Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Dumb as a box of rocks

This is claimed to be a true story. I haven't been able to verify that it's false. Either way, if this is the kind of representation we have in Congress, it's damned depressing:

A noted psychiatrist was a guest speaker at an academic function where Nancy Pelosi happened to appear. Ms Pelosi took the opportunity to schmooze the good doctor a bit and asked him a question with which he was most at ease.

"Would you mind telling me, Doctor," she asked, "how you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal?"

"Nothing is easier," he replied. "You ask a simple question which anyone should answer with no trouble. If the person hesitates, that puts you on the track."

"What sort of question?" asked Pelosi.

"Well, you might ask, 'Captain Cook made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one?'"

Pelosi thought a moment, and then said with a nervous laugh, "You wouldn't happen to have another example would you? I must confess I don't know much about history."


Your tax dollars at work...

Monday, March 30, 2009

Whoo-hoo! SUCCESS!!!!

As some of you may know, I've been making cheese since getting our Jersey cow, Matilda, last November. Actually I've been making it a bit longer, since I was the "relief milker" for our neighbor's cow for many months, but since getting Matilda I've had to ramp up my cheese-making efforts simply to handle the daily milk load.

Cheddar has been my Achilles' Heel. Cheddar is a hard cheese and it has to be pressed and then aged before eating. What this means, of course, is you have to wait three months to know if you screwed up. I've tried a whole bunch of different recipes and a whole bunch of aging methods and gotten some pretty bad results.

So lately I've been following a new recipe and using proper cheese wax. Last night my husband got curious about this new cheese, and even though the earliest round was still about a month shy of the "medium cheddar" status we were trying to achieve, he cut into it.

Delicious! Honest to God, it was delicious! Between the four of us, we ate nearly half the loaf and almost spoiled our appetite for dinner, it was that good! It's still a bit "mild" in taste, but hey, it's also a month too early. I was so damned tickled I actually called a neighbor to brag.

I'm going to throw away all the other cheeses aging in the pantry and stick to the current recipe.

Whoo-hoo! One more step toward self-sufficiency!


These are three stages of cheese ripening. On the left is green cheese that came out of the press a few days ago. It has dried and formed a rind and is ready to be waxed. In the center is waxed cheese, about half-way through its aging. On the right is the loaf we cut into last night and devoured. You can see bits of wax still clinging to it. By the way, the wax can be peeled off and re-used.

Hypocrisy is soooooo amusing

So I hear Al Gore couldn't be bothered to turn off any of his lights during "Earth Hour" this weekend.

According to the news story:

Drew Johnson, the president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, decided to drive by Gore's mansion in Nashville at 8:48 p.m. and records that floodlights were on illuminating the driveway leading up to the main quarter.

"I pulled up to Al's house, located in the posh Belle Meade section of Nashville, at 8:48 p.m. – right in the middle of Earth Hour," he wrote on his blog. "I found that the main spotlights that usually illuminate his 9,000 square foot mansion were dark, but several of the lights inside the house were on."

He added: "The kicker, though, were the dozen or so floodlights grandly highlighting several trees and illuminating the driveway entrance of Gore’s mansion. I [kid] you not, my friends, the savior of the environment couldn’t be bothered to turn off the gaudy lights that show off his goofy trees."


I'm sorry - maybe I'm just a dim bulb here - but what the hell is the man who spearheaded the global-warming squawking doing (a) using spotlights to illuminate his house? and (b) using spotlights to illuminate TREES?

This doesn't address the obvious issue of living in a 9000 square foot house to begin with.

And THIS is the guy who ousted Irena Sendler from winning the Nobel Peace Prize????

Meanwhile, during Earth Hour the other night, I looked around and counted three lightbulbs in use in our house - one each in the kitchen, living room, and front room. No, we weren't participating in Earth Hour. For us this is normal.

So who's greener - Al or us?

Grrr.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Chuckle du jour...

On a Saturday afternoon, in Washington, D. C., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's aide visited the Cardinal of the Catholic cathedral.

He told the Cardinal that Nancy Pelosi would be attending the next day's sermon, and he asked if the Cardinal would kindly point out Pelosi to the congregation and say a few words that would include calling Pelosi a saint.

