Scio, Scio’s Neighborhood

A White Christmas

Darcy
34 minutes ago
Post a comment

It's Christmas Eve and this is what it looked like out my bedroom window today at about 2:00 p.m. We are supposed to drive out to Tulsa tomorrow to have Christmas dinner with my mother but I don't think we are going to make it. On a lighter note, my kids have never seen this much snow in their lives.

Christopher

Merry Christmas! Have some squirrels ...

Catalina
Yesterday
2 comments

The Singing Flying Squirrel

Virginian Squirrels

CAIR is the Enemy of Everything American

Congress Beware CAIR Letter 1-30-09

All Mainstream Media (MSM) outlets (including FOX News) have been failing to report on one of the most obvious National Security and cultural threats to America since the defunct Marxist/Leninist Soviet Union attempted a Fifth Column infiltration. That failure has to do with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its connections to West hating Muslim Brotherhood and violent Jew-hating terrorist organization known as Hamas.

CAIR was infiltrated on a non-law enforcement sting by the Gaubatz family who were able to collect damning evidence covertly of CAIR’s subversive activities against America in favor of a radical Islamic agenda. Gaubatz son and daughter were able to pull off a fake conversion to Islam and amazingly became privy to files of CAIR’s inner workings of which many are illegal.

The Father - Dave Gaubatz - teamed up with author Paul Sperry to disseminate the covertly acquired data into the book “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America.”

The media failure is in ignoring the verifiable data in “Muslim Mafia.” The enormity of this failure increased when CAIR attempted to use the wealthy Muslim tactic of Jihad Lawfare (aka Legal Jihad).

Because of this media failure whenever I come across a good essay or update concerning the “Muslim Mafia” I will post it. Here is one such essay entitled, “Much Ado About CAIR.”

JRH 12/24/09

Christmas came a day early

Christmas came a day early for Americans this year, as the Senate voted down the Republican filibuster in order to permit full consideration of the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care" Act a bit after midnight. The last time the Senate voted on Christmas eve day was in 1895, when the issue was whether or not to provide federal benefits to U.S. military servicemen. I assume that the people we now call "Republicans," but back then probably were Southern democrats--anyhow, the same group that provides the core of ongoing political racism and opposition to federal government actions of any beneficial sort--were the "againsters" then as well. (Although I don't know that for sure; perhaps I will try to look it up).

Humor was provided by Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid, who had worked so hard to assemble and keep a supportive coalition, actually initially voted "nay" by mistake! Senator Harry Byrd, the ill 92 year-old that Republicans and their "Christian" allies had vocally prayed would die and thus be unable to vote yes managed to make it there, too. Of course, the biggest advocate of health insurance reform, Senator Ted Kennedy, did pass away a few months ago, perhaps showing the power of such pacts with the devil against progressive forces do sometimes work after all?

I don't know: I have never prayed for someone to be harmed, at least not that I can remember. Sometimes I've been a little glad for their misery, though, like the plumber in my neighborhood who cheated me, and now is unable to sell his house. Is that the Hand of God in action?

But anyhow, I am (mostly) a Buddhist--although we will attend a Christmas day mass tomorrow, and certainly celebrate this evening.

Always, when human progress is made, there are opponents. The Republicans know full well that their only hope for a political comeback after the catastrophic Bush years is that Obama somehow "fails." So they don't want unemployment to go down, they want it to go up; they want more people to lose their houses and their life savings; they hope that there will be terrorists attacks against the US that they can blame on Democratic laxness, as they have attempted to do with the Fort Hood tragedy and the prospect of trials in American courts; they want to prevent action against climate change--and perhaps top among their priorities, they don't want the health insurance system to be improved and they don't want Americans who lack coverage now to get any.

Some countries talk about "gross national happiness" as their major goal, but for Republicans, adding to the "gross national misery" in the US during 2009 and 2010 and 2011 and 2012 is their chief, and really their only, objective.

But, anyhow, it happened to that this day, and the Christmas holiday, started with something good, something beneficial. There is still a lot of work to be done, trying to blend very different House and Senate legislation. The liberals will be angry that the resulting product isn't "strong" enough, and conservatives will be angry if anything at all is passed. (Indeed, John McCain is now unalterably opposed to his own prior proposal to expand Medicare to younger people!)

Of course, every member of Congress has perfectly fine government-provided health insurance. None have offered to give up it, or Medicare, or Social Security. It is just that if you are the constituent of a Republican, and out of work, and in financial stress, as so many millions are, or if you are sick and might cost a private insurer to lose money, they don't want YOU to have it! Better that you simply die, like they hoped for Senator Byrd.

Talk about your "death panels!" Here are groups of Republicans gathered, in family groups or what they consider to be "Christian" (sic) churches, praying for the Grim Reaper to come and take away a fellow man. (Of course, there were a lot of people that wanted Jesus to die, too--and he did. But right now, we celebrate his birth).

