Tag: Family

About that mine tragedy in West Virginia

I just wanted to post something here to all my readers. I noticed that not too many Bloggers on my side of the political fence have said anything about this.

Well, once again, I will be the one to do it.

Politics is one thing, real life is another.

Losing someone to a tragedy such as this, is unimaginable. Unlike some on the left, I will NOT bring my personal politics into this. But I will say that I personally feel for this people. Mining is in my family too; sort of. My Father is from Middlesboro, Kentucky. Back when he was a young man, he drove a tri-axle dump truck down in his home town. He worked out of a strip mines down in that town. Oh, the stories he would tell, about Hazards of driving those trucks. Some of the stories were side splitting tales, some were quite scary.

Anyhow, my heart goes out to these people during their time of loss. This is where I will also deviate from my normal hard line Conservative stance, and say the following; which most likely will not do anything for my Conservative creds. Not that I quite honestly give a damn about that anyhow.

It would be a crime, if I did not mention the fact that this mine was, in fact, a non-union mine. Because of that, the safety record of this mine, was, in fact, terrible. Unions; for all their short-comings and horrible politics, are the best defense against companies who want to cut corners and allow their employees to work in unsafe conditions. I honestly believe that if the union that my Father was represented by at G.M. had not been there, my Father would have been dead ages ago. For those who are just passing through, my Father is a retired G.M. Worker and is represented by the U.A.W. The Union forces the big business owners to a very high standard of safety and if the companies do not adhere to them, they simply will not allow their employees on the job. Which I feel is a very good thing. Equipment can be replaced —- Human Lives cannot.

There are some possibly of the right, that might say my bringing this up is morbid or something silly like that. Well, too bad. As they say, all politics is local; and this my friends is a local, personal issue for me. One of the nicest things I read, was the fact that even though this mine was non-union, the President of the Union miners was sending a team of people up to the site, to offer their assistance. Because it is the human and responsible thing to do. That is what normal, sane, rational Americans do, when their fellow man is hurting. They put partisan differences aside and come together. I bet some in the world of Political Blogging could learn something from that; on both sides of the aisle.

Again, my and my family’s prayers go out to the people of MONTCOAL, W.Va. tonight.

Update: Video confirming what I wrote above:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Video: America's Comeback

This Comes via The Other McCain:

RGA 2009 Chairman’s Report

Republican Governor’s Association HQ

The revolution starts today. What are you doing?

Yes, there is a such thing as good gun control

….and this is it right here:

An Orange County man is recovering after a shootout in front of his home.

It happened around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1800 block of Pomegranate Court.

Police said the homeowner, Dave Henry, had just returned home from work and was pulling into his garage when he saw a suspicious car near his home.

That's when they said two suspects got out of the car and tried to rob the homeowner.

However, Henry pulled out his own gun and a shootout started.

One of the suspects, identified as David Lee Butler, 37, was shot and killed by Henry. The other suspect got away.

Police said Henry had a concealed weapons permit and is not facing any charges.

via Homeowners Kills Attempted Robber – Central Florida News 13.

The video that is at this story location says the home owner is in the hospital; but is expected to make a full recovery. If it were left to the liberals, this man would have been robbed or dead; or even maybe both.

Thank the Lord God in Heaven for that wonderful second amendment. 😀

Others: The Jawa Report

Finally: Rielle Hunter speaks

I know, I could write this as a snark filled smarty pants sounding blog posting. But, I do try to be better than that.

It seems that Rielle Hunter has decided to speak. There are some interesting bits to this interview; I highly suggest that you do go read it.

Some excerpts:

Let’s start at the beginning. February 2006. How did you meet him?

I met him on a street corner. [laughs] A lot has been written that I met him inside the

Rielle Hunter - Now tell me you wouldn't tap that! I would!

Regency [hotel in New York City], that I walked over to his table. That is all 100 percent fiction. I saw him in the Regency, in the Library, which is the restaurant-slash-lounge. And he saw me. And it was a mutual unusual staring going on. There was an instant and odd connection that we both felt. Like, “I know you, you know me, who are you?” Anyway, he then got up and left.

