Thanks to Houston's Channel 2 for scoping out some more dead voters on the voter rolls.  The Texas Watch Dog was the impetus of the Click2Houston report that follows.

Thursday October 8, 2008.

Local 2 investigates dead voters.

The push to register voters for this year's presidential election is breaking records.  More than 1.9 million people are registered to vote in Harris County alone.

But how many of the people listed on the voter roll are actually eligible to cast a ballot?

Investigative reporter Amy Davis shows you how hundreds of voters could sway this year's election -- voters who are not even alive.

"All-in-all, a great person, a great woman, just a wonderful person" is how Alexis Guidry described her mother to Local 2 Investigates.

"As far back as I can remember, they've always voted in the election," Guidry said of her parents.

The March 2008 Primary was no exception. Voting records show Alexis' mom, Gloria Guidry, cast her ballot in person near her South Houston home.

"It was just very shocking, a little unsettling," said Alexis Guidry.

It's unsettling because Gloria Guidry died of cancer 10 months before the March Primary.

"She'd be very upset," Guidry said when asked what her mom would think.

Trent Seibert, of Texas Watchdog, says you should be too.

"This is really disquieting. It's concerning. It's worrisome," said Seibert.

He heads up the non-partisan news group on the web.

Texas Watchdog compared Harris County's voter registration roll with the Social Security death index and found more than 4,000 matches -- registered voters that, it appears, are already dead.

Some of them, like Henderson Hill's late wife Linda, voted postmortem.

"I would like to know who did it, myself," Hill told Davis.

We don't know who used Linda Hill's or Gloria Guidry's IDs to vote, but we do know if their names had been purged from voter rolls after they died, using their IDs wouldn't have worked.

"This is a red flag. No matter where you are, this should set off alarm bells," Seibert said. "Someone needs to take a look at this."

Local 2 Investigates took the information to the Harris County Voter Registrar.

"We just kind of work with the systems that we're allowed to," explained George Hammerlein, the director of Harris County Voter Registration.

The county's system for culling deceased voters from the roll seems painfully primitive.

We watched employees clip obituaries from the newspaper and sort through probate records for names matching those on the roll. But, Hammerlein says while fraud is a concern, for his office, disenfranchising voters is a bigger one.

"We do all we can, but you know we'd rather err on the side of leaving people on the roll instead of taking them off inadvertently," he said.

But could that cautious "better safe than sorry" standard sway an election some say will be a close one?

Texas Watchdog found 4,462 registered voters who appear to be deceased.

In 2000, George Bush won the presidential election by a mere 537 votes in Florida.

"We've never had any evidence there's a concerted attempt at fraud," Hammerlein told Local 2.

But there is evidence the state agency in charge of ensuring only eligible voters can vote is not.

The State Auditor's Office conducted an audit of the voter registration system at the Secretary of State's Office last November.

Auditors identified 49,049 registered voters state-wide who may have been ineligible to vote. Approximately 23,576 may have been deceased and another 23,114 were possible felons. And they found more than 2,359 duplicate records.

The auditor did not find any instances in which potentially ineligible voters actually voted, but they wrote, "Although the Secretary of State's office has processes to identify many ineligible voters and remove them from the State's voter registration list, improvements can be made."

Almost a year after this audit, we wanted to know if the Secretary of State has made any improvements. Have they added any safeguards to the process?

No one from that office would talk to us on camera, but the Director of Elections told us, "We'd rather err in leaving someone on the roll than taking someone off."

"If there's something wrong here, if there's something amiss, this is the worst election to have that happen, "Seibert warned.

And Guidry agrees.

"I don't think it's a matter that she would take lightly," she said of her mom.

In what she calls an historic election, Guidry says her mother wouldn't want anyone speaking for her.

"I think she would definitely do all that she could just to make sure things were on the up and up."

We sent the information we showed you to the Director of Elections in Austin. She said her office refers any credible allegation of election fraud to the Attorney General for investigation.

She said the cases we presented would be felony violations.

Visit www.texaswatchdog.org for more information about how Texas Watchdog found dead voters on the rolls.

More Information:
Audit: Voter Registration System At Texas Secretary Of State
Click2Houston Politics Section

"Take Back America!  Disenfranchised Cadavers For Change.  Hope. Action. Change.  Obama '08.  Community Kickoff.  BarackObama.com.  Give The Dead A Living!"
Image courtesy of www.ThePeoplesCube.com via http://thepeoplescube.com/red/viewtopic.php?t=1803.

