Experience Joy

What is Joy? Well we may think joy is something gushy and extreme that we plant on our face to express to others. Perhaps a sportsman thinks that they feel joy when they hit that homerun, make that touchdown, claim victory for a winning game. Is that true Joy? True joy is a deep inner emotion, a peaceful hope, a solid faith, an abiding knowledge that life is good no matter what. How do you get that true inner joy? Through learning to love yourself and like the person you've become and making the best out of the life you have to live. I have recently met a lady who I can tell has true joy. How can I tell? She is going through a lot of difficult turmoil and copes daily with a lot of trials and tribulations but through it all I can see that she truly has inner joy and loves her life. It is so obvious when you look into her eyes that she truly is experiencing joy. We see people of the world who appear to possess joy in their lives. We see their lives as prosperous and carefree. How soon that appearance of joy and prosperity disappears when trouble enters their life. We all need to learn to enjoy the life we live and the fact that we still have a life to live. When all is said and done that is truly all we have.... Our Life. So why do we worry and stress over the rest?

Is the Iraq war worth all this?

How To Be A Kid Again: "I just had a conversation with one of my good friends. He is in Iraq for twelve months. He told me bomb exploded seconds after he ran over it in a vehicle. He said he was fine. In that trained mechanical voice he has learned to adopt. But he isnt fine. It was easy to see my happy, sometimes silly friend was burdened. Heres why: One of the men under him got married before he deployed. Last week he got divorce papers from his new bride. Last week he also blew his brains out. My friend was the first to find him. As he described what he saw, the tears wouldn't stop coming down my face. As unemotionally as possible, he reminded me that this is life in the Army. This is the kind of thing he should be prepared for. Only he wasn't prepared. Who could be?"

My rant: Has it been proven to you that there was reason enough to go into war in Iraq and subject our soldiers to this sort of heart ache and demise? I'm sure this is just one of many similar stories that show people equally in pain. It makes my blood boil to think that our President took our men and women in uniform into this mess as he falsely made his case to the people. I wonder how he feels when he reads or hears these sort of stories or are these the sort of stories he just skims right past. My own heart aches over reading this.

Oprah Fries Frey

Finally in a show that airs today Oprah Winfrey decides to turn her attitude of tolerance for James Frey, author of "A Million Little Pieces" to now admitting that he had misrepresented this as a memoir when honestly it is more fiction. I have read the book, I'm an avid reader and therefore could not pass it up. I did find it a captivating book to spite the controversy. Of course I knew that many things in the book are fiction by the time I read it. Oprah Winfrey chose this book in September last year for her book club. She also spoke of how this book kept her up at night reading it. Her selection of this book all but assured it to reach best seller status and it did, being the most successful selling book in the clubs history.

Oprah initially defended the Author in a call to CNN's Larry King. You can click here to read more on her comments during the broadcast. I'm sure she was very humiliated that she launched a book into the best sellers list and an author into celebrity status not to mention into a fortune and then had to admit that many facts in this book are pure fiction. I find it a bit upsetting that only after she encountered the bad press and letters from viewers showing discontent in the defense she took for Mr. Frey did she decide to retract and then vehemently attack him on her show. Sort of like she was going to defend her selection if she could get away with it but when she couldn't then she retracted. In all fairness to Oprah I must say that in her show she has apologized and admitted that she was wrong and feels duped.

Deficit or Surplus?

The Stakeholder : "According to the CBO report, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts would return the budget to a surplus of $38 billion by 2012. Keeping the tax cuts in place would put the government into a $289 billion deficit. "

Let's Talk: Jack Abramoff

Ok, I don't know about you all but I'm very confused. In one article George W Bush is quoted as saying "I can't recall meeting Mr. Abramoff" and then I read another article stating that they have uncovered six photographs of Abramoff and The President together. It has been reported that Mr Abramoff attended Hannukah celebration and other events at the White House. I don't know about you but there are very few people that I've had my picture taken with six times unless they were fairly close to me and I'd certainly remember them. Let's be realistic here in our thinking.... sure this is the President we are talking about and he takes pictures on a daily basis with people on a whim but lets also be honest here, he certainly would have kept abreast of Mr Abramoff considering his popularity in the political realm and if we believe he can't remember meeting him... ever.... then we need our head examined. Something smells like a fib here and I think its coming from the administration.

