I'm still here

I've just got company this week, so blogging will be extra light.

So....

Go take a gander at some of my favorite bloggers and check back for Friday Frivolity and more regular blogging sometime next week!

Texas Rainmaker
Tallguy
Sparks from the Anvil
The Anchoress
BLACKFIVE

And I can't believe I forgot my favorite former paratrooper's blog! Cop the Truth ;)

That ought to keep you busy until I get back!

Go read Bill Whittle's latest too! (link at BLACKFIVE)

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Friday Frivolity

Here's the fun stuff! ;)

You Are: 80% Dog, 20% Cat

You and dogs definitely have a lot in common. You're both goofy, happy, and content with the small things in life. However, you're definitely not as needy as the average dog. You need your down time occasionally.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

You Are a Kinetic Learner

You learn best by doing, and you have a talent for complicated, physical tasks. You excel at athletics, drama, and fixing things. You would be an excellent Olympic athlete - or a Broadway star!

What's Your Learning Style?

And this one is for Alicia- TMNT







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Words mean things

I've talked about language, and the emphasis on certain words by the MSM before, most notabley here- The language of Katrina. Jay Tea over at Wizbang talks about the use of certain words in the War on Terror, specifically in regards to the current Israeli/Terrorist war.

Reclaiming the language

Tags- GWOT, Language

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A higher standard

I get this email letter/essay in my inbox every month or so, and this one just struck a cord with me on how Christians deal with their own in politics.


So Read on!

The Window by Deal W. Hudson
on July 20, 2006
A Catholic Look at Society, Culture and Politics

Reed Loss No Defeat for Religious Conservatives by Deal W. Hudson


From Atlanta:It was only 8:15 p.m. on election night at the InterContinental Hotel in Atlanta, and Ralph Reed knew he had lost. Eighteen months ago when Reed announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, he was considered the clear favorite to win the Republican nomination. Now, with fewer than 5,000 votes recorded on the Georgia Secretary of State Web site, Reed and his advisors realized that the trend lines were already going in the wrong direction.

Cobb County, a conservative enclave of suburban Atlanta, was supposed to be a Reed stronghold, but his opponent, State Senator Casey Cagle, already held an impressive lead. And the strong grassroots support expected from the rural counties of Georgia was not materializing either. He would eventually win in Augusta, Savannah, and Macon, but not by enough of a margin to make a difference. By 8:30, Reed was already making plans to go downstairs, greet his supporters, and make his concession speech.

The Georgia Republican primary has been in the national news since Reed, former executive director of the Christian Coalition, had announced his intention to run for office. To the national media, Reed symbolized not only the political power of religious conservatives but also the potent marriage between those same conservatives and the Republican Party that resulted in the election of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.

In both national elections, Reed had played a key role as political adviser and grassroots organizer for Bush. In between those elections, as chairman of the Georgia GOP, Reed found the time to lead the state Republican Party to control of the statehouse and the governor's mansion for the first time since the Reconstruction.

But only four years after the historic 2002 success in his home state, Reed has lost the election to a little-known state senator. Why?

The word I heard uttered throughout that evening to explain Cagle's victory was "atmosphere." For over a year, the scandal surrounding Reed's dealings with lobbyist Jack Abramoff had consumed Washington, D.C., the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the radical left. Cagle had relentlessly attacked Reed, the charge being hypocrisy. Cagle's message against Reed was not only amplified by the media but also by half a million dollars of attack ads and direct mail paid from out-of-state sources, such as billionaire Democrat George Soros.

Neither the media nor the U.S. Senate committee that looked into the matter found that Reed engaged in any wrongdoing, but his critic's attacks, especially the barrage of articles in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, poisoned the atmosphere of the Georgia electorate against Reed. Unable to clear the air, his campaign struggled to make up ground in the final days of the campaign, only to lose by 12 percentage points.

During the campaign, Reed repeatedly admitted his mistake of not insuring the source of the money he was paid to lobby against casino gambling. Those monies, it turned out, came from the gambling revenues of rival casino owners. By election day, only one newspaper in the state -- the Waycross Journal-Herald -- had endorsed him.

It was predictable that the media would make Reed's defeat a referendum on the power of the Religious Right. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution front page story (July 19) the following morning contained the following:

"Reed's defeat has set a limit on the influence of Christian conservatives in Georgia's growing Republican Party," said Charles Bullock, a political scientist at the University of Georgia. "They may be the tail now, but they're not the dog anymore," he said.


