tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84683840670990966632024-02-07T16:40:56.859-07:00The Lemon HarangueWelcome to The Lemon Harangue. A Harangue is defined as a speech addressed to a public assembly...a ranting speech or writing...a lecture.
In reality, it's just a place for me to stand on my soap box and rant at times, rave at other times, and hopefully have some good, lighthearted fun. Hope you enjoy!Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-40119393034931894062015-07-01T14:06:00.004-06:002015-07-01T14:06:16.929-06:00<h1 class="post-title">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Contribution</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Dear New York Times: Caitlyn Jenner Is Not The Wrong
Kind of Feminist</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Jun. 15, 2015 9:04am </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/author/donna-carol-voss/"><span style="color: blue;">Donna Carol Voss</span></a><span> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/author/donna-carol-voss/"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;"><span><br /></span></span></a><span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Donna Carol Voss is
an author, blogger, speaker, and mom. A Berkeley grad, a former pagan, a Mormon
on purpose, and an original thinker on 21st century living, she is the author
of "</span><a href="http://donnacarolvoss.com/one-of-everything-book/"><span style="color: blue;">One of Everything</span></a><span>," the story of how she got from
where she was to where she is. Contact: </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>With apologies to my
mother, who ardently supported the </span><a href="http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/"><span style="color: blue;">Equal Rights Amendment</span></a><span>
in 1972, I solemnly proclaim that feminists got it wrong again in their
reaction to Caitlyn Jenner.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Feminist Elinor
Burkett, who may be remembered for her own </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHmi-OdWEls"><span style="color: blue;">Kanye moment</span></a><span>
at the 2010 Oscars, wrote an editorial in the New York Times called “</span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/opinion/sunday/what-makes-a-woman.html?_r=0"><span style="color: blue;">What Makes a Woman</span></a><span>?”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>The gist of her
article is that Caitlyn Jenner (and </span><a href="http://www.lavernecox.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Laverne Cox</span></a><span> for that matter) are not women because
they have not been forced since birth to endure the disadvantages of being
female.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span> </span>“They haven’t suffered through business
meetings with men talking to their breasts or woken up after sex terrified
they’d forgotten to take their birth control pills the day before. They haven’t
had to cope with the onset of their periods in the middle of a crowded subway,
the humiliation of discovering that their male work partners’ checks were far
larger than theirs, or the fear of being too weak to ward off rapists.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>You know what?
Neither have I.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>If Burkett and the
many, many feminists commenting in support of her article wish to elevate
negative experiences to the apotheosis of Womanhood, that’s their right. But
it’s also their loss.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Not once in her
entire article did she mention the power to create life in our bodies or the
superpower of making milk to sustain that life. Creating and sustaining life.
How do those two awe-inspiring acts get left out of an article called “What
Makes a Woman?”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Elinor Burkett is upset Caitlyn is
getting a lot of attention for being the wrong kind of woman. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Share: </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Personally, I don’t
care what Jenner and Cox call themselves as long as they don’t expect me to
change what I call myself. It is America, after all. Knock yourself out.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>I owe my mother
another apology, because feminists didn’t get everything wrong. I have options
my grandmother never dreamed of, even without the Equal Rights Amendment. But
there’s a problem when only </span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/06/12/state-women-in-america.html"><span style="color: blue;">23 percent</span></a><span> of us want to call ourselves
feminists.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Carly Fiorina gets
it.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>In response to a boy
who asked her what feminism is, </span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/06/12/state-women-in-america.html"><span style="color: blue;">she said</span></a><span>, “Feminism began as a rallying cry to
empower women … But over the years, feminism has devolved into a left-leaning
political ideology where women are pitted against men.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>And we come full
circle back to Caitlyn Jenner.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Elinor Burkett is not
upset that Caitlyn Jenner used to be Bruce Jenner; she’s upset that Caitlyn
Jenner isn’t a feminist. No self-respecting feminist would be caught dead on
the cover of Vanity Fair with corset and come-hither stare because that kind of
woman is pleasing to men. Elinor Burkett is upset that Caitlyn is getting a lot
of attention for being the wrong kind of woman.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>If Caitlyn had
appeared in a flannel shirt and Birkenstocks, I doubt we would have seen the
same hue and cry. At least not from feminists.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>A woman who relishes,
enhances, or flaunts the male-pleasing aspects of femininity is seen as a
sell-out by third-wave feminists. The right kind of woman to them is one who
doesn’t need to please men, the kind of woman who needs a man like a fish needs
a bicycle.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>The power women
gained through feminism is now being used by feminists against women who don’t
tow the party line. Make-up? Pink nail polish? Stay-at-home mom? Horrors.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>That’s why these
women are so upset. It isn’t really that another Kardashian on another magazine
cover materially affects how women are treated in the world. It’s that these
women don’t respect that kind of woman. Kind of the respect problem feminism
was meant to fix. Ironic.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Liberation wasn’t
supposed to have fine print: You can be free only if you compete with men for
resources; if you present as sex kitten-y, shame on you. That’s no longer
allowed.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>I didn’t get that
memo.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>I feel sorry for the
women who did.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Feminism was supposed
to be about expanding women’s options, not eliminating certain options as
unworthy. Very intelligent, very competent, very driven, successful women can
still be stay-at-home moms and sex kittens. It isn’t either/or. And I hasten to
add that sex kitten is in the eye of the beholder. We don’t all look like
Caitlyn Jenner, with or without Photoshop, but any of us can embrace that
aspect of ourselves.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Feminism derailed
when it banished sex kittens to the trash heap, and feminists themselves were
often caricatured as unattractive, unfeminine women. Nobody won.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>If that’s all the
power third-wave feminism brought us—that we are reduced to nothing but sex
kittens if some of us present as sex kittens—what was the point?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>The saddest part of
all is the absolute dead-end feminism will be if it persists in making the perfect
the enemy of the good.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>I can’t think of any
other arena—dieting, marriage, career, friendship, childrearing—where it’s
efficacious to fixate on the negative. What we focus on, we get more of. By all
means, let’s keep progressing, but could we please look up the track now
instead of down?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>It would take a
radical feminist to see things this way, but Elinor Burkett actually views
transgender women (i.e., “people who haven’t lived their whole lives as women”)
as just a tricky, tricky way for men to keep defining women.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>That makes me wince.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Despite the fireworks
of transgender awareness going off around us, maybe one in one hundred people
has gender dysphoria. Elinor Burkett is concerned that about two million
transgender women will blow it for 160 million women-born-women (the ones whose
periods started on the subway).</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>What self-respecting
feminist gives so much of her power away? I wince again.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Maybe it’s time to
put feminism per se on the shelf. Carly Fiorina says she wants to reclaim
