It broke my heart this morning to learn that Tony Snow's cancer has returned. Tony Snow is one of those stand up guys who most rational people can't help but love. He has always been a passionate voice for the conservative cause and yet, he is such a nice guy that it makes it hard for people to dislike him. LGF points out these hateful comments but these are by rabid, irrational, vicious leftists who are so filled with hate that they would never be capable of saying anything even remotely kind about anyone on the right.
All that to say, I love the man and I will be praying for God's gracious, healing hand to touch him. I will be praying for a quick treatment and a speedy recovery because we need him in D.C.Click here to see the video of President Bush's kind words about him.
My message to Tony:
We love you and are praying for your speedy return!! Hang in there, you have a lot of people pulling for ya!
I can't believe how little coverage the Drive By Media is giving to Iran kidnapping 15 British soldiers. My local paper, The KC Star had a small article from the AP about it in Sunday's paper buried on the 18th page with this pathetic title, 15 Seized British Confess, Iran Says. Al Jazeera would be proud of the AP for taking Iran's side on the issue.
"It simply is not true that they went into Iranian territorial waters and I hope the Iranian government understands how fundamental an issue this is for us," Mr Blair said.
"We have certainly sent the message back to them very clearly indeed. They should not be under any doubt at all about how seriously we regard this act, which is unjustified and wrong."
"We already know that Iran has been helping the terrorists (I refuse to use the word insurgents) in Iraq, weeks ago ABC News reported about Iranian made weapons seized at the Iran/Iraq border. Also, Iran has vowed not to stop its nuclear enrichment activities and will limit its involvement with the IAEA.
Now they engage in what is nothing short of an act of war by holding prisoner British Sailors. How much longer is the US, Britain and the rest of the Western World going to stand by and let Ahmadinejad and the fundamentalist Iranian government bend us over throughout this long drawn out process of “diplomacy,” before somebody finally stands up to them?
Tony Blair is no Winston Churchill, but he’s no Neville Chamberlain either. Lets see if he has enough sack to stand up to the Hitler of Iran."
"The purpose of the emergency war spending bill I requested was to provide our troops with vital funding. Instead, Democrats in the House, in an act of political theater, voted to substitute their judgment for that of our military commanders on the ground in Iraq. They set rigid restrictions that will require an army of lawyers to interpret. They set an arbitrary date for withdrawal without regard for conditions on the ground. And they tacked on billions for pet projects that have nothing to do with winning the war on terror. This bill has too much pork, too many conditions and an artificial timetable for withdrawal.
As I have made clear for weeks, I will veto it if it comes to my desk. And because the vote in the House was so close, it is clear that my veto would be sustained. Today's action in the House does only one thing: it delays the delivering of vital resources for our troops. A narrow majority has decided to take this course, just as General Petraeus and his troops are carrying out a new strategy to help the Iraqis secure their capital city.
Amid the real challenges in Iraq, we're beginning to see some signs of progress. Yet, to score political points, the Democratic majority in the House has shown it is willing to undermine the gains our troops are making on the ground.
Democrats want to make clear that they oppose the war in Iraq. They have made their point. For some, that is not enough. These Democrats believe that the longer they can delay funding for our troops, the more likely they are to force me to accept restrictions on our commanders, an artificial timetable for withdrawal, and their pet spending projects. This is not going to happen. Our men and women in uniform need these emergency war funds. The Secretary of Defense has warned that if Congress does not approve the emergency funding for our troops by April the 15th, our men and women in uniform will face significant disruptions, and so would their families.
The Democrats have sent their message, now it's time to send their money. This is an important moment -- a decision for the new leaders in Congress. Our men in women in uniform should not have to worry that politicians in Washington will deny them the funds and the flexibility they need to win. Congress needs to send me a clean bill that I can sign without delay. I expect Congress to do its duty and to fund our troops, and so do the American people -- and so do the good men and women standing with me here today."
Rebecca tried to talk me into watching American Idol last year. My oldest daughter wanted to give it a try so we started watching it this year. I like it. My top 3 right now are Gina Glocksen, Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis. The above video is my favorite performance by Gina. Like many I CAN'T BELIEVE that Sanjaya is still on the show. When he didn't get voted off on Wednesday I was just disgusted. He totally doesn't belong in the top 10. Everyone else out sings him and he reminds me of the creepy side of Michael Jackson that appeared after he was famous. Yuck!!
Prison Break continues to amaze me in how good the story lines are and just when you think they've painted themselves into a corner they take a whole new direction. These last 2 weeks have had several shockers. I totally didn't see the President stepping down. I naively thought she was really going to pardon them although I knew in the back of my mind that couldn't happen because it would wreck the show.
