Is this his biggest concern right now???

In a Pentagon news conference yesterday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld annonunced he wants the term "insurgents" to not be used when talking about the war in Iraq. Instead, he suggests "enemies of the legitimate Iraqi government."

Ok. Let's come up with some other *alternate* definitions:

War in Iraq = "Conflict in the area formerly known as Mesopotamia and it's surrounding lands"

Secretary of Defense = "Executive Assistant of Warmongering"

Aaahhh....

My cold is almost gone.

I had a nice Thanksgiving.

I've started my christmas shopping and it's been pleasant so far.

Aaahhh....

I hope everyone is staying healthy.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone is having only pleasant holiday shopping experiences so far.

Bush is on a trip! (Physically or mentally, you decide...)

"U.S. President George W. Bush pressed China on Sunday to expand religious, political and social freedoms"

"Appearing before reporters at his hotel before he attended a lavish dinner with his Chinese hosts, Bush rejected the notion that it was unpatriotic to disagree with him. "People should feel comfortable about expressing their opinions about Iraq," he said. "This is not an issue of who is patriotic and who is not patriotic. It's an issue of an honest open debate about the way forward in Iraq."

I find all this... *intersting*. And I also take issue with it.

expand religious freedoms: China has rules about religion - worshippers can only worship in state-sanctioned churches and temples. Any home-based churches are considered illegal and are shut down. They do sanction churches and temples from various groups: Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Buddhism. Why I find this interesting and take issue with it - look at the mess you get into when you mix church and state! They do NOT belong together. Not in China, and not in the United States.

expanding political freedoms: China is a highly censored country. The media is controlled, the internet is controlled.... all information is not freely exchanged, but is monitored and censored by the government to make it "directed toward serving the people and socialism". Why I find this interesting and take issue with it - take a look at our own current media situation in the US. A prime example is the ban on media coverage of the coffins of US Soldiers that arrive from Iraq. We are DEFINITELY freer in the US than we are in China, there's no doubt about it! But our major media reporting is still very one-sided and controlled to some extent. Which is why it is always good to get some news each day from other outlets outside of the US. I would recommend Canada, Germany, and France for starters. Then you can broaden your horizons from there - try finding the news from other countries and see how other countries view the US and world issues. It's very enlightening.

expanding social freedoms: China is a country where freedom of speech and action is not existent. Journalists are tested and only those who pass this test are issued a license to work in the country. China also still has the "One Child" policy - each family is allowed one child only. China also uses "reeducation camps" as punishment within the legal system. Why I find this interesting and take issue with it - Once again, compare this to our own country: Journalists were beaten down after 9/11 - "either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists". Another fine example is The Patriot Act. You better watch what you say or do, because under the Patriot Act, the government can mine much of your records (internet visits, emails, library books, daily financial transactions, etc...) and can even ENTER YOUR HOME without a court order and you would never be notified that your records had been accessed. It's possible you are being spied on by your own country. Isn't that comforting? Don't you just love your freedom?

Bush rejected the notion that it was unpatriotic to disagree with him. "People should feel comfortable about expressing their opinions about Iraq," he said. "This is not an issue of who is patriotic and who is not patriotic. It's an issue of an honest open debate about the way forward in Iraq." Oooookaaay.... Sure we're having open and honest debate. Gotta love the "debating" Cheney used on Wednesday. That sounds sooooo open and honest.... (NOT!) And in the middle of that article - "During a press conference Thursday in Gyeongju, South Korea, Bush was asked about Cheney’s comments. “I agree with the vice president,” Bush said."

So are you with us, or are you with the terrorists? It can't be so black and white because if you are not with "us", then you are labeled as being with the terrorists. Does that make for honest and open debate? I think not.


I'm about vented out here. I have a cold right now, so I'll be surprised if any of this comes across as coherent.

Have a happy Sunday!

I think it's time...

