2) My home computer takes longer to boot up than the amount of patience I have available for booting up computers.
3) Wife is pregnant (if I need to explain this you are obviously not married and/or have no children).
Hopefully I will be able to post more soon.
I did manage to go hunting this past Sunday with some friends of mine in Pecan Island. It turned out to be one of the most successful hunts I've had in a couple of years. A total of 23 ducks taken (1 shy of a limit for the four of us). The strange thing was, almost all of the ducks were blue wing teal. Blue wings usually migrate early (like in September). I've rarely seen any blue wing teal past the first week or two into the regular season, much less double digit numbers in late December. Very strange but fun nonetheless!
If your enjoyment of duck hunting is solely dependent upon the number of ducks killed during a given outing, you are missing quite a bit of the total experience.
Two pennsylvania natives are behind bars, accused of robbing the Pecan Island Food Store Sunday.
Eric Larocco and Amanda Matusick were both booked on armed robbery charges. In addition, they were charged with shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia.
When the store owner found out he was robbed, he contacted a Sherriff's Deputy and asked all the bridges be raised to prevent the robbers from leaving the area. The two were stuck on the island and couldn't go any further once they reached the Little Prairie Bridge.
Deputies met the suspects and recovered the money and weapon. They were both arrested on the scene.
I can just picture the sheriff casually driving down the highway without even putting his lights on and rolling up behind the robbers at the drawbridge. "Yer in a heap o' trouble boy!"
I went goose hunting this past Sunday in a cut bean field. I saw thousands of geese near where I was hunting but none were within gun range. I didn't see any ducks at all. That's pretty much the story I'm hearing from everyone. Very few ducks to be had. Except for one guy...
Lots of greenheads in one particular region of our state! I have a general idea of where he's hunting but I am refraining from making the information public to avoid a D-Day like invasion of the area.
I know a couple of guys who are hunting public waters by boat which is something I haven't done very much. Hopefully I'll get an invite and post another report soon.
Actually it opened last week. From the reports I'm hearing I'm convinced I made the right decision by staying home. Worst opening weekend since God invented ducks is what I'm hearing. I may go this weekend anyway, but only because duck hunting fever has a detrimental effect on my capacity for rational thought. If you're a hunter of any kind, you know what I'm talkin' about.
If anyone anywhere in the nation is killing ducks I'd like to hear about it.
In the sensitive Middle East region, in particular, the expectation is that the unjust actions of the past 60 years will give way to a policy encouraging full rights for all nations, especially the oppressed nations of Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The great civilization-building and justice-seeking nation of Iran would welcome major, fair and real changes, in policies and actions, especially in this region.
Looks like someone bought into the campaign message of "Change".
I guess we'll be minting new coins to render unto Caesar.
Nothing left to do but comment on the downfall of western civilization from inside occupied territory. If anyone knows of an underground railroad I might use to escape the United States of Liberal America, please send me a coded message in the combox. Good night comrades. See you in the cheese line in 2009.
This was such a great story. Elke Wisbey is now able to speak through the use of an eye tracking laser device. Her first words were, "I love you, mum!" I can't imagine the joy this little girl and her family must be experiencing now that they can communicate. The love between parents and children never fails to amaze me.
Equally amazing (disturbing really) is the fact that many people in this country would have chosen to exterminate this handicapped child before she was born. What makes a parent choose to kill their own child? What has caused the mass psychosis in this country that leads some people to believe that killing their own children is somehow an act of kindness?
How can anyone in their right mind advocate abortion, or even "abortion-rights"? Does anyone support "cold-blooded-murder-rights" in any other form?
I would like to see Barack Obama look his children in the face and say, "I love you. But I also think I should have the right to kill you before you are born, if I so choose." How loving. How affectionate. Yet that is what he is teaching them and the youth of our nation by his actions. "I love you, but you are expendable if you are too burdensome."
CATHOLICS TAKE NOTE: THERE ARE NO PROPORTIONATE REASONS WHICH WOULD JUSTIFY VOTING FOR MASS MURDER ADVOCATE, BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!!!! NONE!!!!
If you vote for Obama, the blood of the next 40 million murdered infants, including millions like the 6 year old above, is on your hands.
If you're voting in the 9th ward in New Orleans don't bother with the sample ballot. An ACORN rep. will pick you up and tell you which levers to pull at each of the 6 precincts in which they have registered you. Only after you have voted in ALL of the precincts will you receive the 40 oz can of malt liquor you were promised. Be careful wandering back to the park.
Mr. "Pro-Life" explaining why he is voting for Obama, "We need to... come together on these BIGGER ISSUES."
A self proclaimed religious, pro-life conservative son of a Pastor has discovered BIGGER ISSUES than abortion in this election!?
OMG!!! Am I the only one who doesn't know what these BIGGER ISSUES are!!!
Has John McCain vowed to shave his head and end all life on the planet in a "nookyewler" blaze of glory while stroking a hairless cat inside of his secret volcanic lair?
Is there a new, highly contagious disease that will turn us all into blood thirsty zombies and only a vaccine made from Obama's blood will cure us?
Is there a worldwide food distribution problem that will cause planetary starvation unless we quickly elect the most skilled community organizer the world has ever seen?
Just where the heck has the media been on these BIGGER ISSUES!? I mean, I've heard Wall Street is tanking but I don't think millions of people were murdered because of it, so that can't be the BIGGER ISSUE. I also heard something about Obama having a health care plan so I guess we'll all get free flu shots and lortab. That can't the BIGGER ISSUE.