I was so impressed with Michael feeling remorse over Sarah and T-bag. Once again the actor who plays T-bag deserves an emmy because he does such a good job on playing someone despicable; who is losing it.
Once again I am amazed at how the show's writers can enable you to feel empathy for almost anyone. I found myself actually feeling sorry for Mahone in this last episode. When I saw him confront Wheeler in the garage I assumed Wheeler was toast, but Wheeler survived intact.
Lost was so good this past Wednesday, even though Sawyer wasn't even in one scene. I really like and am fascinated by Locke's character. It was good to finally find out what caused him to be paralyzed. I have to say that after watching this episode I find his father to be evil incarnate. I also am convinced that Billie is right about the con-man who destroyed Sawyer's life also being Locke's dad. It completely makes sense and would fit in with the rest of the show.
I was also shocked about finding out last week that Claire and Jack are brother and sister. The connections are amazing and fascinating all in one. I love how everything seems to fit together.
I was shocked but not bummed to learn that they bumped off Audrey. I have never been a fan although my husband pointed out, is she really dead? 24 is kind of like Alias, you never know if someone is really dead.
I'm really not buying this storyline with the Vice President declaring war just for the heck of it. First of all, he is supposed to be a Democrat so we know it can't be real. Also, not even Ann Coulter would be ready to strike against a country for the reasons they are coming up with. It makes the whole thing look just a little ridiculous.
I totally cracked up seeing Chloe kiss Morris to find out whether he had been drinking or not. The funny part was Milo looked amused and Morris didn't even get offended. Chloe is never one to disappoint!!
I think its pretty obvious that Nadia isn't the mole, I'm wondering if Ricky Schroeder is.
I was so proud of Bush yesterday. This is the side that conservatives like me wish we would see more often. Here are some great excerpts from the Press Conference:
"Earlier today, my staff met with congressional leaders about the resignations of U.S. attorneys. As you know, I have broad discretion to replace political appointees throughout the government, including U.S. attorneys. And in this case, I appointed these U.S. attorneys and they served four-year terms.
The initial response by Democrats, unfortunately, shows some appear more interested in scoring political points than in learning the facts. It will be regrettable if they choose to head down the partisan road of issuing subpoenas and demanding show trials when I have agreed to make key White House officials and documents available. I have proposed a reasonable way to avoid an impasse. I hope they don't choose confrontation. I will oppose any attempts to subpoena White House officials.
As we cut through all the partisan rhetoric, it's important to maintain perspective on a couple of important points. First, it was natural and appropriate for members of the White House staff to consider and to discuss with the Justice Department whether to replace all 93 U.S. attorneys at the beginning of my second term. The start of a second term is a natural time to discuss the status of political appointees within the White House and with relevant agencies, including the Justice Department. In this case, the idea was rejected and was not pursued.
Second, it is common for me, members of my staff, and the Justice Department to receive complaints from members of Congress in both parties, and from other citizens. And we did hear complaints and concerns about U.S. attorneys. Some complained about the lack of vigorous prosecution of election fraud cases, while others had concerns about immigration cases not being prosecuted. These concerns are often shared between the White House and the Justice Department, and that is completely appropriate.
I also want to say something to the U.S. attorneys who resigned. I appreciate your service to the country. And while I strongly support the Attorney General's decision and am confident he acted appropriately, I regret these resignations turned into such a public spectacle.
It's now my hope that the United States Congress will act appropriately. My administration has made a very reasonable proposal. It's not too late for Democrats to drop the partisanship and work together. Democrats now have to choose whether they will waste time and provoke an unnecessary confrontation, or whether they will join us in working to do the people's business. There are too many important issues, from funding our troops to comprehensive immigration reform, to balancing the budget, for us to accomplish on behalf of the American people."
I thought I heard him saying something about the Democrats and a witch hunt but I couldn't find it. I liked that line because that is exactly what this is. I am beyond frustrated at how this has been completely blown out of proportion.
Former House Republican Leader Tom DeLay said Tuesday the scandal "is just a taste of what's goingt to be like for the next two years."
"And the Bush amdinistration sort of showed their weakenss when they got rid of Don Rumseld," the Texan said on NBC's "Today" show. "... This is a made up scandal. There is no evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever. ... They ought to be fighting back."
I got invited to my county's Republican Lincoln Days this past Friday. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to hear the different people speak and getting to talk to some of them in person. Missouri's State Treasurer, Sarah Steelman and my U.S. Congressman Sam Graves were the 2 main speakers although most of the Republican State Representatives spoke as well as the 2 State Senators that represent Clay County.