feminism as women choosing the lives they want to live. I don’t know if
feminism can be reclaimed. The word is inextricably bound with scarcity
mentality, with the idea that women are at the mercy of men and must compete
directly with them, on their terms, to gain anything.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Maybe we need
something better. Maybe we need original thinking for 21st century women.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>Twenty-first century
women can choose the life we want to live and honor the entire continuum of
Womanhood. We move up and down it over the course of our lives, sometimes more
sex kitten, sometime more mom, sometimes more CEO, but always all woman.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>We look up from our
navel gazing to consider the plight of women and girls in the world who would
kill to trade the realities of their lives for worries about breast size and employment
opportunities.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>We take seriously our
ability to influence others, through our hands that rock the cradle and through
our votes that elect a president.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>We aren’t threatened
by new or different expressions of Womanhood because we’re secure in our own
expression. No one can take away the power we have, so we don’t need to
challenge anyone else’s.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>We need a new vision.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Livingston_Seagull"><span style="color: blue;">Jonathan Livingston Seagull</span></a><span> was raised to peck for food in the
sand and huddle for warmth in the fog. He could have dedicated his whole life
to becoming the best pecker and huddler. But he had a vision that took him to
the brilliant blue sky and the thrill of flying for speed. His original
thinking broke through barriers of consciousness and possibility. And once he
broke through, he brought all the other gulls with him.</span></span></span></div>
</h1>
Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-43443342773733861362012-12-29T21:30:00.002-07:002012-12-29T21:31:00.732-07:00My Best Christmas Ever!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Every so often in our lives we experience a moment that takes our breath away. A moment when our heart swells beyond its normal size, when a sudden warmth washes over us from head to toe, while at the same time chills create goose bumps up our arms and down our legs, and a tingling sensation reaches out to the tips of our fingers and toes. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">For me, when that moment happens, tears quickly well up in my eyes, my lower lip trembles and I get a sudden case of the sniffles.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Such are moments found in movies like, "Field of Dreams", when Ray Kinsella asks his father, "Hey Dad, you wanna have a catch?", or in "Powder", when the Father (Sheriff) and son, who have been estranged for a long while, embrace after the wife/mother passes away from cancer. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Despite Hollywood's many failings to our society, they do occasionally get it right and create a moment that is unforgettable. Well, if you can grasp what I'm saying here, if you can close your eyes and remember those scenes and let those feelings wash over you again, then you have some idea of what Christmas 2012 was like for me.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">You see, it began with a great deal of anxiety, excitement and preparation. D-day, so to speak, was Thursday, December 20th. The hour, 12:35pm. The event, my wife's arrival on a U.S. Airways flight from Salt Lake City after not having seen her in over four months. Her visit was to last one week, but fortunately for me, a busy holiday flight schedule and a stubborn Buddy Pass granted me two extra days. Not that I prayed for the extra days, but a secret part of me might have wished for the extra time (Shhh, don't tell my wife that). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Standing at the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport (go ahead and laugh at that, I still do), also officially recognized by the FAA with the acronym FAT, I was watching a giant screen television monitor just outside the area where passengers exit the security portion of the terminal. The screen showed the very long hallway that passengers had to walk from the gates to the lobby. So I'm standing there, waiting and watching with baited breath, as passenger after passenger appears on the screen, hoping to get a glimpse of my wife wending her way towards me. The flight was delayed by 40 minutes, so my watching was impatient and intense.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Finally, FINALLY, there she was towing her luggage the length of the hallway, and YES, I found myself suddenly having a moment. What a feeling that was! I needed to pinch myself to make sure it was real, and even then, I ONLY saw her on a monitor, so does that mean she's real? Surely, maybe, hopefully, and YES, as she came walking through the exit doors towards me, my moment was exceeding moment-status and I found myself experiencing an event. The event was a string of moments tacked onto one another. An event translates into excessive heart swelling, wave after wave of warmth and goose bumps battling for control of my body, control I obviously lack as tears the size of boulders well up in my eyes. Now, my lower lip did not tremble, just my hands out of shear nervousness. And of course, sniffles and no Kleenex.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Wrapping my arms around Helena was the beginning of my Christmas holiday. It was the first in a string of gifts I would get to enjoy while she was here. Each gift building on the last in terms of happiness, contentment and comfort. You can't put a price on this kind of gift as they are priceless. Just ask President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor to the Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">In a 2012 Christmas message, President Uchtdorf taught that there is a temporal value and a spiritual value to the Christmas gifts we give one another. The world focuses too much on the temporal, when it is the spiritual that matters most. The talk was entitled, "The Good and Grateful Receiver". I found myself reflecting on the counsel Jesus Christ gives us in <i> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Matthew 6:19-21...</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span class="verse-no">19</span>¶Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span class="verse-no">20</span>But
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span class="verse-no">21</span>For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">And so there I was, holding...embracing, a wonderful, remarkable, and very lovely woman in my arms. My wife. Let me type that again. MY WIFE! And in that moment, and throughout that event, the planets were aligned, sunbeams broke through the tule fog that is Fresno, and balance was achieved in the universe.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Though there was temporal and spiritual value to my Helena joining me this Christmas, it is the spiritual value that matters most. You see the spiritual value of her gift to me translates into treasures I can lay up in Heaven. Faith, obedience, charity, love, selflessness, service, kindness, a warm smile, eyes that sparkle, and a desire to do the will of my Heavenly Father; those are treasures I can lay up in Heaven. Treasures that will please my Heavenly Father and my oldest brother, my Savior and Redeemer, even Jesus Christ<i>. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">So with that gift, comes a great deal of gratitude to her and for her, and to the Lord for making this happen. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">And there are greater treasures yet in store to be laid up. However, those treasures can only be offered in partnership with my wife. Specifically, a marriage that is sealed for time and all eternity. An objective! A goal! And one day, an accomplishment.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">To my wife I say, <i>"Thank you my dearest for being you. For being my best and most cherished friend, and the love of my life. No matter where I am, you are always at the center of my heart where it is warmest and most tender".</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">I look forward to the remainder of our days together where we, as husband and wife, will share, learn and grow together to become what the Lord has in mind for us. I believe we will both help one another reach our potential in this life and the life to come. We are following a path, setting out to make ourselves a happy life, and I am confident that we will indeed get there and enjoy many blessings from our Heavenly Father. This will all happen soon.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">We are sweethearts! One day soon, we will be sweethearts forever.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">I love you wife!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Greg "The Good and Grateful Receiver" of all that is you!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><b> </b></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-52624024536824581562010-12-05T12:34:00.003-07:002010-12-05T12:40:03.093-07:00A Special December Day!