Rain, Rain. Won't you go away?

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It is almost always wet along the Central Oregon Coast. When the weather warms, the moss grows everywhere from your boots to inside your ears.

But even with the 60+ inches of rain, seldom do we have major floods. Our dams don't break, and our streets don't flood much. Sometimes a tree falls or rocks tumble across a road, but more often the roads are blocked by a herd of elk.

The ocean breeze does get stiff a few times a year, but we don't have hurricanes or tornadoes. And when the sun shines, you won't get much of a sun burn.

No earthquakes yet, but the threat of a temblor elsewhere else causing a tidal wave here raises our brows a bit.

Our 3 traffic lights along the highway through town can easily handle the tourists on the weekends and all through summer. Seems people flock here from all across the western states and Canada, and even a few from Europe. They come to see what we have I guess.

For me, this spot is a step away from Heaven. A spot away from freeways and concrete banked river beds. Away from the fast pace of the big city. Away from the forecasts of inversion layers and smog days preventing the children from having a school recess. Away from any significant crime. And away from my previous job.

I'll trade all of what was then for my musty boots of now.
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None of us knew

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I wish I knew who wrote the following, but I don't. It was simply filtered through the Thought Dock portal. Although the author is unknown, I believe it to be quite accurate. It follows now in it's unedited format:

I remember asking dad about Castro when I was about 9 years old. I asked, "Is Castro a good guy or bad?" Dad said he couldn't tell! This was about 1955 while Dad was in the Army and stationed in Louisiana. Cuba was fairly close and in the news a lot. The Cubans were asking the same question! Ike was president.

This past July, we had the pleasure of sharing a summer barbecue with a refugee from Cuba . Our dinner conversation was starkly different than most. This refugee came to the United States as a young boy in the early 1960s. His family was more fortunate than most as they were able to bring a suitcase and $100 when they fled Castro's newly formed revolutionary paradise.

Our dinner consisted of all-American fare: hamburgers, potato salad, watermelon and fresh ears of sweet corn. This is a menu shared with family and friends nationwide, while celebrating the birth of our beloved America on the Fourth of July.

We began with a simple discussion about our country and the direction it has taken since Barack Obama came to power. We shared the usual complaints about the sour economy and liberal social engineering emanating from the rulers in Washington.

But then he said it. The sentence came naturally. I assume it was unplanned. But it carried the weight of a freight train. "You know when Castro took power, none of us knew he was a Communist."

We sat stunned. He continued, "Yes, we all thought he was a patriot, a nationalist. Before the revolution he didn't sound like a radical." The comparison at this point was easy, and I interjected, "You mean just like Barack Obama?" He responded; "Yes, just like Barack Obama."

He continued, "We were all shocked as the government just continued to grab more power. First they said the revolution is over, so please turn in your guns. We all complied." "I remember my uncle saying after it started; 'Castro will only nationalize some of the big industries, he will never come and take our family hardware store.'

But that is EXACTLY what happened; Castro started with the sugar mills and the large industries, but they eventually came and knocked on the door of our family hardware store. My family had run this store for generations. They said we now own the hardware store, you work for us. And that nice, large four-bedroom home you own, it is now our property also, and you can move yourself and five children into two rooms of the house because others are moving in with you."

The lesson learned from this discussion is a lesson most Americans refuse to hear. Political leaders can lie about their agenda and once in office they can take totally unexpected turns.

If you had asked us three years ago if we thought General Motors would be nationalized, we would have never believed it. We could never contemplate a country where the rule of law, the most fundamental building block of a just society would be evaporating just like it did in Castro's Cuba in the early 1960s.

But the news of injustice keeps increasing. Black Panthers are not charged with wrongdoing by the U.S. Department of Justice because their crimes are against whites. The bondholders of GM are stripped of their assets without due process by the government. Governmental leaders are bribed in full daylight only to have all investigation of the crimes stifled by the Attorney General. The U.S. borders are overrun with crime and illegal activity and the leaders in D.C. act as if it is important to protect the lawbreakers while the innocent are killed and overrun. When local communities attempt to enforce the law, they are ridiculed and threatened as racists and bigots. They are sued by the very administration entrusted with enforcing the law..

