Buy More Stuff, Please

Went Christmas shopping today in Madison's East Town Mall and surrounding shops. I had a good time as I went by my self. Usually Barb comes along, which in most cases is a good thing because we have fun, but not when I'm in a shopping mood. After the first hour or so she starts to fade and gets cranky - not a good thing when there are a lot more stores to visit.

In a past post I related some problems that I have with Christmas shopping. Chief among them was not finding the right gift for the right person. Every gift must have some utility, you can't just go out and spend your hard earned money on junk.

For some reason, today was a walk in the park. I left about ten in the morning and didn't arrive home until almost four in the afternoon. One of the things that help me was that I had ordered several items previously that I thought my wife would really like and could use from catalogs. So it wasn't as though I was starting from scratch in this foray into the belly of the commercial beast, as it were. Still, when I started out this morning, I wasn't very enthusiastic about the trip.

Another thing that I had going for me this day was I knew pretty much what I wanted to get. At least I didn't have to wonder from store to store not knowing what I was even looking for as I have done in past years. I hate that!

Everything went well as I got what I wanted with a minimum of effort including one item that I hadn't thought of, cool. And for a Wednesday, it wasn't that crowed as one might think, even at noon four days before Christmas. It was very noticeable because I stopped for a sandwich at the Food Court located at the main entrance.

I think most everyone is familiar with how most malls are laid out these days like a wagon wheel, with stores along each spoke on both sides and four main spokes. East Town has about fifty or sixty stores under one roof with another twenty or so outside surrounding the main building. The main court that housed the food area was about half full, but if you were there on a week end day, it would be jammed with people.

I must admit it was fun to watch all the different types of people that inhabit our small planet. All of them are busy in their own little world of Christmas shopping and holiday stress. Luckily, being Wednesday, the kids don't get out of school for Christmas vacation until today, so there wasn't the huge groups of kids that roam around like schools of fish in a small pond. Although the way kids dress today, it's fun to watch them to.

While sitting at one of the small tables in the court yard next to the walk way, I had a opportunity to reflect on what I saw while roaming from store to store inside the mall and the outside shopping complex. It is almost incomprehensible the amount of merchandise that is on display in all of these stories.

Just take the clothing stores as an example. They make up probably better than half of the total stores in the mall. Don't include JC Penny or Sears or Yonkers type stores that sell everything, just clothing alone. Who do they think is going to buy all of the merchandise that they have on display, or better, how much of the merchandise that they have on display do they have to sell to make a profit? Figure also this is just winter stuff that will have to be moved shortly after Christmas to make way for the new spring lines.

What's more, East Town is only a fraction of the stores in Madison and even smaller fraction of the stores in the states and then the country - - I am overwhelmed by the sheer volume of items that have to sold or stored some place. What do they do with all of the stuff that they can't sell? There are racks and racks of coats and shirts and sweaters - - on and on and on - - .

Well, after that contemplation, I decided that it was time to head home, that is, after I went grocery shopping - there is just no end to how domestic I can be - heh

I want to talk about our economy in the future as it is really something fantastic. How our distribution systems work and how we should really appreciate all of the variety of items that are available to us in this country.

Secrets have Power

it's it something to watch the Society of Socialists Democrats deny that they took credit for the 'no' vote on the extension of the Patriot Act.

Harry Reid said in front of the Democratic caucus after the vote that " we killed the Patriot Act" and those assembled cheered.

Schumer said that they did not harm to the Patriot Act, they only got rid of some of the more offensive sections. He wants to make sure that he can not be held accountable for his action when we get hit again and thousands die because he didn't like some of the provisions in the bill.

Of course there are many that will keep tabs on him and others that voted to kill this safe guard of national security. It isn't like the old days when no matter what you said one day, it was gone or changed the next by the hacks in the lame-stream-media. There are literally thousands of people watching and listening to their every word, and then storing them away for later use.

Jamie Gorelick is a good example of how things that you say one day come back to haunt you when you lest expect or want them to. Gorelick, as deputy attorney general, supported a bill that installed an information wall between security agencies so they couldn't exchange information with one another. This is one of provisions that will die on January one, 2006, and the one that Schumer does not want to take responsibility for.