So you didn’t approach him in the Regency?

No. One thing I’ve learned about relationships and men is that you can never walk across the room for a man. If a man is attracted to you, he needs to take the first step.

Did you know who he was?


I did not know who he was.

Really?


I did not. The John Edwards I saw in 2004 on TV I believed to be a disconnected, two-dimensional-geek kind of guy. And the man sitting across the room was not that at all.

Then what happened?


He got up and left, and Josh Brumberger [one of his aides] left with him. But the other person they were with—a donor, a lawyer named Tony—stayed. And when they left, my friend went over and asked Tony if that was John Edwards, and he said yes. And my friend turned to me and said, “See, I told you it was John Edwards.” And then I came over to the table, and I said, “I can’t believe that was John Edwards; he’s so hot. He’s really got it going on. He’s got something unusual about him, and I never would have recognized him.” And Tony said, “Oh, my God, you should have come over and told him that. He would have loved to have heard that.” Anyway, my friend and I stayed there, and we had another friend come join us. And then Josh came back. And when I went to the restroom, I stopped at Josh’s table and gave him a card and got Josh’s card. I did that because my friend really wanted to work for John Edwards. So I gave Josh a card. And my card, by the way, never said truth seeker on it.

What did your card say?


It said rielle hunter. being is free.

And that was because—


It was the Web site that I had. Which is a whole other topic. Anyway, when my other friend came—she was about to get married, so it was all about that. There was no more talk of John Edwards.

The fact the she is even speaking out, is pretty brave in my opinion and the stuff she goes on to say in the interview about Elisabeth about confirms what I and many others have suspected about the woman. Although, I will be honest with you. Rielle Hunter does tend to seem to be “In the tank” for Edwards, she sees him as a victim in all of this, which is, in this writers opinion; laughable.

All in all though, if you can get past the stupid liberal bullshit of, “Oh I was spiritually attracted to him!” which sounds like some idiotic giggling schoolgirl nonsense; it is not actually a half bad read.

There’s more:

And that president thing, whatever.
Yeah. So I said, “I can help you.” And he said, “I want your help. I need your help.” And he told me how to contact him [at the Regency]. He said, “Please call me.” I said, “How long are you staying?” He said, “Until tomorrow morning. Please, call me. Call me.”

What did you mean by “I can help you?”
That I could help him see who he is instead of what he’s not. The person standing in front of me was not the person they were selling, or his public persona. He was completely opposite from his public persona.

So it’s not like you were thinking, I can help you by videotaping the campaign?
No.

You were thinking—
That I could help him become more integrated so that people could see that he had it going on.

And you knew that in the first few seconds?
Upon sight. So I called him about a half hour later. And I got a voice mail in the room, so I hung up. Did not leave a message. Because I did not know what was appropriate. I knew he was married, and I didn’t know if his wife was with him, you know; I didn’t know what was appropriate. And this was not—there was no sexual intention here at all.

Really? C’mon.
None. I really just thought I could help him. So I hung up. And about ten minutes later, my cell phone rang. And I looked down, and I said to my friends, “What is this number?” One of my friends said, “That’s the Regency.” And I said, “He’s calling me back? I didn’t even leave a message. How is he calling me back?” And he, you know, star-69’ed or whatever the caller ID was. And he left me this message, “Hi. Call me. I really want to hear what you have to say.”

So…

Rielle Hunter - Who obviously did not swallow

So I called him back. And he said that he really wanted to hear what I had to say. Would I mind, um, meeting him in his room? And I said, “No, I wouldn’t mind at all.” And the reason I wouldn’t is because he’s a celebrity. I have a lot of celebrity friends, and I know their rules are different. Also, it felt completely familiar, like I’d known him all my life. Anyway, so I said, “Let me eat my Caesar salad, and I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” And I said to my friends, “I’m going over there.” And it was funny, because they were like, “You cannot sleep with him! You cannot sleep with him, because you can help him!” And I said, “I am not going to sleep with him.” I gave them my word: “I won’t sleep with him.” [laughs] And so I went over to his room, and I walked in, and I. Was. Terrified.