I am sooooo angry with our media elite and their hidden agendas. How dare they leave me in the dark on these BIGGER ISSUES!
Mr. Pro-life, please enlighten us all by leaving a comment explaining these BIGGER ISSUES. Especially if there is an asteroid rapidly approaching earth and only HOPE and CHANGE can stop it!!!!
Calling yourself Catholic and pro-life and then supporting the rights of unborn children by voting for Obama is like calling yourself a vegan PETA member and supporting animal rights by sponsoring an all you can eat pork BBQ charity dinner and a dog fighting contest with a fur coat door prize. Proceeds go to protecting the rights of swine, pit bulls and chinchillas.
Absurd articles like this are metastasizing like stage 5 cancer. It's so bad that I am now becoming more worried about the Catholic Church losing its identity in America than I am about the election or the economy. The Catholic Church is truly under attack. If you think I'm overreacting, let me give you another example.
The following video was put out by a group calling themselves "Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good"
Doesn't really seem all that threatening until you realize that a large portion of the funding for the video came from George Soros. Do you think Bobby Jindal knows that this site is using his image (among all the others) to add legitimacy to an anti-Catholic position in support of Obama? Can he sue over this? Let's take a closer look at the video.
First of all, the pretty background music is John Lennon's atheist anthem, "Imagine". As in, "Imagine there's no heaven" and "Imagine there's no religion". I guess they wanted it to sound more acceptable so they had it chanted by fake monks.
Second, the anti-abortion protesters at the beginning of the video are referred to as, "Them." Them??? Really??? Wouldn't the correct term be, "Us"?
Now I admit that these first two issues may seem a bit trivial, but they definitely set the tone. The bigger problem is that when you follow the link at the end of the video, you will be bombarded with a pile of liberal talking points attempting to convince you that right to life issues should take a back seat to social issues in this election. That is not a Catholic message. That is a liberal message.
The positions taken by these people are not at all Catholic positions and I question whether any of the people involved with this group are even Catholic. There seems to be a deliberate attempt on the part of far left liberals to subvert the very definition of Catholicism away from the Church. What is worse is that there are people within the clergy who are sympathetic to this position. All of this manufactured controversy gives the appearance of legitimacy to these liberal positions and provides an excuse for cafeteria Catholics to vote for intrinsic evil.
Presidential election not withstanding, I think we are rapidly coming to a point in this debacle where Nicholas P. Cafardi, M. Cathleen Kaveny, Douglas W. Kmiec, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and many others need to be told in no uncertain terms that they are not in communion with Catholic teaching on this issue. Given the fact that several clergy members (including B16) have already established the primacy of right to life issues on numerous occasions, I think the Church's only remaining recourse is to excommunicate the people mentioned above at the rate of one each week, starting with Nancy Pelosi since she has already been reprimanded by name by the USCCB and remains unrepentant to this day. I realize how extreme this sounds, but I see no other way for the Church to demonstrate its authority on the matter and regain control of a situation that is now spinning out of control and will continue to do so long after this election if it is not dealt with swiftly.
In a literal sense this would not be much of a contest...
If you're talking college football however, the odds get a little more even. It wasn't the impressive margin of victory seen in some other games tonight but it is a W. BCS rankings come out tomorrow. That should be interesting as always.
I normally can't stand Howard Stern but he scored points with me with this one. He sent a correspondent into Harlem to question potential voters. All of them agreed with McCain's positions on every issue, as long as those positions were presented as Obama's. Hear for yourself...
My favorite: "[McCain] sort of...ummm...sounds like he's ummmm...uneducated."
Remember, these people have the same degree of control over who runs this country as you or I do. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
My wife and I rarely (very, very rarely) go out to see movies anymore. It seems every movie you watch these days must have some kind of obligatory sex scene or adultery or other crap that contradicts the inherent beauty in the sacrament of marriage. The underlying message in most of these films (or at least these scenes in the film) is that the successful manipulation of others for your own self interest is the benchmark of success. Christ obviously sets a much different, much higher standard for us to follow. Anyway, the opportunity arose this past Friday for us to go to the movies, so we decided to support a movie with a Christian theme. We went to see Fireproof with Kirk Cameron.
I must admit I had fairly low expectations going into the show. I figured we'd be the only couple in the place and the movie wouldn't be that great but at least I would have supported something positive that I believe in. I could not have been more wrong. The theater was absolutely packed (and the show has already been out for at least a couple of weeks now) and it was packed for good reason. This movie was GREAT! The message was positive and so much different from what we're used to seeing on the big screen. A movie about two real people with real flaws discovering the TRUE meaning of love and marriage. What an awesome message! Not to mention the fact that there were several scenes that made everyone in the theater laugh out loud.
I can't say enough good things about this film. I strongly encourage everyone reading this to go and see the movie for yourself.
If you didn't watch the LSU Florida game you missed one helluva beat down. The LSU team that beat the Auburn Tigers didn't show up. Unfortunately for LSU, the Florida team that lost to Ole Miss didn't show up either. The result was a 51 to 21 butt kicking, after which Urban Meyer handed Les Miles his hat with his head still in it!
I've seen a lot of folks throwing Jarrett Lee under the bus. The fact is he managed to put 21 points on the board against an excellent opponent as a red shirt freshman. Matt Flynn only scored 28 in last year's game against Florida and Matt Mauck managed a measly 7 points in a losing effort in 2003, both of LSU's championship years. If anyone out there thinks there is an offense in all of college football that could have scored over 51 points against Florida to overcome such an unbelievable deficit, please hit me in the combox 'cause I'd love to hear your story. Jarrett Lee may have some issues to overcome, but this game was lost on defense IMHO.