It was this wall that prevented our security people from knowing that terrorists were plotting to attack us. The CIA had information on several of the hijackers that flew the air liners into the Twin Towers but couldn't' give it to the FBI because they were bond by the law not to do so.

The Army had information as well on several members of Islamic terrorists groups that were related to the hijackers, and some of the actual hijackers, but couldn't tell anyone because of this wall that Gorelick put in place. The Army's program was called Abledanger, if you recall, which is even now being sorted out.

Gorelick's original intent was to prevent civil liberties from being abused by police agencies, but most authorities believe it does nothing but hinder law enforcement. Maybe that's what the Democrats had in mind.

I have read where some believe the wall was erected to prevent law enforcement agencies from tracing illegal campaign funds that were coming into the coffers of Bill Clinton from over seas and else where. That can't be proved as yet, but there is new information along these lines that is coming out soon about Slick Willy's turns and twists while in office.

I believe some of this new information has to do with Clinton's illegal use of the IRS, which fits his MO. Believe it or not, it is being blocked by members of congress. Democrats, of course. heh 'We don't want anything that will make our boy look bad or worse then he already does. It's not good for the party.'

Jamie was also involved in this scam that the socialists Democrats are trying to pull now with the NSA intercepts. Gorelick testified in congress, as deputy attorney general for Bubba, Bill Clinton, in 1994 where she stated that it was the desire of President, to investigate threats to our country, to have the ability to wire tap and kick in doors, on American citizens, without a court order. It was granted and Clinton used it hundreds of times. The FISA? No way! Right.

And who is front and center today on this rant that George Bush is abusing the powers of the Presidency spying on American citizens? The Democrats. Reid, Schumer, Boxer, Pelosi and the whole gang of cut throats on the left side of the aisle.

It's in the fourth amendment of the constitution of the United States. " Unjustified search and secure." This is justified by president. Bush also told the leaders of both parties what he was going to do shortly after 9/11 and they all agreed. He since then has notified them twelve more times that he was using this tactic to trace calls from the United States to hostel foreign countries. The Democrats said nothing. The all agreed.

The story that hit the streets was released by that poor, back sliding, misdirected Marxist rag, the New York Times. Remember the whore for the Democrat National committee? This time she has really stepped in it -

The Times sat on this story for a year, knowing that it was classified information and that it is illegal to publish under any circumstances. How they got it is a mystery. It seems that it is just one more top secret that has been leaked to the Times from someone in congress or some top security agency. But this time, there will be an investigation. The attorney general is getting together a team, hopefully a grand jury, to bring in the reporters and management of the New York Times to testify as to their sources.

Another reason that the Times is releasing this story now is a reporter, Risen, that works for the paper, has a book coming out on this subject shortly. They knowing risk national security just to get some political advantage. Again, the Democrats will use any tool at their command to gain power.

It's always amazing that when a Democrat using the power of Presidency to investigate citizens of this country, it is never a problem. It doesn't seem possible that Bill Clinton used this information gathering technique to stop foreign agents from attacking our country. Bill Clinton never did anything to stop terrorists from attack us. So who did he investigate?

Hmmmmmm !

The Gray Lady in Passing -

The Gray Lady must hate what she has become. Her fall from grace is something that historians will debate for years. How did it happen? When did she start to have those wondering ways? Can we pin-point when she finally decided that there was no other way out of the mess that she got her self into?

It has taken years, decades really, to completely dissolve her will and integrity, but what we see today is the result of how one looks when they sell their soul to the devil.

She can no longer stand among the exalted that command the allegiance of millions. She fallen to such depths that her loyal subjects are fleeing from her side like rats from a sinking ships.

She can no longer stand on her own, but must kneel before her masters and beg for respect and self esteem. No longer able to sustain her own weight, she must grab what ever the puppet masters throw to her. She has to accepts what ever is given as there isn't anything else. The cupboards are bare.

Alone and in a darkened world, she looks in disgust as what she has become. She dreams of past glories when she could tell the whole world all they needed to know. She was the final word on everything. The world looked to her for advice because when she spoke, the world knew it was the gospel truth.