But the moral of the election is quite different. The Religious Right, which has evolved well beyond the days of Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition, will continue to exert its influence and send its army of foot soldiers to the polls. And it will continue to demand a great deal from its leaders.

The lesson of Reed's election is not that the Religious Right is in decline, but rather that its leadership will always be held to the highest standard of behavior. Perhaps, some would say, that is as it should be.

Reed himself foresees no future attempts to run again for office, but it's a safe bet he will soon become involved in the 2008 presidential election. Far from being "the final implosion of Ralph Reed," as the Atlanta paper went on to say, his defeat will open up other doors, and he will remain a political player at the national level. His political gifts and resources are too extraordinary to be denied.

Reed's ability, for example, to communicate effectively in the toughest circumstances was fully displayed by his concession speech. His pledge to work for Cagle and the rest of the Republican ticket was a model of conciliatory graciousness.

Reed, I will say, took his loss very well. The civility he displayed that evening in front of the television cameras was no different from his response to the bad news as he watched the election returns in the privacy of his hotel room.

This demonstrates what the critics don't get about Ralph Reed: He is not a man who puts politics first in his life. Consequently, what the same critics will not be able to see is that Reed's priorities -- faith, family, country -- will keep him at the hub of where religious conservatives engage the political process.


(Readers may have noticed that I have published fewer Windows this summer than in previous months. I have been focused on the book I am writing on religion and politics for Simon & Schuster. I am making good progress and will be able to resume reporting on a more regular basis in September. --DH)

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The Window is published by the Morley Institute for Church & Culture.
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Tags- Christianity, Politics

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Oh great...

Islamic Armageddon

Sounds as wacky as the whole 'Left Behind' nonsense. I know there are folks who believe that Christians in power are working towards bringing about the 'Rapture', but really, there's no comparison.

I'm 100 times more concerned about the nutjobs in the Middle East bringing about THEIR armageddon. They've shown their lack of reagard for human life, even the lives of their fellow Muslims. These guys are SCARY.

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On Israel

Here's a roundup of some of the things I've been reading on Israel's War on Terror-


Good news from the Senate-
Bravo, the Senate

More 'disporportioned' coverage on civilian casualties-
Where's the Outrage?

And the Pope weighs in and sets the record straight-
Pope backs G8 stand on Lebanon

I'm sure I'll have updates a plenty on this one.




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The first Bush veto!

And it's a good one!

I read this over at CQ and thought it pretty much covers it all, so I'll just let you read-
Bush Casts First Veto On Embryonic Stem-Cell Funding



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Stem cell research

It drives me crazy when the media talks about 'stem cell research'. What they usually are talking about is EMBRYONIC stem cell research, but apparently they think that small, distinguishing factor is insignificant.

Never mind the fact that embryonic stem cell research has failed utterly to provide ANY cure or relief from disease, and that stem cell research using adult stem cells or umbilical cord stem cells has led to the treatment of over 65 ailments. {Update- apparently the count is up to 72 now!}

(Click the Read More to see the rest of the rant!)

One has to wonder WHY the big push for more leeway and funding of embryonic stem cell research? Well, I know my answer to that, but we'll get to that in a bit.

First, to bring you up to speed on what I've written about this in the past, here's a couple of my Live Journal entries on stem cells-

Adult Stem Cell Update
Adult Stem Cell Update...Again!

I want to steer this away from a pro-life/abortion argument for a minute. Looking strictly at the Federal Government and the money they have to spend on science research, which is a better use of our tax dollars-- embryonic stem cell research which has recently created sperm cells from mice embryos that produced baby mice with several disorders and premature death, or blood cord and adult stem cell research which is already treating conditions ranging from leukemia and cerebral palsy, to birth-related brain damage, heart damage and paralysis from spinal cord injury.

I'll put my money on the research that's already showing results, thank you very much.

So why is it that far and away the majority of articles in support of adult and blood cord stem cell research are adamant pro-life groups? Well, maybe because we're the only ones who see an ethical and moral problem with embryonic stem cell research and want to encourage other lines of study. Maybe it's because the pro-abortion forces are so worried about what would happen to their industry if embryos are given ANY protection under the law that they HAVE to support this futile line of research.

There's a number of bills coming before the Senate today, and now is the time to speak up on this issue.

