We in sunny fiery Los Angeles have a Special Election coming up, November 8. It consists of propositions ranging on a number of topics. They are:
Proposition 73: Parental Notification for Abortion
Proposition 74: Teacher Tenure
Proposition 75: Public Employee Union Dues
Proposition 76: State Spending
Proposition 77: Re-districting
Proposition 78 and 79: Prescription Drug Discounts
Proposition 80: Electricity Regulations
As far as I'm concerned, I'm with Senator Tom McClintock on every single one of these issues, as should every other California voter.
These "special elections" are always a bit tricky since most people don't pay attention to them until they close the curtain on the voting booth (if they make it there at all), so they vote without any knowledge of the issues whatsoever. I'd rather people stayed home than vote ignorantly. I'm not saying stay home!! Please, read over the propositions, and vote responsibly.
Because friends don't let friends vote liberal.
I'm not one to gloat, okay maybe I am, but I have to reserve this space for a rather large I told you so!!! to all my liberal friends (see the comments re: Rove). Man it's good to be right. No pun intended (that's for you Mac). :)
Now, anyone who believes any reporter would go to prison to protect Karl Rove has now been reduced to a conspiracy theorist. Not that liberalism isn't mostly consistent of conspiracy theories (see Louis Farrakhan), but vindication is sweet. Rove is once again off the hook.
If you don't know the identity of the three people in this picture, you're extremely politically and socially unaware. Alright, I'll throw you a bone. The woman on the left is Dr. Laura. You should most certainly know who the other two are. ;-)
UPDATE: I've removed the picture because I'm uncomfortable having my image up on my website for more than a few hours. There are crazy people out there, you know. Anyhow, if you missed it and want to see me with Dr. Laura and our next Lt. Governor, I am setting up a password protected photo album of me with famous politicians and other influential people. You can ask me for the password, and I'll readily give it to you. That's all. Sorry if any were disappointed.
I think this is my all time favorite picture. The other two pictures I hope to score one of these days: Dennis Prager, President George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, Karen Hughes, Ari Fleisher, and Zell Miller. There are others, but those are priority. :) I will have a picture with Karl Rove...every right winger needs that on her mantle.
I awoke this morning to the sounds of sirens and that sound hasn't quit. It's hard to find up-to-the-minute news on the internet regarding the fires, but apparently it had doubled in size and is making its way to the Pacific Ocean. This is insane. All I care about is my friend's home. I hope to God it's okay.
Pray the winds die down. They're the kind of strong winds that you can hear howling outside your window. I have no idea how many firemen are working on this. Last I heard they added 500 more. I don't know if that means there are 1,200 now, but I'm sure it's somewhere around that number.
The worst part of the whole thing is that the fire departments knew and had warned the city that these fires would happen because of all the growth that came from our earlier rains. Gotta love the flippin environmentalists who won't let anything be done about the situation. Two years ago, when the fires all over Southern California scorched thousands of homes, it was the environmentalists' fault. You'd think we would have learned from that situation and not have allowed them to control our policies that affect thousands of lives. But no, this is Los Angeles, where ideas rule over people.
Please pray for the people in the town just next of me. I've not been outside today, but I'm sure the flames that looked like hell yesterday have only become more sinister.
Update: I've found recent photographs of the fires on this website, if you're interested.
This picture doesn't do the scene justice. To see giant flames against a black sky is something to behold.
For those of you who aren't from around these parts, I hope I do justice to the situation going on in my neck of the woods. Currently, there are over 700 firemen from our county and two others fighting horrendous fires that you can see miles and miles away.
On my way to teach my class tonight, I thought I was driving into hell. The smoke was orange as the sun set, its eerie light dispersed in the ash. I could not see the flames on my way to teach. When I left, however, the fire seemed much more intense and much more vast. I was driving at least 2 miles from the canyon that is engulfed, and I could not believe how high the flames were.
The fire outlines the San Gabriel mountains surrounding Chatsworth, Simi Valley, that head into Moorpark and Ventura County. My best friend's mom has had to evacuate her home because they can see the flames when they step outside their house. I pray that their home is spared. They've been through enough.