Now she hangs her head and cries those soft, deep sobs that reveals the crushing pain of failure. A failure so complete that no matter how many times she had been warned that her path to destruction would be her undoing, that there would be no coming back, she just never thought it could happen to her.

It's late now and as she watches the world go by, she wonders how it got to be so crazy. She wonders, where will I go, what will I do when I'm not of any use to anyone? Where are my friends that stood with me all those years? Why don't they listen to me anymore? How could this happen to me?

Is it something I said?

What are Patriots, Really?

What has brought us to this point in time - what cosmic force has descended on this country that in the last two decades to produced more enemies to our way of life, and the very foundations of the constitution, than any other time in our countries history.

How is it possible that the majority of the real enemies to our society are American citizens. Maybe I am over the top here when I refer to them a American citizens. They don't act like citizens of a country that is at war when they use any possible tool that they can think of that will bring this country to ruin.

How is it that the New York Times can release secret documents knowing that it will cause harm to our national security? There is a law that forbids this but the paper pays no attention it. The Times feels that it is more important that the article bring harm to the President than any responsibility it has for a nations security. If the information causes thousands of deaths to our citizens and troops, it doesn't matter. What is important here is this secret information can be used as a tool to destroy and or cause harm our government.

The question still remains are these individuals American citizens. Those that expose secrets, deliberately misquote what the President says and falsify events to advance an agenda that is in direct opposition to our national security are, I my opinion, not American citizens. They are not patriots. They do not have the best interests of this country at heart. They are not just the loyal opposition to those in power, their agenda is to destroy anything or anybody that is in opposition to their view of the world.

I have read many national pundits that say we can't question someone else's patriotism. They say if someone has a different opinion on the war or national security, that's their belief and we must respect it. Why is it that nobody is ready to step forward and say what they really think. We all know the rhetoric coming from congress, on a daily basis, is un-American and unbecoming of an American citizen. Maybe the problem is there is still enough people in this country that remember Joe McCarthy and don't want to be labeled as a disciple of McCarthy looking for liberals, anti-Americans, instead of communists under every rock.

It not just politics as usual either. When the Iraqi election was just getting started on Thursday, the New York Times came out with a story about thousands of fake ballots that were intercepted at the border coming from Iran. The intent of this story was to give the impression that the voting was bogus, fraudulent, because so many of ballots were counterfeit. This took place right away on Thursday in the morning addition.

But guess what, the story was false. That never took place, there were no illegal ballots, but the news wires picked it up and it spread world wide as being fact. The Times said it was a mistake when in reality it was a planted story to discredit the Iraqi elections and the Bush administration. The New York Times knowingly ran a false story item.

The Iraqi elections were historic. It is unprecedented in history that an event such as this could have taken place in such a short time. It made head lines for one day and then it was news as usual with the NSA secret that was released by the Times which dominated the front pages for the rest of the week. Did the Times think that maybe it shouldn't release what they must have known was a secret, and that maybe by releasing this to the world it would endanger national security? This story was a diversion to reflect peoples attention away from the success of the Iraqi elections.

The agenda item that must be adhered to is to discredit the President as much as possible. Running positive stories of the election in Iraq was not part of the agenda. Failure is the driving force here, not victory. There is no such thing as national security or pride in country and self to do the right thing in time of war. The main objective is the opportunity to grab power when it presents itself.

The New York Times is known as the 'Gray Lady'. Isn't It sad the the Gray Lady, that has been the leading news organization in the world for decades, has become a whore for the socialist Democratic left in this country.

Bottom line then is we seem to have as many enemies inside this country masquerading as American citizens and patriots, as we do Islamafists from the outside, and they all want the same thing, to destroy America as we know it.

The American Democratic socialist left sees no problem in aiding the efforts of terrorist by giving them as much information about the operation of our government as they can in their war on this country and all western civilization.

Can we make a distinction between what patriotism means and who that meaning actually fits and who it doesn't? You damn right we can and must.

Everyone has to make a choice as to where they stand on national security, freedom of speech, democracy and foreign policy among other American ideals. You can't have it both ways. It's either victory for America or defeat. Which do you prefer? Which one will help you sleep at night?