The Cardinal replied, "No. I don't really like the woman, and there are issues of conflict with the Catholic Church over certain of Pelosi's views." Pelosi's aide then said, "Look. I'll write a check here and now for a donation of $100,000 to your church if you'll just tell the congregation you see Pelosi as a saint."

The Cardinal thought about it and said, "Well, the church can use the money, so I'll work your request into tomorrow's sermon." As Pelosi's aide promised, House Speaker Pelosi appeared for the Sunday sermon and seated herself prominently at the edge of the main aisle.

And, during the sermon, as promised, the Cardinal pointed out that House Speaker Pelosi was present.

Then the Cardinal went on to explain to the congregation -- "While Speaker Pelosi's presence is probably an honor to some, she is not my favorite person. Some of her views are contrary to those of the church, and she tends to flip-flop on many other views. Nancy Pelosi is a petty, self-absorbed hypocrite, a thumb sucker, and a nit-wit. Nancy Pelosi is also a serial liar, a cheat, and a thief. Nancy Pelosi is the worst example of a Catholic I have ever personally witnessed. She married for money and is using it to lie to the American people. She also has a reputation for shirking her Representative obligations both in Washington, and in California.. She simply is not to be trusted."

The Cardinal completed his view of Pelosi with, "But, when compared to Senators Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, and John Kerry, House Speaker Pelosi is a saint."

You think YOU have it tough?

A friend emailed this story.

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena.



During WWII, Irena got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist. She had an ulterior motive. She KNEW what the Nazis' plans were for the Jews (being German). Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack (for larger kids). She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kid/infant noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazis broke both her legs, arms, and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most of course had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected.

Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.

Help pass this around the world, will you?

To all you "invisible moms" out there...

I found this essay called "The Invisible Mom." Wow. Talk about awesome justification for all those women who have wondered if they've done the right things by giving up a career to stay home with their kids...

Answering a few comments....

Here are some answers to a few of the comments over various and sundry things:

Regarding cream cheese - I used the recipe found in the book "Home Cheese Making" my brother gave me for Christmas, specifically the recipe found on pg 85 (the cooked-curd method). Here it is:

- 2 qts light cream or half-and-half - heat to 86 degrees F
- Add 4 oz mesophilic starter (I have lots of this on hand for cheddar cheese)
- 3 drops liquid rennet diluted in 1/3 cup cool water - use ONE TEASPOON of this already very diluted rennet (which answers the question about whether cream cheese requires rennet)
- Set the cream in a warm spot (72 degrees or more) for 12 hours - a solid curd will form
- Heat two quarts of water to 170 degrees. Add enough of the hot water to the curd to raise its temp to 125 degrees. Pour the watery curd into a colander lined with (in my circumstances) a pillowcase (the book says cheesecloth, but I hate using cheesecloth - I keep two clean old pillowcases just for cheesemaking). Hang the bag/pillowcase over a bowl until it stops dripping (this takes a few hours).
- I added a mere 1/4 teaspoon of salt and it turned out just fine. Made only half a pound, though, and I need 1 1/2 lbs for a triple recipe of peanut butter pie, so I'll be making another double batch today for Tuesday's pie baking.

To the reader who expressed interest in whether there's a house for sale nearby because she likes the idea of our weekly neighborhood get-togethers (LOL) - well, not a house, but we have 20 acres of gorgeous land with a pond for sale! Email me if you're interested (patrice@patricelewis.com).

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Turkeys in the Mist

I went outside early one foggy morning around dawn and beheld this noble sight:




I can't believe our Founding Fathers actually chose the silly ol' bald eagle over this beautiful creature...

Easy Cheesy

We're supposed to bring dessert this Tuesday to our weekly neighborhood get-together. I thought I'd bring peanut butter pie. Trouble is, the recipe calls for cream cheese and I didn't have any.

With a cow producing three gallons of milk a day, it just goes against my goat to actually have to buy a dairy product. So I decided to try making cream cheese.

Piece o' cake. Why didn't I do this sooner?

Peanut butter pie, here we come! I think I'll make a triple recipe.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The swans are on the move

Ah, spring is in the air. I'm sure I'll be able to find it somewhere. It's been pouring rain and cold and windy all day, but the rain has melted the snow away and we can see glimpses of green amongst the brown and soggy fields.

