Mr. Stanley

We have been invaded by a (now 1 pound 4 oz) bundle of fluff originally named "Lucky," but renamed Mr. Stanley (after the explorer who found Dr. Livingston) because he is an intrepid explorer. Mr. Stanley is a "little kittenin" who is now 4 weeks old. We've had him for about 1 1/2 weeks. Daughter-person rescued him at approximately 2 weeks of age when his mother rejected him. He's almost pathologically fierce - and has our three elderly felines terrified. I'm covered with toothmarks and scratches. He is food aggressive to the nth degree, and will attack anything that moves - or doesn't move. So far he has destroyed 2 little toy "mousies" from PetSmart.

It's obvious he's here to teach us something - maybe patience? maybe the fact that lack of overt gratitude doesn't mean it isn't "there?" maybe that all of God's creation is inter-connected - even fierce little kittenins and grumpy ol' curmudgeons who talk baby talk to him when he thinks I'm not listening. And maybe because God knows we need something to laugh at during our current difficulties.

Mr. Stanley is resolutely trying to attack 20 pound Magnus, the Magnificat. He's practicing pouncing on his tail. Magnus spits at him, gets up and walks off. Mr. Stanley follows. Magnus bats him across the floor. Mr. Stanley gets up and returns to the attack. Magnus runs and hides! Magnus has teeth that are bigger than Mr. Stanley's tail, and he outweighs him by 15-fold - but he runs away from the little fluffball. Brave kitty!

Where is the Ghandi of Islam?

Charles Moore wrote this very interesting article for the Daily Telegraph, London, England. One point really spoke to me:

The faith Mohammed taught does not just hope that the world will become Muslim. It wants all human society and politics to be governed by religious law: it draws no distinction between the secular and religious sphere (except to condemn the secular). Therefore, Muslim leaders find it very difficult to resist the hotheads who say that Sharia - the divine law - should be imposed wherever possible.

In addition, the religion is absolute in its attitude to particular bits of territory. It is forbidden, for example, that any other religion be practised in the Arabian peninsula, because that land is considered sacred to Islam. Therefore, it is hard for a "moderate" to oppose the second-class citizenship of Christians or Jews in Muslim lands, or to say that "infidels" fighting in Muslim countries should not be murdered - even when they are his fellow citizens in a Western country.

When someone like bin Laden says that Islam should confront the "Cross-worshippers" and the "Zionists", he is making a claim in which politics and religion dangerously reinforce one another - a claim which most Muslims might not like, but which most of their leaders cannot find quite the right words to resist.

I find I am less trusting than I used to be. We don't hear much on the news about hte Islamic communities disavowing the actions of the so-called "radicals." Is that because they actually agree with them? Where are the protests to discourage more?

I'm very disappointed in my Muslim friends. We are in the grips of international terrorism and they don't condemn the perpetrators. Could it be they want the rest of the world to succumb? Is, "Convert or die!" once again the Islamic mantra?

I really worry about it.

An Old Bluejacket's 22-Year USN Career, Duty Stations, Patriotic Flash Movies, Links & Blogs, Humor & Some Politics

An Old Bluejacket's 22-Year USN Career, Duty Stations, Patriotic Flash Movies, Links & Blogs, Humor & Some Politics

For those who are interested in patriotism and nostalgia, here is the ultimate site! It is so big it had to expand to two other websites:
Patriot Files and Patriot Files Annex.

I'm just bowled over by the talent this veteran has for developing Flash productions. We need to remember that our military is protecting us 24/7/365, not just on Memorial Day or the 4th of July.

Club Gitmo

Boortz strikes again! These comments on the Gitmo "scandal" are priceless!

Eminent Domain? Rather Your House is My House

I can't believe this! Eminent domain has been abused and misused for decades, but now there is no recourse! What do these old men mean by taking the roofs from over the heads of children? Think I'm overstating? Well just read the ruling HERE.

I predict a backlash from this, much debate, name-calling, and, eventually - perhaps - legislation that will either add protections or further reduce the rights of property owners. I have to admit I don't like the idea that at any time a developer could sweep down on my neighborhood, have it condemned and suddenly a shopping mall appears where my house used to be! And if you really think people will be paid what their property is actually worth, think again.

Three decades ago, Atlanta and the state of Georgia swept down on the venerable Morningside neighborhood and condemned numerous homes creating a divisive swath through the neighborhood that was going to be a new freeway connector. That swath was eventually (after years of litigation) reclaimed for private property and the neighborhood was "saved." The highway project was canned. But the original property owners had been displaced, their homes taken from them and they were paid a pittance compared to what they could have received on a free market basis. The houses went vacant for several years, without repair. At least one had to be demolished, and most of the rest required extensive renovation before they were again habitable.

