From:Thoughts From The Fire

From My Own Little Corner
This is from my sister's blog.


Thoughts From The Fire:

"To Stef and Bebe,

Someone asked me once if I had any friends to share
All my secrets, my joys and my grief
I explained I had all a girl could want
I have my sisters and they are all I need
~Catrina (aka Babe)"

Told you she was a treasure.

Blind Ambition

From My Own Little Corner Well, I haven't written a post in a while because someone asked me a question about the election, and I have been mulling it over. I know you're getting tired of hearing about it, but come next Tuesday we will go to the polls to elect a new President and, to me, one of the most important of our duties, as a citizen, is to vote. But first, I have added a few more pictures, including the one at the top of this post, and I am going to try to add one each time I post(I have LOTS!). I love photography and all these pictures were taken by me on my Nikon 35mm, developed at Wal-Mart, and then scanned and copied to my computer. There is also another award from my baby sister, Catrina. She is one of the most wonderful people, kind and warm hearted, and though we often disagree on things like politics, we still respect one another. My other sister Sabrina, is generous, smart, loyal, hard working, and we share many of the same views. My brother, Randy, is the funniest, and he also has a heart of gold. He works tirelessly to help the homeless in St. Louis with food. But much more important, he feeds their souls and spirits by teaching them about the wonderful gift that God gave us when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, and he helps me to remember the path that I should follow. My dad and mom are the reason that we all turned out the way we did. We are diverse, we are alike, we are kind, we are proud, we are patriotic, we are spiritual, we are generous, we are soft hearted, we are fiercely loyal, we are democrats, we are republicans, and most of all, we love each other with a love that is unconditional. In all the people that I have met, I don't think I know any other family quite like ours. And these traits are not just in our immediate family, but in our extended family as well. We have all married people that are just like we are. These people have made me who I am. I am an independent, hard headed woman. I know what I think and I make my decisions based on the things that I learn by studying books, magazines, news reports, newspapers, and anything else that I can get my hands on. Having established these truths, I will now tell you what I have been thinking about these last few days. I have been asked why I don't vote for Sarah Palin, after all, we have something in common, we both are mothers of a special needs child. First, Sarah Palin isn't running for President, John McCain is, but even if she was the nominee, I still wouldn't vote for her. I have been watching her for these last 6 weeks and I just don't understand what she is doing. Politics aside, she has a son that was born in April with Downs Syndrome, and this child needs special attention that he can only get from his mother and her being with him all the time. And I am not saying that his father or his sisters aren't effective, but he needs special nurturing from his mother. He has a long row to hoe. When I see her with him on stage, late at night, out in the bright lights and noise, and the cold, I have a hard time believing that she puts his needs first. I had a daughter that was severely handicapped and personally I am appalled at the way they are using this small child. These children need special attention, especially from their mothers. At this time he needs extra care, even more than a child without special needs, for he is bonding, learning to roll over, learning to sit, and all the other things that are learned at this age, but he will need to have extra help. He needs a schedule for his feedings, his bedtime, his exercises, and any other therapy-physical & occupational-that he may need in order to develop to his full potential. He needs stability. I watched her speech on special needs children and was moved by what she said. That may be due to the fact that I have had to deal with the myriad of problems that come with being a mom of a special needs child. My question is this; why aren't you at home with your son? I know that most children do quite well with working mothers and it may be, that at a later period in his life, he will also. But right now Sarah Palin's first priority should be that 5 month old baby boy that the Lord blessed her with, for he is Heaven's Very Special Child. Ambition can come later. If she won't set aside her ambition for her child and do what's best for him, then why should I trust that she will do it for a country full of strangers? Please pray for peace and enlightenment, and may your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Don't forget to vote November 4Th.

My Award

From My Own Little Corner Just a short post. The award that you see at the right was given to me by my baby sister. And now I will say to her, and the world, that I love her more. I have the best family in the whole wide world. They are all so special and I can't even begin to tell you what they mean to me. I am truly one lucky woman.