Patriot Act

I'm not sure if our government, the Congress and the Senate, live in the same country that I do.

They voted to let the Patriot Act run out on December 31. I didn't realize that we weren't at war anymore. I don't know what to say?

This shameful and dangerous. It is totally irresponsible. They have totally lost their minds.

The elections in Iraq are a smashing success. Murtha is pulling his hair out by the roots as he screams that we have to get out of Iraq now as it is a total failure.

Time is running out for these people. If there agenda of failure is to have traction, things have to go bad in Iraq now, it can't wait until the election results that show that all sects were represented with a huge turn out of voters.

In really, the liberal Democrats that have waved the failure flag, white in color or the lack there of, in the face of great results in Iraq, have no where to go. Their only option is to lie about where they stood before the election. But they really don't have anything to worry about on that account, they have the media to twist what they've said in the last two days, and what they've said in the distant past about their strategy of 'cut and run'.

It is so very unfortunate that there is a large portion of the country that will give these congressmen an senators a pass. That they are horribly wrong makes no difference.

Rush Limbaugh took a call from someone that stated he was a Democrat and that he was against the war and, always has been, even though he admitted that it was for the best the Saddam is gone. He thought that it was more important to get Bin ledin and if that happened, the other terrorist organization would just fade away.

This is like buying lottery tickets. Instead of putting that money to good use, you spend it on the quick fix, the easy way out except you really have no chance at all by doing that. You can't get ahead by working twice as hard to find a way out of honest work. Digging in and getting the job done the right way is the only way. After standing around, wringing your hands, wondering how to get out of doing the job right, it has become a huge problem. In the case of terrorist, a monster of a problem.

The Democrats are always looking for the easy way out of bad situations. Clinton did that for eight years. He couldn't face hard reality and then take the responsible action to solve the problem. How many times do we have to be attacked before we act to defend out selves?

Don't go to the source of the problem, let someone else do that in case it doesn't work out in our favor. Take no chances on losing your position of power. There is no sacrifice too great to preserve your hold on power. Just turn a blind eye to the problem and let the good times roll.
It will be interesting tomorrow to see and hear what the liberal Democrats have to say about how the Iraqis turned out by the millions to vote for their new government. Their whining will be sweet music to my ears.

But what will they say about their demand to 'cut and run"? How will they spin their agenda this time. The puppet masters will have to dig deep on this one.

Unbiased MSM?

I know that I have hit on this mob of left wing Marxist in the past, but this deal with the Iraqi voting tomorrow and the liberal socialists in the Congress targeting them and President Bush for defeat is beyond the pale.

Every time you hear an interview with a reporter from one of the major newspapers, the question of bias always comes up and the reporters always have a look of astonishment on their faces. 'You can't be talking about me. I am completely unbiased. I only report the news as it happens. I can't help it that so much of it is bad. I also can't help it that most of the news about the President is bad. The economy, the war, health care, unemployment and just about everything else about this administration is bad.'

The interviewer asks how they arrived at that conclusion when all of the facts don't support their view? ' I have my sources. I have been an investigative reporter for years and I have my professional credentials certified daily when my news paper publishes my work. News papers are, after all, information sources that takes the responsibility of gathering and reporting information that the public needs to make responsible decision. We are professionals in the business of what is news. We, as professionals journalists, have to determine each day what is the real news and then pass it on to the general public. How else will the public learn the truth?'

These information specialists think they have a lock on what the truth is. They are so sure they are right in their own opinion that they couldn't have any bias in there reporting. To question their integrity is to question their professionalism - unthinkable!

let's examine a little of that professionalism from the news in the last few days. Tookie Williams - a mass murder and souless killer that butchered four innocent people with a shot gun and then laughed while he did it. When ask to apologize to the relatives of the victims he said he didn't think it was necessary and he had no remorse for what he did.

But who has the huge head lines shouting about a system gone bad with the execution of Tookie Williams, a poet and author of children's books concerned only with keeping children out of gangs like his which he still supports and controls from prison. No mention of the murders, No mention of the victims, Just lots of pictures of Tookie and the drop-out hippies from the sixties that formed a cauldron around that prisons front gate, singing songs and smoking that forbidden weep.