If the free market wants a section of land, then they need to pay the owners what the land is truly worth on the open market. Government needs to butt out of private development except to confirm that building codes are observed in new construction.

"We the people of the United States" need to take back our inalienable rights. Preventing the confiscation of property without due procedure is one of the reasons this country exists. Back to basics.

SHRIEK! How long are we going to allow our courts to run away like this??

Too Long!

Too long since I last posted anything here! Several friends had bad results from their blogs, and I became "leery."
One of my DH's friends sent this to him (it goes around the internet from time to time):

"HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE
"Home Economics High School Text Book, 1954


"Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

"Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

"Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

"Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

"Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.

"Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

"Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

"Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

"The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit. "

I remember that textbook! (Guess that dates me, hunh?) And I thought it was a bunch of hooey back then!

Well, I love my DH's response to his friend (he copied me):
"Yeah -- I've seen this. I prefer a companion with some brains & spunk. Any man that has to marry a maid has serious problems."

O Joy! what a great guy!

Cheerio!
Elizabeth

Letter From Little Miss Attila

I believe this BLOG Post to be very important. I encourage my readers, if any, to go HERE, read the entire Blog Post, and think about it very, very carefully!

And many thanks to Little Miss Atilla, whose blog I recommend very highly.

Letter to an Undecided Voter
I spend too much time preaching to the choir. This essay is different, because it is where I will lay my case out for re-electing George W. Bush. It is not for political junkies, but for people who only follow the news when they have a chance between their other obligations. I'm going to put it to you as straight as I can, and try not to inject a lot of emotion into this piece—though I promise I am passionate about it.

I want you to vote for the President, no matter what you might think of him as a man, or as a speaker, or as a politician. No matter which of his policies you might disagree with. And no matter what your party affiliation might be. I'll try to keep it short. I have high hopes that I'll at least get you to think about a few important issues. Please read this through, and if it makes you think at all, pass it along to your friends—whether I persuaded you or not. MORE...

ABC News: School Says Halloween Disrespectful to Witches

Can you believe this!!

Our family does not "observe" Halloween because it is anti-Christian, and not because we want to be "respectful" of Wicca!

ABC News: School Says Halloween Disrespectful to Witches:

"PUYALLUP, Wash., Oct. 21, 2004 -- A Washington state school district is canceling its annual Halloween celebration, and the explanation has some parents baffled.
'Let them have their 30 minutes of dressing goofy and having candy,' Silas Macon, a father of two school-age girls, said Wednesday outside Maplewood Elementary School after learning that the grade-school tradition of a party and parade in costume during the last half-hour of class before Halloween night won't happen this year in the district.
A letter sent home to parents Wednesday said there will be no observance of Halloween in any of the district's schools.
'We really want to make sure we're using all of our time in the best interest of our students,' Puyallup School District spokeswoman Karen Hansen said.
The superintendent made the decision for three primary reasons, Hansen said. First, Halloween parties and parades waste valuable classroom time. Second, some families can't afford costumes and the celebrations thus can create embarrassment for children.
Both of those reasons seemed sensible to the parents who spoke to ABC News affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle. But the district's third reason left some Puyallup parents shaking their heads.
The district said Halloween celebrations and children dressed in Halloween costumes might be offensive to real witches.
'Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we want to be respectful of that,' Hansen said.
The Wiccan, or Pagan, religion is said to be growing in the United States and there are Wiccan groups in Puyallup.
On the district's list of guidelines related to holidays and celebrations is an item that reads: "Use of derogatory stereotypes is prohibited, such as the traditional image of a witch, which is offensive to members of the Wiccan religion."
"I do lots of things that are not revolving around wearing a black outfit and stirring a cauldron," Wiccan priestess Cheryl Sulyma-Masson said in an interview with ABC News in which she explained that Wiccans, or Pagan Clergy, celebrate nature."
On the district's list of guidelines related to holidays and celebrations is an item that reads: "Use of derogatory stereotypes is prohibited, such as the traditional image of a witch, which is offensive to members of the Wiccan religion."

The article goes on to say that:

"We want to make sure our students are respectful of all religions and all cultures."

I'm Israel!!

Israel: "

You're Israel!

