Educating OWS

*First of all, thank you for your support during my dog crisis.  It has made a huge difference for me.  I'm sure it's going to happen again sooner or later, but for now Cal seems to be fine.  (He still won't eat dog food, but with shaved turkey available, would you?)  He's walking well enough to manage the steps from the deck to the fenced back yard, so I think I'm going to let him hang out there unsupervised for a while today.  He just loves to soak up the sunshine and sniff the breeze!*


I'm linking another great post from Oathkeepers, with a couple of excerpts.  The gist of it is this:  There are people teaching the Constitution to the protesters, and protesters are listening!!!!  Something good may well come of this movement.  We can reinstate the Constitution; all we need to really get started is a 3-5% "following."

My favorite quote:  "The Constitution is not a menu"

Our government is going to be in deep deep doo-doo if the 99% ever figures out how much it has in common with the (small "l") libertarians.  Joe Schultz is trying to tell the protesters that holding the government accountable to the Constitution is the very same thing as holding it accountable to themselves, and that government violations of the Constitution are the cause of most of their complaints.  It's an uphill battle, because the Big Money organizers in OWS aren't too fond of the Constitution themselves...
     

This is what needs to be done. The answer to communist and socialist bull being fed to the protesters is to get down there and kick their asses in an intellectual and ideological STREET FIGHT. It should be done in a spirit of teaching those who will listen, but make no mistake about it, if some communist or socialist steps up to debate, a constitutionalist who is ready and willing will dish out a royal intellectual butt kicking on the communists and socialists and that too will be a great “teaching moment” for the rest of the crowd listening and watching.

                 
                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

PS- And note that Schulz is aware of the very distinct possibility that the organizers behind OWS will try to stifle his work there. If or when they do, that will simply reveal them for the frauds they are. They talk about being open to all views, about welcoming Tea Party people, etc. but I suspect that when it comes down to it, they will try to stop Bob. And they will have to tip their hands to do it, because Bob is himself a formidable organizer, and knows how to get it done, so unless they shut him down in a very overt way, he WILL turn the majority of that crowd into constitutionalists. 




Here's the whole thing:
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/10/30/we-the-peoples-bob-schulz-at-ows/

This could get interesting....

Slight Improvement, I Think

Cal's blood work came back normal.  It wasn't the total health screen, just a short-panel CBC.  His appetite is a tiny bit better, and he hasn't puked since this morning.  Neuro signs are definitely improving, he has less stagger in his swagger.  I was afraid we were heading for euthanasia tomorrow or Monday (mood swings, remember?) but there's room for cautious optimism.  I'm holding it together with support from friends, and especially BH.  Stealth Hero, that one.

Not Thriving, but Stable

Calico-boy is hangin' in there.  The stroke was pretty mild.  He wouldn't eat anything until a little while ago; I coaxed some ice dream into him, and the vet said to give him anything he'll eat.  I blockaded him in the kitchen while I worked today, and he didn't even pee.  Now that's a good dog!  He's a little perkier today.  A friend told me this morning that she went through the same thing with her dog last month.  She'd had a second stroke a few weeks after the first, and it left her completely disabled, so of course they euthanized.

This is strange for me.  He's the oldest dog I've had and he's been my shadow for 14 years.  Losing him is going to be tough.  My mood is swinging wildly between near despair and euphoria.  His poor appetite could indicate a whole host of end-of-life issues, yet I'm rather optimistic because his appetite was fine before and shortly after the stroke.  Plus there was no "gastric distress" at either end (I sure hope he keeps that ice cream down.)  I hate the fact that I know next to nothing, but I'm sort of relieved that I really have no decisions to make as of yet.  All I can do is wait and watch, because I refuse to let him suffer.


You know, it could be a lot worse.