Missouri State Representative For the 35th District:Doug Ervin
I can't tell you how much I wish I lived in Doug Ervin's district. I think I was the most impressed with his speech of all the speakers and he spoke for less than 5 minutes. I also got to talk to him at length afterwards and this man just exudes integrity, honesty and character. He is very sincere and you get the impression that he really cares about what you have to say which we all know is rare. During his speech he recited a wonderful quote and I asked him who said it. Not surprisingly the quote was by Teddy Roosevelt so I made sure to look it up as soon as I got home. Here is the inspirational quote:
"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."--Teddy Roosevelt
That quote just inspires and speaks to me beyond words so I'm putting it up for my quote of the week in the sidebar.
One of the other reasons I wished I lived in Ervin's district is because all of the State Representatives in Clay County are now Republicans except for mine. Quite the bummer. Yet, we at least got our great Republican State Senator, Luann Ridgeway in 2004. So I'm not totally represented by Democrats.
In conclusion, don't forget Teddy Roosevelt's words and get into the arena and fight for what you believe in. Fighting for a worthy cause is much more admirable then just being a critic. I for one refuse to do that. There will be some defeats but there will also be victory as well. Just ask Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill. They too saw some defeats but very important victories as well.
My 3 older kids and I went on a field trip with the American Girls' group yesterday to see The Dead Sea Scrolls at Union Station. They are here for 3 months and there has been a lot of talk about the exhibit. The tickets normally are pretty expensive at $20 a person but we were able to get a major discount since we had a Children's group.
I have to say that I was extremely impressed. It was well done and my kids and I got a lot more out of it than I expected. They gave each person a small device that looked like a TV remote control. At each section they had numbers that you pressed into the audio device and you could listen to commentary about what you were looking at in the displays. They also had a kid version and an adult version for each one. So not only did it keep my kids occupied but I think they learned more as a result. It also enabled everyone to go at their own pace and learn as little or as much as they wanted about each display. It was also fascinating to be able to see some of the actual scrolls.
Here is some of what I learned:
About the only thing I remembered about them from Bible College is that they were older than any other Biblical text even though they were found later than any other and as a result they were considered to be more reliable. So the rest was all new to me or were things I hadn't remembered learning.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were originally discovered in a cave in 1947 by a Bedouin Shepherd at Qumran. The Discovery led to more from 1947-1956 where archaeologists and Bedouin Shepherds found 800+ scrolls in 11 different caves along the shore of the Dead Sea.
The Dead Sea is 1371 feet below sea level and the climate around it is very dry which is what enabled the scrolls to be preserved for such a long time. Once the scrolls were brought to a different climate they started to deteriorate and the archaeologists initially, unknowingly did some irreparable damage. Soon efforts were made to handle them much more carefully and to preserve them.
Many believe the scrolls to have been written by a sect known as the Essenes who lived at Qumran during the related time period.
If you live in the KC area or even a couple of hours away I would highly recommend the exhibit!!
I cannot say enough good things about Dennis Miller. He may still be a little liberal on some issues but he is spot on about so many things. He is as real and candid as they come which explains our mutual admiration for Rudy. Not only does he have regular segments on Hannity and Colmes now but O'Reilly is having him on every Wednesday night.
"That is good news. Rush was saying that now that they've got the 13 show run, they'll be able to get a bigger budget and better staff on the show. As someone with some experience in television production, I can tell you that good people make all the difference, and often it takes money to get the good people.
Also, now that they're going to do several shows, they need to get Dennis Miller in the mix. Dennis is like the right-wing version of Bill Maher, but unlike Maher he's able to make funny, cogent points without crossing the line. We're lucky to have Miller on our side."
I could not agree more!!!!
Here is another recent video of Miller on O'Reilly where he is talking about Gore and the Oscars.
If John Couey doesn't make your skin crawl then no one will. This monster kidnapped 9 year old Jessica Lunsford, raped her and then buried her alive. Justice was served yesterday when a jury took four hours to find him guilty. The jury still has to decide whether he gets life in prison or the death penalty. If Couey isn't a prime candidate for the death penalty I don't know who is.
The only good to come out of this horrific crime is that many people finally woke up and started passing Jessica's law which hands out harsher crimes for sex offenders.
When I first made the South Park version of myself my kids thought it looked like great fun. So they all made SP versions of themselves. I have been meaning to post the Chatterbox family South Park Style but haven't gotten around to it.
Today is my oldest son's 11th birthday so I thought it would be fun to post the South Park version of Calvin that he designed himself. We are having a Pizza Party to celebrate tomorrow night.