Though a victim in the past, you've learned very little from this and
have encouraged a cycle of violence in your life and the life of many you know.
 You're a little paranoid and somewhat schizophrenic, causing you to promote
both hatred and hope in cycling intervals.  Some of the paranoia is justified, as
a lot of people don't like you, but more people are helping you than you'd ever really
admit to.  At this point, you live on some valuable property and would benefit
greatly from just giving peace a chance.
Take the Country
Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

"

New York Post Online Edition: Heinz Kerry in a Pickle

New York Post Online Edition: news: "October 21, 2004 -- Teresa Heinz Kerry touched off a firestorm yesterday and was forced to quickly apologize by saying First Lady Laura Bush has never held 'a real job,' even though she's been a teacher, librarian and full-time mom.
'I don't know that she's ever had a real job I mean, since she's been grown up,' Mrs. Kerry told USA Today in making the case that she'd be a better first lady.
Bush adviser Karen Hughes said Mrs. Kerry revealed 'an unfortunate mindset that seeks to divide women based on whether you work at home or whether you work outside the home. I've done both and so has Laura Bush and both are difficult and both are rewarding.'"

Tereza Heinz Kerry revealed a mindset that obviously is trite and catty. She is sooooo privileged she can just say whatever crosses her mind - with no self-ensorship, no self-restraint, and no self-discipline. I'm not voting for a "first lady," I'm voting for a president, but in that the attitudes expressed by the wife of a candidate and tolerated by the candidate expresses a probable unity of thought, this makes me even more skeptical of sKerry than I already was!

I am just horrified that Ms. sKerry doesn't think being a full-time mother is a "real" job. It is just as much a "real" job as working outside the home is. In fact, being a stay-at-home Mother is even more important in the long run than anything a person does working outside the home! A SAHM is raising the next generation - hopefully to be nicer and better than Ms. sKerry!

Sorry, her remarks reflect on her husband - who is out hunting to prove he's a "real man" - and while I feel sorry for him, I wouldn't consider voting for him.

Daily Record Online: Election determines fate of nation

Daily Record Online

This article will only be online at The Daily Record Website, the original publication of this piece, until October 27, 2004. It is well worth reading, and I urge anyone who reads this to do so!

Kerry's Coalition Quagmire

Greg Lewis brings up a very good series of points regarding Kerry's diplomatic skills:

"Early in the Democratic Primary campaign in 2003, you infamously described America's allies in the war against international terrorism which is currently focused on the country of Iraq but which is also being quietly and clandestinely contested in hundreds of locations around the world as a 'trumped-up, so-called coalition of the bribed, the coerced, the bought, and the extorted.' You have also insulted Iraqi interim Prime Minister Allawi by presenting the impression that he is a 'puppet' of the Bush administration. Perhaps you will have the arrogance to repeat this charge to the face of a man who has endured a heinous attempt on his life while he was in exile in London and who courageously attempts to mold seemingly intractable opposing forces into a unified nation in Iraq today.

Where do you suppose America's allies' anger comes from in their responses to your utterances? Why do you suppose they choose to align themselves, not with a genuine war hero such as yourself, but with George W. Bush, who, according to you at least, dodged his responsibility during Vietnam? It may be that America's allies know something you don't know, Mr. Kerry. Perhaps they know that, based on your reckless and audacious disrespect of them and the serious lacunae in your vision of the international political scene, you are not the man they want to see elected President of the United States. Perhaps the American electorate knows the same. I, along with the leaders of the American allies, am counting on it."

Kerry says he will bring about a "real" coalition - of whom? France? Germany? both have said they would not join us in Iraq even if Kerry were elected. Having insulted the rest of our allies, just who will Kerry appeal to? Somalia? Sudan? Iran?

Give me a break!

Monday, October 18 / October 5 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
Saints Peter, Alexis, Jonah, Philip, Hermogenes (Germogen) and Tikhon, metropolitans of Moscow. Martyr Charitina of Amisus. Martyr Mamelta (Mamelchtha) of Persia. Hieromartyr Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria. St. Damian the Healer and Saints Jeremiah and Matthew, clairvoyants of the Kiev Caves. St. Charitina, princess of Lithuania. St. Cosmas, abbot in Bithynia. St. Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia. St. Eudocimus the Unknown, monk of Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos. Namesday of New-Martyr Crown Prince Alexis.
(Greek Calendar: St. Methodia of Cimola.)
Repose of Nun Agnia (Countess Orlova-Chesmenskaya) (1848).
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

From: Prayers by the Lake. St. Nikolai of Ochrid and Zima
I

Who is that staring at me through all the stars in heaven and all the creatures on earth?