My husband saw five bald eagles yesterday, clustered together on the ground. We saw swans on the lake this morning on the way to church - at least twenty of them. Then tonight as I milked the cow, flock after flock after flock of swans flew overhead.

Yep, spring is in the air. Or at least the swans are.

Not such a bad place to live, out here in the boondocks.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

A hotbed of harpists

The unusual talent you find in small town America never fails to amaze me. Here we are in the rural panhandle of Idaho, in a town of 1000, and we're a hotbed of harpists.

This afternoon our daughters had a music recital. Instruments included harp, piano, violin, voice, and guitar. The harps, of course, were the most impressive from sheer quantity if nothing else. How many people have ever heard a dozen harps at once, ranging from lap harps to concert-sized pedal harps?

This is all due to the indomitable efforts of a local and elderly lady who simply loves music and wants nothing more than to share her joy in the harp with everyone she can rope in (my husband included). No one is professional but they're all having fun.




(This was the rehearsal so no one is in the audience seats yet.)

Friday, March 20, 2009

An interview with God

After all this depressing stuff, here's a gorgeous clip called "The Interview with God." Peaceful, beautiful. Enjoy.

They walk among us...

A friend sent this to me. I can't verify whether or not it's true...but it wouldn't surprise me.

In a Seattle, Washington college classroom, they were discussing the qualifications to be President of the United States. It was pretty simple - the candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age. However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how unfair was the requirement to be a natural born citizen. In short, her opinion was that this requirement prevented many capable individuals from becoming president. The class was taking it in and letting her rant, but everyone's jaw hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating, 'What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by C-section?'

These are the 18 year olds that just voted for the President of the United States.


They walk among us...

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Social Collapse - what's it really like?

The more pessimistic types have always predicted or anticipated "the end of the world as we know it" - some sort of horrible social collapse and the chaos that would result. These are the mega-survivalist ones who hole up in the mountains with a bristling arsenal of guns and years' worth of stockpiled food.

But what would an economic and social collapse really be like? Would it be as bad as the gloomiest survivalist predicts?

Worse. Much worse.

I was largely unaware of the economic and subsequent social collapse in Argentina in 2001, but a reader just sent a link to a very long and utterly gut-wrenching account of what life was like in Argentina during this time. Remember that the writer's second language is English.

Astounding. Read it here.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

New Preamble to the Constitution

I received this in an email last week. It has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from Georgia.

"We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetter’s. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE IX: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly....)

ARTICLE X: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

A million here, a billion there...

But what's a trillion?

We're hearing "illions" bandied about like Monopoly money lately. But what exactly IS a trillion dollars, anyway? And why should we care?

Because it's our great great great great great great great great great great great grandchildren who will still be paying it off, that's why.

Assuming the U.S. survives, of course.

For a knock-you-flat visual of a trillion dollars, check out this website.

Cold enough to freeze the anatomy off a brass monkey

This was the temperature yesterday morning, March 11:



This is me freezing my anatomy while milking Matilda's anatomy:



Not a happy combination. Ice cream, anyone?

Fortunately it's a balmy -2 this morning.

These temperatures are, like, seriously low for this time of year. Damn, where's that global warming when we need it?

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Keep the "change"

“There is no greater evil than forcing others to change.”

Lao Tsu – Chinese philosopher, circa 500 BC (approximately)

Snark of the Week

Since not everyone may read the comments that are posted with any particular blog entry, I'm posting specially a comment I received this morning. I wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to read DaPohlice's response to my "Chuckle du Jour" entry. It's always so nice to hear from eloquent, highly-educated elites:

I would usually consider myself a very accepting and tolerant person, having lived in so many different places, including here in the Unites States. I am an American, and I embody many great American ideals. However, reading some of the things you have written on this blog, I find myself sickened to my stomach.

Only a fool leans upon his or her own misunderstandings, and it seems as if your whole view on evrything is based on bullshit. You and your extremist redneck views is what will drive this country to its end, and bring the world along with it.

Try being less narrow minded, racist and egocentric in your thinking.

