Simply Beautiful

I saw this on facebook (Seal of Honor) today, and just had to share it. It most certainly brought a tear or two to my eyes.

Please meet Landon.. his dad Marine LCPL Carpenter made the ultimate sacrifice while serving with the 3/8 in Afghanistan earlier this year.. a month before his son was born. Never forget the price of freedom.

Amen. May God bless Landon, his mother, and all of our armed forces and their families.

Caption This!

James T. Harris at the Drinking Right going away party in his honor. Photo courtesy of yours truly. And yes - I DID ask his permission before I posted this. ;)

Sonofabitch!!

A great read by Doug Giles...

Apparently, I need to get a new dictionary. Yep, according to Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa the definition of a “son of a bitch” has changed.

Originally, “son of a bitch” (n), was a term chiefly used in the United States to describe an odious scallywag whom everyone disliked or something that was very difficult or unpleasant, such as, “that lug nut on that wheel was one tight son of a bitch.”

Additionally, “son of a bitch” was used to express surprise, disappointment or anger. For instance, I hear that’s what Ted Nugent shouted last year when he bumped into Rosie O’Donnell before she had her hair and makeup done for O’Reilly’s show.

Well, little children, according to Señor Hoffa, we may now call a huge percentage of Americans “sons of bitches” if such individuals …

1. Want to reduce government spending,

2. Believe that they’re taxed enough already,

3. Would like to see a reduction of the national debt and federal budget deficit,

4. Adhere to an originalist interpretation of the United States Constitution,

5. Want to see a reduction in the size and intrusiveness of government,

6. And no likey government-run healthcare—better known as Obamacare.

Yep, all you freaks, according to the well-modulated Hoffa, are one and all a bunch of “son of a bitches” [sic] who must be “taken out.”
...
Well, in all honesty I’d rather be called a “son of a bitch” than give up on the American dream for a socialistic nightmare.

Matter of fact, I’ll go a step farther and say that all who feel as I do should embrace our sonsabitchesness and revel in the fact that the esprit de corps is still alive and well in the U.S. of A. and forewarn these freaks that we intend to take this nation back to its original roots.

Go on - read the rest!

You know, whenever a conservative says anything slightly inflammatory, whether it is taken in context or out of context, the left starts screaming about hateful rhetoric, civil discourse, and on and on. Yet when Hoffa makes statements such as "son of a bitch" and "take them out" which were most definitely NOT taken out of context, I hear crickets chirping.

The double standard is simply breathtaking.

Remembering 9/11

Warning: Graphic content

There are many blogs, news sites and news channels that are remembering 9/11 on her 10th anniversary. I am not going to post the pictures or videos that so many are...not because they're not poignant, but because that would be more of the same. We'll see the planes crashing into the towers and/or the towers crashing down. And I, for one, will watch each and every one of them.

I'm not saying I'm the only one to post this, but this particular video simply broke my heart. And strengthened it. I'd like to think I've never forgotten, but the events of 09/11/01 tend to fade into the background...life goes on, right? WRONG!

I have a son who is fighting on the ground overseas - against the sadistic BASTARDS who planned this attack. I am posting this video to remind everyone of what those innocent victims had to live...and DIE...through...and why we must rid the world of this evil.



God Bless this great country, and God Bless each and every one of those who are fighting or made the ultimate sacrifice in the war to keep our country safe from this evil twisted vermin.

I will NEVER forget.

An Innocent Life Shattered

I'm beginning to think that it would be beneficial to my health to break my news addiction. You see, I take medication for high blood pressure, and when I see stories like this one, I can literally FEEL it shooting through the roof...

DALLAS (AP) -- A 22-year-old mother was facing child abuse charges Friday after police say she glued her toddler daughter's hands to a wall, kicked her in the stomach and beat her over a potty training issue.

Joselyn Cedillo, 2, was on life support with multiple internal injuries at a Dallas hospital Thursday, The Dallas Morning News reported ( http://dallasne.ws/pKJtEb ).

The newspaper, citing police records, said glue and paint were stuck to Joselyn's palms, and that skin had torn away in places.

One of the girl's brothers said their mother kicked the child in the stomach and beat her with a belt and shoe, according to police records.

Another sibling said she couldn't sleep during the night because she heard her mother yelling and the girl crying. She said Joselyn had been having difficulty with potty training. She said Escalona dragged Joselyn by her feet from the kitchen to another part of the apartment, put glue on her hands and stuck them to the wall.

"This is beyond abuse," said Dallas police Sgt. Brenda Nichols. "This is torture."

The story goes on to say that this animal is facing a felony injury to a child charge (gee, ya THINK?) which carries a sentence of up to life in prison.

I ran into a former co-worker the other day and we were discussing the judicial system and the fact that the victims are often "victimized" by the system. You see, her ex-husband has been convicted of horrible acts, the nature of which I will not discuss. He has yet to be sentenced, however the sentencing hearing is coming up soon and it appears that he might get all of 10 years in prison - maybe. This man's victims have had their innocence stripped away and their childhood became their nightmare. They have been scarred forever. Nothing - not any amount of counseling, therapy or remuneration will ever, EVER remove those scars.