<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">Happy 22nd Birthday to my daughter Brittany. I hope life is treating you kind, and that you are safe, warm and well taken care of. <br />It has been so long since I last saw you. I miss you so much and think of you everyday. <br /><br />Lots of love and hugs...DAD!<br /><br /></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7VonlPi0IKRP-XZVS-VgS0kd_f-7O-gg9gUBZFrdVwc3lVdIXhha-u8M3x5ys4rBXlvGjCJaQGfsyN-XkG5_x91zRR5Pgw2IYRq1jskchvesXdCVPQiQz4folR5bslut_GI3W4S2tbnN/s1600/hugs-14.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7VonlPi0IKRP-XZVS-VgS0kd_f-7O-gg9gUBZFrdVwc3lVdIXhha-u8M3x5ys4rBXlvGjCJaQGfsyN-XkG5_x91zRR5Pgw2IYRq1jskchvesXdCVPQiQz4folR5bslut_GI3W4S2tbnN/s320/hugs-14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547284478622882850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-25146744339460943532010-08-13T12:00:00.012-06:002010-12-05T13:19:53.204-07:00Perseid Meteor Shower<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaYajjkiqjYKrdnecjLne0aQQK2GVS5S6tauYrpEy5sgQWmTBpzwvxyAGsyIqEN85E2yooASCFJONtnV0d3-Fe9zAjsDU9a35Gp94bcDGbJpwIDqeUx1T23ehL2W8ObIXWqhc_b4w2rj3/s1600/Meteor-Shower.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaYajjkiqjYKrdnecjLne0aQQK2GVS5S6tauYrpEy5sgQWmTBpzwvxyAGsyIqEN85E2yooASCFJONtnV0d3-Fe9zAjsDU9a35Gp94bcDGbJpwIDqeUx1T23ehL2W8ObIXWqhc_b4w2rj3/s320/Meteor-Shower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504967966632021762" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><br /><br />Oh how I love anything to do with Astronomy! Not that I'm an expert of any kind, but all my life I have been drawn to any and all things that have to do with the heavens. Yes, I am a Trekkie, and no, I am not embarrassed by it in the least.<br />So it was with a great deal of interest that I was looking forward to the Perseid Meteor Shower this year. It was a toss up whether I would go or not, and if I did go, could I get my wife to go with me?<br />Well, an act of spontaneity grabbed me last night and I suggested to my wife that we go up South Fork Canyon - an offshoot of Provo Canyon - around midnight to watch the meteor shower. We would take a couple of sleeping bags, two really big blankets, four pillows, a very large tarp, and our scruffy looking, nerf-herder of a Border Collie - Evee. <br />Now, last time we did this (about five years ago), we were chased off by an intrusive skunk. Nevertheless, we did not allow that cherished memory to deter us from our design. The only problem was that both of us went to bed around 11 p.m. and appeared to be turned in for the night. Suddenly at 11:36 p.m. we found ourselves getting dressed and throwing all our bedding into the car, including the scruffy looking, nerf-herder of a Border Collie, and by midnight were winding out way up the canyon.<br />Once we passed Vivian Park, we quickly discovered our spur-of-the-moment idea was not unique in the least. A virtual train of cars were heading up and down South Fork Canyon, and as I feared, when we arrived at the park almost all parking spaces were filled. I stressed even more when I realized the park was filled with hymn singing Zoobies (BYU students on group dates) and non-Zoobie-aged young adults with foul mouths and cigarettes draping from their lips. Great, right? Now I can watch a meteor shower while renditions of "Nephi's Courage" and Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" competed for stage time.<br />So, without too much hesitation, my wife and I lugged our "bedding" across the park looking for a comfy place to settle down. I soon realized the most brilliant idea we had for the evening was bringing the tarp with us as the grass was soaking wet.<br />We got everything situated and settled in under the blanket for a nice night of meteor watching. The sky above us was a black expanse with bright stars and the Milky Way band a stark contrast. It was gorgeous. We were warming up nicely with the blankets, cool air hovering above our faces, and a dog that felt the sudden need to shower my wife with wet, sloppy kisses. After a few minutes, Evee settled down too.<br />The meteors were indeed there, and each time one lit up the sky, the crowd throughout the park would 'ooh' and 'aah', or scream, in unison. It really was looking like a great night for star-meteor gazing.<br />But see, that's exactly the kind of moment when 'Lemon Luck' strikes. For those of you that don't know, Lemon Luck is the bad luck that strikes in a moment and at the worst times. My wife does not like it when I refer to Lemon Luck, but even she cannot deny it's existence.<br />So it was then when Lemon Luck decided to make an appearance and this is how it went down.<br />We could hear sprinklers running on the backside of the park behind us on the other side of a hill. I did experience a twinge of dread at the sound, but had hoped the city or county might have had enough foresight to turn the sprinklers off knowing that hundreds people would be at the park that night watching a meteor shower. Instead of seeing things for what there were, I rationalized in my mind that the city probably set the automatic sprinklers to run earlier in the evening and hoped that this cycle of sprinklers that was watering the park right at the moment would be the last. Am I a fool or what?<br />So there we were, watching the meteor shower, pillow talking and really enjoying the night, when we heard drops of water begin to hit the top edge of our tarp. We immediately knew what was happening and both of us reacted in our own way.<br />My reaction was to stay seated and pull the blanket over my body to protect myself from getting wet. My wife, on the other hand, chose a completely different reaction. Her's was to jump up and quickly run away from the sprinklers. Of course that meant she grabbed a handful of blanket and took them with her, which means the protection I thought I had disappeared in a flash. Mind you, these were not ordinary sprinklers. They were mega-sprinklers covering the grass with 100 foot swaths of water. So when my blanket of protection disappeared, the onslaught of water on my back and head amounted to a deluge. Of course I jumped up to get out of the way, the only result being that my butt and legs were now wet too.<br />First thought that went through my mind was, 'this is why I love her so much', ...NOT! It was more like, 'Oh My HELL?'!<br />So there we stood, looking at each other like, "What were you thinking?", both believing we did the right thing, but both standing there wet from head to toe. Our blankets, pillows, sleeping bags were wet as well. My frustration level at the inconsideration of the city/county rose a few degrees, but thankfully my wife calmed me down after a couple of minutes.<br />We did not want to leave so soon, so I figured the best idea was to turn the sleeping bags, blankets and pillows over on their dry sides and we would try again. We also dragged everything about 50 ft. forward from where we were so the sprinklers would not hit us.<br />Several other groups of people did the same thing, but they were not as affected as we were because our location was about the worst place to be for getting wet.<br />So, O.K. fine, we salvaged the night, settled in once again, and despite being wet, actually began to warm up and get comfortable. The meteors were awesome to watch and the crowd was still into it.<br />Not ten minutes went by and we again heard drops of water hitting the top edge of the tarp. This time before my wife could eject herself off the tarp and make a dash for it, I grabbed her and told her to stay under, that is UNDER, the blankets and just ride out the storm. She complied and this time we didn't suffer the indignity so much. However, our bedding was drenched and not in any condition to shelter us from the cold. It was obvious there were multiple sprinkler stations cycling and each cycle was heading from the back of the park towards the road.<br />WE WERE DONE!<br />I pulled the four corners of the tarp together to bundle up all our bedding. It made for a gigantic looking sack, which my wife commented made me look like Santa Clause traipsing through the park. Not really sure if it was the sack or the 30 lbs. I've gained over the past six months that qualified me for that comment, but nonetheless the image made sense.<br />I lugged it all back to the car, got my dripping family all situated inside and found myself heading back home at 1:30 a.m. having spent barely forty minutes watching the meteor shower. I grumbled all the way back home about the city/county's ignorance and planned to call them in the morning to unleash a piece of my mind upon their poor, unfortunate souls.<br />Well, I am calm this morning and have not made that call. I am however, a little annoyed that <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://helenalemon.blogspot.com/2010/08/meteor-shower-debaucle.html">my wife</a> made me type this post against my will.<br /><sigh> The things we do to keep the boss happy!<br /><br /><br /></sigh></span></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-43046127790035904552010-08-05T13:51:00.015-06:002010-08-05T14:21:53.305-06:00Utah's Monsoon Season<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25rDdu__sdEsCxtDRos2vy6yEj7p8RJqhFGgsD-24SmqYPOjGC58g_lv06KCwJQPnhqHUWE09qE70GM1d6qDVbeK26_DbywhNxOm13WesagCxYzPCvKLRYKvxZRVdvuXwd2VSNe2cOWBe/s1600/53123.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25rDdu__sdEsCxtDRos2vy6yEj7p8RJqhFGgsD-24SmqYPOjGC58g_lv06KCwJQPnhqHUWE09qE70GM1d6qDVbeK26_DbywhNxOm13WesagCxYzPCvKLRYKvxZRVdvuXwd2VSNe2cOWBe/s320/53123.