John & Mary

This is the story of John and Mary (the names are changed to protect the guilty). I am going to rant about divorce, but in reality divorce is just the sin-of-the-day. I am not a fan of divorce, but in a broader context GOD is not real keen on sin.

And you see we've all sinned. I've chosen to put my soul in the hands of Christ and I lean heavily GOD's grace, because I am wholly incapable of not sinning.

Just so you understand that this isn't a holier-than-thou rant.

Anyway, back to John & Mary.

After twenty plus years of marriage, they got divorced, stranding two kids, a couple of cats and three dogs. While their marriage seemed like the death of a thousand cuts; their divorce was a train wreck.

Unfortunately, I watched from the sidelines. I talked to both of them (pleaded in one case) to give their family another chance.

Well John & Mary are getting married again--to different people. Curiously, their prospective spouses go the same church. In fact, their new homes will only be 2 blocks apart, and they went out as foursome to celebrate their engagements.

Huh?

If they are so buddy-buddy, then why couldn't they reconcile their lives to one another? Why not salvage their marriage and their children?

I don't have answers, except to say that sin is pervasive, immoral, illogical and that we are all trapped in its terrible clutches.

When I think about my sin, I am sickened at its depravity and relentlessness. I am thankful for a savior, because I cannot save myself. I am a drowning rat in a stormy sea going under for the third time, only to find a nail scarred hand hauling me to dry land.

Well those same nail scarred hands have ahold of John & Mary. I'm not casting stones. I hate divorce, because it messes up people. I just see John & Mary as a reminder that all our sins lead to same dark and lonely place called the grave, unless you've come to know the Carpenter from Galilee.

Stuck on Stupid

According to the hard count, there are 22 Democrats voting yes and 18 voting no on the JohnRoberts nomination.

It is fascinating to watch the democratic party self destruct. They have no ideas besides the old ones. They feel the need to make everything political from hurricane relief to killing the bad guys in the War on Terror.

They are STUCK ON STUPID!

Except to appeal to their left wing base that is symbolized by peole like Jesse Jackson and Michael Moore, there is no reason to vote against Roberts.

Bush 43 did not nominate a moron to the bench. John Roberts demostrated that he had a firm grasp of the law and the constitution--isn't that what we want in Supreme Court Justice?

I think there is a political price for voting against the Roberts nomination. After all, where are the Move On people going to go? Will they take over the party and nominate Howard Dean for president? It seems that they already control the democratic party.

Potential democratic candidates should be thinking about the rest of us. They should be trying to appeal to the majority of the country.

Instead they have run out of ideas and lies and distortions, so that all they become is bunch of noise banging int he corner.

Kaboom!

I was busily conducting ballistic research (eh, don't you mean you took a bag full of guns down to the shooting range?)

Yes.

Anyway, one of the other guys comes bounding up to me (much like Ripper the Black Lab). In his hand he had a shiny new piece.

"Would you like to shoot it?" he asked.

I eyed the gun. It looked a bit overbuilt for a 2-inch snubby revolver. "What is it?"

"A .454 Casull," he said proudly.

The .454 Casuall chamber can best be described as cavernous. Ruger built the Alaskan as a trail gun for back packing where the possibilitity of close encounters with Grizzlies is a possibility. (Thus the name Alaskan). Personally, I have no desire for close encounters with Grizzlies or 2-inch revolvers chambered in .454 Casull.

Anyway, this guy had to test fire it. The .454 had a significant recoil as I watched his wrist pull up 45 to 60 degrees, and a fireball (in broad daylight) was clearly visible two feet off the muzzle.

After test firing, he said, "That wasn't so bad. You sure you don't want to try it?"

I assured him I didn't. Now we were on an outdoor range, so the heat flash from muzzle blast dissipated, but inside this thing probably sounds like Godzilla and you can feel the blast effects three lanes over.

Of course, if he doesn't meet a Grizzly, he can probably use the Alaskan to punch holes in granite.

Line in the Sand

Today Jadalynn was dedicated. Parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle were in attendance.

Years ago, we made a decision to break the mold and embark on a Christ centered home. Oh, we made plenty of mistakes. We didn't have a model. We faced opposition, ridicule and received little support.

Jada's dedication is affirmation that a decision to make Christ the center of our family and home worked.