Cover your eyes, stars and creatures; do not look upon my nakedness. Shame torments me enough through my own eyes.

What is there for you to see? A tree of life that has been reduced to a thorn on the road, that pricks both itself and others. What else-except a heavenly flame immersed in mud, a flame that neither gives light nor goes out?

Plowmen, it is not your plowing that matters but the Lord who watches.

Singers, it is not your singing that matters but the Lord who listens.

Sleepers, it is not your sleeping that matters but the Lord who wakens.

It is not the pools of water in the rocks around the lake that matter but the lake itself.

What is all human time but a wave that moistens the burning sand on the shore, and then regrets that it left the lake, because it has dried up?

O stars and creatures, do not look at me with your eyes but at the Lord. He alone sees. Look at Him and you will see yourselves in your homeland.

What do you see when you look at me? A picture of your exile? A mirror of your fleeting transitoriness?

O Lord, my beautiful veil, embroidered with golden seraphim, drape over my face like a veil over the face of a widow, and collect my tears, in which the sorrow of all Your creatures seethes.

O Lord, my beauty, come and visit me, lest I be ashamed of my nakedness—lest the many thirsty glances that are falling upon me return home thirsty.

Monday, October 11 / September 28 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
St. Chariton the Confessor, abbot of Palestine. Prophet Baruch. Martyrs Alexander, Alphius, Zosimas, Mark, Nicon, Neon, Heliodorus and 24 others in Pisidia and Phrygia. Martyrdom of St. Wenceslaus, prince of the Czechs. St. Herodion, abbot of Iloezersk. St. Chariton, monk of Syanzhemsk (Vologda). (Greek Calendar: Martyr Eustace of Rome.)
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

Saturday, October 9 / September 26 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Righteous Gideon, Judge of Israel. St. Ephraim, abbot of Perekop, Wonderworker of Novgorod.
(Greek Calendar: Martyr Cyra.)
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

Death, for men who understand it, is immortality; while for the simple, who do not understand it, it is death. And one should not fear this death, but ought to fear the perdition of the soul, which is ignorance of God. This is what is terrible for the soul! Life is the uniting and joining of the mind (spirit), soul and body; while death is not the perdition of these joined parts, but the dissolution of their union; God preserves all this even after the dissolution. Just as a man comes forth from his mother's womb, so does a soul come forth naked from the body. Some are pure and bright, some are spotted by falls, and some are black from many transgressions. That is why the wise and God­loving soul, remembering and considering the calamities and extremities that come after death, lives piously lest it be condemned and subjected to them. But the unbelievers, the mindless in soul, do not perceive and they sin, despising what is to come. Just as on issuing forth from the womb thou dost not remember what was in the womb, so on issuing forth from the body thou dost not remember what was in the body. Just as on issuing forth from the womb thou becamest better and greater in body, so on issuing forth from the body pure and undefiled, thou wilt be better and incorrupt, abiding in the heavens.

Mortal men ought to care about themselves, knowing in advance that death awaits them. For blessed immortality is the lot of the holy soul when it is good, and death eternal meets it when it is evil. Remember that thy youth is past and thy powers exhausted, while thine infirmities have grown and already the time of thy departure is near, when thou wilt give an account of all thy deeds; and know that there, neither will brother redeem brother, nor will father deliver son. Always remember thy departure from the body, and do not let eternal condemnation out of thy thoughts; if thou wilt act thus, thou wilt not sin unto the ages.

Venerable Anthony the Great.

nousfromspring: All the Nous that's fit to print

Great new Orthodox Blog has started. This lady can write well, and has many things to share! Check it out!

OpinionJournal - REVIEW & OUTLOOK - Hullabaloo Over Halliburton: The Kerry campaign's Old Democrat tendencies

"Hullabaloo Over Halliburton: The Kerry campaign's Old Democrat tendencies."
Opinion Journal has struck again -

.... All that's needed to refute this smear campaign are the facts: Mr. Cheney's deferred compensation is a standard practice for retiring executives and an entirely legal way of spreading tax liability for previously agreed compensation, so it does not imply any continuing relationship with Halliburton. In order to re-enter public service, Mr. Cheney had to forfeit millions of dollars worth of stock options to avoid any conflict of interest. And he has zero control or even input regarding Halliburton's Defense contracts.

But the attacks have gone on for so long despite no evidence of impropriety that there must be something else going on here. That's what we mean by saying that voters can learn from a campaign's negative attacks: They sometimes betray the accuser's own biases. In this case, it is a prejudice against large corporations and preference for big government.