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502022425988361602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" >O.K., so I'm a total nut for wild weather. Love to watch it, love to be in it, love to chase it in the car.<br />The variety of weather we get in Utah is one of the things that makes living here so fantastic. A day of wind, hail, rain, lightning, thunder, awesome looking cloud formations, rainbows and sunsets will put me in the best of moods.<br />The past 24 hours has been a lot of fun. Nighttime sleeping with lightning flashes and rolling thunder in the distance is like a bedtime lullaby for me. Light rain, then heavy rain, then wind whipping around the house is what I call "therapy".<br />Mind you, I am foolish at times. Last night I took Evee out for a nighttime stroll at Fort Utah Park. This is my mangy mutt right here...</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6y2qFY9O2RfqspHSTWcnKJcZKq9ijTM38hQ1UjpG5U02A-gEmm_0mgsGLK20xUUgH8d6F8LVDN5JwL1IfzKyQzhcN5OVlTUWKJgMM4VL6RgeulaT60gdo6jClE6PpBGwjm20WPF4lTAb/s1600/0801001248.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6y2qFY9O2RfqspHSTWcnKJcZKq9ijTM38hQ1UjpG5U02A-gEmm_0mgsGLK20xUUgH8d6F8LVDN5JwL1IfzKyQzhcN5OVlTUWKJgMM4VL6RgeulaT60gdo6jClE6PpBGwjm20WPF4lTAb/s320/0801001248.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502018039096635122" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" >She was loving it. I was loving it. Then, a white light lit up the sky, a momentary sound of fizzling, then KABOOM! I ducked like that would have made a difference between life and death, and Evee ran for the car.<br /><br />I was on the phone with my wife at the time and I cursed, LOL. Didn't even get into trouble for that one.<br /><br />Utah weather...Yeah!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWS4lST2bRC6YxAby6SS4eOYbusus9zP-dly3OwZVowWYY2M0017Ssh2hMCYYAey8VNeKlpGoVos0iH2HBQGSjze-Y9_vIaf9_KIuIllvrj9_VHuNmWqmkqW7WPpZZhnatkStvMwXCYck/s1600/53192.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWS4lST2bRC6YxAby6SS4eOYbusus9zP-dly3OwZVowWYY2M0017Ssh2hMCYYAey8VNeKlpGoVos0iH2HBQGSjze-Y9_vIaf9_KIuIllvrj9_VHuNmWqmkqW7WPpZZhnatkStvMwXCYck/s320/53192.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502018908586987330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjfXBNORLN5K6ctSimOHhYap35g6SXXyDRWOwc8XB04rXv7sL6_XxcRGHyg965TLKx0Bl7IoTvXa_5X6N2hjkO1Mf4WEQXgV345_tqCRpi5OlXMSLeRw2hDEub-WmDpRRbKG8Q1Vwkcxj/s1600/53189.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjfXBNORLN5K6ctSimOHhYap35g6SXXyDRWOwc8XB04rXv7sL6_XxcRGHyg965TLKx0Bl7IoTvXa_5X6N2hjkO1Mf4WEQXgV345_tqCRpi5OlXMSLeRw2hDEub-WmDpRRbKG8Q1Vwkcxj/s320/53189.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502019337246028674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxpu6aj6mLZHKEtlc1GxrxrXxl-TXEu69RAZ1pw9g-kZwRbnSD1zq5Oj9m4nPiSJMLFd7vSBJsI7l5gGoCImkrO7-J_hv2fJXm2I8XS0tPgz9VskoKB3QuuAYbzf-H6BzVXt6Ls2JH0w4/s1600/53187.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxpu6aj6mLZHKEtlc1GxrxrXxl-TXEu69RAZ1pw9g-kZwRbnSD1zq5Oj9m4nPiSJMLFd7vSBJsI7l5gGoCImkrO7-J_hv2fJXm2I8XS0tPgz9VskoKB3QuuAYbzf-H6BzVXt6Ls2JH0w4/s320/53187.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502019571483706674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeCgy1wSVE70EseGOpPSLvkzm3hWi3MGs02ZL5FstD6wuF9ALCeEztSN-y-01eATaoced53dgSAF21PzGGSGc_9NzIlnjpN4qf742dKdO9nGNggTBUkawQqxXbX9yhOZqH1QE9gINQxJO/s1600/53183.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeCgy1wSVE70EseGOpPSLvkzm3hWi3MGs02ZL5FstD6wuF9ALCeEztSN-y-01eATaoced53dgSAF21PzGGSGc_9NzIlnjpN4qf742dKdO9nGNggTBUkawQqxXbX9yhOZqH1QE9gINQxJO/s320/53183.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502020526478157746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEgYfpWEcY6V0c4b-z5QdBxKdOXcoJASJ-sBEBdhDPJ2xkkFPCTgwTvIsHi43KwgZ7Si7IFwWedVCB1rjXT_gMLPXxOjkVhpGTFrg3A8w_T3CCqCPbHaPDW1Rx2va10-WXoRWzzqVQ1Dk/s1600/53148.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEgYfpWEcY6V0c4b-z5QdBxKdOXcoJASJ-sBEBdhDPJ2xkkFPCTgwTvIsHi43KwgZ7Si7IFwWedVCB1rjXT_gMLPXxOjkVhpGTFrg3A8w_T3CCqCPbHaPDW1Rx2va10-WXoRWzzqVQ1Dk/s320/53148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502021313848352706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T4i_dsUT4eOyRR49ag20dLvXOoh3KRgWGrJknrs0nQHwKf0-vg76mDr0vFheu5oMH9lobp0hijTV7x6nEwH7IVVVIfM4q3MXxv_ewizya0-IjwErNfvb2WtG_e9gcrElRhi3219vNhia/s1600/53117.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T4i_dsUT4eOyRR49ag20dLvXOoh3KRgWGrJknrs0nQHwKf0-vg76mDr0vFheu5oMH9lobp0hijTV7x6nEwH7IVVVIfM4q3MXxv_ewizya0-IjwErNfvb2WtG_e9gcrElRhi3219vNhia/s320/53117.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502022761074132530" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25rDdu__sdEsCxtDRos2vy6yEj7p8RJqhFGgsD-24SmqYPOjGC58g_lv06KCwJQPnhqHUWE09qE70GM1d6qDVbeK26_DbywhNxOm13WesagCxYzPCvKLRYKvxZRVdvuXwd2VSNe2cOWBe/s1600/53123.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLESvEfm8JdJ479EMS53u4OWRbcpTXx-pbHleJcDtORVyw2xfTh6qFKH9l9qZ4OlSZ01vW5UjIBk2yfK-1EzSVBI5LHgF-UIQYzeBU_5TPP_Dec5YNXrKRuVIHpEWuFzbeU3Ct_6cNX8ml/s1600/53077.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLESvEfm8JdJ479EMS53u4OWRbcpTXx-pbHleJcDtORVyw2xfTh6qFKH9l9qZ4OlSZ01vW5UjIBk2yfK-1EzSVBI5LHgF-UIQYzeBU_5TPP_Dec5YNXrKRuVIHpEWuFzbeU3Ct_6cNX8ml/s320/53077.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502023032067776226" border="0" /></a>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-8823585330340892872010-07-18T13:10:00.002-06:002010-08-13T13:10:12.811-06:00BS Removal Kit!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Gotta love it! Even here in "Happy Valley USA" this product would make a great gift.</span><br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/201pgTaEseQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/201pgTaEseQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-67566381383114432042010-06-03T13:21:00.005-06:002010-08-13T13:10:54.541-06:00California's Double Standard<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">So, some California legislators and many communities within the state want to boycott Arizona over its passing of SB1070. Interesting to note that California passed similar legislation previously.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">California Penal Code Section 834b<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>(a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.<br />(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the following:<br />(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and place of birth, and entry into the United States, and DEMANDING DOCUMENTATION to indicate his or her legal status.<br />(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or leave the United States.<br />(3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal status and provide any additional information that may be requested by any other public entity.<br />(c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city, county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly prohibited.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-20573449600461166782010-05-31T20:35:00.004-06:002010-05-31T20:40:33.283-06:00LDS Parents, Forget the Piano...<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">and buy your young children <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">c<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">o<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0);">l<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">o<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">r<span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">e<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">d <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">c<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">h<span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">a<span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">l<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">k</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>. It's a lot less expensive and the return they get while serving a mission is worth it!<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span><br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TJXsq_X6vJk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TJXsq_X6vJk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-71191131098364991582010-05-31T19:32:00.004-06:002010-05-31T19:42:27.287-06:00Happenings in Fresno, CAHappened to pull this article off a blog about Fresno, CA, which used to be my home town. Scary stuff when you realize this stuff is going on right under our noses. How many of us are watchful enough to take note and interested enough to do something about it? Read on...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Happenings in Fresno, CA</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><br /><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;"> <p>Submitted by: Don Averett</p> <p>Saints,<br />Below is a text that reminds us to pray and be on the alert. We ARE at war!!<br />Lt. Colonel Cotter some of you met recently. He spoke at Millbrook Church!!!</p> <p>The wolves are among us!!!<br />I have deleted some of the names that brought this to me. The “text” I have not touched.<br /> PJ</p> </div> <div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;"> <div> I received this from my ex-homicide partner who is still active in law enforcement circles in the Fresno area. </div> </div> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">Excuse the language but don’t excuse the facts. Don’t give up your guns, and buy necessary ammunition if you can find it. Be cautious and alert. </p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;"> Be ready if, God forbid, we need to protect our families and loved ones.