Gordon Lightfoot

Tonight Shelley, her brother Steve, a friend of his, and I went to a Gordon Lightfoot concert. Even though 70 years old now, he showed great stamina as he tirelessly performed a few hours of his songs. About half of them were his big hits like, "Sundown", "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald", "Rainy Day People", "If You Could Read My Mind", etc.


After the concert, he met with a select group of fans (meet and greet) with us as part of that group. He is a very likable man, and appears to be a down to Earth kind of guy. He was very friendly and patient as fans took and re-took photos with him until they got good ones. It was a good night.

.

Dawn Flight - IMG_0812

It was a chilly, cloudless Saturday morning when the balloons launched. Not near as big as the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, but the Pirates Of The Canyon Balloon Rally in Amarillo had a good show of balloons. About 13 of them launched from Tradewinds airport (TDW) in pursuit of the Black Pearl balloon. This shot is one of those balloons as it passed over the rising sun.

.

Pirates of the Canyon

Went to the Pirates of the Canyon balloon rally here this morning. Here are a couple shots I got there.




.

Change

One thing people need to keep in mind about "change". It's kind of like luck. It comes in two flavors:

Good
and

Bad

Yes, we will get change soon. There is no doubt of that. Don't be disappointed if it isn't the flavor you like.

********************************

A few days ago, Obama said he was going to go and be with his "critically ill" grandmother in Hawaii. Why did he wait 3 days before going to see her - when she's critically ill? I don't understand. I don't slight him a bit for going to be with her, but why wait 3 days?

********************************

.

Party of Tolerance Attacks McCain Supporters

They do their party no favors. They only create a larger rift between the parties. Numerous incidents have been reported of violence and vandalism against McCain/Palin supporters (i.e. Republicans). Obama supporters are the perpetrators - Democrats. What the hell is wrong with those people? I thought us Republicans were supposed to be the hate mongers, mean-spirited, racists, and every other negative adjective you can think of.

Last night, a McCain volunteer was attacked and robbed. When the perpetrator saw McCain bumper sticker on her car, he proceeded to carve the letter "B" in her cheek. Now, why would anybody be enraged to simply see a McCain sticker?

"Police spokeswoman Diane Richard said the robber
took $60 from Todd, then became angry when
he saw a McCain bumper sticker on the victim's car.
The attacker then punched and kicked the victim,
before using the knife to scratch the letter "B" into her face, Richard said."

The above incident was admitted to be false. The woman is being charged with filing a false police report. She needs to be dealt with severely. There is absolutely no excuse for fabricating assaults or any other crime.

Also posted yesterday, a "small middle-aged woman" was carrying a sign in Manhattan when an Obama supporter ripped it from her hands, broke off the stick and proceeded to beat her with it. The criminal admitted the whole thing.

Reports of vandalism are sprouting up everywhere. Senator Coleman's house was vandalized. (He is being opposed by Al Franken.) McCain/Palin yard signs are being defaced and stolen, even in my community. Michelle Bachman's house was vandalized. The home of a Central Florida Republican headquarters manager was shot up and damaged over his support of McCain.

The list goes on and on. Don't believe me or the links I supplied. Do your own research. It appears that if you're a Republican, you are the scum of the Earth - a lower life form, with open season being declared on us.

These are the kind of people that are supporting Obama?

This is the party of tolerance? You can't prove it by me. All indications are that they only tolerate people and opinion that agrees with them. The Republican Party respects your rights. The Democrat Party only respects Democrats' rights. Those rights are (among others), The Freedoms of Speech and Religion (First Amendment), and "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,..." (Fourth Amendment).

Yes, there are some cases of vandalizm from Republicans/sympathizers, but not like this and not near as frequently. I condemn it no matter where it comes from.

In "selected cities", they are preparing for riots in the event that Obama should lose the election. Nobody is entitled to be in power. Nobody simply deserves to be the winner. That has to be earned. That's what elections are for.

Can we not have our own beliefs any more without getting persecuted, assaulted, and visciously attacked -both verbally and physically?

This is getting pathetic. It's getting to be like the Dark Ages.

Racism Hypocricy

During this campaign, the Democrat [sic] Party has spared no opportunity to accuse those who differ with Obama's policies as being racist. They play the "race card" quite often. I get really tired of it. I have heard that someone (media? campaign worker? Don't recall.) said if a white man voted for the white man in stead of the black man, he was being racist. Does that also apply to the black man who votes for the black man instead of the white man? Is he racist? Of course not. Neither is the white man who votes for the white man instead of the black man.