When the winds picked up last night our power went out momentarily, only to then completely go out for goodness knows how long because I went to bed. Los Angeles natives know that when the Santa Ana winds blow, we aren't far from having hellish fires on our hands. Two years ago was the worst we'd ever seen, with firemen from all over California needed to contain the wild fires. And they are that.
I pray these don't reach anywhere near the severity of the 2003 fires. God protect our neighbor's homes.
I'm at work, so I don't have much time to post, but I have to vent. I cannot believe Tom DeLay has been indicted!! This is such a joke. He's done nothing that senators and politicians everywhere don't do all the time. This is ridiculous. Nancy Pelosi and the rest of them should count themselves lucky that Republicans aren't as vindictive and malicious as they are. Chances are she won't be brought up on charges for doing far worse than DeLay. That's because Republicans have lives and are busy trying to solve problems, rather than find fault, punish and flog opponents.
There is such a marked difference between the left and the right. The Left are opponents of anything the right believes. The Right are proponents of what the right believes.
I'm infuriated. But alas, back to my analytical, mathematical life. More to come later.
Grrrr!!
If you've attempted to post a comment on my site lately, you might have noticed that there is a disclaimer warning that your comment will be moderated by the site owner, or something to that effect. Please don't allow this to prevent you from commenting. The only reason I have done this is because I've been getting spammed lately, and I don't want obscene or lewd URL's posted on my site. I will remove this option as soon as I start to see the spamming wane. In the meantime, your comments are sent to my email and I approve them as soon as I get them.
Just a little FYI for you.
I've just come back from a fund raising dinner for Tom McClintock's campaign for Lt. Governor. I've always been impressed with Senator McClintock, and tonight reaffirmed my support of him. The guest speaker tonight was Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who, for a public figure, was surprisingly low maintenance and very gracious to all the dinner guests. I got a picture with her and Tom McClintock. As soon as I get that from the staffer, you can be sure I'll be posting it.
Dr. Laura spoke about her upbringing, how she came into the Jewish faith (she was raised in a secular home), and why she supports Sen. McClintock. She was funny with a speech that was both eloquent and succinct. She then introduced the senator, who talked about the ills in Sacramento, the courage of the Governor to stand up to the fiscal powers at be, and his plan to change the tide of irresponsibility in politics sweeping our great state. I learned a great deal tonight. I consider myself politically aware and concerned, but I'm not nearly as informed as I should be, as I learned tonight.
I don't know how much I can be involved in the campaign, but I do plan on throwing my full support behind his run for Lt. Governor. I think he would be phenomenal in that position. I don't think he had the charisma, Hollywood charm and money that Arnold possessed, which ultimately doomed his run for Governor, but I think he has a great chance of winning this election.
I look forward to helping him achieve that end, and I will keep you apprised of all the latest happenings and important issues involving California. Here's to a great run and Senator McClintock as California's next Lieutenant Governor!
I am dear friends with two families in Houston, and I'm just praying that all is well with them. I haven't heard anything from them yet, and I'm unsure if that's good or bad. Keep Texas in your prayers. Seems cruelly ironic that they were so generous and welcoming of the evacuees from LA and now they're evacuating themselves.
My thoughts, worries and prayers are with you all.
Update: I've heard from one of my families today. They are staying in Houston. Rita is slowing down and appears not to be the devastating force once thought, so they think they'll fare just fine. I'm still praying for them. But they're fairly certain they'll be far enough inland and Rita will hit further east, so they'll be safe. Thank God.
This post was written in reference to California Senator Diane Feinstein's question to Judge John Roberts during the senate hearing in regards to his position on abortion, which, of course, at the time, was not really called that, rather it was worded in such a way that Roberts, had he not the brilliant mind that he does, might have been pinned in a corner. Here are my thoughts on that exchange, and the principle of hedging questions and coining new phrases in politics for the sole purpose of avoiding what is is.