...for me to up my meds. Sigh. I called my drug dealer's office today and had to leave a message to set up an appointment. I was supposed to have my *every 3 months* appointment last month, but that all got pushed to the wayside with everything that was going on last month. Last year, I remember thinking, 'If I can make it thru this fall/winter, I'm sure I'll have to up my meds next fall/winter' and here I am. I've been riding borderline the past year or so, and it's finally time to hitch myself back up. The past few weeks, I'm unmotivated, not sleeping well and tired all the time, snippy, and just not doing as good as I should be. The best part is, I know I can feel better with just a little bump of the dose.

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Hubby has been working on the basement family room. (I'm so glad to see him working on something like that! Usually he starts the IDEA for something, then leaves the rest up to me....) He bought some little surround sound speakers and we ran the wires above the ceiling then decided to drill a hole in the wall behind the tv to put the wires back through instead of having them run from the ceiling down the visible side of the wall. We're deciding where to drill, get the drill on the other side of the wall in the basement, and start to drill thru. Hmmm.... Feels like we're all the way through the paneling, but there's still something there.... Drill a little more. Oh. There. That went through. That has to be it. Drill the hole bigger now.... Seems strange - why don't we see any light through this hole?

We walk around into the family room, pull the tv out of the way to find the hole, and *voila*! We've drilled a hole right thru the wall in a perfect spot! But we also drilled a hole in the back of the tv as well. Fortunately, it's just through the outer casing in the back, so no harm was done.

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When doing laundry, which is one chore I'm not fond of, but then again, what household chore AM I fond of? But, when doing laundry, I've decided that if dh sends all his shirts down the laundry chute inside out, after I wash and dry them, I just leave them inside out. He can turn them rightside out. Same goes for socks that are bunched up. I sure as heck don't wanna take his stinky sock and unbunch it! Ewwww!!! He can get it back all bunched up and fix it himself.

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Damn Walmart! I try very hard to NOT shop at Walmart. I hate how they always have their entryway loaded with video games, toy vending machines, and kiddie rides. I hate how their aisles are always so crammed with stuff you can hardly walk through. And I'm not terribly fond of their business practices in general. Every now and then, I step foot into one because in my town, that's what we have. To go to another store, such as Target, I have to drive to the next city. Last night was one of those nights. I needed a new phone jack and phone wire to re-install the phone in our basement family room. The weather was crappy - it had been cold and raining all day, and was supposed to start turning to snow. I felt that staying local was a wise choice since people drive like idiots when we get our first snow. So I went to Walmart last night.

I found the phone line, the jack, and a pair of wire cutters/strippers. But as I added that up in my head (and also the fact that I had NO FREAKIN' IDEA what I was doing), I realized that for a mere $15 more, I could buy a new phone that came with a second handset that would plug into an outlet, but not require an additional phone jack! So I did that. I also want to recover the couch in the basement because it's a bright aqua blue and is atrocious. I've been looking lots of places for fabric to do this, and haven't found any in the color I want. Of course, I found it at Walmart. So damn them for actually having what I wanted!!!! ;)

While I was waiting to get the fabric cut, Frodo had been going down other aisles in the craft department and trying to move from spot to spot without me seeing him. He thought he was so funny! He was laughing and having a good time, and the department was pretty much empty, so it didn't bug me. Then, after the fabric was cut, I called his name to go. He didn't answer. I looked around, called more, and couldn't find him. I wasn't too worried yet - I figured he'd run to the bathroom or something. The gal working there was a little worried. I said I'd go check some nearby aisles, and she had a male worker peek in the men's bathroom. Still, no Frodo. I checked the video games and the toys. Now I'm starting to worry. I start walking back to the fabric department, and there's Frodo, standing next to the sheet aisle, with tears in his eyes. He thought I'd left without him! The little shit was hiding in the craft department next to some grapevine wreaths. I asked him if he heard me call his name. He said yes. I asked him why he never answered me. He said he didn't know. I told him I was ticked at him, but that I was very glad he was safe. I think his being scared was good enough punishment. We went back to the fabric counter and let the nice gal working there know he was safe too. I have a feeling he won't hide and not answer me again.

