Luckily, they couldn’t deter all of us from staying the course on the real issues. Some of us can’t and won’t be lured by “The One” and his gaggle of hypnotized puppets. There are many of us who love this country enough to keep the people informed of every puppet’s’ actions. So keep that in mind every time you vote on a bill or amendment. As a matter of fact, think long and hard about it when you pop open a nice cold beer.
Have a nice weekend!!!!!!!!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Obama Agenda
As last years Presidential race went on, one thing kept jumping out at me as Obama spewed his agenda. The man has been polished and placed in this position. At first, I couldn’t figure out if he was the master piece of Muslims or black activists. Perhaps it is both. And while I still am not 100% sure, I am leaning more and more toward black activists with an agenda. What agenda….making the white man pay for the sins of his father. Hey, maybe that is where he came up with the title of his book. One would have to be ignorant and stupid to miss that agenda. (Which explains why the left has such a hard time seeing it.) Make no mistake; I believe that slavery was a horrible sin. But God is mans judge. Not some blowhard from Chicago. Of course we all know that he thinks he is God but there is only one, and it isn’t you Barry.
I do have to give him credit….he laid out his agenda for the world to see during the campaign. I was so insulted every time the man spoke about my country and what his larger than life government was going to do to it, that I could have screamed. I believe that I actually did a few times. I only wish that the voters would have listened when he told them what his plans were. I wish that they would have listened to Rush, Hannity or Beck. They all warned of the impending doom awaiting this country if Obama were elected. Instead, they all focused on the fact that the first African-American to become President is going to finally take care of us. (By the way….I hate the term African-American….your either an American or your not) Well for some of you, yes he is going to take care of you. You won’t have to lift a finger (not that you ever have) but you will be taken care of. For the rest of us however, we are screwed. Especially white men. This country has allowed every race, and women, to have or do whatever they want and in some cases even paid for it. Everyone except the white man that is. Well I am sorry but that is wrong. I do believe that it was the black man that sold the slaves to the white man. So where is the anger there? I have yet to here Jeremiah Wright screaming “damn the African that sold my great grandparents”. But I guess then he would be selling his people out. No pun intended.
Be it the Muslims or the black activists, it is apparent that Obama hangs his chains on the Marxist side of the fence. His hatred of white America has him on a mission to wrap them around the wallet of every American that has the audacity to get up and go to work everyday. It’s up to us, the American people, to stop him, his hypnotized followers and whatever organization it is that placed him in power, from getting away with it.
As always…….write, call or fax your Congressman, Senators and local officials and let them know how you feel on the issues in this country.
I do have to give him credit….he laid out his agenda for the world to see during the campaign. I was so insulted every time the man spoke about my country and what his larger than life government was going to do to it, that I could have screamed. I believe that I actually did a few times. I only wish that the voters would have listened when he told them what his plans were. I wish that they would have listened to Rush, Hannity or Beck. They all warned of the impending doom awaiting this country if Obama were elected. Instead, they all focused on the fact that the first African-American to become President is going to finally take care of us. (By the way….I hate the term African-American….your either an American or your not) Well for some of you, yes he is going to take care of you. You won’t have to lift a finger (not that you ever have) but you will be taken care of. For the rest of us however, we are screwed. Especially white men. This country has allowed every race, and women, to have or do whatever they want and in some cases even paid for it. Everyone except the white man that is. Well I am sorry but that is wrong. I do believe that it was the black man that sold the slaves to the white man. So where is the anger there? I have yet to here Jeremiah Wright screaming “damn the African that sold my great grandparents”. But I guess then he would be selling his people out. No pun intended.
Be it the Muslims or the black activists, it is apparent that Obama hangs his chains on the Marxist side of the fence. His hatred of white America has him on a mission to wrap them around the wallet of every American that has the audacity to get up and go to work everyday. It’s up to us, the American people, to stop him, his hypnotized followers and whatever organization it is that placed him in power, from getting away with it.
As always…….write, call or fax your Congressman, Senators and local officials and let them know how you feel on the issues in this country.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Profound
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931
~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Interstate Concealed Carry Fail
The United States Senate voted yesterday to reject an amendment that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry in states other then their own. Those that opposed the amendment do not realize that all they are doing is forcing law abiding citizens to commit criminal activity. I for one do not know anyone that would travel without some sort of self defense. And frankly I don’t think that we should be asked to.
The amendment needed 60 votes to pass but failed 58-39. Only two votes stood in the way of it passing. Twenty Democrats joined 38 Republicans in voting for the amendment, while two Republicans, Richard Lugar of Indiana and George Voinovich of Ohio, joined 35 Democrats and two independents in opposing it. I sure hope that the people of Indiana and Ohio remember this vote when it comes election time.
The amendment needed 60 votes to pass but failed 58-39. Only two votes stood in the way of it passing. Twenty Democrats joined 38 Republicans in voting for the amendment, while two Republicans, Richard Lugar of Indiana and George Voinovich of Ohio, joined 35 Democrats and two independents in opposing it. I sure hope that the people of Indiana and Ohio remember this vote when it comes election time.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Great...Another Czar
To date, Obama has appointed 18 czars to “oversee” different things in our country. On the chance you don’t know, a czar is defined as…..A male monarch or emperor, especially one of the emperors who ruled Russia until the revolution of 1917 or a person having great power; an autocrat. That’s what we need….people with more power. At any rate, this Sunstein fella has given me cause for concern due to his animal rights comments in the past. Read the article below from Fox News and if you are as concerned as I am, please take the time to contact Senator Cornyn’s office and let him know how you feel. I have attached his contact information below.
info@johncornyn.com or
http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
or Call/Fax him
Washington DC
517 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-2934
Fax: 202-228-2856
Map this | Directions To
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southeast Texas
5300 Memorial Drive
Suite 980
Houston, TX 77007
Main: 713-572-3337
Fax: 713-572-3777
Map this | Directions To
Article From FoxNews…..
WASHINGTON -- President Obama's nominee for "regulatory czar" has hit a new snag in his Senate confirmation process -- a "hold" by Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who's says he's not convinced that Harvard professor Cass Sunstein won't push a radical animal rights agenda, including new restrictions on agriculture and even hunting.
Senators are permitted "holds" to prevent a vote on a nominee from coming to the floor. They are often secretive and for very specific reasons.
"Sen. Cornyn finds numerous aspects of Mr. Sunstein's record troubling, specifically the fact that he wants to establish legal 'rights' for livestock, wildlife and pets, which would enable animals to file lawsuits in American courts," the Republican's spokesman, Kevin McLaughlin, said in a statement to FOXNews.com.
Cornyn's hold on Sunstein comes just as Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., last week lifted his own hold on the nominee, whom Obama tapped in April to become the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Budget and Management.
Chambliss said he was dropping his hold because Sunstein had convinced him that he "would not take any steps to promote litigation on behalf of animals," and that he believes the "Second Amendment creates an individual right to possess guns for purposes of both hunting and self defense."
Both statements were included in a letter Sunstein sent to Chambliss on July 14.
Chambliss added in a Senate floor speech last Wednesday that "Professor Sunstein comes highly recommended by a number of folks from the conservative side of the philosophical divide in this country."
One of Sunstein's top jobs would be to review and provide guidance for draft federal regulations at different federal agencies. It is a wide-ranging and largely unrestrained position in the executive branch.
That's a large part of the reason Sunstein's positions on animal rights have become worrisome to his critics. Despite his assurances to the contrary, Sunstein has spoken stridently in favor of allowing people the right to bring suit on behalf of animals in animal cruelty cases and to restrict what he calls the more horrific practices associated with industrial breeding and processing of animals for food.
In a 2007 speech at Harvard, Sunstein also advocated restricting animal testing for cosmetics, banning hunting and encouraging the general public to eat less meat.
The Center for Consumer Rights' David Martosko, a Sunstein critic, said those positions make the agricultural industry -- major stakeholders in the states represented by both Chambliss and Cornyn -- nervous.
Martosko said there are plenty of ways to pursue a "stealth campaign" on any one of these fronts -- guns or animal rights -- by putting pressure on the regulatory heads of the different agencies.
"He is the gatekeeper between the president and the secretaries," he said, noting that "as a regulatory czar, he won't be a judge or a legislator, so he cannot make laws. ... What he can do is nudge the departments in the direction of his philosophy," which is very much in line with "hard core animal rights zealots."
But Sunstein, who is married to National Security Council Director of Multilateral Affairs Samantha Power, has earned widely varied reviews among the political left and right, and from some of the unlikeliest of quarters.
"We still don't know much about how Barack Obama plans to overhaul our financial regulatory system, but his reported appointment of Cass Sunstein to an important post is a promising sign," Wall Street Journal editors wrote in January, when Sunstein's possible nomination was being floated.
The paper's editors said they were cheered by Sunstein's long-held beliefs in using cost-benefit analysis in regulation -- a concept that worries proponents of greater and tighter regulations.
"We have concerns about some of his academic writings regarding his approach to regulatory policy and regulatory review," Bill Samuel, AFL-CIO legislative director, told The Chicago Tribune. "We want to hear more from him about how he intends to approach regulatory policy."
Environmentalists also say Sunstein's nomination is a potential blow to their efforts to roll back what they call Bush-era deregulation. Frank O'Donnell, director of Clean Water Watch, wrote that "progressives would've screamed" if President Bush had nominated someone with similar views for the OIRA post." In fact, Bush did, O'Donnell noted, much to the chagrin of progressives.
Adding to animal rights and cost-benefit analysis is concern over Sunstein's positions on freedom of speech.
News of Sunstein's latest book, "On Rumors: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, What Can Be Done," lit up the blogosphere last week when The New York Post ran a column by a reviewer who received an advance copy.
Writer Kyle Smith suggested Sunstein threatens to tweak libel laws for the Internet and make online writers, particularly bloggers, legally responsible for falsehoods and rumors that get generated in cyberspace.
"Sunstein calls for a 'notice and take down' law that would require bloggers and service providers to 'take down falsehoods upon notice,' even those made by commenters -- but without apparent penalty," Smith wrote. "How long would it take for a court to sort out the truth? (Presidential daughters) Sasha and Malia will be running for president by then. Nobody will care anymore. But it will give politicians the ability to tie up their online critics in court."
Sunstein, a prolific writer who has penned 35 books since 1990, has plowed the issue of rumors and how they are spread, and leaves much of the policy debate in the air.
For instance, in a paper titled, "'She Said What?' 'He Did That?' Believing False Rumors," for Harvard Law School in November 2008, Sunstein wrote: "In discussions of possible restrictions on free speech, it is standard to speak of, and to deplore, the 'chilling effect' that is created by the prospect of civil or criminal sanctions."
"Libel law, for example, might chill speech about public figures and public issues, in a way that could damage democratic debate. And if there is a 'marketplace of ideas,' we should be especially concerned about the risk of chilling effect because it will undermine processes that will ultimately produce the truth," he wrote.
Sunstein, who once taught alongside Obama at the University of Chicago Law School, did not return an interview request from FOXNews.com.
But being taken for both a liberal activist and a free market cheerleader makes the nominee a true "wild card," observers say.
John Lott, conservative author of "The Bias Against Guns and Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works," called Sunstein "open minded" and a "true academic," but also warned that in its opposition, the left might be looking a gift horse in the mouth.
"My guess is that these progressives are unlikely to find anyone who could champion many of their views as well as Cass can."
Tom Firey, managing editor of the Cato Institute's Regulation magazine, said, "Sunstein really doesn't fit readily, politically or ideologically, in any box.
"I think this is going to be a very interesting nomination to watch on Capitol Hill. He's going to be getting some shots from the right and from the left. You are never going to make anyone who is a stakeholder in these debates happy," he said.
Cornyn's spokesman said the senator will be happy when he gets direct assurances from Sunstein that he will not pursue an agenda akin to some of his past writings, particularly on the animal rights issue.
"Sen. Cornyn hasn't had a chance to speak with him yet, that's the reason for the hold," said McLaughlin. "He wants to have a chance to before moving forward."
info@johncornyn.com or
http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
or Call/Fax him
Washington DC
517 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-2934
Fax: 202-228-2856
Map this | Directions To
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southeast Texas
5300 Memorial Drive
Suite 980
Houston, TX 77007
Main: 713-572-3337
Fax: 713-572-3777
Map this | Directions To
Article From FoxNews…..
