Thanks for the Memory to Reader msn at Blogs for Bush.
By now it's pretty apparent I believe that there is rampant misconduct going on among liberals in order to stifle conservative voices. Well, apparently, in a couple of places, liberals and conservatives are playing tit-for-tat:
Pennsylvania:
- Montgomery County Democratic HQ was broken into.
- Bush Signs stolen in Centre County
- Dem HQ shot with a pellet gun in Centre County
Oxford Mississippi:
- Republican HQ Broken into
- Kerry Bumper Stickers defaced
Grrrrrr.....
no, No, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!
Do NOT stoop to this level!!!!!! ANY of you!!!!!!! But ESPECIALLY not conservatives!!!!!!!!! Liberals are dead freaking wrong, I am firmly convinced, but they have a RIGHT to be wrong and a RIGHT to express those wrong opinions without fear of reprisal or harrassment!!!!!!
People, THIS IS AMERICA!!!!!!!!! DON'T FREAKING FORGET THAT!!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!
Look at the symbol at the top of my blog. That's what it's about. If you just apply the constitution AND THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH IT IS BASED to yourself, then you invalidate it!!!!! If you are a conservative and value our republic and our constitution as much as I, then THIS IS NOT HOW WE ARE TO DO THINGS!!!!!!! We outreason them, we outvote them, we outcampaign them. But we do NOT outcheat them!!!!
/Rant
Sorry if this was disjointed, but I'm steamed.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
God Speed Gordon Cooper
Thanks for the Memory to Whole Wheat Blogger via Triticale.
Gordon Cooper, NASA Mercury Pioneer, Dies
LOS ANGELES - Gordon Cooper, the last astronaut to take flight during NASA's pioneering Mercury program, has died. He was 77.
...
LOS ANGELES - Gordon Cooper, the last astronaut to take flight during NASA (news - web sites)'s pioneering Mercury program, has died. He was 77.
...
As one of the nation's first astronauts, Cooper became a hero to a generation of Americans in the early 1960s as the country tried to catch the Soviet Union in the space race.
"He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm of the American public, so critical for the spirit of exploration," NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said.
I can't say the world is emptier because of his passing, because he left behind such a record of achievement, but I can say that he will be missed. Astronauts have always been my heroes.
Gordon Cooper, NASA Mercury Pioneer, Dies
LOS ANGELES - Gordon Cooper, the last astronaut to take flight during NASA's pioneering Mercury program, has died. He was 77.
...
LOS ANGELES - Gordon Cooper, the last astronaut to take flight during NASA (news - web sites)'s pioneering Mercury program, has died. He was 77.
...
As one of the nation's first astronauts, Cooper became a hero to a generation of Americans in the early 1960s as the country tried to catch the Soviet Union in the space race.
"He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm of the American public, so critical for the spirit of exploration," NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said.
I can't say the world is emptier because of his passing, because he left behind such a record of achievement, but I can say that he will be missed. Astronauts have always been my heroes.
I Think I Know...
But I'm not saying. Triticale over at Wheat/Rye asks a good question. Can any of the liberals out there answer?
GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD!
No, I'm not talking to any voices, don't panic. Yet.
Did you ever get a crappy but catchy song stuck in your head? Well, this is the one currently holding my synapses hostage:
"Infatuation" -- Rod Stewart
If anyone has a moment to come make it stop, I'll be over in the corner, curled up in a ball.
Thanks for listening. We now return you to your regularly scheduled sanity.
Did you ever get a crappy but catchy song stuck in your head? Well, this is the one currently holding my synapses hostage:
"Infatuation" -- Rod Stewart
If anyone has a moment to come make it stop, I'll be over in the corner, curled up in a ball.
Thanks for listening. We now return you to your regularly scheduled sanity.
Round 2
Call from the Feared Redhead. She's been feeling the effects of her hyperemesis again (no vomiting, but lingering nausea), so she called her OB/Gyn. Apparently I'll be heading to urgent care after work to meet her, she's been told to report in for another rehydrating IV.
No panic this time, but I really hate seeing her suffer like this. Makes me feel like developing P.I.T.S..
She asked me to request all your prayers.
Update:
The folks at U.C. wouldn't give her an IV, despite what she'd been told by her OB/Gyn's office, because her urine sample was mostly water (don't ask). So now she has to wait until tomorrow, talk to her OB/Gyn again, subject herself (and me by default, but I'd rather not go into details) to some embarassing testing procedures, then go back.
In the meantime, she's feeling much... well, the same. PITS.
No panic this time, but I really hate seeing her suffer like this. Makes me feel like developing P.I.T.S..
She asked me to request all your prayers.
Update:
The folks at U.C. wouldn't give her an IV, despite what she'd been told by her OB/Gyn's office, because her urine sample was mostly water (don't ask). So now she has to wait until tomorrow, talk to her OB/Gyn again, subject herself (and me by default, but I'd rather not go into details) to some embarassing testing procedures, then go back.
In the meantime, she's feeling much... well, the same. PITS.