I Am Confused

From My Own Little Corner Okay, I am officially confused. After listening to John McCain say that Barack Obama is the most liberal senator in the senate, today he said that if we want eight more years of George W. Bush, then we should vote for him. Okay, so then George W. Bush is the most liberal president that we have ever had? I am seriously beginning to wonder about the thought processes of John McCain. Yesterday he told Pennsylvania that he heard that there had been some pretty nasty things said about them. Then he said that he couldn't agree more. When the people booed, he said that he couldn't disagree with them more. By the time he was done I was so thoroughly confused that I am still not sure that what I heard was what I heard. Then there was the speech several weeks ago, when he referred to us as "my fellow prisoners". Now I know that the campaign trail is long and arduous, but if campaigning is going to affect him like this, then what will the strains of the presidency do to his stability? I know that he was a prisoner of war and that he served his country in the armed services and continues to serve as a senator, but I don't know if that is necessarily a reason to vote for him, or that it qualifies him to run this country, especially at this particular time. In looking forward to the country that my children will inherit I personally feel that it time to take this country in a new direction. The old boys network hasn't done such a great job these last 40 years,(with the exception of Bill Clinton and to a lesser extent, Jimmy Carter, although he was dealt a bad hand) and the party that gave us Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush needs to be replaced and the other party needs to have a shot at fixing what the Republicans have so thoroughly tried to destroy. They promised that if we had a Republican President and a Republican congress, that they would REDUCE the size of government, decrease the amount of our deficit, make us safer, NOT nation build, and oh, so many others. Well, they had their chance, and the end result is a country that I barely recognize anymore. So, in two weeks we will go to the polls and elect a new President, and as I stated earlier, I am confused by John McCain's latest campaign and smear tactics. However, the one thing that I am not confused about is the direction that I want to see this country that I love go in, and as a result I will be voting for change. I will be voting for Barack Obama, and I am doing so proudly. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to vote on November 4Th.

Clinton or Bush

From My Own Little Corner George W. Bush cannot hold a candle to William J. Clinton. This country was on the path to an unprecedented future when George W.Bush was elected president. There was an economic boom, the budget was balanced, there was a surplus, rather than a deficit, and we had respect around the world. In the last 8 years George W. Bush ignored the presidential daily briefing that was given to him in August of 2001 (which led to the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon, and the intentional crash of flight 97 in Pennsylvania by the brave citizens that were on the flight, thereby saving our capitol from the same fate), attacked a country that had nothing to do with those attacks with the approval of the Congress (after he and his aides LIED about the WMDs that were supposedly there, right down to doctored pictures), outed Valerie Plame (a CIA operative) after her husband informed the country that the Bush administration was lying about the yellow cake that was being bought from Niger by the Iraqi government. George Bush even went so far as to include this "fact" in his State of the Union address of January 2003, stating, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." (and he already knew that it wasn't true). And of course, Mission Accomplished, The Patriot Act, eavesdropping without warrants, torturing prisoners, and who can forget his handling of the destruction of New Orleans by hurricane Katrina ("You're doin' a great job, Brownie."). Then there is the economy, the record profits by the oil companies (under a president that is an oil man)and Wall Street, the record "golden parachutes" for the CEOs of the companies that we are currently "bailing out", and the slide of the standing of this once great country around the world from respected leader to laughing stock. The thing that is so amazing to me is that no Republican thinks that any of these is a reason to impeach this president, but lying about a sexual act, that took place while a president was in office, is. Let me ask you, in the words of Ronald Reagan, "Are you better of today than you were 4 years ago?" or in this case 8 years ago, or 8 months ago? History will tell which was the better president, but in my own opinion Bill Clinton is head and shoulders above George W. Bush. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to vote November 4th.

