Holly's Ramblin'

Stuff I Like and Stuff I Don't Like

2011-06-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

STUFF I DON'T LIKE - just because it's awful and/or because I have no control over it:

The weather. I just watched the weather segment on the late night news. I knew what it was goin' to be before it started. I had a sense of wasted time when it was over. Let me save y'all some time. If you live in North, Central, West, Far West or Northwest [as in Panhandle] Texas it's gonna be beastly hot and dry as a bone until at least mid-September, but more likely mid to late October. EXCEPT, if a monster hurricane hit the Gulf coast in the vicinity of Galveston Island, then we'll get rain in Central and North Texas for a day or so, the following days will be extra humid and hot, then it's back to HOT and no precip.

Knee-jerk defense of corrupt politicians because they "did good" in the past. First Al Lipscomb, now the long-time racist agitator John Wiley Price. It took the FBfriggin'I 9 that's N-I-N-E hours to remove boxes of evidence from his office. Don't know how long they spent at his house, the office and house of his chief aide and those of his top political aide. No he hasn't been indicted, yet, much less convicted. I just don't like him. Haven't liked him since 1985. He supported ACORN for criminey's sake!

STUFF I LIKE -

Kroger has done away with their across the board 10 cents/gallon discount on gasoline for Kroger PLUS customers. Their rewards system in now based on how much you spend in a month. You can now earn up to $1/gallon discount. Personally, I got 60cents/gallon off last week. Yeah, I'm likin' me some Kroger gas discounts.

When I quit smokin' [hold your applause, please] on the 11th I was usin' a No.7 brand E-cigarette. Saturday, an Eastern Star Sister told me about Vaporescence. It's a shop here and they have a location in Richardson, too. Their eGo-T blows no.7 completely out of the water. If you're a smoker or former smoker, this will make sense; for the rest of you, just skip through this part. The vaper is easier to inhale, no heavy drawing; it can be customized with a flavor like your tobacco cigarette at first, and later with a myriad of creative and tasty soundin' flavors.

If you're tryin' to quit or know someone who's tryin' to quit, tell them about this. I smoked for 40 years. I tried every, and I mean EVERY cessation product ever made. This makes it so dahm easy!

Stuff I like and ambivalently don't like, too

I'm finally scheduled for that surgery on my Achilles tendon later this week. I am likin' it because I am hopin' it will resolve the pain I've had for a year, now. I don't like it because I know, from the location of the repairs, it's gonna be a bear to heal. He's talkin' in terms of a splint while the incision heals [HOPEFULLY] during the first month. Then a month in a cast, yeah, been there, done that in March. THEN, at least a month in walkin' boot with a heel lift. While the Doc didn't mention PT, I'm thinkin' there's some MORE of that in my future, too. I shouldn't complain, it's what I've wanted, but y'all know me...I'm one of those folks who'd complain if they were hung with a new rope.

Arizona Shooter

2011-05-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm gonna play Devil's Advocate.

I watched an update on the progress in Tuscon of the case against Jared Loughner, the young man who shot into the crowd gathered to hear Gabrielle Gifford. He has been deemed incompetent to stand trial at this time. When he eventually goes to trial, his defense will no doubt be "Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity," or whatever the equivalent is in Arizona courts. I do happen to think he's crazy as a bedbug, but I also believe this is no reason he should not be punished in some manner for his actions. That said, let me move on to what I am disturbed about.

He is being medicated against his will to get him to a mental state that will make him competent to assist in his own defense. No doubt this forcible medication had to be administered after a court order was obtained. This is a slippery slope akin to chipping away at 2nd Amendment rights by banning certain firearms or specific magazines. Free speech rights granted by the 1st Amendment being eroded by censorship in the guise of pornography laws and so called "Hate Speech" legislation is another example.

This action by the Arizona judicial authorities is just too reminiscent of Nazi judges ordering sterilization for "undesirables" and the imprisonment under the guise of hospitalization and unnecessary psychiatric medication of Communist dissidents for my comfort level. While I am generally opposed to granting accused and convicted criminals yet more rights, this worries me.

I think our Constitution and the Bill of Rights need to be rigorously observed and defended. This type of court action needs further debate and much more thought.

Jobs and Joblessness

2011-04-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

I was watchin' a TV program [Parenthood] and was struck by how much our society's economic situation has changed. In this episode a man, in his early to mid-40's, married father of two teens, is fired from his job. It gave me pause.

Back when I was in the workforce, two weeks severance pay gave you enough money to make your bills until you found a job with commensurate salary and benefits. In extreme situations, you might not find a new job for a month, two at the very most.