Just Waiting for the spin Cycle to Begin
Breaking News:
Israel Kills Islamic Jihad Leader in Gaza Strike
Read the Reuters article. Make note specifically of this quote:
Bashir ad-Dabbash, 38, was the most senior leader within Palestinian territories of the group that is sworn to destroying the Jewish state and at the forefront of a suicide bombing campaign during a 4-year-old Palestinian uprising.
And start counting the seconds until the left starts excoriating Israel for this attack. Against a man who lead a group, and I quote, "sworn to destroying the Jewish state".
If there's a more clear-cut case of exercizing a nation's right to preserve her sovereignty, I'd be hard pressed to think of it. Yet this will be portrayed as more violent oppression by the Zionists.
If that outcry comes, and I am certain it will, I defy anyone to offer a rational explanation for that outcry aside from ignorance or antisemitism.
Israel Kills Islamic Jihad Leader in Gaza Strike
Read the Reuters article. Make note specifically of this quote:
Bashir ad-Dabbash, 38, was the most senior leader within Palestinian territories of the group that is sworn to destroying the Jewish state and at the forefront of a suicide bombing campaign during a 4-year-old Palestinian uprising.
And start counting the seconds until the left starts excoriating Israel for this attack. Against a man who lead a group, and I quote, "sworn to destroying the Jewish state".
If there's a more clear-cut case of exercizing a nation's right to preserve her sovereignty, I'd be hard pressed to think of it. Yet this will be portrayed as more violent oppression by the Zionists.
If that outcry comes, and I am certain it will, I defy anyone to offer a rational explanation for that outcry aside from ignorance or antisemitism.
Kerry: Building Consensus By Alienating ALL of Our Friends (Revisited)
Original Post Here.
Thanks for the Memory to Drudge via The Jawa Report.
A while back I blogged on how Kerry's attitude towards and comments about our allies on Iraq was in sharp contrast to his claims of being more capable of diplomacey -- that while he claims that he will build consensus, what he's really doing is alienating the countries that are already in our side, in order to gamble that he'll be able to placate those who oppose us.
President Bush brought the same point up during the debate last week -- pointing out all of the countries that are in the coalition, and telling Kerry that he was insulting their leaders. Kerry blew it off, paying lip service to them, but claiming that only US and British contributions were significant.
And how easy was it to predict the result? That's an even bigger slap in the face to our allies. The first one of them has called him on it -- and this is an ally who has been candid about their misgivings regarding Iraq. From Drudge:
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski has slammed Dem president hopeful John Kerry for not recognizing Poland's contributions and sacrifice to the war in Iraq.
"It is sad that a senator with 20 years of experience does not recognize Polish contribution. This is immoral," Kwasniewski told FACTS in an interview commenting on the US Presidential Debate.
"It is sad that a senator with 20 years of experience underestimates Polish sacrifice, this is sad."
I agree, Mr. President.
The Polish President added however that one should consider this was a part of the ongoing electoral campaign.
That doesn't really mitigate the insult, and I, as an American, am sorry you had to hear it.
People criticize Bush for alienating the world. But let's be honest -- a majority of the countries who oppose us now already opposed us before. And most of them will still oppose the US, regardless of who wins the election and what action that president takes. But Bush has showed loyalty to the countries that have stood beside us through it all -- Kerry, on the other hand, manages to alienate them, without any real evidence that he'll endear us to our foes.
Thanks for the Memory to Drudge via The Jawa Report.
A while back I blogged on how Kerry's attitude towards and comments about our allies on Iraq was in sharp contrast to his claims of being more capable of diplomacey -- that while he claims that he will build consensus, what he's really doing is alienating the countries that are already in our side, in order to gamble that he'll be able to placate those who oppose us.
President Bush brought the same point up during the debate last week -- pointing out all of the countries that are in the coalition, and telling Kerry that he was insulting their leaders. Kerry blew it off, paying lip service to them, but claiming that only US and British contributions were significant.
And how easy was it to predict the result? That's an even bigger slap in the face to our allies. The first one of them has called him on it -- and this is an ally who has been candid about their misgivings regarding Iraq. From Drudge:
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski has slammed Dem president hopeful John Kerry for not recognizing Poland's contributions and sacrifice to the war in Iraq.
"It is sad that a senator with 20 years of experience does not recognize Polish contribution. This is immoral," Kwasniewski told FACTS in an interview commenting on the US Presidential Debate.
"It is sad that a senator with 20 years of experience underestimates Polish sacrifice, this is sad."
I agree, Mr. President.
The Polish President added however that one should consider this was a part of the ongoing electoral campaign.
That doesn't really mitigate the insult, and I, as an American, am sorry you had to hear it.
People criticize Bush for alienating the world. But let's be honest -- a majority of the countries who oppose us now already opposed us before. And most of them will still oppose the US, regardless of who wins the election and what action that president takes. But Bush has showed loyalty to the countries that have stood beside us through it all -- Kerry, on the other hand, manages to alienate them, without any real evidence that he'll endear us to our foes.
So Much for Giving Peace a Chance
Thanks for the Memory to reader Deviant Logic at Blogs for Bush.
BREAKING NEWS: Shots fired into Knox Bush/Cheney headquarters
An unknown suspect fired several shots into the Bearden office of the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign Tuesday morning.