I'm hoping LSU can win out the rest of the season and have a shot at redemption in the SEC Championship game. We'll see.
Is it just me or was this debate Hyped 1000 times more than any other VP debate has ever been hyped in the history of VP debates? Ordinarily no one in the media would give a bucket of spit about what any VP had to say about anything, EVER. But, since Gov. Palin is perceived as the weak link in the McCain campaign...Voila! The fate of the free world now hinges on whether or not Gov. Palin becomes the VP. The Presidential candidates (umm...what's-his-face and that other guy)? Oh they really don't matter. It's ALL about "The Palin".
For what it's worth I think Palin & Biden both did well in the debate (political positions aside). I think all the liberals who were hoping Palin would choke were sorely disappointed this evening.
Life issues were notably absent from the debate. I don't think we would have learned anything new by asking the question but it would have been nice to hear from the candidates on such an important issue.
Kmiec predicted, “relations between Benedict XVI and the Holy See under an Obama administration would be very, very positive.”
Not a shocking prediction. Judas also enjoyed very, very positive relations with Christ for quite some time. Need more?
Obama, he said, represents the view that “the way forward is not debates over law or philosophy, but extending a hand of compassion” to women dealing with unexpected or unwanted pregnancies.
A hand of compassion...tightly clenched around a pair of long, sharp scissors, anxiously waiting to be stabbed into the skull of a partially born infant who's brains will be sucked out through a tube and who's lifeless little body will be unceremoniously tossed into a pile of medical waste along with millions of his/her brothers and sisters. Oh yes Doug! Praise be unto our lord and savior, Barack Obama the most merciful!
I truly hope Doug Kmiec comes to his senses and changes his position on Obama. If not, I hope he enjoys his 30 pieces of silver.
I received this video from a friend of mine. Combine this with the fact that Obama and Barney Frank were on the take from Freddie and Fannie and you start to see what went wrong.
I found a picture of Pete Carroll on the internet that's pretty funny all by itself in light of recent events (i.e. USC losing to unranked Oregon State Thursday night).
WOW! More important than my last post on America's economic death spiral, USC loses to Oregon State 27 to 21!
I am a proud USC hater and this is truly a happy, happy day!
In light of this recent development, the LA times foregone conclusion of victory as evidenced in this article is absolutely hilarious.
And let's not forget to throw Kirk Herbstreit under the bus. His interview with Mark Sanchez is even more side splittingly funny than the LA times article.
Kirk drinks more USC flavored Kool-aid than USC's own quarterback! Earth to Kirk, the inferior team is determined by the SCOREBOARD! I simply can't wait to see him deny reality Saturday morning on College Game Day. He'll probably claim that Oregon State is #1 just so he can say USC is #2. Naw, forget that. We're talking Kirk Herbstreit here! I'm sure he'll find a way to make the case that USC is still #1 and everyone else is still "inferior".
(Pssst! Kirk, I don't think that word means what you think it means.)
Lots of folks on TV are telling me we're in really bad shape, economically speaking. OK. I'll buy that. They're also telling me we've got to "bail out" our financial system with $700 billion in tax dollars. Congress agrees. Everyone says the consequences would be awful and, "we've got to do it." I've got only one simple question.
WHY?
Why do we have to do it? I'm not saying we don't, I'd just like an explanation before I unquestioningly throw $700 billion at the problem. I haven't heard a single person explain the consequences of NOT dumping tons of money into... into... into what exactly? Where EXACTLY is this $700 Billion going to go? Precisely who's pocket will the money end up in? No one has explained exactly how this mind bogglingly enormous amount of money is going to save us from the unknown and unexplained disaster looming just around the corner. Again, maybe we need to do this, but so far I've only been presented with two options:
1) The Federal Government (a thrifty and honest group of folks if there ever was one) gives $700 billion of your tax dollars to the investment companies who have already gone bankrupt writing bad loans (surely a prudent investment) and we all avoid a mysterious and inexplicable catastrophe that is only moments away (recession, depression, plague of locusts, melting polar ice caps, no one knows) by leaping headlong towards socialism.
2) We don't allow our politicians to hand over $700 billion of our tax dollars (after several hours of careful consideration of course) to investment bankers who lost all of their shareholders money, in the hopes of avoiding... something bad that no one can explain.
I don't know about the operational protocols where you work, but I'll tell you this. If someone came to my office and asked me for $700 billion dollars, they damn well better be able to explain why they need it! So far, I would have told all but a handful of these politicians to take the bag of manure they came in with and get the hell out of my office (the rest I would have fired on the spot)! Not because I think this is a bad deal mind you, but because they are completely unable to explain the problem and they are equally inept at explaining why the solution involves spending $700 billion in tax dollars.
For the third time, we may really need this $700 billion dollar deal, but no one is able to explain why. I expect FAR MORE from our very highly paid elected leaders than panicked looks and a knee jerk reaction to reach for America's wallet and throw money at a problem they don't understand.
If anyone knows of a web site that explains the possible outcomes of either spending the $700 billion or NOT spending the $700 billion (or preferably both), please post a link in the combox.
Is it just me or is everyone else sick of hearing about how good USC is EVERY FREAKIN' YEAR? Last time I checked LSU was the only team EVER to win TWO BCS CHAMPIONSHIPS! Yet the sickening ESPN, AP, USC love-fest continues.