See:

• http://www.click2houston.com/investigates/17671375/detail.html
• http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2008/10/dead-voters-still-registered-in-harris-county/

Well, it's not for lack of interesting things going on. I'm not quite sure why I haven't been posting lately - partly that things were going pretty well for a while and I was busy and distracted and therefore less in need of pouring my guts out, and partly that I had procrastinated for so long and felt so guilty and ashamed and at a loss as to where to jump back in again that it was just too daunting to start writing again. 

Lucky for you, internets, the craptacular-ness has returned. Nothing really serious, just feeling blue and vulnerable and scared and all that.  So let's bullet, shall we?  There are lots of little things I need to catch you up on. 

• Got my period today and start Clomid tomorrow. Am freaked and excited. Am also dreading possible hormonal nightmare during our first joint family Thanksgiving - Manny's parents, sister, and BIL and my grandparents, uncle, cousin and her boyfriend. Could be good, could be ugly - 2 old ladies with dementia! Yay! As long as I don't have a hot flash or crying jag in the middle of it, it will be bearable. I think. 
• Got my period today after a week of hormonal weepiness. Feeling so raw and sad all the time sucks. Especially when I was expecting my period last weekend and kept having crazy pregnant fantasies."Maybe just one sperm jumped the turnstiles and made it to my egg the one time in the past month we actually had sex! It's possible, right? Right? RIGHT??????????????"
• Fuck, I hate my mind and her stupid tricks. 
• Read some blog by a donor conceived guy in Australia who used to be totally fine with being donor conceived until he had his own child and now he's totally against it. Fucking great. Why do I read those things? I have this idea that I need to be compassionate and open my heart to all possibilities and try to hold them all with love and tenderness, but all it really does it make me circle the bowl of doubt and freak out that I might be dooming my future child to a life of torment and anguish. Ugh.
• Support group has first meeting next Tuesday and is going AWESOMELY! I've talked to 3 women now and everyone is so happy I've made this happen. It's so good to get that kind of validation from others who are in or have been through the trenches, hearing that they need it and are grateful for the work I've done so far. I still haven't found anyone to facilitate the group, but I'm still trying. I think it'll be ok either way, but will take a lot of pressure off me if I'm not the one doing it. Must remember to take care of self...
• Women's circle is also coming together. I met with two women who have been involved in another circle for many years, and they are going to help me create a new one. I'm excited about this and am feeling way more at peace with the uncertainty of it all. It's all very wide open, which is not something I really excel at, but I'm learning to trust the process. Slowly, though. 
• It's really fall here - leaves are mostly off the trees, it's getting colder and colder every day. We might even get snow over the weekend. I like fall but the fact that it precedes a long and miserably cold winter seriously puts a damper on my enjoyment of it. 
• We have tickets to see Neil Young in a couple weeks, and I might go see Feist the night after that, too. There is an absurd amount of good music coming these next few weeks - Bob Dylan is coming in November, I think, but we were planning to be away for that weekend. Too many choices...
• All I want to do right now is drink tea, cuddle my dog, and weep. But I'll probably get up soon and start cleaning up my house and also hiding all the copies of "Creating Families" and IF books I have lying around. The last thing I need during Thanksgiving dinner is a slightly batty old lady asking me what's up with that. 

October 8, 2008

Addressing a large crowd behind a Nation of Islam Saviour's Day 2008 sign, Farrakhan proclaims,

"You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn't care anything about. That's a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking."

"Obama.  Blah. Blah. Blah."
Image courtesy of PatriotPost.US via http://albanysinsanity.wnymedia.net/blogs/2008/02/28/the-foundation-public-speaking/.

See:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OowxMcVTjTE
• http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/10/louis-farrakhan-video-obama-is-the-messiah/
• http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=77539

So last night I still wasn't sure if I could make it to work with the pain I was in. I finally decided that I would go no matter what so I could save the sick day for later. I knew it would be a fairly light day and sitting at home would probably just make me stir crazy anyway. Well, before school even started one of my coworkers was asking if I knew how many had fertilized. I told her I hadn't heard yet and that I'd let her know once I did... She stopped by again at the end of her conference period to ask. Still nothing... She saw me again at lunch, and still nothing. She said "I don't understand why you haven't heard yet. If I were you I'd be calling." So I did call. But didn't get to talk to anyone, just leave a message. After leaving the message I called N and complained to him about not having heard anything yet. He calmed me down and made me see reason (darn him! ;) ), then I went about trying to get some actual work done.