WASHINGTON -- President Obama's nominee for "regulatory czar" has hit a new snag in his Senate confirmation process -- a "hold" by Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who's says he's not convinced that Harvard professor Cass Sunstein won't push a radical animal rights agenda, including new restrictions on agriculture and even hunting.
Senators are permitted "holds" to prevent a vote on a nominee from coming to the floor. They are often secretive and for very specific reasons.
"Sen. Cornyn finds numerous aspects of Mr. Sunstein's record troubling, specifically the fact that he wants to establish legal 'rights' for livestock, wildlife and pets, which would enable animals to file lawsuits in American courts," the Republican's spokesman, Kevin McLaughlin, said in a statement to FOXNews.com.
Cornyn's hold on Sunstein comes just as Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., last week lifted his own hold on the nominee, whom Obama tapped in April to become the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Budget and Management.
Chambliss said he was dropping his hold because Sunstein had convinced him that he "would not take any steps to promote litigation on behalf of animals," and that he believes the "Second Amendment creates an individual right to possess guns for purposes of both hunting and self defense."
Both statements were included in a letter Sunstein sent to Chambliss on July 14.
Chambliss added in a Senate floor speech last Wednesday that "Professor Sunstein comes highly recommended by a number of folks from the conservative side of the philosophical divide in this country."
One of Sunstein's top jobs would be to review and provide guidance for draft federal regulations at different federal agencies. It is a wide-ranging and largely unrestrained position in the executive branch.
That's a large part of the reason Sunstein's positions on animal rights have become worrisome to his critics. Despite his assurances to the contrary, Sunstein has spoken stridently in favor of allowing people the right to bring suit on behalf of animals in animal cruelty cases and to restrict what he calls the more horrific practices associated with industrial breeding and processing of animals for food.
In a 2007 speech at Harvard, Sunstein also advocated restricting animal testing for cosmetics, banning hunting and encouraging the general public to eat less meat.
The Center for Consumer Rights' David Martosko, a Sunstein critic, said those positions make the agricultural industry -- major stakeholders in the states represented by both Chambliss and Cornyn -- nervous.
Martosko said there are plenty of ways to pursue a "stealth campaign" on any one of these fronts -- guns or animal rights -- by putting pressure on the regulatory heads of the different agencies.
"He is the gatekeeper between the president and the secretaries," he said, noting that "as a regulatory czar, he won't be a judge or a legislator, so he cannot make laws. ... What he can do is nudge the departments in the direction of his philosophy," which is very much in line with "hard core animal rights zealots."
But Sunstein, who is married to National Security Council Director of Multilateral Affairs Samantha Power, has earned widely varied reviews among the political left and right, and from some of the unlikeliest of quarters.
"We still don't know much about how Barack Obama plans to overhaul our financial regulatory system, but his reported appointment of Cass Sunstein to an important post is a promising sign," Wall Street Journal editors wrote in January, when Sunstein's possible nomination was being floated.
The paper's editors said they were cheered by Sunstein's long-held beliefs in using cost-benefit analysis in regulation -- a concept that worries proponents of greater and tighter regulations.
"We have concerns about some of his academic writings regarding his approach to regulatory policy and regulatory review," Bill Samuel, AFL-CIO legislative director, told The Chicago Tribune. "We want to hear more from him about how he intends to approach regulatory policy."
Environmentalists also say Sunstein's nomination is a potential blow to their efforts to roll back what they call Bush-era deregulation. Frank O'Donnell, director of Clean Water Watch, wrote that "progressives would've screamed" if President Bush had nominated someone with similar views for the OIRA post." In fact, Bush did, O'Donnell noted, much to the chagrin of progressives.
Adding to animal rights and cost-benefit analysis is concern over Sunstein's positions on freedom of speech.
News of Sunstein's latest book, "On Rumors: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, What Can Be Done," lit up the blogosphere last week when The New York Post ran a column by a reviewer who received an advance copy.
Writer Kyle Smith suggested Sunstein threatens to tweak libel laws for the Internet and make online writers, particularly bloggers, legally responsible for falsehoods and rumors that get generated in cyberspace.
"Sunstein calls for a 'notice and take down' law that would require bloggers and service providers to 'take down falsehoods upon notice,' even those made by commenters -- but without apparent penalty," Smith wrote. "How long would it take for a court to sort out the truth? (Presidential daughters) Sasha and Malia will be running for president by then. Nobody will care anymore. But it will give politicians the ability to tie up their online critics in court."
Sunstein, a prolific writer who has penned 35 books since 1990, has plowed the issue of rumors and how they are spread, and leaves much of the policy debate in the air.
For instance, in a paper titled, "'She Said What?' 'He Did That?' Believing False Rumors," for Harvard Law School in November 2008, Sunstein wrote: "In discussions of possible restrictions on free speech, it is standard to speak of, and to deplore, the 'chilling effect' that is created by the prospect of civil or criminal sanctions."
"Libel law, for example, might chill speech about public figures and public issues, in a way that could damage democratic debate. And if there is a 'marketplace of ideas,' we should be especially concerned about the risk of chilling effect because it will undermine processes that will ultimately produce the truth," he wrote.
Sunstein, who once taught alongside Obama at the University of Chicago Law School, did not return an interview request from FOXNews.com.
But being taken for both a liberal activist and a free market cheerleader makes the nominee a true "wild card," observers say.
John Lott, conservative author of "The Bias Against Guns and Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works," called Sunstein "open minded" and a "true academic," but also warned that in its opposition, the left might be looking a gift horse in the mouth.
"My guess is that these progressives are unlikely to find anyone who could champion many of their views as well as Cass can."
Tom Firey, managing editor of the Cato Institute's Regulation magazine, said, "Sunstein really doesn't fit readily, politically or ideologically, in any box.
"I think this is going to be a very interesting nomination to watch on Capitol Hill. He's going to be getting some shots from the right and from the left. You are never going to make anyone who is a stakeholder in these debates happy," he said.
Cornyn's spokesman said the senator will be happy when he gets direct assurances from Sunstein that he will not pursue an agenda akin to some of his past writings, particularly on the animal rights issue.
"Sen. Cornyn hasn't had a chance to speak with him yet, that's the reason for the hold," said McLaughlin. "He wants to have a chance to before moving forward."
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
VA Is Failing Our Women Warriors
VA Is Failing Our Women Warriors
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, released a stunning new report detailing significant barriers that many female veterans face in accessing healthcare at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Not just for policy wonks, this report should be required reading for every American. The VA must ensure that women veterans receive the care they deserve. With more women serving in combat than ever before, action should have happened yesterday. "The Women Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act" (S.597/H.R.1211), lead by Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Herseth-Sandlin, would help assess, expand, and improve VA care for women veterans, especially those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the female veteran population growing daily, it will also equip the VA with the tools necessary to plan long-term for this historic growth. And it's just steps away from the President's signature.
Let your public officials know how you feel! Call, write, email or fax them. It's the least we can do for our female soldiers.
To learn more, read the article below from Military.com.
If you blinked, you could've missed it. With the media's obsession over Michael Jackson's death and Sotomayor's confirmation hearings plastered across cable news shows, an important story might have skipped your radar.
This week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, released a stunning new report detailing significant barriers that many female veterans face in accessing healthcare at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Not just for policy wonks, this report should be required reading for every American.
Some of the critical findings include:
Privacy standards for women veterans at VA facilities aren't being met. The GAO found women's exam room tables that faced doors instead of walls, and instances where women patients had to walk through waiting rooms to use the restrooms, as opposed to next to the exam room as required by VA policy. Some hospitals under review also did not guarantee access to private and secure bathing areas or visual and auditory privacy at check-in.
Comprehensive primary care is not available for women veterans at all hospitals and clinics. Despite its commitment 8 months ago, the VA has still not establish a deadline for facilities to meet its requirement of complete primary care and basic gender-specific services available to all women veterans by one provider at one site. Some VA officials were even unclear on the steps needed to implement this new plan. The availability of services for women veterans continues to vary by hospital and clinic.
The VA still has shortages of qualified women's health and mental health care providers. The VA's ability to provide consistent and timely care to female vets is also being compromised by difficulties hiring providers that specialize in women's health and mental health. For the female veterans coming home from war everyday and those suffering from mental health injuries or who have experienced Military Sexual Trauma, these shortages could not come at a worse time.
But the GAO isn't the only one voicing concern. We recently asked female vets to share their experiences at the VA. And their responses were alarming:
"I tried several times to use the mental health services. I was told that women don't go to combat so we shouldn't need counseling." -- Female Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran
"The VA hospitals are used to dealing with male Vietnam, Korea and WWII vets -- the quality of care for a female at a VA hospital is very low." -- Female Iraq Veteran
"The [local] VA is supposed to have 4 women's doctors, but there is only 1 full-time doc and 1 semi-retired (her knowledge is outdated and she's made serious mistakes on basic women's health problems that were already in my military medical record). With all the women veterans, this is ridiculous…Also I get annoyed because everyone calls you "Mr." until they realize you're female, they assume all vets are guys." -- Female Iraq Veteran
This is absolutely unacceptable. The VA must ensure that women veterans receive the care they deserve. With more women serving in combat than ever before, action should have happened yesterday.
Thankfully, some advocates in Congress aren't waiting. A bipartisan group of lawmakers lead by Senator Murray and Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin are championing legislation to improve VA services for women veterans. "The Women Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act" (S.597/H.R.1211) would help assess, expand, and improve VA care for women veterans, especially those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the female veteran population growing daily, it will also equip the VA with the tools necessary to plan long-term for this historic growth. And it's just steps away from the President's signature.
Like their male peers, women veterans have shown incredible dedication and courage in defending their country. It's about time they get the same recognition and support.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, released a stunning new report detailing significant barriers that many female veterans face in accessing healthcare at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Not just for policy wonks, this report should be required reading for every American. The VA must ensure that women veterans receive the care they deserve. With more women serving in combat than ever before, action should have happened yesterday. "The Women Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act" (S.597/H.R.1211), lead by Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Herseth-Sandlin, would help assess, expand, and improve VA care for women veterans, especially those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the female veteran population growing daily, it will also equip the VA with the tools necessary to plan long-term for this historic growth. And it's just steps away from the President's signature.
Let your public officials know how you feel! Call, write, email or fax them. It's the least we can do for our female soldiers.
To learn more, read the article below from Military.com.
If you blinked, you could've missed it. With the media's obsession over Michael Jackson's death and Sotomayor's confirmation hearings plastered across cable news shows, an important story might have skipped your radar.
This week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, released a stunning new report detailing significant barriers that many female veterans face in accessing healthcare at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Not just for policy wonks, this report should be required reading for every American.
Some of the critical findings include:
Privacy standards for women veterans at VA facilities aren't being met. The GAO found women's exam room tables that faced doors instead of walls, and instances where women patients had to walk through waiting rooms to use the restrooms, as opposed to next to the exam room as required by VA policy. Some hospitals under review also did not guarantee access to private and secure bathing areas or visual and auditory privacy at check-in.
Comprehensive primary care is not available for women veterans at all hospitals and clinics. Despite its commitment 8 months ago, the VA has still not establish a deadline for facilities to meet its requirement of complete primary care and basic gender-specific services available to all women veterans by one provider at one site. Some VA officials were even unclear on the steps needed to implement this new plan. The availability of services for women veterans continues to vary by hospital and clinic.
The VA still has shortages of qualified women's health and mental health care providers. The VA's ability to provide consistent and timely care to female vets is also being compromised by difficulties hiring providers that specialize in women's health and mental health. For the female veterans coming home from war everyday and those suffering from mental health injuries or who have experienced Military Sexual Trauma, these shortages could not come at a worse time.