The headquarters are located at 4618 Kingston Pike, next to Noveau Classics and in the same shopping plaza as Long's Drugstore.
According to Knoxville Police Department officers on the scene Tuesday, it is believed that the two separate shots were fired from a car sometime between 6:30 am and 7:15 am. One shot shattered the glass in the front door and the other cracked the glass in another of the front doors.
There were no witnesses to the shooting. A customer at a nearby dry cleaning store noticed that shattered glass on the sidewalk in front of the headquarters and called police.
Volunteers and staffers at the campaign office say they have no clues as to who might have committed the crime. However, they add that the shooting makes them even more enthusiastic and energized about working for their candidates.
"If I have to sleep here (at the campaign office) now, that's what I'll do," says volunteer Suzanne Dewar.
In an unexpected twist, a bank directly across the street from the headquarters was robbed just as KPD officers were busy investigating at the scene of the shooting.
- WBIR-TV Knoxville, TN
How much uglier does the left plan to get? I'm actually starting to get worried about the levels of violence we may see if President Bush is re-elected.
UPDATE:
Thanks for the Memory to Texas Rainmaker at Generation Why.
This isn't the first attack on a Republican office this year, nor will it be the last. I already blogged on the attack in Washington. Apparently, the HQ for the West Virginia GOP was egged AND shot.
How many "Isolated Incidents" in how many different places have to add up before people see the left for what it is?
Texas Rainmaker has another good post on the same issue.
BREAKING NEWS: Shots fired into Knox Bush/Cheney headquarters
An unknown suspect fired several shots into the Bearden office of the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign Tuesday morning.
The headquarters are located at 4618 Kingston Pike, next to Noveau Classics and in the same shopping plaza as Long's Drugstore.
According to Knoxville Police Department officers on the scene Tuesday, it is believed that the two separate shots were fired from a car sometime between 6:30 am and 7:15 am. One shot shattered the glass in the front door and the other cracked the glass in another of the front doors.
There were no witnesses to the shooting. A customer at a nearby dry cleaning store noticed that shattered glass on the sidewalk in front of the headquarters and called police.
Volunteers and staffers at the campaign office say they have no clues as to who might have committed the crime. However, they add that the shooting makes them even more enthusiastic and energized about working for their candidates.
"If I have to sleep here (at the campaign office) now, that's what I'll do," says volunteer Suzanne Dewar.
In an unexpected twist, a bank directly across the street from the headquarters was robbed just as KPD officers were busy investigating at the scene of the shooting.
- WBIR-TV Knoxville, TN
How much uglier does the left plan to get? I'm actually starting to get worried about the levels of violence we may see if President Bush is re-elected.
UPDATE:
Thanks for the Memory to Texas Rainmaker at Generation Why.
This isn't the first attack on a Republican office this year, nor will it be the last. I already blogged on the attack in Washington. Apparently, the HQ for the West Virginia GOP was egged AND shot.
How many "Isolated Incidents" in how many different places have to add up before people see the left for what it is?
Texas Rainmaker has another good post on the same issue.
Specks and Beams
Thanks for the Memory to Drudge via Blogs for Bush.
One of the responses you'll get when you take the time, like I have, to point out the kind of oppressive behavior exhibited by leftists to stifle conservative voices, is that these are isolated incidents, by extremist elements who do not reflect the majority of liberals, and that not all Democrats think that way.
Oh, really? Let's put aside for a moment the fact that the leadership of the Democratic party is increasingly inclined to embrace those elements and even use them for their ends. Let's set aside the fact that the Democratic party recognizes that without the support of that extreme but growing element, they cannot compete politically. Let's even set aside the fact that the rhetoric of some of those extreme elements is not only not decried by Democratic leadership, but actually affords those who utter that rhetoric celebrity status in liberal circles.
Let's for the moment and for the sake of argument take only the words of a mainstream, and quite influential member of that Democratic leadership. Like, oh, say, their Vice Presidential cadidate:
Dem vp hopeful John Edwards cut to the chase last night on ABCNEWS NIGHTLINE:
ABC'S BOB WOODRUFF: "He has avoided the kind of negative attacks that can make national news, although recently, he has stepped up his rhetoric."
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC) (clip of a speech): "I'd say if you live in the United States of America and you vote for George Bush, you've lost your mind."
WOODRUFF: "There's been criticism that you have been too soft."
EDWARDS: "Do I seem soft to you?"
So apparently that's the kind of tolerant rhetoric the left is about, huh? And yet we're told that Republicans are the ones stifling dissent. In fact, in a comment on the blogs for Bush Blog post about this, one liberal said, This is a thoroughly ridiculous article considering the way the Republicans and the Bush Administration has demonized dissent.
My response then, and now, was to point that person to the articles I've documented regarding this issue (Here, Here, and Here for starters), and suggest that perhaps the liberals need to do a little beam removal from their own eyes.
One of the responses you'll get when you take the time, like I have, to point out the kind of oppressive behavior exhibited by leftists to stifle conservative voices, is that these are isolated incidents, by extremist elements who do not reflect the majority of liberals, and that not all Democrats think that way.