Only moments before I had a class coming my cell phone buzzed. It was them!!! As soon as I got off the phone I called N to tell him. His reaction was "Seriously? Sixteen? Are you sure?" When I confirmed he said "So how many 'tuplets' is that?" He also teased that we should tell LD we were going to transfer all of them. I said "I don't think so!" When I got off the phone with him I texted LD to let her know. Her reaction: "Oh my goodness! Yea!" I told her N's "tuplets" comment and she said "It ain't happening!" LOL

Needless to say, it was hard to concentrate the rest of the day. I forced myself to get some work done, but I sure did want to go running through the halls announcing it to the world! ;) Of course, running at that point would have been out of the question. Even if my heart allowed it, my bruised uterus would have protested. I'm still quite sore. I spent a lot of the day at my desk with a heating pad on my tummy. :(

I got home about 45 minutes ago and LD had already updated TOSS about the embaby count. So now they're all teasing that we're going to have three, or even four. To them I say "pppbbbbb!" While I realize we appear to be pretty darn fertile, I refuse to think that we could end up with more than the two we're willing to put in. God doesn't give you more than you can handle, and I don't think we could handle a litter! I don't want to be outnumbered! :o

It's been such an apropos analogy that I couldn't resist any longer.  Please enjoy my rendition below of "The Company that Created the HMO":

On a dark desperate highway, urgent need, I don’t care
Warm smell of dark side cookies, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, was shone a shimmering site
My heart grew hopeful and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for my plight
There He stood in the doorway;
Where I ignored alarm bells
Well I was thinking to myself,
’this could be heaven or this could be hell’
Then He lit up a smile and showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to “The Company that Created the HMO”
Such a lovely space
Yeah, you’ll like this place
Plenty of room at “The Company that Created the HMO”
Any time of year, yeah you’ll like it here

Your mind is definitely-twisted, he’s got a Mercedes Benz
She’s got a lot’s of expensive, pretty toys, and climbs over her “friends”
How they dance in the graveyard, sweet victim’s regret.
Some dance to remember, some would die to forget

So I called up the boss man,
’please grow you a spine
He said, ’I haven’t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine’
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the your day
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to “The Company that Created the HMO”
Such a lovely space
Yeah, you’ll like this place
We’re livin’ it up at the “The Company that Created the HMO”
What a bad surprise, kiss your hope good-bye

Mirrors show reflections,
of something you’ve grown to hate

She said ’we are all just prisoners here, you’re just one more inmate
And in the boss’s office,
They gathered for relief
He stabs you with his steely knife
In the back, your defeat

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I have to find a way to get back
To the place I was before
’relax,’ they all told me,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave!

 "But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33b If worry is your rule, let Jesus be your ruler. Allow the "streams of living water" to douse your flames of despair. When life hands you crisis, you give it Christ. Don't get me wrong, this isn't some "pie in the sky, all my problems go bye-bye" plan. Your troubles will remain, but it is the Lord who will sustain. Sorry for sounding like Johnnie Cochran in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit!" Let me remind you though, as corny as it was, it worked (at least for that trial--he wasn't so lucky just a few days ago.) Likewise, Jesus works. Despite my cheesy clichés, He truly is "the way." And though He may not take you out of the fire, He will keep you from getting burned; life is not as much about the journey as it is the destination.

 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Move your focus from your circumstance to your stance with Christ--He is the only true source of hope and joy.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.714051&w=425&h=350&fv=viewkey%3Dae1ac9f9cd9e37203565]

It's not that I think John McCain is an evil, or even just a bad man.  I believe he is a good man, actually.  But he is so volatile and I really see him as the risky choice, not Obama. 

I used to base my vote on protecting a woman's right to make decisions about her body, and that is still an important issue for me.  I do think that abortion is a selfish, self-motivated practice, and that it is a bad choice for a woman to make.  I do believe that life begins at conception.  But I am pro-choice, and if I am ever to have a daughter of my own, who wants to make that decision for herself, I feel it is very important that she have access to legitimate doctors to perform the procedure.  Abortions have been occurring for a long, long time, since even before they were legal.  But they haven't always been safe, and many women became seriously ill or even died from the procedure before it was regulated.  I fear our country is could eventually regress to a time where when a woman had to make that choice, she was making a gamble with her own life, as well.

I really don't think that john McCain is out to make abortion illegal anytime soon, though.  What I am nervous about is his healthcare proposal, the taxation of income spent on healthcare to pay for his voucher system.  I don't want to purchase my own healthcare.  Purchasing one's own healthcare means subjecting oneself to all kinds of scrutiny and additional expenses, plus the risk of having my "pre-existing conditions" disqualified from coverage.  Healthcare through my work is already expensive enough, without having to worry about being dropped from it due to rising costs, and is already enough of a hassle, without having to worry about going out and buying my own policy.  I am afraid of this new proposal, which looks to be more trouble and more expense to my family than healthcare currently is.