The Wall Street Journal had a piece about this today, and gives a good overview, looking briefly at how even among Republicans, these are not cut and dry issues.

And if you want to know more about the specifics,the Susan B Anthony List has specifics on these bills and others coming up before Congress soon.

I probably haven't told you anything you didn't already know here, but I'm going to keep on telling the GOOD news about adult stem cells, and fighting the use of MY tax money for worthless research just so that the abortion industry can control the debate over when life begins. Because that's what it comes down to for me. Good applications of research vs. worthless science and propaganda.

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This belongs in Friday Frivolity

Just because

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Friday Frivolity

(Ok, so I was a day early here...I changed the date so I don't have to do another one tomorow!)

Cute Overload is a MUST READ site for your daily dose of cuteness. I think I've mentioned that before, but THIS entry was just over the top! It reminded me of this-



Now, on to the quizzes!

You Are A Maple Tree

There's not anyone in this world quite like you. You are full of imagination, ambition, and originality. Shy but confident, you hunger for new experiences. You have a good memory and learn easily. You are sometimes nervous and always complex (especially in love).

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

What obsolete skill are you?

You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the tongue of the ancient Romans is a real anachronism. With its profusion of different cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a language; it is a whole different way of thinking about things.You are very classy, meaning that you value the classics. You value old things, good things which have stood the test of time. You value things which have been proven worthy and valuable, even if no one else these days sees them that way. Your life is touched by a certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain fascination with the grotesque and the profane. Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad transplant. Your problem is that Latin has been obsolete for a long time.
Take this quiz!








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Wifely Duties

Wifely Duties

I read this in the WSJ Online this morning and looked at it from a couple of perspectives. My early childhood was spent as a preacher's kid, so my Mom had the role of clerical wife. I don't remember much of that time, but Mom has told me about doing many of the things mentioned in this piece. Recently also, at their church, my Mom had the opportunity to help their new pastor's wife get settled into her role. Working with a woman who was willing to do the work, but not...gifted...in dealing with people was a challenge. So there's that aspect as well.

But it was when I got to the final paragraph that I saw this gem-

The problem with a facile feminist critique of the role of clergy wife is that it misses the real beauty of the collaboration sometimes found in clerical marriages. There is something wonderfully seamless about their lives--their work and their marriage is all of a piece. Husband and wife are profoundly knitted together, and their shared calling offers something of a rebuke to the hyper-individualism that characterizes so many American marriages. Indeed, they may set a nice example for the flock.(emphasis mine)

You see, I don't think it's just pastors or rabbis and their wives that this should be true of, I think it applies to ALL marriages...or should. It's the 'oneness' that we talk about in Christian marriages. Not that women should lose themselves in what their husbands are doing, but that marriages are strongest when they do share a calling, whatever it is. It could be as simple as being supportive of a career change or working together when a move is needed to advance one's chosen vocation. (This is not to say that husbands don't need to be supportive of their wife's careers, but men tend to do that in different ways)

In my case, it's been the occasional struggle while my husband decided to re-enlist in the Army and I became a military wife. I think being a military wife is much like being a pastor's wife. My job, in addition to anything else I want to do, is to support him and make it easier for him to do his job. I know the perception of 'wifely duties' is something that officer's wives in particular have to deal with too.

But I think that ALL marriages could benefit from the sort of teamwork that has been required of clerical and military families, and the breakdown we have seen of so many of those marriages is due (in part) to the resisance of this sort of 'oneness'. It's hard, because it IS giving up part of your autonomy, part of your self, but the rewards are so much greater than what is given up.

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Yet another milestone passed!

Transfer of Security Responsibility in Muthanna Province

When the anti-war crowd goes on about what a quagmire it is in Iraq, and how everything is bad, now I can point to YET ANOTHER stepping stone to bringing our troops home...the RIGHT way!

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Enough is enough

Michael Medved says it better than I ever could.

The time have come for Israel to stand up for itself and say, "we will no longer apologize for our existence, we will no longer give up our land, and we will no longer tolerate your terrorism".

I'm just waiting for the same people who blame America for the 9/11 attacks (no not the conspiracy kooks, just the ones who think we er asking for it) to decry how the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers from Israeli land was all Israel's fault.



