Japanese Men Prefer Women with Long Hair

hat tip: Shabooty’s Madness

The last time I was in Japan, the craze for long haired women still existed. But if you know anything about Japan, you know that the Japanese follow the trends in Europe and America – especially America. Because of this, we can see more Japanese women with short hair. In a way, short hair in Japan is used to show a rebellious state of mind against older traditions. It also shows a woman’s strength in the workplace. Women are fighting for equality in Japan just as we women were in the U.S. several years back.

But this has nothing to do with this picture, really. In fact, that thing looks more like something I wash the floor with. I don’t know. It’s just not my cup of tea. Interesting – nonetheless.

Hearsay Surrounding the Schindlers VS Schiavo

I can’t honestly say I care for someone that I don’t know. The reason why I cover the Terri Schindler case on my blog is because I’m upset over the principle of what had been going on. Many of my regular readers and those close to me know my stand on this case.

I don’t know Terri, and I can’t say that I’m going to miss her now that she’s gone. However, I feel bad for what she and her loved ones had been going through and will continue going through.

Some people may feel that the lengthy coverage in our blogs and the rampant debates on whether she was treated properly or not is cold, insensitive, and minimizing the death of another woman to gain from our own personal agendas. But once again, I never met Terri. I guess my heart is cold, but I don’t have it in me to grieve over a stranger and their tragedy. But this does not mean that I can’t feel bad for them. This also doesn’t mean that I can’t try and pry into the minds of others that feel Michael Schiavo’s hands aren’t covered with blood either.

I’m curious about why people think the way they do, and my arguing nature keeps me on this topic as there’s so much controversy surrounding this case.

I just wanted to set the record straight for some of you that throw the word “hypocrite” around at the drop of a hat.

So, if you think that you may be offended by reading yet even more information on Terri, please don’t read below this line.

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As we all know, there are two sides to every story, right? Based on what I’ve learned, I’ve formulated my own opinion. It is only an opinion. Even though I express myself quite dramatically at times, I’m in no way thinking of myself as “the right one” and that everyone else is wrong. For all I know, I could be dead wrong in every aspect. For all I know, all my sources could be a bunch of lies coming from those people and reporters with hidden motives.

One fact that I do know is that there’s hearsay on both sides.

1. Hearsay from Michael Schiavo regarding Terri’s wishes,
2. and hearsay from Terri’s family, friends, nurses, and doctors.

I guess from this we can say that’s nothing’s been proven. Well, it really hasn’t. I’m a firm believer in trials for digging out THE TRUTH. Because there was no formal trial, everything’s basically in the air as to what’s the truth and what isn’t. So, all I have to go on is hearsay and my own opinions.

I would also like to point out that the “right to die-ers” and the “right to live-ers” all have one thing in common. That is, that we were both looking out for the best interests of Terri (well, hopefully all of us). It’s just that because of our backgrounds, the values we grew up on, the kind of person we are, we tend to believe one side over the other. We are all unique individuals with experiences in life that determines the way we feel about certain issues. So, if one side expresses something that hits home for them, emotionally, they will cling to that side. But the concern still exists for Terri – either way.

So, while I do come off to possibly seem arrogant at times with my emotions so strong, I do respect the opinions from the other side.

Let me just say this. I really hope I’m wrong because if I’m right, that sure was not a pretty way for Terri to die, and one rich, arrogant, malicious man is getting away with murder!

The Passing of Terri Schindler

Sadly, a lot of people are very happy today.

By the way, do you have any children? How would you feel to be kept away from your own daughter dying when you knew they were the last hours of her life? Scott Peterson Michael Schiavo, the man you all so diligently support made sure that those "corrupt, law-breaking, insensitive" family members stayed away from Terri.

Now, go on. Here’s Scott Peterson’s address in prison. Get busy!

Scott Peterson’s Mailing Address @ San Quentin’s Death Row:

Scott Peterson
CDC: V72100
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin CA 94964

Corporate Greed and Right Wing Extremists are Posing a Threat to Our National Security

It looks like Delta Air Lines along with other major carriers are going to start outsourcing their mechanics. Some airlines have already started outsourcing their mechanics. In fact, The US Airways mechanics are filing lawsuit against airline for outsourcing work. So, we’re not only losing our jobs by the day here, but airline safety is now in jeopardy. Just give it a few more months to a year, and all airlines will be doing the same.

Bush won’t do anything about it because he’s always siding with the greedy CEOs.

Terrorists are Flooding our Borders

Illegal aliens are streaming across our borders. There is no question about what our Constitution says about how the government is suppose to protect our borders. They have no constitutional authority to run our education and thousands of other intrusions into our lives, which they continually do, but the one thing that they are suppose to do, they don’t. Instead they spread our military in over 70 countries around the world, let illegals stream across our borders and bring in NATO to protect our skies. This article is a must for everyone to read and start raising a stink with our representatives in Washington DC. No wonder English is becoming a second language in America. The original article is here if you want to see the photos on the page.

Check this out:

Ariz. Bill Banning Higher Ed. Benefits For Illegals Rejected
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, March 31, 2005

500 Agents to Be Added to Arizona Border
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, March 30, 2005

MexicanFans Boo National Anthem, Shout “Osama”
NewsMax.com Wires
Monday, March 28, 2005

Supremes Examine Rights of Mexicans on Death Row
NewsMax.com Wires
Monday, March 28, 2005

Truck Driver Convicted for Smuggling Illegal Aliens
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, March 24, 2005

Bush Unveils New North American Pact
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, March 23, 2005

U.S., Mexico Talks May Evade Major Issues
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Jury Deliberates Deadly Smuggling Case
NewsMax.com Wires
Monday, March 21, 2005

Report: 10 Million Illegal Aliens in U.S.
NewsMax.com Wires
Monday, March 21, 2005

Mexico’s Fox Bashes U.S. Border Group ‘Extremists’
Sunday, March 20, 2005 5:03 p.m. EST

Gang Arrests Had Al Qaida Link
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 11:15 p.m. EST

House Adds Border Security to War Funding
NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Survivors Detail Agony of Smuggling in Trial
NewsMax.com Wires
Saturday, March 12, 2005

Rice Vows Border Cooperation With Mexico
NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, March 11, 2005

Rice will Talk Immigration with ‘Good Friend’ Mexico
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, March 10, 2005

FBI Warns of ‘Special Interest’ Aliens
NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, March 9, 2005

Sun: Illegal Wins $4 Million Suit
Tuesday, March 8, 2005 4:42 p.m. EST

Arizona to Clamp Down Even Harder on Illegals
NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, March 4, 2005

Utah Denies Driver’s Licenses for Illegals, Activists Outraged
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, March 3, 2005

France, Not U.S., is Now Destination of Choice for Refugees
NewsMax.com Wires
Tuesday, March 1, 2005

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Sure we’re doing something about this, and while I’m glad something’s being done, in the meantime, we have Arab terrorists here plotting their next attack on us.

Things are not moving as quickly as they should. Even though our government is aware of our threats to homeland security, this situation is not being dealt with as seriously as it should be.

Why? Because of Corporate Greed! Many Republicans support open borders in the name of “Capitalism”.

What I find ironic is that we’ve sent our troops to Iraq (soon to be Iran) to “win the war on terrorism” at the same time Criminal Mexicans and Arab Terrorists are seeping through the open cracks of our borders.

How much sense does this make? Are we fighting the war on terrorism or not?

Crime Victims of Illegal Aliens

There is an enormous number of Americans who have been harmed by the criminals who pass through the nation’s open borders. For that reason, this section can only provide a symbolic tribute to the many unnamed victims who have been killed, raped, robbed, crippled and otherwise personally violated.

It is particularly shocking that even in post-911 America, the government still refuses to protect the people in the most basic ways from the world’s terrorists and criminals who enter at will to do as they please. The borders remain a sieve while the human carnage from crime perpetrated from illegal aliens continues to mount. In another stunner of INS malfeasance, the agency often cannot even manage to deport dangerous criminal aliens when they reach the ends of their prison terms.

So there you have it. We’ve got the corporate whores making it less safe to fly, taking our jobs away, and letting Osama and Company dressed up as a Latino enter through our borders, and they, in turn, get rewarded with a drivers license, free housing, loans for their mortgage, easy access to welfare, free hospitalization, no deportation for crimes committed, and nobody gets to know what there legal status is in this country because we’re not allowed to ask.

This is despicable. To say the least!

Wanna let out some steam? Try this!

Moving from the Red to the Blue

I’m goin’ back to Cali…

You know, I swore that if I made another blog again that I wouldn’t discuss politics, and if you take a peek at my War and Politics Category, you’ll notice a lot of my entries fall in there. There’s something very magnetic about this category. I just don’t know what it is. It may be that part of me that loves to fight.

But that’s besides the point.

If any of you have done an IP check on me, you’ll notice that I currently live in San Antonio, Texas. Yep, that’s right, sweetheart, I live in Bush Country! If you haven’t checked out San Antonio , you should someday. It’s a nice city aside from the wacky do do bird, soccer mom drivers and the flying cockroaches in the summer time. Even the birds can’t fly in this city. They are suicidal and will fly right into your car in slow motion. Many people will stroll calmly right in front of your car with a blank look on their faces saying “I DARE YOU!”.

Well, I guess you can say, I’m going from one city of nutty drivers to another. But in California, it’s different. They know how to drive, they are just plain rude and will bang on their horn with all their might if you don’t run over the pedestrians in front of you so that these business men can get to their stupid meetings on time.

Why are my husband and I moving back to CA, you ask? It’s an unfortunate reason. My father in law is in very bad health now, and we don’t have a choice but to return there. Prior to San Antonio, I lived in California for five years. I, however, was born and raised in Miami, Florida where I lived for the first 23 years of my life before moving to Japan for seven years. So, you can see, I don’t stay in one place too long. My mother’s starting to call me a Nomad.

Now, here’s where I finally get to the point of my entry. My regular readers and close people to me know that I have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to Political Extremism which is also the main theme of my political rantings. Well, I am going back to a city where most of my friends belong to the Loony Left Club. I don’t look forward to this. Don’t get me wrong. I love my friends. They are good people. However, their political ideology grabs my skin in ways that you can never imagine.

Let me give you an example. When the war began in Iraq and our men went over there, I sent out a mass mailing to almost everyone in my address book to support our troops. I will NEVER do something like this again! I got one reply from a Leftist Whackjob Wanker that I will never forget. His wife apologized for him at the time, but continued on about how our soldiers are bad people. It’s these comments that make my husband and I outraged and a little bit more than angry, to say the least. Granted, I’m not in support of this war, but our troops should never, ever be defined as criminals by anybody! I’m even pissed all over again typing this.

On top of that, I heard over and over again from those living in CA from other countries nothing but complaints about the U.S. They had been judging the U.S. solely on their experiences in California. They conveniently forget how large the U.S. is. You want to hear something funny? One of my friends who went back to her country said she was much happier in her own country because of the nature, green grass, and farm land.

Look, I understand these people have complaints that need to be expressed, but what I only wish (and this will probably never happen) is that they talk about this out of the presence of ANOTHER AMERICAN! There is nothing that pisses me off more.

Have any of you seen this picture before? (Please click the thumbnail to view it’s entirety.)

When I first read the above literature, it made me angry. Now, I can appreciate it. And I can also see the humor in it — which is what it’s intended purpose is anyway — to be funny. But seriously, though, there are actually people like this in real life. It’s scary. It also reminds me of one of my all time favorite expressions:

“There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.”
–Theodore Isaac Rubin

And another one:

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.”
–Bertrand Russell

It’s as simple as that, extremists whether they be political or religious extremists, simply do not think.

I saw a comment relating to people like me in the Wittenberg Gate Blog that I’d like to share:

It is always nice to be reminded that there are still thinking liberals out there whose opinions are the result of their own thoughts and convictions as opposed to getting their talking points from NPR and blindly supporting whatever is endorsed by mainstream liberal dogma.

Posted by: Ri | March 26, 2005 01:30 PM

Speaking of Extremism, have you ever been to Lina’s Blog, The World and Everything in it ? If you haven’t been to that blog yet, you better get your little tush over there NOW! There are a lot of excellent writers in Cyberspace. I would say Lina’s in the top ten if not number one! She’s less emotional and much more logical than I am. But generally speaking, she says everything that I want to say except, she’s much better at saying it.

One of her greatest hits, in my opinion is Things and People that Make Me Want to Turn Republican. You know, there are things and people that make me want to turn Republican too. I’ve been saying all along that I’m a Liberal. But my husband swears I’m an Independent. Now, some of you may believe it’s either black or white. Can there be some gray?

Another fantastic entry written by Lina is To the Extremists on Both Sides. You should check that out too.

Well, in just two or so more weeks, I will be moving from a Radical Republican city to a Radical Left one. I sure will have much to talk about then. I will be able to share with ya’ll all the latest brands, shapes, and flavors of Tofu that are out there in CA. But when you start making fun of traditional Japanese Tofu, that’s where I’ll draw the line!

Nothing comes between me and my Japanese Cuisine!!

Islam Teaches us How Women Should Be Treated

Islam teaches us how women should be treated:

The purpose of women is to serve the male they belong to. In what ever way we require them to. Women rights are a joke. They are beneath us in all things. When my woman opens her mouth without being told to do so, she is beaten like a dog. All women must be put in their place. Corrupted western values need to stay in the west. Leave US ALONE devil spawn.

Some people are just feeding them by the spoon load – while I’m sitting here watching the show. It’s impossible to empower a group of people you aren’t afraid of. (Now, that I check their blog three years later, they have deleted all their comments.)

You know what makes me laugh even harder, though?

For all we know, these two “punks from Kabul” could be two lesbian lovers living in Germany laughing themselves silly watching us acting like pathetic morons.