Butthead Boy

Yesterday when I came home from work,  my old dog Cal was having trouble walking.  He ate his afternoon meal then hid out most of the evening.  I sat with him at bedtime and noticed his eyeballs were a little twitchy, and I was wondering if he was going to live through the night.  His appetite has been good and he didn't seem to be in pain, so I thought it might be neurological - stroke or seizures.  This morning he was the same, but his ears were up and he seemed perkier.  I called the vet, but couldn't get an appointment until almost 3:00, so I went to work but I left early.  Thank God Maxine is a dog lover.  Let me tell you, when I picked up the phone to tell the vet my 14 year old dog was "partially down in the rear end," I was absolutely sick.  That is frequently the last call dog owners make.

Yep, it was a mild stroke; I was right about the neuro.  We've started him on a course of steroids to reduce inflammation in the brain, and he's resting, but he still hasn't eaten anything.  This could be the beginning of the end, but I sure hope not.  I am REALLY attached to that old dog.  We've been through a lot together.

Oops?

Hmm.  My last post is what happens when I don't do my homework.  Today I read this on "From My Position:"

http://tcoverride.blogspot.com/2011/10/that-letter-yon-didnt-want-you-to-see.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tcoverride+%28From+My+Position...+On+the+way%21%29

Although there may be a little tap dancing in it, I suspect his letter is factual.  I wish it had directly addressed the question, "Are medical responses delayed due to the unarmed state of MEDEVEC helicopters?"  But I guess the government doesn't know how not to dissemble.  "Here's my translation:  These are (some, but probably not all) pertinent facts contradicting Micheal Yon.  Draw your own conclusion, answer your own question."

It's not a difficult question.  Where do I find the answer?

Unarmed MEDEVAC Helicopters

Michael Yon is asking for signatures on a White House petition.

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/golden-seconds.htm

Here's the link to the petition.  The site can be a PITA, but it's worth it.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/stop-requiring-army-medevac-helicopters-afghanistan-paint-red-crosses-their-sides-and-go-unarmed/LdxVQTgn?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

A Really Really Important One

"Radical Right Wing" Oathkeepers quoting that "Leftie" Bernie Sanders.  I wanted to fill space here with highlighted excerpts, but there's nothing to highlight; every word is critically important!  Please read it a and PLEASE share it.  It's the unvarnished truth, and it's coming from a living, breathing U.S. Senator.  That alone is front page news.

 http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/10/23/report-gao-investigation-bombshell-the-fed-audit/

Kind of a Broad Brush, But...

Dave Ramsey's not an idiot.
http://www.daveramsey.com/article/dear-occupy-wall-street/lifeandmoney_economy/

Every word is true, especially this point:

“No Government Bailouts!”

Banks and big companies should not receive taxpayer money for a bailout while their CEOs are making hundreds of millions of dollars. If that’s your gripe, then you’re protesting in the wrong location. Pack up and head to Washington, D.C., to deliver your message to the current administration. Don’t get me wrong—I totally support a company’s freedom to pay their leaders well. I just don’t believe that I, as a taxpayer, should subsidize those huge salaries in the form of taxpayer bailouts. I pay my own team members; I don’t need to pay everyone else’s too.

By the way, you may be shocked to learn that the Tea Party agrees with you on this one—and so do I.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Take it to Washington, people.  The banks are breaking laws here, and their hired government refuses to stop them.  We have the power to fire that government, if we have the sense to use it.

...And In Local News...

Hot on the heels of my state's easing of restrictions  on open-carry, the Hooterville Library Federation lobbyists have sent out a request to local libraries.  They want us to report incidents of armed patrons "misbehaving".  Gee.  I wonder why.  Do you suppose they don't like the state telling them they must now allow guns in libraries?

Oh my God!  Think of the children!!!!!

See, here's the thing.  Or a few "things."  Most library patrons are pretty well behaved to begin with.  Most people who legally carry guns are also pretty well behaved.  In general, the people who behave badly in libraries are the very same people who behave badly everywhere else: un- and under-employed burnouts and high school dropouts who don't interact well with civilized society.   Most often, they're the "internet losers."  (While a substantial percentage of public internet users are perfectly decent folks, libraries are now host to a steady stream of filthy, chemically impaired cretins and perverts who lack online access at home.)  The others who misbehave are the marginally literate DVD addicts, but (at least in my library) we get rid of them pretty quickly.  DVD's are limited to one-week check-outs, can't be renewed, and cost a dollar a day in overdue fines.  Anyone with fines over $5.00 can't check out at all.  Since these people aren't very good with rules and such, they usually end up delinquent within about a month, and we never see them (or our DVD's) again.  Oh hell, there I go on a tangent again!  Back to the real issue.