Two thousand of these lost souls came together, supposedly, to celebrate the life of a mass killer and try and convince the governor of California to grant a stay for this monster, but I believe the real reason they are there is to celebrate the old days when socialist activism was a daily fair. Protest the war. Protest the government social programs that they rape to support themselves, and get front page coverage on every paper in the country. No wonder they are crying in their bongs and roach clips.

And of course the Hollywood pukes have to put in a showing as well. Joan Baez, Mike Farrell and Sean Penn and other low life dreamers that just can't stand not being close to the spot light. If there is a chance for these people to spout their socialist agenda of population control and dominance, they will do in spades. Standing up to defend convicted killers is one of the most important pillars of the Hollywood moonbat agenda. Liberals of any strip love this kind of thing to.

I believe that this tendency to control the lives of the lower beings by the Hollywood nut cases comes from being in the spot light to long and having people fall all over themselves just to get close to the 'Star'. They like that fawning, so why not have a whole country on there knees to them? I believe it's a sickness just like being a liberal Democrat, which,of course, they are.

Another case for the MSM bias is their reporting of the war. How many stories did they report on the progress of the Iraqi people in their struggle to rebuild their country? How many stories did they report on the new government and how the turn-out for their elections were unprecedented? How many positive stories have we seen on the up coming elections that said the Iraqi people are ready to vote in the millions? The answer you know ahead of time - " I don't remember seeing any". There must be some, but you will get eye strain looking for them.

There are some if you look close - about twenty percent are positive representations of actual events and the rest are about everything that goes wrong that can be blamed on the President. Some of the negative stories are fabricated by the media so they can make their point clear that things are going very wrong, but only in their diseased minds.

Of course the ones that are positive are not on the front page. They are buried in the cooking section or next to the comics that also slam the President. They also take the liberty of using out right lies to support their agenda. 'What do you mean, lies? I am a professional journalist, I just report the news!'

Tomorrow is the election in Iraq that the Iraqis have been waiting for since the 6th century. The middle east will never be the same. The purple finger of freedom will reign supreme and they did it despite the traitorous statements of political hacks in Congress like Reid, Schmuer, Leaky, Pelosi, Durbin, Kennedy, Biden, Murtha, Rockafeller and their alias in the main stream media.

When the major media news organizations start taking the talking points from the liberal socialist Democrats that are dancing at the end of the strings of the puppet masters, they are forfeiting any and all legitimate claim to being unbiased professional journalists.

They are just the front line troops of the far left socialists in this country that are invested in defeat and surrender. They have lost their credibility, their professionalism. They can never again claim the right to speak for the people of this country. That is one sad testimony for the main stream media in this country.

Gifts are Shipped!

Finally, the gifts are on their way - way earlier than I thought we would ever get them out. Usually I wait until I have to send them next-day-air or include a note saying 'I have decided to make Christmas on the 28th instead of the 25th, this is why you are getting this present two days after the old Christmas celebration date'. It doesn't work very well, but it makes you feel better.

Now that all of your purchases are in the mail and gone, you begin to wonder if it was the right gift for that particular person. Did I think this through or was it just a waste of money and time?

The worst part of buying gifts is wondering if they are good enough, that is, will the recipient of your generosity think that you really care about them when they open the gift. Will they say ' now this is cool' or will they say 'what will I do with this?' or 'good god Ethel, what was he thinking?', or wasn't.

Even if the quality is the best, it is a must to find something that has equity. By equity I mean, will the gift provide some use in their lives? I want to say practical use, but there are just so many things that one can buy, or afford to buy, for another person that will be practical. Be honest, how many gifts have you gotten in the last ten years that have been useful and that you liked? How many are still in the closet? How many have been regifted?

It's also very hard to buy cloths for someone else. How can you possibly know what they like to wear when they really have no idea. I bet the majority of gifts that are returned after Christmas are cloths. Here's another thing, It's impossible to buy shoes for someone else although I have considered it on more than one occasion when I couldn't come up with anything else and time was running out. Shoes?