But the GAO isn't the only one voicing concern. We recently asked female vets to share their experiences at the VA. And their responses were alarming:
"I tried several times to use the mental health services. I was told that women don't go to combat so we shouldn't need counseling." -- Female Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran
"The VA hospitals are used to dealing with male Vietnam, Korea and WWII vets -- the quality of care for a female at a VA hospital is very low." -- Female Iraq Veteran
"The [local] VA is supposed to have 4 women's doctors, but there is only 1 full-time doc and 1 semi-retired (her knowledge is outdated and she's made serious mistakes on basic women's health problems that were already in my military medical record). With all the women veterans, this is ridiculous…Also I get annoyed because everyone calls you "Mr." until they realize you're female, they assume all vets are guys." -- Female Iraq Veteran
This is absolutely unacceptable. The VA must ensure that women veterans receive the care they deserve. With more women serving in combat than ever before, action should have happened yesterday.
Thankfully, some advocates in Congress aren't waiting. A bipartisan group of lawmakers lead by Senator Murray and Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin are championing legislation to improve VA services for women veterans. "The Women Veterans Healthcare Improvement Act" (S.597/H.R.1211) would help assess, expand, and improve VA care for women veterans, especially those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the female veteran population growing daily, it will also equip the VA with the tools necessary to plan long-term for this historic growth. And it's just steps away from the President's signature.
Like their male peers, women veterans have shown incredible dedication and courage in defending their country. It's about time they get the same recognition and support.
Monday, July 20, 2009
What's Good For The Goose....
I had to post this extra blog today. It was just too priceless to pass up.
By Albert N. Milliron, Editor Politisite.com and Iron Mill News
If Government health care is good enough for the American people shouldn't it be good enough for the legislators themselves? Congressman John Fleming M.D. (R-LA Dist 4) House Resolution 615 would require lawmakers to enroll in the government-run health plan it passes for the rest of Americans.
Under the current draft of the Democrat health care legislation, members of Congress are curiously exempt from the government-run health care option, keeping their existing health plans and services on Capitol Hill. If Members of Congress believe so strongly that government-run health care is the best solution for hard working American families, I think it only fitting that Americans see them lead the way. Public servants should always be accountable and responsible for what they are advocating, and I challenge the American people to demand this from their representatives.
Source: michellemalkin.com
What HR-615 would do is put each member of Congress, who have especially good medical coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), on record to accept or reject the same health coverage they are pushing on all Americans. This vote would be quite telling. Congress has many benefits that are not offered to America in General. One benefit is for their children commonly referred to as Vouchers. Members of Congress can put their children in private schools while they continually vote against the same benefits for all Americans.
Congressman Fleming is asking Americans to call their congressman and request that HR-615 be included in the amendments to the Health Care Bill. He has provided a Support Letter for House Resolution 615 to send to your representative as well.
Related:
Flemmings website is : http://fleming.house.gov/
By Albert N. Milliron, Editor Politisite.com and Iron Mill News
If Government health care is good enough for the American people shouldn't it be good enough for the legislators themselves? Congressman John Fleming M.D. (R-LA Dist 4) House Resolution 615 would require lawmakers to enroll in the government-run health plan it passes for the rest of Americans.
Under the current draft of the Democrat health care legislation, members of Congress are curiously exempt from the government-run health care option, keeping their existing health plans and services on Capitol Hill. If Members of Congress believe so strongly that government-run health care is the best solution for hard working American families, I think it only fitting that Americans see them lead the way. Public servants should always be accountable and responsible for what they are advocating, and I challenge the American people to demand this from their representatives.
Source: michellemalkin.com
What HR-615 would do is put each member of Congress, who have especially good medical coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), on record to accept or reject the same health coverage they are pushing on all Americans. This vote would be quite telling. Congress has many benefits that are not offered to America in General. One benefit is for their children commonly referred to as Vouchers. Members of Congress can put their children in private schools while they continually vote against the same benefits for all Americans.
Congressman Fleming is asking Americans to call their congressman and request that HR-615 be included in the amendments to the Health Care Bill. He has provided a Support Letter for House Resolution 615 to send to your representative as well.
Related:
Flemmings website is : http://fleming.house.gov/
Texas
I didn't write this but I sure did like what it had to say. You gotta love this state!!!
Have you ever looked at a map of the world? Look at Texas with me just for a second. That picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast , and the Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere in the world looks at it they know what it is. It's Texas . Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt and he'll know what it is. What happens if I show you a picture of any other state? You might get it maybe after a second or two, but who else would? And even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you? In every man, woman and child on this planet, there is a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride off in a pickup. There is a little bit of Texas in everyone. Texas is the Alamo . Texas is 183 men standing in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom. We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and James Bowie and Davy Crockett, and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided to cross it and be heroes. John Wayne paid to do the movie himself . That is the Spirit of Texas . Texas is Sam Houston capturing Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana at San Jacinto . Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett and Sam Houston National Forests . Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend . Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.
Texas is floating the rivers of the Hill Country on a hot summer day.
Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas .
Texas is beaches you can drive on and have many memorable bon-fires with close friends.
Texas is that warm feeling you get when someone asks where you're from. Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas. Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork . Texas is Mexican foods like nowhere else, not even Mexico .
Texas is chicken fried steak and world famous Bar-B-Q.
Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Ballpark in Arlington and the Astrodome. (guess now the Reliant Stadium too).. Texas is larger-than-life legends like Michael DeBakey, Ann Richards, Denton Cooley, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, Gene Autry, Audie Murphy, Tommy Lee Jones, Waylon Jennings, Farrah Fawcet, Janis Joplin, Sandra Bullock, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Landry, Eva Longoria, Darrell Royal, ZZ Top, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Sam Rayburn, Howard Hughes, George H. Bush, George W. Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, and let's not forget GEORGE STRAIT- PANTERA, the Big Bopper, Tex Ritter, George Jones, Clay Walker, Mark Chestnut,Frank Hotz, Sandi Taylor to name ONLY a few. Texas is great companies like Dell Computer, Texas Instruments, EDS and Compaq, Whataburger, Southwest Airlines, Bell Helicopter and LOCKHEED MARTIN AEROSPACE, Home of the F-16 Jet Fighter and the JSF Fighter, Valero. Texas is NASA. Texas is huge herds of cattle, beautiful horses and miles of crops.
Texas is home to the world famous King Ranch
Texas is home to the most amazing sunsets of gold over an empty field.. Texas is hundreds of deer running around neighborhoods and fields. Texas is skies blackened with doves and fields full of deer.. Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local high school football game on Friday nights and for the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and for the night In Old San Antonio River Parade in San Antonio. To drive across Texas is to drive 1/3 the way across the United States . Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities. If it isn't already in Texas , you probably don't need it. No one does anything bigger or better than it's done in Texas . By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U...S. That can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. Flag. Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland , California , or Maine , and your state flag, whatever it is, goes at 17 feet. You fly the Stars and Stripes in front of Klein Oak High or anyplace else at 20 feet, the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20 feet. Do you know why? Because it is the only state that was a Republic before it became a state. Also, being a Texan is as high as being an American down here. Our capitol is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building in Washington , D.C. And we can divide our state into five states at any time if we wanted to! We can become a republic again at any time the voters of Texas choose, and we included these things as part of the deal when we came on. That's the best part, right there. Texas even has its own power grid!! And don't even lie to yourself... Did I mention Live music capitol of the world?
GOD BLESS TEXAS !
Have you ever looked at a map of the world? Look at Texas with me just for a second. That picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast , and the Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere in the world looks at it they know what it is. It's Texas . Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt and he'll know what it is. What happens if I show you a picture of any other state? You might get it maybe after a second or two, but who else would? And even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you? In every man, woman and child on this planet, there is a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride off in a pickup. There is a little bit of Texas in everyone. Texas is the Alamo . Texas is 183 men standing in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom. We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and James Bowie and Davy Crockett, and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided to cross it and be heroes. John Wayne paid to do the movie himself . That is the Spirit of Texas . Texas is Sam Houston capturing Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana at San Jacinto . Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett and Sam Houston National Forests . Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend . Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.
Texas is floating the rivers of the Hill Country on a hot summer day.
Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas .
Texas is beaches you can drive on and have many memorable bon-fires with close friends.
Texas is that warm feeling you get when someone asks where you're from. Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas. Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork . Texas is Mexican foods like nowhere else, not even Mexico .
Texas is chicken fried steak and world famous Bar-B-Q.
Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Ballpark in Arlington and the Astrodome. (guess now the Reliant Stadium too).. Texas is larger-than-life legends like Michael DeBakey, Ann Richards, Denton Cooley, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, Gene Autry, Audie Murphy, Tommy Lee Jones, Waylon Jennings, Farrah Fawcet, Janis Joplin, Sandra Bullock, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Landry, Eva Longoria, Darrell Royal, ZZ Top, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Sam Rayburn, Howard Hughes, George H. Bush, George W. Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, and let's not forget GEORGE STRAIT- PANTERA, the Big Bopper, Tex Ritter, George Jones, Clay Walker, Mark Chestnut,Frank Hotz, Sandi Taylor to name ONLY a few. Texas is great companies like Dell Computer, Texas Instruments, EDS and Compaq, Whataburger, Southwest Airlines, Bell Helicopter and LOCKHEED MARTIN AEROSPACE, Home of the F-16 Jet Fighter and the JSF Fighter, Valero. Texas is NASA. Texas is huge herds of cattle, beautiful horses and miles of crops.
Texas is home to the world famous King Ranch
Texas is home to the most amazing sunsets of gold over an empty field.. Texas is hundreds of deer running around neighborhoods and fields. Texas is skies blackened with doves and fields full of deer.. Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local high school football game on Friday nights and for the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and for the night In Old San Antonio River Parade in San Antonio. To drive across Texas is to drive 1/3 the way across the United States . Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities. If it isn't already in Texas , you probably don't need it. No one does anything bigger or better than it's done in Texas . By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U...S. That can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. Flag. Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland , California , or Maine , and your state flag, whatever it is, goes at 17 feet. You fly the Stars and Stripes in front of Klein Oak High or anyplace else at 20 feet, the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20 feet. Do you know why? Because it is the only state that was a Republic before it became a state. Also, being a Texan is as high as being an American down here. Our capitol is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building in Washington , D.C. And we can divide our state into five states at any time if we wanted to! We can become a republic again at any time the voters of Texas choose, and we included these things as part of the deal when we came on. That's the best part, right there. Texas even has its own power grid!! And don't even lie to yourself... Did I mention Live music capitol of the world?
GOD BLESS TEXAS !
Friday, July 17, 2009
Proposed Firearms Laws
Concerning the Blair-Holt proposed legislation.
Senate Bill SB-2099 will require us to put on our 2009 1040 federal tax form all guns that you have or own. It may require fingerprints and a tax of $50 per gun. This bill was introduced on Feb.. 24. This bill will become public knowledge 30 days after it is voted into law. This is an amendment to the Internal Revenue Act of 1986. This means that the Finance Committee can pass this without the Senate voting on it at all. The full text of the proposed amendment is on the U.S. Senate homepage, http://www.senate.gov/ You can find the bill by doing a search by the bill number, SB-2099. Start calling your Congressman today!!!!!!!!
Here is another attempt to take away our ability to defend ourselves.
Bill HR 45 has been introduced into the House. This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009.Even gun shop owners didn't know about this because the
government is trying to fly it under the radar.To find out about this - go to any government website and type in HR 45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009. You will get all the information. Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm -
any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:
Here is another attempt to take away our ability to defend ourselves.
Bill HR 45 has been introduced into the House. This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009.Even gun shop owners didn't know about this because the
government is trying to fly it under the radar.To find out about this - go to any government website and type in HR 45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009. You will get all the information. Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm -
any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:
-It is registered -You are fingerprinted -
You supply a current Driver's License -
You supply yourSocial Security # -
You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation
at any time of their choosing -Each update -
change or ownership through private or public
sale must be reported and costs $25 -
Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm
and are subject up to a year in jail. -
There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305
stating a child-access provision.
Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18. -
They would have the right to come and inspect that you are
storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children
and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you call your Congressman on a regular basis and make it understood that if he/she votes for either of these bills, they will find themselves out of work. Call, fax, email, write…..call, fax, email, write. Make your voice heard and encourage everyone you know to do the same. Even those who don’t own a gun (which should in and of itself be illegal) had better do their part to make sure that we all have the ability to defend ourselves.
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks…….Thomas Jefferson, 1785
You supply a current Driver's License -
You supply yourSocial Security # -
You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation
at any time of their choosing -Each update -
change or ownership through private or public
sale must be reported and costs $25 -
Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm
and are subject up to a year in jail. -
There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305
stating a child-access provision.
Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18. -
They would have the right to come and inspect that you are
storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children
and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you call your Congressman on a regular basis and make it understood that if he/she votes for either of these bills, they will find themselves out of work. Call, fax, email, write…..call, fax, email, write. Make your voice heard and encourage everyone you know to do the same. Even those who don’t own a gun (which should in and of itself be illegal) had better do their part to make sure that we all have the ability to defend ourselves.
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks…….Thomas Jefferson, 1785
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Is The Gig Up?
This story was posted on The Drudge Report and I just had to share it.
A U.S. Army Reserve major from Florida, Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, scheduled to report for deployment to Afghanistan within days has had his military orders revoked after arguing he should not be required to serve under a president who has not proven his eligibility for office.
His attorney, Orly Taitz, confirmed that the military has rescinded his impending deployment orders. She stated, "They just said, 'Order revoked.' No explanation. No reasons – just revoked." (Sounds kind of fishy to me.)
"As an officer in the armed forces of the United States, it is [my] duty to gain clarification on any order we may believe illegal. With that said, if President Obama is found not to be a 'natural-born citizen,' he is not eligible to be commander-in-chief," Major Cook told WND (World News Daily) only hours after the case was filed.
"[Then] any order coming out of the presidency or his chain of command is illegal. Should I deploy, I would essentially be following an illegal [order]. If I happened to be captured by the enemy in a foreign land, I would not be privy to the Geneva Convention protections," he said.
Cook said without a legitimate president as commander-in-chief, members of the U.S. military in overseas actions could be determined to be "war criminals and subject to prosecution."
The Major goes on to mention that a resolution in this case is very simple. Just produce the long-form document, certificate of live birth," he said. Like the rest of us non-believers, the Major can’t help but feel that something is amiss. Its just too easy to hand over a document to disprove all of the allegations that have been levied against Obama.
So I guess the question is…..what now? Asked what this decision means for every other serviceman who objects to deployment under a president who has not proven he is eligible for office, Cooks lawyer, Taitz, responded: "Now, we can have each and every member of the military – each and every enlistee and officer – file something similar saying 'I will not take orders until Obama is legitimately vetted.'"
How sweet that would be.
A U.S. Army Reserve major from Florida, Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, scheduled to report for deployment to Afghanistan within days has had his military orders revoked after arguing he should not be required to serve under a president who has not proven his eligibility for office.
His attorney, Orly Taitz, confirmed that the military has rescinded his impending deployment orders. She stated, "They just said, 'Order revoked.' No explanation. No reasons – just revoked." (Sounds kind of fishy to me.)
"As an officer in the armed forces of the United States, it is [my] duty to gain clarification on any order we may believe illegal. With that said, if President Obama is found not to be a 'natural-born citizen,' he is not eligible to be commander-in-chief," Major Cook told WND (World News Daily) only hours after the case was filed.
"[Then] any order coming out of the presidency or his chain of command is illegal. Should I deploy, I would essentially be following an illegal [order]. If I happened to be captured by the enemy in a foreign land, I would not be privy to the Geneva Convention protections," he said.
Cook said without a legitimate president as commander-in-chief, members of the U.S. military in overseas actions could be determined to be "war criminals and subject to prosecution."
The Major goes on to mention that a resolution in this case is very simple. Just produce the long-form document, certificate of live birth," he said. Like the rest of us non-believers, the Major can’t help but feel that something is amiss. Its just too easy to hand over a document to disprove all of the allegations that have been levied against Obama.
So I guess the question is…..what now? Asked what this decision means for every other serviceman who objects to deployment under a president who has not proven he is eligible for office, Cooks lawyer, Taitz, responded: "Now, we can have each and every member of the military – each and every enlistee and officer – file something similar saying 'I will not take orders until Obama is legitimately vetted.'"
How sweet that would be.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Words To Live By From Thomas Jefferson
“A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable”,Thomas Jefferson, September 8, 1817.
What an awesome statement. History is so very important. It tells us where we came from and gives us insight to avoid making the same mistakes that were made in the past. Our founding fathers left us with so many tools to ensure our country’s survival. Unfortunately so much of it has been forgotten, neglected or changed all together. In order for us to survive as a free nation, we must pay attention to the foundations that they set forth for us.
Below are a few additional quotes from Thomas Jefferson that we should all ponder. It may take reading each one a couple of times in order for what he is saying to sink in. Compare these statements to the things happening in our country today. Jefferson was such an intelligent man with such great forethought. I only wish that we all would have paid better attention to him.
Thomas Jefferson, A letter to Lafayette, 1823
A rigid economy of the public contributions and absolute interdiction of all useless expenses will go far towards keeping the government honest and unoppressive.
Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1787
Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.
Thomas Jefferson, A letter to Monsieur A. Coray, Oct 31, 1823
At the establishment of our constitutions, the judiciary bodies were supposed to be the most helpless and harmless members of the government. Experience, however, soon showed in what way they were to become the most dangerous; that the insufficiency of the means provided for their removal gave them a freehold and irresponsibility in office; that their decisions, seeming to concern individual suitors only, pass silent and unheeded by the public at large; that these decisions, nevertheless, become law by precedent, sapping, by little and little, the foundations of the constitution, and working its change by construction, before any one has perceived that that invisible and helpless worm has been busily employed in consuming its substance. In truth, man is not made to be trusted for life, if secured against all liability to account.
Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781
But of all the views of this law none is more important, none more legitimate, than that of rendering the people the safe, as they are the ultimate, guardians of their own liberty. For this purpose the reading in the first stage, where they will receive their whole education, is proposed, as has been said, to be chiefly historical. History by apprising them of the past will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it, to defeat its views.
Thomas Jefferson, A letter to Peter Carr, August 19, 1785
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.
Thomas Jefferson, September 6, 1789
But with respect to future debt; would it not be wise and just for that nation to declare in the constitution they are forming that neither the legislature, nor the nation itself can validly contract more debt, than they may pay within their own age, or within the term of 19 years.
Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781
And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever.
What an awesome statement. History is so very important. It tells us where we came from and gives us insight to avoid making the same mistakes that were made in the past. Our founding fathers left us with so many tools to ensure our country’s survival. Unfortunately so much of it has been forgotten, neglected or changed all together. In order for us to survive as a free nation, we must pay attention to the foundations that they set forth for us.
Below are a few additional quotes from Thomas Jefferson that we should all ponder. It may take reading each one a couple of times in order for what he is saying to sink in. Compare these statements to the things happening in our country today. Jefferson was such an intelligent man with such great forethought. I only wish that we all would have paid better attention to him.
Thomas Jefferson, A letter to Lafayette, 1823
A rigid economy of the public contributions and absolute interdiction of all useless expenses will go far towards keeping the government honest and unoppressive.
Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1787
Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.
Thomas Jefferson, A letter to Monsieur A. Coray, Oct 31, 1823
At the establishment of our constitutions, the judiciary bodies were supposed to be the most helpless and harmless members of the government. Experience, however, soon showed in what way they were to become the most dangerous; that the insufficiency of the means provided for their removal gave them a freehold and irresponsibility in office; that their decisions, seeming to concern individual suitors only, pass silent and unheeded by the public at large; that these decisions, nevertheless, become law by precedent, sapping, by little and little, the foundations of the constitution, and working its change by construction, before any one has perceived that that invisible and helpless worm has been busily employed in consuming its substance. In truth, man is not made to be trusted for life, if secured against all liability to account.
Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781
But of all the views of this law none is more important, none more legitimate, than that of rendering the people the safe, as they are the ultimate, guardians of their own liberty. For this purpose the reading in the first stage, where they will receive their whole education, is proposed, as has been said, to be chiefly historical. History by apprising them of the past will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it, to defeat its views.
Thomas Jefferson, A letter to Peter Carr, August 19, 1785
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.
Thomas Jefferson, September 6, 1789
But with respect to future debt; would it not be wise and just for that nation to declare in the constitution they are forming that neither the legislature, nor the nation itself can validly contract more debt, than they may pay within their own age, or within the term of 19 years.
Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781
And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever.
Monday, July 13, 2009
The 22nd Amendment
President For Life?
Will these idiots never stop? In January, Rep. Jose Serrano, D-NY, introduced a bill that would repeal the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. The 22nd Amendment prohibits a President from being elected to more than two terms in office. That’s right….Obama can then be President for life. The mere thought of that chills me to the bone.
I for the life of me cannot understand the utter gall of these politicians. It just boggles my mind. Who in the world does this guy (Serrano) think he is? Perhaps he was recruited by Obama himself to introduce the bill. More than likely not, but that would not be a big surprise. He is just that arrogant and he has the left under his spell and nothing seems to snap them out of it. Not even the threat of losing their jobs. Apparently they are sure that the peasants can’t or won’t dare vote them out. We the people need to be sure that they get a pink slip come 2010.
Get the word out. Tell everyone you know and have them tell everyone they know about this Serrano character. His constituents need to vote him out of office. It is imperative that this bill (H.H. Res.5) never passes. The greatest nation in the world depends on its demise. Unless we become the squeaky wheel, they will walk all over us and our constitution.
Will these idiots never stop? In January, Rep. Jose Serrano, D-NY, introduced a bill that would repeal the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. The 22nd Amendment prohibits a President from being elected to more than two terms in office. That’s right….Obama can then be President for life. The mere thought of that chills me to the bone.
I for the life of me cannot understand the utter gall of these politicians. It just boggles my mind. Who in the world does this guy (Serrano) think he is? Perhaps he was recruited by Obama himself to introduce the bill. More than likely not, but that would not be a big surprise. He is just that arrogant and he has the left under his spell and nothing seems to snap them out of it. Not even the threat of losing their jobs. Apparently they are sure that the peasants can’t or won’t dare vote them out. We the people need to be sure that they get a pink slip come 2010.
Get the word out. Tell everyone you know and have them tell everyone they know about this Serrano character. His constituents need to vote him out of office. It is imperative that this bill (H.H. Res.5) never passes. The greatest nation in the world depends on its demise. Unless we become the squeaky wheel, they will walk all over us and our constitution.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Not Very Stimulating
While many states filed their applications to receive their portion of the stimulus package by June 30, the Lone Star state held out until the last minute. Literally. Paperwork was to be filed by 4:30 June 30 and application from Texas was stamped 4:12 p.m. Governor Perry had initially turned down any money from Obama’s stimulus fiasco but was pressured by Texas legislatures to accept at least a portion of the States cut.
That being said, where is the big boost to the economy? The stimulus was supposed to push the economy through next year. The administration says that 75% of the funds should be moving by the end of 2010. Only $56 billion of the $158 billion allocated had been delivered by the end of June and the jobless rate has soared to 9.5%. That sure doesn’t sound stimulating to me.
What is even more amazing is that in a statement from Moscow, Obama actually made the statement, “I wouldn’t have done anything differently” concerning the stimulus package. So did he fail Economics 101 or what? His main topic of discussion at this G8 Summit he is attending this week is, get this, “Climate Control”. That’s right, people are losing everything they have worked for and he is worried about how “green” we need to be.
If it weren’t so serious, it would almost be funny. But it isn’t.
That being said, where is the big boost to the economy? The stimulus was supposed to push the economy through next year. The administration says that 75% of the funds should be moving by the end of 2010. Only $56 billion of the $158 billion allocated had been delivered by the end of June and the jobless rate has soared to 9.5%. That sure doesn’t sound stimulating to me.
What is even more amazing is that in a statement from Moscow, Obama actually made the statement, “I wouldn’t have done anything differently” concerning the stimulus package. So did he fail Economics 101 or what? His main topic of discussion at this G8 Summit he is attending this week is, get this, “Climate Control”. That’s right, people are losing everything they have worked for and he is worried about how “green” we need to be.
If it weren’t so serious, it would almost be funny. But it isn’t.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Declaration
Does this sound familiar?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Lets break this down shall we?
The right to the pursuit happiness.
I take that to mean the right to perform tasks (legal of course) by which you earn money. The more you work the more money you make. We call it capitalism. Pretty simple, right?