Popularity: A Detriment for the Runner-Ups and Poop-Ons

I visit several popular blogs where the author receives a large amount of comments. When I comment on those popular blogs, I don’t expect a comment back from the blog owner. When you reach a certain amount of comments per day, I find it unreasonable to reply back to everyone. We authors (as much as it may appear we don’t have a life) do have a life outside our blogs, and to comment to everyone that has dropped by with feedback is a major waste of time.

However, what I don’t understand is when you ask the blog owner a specific question, I certainly expect an answer back. Sure, the author’s busy doing other things, but when he/she is commenting to others and has time to post yet two more entries after that and continuing to reply to other bloggers, I find it extremely ill-mannered. The type of question that I asked required about a 5 word answer. Doesn’t take much time.

Now, for example, Little Green Footballs and other bloggers who receive anywhere between 50 to 500 comments per entry, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t check their comments at all. If that were the case, and I had a question for them, I would email them instead. And hopefully, I’d get a reply within 30 days.

I think what the problem is, though, is that popular bloggers only reply to their friends. If you are new to their blog, they find their time too important to waste on you. That’s very rude, and I won’t visit those blogs again. Some people just never learn manners.

I promise myself that I will never get like this. If I do, please bitch-slap me.

Who’s Telling the Truth?

A question for those in support of the “right to die” regarding Terri Schiavo: The “right to live-ers” are saying that Michael Schiavo’s lying to fulfill his own personal agendas. The “right to die-ers” are saying that Terri’s family’s lying to fulfill their own personal agendas.

What’s in it for the nurses who have publically spoke about Terri’s condition? And the 33 doctors who’s testimony wasn’t permitted in court?

Which Group of Ding-a-Lings are Worse?

I don’t know which group is worse: the Radical Conservatives or the Radical Liberals?

Looks like some people out there are a little jealous of all the attention surrounding Terri Schiavo. For this reason, I supply the following:

A padded room.

A baby bottle.

And of course one for the boys. They need it more. Mommy not only didn’t breast feed them, but often ignored their cries for attention.

And most importantly, diapers! You know how these people get during a temper tantrum. You know how panties get all knotted up in a ball from the inability to control the bladder, right? Well, these diapers will absorb the ferocious leakage and don’t knot up during their, “WAAAAA WHAT ABOUT ME” fits of spasms in response to neglect.

For the good of your of your own dental hygiene, I recommend to avoid sucking the thumb after your tantrums. That bends your teeth out of shape.

TO THE LUNATIC LEFT! (Re: Terri Schiavo)

…. who are tired of hearing opinions about the Terri Schiavo case, too damn bad. If you’re too lazy to read my below disclaimer, then it is YOU that needs a tube removed!:D

WTF?

I just found the below comment to this entry in CURSE the CONSCIOUS or Funky Fresh Freddie’s blog.

You are the fucking pussy and we are going to send you to hell. We will not be there when you get there. All westerners are losers. Allah has embraced us and empowered us to clean the world of your kind.

Perdition overtake both hands of Abu Lahab and he will perish.
His wealthand what he earns will not avail him.
He shall soon burn in the fire that flames.
And his wife,  the bearer of fuel.
Upon her neck a halter of strongly twisted rope.

In the name of Allad,the Beneficent,the Merciful

Musa |

Homepage |
03.26.05 – 5:21 pm | #

Visit Two Guys from Kabul

Speaking out against all evil infidels.
1.In the name of Allah,the Beneficent, the Merciful
2.All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds
3.The Beneficent, the Merciful
4.Master of the day of Judgement.
5.Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help
6.Keep us on the right path
7.The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors.Not(the path)
of thoseupon whom Thy wrath is brought down norof those who go away.

What’s in it for Michael Schiavo?

Read about what’s in it for Michael Schiavo. Here are some excerpts:

The book deal: “HER BODY, MY SELF” by Michael Schiavo can be auctioned to a large group of major publishers within ten days of Terri Schiavo’s death. This can be arranged by an canny and shameless agent — and they are legion — on the basis of 12 telephone calls, a two-page outline, a ghost writer known to the New York publishing world, and a dog-and-pony show where Michael is flown to New York and trotted around to six to eight editors’ offices in a day. The bidding for this book will have a floor of two million dollars. The top offer will be in the range of three to three and a half-million for hardcover and paperback rights. Depending on the agent’s feel for the market, translation rights may be added to the mix. Film rights will be held back. After the agent’s 15% fee, Michael’s take from this will be $2,550,000, less $50,000 paid to the ghost writer.

The film and TV rights for Michael’s “story” will probably bring in another 1-3 million dollars depending on a number of factors and will, in this instance, be set in motion before the publication of the book.

Speaking fees: Michael Schiavo’s lawyer currently commands $15,000 per speaking engagement, so it is not hard to see that Michael could easily pull down $50,000 per engagement. While you probably won’t see him show up at Catholic conventions, he’s a natural Keynoter for hundreds of other groups across the country and abroad. In the first year alone he could, given a reasonable calendar, be booked for at least 50 events. His gross fees in the first year would, in that case, come to $2,500,000.

Terri Schiavo is worth six to eight million dollars to Michael Schiavo if, and only if, she’s dead. If she continues living nothing happens on the book or movie front because there’s no ending. When she dies, it is jackpot time for Michael.

hat tip: Sue Bob’s Diary

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Take a Look at Michael Schiavo’s Plans to Immediatley Cremate Terri.

Michael Schiavo has taken steps that will prevent investigators from examining Terri Schiavo’s body for evidence of abuse after she dies – a suspicion her family has repeatedly raised as her death grows more imminent.

Schiavo’s attorney George Felos told the Washington Post on Friday that Terri will be cremated and buried in a plot owned by Michael’s family in Pennsylvania.

A 1991 bone scan performed on Terri Schiavo showed unexplained injuries to her vertebrae and legs.

Terri’s brother, Bobby Schindler, told Fox News Channel’s “Hannity & Colmes” on Thursday that a doctor has testified that she might have been strangled before she was found unconscious in her home in February 1990.

hat tip: Blogs for Terri

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Even Jesse Jackson’s on Terri’s Side!

Yet, with life and death hanging in the balance, it is my belief that the feeding tube should be re-introduced as a lifeline for Terri Schiavo. Removing the feeding tube would essentially starve her to death.

I respect the views of those citizens and members of Congress who passionately cry out against her starvation and seek means to extend her life.

But in so doing, a consistent moral and ethical position would extend a feeding tube to ALL who are confronted with starvation – to demand public, government policy to feed the hungry. I implore them to apply this same passion for Terri Schiavo to the young infants and children dying of starvation and lack prenatal and post-natal care.

H/T: The Gun Toting Liberal

BREAKING NEWS: Greer Got Donation From Mike Schiavo’s Lawyer

Rev. D. James Kennedy, reported that a serious conflict of interest may exist for the Fla. State Judge who is ruling on the Terri Schiavo case.

As if the circumstances surrounding Terri Schiavo could not get any
more suspicious, the Center for Reclaiming America has uncovered
evidence that Pinellas-Pasco County Circuit Judge George W. Greer
accepted a campaign contribution from the law firm of Michael Schiavo’s
attorney only one day after "Terri’s Law” was declared unconstitutional
by a Pinellas county court.

This appears to establish a clear conflict of interest between Judge Greer and the best interests of Terri Schiavo.

You know, I had thought this all along. The only thing different was that I called it "bribe money" instead of "donations".

Judge
Greer has been responsible for establishing "the facts” in the case of
Terri Schiavo. Sadly, he has dismissed or ignored testimony from 33
physicians (15 neurologists) who are willing to testify that Terri is
not in a persistent vegetative state and can improve, he has refused to
allow the Florida Department of Children and Families to conduct a
criminal investigation of Michael Schiavo, he has refused to honor a
subpoena from the U.S. Congress, and he has blocked virtually all
efforts from the Schindler family to save the life of their daughter.

Well, I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Money Talks!

On May 7, 2004 —
only one day after the ruling — Judge Greer received a campaign gift
from the law firm of Michael Schiavo’s attorney.

This was not due
to a fundraising effort, as this was the only contribution made to the
Greer campaign fund on that particular day.

Hmmm…. Talk about hidden agendas! All at the expense of Terri Schiavo!

Read the rest here.

Hat Tip: My favorite gun toting Liberal.

The Credit Card Prank Part II

I’ve posted Part I quite some time ago. If you haven’t already read it, go and read it now before reading Part II!

Read The Credit Card Prank Part II

Friend: Terri Wanted Divorce Before Accident

Terri Schiavo had a bad fight with her husband the night before she was discovered unconscious in the hallway of her St. Petersberg, Fla., home 15 years ago, and intended to seek a divorce, a close friend said Friday.

“They were talking about divorce at the time that Terri collapsed,” Jackie Rhodes told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.” Rhodes became a friend of Ms. Schiavo’s when they worked together at an insurance company.

On the night of their marital blow-up, Rhodes said, Terri called her about the fight.

When Michael filed a malpractice suit after Terri’s accident, Rhodes said:

“The malpractice attorney followed me down the hall at the courthouse and told me that it was important that I did not mention that they were discussing divorce during this trial, because it would impact the court’s decision.”

Is this just another one of those “lies”? Read the rest of this story here.

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Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies, and Pinellas Park, Fla., police officers arrest 10-year-old Joshua Heldreth, of Charlotte, N.C., for trespassing on Woodside Hospice property in Pinellas park, Fla. Heldreth was attempting to bring Terri Schiavo a glass of water. Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed by court order Friday, March 18, 2005. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

A Nurses Insight into Terri’s Suffering

Dying with Dignity?

Several days ago one of our readers wrote the following message related to her experience caring for those classified as PVS:

I
am an RN. Several years ago, I was wrongfully fired for refusing to
remove a feeding tube from 2 patients who had been diagnosed as PVS
like Terri. Neither patient was really PVS and no appropriate testing
was done to make that determination. I witnessed how one of the
patients died. It was horrible! We won a lawsuit and then the state
supreme court overturned the jury verdict that had been in our favor. I
don’t care what the motivations of the husband or parents are in this
case. Starving and dehydrating people to death is wrong! It was
determined to be cruel and unusual punishment as a mode of execution in
capital cases. It is murder! If you have to starve & dehydrate a
person to get them to die, then you’d better ask yourself the following
question: Exactly how terminal is this person?! The answer is: They
aren’t terminal!

Moments ago we received another message that provides insight into what Terri may be experiencing right now:

Terri
is suffering physical pain from being denied food and at this point she
has used up any fat stores in her body and her body is beginning to
break down muscle. Her mouth and other mucosal linings are dry and
cracking. Her skin may be breaking down in pressure sores because it is
dehydrated. She may very well be spiking a high fever from the
dehydration. If they are trying to offer her oral fluids (which
facilities sometimes do because they’re not really comfortable with the
reality of what they are doing), these fluids may be aspirated back
into her lungs due to her compromised swallowing reflex, causing a
virulent form of pneumonia called aspiration pneumonia. This, in turn,
will cause her lungs to fill up with infection and she will be unable
to breathe. She may be diaphoretic (covered with sweat) due to fever
which is further dehydrating her. Her organs are being profoundly
damaged and are starting to fail including her kidneys, heart,
circulatory and central nervous systems She may be hallucinating and
experiencing a vague sense of dread which is part of the dehydration.
When her kidneys fail, they are no longer able to remove poisons from
the body and these poisons build up. Her heart begins to fail causing a
back-up of fluids into her lungs called pulmonary edema and all of
these induced conditions finally overwhelm her and she loses
consciousness and dies. But it often takes 2-3 weeks for this to take
place.

hat tip: esoterically.net

Nice idea for a "living will". However, I’ve decided against getting a living will – especially if that means (should I ever get into Terri’s position one day) me dying from starvation and dehydration. No thank you.

And if my rejecting the slow and painful death of anyone (including myself) makes me a "a thirteen year old male plagiarizing hypocrite" , so be it. But I’ll tell ya one thing: I don’t cross-dress, I’m nearing 40 years of age, and I’ll be the first atheist religious hypocrite that ever existed in the universe.

An Internet Crash Course for N00BS

….Due to popular demand.

I understand that there are a lot of people that are newbies to the Internet or about 10 + years behind the advanced world in technology. Also there are quite a few people that are new to blogs. In today’s crash course, I’m going to cover Blockquotes and Hyperlinks.

.::BLOCKQUOTES::.

There is what they call a “blockquote” . Click on the word, “blockquote” for the definition. I will give you a LIVING example here:

The Blockquote element is used to contain text quoted from another source. Typically, blockquote rendering would be a slight extra left and right indent, and possibly rendered in an italic font. The Blockquote element causes a paragraph break, and typically provides space above and below the quote.

Everything that you see on my blog that is “blockquoted” is NOT my own original text. My links provide the sources.

.::WHAT IS A LINK?::.

Next, for those of you who don’t know what a link is or how to identify one. Let me explain:

(I must say that I’m surprised in 2005 that there are STILL people who cannot distinguish a link from normal text – yet somehow wind up on my blog!)

A link is really short for what is really called a “hyperlink”. The best way that I see fit for identifying one is to move your mouse around the text. Do you notice a little hand or symbol appearing over certain parts of the text that are either highlighted, a different color, or where the style of the text changes? Yep. You got it. That is a a “hyperlink” or a “link” for short. And……… if you click on it, it will take you to an EXTERNAL WEBSITE that will give you additional information aiming to prove or back up my case!

An element in an electronic document that links to another place in the same document or to an entirely different document. Typically, you click on the hyperlink to follow the link. Hyperlinks are the most essential ingredient of all hypertext systems, including the World Wide Web.

There is a site called World Wide Learn. It provides courses and tutorials for those of you who are either still in middle school, lived under a rock all their life and just came out, for Britons, or for those people that have been using a computer for some time and need some brushing up.

The “hyperlinks” you find in my entries cite external sources. It is there, where you can find it’s origin. I hope that I am making myself clear?