Sure, they beat Ohio State and I'll even go so far as to say they looked good in that game (although it pains me to be that objective). But that's the only test they'll have all season. Have you looked at their schedule? Other than Ohio State, there isn't a single ranked team in sight for the entire remainder of their season. It's like being declared valedictorian after taking PE, art, home ec. and study hall your senior year. You've got to find a way to at least mix in a game with Utah or Colorado, heck even Fresno State would be an improvement at this point.
USC's one-pete National Championship and wide margins of victory against 2nd tier teams are not enough to keep a #1 ranking through the end of the season. Even a 1 loss team with a stronger schedule at the end of the season should be ranked ahead of USC. Furthermore, if the margin of victory is less than a touchdown in any of their remaining games, they should automatically fall out of the top spot IMHO.
Before: After: Some differences are obvious: roof damage, boarded windows. Some are more subtle. Check out how neat the yard looks in the before picture compared to all of the small limbs scattered around in the after pic. Also, look closely at the neighbor's tree behind my garage. It's thinned out quite a bit after the storm.
I also saw some National Guard troops rolling through town. While we're on the topic of Hurricanes, if you own your own home and you live in an area prone to Hurricanes, you may be surprised to learn that you probably have a "hurricane deductible" that is substantially higher than your standard deductible. You might want to look into it before the next storm comes.
Made it back from Dallas this evening about 5:30 pm. The electricity came back on at about 5:40 pm. (not bad timing). I've got a little roof damage and lots of limbs in the yard but other than that everything looks OK. I took a few pictures of the damage around town but my camera was full before I could get everything. I'm sure it will all be cleaned up by tomorrow. I'll post the pictures I have sometime this week when I have time.
We stayed at the Sheraton in downtown Dallas along with several hundred other Louisianians who had the same idea. There were a bunch of nursing home patients on one floor. I saw a bunch of LSU gear being worn. We also had what I assume were the representatives from the 9th ward of New Orleans fighting in the lobby and screaming expletives at each other in their rooms so loud that I could hear them down the hall near the elevators. I had hoped to avoid the 9th ward thugs by staying in an expensive hotel as geographically far from New Orleans as humanly possible. Apparently the barriers to entry weren't sufficiently high. Luckily we managed to get a room away from most of the commotion but I had a coon-ass life insurance policy with me just in case (a Browning .380 auto).
I may post more on this later. Right now it's time for bed. Pray for those who were hit hard by the storm. It may be a while before they get power.
Last night Gustav was expected to slowly grow to a Cat. 3 maximum by the time it made landfall. This morning when I turned on the news it was already a Cat. 3 and gaining momentum. That's enough for me, we're leaving.
We've stayed home for every Hurricane that has ever come through here without any problems until the last few years. Hurricane Lily was the worst for us, followed closely by Hurricane Rita. Debris everywhere and no power for about a week. Luckily we had little damage to our property but there were trees which had fallen on houses just blocks from our house, roofs were torn off of buildings, my neighbor lost his porch, CNN was filming our small town if that gives you any idea how bad things were. We also stayed home for Hurricane Katrina but we barely had a breeze (no rain) from that one in my part of the state.
Anyway, my wife is pregnant and nervous and so are the kids and I'm not looking forward to another week without power so we're heading to Dallas. Not because I like Dallas or have friends in Dallas mind you but because, frankly that was the closest room available. It was that or Birmingham, AL and the room in Dallas looked nicer.
I'm going to try to take some pictures along the way, I've taken some before shots of the house. Hopefully the "after" shots look very much the same. Keep us in your prayers over the next few days.
All this controversy about those columns on Obama's stage tonight. He was obviously trying to tie himself to the "builder" of Stonehenge. You know, the powerful imagery of one man with the ability to accomplish impossible feats by himself. The fact that the columns were of Ancient Greek design was just an oversight by Brittany Spears' set designer.
If you don't believe me, just listen to Stonehenge expert Nigel Tufnel, who is only slightly more brilliant than Obama himself.
This reminds me of the humility post I put up a few days ago. In an interview on Meet the Press this past weekend, Nancy Pelosi claims to be an "ardent practicing Catholic" and then goes on to support abortion.
The following day, Archbishop Chaput bluntly points out the heresy that Pelosi is preaching and offers correction in an open letter on his web site (read it here, it's worth it). As if that weren't enough, the Archbishop's letter is soon followed by a theological Daisy Cutter dropped by the USCCB. I rarely quote lengthy bits of text but the USCCB's response was worth it:
WASHINGTON--Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, have issued the following statement:
In the course of a “Meet the Press” interview on abortion and other public issues on August 24, 2008, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church against abortion.
The Church has always taught that human life deserves respect from its very beginning and that procured abortion is a grave moral evil. In the Middle Ages, uninformed and inadequate theories about embryology led some theologians to speculate that specifically human life capable of receiving an immortal soul may not exist until a few weeks into pregnancy. While in canon law these theories led to a distinction in penalties between very early and later abortions, the Church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development.
These mistaken biological theories became obsolete over 150 years ago when scientists discovered that a new human individual comes into being from the union of sperm and egg at fertilization. In keeping with this modern understanding, the Church has long taught that from the time of conception (fertilization), each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life.
The great thing about this letter is that it is not a broad response to a general topic, veiled in non threatening tones. It is extremely specific, addressing Nancy Pelosi by name. Furthermore, it absolutely and unequivocally refutes everything Nancy Pelosi said, in it's entirety. Most importantly, by issuing this letter the USCCB has completely and effectively removed any excuse that she or any other politician might try to use as a means to support abortion while still claiming to be Catholic. You can no longer claim that you are ignorant of the Church's position. You may not argue that the Catholic Church's teachings are not clear.