<br /> <br />…You weren’t at Rotary Friday. You missed the only decent speaker we’ve had in more than a year.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">LTC John Cotter is the 144th Fighter Wing’s antiterrorism officer. (Tony, you might remember him as Maj. Cotter who was the PIO the last</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;"> time we dealt with him).<br />Anyway, John had a two-part presentation. First part was describing his job as the unit’s antiterrorism officer. Pretty standard stuff.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">The second part was “information that will curl your hair.”</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">Part-time air guardsman works as a checker at local Von’s. Two women in full burkas (or whatever inhell they’re called)</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">buy every pre-paid cellphone in the store. Clerk/airman gets to thinking about it. Goes to Cotter and reports incident.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">Cotter asks store for surveillance video. It’s scary enough that he contacts Fresno FBI. FBI investigates, determines these women</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">have been doing this all over the Valley. Cell phones shipped through Canada to Iraq/Afghanistan where they become triggers for roadside bombs.<br /><br />Shell station at Peach and Shaw. Every time a local GI goes there in fatigues they are asked specific questions.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">“What is your unit?” “When are you deploying?” “How many aircraft are you taking?”</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">The F-16s out of Fresno fly CAP for west coast. As such they are the first line of defense so have the US’s most sophisticated</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;"> air-to-air missiles. Foreign governments would like to get their hands on those missiles or at least learn how to build them.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">Also how many we have, etc. Two spy groups are working on it, one based at Fashion Fair Mall (the F-16s take-off pattern) and one</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">based at Sierra Vista Mall (the F-16s landing pattern).</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">Cotter said the ragheads (“But we don’t profile.”) are always probing the base. Two dorks in a pickup show up at the front gate wanting</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">to deliver a package marked “Air National Guard, Fresno.” No postage, no UPS, no FedEx, no DHL, no nothing. Just a probe.<br /><br />I asked Cotter why we haven’t seen anything about this in The Bee, on KMJ, on local TV news. He said they’re not interested.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;"> (That really pissed me off).<br />Since Friday I’ve learned of two other things. Tony, you remember my brother-in-law Frank, a mucky-muck from Avaya.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">He had a Muslim tech who took a leave-of-absence for 6 weeks in Afghanistan. After the 6 weeks were up he called from New York</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">requesting an extension. Frank (who does profile) said, “ **** you, you’re fired!” and called the Fresno FBI who were very interested.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">Don’t know the outcome.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">A Muslim who owns a liquor store in my former hometown of Kingsburg was constantly bugging customers to buy guns for him.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">Finally one of the guys I grew up with called the FBI.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">We are a country at war and these **** ers are in among us. I don’t care what Janet Napolitano says, it’s a fight to the death and</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">we damned sure better be prepared. Brother-in-law Frank has a theory and I think it may be closer to the truth than Homeland Security wants</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">to admit. There are a certain number (probably a big number) of Muslims among us who are awaiting the “trigger date” and will begin randomly</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">killing as many of us as they can, sort of a Fort Hood on steroids. I know I’m getting prepared to shoot back.</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">Klare, if you can, get a hold of today’s Bee (Tony, you can look on line). Two items of interest. Sheriff Margaret Mims wants to grant</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">concealed carry permits to all who are qualified. Columnist Jim Boren, among the most bleeding of the bleeding heart liberals, says it’s</p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: bold;">time for Fresno residents to arm themselves.</p>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-50850082335714268212010-05-29T10:21:00.002-06:002010-05-29T10:25:17.559-06:00MSNBC: Matthews takes aim at capitalism<span style="font-weight: bold;">In just 82 seconds, Chris Matthews of MSNBC suggests that our nation's president nationalize the oil industry (ala Hugo Chavez and Venezuela), the execution of BP oil executives and indirectly claims that Capitalism is a failure. This guy is off his rocker.<br /><br /></span><object style="background-image: url("http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/baU3LZ_qH88/hqdefault.jpg");" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/baU3LZ_qH88&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/baU3LZ_qH88&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-7269708463367132172010-05-27T10:02:00.001-06:002010-05-27T10:04:48.891-06:00How To Destroy America<p style="font-style: italic;">A 2004 speech on the dangers of multiculturalism in the United Stated titled "I Have a Plan to Destroy America", became famous after being frequently forwarded as an email. With the immigration debate again heating up, it is time to revisit the speech.</p><p style="font-weight: bold;">We know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant. Recently there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington, DC, filled to capacity by many of American's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Davis Hansen talked about his latest book, <i>Mexifornia</i>, explaining how immigration - both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California. He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Moments later, former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America. The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States. He said, "If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'"</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"Here is how they do it," Lamm said:</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"First, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country." History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way: 'The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy.' Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, and Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Lamm went on: Second, to destroy America, "Invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. I would make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are no cultural differences. I would make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Third, "We could make the United States an 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: 'The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentricity and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together.' Lamm said, "I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high. school."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"My fifth point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"My sixth plan for America's downfall would include dual citizenship, and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy, Persia, threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. <i>E. Pluribus Unum</i> -- From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'pluribus'. Instead of the 'Unum,' we will balkanize America as surely as Kosovo."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits; make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'xenophobe' halt discussion and debate. Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-culturism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'Victimology,' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">In the last minute of his speech, Governor Lamm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed. Finally he said, "Lastly, I would censor Victor Davis Hanson's book, <i>Mexifornia</i>. His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America. If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. Discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and national cohesiveness. Even barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate 'diversity.' American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in America - take note of California and other states - to date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book, <i>1984</i>. In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Governor Lamm walked back to his seat. It dawned on everyone at the conference that the future of our great nation is deeply in trouble and worsening fast. If we don't get this immigration monster stopped quickly, it will rage like a California wildfire and destroy everything in its path, especially The American Dream.