It is only then and hopefully then that you will be able to notice the difference between quoting text that’s not my own in the form of a blockquote or just simply copying and pasting text tricking my readers to believe it came from me.

Seriously though, for those making an attempt to comment on anyone’s blog, online news articles/reports or anything of the like REALLY should learn how to use the internet regarding the aforementioned because if you cannot identify blockquotes and links or truly even understand the usage/meaning of them, you will never understand what you’re reading online or at least enough to make a proper comment or contribute to the discussion sounding intelligent. If you, however, are just simply lazy, commenting without having clicked the links in said text that you are responding to, it will make you look like a clown for the whole world to see.

A Woman with Balls

ATLANTA, March 24 — The woman who said she gained
the trust of suspected courthouse gunman Brian Nichols by talking about
her faith while he held her hostage was presented with $70,000 in
reward money Thursday for helping authorities capture him.

Ashley Smith, a 26-year-old widowed mother of one,
was held for seven hours by Nichols at her suburban Atlanta home March
12 before he let her go. She then made the 911 call that led to his
arrest.

Read the rest of the story here.

When’s That Bitch Gonna Die?

And those were his exact words.

I am Brain-Damaged Too

Yes, I know the ball’s in Michael Schiavo’s court. The decision has been made, and the case is pretty much closed. But I couldn’t resist posting this: I am Brain-Damaged Too

This is true love.

Going by the “Letter of the Law”…

it’s whether or not she has a good quality of life.

TERRY NEVER WANTED TO LIVE LIKE THIS. it’s been decided and proven in a court of law that she never wanted to live like this.

i think it’s an ethical nightmare to force someone to live in a vegetative state (which literally means her mind operates like that of a piece of celery, or a potato.)

she is a zombie, and it’s shameless the way “right to lifers” are all over this story, when it’s not even a right to life case!!!

Posted by: anti | March 23, 2005 02:55 PM

This is the problem. There’s no proof that Terri said she doesn’t want to live in “this kind of state”. If you are going strictly by the letter of the law, the letter of the law states that “hearsay” is always thrown out of court!

This garble is coming from the same “husband” who received several hundreds of thousands of dollars FOR REHABILITATION several years ago and never spent a penny on it. This is coming from the same “husband” who refused to let “certain” doctors evaluate Terri. This is also coming from the same “husband” that now has a new woman in his life, going on his second child with her AND REFUSES TO DIVORCE TERRI because if he were to, he’d lose out on the insurance money. This is coming from the same “husband” who publicly said he loves his wife and will remain with her forever no matter what.

In America, money talks. Michael Schiavo’s lawyers happen to be stronger. Shit loads of evidence proving that she’s NOT in a persistent vegetative state was NOT ADMITTED INTO COURT.

Also, how could you condone her dying of starvation rather than the lethal injection so she can go painlessly.

I’m not citing any sources here, because that’s all I’ve been doing for the last several days.

I’m in favor in Euthanasia. But this is not a Euthanasia case.

Also, I’d be curious to know what you’re answer is to this:

Denise (MiracleChild)wrote the following message in our comments section of this post:

I have a disabled daughter. At 4 months of age, a highly respected UCLA neurologist told us based on her MRI’s and his physical inspection of her that our daughter’s cerebral cortex area of her brain was hugely gone. He went on to further say that we should just try to make her as comfortable as possible, and not to invest in any therapies as they would not help. As you could imagine, this news devastated my husband and I….it did not however deter us.

While Amy (now 4) still cannot swallow her own saliva (and Terri can), through a long process we taught her to eat everything by mouth. Due to intense physical therapy and other alternative treatments, Amy is taking assisted steps and beginning to sit. We did not give up on her.

I have looked at Terri Schiavo’s videos, I have spoken via e-mail with Mr. Schindler, and I am 100% positive that Terri is no different than my daughter. Even with the many years that Terri has been left with no therapy and stimulation, there is still hope. Will she ever have full capacity, the answer is no. But I have seen the eyes of my little girl daily for 4 years and I have seen the eyes of Terri. Terri is not brain dead she is alive.

Courtesy of Blogs for Terri.

Secondly, how much about this case do you know? It’s also been proven that she’s not in a “persistent vegetative state”. She’s brain-damaged, NOT BRAIN DEAD. There’s a HUGE difference. I’ve cited the facts numerous times from reliable sources in the “Terry Schiavo” category of my blog.

I’m so sick and tired of dealing with those who get all the information from the boob tube and not knowing or even caring about the facts.

This is a case won over money; not one won over the best interests of Terri.

Kill all Disfunctional People?

I received the following comment in my blog regarding Terri Schiavo from A.R.

Also, this has been called "The Fight for Terri’s Life." I think our
definition of life is severely distorted. Living involves being able to
get around on one’s own (whether in a wheelchair or walking), being
able to experience a fresh breeze on your face, watching a sunset, and
going to bed in your own home next to your loved one. What kind of life
is living in a hospital bed with a tube shoved down your throat? I
argue that that’s not life at all but merely a hollow shell that
represents the form of a beautiful person that used to be alive. Let’s
define life before we argue whether someone has one or not…

Based on this logic, this means that everyone who cannot function properly must die. For two years of my life at one point in time, I was incapacitated. Going by the above theory, I wouldn’t be alive typing this right now. What about mental patients in the psychiatric wards in hospitals? What about those in regular hospitals? What about those in ICU? If A.R.’s theory were to be enforced, there would never be a need for hospitals, right?

The facts are not debatable in this case. There is simply a division of people who know the facts VS those who are either unaware of them or whom just don’t want to be aware of them. Simple as that.

I also received a comment from Dawn Kozsey:

Re: Michael Schiavo’s Comment that he loves Terri is in total
contrast to truth and a description of love found in 1Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud, it is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

When light is shed on the situation it is obviously clear Michael Schiavo is a liar.

Oh by the way Proverbs 6:16-19 states:

There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to Him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies

and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

A perfect description of Michael Schiavo!!!

Dawn, you are correct. That IS a perfect description of Michael Schiavo!

This is very, very sad.

Again, for more information on how YOU can help, please refer to Blogs for Terri.

Here’s a list of all those bloggers in support of Terri:

21st Century Palladin
A Black and White World
A Certain Slant of Light
A Mom And Her Blog
A Place to Grow
A Song of November
Adjutorium Nostrum + In Nomine Domini
After Abortion
Against The Grain
Alexandra’s Constitutionalist Corner
Allthings2all
American Daughter Med.Ctr
American Warmonger
An Aid To Memory
Anchor Rising
Ancient and Future Catholic Musings
Ankle Biting Pundits
Apologia_Christi
Apologies Demanded
Argghhh!
ArklahomBoy
Army of God
Attempted Murder
Aussieforlife
Balance Sheet
Barbarians at the Gate
Basils Blog
Bates Line
BaylyBlog
Becki Snow
Believer Blog
Benedict
Ben’s World
Between Two Worlds
Birth Story
Black Lace Mittens
Blind Mind’s Eye
Blog Talker
blogan
bLogicus
blogma | dogma for the idle brain
Blogotional
BlogsforTerri
BobOnIt
Broken Masterpieces
Brutally Honest
Caits Oz Blogs
Calblog
Caos blog
Cat House Chat
Catholic Apologetics
Catholic Fire
Catholics for Democracy
Catholics in the Public Square
chatity reVisited
Chesapeake Cove
Christianity and Middle-Earth
ChristWeb
Church of the Acronym
Civilization Calls
Collecting My Thoughts
Come On, Get Lively
CommonSenseRunsWild
ConcateNation
Confessions of a Cooperator
Conservative Friends
Contemplating the Laundry
Cosmic X
Cranky Neocon
Crystal Clear
Curiouser and Curiouser
DailyInklings
Daisy Cutter
DarjeelinGirl
Darrenweeks.net
David Allen
De Fidei Oboedientia
Dean’s Journal
Dean’s World
Diary of a Suburban Priest
Different River
Digital Brown Pajamas
Discarded Lies
Dogwood Blue
Doubleshot Thoughts
Doxology
E-involved
Eclectic Escapades
Endlessly Rocking
Evangelical Underground
Ever New
Evil Conservative Blog
Exultate Justi
Exultet
Eye on the world
Fast for Terri
Fides Spes Caritas
Fifth Column: Struggle Against Silence
FIGHT4TERRI
Florida Cracker
Freedom Eden
Getting Elected Blogline
Global Rumblings
GM’s Corner
God Save Us
GOP Christian
GOP Insight
Gordon Watts
Guns and Glory
Hannah’s Vow
Happy Catholic
HCS’s Pad
Heart Mind and Strength
Heart of Canada
Hennessy�s View
Hermes Bound
Hi! I’m Gordon Zaft, why?
Hi. How YOU doin’?
Hidden Nook
Hill Country Views
Holy Tornado
Home, Throne and Altar
House of the Dog
hubbyanddad
Hyscience
I am Brain Damaged 2
I Hope
I Still See A Spark In You
ilexia’s news & views
Imago Dei
In Hoc Signo Vinces
In Pectore
Insane Troll Logic
Insight Scoop
Insignificant Thoughts
inTheBullPen
inTheBullPen
IntolerantElle
Jack Lewis
Jews For Life
JivinJehoshaphat
John Bambenek
JRHOO
Jumping Without a Chute
Justice for Terri Schiavo
KarensKorner
Kenders Musings
Kentucky Packrat
Knitting a Conundrum
Krotchety Kegler
La Shawn Barbers Corner
Legacy Matters
LiberalsForTerri
Life at the Frontier
Life Matters!
LifeSteward
LilacRose
Living with a Spinal Cord Injury
Lockjaw’s Lair
Love Is Tough
M.A.W.B Squad
Magisterial Fidelity
man with black hat
Marlowes Shade
me autem minui
Media Soul
MediaCulpa
Meira Online
Memento Moron
Meneltarma
Miserere Mei
Modeling 101
MoFiZiX Gr4FiX
Mount Virtus
Musing
Musings of a Thoughtful Conservative
My Domestic Church
my old gray etcetera
My Three Sons
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Myopic Zeal
Naaman
NeophytePundit
News from Great Beyond
News From The Back Porch
NIF
Ninja Pajamas
Not in Kansas anymore
Now You Know
Obiter Dictum
Obs of the SuperCAT
Off the Top
Oh How I Love Jesus
Okie on the Lam
Old Oligarch’s Painted Stoa
One Bread, One Body
Open Book
OpinionTimes
Our Word and Welcome to It
PajamaHadin
Pamela Hennessy
Parableman
Pardon My English
Parliament of Owls
Passionate Pro-lifer
Patty-Jo
PBS Watch
pc540
Pondering the Word
PowerBlog
Powers that Blog
President Aristotle
Princess Jami’s Castle
ProLifeBlogs
Proverbs Daily
Purposeful Dreamer
Questions and Answers Blog
Questions and Answers Blog
Random and Politically Incorrect Thoughts
Random Thoughts on Life
randomandpic
Raven’s Musings on Life
RealChoice
Rebecca’s Rispostas
Recta Ratio
Red Guy in a Blue State
ReggieNation
Relapsed Catholic
Rerum Novarum
Res Publica
Right As Usual
Righty in a Lefty State
Rottweiler Puppy
Save Terri
SavedbyGrace
Saying No to the Culture of Death
Scamfighters Tips
Schadenfreude
Scrapple Face
Scrawlings
SecretAgentMan’s Dossier
Seeking Sanity
Sensible Mom
Serenity Through Hope
She Who Will Be Obeyed
Shining The Light Of Truth
Shock and Blog
Sierra Faith
Silver bubble
Slobokan’s Site
Snowdancer
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis
Sonshyne7
Sounding the Trumpet
speech151
Stand in the Trenches
StonesCryOut
Straight Up With Sherri
Sue Bob’s Diary
Suitable For Mixed Company
Summer’s Daydreams
Superblessed
Talk Show America
Teknosis
TenNapel
Terri Schiavo My Journal
Terri Schindler-Schiavo [Not Dead Yet]
TerriSchiavo
Terri’s Fight
Terri’s Ring
The American Princess
The Anchoress
The Bandwagon
The Black Kettle
The Blog of Amy
The Commons at Paulie World
The Daily Quip
the evangelical outpost
The Girl Next Door
The Informed Christian
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The Narrow
The NY Minute
The Original Musings
The Point
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The Razor
The Red Side of Belew
The Rob Report
The Sanity Ranch
The Seventh Age
The Sheeps Crib
The Smarter Cop
The Squamata Report
The Sunnye Side
The Therapist
The View from the Firehouse
The Wide Awakes
The World of Mommifer
theJesusfreak
TheSenescenceMan
Threshing Grain
Through My Eyes
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Thumos
Thunderdome’s Blog
TimandKimberly.com
Times Against Humanity
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What Attitude Problem?
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What is “Getting Over it”?

I think to one degree or another, we’ve all suffered at some point and time in our lives. Everyone’s trauma means something different to them, and we all have our unique ways of coping. Some healthy and some not. The “Getting Over It” dilemma is a very controversial issue. Everyone has something different to say about it.

Can someone define what “Getting Over It” means? To help you out a bit, let me give you all some choices to choose from:

“Getting Over It” is….

1. Talking about it.
2. Confronting the perpetrator.
3. Bullying people that can’t speak for themselves or defend themselves. i.e. children and kind and disabled people, the homeless.
4. Becoming an alcoholic or being high all the time.
5. Allowing feelings to come up as they arise, so long as no harm’s done to another person.
6. Keeping a stiff upper lip because the ones that say “I care for you” don’t give a shit and internalizing the hurt and anger inside you like a “pressure cooker” until you have had enough and either get physically sick , have a nervous break down, become a hermit, become a priest, become addicted to blogging or go on a killing rampage like this person or like these people?
7. suicide

So, which one is it?