With all of this in mind, I have one simple question. Why doesn't the Catholic Church officially and publicly EXCOMMUNICATE PUBLIC OFFICIALS WHO PERSISTENTLY AND OBSTINATELY OPPOSE THE TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WITH REGARD TO THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE! I'm not just talking about a simple letter stating, "To whom it may concern, Nancy Pelosi is excommunicated. Have a nice day." I'm talking about having a huge 2 hour ceremony in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with Cardinals and Bishops on prime time TV dressed in black robes burning incense and extinguishing a 3 foot tall candle with Nancy Pelosi's name on it! If you want the Church's position on abortion to be made perfectly clear to all the faithful, THAT's how to do it.
CMR's post, A Tale of Two Parties, touched on something I've been pondering for quite some time now. If abortion was off the table as a deciding issue in a presidential election, what secondary criteria would Catholics use to choose a candidate? All of a sudden, all of those social issues which have been falsely touted as "proportionate reasons" by liberal pseudo-Catholics would have to be seriously considered.
In this election, I think the choice is clear. McCain may not be the candidate that conservative Catholics wanted, but he is far better than the alternative. A president who is moderately pro-life with a running mate who is pro-abortion is still better than a president who would defend partial birth abortion until the end of time and appoint Supreme Court Justices who would do the same. Face it, if Obama were any more pro-abortion, he'd send jack booted thugs house to house exterminating children under the age of 5.
In elections to come however, things could get very interesting. A pro-abortion Republican against, who knows what kind of Democrat? All bets will be off! If the Democrats put up anyone who is even remotely qualified I will be very tempted to vote... Dem... Demoooo... Democraaaaa...
DE...MO...CRAT! (Ew! I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit).
Socially indifferent Republicans seem to think that they would more than make up for the loss of the pro-life Christian crowd by attracting the fiscally conservative pro-death crowd currently trapped in the Democrat party. I would soooo love to prove them wrong.
There are currently 64 million Catholics in the US. There were less than 124 million votes cast in the 2004 election. If all of the people who claim to be Catholic voted like Catholics, BOTH parties would be pro-life.
The John Kerrys, Ted Kennedys and Nancy Pelosis of this world will have a lot to answer for in the next. So too may the clergy members who fail to address this problem with swift and decisive action. The United States of America may be a representative democracy but the Catholic Church is not!
That last post made me thirsty. If you like beer or if your into web design (or especially if you like both) check out Blue Moon Brewing Company's website.
On the beer side of things, their Belgian White served with a large slice of orange is some of the best brew I've had in ages. If you like to try something different now and then, I highly recommend it.
For you web designers, this web site is really artsy and imaginative. Much different than your average corporate site. Take a look and you'll see what I mean.
If she takes a pro-life stand I guess I'm in. If the country's going down in flames, I would at least like to be entertained. You might want to get your Paris '08 gear now before supplies run out.
I just found out via e-mail that 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center has been recycled into the most appropriate use I could ever imagine.
Yeah! A big ol' recycled can of American Whoop-Ass, carrying a crew of 360 sailors and 700 angry Marines ready to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft. Steel from the WorldTradeCenter was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA to cast the ship's bow section. It is the fifth in a new class of warship (San Antonio Class) designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists.
Someone should place this story in Wikipedia under "Poetic Justice". If you want to learn more there's a USS New York Website.
Memo to Terrorists: Leave stuff in this country alone! If you didn't like it before, you're REALLY not gonna like what we make with it after you blow it up!
First, an 11 year old boy in Slidell, LA gets his arm torn off by an 11 foot long alligator. Then, a local deputy finds the gator, kills it and RETRIEVES THE ARM FROM IT'S STOMACH! I guess the boy's doctors would have thought it would be rude to discard the arm after what the deputy went through to get it back, so THEY REATTACHED IT! No word yet on whether or not he will regain use of the arm but everyone involved gets A's for effort.
Darwin's theory of evolution really doesn't bother me the way it seems to bother fundamentalist Christians. In fact it seems quite logical. It doesn't seem to bother the Catholic Church all that much either. What IS irritating is when some pompous antitheist tries to hijack the theory of evolution and use it as some sort of proof that God does not exist.
"Vestigial eyes, for example, are clear evidence that these cave salamanders must have had ancestors who were different from them—had eyes, in this case. That is evolution. Why on earth would God create a salamander with vestiges of eyes? If he wanted to create blind salamanders, why not just create blind salamanders? Why give them dummy eyes that don't work and that look as though they were inherited from sighted ancestors?"
Well there you go. God's idea of what a blind salamander should look like does not agree with Richard Dawkins' idea of what a blind salamander should look like. Therefor, God does not exist.
Brilliant!
...or maybe God gave blind, cave dwelling salamanders vestigial eyes for the same unknown reason He gave antitheistic liberals vestigial brains.
If you are wondering how the Great Depression relates to our current financial downturn, read this article in the Wall Street Journal. In fact, read it even if you're not wondering about it. This line from the article sums it up for me.
"Leverage," as the laying-on of debt is known in the trade, is the Hamburger Helper of finance. It makes a little capital go a long way, often much farther than it safely should.
Well said. I haven't become a survivalist yet, but I am becoming more convinced every day that we are headed for some tough times.