And maybe you should take off your cowboy hat at the same time, maybe people would respect you more.


Yep, good thing this person is "accepting" and "tolerant" of those who cherish and hold dear such things as Christianity, a free-market economy, self-sufficiency, and the documents of our Founding Fathers. Yes indeedy...love those elites...

Sunday, March 8, 2009

They STILL don't get it (Part II)

Yet again in response to yesterday's column, "What Is a Socialist?", someone took the trouble to write a rather cleverly-written looooong Digg reply in which they recreated the format of my column but equated Christianity with all the negative points I made about socialism. Be sure to read my comments at the bottom.

Christianity and Socialism seem to have a lot in common. See, it's easy to find examples for each charge, as if maybe those negative traits being ascribed to socialists were, in fact, just human traits...examples of which may be singled out and pointed to in any number of philosophies.

1) Socialists believe in the use of force to gain their personal ends: Christianity forced millions of conversions over the centuries, upon pain of death and torture. The Spanish Inquisition, for example. The Bible states that all who do not worship God are to be destroyed and their homes burned. They even burned people alive. And they didn't give up that authority willingly. They want it back.

2) Socialists believe in slavery: Christianity does too. It has rules for buying and selling, and even beating one's slaves. It has provisions for selling one's own daughter into slavery. Moses' holy conquerors took little girls as slaves. Numbers 31:17.

3) Socialists are racists: Christianity tells us that Ham, of dark skin, is cursed forever with servitude. Christian churches presided over the early American slave trade with smiling 'benevolence'. Mormons were even worse. Joseph Smith declared that black people who are 'exceptionally moral' will gradually become white.

4) Socialists believe the worst in everyone: Christianity tells us we're all worthless sinners who are, by default, condemned to eternal agony and torture because of something done centuries ago by people well beyond our control.

5) Socialists think religion, especially Christianity, is stupid and nothing but a prop for the unwashed masses: Christians claim all OTHER religions are nothing but a prop for the unwashed masses, or worse, worthy of 'destruction/conversion'. To quote Ann Coulter (of Muslims): "We should kill their leaders and convert them all to Christianity." Also see 1) above.

6) Socialists believe in an ignorant society: Talking snake. Tyrannosaurs on the Ark. Magic rib. Flat earth. Crystal heavens. Abiogenesis. Incestuous genetic origin. Do not question authority. Ever.

7) Socialists believe you have no right of self-defense: All are Judged by (our) God, there is no escape. Obey our rules, or suffer forever after death. Your guilt is hereditary.

8) Socialists are intolerant: Gays are worse than terrorists and morally equivalent to murderers? They caused 9/11? Or how about today's headline? [NOTE: The writer included a long list of links to articles]

9) Socialists are hypocrites: "Gays in this country are destroying the traditional family!" - Ted Haggard

10) Above all, socialists are in denial: See above.


Okay, to the writer of this piece: I don't really care about your obvious contempt for Christianity. Your religious persuasion (or lack thereof) is an issue strictly between you and God. But try - close your eyes and please, just TRY to wrap your little pea brain around this concept:

SOCIALISTS ARE THE ONES PASSING LAWS AT THE POINT OF A GUN. CHRISTIANS ARE NOT.

Whatever your views on Christianity and its history, the fact remains that Christians aren't the ones FORCING (can you please try to comprehend the term "force"?) the rest of us to conform with their will. Socialists are.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

They STILL don't get it...

In response to today's column, What Is a Socialist?, someone left a Digg comment as follows, actually quoting Scripture in support of socialism:

What is a Socialist?
Often a Christian who follows the scriptures:

You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:24
It is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need. 2 Corinthians 8:13,14
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Acts 2:44,45

Socialism which means love, cooperation and brotherhood in every department of human affairs, is the only outward expression of a Christian's faith. —George Lansbury


Maybe I'm just a dim bulb here, but my understanding is that these passages suggest a voluntary assistance to those in need, not a government thug pointing a gun at your head and demanding that we "sell [our] possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need."

There's a helluva difference between Christian acts of charity - one of the foundations of our faith - and government-mandated theft of your wealth to be distributed to those (and only those) the government deems worthy.

Thoughts?

