My Book Sale Treasures!

I went to a church book sale and found these great books. All their hardbacks were only $1, no matter what they were. The huge, older Kennedy book and the Churchill ones were especially worth more than that.

I went hunting for pictures of all of these on the internet. I should've just taken my own pictures and uploaded them, but these are all pretty close to accurate pictures. Except, mine are actually in better condition. I look forward to delving into all of these someday.

Free Roxana Saberi

This is a Human Rights issue that Republicans and Democrats should be able to join together on. Roxana Saberi is an American Journalist that is imprisoned in Iran. She was sentenced to 8 years in prison on bogus charges in a trial that took place behind closed doors. She turned 32 yesterday while sitting in the Iranian prison.

The KC Star had an article about her on page 21 of yesterday's paper. She has gone on a hunger strike to protest her imprisonment. Saberi's case has caused even more tension between Obama and Ahmadinejad. He and Obama could get along if it just weren't for the racism, denial of the holocaust and the imprisoning of American journalists.

Saberi's parents are concerned about how weak she is getting from the hunger strike.

What You Can Do:

1) Join the Blog Rally--

A group of bloggers is holding a blog rally in support of Roxana Saberi (who is spending her birthday on a hunger strike in Tehran's Evin Prison) and of others who have dared to express their thoughts freely only to be imprisoned, abused, or killed.

Please consider placing a blue ribbon this week on your blog, website, and facebook / myspace / twitter page, and invite others to do the same, in honor of the journalists, bloggers, students, and writers who are imprisoned in Evin Prison (nicknamed "Evin University") and other prisons around the world for speaking and writing down their thoughts.

2) Officials in Iran need to know your concern for Roxana Saberi and your desire to return her home, and while she is in Iran to have a fair appeals process.

Write to:
His Excellency Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee,
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran
622 Third Ave.
New York, NY 1007
e-mail: iran@un.int

To read samples of Roxana's reporting, click here.

To contact the White House, use this link/URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

More Links:
Free Roxana Saberi
Roxana Saberi Blogburst
Blog Rally
Nice Deb
Founding Bloggers
American Journalist Roxana Saberi Given Eight Years Sentence in Iran

Tori Spelling on Hannity!

I have to confess that I used to watch Beverly Hills 90210. I also happened to read Tori Spelling's book, Stori Telling last year and really enjoyed it. It gave me a lot of respect for her as a person.

I really enjoyed this interview and was impressed with Sean for having her on and with Tori for being willing to be on.

Movie Meme

Movie meme
The rules are simple:

Using the Entertainment Weekly list of the top 100 movies from the last 25 years:

- Bold the movie if you’ve seen it.
- Put asterisks next to the movies you’ve seen and liked.
- If you saw a film and hated it, cross it out. (I don't know how to cross out so I just wrote mine in parentheses)

Here goes:

1. Pulp Fiction 1994
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy 2001-03
3. Titanic 1997****
4. Blue Velvet 1986
5. Toy Story 1995***
6.Saving Private Ryan**
7. Hannah and Her Sisters 1986
8. The Silence of the Lambs 1991***
9. Die Hard 1988***
10. Moulin Rouge 2001
11. This Is Spinal Tap 1984
12. The Matrix 1999*
13. GoodFellas 1990
14. Crumb 1995
15. Edward Scissorhands 1990
16. Boogie Nights 1997
17. Jerry Maguire 1996**
18. Do the Right Thing 1989
19. Casino Royale 2006
20. The Lion King 1994**
21. Schindler’s List 1993***
22.Rushmore 1998
23. Memento 2001
24. A Room With a View 1986
25. Shrek 2001***
26. Hoop Dreams 1994
27. Aliens 1986*
28. Wings of Desire 1988
29. The Bourne Supremacy 2004
30. When Harry Met Sally****
31. Brokeback Mountain 2005
32. Fight Club 1999
33. The Breakfast Club 1985****
34. Fargo 1996
35. The Incredibles 2004****
36. Spiderman 2 2004
37. Pretty Woman 1990****
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
39. The Sixth Sense 1999
40. Speed 1994***
41. Dazed and Confused 1993
42. Clueless 1995****
43. Gladiator 2000*
44. The Player 1992
45. Rain Man 1988*
46. Children of Men 2006
47. Men in Black 1997
48. Scarface 1983
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000
50. The Piano 1993
51. There Will Be Blood 2007
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad 1988
53. The Truman Show 1998
54. Fatal Attraction 1987
55. Risky Business 1983
56. The Lives of Others 2006
57. There’s Something About Mary 1998 (hated it)
58. Ghostbusters 1984
59. L.A. Confidential 1997
60. Scream 1996
61. Beverly Hills Cop 1984****
62. Sex, Lies and Videotape 1989
63. Big 1988
64. No Country For Old Men 2007
65. Dirty Dancing 1987****
66. Natural Born Killers 1994
67. Donnie Brasco 1997
68. Witness 1985*
69. All About My Mother 1999
70. Broadcast News 1987
71. Unforgiven 1992
72. Thelma & Louise 1991***
73. Office Space 1999
74. Drugstore Cowboy 1989
75. Out of Africa 1985
76. The Departed 2006
77. Sid and Nancy 1986
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991
79. Waiting for Guffman 1996
80. Michael Clayton 2007
81. Moonstruck 1987
82. Lost in Translation 2003
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn 1987
84. Sideways 2004
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin 2005
86. Y Tu Mamá También 2002
87. Swingers 1996
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997
89. Breaking the Waves 1996
90. Napoleon Dynamite (didn't like it)
91. Back to the Future 1985****
92. Menace II Society 1993
93. Ed Wood 1994
94. Full Metal Jacket 1987
95. In the Mood for Love 2001
96. Far From Heaven 2002
97. Glory 1989
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999
99. The Blair Witch Project
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut 1999