What do you have to say on this topic?

Tell Senators How you feel

If you disagree with how the Senate has handled the Alito hearings then tell them. Let them know that they will be held accountable by the American people for decisions they make as an elected official.

The Democratic Daily Blog: " There's a Senate Phone List, with numbers to all the Democratic Senators and the key moderate Republicans. There are also two toll free numbers - 888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641 or you can fax your Senators."

Let's Talk: Natalee Holloway

Note: I'm going to begin a few posts a week with the heading "Let's talk" in the hopes to get readers opinions on the chosen topic. I love debate so bring it on LOL.

Natalee Holloway. I'm sure I don't need to explain much in the way of an introduction on the topic since the media has been covering this in great detail. Natalee on a high school chaparoned trip to Aruba never showed up for the return flight. There have been times I've been exhausted from hearing this on the news every day and even thought of all the other stories of missing teens that aren't getting the same coverage. Then I once again become captivated with the story and want to know every new detail. I'm very much a news junkie so this falls right into my alley so to speak.

From what we've seen presented so far it appears that Joran Vandersloot and the Kalpoe brothers are the ones with the most means to cause harm to her. Recently it was reported that a Fisherman claims his Fishing hut was broken into and a fish trap along with a knife was missing and it was there earlier in the day that Natalee went missing and wasn't there the next day. This of course leading police to suspect that Natalee could have been disposed of in that trap and dropped into the deep of the water.

I just get the feeling that there is something here that is getting missed and that this missing piece of the puzzle may solve everything. In the early days I did feel that Paulie Vandersloot (Joran's father) was somehow implicated because of his actions. Then I guess it could be said that he was just protecting his son but in my opinion his actions went a little beyond that. I love my sons to pieces but if they were being investigated for something I wouldn't condone what they may have done by helping them to get away with it if they were guilty. I would open my home for inspection and do what I could to get to the bottom of it.

Your heart can't help but go out to Natalee's family and I can't fathom having a child missing and not knowing where she is or even if she is alive. Some have criticized Beth Holloway Twitty (Natalee's mother) for how she has pushed this case in the media. I can't do that because I know if it was my daughter I'd do anything I could, talk to anybody that would listen and use any tools available to keep my child's story in the public's eye in the hopes to find them. I think anyone else would too.

I'd love to read opinions on this topic from those who visit this blog. What do you think happened to Natalee? What do you think about the media coverage? What would you like to say on this topic?

Judge Alito's Confirmation: Sign the petition

The Democratic Daily Blog: "John Kerry just sent out an email with a petition against Alito. Kerry plans to enter all of the names on the petition into the Congressional Record when he goes to the Senate floor to speak out against Judge Alito. Kerry says, I'll show my Senate colleagues that as far as the American people are concerned, this is not some inside the beltway conversation; this is a landmark struggle for the future of our nation.

Here's the email Sign the Petition!

I've studied Judge Alito's legal record. I met with him one-on-one. After all this, I am left with one simple conclusion: if Judge Alito becomes Supreme Court Justice Alito, he will move the Court backwards.

I will vote against Judge Alito's confirmation, and I hope a majority of Senators choose to join us on the Senate floor, voting and speaking out against him. I know we face tough odds, but this is an important fight.

The bottom line is Judge Alito cannot be trusted on the Supreme Court. We can't trust him to stand up to government abuse of power. We can't trust him to ensure all citizens enjoy equal protection under the law. We can't trust him to protect our right to privacy. We can't trust him to defend mainstream American values.