Sarah Palin scares me.  She's like Political Barbie, but with a closed-minded, right wing mentality which is sweetened and prettied up with her down-home accent and American girl personality.  Her cries of "He's not like us!" and "He doesn't see America the way you and I do!" sound to me like one who wants to clear the American table of those who don't share the views of her and her supporters.  The tone of these rallies has become increasingly negative and downright frightening, dancing around the issues of free speech and racism.  Perhaps the thing I fear the most about a McCain-Palin administration is that IF something were to happen to John McCain, we would have that woman in charge of our country.  OMG, just imagine how quickly we would fall!

One thing that disturbs me is the idea that if you don't support the war in Iraq, then you don't support our troops.  That couldn't be further from the truth, and it is one's right to disagree with the war.  I support our troops one hundred percent, but one thing I would like to point out is that the troops are not in Iraq to defend my right to do so.  It frustrates me when I have that thrown at me.  Whether or not we pull the troops from Iraq will have no consequence on our freedom of speech.  And the insinuation that if one does not support this war, that they are somehow anti-American, well, that is total bullshit, and is in itself a completely un-Amarican idea.

There is so much more that I feel strongly about, but this blog would be ridiculously long if I were to go into everything.  I am so wired up about this election and the suspense is killing me.  I am so thankful that the polls are favoring Barack Obama, and pray that they continue to do so, and that he is successful in the general election.  Then maybe I will finally be able to breathe again.  I have hope that our country will pull together and do the right thing, and elect the Obama-Biden ticket.  I just pray that it is not false hope.

I feel as if I have emerged into the light of day after being in a deep, dark tunnel. Except, I didn’t even know I was residing in this bleak passageway. I stopped blogging. I also ceased doing other things that make me feel whole. But, now I am feeling better. I know this because the other day, I suddenly noticed all the dust in my house and my living room rug that badly needs vacuuming. Where have I been? Why did I let my house deteriorate into this untidiness?

I am diagnosed with severe, clinical depression. My first bout with this illness took place about twelve years years ago. At that time, I ended up being hospitalized and out of work for about six weeks until medication stabilized my brain chemistry. There were two subsequent hospitalizations, each requiring that I lose time from work for another six to eight weeks, while my Read More

La luz se acostó,

Los estrellas se despertaron en el cielo,

Espero hasta el último momento para decirte,

"Te amo".

Los sueños estuvieron creados y crecen,

Creciendo como las flores de la primavera:

Las esperanzas de verde y rojo, azul y amarillo.

Tengo que esperar un poco más,

hasta las luces de la cuidad cierran,

mientras los ríos mueren, el aire vuelve oscuro,

y los animales desaparecen.

¿Este es el siglo natural? ¿Este es lo que pasa

De vez en cuando?

¿Estaré aquí hace cincuenta años?

¿Estarás?

Tengo que esperar un poco más.

]]> http://peebles.wordpress.com/?p=570 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:17:37 +0000 peebles http://peebles.fr.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/2-corinthians-32-niv-%e2%80%9cyou-yourselves-are-our-letter-written-on-our-hearts-known-and-read-by-everybody%e2%80%9d/ 2 Corinthians 3:2 (NIV), “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.”  

The problem comes in when I read about my kind of breast cancer, HER2 positive.  Although the news is encouraging the percentages on non-reoccurrences are not as good as some other forms of breast cancer.  With the treatment plan I am taking my odds of going ten years without a reoccurrence is close to 80%.  Those are not bad odds.

However, when I feel lousy physically from the chemo my thoughts turn negative.  Thoughts like I'm not going to have a very long life or ever feel healthy again invade my brain.  I become envious of people my age (54) and older whom I know are healthy and enjoying their life.  I feel like I have this albatross hanging around my neck dragging me down.

I know this negative thinking is not good for me.  I know I have to acknowledge these thoughts for what they are (stinkin' thinkin') and move on to more positive thoughts.  Sometimes it is not too hard to do.  Other times it's like climbing Mount Everest when I have no knowledge or experience of how to climb a mountain.

All I can do is to remind myself about the song from the play "Annie".  I'll hold on till tomorrow and things will be better.

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck with a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way!

Janice

http://organizebythemonth.com  (blog)

http://cutclutterwithscissors.com

Times like these put our trust to the test. Once again we are being tossed about in a huge wind tunnel, this time a failing economy, to see who will trust what. The choice is between trust in people and institutions whose bottom line is profits or trust in God whose bottom line is love. If we chose the former then our sandcastles will fall because the wind is upon us. For further explanation read the Three Little Pigs .

When we trust God we don’t fear man or his ignorant ways but we fear God because He controls everything including money. And for His true flock they have nothing to fear. When the Lord is your portion, you have everything, He is on your side, He fights for you and He is your hope. Think about that for a moment.

Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Lamentations 3:24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"

In these times and all times I chose to trust God, the One to controls the wind. That way any interaction I have with others and institutions, which it is unavoidable living in this world, I will be encased in the protection, love and the sovereignty of God. Otherwise, my life will be at the whim of the world. Ephesians 2:12

Psalm 91:2 I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."

Trusting is Hard

However, trust in God is easy to say and hard to do with sincerity and conviction. It is difficult and it takes time. It is difficult because God’s ways aren’t our ways. It takes time because trust is the fruit of cultivating a personal relationship with the God.

The majority of us lack authentic trust because most have neglected to nurture a genuine relationship built on knowledge. God is God we can’t change Him to fit our preferences though that is what we try to do. It is personal battle to trust God, because we are facing the truth that we aren’t in control. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us prefer a god that we can bribe, influence and control to some extent – in other words for us to be God. It is a battle we all face but it is worth the struggle to come to a point of surrendering to His sovereignity, because that is the only solid ground there is.

Yet, most don’t bother to really engage God and they lack a personal relationship built on knowledge as a result. They trust in a two dimensional god-like image created by their minds and when times like this come that vaporware trust is worthless. Their trust is like clothes in the story The Emperor’s New Clothes. An artificial relationship with God creating false trust can’t protect, defend, or provide. It can only leave them naked and vulnerable. Therefore their trust is in vain.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

I don’t know about you, but I want a solid trust in the True God because this world in all areas has been screaming lately – YOU CAN’T TRUST ME! Going through the trials of putting self aside is nothing compared to the reward of a real relationship with our Creator. I am fighting my fear and lack of trust in Him, how about you?

Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

How to Gain Trust

How do we cultivate authentic trust? We abide in the words that God gave us about Himself. Like a spouse, we listen, cherish and long to spend time with Him in intimate conversations in His Word. Trust comes from knowing.

God is calling us to come to Him in truth and spirit. Are we listening? Do we really care what He has to say in ALL 66 books? Do we really want a relationship with Him or just to be bailed out? Christ came to give us a personal a relationship. He won’t settle for less. As Kay Arthur stated last night at a gathering of the Women in Christian Media, “the Word of God is lost in the House of God.” We have pushed the Word of God aside and put everything else above our first love including laundry. We have neglected Him and acted in self-righteous arrogance. But if we humble ourselves and come back to Him, not our images of Him, in His Word and put it as THE priority in our lives, then He will be our first love, the object of our trust and we will be safe in His hands.

Psalm 91:14-15 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

Psalm 37:40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."

Quirks:

• At night, before bed, I have to walk around the house and touch the locks on the doors, and say out loud "locked". If I don't, I will be tortured until I get out of bed and do it.
• I still sleep with a stuffed animal that I've had since I was about 10 years old. It's a Princess Kneesaa Ewok. I love her.
• When I leave for work in the morning, I stand at the door and say the same thing to my pets everyday: "Mommy's got to go bye-bye. I'll be back in a little while. Be good babies. Mommy loves you. Goo, Ms. S will be by later to walk you. Mommy loves her babies. Be good"! Seriously...I say it just like that...every day. But only when leaving for work...I can't leave if I don't say those words. (Goo is my dog.)
• I not only brake for squirrels, but I also pray for them. If I see a squirrel goofing around near the road, I'll quickly pray: "Dear Lord, please protect that little squirrel. Don't let him go into the road. Thank you. Amen".
• (Y'all are still with me?)
• For some reason, I cannot keep a day planner...but I can work with numerous different post-its that I use to remind me of important appointments, tasks, etc. I will stick them on my cell phone because I always have it with me. It's my system!
• I pay a therapist a lot of money...and I tell her nothing. Meanwhile, I have a blog where I purge every last thought to faceless strangers.
• I hate wearing shoes. I wear the kind of shoes I can take off under my desk at work, and they are the first thing to go when I get home. I love socks though...
• I bite my fingernails, but my toes are pedicured.
• I'm a horrible driver...mainly because I get distracted very easily by billboards, people in other cars, clouds, squirrels...whatever...it's boring to watch the road!
• I'm a horrible passenger...because I don't trust anyone else to be in control of the vehicle. I'm always bracing myself and making little "meeep" noises under my breath. It's really annoying...so I've been told.
• I keep list after list of songs and bands that I want to research and listen to. If I hear or read about anything new, it goes on my list. I have 5 pages of artists/songs on my desk right now.
• I'm incessantly either singing or humming. If I'm not, it's because I'm asleep.
• I'm not really an organized person...but my closet is organized by color. Pants, skirts and suits on one side...shirts and dresses on the other. White, beige, light blue, dark blue, light pink, dark pink, red...and so on. It's the only thing in my life that I spend time organizing.

