Wow! A "Sale-less Fundraiser"

My youngest son brought home a note from school yesterday about the latest school fundraiser and I was absolutely tickled to see what it was. They are having a "Sale-less" fundraiser. The headline of the flyer says

ARE YOU TIRED OF CATALOG SALES TO RAISE MONEY???? ARE YOU BURNING YOUR CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS????

It goes on to say

Please feel free to ask grandparents, neighbors or friends--as you will probably find that people would prefer making a donation rather than purchasing an item for twice what it would cost in a discount store.

I actually made that exact same suggestion in this post last September. I'm sure no one at the school read my blog post, but they may have read Steven Taylor's op-ed column on the same topic, which prompted my blog post. In any event, I'm glad to see that they've finally gotten the idea. I hope this fundraiser goes over well so that the catalogs full of junk can be a thing of the past.

An interesting blog

I found this blog today that I thought was interesting. I have to agree with the sentiment, but as long as we have a Rebuplican controlled Congress it ain't gonna happen. But he deserves it way more than Clinton ever did!!!

I wasn't that lucky

Woman finds 1.3-carat diamond in a state park
I've actually been to that state park in Arkansas before. It was a long time ago when I was in either middle school or early high school. My dad has always been a rock hunter. Unfortunately none of us were as lucky as this lady obviously was. I'm pretty sure my dad found some amethyst, rubies, and garnets, but I don't remember him actually finding any diamonds. If he did they would have had to extremely small or I'd remember. Honestly the thing I remember most was sitting under a tree and reading while my parents looked for rocks.

Something to ponder

Since Sept. 11, 2001, I've heard a lot of people say that Islam can't really be a religion of peace if terrorist are blowing people up in the name of Islam.

I've also heard a lot of people saying that the United States is a Christian nation whose laws are based on the Ten Commandment (Roy Moore is the obvious example, but certainly not the only one saying it). I've even heard claims that our President is a Christian man who was put in the White House to do God's will (I don't believe it, but I've heard it said).

That said, I have to ask, are we really a Christian nation, at least in majority terms? Is this President really a Christian President?

My Bible encourages people to turn the other cheek. -Matthew 5:39

Even in the Old Testament Isaiah 50:6 tells us "I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheek to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.

Now I'm not saying that from a national political or international view point the United States could have just set back and done nothing after September 11th, but I am saying that our actions have been far from Christian.

I think that we should take some advice from Matthew 7:1-2. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. For as you judge others, so you will yourselves be judged, and whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt to you."

That bit of wisdom could take us a long way on so many issues.

Just something to think about.

Where is the American Spirit?

I was reading the "perspectives" section today in this weeks Trop (the university newspaper) and I was so annoyed that I'm considering writing a letter to the editor. I know that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but this person just seems to be living on a different planet than I am or something. He suggests that our country has fallen "into a rabbit hole of moral decay and global danger" due to our "ultra-tolerance policy" because we don't want to "offend any group of Muslims." He thinks that we worry too much about the opinions of other nations and I quote, "When did America turn into a bunch of pansies, scared of what someone thinks?" He ends his article by saying "With the government cowering behind its ultra-tolerant views and political correctness, it is only a matter of time before we are attacked again."

As to our "ultra-tolerance policy" I have to ask, are we not humiliating and most likely torturing Muslim prisoners of war as we speak? Why yes, I think we are. Our government my give lip service to not offending Muslim groups, but in reality they do it everyday. I'm sure our actions toward Muslims have increased the enrollment in Al Qaida more than it has ebbed it.

Also, we are supposed to be a liberal society in the classical meaning of the term. We are supposed to believe in freedom of religion. We are supposed to believe in the rights of the individual and the limitation of government control over people's lives. If this guy doesn't want to live in a liberal society, maybe he needs to go live in a dictatorship for a while to see what an illiberal society is really like (preferably a dictatorship that is intolerant to his religion and/or ethnic group).