The thing about people who misbehave in the library is that the last thing they're going to do is risk arrest while getting their internet fix!  Many of these dopes have criminal records and the new open-carry law doesn't apply to them!  They're already prohibited from possessing guns!  If they're carrying in the library, you can bet your last dollar we don't know about it.  So what the hell are we expected to report to the ILF?

Sheesh!

Complete and Utter BS

*warning: political rant*


Are people starting to notice yet?  Among living breathing human Americans, the "Left" and the "Right" are SO CLOSE on so many issues.  The news media, fed by politicians and their owners, is actively dividing us on mostly false and inconsequential issues.  And we're taking the bait.  We are swallowing it whole. Everybody except Congress & Co. hates the TSA.  Everybody except Congress & Co. hates our huge inefficient (and all but useless) government.  Everybody but Congress & Co. hates predatory practices of banks and businesses.  Everybody except congress & Co. hates the spectacular mess that has resulted from the drug war (& Co. includes the government employees who get paid to shuffle the pieces around the board.)  Everybody except Congress & Co. hates corruption in the labor unions.  Are you starting to get the picture?

Shall I continue?  Why are we allowing the power brokers and their media pets to con us into believing that we are each others' enemies?  The most dangerous enemies of this nation are the career politicians and the people who pay big bucks to keep them in control.  We have seen the enemy and it is NOT us.  It's the people we allow to "lead" us!  Why are we so damned gullible?  Has TV brainwashed us that much?

Say these words out loud.

Liberal         Tea Party      Religious Right     


Socialist   Environmentalist      Republican     


Anarchist       Democrat    

"Choose Your Prefix"-o-Nazi


Now do it again.

These are all empty words, inconsequential labels used to mislead us!  And the're effective, aren't they?  Each of these words scares the hell out of someone, or just plain pisses someone off.  But here's the truth about them: not one of the groups described by these words is a viable threat to this nation, because not one of them will ever have enough of a majority to endanger this nation.  So why are we screeching these words at each other?  Because the career politicians want us to. They just keep stirring the pot.  If we can't bring ourselves to speak civilly to each other, we will never realize that we agree about the roots of our most of our problems.  If we start talking to each other, here's what's at stake: the Republican and Democratic Parties, and the people who collectively own both of them, could lose their power.  They could lose the power to suppress competition from smaller banks, from smaller businesses, from smaller unions.  They could lose their power to control trillions of dollars!
Do you think they don't understand this?  Do you think that it's merely a coincidence that this hideously divisive political climate has grown up alongside of the wealth of information that's instantly available on the internet?  We now have easy access to all the facts we need to have at least half of Congress & Co arrested and charged with crimes.  But every time a new scandal rears its head, they blow smoke up our asses, distracting us, and overwhelming us with rumors and lies.  Congress & Co will lose everything they hold dear if the American people ever discover how much we have in common, and how small our differences really are. 


The Powers That Be have a lot to lose, and they won't give it up without a fight.

Cool!

My Better Half still gives me flowers!  He just carved this one:

                                                            (It's about 1 1/2 inches tall)

Friday Beauty Tips

(Content alert - boring but useful)


Two things I have recently learned:

Olive oil is very compatible with human skin, and it doesn't clog pores.  I've been using it for about a month,and it has almost completely eliminated the seemingly permanent goosebumps on the back of my upper arms.  And its CHEAP!

Middle aged hair?  I thought my hair was becoming more coarse as it was "losing pigment."  Apparently not really, it's just becoming more dry.  Coconut oil, olive oil, and maybe avocado oil, have been shown to actually absorb into the hair shaft.  Most conditioners merely coat and smooth the hair cuticle, weighing it down, and they wash right out.  These will actually make the hair stronger and softer.  I bought a jar of coconut oil yesterday ($13.00 for 16 ounces!) Mini spa day tomorrow!.