Why terrified?
Because I had never experienced anything like what was flowing between us. I sat on the other side of the room. I wouldn’t go near him. And he kept saying [she mimics his southern drawl], “What are you doin’ over there? Come over here. I can’t even see you. Come closer. I won’t bite you.” I was just—there was sooo much attraction and sooo much… I want to say love, but it wasn’t love at that point. You know, it was just this, this magnetic force field like I had never experienced. It terrified me. Absolutely terrified me. And, um, I eventually walked over to his side of the room. [laughs] He was pretty relentless. And that’s all I’m gonna say on that! Now fade to black!

Oh, don’t fade to black now.
I used to make a joke that I could have helped save the world, but I had to sleep with him. You know? It was kind of like that.

So there you have it. The crux of what this woman is about. Fell in love with him, had his kid and now is the “Third Woman.” It is good work, if you can get it. I bet Edwards is thinking, “If only she had swallowed…” 😯

I must confess, I’d hit it; hell yes, But I would wear about 5 condoms, and she would be on the pill.

Also, there is a great deal of talk about “Poor Elisabeth” and such. I must confess, I have zero sympathy for her at all. Because it is quite obvious that Elisabeth was not keeping her man happy. That relationship had broken down, somewhere along the line, and John was looking for some tail, because he was not getting it from his wife. That is quite clear. So, While I do pity her, that she is dying at all. But this whole thing could have and would have been avoided, if Elisabeth had been treating John right. Just that simple. I make zero apologies for feeling that way.

It is a fact of human nature, if a woman is getting her due share of sex from her husband, she will see it elsewhere. Same goes for women, they will do the same thing; and please, do not try and hand me that crap about Christians not doing much things, or Conservatives either. Because I happen to know, that is a bunch of bull as well. In fact, the man who was my youth Pastor back in the 1980’s, when I was growing up in Southwest Detroit; did the same thing. She was not getting it from her husband and she sought out another man. Ended up marrying him too. So, that line is out with me. As far as Conservatives go, Newt Gingrich is perfect example.

Sorry, but real life called

As I sit here at 6:15 a.m. I feel I should explain my absence from blogging last night.

I was a bit busy. Ended up getting a new cable box. Comcast wanted to replace the old one, here’s a pic:

Old Cable Box

Here’s the new one:

Tiny little thing, ain't it?
Another shot of the Tiny New Cable Modem Box

Here’s a wide shot of the Modem Box, Wireless Router and 8 Port Wired Router. All are Linksys. Modem Box is an RCA.

The internet crap stack

Pardon the dust and the mess. I am a guy after all. 😉 😛 😀

So, that is what I was up too after about 4:00, Internet techy got here at about 4:50. He swapped out the boxes. Smart guy, was African-America or as some call it; black. Quite smart and very friendly. I did not mention what I do on the internet.

So, anyhow, he left, I putzed around getting everything back up and running; so my parents wouldn’t go into Facebook games withdrawal. Then it dawned on me, I was freakin’ starving. So, I grabbed a little bite to eat. By then it was around 6:00 or so. My Dad had an eagles club meeting, so, I was designated dinner picker upper. So, I did that, ate my supper. Then, dad arrived home and then asked me to go get him some of those Swisher Sweet Cigars, strawberry flavored, that he just loves to smoke… (The man is a weirdo….). I went to the usual place and they, naturally, were out. So, I went back home and informed him he’d have to go find them elsewhere.

By this time it was 8:30, and I watched what little of Bill O’Reilly’s show that I was able to watch. By 9:00 I was beat to hell. I zonked out. Slept heavy too. Woke back up around Midnight and took my meds. I also woke up hungry enough to eat a small horse. So, I grabbed a snack. A big mac and a small fry only goes so far. 😉 So, Anyhow, I’ve been awake ever since. I am starting to yawn here. So, I’ll most likely lay down here for a few hours and grab some shuteye and be up later on this afternoon. It isn’t like there’s anything earth shattering happening anyhow.

So, apologies to those who were wondering where I was. Once and while I do have a life and do have to attend to other matters. 😀

Breaking News, Massive Snow Storm Lands in my neighborhood

and of course, I have video:

and pictures too!