Oh, really? Let's put aside for a moment the fact that the leadership of the Democratic party is increasingly inclined to embrace those elements and even use them for their ends. Let's set aside the fact that the Democratic party recognizes that without the support of that extreme but growing element, they cannot compete politically. Let's even set aside the fact that the rhetoric of some of those extreme elements is not only not decried by Democratic leadership, but actually affords those who utter that rhetoric celebrity status in liberal circles.
Let's for the moment and for the sake of argument take only the words of a mainstream, and quite influential member of that Democratic leadership. Like, oh, say, their Vice Presidential cadidate:
Dem vp hopeful John Edwards cut to the chase last night on ABCNEWS NIGHTLINE:
ABC'S BOB WOODRUFF: "He has avoided the kind of negative attacks that can make national news, although recently, he has stepped up his rhetoric."
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC) (clip of a speech): "I'd say if you live in the United States of America and you vote for George Bush, you've lost your mind."
WOODRUFF: "There's been criticism that you have been too soft."
EDWARDS: "Do I seem soft to you?"
So apparently that's the kind of tolerant rhetoric the left is about, huh? And yet we're told that Republicans are the ones stifling dissent. In fact, in a comment on the blogs for Bush Blog post about this, one liberal said, This is a thoroughly ridiculous article considering the way the Republicans and the Bush Administration has demonized dissent.
My response then, and now, was to point that person to the articles I've documented regarding this issue (Here, Here, and Here for starters), and suggest that perhaps the liberals need to do a little beam removal from their own eyes.
Monday, October 04, 2004
In Case You Were Wondering
(This is for those readers with whom I've developed a friendship. If you hate me or are just visiting, go ahead and ignore)
Job Interview Update -- Timeline:
3:30 PM PDT -- nerves begin to set in, constriction in throat.
4:00 -- Left work early to prepare for interview.
4:10 -- Arrived home, began began cleaning & changing for interview.
4:30 -- Combination of nerves and gag reflex conspire against me while brushing teeth -- toss cookies.
4:45 Manage to finish readying myself and head out for interview.
4:59 -- Arrive at interview location.
5:03 -- Begin pre-interview test.
5:15 -- Complete interview test. All the answers but one were easy, it I did not know.
5:16 -- Sit in waiting room, surrounded by people I recognize from work as better techs than I.
5:20 -- begin series of 3 short interviews with 2 supervisors each interview.
6:00 -- last interview ends. Am finall able to stop "holding it." Noone points to a door and says, "Go now and never darken our doors again!" This is on the surface a good sign, but I'm still not very confident in my odds. We'll see.
Job Interview Update -- Timeline:
3:30 PM PDT -- nerves begin to set in, constriction in throat.
4:00 -- Left work early to prepare for interview.
4:10 -- Arrived home, began began cleaning & changing for interview.
4:30 -- Combination of nerves and gag reflex conspire against me while brushing teeth -- toss cookies.
4:45 Manage to finish readying myself and head out for interview.
4:59 -- Arrive at interview location.
5:03 -- Begin pre-interview test.
5:15 -- Complete interview test. All the answers but one were easy, it I did not know.
5:16 -- Sit in waiting room, surrounded by people I recognize from work as better techs than I.
5:20 -- begin series of 3 short interviews with 2 supervisors each interview.
6:00 -- last interview ends. Am finall able to stop "holding it." Noone points to a door and says, "Go now and never darken our doors again!" This is on the surface a good sign, but I'm still not very confident in my odds. We'll see.
Because, Y'Know, We're Nazis....
Thanks for the Memory to Blogs For Bush.
Yup, more of the same. Right after I blog about intolerance in New Jersey, and then point out that it's at least not institutionalized, I am alerted to more evidence that it's increasingly rampant. In Madison, Wisconsin, a Bush supporter had his lawn vandalized -- and not just by having a sign stolen. This time, they used grass killer to burn a swastika into the yard.
But we're the Brownshirts. Riiiiiight....
Yup, more of the same. Right after I blog about intolerance in New Jersey, and then point out that it's at least not institutionalized, I am alerted to more evidence that it's increasingly rampant. In Madison, Wisconsin, a Bush supporter had his lawn vandalized -- and not just by having a sign stolen. This time, they used grass killer to burn a swastika into the yard.
But we're the Brownshirts. Riiiiiight....
Something Rotten In...
Well, in Sweden, actually, not in Denmark. but the Scandinavian connection still exists.
Thanks for the Memory to Beautiful Atrocities via Mean Mr. Mustard 2.0.
You all know how fond I am of documenting leftists oppressing conservatives in the name of Free Speech. Well, at least it's not as legislatively institutionalized here as it is in Sweden.
Yet.
Thanks for the Memory to Beautiful Atrocities via Mean Mr. Mustard 2.0.
You all know how fond I am of documenting leftists oppressing conservatives in the name of Free Speech. Well, at least it's not as legislatively institutionalized here as it is in Sweden.
Yet.
Thar She Blows II
Thanks for the Memory to Rusty at MyPetJawa.
This is an update to my previous Mt. St. Helens post.