Tags- Israel, War on Terror

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This just gets my goat

If You're Wondering Where the Good Teachers Have Gone

I know, from first hand experience how difficult it can be when your boss is called up for service. It doesn't even have to be for a year in Afghanistan, even short deployments (which are more the norm in the Guard and Reserves) can cause issues at work.

HOWEVER, we have a responsibility to these men and women to make sure that their employment is secure when they DO get home. Why? Because if we didn't provide some sort of guarantee to folks willing to go into the Guard or Reserves, fewer would consider it. If that happens, the end result in times like this is to have to institute the draft again.

My lefty friends I'm sure would roll their eyes and say, "Well, if Bush hadn't gotten us into this war, there wouldn't be a problem". To which I'd say- If the terrorists hadn't STARTED this war, then there wouldn't be a need. But even if you took the War on Terror out of the picture, you would still have Guardsmen and Reservists called up periodically for duty, and we would STILL need to provide them some job protection.

Unless, of course, you DON'T support the troops.



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Games for Troops!

How cool is this?

Now, you've got to be a game manufacturer to participate, but still!

Nice to know that our troops will have access to some of the 'extras' from home!


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Wow, is this week going by fast!

I have been working hard all week trying to get our online business up and running and have managed to let my blog slip!

Sorry about that.

Well, since it IS what's on my mind, here's a link to our eBay auctions-

Argent Drake Games Auctions

Also, as of today, we are the proud owners of
www.argent-drake-games.com!

This is the business I will be working on until we get back to Phoenix, at which time we hope to turn it into a full fledged 'bricks and mortar' game store.

The link on my sidebar still points to our drop-shipping website, and it will remain up for a couple of months as well, until I can get our eBay store going and whatever else we come up with!

So...if you are at all inclined, give us a look, bookmark us for future reference, or just say a prayer for our newest endeavor!

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Friday Frivolity

Sorry for the late posting today, my hubby and I took off for the coast to go to the aquarium and to Fort Macon State Park. Very cool day!

Frivolities below-

You Are Most Like George W. Bush

So what if you're not exactly popular? You still rule the free world. And while you may be quite conservative now, you knew how to party back in the day!

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

You Are Elektra

There's really no superhero with more style than you. Because who could beat being sexy assasin ninja?

What Superhero Are You?

Pirates quiz

I got-

Your management style resembles Black Bart’s, the most successful pirate in history. Forced into piracy, he quickly climbed the corporate ladder to become captain in just six weeks. A takeover and merger specialist, he captured 456 ships, far more than any other pirate. He built a loyal team by treating people with respect and fairness. He even hired musicians to make the workplace more pleasant. The consummate professional, he dressed stylishly, had impeccable manners and never touched alcohol. He died in battle and was buried at sea.






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Christians standing up for Wiccan rights

Christianity Today has the most recent update to a story that Mysanal (over at LJ) and I have been folowing with some interest.

I had thought the poor widow was closer to getting her request for a pentacle on her husband's memorial marker. Looks lie we need to keep the fires burnign on this one.

We fight for freedom of religion for ALL or for none.

H/T- BLACKFIVE

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in case you missed it

We got to see the President yesterday, and it was very cool! (actually, it was warm and humid, but you know what I mean!)

I'll post some of the pics up on my family blog later, but here's some of the news roundup from yesterday-

Fox News Coverage
WRAL Coverage (Raliegh)
Video of the Speech (29 minutes)
Independence Day (click on the 'full story' link for a transcript of the speech)



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Rockets Red Glare

What I did today

We had a wonderful time (even in all the heat and humidity), and it was just so cool to see the sea of maroon berets all standing and listening to the President. I have pictures, but the ones in the link above are much clearer. I'll probably post some of mine at my other blog in the next day or so.

Other than calling them the 8th Airborne Corp (they're the 18th), it was a brilliant speech and drove home the point that WE WILL NOT commit to an artificial deadline to withdraw our troops. The ONLY people (are you listening Senators Murtha and Kerry?) who will make the decisions on troop reductions are the generals in charge of the war. PERIOD.

I have just one thing to say...HOAHH!!

Oh, and the title of the post? Besides the obvious, it's the first 4th of July launch for the Space Shuttle!

Tags- Fort Bragg, President Bush, Independance Day

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Light blogging today

But Wizbang has a couple of things you should go read today.

What's the Big Idea?

Happy Independance Day

We're headed out to go see the President and listen to him give his Independance Day speech here on post.

I'll have a full report on that later!

Be safe and have a great day!

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