Now? Now some folks are out there actively lookin' for any kind of work, not just in their "field" but ANY kind of job for months if not a year or more! I have lucky friends because I don't know anyone involuntarily unemployed so I have listened to the news reports and thought, "Oh, those poor folks."

Why it took fiction to bring this cold hard fact home to me I don't know. But I hope those of you who are in a job you hate but can't leave and those of you lookin' for work encounter better days just around the corner.

The Madness of Political Correctness

2011-04-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

"Political Correctness" can be defined in these terms: A. the disinclination to communicate accurately about the reason or nature of something. In other words the speaker doesn't "tell it like it is." B. the deliberate distortion of truth and reality to advance a political agenda. This is a calculated tactic called "propaganda" in another time. C. the use of intimidation tactics to silence those who will not "fall in line." These can include giving the cold shoulder to the incorrect; calling them names such as bigot, racist, xenophobe; threats of violent protests over incorrect behavior; taking legal action such as suing for defamation or libel to silence criticism and attempts to disallow the incorrect their 1st Amendment right to free speech, i.e. hate speech laws. D. it can range from being annoying as it was in the U.S. ten or fifteen years ago to being a totalitarian state such as Nazi Germany, the U.S.S.R., China before capitalism, Southeast Asian despotically ruled nations or the fictional state in 1984. We must begin to recognize politically correct language and behavior and be brave enough to call it the brainwashing it is. Let's return to sanity, shall we?

Death Lessons

2011-03-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

After 54 days in the hospital, my Mother died on March 11. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit on her bed and hold her hand from the time she communicated her desire to go until she crossed over. Her death was peaceful and painless and I don't think any of us can ask for more.

Mother and I had a complicated relationship, as many of us do. Ambivalence defined my feelings for her from the time I was 12. As I was sitting there holding her hand, I was able to let go of my anger and forgive her. Being able to do that has brought me a great measure of peace.

One of the positive things about this experience is becoming aware of how much I am loved. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Doris, was on her way home from Dallas and called to see if she could come visit. Not five minutes before she called I had the urge to call her and ask her to come to the hospital. My Angels were at work that day. My incredible Dearly Beloved Johnny called right after Doris and asked if he should come be with me. They sat on either side of the bed through the entire process. I was surrounded by their love and I will never be able to fully express my gratitude for these acts of love and care.

As I called family, my friends, and Mother's friends every one of them offered love, concern and help. In those first days they comforted me in words and deeds. They eased my burden immeasurably. Many of them are still offering gifts of love, care, concern, affection and help. I am truly blessed.

I have learned just how much work settling a parent's estate entails. So that you can ease that burden on your survivors, let me offer some advice. Have a valid will or trust. Even a holographic will will be enough. If you have some treasured belongings, leave instructions specifying what goes to whom and try to consider each individual's likes and dislikes. Add the executor / executrix as a signatory on all your bank/savings accounts. DOWNSIZE your belongings. I could not have met the two week deadline to clear out / clean up Mother's apartment without a lot of hard work on the part of Johnny, Megan, Roy, Flo, Matt and David. Buy more boxes, packing paper and bubble wrap than you think you'll need. It'll save time on repeat trips to the store. Home Depot has the cheapest boxes, btw. Something that would have helped in this process was knowing in advance which charitable organizations will make pick-ups and how much lead time they need to schedule these pick-ups.

And remember, we grieve and heal on different schedules. Don't beat yourself up if you aren't on the same timeline as you were when another close family member died. Lean on your family and friends. They love you more than you know. Give them the gift of helping you.

Concerns

2011-01-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

On the news last night[sorry, I started this post around 10am] I heard a preview Obama had released of his State of the Union address he will give tonight. The thing that concerns me most is his "5 Pillars" agenda. How many of you are aware of the 5 pillars of Islam? These are basic tenets of Islam all Muslims must practice in order to be "good" Muslims.

While the pillars of Islam are not the same as Obama's pillars, I am concerned about the philosophical similarities of a platform of "5 Pillars" in light of the cultural jihad being waged in this country. Several officials of CAIR [ Council on American-Islamic Relations], the most influential Muslim civil rights advocacy organization, have stated publicly they would like to see Sharia replace the constitution and an Islamic flag flying over the White House!

Muslims are demanding religiously based concessions in the basic rules of our Society and some laws. In Oklahoma, a judge has ruled the Sharia law can be practiced in the Muslim community. Muslim women demand employers grant them the right to wear a hijab even when it violates a dress code every other employee must follow. I could go on and on, but that's another blog.

My other concern is the shooting of 11 law enforcement officers in a 24-hour period. At least 4 of these officers were killed in these shootings. As the wife of a retired LEO and the step-mother of a currently serving LEO I want to know who the hell declared open season on cops! I'd love to hear your theories.