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Ok. I think I've got all the thoughts outta my head for now. Every so often I find myself thinking, "I should blog about that", so today, I'm doing a dump, lol. I have a handful of political stuff too, but I just don't have the energy to write coherent thoughts about that too, so I will get those up another time.

I *heart* Jimmy Carter

Get your minds outta the gutter. ;) Although, I will admit, when I was in first grade, it was 1976, and we were nearing a presidential election. Our teacher was going over the "Weekly Reader" with us. Traditionally, the "Weekly Reader" polls school age kids to see who they would vote for. I picked Jimmy Carter because he was cuter than Gerald Ford. LOL.

I completely admire the man now. His work through "The Carter Center" and "Habitat for Humanity" is the epitome of compassion, peace and public service. Everyone should strive to be like him - he's committed human rights and social justice, a champion of peace, deeply rooted in his faith, and devoted to his family.

And today, I read an article written by him and published in today's LA Times. Generally, past presidents have a history of staying quiet in regards to subsequent administrations. Bill Clinton was probably one of the first to publically criticize his successor. And lately, Jimmy Carter has been known to write an article here or there that subtly criticizes this current administration. The one I read today is no exception. It says exactly what so many of us see happening each and every day.

I daily wish for peace and sanity for the entire world.

I'm playing online...

...tonight. It's a website that has games and puzzles. I like that kind of thing.

At the top of the screen is an ad. It has a caricature of George W. Bush with his fists up, and he's moving back and forth. The side of the ad says, "PUNCH OUT GEORGE W. AND GET A FREE* XBOX 360" *details apply

As appealing as it sounds, I decided I just didn't need an XBox 360. All the junk email would almost be worth taking a crack at him though.

Global Warming

First, note the date. (11-8-05)

Now, note the time. (a little before midnight)

Now, note the temperature. (Since you can't see the thermometer by my dining room window, I will note this for you. It's FIFTY-THREE degrees. Above.)

Usually, by this time of year, we've had our first snowfall. It's still the time of year when I can use the lawnmower and snowblower in the same week though. But there's not an end in sight yet for this warm weather. (Not that I'm complaining, mind you!) I'm flabbergasted. My furnace is off, my windows are open. IT'S NOVEMBER IN THE UPPER MIDWEST FOLKS! This is sooooooooooo weird.....

*Girl* shopping....

My friend Jen, (she's the one that just bought the cute little two bedroom house) she and I used to go *girl* shopping together every now and then. We'd hit a lingerie store and buy something to surprise our sweeties. Since she's bought her house, we've actually been *girl* shopping twice! But now it's to Home Depot, lol.

When dads get older...

Hubby and a friend and I were chatting just a little bit ago. Hubby and friend start talking about how when dads reach a certain age, (they determined this to be around 50-55 years old) they change. They are no longer the strict disciplinarian and workaholic - they become remorseful about all they missed in their childrens' lives because of work obligations. They start saying things such as, "I've been such a horrible father" and "I wish I could've been around more". It's sorta funny, because I've seen some of that happen in almost every older man I know, including my father-in-law.

But you know what? My dad never seemed that way. Maybe he did feel bad about some things. But he never voiced anything if he did. There were so many broken promises - a promise to build a treehouse when I was 9 year old girl, a promise that "this move would be the last move" when I was a 14 year old teen, a promise that he wasn't drinking anymore when I was a 17 year old young woman, a promise that he would help pay for a wedding when I was a 23 year old woman, a promise that he would take my son out for ice cream when I was a 28 year old overwhelmed mother.... Lots of broken promises, but never an apology or even an admission that maybe he could've done better. I try to take the lessons he taught me and apply them to my parenting so I can hopefully be the best parent I possibly can for my son.