Science speaks. And evidence speaks even louder.

The “pressure cooker” theory reminds me of earthquakes. Since I’ve been alive (and I’m 36) the hugest, most disastrous earthquakes typically happen in places where there are very, very few tremors or none at all. Folks, what does that say?

I lived on the outskirts of Tokyo for almost seven years and that place was shaking all the time, yet there were no BIG earthquakes. Remember the Big Kobe Earthquake in Japan in 1995? No, tremors, no shakes, no nothing…………… then BOOM!

Aren’t we humans like that? Don’t you think we need to shake and rattle a bit to avoid a BIG BOOM?

The “Moral Majority” say “Getting Over It” means to forget about it and move on. And folks, that’s what repression is.

Definition

repress [Show phonetics]
verb [T]
1 to not allow something, especially feelings, to be expressed:
He repressed a sudden desire to cry.

2 to control what people do, especially by using force

repressed [Show phonetics]
adjective
repressed anger/sexuality
English people are notoriously repressed and don’t talk about their feelings.

2 the process and effect of keeping particular thoughts and desires out of your conscious mind in order to defend or protect it:
an attitude of unhealthy sexual repression

repressive [Show phonetics]
adjective
a repressive (= cruel) military regime
sexually repressive

Do you know what Repression does to YOU and the poor people around you?

For all the religious fanatics out there, both a woman and a man whom are religious wrote what repression is to them.

When you do not like, or even fear, certain feelings and attitudes in yourself, you block awareness of them. This amounts to obstructing the stream of feelings that should flow freely. Use the analogy of the stream, though it is not new of course, as a fresh approach, so that you can visualize the damage done by repression. You need a new impetus in order to be inspired to remove the barricades. So, my friends, try to visualize each emotion, each attitude and response as a stream. If you barricade a stream, what happens? It is possible to dam up a river. The water will flow to the dam and will then be stopped. But the more water accumulates behind the dam, the greater the energy of the accumulating water will become until it bursts the dam, overflows, and destroys not only the dam itself, but all the natural and healthy vegetation and structures alongside.

Destroying the barricade in such a violent way is not necessary. The dam in your soul never needed to be erected, but since you chose to build it, it has to go. You can make gradually and systematically remove it by your own efforts: this is the conscious process of self-confrontation. Waiting until nature takes its course means that the barricade will be swept away by the force of the waters. When life handles you roughly, when the accumulated destructive attitudes whose origins lie behind the barricade finally break loose, you experience crises and breakdowns of different kinds and degrees.

By not damming up the river, you let the dirt and residue float freely to the surface to be eliminated. The ever-regenerating water in its purity and freshness will finally sweep the river free of the debris. Is this not a fact in nature? The same applies to your soul-currents. By fearing and not looking at the debris of your past hurts and their subsequent destructive tendencies, you accumulate them behind the barricade, and they are bound to swamp you one day when you cannot control what happens. But there is nothing to fear when you allow the debris to reach the surface.

When you begin to remove your blocks you will start to experience negative emotions unlike any you have felt before. The temptation is then to put the lid on again. Beware of this temptation. The warm, positive, generous, loving, unselfish feelings must follow eventually, and the negative feelings will no longer be detrimental to you. Not wanting to see the negative does not eliminate its existence. When you struggle against your insecurity, denying its existence, it rises up behind the dam, like swelling waters. As long as the dam holds, you will feel a vague discomfort. You will feel inhibited without understanding why, and you will sense that some of your best potentials are underutilized. You will not have a grasp of the situation, nor will you feel the full force of the insecurity that becomes stronger as it builds up behind the barricade.

One day certain outer events will swamp you with all the despair of helplessness and insecurity you had never dared to face. So by struggling to repress your insecurity, you actually increase it. By denying its existence, you make it bigger and stronger than it otherwise would be. The same holds true for any other emotion or attitude — fear, doubt, hostility, or whatever — the principle is the same. The natural laws apply to all created forces, whether they be actual rivers or the rivers and streams of feeling. Is it not much wiser to remove the barricade? Waiting until nature breaks it down will render you helpless. The feelings will swamp you and you will not understand their meaning because their accumulated momentum has become too strong. Do not wait until such times. All too often one waits for a crisis before one is willing to take stock of oneself.

Nice analogy. This also reminds me of another one of my favorite quotes.

“The number one killer in the world today is not cancer or heart disease, it is repression.” -Dr. Arthur Janov

Now, get over people who aren’t getting over it and move on!

There May Still Be Some Hope for Terri Schiavo!

A Message from Blogs for Terri

Please Call Nancy Argenziano Now!

Email message from reader:

I just got a personal response from Senator Nancy Argenziano! She asked where I got the info about Terri being able to sip some water. I directed her to the nurse’s affidavit at terrisfight.org. You might want to follow up with her.

Re:  Nancy Argenziano, 850-487-5017

Urgent – Since Nancy’s phones are very busy, will everyone please keep trying to get her and let her know that Terri can take-in water and has actually taken water, jello, and pudding. Please direct her to HERE on BLOGSFORTERRI since it’s easy to find that specific post here.

Please advise her that she can get more information at BlogsForTerri.com if she would please just check it out herself instead of listening to the media. We need Nancy’s help.

There’s a huge difference between being “brain damaged” and “brain dead”. For all those people in support of the tube being removed from Terri, you obviously haven’t been following this case and are unaware of the facts. You have no right to voice your opinion as firmly and definitely as you are. Ignorance in this kind of case is unacceptable!

And for all of you that think this is none of my business or anyone else’s, let me ask you this. Do you not voice your opinion whether it be written or vocal when you see something wrong in our society? If you’re going to follow the “it’s none of your business logic”, than it should apply all around — not to just Terri’s case.

But you’re right. It IS none of my business, but that doesn’t mean I cannot voice my opinion or fight for her in any way. That’s how things get changed in society. If you just sit on your bum, nothing gets done!

If you don’t have the facts, keep quiet and read.

Another thing I don’t understand is that if they’re going to “let Terri die”, why don’t they just give her a lethal injection so that she can go painlessly? Has anyone ever thought of that? If you read up on her case, it’s already been proven that Terri reacts to pain. BRAIN-DEAD people don’t do that! Those in a Persistant Vegetative State don’t do that either!

What is a Persistant Vegetative State?

The affected individual is alive but is not able to react or respond to life around him/her. Coma may occur as an expected progression or complication of an underlying illness, or as a result of an event such as head trauma.

A persistent vegetative state, which sometimes follows a coma, refers to a condition in which individuals have lost cognitive neurological function and awareness of the environment but retain noncognitive function and a preserved sleep-wake cycle.

Terri Schiavo feels pain, she smiles, she tries very hard to use her voice to communicate, she cries, and on a couple of occasions, she’s spoken. Watch the videos and see for yourself either here or here.

Many people have said this already, and I agree with it. “Prisoners on Death Row get much better treatment!” Again, I don’t believe in her being put to death, but if you’re going to do it, let her die painlessly with an injection for God sakes!

Hmm… Looks like Liberals aren’t the only ones who protest!

Thanks to the Republicans, there actually may be some hope!

The Fight Continues for Terri Schiavo’s Life

Read here how you can help. Time is running out.

As we all know, mainly, it’s the Republicans who are in favor of Terri’s life. But I just read on Blogs for Terri that “there are at least six (hard-headed) Republicans” who are against the Relief Bill to save Terri’s life.

My husband and I have already written to our senate. However, I believe this is now the place to go to help Terri.

Read the FACTS for more information on Terri!

Liven’ La Vida De Nuda!

I found these in Sassy Girl’s Blog and thought this was hilarious!

A group of nudists eat together at a monthly ‘Clothing Optional Dinner’ at a New York City restaurant, Feb. 17, 2005. About 30 people arrived for the buffet dinner — no hot soup on the menu — most of them middle-aged, several married couples, some singles, the youngest perhaps in their 30s. Diners must bring something to sit on — a towel or, for discerning women, an elegant silk scarf.

Could you ever do such a thing? I don’t mind relaxing in a Japanese Hot Spring or public bath with other women , but co-ed wining and dining? I don’t thinks that’s for me.

And then there’s Nude Karaoke!

(Berlin-AP, Oct. 30, 2003 6:30 PM) _ What started as a joke about nude karaoke has become a lawsuit.

Bristol Station Cafe owner Marty Saint Pierre says he was just kidding when he advertised such an event in front of his bar. Then he got volunteers. Lots of them.

The planned event struck a sour note with the establishment’s neighbors, who called Town Hall to complain. Soon, Saint Pierre got a visit from town authorities, who said he could face fines or arrest if he operated the naked musical performance without a permit.

The dispute is now the subject of a lawsuit challenging a town ordinance on sexually oriented businesses. Berlin does not outlaw such businesses, but they are required to have permits and meet certain zoning requirements.

Without a permit, a sexually oriented business can face a fine of up to $100 and an arrest on misdemeanor charges. The lawsuit contends the penalties are harsher than towns are allowed to enforce under state law.

Whoa! I thought Europeans were less uptight than that?! Maybe because it’s Germany? I really don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care where people go and what people do in the nude. That’s their prerogative! A nude body (even if overweight) never terrified me.

The below is me at Karaoke with my clothes on. The man on the left is my former Japanese boyfriend. (Because of stalkers, I have my face covered).

Heck, people think I’m strange for having bathed nude in public in Japan. The first time, it was very hard for me because I can be very self-conscious about my body in front of everyone but my husband. However, after having gotten used to it, I started to appreciate my body. I was no longer embarrassed, and didn’t care what anyone thought about it. There were two things that bothered me, however. A couple times in a public bath (because I was a foreigner in Japan), a woman touched my breasts and said, “WOWWWW!”. She continued, “it’s no wonder you have stiff shoulders!” Heh.

And there was one woman who constantly stared at me. I can handle people “looking” at me, but I got very irritated when one would stare blankly for minutes. Gawd!  You see, the Japanese DO have manners, but they don’t apply to foreigners.

Other than that, my seven year experience bathing publicly was a positive experience, and one that I will never forget. In fact, that’s one of the many things I miss terribly about being in that country. You haven’t felt relaxation until you’ve bathed traditionally in Japan (even if not in public).

So, take ‘em off and relax a bit, eh? I could name a couple people who need to simma.

Copyright Violations

I just got this lovely comment from a troll:

hey idit, have youre ever herd of copy writes looking at your little site hear i counted numeres violations this postink of the garbage vidao is probly the most horible you should respeckt the iintellectual propertyyy of other iwill be forwerding your web adresss two the propper people

This was written gracefully by theblur2002@yahoo.com.

First off, I go out of my way to give credit for everything I post on my site. Everything that you see here, I’ve either purchased myself or in the event that I didn’t purchase the rights to what I own, I have properly given credit to the author.

As for the video I uploaded, I gave proper credit to the authors by my linking to them. I own that video. And I’ve purchased it myself.

I don’t do P2P. I haven’t “stolen” anything. I took the video down because after the response I got, I could see where others could grab that video off me illegally. That is where I see a problem could arise. I wasn’t thinking about it when I posted it. And if I was in the wrong for doing that, then I’m guilty as charged and I admit my wrong-doing.

I’m an artist myself (if you look at the photos on my sidebar). I even have a copyright statement there. As a photographer, it’s in my least bit of interest to “steal” from others.

I have also read and understand everything that pertains to “Fair Use” and the Law. I don’t believe I’m disobeying any rules there.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh, he/she is forwarding my page to the proper people? LOL.

Gayle, thank you very much for the below comment you posted in my blog:

WOW! What a nasty person! Perhaps you could have said this with less jealousy or hate in your tone and maybe the author does not know all the in and outs yet. Did you maybe ask first or give suggestions or is that too mature for you? ((

It’s people like you that make blogging worth my time.

Yes, there are ways to point out someone is doing something wrong. This “person” obviously has no class.

An Introduction to Terry Schiavo

For those of you who are new to the case of Terry Schiavo, the best place to get the facts would be here!

Read here for the Lies, Myths, and Misconceptions about Terri.

.::A VERY positive update::. Bush making surprise return to Washington because of Schiavo case

I know I’ve bashed Bush quite a few times in my day, but this time, I’m very grateful for his enthusiasm regarding Terri’s precious life.

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — President Bush is changing his schedule to return to the White House on Sunday to be in place to sign emergency legislation that would shift the case of a brain-damaged Florida woman to federal courts, the White House said Saturday.

"Everyone recognizes that time is important here," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

The House and Senate hoped to act on the legislation Sunday, so Bush decided he needed to be in Washington so he could immediately sign the bill, McClellan said.

"The president intends to sign legislation as quickly as possible once it is passed," McClellan said.

During previous travels, Bush has had legislation flown to him overnight by military plane for his signature. But in this case, McClellan said that the fact that a woman’s life is at stake made it necessary for him to travel to the bill.

"Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube has been removed and we stand with … all those who are working to defend her life," he said.

A perfect friend for Scott Peterson!?

What you may not know about Michael Schiavo:

Michael Schiavo: "Terri has never spoken a word" since her collapse in 1990.

If you read the facts above, you would know that Terri has spoken on a number of occasions. Take a look at the following videos of Terri, and you’ll see that she’s not brain dead or in a PVS. Click to see for yourself.

• Terri watching a balloon
• Terri’s alert eyes
• Terri responds to cold
• Terri responds to her mom
• Terri responds to music
• Terri responds to touch

Watching these videos should either piss you off or make you very sad.

From his interview with Larry King:

Michael Schiavo says his wife told him years ago when they were watching a television program dealing with terminal illness issues that she didn’t want to be kept alive through artificial means, and he said he wants to honor her wishes.

Hogwash! Hearsay is usually thrown out in the court of law. And how could he say such a thing. After her feeding tube was removed, she cried that she didn’t want to die! What part of "I don’t want to die" does Judge Greer not understand?

Love, a Key Factor in Life and Death decision.

