Save the Pigs

Apparently the pigs of the USA have revolted against the horrible name "Swine Flu" indicting them as killers and sick bearers the world over.

Thankfully, the United States Government has stepped in to help save them from the humiliation of it all. Instead of "Swine Flu" we are now supposed to call this rabid disease the H1N1 Virus. Thank you Congress! I am glad you have nothing better to do then to help the poor pigs- and give us really long names that are hard to say.

Cry Baby

Idaho's Governor, Butch Otter, (yes, that is his name) is living up to my expectations. His latest move is to veto everything that ends up on his desk (35 bills so far) and keep the state legislators in session until he gets what he wants.

The Governor wants to raise the gas tax and the state lawmakers keep voting it down. The Governor says he won't back down and will continue to veto everything until they pass what he wants. Real mature.

This has, so far, been the second longest running session in Idaho and it is costing the tax payers $30,000 a day to keep it going! Apparently this doesn't matter to Governor Otter.

What makes me so angry is why do we have state legislators who vote on things when the Governor won't respect what they decide? Instead the Governor tries to bully them to do what he wants. It just doesn't seem right to me.

99 Things You Can Do Outside - Happy Earth Day!

1. Make maple syrup.
2. Stand under a redwood/sequoia.
3. Ski down a mountain.
4. See a saguaro cactus.
5. See an alligator in the wild.
6. Find a shell on a beach.
7. Skip a rock on a lake.
8. See a sunrise.
9. Pick an apple from a tree.
10. Grow a sunflower.
11. Sleep under the stars in a sleeping bag.
12. Find the Big Dipper.
13. Climb a sand dune.
14. Walk in the rain with or without an umbrella.
15. Find a fossil.
16. Take a photo of the Grand Canyon.
17. Go to the lowest point of North America-Badwater, CA
18. See a raptor fly.
19. Be able to identify ten birds.
20. See a mushroom.
21. Visit a tide pool.
22. Visit a volcano.
23. Feel an earthquake.
24. See a tornado.
25. Experience a hurricane.
26. Catch snow on your tongue.
27. See a deer in the wild.
28. Touch a dolphin.
29. Go ice skating on a pond.
30. Go fishing.
31. Go snorkeling.
32. Whittle a stick.
33. Gather chicken eggs.
34. Milk a cow or a goat.
35. Ride a horse.
36. See a moose.
37. Gather acorns.
38. Pick berries and eat some.
39. Watch a lightning storm.
40. Build a campfire.
41 Press a flower.
42. Use binoculars to spot a bird.
43. Identify five wildflowers.
44. Take a photo of Half Dome.
45. Find a piece of obsidian.
46. See a tumbleweed.
47. See a wild snake.
48. Watch a spider spin a web.
49. Climb a tree.
50. Get lost on a hike.
51. Watch ants in a colony.
52. Hatch a butterfly.
53. Climb a rock.
54. See the Continental Divide.
55. See the Northern Lights.
56. See a bear in the wild.
57. Dig for worms.
58. Grow a vegetable and then eat it.
59. See a bat flying.
60. Feel a sea star.
61. Swim in the ocean.
62. See a geyser erupt.
63. Walk in the fog.
64. Observe a bee.
65. Find a bird’s nest.
66. See a beaver’s den.
67. Go whale watching.
68. See a banana slug.
69. Stand on the edge of a cliff.
70. Blow a dandelion.
71. Throw a snowball and build a snowman.
72. Cook an egg on the sidewalk...can you actually do that?
73. See a lightning bug. Or do you call it a firefly?
74. Visit a cave.
75. Make a sandcastle.
76. Hear a cricket.
77. Catch a frog.
78. Watch for the first star in the evening.
79. Smell a skunk.
80. Feel pine sap.
81. Feed a duck.
82. Learn to use a compass or GPS.
83. See a buffalo.
84. Get wet in a waterfall.
85. Swim in a lake.
86. Walk on a log.
87. Feel moss.
88. Jump in a pile of leaves.
89. Fly a kite.
90. Walk barefoot in the mud.
91. Hear a sea lion bark.
92. Hear a coyote.
93. Pan for gold.
94. Crack open a nut.
95. Go snowshoeing.
96. Feel a cattail.
97. Smell a pine forest.
98. Sit under a palm tree.
99. Walk across a stream on rocks.

How many have you done?

New Democratic National Committee Ad

When can I move to Afghanistan

A controversial law that critics say legalizes marital rape is unconstitutional and leads toward the "Talibanization" of Afghanistan's legal system, according to a petition signed by dozens of Afghan ministers, lawmakers and officials.
The law, quietly passed and signed last month, has stirred international outcry over women's rights. The law says a husband can have sex with his wife every four days unless she is ill, and it regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave home alone.

What only four days? We women can do it at least every four hours if we have to. Why not make us do it at least once a day? Why give us four days? We can run away and have an affair with our neighbor in four days. We can go to the store, go to work, take the boys to school and let our daughters sit home and knit, oh but wait that's only if we can leave the house. Which now in Afghanistan we can't.

Hmm, that's progress for you. Glad we've Americanized that country. At least these women are taking to the streets. Now that's a protest I can believe in.