Senator Feinstein to Judge Roberts (full transcript here--scroll down):
For me -- and I said this to you privately, and I'll say more about it in my time on questions -- one of the most important issues that needs to be addressed by you is the constitutional right to privacy.I'm concerned by a trend on the court to limit this right and thereby to curtail the autonomy that we have fought for and achieved; in this case, over just simply controlling our own reproductive system rather than having some politicians do it for us.
It would be very difficult -- and I said this to you privately and I said it publicly -- for me to vote to confirm someone whom I knew would overturn Roe v. Wade, because I remember -- and many of the young women here don't -- what it was like when abortion was illegal in America.
As a college student at Stanford, I watched the passing of the plate to collect money so a young woman could go to Tijuana for a back-alley abortion. I knew a young woman who killed herself because she was pregnant.
And in the 1960s then, as a member of the California Women's Board of Terms and Parole, when California had what was called the indeterminant sentence law, I actually sentenced women who committed abortions to prison terms. I saw the morbidity. I saw the injuries they caused. And I don't want to go back to those days.
How the court decides future cases could determine whether both the beginning of life and the end of life decisions remain private, or whether individuals could be subject to government intrusion or perhaps the risk of prison.
One thing the Left has down to a brilliant science is coining misleading phrases to mask truth and reality. One such example of this brilliance is in the case of abortion. You would be hard pressed to ever find one feminist or "women's rights activist" (see...there it is right there) call abortion, abortion, unless of course they're speaking about how horrible it was when it was illegal. Instead, you'll hear phrases such as:
"A Woman's Right to Choose." "A Woman's Right to Control Her Reproductive System." "Pro-Choice." And the list goes on ad infinitum.
But my favorite is the middle phrase: The champion cause of feminists everywhere is to protect a woman's "right to privacy" and her "right to control her reproductive system." This is laughable. Since when has a woman ever been able to control her reproductive system?! Every girl over the age of 13 can tell you she has no control whatsoever over her body. Our reproductive system controls everything about our life. It loves to store fat around our waist and hips. It can influence emotions, physical well being and the psychological well being of men everywhere.
At best a woman can simply monitor and possibly keep her reproductive system at bay, so to speak, using methods such as birth control. Even then, that doesn't control the reproductive system, it simply prevents it from taking over to an even greater extent.
This rhetoric is bogus. Any woman post puberty can tell you that there's no way we can tame the beast that is the female body. And any man, if he didn't fear for his life, would second that emotion. It's a brilliant tactic to claim that a man would remove a woman's control by denying her legal access to kill the fetus/baby living within her. And I haven't even gotten to the fact that the baby isn't part of the system, it's a product of it. That's for another day.
In the meantime, if you haven't already noticed the propaganda used by the left, specifically in this case, I hope this helps you wise up to the underhanded methods with which lefties bully pro-life individuals. Diane Feinstein might as well have asked Judge Roberts if her pant suit made her butt look big.
Whoever said you can't learn anything from television wasn't watching Law & Order. An episode dealing with the death penalty saw Claire (Jill Henessy) struggling with her conviction that "killing is wrong. Period." (I would have engaged in a serious argument with the sister after a statement like that.) She discussed the issue further with a former law professor of hers when he finally confronted her motivation for watching a lethal injection execution. He accused her of being self-righteous. She said she simply had convictions. Here follows the brilliant interchange:
Claire: Since when is having convictions a character flaw?!
Professor: When it turns into self-congratulatory depression!
Amen, sir!! And that is my quote of the day for liberals who watch from ivory towers and wallow in their contrived suffering over the plight of the American people and the world care of the Bush Administration.
Photo Credit: Simon Wiesenthal Center
Very Sad. Simon Wiesenthal, "The Conscience of the Holocaust," has died today in Vienna at the age of 96. He certainly lived a full and very productive life, managing to bring many Nazi war criminals to justice and shedding light on the evils of anti-semitism. May there be many more that spring up in his place, cut from his cloth. Rest in Peace, sir.
To learn more about him and the center bearing his namesake, visit this site.
If the editors of the Los Angeles Times are telling Democrats to confirm Roberts, our favorite liberal senators have a bit of a problem on their hands.