October 17, 1981 - October 17, 2008

From My Own Little Corner Twenty seven years ago, a young girl married her prince charming. The intervening years have been quite a journey. Shortly after they were married, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and eventually had to have most of her cervix removed. He was there, holding her hand and telling her everything would work out. He was right. Very soon the couple were expecting their first child. They were very excited and looked forward to the addition to their family. It wasn't to be, and when she lost the boy child, he was there, holding her hand and telling her everything would be okay. Again, he was right. After a few months, she got pregnant again and this time everything went just as expected, with the exception of the morning sickness that just wouldn't go away. When their beautiful daughter was born on August 11, 1983, she had some major problems. Her brain had been severely damaged during the birthing process and the doctors told the young couple that she probably wouldn't live for more than a few days. She defied the odds and did survive. Through the whole nightmare birth, he was there, holding her hand, telling her not to worry, they would get through this together. And they did. They brought their beautiful daughter, Jessica, home at the age of two weeks. She had a seizure disorder,brain damage, and cerebral palsy, but she was home. Through it all they held each other, giving each other strength. In 1984 they decided that they wanted to add to their little family, and on March 28, 1985, they were blessed with a boy named Nathan. He was perfect in every way. There were the usual problems, along with the extra ones, like hospital stays for their daughter, for seizures, pneumonia, learning how to feed her through a tube, and physical therapy. He was always there, holding her hand, a steadying influence, her calm in the storms. Then in 1987, they discovered that once again they were going to be blessed with another child. They moved to a new house and everything seemed to be going well. Then when she was about 4 and 1/2 months pregnant, a routine ultrasound turned their world upside down again. Their baby boy (yep, another one), might not have any kidneys or bladder. They needed more tests. If this was so, there would be some heartbreaking decisions to make. If the boy, already named Jacob, had this terrible defect, then he wouldn't, couldn't live, and his death would be horrific for the tiny baby. After waiting for an appointment, the day finally arrived for the tests. They were scared but as always he was with her and held her hand throughout. They were together when the high definition ultra sound was being performed, and just as they didn't think they could take another minute of not knowing what the outcome was, Jacob peed. There was a mighty cheer from the doctor performing the ultrasound and cries of relief from the couple. They went home to await the birth of their normally developed child, due the end of February. Shortly thereafter, their precious gift, Jessica, got ill once again. She was life flighted out to a children's hospital about an hour from their house. They went to the hospital everyday but Sunday, when they stayed home with their son Nathan. Nathan spent the long days, as he always did when his sister was in the hospital, with his memaw and pepaw. They were his rock in those turbulent times, and his parents will always be grateful that he had such loving caretakers, and that they never had to worry about him. On December 1st, while standing next to her daughter's hospital bed, the woman felt a sudden rush of fluid and knew immediately that something was wrong. She went straight to the hospital and after a thorough check up was told that she was under too much stress and that the baby she carried was okay. She went home, got some sleep and then went back to the routine that was normal when Jessica was in the hospital. On the 19th of December, they went to his parent's house to celebrate Christmas and she felt the first twinges of labor. After getting home later that night, she called the doctor and he suggested that she go to the emergency room. She told hubby to stay home and that she would be back soon. That was not to be. After discovering that there was a leak of amniotic fluid, it was decided that they needed to deliver Jacob now. The mother was frantic. But, as always, he was there, holding her hand, and reassuring her. Jacob was delivered on December 20th, 1987, weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces, and once again, her husband's reassurances were right on target. Other than needing to gain weight he was fine. He came home the first part of February, his sister Jessica followed shortly thereafter. Then, on February 16th, 1988, their angel, Jessica, died at home. Those days are still a blur for the wife, with the exception of one thing. Her beloved husband was always right there, holding her up, helping her through those awful first few days. Two days after burying their daughter, their newest bundle of joy, Jacob, fell ill. He had RSV pneumonia and doctors didn't think that he would make it. He spent 2 weeks at the children's hospital, part of that time on a respirator, but just as with every other time, her husband was the rock of Gibraltar and as he predicted, everything turned out fine. With the exception of one other serious illness for Jacob, a bout of pneumonia, caused by influenza A virus, things in their life settled down and they raised their boys. Her husband was always there, doing the dishes, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, and holding her hand when she felt the overwhelming sadness from losing her daughter closing in again. In 1993, the wife was diagnosed with Lupus, an autoimmune disease that can be fatal. It was a terrible blow to the family and meant that the wife would need extra care. Her husband stepped up to the plate and took up all the slack. On February 14th 1998, the husband woke her up to tell her that their house was on fire. They got the boys up, the boys gathered the pets together and ran to the van, turned it on, and got the heater going, while the wife called 911. The fire department came and put the fire out, and saved the house from being completely destroyed. It had started in the garage and spread through the attic. The wife hadn't even heard the fire alarm go off, so now she could add life saver to the list of things that her husband meant to her. The next morning, feeling overwhelmed by the devastation, she stood in the kitchen crying. You already know what the husband's response was. Now she is 49 and he is 57, and as of today they have been married for 27 years. I know that this story seems to be one of hardships and sadness, but to the wife it is a testament to the love that her husband has showered on her for the whole of their marriage, and to his faith in God, which she finally shares. I am that wife and I felt that I needed to tell anyone that reads this blog, that when I say that my husband is my best friend, I mean it. He is my life, my heart, my soul, and without him I wouldn't be here to tell this story. While I know that he will never be able to read this post, I needed to write it. I love him more than words can ever say and I am looking forward to the next 27 years with my wonderful, loving, faithful man.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DAN!