In the interest of full disclosure, I did take the test. Although I did admit to making "Office Space" references, I still scored high enough to be considered "Cool".
I had an interesting 4th & 5th of July. My washing machine decided to start leaking water all over the wash room. This one problem then snowballed into a whole range of repairs which had to be made, much like unraveling a cable knit sweater.
The washing machine control valve was leaking causing the water to overflow in the wash tub. The shut off valve was also leaking which meant that I couldn't turn off the water at the connection behind the washer. I had to shut off the water to the whole house. Once the water was off, I noticed that the electrical outlet that both the washer and dryer were plugged into was not a GFCI outlet. Since it was within 1 foot of both a water line AND the gas line to the dryer, I now had to change the electrical outlet as well. During the process of replacing the leaking shut off valve, the copper pipes INSIDE the wall began leaking (more like gushing water from behind the paneling). Now I've got to shut off the water to the house again and chop a large gaping hole in the wall with a reciprocating saw to see what's going on behind the paneling. The hot water line is now bent and separated from the T connection at the valve (GRRRRRRR). It bent and broke because it was not mounted to a 2x4 inside the wall which meant I also had to install a 2x4 brace behind the pipes. After a quick trip to the hardware store (compression fittings, solder, propane torch) I returned more prepared to injure myself than ever before. I won't bore you with the repair details. Suffice it to say I fixed it all and covered up the hole in the wall with a slightly less ugly piece of plywood (it's all hidden behind the washer & dryer anyway).
I know this is dull reading but I spent so much time working on this that I'm posting it anyway.
America! Land of the free. Home of the brave. You are even free to leave the country. According to a newly enacted law however, your assets will be confiscated at the border. I guess the federal government is afraid the rich people might leave before our new executive leadership has a chance to tax us all into prosperity. After all, you can't squeeze blood from a turnip.
At least we know where the federal government stands on the issue of controlling the border. Illegal aliens can come and go as they please BUT AMERICAN CITIZENS' MONEY STAYS HERE!
For being 7 months old, Cate sure made a lot of friends in a short period of time. The church was packed. The music selections were truly inspired (I'm sure my wife will cry every time she hears "Never let go" by Matt Redman). However, it was the Old Testament reading that struck me the most. The reading selected was the mass reading for June 24, 2008 (the day Cate passed away).
Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name. He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me. You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, Yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God. For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, That Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Cate did not toil in vain. She was truly a light to the nations. It is my hope and prayer the thousands of people who were touched by her life and death are left with a permanent impression on their hearts that might lead them to a deeper understanding of the sacrifice that God made for all of us in giving us his only Son.
Baby Cate's blog is updated with a message from her parents. I haven't had the heart to read past the first few sentences. I can't imagine what it took to write it.
The funeral home also has a very nice obituary for Baby Cate. I thought I'd link to it in case someone was interested in reading it or signing the guest book.
I did not want to post anything until on this until I knew it was public knowledge. Sadly, Baby Cate has passed away. As much as we all prayed for her, she is now with our Lord in Heaven praying for her family. Please continue to pray with her, for her family.
Charlie Cantrell and I made Cursillo together a million years ago. My wife and I and He and Ali (his wife) all worked together preparing the youth of our parish for confirmation (about half a million years ago). They are an incredible example of what, "living your faith" really means.
Their youngest daughter, Cate was born with heart defects. They are currently at Children's Hospital in Texas where Cate underwent surgery to try to correct some of those defects over a week ago. Unfortunately, the surgery did not go as well as everyone had hoped. She is now fighting for her life. If you want a lesson in "how to place your faith and trust in God", please take the time to visit Baby Cate's blog.
Please pray for Cate Cantrell and her mom and dad. This is truly their hour of need.
Rather than put words in his mouth I'll let him speak for himself:
He mentioned several things that I want to discuss.
1) Sen.Obama would tax oil company's profits to fund some sort of tax break and/or rebate for taxpayers. If this actually takes place oil companies will react just as any other business would. They will either manage their production in order to minimize reported profits (which they do now), INCREASE their prices or (most likely) a combination of both in order to offset the increased (and altogether artificial) tax burden. This means you and I will pay MORE at the pump, NOT LESS! What about Sen. Obama's tax break you say? Given the efficiency of government and the laws of economics we just discussed, I'd guess that in the event you actually receive $1,000.00 in tax relief, you will have spent $2,500.00 or more in taxes and/or fuel charges to get it.
2) It would take 30 years to develop new domestic oil fields. Sen. Obama must have gotten his notes mixed up because this is patently untrue. It may take 30 years to move to an alternative source of energy, but you can't tell me it will take 30 years to keep using what we already have! Five years ago, the Independence Hub gas platform did not exist in the Gulf of Mexico. As of today, it produces about 5% of the Nation's natural gas supply. Oil companies are also producing millions of gallons of oil off the West Coast of Africa. This area has virtually no infrastructure and there are ongoing civil wars in many regions. These undeveloped countries also demand that a large percentage of the labor used to develop these oilfields be performed using local laborers. In most cases local laborers are unskilled and must be trained, adding to the overall expense. In spite of all this, West Africa has developed very rapidly (i.e. quicker than 30 years) and contributes significantly to the world oil supply. We could develop fields along the US coastline much more quickly and efficiently. 20 to 30 years to develop an oil field is an absolutely ridiculous notion.