As last week's confirmation hearings made clear, Roberts is an exceptionally qualified nominee, well within the mainstream of American legal thought, who deserves broad bipartisan support. If a majority of Democrats in the Senate vote against Roberts, they will reveal themselves as nothing more than self-defeating obstructionists.
Senator Feinstein and the like, please take a hint from your media allies and confirm the man. You don't want the LA Times turning on you now, do you?
The Cotillion Ball! This week the hostessses are:
...."Because Everyone Is Entitled to Our Opinion."
*A little Heads Up: The latter three haven't gotten their ball post up yet, but they should be forthcoming. Check back soon.*
And Tuesdays also signify the arrival of Dennis Prager's weekly article. This week, Dennis writes of Judeo-Christian values v. the Left in terms of social justice and personal character development. It is entitled, First Fight Yourself, Then Society. In it he says,
That the Left is more concerned with social change than individual change and the Right is more concerned with individual than social activism can be seen in many areas.
Many parents, for example, measure their child's character by the child's social activism, not by his or her behavior toward fellow students. If the child has walked for AIDS, or marched for breast cancer, or works on "environmental issues," the child is deemed -- and the child deems himself -- a fine person. That he or she might mistreat less popular kids in class is not considered.
I could not agree more. I once had a conversation with someone in which they were trying to convince me that someone we knew was a good person because they volunteered at X and worked at Y. I was trying to convince my conversational partner not that the person was bad but that those activities don't measure a person's goodness. Every high school senior knows he or she needs to put those on a resume to get into a good university. It doesn't mean that they're people of strong character and integrity because they feed the homeless every once in a while. Once again, Dennis has managed to eloquently articulate feelings I've always had but never really expressed. That's why I love him so.
First Hillary capitalizes off the Katrina catastrophe. Now John Kerry. Is anyone surprised? These people are so egomaniacal it's disgusting. I can't imagine how far one has to stray from the human race to be able to look people in the eye with complete insincerity to say, "I'm so upset over this situation. But if you give me campaign money, it will help." How a politician can strive to financially gain from this disaster is beyond me. Or beneath me, rather.
One thing is clear. In addition to opposing the Bush administration for everything, John Kerry is also clearly against removing analogies from the SAT. His over-the-top style doesn't escape his use of analogies. Easy there, Senator. You might hurt yourself trying to come up with so many.
Inspired by Muzzy over at Blogizdat, I embarked on a journey to discover my true self, rather if my true self was categorized as a nerd, geek or a dork. Here are my results. :)
Pure Nerd
91 % Nerd, 30% Geek, 43% DorkFor The Record:
A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.
The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.
Congratulations!
Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in any of the following:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Professional Wrestling
Love & Sexuality
America/Politics
Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST
My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating |
Some people will do anything to speak negatively of, find fault and condemn another person. The lengths people go to to do so to President Bush ever astounds me. Emotional thinkers, if there ever was such a paradox, are some of the most unreasonable, illogical and often mean people you'll find. They're at it again, with our favorite mom, Cindy Sheehan at the forefront.
When it comes to public policy, I'm not an "if you don't have anything nice to say..." girl, but I am an "if you're incapable of contributing intelligent, reasoned evidence to a conversation, do us all a favor and lock yourself in your closet" type girl. That goes for liberals and everyone else who follows the same m.o.
My view of God as merciful is always expanded in situations such as these. For only a merciful God would allow such nonsense from His own creatures. I'd have smoted them a long, long time ago. :) Disclaimer: "smoted" is not a word and is used solely as an inside joke. I don't want any OCD proofreaders commenting on that one.