Drill, Baby, Drill

From My Own Little Corner Why aren't we griping loudly about gas prices? Oil prices have dropped drastically in the last few weeks and, yes, gas prices are going down, but why so slowly? When oil prices go up, gas prices go up overnight. It seems to me that when oil prices were this low before (and the price of oil is below $75 a barrel right now, which is about half as much as it was this summer), gas was less than $2.69 a gallon. It stands to reason that if the price of oil is half as much as earlier this summer, then gas should be half as much. That should put gas at about $2 a gallon. Now, I won't pretend to be an economist, but when people have to pay the kind of prices that they are paying to fuel their vehicles, then their expendable income goes down. In plain English, they run out money for the items that aren't absolutely necessary. They will stop going to stores (except for the things that are needed for their survival), going out to eat (and that means even McDonald's, which isn't such a bargain anymore, because they had to raise their prices, just like everybody else), going to the movies, museums, zoos, plays, concerts (and anything else that is just for fun), health care (including prescriptions, doctor visits, dental care, well baby check-ups, pre-natal care), and just about anything else you can think of. You see, the cost of gas touches every facet of our lives, whether we realize it or not. When you are spending more that 33% of your bring home pay for fuel for your vehicles, it doesn't leave much for anything else. And don't forget that winter is on the way. That means that even more of your money will be going into the pockets of the big oil companies. The amount of profit that they are making is obscene. We import most of our oil from other countries, with money borrowed from China. Our country is now importing 60% of all the oil used in this country and 40% of all the energy utilized in this country comes from oil. That makes us very dependent on the rest of the world for our energy needs and puts us at the mercy of these countries. And "Drill, baby, drill" is not the answer. There simply is not enough crude in this country to supply our needs as they stand at this time. We need to start looking at alternate sources of energy. Wind, water, nuclear, electric, and hydrogen just to name a few. We are not a stupid people, our brains are just a bit sluggish from lack of use. We've let the government make our decisions for the last eight years and it's time that we took the reins of our destiny back. Time for all of America to start thinking about the future. And part of what we need to start thinking about are alternate energy sources and how to decrease our energy consumption. We can conquer our energy problem and, in doing so, help to fix our economy, because let's face it, these things are all interwoven. When people can't afford fuel for their vehicles, then all the things associated with driving go down the drain. That includes shopping, entertainment, vacations, gift giving, and even faith and charity based activities. We are Americans. We can overcome. It is just going to take some sacrifice. Cutback, consolidate, conserve, recycle, carpool, use public transportation, turn off the extra lights, lower the thermostat, and most important, THINK about the energy that you are using. You see, if we cut back, then the demand for oil and oil products drops, then the reserves go up, and the prices drop. In the meantime, let your congressmen know that the prices need to come down faster, that we need affordable public transportation, that we need alternate sources of energy, vehicles that get better mileage (and that are made in America), and most of all, that the big oil companies don't need to make the profits that are killing the American way of life. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to VOTE on November 4Th.

First Lady Material

From My Own Little Corner I watched Larry King Live last night. He interviewed Michelle Obama and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed. What a classy lady. I don't know if I could be that gracious to the people who are throwing exaggerations and outright lies around like throwed rolls from Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, MO. But she said absolutely NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, nasty, snarky, or degrading about John McCain, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, or any of their family members. As a matter of fact she only had nice and complimentary things to say about all of them. She was kind, intelligent, classy, and very, very down to earth. She helped to advance what her husband wants to do in his presidency. She talked about his philosophy-that you can disagree with someone without being disagreeable, that you should RESPECT all people, even those that have a difference of opinion or policy, and that if we all work together we can do anything. That is a big difference from what I have been hearing from the other side. I listened in disbelief as Cindy McCain stated that Barack Obama is running the "dirtiest campaign in American history". And at the campaign rally this week when she stated that it sent a cold shiver down her spine when Barack Obama voted against funding the troops. What she didn't say is that John McCain voted against it also. When she said that she would like for Barack Obama to wear her shoes for a day, I was dumbfounded. Can you see her living the life of an African American? Can you imagine Cindy McCain living in Chicago, in the same house all the time? Can you imagine her withstanding the racial or ethnic slurs? I can't. I do imagine, however, that if she did trade shoes with him, after an hour, she would be screaming that she wants her life back. After watching these two women for the last few months, I can say that it seems to me that Cindy McCain is a woman who is not very satisfied with her life, and that Michelle Obama is happy, grounded, and comfortable in her own skin. Maybe always being on the receiving end of the kind of remarks that I have heard hurled in this campaign, has made her more able to be a TRUE Christian, to follow the word of God, to forgive those who trespass against her, and to not bear false witness. I only wish that everyone could follow her example. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to VOTE on November 4th.