As to our worrying about world opinion I have to ask, does he forget that the United States attacked Iraq against international law and against the objections of most of the civilized world? I personally think we need to pay more attention to world opinion. Just as "no man is an island," no state acts in a void. Even if we are the "only remaining superpower," we have to consider that the world is not our playground.

To his last comment I offer these quotes from some fine American's who knew what it was like to live in a less than liberal society and in less than safe times:

Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.
-American Revolutionary War General John Stark

Give me liberty or give me death.
-Patrick Henry

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
-Benjamin Franklin

My own opinion is that liberties freely given up are not likely to be freely returned. Okay, I'll stop ranting now.

Is it just me?

Is it just me or does the Pope just look evil in this picture?

Irrational Woman - A Year Later

Well, today is my first birthday, or at least my blog's first birthday. I must confess, it's been a bumpy year. There have been periods of fairly regular blogging and months with only one or three posts. It's been fun, but I've found that avid blogging is something I don't really have the time for. I've decided to blog what I want when I want and not worry about how often that is or how many people read it. Maybe some day I'll find my true voice, but for now I'll just keep trudging through.

Odd News

'CSI' Crew Finds Real Corpse on Set

On Tuesday, Sept. 12, an actual mummified body was found inside of a Los Angeles building where the show was filming an episode that just happened to center on the discovery of a mummified body, reports People.

I don't actually watch CSI:NY, but the headline caught my attention. I suppose it's not that unusual to find a dead body in a NY apartment building, but it is an ironic combination.

montgomeryadvertiser.com - Bush may hurt GOP with Southern women

montgomeryadvertiser.com - Bush may hurt GOP with Southern women

President Bush's once-solid relationship with Southern women might be on the rocks.

"I think history will show him to be the worst president since Ulysses S. Grant," said Barbara Knight, a self-described Republican since birth and the mother of three. "He's been an embarrassment."

In the heart of Dixie, comparisons to Grant, a symbol of the Union, is the worst sort of insult, especially from a Macon, Ga., woman who voted for Bush in 2000 but turned away in 2004.

This part of the story gives a little hope in the days ahead.

This part, however, doesn't:

Still, some Southern women remain stalwart supporters of Bush and the Republican Party. At a watermelon festival in Chickamauga, in the mountains of northwest Georgia, substitute teacher Clydeen Tomanio said she remains committed to the party she's called home for 43 years.

"There are some people, and I'm one of them, that believe George Bush was placed where he is by the Lord," Tomanio said. "I don't care how he governs, I will support him. I'm a Republican through and through."

Statements like that are the scariest possible thing in a democracy. It's that "yella dawg" mentality that just seems to linger in the South, whether it be Democrat or Republican. It's a terrible thing.

It reminds me of something that a famous man once said:

What luck for rulers, that men do not think.
-Adolf Hilter

Apparently it applies to some women equally well. When people don't think for themselves, terrible things can happen.

I don't necessarily believe that the Lord put Bush in his current position. But I do believe that he gave each and every one of us a brain for a reason.

CNN.com - 6.0 quake in Gulf shakes Southeast - Sept. 10, 2006

CNN.com - 6.0 quake in Gulf shakes Southeast - Sept. 10, 2006

A strong, 6.0 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico was felt throughout the Southeast but caused no apparent damage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Funny, I didn't feel anything. Oh well, it is interesting none the less. When I was searching on the web for info about the quake I found this blog post about the previous quake in the gulf earlier this year. It's an interesting read.

I really hope this area isn't heating up to be a seismic hot zone anytime soon. I don't think I could take hurricanes and earthquakes. Ugh!

btw,IRIS Seismic Monitor lists it as a 5.8 not a 6.0, not sure why there is a discrepancy.

I finally finished it, and just in time

As I mentioned the other day, I was working on a quilt over my summer break. The quilt I was making was a baby quilt for my new baby cousin. I actually finished making the quilt on Aug. 30, but I didn't get the label sewn on until today, because I was waiting for the little bundle of joy to arrive so I could add her full name and birthdate to label. She finally arrived yesterday. A beautiful little girl named Allie Faith. I don't yet have a picture of her, but here is a picture of her brand new quilt.