I've only seen 31, although there are several others that I think I've seen parts of. I snagged this from Patrick.

A Review of Gone in a Heartbeat!

Mercy Triumphs over judgment!--James 2:13b

"Fearing death might keep you from living, but fearing life will keep you from living. Live as though the end is death, but do not be afraid. Death is simply the beginning of another path. Another world, where Jesus is King."--Rachel Works

I haven't listened to Focus on the Family on a regular basis for a long time. So, it was by chance that I happened to tune in on the day that they re-aired, Two Families United in Tragedy. The Works and Murray families came together to participate in a two part show.

On December 9, 2007, Matthew Murray went on a shooting spree at YWAM and then later at New Life Church. While at New Life, he took the lives of 2 of the Works family's daughters. It was hard to comprehend how the Works family was able to even start the healing process. They went from being a family of 6, to a family of 4. Since, I am part of a family of 6, the thought of losing 2 of my children just seemed so heartbreaking. I could only imagine the hole it would leave in their lives.

As I read this book, I was inspired by all of their lives and the testimony of their family. It was reassuring for me to hear how they turned out coming from a homeschooling family. Yet, as Marie Works mentioned, the healing process had to be so much harder for the Murray family. They had to live with the fact that their son took some lives and damaged others.

Its a compelling story of faith and forgiveness. I highly recommend it.

Book rating--9 out of 10 stars

Daniel Hannan Rocks!!

"You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt."--Daniel Hannan MEP

Daniel Hannan's speech to Prime Minister Gordon Brown has sped across the internet like lightening. He did not mince words, he went after Brown with gusto. He said that Brown had run out of "OUR" money and that he was "pathologically incapable of accepting responsibility". Wow, ouch!! We need someone here in our Congress to say all of this to Obama.

Hannan has written about the great response to his speech on his blog:

Breaking the press monopoly is one thing. But the internet has also broken the political monopoly. Ten or even five years ago, when the Minister for Widgets put out a press release, the mere fact of his position guaranteed a measure of coverage. Nowadays, a politician must compel attention by virtue of what he is saying, not his position.

It's all a bit unsettling for professional journalists and politicians. But it's good news for libertarians of every stripe. Lefties have always relied on control, as much of information as of physical resources. Such control is no longer technically feasible.

BZ has the transcript of the speech and GG loved it too!

The World's 10 Worst Dictators!

Every year Parade Magazine does an article on the World's Worst Dictators. Below are the top ten:

1. Robert Mugabe--Zimbabwe
Number One on the list is Robert Mugabe who is responsible for the torturing and raping his own people and allowing the conditions in his country of Zimbabwe to deteriorate dramatically over the past year. Rape and Terror is being inflicted on women and young girls who are connected to anyone in opposition to Mugabe. Below are some of the other current conditions in Zimbabwe:

--Inflation is at 80 billion percent
--A Cholera Epidemic has killed thousands
--Hundreds of thousands are starving from food shortages
--16% of population is infected with Aids
--85% Unemployment rate
--Wave of violence against supporters of opposition party

2. Omar al-Bashir--Sudan
This is what Parade had to say about al-Bashir:

This month, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his contributions to the tragedy in Darfur. The ICC charged him with “ murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing, and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians, and pillaging their property.” Bashir’s military campaign has been accused of driving 2.7 million people from their homes since 2003.

3. Kim Jong-Il--North Korea
Excerpt from Parade:

...his regime continues to be one of the world’s most repressive. Hundreds of thousands of citizens, including children, are imprisoned in labor camps for such “crimes” as hoarding food and “ anti-socialist” activities.