The best part about this weekend: It's over. After severe pampering, shellacking, working out, standing for hours in uncomfortable shoes and smiling for a million pictures, normalcy has returned to my life as I sit, make up-less, and work. (And, no I wasn't at the Emmy's...just a slightly smaller production called a friend's wedding. :)
Of all the things I've learned this weekend, one lesson seemed to drown out many others. That lesson is, no matter how stressful, tiring, draining an event, the better you look, the better you feel, the more you can tolerate anything that comes your way. I never thought I would pen such a shallow observation, but it's quite true. At least for women. The world could be caving in around you, but so long as you look like a million dollars, you can handle it. It's a funny thing, but it's true. And it certainly was this weekend. My feet felt deformed after standing for hours, my pocket book took a nuclear hit, and I watched as two people I've known for years (one since she was born) opened a new chapter in their life. All the accompanying emotions and physical stresses were worth it--1. because they're married now, and 2. because I looked good. :)
Onto more important things. Now that my life is resuming it's usual pace, I will be able to dedicate quality time to reading the news, caring about the news and blogging about it. I can actually check other bloggers sites! I'm so excited! I've been in withdrawal from my favorites like Blogizdat, The Night Writer, R Cubed and MacStansbury. What a sweet thing to be able to read their thoughts once again.
I'm tired of how the news is handling the Katrina disaster. I'm not reading the news any more regarding the topic. They've lost my interest. The tragedy, however, has not. I've given bags of clothing, lots of prayer and significant financial gifts to the victims through trustworthy agencies. I even went through my closet again closely analyzing what I actually wear and what a former La. resident could really use. That yielded one more hefty trash bag full of clothes. Basically, I'm tired of the whining going in in the MSM and among ridiculous, double minded, hypocritical politicians. Stop talking. Do something.
I will have a review up later today of a comedy cd. It's by a man that my family used to be very close friends with and someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for. He was my first worship leader and quite key in my musical development. And, he's hilarious. So look for that tonight.
I've gotta run. It's nice to be back.
It is very seldom that I come across an article that is truly enjoyable, especially if that article is about anything related to Hollywood. However, I've just finished reading an article on Gwyneth Paltrow by Rick Groen entitled, "Proof of Blonde Cognition." I clicked on it from Drudge because the headline quoted her as saying "I don't want to live in America." My political curiosity was the only reason for venturing into LaLaland. I love good writing and I loved this article. The author has a great sense of humor and the English language. How could anyone go wrong possessing those qualities? :) He managed to take a subject as shallow as a movie and turn it into a very thoughtful and funny piece. One that I insist must be shared with you.
Other thoughts on current affairs:
I'm really enjoying the senate hearings with Judge Roberts. I've not been able to listen to or read much, but from what I have read, Roberts is a very impressive man. He's been able to respond to prattling senators without prepared notes or notes at all. He's quite candid but keeps his own counsel when he finds it necessary. He's quite a nuisance in terms of politics. I'm sure he's driving a great number of Democrats batty by refraining from fully answering their loaded and often irresponsible and intellectually dishonest questions on issues like abortion. I'm impressed with him without knowing too much. My ignorance, however, will soon be remedied. Just not this week.
Louis Farrakhan reportedly said that the levees in New Orleans were blown up so that black people would die and rich, white people would escape to the hills. lol. This man is a joke. I'll take Jesse Jackson any day over this fruitcake. Does it strike anyone else as odd or even funny that black activists are obsessed with a strange affiliation between white people and hills? I find it very mysterious. What's it's "root cause?" Are the activists speaking out of an irrational and subconscious fear of heights? Why is this association so commonly mentioned by them? I find it all really amusing. A bit sad, but mostly amusing.
One of the most horrifying opening newslines I've read recently...
"Britney Spears has helped husband Kevin Federline multiply and replenish the earth."
Someone needs to tell Ms. Spears that not all commandments need be obeyed. ;) God help us...er...London. Some therapist somewhere is gonna get really lucky in about 18 years.
This week, I have the honor and downright pleasure of hosting The Cotillion Ball. My fellow lovely and gracious hostesses are Townhall's Mary Katherine Ham, TFS Magnum and e-Claire. All of our hostessing posts can be found at our mother ship website.
Let's get movin... This week, rather than simply posting according to alphabetical order, I'm going to post by related subject. As we've seen the terrible effects of natural disaster and remembered the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil all in one week, many of our amazing bloggers have fitting tributes, searing stabs and appropriate indictments on the two topics. We'll start with those related to September 11 and move to Katrina thereafter. Enjoy.