2010-12-22T05:04:00.000-08:00

In light of the story of a DFW TSA agent bypassing the checkpoint [since they don't have to be screened] with a rifle given him by a passenger this photo is even more disturbing.

If a Muslim woman, in full hijab, bypassed security by carrying a rifle to "help a passenger" how safe would you feel? Would she be sanctioned/fired for breaking regulations or would TSA be afraid of allegations of Islamophobia by groups such as CAIR? Another good question, what would stop any TSA agent, out of religious beliefs or out of greed, from smuggling another weapon, a possibly loaded weapon?

If we had Air Marshalls on every flight, ala El Al, that would be REAL security. With that action we could do away with TSA, their intrusive scanners and insulting patdowns.

Censorship on the Internet of sites critical of Islamic Jihad

2010-12-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

Since this article the websites videos have been restored by You Tube due to an outpouring of support from PMW's subscribers.
Still this post is informative reading.
Part of the "Cultural Jihad" being waged by Muslim apologist groups include these types of actions caused by threats of legal action by such groups and/or the labeling of any criticism of Islam as "Islamophobia." It's time to stand up to the bullies before they erode our freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

Observations from the Road

2010-12-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

Twice lately I've been travelling South on I-35W and seen an interesting billboard. It says "Dragon Service Center."
Now let's just think about this. How many dragons ARE there in need of service? How do you service a dragon? Is the facility akin to an automotive repair shop with multiple bays? How many bays are there at this service center? Can more than one dragon be serviced at a time? If so, how far apart do you have to keep the dragons? How long does it take to service a dragon? Does it depend on how long it's been since the last service or how many problems the dragon has or how big it is? And lastly, how much does it cost to service a dragon? Just think about the things and get back to me.

Why don't you see "courtesy waves" very much anymore? When someone lets me change lanes or enter the flow of traffic or moves over to the shoulder so I can pass on a two-lane highway, I always give them a little wave to let them know I appreciate their consideration. But when I do the same for other drivers I almost never get a wave, unless it's from someone 50 or older.
Did we not teach our children to be appreciative? I tried, but evidently other parents didn't.
Anyway, wave or no wave I'll keep being courteous. It's good karma.

For all you drivers on 35W, when did traffic get so gawdawful in Ft. Worth. Even as much as 5 years ago, you could zip on through at non-peak hours. I was going South through Ft. Worth around 1 pm. The Southbound lanes were slow, but the Northbound lanes were stop and go from Downtown to well North of Northside Dr. Coming home I was going North around 3-3:30 pm. It was stop and go from Burleson to just barely South of Alliance. What's up with that?

Playing Devil's Advocate

2010-11-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

I hate being in the position of defending TSA, but I feel I have to address one of their policies.

Let me start by saying the incident in Chattanooga with the 3 y.o. girl child was handled badly and some serious training in handling [no pun intended] children is called for.

For those of you who do not remember the Vietnam conflict, I have to explain their use of children under the age of 12 as sappers. A child armed with a grenade and riding a bicycle would pass an American troop transport truck and toss a grenade in amongst the soldiers.

Some of the African Muslim factions are creating "Child Soldiers" where male children are abducted from their villages and forced to become fighters.

I learned from either Robert Spencer or ACT for America [sorry, I just don't remember which source provided me with this info] the practice of jihadists forcing Muslim women to become suicide bombers. This particularly heinous process entails the rape of the woman. She is then given the option of delivering a suicide bomb or being sanctioned often with stoning by her strict fundamentalist family and/or neighbors.

Now, having provided or reminded you of these facts... Do you have any doubt the jihadists * would balk at planting explosives on children, including babies? Since these criminals view murdering infidels as directives from their Beloved Allah, and suicide in the service of jihad as a holy act worthy of eternity in Paradise, why would they hesitate to use children as a bomb delivery system?

"But, but, Holly, " I can hear some of you spluttering, "We're talking about traumatizing American children!" OK. Let's assume the child and his/her parent[s] are blond, blue-eyed non-Middle Eastern [yes, some of us are more suspicious of those we perceive as Middle Eastern or of Middle Eastern heritage when assessing terroristic threat] looking travelers. How many Bosnian Muslim jihadists are blond and blue-eyed? How many radical Muslim converts are American? These people should not be discounted as possible threats.

I'm just sayin'

* I refuse to capitalize the words jihad or jihadist.

Convicts as preachers?

2010-09-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

I saw a report on the news yesterday morning that the Texas Department of Corrections is starting a Seminary at the prison in Rosharon.