To muster enough Senators to defeat Judge Alito, the American people have to make it clear that they are against his nomination. That's where you come in. By speaking out, you will help us convince other Senators to join our fight."

nbc13.com - Food News - Woman Convicted For Throwing Lettuce On Ground

nbc13.com - Food News - Woman Convicted For Throwing Lettuce On Ground: "Woman Convicted For Throwing Lettuce On Ground"

My Rant:
Now officers I know the big criminals are scary fellows and it makes your life easier to go after the lettuce offenders but that doesn't keep them big bully criminals off our streets and out of the reach to harm those good people in society.

The Articles of Bush

Below are a few articles I've located regarding our President and I thought you'd all may like to read them.

Letter to George W. Bush
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTIONBy Liane Ellison Norman
Dear Mr. Bush,
I’m not sure you understand some important things about your job.
Read entire article

The Impeachment of George W. BushAxis of Logic - Boston,MA,USA... People have begun to speak of impeaching President George W. Bush--not in hushed whispers but openly, in newspapers, on the Internet, in ordinary conversations ...
Read entire article

George W. Bush's Father Complex
There are many troubling facts about the Iraq war, the worst being that it was unnecessary and sold to the American people through lies and deception – an unforgivable breech of faith by the president of the United States with the American people. Also troubling is that the reasons for the war are still unclear. Historians will struggle with this for years, probably inconclusively. But if there’s a pathway into Bush’s small and troubled brain that might explain his obsession with Iraq and his subsequent invasion, I’m convinced it lies in an understanding of the relationship of the younger Bush with his father, who also faced down Saddam Hussein, although under very different circumstances.
Read entire article

Morphing Bush into mahogany
Fred Barnes of Fox News is perhaps the most talented and savvy. His arguments are often the clearest, and he is a formidable opponent even on those occasions when his talking points are obviously beaten. In his new book, Rebel in Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush, Barnes puts forth a thesis which would occur to few Americans. He regards our current President as a maverick who stands outside and above the establishment, and one who, in the spirit of the Starship Enterprise, has boldly gone where no scion of an incredibly fashionable family has gone before.
Read entire article

The George W. Bush Guide to Secret GovernmentCounterBias.com - USAYou know, I get the impression that George W. Bush really doesn't understand the concept of checks and balances as it relates to government. ...
Read entire article

The imaginary leadership of George W. BushThe Moderate Voice - USAby Michael Stickings. I've written a fairly provocative post on the "imaginary leadership" of George W. Bush
Read entire article

George W. Bush: The case for impeachment

George W. Bush: The case for impeachment
By: Robert Zaller
'I thought Bill Clinton was the worst president I\'d seen in office until George W. Bush came along. I was appalled when Clinton muffed the best opportunity in sixty years to reform our health care system by handing the job to his wife and even more amazed at the stupidity of providing himself no political distance from the inevitable debacle. I was disgusted with his betrayal of the working and nonworking poor by the passage of NAFTA and so-called welfare reform and at his extension of the death penalty and his weakening of habeas corpus rights for the condemned. I thought his bombing campaign against Serbia was a war crime. I believed he deserved impeachment, not for his sexual behavior, but for abusing the trust of his office in lying about it for eight months. In retrospect, it would have been an immense boon for the country had he been removed by the Senate. Then Al Gore would have become president with two years to establish a record of his own, and we might well have been spared the nightmare of the present administration.If Clinton deserved impeaching, Bush needs it... Why, then, does Bush require impeachment? I offer the following four articles for the consideration of the Congress...." The triangle online: Click here to read the entire article

I'm back.... Did ya miss me? hahaha

Hi everyone. Well I had to recover from a recent surgery so it forced me to stay off the computer. Can you imagine that? It must have been something pretty serious huh.... to keep me from my computer. You all know how much I like to run my mouth LOL. All jokes aside the surgery itself wasn't so serious but the reason for it may play out that way. They found a lump in my left breast and did a needle biopsy which came back positive so I ended up having to have it removed and now am undergoing the process of reconstruction. I go back in a week and will find out then what further treatment is necessary. Hey it isn't so bad I always wanted a boob job but never had the guts to get it done. This isn't quite the way I had thought about it but hey why complain. When all is said and done they'll be perky and stay that way even when I'm ninety years old. LOL. Ok on with the show I've got blogging to do. Hugs to all and I hope you had fun while I was gone but now I'm back so the fun is over (giggle).