Without the 'rule of law' the U.S. Constitution is a sham. Without the 'rule of law' our beloved America is swiftly becoming a country where only the well connected and politically powerful will be safe. As Michelle Malkin has so eloquently explained in her recent book, “ a culture of corruption ” has replaced honest government.

The only way this problem will be fixed is by massive citizen action. All honest citizens that want to be treated equally must come together and demand that the favoritism, the bribes, the uneven enforcement of law end now. And yes, it can happen here.

And may God bless the United States of America !

No Dinner Tonight

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Recently a local television news station did a story about a school bus driver, and his wife in a nearby community. Both were hailed as heroes. Here is their story.

Near the end of last year's school season, the bus driver was loading elementary school students one Friday afternoon when he noticed a first grade girl sitting alone with her head lowered and tears running from her eyes.

The driver approached her and asked why she looked so sad on a Friday afternoon when the school week was nearing its end. He told her to cheer up like all the other students. The driver reported that the little girl replied, "I'm sad because I know that there will be nothing to eat when I get home."

When the school bus driver got home that evening, he told his wife about his contact with the girl. Together, they both agreed to help. The following Friday, the bus driver gave the little girl a backpack with plenty of food in it for the weekend.

Soon there were other children on the bus driver's route that asked for food, and by year's end, the driver and his wife were packing six backpacks of food each Friday. During the summer break, the driver and his wife, working with the blessings of the school district, collected food and backpacks from the community. Today, the couple distributes over 120 backpacks every Friday to any student who asks.

Well, I guess the driver and his wife are heroes. They certainly are very compassionate and giving. But, you know I have some concerns with this.

First of all, I have difficulty believing that first little girl using those exact words when asked by the driver about why she was sad. It just seems that if there was no dinner for her on that Friday night, then the same would hold true for the other six nights of the week.

And if she was hungry, why was that? Shouldn't Children's Services have been notified? Perhaps there are issues of child neglect. And now that half of the school's student population is claiming to be underfed, there must be a significant problem in that community. Maybe it is like the Haiti syndrome where our charitable food donations never make it to the hungry. Certainly these families, if truly hungry, qualify for some government assistance, don't you think?

No, I don't think any of these scenarios really exist. I think it is more of a bunch of people taking advantage of the gullible and compassionate people in the community. And it is yet another example of how all these entitlement programs create and propagate a bunch of lazy individuals. And they are even learning it in the first grade because our schools help teach them the way.

Just as my Teacup Poodle has learned she can get a treat even though she didn't do her deed, so the entitlists get rewards simply for asking.

Have a wonderful weekend!
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Perception of Deception - Proof's in the Pudding

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Is it me, or is this whole world insane? Now even my dog is lying to me!

So, we have this 8-year old, 5 1/2 pound, Tea Cup Poodle that my spouse rescued from from the pound a few years ago. A pretty pathetic thing with bad hips, bad breath, and only 4 of her 32 teeth left and those that are left hang outside her mouth like a crocodile's. She loves to be pampered, carried, cuddled, and fed (especially treats).

Seems her hips are out of whack and her rear knees and back are really stiff. So stiff in fact that she hunches her back and walks slowly in a tight (always counter clockwise) circle as she takes a dump. I really don't know why, but I guess it helps her bowels move. Anyway, unlike our other more domesticated little dog, she can't remain on the potty pads long enough while she is walking, to drop her load. So we constantly have to take her outside where she has more space. And when it is rainy, like it often is here, she doesn't like to poop outside.

Now, to get her to go outside to poop we have trained (bribed) her by rewarding her with a treat if she pulls it off correctly, and finally she has caught on. And when she needs to do her thing, she will go to the door and bark, then do a counter clockwise Kung-Fu spin for us just before we open the door. And sometimes, she will do the spin after her good deed.

So get this! Yesterday, my spouse took her out first thing in the morning where she did her deed properly and, I presume was justly rewarded. Several hours later she went to the door and barked, did her Kung-Fu spin, and I followed her outside. Immediately, she ran to her previously dropped turd (which my wife apparently failed to properly care for), sniffed it and did a Kung-Fu spin around it. She was obviously telling me that she had done a qualifying poop.