Doctors are divided on whether Schiavo understands her plight, her surroundings, or knows her relatives. While even those on one side of the ledger admit she smiles and responds to greetings, at least one says he’s not sure to what she’s responding. Though all people in comas have "waking" and "sleeping" states, Schiavo’s folks think hers are more pronounced than they would be if she were truly "brain dead."

Sure, doctors are divided. One team of doctors are well, .. just doctors, and the other team of doctors are those appointed by the court. Hello? Does this not spell….

All this would be stable, but tragic, if not for this: Her husband doesn’t want to live at her side anymore. He says his wife would hate her existence – being tube-fed, bathed by others and unable to move on her own – as a cruel indignity.

Hmmm… How convenient? It’s no wonder he doesn’t want to live at her bedside anymore. He’s got one kid and another on the way with the new women he has in his life. But I quote some words that came out of his mouth: Listen up, folks!

In 1992, Terri’s husband Michael won $1.7 million in negligence lawsuit under the pretext of funding her rehabilitation and care. He testified, “I believe in the vows that I took with my wife. Through sickness, in health, for richer or poorer. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I’m going to do that.” Since that time, Terri has received no rehabilitation, all beneficial forms of stimulation (e.g. music) have been prohibited and basic health care, such as treatment for a life threatening urinary tract infection, has been purposefully withheld at Michael’s direction.

Hmmm. How do you explain the new woman and the children?

When you love somebody, you love them even after they become disabled. If you leave someone just because they’re disabled, then you never, ever loved them before. It was just a superficial, bogus relationship to begin with. Am I not right?

Since Schiavo never left written instructions about what should happen
in the event of her incapacitation, no one knows for sure what she
would want.

Amen!

Some point out that Schiavo’s husband has both a girlfriend and a
great deal to gain – a life insurance policy that doubles in case of
accidental death.

Though Schiavo’s feeding tube was due to be disconnected by court
order on Sept. 11, that decision has been stayed. Her parents have
petitioned for intervention. They want custody of her, and do not care
whether her husband divorces her. However, if her husband divorces, he
would not be the beneficiary of her insurance.

Well, well, well, … there you have it. And this explains why he persistently refuses to divorce her. You’d think he would have gotten a divorce by now — that he’s moved on with his life, has a new woman, and two children. Convenient, or shall we say, "strange", isn’t it?

And some more disturbing facts about this case:

As you know, he was interviewed some years back by Larry King. Larry King asked v-e-r-y safe questions.
Here are the questions Larry King should have asked Michael Schiavo:

1. Why did Schiavo tell a medical malpractice jury in 1992 that Terri would live a normal life span? After Terri’s collapse, Schiavo sued for

   medical malpractice. Under civil law, the longer Terri was expected to
   live, the larger the verdict would probably be. This fact of legal life
   could explain why Michael presented evidence to the malpractice jury
   not only that Terri would likely live a normal life span but also that
   he intended to be a good and loyal husband and care for her for the
   rest of his life.

2. Why did Schiavo have a rehabilitation expert testify in front of the
   malpractice jury to present a detailed plan of therapy for Terri?
   Schiavo and his lawyer claimed that Terri is incapable of improving
   physically, but during the 1992 trial, a rehabilitation plan and its
   anticipated undertaking provided one of the underpinnings for the
   jury’s $1.3 million award. Of that money, Schiavo received $300,000,
   lawyers’ fees were paid, and about $750,000 was put in trust to pay for
   Terri’s rehabilitation.
3. Given that the jury awarded $750,000 to be used in part for
   Terri’s therapy, why hasn’t Schiavo provided any rehabilitation for her
   since 1991?
   When asked by King about the issue of rehab, Schiavo described some
   early efforts to help Terri, such as an experimental surgery in 1990.
   But he never identified when this rehab took place.

   Which is an important point. The only efforts ever
   undertaken to improve Terri’s condition took place in 1990 and 1991.
   They had ceased by the time of the malpractice trial in 1992 because
   her insurance coverage had run out. Indeed, the pressing need to
   restart therapy was an urgent part of the malpractice case. It could
   have–and should have–paid to restart the rehabilitation that had been
   abandoned due to lack of funds.

    

UPDATE:

A question for those in support of the "right to die" regarding
Terri Schiavo: The "right to live-ers" are saying that Michael
Schiavo’s lying to fulfill his own personal agendas. The "right to
die-ers" are saying that Terri’s family’s lying to fulfill their own
personal agendas.

What’s in it for the nurses who have publically spoke about Terri’s
condition? And the 33 doctors who’s testimony wasn’t permitted in
court?

If you don’t know the facts of this case, please refrain from commenting on this entry. Instead, please refer to my "Terri Schiavo" category for more information. I go out of my way to substantiate and back up the facts with links from external sources. Nothing written here was made up by myself.

There are two sides to every story. I’ve heard both of them. Don’t be lazy. Do your research.

 

 

Terri Schiavo is Not Brain Dead!

People, this is not a case of Euthanasia! Let’s learn the facts!

The following excerpt and media clip was taken from Cao’s Blog.

 

This clip is from the ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice) on
the Terri Schiavo case. They have lawyers lobbying on behalf of Terri
down in Florida, and so far, they have over 32,000 signatures on this
petition. The goal of over 40,000 has been reached, but if you haven’t
signed, please go there. We need more signatures. Here’s the petition.

This
is not a live clip, the calls and the show are from the show recorded
March 18- so don’t call the number to get on the show! The ACLJ will be
updating their website about progress on this, so make sure you go
there and check: ACLJ.org

Click HERE to watch the video clip about Terri Schiavo’s condition.

This is just another Laci Peterson case if you ask me. Another beautiful girl with a lovely smile who has been dying at the hands of her husband.

Terri Schiavo smiles. She laughs, cries and moans. Her eyes appear to follow a balloon around the room. When a cotton swab slips into her mouth, she grimaces. Those images, from video clips on television and a Web site created by Schiavo’s family, have helped fuel the national debate over whether to remove the feeding tube that has kept the brain-damaged Pinellas County woman alive for 13 years.

To her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, and some doctors who have observed her, those reactions show that the 39-year-old woman is aware and responding to the outside world.

But her husband, Michael, a number of doctors and courts that have heard medical testimony say she is in a persistent vegetative state. That diagnosis means means that, though awake, she is not conscious or capable of responding to others except by reflex.

By order of an appeals court, five doctors examined Schiavo in 2002. Two were chosen by the Schindlers, two by Michael Schiavo and one by the court. Three of the five, the ones chosen by Michael Schiavo and the court, said Terri Schiavo was in a persistent or permanent vegetative state.

Don’t you think it’s funny how all the evidence shows she is capable of eating, feeling, and reacting to joy and pain  , yet there’s not one spec of evidence in favor of Michael Schiavo’s "belief" that she is in a persistant vegetative state.

Her doctors are there to prove it, but Michael’s lawyers are more powerful. Who’s he paying off besides his lawyer, I wonder? I even wonder if the judge is getting bribe money for this.

UPDATE: We just found out a few days ago, that Judge Greer was getting bribe money.  Figures.

Read Terri’s timeline.

She was able to eat – being fed by a spoon. Vegatables or brain dead people cannot do this. Right? The only reason she’s not being spoon fed anymore is because her husband had it stopped. Evidently, Michael and his criminal legal associates have more power.

On October 2nd of 2002, Michael "petitioned the court to authorize the cremation" of Terri. Why cremation? I can think of two reasons easily:

1. Because there’s some evidence of strangulation. If he DID strangle her, it’s no wonder he’s trying to get her cremated before the chance of an autopsy. An autopsy would show proof of strangulation. Michael doesn’t want to get into trouble.
2. Because he’s in this for MONEY. Think of how much he’d save on funeral expenses by having her cremated instead. After all he’s paying his lawyers to get her killed, he’s got to get some compensation, somehow.

Don’t be afraid of the facts. Don’t rely on a couple words here and there and a bunch of unsubstantiated hearsay. If you need more facts, please visit The Blogs for Terri site.  This is not something that a bunch of goofy bloggers made up to get attention. All this information is backed up from reliable NEWS SOURCES.

One thing that puzzles the hell out of me is how come this has turned into such a political and religious debate? The Liberals are in favor of her death and the Republicans are fighting for her life. Gee… my husband and I are Liberals and this time, we’re actually on the Republican side, interestingly enough. But I keep wondering why there’s that political and religious split. And believe it or not, I’m agnostic too!

Weird!

Oh and DON’T FORGET TO SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE HER LIFE!

Stop Women Drivers…NOW!

If this doesn’t say it all, I don’t know what does?

Maybe, … just maybe, if women put their make-up on and ate their breakfast at home, these things wouldn’t happen?

Dim Wit #1

Dim Wit #2

Dim Wit #3

Dim Wit #4

Dim Wit #5

And alas Dim Wit #6

Keep brain-dead Soccer Moms and Hockey Moms off the road with their tanks! Although our military seems to be supporting their cause…….

Terri Schiavo’s Feeding Tube was Removed

Now that I’ve finally read up on this case, I believe Judge Greer’s orders (among other judges as well) to have her feeding tube removed are criminal, and Michael Schiavo, even worse. But you’d expect some ‘humanity’ from judges, no?

UPDATE: FROM: CHERYL FORD, NURSE SPOKESPERSON SCHINDLER FOUNDATION

FROM: CHERYL FORD, NURSE SPOKESPERSON SCHINDLER FOUNDATION

TERRI’S FEEDING TUBE WAS REMOVED.

WORD WAS JUST RECEIVED THAT TERRI’S PARENTS WERE ASKED TO LEAVE TERRI’S ROOM. MICHAEL SCHIAVO WAS PRESENT WHEN THE FEEDING TUBE WAS REMOVED.

JODI’S BROTHER, J. CENTONZE STEPPED OUT OF MICHAEL’S AND JODI’S HOUSE IN CLEARWATER AND TOLD REPORTER THAT TERRI’S FEEDING TUBE HAD BEEN REMOVED. REPORTED BY BAY NEWS NINE LOCAL NEWS!

SCHIAVO SAID HE ALLOWED A PRAYER SERVICE WITHOUT THE FAMILY PRESENT.
TERRI’S PARENTS WERE ASKED TO LEAVE THEIR DAUGHTER’S ROOM AT 1:45 PM ET.

HER LAST INITIAL FEEDING BEGAN AT 11:00 AM ET. SHE HAD SOME NUTRITION PROVIDED BEFORE JUDGE GREER ORDERED HER FEEDING TUBE REMOVED STATED BARBARA WELLER, ATTORNEY FOR THE GIBBS FIRM.

TERRI’S PARENTS ARE VERY UPSET.

NOTE: THERE WAS NO REASON TO PULL HER TUBE AND PUT HER THROUGH PAIN AND DISCOMFORT. THEY COULD HAVE CAPPED HER FEEDING TUBE OFF AND PREVENTED THE PAIN SHE EXPERIENCED FROM HAVING A FEEDING TUBE PULLED FROM HER ABDOMEN.

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! PEOPLE NEED TO ACT NOW.

THIS IS NO MORE HUMANE THAN WHEN THE FIRST PERSON WAS MARCHED INTO A GAS CHAMBER!

I don’t understand this. She wasn’t being kept alive by artificial means — just a feeding tube.

I saw on TV last night that there were 33 doctors who said that there was some hope for her, and that they would work on her condition to improve it.

She’s not really a vegetable either. She can smile, move her head, and follow objects with her eyes. She also never appeared to be in any pain. But by her starving to death, she will then feel pain. With that said, I don’t believe that it’s anybody’s right to make this decision for her. It disgusts me!

And what disgusts me even more is this:

Michael Schiavo intends to cremate Terri immediately upon her death. Please see THIS PAGE. The Medical Examiner must approve all such requests. If Terri is killed by Michael and “Judge” [and Jury] Greer, then everyone must contact the Medical Examiner and demand an autopsy to discover not only the immediate cause of death, but the proximate cause of death.

Even Forensic Pathologist Michael Baden publicly stated that he believes that her original injuries were consistent with strangulation.

The Medical Examiner can (and should) be subject to adverse license action by the Medical Board should he fail to exercise appropriate judgement in accordance with the state medical practice act. If the Terri dies, we must all contact him immediately and demand justice for Terri. If a crime was committed, then several people need to go to jail including those who conspired to kill her (and cover it up)… Michael Schiavo, his live-in girlfriend, “Judge” Greer, the hospice staff, the physicians and those politicians and judges who failed to act on her behalf.

Contact information:
Jon R. Thogmartin, M.D., District Chief Medical Examiner
10900 Ulmerton Rd., Largo FL 33778
Telephone #. (727) 582-6800
Fax # (727) 582-6820
mailto:wpellan@co.pinellas.fl.us

I hope we never have to use this information, but please keep it available in case the evil forces win.

Robert W. Smith MD

Can you believe this?

Another thing, what can we bloggers do? And how much control do we have over this? I would think that us little people wouldn’t have any control at all. Please advise.

UPDATE:

(Posted by Chris from “Blogs for Terri” )

TERRI IS CRYING I WANT TO LIVE..

PRESS RELEASE:
MARCH 18. 2005

ATTORNEY BARBARA WELLER TOLD TERRI THAT THEY WERE GOING TO REMOVE HER FEEDING TUBE , TERRI BEGAN TO CRY AND TRIED TO SAY “I WANT TO LIVE” ATTORNEY WELLER SAID SHE HAD A DIFFICULT TIME CALMING TERRI DOWN.

WE NEED PEOPLE TO SURROUND HOSPICE IN PROTEST TO JUDGE GREER’S RULING STATING HE WILL OVER RIDE FEDERAL SUBPOENA AND WILL REMOVE TERRI’S FEEDING TUBE IMMEDIATELY.

FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT COME TO FLORIDA…PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS. PLEASE DO NOT STOP YOUR CALLS.