Obsessions:

• I'm obsessed with music. All kinds.
• I'm presently obsessed with the election. I can't get enough of the blogs, the pundits, talk radio, newspapers...It's like rooting for an American Idol. There is almost as much venom in the election as on Idol. It's fun!
• Diet Pepsi Max. It has extra caffiene and Ginseng too!
• Orleans Candles.
• Myspace and Facebook.
• I have to read my favorite blogs everyday...and I'm compelled to comment on almost everything. (I was the most prolific commenter at Don's last month. Yay me!)
• Expensive lip gloss.
• Animal crackers.
• Animals (of the non-cracker variety...and I don't mean anything racial by that either).
• XM Radio
• My cell phone. I take it with me everywhere. If I don't have pockets, I carry it in my bra.
• Ridiculous teen drama: Gossip Girl.
• My self-involved musings here at my blog.

I could really go on and on. I'm pretty sure I've bored most of you by now anyhow...so I'll move on. Besides, it's time to close up shop and start my long weekend!

Goodbye for now!

Oh..yeah...I'm tagging Gnu at The Wilds of Ohio.

Unfortunately for us Jesus' words don't offer a lot of hope as far as security.  In Matthew 8:20 Jesus said, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." While Christ makes no promise for wealth gain, physical security or even safety Hebrews 6:18-19 does promise that our souls will not be lost in any temporal storm. The author states, "We who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain."  This spiritual security, anchored in Christ, can weather any storm.

This Sunday we'll be looking at the cities of refuge Joshua established (Joshua 20) and how they are a prototype of the church.  We'll look at where true hope and refuge can be found.  We'll discover that in this uncertain time there is security.  It's not the type we expected or wanted - but it's exactly what we needed.  See you Sunday!

But there's another, more complicated process when one becomes a member of the GOP. They join the party because of the idea that the GOP supports "family values" - code word for anti-abortion, anti-gay, and, really anti-anything having to do with sex.

There's also the traditional tags Republicans label the Democratic Party with. They call it the party of higher taxes. The "tax and spenders." They say Democrats are "socialists." The more extreme call the Democrats "baby killers." The Democratic Party is the "party of the handout."

Unfortunately for the GOP, the Democratic Party, at least the portion of it I belong to, are none of those things. For me, being a Democrat means looking forward. Being a Democrat means learning from past mistakes and trying new ideas, or repeating ideas that worked. Being a Democrat means trying to give everyone an equal chance at the elusive American Dream.

And more than ever, that (little "d") democratic dream for America is needed more than ever now. Not to be Captain Obvious or anything, but this country is struggling. Heck, the whole world is struggling because of the problems in this nation.

And no one in this country is struggling more than average Jane and Joe. It's Jane and Joe who get hurt the most from the $75 gas tank. They're the ones who have to pull their kids from private school because they can't afford the tuition anymore. They're the ones who had to cancel next summer's vacation because plane fare is just too much.

But they're also the ones who get the economy going. They buy the midsize car, the PS3's, and the flat-screen TV's. They're the ones who put the money into the economy. And they'll be the one's who will be helped under Obama's tax policy.

See, at the end of the day, the Democratic Party isn't about negativity and partisanship. Rather it's about hopes and ideals. And that's why I'm a Democrat. I hope that this country can once again be a "beacon of light" for the rest of the world. I'm about what could be, not what was.

And that's why this campaign is where it's at today with John McCain's negative ads having very little bearing on the polls.

If one takes a good look at electoral history, when times are good (usually after a Democratic presidency), Americans say, "Hey, I want more. The Republican Party promises to lower my taxes. I'm voting Republican."

Or, as it did during Bush-Gore, W painted himself as someone trustworthy, compassionate, and full of those "family values." As a result, Bush barely lost to Gore in what should have been a Democratic landslide.

During this campaign, when times are awful and the GOP is on the ropes, what do we see? We see hatred. We hear words like "you can't trust him" and "he's a man of the streets." We see a campaign based primarily on fear of the unknown.

This time, as in years past, the economy is trumping all negative advertising and this election is shaping up to be an historic landslide. The voters have said, "Enough! We're voting for the future this time." And that's where I stand.

In conclusion to this book Rick Warren writes about "God wants to use you."  I remember hearing a saying when I first became a Christian.  If you set on the shelf all you do is collect dust.  God does not want us to "not do anything for Him.'  Many years ago I attended a very, very small church and there was no opportunity to work in the church.  A year before I moved out of the area I was able to be a teacher's assistant in a Christian school.  Wow!  Was I ever surprised, God had given me the gift of teaching.  I have used that gift up until three years ago.  I finally found a way to communicate about God - the blog.  Yeah! 