This little 2 year old will also be scarred - physically and emotionally...IF she lives. What the HELL kind of world do we live in when a mother - the one person who is supposed to guard and protect the little ones - can commit such atrocities on a baby?? And what of her other children? Have they been abused as well? From the way the story reads, it almost sounds like such an occurrence was commonplace in that household. Is it any wonder the child had issues with potty training? And what about a father? Is he in the picture?

Friends, this story makes me physically ill. Part of me wants to cry, and the larger part wants to get that so-called "mother" in a room for 5 minutes alone. I cannot begin to imagine what this poor little child was thinking and feeling when the person who is supposed to love and cherish her was beating the shit out of her.

It is my fervent hope and prayer that the justice system does not fail this little one...that this cretin gets the maximum sentence. And I can't help but also hope that while in prison, she gets a little taste of her own medicine.

An Open Letter to National Conservative Groups from Wisconsin’s Conservative Bloggers

This morning, Patrick (and likely a few others)posted the following open letter to conservative groups. I am adding my name to this list, as I agree with them 100%.

To: Chris Chocola, Club for Growth
The Honorable Jim DeMint, junior Senator from the Great State of South Carolina

It is with great disappointment that we have learned of the efforts of some conservatives on the national level to try to dictate to Wisconsin conservatives their choice for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Senator Herb Kohl. This is a tremendous opportunity for Wisconsinites to elect a second conservative senator worthy of holding the office, and one that Wisconsin conservatives will take very seriously. This is not only a choice of ideology but of character, and it is our responsibility to bring Mark Neumann’s lack of character to your attention.

While we do not question Neumann’s past contributions to conservatism while he was a Congressman, his actions during last year’s campaign are completely unbecoming of a conservative candidate.

We respectfully request the national conservative groups and individuals to take a second look at their endorsement of Neumann. We ask that since many of them missed the opportunity to come to Wisconsin during the recent battles over collective bargaining for state employees and the recall elections, they come to Wisconsin now to talk to true Wisconsin conservatives to find out what they think of Neumann before attempting to foist their choice upon Wisconsin.

We do not write this under direction or duress from any candidate, potential candidate, or candidate’s campaign. We write this under the knowledge that as the primary for United State Senate commences in earnest, we will likely go our separate ways and support any number of candidates. That is our right as Americans.

If the past election in Wisconsin has shown national conservatives anything, it is to trust in the faith of Badger State conservative activists. We had the foresight to supply the movement with current leaders and rock stars like Janesville Congressman Paul Ryan, Ashland Congressman Sean Duffy, Green Bay Congressman Reid Ribble, Governor Scott Walker, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, and even Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.

That is just in the past two years, and we assure you, there are plenty more where they came from.

Thank you,
(The Undersigned)

Owen Robinson
Blogger, Boots and Sabers, since 2003
West Bend, WI

Kevin Binversie
Blogger, Lakeshore Laments, since 2003
St. Francis, WI

James Wigderson,
Blogger, Wigderson Library & Pub, since 2005
Waukesha, WI

Steve Eggleston
Blogger, No Runny Eggs, since 2005
Oak Creek, WI

Patrick Dorwin
Blogger, BadgerBlogger.com, since 2004
Milwaukee, WI

Tim Gray
Blogger, UseYourGrayMatter.com, since 2010
La Crosse, WI

Ben Froland
Blogger, BenFroland.com, since 2009
Neenah, WI

Chris Krumenacher
Blogger, Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot., since 2009
Racine, WI

Grammar Optional

This is getting completely out of control.

It's not how you speak English – it's about whether you know it at all.

That was the final word out of Arizona, where the state and two federal agencies reached a settlement over an allegation that the state was discriminating against teachers who may have thick accents or use bad grammar when teaching English-immersion classes.
...
The agencies alleged that application of a state law requiring English teachers to possess a good knowledge of the English language discriminated against Hispanic teachers and students.

I don't even know where to begin. Have we really come to a place and time in this country when ENGLISH teachers needn't know how to speak ENGLISH properly? How in the WORLD can a person who doesn't use proper grammar teach children the language?

Full disclosure: I freely admit that I'm a bit of a grammar nazi. Anyone who knows me will tell you that. I take pride in my son's ability to speak the language properly - much to the surprise and delight of many adults in his life. I also on occasion help a friend grade papers written by her high school students and can't tell you how dismayed I am when I ATTEMPT to decipher what it is they're trying to say.

It's bad enough that our younger generation is mangling the language to one that's nearly unrecognizable. How in the WORLD do we expect this to change if those who are supposed to be TEACHING the language to children are equally as ignorant as to proper grammar and/or pronunciation? What will become of those youngsters as they get older and try to make their way in the world?

Perhaps the proper use of the language is going by the wayside. I suppose these youngsters can hope that those in charge of hiring in the future are the same children whose papers I've been grading for years.

Sigh.

H/T Ol' Broad