ACTION BY THE PEOPLE MUST TAKE PLACE TO SAVE TERRI FROM JUDICIAL HOMICIDE.

JUDGE GREER IS WRONG AND IS NOT LISTENING TO CONGRESS.

This just makes me sick.

Scott Peterson to be Put to Death!

Scott Peterson to be Sentenced to Death (Hear the latest)

• Geragos’ Motion for a New Trial
• Hear the Prosecution’s Response (Denied!)

SNIPPETS BELOW FROM THE VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS

Can You Trust Your Doctor?

Dentist Accused of Squirting Semen into the Mouths of Patients

CHARLOTTE, N.C.  — A former North Carolina
dentist accused of using syringes to squirt semen into the mouths of
female patients was charged Monday with multiple misdemeanor counts of
assault on a female. 

A Mecklenburg County grand jury indicted Dr. John Hall on seven counts
of assault on a female. He was charged with assaulting six patients,
including one of them twice, over an eight-month period in 2003.

One hundred and twenty days is not enough. This is sexual abuse. Maybe if he gets corn-holed in prison, and gets the day lights beaten out of him, it will be worth it.

"I have never injected semen in any patient’s mouth," he said. "I never would. I’ve got a 10-year-old daughter. That whole concept is so beyond me."

Police searched Hall’s office and confiscated syringes after several employees said they were suspicious of the dentist’s behavior. DNA tests on the syringes later showed they contained Hall’s semen.

A million bucks says his daughter has been molested and/or raped repeatedly by this bastard.

What do do?

You know how we hear about stories in the news where doctors and dentists knock their patients out and then take advantage of them sexually? While this doesn’t happen everyday, it happens all too often.

How can women prevent these types of things from happening in the future?

Politics, Activism, Blogging, and Free Speech

We Bloggers can be influential. Are we not?

Even my “favorite” conservative blogger, Cao states that she wants to influence people with her blog.

I understand what’s going on today and am carrying the tradition of my ancestors: I am still opposing the things that are wrong. I hope I can share some of these views and make a difference.

Some people are afraid of activism. I don’t know why they are. I’m guessing people have this picture in mind when they think about activists.

or this

or this

or this

or this

or this

or this

or this

and our elder hippies

But it’s not just the liberals, man. Take it from a true, right wing conservative! They keep the word alive in their blogs.

Here’s an example list I stole from Cao’s Blog of Conservative Bloggers who passionately support their political views and argue (like I do) relentlessly against the other side (the side that I’m *not* on):

10ft2ft
2Slick’s Forum
A Collection of Thoughts
A Day In Iraq
A Physicist’s Perspective
Aaron’s Rantblog
American Warmonger
Ankle Biting Pundits
Another Man’s Meat
Anti Idiotarian-Rottweiler
AntiProtester Journal
Any Soldier
BadEagle
Bayouranter
Better Living Through Blogging
BlackFive
Blogs for Bush
Bloodletting
California Hammonds
Cathouse Chat
Citizen Smash
Cold Fury
Conservative & Right
Conservative Dialysis
Conservative Eyes
Conservative Response
Davids Medienkritik
Defend America
Democrats Give Conservatives Indigestion
Dhimmi Watch
Dump Dick Durbin
Eurosoc
Everything I Know Is Wrong
Evil Conservative
Faith Freedom
Feces Flinging Monkey
Follow That Star
Freedom Of Thought
Frickeville
Give Me Liberty
GOP Insight
Human Events
Hyscience
I Love Jet Noise
IMAO
Internet Insomniac
Intolerant Elle
Iraq Files
It Is What It Is
Jihad Watch
Kenders Musings
Lady Mac
Leaning Right
Leanne Wildermuth : Artist by Nature
Louisiana Conservative
Marine Corps Moms
Michael Savage
Michelle Malkin
Michigan Blog
Military Bride
Modern Vertebrate Speaks!
Mofizixgr4fix
Montana Politics
Moonbattery.com
Mr. Minority
Nostrablogass
Obiter Dictum
Ogre’s Politics and Views
One Man’s Thoughts
Pardon My English
Peace For Our Time
Peppermint Patty
Pirate’s Cove
Rage4Truth
Rancette
Ravings Of A Mad Tech
Ravings Of John C. A. Bambenek
Rebel Rouser
Regular Ron
Res Publica 2004
Right Wing News
Right Wing Nuthouse
RightViews
Rottweiler Puppy
Sgt Hook
Shadow Of Diogenes
Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing
Sigmund Carl & Alfred
Slapinions
Soy Como Soy
Spydrzweb
Steven Kiel
Stop The ACLU
Thank My Recruiter
The American Patriots
The American Spectator
The Art Of The Blog
The Belgravia Dispatch
The Chicago Report
The Church Of Dysfunction
The Great Separation
The Hidden Nook
The Islamic Threat
The Jawa Report
The Lost Nomad
The Mudville Gazette
The Nashif Report
The Neo-Progressive
The New American
The Obama Factor
The Questing Cat
The Rising Sun
The Roth Report
The Spitball Defense
The Sunnyeside
The Underscore
Tomfoolery Of The Highest Order
Transforming Sermons
Trilogy
Truth Laid Bear
Truth Lies And Common Sense
TS Right Dominion
Uncivil Rights
Uncle Jack
Villainous Company
Vox Felisi
Where’s Your Brain?
WorldNet Daily
XBIP
Young Conservatives

They use images on their blogs to promote the beliefs they hold close to their heart.

Hear from the Republicans:

I agree that Liberals have a tendency of overstepping their boundaries when it comes to protesting or promoting their views, but not all Liberals agree with violent and chaotic protesting.

In essence, both Republicans and Democrats hold their beliefs intensely and sometimes ferociously. But bloggers come by and listen to our rants anyway.

However, the day may come that bloggers have to keep their opinions to themselves. Who knows?

Internet bloggers should enjoy traditional press freedoms and not face regulation as political groups, lawmakers and online journalists said Friday.

In separate letters, Democratic lawmakers and Internet commentators urged the Federal Election Commission to make sure that political Web sites that serve as focal points for political discussion, like Wonkette.com and Freerepublic.com, don’t have to comply with campaign-finance rules.

“Curtailing blogs and other online publications will dampen the impact of new voices in the political process and will do a disservice to the millions of voters who rely on the Web for original, insightful political commentary”, said the Online Coalition, a group of bloggers and online activists.

Fourteen members of the House of Representatives said blogs foster a welcome diversity of viewpoints.

“This ‘democratization’ of the media is a welcome development in this era of media consolidation and a corresponding lack of diversity of views in traditional media outlets”, said the group, which consists of thirteen Democrats and one Republican.

The FEC ruled in 2002 that Internet activities do not count as “coordinated political activity” and thus don’t have to comply with laws that regulate money in politics.

But a U.S. judge struck down that ruling as too broad last year, and the FEC is scheduled to consider it later this month.

If the FEC determines that online “blogs” are in fact political organizations, they could face fines if they work too closely with political campaigns by, for example, reprinting their press releases.

Let’s have some fun while it lasts!

McDonald’s outsourcing drive-thrus?

World’s largest fast-food chain says it may use remote call centers to take orders at the window.

The world’s largest fast-food chain said on Thursday it is looking into using remote call centers to take customer orders in an effort to improve service at its drive-thrus.

Ok…. now tell us the REAL reason.

“If you’re in L.A…. and you hear a person with a North Dakota accent taking your order, you’ll know what we’re up to,” McDonald’s Chief Executive Jim Skinner told investors during a presentation at the Bear Stearns Retail, Restaurants & Apparel Conference in New York.

I heard a rumor that they might outsource to India too? Is that true?

Lovely.

Here’s Your “Looney Liberal”

You wanna “Loony Liberal” ? Well, here ya go! Courtesy of Little Green Footballs

READER BEWARE: THE BELOW QUOTE CONTAINS HIGHLY OFFENSIVE, AND VULGAR VERBIAGE. You may want to re-consider reading the below if you get easily offended.

The below is an email that a conservative blog owner received in his inbox.

fuck u and ur gayass site u kould all suck ma arab dick fukkin faggz reddneck white pieces of shyt cum skin color lookin mudafuckaz hope all of u get shot and get hanged from ur balls/clits and be whipped with a metal buckle of a leather belt and fuck u with a broom stick dat ull feel go up ur ass to ur stomach to up ur chest!! fuckin racist white jewish kike muderfuckerz will all b fucked in ur lil white nasty flat asses jewish whorez love da camel dick u gayfucks

Viva La Liberal Scum Dot Com

I’ve been keeping you all in suspense long enough. Now it’s time for the long awaited for response from…

.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, these are the real patriots! Salute! Take it from them, they know what to do should they be confronted by an attacker. Just to refresh your memory, here once again is the question they ask us Liberals:

THE HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION: You’ve parked your car and are walking down a street in a dilapidated neighborhood toward a baseball stadium with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, a dangerous looking man with a huge knife comes around the corner and is running at you while screaming obscenities. Being of sound mind and exercising your Second Amendment rights, you have a 9mm pistol and you are a competent shooter. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?

 

And here’s what the Extreme Right Wingers predict the Liberal answer to be:

THE LEFTIST ANSWER: Well, first of all, I would never own a gun! Second, there is not enough information to answer the question! Does the man look poor or oppressed — am I his oppressor? Have I ever done anything to him that is reason for him to attack — does he think I am a Republican because of my ethnic origin? Could I possibly knock the knife out of his hand or run away? What does the law say about this situation? Does he just want to kill me or is he going to kill my significant other? Is it really fair to assume that I have children? If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my partner get away and call the police? This is all so confusing! Surely this question would be better answered by a focus group.

 

The following is how YOU answered:

I personally would ask if he was a republican and if he said "yes"
I’d shoot. If he said "no" I’d still shoot because he’s probably lying!

Posted by: The Bastard | March 10, 2005 08:14 AM

---

 

I wouldn’t have a gun, so I guess we’d just have to run for it.

Posted by: Dave | March 10, 2005 09:07 AM

---

 

I would shoot.

Posted by: RichardZ.com | March 10, 2005 10:54 AM

---

 

Assuming that I DID have a 9mm pistol, I’d shoot his head off. If I
didn’t have a gun on me, I’d fight the guy hoping I’d find a way to get
the knife out of his hand.

I realize it looks like a hard task without a gun, but it’s either
fight him or go down with my family. I always believe in the following
expression:

"It’s better to die on your feet, than to live on your knees.”

I would have to go out knowing that I tried my best to stay alive.
Contrary to what the Republicans believe, I have no "death wish".

Posted by: Ticklebug | March 10, 2005 11:10 AM

---

 

there’s no way I would have a gun in my purse or pocket (that’s
death wish right there). As with Dave, I’m sure I’d have to run for it.
Is this question implying that liberals are the opposite of vigilantes?

Posted by: paigeali | March 10, 2005 12:16 PM

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I would blast that dirty fucking scumbags brains all over the
sidewalk. After he was dead with his body parts strewn over the street
and the cars, etc. I would then, just to make sure, fire a few more
rounds into what was left of his worthless carcass.

Posted by: Houyhnhnmian | March 10, 2005 03:09 PM

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Shoot.  Kind of a stupid, unrealistic scenario only a paranoid person could come up with.

Posted by: Christine | March 10, 2005 04:30 PM

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Well I would shoot him first in the knees,then I would walk over and
shoot him point blank in both elbows and then a well placed bullet in
his stomach. It takes a few hours to die from a belly wound and the
other wounds probably wont bleed enough to let him die too quick.
Then I would proceed to enjoy the ball game. I don’t know if Liberals
or Right wing fanatics are any more prepared to deal with the
situation. I do know any person who was in the American armed forces is
prepared to deal with it.
Peace

Posted by: Greg | March 10, 2005 06:03 PM

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I wouldn’t have a 9mm pistol with me because they’re illegal where I live, But I would surely take out the baseball bat my son is carrying to the stadium and knock the lunatic unconscious.

Posted by: Lina | March 10, 2005 06:24 PM

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yup.  shoot to incapacitate him.

Posted by: Robotnik | March 10, 2005 06:57 PM

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I’d get down on my knees and cry and sob and beg him not to hurt us 

No, actually, I don’t have a gun so I’d just go in there with all
I’ve got and hope that my self-defense knowledge (which isn’t much)
would be enough to disarm and disable him. If I was successful, he
wouldn’t be dead; he’d just wish he was.

Posted by: tomharper | March 10, 2005 10:23 PM

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I would turn his head into a canoe. Then once he is sufficiently
dead, I would go through his pockets, take his wallet (assuming he has
one) and buy my kid a extra hot dogs and ice cream at the ball park.

That’s how we do things in Brooklyn…..

Posted by: Charlie Spickler | March 11, 2005 12:17 PM

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I don’t think there is a baseball stadium in this country (not even here in TX) that allows you to attend a game with a gun!

If in some alternate reality I was carrying a gun, I would go with shooting to injure.

In the real world, I guess I’d have to run and take my chances. I
certainly wouldn’t try to wrestle or wrangle with a crazy person waving
a knife!

Posted by: Annie | March 11, 2005 05:05 PM

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"I guess I’d have to run and take my chances. I certainly
wouldn’t try to wrestle or wrangle with a crazy person waving a knife!"

After reading this, I got to think that in my response ("fighting
the man with the waving gun"), I was being a little idealistic.

I’d tell my kids to run as fast as they can, but I worry about my
kids as they probably won’t be able to run as fast as I can. They are a
much easier target. I would want to save their lives first — this
makes it very difficult. I don’t think I really know what I’d do, then.

Posted by: Ticklebug | March 11, 2005 05:15 PM

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Yeah… I would shoot his balls off

Posted by: SASSY | March 11, 2005 05:41 PM

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Thanks for participating, everyone! Now, let’s hear the *coughs* "correct" answer from the Republicans:
(Where’s my flag? I must wave it in their honor.)