And jewelry, what a bust. I have boomed so many times that I have given up even trying except for ear rings - you almost can't go wrong in that area if you keep them small - heh

Probably the one thing that concerns me the most about buying Christmas gifts is making sure that I give a gift that will be as good as the one that I know I will get from that person. Sometimes their gift doesn't have much practical use but it is costly and of good quality. It seems to make up for not having any good use in my life. Of course, the gift that I got for them is useful but inexpensive.

Is there a balance there? Most of the time, I don't think so. But I always feel bad when this happens. I feel cheap and there is no good reason to feel that way. I did the best that I could and that's that. Yeah right! well, I am a little cheap -

So I guess if you can't think of anything to buy for a person that has everything, buy something that you would like and make sure it is of good quality, i.e. drop a ton of money on it and you will have a winner for sure. I always say that's what I will do, but I never do. I always look for something that's practical.

Liberals Cut and Hide

Hey - whatz the story on Al Frankin and the $800,000 that his organization stole from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls clubs in New York City? I don't believe anyone in Madison Wisconsin has even heard about it - it never made the papers that I know of, unlike the three quarter page layout that he got when Air America was first announced. Oh yeah, a nice big picture of Frankin as well to go along with the bull - - .

Interestingly enough, the last survey that was taken on talk radio, Rush Limbaugh got 22% of the listeners nation wide, and Air America came in at less the 1%. Limbaugh attracts more than 25 million listeners in any one week period. Is it any wonder why poor ol' Al had to steal money to keep his operation afloat and to pad his big bank account. He can't find advertising money because no one what's to advertise on a radio station that doesn't have any listeners.

What does big Al have to say about this, "not my fault". What else can a liberal say when he is caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "I'm a victim".

Here is something else, this is great to - the Democrats are whining something fierce that the Republicans aren't playing fair by using that 'surrender ad' on the internet - get this, they say the Republicans are playing 'gotcha' with the ad quoting the liberal Democrats being themselves and saying what they really believe.

For years now, the liberal Democrats have been saying anything that came to their small minds that they thought would cause the President pain and make America out be a bully. Now that they are on tape for everyone to see them for what they are, defeatists and America haters, they are saying that what they said was taken out of context even though they are shown exactly as they appeared on recent television news programs.

One of the liberal Democrats whined that the conservatives got hold of his diary and the things that were in it we misquoted!? What? How can you misquote what you write in your own diary?? These guys are the best.

It gets better, they are also complaining that it didn't even cost them anything to make this ad because the Republicans didn't use television or the main stream media. It was almost free and on top of that, it just kills the Democrats to have to take responsibility for what they actually say.

Dean, Reid, Kennedy, Pelosie, Murtha and a host of other Democrats will now have to answer to the people why they think it is best that we ' cut and run '; that we fall to our knees and beg for mercy from the very terrorists that killed 3000 of our citizens in the Twin Towers on 9/11.

Isn't there a big question still hanging out there that needs to be answered by these socialists? What exactly is the motive behind the demand to bring home the troops before the job is done? This would expose the United States to future attacks and condemn the Iraqi people to certain death. Everyone is in agreement, the result of early withdrawal would mean civil war in that country.

How is it possible that the Democrats do not care that tens of thousands of people would die from their decision? It's to late to blame it on Bush, the video on the web has cancelled that back door of retreat.

It has been said that the liberal Democrats really don't want to order the troops out of Iraq. What they want, and have tried and failed to accomplish, is to force George Bush to bring the troops home now so when everything goes to hell, they can blame Bush and wreck any chance of Republicans gaining more seats in the congress in 2006 or the presidency in 2008.

I believe this to be true. It's all about power. Those that have earned it, and those that want to steal it.

CATS !

Woha! Our dogs wait patiently for their supper. If they decide that we aren't moving fast enough, they will give a nudge with their nose.

Cats, on the other hand, approach life from a different angle - 'we what supper now or bad things will happen to you'.

Nothing bad has happened when we are tardy with their supper, but never rule out things that you know nothing about. Cats live lives in the darkness - quite, serine and solitary.

Almost anything can happen if you believe hard enough that it will. heh