Don't the liberal realize that the big corporations are where the most jobs are? This is where the most and newest jobs will be created. Yet they continually tear them down. They assume big corporations are corrupt - well, so are small companies - in the same proportion that people in the gneral population are corrupt. That's what regulations are for and about - our tendency to be corrupt.

It's a fallen world, and we have to struggle against corruption, but there is a corruption in looking for corruption, too. That's what I believe I'm seeing among the liberals - corruption in the seeking corruption; repeating a big lie so frequently and so forcefully that susceptible people will believe it.

Neither the Dems nor the Reps have the Truth - that is only found in God. But a little moderation and dispassion is called for - especially in the Silly Season!

Center for Consumer Freedom

Center for Consumer Freedom

This has become one of my favorite websites! As a scientist, I deplore scientists who allow their own per-conceived agenda to influence their research and conclusions. What's next - imprisoning pregnant women to ensure they eat "right" and exercise enough?

Tuesday, October 5 / September 22 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
Hieromartyr Phocas, Bishop of Sinope Prophet Jonah. Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope. St. Jonah the Presbyter, father of St. Theophanes the Hymnographer and St. Theodore Graptus. St. Peter the Tax-collector. St. Jonah, abbot of Yashezersk. The 26 Martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, martyred by the Latins (see October 10). St. Cosmas of Zographou. Martyrs Isaac and Martin. St. Macarius, abbot of Zhabyn. St. Theophanes the Silent, recluse of the Kiev Caves. Repose of Abbot Innocent of Valaam (1828) and Blessed Parasceva "Pasha of Sarov", fool-for-Christ of Diveyevo Convent (1915).
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

THE SPIRIT OF ANGER
(St. John Cassian, "The Institutes")

-- We have heard that some people try to excuse this most destructive disease of the soul by attempting to extenuate it by a rather detestable interpretation of Scripture. They say that it is not harmful if we are angry with wrongdoing brothers, because God Himself is said to be enraged and angered with those who do not want to know Him or who, knowing Him, disdain Him. For example: "The Lord was angry and enraged against His people" (Psalms 106:40). And when the prophet prays and says: "Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, nor in your anger correct me" (Psalms 6:1). They do not understand that, in their eagerness to concede human beings the opportunity for pernicious vice, they are mixing the injustice of fleshly passion into the divine limitlessness and the source of all purity.
-- And so the monk who is on the way to perfection and who wishes to engage lawfully in the spiritual struggle must in every respect be free of the vice of anger and wrath. He should listen to what the vessel of election (Acts 9:15) commands of him: "All anger and indignation and uproar and blasphemy should be removed from you, as well as all malice" (Ephesians 4:31). When he says: "All anger should be removed from you," he makes no exception at all for us as to necessity and utility. He should strive to cure a wrongdoing brother, if need be, in such a way that, while bringing relief to one who is perhaps laboring under a rather slight fever, he does not get angry and bring upon himself the more baleful malady of blindness, so that as he sees the speck in his brother's eye he does not see the beam in his own eye (Matthew 7:3-5). For it behooves the one who wishes to heal someone else's wound to be healthy and untouched by any disease or illness, lest the gospel saying be applied to him: "Physician, heal yourself first" (Luke 4:23). And how will a person see to remove the speck from his brother's eye if he carries about a beam of wrath in his own eye?

What The Election Is REALLY About

Alan Caruba has some interesting things to say about our national sovereignty. And his point is that we know where Bush stands - he believes we are a sovereign nation with the right to defend ourselves, while we cannot be sure where Kerry stands - he has voted and stated opposing things.

Sovereignty turns on the issue of who’s in charge. Is it the American people through their elected representatives and executive branch? Or is it the United Nations through its General Assembly and its Security Council? Is it a Europe divided between nations such as France and Germany who oppose the war? Or is it the Europe supporting our war? That Europe includes Spain, Italy, Poland and others who were the captive nations of the former Soviet Union; nations who now savor their sovereignty, their freedoms. More than thirty nations around the world have become “a coalition of the willing.”

Caruba concludes:

On November 2nd, Americans will once again determine whether the United States of America is a sovereign nation or whether it will go the way of Europe where member nations of the European Union continue to cede their sovereignty to an organization of unelected bureaucrats. Clearly, our membership in the United Nations did not deter us from exercising our sovereign right of self-defense. Freedom comes at a price. If our history provides a template, it is likely this generation of Americans will vote to pay that price.

This is also my take on it.