3) Drilling and production operations would ruin the coastline and the environment. While it is undeniable that there will be risks of oil spills in any location where drilling and production activities occur, these spills (at least in the gulf of Mexico) have historically been relatively small. A leak of 100 barrels a day would be large for this region. In my opinion, the net effect of installing large offshore production platforms has been environmentally positive when you consider the habitat that these structures provide for an incredibly variety of sea life. Ask any fisherman or offshore oilfield worker and they will tell you that these structures hold and produce fish abundantly. I live in Louisiana and I can tell you with authority that the threat to the environment here is not oil spills. It is the unchecked coastal erosion that is washing away 25 to 35 square miles of our wetlands every year. If Sen. Obama wants to help out, he can start by keeping our wetlands from washing away into the ocean, not by waging war on the companies which provide the very energy to which this country has become addicted.
4) We must focus on alternative energy sources. I wanted to mention this point because it is one of the few points on which I must agree with Sen. Obama. At the risk of having my "Evil Oil" membership card revoked, we DO need to develop alternative energy sources which are renewable, cleaner and more efficient. I just don't think that we should focus on these sources exclusively, to the detriment of existing sources. Oil is readily available and perhaps more importantly, the infrastructure to use it already exists. Moving to another energy source will be a very gradual shift, not the overnight change that Sen. Obama seems to think it will be.
5) If we were to explore and produce more oil domestically, the additional supply would have NO effect on oil prices. This flies in the face of basic economics. While the net effect of the additional supply on the overall price of oil is certainly a nebulous question, there would definitely be SOME effect and the effect would certainly be positive. The price of oil will NEVER come down through a policy of taxing oil companies and NOT drilling for more oil.
In short, refusing to drill for oil within our own borders while putting ALL your hopes in unproven (albeit cleaner) energy technologies is a bit like refusing to eat the leftovers in the fridge because you have a cow in your back yard which will someday make great steaks. It makes more sense to do both, does it not?
Happy Father's Day to all you Fathers out there! I suppose this is as good a day as any to announce that my wife and I will soon be forced to shift our defensive strategy from man-to-man coverage to zone defense. That's right, we are expecting our third child and we will be outnumbered!
Posting may be light starting in January. Wish us luck. Better yet, keep us in your prayers.
Hat tip to Van Kirby for finding this one. For $40/year, the web site www.youvebeenleftbehind.com automatically sends your loved ones messages in the event that you are taken up in the "Rapture". I hope I don't offend anyone, but as a Catholic I find this site quite amusing since we don't subscribe to Rapture Theology. Even if only 100 people to subscribe to the service, that's $4000/year for virtually nothing but electronic storage space. You don't have to build a fancy failsafe device to actually send the messages because the event will never happen (at least not as defined by your average Fundamentalist). Even if it did, it's not like there would be any consequences for not sending any of those messages out. I find it hard to believe that any of those folks would come back down from heaven and file a class action law suit against the owner of the web site?
This article makes me wonder whether E.J. Dionne is ignorant or intentionally misleading in his remarks. Surely someone who has spent so much time in and around Catholic institutions would have been exposed to the concept of transubstantiation. E.J. should know that, for a Catholic, the Eucharist is God. Encouraging people to act in opposition to God and then presenting yourself to receive the very God you oppose is insanity, not to mention blasphemy. It's sort of like joining PETA and working at a slaughter house at the same time.
E.J. makes a selective reference to one specific sentence in the USCCB's statement "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" and then ignores the rest of the 44 page document which clearly states that voting for a candidate who supports abortion is unacceptable unless all of the candidates in the race support abortion to roughly the same degree, in which case you can stay home or vote for the candidate who you think will do the least damage and/or most good in other areas (see section 36 of the document).
So I ask you, is this yellow journalism or just really, really, reeeeaaaallllly poor journalism? Either way, I'm disappointed in E.J. I hope he reads the other 44 pages of the USCCB's statement and works to "fully form" his conscience as the document suggests.
I received these photos via e-mail from a friend of mine. The e-mail said they were taken by National Guard troops heading for Iraq. I can't be sure if that's the actual origin but they are great shots so I thought I'd post 'em.
I went to OTC a couple of weeks ago to check out what's new in the Gulf of Mexico, exploration and production wise. We had to fly over to New Orleans to pick up another passenger before heading over to Houston. As luck would have it, we flew right by the Bonnet Carre spillway and one of the engineering interns that flew with us happened to have his camera.
The photo is clearer if you click on it (the Mississippi river is the portion above the spillway). After seeing the spillway open, I decided to do a little research into the history and development of this flood protection system. I found a very interesting article here with maps and photos that I thought did a good job of explaining just that.
WWJND (What Would Jack Nicholson Do): "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps, posting anti-oil garbage on the internet using the very energy I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you," and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest that you sell your car and live in a yurt. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!" [paraphrased from "A Few Good Men"]
I guess providing energy for the entire planet does not make one popular, at least not as popular as other things which seem to require no positive and/or measurable results...
Update 5/19/08: It seems I forgot to link to the article (now linked above).
A pro life organization called Pointers for Life set up a "Cemetery of the Innocents" display on the Campus of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. The display was approved by the University and all of the appropriate paperwork was completed, however one student senator took it upon himself to begin ripping the small crosses from the ground and flinging them about in a fit of self righteousness. You really need to check out the video on YouTube (I would have embedded it but the code was removed from YouTube). You can read the story here.
I would love to simply rant about this but I guess if I am to live my faith I have to urge everyone to pray for this STUPID JERK!
Did a little rigging on my kayak this evening. Nothing revolutionary, just a couple of rod holders added to the crate in back. My kayak came with built in rod holders but the rods would stick out at an odd angle and get caught in various obstructions while fishing. I think having them stored vertically will be much less of a hassle.