I do not read the words, “the government has the right to take as much of that hard and fairly earned income as it wants” in there anywhere.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed
Okay. The government is to be made up of people that are placed in these positions for one reason. To secure the rights of the people in the ways in which the governed (we the people) tell them to. They work for us.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
This is great. It states that if the government does anything that takes away from our ability to “pursuit our happiness”, we have the right to kick them out. We have the right to change or abolish it. Let that sink in.
Reading further into The Declaration of Independence, one will find a list of reasons that the colonies gave to the British for their split from the mother land. Among these reasons you will find…..
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He (the King) has created new offices to enforce his laws. (have you seen all of the czars this administration has created?) and sent our swarms of officers to harass our people. (can you say IRS)
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent
Well, this one speaks for itself. At least I know darn good and well that I didn’t give him my consent.
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws and altering fundamentally the forms of our government
You can look at Congress’ website (http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issueaction/bill/) and see on any given day the number of laws that some members of our government are trying to change or abolish. The second amendment, being of utmost importance to me, is under siege daily. (see H.R. 45) A bill has also been introduced (H.J. Res.5 ) proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President. Why in the world would anyone want to do that? Hmmmmm…..I wonder.
Our forefathers gave us a way out of all of this insane “big brother” government. It’s time that the true American people stand up and stand strong. This is our country and we are ultimately who these idiots have to answer to. It’s time to remind them of that. Please don’t be idle. Call your representatives (or supposed representatives) and let them know that you are not going to sit by and watch those arrogant jerks do whatever they want to do. Those that do not represent “the people” will be replaced. We will show them all our version of “change”. And that’s change that I gladly welcome.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Lets break this down shall we?
The right to the pursuit happiness.
I take that to mean the right to perform tasks (legal of course) by which you earn money. The more you work the more money you make. We call it capitalism. Pretty simple, right?
I do not read the words, “the government has the right to take as much of that hard and fairly earned income as it wants” in there anywhere.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed
Okay. The government is to be made up of people that are placed in these positions for one reason. To secure the rights of the people in the ways in which the governed (we the people) tell them to. They work for us.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
This is great. It states that if the government does anything that takes away from our ability to “pursuit our happiness”, we have the right to kick them out. We have the right to change or abolish it. Let that sink in.
Reading further into The Declaration of Independence, one will find a list of reasons that the colonies gave to the British for their split from the mother land. Among these reasons you will find…..
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He (the King) has created new offices to enforce his laws. (have you seen all of the czars this administration has created?) and sent our swarms of officers to harass our people. (can you say IRS)
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent
Well, this one speaks for itself. At least I know darn good and well that I didn’t give him my consent.
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws and altering fundamentally the forms of our government
You can look at Congress’ website (http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issueaction/bill/) and see on any given day the number of laws that some members of our government are trying to change or abolish. The second amendment, being of utmost importance to me, is under siege daily. (see H.R. 45) A bill has also been introduced (H.J. Res.5 ) proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President. Why in the world would anyone want to do that? Hmmmmm…..I wonder.
Our forefathers gave us a way out of all of this insane “big brother” government. It’s time that the true American people stand up and stand strong. This is our country and we are ultimately who these idiots have to answer to. It’s time to remind them of that. Please don’t be idle. Call your representatives (or supposed representatives) and let them know that you are not going to sit by and watch those arrogant jerks do whatever they want to do. Those that do not represent “the people” will be replaced. We will show them all our version of “change”. And that’s change that I gladly welcome.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
I know, I know….everyone is tired of hearing about Sarah Palins resignation on Friday. So I will try to be brief. I cannot speculate on why she resigned or if she is “up to something”. But I do know this. There is a vast group of people in this country that feel a real connection to her. The pundits and bloggers can call her crazy all day long but a crazy lady in charge is better than a narcissist that apparently despises the country he is supposed to serve.
It appears to me that the elites still don’t get it. The American people don’t really care if the leaders of this country are Democrat, Republican, black, white, male or female. The people of this country don’t even want a politician. We want a real person that genuinely cares about the long standing values and opportunities the United States has always stood for and offered to anyone that cared to come here and share.
I cannot tell you how many times that I have heard the term “political suicide” since Sarah’s resignation Friday but I do know this….If being political is what those yo-yo’s in D.C. are doing…..Sarah’s “political suicide” may have just thrown her to the front of the line in 2012 for mainstream America. And mainstream Americans vote. Keep that in mind Washington.
I know, I know….everyone is tired of hearing about Sarah Palins resignation on Friday. So I will try to be brief. I cannot speculate on why she resigned or if she is “up to something”. But I do know this. There is a vast group of people in this country that feel a real connection to her. The pundits and bloggers can call her crazy all day long but a crazy lady in charge is better than a narcissist that apparently despises the country he is supposed to serve.
It appears to me that the elites still don’t get it. The American people don’t really care if the leaders of this country are Democrat, Republican, black, white, male or female. The people of this country don’t even want a politician. We want a real person that genuinely cares about the long standing values and opportunities the United States has always stood for and offered to anyone that cared to come here and share.
I cannot tell you how many times that I have heard the term “political suicide” since Sarah’s resignation Friday but I do know this….If being political is what those yo-yo’s in D.C. are doing…..Sarah’s “political suicide” may have just thrown her to the front of the line in 2012 for mainstream America. And mainstream Americans vote. Keep that in mind Washington.
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Right Reasons
Never before in the history of mankind has the question been as perplexing as it is right now. Sure, there have always been opinions and guesses. Some educated. Some not so educated. What is it that makes a person “a right-wing extremist”? Finally, I have the answer. Well, at least an answer for my personal situation.
Before breaching the answer to this oh-so important question, let’s look at the definition of a right-wing extremist. According to our illustrious leaders in Washington, a right wing extremist may be groups and/or individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.” It also includes those that favor state or local authority over federal authority. In a report that Fox News reporter Mike Levine contributed to, our all-knowing Homeland Security Department also suggests that returning veterans are attractive recruits for right-wing groups looking for "combat skills and experience" so as to boost their "violent capabilities." It adds that new restrictions on gun ownership and the difficulty of veterans to reintegrate into their communities "could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks." So let me get this straight. Every red-blooded American is now an extremist. That’s hog-wash. But who am I to argue with the powers that be? They know better than me. Yeah, right and Al Gore invented the internet.
Now to the reason that our government considers me a right winger. After careful thought on the subject I have come to the conclusion that (drum-roll please) my Mom is the underlying reason for my right wing extremism. I know, I know, they always blame it on the Mom. Well in this inShanece, she is just going to have to take it.
My Mom married young and had nine children. When people ask her why she had so many she answers matter-of-factly “I married an alcoholic Catholic”. Well that jerk up and left her with all of us right after I was born. I have never seen him and I am a better person for it. But, that didn’t help my Mom. There weren’t give-away programs then like there are now. Not that she would have taken advantage of them anyway. We didn’t see Mom much when we were little. The older children took care of the younger children and as for me, I stayed with my grandparents. Mom was right back at “work” immediately after my birth so her only option was for my grandparents to keep me. Of course she came by to see me often, but she didn’t have the luxury of hanging around. She had to go to “work”. For many years she “worked” two or three jobs. She did whatever it took to take care of her children. Most of the time, shoes and clothes were sparse. My older brothers and sisters missed a huge portion of their school days due to the fact that they had to watch the younger children. But, that didn’t stop them from succeeding. It actually gave them the incentive to push harder. We all acquired that “can do” attitude from my Mom.
The oldest of the clan, Bubba, volunteered for the Army during the Viet Nam War. He had to get my Mom’s signature to get in because of his age which she reluctantly gave. He really felt the need to support his country and do his part. I know that she didn’t want him to go but I also know that she was very proud that she had raised a young man with such a desire to serve and protect. Unfortunately, while walking point thru the jungle in Nam, he stepped on a land mine. He was thrown forty feet in the air. I can remember him telling me that the only thing he could remember was screaming out for Mom. Bubba lost one leg just below the knee and the complete use of the other leg because of all of the shrapnel embedded in it. I remember the night that my Mom got the telegram about his injuries. She was sitting on the chair under the black phone that was mounted on the wall in my grandmothers kitchen, crying. It was really late at night and all of the commotion woke me up. When she saw me come around the corner she tried to hide her tears. I guess she didn’t want to freak me out. Well, some months later, Bubba came home and eventually he moved on with life. There is so much to say about Bubba. I could probably write an entire book about him. You have heard the term “give the shirt off of your back”? Well that phrase should have his picture next to it. He firmly believed that if you were “good people” he wanted to be there for you. But, if you weren’t “good people”, you had best move on or face the consequences. He was very protective and proud of his family and his country. Bubba was an incredible man. “One-of-a-kind”. If you notice I am referring to him in past tense. We lost him to cancer a few years ago. I can’t tell you how bad we miss him. None of us quite like Mom. They were very close. He regularly dropped by with flowers or a couple of sacks of groceries for her. Not for any special reason, but for a special Mom.
Next in the family line is my sister, Sissy. Sissy started her family young like Mom. She has three beautiful girls and five precious grandchildren. She definitely got Moms gift of cooking. Being the primary bread winner of her house, she “worked” in restaurants for most of her girls school age lives. She “worked” tirelessly to make sure they had clothes (that she stayed up and sewed for them each night) and all of the other things that they needed to get thru school. When I was younger, I can remember watching her and thinking how much she reminded me of Mom. She “worked” meticulously and tirelessly to make sure the food that left the kitchen was pleasing. Sissy is about as soft-spoken as a person can be. Unless of course, you tick her off. Even “the boys” were afraid of crossing that line. And “the boys” were fearless. After her girls graduated, Sissy went to college herself. Since then, she has acquired one degree after another. She now lives and “works” in Chattanooga, Tennessee where she enjoys the natural beauty and outdoor activities that the state has to offer. All the while she has remained the jokester that we all love. You can never put anything past that woman. One afternoon, my Mom and Dad went to one of the casinos on the other side of the river for a couple of hours. Sissy found out that about their trip the day before they left and she took off herself from Chattanooga and drove to the casino timing it to be there at the same time as Mom. She watched the door until she saw Mom walk in. Once Mom was seated at a slot machine, Sissy slid onto the stool beside her. Mom played the machine for a few minutes before glancing over her shoulder to see who might be beside her. I wish I could have seen the double-take and look on her face to find her daughter, who lives twelve hours away, sitting there. I laugh just thinking about it. I am so proud of Sissy and I am so glad the she is enjoying the life that she “worked” so hard for…..she deserves it.
Now we come to Deedee. Deedee married after high school and moved with her Army husband to El Paso. After his enlistment they moved back to the area with the first of two boys. She “worked” at a local credit union while her boys were growing up. One summer, she hired me to watch the boys while she “worked”. I really enjoyed being there with her family. She came in from “work” every evening and started doing the “Mom” thing. Washing clothes and picking up the mess that I had allowed the boys to make. My Mom gave me a lecture about helping her out around the house more. “She works all day” she would tell me. “The least you can do is pick-up around the house to help her out.” She was right of course. (One thing that I have learned…..Mom is always right.) Deedee decided to go to college and obtain a degree in instrumentation. After graduation she landed a job at a local laboratory. We were all so proud and happy for her. Well Deedee’s boys grew up and they started their families. One of the boys had one child, a little boy. Her other son had three girls and recently a baby boy. Long story short, Deedee and her then husband, Steve, decided to adopt the first born grandchild in order to give him a better life than his natural parents could offer him. You see, this precious little fella was born with autism. Shortly after this life altering decision, Steve, the S.O.B, up and left my sister to raise him on her own. Here she is a grandmother not only thrown into a divorce but thrown into a situation sure to tear anyone down. Deedee didn’t let that stop her. She “worked” and saved and went back to school in order to provide a well established life for her new responsibility. She graduated this time with a degree in radiology. She picked up her life and moved two or three times trying to find a job. Unfortunately, there were no openings that would support her lifestyle with an autistic son. She moved back to our home town and returned to “work” with her previous employer. Within the last year she went back to college and obtained a certificate in AutoCAD in hopes of capitalizing on the abundance of “work” the refineries were offering in our area. Alas…..a recession. All of these things have made Deedee a stronger person and I admire her commitment to her son and his well-being. It takes a special heart and a special person to give up their entire life, which she has, in order to take care of a loved one. And special is an understatement when it comes to her.