"Kennedyesque" or "Nixonesque"

From My Own Little Corner I just finished watching the latest debate. This debate was a town hall style and, according to all the pundits, it was supposed to be John McCain's night. Neither threw any mud, with the exception of the "that one" remark by John McCain. Saying that about his opponent was uncalled for and showed a total lack of respect at the least and total disdain at the most. Both tended to ramble at times and in some instances the question asked was not answered, but overall, it was pretty much what I expected. I liked the information that Barack Obama gave about health care, the environment, the economy, and catching Osama bin Laden and dealing with Pakistan and Iran. John McCain did not impress me with his style or his answers. He appeared angry most of the time that he wasn't being allowed to attack Barack Obama. He was condescending to the audience (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-you probably never heard of them before), and thought that he was funny, and that doesn't work when you aren't preaching to the choir. Senator McCain said that the new Secretary of the Treasury would buy out the mortgages of people in trouble. That is great. But what about the people with NINJA (no income, no jobs, no assets)loans? How will you guarantee those loans? And he called the bailout a rescue plan, when I don't think the majority of the country thinks that paying for the stupidity of large companies, that give huge severance and stock packages to the CEO's that caused this mess, is a rescue. It is tossing money down a rat hole. Barack Obama offered a plan for medical coverage that, to me, seemed reasonable and plausible. I would love to be able to purchase the same coverage that our congressmen and president have. John McCain thinks that you can get health care for $5000.00 a year. I'm sorry, but if you have a family, preexisting condition, are elderly, or any other number of problems, there is no way. Trust me on that one. I also thought that Barack Obama's plan for stabilizing the economy was more feasible. It is time to review the budget of this country and get rid of the excess baggage. And if you think that you can buy services or products without money, then you haven't learned anything from the latest economic crisis. You need to have income and in this country, like it or not, that comes from taxes. It is time for a fair taxation plan. That includes getting rid of the excessive tax breaks that are being given to these huge companies that have been lobbying congress for all these years. You know, like the oil companies? And it includes making sure that the people with more money pay more taxes. That means if you make over $250,000.00 a year your taxes will go up and if your income is below $200,00.00 they will go down. I didn't really hear a plan from John McCain other than a freeze on spending on everything except military and some essential programs. Does that include keeping the veteran's benefits in place or will he freeze them too? And who decides what is essential? A man with assets in excess of $100,000,000.00? After all the dust settled, I felt that Barack Obama came off as intelligent, willing to work with anyone to get the job done, and eager to hear the opinions and problems of every day Americans. John McCain just looked tired and annoyed most of the evening and like he would rather be anywhere than there. He left very quickly after the debate and didn't seem the least bit interested in what the audience had to say. I thought that Barack Obama seemed very "Kennedyesque" and John McCain kind of "Nixonesque". As I sit here and watch the coverage on CNN I just heard David Gergen make a comment that I hope isn't true. He implied that people might not vote for Barack Obama because he is black. I can only say that I certainly hope that he is wrong, that most people will vote for what is best for this country, and not based on a party or a man's race. After watching them answer all the questions, I can honestly say that there is now no question who is better able to serve as commander-in-chief of the United States. And in my own humble opinion, that man is BARACK OBAMA. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Remember, VOTE November 4!!!!