</p>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-89966307425539496992010-05-25T13:06:00.003-06:002010-05-25T13:15:32.340-06:00Gore's Useful Idiots ExposedVideo speaks for itself, as do the followers of Chicken Little, er I mean Gore. One idiot actually disses on conservative talk show hosts with an attempt at a degree of incredulity that speaks volumes to his ignorance when he asks Brian Sussman, "...do you realize the company that you keep is like, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Shaun Hannity?..."<br />I am dismayed at the number of Americans who are incapable of thinking for themselves and who lack the ability to exercise a degree of judgment, intelligence and thoughtfulness that should be common to all men. Scary how the socialist machine gets into one's mind.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MjsVu9pqNIc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MjsVu9pqNIc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-77932781780250655152010-05-21T09:42:00.005-06:002010-05-27T10:19:21.133-06:00Some Terrorist Tidbits!<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxrzDaYj4i02-YCpGFMmWZXVatNMFEfKnrK05lfN8RpQ1k48-MzkX7FhCq2HAsqT_9_PbIznFd-7T-00j6iYXUMA1i1IGKbe4SKqb2AUouVjCIFRURc4ffnjhvnWSKaAQR09CJWw8ZguW/s1600/Hamas.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxrzDaYj4i02-YCpGFMmWZXVatNMFEfKnrK05lfN8RpQ1k48-MzkX7FhCq2HAsqT_9_PbIznFd-7T-00j6iYXUMA1i1IGKbe4SKqb2AUouVjCIFRURc4ffnjhvnWSKaAQR09CJWw8ZguW/s320/Hamas.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473749454229607202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjdNcknKiVxFX9m57ND_HXa-R5GOwLY5hwI4pl6HSf-zf3I654ztMzsYY-hqa3BXMfKWIid7MchJ2kPKJjzXjY4GzsxIaL2Zr90geeaJXPIfB7JvTRCALTuZnMKWQiFfWTbk9xzMjTulp/s1600/119680065997292.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjdNcknKiVxFX9m57ND_HXa-R5GOwLY5hwI4pl6HSf-zf3I654ztMzsYY-hqa3BXMfKWIid7MchJ2kPKJjzXjY4GzsxIaL2Zr90geeaJXPIfB7JvTRCALTuZnMKWQiFfWTbk9xzMjTulp/s320/119680065997292.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475982464067065218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFL4FTxlPyLIiCKRzI3eCZUPckem_3jiT06qPG6TiCSeDR8NNGk7UMlJTcB3avBn_h6858xYk1diiwjR3k6p33hkl-bH1z2LkI4FrNGCeuQZIA58kASTioUx0-fEv9CfnT-bkRGycq005/s1600/19f0533cf0c970d8dfdf4869a4ed3777.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFL4FTxlPyLIiCKRzI3eCZUPckem_3jiT06qPG6TiCSeDR8NNGk7UMlJTcB3avBn_h6858xYk1diiwjR3k6p33hkl-bH1z2LkI4FrNGCeuQZIA58kASTioUx0-fEv9CfnT-bkRGycq005/s320/19f0533cf0c970d8dfdf4869a4ed3777.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475984732206362546" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-59103364042928481532010-05-13T10:02:00.017-06:002010-05-31T19:48:23.310-06:00Jupiters Weather Problems and Global Warming<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Just read an article on Yahoo News about some interesting weather related phenomenon on Jupiter. Couldn't help but write up the following spoof. Enjoy...</span></span><br /><br />Chicken Little 1 (Al Gore): "Did you hear, did you hear?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2 (Barack Obama): "No what???"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "A giant cloud belt in the southern half of the planet Jupiter has apparently disappeared!"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "No way!"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "Way!!!"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "That's terrible"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "Yeah, this huge cloud band makes up the Southern Equatorial Belt. It's been there for as long as scientists could see Jupiter through a telescope. This is tragic, alarming even. Kind of like that apple that fell from the tree and bonked me on the head awhile back"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "Oh right, and just think all those stupid people tried to chalk it up to gravity, LMAO! How we avoided the sky falling is still a mystery to me. Mankind almost ate it there"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "I've also been told the Great Red Spot on Jupiter - you know the massive hurricane that's larger than the Earth with winds exceeding 1,000 mph - well it's shrinking as well. Scientists are saying that, "...changes in Jupiter's weather are not uncommon...", can you believe that nonsense?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "I can't. It's so freakin' obvious what's causing these problems on Jupiter"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1&2 in unison: "GLOBAL WARMING!"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "Mr. President, you must act NOW!"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "I will do exactly that. It's time to get government involved. We need to expand the bureaucracy. Implement Cap & Trade, cut those carbon emissions, raise taxes, create new taxes, require all Americans to paint the roofs of their homes and businesses white"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "A'tta boy Mr. President."<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "I will inform the Congress and demand that they act on my, I mean, the best interest of the citizens of the United States of America. Get Pelosi on this! Get Reid on this!"<br /><br />Chicken Little 3 (Nancy Pelosi pounding the pulpit): "I WOULD LIKE ALL CATHOLIC BISHOPS TO PREACH TO THEIR CONGREGATIONS THAT WE MUST ACT NOW TO PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "Now Nancy, we are no longer calling it Global Warming due to the far reaching affects of Mankind's misguided treatment of Mother-Nature. It is now called Solar-System Warming"<br /><br />Chicken Little 3: "Sweet, right on, righteous Mr. President. Nice term. Anything that will spread even more fear throughout the masses will help. Solar-System Warming, or SSW. I like it"<br /><br />Chicken Little 4 (Harry Reid): "SSW is responsible for the lack of Health Care in America. A $1 trillion Health Care reform package is what we need to cut down on carbon emissions to Jupiter"<br /><br />Chicken Little 3: "Then I will call on all ministers of Christian faiths to preach SSW from the pulpit. We need to spread the word and utilize all our resources regardless of the Constitution. CHURCH AND STATE WILL COME TOGETHER FOR THE BETTERMENT OF MANKIND IN COMBATING SSW!"<br /><br />Chicken Little 4: "SSW is responsible for the immigration problem in the U.S. If we grant universal amnesty to 20 million illegal aliens that will cut down on carbon emissions to Jupiter"<br /><br />Christian Minister: Er, um, Ms. Pelosi? What if we called on all religious leaders to assist us in this important matter. You know, maybe include Muslim clerics?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 4: "HOW DARE YOU SINGLE OUT THE MUSLIM RELIGION LIKE THAT. YOU SLIME, YOU RACIAL BIGOT! RACIAL INTOLERANCE IS NOT TOLERATED IN THIS COUNTRY! DO YOU NOT KNOW WE ARE TO CATER TO THE MUSLIMS EVERY WHIM? IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT MUSLIMS! WE MUST PROTECT THEIR VALUES, THEIR REPUTATION, THEIR PRAYER DAY, THEIR RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR EXPLOSIVES!<br />You better tow the politically correct line Mr. Christian minister, or I will withdraw your tax exemption status. You better pray to All-Mother God that you don't get on my bad side. NOW PREACH WHAT I TELL YOU TO...Oh, and please continue to keep that offensive nativity scene locked up in the closet where it belongs"<br /><br />Epilogue:<br /><br />Chicken Little 1 (Al Gore): "Man, Mr. President, isn't it fun to be the puppeteer?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2 (Barack Obama): "You know it Al, I love the perks. By the way, did you see Michelle's new tennis shoes?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "No, are they cool?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "Oh yeah, $500 my man. Two hundred man-hours on the backs of child labor in Indonesia"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "LOL, that's life bro'. Did ya hear? I bought a new home out in California"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "Really? Bet it's a sweet pad"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "Yeah, $6 mil, but the ocean view is worth $20 mil. Americans are stupid man. They don't realize that all the "Green" we keep talking about is the money going into my pocket. By the way, did you send the United Nations their cut?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: "Yeah, just like always...10% bi-weekly. Hey Al?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 1: "Yeah, B.O.?"<br /><br />Chicken Little 2: (pulls out a pack of cigs from within his suit jacket) "Gotta light?"<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-2298505897400171092010-05-12T10:45:00.003-06:002010-05-12T10:58:01.541-06:00How to Handle Telemarketing Calls Using One Word<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Despite having my phone numbers on the national do-not-call list, I have recently been getting a slew of telemarketing calls and it's the most annoying thing. In fact, it has gotten so bad, I will get multiple calls per day from the same company, but on caller I.D., that company's phone numbers are from different area codes.