Well next in the line-up is Matt. Matt is always a difficult one for me to describe. He died in a car accident when I was in the seventh grade. Before that he had been gone for some time. Matt signed up for the Navy right out of school. I remember that he broke his ankle playing ball while in the Navy. He came by my Grandmothers house to visit when he was in. I can still see him coming around the corner with a beard and on crutches. My Grandma told him to shave that beard and be more careful next time. From what I do remember about Matt, that wasn’t going to happen. Well at least the be more careful part. I still have a picture of him in mind when he was probably fourteen or fifteen at the table arguing over a food. The Shaneding word around the house was, “never get between Matt and his food”. My older brothers and sisters tell great stories about him. But of all of the memories I have of him, I remember the day that Bubba was coming home from the hospital after being wounded. Matt promised me that I could have his horse, Speckles, if I ran out and gave Bubba a big hug when he arrived. You see, I was afraid of Bubba without his leg. I was only five years old and it scared me. But I loved horses and was willing to do anything for Speckles. Besides, Matt explained that it would hurt Bubba’s feelings if I didn’t give him a hug and kiss when he got home. I can still remember running up to Bubba as he got situated in his wheelchair from the car ride home and giving him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. Later that day, Matt assured me that Speckles was mine from then on. Not that I could take care of the poor thing but for a five year old it was a big deal. I wish I could remember more about Matt. His tour in the Navy was up and he was scheduled to come home just a few days before Thanksgiving. He was killed before he had the chance. I remember the men in uniform coming to the door asking for Mom. My brother and I were out of school for Thanksgiving vacation when they came by. We told them that she was at “work” and gave them the name of the restaurant. Later that afternoon, my brother and I were walking back home from the corner store when we saw Mom walk into the house. We were so excited that she came home early, that we ran all the way home. That’s when we discovered why she was there. The men that had come by the house that morning had went to see her at “work” and they gave her the news no Mother ever wants to hear. Once again, she stood strong for all of us. We all counted on each other growing up and that made us a very close family. We were all each other had. So losing Matt took its toll on everyone for a long time.
Darla is next up on the roster. She was always an independent soul. She “worked” waiting tables thru her high school years and moved out right out right after graduation. She left the waitress job to work for a local supply company setting up their computer system. At some point she moved to live and “work” in Lafayette, LA. That may have been where she met Jim (her husband) but I can’t be sure. They moved to College Station where she “worked” managing an apartment complex. I really can’t remember how long she lived there but I do remember going to visit her. She was great about inviting me to stay with her for a long weekend. Eventually they moved back to Lafayette to be close to Jim’s family. They had good jobs, “worked” hard and bought a home. Before long they started a family. They had three beautiful children. (One girl and two boys) At some point “work” soured and they were faced with some decisions to make. They knew that they had to do something to provide for their children so they threw caution to the wind, sold everything they owned and moved to Chattanooga, TN. Risky move right? Did I mention earlier that Darla is an independent soul? Well the risk paid off. Darla went to “work” as the manager of a company and Jim landed a job with his brother. They bought a beautiful home on the side of a mountain and settled in. They have raised three awesome and respectful children. And I would like to mention that all of them have taken on their parents work ethics. What greater reward is there in life for a Mom, than to look at her children and be proud of the adults that she helped them to become? Trust me she has a lot to be proud of. All was fine until there was a cut back where Darla “worked”. She actually found herself out of “work” for the first time in her adult life. But, do you think that would stop one of my Moms kids? Not hardly. She took the opportunity to do something with less stress not to mention something that she always loved. She went to her back up and started waiting tables at Cracker Barrel. (Waiting tables was a pre-requisite to be one of my Moms children.) She loves her job, makes great money and even made employee of the year. Her last one will graduate this year so who knows what she will do next. Darla has a wonderful outlook on life and she will keep you in stitches. I miss her living close by but I am so glad that she is happy and doing well. God knows she loves to visit with people and we all know that people love visiting with her. That’s a win – win situation for everybody.
Another brother comes in next. His name is Dane. He was always a good student and from what I can remember, he enjoyed school. Dane went to “work” for a plumber right out of high school. Like most of us, he started a family young. He needed more stability and more of a future than the plumbing business could offer so he searched for a place that he could possibly make a career. He went to “work” for McDonalds. Oh no, not managing or waiting on customers. He went to “work” in the kitchen, flipping burgers. He “worked” every shift that they allowed him to “work”. Day and night, night and day. It was seldom that you could catch him home. It paid off though. Before long he started moving up. From cook to register. From register to assistant manager and eventually to store manager. Quite an accomplishment, right? Remember, he is my Mom’s boy. From store manager he went to district manager. Then from district manager he went to regional manager. Now, all of these promotions are wonderful but with each of them comes extreme responsibility. Not a problem. For Dane, the more responsibility thrown on him the better. It all has the sweet smell of success and that is his favorite fragrance. What next for him? Well what else but owning a McDonalds. Just on the chance that you aren’t familiar with the way a McDonalds franchise works, not just anyone can walk up and buy one. It’s a very big deal. But of course, it’s no hill for a stepper like Dane. As a matter of fact, one wasn’t enough so he bought another. And then another. At one point I believe he had five. Now is that payout for some hard “work” or what? And don’t think that just because he owns them that he can sit home and rake in the doe. It doesn’t “work” that way. There were many months and years of back breaking “work” trying to get a store to turn a profit or at least sustain itself. He and his entire family would spend many hours behind the counter and/or in the kitchen making those stores tick. Of course it isn’t uncommon to get an email or text from him while on some island vacation spot. He thinks he is so funny sometime. Well, actually, he is. Dane is great husband and father of four children and grandfather of two. He is constantly doing things to help take care of my Mom. That makes him a great son as well. And as for me, he is a great friend and big brother.
Shane is up next. I have the fondest memories of our childhood. He and I were close in age so we hung together most of the time. It was something different everyday. We of course didn’t have video games or anything close to that so we used our imagination for everything. One day it was cowboys and Indians the next day it was Captain America and Spider Man. We collected coke bottles and took them to the corner store in exchange for money to buy some gum or candy. Once we took a ride on Speckles like we knew what we were doing. Well we lost the reigns and Speckles took off down the road at a full trot. Shane, being the tough guy he has always been, jumped off. I was amazed. He was probably eight years old and it looked like a fifty yard drop to the ground but that didn’t faze him at all. Of course, I was left on the horse but my hero brother finally got him stopped so I could get off. I was so proud of him. And as proud as I was that day, I am so much prouder of him today. Shane has “worked” for as long as I can remember. He joined the “work” program in high school which offered him to opportunity to “work” half-a-day and go to school the other half. Like all of my siblings, he knew that if he wanted anything, he was going to have to “work” for it. So, he rolled up his sleeves and got to it. He “worked” at Gibson’s on Eleventh St. in Beaumont and then he went to “work” at Sutherland’s for quite some time. During that period, he met his future bride. Before too long they married. Eventually he started driving a truck for a medical supply company. A few years later, along came their one and only child. He was such a handsome little boy. Of course, he came by that naturally. I don’t know that I have ever seen a daddy so proud as my brother. His whole life had been completed. And naturally, he became an extremely busy man. He has coached and/or attended every function or sporting event that his son was involved in. All the while, he “worked” hard, took his job seriously and started advancing up the ladder. Today he is the manager of a medical supply company. He is highly respected and has been offered bigger opportunities but his first obligation is to his family. Shane’s priority is seeing to it that his son completes his engineering degree and lands a great job. Every aspect of his life has been wrapped around his sons life to the point that it’s sometimes hard to tell where one of them stops and the other one begins. Since the day that he and his wife brought that baby boy home, Shane’s life has rotated around being the best father any dad could ever be. I must say, he has more than accomplished that.
I guess I am next. I really don’t like talking about myself so I will make this one short. I worked at a couple of different fast food chains during my high school years. And, like the other girls in the family, I of course waited tables for my Mom. As I mentioned earlier, I worked watching my nephews one summer which earned me $500 to buy my first car. It was a rust colored 1971 Cutlass. I say rust colored but it was only that color because of all of the rust. I have no idea what the original color was. After high school, I attended beauty school in hopes of a career in cutting hair. About three months before graduation I realized that it just wasn’t for me. So, I went back to work. I took a job at a local T-shirt store where I worked for about a year. During that time I met a real piece of work. Talk about high insight. Needless to say I ended married to a slug and had three children to feed. I waited and bused tables during these pregnant years just to make sure that my babies ate. Someone had to. I never understood the fact that he didn’t find it necessary to work. My brother Dane actually made the comment one time that he had never seen a person work so hard to not work than he would have if he actually did the work. I finally had enough and went to college. I obtained an Associates degree in AutoCAD and went to work for a local engineering firm. I divorced the slug and married the world’s greatest man. He eventually adopted all of my children in order to give them a normal family life. After all, the slug scrambled out of state leaving behind a $45,000 child support debt. He gladly signed over custody when the attorney general agreed to wipe all of his debt away. All of my children made it thru high school and have moved on, with the exception of my youngest. She has a couple of more years of college and then on to graduate school. One of my daughters gave us the cutest grandson in the world and we are expecting a second one in a month. My husband and I have been blessed with good jobs. We work long hours when the job demands it but that’s alright. More hours means more money. More money means the more we can do for ourselves and our family. That’s always a good thing.
On to my baby sister….Maggie. Oh my, what a hoot she is. Maggie was a permanent fixture at the counter of the diners my Mom ran. She would sing and entertain the customers all of the time. I guess it was only right that she followed in Moms footsteps in the restaurant business. She deviated from the business just long enough to work in the retail market and meet a great guy named Cliff. He is quite the character himself. They married and had two of the prettiest little girls anyone has ever seen. Maggie is absolutely the best at what she does. She can make any gathering a party and turn a tuna sandwich into a work of art. Her customers were always loyal and they all loved her dearly. She has always been the type to have genuine concern for others and it shows in everything she does. At the restaurant she tried to make sure every person that walked thru the doors felt at home. She took special consideration to the elderly patrons. I have actually known her to see an elderly person in public, eating alone and take her food to sit and visit with them. Her heart is as big as Dallas. Her ethics are equally as big. It takes a certain type of person to run a restaurant. Many times the phone would ring right after she had gotten home and someone on the other end couldn’t come to work. You know what that meant? Maggie had to turn right back around and take over for them. And when you run an all night restaurant, that call could come in at midnight. Guess what, it did on plenty of occasions and she would get up and go in. It was her responsibility so she did it. There were times she would go and pick up members of her staff because they had no way to get there but needed the work. When they were sick, she would bring them soup or pick up their prescription. It’s just how she is. Well unfortunately the iconic restaurant that she took over for my Mom finally closed down. Not due to lack of customers or anything like that. The owner didn’t take care of his business and it had to shut down. It was a sad, sad day. But it was a new opportunity for Maggie. She went to work doing inside sells for a while. But, sitting in a room by herself for most of the day was just not her cup of tea. She has to be in a position to mingle with people. Cliff agreed to take on the role of sole bread winner allowing Maggie to spend her time with her girls. How great is that? I told you he is a great guy. She spends her time taking care of business at her home, for Mom, her girls and whoever else might need it. Myself included. She only thought work was tough in the restaurant business. Being a stay-at-home Mom is quite a chore.