THE RIGHT ANSWER: Warn the offender then shoot the offender! Then take yourfamily to the baseball game, sing the national anthem, eat some hot dogs and apple  pie, and thank the Lord for one more day of freedom.

 

As for the comment posted by Christine…. I really don’t know what you were getting at there, but I interpreted as you were a little shocked at what you may have thought to be "paranoia" regarding the post above yours?

Shoot.  Kind of a stupid, unrealistic scenario only a paranoid person could come up with.

Err… I doubt there is such a thing as "paranoia" when an attacker is coming after you and your family with the intent to kill. Everyone has a different reaction to "death" and "being killed". I guess some people get a little angry at the attacker. Of course, some get a little carried away. But if you ask me, I doubt I would stop and think about the feelings of the killer when I’m just seconds away from laying in my own casket. The last time I checked, paranoia was

1. A psychotic disorder characterized by delusions of persecution with or without grandeur, often strenuously defended with apparent logic and reason.
2. Extreme, irrational distrust of others.

After all, you did say you’d shoot the guy, right? Some others would be a little more ummm intense, so to speak? I don’t see where paranoia plays a part in either one of these scenarios. But kudos to you if you can take it very calmly. And please accept my apology if I misunderstood you.

Anyway, so all you people (including myself) would try to make a run for it are just a bunch of helpless wimps. TOO BAD!

The indecisive tone of my post makes me look just like the "looney Liberal" that the Republicans talk so much about, eh?

Wait a minute… Let’s do a reality check here… Isn’t it illegal to carry a gun in most parts of the United States? So, is it true that all these Right Wingers are going everywhere and anywhere armed??? Really? This is very interesting.

Republicans, please respond about what YOU would do if you did NOT have a gun in your possession. I’d be most curious!

Secondly, in the case all of us were unarmed, how the hell are we supposed to know what we were going to do AHEAD OF TIME down to the last detail and last fricken nanosecond? I’m sure we all have an idea, but when this actually happens in reality, who the hell knows what we’d do?

Talk is cheap, pal. Flex your pseudo-muscles in front of someone else because I sure as hell am not foolish enough to buy into your mantra.

Liberals Don’t Know How to Defend Themselves?

This claim from the extreme right is preposterous as they are the same people who blame all the liberals for homicide!

If confronted in a dangerous situation, a Liberal doesn’t want to defend himself? He or she would rather die? So, basically we have no desire to live. We are all suicidal, perhaps? Well, this is the mainstream thought of our friends, the neo-conservatives.

Oh, there are plenty of sites that call us weasels, weenies, pussies, and the like. Let’s take Liberal Scum Dot Com, for instance. They ask us Liberals the following question:

THE HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION: You’ve parked your car and are walking down a street in a dilapidated neighborhood toward a baseball stadium with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, a dangerous looking man with a huge knife comes around the corner and is running at you while screaming obscenities. Being of sound mind and exercising your Second Amendment rights, you have a 9mm pistol and you are a competent shooter. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?

Liberals, please reply in the comments section about what you would do. I’m curious to see if you fit the mold re: the Republican definition of a Liberal. Tomorrow or the next day, I will post what the Republicans believe the Liberal answer is.

Identity Theft (A follow up)

A fellow blogger named Laurie came upon my post on Identity Theft and left a comment that she was going to write about it  in her blog. Well, I happened to come across an interesting comment left regarding anonymous blogging. Here’s the lovely comment written by a young Australian who apparently doesn’t follow the news:

“only people who are uncomfortable with who they are or what they are doing remain anonymous”

While Benjamin Solah’s comment did come off as insulting to those bloggers that remain anonymous, I found it somewhat funny in a way. I wrote the following response back to him:

Excuse me? Are you saying I’m not comfortable with who I am because I don’t want to get stalked, my identity stolen, or fired from my job because of controversial things I say in my blog? Are you serious? I can’t believe you can insult a person like that when they’re trying to protect themselves. Have you not heard what has happened to several other bloggers? Do you read American news? I didn’t think so.

If you can prove to me that you’re a safe person, honey, I’d be glad to give you my full name, address, and phone number. Oh yeah, and I’ll even tell you my blood type and tell you if I was born via natural birth or by a caesarian.

One more interesting thing I’d like to point out is how many Australian bloggers are there in comparison to American bloggers? Benjamin has nothing to worry about over there. First off, if you take a look at his blog, you’ll notice that he’s a writer. He doesn’t talk much about controversial issues. Secondly, even if he were to get stalked, do you think someone from another country will take a plane to Australia to stalk him or steal his identity? WTF? He’s also a guy. Anybody with half a brain in their skull knows that women are more vulnerable to stalkers and sexual predators in general. Next, is he at risk of getting fired for blogging? Absolutely not. I am at risk. Obviously, he’s not aware of the woman who got fired at her workplace for having a “Kerry” bumper sticker on her car. I live in a predominantly Republican state. I’ve got bills to pay. I don’t want to lose my job.

I wonder how many people actually read the news or know anything about what’s going on in the world?  He obviously didn’t read the other comments posted in  Laurie’s  entry. There was one girl who had to delete two of her blogs due to stalkers. Now, that I think about it, a male model from Journalspace was even stalked. He used his full name. Some bozo stalker sent him a pair of socks in the mail and wanted him to touch them and send it back. This guy had several stalkers because of his occupation. He eventually deleted his blog.

In any event, I mean no disrespect to those bloggers that use their full name. That’s not the point of this entry. My point is based upon the insulting, ignorant remark telling me that “I’m not comfortable with who I am” if I wish to remain anonymous. Hell, if I was in a little cubby-hole in Australia, I’d give my full name too. By the way, how do you know if bloggers are actually using their real name, anyway. Just because they “say” they’re “Jane Doe” doesn’t really mean they’re “

Oh, by the way, you gotta love those people who say they “don’t care for those who use nicknames”, yet they do it themselves. Now, there may be people that use nicknames in real life (in public). Those people are few and far between, and I find it a bit odd, but I don’t judge them. Who knows what they’ve been through already?

Idiots! Good grief!

Attention Starved

I came to the conclusion long ago that those who write poison pen letters to those people in the public eye getting attention from the media, did not get their basic needs met at childhood. You know, the things that all children need such as touch, love, attention, encouragement, and support. Here’s the perfect example of one who didn’t get that.

Are you familiar with Heather Armstrong from Dooce.Com? If you haven’t had a chance to read her blog, I highly recommend it. Heather is an amazing woman with a superb sense of humor. For those that don’t know Heather, she was fired from her job a few years ago because of her blog — and these entries. Read them. They are hil.ar.ious! She admitted that she knew the risks involved, and when she was terminated, she wasn’t all that bitter; nor was she surprised. If you ask me, she took it very well.

From what I’ve read in her blog, she appears to have a wonderful husband and child. As we all know, nobody has the “perfect” life, but she seems to have what apparently jackson.matt@att.net doesn’t. Matt Jackson is the cretin that sent Heather Armstrong that nasty email.

Oh, and here’s his address just in case you didn’t get it the first time:
jackson.matt@att.net
jackson.matt@att.net
jackson.matt@att.net
jackson.matt@att.net

You know, these losers are so transparent, it’s not funny. It’s actually quite amazing and predictable of people of his ilk to get so riled up because someone else is getting loads of attention. If they only knew that they are the ones, attention-starved and needy. They cannot stand someone getting more attention than them. For what they didn’t receive in childhood, they crave so much as an adult now. And they will attempt to destroy those that either got it or are getting it.

For the record, Heather is not asking for attention. The media comes to her. She agrees to talk to them so that others will learn from her mistake. Believe me, I’ve learned a lot from those that have already lost their jobs from blogging. I thank the media and the bloggers willing to cooperate with them. I’m sure because of people like Heather Armstrong, a lot of people are more cautious now or at least know the risk they are taking. And this is why I’m more anonymous than ever! God forbid the people out there find out I’m a Liberal! Ack!

So, you sulkers and cry babies out there that hate to see these people in the spotlight, too damn bad. Blame the media!

Could this be why Republicans hate celebrities so much?

Pretty much the same thing happened to Amber Frey. I know there are a lot of reasons why people hate Amber, but I know some of them are secretly jealous of all the attention she has received.

Moving on back to the fired bloggers, take a look at Queen of Sky’s most recent entry. There are several users at that damned Journalspace who are whining that their server has slowed down since Queen of Sky has been getting so many comments and hits to her blog following her termination. Is this not ridiculous or what? Leave it up to Journalspace users to come up with this kind of crap! If a server cannot handle the bandwidth necessary for a few bloggers to have popularity, they shouldn’t be in business. Blame the f’n server, not the one who is getting all the attention! There are so many blogging platforms out there like Typepad, Blogger, WordPress, Squarespace, Moveable Type, Xanga, Bravenet, Modblog, Blogdrive, Blog City, Mindsay, and more. I have never once heard this problem on another server where the bloggers attack those bloggers who receive a massive amount of hits and using that as a reason the server is slow. Heck, I was a member of Journalspace about a year and a half ago, and that server was all too often slow as all hell! I don’t mean to defame all members of Journalspace, but man-o-man, I have never seen as many crackpots and whackjobs in another blogging community before in my life!

Attention seekers are in denial. They will argue that they don’t need attention and that they don’t seek it. Don’t pay attention to these people. They have never taken the time to look inwards. They are too busy pointing the fingers and whining like big babies for their mama. They look something like this:

…or this:

Go get your OWN attention, and stop sucking on sour grapes!

Do Liberals Really Hate America?

This is not a scientific poll, but I found the results quite interesting. Gotta love those extreme Right Wing Monkeys.

A special thanks to all those that took the time to vote. Yes, …. even to the monkeys that gave me a chuckle.

Identity Theft – Decrease the Risks

Why oh why do people use their “real names” on the Internet? There are two different mindsets as to why people particularly use their real names on their blogs. One reason is because they think they are being more “brave”. So, if some passerby uses a nickname in their comments section, they call them cowards. This is the case where a commenter proposes an opposing thought. Another reason people use their real names is so that nobody thinks they’re a coward.

Anonymous is being a coward; using an alias is being smart.

I’ve read some comment policies on other people’s blogs before, and damn… they are asking way too much when they want everyone’s real name. But then again, they may not be asking for their last name too. However, even if you submit your first name, that’s only one step closer to being either stalked or being the victim of either a violent crime or identity theft.

I see the looks on all your faces now. You are telling me that I’m too paranoid. Well, maybe I am. But I choose to be paranoid because the alternative is frightening to me. Why? Let me give you all two very important reasons. Listen up!

1. I . don’t . want . to . get . fired . from . my . job. While some of you think it may not be that much of a risk, I would rather be called “paranoid” or be told “It’s not your name that gets you fired” than be courageous stupid and find myself the next day on the unemployment line and not being able to pay the electric bill.
2. Now for the biggest reason: I don’t want to be victimized of IDENTITY THEFT like this person may have been! (I had to copy and paste his entire entry because for obvious reasons he has it protected. So, unless you’re a Journalspace user, you won’t be able to read it.)
   

   I’m leaving this up through Friday night. There have been some odd things happening lately that makes me believe someone is stealing my identity. Others have brought the idea to my attention, based on what’s happened, and I’m beginning to believe it.

   1. Yesterday, I noticed an unauthorized charge for $596.18 in my account. Wells Fargo immediately declared it a fraudulent charge and stated that I should suspect identity theft. I shrugged it off and thought that it was a bank error. They have since credited back the money, but have not completed their investigation.

   2. The other night, while I was leaving work, I had this strange feeling that I was being watched. When I went to get into my car, an odd boom sound was made close to my car. It was like my trunk door was open and someone had slammed it. All the way home, my car made a rattling sound in the back. I had stupid paranoia thoughts like someone was in my trunk, but then justified that it was stuff that got loose and was moving around. I was right, but it didn’t explain the loud noise.

   3. Today, I receive a call from a medical company telling me the following: “Hi, this is so and so from Big Name Medical Company calling to setup an appointment with states my first and last name.” I say, “Um, ok?” And she goes, “So, when do you want to come in to have the surgery done?” I say, “Surgery? I don’t need surgery.” She says, “Were you not in this morning for a check up? You had a insert medical condition here that needs to be taken care of?” I say, “No ma’am, I wasn’t in there today, or ever.” She says, “Ok, well, um, sorry for the inconvenience,” and hangs up. About 3 minutes later, she calls back and says, “HottTxBoi, I have just spoke to my supervisor about this and she suggests that you call our customer service hotline and report this to them. Let them know that they are using your card so that they can take action against it.” I ask her, “What card?” She says, “Your Big Name Medical Company card.” I say, “I’ve never had one of those cards.” She says, “Then you need to let them know that someone is using your number on their records.” I ask her, “Ma’am, what address did they use?” She tells me the address. Luckily, it’s not mine. I would have freaked if it was.

   However, why is someone using my number and my name? All of these three things happened in the same week and I’m exceedingly freaked out. Scared, even. So, after tomorrow night, this blog will no longer be open to anyone for a very long time. I hope all is well with everyone during this time period.

This freaked the hell out of me! However, I have to admit, I don’t know whether or not someone really stole his identity. There’s no update in his blog about it. But regardless, it makes you think. If it doesn’t put a BIG FAT WARNING sign in front of your head, I don’t know what will.

3. You know, I’ve never heard of a person being violently attacked because of something “offensive” they wrote in their blog. It may or may not have ever happened. But I wouldn’t put it past some of these wackos I find every now and then in Cyberspace. I don’t trust a face I cannot see, and even then I’m weary until I actually feel I know the person well enough. I have some very controversial beliefs, and I can easily imagine someone showing up at my front door one day with an AK-47. Yes, I have riled people up that much and even in the past in Blogsphere.