4. Than Shwe--Burma (Myanmar)

5. King Abdullah--Saudi Arabia
This is what Parade had to say about King Abdullah:

Despite King Abdullah’s talk of reform, Saudi women still need permission from male guardians to work, study, travel, marry, or even obtain an ID card. The government opened a women’s branch of its Human Rights Commission, but only men serve on its board. There is no Saudi penal code, and trial defendants often cannot question witnesses.

6. Hu Jintao--China
Here is what Parade had to say about Jintao:

Hu Jintao and the Chinese Communist Party won the right to host the 2008 Olympics by promising to improve human rights. Instead, Hu tightened restrictions on freedom of speech and religion. Repression of Tibetans and other minorities has increased dramatically. Political and religious dissidents can be held in “ Re-education Through Labor” camps for up to four years without trial.

7. Sayyid Ali Khamenei--Iran
Here is what Parade had to say about Khamenei:

Ayatollah Khamenei has increased arrests of nonviolent opponents of his regime, women's-rights activists, ethnic and religious minorities, and journalists. In 2008, Khamenei’s government was the only one in the world to execute juveniles. Iranian law considers boys eligible for the death penalty at age 15 and girls at age 9.

8. Isayas Afewerki--Eritrea

9. Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov--Turkmenistan

10. Muammar al-Qaddafi--Libya

The Forgotten Man!

A couple of months ago I heard Rudy Giuliani recommend the book, The Forgotten Man. Newt Gingrich, Mark Sanford, Jon Kyl, Mike Pence and Fred Barnes have offered praise for it as well.

In the book, Amity Shlaes takes an in-depth look at the Great Depression and what effect Hoover and FDR's policies did to not only help but also prolong the depression.

I had put the book on hold at the library weeks ago and it finally became available. I've started reading it and below are just a couple of quotes that I've taken note of so far:

"But the deepest problem was the intervention, the lack of faith in the marketplace. Government management of the late 1920's and 1930's hurt the economy."

"Where the private sector could help to bring the economy back--in the arena of utilities, for example--Roosevelt and his New Dealers often suppressed it."

"The New Yorker Magazine's cartoons of the plump, terrified Wall Streeter were accurate; business was terrified of the president."

"Coolidge's personal wager about the 1920's was that the private sector would and should take the lead, and that then the possibilities for progress would be boundless."

Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade!

The kids and I walked in the St. Patrick's Day Parade yesterday for our Karate school. We have walked in parades before but they have always been smaller. This one ended up being quite the ordeal. It was 2 1/2 hours of waiting before we got to start walking, then we walked the parade route and then we got to brave downtown traffic on the way out.




My angelic children ;-)!!


Some of the spectators!

Michael Steele and Rush Limbaugh!

Is it smart to throw a man who defended you against vicious liberal attacks under the bus? Apparently, Michael Steele was okay with that when he willingly fell into the liberal media's trap of attacking Rush Limbaugh.

Rush rarely has guests on his show, and yet he had Steele on in 2006 when Steele was running for the U.S. Senate in Maryland. At the time, Steele was being viciously attacked by liberals and Rush not only had him on the show but he came to his defense.

Steele rewarded Rush with this:

In an interview on CNN with D.L. Hughley, Steele assured that he, not Limbaugh, was in charge of the party before saying that he wanted to put the right-wing talker “into context.”

“Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer,” Steele said. “Rush Limbaugh, his whole thing is entertainment. Yes it’s incendiary, yes it’s ugly.”

I was STUNNED when I heard about all of this yesterday. I am a Michael Steele fan and I couldn't believe that Steele had been so naive and foolish. As Grey Ghost said:

D.L. Hughley, a liberal comedian now posing as a "journalist" on CNN, played Steele for a fool by getting him to diss Limbaugh. Indeed, Hughley played the oldest card in the book, divide and conquer, and Steele was dumb enough to fall for it hook, line and sinker.

Rush responded and put Steele in his place. One of the strangest things is Steele saying that he doesn't agree with Rush on not wanting Obama to succeed. If that is true, then as Rush asks, what part of Obama's agenda do you want to succeed? His socialistic "stimulus plan"? Nationalized health care? The fairness doctrine? FOCA? Rush and Republicans want the country to succeed, just not Obama's socialistic agenda. And Rush's point is that as head of the RNC, Steele had better not want Obama's agenda to succeed or otherwise what is the point?

Most likely, after realizing that offending Rush's 22 million plus listeners wasn't such a good idea, he apologized. Michelle Malkin calls it a non-apology apology, but I still think it was the right thing to do, and I am glad he did it. Gateway Pundit also thinks it was a good move.

Even Patrick, who is no Rush fan, was on Rush's side on this one.