I snagged a new book at the library yesterday, "Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm?"  It's written by a scientist who explains the reality behind cosmetics' advertising and label claims.  I've already figured out some of what I'm reading, by trial and error.  I'll be reading the rest of it this weekend, so I'll let you know if I find any more interesting tidbits...

Oopsie!

Sorry, wrong number.

This morning when I woke up, I actually remembered to charge my phone before it died on me.  So I went to  plug it in.  Huh.   Message from last night.  Who's number is that?  It's local, but I didn't recognize it.  I opened it and found something rather interesting.  So I texted back, "Impressive.  Who is this?"  I never got an answer, so later I decided to call the number.  The man was deeply apologetic.  He'd meant to send it to his wife and save her a trip outside to check it for herself; she does the vet stuff.  He has a new phone and he didn't yet know how to pull up her number, so he dialed from memory.  He reversed two digits and got me.  I laughed (and laughed and laughed, with tears streaming down my face) and told him I wasn't offended.  Scroll down to see what I saw at 5:30 this morning: 


























Keep going.  Trust me....

I'VE BEEN SEXTED!!!!!!!!!
By livestock!!!!!!!  
(Anthony Weiner's got nuthin' on this dude!)

Well Now I Think I Like Where This is Going

Oathkeepers just posted a bit more of the substance behind "Occupy the Fed."  Most people's opinions on OWS are based on Commercial Media portrayals of it, and biased accordingly.

READ THIS, there are no lies here (that I could find) not even vague distortions.  
2) We reject notions promoted by the mainstream media that the Wall Street protests (and spin-offs) are driven entirely by a “socialist uprising” or “Liberal Tea Party.”  Such arbitrary talking points we believe are an attempt to co-opt and divide people into false factions of “Left” and “Right.”  A 99% majority of American citizens no longer have a legitimate voice let alone any tangible influence over the decisions made by government today, and that 99% includes ALL political orientations, whether conservative or liberal, independent, libertarian, etc.  Over 80% of the American public, for instance, stood in vehement opposition to bailout programs initiated by the Federal Reserve which rewarded the thievery of criminal banking cartels while punishing taxpayers.  Our enemy is the same no matter what “side of the aisle” we might stand.  This movement must transcend preconceived notions and political ideologies and focus upon what is most important; freedom, and the truth, no matter where it may lead us.


  and

 We are not affiliated with the Republican or Democratic parties, nor will we be co-opted by either.  We are “extremists” only in that we absolutely refuse to compromise on the truth. 


Here's the whole thing: 


http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/10/09/brandon-smith-seven-pillars-of-occupy-the-fed-now/


Yoo-hoo!  Republicorp!  Where are your conservatives?  

(This is exactly why I could not bring myself to become a Republican after I left the Democrats.  In a couple of weeks, I'll be attending a "Constitutional Studies" meeting, where I've been told I'll find members of the independent Tea Party.  Should be interesting.)

*snerk*

Occupy The Fed???

Whoa!  OK, this looks interesting.  Very Interesting.  Not the Oathkeepers' standard MO, but dang it, they always seem to find that tiny kernel of truth that grabs me by the throat.  (The Wayseers video is, um, over the top, but kinda cool!)  I'm a little leery of my initial "Yesssss!" reaction to this article, but it bears further scrutiny.      

http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/10/05/oath-keepers-and-the-wayseers-to-occupy-the-occupation/

Yes, that's "Occupy the Occupation."

"Oath Keepers is not going to stand idly by and watch the Soros socialist/collectivist/Big Government crowd claim these newly-awakening Americans as their own. From Michael Moore to a host of other Big Government statists, the Soros faction is trying now to steal the people’s thunder, just the way the Republican Party tried to steal the Tea Party’s thunder by co-opting the Tea Party.