I also took a picture of my setup for storing my yak. Probably not the best idea to hang the thing from the ends but it works, it's out of the way and it was easy to install. Just a couple of those big self tapping hooks used for storing bikes (good for 150 lbs) and a couple of quick release nylon straps (the same ones I use to secure the yak to the trailer) and you're done.
Anchor trolley install should be next. I'll put up some pictures of that as well. If anyone knows of any good kayak fishing sites let me know, especially in this area. I've already linked to BCKFC.
Now's the time to join CCA and enter the STAR Tournament if you haven't done so already. Great prizes, boats, trucks, etc. Proceeds will help ensure that future generations have a place to fish.
This genius tried to forge a check from his girlfriends personal account for $360,000,000,000.00 (that's $360 billion in case you get lost in all the zeros). I would pay money to see the security tape of this attempted transaction.
"Do you want that in $20's or $100's?"
"I'll have to check the balance on this account for sufficient funds. Our overdraft protection policy only covers transactions up to $359 billion."
"If you deposit your $360 billion with us today you get a free toaster!"
I only read the title of this story and I knew we'd be in there somewhere. We're losing miles of coastal wetlands every year. It's really a shame that so few people know or care.
Here's an interesting hypothetical questions for all you devout Catholics and pro-lifers out there. If B. Hussein Obama and Hillary Clinton were both pro-life and McCain was pro-choice, how would you vote?
I think I pulled my medulla oblongata trying to bend my mind around this one.
Sure, her threat was predicated on Iran attacking Israel first but wow! Them's some strong words. Don't take my word for it, see for yourself.
So I guess her plan is to dust off those old ICBM's laying around from the cold war and get some use out of them. Really? No U.N. approval? Seriously? No exhaustion of all other means of peaceable resolution? 'Cause it seems like I heard that somewhere before. No building up of a vast coalition of nations? No? She's just gonna push the button and vaporize an entire nation, eh? You know, this sounds COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from what I expected her to say based on her position on the war we are currently fighting. Well, I guess that's her way of avoiding sending any more American troops overseas. Or maybe she's just after their oil.
While she's at it, she should also promise to rid the world of cancer if she were elected president. Oh yeah! She could just nuke the whole planet killing everything on earth, cancer and all. I mean, that's only if she wanted to keep her campaign promises, which is another issue entirely.
The Backpacker in Lafayette, LA is having a "pool day" to demo their kayaks and canoes this weekend. What is a "pool day" you ask? Basically, they set up a giant above ground pool in the parking lot and let people paddle around in it trying out various boats. They've got a pretty good selection of boats so I think I'll try to be there. They also have a schedule of upcoming events for Lafayette and Baton Rouge on their web site.
This Friday, April 18, 2008 at 7 pm at St Pius Auditorium in Lafayette, LA, Clayton Bower will be speaking on the origins of the Bible. Also, this Saturday Morning April 19, 2008 at 9:00 AM, a Breakfast session with Mr Bower will held at Ground Pati (on Kaliste Saloom). A FREE breakfast will be served at 8:30 AM.
A bit of backgound on Mr. Bower: He is a Catholic apologist from San Diego who is in high demand across North America. He is featured on EWTN's affiliate, St Joseph Radio. His multi-media programs typically include a combination of art, music and live lecture. He is a graduate of Boston University, holding a degree in Sociology with a specialization in Demographic History. He has studied Theology, Patristic's, and Scripture at St John's School of Theology in the Archdiocese of Boston.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi kisses the hand of Pope Benedict XVI while at the same time working tirelessly to promote values which are entirely at odds with Catholic teaching. This photo should appear in the dictionary (or at least wikipedia) under "Hypocricy". I don't think I've ever seen a better example. Seriously, look at the definition of the word and tell me this isn't it.
Just when I'm coming around to the Pope's way of thinking regarding the war in Iraq, I've got to go and find this...
Needless to say I am offended, but more importantly I (and all Catholics) are being singled out as targets of an Islamic holy war. This is not the same as terrorists targeting "America". Sure I'm an American and I like to think that I'm patriotic, but there are many differing opinions on every subject in this country. There is no longer any identifiable common philosophy that unites all Americans. So when terrorists target "America", we can each take some degree of false comfort in the fact that the terrorists must be angry with, "those other Americans".
This is simply not so with my religious beliefs. There are no "other Catholics" for the terrorists to target. When Yunis Al-Astal threatens the Catholic Church, he is threatening me personally, along with my family, friends and community. I choose to be Catholic because I believe the Church's teachings to be the truth. I am always open to discussion on matters of theology (although I'm certainly no expert) and I condemn no one for their beliefs in other religions. Likewise, the Catholic church is always open to theological discussions with other religions and engages in such discussions frequently. To the contrary, Islam is saying to Catholics (indeed all "infidels"), "Convert or die!"
Does this ultimatum really leave us any choice? On one hand, I hate the thought of any more of our young soldiers suffering the same fate as Joseph Richard and the thousands who have lost their lives before him. On the other hand, I find it hard to cling to the notion that "engaging in positive dialog about multiculturalism" will keep a growing, borderless nation of Saladin wannabe's from taking this fight to my children's doorstep.
Headed out to Hog Bayou yesterday. Wind was blasting out of the North and the current was really moving and the water was filthy from Hackberry to Holly Beach. Anyway, those are all of my excuses as to why I caught no fish and I'm sticking to 'em! One day I'll figure out what the guides all seem to know...
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