So, unless my spouse forgot to pay her off when she dropped that load, my most faithful dog had deceived me! Proof being that these entitlement programs we have all over don't build good character.

Yes, the proof is in the poop. Uh, I mean pudding!
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Is Obama to Blame?

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As gasoline prices continue to soar, they are now more than double from what they were when our President took office.

As home values continue to decline, many of us live in homes worth less that half of what they were when our President took office.

As many Americans earn far less that what we did before our President took office, many more Americans are still searching for any job while he is still in office.

As General Motors profits from the bailout our President gave them, most of us can not afford to buy a new car. A few of us did get to buy a car under the Clunker program, but there was a cost for the rest of us.

As the banks profit from the bailout our president gave them, we still can not obtain a decent interest rate on what savings we might have, and few can purchase a home because they can not raise the 10-30% down payment they now require.

As a few of us bought homes using the Federal Tax credit, the rest of us had to pay for it.

As we struggle to overcome our own debt, our President has increased his by raising our taxes.

As more GITMO detainees are released only be re-arrested for taking arms against us, our President boasts about the conviction of one terrorist for destroying government property although he murdered over 200 people.

As our President was busy shaking hands across the world, Iran, China, and Korea have continued building their nuclear arsenals, while he has signed treaties to reduce ours.

As most of the Middle east now lies either in turmoil or destruction, most likely masterminded by our President, while our President as he acts as if he was surprised.

As state governments struggle to make drastically needed cuts, our President supports the labor unions.

As many of us have seen our medical premiums rise over 20% in the last few years, our President is confident that his plan is the way. As we grow corn to mix with gas, our food prices have also risen over 20% since our President took office.

As our President demands renewable energy, not one new solar, wind, wave, nor nuclear plant has been built. And our shores and inland oil fields are still closed to drilling.

So, is our President to blame for all of this? No, we are for putting this socialist into office. I'm sure tired of his "Spread the Wealth" program.
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Freeloader Facts . . .

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In Those Days, it seems like I always worked. As I recall, when I was young, I worked for a small allowance from my parents doing odd jobs around the house.

And then at about age 12 or so, I shovelled snow in the winters, raked leaves in the fall, mowed lawns in the summers, and helped plant gardens in the spring. What I earned, I kept. I was taught to save, and spend only what I needed, and since my wants were not much, I did well at saving.

When I was about 16, I always had a summer job like washing dishes or pumping gasoline and it was about then that I learned that my earnings were taxable. I paid unemployment tax, federal income tax, state income tax, social security tax, disability and unemployment insurance.

And I've been paying taxes ever since. In return, I've never received unemployment, disability, welfare, social security, medicare, disability, or any other assistance from the government. My children never ate a free meal at school, and never were arrested. And today, they are paying their fair share of taxes too.

But today, it has been said that nearly half of Americans don't pay taxes at all. Yet I know that those that don't pay taxes at all, receive the vast majority of government services. They are usually the ones that need police services, either because they are beating someone or getting beaten themselves. They are the ones that are on welfare, disability, or in prison.

Their ghetto houses burn more often, their children are on school lunch programs, they are more often on unemployment or disability. And, to top that off, they are the ones that steal my crap!

They often do not have driver's licenses or auto insurance. They are more often alcoholics or drug addicts. They don't bother to practice safe sex, and foster their kids out upon birth.

For example, many of these individuals beg on the streets, making 10-50 dollars an hour. Or he might work for $6 hr. He might have a wife and 5 children, although some of them might not be his. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent. He qualifies for food stamps..He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care. His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school. His kids require bilingual teachers and books. He qualifies for relief from high energy bills. If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for Social Security. Once qualified, they can get Medicare. All of this is at our (mine) taxpayer's expense.

He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance. Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material. He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits. Yet, he pays no taxes!

Now, our President is back at it again. He wants to build his fan base of freeloaders, and raise taxes for those of us that work! And, you know what? He will likely get away with it because those 50% of us that don't pay taxes. They will all vote for him. Then with just a few more ignorant socialists votes, he is in again!