Friday, March 6, 2009

Huh? Where did THIS come from?

Also in response to last week's column - which I'll take pains to point out concerned the subject of out-of-control spenders in Washington - I received the following email. I can't fathom how the author of this piece managed the leap of logic from fiscal irresponsibility to racism, but there you go.


Your piece in the WorldNetDaily was forwarded: " Washington socialists need a good spanking" (2/28/09) .

They are not Socialist. But it got me thinking. Who else REALLY needs (or needed) a good spanking? Hmmmm?

For starters, John Wayne. He was a mere celluloid "hero", not the real deal. He made no diligent effort to fight in WWII. My father enlisted, fought bravely and returned home to a segregated U.S.A. where spoiled White males like John Wayne whined that our brave leaders, like Martin Luther King, were "bellyaching". Excuse me?

Dr. King was one of the bravest men ever. Each time he stepped forward to speak so eloquently, he risked life and limb. John Wayne never did that.

Neither did Rush Limbaugh, another spoiled self-centered draft dodger. He's another white boy who chuckles about (imaginary) liberals needing a good spanking, when he himself is so pampered with his lavish welfare that he is the male equivalent of Marie Antoinette. Let them eat caviar.

What of your nasty White male talk show hosts? Many need a good spanking. Most never worked a REAL JOB in their miserable lives. They sit on their butts, getting HANDED millions for calling us "jungle bunnies", "N----"; denying the Holocaust against Jews; calling women "dumb broads who need to be beaten back". Just spouting their precious opinions, never really working.

Such "men" include talk show "host" Michael Savage (who publicly wished more Feminists would die like Betty Friedan and not live so long) and who mocked disabled children. Plus SCREAMED ugly abuse about Madeline Albright, Justice Ginsberg, etc. Michael Weiner (aka savage) needs one good spanking.

Bob Grant -- who for nearly 1/2 century made a fortune snapping at callers, mocking Blacks, women, minorities, glorifying the Klan. Grant needs to be humbled.

And the late Gary D. Gilbert, who was HANDED millions for yapping his venomous hatred on air towards Blacks, females, Hispanics. That lazy White bum was also a WIFE BEATER, having punched and beaten his wife in front of their kids on several occasions. Gilbert got no punishment.

And Coach Bob Knight -- whose profanity laced tirades on the basketball court were legendary. He choked players, slammed people into walls, threw chairs, even injured a lady when he threw a vase. Knight DISOBEYED his own bosses when ordered to control his temper tantrums. To date, Coach Bob Knight has not been spanked. (Nor was Ty Cobb - one of the most violent racists ever).

A POWERFUL good spanking is due Pastor Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church. His brainwashed cult family pickets funerals of dead soldiers, AIDS victims, even VA Tech kids murdered. Reverend Phelps was a WIFE-BEATER. ("A good left hook makes for a right fine wife").

Fred severely whipped his 13 children, terrifying them, making them run errands selling candy on snowy nights so he wouldn't have to work. Fred Phelps terrorized, bullied and intimidated his community -- shooting a neighbor's dog, filing lawsuits, sending obscene faxes, getting people fired. But because Phelps is a conservative Christian minister, nobody spanks him.

Another Christian conservative was a powerful attorney, John Fedders. During the Reagan years, it was revealed Fedders was a wife-beater. His good Catholic wife, Charlotte, was trained like a dog to obey her moody master. Fedders punched his wife's face, breaking her eardrum. He beat and choked her, blackened her eyes --- but was never arrested.

Even Phyllis Schlafly should be humbled. She arrogantly pushes her conservative Christian lifestyle, mocking the true needs of women who must work, who lack her wealth and resources. She brushes off true suffering of women who are battered, raped, humiliated with discrimination or harassment. Schlafly sickens me.

And "Dick Masterson" whose blog "Men are Better Than Women" reveals the depth of depravity in the minds of men who condone violence, rape and hatred for women. No one spanks Masterson. He is free to peddle his porn garbage and not work a real job, as "suckers born every minute" spoon feed him caviar. (Dittoes for all porn dealers - especially the late Chuck Traynor who raped, pimped and nearly killed girls).