Well, now that you have an overview of my siblings can you find a key quality that we all share? It’s the one thing about each of us that my Mom has more to do with than anything else. (Except maybe for our noses.) That single trait is our ethic. We were raised that you do not get something for nothing. If you want it, “work” for it. There is no money tree nor is there some pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The rainbow is the bridge that you build with your own two hands and the pot of gold is the paycheck you get for building it. We don’t take hand outs but we are all willing to give to others we see trying to help themselves. Picture this, a shack of house, holes in the floors and a plethora of children running around barefoot. That was my Moms world. And she alone had to make sure that we survived. Christmas and birthdays must have been so depressing for her. One Easter, a neighbor, out of kindness, left a slew of Easter baskets on the porch for those of us that were born at that time. Apparently it infuriated Bubba to the point that he asked Mom to take them back. And if I have my story right, she did. He was just a kid and refused a handout. Mom instilled that in us to the point that to this day I have a hard time allowing anyone to do anything for me. It drives my husband insane because I get upset at him if he spends money on me. (He does it anyway) If I want something, I will go and buy it. I can because I “work” for my money. And because I “work” for it, it’s mine to do with as I choose. If I choose to buy new shoes, a new pistol or a Hummer, I can. It’s mine. If I choose to give it to charity, my church or give it to my kid, I can because it’s mine. I earned it. If I choose to spend it on an anti-abortion campaign, I can. It’s mine. If I choose to give it to a fund for injured soldiers, I can. It’s mine. I mention these things because these are the things that I enjoy doing with my money and I do it whenever I can. I believe in defending this country, I stand by our Constitution, our troops and my Bible. I believe in backing up our police officers, firefighters and good school teachers. I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. I believe that children should stand and place their hand over their hearts when reciting the pledge. I believe that invocation should be given before any public event and that boys should be made to take their hats off. I believe that people, and not the government, should help to take care of each other. I believe in the death penalty and I hope the authorities find the SOB that set the fire to our State Capitol (which is another fund I choose to give my money to) and send him there.
Well I guess that seals the deal. Apparently by believing in the founding principals of our nation, all of which are based on Christian values, I fit the profile of a right-winged extremist. At least according to our Department of Homeland Security I fit the profile. And the country has my Mom to blame. It’s all her fault for showing me what its like to hold my head high and be proud of my accomplishments. To “work” hard for what I want and always, above all else, never step on people to do it. “Live by the Golden Rule” was something I can remember her saying. It was important that we live our lives putting ourselves in other people’s shoes. To this day she will say, “Well, you don’t know what is going on in their life that makes them act that way”. But, in the same breath she will interject “But that doesn’t make it right so don’t take that off of them. Just be sure to pray for them this evening”. We should let her run the country for a while. Believe me; she would have the entire place on track and running like clock-work. I could see it now….Mom sitting in the oval office, writing down the day’s priorities with a sign over one shoulder that reads, “I have the right to refuse service to anyone” and one over the other shoulder that reads “Protected by Smith & Wesson”. She is quite the shot too so folks should take it seriously. One would think that with all of the years of struggling that she went thru, Mom would be bitter. Nothing could be farther from the truth. She loves to laugh like no one that I have ever seen. I actually try to think of things all day to call and tell her just to hear her laugh. My God I love her laugh. I wish the whole world could hear her laugh but unfortunately for them, they can’t. We are pretty protective of her. You see, she is our Mom and that’s one thing we won’t share. It’s unfortunate for people that didn’t grow up poor for at least a portion of their life. To know what it is like to build character and appreciation for things and people. As unfortunate as that is, it’s even more unfortunate for people that didn’t have the pleasure of growing up poor with my Mom.
Before breaching the answer to this oh-so important question, let’s look at the definition of a right-wing extremist. According to our illustrious leaders in Washington, a right wing extremist may be groups and/or individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.” It also includes those that favor state or local authority over federal authority. In a report that Fox News reporter Mike Levine contributed to, our all-knowing Homeland Security Department also suggests that returning veterans are attractive recruits for right-wing groups looking for "combat skills and experience" so as to boost their "violent capabilities." It adds that new restrictions on gun ownership and the difficulty of veterans to reintegrate into their communities "could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks." So let me get this straight. Every red-blooded American is now an extremist. That’s hog-wash. But who am I to argue with the powers that be? They know better than me. Yeah, right and Al Gore invented the internet.
Now to the reason that our government considers me a right winger. After careful thought on the subject I have come to the conclusion that (drum-roll please) my Mom is the underlying reason for my right wing extremism. I know, I know, they always blame it on the Mom. Well in this inShanece, she is just going to have to take it.
My Mom married young and had nine children. When people ask her why she had so many she answers matter-of-factly “I married an alcoholic Catholic”. Well that jerk up and left her with all of us right after I was born. I have never seen him and I am a better person for it. But, that didn’t help my Mom. There weren’t give-away programs then like there are now. Not that she would have taken advantage of them anyway. We didn’t see Mom much when we were little. The older children took care of the younger children and as for me, I stayed with my grandparents. Mom was right back at “work” immediately after my birth so her only option was for my grandparents to keep me. Of course she came by to see me often, but she didn’t have the luxury of hanging around. She had to go to “work”. For many years she “worked” two or three jobs. She did whatever it took to take care of her children. Most of the time, shoes and clothes were sparse. My older brothers and sisters missed a huge portion of their school days due to the fact that they had to watch the younger children. But, that didn’t stop them from succeeding. It actually gave them the incentive to push harder. We all acquired that “can do” attitude from my Mom.
The oldest of the clan, Bubba, volunteered for the Army during the Viet Nam War. He had to get my Mom’s signature to get in because of his age which she reluctantly gave. He really felt the need to support his country and do his part. I know that she didn’t want him to go but I also know that she was very proud that she had raised a young man with such a desire to serve and protect. Unfortunately, while walking point thru the jungle in Nam, he stepped on a land mine. He was thrown forty feet in the air. I can remember him telling me that the only thing he could remember was screaming out for Mom. Bubba lost one leg just below the knee and the complete use of the other leg because of all of the shrapnel embedded in it. I remember the night that my Mom got the telegram about his injuries. She was sitting on the chair under the black phone that was mounted on the wall in my grandmothers kitchen, crying. It was really late at night and all of the commotion woke me up. When she saw me come around the corner she tried to hide her tears. I guess she didn’t want to freak me out. Well, some months later, Bubba came home and eventually he moved on with life. There is so much to say about Bubba. I could probably write an entire book about him. You have heard the term “give the shirt off of your back”? Well that phrase should have his picture next to it. He firmly believed that if you were “good people” he wanted to be there for you. But, if you weren’t “good people”, you had best move on or face the consequences. He was very protective and proud of his family and his country. Bubba was an incredible man. “One-of-a-kind”. If you notice I am referring to him in past tense. We lost him to cancer a few years ago. I can’t tell you how bad we miss him. None of us quite like Mom. They were very close. He regularly dropped by with flowers or a couple of sacks of groceries for her. Not for any special reason, but for a special Mom.
Next in the family line is my sister, Sissy. Sissy started her family young like Mom. She has three beautiful girls and five precious grandchildren. She definitely got Moms gift of cooking. Being the primary bread winner of her house, she “worked” in restaurants for most of her girls school age lives. She “worked” tirelessly to make sure they had clothes (that she stayed up and sewed for them each night) and all of the other things that they needed to get thru school. When I was younger, I can remember watching her and thinking how much she reminded me of Mom. She “worked” meticulously and tirelessly to make sure the food that left the kitchen was pleasing. Sissy is about as soft-spoken as a person can be. Unless of course, you tick her off. Even “the boys” were afraid of crossing that line. And “the boys” were fearless. After her girls graduated, Sissy went to college herself. Since then, she has acquired one degree after another. She now lives and “works” in Chattanooga, Tennessee where she enjoys the natural beauty and outdoor activities that the state has to offer. All the while she has remained the jokester that we all love. You can never put anything past that woman. One afternoon, my Mom and Dad went to one of the casinos on the other side of the river for a couple of hours. Sissy found out that about their trip the day before they left and she took off herself from Chattanooga and drove to the casino timing it to be there at the same time as Mom. She watched the door until she saw Mom walk in. Once Mom was seated at a slot machine, Sissy slid onto the stool beside her. Mom played the machine for a few minutes before glancing over her shoulder to see who might be beside her. I wish I could have seen the double-take and look on her face to find her daughter, who lives twelve hours away, sitting there. I laugh just thinking about it. I am so proud of Sissy and I am so glad the she is enjoying the life that she “worked” so hard for…..she deserves it.
Now we come to Deedee. Deedee married after high school and moved with her Army husband to El Paso. After his enlistment they moved back to the area with the first of two boys. She “worked” at a local credit union while her boys were growing up. One summer, she hired me to watch the boys while she “worked”. I really enjoyed being there with her family. She came in from “work” every evening and started doing the “Mom” thing. Washing clothes and picking up the mess that I had allowed the boys to make. My Mom gave me a lecture about helping her out around the house more. “She works all day” she would tell me. “The least you can do is pick-up around the house to help her out.” She was right of course. (One thing that I have learned…..Mom is always right.) Deedee decided to go to college and obtain a degree in instrumentation. After graduation she landed a job at a local laboratory. We were all so proud and happy for her. Well Deedee’s boys grew up and they started their families. One of the boys had one child, a little boy. Her other son had three girls and recently a baby boy. Long story short, Deedee and her then husband, Steve, decided to adopt the first born grandchild in order to give him a better life than his natural parents could offer him. You see, this precious little fella was born with autism. Shortly after this life altering decision, Steve, the S.O.B, up and left my sister to raise him on her own. Here she is a grandmother not only thrown into a divorce but thrown into a situation sure to tear anyone down. Deedee didn’t let that stop her. She “worked” and saved and went back to school in order to provide a well established life for her new responsibility. She graduated this time with a degree in radiology. She picked up her life and moved two or three times trying to find a job. Unfortunately, there were no openings that would support her lifestyle with an autistic son. She moved back to our home town and returned to “work” with her previous employer. Within the last year she went back to college and obtained a certificate in AutoCAD in hopes of capitalizing on the abundance of “work” the refineries were offering in our area. Alas…..a recession. All of these things have made Deedee a stronger person and I admire her commitment to her son and his well-being. It takes a special heart and a special person to give up their entire life, which she has, in order to take care of a loved one. And special is an understatement when it comes to her.
Well next in the line-up is Matt. Matt is always a difficult one for me to describe. He died in a car accident when I was in the seventh grade. Before that he had been gone for some time. Matt signed up for the Navy right out of school. I remember that he broke his ankle playing ball while in the Navy. He came by my Grandmothers house to visit when he was in. I can still see him coming around the corner with a beard and on crutches. My Grandma told him to shave that beard and be more careful next time. From what I do remember about Matt, that wasn’t going to happen. Well at least the be more careful part. I still have a picture of him in mind when he was probably fourteen or fifteen at the table arguing over a food. The Shaneding word around the house was, “never get between Matt and his food”. My older brothers and sisters tell great stories about him. But of all of the memories I have of him, I remember the day that Bubba was coming home from the hospital after being wounded. Matt promised me that I could have his horse, Speckles, if I ran out and gave Bubba a big hug when he arrived. You see, I was afraid of Bubba without his leg. I was only five years old and it scared me. But I loved horses and was willing to do anything for Speckles. Besides, Matt explained that it would hurt Bubba’s feelings if I didn’t give him a hug and kiss when he got home. I can still remember running up to Bubba as he got situated in his wheelchair from the car ride home and giving him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. Later that day, Matt assured me that Speckles was mine from then on. Not that I could take care of the poor thing but for a five year old it was a big deal. I wish I could remember more about Matt. His tour in the Navy was up and he was scheduled to come home just a few days before Thanksgiving. He was killed before he had the chance. I remember the men in uniform coming to the door asking for Mom. My brother and I were out of school for Thanksgiving vacation when they came by. We told them that she was at “work” and gave them the name of the restaurant. Later that afternoon, my brother and I were walking back home from the corner store when we saw Mom walk into the house. We were so excited that she came home early, that we ran all the way home. That’s when we discovered why she was there. The men that had come by the house that morning had went to see her at “work” and they gave her the news no Mother ever wants to hear. Once again, she stood strong for all of us. We all counted on each other growing up and that made us a very close family. We were all each other had. So losing Matt took its toll on everyone for a long time.