Holly at Soldiers' Angel is rallying some much needed attention toward the Flight 93 Memorial. She delivers an idea for a Katrina Memorial in the spirit of the aforementioned 9/11 Memorial. It's design bears a striking resemblance to the perpetrator, but it's purely by coincidence, of course, as is the gargantuan crescent in homage to those murdered by Islamic fascists. Serendipity is a funny thing, no?
Jody at Steal The Bandwagon tells, in lovely simplicity, of her Day of Rememberance. A very fitting, unpretentious post, if I do say so myself. :)
E.M. Zanotti over at The American Princess describes the thoughts, the consequences and what the future may hold for those 20 somethings who have inherited the aftermath of 9/11.
It was at that moment many of us chose sides, at that moment that many of us saw our futures flash before us, knew that as Americans, as young Americans, we were to inherit a very different world after 9:00 am than the world that existed at 7:30. We were at war, we had an enemy. We had something that we needed to do, a country that needed us, a world that was changing faster than the style of jeans, or the hot band. At that moment we chose what we would do with our lives, what our generation would be about.
Beth at Yeah, Right, Whatever reminds us of the ideology that sent two planes into the Twin Towers, one to the Pentagon and one in a field in Pennsylvania. The day may be four years behind us but the danger is still very real.
Onto Hurricane Katrina...
Deb over at TFS Magnum, my fellow hostess, rants that in a declared "state of emergency," constitutional rights seem to get chucked out the window. She reports that reporters have had cameras and other equipment confiscated by the police because of the footage they shot.
Photojournalists Covering Katrina Fall Victim To Growing Violence, Chaos This is a continuation of the End of Freedom in America. In tactics that are reminiscent of the Soviet Union, police are confiscating cameras and memory cards when photographers are getting footage of them in the act of confronting looters.
The Amazing Anchoress assures that her post entitled "Both Parties Entwined in Mediocrity" is bound to get all parties' panties entwined in a bunch, so to speak.
One of the revelations of Hurricane Katrina is that local, state and federal politics have gone from maintaining a passing acquaintance with mediocrity, in the form of unqualified people in some jobs and the misplaced expenditures of some public monies, to a full-bodied embrace of mediocrity as the norm, rather than the necessary exception. Mediocrity is becoming the many-tentacled beast that is subduing the drive and sapping the energy of our leadership and the populace in general.
It is an excellent article that puts an end to finger pointing, or rather points out that one doesn't have enough fingers to point in this situation. It's an end to the Scapegoatism Syndrome running rampant in this catastrophe, expounded on by Cassandra at Villainous Company.
It's a proven scientific fact. As our good friends at the Institute have ably demonstrated, when Things Go Wrong, the people must have a scapegoat. And not just any old Tom, Dick, or Harry will do, mind you. After all, the Bush Dynasty has a long history of causing problems in this country. As various Democratic pundits have noted, there is a near-perfect correlation between Bush-related social indicia like Crime, Poverty, Racism, Political Incorrectness, Injustice and Kitten-bouncing and the myriad social problems caused by George W. Bush.
...and that's only her intro! It's a must read.
Mary Katherine Ham, also fellow lovely hostess of the Townhall C-Log, addresses the absurd concern that evacuees and victims of Katrina might in fact be....the horror...told about Jesus as they're given food, clothes and shelter by Christian charities. Could there be anything worse? Imagine where we'd be without the charity of churches and Christian individuals, especially women like Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton. We sure as heck wouldn't have the Red Cross. Whiners should not be welcome in times like these. Which means the ACLU should be exiled. :)
Fausta, over at the Bad Hair Blog, brings some much need relief from all the bad news surrounding Katrina to give us not one, not two, but three posts reporting good things coming from an otherwise only bad situation. This pick me up is well worth the read.
Finally, Denita of Who Tends the Fires ends our ball with random musings that you are sure to enjoy.
Have a ball ladies! Click away!
Cross-posted at Cotillion.
Today is the weekly Cotillion Ball. The ladies at Annika's Journal, Girl on the Right, Merri Musings and Not A Desperate Housewife all do a wonderful job of hosting this weeks gala. All of their posts can also be found at the Cotillion Home Page.