She blew again today, but so far it looks like just another steam & gas venting -- not the big one they're expecting. Rusty is covering this well, and has the live video feed on his blog.
Cascade Range volcanoes vary in type. St. Helens is a stratovolcano, and has a tendency towards pyroclastic events.
Rusty and his Washingtonian blogger pal Duane the Forester have better ongoing coverage of this, but if she really goes on us, I'll post the local reaction as best I can. I'm about 150 miles south of St. Helens, so unless there's a lot of ash, I probably won't be affected.
This is an update to my previous Mt. St. Helens post.
She blew again today, but so far it looks like just another steam & gas venting -- not the big one they're expecting. Rusty is covering this well, and has the live video feed on his blog.
Cascade Range volcanoes vary in type. St. Helens is a stratovolcano, and has a tendency towards pyroclastic events.
Rusty and his Washingtonian blogger pal Duane the Forester have better ongoing coverage of this, but if she really goes on us, I'll post the local reaction as best I can. I'm about 150 miles south of St. Helens, so unless there's a lot of ash, I probably won't be affected.
Can You Picture That?
Thanks for the Memory to Drudge via Vices and Virtues.
My friend Ricky V has clued me in to the most idiotic case yet of leftist persecution of a conservative. It may not be the most violent, or illegal, or mean-spirited, but it is without a doubt the stupidest.
A school teacher in New Jersey has taken flak for displaying a picture of President Bush. You may ask why this is persecution, since a teacher should not be using her classroom as a bully pulpit (no left-leaning teacher would ever do that, right?). Well the catch is, she posted pictures of ALL the US Presidents as part of a civics display in her classroom.
No matter what you think of Bush, he *IS* the President, and including him in such a display is appropriate. I would expect to find a picture of Clinton in the same display. and lo and behold, there was, if the article is accurate.
But that wasn't good enough for the parents. Three of them confronted her, demanding that she display a picture of Kerry as well. That's a bit premature, and not necessarily a given, wouldn't you say? According to the article, when she refused, she got in trouble with her vice principle.
This is getting old. I'm glad for once that, according to the article, some of the parents are standing up for her. I'll try to keep up on this article, and if anyone else learns anything new, please pass it on to me.
My friend Ricky V has clued me in to the most idiotic case yet of leftist persecution of a conservative. It may not be the most violent, or illegal, or mean-spirited, but it is without a doubt the stupidest.
A school teacher in New Jersey has taken flak for displaying a picture of President Bush. You may ask why this is persecution, since a teacher should not be using her classroom as a bully pulpit (no left-leaning teacher would ever do that, right?). Well the catch is, she posted pictures of ALL the US Presidents as part of a civics display in her classroom.
No matter what you think of Bush, he *IS* the President, and including him in such a display is appropriate. I would expect to find a picture of Clinton in the same display. and lo and behold, there was, if the article is accurate.
But that wasn't good enough for the parents. Three of them confronted her, demanding that she display a picture of Kerry as well. That's a bit premature, and not necessarily a given, wouldn't you say? According to the article, when she refused, she got in trouble with her vice principle.
This is getting old. I'm glad for once that, according to the article, some of the parents are standing up for her. I'll try to keep up on this article, and if anyone else learns anything new, please pass it on to me.
Touching a Soft Spot
The latest Strengthen the Good microcharity has been posted, and for obvious reeasons, I'm all for it. The charity is called Garden of Angels. It is run by a woman named Debi Faris, and it provides names and proper burials for the bodies of abandoned infants. She also actively lobbies for laws to help prevent such deaths from occurring.
Given my wife's pregnancy, I am more acutely sensitive to the welfare of the unborn and infants than I ever was before. I really cannot say anything more in praise of this charity, I think it speaks for itself. Please check out their website, or read more about them at Strengthen the Good, and if you can, please give.
Thanks for listening.
Given my wife's pregnancy, I am more acutely sensitive to the welfare of the unborn and infants than I ever was before. I really cannot say anything more in praise of this charity, I think it speaks for itself. Please check out their website, or read more about them at Strengthen the Good, and if you can, please give.
Thanks for listening.
Confessions of a Sap
For all my political conservatism, for all my distrust of big government's ability to provide for us, for all my disdain for the welfare state and my belief that entitlement is actually disablement, I am in the end very softhearted. I'm willing to spend my OWN money to help those who are in need, and I'm easily moved by genuine displays of generosity and mercy.
Which is why I love my new favorite TV show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I haven't made it dry-eyed through a single episode yet. Last night's was no exception -- I was "complaining about the air quality" by the first commercial break. The family who received the new home was a shining example of the kind of people they choose -- people who are doing their best to pull their own weight, and even help others, but against whom circumstances have conspired. They were parents of four, and when his mother was killed by a stray bullet in a gang shootout in east LA, he took in his five minor siblings.