Historically, a GOOD SPANKING should have been given to William Byrd, Virginia plantation master in the early 1700s. Byrd bragged of whipping slaves nearly every day.

Byrd made one sick slave drink his own urine, after enuresis. He made slaves wear a painful "bridle" with a sharp bit in their mouths. Do you admire William Byrd? Or was he a brat in need of severe punishment?

And Preston Brooks, pro-slavery Congressman from S. Carolina. In 1856, he attacked a northern abolitionist Senator, Charles Sumner, whilst Sumner was peacefully writing at his Senate desk. Brooks was fuming mad, and struck the unarmed Senator with a heavy cane, giving Sumner concussions and nearly killing him.

And Senator John Calhoun from S. Carolina (1782-1850) who fiercly defended slavery as "good" for us. And who had his slaves whipped 30 lashes and given a bread and water torture. No one whipped Calhoun for his atrocities.

Nor were German Nazis "whipped" in proportion to the torture they inflicted on innocents. Nor were the thousands of White males in authority who tortured and burned people in the heresy and witch hunts in Europe.

Recall the thousands of Klansmen, bigots and crude people who behaved similarly.... they were never "spanked" for their unspeakable crimes.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

They Walk Among Us...

A friend sent me this. Some things leave you shaking your head in disbelief. I'll wager this woman is a product of...our public educational system?

Millionaire' Contestant... Makes Worst Use Of Lifelines Ever!

NEW YORK - Idaho resident Kathy Evans brought humiliation to her friends and family Tuesday when she set a new standard for stupidity with her appearance on the popular TV show, 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.'

It seems that Evans, a 32-year-old wife and mother of two, got stuck on the first question, and proceeded to make what fans of the show are dubbing 'the absolute worst use of lifelines ever.' After being introduced to the show's host Meredith Vieira, Evans assured her that she was ready to play, whereupon she was posed with an extremely easy $100 question. The question was: 'Which of the following is the largest?'

A) A Peanut
B) An Elephant
C) The Moon
D) Hey, who you calling large?

Immediately Mrs. Evans was struck with an all consuming panic as she realized that this was a question to which she did not readily know the answer.

'Hmm, oh boy, that's a toughie,' said Evans, as Vieira did her level best to hide her disbelief and disgust. 'I mean, I'm sure I've heard of some of these things before, but I have no idea how large they would be.'

Evans made the decision to use the first of her three lifelines, the 50/50. Answers A and D were removed, leaving her to decide which was bigger, an elephant or the moon. However, faced with an incredibly easy question, Evans still remained unsure.

'Oh! It removed the two I was leaning towards!' exclaimed Evans. 'Darn...I think I better phone a friend.'

Using the second of her two lifelines on the first question, Mrs. Evans asked to be connected with her friend Betsy, who is an office assistant.

'Hi Betsy! How are you? This is Kathy! I'm on TV!' said Evans, wasting the first seven seconds of her call. 'Ok, I got an important question. Which of the following is the largest? B, an elephant, or C, the moon. 15 seconds hun.'

Betsy quickly replied that the answer was C, the moon. Evans proceeded to argue with her friend for the remaining ten seconds.

'Come on Betsy, are you sure?' said Evans. 'How sure are you? Duh, that can't be it.'

To everyone's astonishment, the moronic Evans declined to take her friend's advice and pick 'The Moon.'

'I just don't know if I can trust Betsy. She's not all that bright. So I think I'd like to ask the audience,' said Evans.

Asked to vote on the correct answer, the audience returned 98% in favor of answer C, 'The Moon.' Having used up all her lifelines, Evans then made the dumbest choice of her life.

'Wow, seems like everybody is against what I'm thinking,' said the too-stupid-to-live Evans. 'But you know, sometimes you just got to go with your gut. So, let's see... For which is larger, an elephant or the moon, I'm going to have to go with B, an elephant. Final answer.'

Evans sat before the dumbfounded audience, the only one waiting with bated breath, and was told that she was wrong, and that the answer was in fact, C, 'The Moon.'

Caution...they walk among us!

FOLLOW-UP NOTE: A reader sent me a link demonstrating this story is FALSE. I'm relieved, of course, that such stupidity apparently doesn't exist. Especially since the woman was purportedly from Idaho (grin).