Great job Ladies! You are some darn fine Americans.
USA Today has an article exposing the differences in the way that people are handling the disaster. It's an interesting article. It doesn't really dive into the reasons why the looters are predominantly black, but it's still worth the read.
Dennis Prager talked on the issue of the looters being overwhelmingly, if not completely all black. It's not an issue of skin color. Hispanics were the majority that looted during the Los Angeles riots. It's an issue of values, morals and ethics. It's not that white people are in any way morally or ethically or especially naturally superior to any other race. Whites gave us Nazis, Communism, and many other horrible atrocities. But clearly, the blacks who are looting don't have the moral bearing of the blacks and whites who have chosen not to loot. Desperation can do many things to a person, but even in the face of the worst circumstances a person still has control over his behavior.
Rioting and civil chaos is not only a problem in Louisiana right now, it's a problem in the mainstream media. It never ceases to amaze me that during a time of crisis and intense human suffering, some would choose to worsen that by destroying property and stealing from others. It's true that times of trial show people's character. All that to say, it's not only a physical rebellion we're dealing with. Some have chosen to wield their pen as only a crazy, wannabe drunken ninja would.
Yesterday, on the Drudge Report, there was a headline (that, for all intents and purposes, never was developed into a full fledged story) about people being outraged that Secty. of State Condoleeza Rice was at the Monty Python musical farce, Spamalot. Apparently, those who were also in attendance were outraged that she was. Does this make any sense??? The people who were there were incensed she was there. Call me smart, but that doesn't add up, Watson. She was reportedly "laughing her head off while thousands were suffering in La." I guess I should feel condemned for watching Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List yesterday. There will be no mirth, joy or anything more than half smiles, people!! None of that!
Give me a break. Yes, it's absolutely devastating what is happening right now, but that doesn't mean that we must wallow in their plight. We do things to help and keep our economy up and running as best we can. The eager masochists that are liberals can cry themselves to sleep about G.W. causing Hurricane Katrina and whatever else they need to whine about. I'm going to give my money to charity and pray that this is fully restored as soon as possible.
I would be remiss not to mention the other lunacy I read coming from the left. Look, I'm not going to say that the Right doesn't have it's loonies. But I'm pretty sure if we rounded all our loonies up on both sides, the Left would outnumber us 10 hippies to 1 redneck. No question.
This is a classic example of the rhetorical rioting that is occurring in the media. If you can call the "Huffington Post" the media. One writer, term used as loosely as the term actress would apply to Paris Hilton, told of the horrors faced by black La. residents. He says, "It is reported that black hurricane victims in New Orleans have begun eating corpses to survive." LOL. Of course he doesn't say where it was reported or if there was any validity to the story. That would be no fun. That would be responsible reporting. Why bother? The man's a nut. If you need a good and infuriating read, this is your guy. The comments are even better.
This American crisis is showing people's true colors. There are those who are looting stores, furthering pain and suffering. There are those who are heartbroken and have come to the rescue, either physically or financially. And there are those who fake their heartbreak only to curse the land that allows them the freedom to do just that. To the first and last, I say, France is accepting citizenship papers. I'll mail them to you.
The Truth Laid Bear is tracking charity contributions made by or suggested by bloggers for the purpose of helping the hundreds of thousands of hurricane victims. So far, the total's at almost $40,000. And that total comes from under 1000 blogs. You can click on the link to check out what charities other bloggers are recommending as well.
Yesterday I forgot to mention a very good organization, and checking this site today reminded me of that mistake. If you're looking to give more money to a charity, Samaritan's Purse is another excellent resource to fund; it's run by Franklin Graham if that gives you any frame of reference. There are any number of wonderful people and organizations who could use your financial support. Any charity at this point would be a good charity to fund.
My hat's off to all the bloggers who have participated so far. Our fellow American's can use all the help they can get at this hour.
Update: We're up to nearly $100,000 with only a little over 1,000 blogs participating/reporting. We're amazing!! This is very good news in very bad times. Keep giving people!