Childishness like this from Obama's campaign and others in the Democrat [sic] Party is uncalled for. Call me a racist if you like, but I will not vote for someone whose policies I disagree with so much. I judge people on the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

Oh....my.....GOD!

This is nuts. What are they up to?

October 20, 2008 7:35 AM

ABC News' Matthew Jaffe Reports: Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., on Sunday
guaranteed that if elected, Sen. Barack Obama., D-Ill., will be tested
by an international crisis within his first six months in power and he
will need supporters to stand by him as he makes tough, and possibly
unpopular, decisions.

"Mark my words," the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the
second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. "It will not be six months
before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The
world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator
president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing
here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have
an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this
guy."

A "generated" crisis? What is this crisis they are planning to generate? I am not a conspiracy theorist, but this smacks of one. Read Biden's words carefully. Who will generate this crisis?

"I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might
originate," Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle
East and Russia as possibilities. "And he's gonna need help. And the
kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially
to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."

What is this all about? Ask yourself this question and think about it - seriously. What are they up to? Biden is absolutely certain that something is going to happen if Obama is elected. No doubt of it. Is it because the world knows that Obama is a greenhorn? Is it because the "Obama is a Muslim" crowd is right, and he is planning to let terrorists freely enter our country and have their way with us? I personally don't buy into that theory, but I can understand how some might. (And yes, I do expect that we will be more vulnerable with Obama and a Democrat controlled Congress in power.)

The text I boldfaced above suggests to me that Biden has no confidence in Obama (should he be elected), and he expects him to do the wrong thing - yet wants us to support the Democrat Party in spite of what happens. He is preparing us for Obama's complete failure if he's elected. Biden seems to suggest that Obama's lack of experience and lack of fortitude will bring terrorists down on us - maybe worse. He knows that Obama can't do the job.

Osama and his nutcase ilk know that Obama is inexperienced, and they can attack our country and know that Obama will not do anything about it. He will be much easier to get past than McCain and Palin. I have always contended that this is why Hamas, Iran, and our other enemies have endorsed him. Think about it. Why would our enemies put their support behind a given candidate? To make nice with us? Our enemies? I think not.

Where did the campaign donations come from last month - for Obama? Over 150,000,000? In one month? Of that, over 3 million is unaccounted for. Something is rotten here.

"There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute,
yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision'," Biden continued.
"Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I
believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular
as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."

As I read this, if elected they will stab a lot of voters in the back. He is trying to prepare you for some very unpopular decisions. They know they will get resistance. IMO, he is trying to soften us for a really good backstabbing.

Biden emphasized that the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border is of
particular concern, with Osama bin Laden "alive and well" and Pakistan
"bristling with nuclear weapons."

OMG...! Obama is still planning on going into Pakistan - just as he said he would do. Could it be?

Too many things make too little sense. There are too many things that just don't sound right with the Obama/Biden ticket. I am a firm believer in the K.I.S.S. method of thinking - Occam's razor, if you will. "All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best." Keep it simple. Think about it in that context. And, think what would the reaction be if McCain and/or Palin would say this stuff? Imagine the uproar!

Strangely, Biden doesn't mention McCain/Palin at any time during this ominous warning. We can only take from that, that the danger won't be present if McCain/Palin are elected. They won't be so easy to push around by our enemies.

Semper Paratus!

.

Lost

On the night of October 7th, our little boy Bat had an upset stomach. He started to throw up, and I hurried him outside to keep from making a mess in the house. That was the last we have seen of him to this day. I'm trying to hang on to some hope that he'll appear, but it gets harder every day.

Every evening after work, I go to Animal Control's shelter to see if he's been picked up. Still nothing. Every evening after work, I check the latest daily DOA list to see if he's been listed there. Still nothing. I don't know how long I will keep this up. I don't want to give up on him. I find myself hoping the worst case is that he got kidnapped and is being held by someone who is taking care of him. He wouldn't like it at first, but would likely settle down for them after a little while.

Every time I drive up from work, I miss him greeting me. I miss him blocking my computer with his body, looking for attention. I miss him sticking his butt in my face when I try to do email or photos. I miss him laying on the couch beside me when I'm eating - and politely putting his paw on my leg, patiently waiting for his morsel when I'm done. I miss him putting his "hand" on my belly, as if to check to see if I'm "full". I miss him putting his forehead against mine while I scratch his cheeks and neck. I miss him "doing his feets". I miss him chasing the laster light. I miss him gently gnawing on my fingers (like a dog would) as I play with him.

I have never had a 4-legged "pet". I've only had 4-legged kids.

Bat, you are my little buddy. I'm not giving up on you.