Yes, We were hit by a snow storm
Nothing we Michigan people cannot handle.. (well, some of us!)
Yes, that is as cold as it looks. Especially that WIND... Oy!
Snow Shovels and Fishing Poles --- You can obviously see where my Dad's priorities are at.
A sure sign of Certified Hillbilly, A box fan on a front page, In the middle of winter! 🙂
A left over from the days when I actually worked for a living. My Briefcase. It is a truckers dream. I put every damn thing in that briefcase. I miss those days of driving... 🙁
Dad's truck. My Car was down the street on the side road, Snow Emergency and tickets cost money
Ye old backyard, Cold and quite snowy...

Washing Machines, My Father and Me

I received a rather rude awakening this morning. Keep in mind; I did not get into the bed until 4:00 in the morning. Well, anyhow, I woke to an very odd sequence of events this morning. First, I heard my friend Matt’s voice. Nothing odd about that. I had left my VHF Amateur rig turned up by mistake. The next thing I heard was very strange.

I awoke to what sounded like a witch doctor having a fist fight with a Rhino. (I was half asleep…) Actually, it was my parents Washing Machine having a seriously bad morning. Sounded like something to the effect of…..”Thumpa-thump-thump thump BOOM BOOM! —- Thump-a Thump Thump BOOM BOOM!”, that’s when I really started wondering what the heck was going on. —– Keep in mind, I heard all of this stuff, over the sound of a box fan, running on full bore high speed — in my room. Which I must absolutely need to have, in order to sleep. It’s a HillBilly thing, I don’t understand it one bit. But my cousin does the same stuff; so, I know it is just not me. (So there!  😛 )

So…. I got outta bed and fumbled around, put on my glasses and proceeded to stop the fist fight in the laundry room.

I would blame my Dad, he put the load in…. But! I doubt it was his fault. Either that Washing Machine needs to be leveled or the load decided that bipartisanship just was not an option or something.

Needless to say, It is going to be a long day. 🙄

A bit more on the Gun Scopes and Bible Verses

Yes, I do know what I wrote here. I assumed everyone would know this, but in case not; I was referring to the Arabs who attacked us on 9/11 and those who are down with the whole idea of Jihad, not all of them.

However, I happened to read something over at a blog, of who’s author has criticized me in the past. Which, by the way, is his right to do. Anyhow, I happened to read this here and I felt the need to quote it here.

Ed Brayton writes about a message sent to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation:

To: Mikey Wenstein and MRFF:

I am a U.S. Army infantry soldier with the rank of (rank withheld). I am married with children. I am stationed at Fort (installation name withheld). I have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times. I have been awarded medals for direct combat engagement as well as for injuries and wounds received in hand-to-hand combat. I am a Muslim American. My family converted when I was very young. I am caucasian and have a last name that does not sound ethnic. Therefore, few of my fellow soldiers know that I am a Muslim. My wife comes from a Christian tradition but rarely practices or attends church. I have witnessed terrible religious persecution in the my (number withheld) years in the Army. Most of it comes from “angry” conservative Christians in my unit chains of command and occasionally from my fellow infantry soldiers. I am very familiar with the Trijicon ACOG gunsights and have often had them as part of my personal weapons; both my M-4 and my M-16. In my first 2 deployments I saw and experienced no incidents regarding the New Testament bible quotes that are written on the metal casing of the gun sights. Many soldiers know of them and are very confused as to why they are there and what it is supposed to mean. Everyone is worried that if they were captured in combat that the enemy would use the bible quotes against them in captivity or some other form of propaganda. As an American soldier I am ashamed that those bible quotes are on our primary weapons. As a Muslim American I am horrified. As one who swore his oath to the Constitution, I am driven to fight this Christian insanity but I know if I try to do so in a visible way that I will suffer at the hands of my military superiors. I am of low enlisted rank and can be crushed easily. I am prepared to suffer, but I am not prepared for my wife and children to suffer. So I have reached out to MRFF because there is nowhere else safe to go to try to fight this thing of disgrace. There are many other soldiers who feel as I do. Many are Protestant and Catholic and they fear reprisal just as much as I do for trying to stand up to the Christian bullies in uniform who outrank us. But if you try to fight back, you are not “asking” for trouble, YOU ARE IN TROUBLE from the start. And if you are a Muslim American, the hatred is always just below the surface and ready to explode at a moment’s notice. After the Fort Hood shootings, it was so bad, even for a low profile Muslim like me, that I had to ask MRFF for help.