Given my own experiences with paroled felons this seems an extremely ill-advised course of action. While there are a few inmates who truly find Jesus in prison , the percentage of those who are sincere is minuscule. Church, for most inmates is, at best, a diversion. Attending services or availing themselves of spiritual counseling is a break from the tedium of prison life. It is a chance to socialize without a high level of scrutiny from guards, it affords them an opportunity to pass along messages, contraband and, for many, it is a chance to practice their con artist skills.

There are many preachers, priests and ministers through out this country who are truly spiritual guides. Unfortunately, there are far too many hucksters and con artists posing as emissaries of God. The plan of a State agency to train, at taxpayer expense, more of this ilk is monumentally unwise.

Medicare Fraud and the Public Option

2010-01-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

I was reading a story about Medicare fraud today. A few of the points that most caught my attention were:

Medicare pays about $430 Billion per year in claims.
$60 BILLION of that are fraudulent claims [ roughly 13.95%].
It's not unusual for a fraud scheme to be in the range of $30 to $50 million.
From 2000 to 2007 somewhere between $60 to $92 million was paid to fraud schemes involving dead doctors. Some of whom had been dead for 10 years.

Now let's take a moment to consider the so-called public option of the Health Care Reform bill. If the uninsured become insured under this public option, what will the fraud cost the taxpayers? $100 Billion a year? 300 billion? the sky's the limit?

Seriously, contact all your Congress Critters to express your concerns about this aspect of "reform."

YES

2009-12-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

This is an AP story datelined Memphis, TN I found through my email provider. Unfortunately there was not a link to the AP website for me to pass along. I've inserted my thoughts in red. I look forward to all comments.

By ERIK SCHELZIG

A nationwide review by The Associated Press found that over the last two years, 24 states, mostly in the South and West, have passed 47 new laws loosening gun restrictions. YAHOO!

Among other things, legislatures have allowed firearms to be carried in cars, made it illegal to ask job candidates whether they own a gun, and expanded agreements that make permits to carry handguns in one state valid in another.

The trend is attributed in large part to a push by the National Rifle Association. The NRA, which for years has blocked attempts in Washington to tighten firearms laws, has ramped up its efforts at the state level to chip away at gun restrictions. Good for the NRA, but I believe part of this trend can be explained by ordinary citizens voicing their desires.

"This is all a coordinated approach to respect that human, God-given right of self defense by law-abiding Americans," says Chris W. Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist. "We'll rest when all 50 states allow and respect the right of law-abiding people to defend themselves from criminal attack."

Among the recent gun-friendly laws:

- Arizona, Florida, Louisiana and Utah have made it illegal for businesses to bar their employees from storing guns in cars parked on company lots. Now this needs to be expanded to include State agencies as well as public and private businesses.

- Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina and Virginia have made some or all handgun permit information confidential. With identity theft becoming more prevalent I'd like to see all information be confidential.

- Montana, Arizona and Kansas have allowed handgun permits to be issued to people who have had their felony convictions expunged or their full civil rights restored. Since expungement or the restoration of civil rights is a step taken after careful consideration I don't have a problem with this one. Under Federal Law convicted felons, under any circumstances are not allowed to BUY firearms, but now they can protect themselves from harm.

- Tennessee and Montana have passed laws that exempt weapons made and owned in-state from federal restrictions. Tennessee is the home to Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, the maker of a .50-caliber shoulder-fired rifle that the company says can shoot bullets up to five miles and is banned in California. { I am told that since CA banned citizens owning this particular rifle, the owner of Barrett Firearms has refused to sell arms to any CA law enforcement agency}

The AP compiled the data on new laws from groups ranging from the Legal Community Against Violence, which advocates gun control, to the NRA.

Public attitudes toward gun control have shifted strongly over the past 50 years, according to Gallup polling. In 1959, 60 percent of respondents said they favored a ban on handguns except for "police and other authorized persons." By last year, Gallup's most recent crime survey found 69 percent opposed such a ban. Crime wasn't as severe 50 years ago. As crime rates increase more citizens NEED to be armed to protect themselves and their families.

The NRA boasts that almost all states grant handgun permits to people with clean criminal and psychological records. In 1987, only 10 states did. Only Wisconsin, Illinois and the District of Columbia now prohibit the practice entirely. Recent court decisions have made it legal to OWN a handgun in D.C., so pregress is being made there.

While some states have tightened gun laws during the same period, the list of new restrictive laws is much shorter. In 2009 alone, more than three times as many laws were passed to make it easier on gun owners.

New Jersey's 2009 law limiting people to one handgun purchase per month is the most notable of the more restrictive laws. Other examples this year include Maryland's ban on concealed weapons on public transit and Maine's vote to give public universities and colleges the power to regulate firearms on campus.