It isn't that there is a rotten apple in the barrel. Sometimes the barrel is nearly half full of rotten apples! But for today, Christmas eve, Christmas in the US came a day early, and every American has an opportunity to feel at least a tiny bit more secure that progress is being made, even as a second big winter storm is coming upon us.

Be careful out there!

QotD: Kissing under the Mistletoe

John
Yesterday
1 comment

If you could kiss anyone under the mistletoe, who would it be?

It depends on exactly where the mistletoe was hanging...

John

Merry Christmas!

I'll see you after the new year!

Hope this time is joyous and peaceful for you and all you love. Best to everyone in the new year as well...

love and chocolate kisses,
gunderson

weather report

RedScylla
2 days ago
2 comments

fog and thunder on Mt. Oread

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime\xAE 6.5 or higher is required.

1223091100.jpg

Christmas Traditions

Darcy
2 days ago
6 comments

Every year my kids unwrap the Manger Scene and get it all set up. They put the three wise men on the far side of the house. Then they move them a little bit closer to the manger every day. Today is the day before Christmas Eve and the three wise men are nearing the end of the mantel over the fireplace.

The Journey

Notice that the one in the middle doesn't quite match. When Claire was a baby, she broke him and we had to find a replacement. We got lucky and found some at the dollar store. They were selling them individually so we were able to buy just the one we needed and he was only missing in action for a day or two.

The Manger

Christmas, so busy!!

DoctorD
2 days ago
2 comments

I haven't posted for a week or so, being so busy with Christmas preparations. Our first holiday-related company may arrive today, on their way west to Vancouver. Christmas eve will be spent in Chicago (that's our big meal and gathering). Probably on Christmas day itself we will work on slightly overdue Christmas greeting cards.

I do like getting letters from people, and hearing the news from various families and from various parts of the country. Some have had to relocate because of factory closings; many have taken wonderful trips to exotic locales. Several report injuries or serious illnesses, but I am impressed that quite a few age-mates have managed extensive walking or even biking tours. Sadly, I am well past that now.

My wife is cooking up a storm, in traditional Italian holiday style. (Probably I posted some photos a year ago). All the tension of planning and doing has led to a couple major outbursts and arguments. I am quite aware that the blessing of Christ's birth is hardly on the mind of anyone.

I do love our tree. Perhaps it is pagan, but I do like it a lot. And we do have some electric candles in the window, and a wreath on the door--unusual, in this predominantly Jewish neighborhood.

Days have started to get longer now. Good: but still there is a lot of snow and cold to come.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all friends and neighbors out there in Vox-land. Thanks for reading and responding to some of my posts. It benefits me to have that contact with the "outside world," rather like my father did with ham radio.

The Brazen Double Standard

Robert Spencer - Jeffrey Imm

ACT! For America continues its efforts to expose the dangers and hypocrisy Islam to Western Society. Below you will find a plea to join ACT’s petition drive calling for an investigation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). ACT also draws attention to two articles relating to the trouble being caused Muslims and Muslim Apologists in the name of Islam (Mohammedanism is a better term). The first by expert on Islam Jeffrey Imm and the other is by expert on Islam Robert Spencer.

JRH 12/23/09

************************************

The Brazen Double Standard

ACT! for America

Email sent: December 21, 2009 12:33:36 PM

Today we have juxtaposed two short articles to clearly illustrate the brazen double standard that exists with respect to free speech and Islam.

The first is about Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist supremacist organization that is allowed to hold conferences in America—the latest in a government building—because our government has not deemed fit to classify the organization as a terrorist organization. (Other nations have done so).

The second is about the upcoming trial of Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, who is being prosecuted for speech that “offends” Muslims. The backdrop for this trial is the UN’s approval, just last Friday, of a resolution urging governments to criminalize speech that defames religion.

Given that the 57 member Organization of the Islamic Conference has been working feverishly to get such a resolution passed by the General Assembly, it’s not hard to guess what kind of speech they want banned.

Isn’t it amazing? An imam in America can call for “uzi jihad” against this country; Hizb ut-Tahrir can call for the victory of Islam over all other religions; the Qur’an can defame Jews by calling them apes and pigs…

…but don’t dare point out these facts, or else you might be guilty of “defaming” Islam!

In the forefront of this free speech double-standard in America is the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). For years CAIR has tarred critics of radical Islam as “Islamophobes,” “bigots,” and the like—simply for pointing out the truth about radical Islam.

Now CAIR is in hot water, thanks to information entered into the record at the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial and new revelations contained in the book Muslim Mafia.

There are now over 37,000 signatures on our petition calling for a government investigation of CAIR. If you haven’t yet signed on, please click here to do so today! Thank you.

__________________________

Editor: Read the full ACT post that was sent at SlantRight 2.0.