The Soros/socialist/Big Government message is that those evil Capitalists on Wall Street are the problem which now threatens to destroy America. That is an outright lie, and it is being promoted in the mass media by the way they’re covering the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Despite the fact that the “Monopoly Capitalists” are indeed present on Wall Street, and among them are serious corporate threats to America’s sovereignty, the media fails to distinguish the difference between true free-market capitalism and Monopoly Capitalism. Soros and his followers are attempting to misdirect the movement by claiming that capitalism is the problem. We shall expose that lie."

Bold italics are mine.  I think this is why I call myself a moderate; nothing's ever all one or all the other.  I just have to keep looking, past the slogans, for the real truth.  If "truth" is what I just read, let's have a little more of it.  I wonder what the commercial media is going to make of this.

 If this is totally nuts, please set me straight!

Tea: Bittersweet, As Expected

I went to the local Tea Party meeting tonight.  Maybe 150 people meeting in a conference room at the local puddle-jumper airport, and a calico cat greeted me at the front door.  (No small airport is complete without a resident mouser.)  My Gunwalker shirt  was a huge hit, and I sat with a couple of my favorite library patrons.  One of them lent me her "Agenda" DVD, and I'll be watching it Friday.

Not surprisingly, it was mostly a bunch of recycled Republicans, chasing the myth.  After a bit of campaigning from a few Republicans, the guest speaker gave a presentation on Agenda 21.  He was a good speaker and it was interesting.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzEEgtOFFlM  "Agenda 21 For Dummies"
Everything he said was true.

The thing is, that's all they do, tell the truth about what the eeeeevil Democrats are up to.  And the eeevil Democrats tell the truth about what the eeeevil Republicans are doing.  And they're all correct, because BOTH parties are eeeevil!!!  Are we seeing a pattern yet? Why can't these people see more than an inch beyond their own noses?  Do they really think that if every Democrat in congress suddenly dropped dead, the Republicans would solve this country's problems?  The Republican party ditched the real conservatives decades ago; haven't they noticed?  Do these Tea Partiers really think they're doing something different?  They're making deals with the Republican party, just to get in (and accepting its limitations) they're taking funding from the likes of the Koch brothers (whose billions came from having congress in their pockets) and they're accepting the agenda dictated to them by FoxNews (THE Republican mouthpiece.)  Dudes!  Really?

The Tea Party will NEVER change a thing in this country if it aligns itself with ANY entity that has a vested interest in maintaining a massive corrupt government!  

The preceding statement deserves a paragraph all to itself.  If the Tea Party wants to succeed, it absolutely must be a completely independent third party.  It has cut off its own balls and handed them to its oppressor.  On a silver platter, no less.  If it doesn't take them back, it will be just another passing fad, unfortunately at a time when this country might actually be ready for a third party.

I think there were a few independent thinkers in the house.  If I attend any more meetings, I might just raise a little dust.  Not normally my style, but what the hell - why not?  (Menopause is a bitch; goodbye, estrogen, helloooo testosterone!)

Happy Little Newses

New washing machine bought, installed and running in 1.5 hours.  Better Half ROCKS! For the first time in two years, I  have a "delicate cycle" for my dainties.  And a kick-ass 700 rpm spin cycle for everything else.  And it's quiet.

In other news, Puppy Rescue Mission (Soldiers saving puppies * Puppies saving soldiers) won $25,000 from the Pepsi challenge!!!!!

All this and it's a beautiful October day!

Totally Stolen

...from Uber Humor...

A Cup of Tea?

Day after tomorrow, the local Tea Party will be hosting a "see what we're all about" meeting.  I think I will attend.  During the past couple of years, it has been my experience that people who identify themselves as "Tea Partiers" are among the smartest folks I've encountered.  And the dumbest.  There's diversity for ya.

I see a great deal of potential for good here, but I'm afraid the Tea Party may have already neutered itself by aligning itself with "Big Business" and the Republican Party, both of which have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.  

I'll be wearing my Gunwalker t-shirt.  The little red devil on my shoulder wants me to really stir thing up by wearing my "Love Jesus? Hate Bigotry? johnshore.com" t-shirt, but first impressions are important.   I wouldn't want any heads to explode.  Yet.