Hmm, this guy looks suspicious...

Never judge a book by its cover - part two

I had to put this on both sites I like it so much. Wonderful stuff!


EMBED-Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more free videos


I Dreamed a Dream (from Les Miserables)

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame.

And still
I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather…

I had a dream my life would be
So different form this hell I’m living
so different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.

The Best Waterboarding in the Caribbean!

On her blog, Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza after visiting the Guantanamo Bay detention facility called it "a relaxing, calm, and beautiful place."

Hmmm...perhaps she should return to her modeling career.

I'm so happy she represents our universe.

I'm so sick of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I borrowed this from the thinking site, I wasn't going to because at first I didn't think it was appropriate (sorry Judi I know how much you like Mr. Beck) but now, I am so sick of the whining I just can't take it any more. This whole tea party thing is nothing more than an outlet for anti-government wackos to get in the paper and on tv. Fox News has clearly blurred the lines between journalism and advocacy. Never seen anything so "fair and balanced" in my life. Wasn't the original Boston tea party in essence a rebellion against tax breaks for big corporations!! Isn't that the Republican mantra? Their battle cry against the government? Because that's what these protests are: anti-government and anti-taxes. Truly America at its finest. What a proud moment for Republicans. It's nothing more than political posturing. And like Peter said, these people are protesting in public parks paid for with tax dollars. Wonderful. Give me a break!!

My sentiments exactly...

This commercial is from Canada, but I believe it mirrors the belief of many of us poor folk here in the US of A.



Happy tax day. May we all recover with our parts intact.

Happy Easter!!

This is a great contest if you like these as much as I do! See here for some funny pictures.

A disturbing trend in wildlife (courtesy of my mother-in-law, who loves me even if I am a Democrat)

The photo below captures a disturbing trend beginning to affect wildlife in the U.S.

Animals, formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of belonging to the Democratic party. They have apparently learned to just sit and wait for the government to step in and provide for their care and sustenance.
This photo is of a Democrat black bear in Montana nicknamed 'Bearack.'

Hmm, are you sure that's what he's doing? Looks more like he's just trying to find a place to live, and food to eat. His former home is now a parking lot next to an oil field. But still, isn't he cute??

A Child's Version of the Constitution

Each member of my daughter's fifth grade class held a practice version today, which I attended, of their oral reports on the Constitution. Next week each panel of five will read their reports in front of three judges for a final grade. These projects are completely done at school with no parent help whatsoever, other than their practice time at home. They work very hard on these and performing in front of groups can be stressful for some. I was immensely proud of all the ones I saw read theirs today.

Upon completion of each panel's reports, the teacher allowed for a question or two to be asked by the parents. One father inparticular (an annoying father I might add), took issue with one boy's comments on who the signers of the Constitution were, and who they weren't. Specifically, the boy said in his report, that many groups of people were excluded from contributing to this document. American Indians, for one, women, poor people, etc. The father asked, weren't these men that signed this important piece of paper the best and brightest that we had to offer at the time? The boy didn't know what to say, and the teacher had to butt in and offer an explanation, like the one I just said, Indians, women, etc, were originally left out, but gained more rights under it later.

If my thermostat wasn't so out of whack of late, I might've said something, but we were in a child's classroom and it was not the time or place for debate. But still, I whispered to my friend sitting next to me. I was under the impression, while they were smart, intelligent men, they were mainly white, rich land owners. They were hardly a composite slice of what was America at the time. Just because you're rich are you always considered the best and the brightest? I'm sure there were plenty of extremely intelligent people who would've contributed nicely to this famous document, but because they were poor, female or of a different race they were excluded. That's just a fact. Let's not sugar coat it.

Oh, but wait, if women would've been allowed to participate it would've injected too much unnecessary emotion into the whole process. There might've even been tears shed, instead of blood. Or at least that's what these ya-hoos are saying here. But beware before you read it, actual brain cells may die because of it.

I needed to vent. My Bp's well below stroke level now, so I feel better. Sort of.

Get What You Deserve

I was watching TV the other day and I saw a Rent-a-Center commercial that said, "Come in and get the furnishings you deserve!" I was a little shocked by this because I had thought (mistakently, obviously) that we had learned our lesson with this whole economic meltdown: If you can't afford it, you don't "deserve" it. Isn't that what got us into this mess in the first place?

The more I thought about this, the more I am realizing that this idea of spending more then we earn, that we are entitled to flat screen TV's and large cars, is somehow ingrained in our culture. Perhaps I am the last person in America to realize this shocking cultural phenomenon, but I- like I know all of you- was raised to believe that if you can't pay for it, you can't get it (hence, we went without a lot).

Is it just me, or does it seem strange that advertisers are still using the sneaky lines today that they used 5 years ago- that even in the midst of an economic crisis, we are entitled to nice furniture? I do not believe this is a political issue, but rather a societal issue- and one that needs to be changed! We have talked about the economy on a political level, but I guess in this post I am thinking more in terms of or society as a whole, and I have two questions:

1. How did we get to thinking we deserve things we can't afford?
2. How do we teach our children that spending more then you earn is an incorrect principle when so many around them are doing just that?

I am tempted to write Rent-a-Center a letter.