The most contentious of Tennessee's new gun laws was one allowing handguns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. It took effect in July after lawmakers overrode a veto by the governor. Last month, a Nashville judge struck down the law as unconstitutionally vague, but supporters have vowed to pass it again.

A similar Arizona law that took effect in September allows people with concealed-weapons permits to bring their guns into bars and restaurants that haven't posted signs banning them.

While Tennessee's law was in place, many bars chose not to let customers bring guns in. Likewise, more than 70 communities have opted out of allowing guns in parks.

"People go in there and start drinking and then they want to start a fight. What are they going to do if they got a gun in their hand?" said Larry Speck, 69, who works at an auto repair shop in Memphis. "I've got a gun permit and I'm not carrying mine in there even if they have a law." Mixing alcohol and guns is NEVER a good idea.

Chattanooga retiree Ken Hasse, 71, said he worries about the possible consequences of allowing people to carry their guns in places like parks. "It's going to tempt somebody to use one," he said. Because we all know a gun can control the owner's mind. Bad gun, Bad, bad gun.

Supporters of expanding handgun rights argue that people with state-issued permits are far less likely to commit crimes, and that more lawfully armed people cause a reduction in crime. Opponents fear that more guns could lead to more crime. Guns in the hands of CRIMINALS lead to crime because Criminals commit more offenses. Guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens protect and sometimes even prevent crime.

Academics are divided on the effects of liberalized handgun laws, and determining the impact is complicated by the move in several states to close handgun permit records. Read John Lott, an economist, on the impact of liberalized handgun laws.

A Violence Policy Center project has mined news reports to find that more than 100 people have been killed by holders of handgun-carry permits since 2007, including nine law enforcement officers. The project originally intended to list all gun crimes by permit holders, but there were too many to keep track of, Rand said. How many of those 100 people killed were in the act of perpetrating a crime against the permit holder? And why should the millions of law-abiding permit holders be penalized because of this. Also, how many of these "too many" involved the use of a handgun? The Violence Policy Center is opposed to CHLs.

The flood of legislative victories in Tennessee after many years of frustration now has some gun backers aiming for a whole new level of freedom: No permits at all. I'm worried that not requiring permits at all would effect felons with handguns prosecutions.

---

Associated Press writers Lucas L. Johnson II in Memphis and Bill Poovey in Chattanooga contributed to this report.

Some of Us Knew

2009-12-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

...something like this was bound to happen when the Obamassiah was elected.

I am so proud of these brave men and women on this flight. Without the example set by the Navy diver and the Texan how differently this flight might have been. Kudos to the flight crew for their refusal to fly once the Jihadists had been returned to the plane.

Shame on TSA and the airline admin weenie who approved flying with these terrorists. Make no mistake about it, they were conducting a test. Next time, without vigilance, they may carry out their mission. One more reason for me to drive instead of fly anywhere.

h/t to Old NFO for the excellent post he wrote.

Thoughts on the Use of the Word Execution

2009-12-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Stepson Matt has an excellent post about the murderous incident in suburban Seattle. Please go read.

Ridiculous Directions

2009-11-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

I bought some eye-makeup remover the other day. Inside the box were directions. There was a drawing of the face and the eye area was shaded to show you where to use the eye-makeup remover. How many folks who use this product don't know where their eyes are?

I realize these directions are part of product liability protection, but c'mon.

Monday's Agenda

2009-11-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

On Monday, the 16th I'll be having arthroscopic knee surgery. I've torn a cartlidge in my Left knee. He'll clean out the arthritis while he's in there fixin' the meniscus.

Please keep me in your thoughts and wish for success. Prayers, if you're so inclined, are most welcome.

If I was capable of bloggin' while on post-surgical morphine, I would. If it's anything like the phone call I make when "stoned" you'd be laughin' at me, just like my kids do.

I Need Blog Addresses

2009-11-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to rebuild my blog list. Please leave your blog's address in the comments section so I can add you. Thanks.

Swine Flu

2009-10-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know about where y'all live, but here in North Texas the media is whippin' the public into a tizzy over Swine Flu [I refuse to call it H1N1]. There have been 5 deaths in Tarrant county and 12 deaths in Dallas county since this flu made its appearance. All but one of the stricken had underlying health problems. But the news outlets, print and televised, are treating this outbreak as if it was 1918 and folks are droppin' in the street.

BAH!

New Home

2009-10-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

Since my Gmail account got hacked I had to create a new one in order to blog. Now I have a new home. I'll probably just blog once a week for a while.

Send your friends and neighbors.