Yelling At Clouds

From My Own Little Corner I watched today as the stock market plunged to below 10,000 points for the first time in more than 4 years. The world markets didn't fare any better. In the European markets there were losses anywhere from 7.07% to 9.04%. The Asian markets dropped 4.25% to 4.97%. Germany's DAX was down over 7% and British FTSE down almost 8%. The Russian markets dropped even more sharply than these other markets, with losses from 6.10% to 20.67%. And in the midst of this terrible world economic crisis, Sarah Palin was pasted all over the news stations, spouting her rhetoric about Barack Obama's ties to Bill Ayers and telling us how the McCain-Palin ticket is going to change Washington D.C. Never mind that there are no specifics, just the same old, tired lines. I have listened to many speeches from these two and I still don't know what they are going to do. I have only heard the generalized and often reworked stump speech. Now when they see that they are falling behind in the polls, they revert to Karl Rove style attacks. These are the same type of attacks that G. W. Bush used against John McCain in the 2000 primaries. You know when they accused John McCain of having an illegitimate child by an African American woman. Remember back when John McCain decided that he wanted to run for the Republican nomination and he told all of America that he wouldn't run a campaign like the one that Karl Rove ran in 2000 and 2004? You know the kind where you will say anything to get elected. Remember when he said that he would never, ever approve a bill that had any "pork" and that as President he would veto any bill with earmarks that crossed his desk? I think that was just week before last. Gee, how things have changed. His campaign is throwing around false and misleading accusations against Barack Obama and he just voted FOR the bailout (I know that they are calling it a "rescue", but if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...) and it contained 112 BILLION DOLLARS in earmarks. Of course after he voted for it, he was against it. Remember that little bit of nostalgia from the 2004 election? So far the only change that I have seen from this ticket is in their promise to run a "clean" campaign. When I listen to John McCain now he just sounds like an angry old man, who is yelling at clouds. And as far as Sarah Palin is concerned, she is just the PTA mom who insists that her ideas are the only ones that count and every body else should just shut up. She and John Mccain were very loud and sarcastic today when they told America that Barack Obama was the angry one, the lying one, the one with no plan. It is the same old George W. Bush idea. Lie about it often enough, loud enough, and long enough and it will become true. Well, I have been listening to these two scream and rant and I still don't believe them. And if I am wrong, well, then I will be the first to say so. But I remember when George W. Bush was elected, my husband and I sat at our kitchen counter, in our middle class, 1350 foot ranch home, and told anyone who would listen that he would get us into a war within the first two years of his presidency and that given the chance he would ruin this country. Well, he has done that, and with his economic policies and lies about HIS war, he and his republican congress (it was that way for his first six years, so don't start telling me that the Democrats are in there now) have done more than any foreign or home grown terrorist to destroy MY COUNTRY and it's standing in the world. And so I say to you readers (all 2 of you), can we really afford 4 more years of the same old self serving policies and lies? As always, may your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!!!!!!

Let the Mudslinging Begin

From My Own Little Corner So, Sarah Palin wants to start the mudslinging, does she? Is she sure about that? There are some "associations" in her past and in John McCain's past that I am not so sure they want people to be reminded of.

Ever hear of the Alaskan Independence Party? Like that name? They are a political party in Alaska that Sarah Palin's husband Todd (first dude) belonged to from 1995 to 2002. Their motto is "Alaska First--Alaska Always", a far cry from "Country First". This political party wants a vote for secession from the union for Alaska, the 49Th state. Sarah Palin has had her dealings with this group also.

Earlier this year, Palin sent a video message to the AIP for its annual convention, where AIP vice chair George Clark told the small crowd that Palin "was an AIP member before she got the job as a mayor of a small town –- that was a non-partisan job. But you get along to go along -– she eventually joined the Republican Party, where she had all kinds of problems with their ethics, and well, I won’t go into that. She also had about an 80 percent approval rating, and is pretty well sympathetic to her former membership." (1)

Now, I do not intend to imply that Sarah Palin is a secessionist. Unless you use her reasoning, then there is guilt by association. The main difference here is that Barack Obama was EIGHT YEARS OLD when Bill Ayers, the terrorist member of the Weather Underground that he is supposedly "paling' around with" was being accused of his terrorist activities. The charges were eventually dropped for FBI misconduct. Sarah Palin was Governor of Alaska when she sent her video message to the AIP.