"Dewey Defeats Truman!"

Can it happen again? Can we elect someone who is supposedly trailing in the polls? You bet we can! We can if we don't give up, thinking the polls are the way it's going to be. I don't give polls that much credit - especially the ones the media pushes. It ain't over 'til it's over.

We need to keep in mind that Obama was endorsed by our enemies - terrorist organizations and the leaders of countries that don't much like us. He has long-standing relationships with our "enemies". Ayers is our enemy. Reverend Wright is too, as is ACORN. Why does he have such interest in being positive in the eyes of our enemies? That sends me a vivid message.

He wants to spread the wealth around (but not his own wealth). If you make over $250,000, he will take some of it and spread it around. Why would anybody want to be successful if all they had to look forward to was someone taking their money away from them? Will he donate a chunk of his wealth to the cause? Somehow, I really don't think that would happen. (McCain said he doesn't want to take Obama's wealth and spread it around - or anybody else's.) Obama reported $4.2 million in income in 2007 according to the New York Times. When will he step up and make the first donation? (In 2006, it was even $1 million - four times his $250k "rich" criteria.) Spread some of that wealth my way, Barack Hussein Obama!

Obama says we can be energy independent in 10 years. He says that we only have 3% of the world's oil supply, yet use 25% of it. He won't allow drilling where the oil is. He won't allow nuclear power plants to be built. Something doesn't add up with those numbers considering his "10 years" goal. If his numbers were correct, we can never be energy independent. 25 - 3 = 22. We would still have to ge 22% of our oil from those we depend on, even if we used all of our 3%.

It used to be said that the ideal President would be a moderate, one who isn't at either extreme. Doesn't it stand to reason that one who will buck both parties might fit that criteria?

Let's let Dewey Defeat Truman again. With ACORN registering Mickey Mouse to vote - and so many other fraudulent registrations - we must get out and vote. With Obama, Biden, Pelosi, and Reid at the helm, our Country will be in serious trouble. Let's keep Checks and Balances in place as our forefathers intended.




Obama's Rotten ACORN



.

Bailout Bill, Section 124

Summarizing a section of the bailout bill, cut-n-pasted from the government's PDF:

"Section 124. Hope for Homeowners Amendments.
Strengthens the Hope for Homeowners program to increase eligibility and improve the tools available to prevent foreclosures."

The brilliant idea to "increase eligibility" is exactly what caused all this - and Congress did it. Now they are doing it again. How can a problem be helped by doing the same thing that caused it?



For those who don't think McCain or the Republicans tried to do anything about getting oversight...

In 2003, John McCain was a co-sponsor of an oversight bill for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that was introduced by Chuck Hagel.

***************************

Overview

Sponsor:	Sen. Charles Hagel [R-NE] Cosponsors [as of 2006-07-09] Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R-NC] Sen. Trent Lott [R-MS] Sen. John McCain [R-AZ] Sen. John Sununu [R-NH]
Bill Text:	Summary | Full Text
Status:	Introduced Jul 31, 2003 Reported by Committee - Voted on in Senate - Voted on in House - Signed by President - This bill never became law. This bill was proposed in a previous session of Congress. Sessions of Congress last two years, and at the end of each session all proposed bills and resolutions that haven't passed are cleared from the books.

Last Action:

Apr 1, 2004: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

*************************

The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs apparently dropped the ball. Guess who was the chairman at the time? Chris Dodd. Where have we heard of him before? And, did you notice? The sponsor and co-sponsors were all Republicans. The bill's summary is as follows (emphasis mine):

******************

7/31/2003--Introduced.

Federal Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to establish in the Department of the Treasury the Office of Federal Enterprise Supervision. Transfers to the Director of such Office supervisory and regulatory authority over specified government sponsored enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and from the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Prohibits merger or consolidation of such Office or its functions.

Requires: (1) the Director to ensure that the enterprises operate in a financially safe manner and remain adequately capitalized; and (2) that each enterprise have prior approval of the Director before implementing a new program.

Sets forth operating, administrative, and regulatory provisions of the Director, including provisions respecting: (1) assessment authority; (2) authority to limit nonmission-related assets; (3) minimum and critical capital levels; (4) risk-based capital test; (5) capital classifications and undercapitalized enterprises; (6) enforcement actions and penalties; and (7) reporting.

Sets forth certain retained authorities of the Secretary.

Abolishes the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. Sets forth related transfer of personnel and facility and property provisions.

*************************

Methinks there is something rotten in Denmark, and it's not the McCain or the Republicans. Research it yourself if you like. Go to official Congressional records, not the blogs or MSNBC.