So, here I am trying to keep my life, my job, and my identity intact. It’s worth all the “outrageous” points of views I may have regarding the non-usage of my real first and last name.

Folks, if you want to be considered “non-cowardly” on the Internet, when you leave a comment or write something controversial in your blog or journal, leave your email address and a referral to your blog. How simple is that?

I am Ticklebug and will always be Ticklebug in Blogdom. If someone thinks I’m too cowardly for not using my real first and last name, then the hell with them. I will just laugh in their face if their real identities come back to haunt them one day.

With the advancement in technology these days, I can imagine anything and everything happening. Some people are smart enough to put two and two together with your little clues about yourself that you write in your blog, easily — that is, if they want to. Don’t be naive.

My links are always traceable whether it be by my email address or my blog’s URL. So, if someone wants to reply to my “offensive” comment, they are welcome to do so. If you dish it out, I agree with you all, that you must be strong enough to welcome the reciprocation. But for the life of me, why do some of you feel the necessity to reveal your real name? What purpose does it serve?

Of course, there are more obvious reasons on how your identity can get stolen.

• lurking around automatic teller machines (ATMs) and phone booths in order to capture PIN numbers (by watching through binoculars as the numbers are being entered, or more simply, by casting a watchful gaze over someone’s shoulder). Travelers are a particularly favourite target;
• stealing mail from mailboxes or re-directing mail in an effort to collect credit cards, bank statements, credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, tax information or other personal data. Privacy Journal has also pointed out “how automated credit bureaus freely accept an address change without confirming it or notifying the consumer who is the subject of the file. An impostor can easily have a retail store enter a change of address for a consumer whose identity the impostor has misappropriated, and that is what thousands of credit fraud perpetrators are doing …;
• illegally obtaining personal credit reports;
• setting up telemarketing schemes to elicit account numbers from unsuspecting consumers;
• accessing personal information accidentally sent to the wrong fax number, e-mail address or voice mailbox;
• scavenging through the garbage in search of credit card or loan applications, employer’s files, and identification/authentication data such as login IDs and passwords. Similarly, thieves can search erased disks for any retrievable data;
• sending false messages on the Internet (spoofing) in an effort to collect private information. For example, posing as travel agents or other service providers, identity thieves can make off with your credit card number once it has been entered to purchase a ticket or service;
• sending e-mail using someone else’s computer or e-mail address;
• using various software programs such as “signals analysis” and “sniffer” programs to intercept financial data, passwords, addresses or other personal information being sent over networks;
• breaking into computer systems and gaining access to personal data. For example, names, addresses and credit card or social insurance/security numbers (SINs/SSNs) located in the databases of governments, financial organizations, employers, creditors, and credit bureaus can be downloaded by employees, former employees or external hackers. They can then sell the information or use it to open fraudulent accounts.

One security expert found that nearly 70 percent of the websites he surveyed in December 1996 had “security lapses.” Surveyed sites included banks, credit unions and government agencies.8 Even more recently, a 14-year-old boy faced multiple charges after making $3000 worth of fraudulent purchases using a collection of debit card numbers that he had downloaded from the Internet.

~~~How to decrease the risks~~~

The best way to avoid ID theft on the Internet is not to shop on the Internet or put your personal information on the Internet. Banking should be done face to face, because you are dealing with your own money. It is too easy for hackers to get personal information.

I’m “guilty” of shopping on the Internet. And I don’t see myself not shopping on the Internet in the future. Oh well.

Additional suggestions include: 1) If you have a personal Web site, don’t publish your last name, home address or other identifying information. 2) Choose an email address that does not use your real name, or at least not the commonly used first initial and last name 3) Ask your friends to blind carbon copy, or BCC, you when they send out notes or jokes to many people. 4) Purchase a personal firewall to protect your computer.

Identity theft is “an absolute epidemic,” states Robert Ellis Smith, a respected privacy author and advocate. “It’s certainly picked up in the last four or five years. It is nationwide. It affects everybody, and there is very little you can do to prevent it and, I think, worst of all—you can’t detect it until it’s probably too late.” Some law-enforcement authorities call identity theft “the fastest growing crime across the country right now”. In fact, identity theft is the most called-about subject on the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse’s telephone hotline. “Most victims don’t even know how the perpetrators got their identity numbers,” says director Beth Givens. Such fraud may account for as much as 25% of all credit card-fraud losses each year.

For the criminal, identity theft is a relatively low-risk, high-reward endeavor. Credit card issuers often don’t prosecute thieves who are apprehended. Why? The firms figure it’s not cost efficient. They can afford to write off a certain amount of fraud as a cost of doing business.

Scary, isn’t it?

So, we know there’s no real way to prevent Identity Theft, but there are ways you can decrease the risks. It’s also frightening to think that if your real name is displayed somewhere on the Internet, that someone else can link it to you somehow. It’s happened before! As the odds are slim, I still have to go with the popular cliche expression that “it’s better to be safe than sorry”.

The Disappearance of Kristin Smart

This has been going on way too long. Kristin Smart has been missing for already nine years, and law enforcement along with FBI officials have yet to get to the bottom of this case.

The prime suspect in the disappearance of Kristin Smart is Paul Flores. Some people believe that Scott Peterson is responsible. However, I have yet to year any “smoking gun” evidence that proves this. I am open to any possibility, but considering all of what I’ve read on this case, all the fingers are pointing at Paul Flores!

<—Meet the Scumbag, himself.

Before I go any further, there’s a way you can help. Please sign the petition!

We are signing this petition because we want Susan Flores’ backyard ‘dug up’.

In June 2000, investigators received a search warrant so there had to be compelling reason to convince a judge to grant the warrant. Added to that, the following factors give us more than enough reason to sign this petition pleading with you to please consider getting back on the property:

Concrete.
During the time Kristin vanished, concrete was poured in the backyard. We request that the concrete be dug up.

Local Firm Pro Bono. A firm has stepped up and offered to excavate the backyard free of charge. Cost is not an issue. Tip that surfaced after investigators searched their property.

Eyewitness claims to see people carrying ‘rolled-up’ carpeting into backyard in the middle of the night.

A ‘car top’ was stolen from Cal Poly parking lot the night Kristin vanished.
Ear Ring found in Susan Flores’ driveway.

Was it Kristin’s?

These ‘leads’ are explained in detail on the website Sunofsusan Dot Com.

Some Quick Facts for those that are new to this case:

• Legal counsel for Paul Flores on more than one occasion have offered to plea bargain, i.e; lead investigators to Kristin’s body in exchange for a reduced charge. Kristin’s parents agreed the first two times, but Paul’s counsel failed to respond.
• At the deposition held in November, 1997, Paul’s father, Ruben, walked into a room where Denise was sitting alone and chose this opportunity to laugh in her face.
• Paul only knew Kristin for a few hours. He happened to be at a party just off campus that Kristin attended.
• Cadaver dogs trained to pick up the ’scent of death’ led their handlers to the mattress in Paul Flores’ dorm room in Santa Lucia Hall, room 128.
• An extended member of the Flores family telephoned Mrs. Smart and sympathetically asked her how she was doing and whether or not she was crying. When Denise said that ‘yes, she was crying a lot, the woman respond, “well, the reason that I am calling is just to let you know that we don’t care that your crying.”
• Sheriff’s Statement – “Our office has used its finest detectives and all leads lead to Paul Flores. Paul Flores is the only suspect. Until Paul Flores tells us what happened that night, this case will not be solved.”

Meet the wacky parents of the prime suspect, Paul Flores:

Latest News: Judge will make a ruling on the Kristin Smart Case this July.

The investigation continues into the disappearance of Kristin Smart, who was last seen on the Cal Poly campus eight years ago.

On Tuesday, Smart family attorney Tana Coates appeared before Judge Roger Picquet, requesting the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office release information concerning its investigation into Smart’s 1996 disappearance. Coates says family wants the information to pursue litigation filed against Paul Flores– the last person seen with Smart.

“We wanted these records so that we could oppose a summary judgment motion that had been filed by the Flores defense team,” says Coates. “And without those records, we felt that we would have a difficult time opposing that motion.”

After hearing sworn testimony, Judge Picquet ruled not to disclose the records, saying he had good cause to believe the sheriff’s department is still actively investigating, and that the case could end in the near future.

“The court is encouraged that this investigation has not grown cold, we’re also encouraged by that,” says Coates. “But by the same token, it’s been quite a few years now and if it’s just a back burner investigation, then we do need those records.”

Kristin Smart’s mother, Denise Smart, says she wants to believe authorities are actively investigating her daughter’s disappearance, and that the most important thing to the family is bringing Kristin home, not their lawsuit against Flores.

The Flores family was in court as well on Tuesday and declined to comment. A follow up hearing is scheduled for July 1, 2005.

I know this may seem a bit outrageous for some, but another way that you can help is by participating in a “Walk for Kristin”. Click here for the details.

For even more information, you can visit the official Kristin Smart homepage.

Instead of celebrating Kristin Smart’s birthday on February 20th, the Smart family marked the 21st month of her disappearance, on May 25, 1996, from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She was last seen walking to her dorm with Paul Flores, who police are now investigating as the primary suspect in her disappearance.

The Smart case was inappropriately handled by the Cal Poly University Police. The department failed to initially investigate, letting trails grow cold. It was over a month before the campus police turned her case over to the local Sheriff’s Department, but due to the initial lack of response by the Cal Poly police, little new evidence, which could have led to Kristin’s whereabouts, was found. Both departments, however, blame each other for the failure.

With the perseverance and kindness of Dennis Mahon (the author of SunofSusan Dot Com and the one aiding authorities to solve this case), hopefully there will be an end to the investigation and Kristen Smart’s family will have some peace for a change.

Jesus is Watching You!

Yes, Jesus IS Watching You!

INSTRUCTIONS: Stare at this picture for 30 seconds, then close your eyes, tilt your head back a little and you will see a picture of Jesus. Next, stare at the picture for 30 seconds, and look at a blank wall. Then if you like, print out the picture and go outside. Stare at the picture 30 seconds, and then look into the sky. You will see Jesus!

If you’re in a hurry, just stare at the picture for thirty seconds and then look at the wall!

My Very Own Ten Commandments

Court Considers Government Displays of The Ten Commandments

Sheesh! What’s the big fuss over? Just put them all over the place. I don’t care. But how about let’s add to them? Or better yet, let’s look at my version of them! (Click the thumbnail to view Virgomonkey’s Version of the Ten Commandments. Click the screen again to view it even larger.)

OK! Your turn. Add to the list if you have any clever additions to amend to the Ten Commandments.

Nine-Eleven As I Know It

Where were you when America was attacked (I am sometimes asked)?

Granted, my experience of 9-11 was nothing in comparison to those who lost loved ones or even those who lost their own lives. But I’m still allowed to share, nonetheless.

I used to work for Delta Airlines, and as part of our benefits, we were able to fly in First Class (if available) for free on a stand-by basis. Both my husband and I were cleared for stand-by and were looking forward to our trip to one of our favorite places to visit, The Big Apple.

And here’s my stand-by boarding pass. (Click to enlarge the photo.)

Flying from Los Angeles on the red-eye, my husband and I made our connection in Atlanta. Anxious, yet sleep deprived, I got comfortable in my seat and fell fast asleep. We were to arrive in NY a little after 10:00AM. About half way there, the pilot interrupted that there were some problems and that we needed to revert back to Atlanta. Normally, an announcement like that would frighten me as I’m deathly afraid of plane crashes due to mechanical problems, but I had been sleeping, and half-asleep as I was, I didn’t care. I turned to my husband to notice that he was half asleep too and wasn’t affected by the pilot’s message. I sat back and closed my eyes again.

A bit later some flight attendants were nearby chattering. I heard them talking to other passengers about some kind of “bomb threat” to NY. I was still not phased. I whispered to my husband that we’d make the best of our trip regardless.

Our plane landed. As we began staggering for our luggage to deplane, I overheard a passenger on his cell phone, “Shit! The World Trade Center’s down!”, he said startled.

I was surprised to hear that, but at the same time, I couldn’t believe it. When my husband and I entered Atlanta Airport still half-asleep walking and around in a daze, we went to a restaurant/bar to take a look at the TV screen to see what was really going on. It was almost like I was watching a movie on TV. I couldn’t believe my eyes! That’s when the reality started to hit.

For obvious reasons, we were unable to catch another flight to anywhere. So, in manoeuvring ourselves through the mad chaos in and outside the Atlanta airport, we were lucky enough to find a hotel to stay in. For two days, we spent most of our time watching the news on TV. It was hard to get away from the TV as I guess, in a way, I couldn’t believe what had happened. To say the least, we were in shock. Fortunately, this was a great day for Anti-Americans across the globe. Those vehemently against the death penalty (notice the irony) cried out that America finally got what she deserved. I never thought that I wanted another country’s people to die before just because of a poor foreign policy system, so I was shocked at that as well. But that’s another story for another day.

If Americans weren’t jaded before. They are even more so today. And justifiably so.

Anyway, after two days of being in Atlanta, we were able to find a place to rent a car. We spent the rest of our vacation driving back to California. I kept my promise, and both my husband and I made the best out of a bad situation. I was able to explore parts of the U.S. that I had never seen before. Unless you travel cross-country do you realize how diverse and huge America is.

While it wasn’t the Big Apple, we still found it in us to enjoy our vacation.

The 9-11 attack never intimidated us. In fact, one month later, my husband and I went to Disney and Epcot Center in Orlando and had ourselves a blast! We were one of the very few people there as most people were too afraid to travel. In my opinion, it’s the best time to travel!

Life is too short to play victim and let the bad people win.

So, there you have it. That’s my 9-11 experience.

UPDATE:

My husband just reminded me today that we were up in the WTC six weeks before this incident! I had forgotten about that. With the free flight benefits, we were always flying somewhere!

To the Americanophobes: You will get yours. Don’t make the same mistake that Americans have made by being so over-confident.