The torch passes to the next generation. But you see there is a difference this time. Jada's parents know the score, and they are not alone.

Flat Earthers

Another wacko judge from the Ninth Circus Court of Appeals struck down the Pledge of Allegiance.

This is another law suit brought to you by America's Atheist, Michael Newdow.

It seems the Mr. Newdow is concerned about those vile and coercive words, "Under God."

People used to believe the earth was flat. Those same people thought the sun, moon and stars rotated around the world. Just because they had screwy ideas did not make it so.

Mr. Newdow and the dimwits on the court might not believe in God, but that does not negate the fact that God knows about them.

No one is being coerced to say the pledge.

The words "Under God" is a statement of fact. Those who believe otherwise, probably worry about sailing off the edge of the world.

Adding Insult to Injury

The New Orleans PD continues its stellar performance. This a department that stood by as the looters and crazies ran wild.

They suffered 2 suicides, 200 resignations and 500 missing officers. They left people at the mercy of rapists, murderers and lawless mobs.

Now to add insult to injury, the New Orleans PD is confiscating guns from law abiding citizens.

The police abdicated their authority, when they let the city slide into anarchy. The collapse of civil order is the result of a natural disaster coupled with gutless civilian decisions.

People left to fend for themselves are now having their Second amendment rights violated.

But what can you expect from a city government that failed to act, then cast around for someone to blame?

Why we fight

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

This is why we are at war.

Gutless

The White House removed Undersecretary for Emergency preparedness and Response, Michael Brown from overseeing the Katrina relief effort.

This is the same Mike Brown who oversaw the Hurricane relief effort in Florida last year, and to quote one caller to the Limbaugh program today, "How did he get so stupid so fast?"

The answer: he didn't.

However, the left has demanded its pound of flesh, and the White House delivered. No doubt this continues to be the new tone promulgated by the Bush Administration.

It's not working.

Will the left demand the resignation of Governor Blanco?

Get Real.

Will the left ask for head of Mayor Nagin?

Don't hold your breath.

When you consider the massive federal effort of civilian and military agencies that have poured into the region, there should be a lot of praise to go around. In the face of the abject failure of Louisiana state and local governments, the federal and civilian relief efforts succeeded despite the idiocy of Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin.

Instead, we have to listen to rappers brand George Bush a racist. Nancy Pelosi preach her politics of destruction. Hillary demand investigations, and Howard Dean's latest scream.

For once it would be nice if the White House looked the left wing ranters in the face told them to stick it where the sun don't shine.

I guess that wouldn't fit with the new tone, but it sure would be refreshing.

Blah Blah Blah

The fellow sitting closet to Madam Presidential-Candidate-to-be is Mark Dayton (Minnesota's Senior Senator).

It really hurts to admit that this deer-in-the-headlights, trust-fund baby got elected from my state. Mark has been in competition with California's Barbara Boxer for the title of dumbest member of the senate.

However, I must commend Mark for deciding to keep his mouth shut when it comes to assigning blame to the Hurricane relief effort.

Hillary has already decided that the entire mess is George Bush's fault. Everything from the Hurricane surging to a category 5 storm to the looters to the bureaucratic bottleneck that trapped FEMA.

She's charging out on a limb, while Slick is defending FEMA and the administration's response. Her blame Bush mantra is not selling. Her rhetoric is inane.

Suicidal comes to mind.

Hillary makes Mark Dayton look like a statesman. That is hard to do.

There are facts emerging that make her grand stand play even shakier.

1. The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security blocked Red Cross and Salvation Army convoys heading for the Super Dome.
2. Governor Blanco had to think about the Federal request to send FEMA in, before saying no after 24 hours.
3. Governor Blanco did not order the National Guard to stop the looters.
4. Mayor Nagin decided the 500 school buses were not good enough for evacuation. He wanted Grey Hound cruisers.
5. No one made the evacuation mandatory.
6. Finally, if the levees were so deficient, where is the legislation to fortify the levees?

We all know the left hates Bush.

There are plenty of things that I disagree with the President on, but blaming him for Katrina is idiotic.

And Hillary makes Mark Dayton look like a statesman.

Poster Child

Would you give this man money?