Look out! Majority Rules! Oh, happy days!
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What about Mexico?

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In watching the videos coming out of the middle east, I've seen few signs of the carnage that we all seem to be so concerned about.

In Libya, I've seen only a few dead rebels that have been paraded through the streets, a few mothers morning over the loss of their child, few burned out buildings and Toyota pick up trucks, and a few tanks and buildings destroyed. I heard about one allegation of a gang rape by Libyan soldiers, and have watched rockets and bombs seemingly fall into open fields.

Videos from Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Bahrain, Iran, Yemen, and the rest of the sand land region have shown nothing different. Certainly there has be no evidence to support the genocide that I was led to believe is happening. Yet, our American led NATO is all over the place testing out their newest weapons.

Well, what about Mexico? There is evidence there that over 60,000 deaths have occurred in the past 3 years. Every day there are more and more reports of killings. Innocent Americans have been murdered, and the country is in a lawless state.

Their crime is spilling across our borders and is killing our citizens. The Mexican government is corrupt, and has been since the beginning of time. It has no desire or means to stop the carnage. Tens of thousand are fleeing their homeland and into America, yet we do nothing.

The true genocide is occurring right across our border in Mexico, and it would in our best interest to focus our attention there rather than in the giant sand trap of the Middle East (Mexico even has vast oil supplies too).
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Hoping for Change?

. President Obama is asking us to re-elect him next year. His last campaign was built upon his promise of Hope and Change. He also promised us better health care for everybody, but with lower costs, transparency in his administration, withdraw from Iraq, a stronger economy, no new taxes, and a country with less dependence on imported oil. So, let's take a look at just what, if any of his promises have been realized during the three quarters of his first term. He did give us hope. But hope is not hiring at the moment. Millions of Americans have gone from hoping just to find a job, to hoping that the rest of us will support them. Extended unemployment and welfare benefits have led us into an even more socialistic country. And he did give us change. Foreign governments both laugh and despise us. Bowing before Kings and dictators, promises to our enemies to reduce our national defense, and the appointments of his cabinet with the likes Clinton, Holder, and Napolitano, were some real changes. While Clinton travels abroad kissing ass, Holder dismisses over 200 counts of murder and to get a single guilty plea damaging government property for a terrorist (and he call that a victory), Napolitano continues searching our mothers shoes and toothpaste before boarding airplanes, instead of using profiling to focus on the real threat. Oh, but her big accomplishment was to revise the color chart for the Threat Level. So sweet. He promised transparency. Really? Like refusing to release his birth certificate? Like ramming the health care bill through so fast that no one had a chance to read it? Like appointing thugs and convicted criminals, tax evaders, and hidden tax increases? Like the bail outs given to his Wall Street buddies, his union friends, clunker and home buying programs that benefited only the recipients and his friends? And, we are so much less dependent on foreign oil. Corn prices spiked (which impacts my summer Q's) as we added ethanol in gasoline, increasing a gallon cost by 20%, but reducing fuel economy by 10. That's smart. While claiming to be fair with respect to race, gender, and religion, he embraces Islam world wide and encourages building mosques atop Ground Zero. Looking at his appointees shows just how his views on race are. And defending his professor friend while denouncing the cop, really shows his true colors! OK, cutting to the chase. Fact is, most of you put Obama on top of that pole. That's why he is there now. Most of you believed in his promises of hope and change. Most of you got duped and fell for it. Hitler, Castro, Qaddafi, and many others all came to power in the same manner as did Obama. I'm not even asking for you to admit it now. But remember what you have done. Stand firm as you did last November, and throw this bum and his friends out during the next November election. .

A Century Old View of Muslim

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Another avid Follower of this blog submitted the following viewpoint about the Muslim world. This was a short speech written by Sir Winston Churchill in 1899 at the age of 25 when he was a young soldier and journelist. I made no edits because it speaks for itself.

CHURCHILL ON ISLAM

How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.

The effects are apparent in many countries,improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity.

The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.

Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step, and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome."

Sir Winston Churchill
(Source: The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 London )

Churchill saw it coming.............. .