<br />So, I googled "how to stop telemarketing calls" and got some interesting hits for videos found on YouTube. Now there are official ways to stop the calls and even to sue the telemarketer in small claims court, which I may choose to do at some point, or you can just follow this video's suggestion. Video is titled, "How to Torment Telemarketers with One Word". If you want to really take some serious steps, see the second video below.<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="videojugplayer" width="640" height="396"><param name="movie" value="http://www.videojug.com/player?id=2dc0f1d2-5cd5-54dd-d594-ff0008ca1530"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.videojug.com/player?id=2dc0f1d2-5cd5-54dd-d594-ff0008ca1530" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="396"></embed></object><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /><br /><object width="640" height="396" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="videojugplayer"><param name="movie" value="http://www.videojug.com/player?id=c4ca2800-37c3-8693-f4d8-ff0008ca1530"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.videojug.com/player?id=c4ca2800-37c3-8693-f4d8-ff0008ca1530" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="396" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.videojug.com/tag/legal-us">Legal</a>: <br /><a href="http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-stop-telemarketers-calling">How To Stop Telemarketers Calling</a><br /></span></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-9491400311115521422010-05-11T11:27:00.007-06:002010-05-11T12:16:01.077-06:00Professional Sports in Utah - Does it Exist?<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size:85%;">S'long Utah Jazz! The NBA's small-market overachievers once again proved that winning a playoff series in the Intermountain West doesn't mean your a champion. Far from it actually. So yeah, the Jazz pulled it off against the Denver Nuggets (another small-market NBA wannabe), but again didn't have to step outside the Intermountain West region to do it. Unfortunately, or maybe I should say fortunately, the real NBA exists in a totally different world and one that provides true, epic championship games.<br />I know, I know, there are those of you that will point to the '96-'97 and '97-'98 seasons as proof in the pudding that the Jazz are, were, have been, can be a legitimate, credible contender, but sorry folks cause that just don't fly.<br />The planets had to be aligned for the Jazz to make it to the NBA Finals and despite that alignment, they lost both series 4-2. Despite having glittering stars like Karl Malone and John Stockton, it just wasn't going to happen, it couldn't happen. What, you really think Bryon Russell could actually guard Michael Jordan, LOL! Don't gripe about the "push-off" or whether or not the refs should have called a foul. It didn't matter, it wouldn't have mattered. Even Russell himself stated, "...whether he pushed off or not, he was making that shot..." Geez, Jordan beat the Jazz while suffering from the flu. Whew!<br />Utah suffers from small-market syndrome. Basically defined, that means the best, the biggest, the brightest stars will never play in Utah. Just won't happen. Those stars will win NBA championships for teams located in large television markets...Los Angelest, New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Detroit, etc. Salt Lake City will never have a Kareem, or Magic, Shaq, Bird, Admiral, Isiah, much less a Jordan or Kobe. Nobody like THAT will play in Utah and unfortunately for the Jazz and Salt Lake City, you all ain't no Green Bay Packers (team or fans).<br />But hold on, the title of this post is "Professional Sports in Utah - Does it Exist?". So I know some of you will be pointing a finger at Real Salt Lake's MLS Cup win last year. OK, even I will admit that once an eon the planet's alignment can actually work to overall success. That's what happened last year for Real Salt Lake, sho' 'nuff, and what an exciting time that was. But that's a professional sports championship that the whole state of Utah will need to sustain themselves for years, even decades to come. RLS did their thing last year, but so far this year it's back to earth for the club. Until you get a Landon Donovan caliber player who can actually make a penalty shot, or a Beckham when he was in his prime, no more MLS Cups for RLS.<br />Utah's best hope for sports notoriety is through it's college football and basketball programs. Only UofU and BYU have a legitimate shot at making a mark on the national scene. In fact, Utah has already done it more than once in a few years. BYU is bound to in the near future IMHO. That's where we make our real mark. I'm so glad to be a legal immigrant to Utah. I can jump on either a Ute or Cougar bandwagon each football/basketball season depending on who is doing well. I'll wear red or blue, don't matter to me. But as for the Utah Jazz...I won't waste my time or my money.<br /><br />P.S. Please note my font is brown for this post. That represents the stink the Jazz made of their playoff run. It was a big fat turd. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-4072962417890769892010-05-09T22:26:00.003-06:002010-05-09T22:35:23.843-06:00Just Discovered Mark Schultz<span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Too often there are those that are highly critical of music that presents a wholesome message. Like the Grammy's, the Oscars, the Emmy's, etc., music, movies and television programs have been pushed in a certain direction by the establishment to present what they consider to be quality, informative, unique or legendary entertainment. Really, for the most part, it's all crap.<br />There is so much available out there that is catchy and presents a good message. The message need not include anything that has to do with sex, drugs, violence or anarchy, which is what seems to drive the mainstream industry of today's entertainment world. So, without further griping about the garbage out there that presents itself as entertainment, I give you a simple message and a catchy tune.<br /><br />Mark Schultz:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dzog3_vTeEU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dzog3_vTeEU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-49141758267322449082010-04-13T13:27:00.002-06:002010-04-13T13:29:14.706-06:00Jon Schmidt is not Jim Brickman, HE'S BETTER!<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why fight it...Don't fight it...just be assimilated like everybody else - not that you don't have a choice, but what other choice is there? I'll just let the video speak for itself.<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HEcsiKIF_l0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HEcsiKIF_l0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-22078894650716120912010-04-08T09:46:00.003-06:002010-04-08T09:54:38.024-06:00Hope For America's Future!<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >WRITTEN BY A 15 yr. Old SCHOOL KID IN ARIZONA : New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME)! </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" > <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Since the Pledge of Allegiance </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" > and The Lord's Prayer </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" > Are not allowed in most </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" > Public schools anymore </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" > Because the word 'God' is mentioned..... </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" > <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">A kid in Arizona wrote the attached</span> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >NEW School prayer:<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" > Now I sit me down in school </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Where praying is against the rule </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >For this great nation under God </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Finds mention of Him very odd. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >If Scripture now the class recites, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >It violates the Bill of Rights. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >And anytime my head I bow </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Becomes a Federal matter now.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Our hair can be purple, orange or green, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >That's no offense; it's a freedom scene..</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >The law is specific, the law is precise. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >For praying in a public hall </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Might offend someone with no faith at all.. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >In silence alone we must meditate, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >God's name is prohibited by the state. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks... </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >To quote the Good Book makes me liable. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong... </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >We can get our condoms and birth controls, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >No word of God must reach this crowd. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >It's scary here I must confess, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >When chaos reigns the school's a mess. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >So, Lord, this silent plea I make: </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Should I be shot; My soul please take! </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Amen </span><br /></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-26307670985561760852010-04-08T09:28:00.003-06:002010-04-08T09:37:35.626-06:00This guy is brilliant!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Stumbled across this YouTube video and got a big kick out of it. You will too!<br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v8C_w3ipMwY&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v8C_w3ipMwY&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-11134281975569316582010-04-02T09:37:00.013-06:002010-04-02T10:51:40.788-06:00"Health Reform is a BFD" Men's T-Shirt<span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Once again, our President - and I only use the term out of respect for the office and not the man - Barack "Where's my Teleprompter" Obama and our faux pas of a Vice President Joe "Can't Tame the Tongue" Biden - also known as "Faux Pas Joe", or in other words the first clue we should have had that Obama was a socialist by bringing this <span style="font-style: italic;">"social blunder" </span>on board as our nation's Vice President - show just how low, low-class can truly go by offering the T-shirt below for sale.</span></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCr8pwTbmM24O-mt68pY6f0VJ1GLmr45w_DZ3j3ZOEhdcm-Gvb9McmR7HSj6Wh8-utBq7ZACqbtLmioMbGBPME6P2CV5iigGUDDc8GSB4PLFEi8KRYSla4aaQcp72JZQZUthryrIl_Mfd0/s1600/19092483.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCr8pwTbmM24O-mt68pY6f0VJ1GLmr45w_DZ3j3ZOEhdcm-Gvb9McmR7HSj6Wh8-utBq7ZACqbtLmioMbGBPME6P2CV5iigGUDDc8GSB4PLFEi8KRYSla4aaQcp72JZQZUthryrIl_Mfd0/s320/19092483.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455570886480315410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We all know how the Vice President during a congratulatory moment after the President signed the health care reform bill, whispered in the President's ear for all the world to hear, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"...this is a <span style="font-weight: bold;">big</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">'effing' deal</span>..."<span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(effing = PG version of what he really said), and what a shameful moment it was, certainly not the first and not just because of the bill itself, offered by our nation's executive leaders.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now you might think some entrepreneurial and enterprising T-shirt shop owner at a mall kiosk near you, picked up on the phrase and the moment, and capitalized on it for a nice profitable short-term gain, allowing him to follow the long-standing and traditional American practice of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"trickle down economics" </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">by using that profit to hire an additional FTE, or provide some health insurance, or a raise here or there. Ideally, that would be true, however the ever-bandied about, warrior cry of the socialist that </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"trickle up poverty" </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">is the new American way might rob that man of his ingenuity and income...but I digress...sorry...<br /><br />No, this T-shirt will not be found at your local T-shirt shop. I have not found it online even, except for one place. Yup, you got it, you know it, you're so smart and ya figured it out, President Obama's own website. Talk about your websites <span style="font-weight: bold;">that should </span>exhibit the highest degree of integrity and honor, you would think a President of the United States of America's website would exemplify these traits right? Wrong! Instead the website amounts to nothing but an inglorious display by taking advantage of a serious shortcoming on the part of Faux Pas Joe and <span style="font-weight: bold;">capitalizing </span>(interesting choice of word there) on it by selling the shirt to raise funds for Obama.<br /><br />Absurd? Yes! Lacking presidential etiquette? Yes! Stupid? Yes!<br /><br />Surprising? No!<br /><br />In all its glory, I give you...<br /><br /><a href="http://store.barackobama.com/featured-products/men-s-health-reform-is-a-bfd-t-shirt.html">http://store.barackobama.com/featured-products/men-s-health-reform-is-a-bfd-t-shirt.html</a><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="http://www.barackobama.com/"></a></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />P.S. If you pay a visit to that website, just make sure you clean out the <span style="font-weight: bold;">stale cache </span>that's left in your computer.<br /></span><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-70918107093116415722010-03-19T23:02:00.005-06:002010-03-21T10:20:10.031-06:00Tip of the Day!<span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">When reviewing the nutritional label of any food you might consume, please remember this one tip...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If the product contains <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Partially Hydrogenated Oils"</span>, you can be sure of two things;<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">1) the oil will <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">increase</span> the "shelf" life of the product.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">2) the oil will <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">decrease</span> your "shelf" life (guaranteed).<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">So next time you reach for that box of <span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">White Macadamia Nut Cookies <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">(guilty) or that bag of <span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Tostitos Hint of Lime Chips <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">(also guilty), just remember the consequences of that immediate gratification WILL LIKELY BE premature death, or at the very least, the inability to participate in an active and healthy lifestyle the way you wish you could.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-72081410425650944142009-12-18T17:50:00.003-07:002009-12-18T18:00:06.231-07:00The Warrior SongYeah, yeah, yeah...so, it's been what??? More than four months since I last blogged. Boy took off like a rocket, fizzled like a tablet of Alka-Seltzer. Oh well. I'm just glad I came back and found the blog still here, LOL. Besides, I forgot what a cool jukebox I use on the site and missed it. <br />Anyway, I stumbled across this video entitled, "The Warrior Song", recently and really got a kick out of it. It's a tribute to the American soldier and their stalwart desire to defend our land, freedoms, and people. <br />I also downloaded the song to my MP3 player. It's a good one to work out to. Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lTs6a0ORdQU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lTs6a0ORdQU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-91549873661098118252009-08-03T11:47:00.002-06:002009-08-03T11:52:49.592-06:00Health Care DebateFor all you Americans that are under the impression that government run health care, or government run anything for that matter, is the way to go, you are sadly misinformed. Those American citizens in the know are terrified of what may happen if President Obama has his way with the health care system. You are going to see more and more citizens confront their representatives and hold them accountable over this issue. <br />The majority of the citizens in this country are wise enough to recognize a piece of garbage legislation like Health Care Reform, or as our President refers to it now, Health Insurance Reform. As more and more citizens become knowledgeable of the impact this legislation will have on a global scale for our nation, their voices will grow mightily and soon, even a renegade president and liberal Congress will have to listen.<br /><br />Take note:<br /><br /><embed type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://foxnews1.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/foxnews1-foxnews-pub01-live/current/largeplayer011008/fncLargePlayer/client/embedded/embedded.swf' id='mediumFlashEmbedded' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' bgcolor='#000000' allowScriptAccess='always' allowFullScreen='true' quality='high' name='undefined' play='false' scale='noscale' menu='false' salign='LT' scriptAccess='always' wmode='false' height='275' width='305' flashvars='playerId=011008&playerTemplateId=fncLargePlayer&categoryTitle=&referralObject=7752706&referralPlaylistId=playlist' />Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8468384067099096663.post-16374616810931706652009-07-19T10:14:00.001-06:002009-07-19T10:16:32.832-06:00Bruce Lee Rocks!If you didn't have enough to reasons to believe Bruce Lee was the greatest martial artist ever, here's another one for you. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9QHslHpK4-Q&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9QHslHpK4-Q&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17202341896631130735noreply@blogger.com0