Darla is next up on the roster. She was always an independent soul. She “worked” waiting tables thru her high school years and moved out right out right after graduation. She left the waitress job to work for a local supply company setting up their computer system. At some point she moved to live and “work” in Lafayette, LA. That may have been where she met Jim (her husband) but I can’t be sure. They moved to College Station where she “worked” managing an apartment complex. I really can’t remember how long she lived there but I do remember going to visit her. She was great about inviting me to stay with her for a long weekend. Eventually they moved back to Lafayette to be close to Jim’s family. They had good jobs, “worked” hard and bought a home. Before long they started a family. They had three beautiful children. (One girl and two boys) At some point “work” soured and they were faced with some decisions to make. They knew that they had to do something to provide for their children so they threw caution to the wind, sold everything they owned and moved to Chattanooga, TN. Risky move right? Did I mention earlier that Darla is an independent soul? Well the risk paid off. Darla went to “work” as the manager of a company and Jim landed a job with his brother. They bought a beautiful home on the side of a mountain and settled in. They have raised three awesome and respectful children. And I would like to mention that all of them have taken on their parents work ethics. What greater reward is there in life for a Mom, than to look at her children and be proud of the adults that she helped them to become? Trust me she has a lot to be proud of. All was fine until there was a cut back where Darla “worked”. She actually found herself out of “work” for the first time in her adult life. But, do you think that would stop one of my Moms kids? Not hardly. She took the opportunity to do something with less stress not to mention something that she always loved. She went to her back up and started waiting tables at Cracker Barrel. (Waiting tables was a pre-requisite to be one of my Moms children.) She loves her job, makes great money and even made employee of the year. Her last one will graduate this year so who knows what she will do next. Darla has a wonderful outlook on life and she will keep you in stitches. I miss her living close by but I am so glad that she is happy and doing well. God knows she loves to visit with people and we all know that people love visiting with her. That’s a win – win situation for everybody.
Another brother comes in next. His name is Dane. He was always a good student and from what I can remember, he enjoyed school. Dane went to “work” for a plumber right out of high school. Like most of us, he started a family young. He needed more stability and more of a future than the plumbing business could offer so he searched for a place that he could possibly make a career. He went to “work” for McDonalds. Oh no, not managing or waiting on customers. He went to “work” in the kitchen, flipping burgers. He “worked” every shift that they allowed him to “work”. Day and night, night and day. It was seldom that you could catch him home. It paid off though. Before long he started moving up. From cook to register. From register to assistant manager and eventually to store manager. Quite an accomplishment, right? Remember, he is my Mom’s boy. From store manager he went to district manager. Then from district manager he went to regional manager. Now, all of these promotions are wonderful but with each of them comes extreme responsibility. Not a problem. For Dane, the more responsibility thrown on him the better. It all has the sweet smell of success and that is his favorite fragrance. What next for him? Well what else but owning a McDonalds. Just on the chance that you aren’t familiar with the way a McDonalds franchise works, not just anyone can walk up and buy one. It’s a very big deal. But of course, it’s no hill for a stepper like Dane. As a matter of fact, one wasn’t enough so he bought another. And then another. At one point I believe he had five. Now is that payout for some hard “work” or what? And don’t think that just because he owns them that he can sit home and rake in the doe. It doesn’t “work” that way. There were many months and years of back breaking “work” trying to get a store to turn a profit or at least sustain itself. He and his entire family would spend many hours behind the counter and/or in the kitchen making those stores tick. Of course it isn’t uncommon to get an email or text from him while on some island vacation spot. He thinks he is so funny sometime. Well, actually, he is. Dane is great husband and father of four children and grandfather of two. He is constantly doing things to help take care of my Mom. That makes him a great son as well. And as for me, he is a great friend and big brother.
Shane is up next. I have the fondest memories of our childhood. He and I were close in age so we hung together most of the time. It was something different everyday. We of course didn’t have video games or anything close to that so we used our imagination for everything. One day it was cowboys and Indians the next day it was Captain America and Spider Man. We collected coke bottles and took them to the corner store in exchange for money to buy some gum or candy. Once we took a ride on Speckles like we knew what we were doing. Well we lost the reigns and Speckles took off down the road at a full trot. Shane, being the tough guy he has always been, jumped off. I was amazed. He was probably eight years old and it looked like a fifty yard drop to the ground but that didn’t faze him at all. Of course, I was left on the horse but my hero brother finally got him stopped so I could get off. I was so proud of him. And as proud as I was that day, I am so much prouder of him today. Shane has “worked” for as long as I can remember. He joined the “work” program in high school which offered him to opportunity to “work” half-a-day and go to school the other half. Like all of my siblings, he knew that if he wanted anything, he was going to have to “work” for it. So, he rolled up his sleeves and got to it. He “worked” at Gibson’s on Eleventh St. in Beaumont and then he went to “work” at Sutherland’s for quite some time. During that period, he met his future bride. Before too long they married. Eventually he started driving a truck for a medical supply company. A few years later, along came their one and only child. He was such a handsome little boy. Of course, he came by that naturally. I don’t know that I have ever seen a daddy so proud as my brother. His whole life had been completed. And naturally, he became an extremely busy man. He has coached and/or attended every function or sporting event that his son was involved in. All the while, he “worked” hard, took his job seriously and started advancing up the ladder. Today he is the manager of a medical supply company. He is highly respected and has been offered bigger opportunities but his first obligation is to his family. Shane’s priority is seeing to it that his son completes his engineering degree and lands a great job. Every aspect of his life has been wrapped around his sons life to the point that it’s sometimes hard to tell where one of them stops and the other one begins. Since the day that he and his wife brought that baby boy home, Shane’s life has rotated around being the best father any dad could ever be. I must say, he has more than accomplished that.
I guess I am next. I really don’t like talking about myself so I will make this one short. I worked at a couple of different fast food chains during my high school years. And, like the other girls in the family, I of course waited tables for my Mom. As I mentioned earlier, I worked watching my nephews one summer which earned me $500 to buy my first car. It was a rust colored 1971 Cutlass. I say rust colored but it was only that color because of all of the rust. I have no idea what the original color was. After high school, I attended beauty school in hopes of a career in cutting hair. About three months before graduation I realized that it just wasn’t for me. So, I went back to work. I took a job at a local T-shirt store where I worked for about a year. During that time I met a real piece of work. Talk about high insight. Needless to say I ended married to a slug and had three children to feed. I waited and bused tables during these pregnant years just to make sure that my babies ate. Someone had to. I never understood the fact that he didn’t find it necessary to work. My brother Dane actually made the comment one time that he had never seen a person work so hard to not work than he would have if he actually did the work. I finally had enough and went to college. I obtained an Associates degree in AutoCAD and went to work for a local engineering firm. I divorced the slug and married the world’s greatest man. He eventually adopted all of my children in order to give them a normal family life. After all, the slug scrambled out of state leaving behind a $45,000 child support debt. He gladly signed over custody when the attorney general agreed to wipe all of his debt away. All of my children made it thru high school and have moved on, with the exception of my youngest. She has a couple of more years of college and then on to graduate school. One of my daughters gave us the cutest grandson in the world and we are expecting a second one in a month. My husband and I have been blessed with good jobs. We work long hours when the job demands it but that’s alright. More hours means more money. More money means the more we can do for ourselves and our family. That’s always a good thing.
On to my baby sister….Maggie. Oh my, what a hoot she is. Maggie was a permanent fixture at the counter of the diners my Mom ran. She would sing and entertain the customers all of the time. I guess it was only right that she followed in Moms footsteps in the restaurant business. She deviated from the business just long enough to work in the retail market and meet a great guy named Cliff. He is quite the character himself. They married and had two of the prettiest little girls anyone has ever seen. Maggie is absolutely the best at what she does. She can make any gathering a party and turn a tuna sandwich into a work of art. Her customers were always loyal and they all loved her dearly. She has always been the type to have genuine concern for others and it shows in everything she does. At the restaurant she tried to make sure every person that walked thru the doors felt at home. She took special consideration to the elderly patrons. I have actually known her to see an elderly person in public, eating alone and take her food to sit and visit with them. Her heart is as big as Dallas. Her ethics are equally as big. It takes a certain type of person to run a restaurant. Many times the phone would ring right after she had gotten home and someone on the other end couldn’t come to work. You know what that meant? Maggie had to turn right back around and take over for them. And when you run an all night restaurant, that call could come in at midnight. Guess what, it did on plenty of occasions and she would get up and go in. It was her responsibility so she did it. There were times she would go and pick up members of her staff because they had no way to get there but needed the work. When they were sick, she would bring them soup or pick up their prescription. It’s just how she is. Well unfortunately the iconic restaurant that she took over for my Mom finally closed down. Not due to lack of customers or anything like that. The owner didn’t take care of his business and it had to shut down. It was a sad, sad day. But it was a new opportunity for Maggie. She went to work doing inside sells for a while. But, sitting in a room by herself for most of the day was just not her cup of tea. She has to be in a position to mingle with people. Cliff agreed to take on the role of sole bread winner allowing Maggie to spend her time with her girls. How great is that? I told you he is a great guy. She spends her time taking care of business at her home, for Mom, her girls and whoever else might need it. Myself included. She only thought work was tough in the restaurant business. Being a stay-at-home Mom is quite a chore.
Well, now that you have an overview of my siblings can you find a key quality that we all share? It’s the one thing about each of us that my Mom has more to do with than anything else. (Except maybe for our noses.) That single trait is our ethic. We were raised that you do not get something for nothing. If you want it, “work” for it. There is no money tree nor is there some pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The rainbow is the bridge that you build with your own two hands and the pot of gold is the paycheck you get for building it. We don’t take hand outs but we are all willing to give to others we see trying to help themselves. Picture this, a shack of house, holes in the floors and a plethora of children running around barefoot. That was my Moms world. And she alone had to make sure that we survived. Christmas and birthdays must have been so depressing for her. One Easter, a neighbor, out of kindness, left a slew of Easter baskets on the porch for those of us that were born at that time. Apparently it infuriated Bubba to the point that he asked Mom to take them back. And if I have my story right, she did. He was just a kid and refused a handout. Mom instilled that in us to the point that to this day I have a hard time allowing anyone to do anything for me. It drives my husband insane because I get upset at him if he spends money on me. (He does it anyway) If I want something, I will go and buy it. I can because I “work” for my money. And because I “work” for it, it’s mine to do with as I choose. If I choose to buy new shoes, a new pistol or a Hummer, I can. It’s mine. If I choose to give it to charity, my church or give it to my kid, I can because it’s mine. I earned it. If I choose to spend it on an anti-abortion campaign, I can. It’s mine. If I choose to give it to a fund for injured soldiers, I can. It’s mine. I mention these things because these are the things that I enjoy doing with my money and I do it whenever I can. I believe in defending this country, I stand by our Constitution, our troops and my Bible. I believe in backing up our police officers, firefighters and good school teachers. I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. I believe that children should stand and place their hand over their hearts when reciting the pledge. I believe that invocation should be given before any public event and that boys should be made to take their hats off. I believe that people, and not the government, should help to take care of each other. I believe in the death penalty and I hope the authorities find the SOB that set the fire to our State Capitol (which is another fund I choose to give my money to) and send him there.
Well I guess that seals the deal. Apparently by believing in the founding principals of our nation, all of which are based on Christian values, I fit the profile of a right-winged extremist. At least according to our Department of Homeland Security I fit the profile. And the country has my Mom to blame. It’s all her fault for showing me what its like to hold my head high and be proud of my accomplishments. To “work” hard for what I want and always, above all else, never step on people to do it. “Live by the Golden Rule” was something I can remember her saying. It was important that we live our lives putting ourselves in other people’s shoes. To this day she will say, “Well, you don’t know what is going on in their life that makes them act that way”. But, in the same breath she will interject “But that doesn’t make it right so don’t take that off of them. Just be sure to pray for them this evening”. We should let her run the country for a while. Believe me; she would have the entire place on track and running like clock-work. I could see it now….Mom sitting in the oval office, writing down the day’s priorities with a sign over one shoulder that reads, “I have the right to refuse service to anyone” and one over the other shoulder that reads “Protected by Smith & Wesson”. She is quite the shot too so folks should take it seriously. One would think that with all of the years of struggling that she went thru, Mom would be bitter. Nothing could be farther from the truth. She loves to laugh like no one that I have ever seen. I actually try to think of things all day to call and tell her just to hear her laugh. My God I love her laugh. I wish the whole world could hear her laugh but unfortunately for them, they can’t. We are pretty protective of her. You see, she is our Mom and that’s one thing we won’t share. It’s unfortunate for people that didn’t grow up poor for at least a portion of their life. To know what it is like to build character and appreciation for things and people. As unfortunate as that is, it’s even more unfortunate for people that didn’t have the pleasure of growing up poor with my Mom.
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