There are a couple of things about the show that really warm my heart. First of all, the families almost uniformly come across with the right attitude -- they ask very nicely in their videos, and they are grateful to those who help them in the end. This is at the heart of true compassion -- helping people because they need and ask, not because they feel entitled and demand. Furthermore, I appreciate deeply the amount of volunteer work they use in the construction crews, and the fact that big businesses like Sears and Shea Homes pitch in to help, and the fact that ABC and their sponsors do it on their own dime. Sure, they get tons of really good publicity for it, but considering the good they accomplish, more power to them. I know I for one plan to do business at Sears as much as possible (and for one more reason to do so, see my post on how well they treat their employees in the Guard and Reserve.
Finally, as I've already stated, I love the fact that almost all of the people they help are people who are doing their best to make it and to help others. When you see how hard they work to keep the dumps their homes are before the makeover, you get the feeling that these are people who won't squander this wonderful gift.
So, yeah, I'm a pushover and a sap and a wimp, but I don't care. Ty and his crew are my heroes.
Which is why I love my new favorite TV show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I haven't made it dry-eyed through a single episode yet. Last night's was no exception -- I was "complaining about the air quality" by the first commercial break. The family who received the new home was a shining example of the kind of people they choose -- people who are doing their best to pull their own weight, and even help others, but against whom circumstances have conspired. They were parents of four, and when his mother was killed by a stray bullet in a gang shootout in east LA, he took in his five minor siblings.
There are a couple of things about the show that really warm my heart. First of all, the families almost uniformly come across with the right attitude -- they ask very nicely in their videos, and they are grateful to those who help them in the end. This is at the heart of true compassion -- helping people because they need and ask, not because they feel entitled and demand. Furthermore, I appreciate deeply the amount of volunteer work they use in the construction crews, and the fact that big businesses like Sears and Shea Homes pitch in to help, and the fact that ABC and their sponsors do it on their own dime. Sure, they get tons of really good publicity for it, but considering the good they accomplish, more power to them. I know I for one plan to do business at Sears as much as possible (and for one more reason to do so, see my post on how well they treat their employees in the Guard and Reserve.
Finally, as I've already stated, I love the fact that almost all of the people they help are people who are doing their best to make it and to help others. When you see how hard they work to keep the dumps their homes are before the makeover, you get the feeling that these are people who won't squander this wonderful gift.
So, yeah, I'm a pushover and a sap and a wimp, but I don't care. Ty and his crew are my heroes.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
Recipe Time
Well, with the fall weather getting cool, I decided it's time to post a recipe that matches the weather.
This is a variation on Beef Bourgognon that I developed to highlight as many Oregon food products as possible. Anywhere I've listed an Oregon ingredient, you can use your local equivalent.
Beef Oregon
1 tablespoon olive oil (I'd use Oregon filbert oil if anyone pressed & sold it)
8 ounces dry cured center cut smoked bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
1 Bunch celery, leaves on
2 Hood River yellow onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1 (750 ml.) bottle good Oregon Pinot Noir
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 Oregon myrtlewood leaf (use a bay leaf if you don’t have myrtlewood)
4 tablespoons Tillamook unsalted butter at room temperature,
divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound fresh Oregon mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced
For serving:
6 Oregon russet potatoes
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Cut the russet potatoes into quarters, keeping each potato together after it is cut. Lightly butter the cut sides, sprinkle half of the thyme on. Put the quarters back together, and wrap in foil.
Cut the leaves off of the celery. Finely chop the leaves and the stalks, but keep separate.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
Toss the carrots, celery stalks, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the myrtlewood leaf, rosemary, celery leaves, and the rest of the thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. Put the potatoes in the oven at the same time as the Dutch oven.
Combine 2 tablespoon of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Sauté the mushrooms in 2 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
To serve, spoon the stew over the potatos and garnish with rosemary sprigs.
I'm looking for a good beer bread recipe to substitute for the potatoes, but until I find one, this will have to do.
I would also recommend that you purchase 2 bottles of the same vintage of pinot noir, use one in the recipe and serve the other with it.
This is a variation on Beef Bourgognon that I developed to highlight as many Oregon food products as possible. Anywhere I've listed an Oregon ingredient, you can use your local equivalent.
Beef Oregon
1 tablespoon olive oil (I'd use Oregon filbert oil if anyone pressed & sold it)
8 ounces dry cured center cut smoked bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
1 Bunch celery, leaves on
2 Hood River yellow onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1 (750 ml.) bottle good Oregon Pinot Noir
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 Oregon myrtlewood leaf (use a bay leaf if you don’t have myrtlewood)
4 tablespoons Tillamook unsalted butter at room temperature,
divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound fresh Oregon mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced
For serving:
6 Oregon russet potatoes
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Cut the russet potatoes into quarters, keeping each potato together after it is cut. Lightly butter the cut sides, sprinkle half of the thyme on. Put the quarters back together, and wrap in foil.
Cut the leaves off of the celery. Finely chop the leaves and the stalks, but keep separate.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
Toss the carrots, celery stalks, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the myrtlewood leaf, rosemary, celery leaves, and the rest of the thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. Put the potatoes in the oven at the same time as the Dutch oven.
Combine 2 tablespoon of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Sauté the mushrooms in 2 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
To serve, spoon the stew over the potatos and garnish with rosemary sprigs.
I'm looking for a good beer bread recipe to substitute for the potatoes, but until I find one, this will have to do.