We all need to serve God in our generation.  In Acts 13:36 you read "David served God's purpose in his generation."  We have this idea that unless we do things that individuals see us doing, then we really are not serving God's purpose.  What I gleaned from this study is that we need to have our hearts and minds set on living for Christ by putting Him first in our lives.  We need a balance so we don't get so busy we neglect taking care of our families and ourselves.  I am guilty of that - a whole lot in the past.  You just live for God whole heartily and take it step by step. 

Sin needs to be recognized in our lives and forsaken.  Little tasks are just as important as larger tasks are.  Will we go through discouraging times - yes we will.  Keep your focus and go back to your Purpose Life Statement that you have completed.  In closing, I leave you with a scripture verse:

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."  II Corinthians 4:17.

The gotcha interviews with Gibson and Couric were simply pathetic and dismissive. Their main purpose was to agitate and annoy her with questions they wouldn't even have the guts to ask Obama or Biden. It was meant to be manipulative and insincere, just so to make themselves look good and Palin bad. Journalism as it should be didn't exist in their books. How cruel. Gov. Palin interview with Sean Hannity was longer and with intelligent and appropriate questions. It went without a hitch.

Now back to experience:-A Question

-Who was less than 45,

-had many children,

-was an outdoor enthusiast and hunter

-a conservationist

-a strong supporter of the military

-and became the governor and Vice President.

Of course, it was Teddy Roosevelt. His bully style was as unique to him as Sarah's style is unique to her. Teddy brought  a brash freshness to Washington as Sarah has brought to her campaign. It is my sincere HOPE that history will repeat itself. It is what we need during this time of trial  for all concerned citizen. What better way than to have a woman at the head, bringing all the virtues, strenght and attributes that only a woman can provide.

;)

Seriously though, I'm okay. I am doing a good job of pretending like nothing's wrong. Sometimes I'm so good at it, that I fool myself!

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They are letting ua out of work early today, and we have Monday off for Columbus Day...so that's nice. A 3-day weekend...and the weather is beautiful.

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Sigh.

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Okay...that's all I've got. Have a nice Friday.

:)

This is a special post because I’ve blogged on several occasions about the fight for gay marriage in Connecticut.  Well the government has finally run it’s course and Connecticut allows for GAY MARRIAGE!!!!!!!!!!!

What is so great about this ruling is that Connecticut had previously ruled for civil unions but the plaintiffs in that case felt that civil unions still “created an unequal status for gay men and lesbians and did not confer upon them the same rights and protections as marriage.”  So they went to the court looking for gay marriage.

What this means is that gay men and women are allowed to marry in Connecticut.  No civil unions, no civil contracts, no domestic contracts, gay men and women are on equal ground with heterosexual couples.

This is amazing.  It blows me away at the fact that gay marriage was legitimized like this.  I think this only tells us not to settle. 

I believe that Justice Richard N. Palmer summed it up beautifully

“that the court found that the “segregation of heterosexual and homosexual couples into separate institutions constitutes a cognizable harm,” in light of “the history of pernicious discrimination faced by gay men and lesbians, and because the institution of marriage carries with it a status and significance that the newly created classification of civil unions does not embody.”

Civil unions create a classification system.  That classification system is strictly used for gay men and women…Plain and simple.  Well not any more!!!!!!

FOR THOSE OF YOU IN CONNECTICUT CONGRATS ON YOUR GAY MARRIAGE!!!!!!!!!!! YOU DID IT!!!!!!!  TO THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS GREAT HAPPENING THANK YOU FOR THE HOPE.

For the full article see the below link:   (also all my quotes came from the article)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/nyregion/11marriage.html?hp

As new President Barack Obama said on Wednesday,

"The question isn't whether you're better off than you were four years ago, the question is whether you're better off than you were four weeks ago."

Unless you are in the repo, liquor or foreclosure business the answer is no.

"President Barack Obama" you ask? Isn't that pushing the presumptuous envelope a mite?  Perhaps you're thinking, "arrogance much?"

Not really. It's my job to be ahead of the curve and deal with what's coming next.

Sure, I might be previsualizing 25 days from now, but your Creative Greenius can already smell the freshly ground whole beans our coffee's about to be brewed with.  And I can assure you of one thing - that coffee ain't preground old school Chock Full O' Nuts.