That's exactly what President Bush wants you to do. He has enlisted his father, Bush 41, and Slick to head line the private sector relief bandwagon for Hurricane Katrina victims.

But I already gave, you say.

Slick might wrack his brains to find a better way, but in the end he would retroactively raise your taxes $500,000,000,000. Adjusted for inflation, a new humidor, dry cleaning and lawyer bills that comes out to $5,000,000,000,000.

I guess I'm still upset over theft by taxes, the dot.com bust and squandering the historic opportunity at the end of the Cold War.

Every time I see Slick's picture, I grab my wallet--a reflexive action. Then I remember, he's retired to the speaker's circuit, charging quadzillions for his wit and wisdom.

How'd that saying go? "You can fool some of the people all of the time..."

High Tide

The weather guessers (WG) mentioned last night that they expect storms to continue until 4:00 AM (such a precise prediction--I should have known better).

The WGs said it was raining--a good call since it had been coming down in buckets since late afternoon.

They even had rain gauge readings from around the metro area. I noted with some concern that the suburb where my mother lives had already received 2.5 inches. There's been some question about the roof.

No doubt it there was a problem, I'd hear.

I did.

The Ripper and I arrived at my mother's house. The Ripper is my four footed office mate and part time Black Lab. There was 2 inches standing water in the basement. She's just finished cancer treatments and is still recovering from spinal fusion surgery. This was not a good situation.

And it was 8:30 and rain was still coming down in buckets. So much for the WG's predictions.

Three trips to Home Depot and Menards later, I had pumps sending water out windows and doors. The Ripper found this to be great fun, bounding through the soggy basement and checking on the pump output.

"Do you have any fans?" I asked my mother.

"Sand? Why do you need sand?" She's a tad hard of hearing. I've known posts with better hearing.

"Fans!" I shouted.

She stared at me, before answering, "No."

All in all, a terrible way to spend a Sunday morning. Unless you're the Ripper , who found it great fun.

Hurricane Jim Crow

Obviously, we have misnamed Hurricane Katrina, we should have called it Hurricane Jim Crow. Now I know that sounds a bit awkward, but if we are to believe Jesse Jackson (doesn't he take a nice mug shot?!?) and his band of black racists, this entire mess is the fault of white America.

Indeed the Michael Moores and Jesse Jacksons have played the race card less than four days after Katrina wrecked the Gulf Coast and the levees failed in New Orleans.

It is white America's fault that Katrina strengthened from a category 1 to category 5 storm between Florida and Mississippi!

It is white America's fault that the levees broke!

It is white America's fault that state and local governments collapsed and the federal response took time to get going!

It is--well you get the picture--blah, blah, blah...

I saw the television images, and I didn't see white Americans or black American or pink ones or people with polka dots. I saw Americans. I saw their pain and anguish and despair. I saw people who desperately needed food, water and shelter. I saw a rescue effort that had to shovel through the debris, avoid the crazies and deliver a massive amount of food and water.

I gave money to the Salvation Army, because what I saw broke my heart. It never occurred to me that this terrible disaster had a racial component. Such thoughts are beyond my comprehension. So maybe the purveyors of such tripe could kindly return the garbage scow from whence they sprang.

It seems my entire life I have listened to people like Jesse Jackson and I am sick to death of their blatant racism.

People like Jesse and Michael should be ashamed for the lies they've spouted and they should hide their faces.

Be Americans

I'm not here to defend the Bush Administration. I don't buy into the idea that anyone could adequately plan for a disaster like the what has happened in New Orleans.

These pictures are from Fox News taken prior to Katrina's land fall. They show national guard troops handing out MREs, people boarding up houses and people taking hurricane evacuation routes.

These people prepared for a Hurricane, not a flood.

New Orleans weathered Hurricane Katrina fairly well. It was the failure of the levees that caused this disaster. The President declared disaster areas in advance of Katrina's landfall so that supplies could be prepositioned.

But no one thought they would have to swim to the people needing help.

Finally, these people need our prayers, our help and our charity. The Stars and Stripes have been around the world for every kind of natural disaster known to man. American troops, American aide, American charity, American goods have poured into places with names we can't pronounce, much less find on a map.

This time it happened here to a place we know and city we can find on the map. There will be plenty of time to point fingers later (if that is your game), but right now we need to pull together and be Americans.