I would also recommend that you purchase 2 bottles of the same vintage of pinot noir, use one in the recipe and serve the other with it.
The Littlest B
The Feared Redhead had an ultrasound last Monday. I finally had a chance to scan the printouts:
I think it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen in my life. But I'm admittedly biased -- bear in mind, half it's DNA is from me. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
If it's a girl, I am renaming my 12-gauge "The Chaperone".
I think it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen in my life. But I'm admittedly biased -- bear in mind, half it's DNA is from me. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
If it's a girl, I am renaming my 12-gauge "The Chaperone".
Friday, October 01, 2004
Same Old Tired Theme
*SIGH*
I blog on this theme so often, that I've gone from outrage to resigned disgust. It's happened again. It's happened here in the Pacific Northwest again. And this time, I think even Venom can agree, it's a bit more significant that my bumper sticker. I am, of course, talking about Republicans being victimized by the very behavior they are accused of by the Left.
Thanks for the Memory to Powerline via Ace of Spades HQ.
According to the Seattle Times, The Washington state headquarters for the president's re-election campaign was broken into last night, and police are investigating the theft of three computers from the Bellevue office.
Now, on the face of it, that means nothing. Burglaries happen all the time, even to politicians. But the particulars of the case lend themselves to arousing suspicion: The burglars didn't steal all the computers, just a few. And they were very specific:
Missing are laptop computers used by the campaign's executive director, the head of the get-out-the-vote effort and one that had been set for delivery to the campaign's Southwest Washington field director, said Jon Seaton, executive director of the state's George W. Bush campaign.
....
State Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance called it a "Watergate-style break in" and said he suspects Democrats are behind it.
"If you're just some burglar looking for computers to sell to buy drugs you take every laptop in the office maybe," he said. "But they knew exactly whose computers to get. They got the executive director's computer and the get-out-the-vote director's computer."
Of course, the Democrats are denying any involvement. And while there's no reason to believe the incident was orchestrated by Democrats, it seems apparent that whoever did this was politically motivated and knew exactly what they were looking for.
I blog on this theme so often, that I've gone from outrage to resigned disgust. It's happened again. It's happened here in the Pacific Northwest again. And this time, I think even Venom can agree, it's a bit more significant that my bumper sticker. I am, of course, talking about Republicans being victimized by the very behavior they are accused of by the Left.
Thanks for the Memory to Powerline via Ace of Spades HQ.
According to the Seattle Times, The Washington state headquarters for the president's re-election campaign was broken into last night, and police are investigating the theft of three computers from the Bellevue office.
Now, on the face of it, that means nothing. Burglaries happen all the time, even to politicians. But the particulars of the case lend themselves to arousing suspicion: The burglars didn't steal all the computers, just a few. And they were very specific:
Missing are laptop computers used by the campaign's executive director, the head of the get-out-the-vote effort and one that had been set for delivery to the campaign's Southwest Washington field director, said Jon Seaton, executive director of the state's George W. Bush campaign.
....
State Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance called it a "Watergate-style break in" and said he suspects Democrats are behind it.
"If you're just some burglar looking for computers to sell to buy drugs you take every laptop in the office maybe," he said. "But they knew exactly whose computers to get. They got the executive director's computer and the get-out-the-vote director's computer."
Of course, the Democrats are denying any involvement. And while there's no reason to believe the incident was orchestrated by Democrats, it seems apparent that whoever did this was politically motivated and knew exactly what they were looking for.
Thar She Blows
AP Photo
Mount St. Helens Awakes, Erupting Steam and Ash
By Tom Banse
MOUNT ST. HELENS NATIONAL VOLCANIC MONUMENT (Reuters) - Mount St. Helens spewed steam and gray ash from a small explosive eruption in its crater on Friday, as the volcano in Washington state awoke from its slumber for the first time in nearly two decades.
A plume rose in a column from the crater just after 12 p.m. PDT in the first eruption since 1986, but was well below the scale of the catastrophic 1980 eruption that blew off the top of the mountain and spread ash across North America.
"This is exactly the kind of thing we've been forecasting to happen, which is a small steam and ash explosion that could send things up several tens of thousand feet above the rim of Mount St. Helens," said Cynthia Gardner, seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey (news - web sites), "How long it will last we don't know."
A team of geologists was installing equipment in the crater of the volcano, and the U.S. Geological Survey said they were trying to determine how safe they were.
The plume of steam and ash was being carried to the northwest by the wind over uninhabited areas, said Peter Frenzen, a U.S. Forestry Service official.
There were several hundred witnesses at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, but they did not report hearing any loud explosions.
Earlier on Friday, government scientists reported that the lava dome created after the 1980 eruption had swollen slightly slightly and that cracks appeared on the glacier inside the rumbling volcano's crater.
The 1980 eruption killed 57 people, destroyed more than 200 homes and devastated hundreds of square miles of surrounding land. Ash from that outpouring billowed across the continent and was carried as far east as Oklahoma.
Recent activity, which started with a series of small earthquakes a week ago and a 2.5-inch shift in the lava dome's location, is happening within the horseshoe-shaped crater that formed after the eruption.