Right now as the stock market crashes anew with each passing trading day - not just here but all around the world - it's pretty damn obvious how irrelevant George Bush and Dick Cheney are.  At least 75% of America has already fired them in their minds and in their hearts and no longer considers them our nation's leaders.  They're only killing time - and the American economy - by continuing to occupy the White House.

And it has become painfully, cringe-inducingly just as obvious from watching the debates and the campaign these last several weeks that John McCain doesn't really stand for anything and isn't leading anyone where we need to go as much as he is standing against Barack Obama and leading the way for the entitled rich.

You know the entitled rich, they're not the folks who earned their way to the top, they're the ones who got it handed to them and then act like they've had it coming to them all along.  Perhaps you've encountered them along your way in life.

It's not really John McCain's fault.  He's only being true to his genetics and home environment.  John McCain was born into the world of the well-off and powerful since his birth in 1936.  He's been fighting on the side of the wealthy and privileged ever since entering life as the son of a Navy Admiral who himself was the son of an Admiral.  That was long before he ditched his first wife and his kids for his current wife, the 100 $million beer heiress.

John McCain can't help it if he's been a member of the entitled rich for his entire 72 years now.  But any of us who have worked for the entitled rich as waiters, bus boys, caddies, house painters, go-fers, warehouseman, truck drivers or speech writers - all of which your creative Greenius has earned a living doing - can't help it if we know too much about what kind of character John McCain is.

We know only too well from our own life experience the red-faced angry sneer.  The furious finger jab.  The venomous tone of voice.  The snarling bombastic "Don't you know who I am?!" attitude that can cut to the bone as they treat you like a bad dog if you disappoint them, don't do things their way or worst of all don't know your place.  Their ability to get mean, hateful and positively ugly is prodigious and it's apparently contagious.

As the big time pressure has mounted and he has been put to the leadership test here in the moment of crisis, McCain has revealed his own true ugly entitled rich side and crashed his own chances to be our next President by running a desperate hate filled campaign that appeals to people's worst side instead of their best.

John McCain's crowds and supporters are bound together by what they DON'T like and their palpable fear of Barack Obama - not by any belief that John McCain would make the best President or have the right answers to guide us in this crisis.

They have become the angry mob following the angry man, ready to rip something - or someone - apart, so frustrated by their own impotence and the knowledge that they are the ones responsible for the failure they find their lives today.

These are the very same people who aimed their hate and anger at Al Gore and John Kerry on George Bush's behalf for the past eight years and now the chickens have come home to roost and they have no pot to cook them up in.  No wonder they have gone postal and need a target for their rage.  And when the "N" word isn't available to them the word "Socialist" will do them just fine.

But President Obama has been calm, steady and intelligent throughout, and when he reminded me of how much better off I was four weeks ago it mostly made me think of my new rooftop solar system.  The one I didn't buy.

Four weeks ago I was ready to withdraw $29,000 out of my savings and business capital to pay for my solar system.  Four weeks ago I was prepared to wait a year to claim my tax credits and five years to get my business deprecation.  I was willing to wait at least 11 years to break even.

But four weeks ago the entire world was a different place.

Four weeks ago I was more worried about the fate climate change has in store for us more than anything else.

Today I worry the fear, uncertainty, hate and anger being whipped up by a desperate campaign which has already lost, can destroy our climate before the greenhouse gasses finish the job.

But I still believe Hope will triumph over Fear in these last 25 days.

I still believe the majority of people now feel that enough is enough.

I predict that the size of the landslide President Obama receives on November 4 will allow the rest of us to rise up in positive momentum and rebuild this country based on the strengths of the common man and common sense - two things that have been the real POWs for the past 8 years.

Right now it's time to brew up another fresh pot of coffee.  We're going to need to be alert and ready for what's coming next.

It's a warning. A signal. A signal that life is full of dominoes that just keep falling until we pick one up and stop the train wreck from happening. Until we pick up and move over into a new groove. Every chance we get this life to snap out of the haze, the cloud, the denial, is a cue. Cue chances. Cue love. Cue hope. 

Hope. Hope is not folly. Hope is an energizing force that can get us - get my mom - moving in a new direction. A new direction requires a cleaner view. The cleaner the view, the more beauty to be seen.

Things have not always been good between me and my mother. But the worry, and fear of this episode pulled off a little layer of resignation from my heart to reveal hope. Cue the uncovering. Cue the windshield wipers. Cue the hope. Hope that she may live a longer, happier life. Hope that I may just love her as my mother and let everything else move to the side. Hope that we can be a family regardless of all that has happened over the years.

I don't wish hardship on anyone. But when it happens, thank goodness for the gift it straps on its back for us. A little gift of flags and banners pointing to the beauty right here for the tasting. The beauty that dances with hope.