What is sacrificial love?

Some parents feel that sacrificing is us doing without to give to our children. Well if that means you only have a little food and feed them before yourselves or only enough money to buy clothes for them, then perhaps. However in my view it is not sacrificial love to not set proper examples for your children. What do I mean by this. Well consider the following.

Do you let your children demand expensive things that you cannot afford? Do you then work two jobs or many overtime hours to give them what they want rather then teach them the responsibility of money. Do you feel they have to have those expensive jeans, the fiery red sports car? Do you think you are a terrible parent if they want these things but you can't provide?

Do you consider it sacrificial love because you wear old clothes, shop in discount or thrift stores for your own clothing and drive a junk car just so you can give your children the best? Do you have family arguments because of finances because you think your child has to go to the best schools, wear the best clothes, drive the best cars, and have the best of everything? Do you honestly believe that this is helping your children and giving them the proper structure for life? Or is it instilling selfishness into their hearts.

Sacrificial love really means to guide them to become a well balanced adult and to teach them respect and patience. Teach them that life isn't going to be handed to them, they must be responsible and build a life of their own. This is the only way that your children will have the tools necessary to be a true success in life and a true selfless parent to their own children. We must be selfless in our love to our children so they then will be selfless in their love for their children. Love is not based on material things you can give a child but in the care you give to them, the wisdom you instill in their lives and the righteousness you guide them to.

It is hard to not want to give your children the best but give them the best by giving them the tools it takes to grow up into a decent adult who knows how to stand on their own two feet and make a successful life of their own. That is the first step to their happiness. Give them the true values that will sustain them in life. Protect them from the world and guide them toward being a righteous person and you then will be giving them all the riches of a happy life where they are proud of who they are.

Like most parents we fear for our child's future, their life and their safety but we must teach them while they are under our care to be good, honest, selfless and faithful and give them a sense of ambition to become the best they can be. Then when we have done all we can to protect them we must push them gently into the waters of life. They will swim if we have given them the tools necessary.

News Tidbits

I thought I'd post a few news excerpts that interested me along with links to read the full article. I hope some of the readers here will enjoy them. I'd love to hear from all of you on your reaction to the articles.

"Prove Christ exists, judge orders
AN ITALIAN judge has ordered a priest to appear in court this month to prove that Jesus Christ existed..." Times Online.
Read entire article
Related Links:
Italian court to decide if teaching Jesus breaks law

Dianne Feinstein’s Opening Statement at the Alito Nomination Hearing
The following is the opening statement from Senator Dianne Feinstein at today’s Alito nomination hearings: The Democratic Daily. Read entire article

"In today’s emailed remarks to the WH Press Pool Bush is quoted as saying:
“Sam Alito is imminently qualified to be a member of the bench. I'm not the only person who feels that way.” You know, as in he’s about to become qualified..." Wonkette.
Read Entire article

Related Links:
Schumer warns of filibuster of Alito Washington Times
Fireworks on Alito Alternet
The Imperial President's hit man Alternet

"Texas Court Won't Dismiss DeLay Charges
By LIZ AUSTIN, Associated Press Writer Mon Jan 9, 12:43 PM ET
AUSTIN, Texas - The state's highest criminal court on Monday denied Rep. Tom DeLay's request that the money laundering charges against him be dismissed or sent back to a lower court for an immediate trial." Read entire article
My comment: I find this amazing considering that the nine members of the court which made this decision are all republican!