And don't forget the investigation into abuse of power allegations concerning the firing of Walt Monegan, the commissioner of public safety on July 11, 2008 because he wouldn't fire her ex brother-in-law. Neither she nor her staff have complied with the subpoenas issued by the court and have refused to testify at the hearings. She had originally agreed to cooperate with the investigation until shortly after she became the nominee for vice president.

Then there is the association of John McCain with the Keating Five in the late 1980's and early 1990's. For anyone not aware of the Keating Five, here’s a very simple summary:

Charles Keating owned a savings and loan in California. He was illegally using the money of his bank’s customers to give loans to himself and friends that they didn’t have to repay, and to speculate on risky real estate investments, which was strictly forbidden by U.S. law (and was one cause of the Great Depression).

When the feds found out what was going on and launched an investigation into Keating and his company, Keating called five U.S. Senators whom he had wined, dined, and lavished with hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations and personal gifts.

Keating asked the five Senators to tell the feds to bug off, and the five Senators, later known as the Keating Five, obliged, meeting with federal investigators twice and pressuring them to stop investigating Keating’s crimes. They bought Keating some time, but the feds didn’t give up and eventually Keating was nailed. The reason the feds were so persistent was because Keating wasn’t playing with mere chump change. Keating blew $3.4 billion through illegal personal loans and bad investments, and the FDIC had to reimburse Keating’s customers who had been ripped off.

(Background Info - Keating wasn’t the only Savings and Loan owner who was committing fraud, 20% of the S&L’s that failed during that three year period were found to have been caused by fraud and/or insider trading. The failure of the Lincoln Savings and Loan and other S&L’s pushed the country into a recession, costing the U.S. government $126 billion dollars in FDIC insurance payouts to investors. All of this came to a crescendo during the first year of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, who pushed through the S&L bailout plan to keep the economy afloat.)

When the involvement of the Keating Five was made public, a scandal erupted and the Senate Ethics Committee launched their own investigation into whether the Keating Five had violated Senate ethics rules. The other four Senators left office either immediately or within one term. John McCain was formally rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising “poor judgment” for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating, but because McCain accepted Keating’s gifts of travel and vacations to Bahama while McCain was a member of the House of Representatives (he served one term there before moving to the Senate), the Senate claimed they had no jurisdiction to censure McCain. (However the meetings to pressure federal regulators occurred during the first few months of McCain serving in the Senate in 1987, so that excuse doesn’t hold up). (2)

These are just 2 of the skeletons in the closet that could be used to counter the latest claims from Sarah Palin. As I have said before and to quote the American proverb, "People in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones".

Everyone has had an association with someone that they regret. The difference between us regular Joes and the candidates, is that with us nobody is trying to use it to their advantage or against us.

So let's stick to the problems that face our country and what the candidates are going to do about it, and quit with the mudslinging.

May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment.

Sources

1. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html
2. http://mccainkeatingfive.com/?p=6

I'm back

From My Own Little CornerAfter a long hiatus, I have decided to begin blogging again. I have lots of things to blog about, as there have been lots of changes in my life and in this country since October of 2006. The most significant is the graduation of my youngest son from high school, his starting college, and the marriage of my oldest son to a beautiful young lady named Nicole. They have moved to Independence, MO, where Nicole is going to pharmacy school, and it has almost killed me. I miss them so much. I have gotten 2 years older and a little rounder in the intervening years, but my wonderful husband still loves me. Huh, will wonders never cease? My political views have not changed, if anything they have gotten stronger. I am supporting Barack Obama, and before anyone starts yelling that I am voting for the wrong person, let me just say that, as in the case of our current president, I have done my research. If people had done enough research before GWB was elected, maybe we wouldn't be in the mess that we're in today. I am a born again christian, mother of a child with handicaps (that were much worse than those of Sarah Palin's son), the wife of a man who is blind (from a hunting accident), and am personally opposed to abortion (but I would never attempt to force my PERSONAL beliefs on anyone else). I also believe that global warming is caused mostly by man and his careless disregard of this planet that we live on, that our economy is in the tank thanks to the out of control spending of the last 8 years, that this administration, the one that touts less government, has increased the government's role in our lives more than at any other time in our history, and that the legacy that they left for our children is dismal. Okay, I have ranted enough for one post. As I said in the beginning, I'm back and I have lots to say. May your God bless and keep you. Pray for peace and enlightenment.