Government scientists and officials said that the main concern was whether a plume of ash would form and interfere with air traffic.
Mount St. Helens is in southeastern Washington, about 100 miles south of Seattle and 50 miles north of Oregon's largest city, Portland.
Air traffic officials said they were on alert and prepared to divert air traffic in case of an ash-spewing eruption.
Seismologists said there was no connection between activity at Mount St. Helens and a strong earthquake near Parkfield, California or a smaller series of quakes in Alaska earlier this week.
The violent eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, blew off the top of the volcano, reducing its summit from 9,677 feet to 8,364 feet.
In addition to the 1986 eruption of the mountain's lava dome, strong earthquakes were detected in 1989, when fresh magma entered the volcano's lava system.
(Additional reporting by Allan Dowd in Vancouver, B.C.)
A northwesterly flow coupled with a weak section of the jet stream means we may get some ash here in Eugene, if it hangs in the air long enough. We'll see.
UPDATE:
I may live in the region, but Rusty at MyPetJawa has better blog coverage of the event.
My mom emailed me with the news. She was recalling the 1980 eruption, when ash fell in our small town in Idaho, several hundred miles to the east, and the sky turned blood red. It was eerie.
UPDATE 2:
The Following is a Sever Weather Alert for Eugene issued by the NWS:
CASCADE FOOTHILLS IN LANE COUNTY-CASCADES IN LANE COUNTY-CENTRAL COAST RANGE OF WESTERN OREGON-CENTRAL OREGON COAST-CENTRAL WILLAMETTE VALLEY-COAST RANGE OF NORTHWEST OREGON-GREATER PORTLAND METRO AREA-GREATER VANCOUVER AREA-LOWER COLUMBIA-
LOWER COLUMBIA AND I - 5 CORRIDOR IN COWLITZ COUNTY-NORTH OREGON COAST-NORTHERN OREGON CASCADE FOOTHILLS-NORTHERN OREGON CASCADES-SOUTH WILLAMETTE VALLEY-SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADE FOOTHILLS-SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADES-SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST-WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE-WILLAPA HILLS-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALBANY... ASTORIA... BATTLE GROUND... CASCADE LOCKS... CASTLE ROCK... CATHLAMET... COLDWATER RIDGE VISITORS CENTER... CORVALLIS... COUGAR... DALLAS... DETROIT... DOWNTOWN PORTLAND... DOWNTOWNVANCOUVER... EUGENE... FLORENCE... FRANCES... GOVERNMENT CAMP... GRANDE RONDE... HILLSBORO... HOOD RIVER... JEWELL... LONGVIEW... LOWELL... MANZANITA... MAPLETON... MCKENZIE BRIDGE... MCMINNVILLE... MILL CITY... MOUNT ST. HELENS... NEWPORT... OAKRIDGE... OREGON CITY... RAYMOND... SALEM... SANDY... ST. HELENS... STEVENSON... SWEET HOME... TILLAMOOK... TOUTLE... VERNONIA AND VIDA
1018 AM PDT FRI OCT 1 2004
...WINDS ALOFT FORECAST FOR MOUNT ST. HELENS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES...
SYNOPSIS...A STRONG UPPER HIGH WAS OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN THIS MORNING...AND WILL SLOWLY MOVE ONSHORE AND OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW IS OFFSHORE THIS MORNING...BUT WILL WEAKEN THIS WEEKEND AS THE UPPER HIGH MOVES OVERHEAD. THE CURRENT NORTHERLY UPPER LEVEL WIND WILL WEAKEN THIS WEEKEND. A MARINE LAYER WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE COAST THROUGH SATURDAY AND SPREAD INLAND THROUGH THE COASTAL GAPS LATER THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE UPPER RIDGE SHOWS SIGNS OF WEAKENING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH A WEAK FRONT POSSIBLE TUESDAY WITH ADDITIONAL SYSTEMS LATER IN THE WEEK.
ELEVATIONS BELOW ARE HEIGHTS ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL. MT. ST. HELENS CRATER FLOOR IS AT 6279 FT. WIND FORECASTS BELOW 6279 FT APPLY TO NEARBY LOWER ELEVATIONS.
WIND DIRECTIONS ARE BASED ON TRUE NORTH AND ARE THE DIRECTION THE WIND IS BLOWING FROM. WIND SPEEDS ARE IN MILES PER HOUR. EXAMPLE...36005...REPRESENTS A WIND FROM 360 DEGREES AT 05 MPH.
MORNING SALEM BALLOON SOUNDING
ELEV 10/01 0500PDT
3000 08008
6000 11004
9000 20004
12000 31006
18000 36023
24000 35027
30000 35028
34000 34016
39000 33031
FORECAST WINDS ALOFT
ELEV.
UPDATE 3:
Weather Channel Animated Feed of Most Recent Satellite coverage of the PNW. So far the eruption barely shows as anything on the map -- a tiny speck of gray just a bit NE of Portland. Nothing compared to '80. We'll see if it pumps enough ash to even show up.
UPDATE 4:
Rusty links to a Live Feed from KGW-TV/DT Portland & KING-TV/DT Seattle.
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