Nothing in my first 2 deployments prepared me for what happened with the Trijicon ACOG gun sights during my 3rd deployment to Afghanistan. I will never forget the day it occurred. It was morning and there was a mandatory formation of several companies. A very senior NCO was yelling at us which is not that unusual. He asked a private what it was that he (the private) was holding in his hand and the private said it was his “weapon” several times to which the senior NCO replied “and what ELSE is it”? FInally, the senior NCO said that the private’s rifle was also something else; that because of the biblical quote on the ACOG gunsight it had been “spiritually transformed into the Fire Arm of Jesus Christ” and that we would be expected to kill every “haji” we could find with it. He said that if we were to run out of ammo, then the rifle would become the “spiritually transformed club of Jesus Christ” and that we should “bust open the head of every haji we find with it.” He said that Uncle Sam had seen fit not to give us a “pussy ‘Jewzzi’ (combination of the word ‘Jew’ and Israeli made weapon ‘Uzi’) but the “fire arm of Jesus Christ” and made specific mention of the biblical quotes on our gun sights. He said that the enemy no doubt had quotes from the Koran on their guns but that “our Lord is bigger than theirs because theirs is a fraud and an idol”. As a Muslim and an American soldier I was fit to be tied but I kept it in. There were many Afghans, both civilian and military, on base within earshot of what was being yelled at us and I can only wonder in shock what they must have thought. This senior NCO was apparently also the head person of a conservative, crazy Christian group called the “Christian Military Fellowship” and made a big deal about the importance of joining to everyone. He told us all that we MUST read a book called “Under Orders” in order to make it through this combat deployment and said he had many copies for everyone. Some of my friends went and got their copies. I refused. Finally, this senior NCO ended his yelling by warning us that if we did not “get right with Jesus” then our rifles would not provide spiritual strength despite the bible quotes on our ACOG gunsights and that we would be considered “spiritual cripples” to our fellow units and soldiers. He didn’t say it in so many words, but the message was clear; if anything bad happened in a combat situation, it would be the fault of anyone who had not accepted Jesus Chris in the “right way”. I have never felt so ashamed and scared in my life. I have never hated myself so much for not speaking out. So I thought of my wife and children and endured. Every time I looked at my rifle with that Trijicon ACOG gunsight/scope with the biblical quote from the book of John (8:12), it would make me sick. If I had tried to protest, it would have made me dead. And if I’m dead I’m of no use to my wife and children.

To which Ed adds:

I’m at a loss for words. “Appalling” seems inadequate.

Now, I realize that what I wrote at the other posting was a bit rough, okay? For the most part, I was being quite snarky. Further more, I was referring to the Arabs who are in the arena of Jihad against America. Yes, I do believe that this a war of ideals and yes, it does happen to involve “Christian Americans” (Not in the sense of CHURCH per se, but rather of culture and ideals.) However, as someone that does believe quite highly in the SEPARATION of Church and State —– Yes, I do realize that the actual wording is not found in the Constitution, however, our founding fathers did believe in it and the concept is there. In fact, Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists the following:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

Thomas Jefferson believed that, and so do I. Therefore, I believe, on constitutional grounds that these sights with the scriptures on them should be removed. We must remember that there are AMERICANS fighting this war on terror, not just Christian Americans; but Muslim Americans, Jewish Americans, and Americans of ALL Faiths are fighting against a backward ideology that seeks to destroy our Country.

I realize that some Christians and some Conservatives will not agree with me and might even accuse me of being a phony for writing this. But, Hey, it is the price one must pay to stand for something that is absolutely right.

So, to Ed Brayton, I say this, you might not like me one bit and that is your right. But this time, you are absolutely correct.