"Americans more critical of Congress than own representatives
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A majority of Americans consider the congressional influence-peddling inquiry surrounding former lobbyist Jack Abramoff a major scandal, and they registered an anti-incumbent note in a poll released Monday..." Read entire article

"Miner improving; doctors encouraged
Still 'too early to know' extent of recovery, doctor says" CNN
Read entire article
Related Links
Loved ones say goodbye in W. Va. New York Daily News

"Wanting a piece of Bill O'Reilly
Letterman, Olbermann challenge 'Factor' host
NEW YORK (AP) -- If Bill O'Reilly truly loves a good fight, then he's had quite a week.
The Fox News Channel personality's confrontation with David Letterman Tuesday night made for some gripping television. The cranky "Late Show" host told his guest: "I have the feeling about 60 percent of what you say is crap." CNN
Read entire article

Yates Pleads Not Guilty, Gets New Trial Date
Andrea Yates pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning deaths of her children Monday as she made her first court appearance since her 2002 capital murder convictions were overturned. Foxnews Read entire article
Related Links:
Russell Yates Finalizes Divorce
Yates' Lawyers Won't Seek Her Release
Andrea Yates' Conviction Overturned
Psychiatrist Under Fire in Yates Case
Court Hears Appeal by Andrea Yates
Andrea Yates' Husband Files for Divorce
Andrea Yates Appeals Convictions

Cough syrup left out in the cold
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
If your biggest decision about how to treat a cough is whether to take cherry- or grape-flavored syrup, you might find the following a little hard to swallow: The American College of Chest Physicians is advising cold sufferers not to waste their money on over-the-counter cough syrups or drops, either for themselves or for their children. Read entire article.

Mooning Deemed 'Disgusting' but No Crime in Md.

Mooning Deemed 'Disgusting' but No Crime in Md.: "Mooning Deemed 'Disgusting' but No Crime in Md.
By Ernesto Londoo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 4, 2006; Page B01
Acquitting a Germantown man who exposed his buttocks during an argument with a neighbor, a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge ruled yesterday that mooning, while distasteful, is not illegal in Maryland."

Ok, my first thought is.... Doesn't the Post have anything better to report on? I mean isn't there more pressing news? Ok now since that is out of the way.... the judge does make some good points in his decision. I lived in Maryland for 12 years so I may have to return now that I know this so I can bareeeeeeeeeeeee well never mind LOL.

Seeing Over The Horizon

It feels wonderful when the rough times begin to fade and the new wonderful days arrive. You begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that soon tomorrow will be here and it will be far better than today. There are times when you are going through the darkest days that you aren't able to see down the road to when things will improve. It is those dark days that drag you down. When the day arrives that you finally see the light breaking through the dark clouds, it is then that your spirit begins to feel alive again.

Sometimes the situation improves and allows the light to come in but often times it is my attitude about the situation that truly gives way to the darkness and brings in the shining light which guides me to a more positive approach to the initial situation. It is at that moment that I realize that I've been in the wrong frame of mind, in a place that wouldn't allow the light in. I chose to stay there far too long. Thankfully I found my way out.

How do you find your way out from the darkness and how do you begin to move toward the light?

I think each person has to find their own solution to this problem. For me, it is easier at times then it is at other times. For me, I often have to come to the decision to accept whatever the situation is and know that I'll get through it. I have to put aside worries and that allows me to relax and accept the situation and not be so stressed over it. I have also found that I tend to get frustrated during tough times and this wears me down more than anything else. Frustration really tugs at my thoughts and makes me feel as though my life is totally out of my control. This just compounds the stress of the situation and in the end increases the overall problem.

So I work to find some humor in each and every day. This will at least keep my head above water during a difficult time. Then little by little I begin to face the situation head on and deal with the things that are most troublesome to me. From there I begin to adjust my thinking and readapt my emotions. Little by little I'm able to begin to put many issues aside and focus more on the future. This isn't something you can do overnight but it is something that can be accomplished.